Mark of the Fool

“I do have a question for you, Alex,” Toraka Shale tented her fingers before her. “This…substance, the one you indicated in your schematics. I’ve heard rumblings about something coming from that expedition of Vernia’s. I take it this has something to do with that? She’s been quite excited about something you people discovered out there.”

“Well, if she hasn’t given any specifics, then I won’t either, at least for now. What I can say is that you and I have an opportunity.” Alex leaned forward, tenting his fingers on the desk as well. “We have a substance—one I can get a solid supply of—which will hit the market…I’d say sometime in the next six months.”

There was no lie in his words.

By now, everyone on the expedition with half a brain had likely realised the value and road to magical progress the dungeon core remains presented.

‘I’d bet my left pinky finger that others are already planning their own little dungeon-hunting expeditions,’ he thought. ‘Hells, they probably would’ve already started if that invisible monster hadn’t led such a devastating attack on the castle and spooked everyone. Which means we won’t have long before folks start getting their nerve back and get down to the business of selling dungeon core essence.’

“Hmmm, the next six months you say?” Toraka flipped to the schematics in her copy of his proposal. “And this substance is important for the process. At least, according to your notes it is.”

“Oh, it’s key,” Alex assured her. “You can’t make golems like Claygon without it. It’d be like making honey on toast without the honey! See, that’s why I think—if you and I act together—we can make Shale’s Workshop a pioneer in the market. You have a few advantages right now that no one else has.”

“And what would those be?” Toraka raised an eyebrow.

“Well, for one, I have a supply of that substance right here.” Alex tapped a pouch at his side. “We could begin making the first golem prototype right away. You’d literally be to market ahead of everyone else by months. By the time your competitors start looking to produce their own versions of these special golems, you’ll have a steady supply of customers who already know that you were the first, the best, and the most reliable.”

“True, if it all comes to pass.” Toraka drummed the tips of her fingers together. “If it all comes to pass. I have no idea if this…product is as revolutionary as you’re claiming it is. I’ve had people walk into my office before claiming all sorts of things.” She chuckled. “Once I had some man come in off the street yelling about how he could make flying golems out of mere bird feathers, wheat, and pig-iron. I can’t tell you how many wizards have claimed to have discovered the next big thing, the next revolution, the next wonder that would transform society and the market. In my experience, ninety-nine percent of them were wrong.”

“Well then, I’m in the one percent who’s right,” Alex said confidently. “Listen, do you trust Baelin and Professor Jules?”

Toraka winced. “Depends on the sort of trust. That old archwizard scares the hell out of me. I avoided his classes for a reason.”

“You missed out on a lot, then,” the Thameish wizard said, defensively.

“Maybe, maybe not. Half the people I knew who took his classes dropped out after the first week. The other half…well, if they weren’t crazy before, they seemed pretty crazy after a semester or two.”

Alex could think of a few choice words Baelin would have for the master crafter if he had been sitting in her office. Something about Proper Wizards, no doubt. Wisely, Alex chose to keep such thoughts to himself.

“Alright, his teaching methods aside, would you trust his’ and Professor Jules’ judgement if they thought something was revolutionary? Something revolutionary enough to justify an entire expedition, the construction of a complete Research Castle, and a military presence in a warzone?” He leaned forward. “Something revolutionary enough that even the city council put their weight behind it.”

Toraka’s lip twitched. “A fair point. I’m not fainthearted enough to miss a gold rush when I see one…alright, but do you realise there’s one problem with being a first adopter, Alex?”

“Enlighten me,” the younger wizard said.

“It’s convincing others that this new thing you’re doing actually has merit. The problem with being ‘ahead of your time’ is that—while it might get you a nice note in a history textbook—it often translates to poverty, or at least major monetary loss during your lifetime. It doesn’t matter if you have a revolutionary product: others have to believe it’s worth paying top dollar for it.”

She flipped to the back of his business proposal where the potential economic risks and rewards of the project were, tapping a number he’d circled several times to draw her attention to it.

