I entered Bastok's Market district through a nondescript gate, and proceeded down a somewhat narrow street. I was immediately aware of the number of other people in the confines of the avenue. People were lined up along the sides and against walls, trying to sell their wares out of small bazaars.
It made progress a little slow, mainly because any steps close to any of these merchants was taken as an interest in whatever they were selling. I heard more sales pitches in that short span of road than I think I'd heard in my entire life thus far.
I wove my way carefully through the labyrinth of vendors, carefully shaking my head and looking away whenever one of them addressed me. Eventually, I reached the short flight of stairs leading up to what looked like a main rotunda area. I could see the top of what looked like a pretty massive fountain in the center.
I walked up the stairs and crossed the plaza on the north side, keeping just enough of my gaze off the fountain to avoid the various bazaars and pedestrians in the area.
"Hey, you!" I heard from somewhere off to my right. "You need to make some quick gil?"
I turned toward the voice, seeing a blonde Hume waving me over. I nodded my head, and crossed over to where he was leaning against the wall.
"That's what I thought," he said with a wry smile. "Every one's out to make their fortune these days. But I'm one who delivers. My name is Foss, and I'd like you to hear my proposition."
I nodded again, saying, "I'll listen to your offer, Foss. I'm Aspen" I was cautious, but willing to hear him out. Especially after noting all the new things I would need to furnish my home. If he was honest about it, it might turn out to be a good deal.
"Here's the thing," he said, his voice dropping a bit. "In the time of the crystal war, they used buckets for hauling minerals from the mines to the Metalworks."
I nodded, wondering why I was getting the impromptu history lesson.
"Eventually," he went on, "the buckets would break or warp and become useless. The workers would pitch them over the side, into the gulf." He indicated somewhat westerly with his arm. "Most of them are still there."
I nodded, with him so far. "And what does this have to do with me making gil?"
"Well," he said with a smile, "I'm a..collector of sorts, you could say. And I'm willing to pay for any of these buckets you bring me. I'll give you sixty gil per bucket, with no limit on how many." He nodded his head with a smile, then added, "I'll also tell any of my friends about you if they're offering work."
I considered a brief moment, then nodded my head. "Alright, Foss," I said with a smile, "if I find any of these buckets, I'll trade them to you for sixty gil apiece. Any advice on how I might get ahold of them?"
He chuckled, scratching his chin briefly. "I'll tell you what I do know," he said with a grin. "Sometimes anglers bring them up by mistake when they think they have a massive fish. Must be a pretty amusing sight." He chuckled again, and then added, "Best place to try would be off the edge of Firewater Circle here into the gulf."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said with a nod. "By the way, can you tell me where the Goldsmith guild is?"
He nodded, with another short chuckle. "I guess you really are new here. I know how to pick 'em out." He pointed eastward, saying, "Head back the way you came, and take the smaller staircase to the right. Follow along the aqueduct, and it'll be on the left side."
I nodded with a smile, and said, "Thank you. Until we meet again, Foss."
I began walking back around the edge of the fountain, hearing Foss begin calling other people out of the crowd as I left. I wasn't in any hurry to begin fishing, but at least it could be a source of income if nothing else paid off.
I followed Foss' directions, and found the Goldsmith guild with no trouble at all. It was a low-profile building situated along the stone aqueduct. It was surrounded by some wealthy-looking homes and a shop specializing in musical instruments. I took a moment to look around, and then pushed the door open and went in.
A large Hume man stood behind the counter, and turned toward me as I walked in.
"Welcome to the Bastok Goldsmith's guild," he said with a wide smile. To be honest, it looked a little frightening on him. "You look a bit lost, friend. is there anything I can help you with?"
"I was hoping to speak to someone about employment," I answered with a smile that belied my nervousness. "I might be interested in signing up for the guild."
The man let out a massive, booming laugh, and said, "We always welcome new recruits to our ranks. My name's Teerth, and I run the shop with Visala, here." He waved one large hand to indicate a quiet Hume woman standing beside him. To be honest, Teerth had commanded my attention so much I hadn't even noticed her standing there.
"Pleased to meet you," I said, with a nod toward both of them. "Who would I talk to about possibly securing some employment?"
"That would be Fatimah," came the quiet reply from Visala. "She normally handles the new recruits." She smiled, and added, "She's through the door to your left, probably at her desk with her lenses. Best of luck."
I nodded, saying, "Thank you both. With a little luck, you'll be seeing me again soon."
I entered the right-side room, keeping my eyes open for anyone matching Visala's description. Sure enough, against the wall there was a short Hume woman peering into a lens device. I walked up to her desk, and stood there for a moment, unsure of whether to interrupt or not.
"Well?" she said after I had stood there a while. "What can I do for you? You're obviously new here." She didn't look up from her lens at all while addressing me, which put me off a little bit.
"Umm, hello," I said, mentally berating myself for being so nervous. "My name is Aspen, and I'm interested in signing up for the guild here." I smiled, then added, "I'm new to Bastok, and looking for a way to help make ends meet."
"I see.." Fatimah said, and finally raised her gaze to meet mine. "I'm Fatimah, and I run this place." She paused to look me over, then added, "You certainly do look like you're new in town. Are you signed with any other guilds yet? I'm quite the jealous guildmistress."
"No," I said with a weak smile, "This was my first stop. Your guild's reputation precedes it."
"That's good to hear," she said, finally giving me a smile. She was actually an attractive woman, once she got her face out of her lenses. "Can you do any kind of synthesis at all?"
I nodded, saying, "I used to make arrowheads for my brother back home. I haven't done much beyond that, to be honest. Nothing with metals, yet."
"I see," she said with a nod. I thought maybe I sensed a little disappointment in her tone, but she was a tough woman to read. "I'd be interested in trying you out, Aspen." She reached under her desk, and pulled out a handful of small, reddish rocks and placed them on the desk.
"I'd like you to try and form these into an ingot of copper for me," she said with a smile. She reached into the desk again, and pulled out some glowing fire crystals and a small copper ingot, then added, "You can use these fire crystals, and here's what the finished product should look like."
I looked down at the materials on the desk top, and nodded my head. Inside, I was panicking a little. I'd never done any synthesis with fire before, and had never worked with metals, either. This could end up going really badly for me.
"Well," said Fatimah after a moment, "show us what you've got, Aspen."
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