I lied. Next chapter will be the smithing chapter, probably.
"I'm not sure if there is anything that I need to buy," Jack admitted to Mark. "I have weapons and whatever I need from before…"
"Since the Chief has given us a little bit of gold to spend, why don't we spend it on buying items which are a little frivolous?" Mark smiled innocently.
Frivolous? A Bloodwall buying a frivolous item? How preposterous! How could Mark even say such a thing?
Jack stared up at the man with raised brows. "We can't do that..." Jack’s gaze turned cautious. “Can we?"
"I won't tell the Chief if you don't." Mark smiled even wider and then led the boy to a stall which was selling soap.
It wasn't just any soap, but soap which smelled like flowers and fruits, soap which was all manner of different colours. Jack had only seen such soap once before when Milly had received some as a gift. He smiled to himself as he recalled the delight in her face. She smelled really nice afterwards for a while.
"Mark, can I buy some gifts for others?" Jack pondered aloud. Buying things for himself felt dirty, but buying things for others should be fine.
"I was going to suggest to same. Perhaps you could but an item for your brother when you finally meet?"
Jack hadn't thought of that. Now that he was out in the world there was a small chance he could meet his brother, Oliver Bloodwall. He wondered if Oliver would still treat him well, but he had to have faith in his older brother. He remembered that Oliver had joined up with an academy, the Fire and Blood Academy, which was far to the north east. It was probably the furthest any Bloodwall had travelled since they had taken their Oath to deal with the beast hordes.
Mark placed down a gold piece to buy some soap, which caused the woman selling the soap to straighten, clasping her hands together as she smiled wide. She was in her early thirties, with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Hey skin was pale, though quite clear. She wore some eye liner to shape her eyes, black, just like her dress.
"I'll pack all the soap up as you please, my good sir!" She smiled wider and then looked to the boy. "Does the little sir want to buy some soap too? Perhaps some for a lady friend?"
"Yes please!” Jack replied, nodding his head. He hadn’t understood what the woman actually meant. “I want to buy aunt Milly some soap which will make her smell like flowers. She really likes that sort of soap."
"How cute. Your aunt is very lucky to have a nephew like you." The woman continued to smile. It seemed there were still some respectful young men around.
"I'm lucky to have an aunt like her." Jack smiled and then picked up a few pieces of soap. "Which soap do women usually buy?"
"Don't worry about that," Mark said. He placed down another gold coin. "I want enough so that I don't need change."
The woman’s smile widened. "I'll be sure too pack it well." She nodded her head and then started to fill a basket with soap. She then packaged two pieces to the side and offered them to the little boy. "Here, young man. Take these for yourself. They smell like cedar, which will make you smell rugged."
"Rugged?" Jack's ears perked up. "Thank you so much." He swiped the soap and smelled them. They really did smell like cedar, which made him smile. The soap he usually used just made him clean. It got the job done, as the soldiers would say.
"I think we're done with soap shopping. Why don't we also find a gift for your brother?" Mark asked as they left the stall.
"What should I get for him?" Jack thought deeply. "I'm going to give him a sword once I make a great quality blade." Jack wondered if he'd also be able to runesmith in the future, then he’d be able to make his older brother a magical sword.
"Why not something like a pen? Having a nice pen would suit him for when he needs to sign things?" Mark wondered aloud.
"A pen would be nice." Jack nodded, and as he stepped towards a pen maker, they passed by a man selling all kinds of later items, including sword belts. "What about a sword belt for the sword I make?"
"What a brilliant idea!" Mark smiled, patting the boy’s shoulder before escorting him to the stall.
The stall owner was a short man with a thick beard. He was smoking a pipe and only kept one eye open, though it was an eye which was as perceptive as two. "What can I do you for, little lord?"
"I'm not a little lord," Jack replied.
"From what I gather, you're a Bloodwall." He glanced at the guard. "An Elderman's boy I reckon."
"Close enough," Mark said. "He's currently making his own way."
"Ay," the man said, nodding his head. "So you've come to buy some leather?"
"A sword belt," Jack replied. "Do you have anything which is special?"
"If you were anyone else, I'd have said yes. You've more than likely come across most of the leathers I hold since you're a Bloodwall." The man checked his little notebook, flipping through some pages. "Have you a colour preference?"
"Black," Jack replied without skipping a beat. "White will do as well."
"Lucky for you I've got a White Star Viper leather belt for you." The man reached into his pouch and summoned the belt from it before tossing it. "There. Have a look at that."
Jack caught it and eyed it up. The belt was sized for a standard longsword. Pure white, like fallen snow. Even the creases were white, though it did add some texture. He rubbed his hand along the leather, then felt the white metal which was sturdy. It was well made, that was for certain.
"How's much is it?" Jack asked.
"Ten gold."
Ten gold was a month's wave for many people. Even the fancy soap they bought barely cost then a couple of gold and they had bought a lot of it.
"I think your brother would like it," Mark said, noticing the look of the boy's face.
"He would, but it is ten gold."
Mark placed down a gem, one which had been cut to size in the shape of a large coin. "Ten gold is no issue for the Bloodwalls."
"Why doesn't the young sir also buy one for his sword? I see that it's of Uncommon make. Why don't you buy the Black Star Viper sword belt?" The merchant revealed the sword belt to Jack, who examined it. It was nearly identical to the other belt, though completely black instead of white.
"Ten gold as well?" Jack asked.
"No, but I’ll throw in a leather pouch made of Black Star Viper too. Ten gold for the pair."
Mark placed down a second gem coin. "Sold," the guard said, not allowing Jack to think on it.
"I might only have one good eye, but I know decent folk when I see them. You've got a good head on your shoulders!" The seller chuckled and then took the coins, handing over the two sword belts as well as the pouch.
"Should I have the belt sent to your brother?" Mark asked.
Jack thought for a moment, wondering when it would be best to send the gift. "I want to make his sword and have it over with the belt." He stared down at the sword belt, wondering what it would look like with a blade though it.
"If that's the case, let's buy you a minor spatial ring. It'll hold the sword and belt, and a few coins. You can keep it in a dimensional pouch too."
"Aren't they expensive?" Jack whispered as they walked off.
Mark didn’t want to push his luck with the young man, since he seemed to be growing more cautious. "What about pocket cards instead? They're fairly cheap in comparison though they're a one time use."
Pocket cards were extremely useful. Each one was roughly five gold, but allowed you to store an item inside the card until it was required. So if he wanted to, he could store the sword belt in one card and the sword in another. Once the card was torn, the item would appear. They were fairly waterproof and slightly tear resistant so they wouldn’t be easily ruined. Mark bought a set of ten and handed then over to Jack. He could also keep them in a vault to be safe, which was fortunate since his father had opened one up when he was a little boy.
It was then he felt something, a chill through his spine. It was like he was being watched by something. He looked around to see a young woman selling trinkets on the road.
I should have five chapters out today?
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