Chapter 4
[Zev Journey]
"-Tell me why, and why I should care about it and I might consider it. Lie to me, or make me lose my time, and I'll show you why that is not a good idea," Banaboster said with an uninterested tone. The rotund man sunk himself deeper onto the backrest of his old leather chair that looked more like a throne when compared with the quality of the rest of the room. Like a king staring at begging peasants from his throne.
The Guild Master took a drag of his cigar and exhaled, polluting the air of the closed office even more. Smoke drifted off and swirled across the room, making the visibility in the room dimmer with every exhale, even with the curtains open. The smell was so thick he could almost feel the air crunch when he made the mistake of breathing with his mouth for a moment to spare his nose.
Zev had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his anger in check. The Guild Master knew very well it would make anyone who stepped inside his office uncomfortable. That was precisely the reason the man did it in the first place, he was sure.
The fat waste of space dared to look down on them, on him.
He managed to keep himself in control, however. It was well within their expectations for this conversation, after all. He had already studied the man thoroughly and was very well aware that petty power plays like this one were his preferred method to dominate a conversation. Zev took an imperceptible slow breath and centered himself. Anger was unnecessary for negotiations. It would just hamper his rationality. Besides, once they were done, they would have the man eating from the palm of their hands after all.
"-we are here with a proposition. We want a… partnership if you will," Randall said from his uncomfortable wooden chair at Zev's side. The man made sure to emphasize the word partnership. They wouldn't be just another member, no. They were worth far more than that.
Neither of them wished to be another small fish begging for the smallest of scraps. Even when they decided to apply for the primary guilds, living their lives as just another cog in their machines was never part of the plan. So, they had prepared. With each city and interaction they had, they tried to learn more and collect as much data as possible. Gaining a position in a Guild was not different from a job interview and a job interview was no different from a negotiation.
It was all in the way you did business, an action as old as civilization itself.
As long as you had something someone else wanted, a transaction could be made.
"What kind of partnership could a brat that looks like he hasn't had to lift a finger in his life and a middle-aged office worker offer to a Guild like Twilight Ogre?" Banaboster scoffed, just as they expected.
It was his cue.
"You underestimate us, Guild Master," he claimed, keeping his tone neutral. "While you're busy judging appearances, you miss the bigger picture we represent."
"And pray tell, what is this bigger picture you are talking about?" The man raised an eyebrow. At first glance, the action seemed to convey his boredom, as if the man was just playing ball with them for the sake of it.
His Archive Magic told him something different. His micro-expressions were recorded and matched against a pool of previous examples of them to tell Zev the full story behind the facade. There was a lot of skepticism, annoyance, and amusement, but what Zev was truly looking for was the hint of interest reflected in the sudden shift of his posture, the slight twitch of the muscles on his neck, and the slight glint of focus in the man's eyes.
That was very good.
The first part was the most important one. There was no way to sell something to someone who wouldn't even hear what you were buying. Doing business with someone without interest in what you were presenting was nothing short of a folly.
It was the problem with the previous Guilds rejecting them without even hearing them. It was impossible to make your words sway others when you were refused the chance to speak at all. Once you had a foot in though... Once you manage for the possible client to stop, even for a moment, and pay attention to you, that is the moment business starts.
Negotiations varied in form, but never in method. A hundred and one metaphors had been done about the essence of it: hook, line, and sinker; carrot and stick, and so on. It didn't matter. They were all the same.
What was important was that once you had the interest of the client, you needed to entice them to look deeper into it. That would open the door more. You just needed to guide them towards what you were trying to sell them and make them think it was their idea all along.
The easier method to keep that interest alive was through emotions. As long as you manage to attach an emotional response, rarely someone would walk away from it. The emotions could vary, happiness, fear, desperation, melancholy…
"-We are a chance for your guild to finally come out of the shadow of the Fairies, an opportunity to stop surviving through the crumbs and wastes they wouldn't bother to pick up."
"... I'd be careful with the next thing that comes out of your mouth, boy."
Or anger.