“This price here…” she whistled. “…if I could charge that for one golem? The margin of profit we’d be talking about would make half the industrialists in the city weep. But we’ll never be able to charge that much if our clients can’t be convinced it’s worth it.”

“Luckily that’s where one of your other advantages comes in.” Alex nodded to Claygon, who looked up from his puzzlebook to give Shale a thumbs up. “You have a walking advertisement right beside me. A walking advertisement that won the super-heavy weight division of the Duel by Proxy at the Games of Roal the very first year he entered. A walking advertisement that—since then—has undergone golem evolution and developed sapience. Let me ask you, Mrs. Shale, has there been talk about Claygon among your social circles? Among your competitors?”

She gave him a wry smile. “There has been, as a matter of fact. Even a couple of people were proposing to buy your friend. I told them you wouldn’t be interested, of course.”

“Of course,” Alex agreed. “But then what’ll happen when you can tell them you’ll have golems ready for sale that are almost as good as Claygon? Word will spread, Mrs. Shale, and you’ll have customers lined up all the way down the street!”

Her fingers drummed faster. “...interesting.”

“And you have one more advantage, by the way,” Alex said.

“And that is?”

“Me.” He reached over to his box, undoing several brass clasps that held it shut. Carefully, he teased open the doors on the side, sliding out what was inside.

Toraka gasped. “Is that?”

“A model,” Alex said, turning a sculpture forged from blown glass and affixed to a wooden stand toward her. It was a perfect replica of what he’d described in his schematics: a golem core built from dungeon core essence. “You always wanted to have a look at Claygon’s core. Well, this is as close as you’re going to get…until we build the real thing, that is.”

He slid the sculpture toward her, hiding a smile as she took it with the same feverish need that a starving person would a joint of venison. The master crafter turned the sculpture, digging out a jeweller’s lens from a desk drawer to give it a closer look.

“This is…very good,” she complimented him. “The design…it’s similar to a golem core that’s been infused with chaos essence, but…yes, I see some differences.”

“It’s one thing to see a schematic,” Alex said. “But quite another to see an actual model. A model I built in a few hours, by the way.”

She looked up at him, startled. “A few hours? Alex, the work on these mana pathways…it’s so fine…you sculpted this by hand?”

“By Wizard’s Hand mostly, and with some tools from my alchemy set,” he said. “Obviously, it’ll take longer to make the real thing, but I wanted to make a point.” Alex pointed to his chest. “As far as I know, I’m the only living wizard who has ever made anything with this stuff.” He patted the sack on his belt. “The only one. I bet I could make a real core—and the golem that it’ll go into—in…oh I’d say, a hundred and twenty days? Probably less, with your help.”

Her eyebrows rose. “That fast? It takes us a hundred and fifty on average to make a regular iron golem. You’re saying you can make an advanced one even faster?”

“I am,” Alex said. “The substance does a lot of the heavy lifting which allows you to skip a few of the regular steps you need in the golem crafting process. And, I’ve made some refinements to the construction process since I first experimented with the essence. I expect that over time, we'll be able to work even faster.”

Her breathing quickened; she was growing excited at the thought.

“And, I have to say, I understand why you might be reluctant to go into a business partnership with one of your employees. Especially one as young as me, but—I assure you—you’re not looking at your average flighty student. You’ve seen my work record as an assistant and recently as a junior crafter.” He nodded to Claygon again. “You’ve seen the results of my work. You know I come in, and you know I can produce.”

“...mhm.” She frowned, looking down at the numbers presented in his business plan. “I have to admit…there’s not much risk here. On my end, the supplies needed are just what we’d use for a regular iron golem. If anything, your risk is a lot greater than mine.” Toraka looked at him pointedly. “Which brings up a touchy point that I’ve been considering. This…stuff—which you’ll need to tell me more about once nondisclosure agreements are signed—from the way Vernia talked, it sounds like getting it is quite dangerous.”

Alex shrugged. “I won’t lie, it’s not as simple as nipping down the street to fetch some bread.”

