hire, Alaric began looking for people who were looking for long term work. Alaric paid the dollar to put an ad in the paper, and he also put help wanted signs on his two storefronts in Aerahagen. Within only a few days Alaric had interviewed dozens of people. While most would probably make good shop keepers, none seemed to be what he was looking for. The last day that Alaric's ad was in the paper, three more people came into the shop to be interviewed. The first was a retired soldier. He was not too old; he had simply lost interest in drilling everyday with nothing real to do. The second had worked as a scout for Aerahagen when it had a short conflict with the city state of Dragford to the West, which lay between Aerahagen and Ravenburg. The third had all the characteristics of a common thief.
Alaric rejected the third man almost immediately. The first two, however, both had skills that would be beneficial. Alaric knew he couldn't really afford two more employees, but he couldn't really pass them up. While he needed someone to help defend his cargo, having someone who knew at least half the route, would be extremely important. Alaric decided to hire both of them. He introduced them to Emilia and to each other. Alex, the ex-soldier, shook Ned, the scout's, hand.
“Pleasure to work with you all. When do we leave?” asked Alex.
“We'll be leaving in four days, so make sure you have everything that you need ready.” Alex nodded and walked out the door, saying something about needing to clean his rifle. Ned stood there for a moment, looking at Alaric, before speaking. “You need to get a better gun.” Alaric looked at his father's revolver, “Why's that?”
“Most people in this area of the world are using the cartridge guns now. You'll be outgunned,” Alaric sighed, “This was my father's. I'd rather use it, than a different handgun.” Ned smiled, shaking his head, “Well, if that's the case, I know someone who can convert it to use cartridges. It'll cost a bit more than selling it and getting a new one, but you would still be able to swap cylinders and keep the family heirloom. So, it wouldn't be all bad.” Alaric nodded gratefully and handed Ned the gun. “Take it to him and tell me how much it costs. I'll go with you when it's done.” Ned took the gun and stuffed it partly into his belt, “It won't take more than a couple days. He usually has the parts around for this type of handgun.” Ned tipped his hat and walked out the door.
The next few days seemed to go quickly. Alaric was climbing onto his wagon with the other two men, before he knew it. Emilia waved them off, as Alaric got the horses moving. Ned was sitting next to Alaric with what seemed like a long barreled revolver with a stock attached to it. When he caught Alaric looking at it, he explained that it was a custom weapon he had made by his gunsmith friend. Alex was riding alongside the wagon, armed with a shortened version of the Maitland Rifle. Making the weapon shorter made it easier to carry and use on horseback at cost to long distance accuracy. The three of them set off in the direction of Ravenburg, hoping to not run into any trouble.
It took only a few days to make it to the border of Dragford. It made sense that Aerahagen and Dragford had been at odds, since they were fairly close to each other. Ned suggested they avoid going through the city itself and to simply go around it, camping outside when it got late. The group had just made it to the other side of the city, as the sun was setting. They moved for another few minutes before stopping for the night. Ned got to making a fire, while Alex tied up the horses to a couple of nearby trees. Alaric checked the cargo in the back, which consisted of many different things, including another clothes machine. As the men sat around the fire, having a small dinner, they saw someone approach their camp.
“Good evening, be you heading for Ravenburg?”
“We are. Why do you ask?”
“I must warn you there are bandits on that road. Ravenburg hasn't been able to trade for some weeks now.”
“Thank you for the warning friend. We will take it into consideration.” The man nodded, excusing himself as he walked away. It was decided that they would continue forward and deal with the bandits if they should come. Ned suggested they stay off of the main road and travel through the grasslands as a precaution. Alaric agreed to it, although traveling off the road would also mean possible damage to the wagon wheels.
The chosen route paid off. With no bandits in sight they entered Ravenburg unmolested. The guards checked the wagon to make sure there was nothing illegal coming into the city, gave them a note approving their entry, and let them pass. Alaric was grateful that they were able to make it into the city without any difficulties. This was the first time he had been to Ravenburg, and he had been nervous at the idea of carrying goods through lands unknown to him. While he had done something similar when he had gone to Aerahagen, it was different in that he also knew that he had no future if he didn't go. This was just for business and, thus, created an entirely different feeling of anxiety. Alaric had to stop for directions a few times, before he finally found his new storefront. He walked up to the door and found it locked. No one was inside and it didn't seem as if anyone had been in weeks. Alaric had been given a key to the store, which he now fished out of his haversack and unlocked the door. The three of them began to unload the wagon, while some people, who were passing by, stopped to see what was going on. Alaric was concerned that perhaps no one had been able to shop there for some time and planned to get to the bottom of why.
After they had finished unloading, Alex went off to find a bar. Ned went into the back to get some sleep, while Alaric checked around for the money that should have been there. It was not, which meant that someone, most likely the person who had worked there, had taken off with it. Alaric began cleaning the store, trying to make it more presentable for people that might have wanted to shop there. After a couple of hours, a woman realized that the store was suddenly open and came inside.
“Good afternoon, are you the owner here?”
“I am, as of a couple weeks ago.”
“Well, I'm sure you noticed, no one has been in here going on two months now.”
“I did. Why isn't anyone working in here?”
“Well, Todd decided that since the owner never came to check on the store, he could just close it up and take the money that was there. He gloated something fierce when he first did it. If you want to talk to him, he's usually at the bar around the block every night. Can't say there's any money left though. He's a drunkard, and you know those types always spend all their money they do. I can give his momma's address too. Maybe she could talk some sense into him. He used to be such a good boy and then that girl, adulterous she is, she went and left him for another man. Such a shame, oh and one more thing, she-...”
“Thank you for the information,” Alaric interrupted. “I'll look into finding him. You have a good rest of your day.”
“Oh, not a problem young man. Good luck to ya.”
Alaric sighed and sat down for a moment. That woman certainly knew how to talk at a tiring pace. He checked his pocket watch, five o'clock, good enough time to head over to the bar and wait for the man to show up. If he couldn't get his money back, he could at least confront him. Alaric searched the desk in the shop and found the paperwork showing who had worked there for how long and how much they got paid. He would use it as proof against the man if need be. Negligence and thievery was bad for business, and Alaric intended to make the man understand that.
Alaric walked to the bar, paperwork folded and tucked away in his haversack, revolver on his hip. When he walked through the doors, there were only two other people there, the bar tender, and Alex. The bartender nodded to Alaric, “If you be wonderin where everyone is, most folks don't show up for another hour or so.” Alaric nodded to him and walked over to Alex. He explained to him what he had discovered and asked for his help, should things get out of hand. Alex agreed, but suggested Alaric get a drink or some food and sit off somewhere else, so that they didn't look like they were together.
Alaric walked up to the bar and ordered a small meal of chicken and fried potatoes. It would take a little bit for the food to be made, so he went and found a seat. He was a bit surprised that the bar served food, though it made sense if the bar wanted to keep people drinking more. About twenty minutes later the food was brought to Alaric's table. About the same time, a couple of people walked in who seemed to work here. One was a large