Chapter Twenty-Eight - Banking

***

The first thing Rosario did was dip into an alley and switch out her title for nothing at all. Then, because that alone was likely not enough, she changed clothes as well, quickly fitting into the outfit she had put together for her stint in the Thieves Guild. Just to be extra safe, she tied her hair differently as well.

If anyone went out looking for a white-haird elven woman, they might see her, but she at least didn’t carry the title of The Faithful Maid anymore, and she wasn’t dressed like a maid. It was the best she could do for the moment. Well, that and use some of her Rogue skills to further disguise herself.

She had some plans for later, but those required access to her old gear. 

Gear which she was going to get right now.

Ah, but first, she had to do something about the massive pillar of fire still jutting out of the Castle. People were leaving their homes to stare, and she may have put enough magic into that to keep it going for a while. She hardly wanted to arrive at the bank and find all of the clerks missing because they were gawking.

So, she searched through her spells and then cast [Rainstorm]. It was an environment-affecting [Green Mage] spell that she had found quite useful for setting the mood. With a bit of magic pumped into it, the spell went from creating a small grey cloud above to creating a good deal more.

By the time she was walking through the centre of the city on the way to the bank the sky had opened up and a small deluge was coming down. She wished she had an umbrella, but a bit of rain on her head was hardly going to kill her... though it was annoying whenever a raindrop smacked the tips of her ears. They were surprisingly sensitive.

She ended up arriving at the bank with her hands wrapped around her ears as though they were handles. It was a good thing she wasn’t dressed as a maid, that would have been undignified.

The bank’s stately exterior greeted her, and she skipped up the steps and into the warmer, drying interior without issue. There were guards here, of course, but many of them were distracted. The bank faced the Castle at an angle, and several clerks were gathered in the lobby to stare at the dwindling [Pillar of Hellfire].

She eyed the different services on offer. As Cricket had explained recently, there were several financial institutions built into the bank. The one that interested her most, however, was the system bank.

Rosario put on a customer service smile and walked up to the counter. “Hello. Could I speak with a clerk? I have to make a withdrawal from a system account.”

***

Joseph looked up as a woman came to his counter. He immediately smiled, as was only appropriate for someone in his position. 

There were five institutions that controlled most of the finances in Alpta, and he worked for the oldest and more prestigious. The fact that it was the one that paid the least and which came with the most downsides was its own challenge.

Working for the System Bank was an honourable position to be in, but it meant that all of his work was audited weekly, and he was expected to keep a level of decorum that was several steps above the norm.

He could hardly complain. He had taken on this work when his job was level two, and now, five years later, he was a level twenty-two. An impossibly fast rise through his second tier job. Given another decade of this he would have the skills and job levels to pick any work he wanted at any other financial institution, and the lower wages of this work would be a distant dream.

“Hello. Could I speak with a clerk? I have to make a withdrawal from a system account.” The lady said.

He bowed, using the movement to take in her appearance. She was dressed in plain, simple clothes, of decent tailoring. Not a noble’s dress but nothing too untoward. 

[Hidden]

[Scullery Maid] - Level 6

He blinked as he took in that name, then glanced up and straightened. An elf? Interesting.

“Of course, ma’am, are you aware of the fees for bank access?”

“I’m not,” she replied. “What are they like, and must they be paid now?”

“You may, of course, withdraw the amount from your account. The fees are one gold per transaction.”

“And a transaction is?” she asked.

He smiled. “A full transaction includes my assistance as a [Clerk], the use of identity-detection items, tax filings, account deposits and withdrawals for items and currency, and any questions and additional filings. The price may seem steep but the service is comprehensive.”

“Good, good,” she said. “Well, first, how discreet is this?”

“Very,” he said. He had sworn oaths. Binding ones. Though those oaths were to the institution, not to the system. He would have to fill out reports as demanded. “Did you wish to initiate a transaction?”

“Yes, please,” she said.

He nodded, then gestured to the side before ringing a small bell. Someone else would come in and take his place at the counter... if they could stop gawking at whatever was happening outside.

In the meantime, he moved to the side and let the elven woman into an antechamber.

It was a small room, with some seating and a standing desk upon which all of the identifying enchantments sat, as well as a small stack of papers. 

“First, name and total level,” he said as he pulled a sheet.

“This is more involved than I recall,” she said. “Last time I used the bank it was as simple as walking in and interacting with the system bank.”