Randall said his piece, just as they had rehearsed so many times before. Simulations were made through his magic and what he could gather regarding Banaboster and his personality around Magnolia and other places. He took into account any possible spell and vice the man had to make said conversations as accurate as possible and prepare for it.
Information was a powerful tool when used right, and they were both more than willing to abuse it for their benefit.
The thick smoke that permeated the room coalesced into a singular spot at the side of the desk. A figure slowly took shape, as the gaseous substance became far more solid and robust than what would be normally possible.
He was more than prepared for what was coming next, or so Zev liked to believe. He had molded this exact same scenario dozens of times already with his magic. Hours after hours were spent preparing the scripts, down to their expressions and tones to generate the perfect outcome. There was always the chance that he had committed mistakes or his information was faulty. Archive Magic only recorded information and displayed it in any way he wished. It didn't filter truth from lies if he didn't determine which one was which.
Nothing could have a 0 or 100 percent chance of occurring, something he was intrinsically aware of given that most of the time, he was the one reviewing those numbers. Still, the chances were high enough for them to decide what they had was enough to place the odds as far in their favor as they possibly could.
He had to angle himself slightly to keep the small drop of sweat from being seen from Banaboster. Randall remained impassive, except for his grip on the handle of the chair out of the Guild Master's vision.
This was the critical point of the plan.
He pushed down a sigh of relief when the smoke ogre manifested itself holding a big Kanabo mace. It made for an intimidating figure as it stared at them from under the detailed mask resembling the legendary beasts. Its figure was imposing, standing just under three meters tall and covered with intricate yet tribal armor. It spoke a lot about the level of mastery the man in front of him had managed with this singular spell through the years. That level of detail was not a common sight even in experienced Make or Sculpture Magic users.
Two sides of the same coin, as it were. The fact that Banaboster was a Sculpture magic user worked in their favor though. After all, he could only use elements in his surroundings, not make them from nothing like a Make Magic user. That paired with the fact that they were in the man's office meant that there weren't many options.
Just as Zev had expected in that scenario.
The numbers in his head predicted smoke being used as the most likely outcome after all. However, Zev, more than anyone, knew there was room for error, nothing was guaranteed. Maybe he'd decide to be wild and mold the wall of his office. It was unlikely, but it could happen, just like a number of other variants. Had he failed in his calculation and angered him more than necessary, then the man might even have molded the entire room around them.
If that were the case, then they would find themselves on the back foot for the rest of the negotiation.
Not something they could allow.
"Ahem."
Zev called for the man's attention, following the simulated script they had prepared for this scenario. The sudden shift distracted the Guild Master from his mounting anger and he mentally commanded the Smoke Ogre to move behind him. A sign of power and security. This was his office and the two of them were not to disrespect him inside his kingdom, his Guild.
Once again, Banaboster unknowingly followed the script like a puppet moving along with the strings attached to Zev's hand. The ex-businessman allowed himself a moment to bask in that thought before continuing to sell his pitch. He shared the location of blank spots in the "Quest territories" of the first class Guilds.
Zev showed the man all he wanted to see, and a bit more. He dangled the golden fruit just at the edge of the Guild Master's reach. He could almost see Banaboster salivating as the man, unknowingly, leaned himself more and more away from the backrest of his throne-chair and towards the desk. Meanwhile, the ex-businessman commanded the Archive screens to slowly move in their direction. It was like a dog being dragged happily by a leash Zev himself held.
He savored the taste of vindication from the earlier treatment for a moment. Then, he allowed the freebies to fade away and let another kind of information take over the screens. It was all secrets and blackmail of some other small Guilds they had passed by on their trips, as they built a portfolio of information damning enough to have them by the balls were they to have the power and reach for it.
The implied threat also seemed to have been received by the man, who leaned back once more, pale-faced and sweating a little. His butt fell heavily on top of the chair once again like a pet that had been reprimanded.
'Good dog.'
He hardly needed Archive Magic to recognize the expression the man was making now. The previous mask had practically fallen away and the apprehension in his eyes was clear for both Randall and him to see. They no longer were two desperate people to be wrung for an "esteemed position" inside his guild. They now were two threats with unknown amounts of information, ready to either hand him a gold mine or completely ruin him.
