Chapter 77 The Staff
Evernya skipped the first few roads, seeing mostly blunt weapons such as maces and hammers while in thought. I always wanted to buy some weapons in my old life, but I never followed through with it. Now is my chance. I may as well make the most of it. Even if they are crap, Meira could enchantment to be at least usable.
Evernya warmed up to the idea of buying weapons as she wandered passed a few blocks of mostly blunt weapons, finally coming upon some polearms. Interested, Evernya turned right onto the stall packed road filled with spear, halberd, and Pike stalls.
After surveying the overwhelming number of stalls, Evernya chose a booth packed with beautifully crafted spears on the left side of the road approximately thirty meters in.
As Evernya approached the booth, the tall and lean gray-haired man behind the counter greeted her. “What can I do for you today, young lady?”
“I would like to try out a few spears if that’s ok.” Evernya requested.
The man at first looked conflicted upon seeing the young catkin’s basic clothes before spotting the platinum wristband. “Of course, young lady, which spear would you like to try?”
“Do you have anything shorter? As you can see, these spears are way too long for me.” Evernya inquired, as her eyes ran over the beautiful metal-tipped wooden poles on display.
The man’s expression turned apologetic as he replied. “I’m afraid not. I specialize in long spears. A spear’s biggest advantage is their reach, so why limit it? Though I agree, my current stock is a little too long for you. If you would like to come back later, I could have one sized for you.”
“That’s ok sir. Personally, I don’t think a spear would be the correct weapon for me, but they have always interested me.” Evernya replied to the apologetic man with a hint of disappointment.
“Well, I wish you luck with your shopping. I am sure you will find the right weapon today, even if it isn’t one of mine.” Said the man politely.
“Thank you, good luck to you too. Your spears look beautiful and of high quality. Their quality is why I came to your stall first.” Evernya complimented as she turned to leave.
“If you ever visit Leifair, come by my shop, Mark’s Spears, I have been in business making spears for the last fifty years.” The man advertised, prompting Evernya to ask, “I’ll remember that. Do you recommend any other shops or stalls that would have a spear the right size for me so I can try one out?”
With a saddened expression, the man replied, “Most of the stalls won’t have the stock or person to resize it to your size. Unfortunately, we have limited space, so we only bring a stock of common size. There is a shop a few blocks down that may have what you are looking for though. I think it’s called Masterpiece Polearms. I personally don’t like the owner but he has some nice polearms in his shop.”
“Thanks, I’ll check it out.” Evernya thanked before continuing her journey wandering down the street.
Evernya wandered down the polearm section but found most of them, as the guy said, way too long. Near the end of the street, she spotted a stall filled with staves. Curious, Evernya checked it out. She trotted up to the woman dressed similar to a hippie from earth who looked to be in her 30s behind the counter.
“Hello, do you have a staff I could try that would fit my size?” Evernya inquired upon catching the woman’s eye.
After a quick scan of her potential customer’s stature, the woman replied. “A two-meter bo-staff may work for you. Otherwise, I can resize it a little. Any that catch your eye?”
“I don’t know too much about the best staff materials, so I wouldn’t know. How about that one?” Evernya replied as she scanned over the selection before pointing at a beautiful red oak Bo-staff.
“Excellent choice. Red oak is on the heavier side, but you should be fine as a shifter. Plus, Red Oak staves can take a lot of punishment, so it should last you a long time with the proper enchantments.”
“I’ll try it out.” Evernya requested.
“You are unusually short for a shifter, but it would work.” The woman said as she picked up the red oak staff from her display table and handed it to Evernya.
Evernya took a few steps back from the display table while scanning her surroundings to make sure she had room before she swung the staff. At first, she clumsily slashed the staff through the air like a kid would with a stick. However, with each swing, her movements became slightly more refined as her body adapted to the staff. After several minutes of twirling and slashing the staff, Evernya stopped and handed the staff back to the woman.
“You aren’t bad. Are you sure you haven’t used one before?” The woman complimented, after setting the staff back in its place on the table.
“No, besides swinging around some sticks as a kid, I have no experience. The staff just felt like it wanted to move like that.” Evernya replied, slightly confused herself.
While staring at Evernya with keen interest, the woman commented, “Interesting, I make sure all my staves have perfect balance, but no one has said that before.”
“I’m kinda unique in more ways than one, so who knows. Can I try another staff? This one felt nice but something felt a little off to me.” Evernya requested.
“Was It too heavy or too long?” The woman inquired.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No length and weight was fine. I can’t quite put my finger on it. How about that one.” Evernya replied, pointing at a Maple staff.
“This one will be lighter but is still hardwood.” The woman informed as she handed Evernya the Maple staff.
Evernya swung and twirled the staff in the same manner as the last one, but at an even faster speed. Staff blurred as its holder effortlessly spun it with a smile on her face. After a few more minutes of experimenting with the staff, Evernya stopped to the disappointment of the woman be on the counter enjoying the show.
“Not bad. I don’t think a staff is right for me, but it’s fun to use,” Evernya commented, handing the staff back.
“What do you plan to use a weapon for?” The woman asked with an eager expression.
“I’ll be spending a lot of time in the wilds soon, hunting,” Evernya replied.
“Well, the staff isn’t the best for hunting mana beasts. You would be better off with a metal weapon. A staff unless it has metal ends is better suited for dueling or self-defense.” The woman informed with a hint of sadness.
“That was my thinking too, but I like the simplicity of the staff so I think I’ll buy this one.” Evernya decided after a second.
“Ok, that will be 150 crystals.” The woman said, happy to sell her staff to someone as skilled as Evernya.
