Emmerling’s fist went to his forehead when Lilith took her broom and began to levitate. His eyes widened and he ducked his head whispering rapidly under his breath. Magic. He did not like magic. Once it held a place in his heart, but the days of boyhood wonder were long behind him. It was a tool of meddling and trickery, and it often put hardworking men like him in a tough financial place. The building around him was decrepit. Not in the worst of shape possible, but its lingering protection by magic disallowed from the minds of the owners the need for it to be physically repaired. Emmerling could forgive that to an extent, but magical protection very rarely was more practical than practical maintenance.

“I’d prefer no more magic to build this hall back up.” Emmerling grumbled, “Fine if you fly’ta get wood, but a magic cauldron. Mmm, that sort puts good merchant men outta work.”

He exhaled and removed his fist from his forehead. There was much work to be done, and practical applications would be necessary. The guild had been paid well, but likely not well enough to acquire all the supplies they needed. While the others talked among themselves, Emmerling stood red faced with his fists against his hips. Crafting and building was his art and it was all he knew. His tools were his paint brush, but he needed his paint.

“We need couple gallons of boiled linseed oil ta varnish this wood we be collectin’, but this ain’t gonna be necessary until we’ve been finished refinin’ the wood.” Emmerling said stepping among the others with a beaten sheet of parchment and a stick of charcoal. “Now . . . We’ll be needin’ beeswax for sealin’ the place, and tha’ ain’t cheap so we may be needin’ our own apiary.” He began writing down some of the information with crude strokes. Beyond the words of his trade, Emmerling was functionally illiterate. 

As the group worked on their various tasks, he went around the guild hall and finished marking the damage to the building. It was tiring for him to walk up and down the steps and through every room, but an aura of satisfaction surrounded him as he did. When he at last finished, he stepped outside.

“Oi! Cliver, don’t worry ‘bout them nymphs!” Emmerling shouted as Cliver dropped a sizeable portion of a tree. It would help, but they needed all they could get. “If’n they give ya any trouble, remember give ‘em a good yell an’ tell them ya can’t just become a tree! We need some shelter as well”

A cough rattled his body shortly after this. His voice had strained again, and the feeling of air rushing through his throat and lungs set off an itch and irritation within him. Emmerling doubled over, coughing as if he were trying to expel a spirit from his body, and when the fit passed he stood with blurred vision and a feather to his step. Lilith had returned at some point, and Cliver had climbed from his tree and yelled for him.

“Ya! Should be good, if ya could find me rope an’ some metal sheets or rods that ain’t bein’ used then I can get ta work.” Emmerling said as he walked over to the felled tree. “Hmm, yes . . . This guild might be needin’ a lil’ more money.” He huffed and walked off toward the guild hall writing down information as he went to find Lilith.

“Oi, guild master.” Emmerling declared as he marched through the hall, finding Lilith struggling with a heavy bed. “I ‘ave some supplies ya’ll be needin’.” He shoved the parchment in front of Lilith, “Ya need ta take more contracts.” He said plainly. “Ya gonna need several gallons of boiled linseed oil to varnish the wood so it ain’t gonna rot fast. Ya gonna need quite a bit’ta beeswax ta seal the cracks in tha rooms. Course tha’s expensive, so ya might be wantin’ an apiary of ya own. Among otha’ things.”

Emmerling frowns slightly letting the information sink in. The cost of such demands were very high. For a functioning guild in a building of such a size it would still be a modest portion of their yearly budget, but for a guild of such size it might as well be impossible. “Now, I don’ want ta be negative, but I know ya can’t afford all this yet, an’ not all of this be necessary jus’ yet. But this is what ya’ll need ta be self sufficient. Ya have land, ya ain’t poor in property wealth, so ya might want ta think of sellin’ some land, or puttin’ this land ta work so it makes ya some money.”