"I think I'm done for the day," Brando said, ignoring a gaudily dressed man juggling oranges. "I'm coming to find that life and death situations really take it out of me."

"I have an idea," Fin said, tossing a coin and missing the juggler's basket. "Let's go back, have a few drinks, and leave first thing in the morning. They'll probably lock the gates and shut down the place when they find out you-know-who isn't you-know-where."

"In that case, we should settle our bill at the inn."

It was late afternoon, and the inn was sparsely populated. The innkeeper sat at a table finishing a meal with his two boys. Fin and Brando gestured for him to take his time, but the innkeeper got up and concluded his meal.

"This rabbit and venison pie is really good," the innkeeper said, setting the dishes in a large wooden bucket and handing it off to one of his boys. "Are you hungry?"

No sooner were large mugs of ale placed on the table that an unwelcome shadow fell over their meals.

"You said you didn't want to talk about it in the alley, so we can talk about it here," Dezi said, taking a power stance. "How much for your services?"

Brando's face grew red. "It's not what it sounds like!" He looked at the innkeeper, who immediately started acting busy.

"Will you sit down and stop making us sound like we offer our services in an alleyway?" Brando spoke in a harsh whisper. "Also, I'm never standing for a lady ever again, so if you're waiting for me, don't."

Dezi smoothed her dress and sat in a chair across the table. "So, how much?"

"Dez-, uh, Della," Fin quickly renamed her. "Della, why ever would you think that we have services to offer? We can barely take care of ourselves."

"If you don't want to travel with me, I will just have to follow you to the dwarven city," Dezi stated and then looked around. "Is this where you two are staying?"

"Nope," Fin lied. "We are staying across town at a secret location. We just popped in for a bite."

"Innkeeper," Dezi asked, drawing the man's attention. "How much are these men paying for their rooms?"

"Forty a night, ma'am," the innkeeper answered with a smile. "Shall I prepare you a room as well?"

"Yes, please," Dezi replied sweetly.

Thump! Brando's head landed on the table. "I'll just turn myself in. Maybe we can use your dragon powers to escape before they dangle us from a rope."

"Dragon powers?" Dezi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what you used to vanish the birdcage?"

"Okay, what do you want, Della?" Fin squared off. "The reason why you're escaping is because you don't want to be forced into a relationship, right? If we clear the mine really quickly, you'll have no reason to want to leave, am I right?"

"I guess," Dezi replied slowly.

Fin stood up. "Okay, I'll clear the mine really quick and be done with you." Fin sat back down. "As soon as I finish this delicious meal."

"I don't think that is quite necessary," Dezi explained. "Who's going to take me to the dwarves when you get killed in there?"

"It will be a good death," Brando said before plopping his forehead back on the table. "I don't think I have much of an appetite anymore. Fin, you can have mine."

Fin slid Brando's dish closer to himself.

Brando sat up and slid the plate back, "I'll just take a couple bites first."

When their meals were finished, and their bill was settled, Fin and Brando collected their weapons from their rooms. Upon Brando's insistence, Fin stowed all of their belongings. One by one, their bundles of clothing, weapons, saddle bags, and one very large crossbow disappeared.

"Do you feel heavier?" Brando asked, holding out a forgotten bundle of clothing.

Fin jumped a few times and moved around. "I don't think so."

He pulled up his inventory to view the items. Instead of only two rows of item slots, there were now four. Curiously, there was a single, larger item slot on the right side. None of the items ended up in that box. Instead, they were placed in one of the four rows of thirty-five slots. He figured it must be for very large items.

"This is great!" Brando exclaimed. "Too bad the princess is going to get us killed before we can enjoy it."

The two of them took one more look before setting out for the mine.

On the street, Fin turned and noticed they were being closely followed. "You should wait in your room. It'll probably be dangerous if you come with us."

"I've waited in my room long enough, thank you," The princess said, walking quickly to catch up. "Besides, I've never been to the mine."

"Probably because it's too dangerous," Fin explained. "Where is this place anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Dezi asked like it was the dumbest question she had ever heard.

"Hang on, I'll ask," Brando said and then walked off to talk to the people who were around. After receiving three sets of vague directions, he had a decent idea of where to go. "Follow me."

The three walked through the streets in silence. Dezi soaked in her surroundings, Brando mentally prepared himself, and Fin looked over his stats.

Fin had two ability points to allocate, so he blindly followed along while he looked over his options. He read Wing Attack, Wing Shield, Jowls of Strength, Strengthened Tail, Piercing Tail, and Piercing Resist. There wasn't a lot to choose from, and he didn't want to break his teeth. He selected Piercing Resist and felt his skin tighten and then return to normal. He felt the skin on his arms and neck, but it still felt normal.

"Brando, I need to do something for me," Fin said, lifting the halo from his sight. "I need you to stab me in the arm."

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"You're starting to sound as crazy as Destiny over here," Brando said, gesturing towards the princess. "If you're trying to get out of this, all you have to do is say so, and we'll turn around."

