Chapter 3: A Very Greedy Gnome

The walk back to town was a bit slow although lively with Ogma constantly teasing Morrigan, whose rebuttals often involved smacking him upside the head. It definitely made for good entertainment. We greeted the guards on our return, who spared more than an occasional glance at Charon. He, in turn, made the “I’m watching you” gesture with his hand at them as we passed by. This visibly unsettling them as I rolled my eyes. I’m actually a bit surprised they even let him in. After which, we made our way to the busy city square. To that end, I had mentioned to the pair that I was on the lookout for some armor and perhaps a weapon. Something cheap I could buy between my beginner gold and the loot we got from combat. I was now nearly level 3 after we had finished off all the wolves and while it did not exactly make me a force to be reckoned with, I was starting to get an idea for exactly how my class handled.

After meeting back up with Okane, who waited patiently in town, it was the Morrigan this time who guided our bedraggled lot to a shop that she had figured would facilitate my needs. Our walk to this little hole in the wall shop took the better of 10 minutes. Morrigan having a grin plastered on her face the entire time. The scenery of crowded areas and large richly decorated shops gave way to narrow passageways, the once stone floor becoming dirt paths as we journeyed through.

“I love this guy, his stuff is great quality, but he will try and rob you blind” she said bemusedly.

Great, I thought to myself, the thief is guiding us to another one. “Maybe you both can have a good chuckle about robbing us blind over a drink” I responded sarcastically.

As we approached the supposed shop, I noticed an old wooden sign hung above the archway of a well kept older building, reading “Zootwick’s Stocks The Very Best”. Morrigan ushered us through the doors, the smell of something tangy yet bitter assaulting my senses. The inside of the shop was rustic. One side of the shop was dedicated to many pieces of armor and weaponry, the other, an even larger assortment of potions and the like. In the middle of the large assortment of potions was a counter, manned by what I could only imagine was a gnome.

Zootwick was clearly too small to pass as a dwarf and lacked the laid back demeanor of what I assume a hobbit would possess. The gnome himself was dressed in plain attire, a white button up shirt with a brown vest, the rest hidden behind the counter. He was likely only about 3 feet tall with blonde hair and striking green eyes, sporting a full beard and eyebrows thick enough to shield his face from the any storm. Zootwick nodded to our group, his discerning eyes passing over each of us until he landed on Morrigan.

“Ah! My favorite customer, how have you been? Come to rob me blind?” he asked, a glint of amusement clearly visible in his eyes.

“Not this time shorty” Morrigan responded, a wide grin splayed on her face. “We are here for our newby, who apparently needs some equipment”.

“Ahh, I see” he said as his eyes passed over to me. “I presume the bag of bones is with you as well” he queried.

“You would be correct”, I replied, “His name is Charon and I may be in the market for something for him as well”.

Zootwick’s beard pulled back into a wide predatory smile, revealing two rows of sharp and pointy teeth, “very good, very good, let us see what we have in store”.

The armor section sported a row of armored mannequins of varying design. Going up and down the mannequins, I glanced at the price tags for some of the more interesting models. In particular, I had my eyes on a light plate mail set for Charon, something to help him tank for me and quite frankly to enhance his badassery score. This particular set being dark grey, the helmet concealing the entire face but the eyes, and adorned with two wings on the sides of it. The torso piece designed in a sleek yet effective pattern that shielded all vital spots from external forces. Though, truth be told, it's not like Charon has any real vitals to hit, I mused to myself. Curiously, I glanced at the price tag, it read a whopping 4000 gold!

“You see something you like?” Zootwick asked as he drew to my side. His voice sounding enticed by the possibility of profit.

“Well, I would love this set for Charon, but between my beginners gold and what we got from the battles thus far, the amount of money I'm rocking is significantly less what's listed here, and I’d still need some left over for potions and supplies”.

Zootick frowned, “hmmm” he said, pausing for a moment. “How much of this money do you have?”. “We might be able to work something out” he said, greed clearly audible in his voice. It was at this point where Morrigan spoke in the party chat,

“DO NOT tell him how much you have, he will rob you blind”. “If you need stuff for Charon, try and get him a shield and a sword first, then see how much you have”.

That was a very fair point, I thought to myself, glancing back to Zootwick. “For the time being, I think I’ll start with a basic sword and shield, something sturdy”.

“A fine idea!” he exclaimed, leading me to another section which sported everything from swords to mage staffs. The weapony section was about as small as the armor sets, which made sense considering this wasn’t a specialty store. Sporting about 5-6 swords, spears, staffs, and other items of interest. All ranging from low quality wood to high steel. What caught my eye however, was a spear and kite shield. The spear allowing him more range to attack and place the enemy even further away from myself.

“How about this one” I said as I motioned to a very plain looking spear. It does about 20-30 damage on impact, prior to the influence of stats, which was quite good, I had thought.

“This is a good choice, my friend” Zootwick said as he clasped his hands together. “For the low low price of 1400, she can be yours!”.

I paused for a moment, considering when it was Ogma who spoke this time “try and haggle with him!”. So, I was supposed to haggle with this greedy little gnome, was I? Ok, fine, time to con the con artist, I thought to myself. “You know Zootwick, I would really love to get it, but the most I could offer would be about 600 for the spear”.

Zootwick let out an exaggerated gasp, “But sir, this is a very sturdy spear, and the craftsmanship is excellent, I cannot bear to part with it for any less than say...1200 gold”.

