Contrary to its outward appearance the store was surprisingly orderly. It was far from sparkling clean, but Alex could tell the owner had some type of system. Towards the front there were mainly mundane items, with things like buckets and simple tools littering the shelves. The further back the room went however, Alex could feel the slightest bit of pressure emanating from the stuff on display. It wasn’t something he completely understood, but he recognized a slight similarity to the pressure Janet emitted, minus the directed hostility. As Alex’s mind began to wonder toward the potentially interesting objects a voice called out from deeper in the shop.
“Who’s there? It better not be you Greg. I told you I’d beat you bloody before you could get halfway through the door.” The voice was gruff, clearly from an older man, and he sounded to be approaching the pair.
“I see your amazing customer service hasn’t changed old man.”
“Ahh. Who you calling old man you old bat. Just because you look young and pick a hot little thing to walk around with, doesn’t mean you escape the labels of old age.”
As the man Alex guessed to be Ralph walked into the dim light, he got his first look at the store’s owner. He was of about average height, though the hunch in his back stole a couple inches. He wore deep blue robes, accented with a gold collar and cuffs, though their cleanliness seemed out of place in the alley-based shop. The man’s face was concealed, hidden behind the darkness of his hood, and Alex was unnerved by his inability to know if the man was looking at him.
“The kid’s not mine,” Janet said as she crossed her arms, a pout on her face. “He seems immune to my charms.”
“I didn’t know they started calling psychotic bitch syndrome a charm,” Ralph said, exaggerating the last word. His response had been instant, and Alex had to stop himself from laughing at its bluntness. Janet didn’t seem to find the comment nearly as funny, and the semi-friendly banter quickly devolved into a shouting match; one Alex was happy not to be a part of. Breaking away before he got caught in the middle of a fight, or worse, another joke, Alex began to look through the goods on sale.
Initially he hovered around the general area, inspecting what looked to be normal camping supplies, but as no one stopped him, and the shouting continued, Alex made his way further in.
Branching out from the center of the store, Alex noticed the first of the more eye-catching supplies: weapons. There were daggers, bows, and even some fancy looking swords, though none seemed to have any special properties, nor did he feel that pressure. As he let that feeling drag him toward a section marked Magical Goods Alex realized what was happening and checked his notifications. There was no longer the weird, sometimes always there exclamation point. Instead, he had to mentally give a command to see them, it was less annoying, but Alex was prone to forget to check.
***
For withstanding the aura of an entity magnitudes more powerful than yourself you have received the following:
Sixth Sense (Epic)
***
Alex wondered why the skill had activated without him opening the notification, before he remembered one of the settings, he’d changed that morning allowed him to instantly accept new skills. Unlike the ability itself it seemed the inherent understanding that came with the skill was only gained after looking at the notification. Deciding he would need to do a more comprehensive look through his system next time he got some privacy, Alex continued to look over the mundane weapons, letting his new sense drag him toward the more interesting wares.
The skill had no ability to specify, its current version too weak to distinguish energies by things such as amount or concentration, making its only use telling if an item was magical or not. That turned out to be pointless as the section Alex walked through consisted only of magical goods.
Approaching one of the first magical items, a set of arrows that released only a tiny amount of energy, he reached a hand out but paused. He wanted to touch it but didn’t want Janet to think he was trying to use his inventory to steal. While no one was actively watching him based on what he could tell, Alex quickly took two steps back and put his hands in his pockets: no need for any misunderstandings.
However, the thought did make him consider how his inventory could be best used in the tutorial. Stealing was an obvious one, but Alex had no doubt the punishment for getting caught would be… unappealing. As far as he knew, only two other people knew of its existence, and he’d need to keep it that way. Based on what Janet had said it could end up being his ultimate trump card.
Deciding he’d have to get a normal storage device as soon as possible Alex continued his exploration. As he walked, he began to notice how large the store was. Unlike the ten-foot distance the walls were from each other at the entrance, they now had to be more than fifty feet across. Looking at the slant of the walls Alex noticed they expanded away diagonally, the room's width enlarging with every foot. He wondered on the purpose of such a large space, and how Ralph managed to fill it all, as he walked up to another set of goods his sense identified as magical.
Unlike much of the store's earlier goods, these lower-level magical items had small title cards that depicted, their name and price, staring at the text for a moment, Alex realized he could test a theory. Stopping at a table full of purple crystals Alex read the sign before using analyze on the bowl.
‘G Grade Mana Crystals. Two mana each use. 3 Silver per crystal’
***
Item
Name: Mana Crystal (Tiny) (x10)
Grade: G
Rarity: Common
Price: 3 Silver; 30 Silver
Description: Purple crystalline rock. Replenishes two of the user's mana per use.