Evernya unstrapped her backpack and dug through it for the card Meira gave her. The card, like her wristband, had a platinum color but was otherwise blank. She handed it to the woman, who stared at her with awe.
“How did you get a card like this!” the woman exclaimed while eyeing the card with revere.
“My big sister gave it to me right before we came here,” Evernya replied with a shrug, not understanding the significance.
“Manafirst only gives this card to their more valued customers. You need to have millions in your bank account for them to even consider offering the card!” The woman informed, practically drooling over the card.
“Well, my big sister definitely has that. She just casually threw two hundred thousand on that card for me to spend,” Evernya replied, trusting Meira’s word that they could only use the card.
“What the hell? Why aren’t you shopping at the high-end shops then!” The woman exclaimed in shock.
“I’m working my way through as many stalls and shops as I can, and yours caught my attention,” Evernya replied, with growing annoyance at the attention the woman was causing her.
Finally, calming down, the woman scanned the offered card on her tablet, only to frown after a few scan attempts.
“Are you sure the card is real?” The woman questioned, handing the card back.
Evernya looked up at the woman in confusion. “I’m sure it’s real. Meira already dropped over sixty-five thousand on an outfit for me for the auction tonight with a card that looks similar. She said only me or her could use the card, so maybe I need to scan it?”
“Is this your first time using it?” The woman inquired.
“Yeah,” Evernya replied with a nod
“Well, that’s the problem. I bet you haven’t activated it yet. Plus, I think you are right. Only you can use it once it’s activated. These cards tend to have tight security. Push your mana into the card, and it should work.” The woman informed her upbeat enthusiasm returned.
Evernya followed her advice, pushing mana into the card, causing the card to glow as the card became shiny platinum. After the card stopped glowing, Evernya assumed she succeeded. Her thoughts confirmed themselves a moment later by the woman’s exclamation.
“Oh my, it really is real! I’m sorry for assuming it wasn’t. Your platinum wristband was proof enough.” The woman exclaimed before apologizing.
“It’s fine. I hardly look like I have this much buying power.” Evernya replied, accepting her apology.
“No, you don’t, but you look comfortable, so who cares what you wear.” The woman commented, earning a smile from her casually dressed customer.
Finally, someone who gets it! Meira’s always trying to dress me in fancy shit when all I want to wear something I’m comfortable with. Evernya cheered mentally.
Momentarily stunned by her customer’s beautiful smile, the woman nearly forgot to finish the transaction. After sliding the staff into a red circular carrying bag, the woman inquired, “Do you want to take advantage of the platinum package’s free transport to the exit?”
“No, I’ll carry it with me,” Evernya replied
“Are you sure? Won’t it get in the way with the rest of your shopping?” The woman questioned, eyes shifting between the long staff, her petite customer, and the now packed street.
“Probably not. Besides, I need to get some practice in,” Evernya replied.
“What do you mean?” The woman questioned.
“You will see,” Evernya replied with a smile before levitating the bagged staff off the table, to the shock of the woman.
“You’re a mage!?” the woman exclaimed in surprise.
While casually levitating the staff towards her, Evernya replied, “Yeah.”
“So you are going to levitate all your purchases like that? Won’t that get tiring?” The woman questioned worriedly.
“That’s the plan. This staff feels like nothing compared to what I usually lift,” Evernya replied while twirling the staff in midair, earning several stares from nearby people.
Giving up on questioning the mysterious shifter in front of her further, the woman advertised her store. “Well, good luck with that. If you have any questions or want a new staff or your current one, refurbished Lacey’s staves and woodworking of Druth. I do custom woodworking orders, not just staves, but they are my specialty.”
“Oh, great! Your shop is near where I live. I live with my older sister Meira just outside Druth.” Evernya exclaimed in excitement, intentionally snubbing a certain kidnapping elf.
“Your sister is Meira!? No wonder you have so much money to spend.” Lacey exclaimed in shock, having met Meira at her shop.
“Yeah, she kinda adopted me and keeps throwing money at me, despite my protests. She dragged me out here to go to the auction tonight to find myself a weapon.” Evernya grumbled.
“Well, if you have the Elven Enchantress herself, I am sure you will have a perfect weapon,” Lacey said with barely concealed envy.
Missing Lacey’s look of envy, Evernya continued to grumble. “She just gave me this card and backpack before leaving me on my own out here. I really don’t know what I am doing. Basically, all I can do is wander around until something catches my eye.”
“Well, I am glad your eyes landed on my stall. If you come by my shop sometime, I have much better quality staves that will take enchantment much better. I didn’t bring them here because they are specialty since most people buy the common woods.” The woman commented, offering more options.
“If they are of the same quality as this one, I will stop by for sure,” Evernya complimented.
“Oh, they are better. They are my master pieces!” Lacey declared enthusiastically.
“You really are tempting me. I don’t think this staff is practical for traveling in the wilds, but it is fun to swing around, so I’m willing to try out others.” Evernya replied while smiling up at Lacey, causing the woman’s heart to skip a beat.
A little flustered, Lacey rapidly rambled, “The ones in my store are different. I would even give you a discount if Meira can finish the staves. Right now, they are kinda useless, but I couldn’t afford to have them enchanted to the level I wanted them to, so I left them unfinished.”
“I spend most of my time training, but I need to buy some supplies, so I’ll come by. Anyway, I better get going. I have a lot of ground to cover and from the looks of it, you have several potential customers waiting.” Evernya commented, directing Lacey’s attention to several people patiently waiting behind her with several more wandering in, attracted by Evernya’s levitating staff.
After smiling apologetically at the group of waiting potential customers, Lacey returned her attention to Evernya. “Good luck with your shopping and thank you for the business.”
“I wish you luck as well,” Evernya stated before walking away with her new purchase floating behind her.