System Change

Derek, Rudy, Mal, Silvi, and Brandi all sat in the small room and waited for the contractors to arrive. A little while later, Wendy came back in.

“The contractors have started to arrive. I am sending them to another meeting room, as this room is a bit too small for such a meeting.” Wendy said.

Derek smiled. “Thanks.” He was a bit concerned about the size of the room. There was enough room for the current people, but it would have been very cramped if any more were added.

While Wendy was there, Derek decided to ask her a question he’d been wondering about for a while. “Wendy.” He got her attention. “Why are you going to such lengths to help us? Isn’t it enough to just introduce us to the contractors, then send us on our way?”

Wendy smiled. “Of course not. Everybody in that book is contracted with Savannah. Every job that the contractor gets through the Employment Center is recorded. How well the job is completed is logged, and it helps determine the contractor’s price and standing. The city also gets a portion of the fee. It is in the city’s best interest to make sure any client gets the best service possible.”

“I see…” Derek said. “Are the contractors able to work outside of the Employment Center?”

Wendy nodded. “They are, but those jobs aren’t rated or endorsed by the city. If something goes wrong, neither the client nor the contractor will receive any assistance from the city.”

Derek nodded. So, going through the Employment Center is kind of like getting insurance for a job. I could arrange for someone to build the building outside the Employment Center for cheaper, but any disputes would have to be settled without the city as a mediator.

“So, if I commission a foundation out of Dragon Formed Obsidian and the job is completed, only for me to find out that the obsidian has been hollowed out and replaced with a cheaper material, what would happen?” Derek asked. Back on Earth, he’d heard stories of companies replacing one material for a cheaper one without the knowledge of the client.

Wendy’s eyes widened. “That would be a serious offense.” She let out a breath. “Though… I can’t say that something like that has never happened. For the most part, contracts allow those situations to be avoided, but someone always seems to be looking for a loophole.”

Rudy snorted out of nowhere. “Ain’t that the truth?”

Derek realized that he hadn’t introduced his entourage, or even himself, for that matter.

He cast a self-depreciating smiled. “I’m sorry Wendy, I seemed to have forgotten my manners.” She was so cheerful and helpful that it had slipped his mind. “I’m Derek Hunt, and these are my associates, Malorie, Rudy, and Brandi. The bunny that Brandi is holding is my companion. Rudy is my Contract Specialist.”

Wendy flashed a big smile towards Rudy. “Now I understand your reaction. You must deal with loopholes all the time.”

Rudy smiled back. “I’m damn good at finding them, if that’s what you mean.”

She nodded, then focused back on Derek. “Of course, I already knew who you were.” She nodded at the badge on his upper arm. “You caused quite a stir at the Adventurer’s Guild yesterday. There may not have been many people around when everything happened, but something as big as a new Onyx Adventurer will spread like wildfire no matter how few witnesses there are.”

“I guess I should have expected that.” Derek said.

Wendy gave a slight chuckle. “Now, cases where the contractor has purposefully been dishonest with their clients, even though they didn’t technically do anything wrong according to the contract, we take very seriously. Not only is it a slight on the client, but it is a slight on the city as well. It is very harmful to the Employment Center’s reputation.”

Derek nodded. “That makes sense.”

“That last time something like that happened… if I remember correctly… the contractor and his crew were expelled from the city, and their information was spread to all the major cities in the kingdom. It is a serious offense, as harming the city is tantamount to harming the kingdom.” She continued.

“That would definitely make it hard to get a job.” Derek said.

“Nearly impossible.” She agreed. “I would imagine that someone with such a stain on their record would have a better chance moving to a different kingdom.”

“Well, that eases my mind a little.” Derek said.

“I’m happy I could help.” Wendy replied. She stood again. “Let me go check if everything is ready.”

“Please.” Derek said.

A few minutes later, Wendy came back to their room. “Everyone is ready. Please follow me.”

Derek’s group stood and followed Wendy deeper into the Employment Center. They soon arrived at another room with a table long enough to seat at least 20 people. To Derek, the room looked like a conference room he would see on Earth.