Cooldown: Unknown
***
It seemed he had been correct. His Advanced Analyze was based on what he knew, a confirmation that only furthered his desire to learn more about the environment he found himself in. The yelling had subsided, but Alex could still hear the two talking which meant he had more time. Deciding to try to read and commit every sign's information to memory. Alex continued through the store with a new fervor reading the sign, then analyzing the object. As he read could feel much of the information stick and knew it was the “Rare” rating of the analyze doing at work.
***
Item
Item Name: Scroll of Torch (x10)
Rarity: Uncommon
Grade: E
Cost: 3 Silver
Mana Cost: 15 mana
Duration: 45 minutes.
Description: The scroll with emit light equal to that of a medium-sized torch. Once activated the light will not turn off unless the entire duration is consumed or the scroll is destroyed.
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Item
Item Name: Scroll of Summon Water (x15)
Rarity: Common
Grade: E
Cost: 1 Silver
Mana Cost: 20 mana
Description: A scroll to summon a 1 cubic foot area of water directly one foot below the scroll.
Item
Name: Potion of Dark Vision (2)
Rarity: Uncommon
Grade: E
Cost: 20 Silver
Description: Gives user the ability to see in the dark to a limited degree.
Duration: 45 minutes.
***
***
Your skill [Advanced Analyze] has advanced to Level Two.
***
As Alex reached the back of the store he’d read the signs for over a hundred items and could correctly analyze some of their details without aid. He’d been surprised when the skill had first leveled up, but managed to gain another four whilst exploring the shop. Reaching a bracelet made of prayer beads, Alex analyzed it without reading the card. They weren’t the first accessory he’d seen, and his skill helped him parse the information he’d learned.
***
Item
Name: Prayed beads of Unknown
Grade: E
Rarity: Unknown
Cost: Unknown Gold
Description: Bracelet made of enchanted bluish white beads, grants one point to unknown attribute.
***
It wasn’t perfect, not even close, but Alex could tell where the information was being pulled from. This far into the shop there was only one of each item, and they were all locked in individual glass cases. The prayer beads had been surrounded other E grade items, so his skill assumed this was E grade too. From what he could tell the stat point estimate was based on the size of the item, as other items of that size had only granted one point. Alex had no clue how he was meant to infer rarity or other less obvious details but could see potential in the skill.
Stopping at the store’s back wall, Alex realized he couldn’t hear the pair speaking anymore and turned back to look in their direction, nothing. Deciding to wait where he was rather than go all the way back to the entrance, Alex grabbed a seat on one of the nearby chairs. Scanning the walls, he noticed the higher amount of pressure the items here emitted when compared to everything else in the store. There were scrolls, potions, weapons, and jewelry of all sorts but what stood out to Alex was a suit of armor that stood in the center of it all.
The armor was much larger than anything near it, even outshining the rune covered great sword that hung above it. The suit was closer in similarity to the plate sets used during the Middle Ages on Earth, than the slimmer, more modern version Anise wore. To Alex the armor acted as the store’s centerpiece with bright lines of swirling, purple, filigree accenting the entire set. The armor’s joints were oddly designed looking like they’d fail to bend properly, and the helm lacked any holes to see or breathe, but Alex couldn’t help but wanting to try it on. There was no sign and his skill came back empty besides telling him the armor was “likely higher than E grade.”
“You know boy there’s an ancient proverb,” Ralph said from the other side of the counter. He hadn’t been there a moment ago, and Alex surprised himself by not jumping at the sudden sound. “To want is to waste, for those unprepared. For you, I'd change unprepared to useless, but same general meaning. You get what I’m saying?”
Alex did not understand what it related to, but it was clear he was the waste. Not actually giving him a chance to respond the shopkeeper continued, “The old lady tells me you want to get stronger; she knows I can help with that, the question is whether I should or not.”
“Is this about the books?” Alex asked, confusion clear, “because if it is, I’m willing to pay a fair price for it. Oh, I also wanted to buy a storage device.”
“What, no, listen kid, we’ll talk about your stuff after, if you survive,” the second part was mumbled, but Alex heard it and a chill went down his spine. “I and a few associates of mine have the weakest beasts in a hundred miles, and we’d be willing to let you train against them if I deem you worthy. So, what can you offer me that makes you worthy.”
Alex looked to Janet for help, which probably wasn’t the best idea, but she just shrugged at him. He considered his position; he had a few questions, but after a moment realized the truth, even if Ralph was lying about the only weak beasts in the city, Alex needed this. If he wanted to survive, he’d need to be stronger and for that he’d do anything.
“I’ll do anything you need me to.”
His hood had slipped, and Alex got his first view of the man's face. He was old, sporting all the liver spots and gray hair common with age, but his purple eyes felt like they bore down on Alex, portraying none of the weakness his body belied. A wide smile formed on the elderly store owner's face. “Now that’s what I like to hear. We’ll call it a favor owed then.”
