“Hey, Fez. You have a minute?”
When the market day rolled around, I paid Fez a visit, as usual. He looked a little annoyed when he found out I had some questions for him.
“You only ever bring me headaches. Fine, fine, what is it this time?”
“I feel like you could at least give me a smile and a nod. You’ve been making a killing off me lately.”
A lot of Fez’s wares were also available on Tundra, but it was cheaper to buy from him. Just as importantly, I could actually see the goods in person with him, so whenever possible, I bought from his cart. Ann, standing beside me, had been perusing the goods. She gave a little nod and handed Fez some money, then put a few things in her bag and handed the bag over to Mary. I felt like I was leaning on Ann too much, but I still wasn’t a good judge of quality and price for everyday goods here. I had a lot of studying to do.
“The one keepin’ me afloat is this little lady here, not you, Aoi. Oh well, guess I can at least hear you out.”
“Remember how we’re expanding the labyrinth?”
“Yeah. Yer doin’ some big business there. I’m a mite jealous of ya.”
“So, we’ve actually got a pretty compelling reason for doing that. Here’s the scoop.”
I explained how we had to build up the labyrinth, lure in intruders, and fend them off to rack up points, otherwise the labyrinth was going to go out of business.
“So you see, I need to bring in some Daemon hunters to challenge the labyrinth. You know any way to scare up some folks?”
I knew the magic potions were my ace in the hole to talk people into it, but I didn’t know how to find people in the first place!
“Lemme think...”
After I finished telling my story, Fez took out his pipe, filled it with his favorite herb, lit it, and took a long pull.
“Let me ask ya somethin’ first. Trespassing on a labyrinth can cost ya yer life. Yer not plannin’ on killin’ anyone, are ya?”
Of course Fez was going to be concerned for the well-being of anybody who challenged our labyrinth. He may have acted tough, but deep down, he was a pretty caring guy.
“No, we’re working hard to prevent any deaths. All we need is for them to enter the labyrinth and then give up and leave. There will be traps, not to mention creatures for them to fight, so I won’t promise there won’t be injuries, but I’m giving it everything I’ve got to ensure there are no deaths on my watch.”
“Ya did say you got the most points for a kill, though, right?”
“If killing is the only way for my labyrinth to stay afloat, I’d rather shut it down.”
“Aight, then you’ve got me on your side. I know we’ve got a history together, but I still had to hear ya say it. Sorry for doubtin’ ya, mate.”
I couldn’t fault him for wanting to make certain on that particular point, especially when he was so kind as to apologize for it.
“Don’t worry, I know you’re just a big ol’ softie under all that fur.”
“Oh, shut your lid. Now, tell me more about this labyrinth.”
“I think it’s your typical affair. Like I said, there’ll be traps, creatures, and a guardian at the end. I’m thinking hunters can use it as a training facility, and whoever breaks through will win a really good prize.”
“Hmm. That’s a right good pitch, I’d say. If we sell it right, you’ll get the people ya want.”
“Perfect, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask you for.”
I didn’t think I was going to get by just passing out flyers in Milt. I had advertising experience from a few sim games I’d played, but I didn’t really have a handle on the details of how it would work in this world.
“So, ya can tickle a hunter’s ears with talk o’ profit, but what really grabs ’em by the nose is when they smell easy money. Okay, how about this. I’ve got a few talented hunter friends back home. What say I invite ’em over for a test run as soon as the labyrinth’s complete? Ya get some word of mouth going, and then the newbies will start floodin’ in.”
Ooh, good idea. Do a big trial with the top-notch guys first.
“That sounds great. Would you mind? But seriously, I can only pay you so much for the referral fees.”
“It’s a deal.”
So now I had some advertising, and even some beta testers. What would the real deal be like when I had my grand opening? I had to start planning ahead.