Already seated at the table were two men and a woman. The man closest to the door wore what Derek would consider a business suit in this world. He had slicked back silver hair and the face of a model. Everything about the man made caused Derek to instinctually recoil.

The other man was the exact opposite of the sly businessman. He was rough looking in every way. His black hair was short, but not shaven. He had an uneven, full beard that Derek could tell he didn’t put much care into, and the tunic he was wearing had the sleeves ripped out. Derek automatically assumed that this man was Billy, from Billy’s Crew. He didn’t look like the type to try to find a fitting name for his outfit.

While the two men kept sending glares at each other, the lone woman was sitting quietly away from them. She was dressed in an adventurer’s tunic and pants, not unlike the ones many of his group wore. The only difference was they her clothing was of a higher quality. Other than that, nothing really stood out to Derek.

She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and some freckles on her cheeks. Overall, Derek would say she was pretty, but in a tomboyish way, different from Stella or Rayna. The sly businessman had features that looked more girly than she did. She had an air around her that made one not want to disturb her with stupid questions.

Wendy cleared her throat, and the three contractors looked in her direction. “You have all been briefed on why you have been called here. This is Derek Hunt and his associates, Malorie, Rudy, and Brandi. He has a large job that requires quick work.”

Then she turned to Derek. “Mr. Hunt. Let me introduce you to Geoffrey from Alabaster Homes, Lewis from Vanguard Construction, and Billy from Billy’s Crew.”

Derek did his best to hide his shock. The man in the middle wasn’t Billy, like Derek had expected. It was the woman on the end.

“Now, all three of you work with the material that Mr. Hunt wants to use, so I will let you get to it.” Wendy announced as she moved to the head of the table. She would apparently be the mediator just in case negotiations went sideway.

“Please have a seat.” She motioned to the side of the table opposite the contractors.

Derek and his entourage moved over and sat down. Wendy sat just after, taking out a writing utensil and some paper. “You may begin.”

“Nice to meet you.” Derek said. Then, he began explaining to the contractors what he needed done.

He began with the two stories and the basement, then moved on to the different furnishings he hoped the contractors could provide. “I was hoping you could set up a full kitchen suite, dining area, nine bedrooms, and a smithy in the basement, if possible.”

Geoffrey raised his hand to ask a question. Getting Derek’s okay, he started, “The runes to ventilate an underground workshop are not cheap. I am assuming you would like those included as well?”

Derek nodded. “I was getting to that.” He smiled. “As Geoffrey said, I am also looking for ventilation runes, cooling runes, lighting runes, and some others for a special project I hope to accomplish. Though, that will be at the end, and I could just hire a specialist for it if I need.”

Billy asked the next question. “Why do you need the Oak?”

Derek smiled again. “Well, I was hoping to use it on the outside of the Pixy Yew to help block the sunlight. I have heard that painting isn’t a great option, so I thought about just building over it.”

Billy nodded at his answer. “It has been done before, but not often. Doing so will at least double the construction fee of the top two floors, and you will still be left with at least the basic sparkly light on the inside of your building. It is usually more convenient to take the cost of the extra construction and choose a wood to work with that is less of a hassle. The durability may still be less in the end, but not by too much.”

Lewis chose that time to speak. “That may be so on a smaller scale, but with a bigger building like this, the Pixy Yew may be worth it. Besides, the natural lighting provided from the wood won’t bother the majority of the inside, only those rooms in which they plan to sleep.”

Geoffrey spoke up. “I hate to agree with a brute like you, but the lighting provided by the Pixy Yew could very well become a boon to your shop. I would provide an almost mystical feel to the open floor area. Plus, you could always just paint or build over the Pixy Yew inside your bedrooms. The cost of that won’t amount to much extra.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Derek said. “Though I didn’t think about the lighting providing a gimmick to the store. That is indeed interesting.”

Wendy sat her pen down and gathered everyone’s attention. “Is that all, Mr. Hunt?” She asked. Seeing his nod, she continued, “Well then, shall we begin the bidding?”

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