“Ralph,” Janet said her tone cautioning.
“Fine a reasonable favor. You have a sponsor, which means someone has decided to front the cost for your initial sign up and first run, all profits to the participant will be split seventy them, thirty you. Here walk with me.”
The counter spread and Alex felt momentarily stunned at the influx of information. The sponsor could be either be Janet or Ralph, and he almost commented about the rates but stopped himself. He was definitely getting fleeced, but Alex cared more about the fights than anything else. Alex sighed as Ralph continued speaking, and the group moved further into the shop.
“Your sponsor will also get you the gear you need for your run, though it won’t be much at the first tier.” As they walked, Alex noticed numerous increasingly magical contraptions. There were workshops full of colorful metals and materials, including one that looked an awful lot like a chemistry lab. Others released such pressure, his new magical senses needed to be turned off briefly before they stopped him from moving.
“Eyes front kid. Curiosity killed the cat and all that. Are you a mask on or mask off type of guy?”
Ralph’s question caught Alex off guard, and he quickly made his lack of understanding known. “Huh?”
“I’m really going to need you to keep up kid. When you fight, do you want your face to be seen?”
He had no clue how he was meant to know anything but kept that to himself and answered honestly. “Not really… But who’s gonna see me?”
Pulling a mask out of his spatial storage, Ralph handed it to Alex. It was pure black and looked to be made of a material similar to carbon fiber. There were two pairs of slits, one set for his eyes and another for his nose, but the mask didn’t come with anything to hold it to his face. Ralph stopped at a rather unimpressive door and waited for the other two to join him. It looked to be little more than a closet, especially compared to other, more unique, entryways. The hallway continued on, finally stopping another twenty feet away and Alex again considered the large store.
Opening the door Ralph turned back and eyed the mask Alex was flipping over. “It’ll stay on, standard issue for people who don’t like their identities public. It’s yours so change it how you like. You have a change of clothes?”
Alex shook his head in the negative and Ralph sighed. “Then leave it off, we’ll get you something later.”
Alex almost put the mask into his inventory but thought better of it, instead slipping the object under his coat. He turned and was glad to see Janet still there, she might have been trying to make some money off him, but he likely needed this more than she did, and Alex preferred not to be alone with Ralph.
Turning the doorknob Ralph answered Alex’s earlier question.
“Hopefully a lot of people, there is a big fight on tonight, so we’re expecting a bigger turnout than average on the undercards.”
They continued down a compact staircase for a minute and Alex needed to hunch his six-foot frame slightly to make it. As they reached another door Ralph knocked in a sort of code before it swung open. There was a figure on the other side dressed in full armor, a sword visible on their hip. As the door closed behind them Alex noticed it was hidden, where the hole once was now looking to be another wood panel in the seamless wall.
“This is my VIP room,” pointing at the man in armor. “That is Grave. They will get your clothes and anything else you require. Grave do what he asks. You are permitted in here for the rest of the day. Sit here and wait until you fight, or leave and explore, I don’t care. Whatever happens out there will be on you, just be ready when you're called. Grave will tell you when your fight is, and you’ll be given a warning fifteen minutes prior over the loudspeaker. Oh,” Ralph said, snapping his fingers “Stage name; What’s it gonna be?”
Alex thought, but Ralph’s impatient stare was telling him to hurry up. Unfortunately, only one name came to mind, and he wasn’t a fan of it.
“Can I change it later?”
“You can, sometimes. It’s not uncommon for people to change a name or get one from the audience that they end up taking but if it’s too established the name will stick, unless you drop the character entirely that is.”
Alex sighed he hated the name but hoped he’d think of something better in the future. “Huntsman.” It had been his first gamertag and Alex always cringed when he thought back to it, but in a real life setting it was better than something like Zogareth, his more current IGN.
“You know we used to have one of those,” Ralph said, interrupting Alex’s musings, “brutal death he died… Anyway, Huntsman, nice to meet you.”
Alex’s thoughts tried to wander towards the future, but he kept then anchored in the present, instead looking at Grave, “Is it cool to just give out my identity in front of him?”
“Don’t worry about Grave. They’re a golem.” Alex inspected the figure, but Ralph didn’t stop. “They’ll understand anything you want from them though. Alright!” There was excitement in his voice. “We need to go get you signed up, make sure we can get you a fight and what not.”
“I still need a storage device, at least to put my clothes in till later.” Ralph looked almost annoyed at the interruption and Alex hoped he wasn’t over extending. He’d had an idea when Ralph said he could explore and needed a storage device to fulfill his purposes.
“Here kid,” Janet said tossing him a small ring. “It’s not big, but it’ll serve your purposes. It’s a loan, don’t bind to it, lose it, or die.”
With that she turned and Ralph quickly followed her.
As it closed behind them Alex stared at the door, before turning to look at Grave.
“Well shit.”