Max waited with bated breath for Ereni to read out what he guessed would be some profound message.
“It says…” Ereni paused and squinted. “Irufa… stana… neyn… devsin… mashi… whecrog.”
“Excuse me?” said Max.
“Irufa… stana…” Ereni trailed off. “Is this the language your people speak where you come from?”
“No,” said Max. “I have no idea what language that is. Do you recognise it, Mrs Lockmire?”
“It looks… like it could possibly be Old Kharosian or maybe a rare form of Pokoko,” Mrs Lockmire mused, “but I have to admit I dealt with revealing a lot of artefacts that contained text written in lost languages, and I have never come across that one. Very strange that it was resistant to my usual revelation spells as well. Very strange indeed.”
It seemed Max wasn’t about to get any real answers anytime soon.
“Thank you nonetheless for revealing it,” he said, and Mrs Lockmire batted her grey eyelashes.
“Anytime, young man. You ever need anything else revealed, you come straight to me.”
Max left the house with Ereni, feeling even more confused about the secret message than he had been before they’d entered.
“I’ll ask around for you,” said Ereni. “Maybe someone will be able to translate it.”
“Thanks,” said Max, noticing that Ereni looked distracted. He followed her line of sight and found a queue of villagers waiting impatiently outside a charming building with a sign hanging above its front door that read, “Revive & Restore.”
“Is that your clinic?” Max asked.
“Yes,” said Ereni, looking a little concerned. “Looks like I might have to get back to work. What will you do with the rest of your day?”
Max considered it for a moment.
“I’d like to do a bit of shopping, and then maybe I’ll go see about my options with the horse. But first, I’m going to head back to the Brass Lantern for an overdue wash.”
Ereni smiled.
“If you ever get any more cuts or scrapes, I’ll be in my clinic ready to sort them out for you. And even if you’re not injured, feel free to pop in anytime.”
Max nodded and watched Ereni hurry over to the disgruntled crowd outside her clinic that seemed to be growing in size by the second.
When Max got back to the Brass Lantern, Bron provided him with a bucket of water heated by the fireplace and a clean rag to scrub himself. He took both up to his room, but before washing, there was something he needed to do.
He found some blank parchment in his desk drawer, placed it on the desk, then used the quill and ink to write down what the secret message said, using his reflection in the metal bucket to remind him.
Irufa stana neyn devsin mashi whecrog.
Fucking bizarre, Max thought, as he dipped the rag into the boiling water and began rubbing it over his chest, erasing the grubby remnants of his time alone in the forest, and the secret message along with it.
Ten or so minutes of washing later, Max felt like a new man, but the thought of getting back into his ripped trousers and mucky second-hand merchant shirt was not appealing in the slightest, though he had to as it was all that he had.
He decided, then, that the first shop he would go looking for would be a clothes shop.
It didn’t take him long to find.
Just a couple of streets away, nestled into a cosy corner near the village’s main square that surrounded the massive tree, was a shop named Arbridge’s Artisanal Attire.
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When Max opened the door, the bell above it gave a jangle, waking the store owner from a nap.
“Ah! I heard there was a new face in town. Welcome to Arbridge’s! Astur Arbridge at your service.”
He was a friendly-looking upper-middle-aged man with neatly combed salt-and-pepper hair, a styled moustache, and a sewing pin poking out of his smart tweed vest.
“What brings you to Oakhaven, traveller?” he asked.
“Just… doing a bit of sightseeing,” Max replied. He thought it would be best to be as vague as possible to the majority of those he met, at least for the time being.
The shopkeeper then eyed Max’s tattered shirt and trousers with a frown.
“Goodness, you’re not wearing a great deal of protective clothing for someone risking their life on the road. Did you lose your armour?”
“Something like that,” Max dismissed.
“Well! You’re in the right place!” Astur announced brightly. “Take a look, and if you need any assistance, I’ll be right here.”
“Thanks,” Max said, and eyed the store’s small collection of wares.
On a single square table there were 4 items:
Willowdalian Linen Shirt
A simple and comfortable shirt made from Willowdalian flax
Cost: 25 Eldercoin
Lace-Trimmed Willowdalian Linen Shirt
Made from the finest Willowdalian flax, and features an intricate lace trim across the cuffs and collar, making it a popular choice for gatherings and events
Cost: 30 Eldercoin
Fireside Flannel
A flannel shirt crafted from the softest Shepra wool
Cost: 30 Eldercoin
Traveller’s Tunic
Made from durable Willowdalian cotton, and features reinforced stitching. A practical choice for those on the move
Cost: 35 Eldercoin
They looked smart, and most importantly, clean, but if he was going to go hunting beasts, he would need something that provided some level of protection.
He shifted his attention to a hanging rack that featured what looked like a more robust selection of clothing, and found what seemed to be a matching set:
Steel Plated Leather Jerkin
A leather jerkin reinforced with steel plating, providing protection while maintaining agility
Defence against physical attacks +5
Cost: 35 Eldercoin
Steel Plated Leather Breeches
Leather breeches with steel plating on the knees and shins, providing protection while maintaining agility
Defence against physical attacks +5
Cost: 35 Eldercoin
He also noticed a pair of boots on a shelf nearby that looked like they matched the set:
Steel Plated Boots
Sturdy leather boots with steel plating on the toes and heels, providing protection while maintaining agility
Defence against physical attacks +2
Cost: 25 Eldercoin
Max liked the look of all three. Not only would they provide him with a total of 12 points of additional protection against physical attacks, they were coordinated in style too; rustic, simply patterned brown leather and steel that he felt would be perfect for the beast hunting expeditions he was already planning in his mind.
He garnered it would also be practical for him to have something more casual to wear around the village when he wasn’t on the hunt, and the Lace-Trimmed Willowdalian Linen Shirt was standing out to him as something that looked casual but also commanded a small element of respect.
All he needed now was a casual pair of trousers to go with the casual shirt.
After rifling through some shelves underneath the table, he found one that matched:
Lace-Trimmed Willowdalian Linen Trousers
Made from the finest Willowdalian flax, and features an intricate lace trim across the waistband and each hem, making it a popular choice for gatherings and events
Cost: 25 Eldercoin
Max totalled up the cost of all the items he wanted to buy.
150 eldercoin.
He had 270 at his disposal, and he knew he would be able to to earn more by defeating beasts, so he rationalised that spending 150 on new, appropriate clothes was money well spent.
He gathered up the items and took them to the counter, where Astur was beaming, looking like he hadn’t had this much custom in quite some time.
Max opened his palm and imagined 150 of his coins appearing in it, and a small pile popped into existence. He placed it on the desk next to the clothes.
“Excellent choices there, Mr… I didn’t catch your name.”
“Knightly,” said Max. “Max Knightly.”
“Max Knightly,” the shopkeeper repeated, a sense of wonder in his tone. “Something tells me that name is going to become the talk of the town before long.”
Max couldn’t help but agree. He had already made somewhat of an impression, and if word began to spread about him having access to orbs, he was going to begin attracting attention, whether he liked it or not.
“Thank you very much for your patronage, Max Knightly,” Astur said, as Max gathered up his purchases and made to leave. “Should you need anything else in the way of attire, please do come again.”
Max thanked the man and headed back into the street with a smile on his face. It was now time for a more exciting bit of shopping.
He was ready to purchase some new weapons.