Argus-eyed
adjective
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Andy supposed it was normal for the soldiers to be vigilant. He couldn’t even blame them for taking his weapons, even if they were just common rarity and didn’t even have a single enchantment on them. Nor could he blame them for “escorting” him to the meeting. The fact that they all had weapons drawn was a bit insulting, but understandable. Even so, they all knew he was a Merchant, so maybe the security was a little much.
He eyes the walls. Good stone and metal, lined with guards, all standing and patrolling. Actually doing their jobs. Other towns had wall guards that slacked off as much as they did their job. It was actually quite respectable. It was a bit odd that there was only a single watchtower though. That seemed like a security oversight.
“Do you mind my asking why there’s only one watchtower?” He asked. “I mean, you guys clearly run a tight ship. I would think having at least one tower on each all would be a must.”
He thought the soldiers would ignore the question, even as he asked it. These did not seem like the friendly sort of people. To his surprise, one of them did.
“That’s because we only need one.”
“Why? Do you have some kind of enchanted item or something?”
“Better. We have Argus.”
The rest of the soldiers stood a little straighter at the mention of this Argus fellow. It seemed like they all took a great deal of pride in him.
“Argus?”
The talkative soldier nodded. “He’s an Original.”
Andy let out a small, surprised gasp. An Original? Here? He knew his Merchant’s Instincts skill had brought him to a big potential windfall in this fort, but this was beyond him. If he played his cards right and got into Argus’ good graces, the profits would be huge. And he was not just talking coin.
“Really? What’s an Original doing out here?”
“No idea. He just showed up one day, used some weird magic to build the watchtower in one day, and got to work. He never leaves it. Never talks. We bring him his food twice a day and he seems perfectly fine. And he never stops watching. He has some skill that lets him see everything for miles around, even with the fort walls in the way. Even a person using a stealth skill won’t be able to sneak up on him.”
Andy let out a low whistle. Those were some impressive perception skills. It also meant he was probably not going to conduct business with Argus himself. He knew enough not to bother an Original that did not want to be bothered. He valued his life far too much for that. Still, any place where someone like that was, was bound to be rich enough to be worth trading with. The soldiers watched him for a moment. Then the talker kept going.
“Not going to try and meet with him, are you Merchant?”
“No. If you fellows can’t talk with him freely, then there’s no way a stranger like me will get anywhere close to him. I don’t doubt he could put any number of sharp objects through my head from where he is now.”
The soldiers nodded their agreement.
“I’ll be content to do business with whoever handles that sort of thing. The quartermaster, I assume?”
“That’s right. And that’s where we’re going now.”
Andy took one last look at the watchtower. He did not have the stats to see the person at the top of it, but if the soldiers said Argus was there, then he was there. He turned back around as he walked with the men. If he played his cards right, this was going to be a very lucrative venture. And he could not wait to see how much he could gain out of it.
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