Stepping out of the tavern and into the mid-morning air, the transition was nothing short of magical. The air filled with the scent of spices and arcane incense. Colors splashed my vision as merchants hawked exotic wares and a smattering of humanoid monsters loitered near market stalls, already well into the back and forth of bargain and barter. Behind their talk clinked the exchange of coins and the clatter of on-site craftsmanship.
And past the open-air stalls and temporary lean-tos stood the stone shops of the wealthy goblins who ran the highest brow and fanciest stores in town. The architecture of these goblins was itself a mix of form and function: high spires curled up toward the sky like the tip of a mad garden gnome’s hat, while behind these shops, stone huts squatted low and undecorated, their wealth only apparent by the sturdiness of their construction.
I was impressed.
“Ah, the ever-bustling Grand Jonat Market!” Ike exclaimed, his scales shimmering in the sunlight as he absorbed the wonder before us.
“Bugger off with the purple prose nonsense,” a gruff voice cried out. Peering through the crowd, I saw what appeared to be a very tall man in leather armor flipping us off. Ike waved at him and continued his spiel.
“This, Ryan, is where you get to turn all your loot into gear worth your work. Or find yourself out a lot of hard-earned coin, wearing nothing but an empty dagger sheath and carrying a bag of magic beans.”
Ike winked, but I was rather sure he wasn’t joking.
“It might be that I should shadow you, watching everything you do and questioning everything you pick up. But I’m not gonna do that. Because a lost lamb from another world like yourself just needs to get thrown into the deep end to learn how to swim. I firmly believe that, and I also think that you’ve got a good smart mind inside the gigantic infernal head of yours. So I’m just gonna give you some advice instead. The first rule of thumb here is never take the first price. Always haggle. And whatever you do, don't buy from the first vendor you see. Check things out. Comparison is the key,” he added.
“Sounds like every marketplace ever,” Jon noted, cantering close to us while rolling his eyes.
Kevinar joined us as well, while Brandosyeus simply saluted and walked toward the nearest food stand. It was a stone slab with trenches cut into it, and I marveled at the strength that it must have taken to lug out here.
“Examine and test,” Kevinar murmured dramatically, drawing the words out. “Magical items purchased here are often real and worth the purchase. But, they can just as likely be fake. Anything you buy, if you can, try it first.”
I nodded, scanning the market stalls. There were so many baubles. As I looked on, I saw a tiny woman put a necklace about her neck, then raise a gout of fire from her open palms.
“What do I do if someone cheats me?” I asked.
Ike grinned. “Unless they’re a gobbo or one of the alliance races, you tell us and we go kick them in the jewels and get our coins back.”
“And if it is a goblin?”
Ike’s smile dropped. “Then just walk away. We don’t mess with them unless they’re far away from home.”
I nodded again. The message was clear; caution was needed when dealing with buying magical items in a place like this. I’d have to be careful.
“If you need anything, go find one of us,” Jon said, placing a hand on my shoulder before cantering off into the crowd. The rest of us broke up, heading out to do some shopping.
Now properly on my own, I began to weave my way through the bustling throng of shoppers. I wasn’t exactly sure what I had to be on the lookout for, but that didn’t keep me from watching everyone closely, keeping an eye out for pickpockets, traps or cons.
“Unicorn horns!” one merchant bellowed. “Dragon scales,” bawled another. I walked through a great deal of dubious hawkers, my massive frame naturally parting the shoppers before me, before I finally spotted something useful. A stall leaning against the side of a stone building, it had the trustworthy look of long use, and was laden with various potions. Its vendor was a dwarf, barrel-chested and standing atop a stool with a beard so massive it could've been a separate entity altogether.
“Greetings and salutations,” he boomed, his eyes twinkling like gemstones as he looked up to my approach. “Looking for some fine elixirs to up yer game? I've got yer healing, yer mana, yer stamina, even yer love potions!”
“Love potions?” I enquired, trying to imagine what game effect such a thing could instill.
“Not worth the bother,” Brandosyeus announced, sliding next to me. “They charm people into temporarily loving you, but in a way that will have you wishing you’d never taken your pants off,” he said, chortling. “Luckily for you, I am also in need of magical libations.” The satyr turned and bowed to the vendor. “We're interested in healing potions, exertion potions, and mana potions. What have you in the shelves and cookeries of this fine establishment?”
I watched, amazed, noticing an immediate and almost supernatural happiness come over the dwarf’s face as he turned to this new customer. “Ah, ye came to the right place! Behold, my Stamina Surge Potions, Greater Mana Potions, and Majestic Healing Elixirs! Only 50 gold pieces each,” the dwarf exclaimed, unveiling three types of bottled liquids—one a steely gray, the second a brilliant blue, and the last a radiant red.