He had let them put a shoe in and they had taken the opportunity to invade his home. Banaboster had two options now, deal with them or bow down to their demands. And they didn't plan on letting that choice be his.
Randall saw the opportunity too. There was no chance for either party to back down now. All that remained was to see who would give in to the other's demands first.
Negotiations varied in form, but never in method.
"Imagine, Banaboster, a world where you don't have to rely on shady deals and backroom bribes. Imagine being able to command the respect of every power broker in the city, where you can control the flow of information, the flow of wealth, the flow of power itself," Randall said, his body using the full extent of the natural born charisma the kid seemed to have been born with. As expected from the son of one of the biggest business behemoths in Fiore, even if Randall saw that praise as an insult. "This," the kid continued in whispers as if he was sharing some big secret instead of hammering the last nail on the Guild Master's coffin. "Is a key. A key to a world beyond your wildest imagination."
The Hook.
The coin absorbed the Smoke Ogre. Just as he had calculated, Randall had enough magic power to do such a thing. Were it something other than the smoke ogre, something more complex or strong, then it would likely surpass Randall's "Purchase" spell capability and thus would fail a critical part of their plan. Or, at the very least, show the strain on his partner, which would set them back quite a bit too.
Banaboster's eyes widened as his magic disappeared and Zev saw something different hidden in there too. Something he wasn't sure Guild Master himself had even realized.
Fear.
They had allowed him to create his defenses. They had just watched him bask in the protection and reliability of his magic. They had let him direct the conversation to take place from a place of familiarity for the man.
And just as planned, they took all that away in one action.
"Tell me more."
The Line.
Emotions were the key to moving a negotiation the way you wished it to. The side that lost control of them was the side that would give in.
"But first, you have to make a choice. Will you remain a rat fighting for crumbs, or will you join us and become something… more?"
The Sinker.
The puppet of Banaboster they had controlled through the whole conversation inside his very own office extended his hand. Unaware that he had given them everything at the cost of basically nothing.
[}-o-{]
[Randall Campbell]
"That went rather well," he commented with a satisfied smile, rolling his new coin over his knuckles. The gray made it seem a little dull. Like he was playing with a fake coin made of iron or something like that. It was especially bad because it didn't even shine, but oh well. The ogre face on it was at least pretty cool looking if he did say so himself.
"You expected otherwise?" Zev asked from across the table from him, drinking his black coffee with nothing added to it, like the maniac he was. How he could stand the bitter drink just like that was beyond Randall. "We prepared for this."
"Doesn't make it less nice that the plan went smoothly. We don't have a great track record for that," he pointed out dryly, drawing a grimace from his business partner. Yeah, he was bitter about it too, but it was better to acknowledge that their string of failures existed. Even the best laid plans could fall apart at the drop of a hat.
Literally, at times.
Gods, that had to be the most embarrassing failure of all time.
"Well, we are officially high-ranked members of a Guild," he continued, picking up his own drink, a cappuccino with some added sugar, because he had functioning taste buds unlike Zev. "What do we have to work with?" he asked, leaning back on his seat and taking a sip from his cup.
They hadn't only gathered information on other Guilds to profit from them and threaten Twilight Ogre a little, after all. It was also for them to understand the scene they were stepping into better. Regular business was quite different from mage business, just like how Merchant Guilds were nothing like Mage Guilds.
There'd be some overlap, of course, but it'd be better if they knew as much as possible.
Fortunately for them, Zev's Archive Magic was made for that kind of thing. So, they'd done their best to feed him as much information as possible. They'd talked with civilians and mages, they'd visited every Guild and checked as many of them as they could get away with, they'd spent many hours at libraries while waiting for their trains, and so on. No, Zev could probably write a whole book about where Twilight Ogre stood in the grand scheme of the mage society.
"Not much," his business partner answered flatly and Randall snorted. Yeah, that sounded about right. They were basically a shit-tier Guild, after all. Sure, they might not be as bad as newly founded Guilds, but they were barely a step above that. They survived, but that was about it. Still though, Randall had kind of hoped there'd be some silver lining somewhere.
