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Realm of the Dead God

• Chapter 18 of the Legends of the DragonRider

The Master-Merchant sighed and stretched, working the kinks in his neck. The road had been long, rough and hazardous, but now that they had safely arrived, the real_work could begin. He needed to touch bases with his various peers and colleagues here, see if any of the semi-resident merchants were interested in taking some of his stock off his hands right out the gate, and find out what stalls were available in the new Bazaar. Then figure out what goods to display there, what goods to introduce to specific, high-profile customers in a more private setting, set up a rotation for manning the booth - particularly important around here, since many of the residents kept odd hours, which meant that the Bazaar was open around the clock. Not all the shops there followed suit, but those that _did had a competitive advantage, and he had no intention of passing that up. Time was money, after all - the sooner he got his inventory handed out and his payment collected, the sooner he could head out again and turn that money into more money. And around and around it went...

He had just started bending his head over his stock-book when there was a polite rap on the door. Grimacing with annoyance, he straightened in his chair - then quickly put on his best smile and called out the required "Enter!" The smile quickly faded back into a dour expression when the captain of his complement of bodyguards opened the door, a somewhat odd look on his face. Usually, he was glad to see the man - a former soldier with an actual code of honor, which seemed to have been the reason why he wound up as a_former_ soldier, he and his men had kept wild beasts and bandits away from the throats of the caravaneers and, more importantly, his stock, on many an occasion - and when camped near a city, they helped to deter the resident ruffians when they weren't busy stimulating the local economy by way of various taverns and brothels. It struck the merchant as distinctly unfair, however, that he still had to pay the guardsmen's wages while they were here, in one of the few places where they were distinctly useless. There was no need to worry about thieves or pick-pockets in the Dragon Utopia, and if any trouble did break out, it'd probably involve dragons - thus rendering a handful of poorly-shaven roughnecks in leather and chain rather unhelpful.

"Umm, boss..." the captain started, seemingly trying to find the right words. "Yes, yes, what is it, spit it out already..." the merchant demanded, drumming his fingers on the table as he glared at the old soldier. He had no patience for mumbling or hesitation. "Uh... there's a... woman here to see you. A naked woman. With black skin. I think she's a Drow" The merchant's brow furrowed, then straightened into a pleased expression. "Drow, you say? And naked? Well, then, don't just stand there - send her in!" The guardsman blinked in surprise. "You sure, boss? I mean... she's_Drow..."_

The merchant sighed and rolled his eyes. "So I gathered. Fortunately, however, I was paying attention to something other than the local whores during our previous visit here, and heard a number of things. Like how the highest-ranking noblewoman in this odd place has a Drow for a maidservant, who tends to walk around naked everywhere... perhaps to make it clear to professional paranoiacs like yourself that she is carrying no concealed weapons, or something like that. So send her in, and do try to be polite..."

Anyone with an ounce of sense knew that it was a poor idea to play poker with an experienced merchant. The ability to keep a straight face and a beaming smile in place while meeting the most unpleasant, vicious, depraved and just altogether disgusting of people was a necessity in the business - since for some reason, those kinds of people also tended to be rich. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Either way, the master-merchant had been around the block, and learned how to control his expression with exquisite skill - but even so, he found it hard to stop his eyes from roaming as his 'guest' stepped through the door.

She was, indeed, naked - very naked. Bare-footed, bare-bodied - the only things she wore were a few rings, albeit not on her _fingers,_an armband wrapped around her right wrist, and a collar that looked more like something you'd see on a well-heeled dog, rather than the silken chokers that were in fashion among certain circles of nobility. On the other hand, the pendant that dangled from it was set with a smoothly polished diamond the size of man's eyeball, which many a noblewoman would've gladly stripped just as naked - among other things - to possess. And of course, all of this exposed skin was a rather dark shade of gray. Along with her ivory-white hair - including the tiny, close-cropped bush above her slit - this marked her, without a doubt, as one of the feared and hated Drow.

Despite what he'd just told his guard-captain, he still felt a bit of a cold shiver down his spine. He'd seen a Drow slave raid once, from a blessedly-safe distance - quickly turning his caravan around when it became clear that their originally intended destination was about to be rather short on customers. Even from a far distance, seen through a looking-glass, it had been a chilling sight indeed. But, he'd kept his poker-face rock-solid and in place while facing worse monsters than some random Drow... though admittedly, they had not been quite so naked, or so... slim, and curvy...

Pushing aside those thoughts with well-practiced panache, he flashed her his best smile. "Ah, welcome, good lady - please, have a seat, and tell me what I can do for you!" He gestured helpfully towards the chair that stood on the other side of his desk - a rather fine piece made from elegantly-carved wood and beautifully-embroidered upholstery. Of course, he couldn't take credit for that - it had come with the office, just one more part of the Utopia's hospitality. Every plot in the Caravansary had a small but comfy hut set aside for the caravan leader's use, fully furnished and equipped as an office - a far cry from working out of a tent or a cheap room in a local inn, as he usually had to.

