The Crab-Catcher
Chapters
Ch. 1: A Visit to Sabatangan
->Ch. 2: The Crab-Catcher
Ch. 3: To be written
Ch. 3.5: Sarita's Journey
Context Clues
To be written
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Another Day
Late 1120s VTE, City of Sabatangan, Risu.
Thomas was boiling in his suit. He thanked every god he knew for the tall trees and the generous shade their broad leaves cast over the city. He shuddered to imagine how much worse the hateful glare of the sun would have been without it.
Sabatangan was as lively as ever. Many of the squirrelfolk had woken up a few hours before the sunrise to attend their various jobs and tasks around the city. A few hours afterward, when the sun had started rising above the horizon, foreigners like him started to come out of their ground-level accommodations to conduct business with the locals and each other. The clockmen were by far the most populous group of foreigners, which did not surprise Thomas at all knowing the history of the city. Every morning a number of them would gather near his go-to local pub equivalent where they would hold a passionate but short roadside prayer to the clockwork goddess before coming to the pub for breakfast and drinks. Thomas had formed a budding friendship with a few of them, as it turned out that the clockmen and the citizens of the Serene Republic had a lot in common.
Forming friendships like these with the locals was important, as the young mistress kept reminding him. More so than skill or intellect, the ability to form connections was what made a businessman, and Thomas prided himself as a businessman first and foremost. He already had plans to drink and joke his way up the clockman chain of command so he could discuss some business with the local Infinitum representative in some informal setting, perhaps at this very pub or one of the brothels the clockmen frequented. Thomas knew well that alcohol and sex were about as valuable as gold in most negotiations, if not more so whenever dealing with clockmen or squirrelfolk.
He took a sip from his wooden mug. The cool beverage brought some relief from the midday heat. Thomas had initially disliked the unfamiliar beverage, but now its bitter flavor was starting to grow on him. After a few mugs, the low alcohol content of the drink had already given him a pleasant buzz.
Hammering down a favourable deal for iron and tools from Infinitum would be a boon for his soon-to-be shipyard, he thought. He was excited over the prospect of making a deal with Infinitum, even though he had not even begun to execute his plans yet. Thomas in his tipsy state could not stop the smile that spread across his face as he fantasized about the success of the shipyard and the favourable numbers he could show to the young mistress.
He emptied the mug, left a small garnet as payment on the table, and walked into the crowd of squirrelfolk and foreigners populating the main street. The midday break was over, and he had to go on with his business, he was on a very important mission after all. A task truly worth his talents and his new position as the Edelweiss Co. overseas representative. A life-or-death situation for House Edelweiss. Thomas sighed.
He still felt bitter towards the young mistress for assigning him with a task so unfit for his new position.
Most of the company employees, including Thomas’ own men, were starting to grow tired of the local nut-derived food items. Even the young mistress had expressed a desire for something closer to home, although she had made sure no locals were nearby to hear her admit this. Thus, her servants were sent off to find a capable chef from among the local populace. Thomas in turn was given another mission.
To locate and purchase some seafood.
He would not have accepted the mission had it not been a great excuse to spend a few hours by himself at the city. The young mistress had been hard at work for the past four days, spending hours every day negotiating with Elder Dwi as she tried her best to hammer out the best possible deal for the company. Her every remaining waking moment was spent back at the hut micromanaging the expenses of their stay at the city. The growing exhaustion showed its ugly thorns in her behaviour as she had become irritable and clearly struggled to keep up her usual elegant behaviour.
Thomas suspected that part of the young mistress’ reason for assigning him this task was an attempt to release some of that stress by taking it out on him. Naturally she would never admit to this, and Thomas knew better than to openly accuse her of such an act. Doing so would have been extremely unprofessional and counterproductive. She was stressed enough already without her de facto right-hand man bringing up personal grievances.
He had not known the young mistress had a sadistic side, but he was not surprised at the revelation. He presumed such a quality was common in those in her line of work, if not even a necessary one. Thomas suspected that Valt who worried too much about the suffering of those below them did not make it far in the dog-eat-dog world of corporate politics, which was a major reason why he himself never wanted to become a proper Valt. Thomas was content working a few steps under them, in a position where he did not have to dictate the livelihood of hundreds or thousands of workers. He would sleep better at night that way.
The smell of the sea grew stronger, and with it came the stench of fresh and rotting fish alike. The tall trees parted to give way for the hateful glare of the sun high above the city. Screams of seagulls grew louder and more numerous, but even they drowned under the noise of the seaside market square. Thomas recognized shouting in at least four different languages, although he could only speak one of them. He had been studying the language of the squirrelfolk, but he had not made much progress yet, and while he could recognize a few words and phrases in the midst of the cacophony, he doubted he would be able to converse with a squirrelman about anything more meaningful than acorns and beer.
Why was there sixteen words for different types of acorns?
He sighed and refocused. He was glad the gods had blessed him with height, as his stature allowed him to see well above the heads of the squirrelfolk crowd. This made navigating the busy streets and markets of Sabatangan a lot easier. Not much easier than back in his homeland though, as Thomas had learned that the squirrelfolk saw no need to make way for well-dressed men and women who looked rich and important. Here in the busy streets of Sabatangan, it was a different kind of dog-eat-dog world, where quick feet, loud voice, and impressive stature gave you the right of way. Thomas suspected the squirrelfolk did not even know the concept of a queue, and each day he grew more eager to teach them about it.
Well, at least he would teach those who would work for him in a few months’ time. Thomas was going to make his shipyard a bastion of proper Serene Republic civility here in the north. But right now, he needed to find seafood. No, he was going to do better than that. Thomas was now the head of the Sabatangan branch after all, and he would be stuck here for the foreseeable future. It was a better idea to think in the long term and secure himself and his men a steady source of food that was not nuts and vegetables.
Thomas was going to find a fisherman and hire them.
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The Fisherman
Late 1120s VTE, City of Sabatangan, Risu.
to be written
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