It was not to be.
"Jobs were terrible. There were some questionable ones around too. They seem to have some staple amount, so that's good, at least. Probably because Fairy Tail just can't do them all. People then send them to the closest option that can get the job done if it's simple enough," Zev explained and they'd more or less gathered that already.
Most people relied on the closest Guild for jobs, unless it was something that required a bit more skill than they could get from lower-ranked ones around. Then they went for the Top Guilds, such as Fairy Tail. Now, Magnolia's area – and maybe even most other close-by towns and cities – should have been so covered it wasn't even funny. After all, who wouldn't send their quests to the Top 1 Guild?
Alas, Fairy Tail was, amusingly enough, a rather small Guild, despite its strength. This meant that they just literally couldn't do all the jobs that they received. In turn, this meant that people would get tired of waiting – or realize that they'd have to wait for a while if they ever got anyone to go – and then decide that maybe someone doing the job at all was better than the very slight possibility of one of the fairies doing it.
That's where Twilight Ogre came in.
A Guild that only managed to subsist due to the amount of scraps that fell from the fairies' feast.
Just like many other so-called second-rate Guilds who littered the place, usually keeping themselves alive through the same strategy. Surviving by placing themselves on settlements out of the way of the main railroads, or through the cracks on the first-rates modus operandi, was the way to go. They were like hundreds of small fishes fighting for the leftovers of sharks.
"If anything, they were worse than I thought they'd be," Zev continued explaining, breaking Randall from his musings. He leaned back and took another sip from his drink. This seemed like it'd be another long, annoying talk where Zev would explain why their situation sucked.
They'd held entirely too many such conversations.
"Going over the data, I believe that this is because their image is terrible," his business partner explained and Randall held back a sigh. That wasn't shocking, he supposed. After seeing the guys around Twilight Ogre's Hall? He readily agreed. They just looked like shit. Their looks ranged from plain ugly to bandit ugly, and he wasn't sure which one was worse.
No wonder people would be reluctant to send jobs their way.
Hell, the Guild Master, Banabosters, himself, looked like a two-bit small mafia boss. He was sure the thought of just robbing them and kicking them passed through the man's head once or twice before they had him by the balls. And that was going by image alone, nevermind the way the entire Guild acted.
Randall himself wouldn't have been caught dead around such a crowd if they weren't his best available option… and if he wasn't being fueled by spite. Alas, he needed a Guild to earn some money and try to get the life he wished for. On top of that, he wanted to try and be a thorn in the fairies' side.
So, he'd have to make do with the thugs and try to make a decent Guild out of them.
"We can correct that with some time and effort," he commented, smiling a little wider. Sure, it'd be annoying, but it'd mean that they'd be even more key to the Guild and that was great for them. "If we can get some jobs that stand out, make a good impression, wave some unnecessarily flashy magic around. It should get the ball rolling."
"You can help with that, yes," Zev replied with a nod and Randall rolled his eyes.
"I know you look plain-" he said, making the man's eyebrow twitch. "-and old-" There was a second twitch and Randall had to hold back a chuckle. "-but you can help too, you know?"
"I do know," Zev all but growled at him. It was always so nice to get under the skin of the usually stoic man. For all his usual pragmatism, Randall knew full well that Zev had both a really high opinion of himself and an incredibly short temper. "I'll just have to thoroughly work through Twilight Ogre's logistics and maybe pull a string or two so we can get the jobs necessary for that to happen," his business partner mused out loud, a few screens appearing around him for him to read.
Randall had long since stopped getting curious about what they read… Well, he had stopped getting annoyed at the fact that he couldn't read them, at least. A part of him would always wonder, but alas, it was a waste of time to ask. Most of the time, it wasn't that important, and it certainly wasn't worth annoying the efficiency freak that was Zev.
Well, most of the time it wasn't worth it.
He'd already annoyed him though, so he decided not to push his luck.
Zev didn't have much of that already as it was.