She flashed him a tight, polite smile and followed his direction, seating herself primly on the chair - moving in an unhurried fashion that gave him enough time to finally get his powers of observation properly refocused on what actually mattered. Her demeanor, her body-language, her eyes... yes, they were a chilling blood-red, but that wasn't important. What was important was the fact that she wasn't acting naked. Nude, yes, undeniably, but she was... comfortable with that. Neither trying to hide anything, nor deliberately flaunting it - just going by the way she was acting, she might as well have been wearing a fashionable dress in a daring cut. That suggested a dangerous level of self-possession and confidence - which was backed up by the sharp, focused look in her eyes. Not a 'mark', this one - but someone that had to be bargained with cautiously. A wise merchant learned early on to tell the difference - it was quite vital to staying in business.

The drow finally broke the momentary and marginally awkward silence."From your carefully-maintained smile, I gather you know who I am..." she said, her voice melodic yet curt. "And, more specifically, you are under the assumption that I am here on an errand for my Mistress. Correct?" Smile unwavering, he nodded pleasantly. "I have indeed heard of you, good lady - and of who you serve. Hence, I cannot deny that you are right about the nature of my initial assumption. But, perhaps I was wrong?" She nodded, her lips twitching slightly. "I am afraid so. I am here on my own behalf and none other, to bargain for something I... require."

The master-merchant tipped his head slightly to one side, a carefully-composed expression of quizzical uncertainty on his face as he continued to study her. She wore a nose-ring, he'd noticed - a simple, golden affair - and when she talked, he could tell that her tongue was pierced as well. And... strange, in some other fashion he couldn't make out without staring in a more obvious fashion. "Ah, we have yet to unpack our goods, but if there is anything in my stock you desire, I am certain we can dig it out in a hurry..." he replied smoothly. "Though, I fail to see where bargaining might come in? As I understand it, you are a full citizen of the Utopia - so I would require no payment from you." That came later, after all, when he collected 'goods commensurate with the services provided' from the Utopia's seemingly-bottomless coffers.

The drow woman sighed and shook her head. "You would be right, if what I was after was any of the trade-goods you have brought - but that is not the case. What I need is something more... nebulous, and likely not among the things you came here with the intent to trade. Hence, the need to bargain. Rest assured, however, that what I am asking for will cost you little - and while I also do not have a great deal to offer in return, I do believe you will come out ahead in the trade. What more can a merchant ask for, truly?" The merchant's smile remained as fixed as ever, though he was growing increasingly curious as to what this was all about. "Certainly, nothing!" He replied effusively, gesturing grandly with both hands. "So by all means, let us bargain."

Nodding, the Drow leaned forwards intently, her eyes piercing enough to keep his attention there, rather than on her now-accentuated breasts. "Let us indeed. First, though, let me expound on what I propose to offer_you..." She was a sharp one indeed, the merchant silently acknowledged. You always wanted to show off your wares _before_you touted the price, unless you were trying to sell something truly cheap and shoddy where the price-tag _was the main selling-point. Convince people that they want what you have, and whatever you asked in return always wound up sounding more reasonable than it would've up front.

"When I entered your camp, good merchant, the whole of your crew had their eyes on me in an instant..." she continued, a slight smile on her lips. "And while some of that might be down to the color of my skin, well, I've learned to tell one kind of look from another - and it was mostly the sheer amount of it that drew their eye, of that I feel confident." She was leaning back in the chair now, crossing her legs - and suddenly seemed a lot more_deliberately_ naked. "Some are here for the first time - they've heard the stories. Others have visited before, and know them to be true. The Free Lovers have no duty to see to the needs of visitors, but there's a fair few among them who'll happily do so anyway - not to mention various young Rakshasi or Equus fillies eager for a purely temporary fling with an exotic outsider. With your caravan having just arrived, your priorities are to unload, set up tents, set up stalls, and many other tasks that all require manpower - tasks that will be slowed down or delayed if half your crew is sneaking off to the Citadel or the Enclaves in search of 'Utopian Hospitality'."

A rather succinct summary of the current situation indeed, the merchant had to admit. In fact, it was exactly what had happened the last_time he'd made his way here - he himself had been too busy gaping at the sheer wealth and splendor of this hidden paradise to notice how rapidly his work-crew diminished, and by the time he got back on task, he had few hands to work with. It had taken nearly three days to just get properly set up. One of his peers had remarked, at the time, that any halfway-decent traveling merchant knew better than to set up camp right next to a brothel or an alehouse - but here in the Dragon Utopia, there was really no way _around it.

"That_is_ a potential concern, I will grant you..." he said out loud, shifting his mask to a thoughtful expression. "I presume you have a solution in mind, though?" She nodded, and her stance shifted a bit more - it was a subtle thing, but somehow drew even more attention to her shapely, fully-exposed body and the jewelry that decorated it. "Indeed - a simple one. I will provide... oral pleasures for your entire crew." She licked her lips, and now he could see what was up with her tongue. It had been split down the middle, leaving the two halves moving independently, and each tip had been pierced with a separate barbell. "I am quite skilled at it, I assure you, and once I've helped ease the pressure for them, they should be able to focus on their work for the rest of the day." She continued, while he struggled to tear his eyes away from that demonic-looking tongue. "After all, why risk a reprimand by sneaking off in search of a quick tryst, when you can have your needs taken care of during a five-minute break? And believe me, few - if any - of them will be able to last a full five minutes with me..."

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