Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1) Grayson Sinclair (book recommendations website .TXT) 📖

His voice echoed with what sounded like desperation. “I don’t think you kiddos know what you’ve gotten your hands on here.”

I was intrigued, though I wouldn’t let it show on my face. As far as I was aware, the Delilah was just a rundown ship in need of some serious TLC, but it wasn’t that at all if Miguel wanted it so badly. Odds were good that he was cooking up some scheme, and I just knew that if it involved Miguel and either plotting or scheming, he would try and cheat us on the deal. I turned to him and tried my best to look as unreadable as I could manage. Getting the better of Miguel was something I rarely achieved, but I would be damned if I let him screw me on this.

“Well, then, why don’t you illuminate us on that fact?”

He smiled deepened, and I knew what was going on inside his head. I’d just told him that I didn’t understand the value of the ship, which couldn’t be helped. He was currently thinking of the best way to take advantage of that.

“Well, you see, Captain Avery was…I guess you could call him a former employee of mine.”

“He ran smuggling routes for you is what you mean,” I interrupted.

Avery had been a sailor and a crook, so the only business Miguel would need someone like that for would be to run goods up and down the coasts of Nexus. Miguel blanched at my words. So used to lording over us, he could forget I could be clever when the occasion stuck me.

“Which makes the Delilah a smugglers’ ship and not the simple brig I took her for,” I continued. No wonder he wants it. Smugglers’ ships are rare and incredibly expensive. Though why the rush, Miguel? Trying to avoid the heavy taxes from the Merchants Guild?

“Yes, that’s it exactly.” Miguel finally noticed the mess he had made on his beautiful desk. The embers of ash singed the edges of the map, causing smoke to fill the room. He swept the whole mess off in a rush before the small fire could spread, and ran his ash-stained fingers through his ink-black hair. “So, you can see why I want her back.”

“She was your ship?”

“She was indeed. I paid a king’s ransom to have her built by an artisan who specializes in such things. I was also paying Avery a great sum of money to sail her for me. The risk in hiring such characters is that one day, his greed got the better of him, and he absconded with my ship and its cargo." He spat on the ground at the thought. “Cost me a fucking fortune, he did.”

My heart went out for Miguel there. Really, I promise.

“You want the ship? Well, let’s hear your offer?”

“Five thousand gold, plus let’s say two hundred silver for the bounty that I had on Avery.”

“Hmm,” I said. That’s not chump change, but it’s also a pittance compared to the money Miguel stands to make running goods up the coast. It’s a bad deal, so how about a counteroffer? “I’ll give you the ship. It’s yours, but I want ten percent of all the money you make running cargo with her. Plus, the two hundred silver for the bounty. I did earn that, after all,” I said, smiling at him.

Miguel paled at the thought of losing so much money. “That…that simply isn’t possible,” he stammered. “Duran, be reasonable.”

“Take it or leave it, Miguel, and hurry up. I haven’t been home in months. I want to leave.”

He thought about it for a minute, sitting back down in his chair, his hand propping up his chin. “Five percent,” he countered.

“Nine.”

“Seven.”

“Eight,” I said.

“Done," Miguel agreed.

We all stood up from our seats again, the wood creaking as we rose. Miguel proffered me his hand once more, and we shook on our new deal.

“You can send the first payment with the rest of our profits when you come to pick up the next shipment,” I told him. I picked up the bag of gold I had placed on the desk. While I wasn’t thrilled, it was the best possible outcome. We all turned and headed for the door when a thought struck me. “Also," I said, turning back to face Miguel, “You can keep the items hidden in the compartments of the ship, but the gold and the items that are in plain view belong to us.”

“Of course,” he said, flashing his trademark grin. “I would never cheat my best clients.”

Right, of course, you wouldn’t. We left Miguel’s office through the crowd of patrons in the Cask, exiting into the bright sunlight. Once we were outside, we headed back to the teleportation gate. It was about twice as tall and wide as a standard door frame, comprised of polished white marble that gleamed in the sunlight. I’d always found them pretty, even if they didn't match any of the surrounding buildings.

We climbed up the steps to the gate, our footsteps echoing sharply on the marble steps. We stood in line behind several small groups of adventurers waiting for their turn at the gate. “You know, I’ve always wondered why NPCs can’t use teleportation?” Levi mused, scratching at his scruffy hair.

“Don’t know, but I know what happens when they try.”

Both Gil and Levi perked up at my words. “Well, you gonna share, bud?”

“Sure. During my first life here, back when we’d just arrived on nexus, a group of players wanted to test out and see what would happen if you shoved an NPC through a teleportation gate,” I began as we moved forward in line. “They kidnapped a helpless farmhand who’d been in the wrong place when those assholes had gotten bored. Three of the players picked up the NPC and tossed him headfirst into the gate…and from what