“With that in mind, what happens if you’re killed during one of these little sojourns to get more of this miracle substance?” Toraka asked. “Not only would I be losing a business partner and my supply of the ‘miracle substance,’ but I’d lose a valuable employee who owes me over twenty thousand gold coins. What guarantee do I have that you’ll be good for your debts if this dangerous work makes you pay the ultimate price?”

She looked meaningfully at Claygon.

“No,” Alex said, crossing his arms. “Mrs. Shale, with all due respect…I’m taking on the bigger risk here. You’re risking your business partner and supply, but as you said, I’m risking my life. If anything—if we go into business together—I should be asking you to look after my family.”

“Hmph, you’ve gotten mouthy,” she raised an eyebrow.

“If we’re going to be partners, we’ll need to speak a bit on the candid side, won’t we?” Alex said. “Why don’t we start now?”

“Right…” Toraka sighed. “Well, then I’ll speak candidly. You’re a hot commodity right now, Alex. As you said, you have a skill and a product no one else has at the moment and you can prove its value. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we sign a temporary contract using your plan as a model.”

She tapped the business proposal before her, making Alex’s heart skip a beat. “I’ll be the first customer. If these golems are half as impressive as Claygon, I want to be the first with one. I’ll test it out, and if it works…then we’ll put it into production as partners. But! This…percentage you’ve suggested. I think we’ll have to negotiate that. I say seventy-thirty for profit share, in my favour, since I’m providing most of the supplies and the infrastructure to build with.”

Alex chuckled. “Mrs. Shale, that all might be true…but again, I’m risking my life to get the product. And I’m also the only one who knows how tocreate these golems. Fifty-fifty is only fair.”

She scoffed. “You cheeky little—Sixty-forty, then.”

The Thameish wizard shook his head. “Fifty-fifty, and—in return—the contract can include a noncompete clause to put your mind at ease that I won’t go into business for myself. With the profit margins we’re looking at, fifty percent is going to be an enormous amount of coin, even for someone as established as you. In return, making sure that I don’t bring the process to anyone else for a period of…say half a decade, if we have to part ways, is a nice guarantee.”

He paused, feeling bold. “Also, if you’re going to be the first customer…then you should provide a down payment, since the standard for anyone wanting to do business with Shale’s Workshop is typically half up front, which is only fair, I’d say.”

Alex stilled himself, trying to quiet the pounding of his heart. His mind screamed, wondering if he’d gone too far.

Toraka outright glared at him. “You’re really pushing your luck.”

“I’m taking a calculated risk,” Alex said, hiding his fear under a light tone. “If you don’t want any part of this, I’m willing to go out and take my proposal to other golem workshops. I’d just rather work with you. I like you. I like this shop. I like Lagor and Sim and my other co-workers…I’d prefer making you rich rather than someone else.”

“Richer.” Toraka sucked her teeth in thought. “You’d be the one going from rags to riches…alright, look, I’m putting a lot of faith in you here, Alex.”

His heart jumped. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that if Lagor and Vernia weren’t always singing your praises, I wouldn’t be giving the slightest thought to what you’re proposing,” she said, standing. “So here’s what we’re going to do.”

“Alright?” Alex said, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.

“You and I are going to go down to the offices of Plamman and Plummer, barristers,” she said decidedly. “And we’re going to go this very minute. We’re going to have a contract formalised before I lose any more of my senses, or you get greedier, and we’re going to sign the thing right there and then. In blood, if need be.”

His heart leapt into his throat. “Okay?”

“Then what we’re going to do after that is go straight to my bank,” she sighed, fetching her cloak from a rack. “And I am going to pay you half of your fifty percent of the profits from the sale of one of these…Super Golems—and we are workshopping that name by the way—to me in the form of a promissory note deposited directly to your account. You’d better not spend six figures in one place, by the way.”

His body went cold as his mind threatened to melt. “How…how much did you say? That’s more than—”

“Alex, be quiet for a moment,” she said. “I’m trying to make you rich.”