I glanced at Brandosyeus, who gave me a wink. He began to haggle with the dwarf while I went to my knees, browsing through the other items. My hands danced over the various vials, pausing when my eyes locked onto one labeled Aqua Brevis. The deep blue liquid inside, populated by floating bubble-like spheres, seemed to mimic the ocean's depths. The promise of underwater exploration or a potential escape route through the rivers called to me. I reached out and gripped it, then focused my mind on its contents.
IDENTIFIED! CRITICAL SUCCESS. YOU HAVE GAINED 1/10 OF A LEVEL IN YOUR IDENTIFICATION SKILL. YOUR CURRENT RANK IS A.
The sudden flash of information across my vision startled me, and I almost dropped the bottle. Taking a breath, I relaxed, focusing into the contents once again.
Aqua Brevis:
Effect: Allows the consumer to breathe underwater for a duration of fifteen minutes.
Usual Cost: 55 gold pieces.
Color: Deep blue with floating bubble-like spheres.
I smiled. This was a good skill to have. There was obviously a check involved, so I couldn’t use it to necessarily weed out all the cons and frauds in this place. But it would help me avoid being swindled.
Reaching out, I grabbed bottle after bottle, focusing into their depths. Each of them yielded me information, and none of them gave me another critical success, allowing me to realize something more crucial. There was no indication of failure, which meant that failing the check would simply give me the wrong information on the potion.
My grin fell, my mood going sour. This wasn’t the exploit I’d been hoping it would be. Still, it was good to learn. I went back through the list of potions, separating the useless from the useful, until I had a list of potions that I was interested in buying.
There was the Elixir of Night Vision, which promised to grant the ability to see in the darkness as though in bright light for an hour, the Potion of Haste, which doubled the consumer’s speed and agility for a limited time.
The Elixir of Elemental Resistance caught my eye with me reasoning that, in the event of a battle with something that used fire, my icy body would likely be vaporized without some prepared protection against flame.
And honestly, the Invisibility Tincture spoke for itself, rendering consumers invisible for up to five minutes, though with the disclaimer that movement would cause the air to ripple, and that speaking or attacking would break the invisibility.
Lastly I added the Potion of Giant Strength to my mental list, reasoning that its ability to augment my physical strength to rival that of a giant for ten minutes might be incredibly useful if trapped someplace where my own strength wasn’t sufficient.
Torn between the variety and potential of each potion, my hand hovered uncertainly. I glanced back to see Brandosyeus, still engrossed in hearty haggling, the numbers dropping as the conversation flowed. The dwarf's expressions alternated between feigned indignation and eager selling, his eyes still twinkling with the gleam of potential profit. As the bargaining dance continued, I drew a deep breath, preparing to make my choice in the ocean of elixirs, each one a drop of hope in the expansive sea of the unknown journey ahead. The scent of spices and arcane incense hung in the air, mingling with my anticipation, as the Jonat’s Grand Market buzzed with the vibrant pulse of countless stories intertwining in the tapestry of adventure.
Screw it, I decided, grabbing one of each of them as well as a dozen healing and exertion potions. I rose up and handed them to Brandosyeus, whose crooked smile indicated he’d gotten us a wonderful deal. Exchanging coins, a moment later I had my potions, as well as five healing, mana, and exertion elixirs courtesy of the charming satyr.
“Thank you,” I told him as we left the merchant’s stall.
Brandosyeus nodded. “I think you will find that the longer we are together, the more often your thanks will come.” He smiled broadly. “I’m off to see what musical melodies might be obtained. Fare well with your market adventure.”
I waved, feeling out of place and dumb when he didn’t wave back, then set back to shopping. The potions in my inventory each took up just one tenth of a slot, which meant I didn’t have to think about them much as I picked up the generic adventuring sundries. I starting thinking about what those sundries would be when my interface buzzed with a new notification:
[Achievement Unlocked: Partnership Forged]
+50 XP
Objective: Experience a meaningful team action with a party member.
“Partnership Forged, huh?” I mumbled, feeling the unexpected warmth of camaraderie. I looked back over my shoulder, but the satyr was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, I made my way forward, eyes sharp, looking for tents, shovels, rope and the like.
Walking through a labyrinth of stalls, I passed an assortment of vendors selling everything from spell scrolls to flying carpets before seeing something that made me stop. A stone smithy, black smoking rolling out its stout chimney. The sign hanging overhead read, “Fenrik's Forge: Blades and Shields for Heroes and Zealots Alike.”
I stooped to enter the establishment, spotting behind the counter a mountain of a man, all muscle, eyes as sharp as the swords he crafted.
“Fenrik?” I asked, thinking back to the sign out front.
He gazed at me, looking me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. “Lock the door behind you. I got word you might be coming, and that your needs might be something different. Let’s see if we canna fix you up with everything you need.”
