The last time Synast had been in a city had been years ago. A great many, considering it was almost a full third of his life in the past. Forwell was much like he expected. There was the bustle of people and the smell of city life. He missed his home in Bryce already.

He had arrived early in the day with one of the caravans from Bryce. It was fortunate that there were no bandit raids, and so he still had his carpentry tools, lumber, and money. One of the men from the caravan lead the reaper with Synast's things into the Middle Housing district. Synast was already in the district haggling over the price of a small shop.

"Sorry, but I can't afford that. How about two bits a week, plus about three upon completion of a project." Synast was hoping that the idea of a royalty would convince the man to lower his prices. The shop had one room with a bedroom above it, but no place for food preparation. He'd have to rely upon local restaurants to eat.

"Well, I don't know..." The man scratched his scraggly beard in an attempt to look thoughtful. He merely looked greedy instead. "How about a bonus of five on a project?"

"Look, I'll be lucky to make a kue a week, of which you'll get two to five. Then I have to pay for lumber, food at somewhere near here, not to mention water, and I'll be lucky to edge by a single week like this."

"Bah, have it your way!" The man said, throwing his arms into the air. "But if I hear you're makin' good money, then I'll up the bonus fee. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

He had exaggerated the situation, of course, and the man knew it. But both knew that life was hard. Synast simply had training in being convincing. Sure, he could have forced the man to give him a lower price by causing him extreme pain--but he wasn't that sort of man. He did have a sense of respectability and refused to bend the rules that far.

A bronze key changed hands, and after a half hour Synast had unloaded his things from the reaper and had paid the merchant who had transported his goods. Luckily the merchant was in the HH too, so the cost was significantly lower than it might have been otherwise.

"So, Synast. I have you down for another shipment of lumber in a week, correct?"

"You have good memory. Yes, I'll pay you when it's delivered. I do have the money saved."

"Though, not according to your landlord you don't!" The man laughed heartily. "Well then, I'll see you again in a week."

The reaper plodded off towards the merchant district as Synast watched. He smiled and returned the wave of the man, knowing the major would receive a report of his safe arrival. Despite the importance of his mission and its inherent timely nature, Synast was in no hurry to complete it. As an experienced thief he was accustomed with the fact that hurry increased risk. He preferred to take his time and work unknown, rather than risk discovery.

After a moment he disappeared within his shop, then reappeared shortly after. In his hand he held the sign he had prepared ahead of time. He nailed the sign above his doorway so that all people, literate or not, could know that within resided a carpenter.

The first thing to do was to build a worktable. He would need that and a workbench in short order. He had just enough lumber for both, and would be done them in time to receive his future shipment of wood. Hopefully by the time he had his shipment of wood he would have his first orders.