After a quick visit to his room at the Brass Lantern once again to change into his new casual clothes, Max went on the hunt for a weapons store.
He had briefly considered asking Bron where he could find one, but found that the new mini-map in his HUD that he had unlocked with his exploration orbs was showing symbols above certain establishments, making it easy to for him determine what they were when they were nearby, such as a needle and thread icon above Arbridge’s Attire. He was also enjoying exploring the village and the many nooks and crannies it contained, and simply wanted to discover it for himself.
Heading back to the main square (which he now knew was called Oakshade Square due to a large, ornate sign hanging askew from a bakery’s first floor balcony), he noticed a sword and shield symbol appear in his mini-map in one of its far corners.
Max approached it to find a worn, rugged-looking sign hanging above its door that read:
Grisluck’s Armoury
Arm Yourself For Adventure
Max pushed open its heavy oak door expecting to find a massive, burly, bearded bloke behind the counter, but was instead greeted by a short, curious-looking guy with a bald head and a limp.
Unlike Astur Arbridge, this Grisluck didn’t welcome him with a smile.
“If you’re looking for wispsmoke bombs, I don’t stock ‘em,” the little guy said grumpily, tottering around. “You’ll have to go bother Tewkings for that kind of thing.
“What are wispsmoke bombs?” Max asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Only thing that keeps the bogtoads at bay, ain’t they? They ain’t a weapon though, that’s what I keep telling folk. But do they listen? They’re all like, “But they’ve got “bomb” in the name,” and, “They technically deal damage to bogtoads.” They’re a mixture of HERBS, people. HERBS!”
“I’m here to buy some weapons,” Max stated, ignoring the shopkeeper’s complaints and making a mental note to learn more about these bogtoads and wispsmoke bombs in the future. “Actual weapons.”
“Oh,” said Grisluck, looking pleasantly surprised. “Well, in that case, take a look around.”
Max went straight for a rack of swords that seemed to be the pride and joy of the shop based on its central positioning and fancy display.
On the rack were four swords, all different shapes and sizes.
Max focused on them one-by-one, considering the names and descriptions that appeared.
Oakwood Hilt Shortsword
A short blade with a hilt made from sturdy oakwood. An excellent choice for close-quarters combat, offering a quick and precise strike
Attack: 30
Cost: 50 Eldercoin
Bronze Broadsword
A simple, broad blade made of bronze, offering great value for money
Attack: 30
Cost: 40 Eldercoin
Iron Broadsword
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A sturdy broad sword made of durable iron. A popular choice for those looking for a well-balanced one-handed blade
Attack: 40
Cost: 70 Eldercoin
Iron Bastardsword
A sturdy, long, powerful blade with a long hilt to match, making it suitable for use with one or both hands
Attack: 45
Cost: 80 Eldercoin
The first thing Max thought of was that the shortsword looked identical to the one he had looted from the lead bandit, so he already had one of them waiting for him in his wagon.
The second thing was that a weapon made of bronze probably wouldn’t be the most durable, since he knew bronze had a lower yield strength than iron, making it more malleable, at least at cool temperatures.
Given those two things, Max decided to choose from the remaining two iron swords.
Max’s initial thought was to go for the bastardsword, which had the highest attack out of the selection, but when he picked it up, he was surprised at its weight.
He placed it back in the rack and tried the broadsword instead, which felt a lot lighter, and would undeniably allow for a swifter strike and improved overall agility in battle.
There was only a difference of 5 attack points between the blades anyway, so Max decided the increased agility the broadsword would provide him with would be a good trade-off.
“Anything else while you’re here?” Grisluck asked as Max placed the blade on the counter.
Max resisted the temptation to say, “Any wispsmoke bombs?” and simply shook his head.
He was tempted to take a look at the selection of bows on offer, and was curious about a range of axes close to the window, but he had 120 eldercoin left after his clothing purchases, and would have just 50 left after spending 70 on the sword. He didn’t want to blow all his available money just yet, as he didn’t know if he might need it for emergencies before he was able to earn more from defeating beasts.
Max paid for the sword and took it out into the square, but he thought it might come across as a bit confrontational if he were to wander around brandishing it, so he opened his inventory and swapped it for the flint, which he shoved into the pocket of his new trousers.
The next place on his agenda was the stable. He wanted to know exactly what his options were in regards to the horse he had obtained from the bandits.
Max realised then that the Adventurer’s Map 2 upgrade in the Inner Sanctum that created a full map for any discovered town would have been useful in his current situation, as he wasn’t sure where to find the stable, but since he hadn’t had enough orbs to unlock it, he would just have to keep exploring.
It didn’t take him long to find; the faint whiff of manure coming from the west had been his biggest clue as to its location.
Nestled in a quiet corner of the village, the stable consisted of a small barn and four stalls, just three of them occupied with horses.
The stable master was attending to a ragged-looking white one as Max approached.
“Do you happen to be Farnhal?” Max asked.
The stable master turned and eyed Max up and down.
“That’s right,” he said. “Hesper Farnhal at your serv- wait, are you the one Bron told me about? The one who killed those bandits and claimed this horse of theirs?”
Max could tell that his horse recognised him from the previous evening, as it was neighing and trying to attract his attention.
“That’s right,” said Max, as he petted the horse’s head. “Max Knightly.”
“Seems like your new horse has taken an instant liking to you, Mr Knightly,” Farnhal said curiously. “Not often I see that. Most folk have to reach at least a twenty, maybe thirty percent bond before their horse reacts to seeing them like yours did with you.”
Max had to admit, the horse did seem very excited to be reunited with him, even though he had only spent some brief time with him after freeing him from the bandits.
“Can’t imagine how those bandits treated him,” said Farnhal. “They ain’t known for treating their horses very well, I can tell you that. I’ve had abandoned bandit horses end up in here looking half dead. Full of all sorts of status ailments and hanging onto their last morsel of HP. Not yours, though. He musta been freshly stolen from some noble folk on the other side of the Crestcoven Mountains. A fine specimen, he is. I’ll give you a good price for him if you’re happy to sell him.”
Max considered this for a moment.
“How much?” he asked.
Farnhal looked the horse over.
“Strong, healthy boy like this… I’ll give you nine hundred eldercoin for him.”
Max instantly knew the deal wasn’t worth it. He could make money by slaying beasts, and judging by the state of the other horses in the stalls, and Farnhal’s comments, it seemed that healthy horses were in short supply in these parts.
“Nine-fifty,” Farnhal bartered, sensing Max’s hesitation.
“I want to keep him,” Max said confidently. “How much to rent out this stall?”
Farnhal nodded, seemingly expecting Max to have made that decision.
“One-fifty per month,” he said. “That includes all feed and care, and everyone’ll tell you I take good care of my horses.”
Max only had 50 eldercoin, but he knew it wouldn’t take him long to accumulate more.
“I don’t have the cash right now,” Max said. “But I’m planning on doing a bit of beast hunting to earn more. Can I pay you in a few days’ time?”
“Beast hunting, you say?” Farnhal said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,” said Max. “I’ll make sure I earn enough in the next three days to pay you the first month’s rent.”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Farnhal. “I have somewhat of a beast hunting task for you. If you complete it for me, I’ll give you your first month free. How does that sound?”
Max couldn’t help but grin. A beast hunting quest for a month’s free rent?
It sounded fucking fantastic.