"You'll need better coins before you can actually pull that off," his business partner pointed out and Randall sighed. He wasn't wrong about that though, not really. "So, the first jobs should be about that. Once you have a good selection, we can go for a flashy presentation to the world. We will build your stock, as a priority."
"Sounds good to me," Randall commented, flipping his new Smoke Ogre Coin in the air absently. He'd never quite bothered training his magic or doing much of anything other than using it for storage. He knew they had potential, sure, but it had never been worth delving into before. Sure, strength was nice, but he'd rather just… be comfortable.
Eat the best food, sleep in the best rooms, be pampered by the best luxuries his money could buy and wake up surrounded by the best girls he could find. Do what he wished, whenever he wished, that was the best life for him.
Going out there and having epic fights was for barbarians like Fairy Tail.
Alas, he'd have to dirty his hands a little bit now.
Just one more reason to hate the fucking fairies, he supposed.
"Is that coin any good?" Zev asked, looking at the object in Randall's hand.
"Eh… It's a coin alright," he answered blandly. "It's weak, but the thing should be good to act as a distraction or maybe do some simple muscle work. There's the intimidation factor, of course, but you knew that already," he explained, looking at the ogre carving on the coin and running his thumb over it.
He had a proper spell in a coin, he realized thoughtfully. The fact hadn't quite sunk in until then. So far, he'd just used his coins to move stuff around and the occasional spell that someone might not care if he took. Now though, he was truly stepping into the realm of true mages, not just a person that had magic.
It was… kind of exciting, actually.
'This could be fun, even if it also means effort,' he mused with a tilt of his head. Time would tell, of course, but the idea was kind of interesting. He still would have rather not needed to work though, but he wasn't that lucky. Well, hopefully being a mage wouldn't be as annoying as he'd first thought.
"So kind of the Guild Master to push our careers forward," Zev commented, a smirk forming on his usually impassive face. Randall mimicked the expression with a much wider grin.
"Shame that he won't be Guild Master for very long, huh?" he commented, taking another sip from his drink. After all, he knew Zev. The man wasn't an employee, a subordinate. He was the boss, nobody else. Randall was fine with that, of course, so long as he got to live his life comfortably. Banaboster was just unlucky that he'd unwittingly found himself in his business partner's way.
The current Twilight Ogre Guild Master would be lucky if there was anything left of him by the time Zev was done with him.
"Shame indeed," the man across from him agreed with a nod, finishing his coffee. "You about done? We have a lot of work to do if we want to succeed," the man urged and Randall held back a sigh, fondly shaking his head. Zev never changed. In the end, it was the older man who sighed, while Randall took his time finishing his own drink.
What was the point of life if you didn't enjoy it, after all? Why work so hard if it wasn't to appreciate the results, the money and the comforts money could bring? A nice drink on a nice day after a very thorough success sounded like something worth taking his time for, Randall thought to himself.
Especially since Zev was right. There was a lot of work to get through afterward.
So, for the moment, he'd take a minute to enjoy the small pleasures.
[} Chapter End {]
Arc: And with that! We have reached the end of the introductory arc for Revenue. The idea of following the story of two less-than-ideal people governed by their vices, selfish ambitions, and grudge against the Fairies sounded far too interesting to pass up.
Adrian: I mean, that too, but I just wanted non-Fairy Tail MCs. Things kind of spiraled that way, I guess. Not that I'm complaining, I can tell you that… Anyway, the first part is kind of a re-telling of last chapter's Banaboster scene, this time from the other side of the deal.
Arc: I kind of wanted to explore how the conversation would look from the other side. I personally liked how it turned out, but I guess that is up to you guys to tell us what you think!
Adrian: And I guess that's that, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter as a whole too, of course. Remember to leave some comments to let us know if you wish this story to continue. We are certainly interested in it, but it all depends on what the general consensus is and if we see not many are interested, it seems a bit unfair to use up the weekly update for something that a lot of people don't really care about.
Random Arc Question: What do you think of Randall's Coin Magic? One of his spells has already been revealed, but I am curious to see what other uses you think it might have.
Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