Chapter 140: Buying Game (1/2)
After grabbing lunch and feeding his ravenous familiar, Mike left the University and caught a coach to the market district.
Climbing down off of the contraption, he was once again overwhelmed with the sheer number and variety of people crowding the area, filling the air with the sounds of industry and commerce.
While taking a moment to soak it all in, he was nearly run over by a wagon pulled by a car-sized lizard. He managed to get out of the way as it blazed past him creating a cloud of dust. A stream of invective from the driver could be heard as the wagon continued on, not even bothering to stop to see if he was alright.
Coughing, Mike took a moment to clean the dust off himself with a quick application of Lifestyle Magic.
[Well, that spoiled my mood.]
Sighing, he started winding his way through the crowd, looking for a store that might sell alchemical goods. He'd taken some time to review the alchemy book he'd picked up in the library, and had compiled a list of things he thought he would need in the future.
While he was walking, his attention was drawn to a slightly unusual group who were operating a stall selling jewelry and accessories. The designs were full of elaborate whorls and patterns with an almost jarring mix of colors between the component parts.
As far as he could see, only a few pedestrians made anything more than a cursory attempt to examine the group's wares. Something he suspected was due to their appearance.
There were five of them minding the stall, each of oddly thin figures stood a little shorter than 2m tall. They wore a sort of chitinous armor made of overlapping blue-gray plates, which appeared to have been crafted from the exoskeleton of some kind of gigantic insect. The most fascinating part of their appearance, however, was their heads.
They were bald and almost featureless. Only a pair of flat, pitch black orbs interrupted the expanse of pale white flesh that extended from their armor. Curious, Mike used Appraise on the leading figure.
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Liolweth
Age: 234
Race: Sarn (Hinguth)
Class: Warrior Merchant
Title: Guardian of the Five Coins
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The other four had the same race and class combinations. Figuring that he had the time, Mike sauntered over to see what the Sarn had to offer.
He gave the merchants a polite nod, and started appraising the collection of jewelry, looking for anything of interest or special value. While certainly pretty, in a somewhat alien manner, most of the accessories were simply for display. Figuring that he might as well pick up a few good looking items for his female party members, he spent a fair amount of time contemplating his options.
Finally he settled on two pieces. For Tal, he chose a necklace made of a white, flexible metal, studded with sea-green stones that looked almost blue in the right light. For Sera he picked out a thin copper bracelet, with elaborate, almost organic looking, etchings and a large red gemstone set in its center.
Just as he was about to start the process of haggling, he caught sight of an unusual ring he'd missed completely. It was simple band, seemingly carved out of a single piece of obsidian. Curious and sensing that it might be more than it appeared, he used Appraise.
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{Band of the Evernight}
Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2)
This ring was carved from a piece of Elder Obsidian, hailing from the realm of Noctunis, realm of the Evernight. Enchanted by Kalthuwn, master artificer of the Juilit caste of the Sarn, it blesses its wearers with the power of the dark place of its birth. Moderate enhancement to the effect of stealth based skills used at night. Minor increase to the efficiency and effectiveness of Dark Elemental Magic. Allows wearer to see clearly in darkness.
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Slightly stunned about stumbling over such an item amidst the rest of the jewelry, he wasted no time in adding it to the other potential purchases. ”How much for these?” He asked distractedly while contemplating the uses he could put the ring to.
Liolweth, the Sarn merchant he directed the question to, responded by making a strange vibrating noise that seemed to be an exclamation of surprise, before speaking in a humming buzz that which emerged from the skin of its head. ”You know the language of the Sarn?”