“It was first crafted by an incredibly clever wizard, though it’s a rtively simple spell once you know how it’s done, or so I’m told. There are many such medallions made since it’s a good way for wizards to make money.” The old man informed Gregory with a small smile.


    “Well thanks all the same.” He said to Bolut before turning to the white haired man beside him once again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask you your namest night.”


    “I am Emmet.” The man helpfully filled in.


    “Alright. Well is this all you wanted to talk to me about or was there something else?” Gregory set his empty bowl down in front of him where it was soon plucked up to wash by a passing human.


    “Yes, there was something. Do you intend to live here?” Therge orc was obviously being careful with his words.


    “Well I haven’t got anywhere else to go.” Gregory replied with a long sigh. “I’ll need to do some travelling soon but I was nning on staying here for a few days longer. I don’t know much about this ce or this world. It’d be pretty stupid of me to just jump out there and hope for the best.”


    Bolut nodded and considered the young man’s words for a few long moments.


    “If it’s a problem then Algra has a camp we could just head back to.” Gregory said causing Algra to perk up with an eager look in her eyes.


    “No! No, I’m not trying to be rid of you, master. I’m just not sure that the one who mastered Algra Strongblood should be spending his nights in a tent that is designed for orcs to watch human women dance naked.” Bolut tried to put it as tenderly as he could.


    Gregory suddenly felt heat rush to his face. It seemed that it was improper for the equivalent of orc nobility to hang around in the equivalent of a strip joint. Who could have guessed?Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    “Right, ok, we won’t sleep in there anymore.” He lowered his head and rested his brow in his hand. Algra patted him on the back encouragingly whilst trying not tough at his oversight.


    “So you will need a tent of your own. We have space here but most of my gold is resting within goods that I still need to sell…” Bolut was obviously dancing around arger issue.


    “Look, I appreciate the medallion. I really do. But right now I’d appreciate blunt honesty much more,” Gregory gave the merchant a much needed push.


    “Very well. I would like to know if you intend to make our challenge fixed,” Bolut said.


    Gregory patted the medallion beneath his t-shirt then looked back up at the big orc.


    “Is this thing working right? I have no idea what you just meant.”


    “After a challenge is made, often the victor will take what he wishes from the loser and the loser must obey the victor from then on. Yet unless a challenge is fixed the loser may still be challenged by another orc. Fixing a challenge means that you will permanently own Bolut and that anyone who wishes to challenge him will have to issue the challenge to you instead.” Algra supplied the exnation innguage far more eloquent than Gregory was used to hearing from her. Then he realised that she was speaking her native tongue rather than the humannguage. The medallion was tranting wlessly.


    “Oh, I see.” Gregory lied.


    Algra rolled her eyes. He wasn’t very good at lying and appeared rather dumbfounded by the whole concept.


    “If you leave your challenge un-fixed then other orcs may still challenge Bolut. I would guess that he wants you to fix the challenge since you’re letting him keep his things and if you’re his permanent master he won’t have to worry about other orcs challenging him.” Algra looked across to the merchant who was appearing slightly pained that she’d put the matter quite so bluntly.


    “So you want me to look after you?” Gregory almostughed, so far he’d barely been able to look after himself.


    “Master, if you were to fix our challenge then I wouldn’t need to hold back my business any longer. I could expand! Orc beer, steel, armour and weapons are prized on any market. I’ve had buyers begging me for our goods as the only other two merchants of my people don’t even go far enough north to get to a city. If I didn’t have to worry about looking like I had just enough to feed all my ves then we could both be very rich men!” Bolut was clearly quite passionate about the issue.


    “There are only three orc merchants?” Gregory asked sceptically.


    “Bah! You may have noticed that my people value battle and war more than trade. Our biggest trading good at the moment is the meat and crops we trade with the human emissary and that business is done directly by the warchief. All young orcs want to be honoured in the battlefield, not sit at a table counting coins. We have many items to share with the world that the world is practically begging for and I can’t sell them because if I do then I’ll get my fat arse kicked and have all my profits swiped in a day. I can do sweet bugger all about it.” The orc grunted and took a cup of offered water, guzzling the whole thing down at once.


    “Alright then.” Gregory shrugged.


    “Hah! Oh you will not regret this!” Bolut was clearly ted. “What are your colours?”


    Gregory blinked and turned to Algra.


    “He asks so that he may wear them in order to show that the challenge has be fixed.” Algra exined.


    “Oh, I dunno. Does it matter?” Gregory asked.


    “Not really, which colours do you favour? There are usually no more than three.”


    “ck, red and blue?” Gregory ventured as if answering a question in school that he wasn’t quite sure of.


    “So be it! Thank you for this opportunity master. All that I own is yours and we are both soon to be rolling in gold!” Bolut virtually had dor signs rolling around in his eyes. “I will prepare a caravan immediately and use some of my emergency gold to set you up with a tent. It will be up by the end of the day.”


    Bolut moved to stand and get on with his ns.


    “Hold on,” He quickly lifted his hand for the orc to slow down. Bolut visibly cringed, obviously waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    “Yes, master?” He asked, turning back to look at Gregory.


    “Two things. The first is that if we’re going to be rolling in gold I want the first thing we do to be going to get Emmet’s brother and his family. I want them brought here when you return from this trip.”


    Bolut nodded in agreement, it certainly didn’t seem to be a condition that he appeared to mind. Emmet’s jaw practically bounced off of the ground. He’d apparently thought that Gregory had forgotten all about this and for him to make it such a prominent goal was a kindness the old man was far from used to.