"No, I just have this feeling like I am immune all of a sudden," Fin said, hoping Brando would get the hint. "Just stab me in the arm and see what happens."

Brando stopped. "Okay, but who knows where this knife has been? Don't blame me if you get the smirch."

Fin held out his arm, and Brando stabbed his arm just enough to break through. It came in contact, but it didn't pierce through. Brando tried again, harder, with the same outcome. Finally, Brando raised the knife high into the air and sliced it down with an aggressive strike.

Fin quickly moved his arm out of the way. "I said, 'Stab at me,' not try to cut my arm off. Anyway, I think it works."

Dezi held her hands to her mouth in shocked silence.

"Dobby, you're sworn to secrecy from this day forward," Brando quickly said, adding for good measure, "Also, you're not coming with us. So that shouldn't be a problem."

They approached an old wooden sign that read, 'Lok le Mine' and knew they were in the right place.

Tents, shanties, and carts lined the path to the miner's entrance. People shouted their wares out, but most of the calls were the same; they were weapons dealers.

Brando walked up to the first cart he saw. Knives and swords glittered in the cool sunlight. When he saw a sword he liked, he picked it up. It felt good in his hands. After a few smooth gliding swings, he asked how much it was. He then placed the sword back as gently as possible and moved to the next stall.

"Don't you already have weapons?" Dezi asked before Fin could join in the hunt. "I thought you were professionals."

"We aren't. I'm a professional farmer, and Brando works with leather," Fin admitted and then unstowed his small sword. "I took this from a goblin I killed in the mine. It's the first time I've owned a sword, as small as it is. Brando got his knife from a goblin too."

"Fine, but you only get one weapon each, and I'm not paying more than two gold per weapon," Dezi said, drawing a hard line. She would have considered going to four gold each, but she had been taught at an early age how to negotiate.

"No more than two gold each." Fin slowly nodded, trying to hide the excitement he was feeling. "I will tell Brando."

He walked at what he considered to be a casual pace. When he reached Brando, he spoke in a low voice, "Princess just offered to pay two gold for any weapon of your choice. We can only get one, so make it count."

Brando gave a wide smile and turned towards the first stall he had stopped at, "Come with me."

Brando lifted the sword he first looked at and handed it to Fin. Half of the hilt was wrapped in leather, and the lower half was bare steel, fanning out into a simple pommel. The long blade gently glided into a wide, sturdy cross-guard. There were no lavish designs, only simple, deadly steel.

"Ah, I see you've come back for the Soldure Longblade. It's a great two-handed choice for the more discerning swordsmen," An old merchant said, speaking smoothly and effortlessly. "How about you, young master? Do you see anything you like or have any questions?"

"What's the best weapon for the mine?" Fin asked, inspecting a set of daggers. They were matching, single-edged blades, a hand's length from point to hilt.

"Some say a mace, and some say a sword. The only thing they all seem to agree on is a short length and a strong blade," The old merchant said. "I hear there can be some tight quarter fighting down there."

"What kind of monsters are down there?" Brando asked, feeling concerned that his favorite sword might be too long.

"I'm not even sure myself. I've heard there are cave trolls, rock beasts, and sprites. It seems there's a whole mess of evil down there." The merchant selected a sword hanging on the wall and handed it to Fin.

The thick, double blade widened out into the cross-guard and slowly narrowed into a triangular point. The square pummel matched the square cross-guard, and the black leather grip fit perfectly into Fin's hand.

"It's a little heavy for a single-handed sword, but it won't break. And the balance is surprisingly nice. You should see the scabbard." The merchant dug around for a moment and then set a beautiful black-leather scabbard on the table. Its wide mouth was encased in a ring of metal with simple designs etched around in an unbroken line.

"How much for these?" Fin asked, worried that it would be too expensive.

"Three gold and six silver pieces," The merchant said.

"We'll do four gold for the two swords and the two matching daggers," Brando offered.

"The best I can do is four and five," The merchant said with finality. "Those are good knives."

"It's going to be difficult to split a silver between the two of us," Fin said, pointing towards Brando. "If you give it to us for four gold and four silver, we'll take them off your hands right now."

"You got yourselves a deal," The merchant smiled and reached his hand across the counter.

Brando and Fin each shook the man's hand when Brando waved Dezi over.

"She said we could only have one weapon each," Fin said out of the corner of his mouth.

Brando picked the knives up and handed them to Fin. "Quick, stow these."

Fin quickly turned, placing his hand behind his back. Brando slipped the knives into his hand, and they disappeared just as Dezi greeted them.

"I found some really great weapons just a few stalls down," Dezi announced. "They're significantly less expensive, and they come pretested."

"I wouldn't trust a used weapon with my life," The merchant spat to the side. "It's just reckless."

"We found some weapons already but thank you." Fin set four silver pieces on the counter. "It's just four gold more."