That piqued his curiosity. “Truly?” he asked. “Ah, but nowadays we must keep better accounting of things. And I will advise you that removing some items from your vault will be noted. There are certain items whose movements are regulated, others whose withdrawal is taxed. There are also some goods that have tariffs applied to them.”

“Such as?” she asked. “This wasn’t part of the way things worked... though that was a hundred years ago.”

He blinked. Obviously her [Scullery Maid] level was a front, this woman wanted discretion but... well, she had certainly aged gracefully. “A more chaotic time,” he said. 

“I suppose.”

He made sure his customer service smile was back in place, then he glanced at his page. “What are we planning on withdrawing today?”

“First, I need to confirm that I still have an account at all,” she said. “But if I do... perhaps a thousand gold, and two... three sets of gear. That is, armour and weapons.”

He paused, the nib of his plume hovering over the page. A thousand gold? His job, though it wasn’t the highest paying, was certainly above par. He made perhaps four gold a month. A thousand gold was enough to buy a modest home in the centre of the city. “Are you certain you wish to remove so much? There are institutions here that could hold the sum and give you a promissory note. They are even versed in avoiding some taxation depending on what the money is destined for.”

“You mean... rather than be taxed on removing the sum, I’d give it to them tax-free, then only be taxed on a purchase?”

“Of a home or carriage or expensive guild services, yes,” he said. 

“No, that’s fine. The gold is for spending. Pocket change.”

“Of course,” he replied. He scratched the sum down, then paused over the rest. “And the ‘gear’ is any of it enchanted?”

“All of it, yes.”

“And these include?” 

She shrugged. “Three tops, three bottoms, three helmets or hats, three sets of ring, necklace and miscellaneous jewelry slot items, three foot-slots, three belts, two swords... no, one sword, one shield and a staff. I think that’s it.”

He quickly noted all of that down. This was going to take a minute. Enchanted items were regulated goods. Some enchantments were illegal, though that was uncommon for armour or weapons. 

“Oh! Potions as well.”

“Of course,” he added that to the list. Those would be tricky as well. Elixirs and the like were very much something the government paid attention to. “Well, let’s first see if you have an account.”

He reached under the desk and set a small item atop it. It was a disk, with metallic rings that had minuscule engravings upon it. At its centre was a small jewel. “Touch this, please.”

“It’s like what the guards at the gate use?”

“Exactly so,” he replied.

She sighed, then touched the item.

The readout came up instantly. Usually, it was all very simple. A person’s name, their account ID, their total level and highest leveled jobs, the top three, and finally any Title they may have. Things that a would-be counterfeiter would have a very difficult time falsifying. 

Rosario Thorn

Total Level: 661

Top jobs:

[Archmage] -Level 100

[Sword Saint] - Level 100

[Seamstress] - Level 47

Titles:

The Faithful Maid

The Black Apron Archmage

The Guardian Sword of Hellisdalr

A few things jumped out to Joseph, first, below the woman’s name, her level. It... was impossible. 661? That was... too much. More than twice the highest level he had ever seen.

Then her three highest levelled jobs. 

Level 100?! He had never seen that. He had served a few Titled, of course, Alpta might have been in Lithos, but it wasn’t entirely bereft of Titled. But a max-level job? Two of them? 

He was sweating even before his eyes fell down onto the Titles. The three Titles. Two for each class in their fourth tier, of course, but the other was given. He recognized it. His knees started to shake, as though they were no longer suited to keeping him standing.

The woman cleared her throat. 

He slowly looked up.

“I expect discretion, mister [Clerk].”

“O-of course, ma’am.”

“And while I wouldn’t fault you reporting this matter, I would find it very rude if it is recorded.” She reached out and touched the device again. There was a snap, and the readout disappeared. The gem was cracked through the centre and the fine runework sizzled. “Now, I take it I have an account?”

He nodded.

“Fantastic. “I’d like to make a withdrawal.”

There was actually a process for handling irate Titled, and he was thankful for it. He simply escorted her into the next room, where the vault mechanism was, allowed her to touch it, and then stood stock still as she entered the room. He looked straight ahead, never daring to peek within, though from the glimmer and shine, he knew the space was filled with treasure. 

Then she exited and shut the vault. “All good then, here, your transaction fee.”

She pressed a gold coin, an ancient one, worth more than the current standard by weight alone, into his palm.

And just like that, with only a muttered spell word, she disappeared.

Joseph took a deep, deep breath... he was going to have to report this.

But maybe... it might be in his best interest to forget some of the more pertinent details. He wasn’t sure he’d be believed in any case.

***