“900 gold”, I responded, “far better in my hands than still in your inventory, wouldn’t you say?”.

“1150, this spear, she is very close to my heart, how could a father let his children go into the world without a proper dowry?”. The glint in his eyes returning as his hands clasped together in a greedy fashion.

“Perhaps sir, but keep her too long and she would be passed a marriageable age, how about 1000?” I asked.

In the background, Okane speaking in the party chat, “be sure to treat the lady fairly, he said, giggling with amusement”.

“Yeah Robin, and ask if you can take her out for dinner too” Ogma chimed in, the group then chuckling together.

My lord, these people, I thought to myself as I mentally shook my head.

Zootwick put on a clearly exaggerated saddened expression, “I am sorry, but the least I can do is 1100”.

I paused for a moment, looking at the gnome as I considered if it was worth it. I had already shaved off a few hundred, so that's not too bad right? Decision made, I reached out my hand “You got a deal, I said, a friendly smile visible on my face.

Zootwick took my hand, shaking it firmly with a toothy grin, and said: “Very good choice, you still needed a shield yes?”.

Going over the small selection of shields, I found a decent looking one for about 1000 gold. Having only about 800 left on my pocket, it was time to get my haggle on. “How about 700 on the shield” I offered.

Zootwick, again, looking distraught, replied, “I cannot part for any less than say… 950”.

“750”, I countered “This is a beginners shield, and as much as I hate to admit it, my coffers are lacking due to said title”.

“That is fair” Zootwick responded, stroking his beard, “what about 850?”.

“Shave that by 50 and you got yourself a deal” I responded, one eyebrow raised in an unspoken query.

“Very well, you drive a hard bargain, but I am clearly no match for you!”.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

I was fairly certain the gnome had hustled me, but hey, now at least I had a better meat...err..bone shield to protect me. We made our way to the counter, a toothy grin clearly visible on Zootwick’s face. After squaring up, my coffers were now dry. I mentally reached out to Charon, who casually walked up to me. These are for you buddy, I said as I handed him the spear and shield. This way, you can protect yourself while you protect me. Charon’s blazing eyes looked at me for a long moment before he took the items, equipping them to his own slots. As he did so, I could feel gratitude through our mental connection.

“Thanks, you would be surprised how many would be necromancers just use us as fodder, never giving us anything since they could just resurrect us,” he said, slightly abashed. “Just don’t get used to me being all nice, or not out of the woods yet,” Charon said with a mental jab.

I was a bit surprised by how he was acting, considering this was intended to be a game. Still, if the game was supposed to be filled with AI (artificial intelligence) then it would make sense that they would think and reason. That aside, my business with Zootwick now concluded, I browsed the potion section as Ogma and Okane haggled with him over potion prices. The gnome, clearly working them over, judging by the strained expression on Ogma’s face. For as much of a pain in the ass as Zootwick was, his potion selection was on point. Potions of varying colors, ranging from light yellow to pitch black were displayed shelf to shelf. He had simple potions such as stamina, mana, and hp regain, but also spell infused ones as well.

A red one, in particular, caught my attention, convincing me to pick it up. I then examined said bottle and rotated it to the back, taking notice of the instructions written in clearly defined print. Potion of Incineration, throw at the intended target, allowing at least 10 feet of distance. The potion, once detonated will explode, dealing 200 fire damage to the target and 150 fire damage to anything within a 3-foot radius of impact. 150 damage, hell man, I could get me some real payback on those damn rabbits. Just walk on over there, fucking up peter cottontail and his whole damn crew. People would ask me, Robin, why are the fields on fire? I would just sit there, with a big old shit-eating grin and reply, well, some people might say rodents aren't flammable, but I disagree. After the shit they put me through, those little bastards had it coming. I continued to plot mischievously, my hands clasping together as I let a low cackle escape my lips. The group then taking note of the spectacle and regarded me cautiously.

Our business with Zootwick now concluded, we all made our way towards the door. Zootwick unexpectedly tossing me the fire potion I was eyeballing earlier, winking and saying that first one was on the house. Wow, maybe he isn’t so bad after all I mused.

“He must have taken a liking to you,” Morrigan said bemused. “It's not all that often he gives things away for free”.

“Well, it’s that or he felt guilty for the upcharge” Okane jabbed.

“Wait, I was overcharged?” I asked, face showing a look of mock surprise. I knew the guy was going to try and rob me blind. Knew haggling likely wouldn’t offset the price too much, but it was still fun. “So, where to next?” I asked Ogma. We had already gotten some supplies and I was unsure of exactly what I could do in this city.

“Well, before we were just getting a feel for the team comp he said. Now, we should look into securing some hunting quests. For that, we need the quest board in the adventurers guild” Ogma said as he gestured back towards the city's center. “Now time to follow me, little flock” he added. Morrigan rolled her eyes, but reluctantly gave in and fell in behind the towering giant. The rest of us following in suit.

All this walking around town had really made me miss being able to use my car. Where are those pulling cart guys when you need them? After about 8 minutes of walking, we found ourselves in front of another large wooden building. Azure banners hung to the left and right with insignias that I could not recognize. In the center stood two large oaken doors and a sign reading “Welcome all those in search of adventure! There are no races, no borders between us, come and find your compatriots, find yourself!”. Well, that was one hell of a slogan they had there. Sadly, my compatriots had already found me getting my ass kicked by rabbits.

“Now, before you can accept quests Robin, you will need to register with the adventurers guild, Ogma said. It's just a quick form notifying you of the risks and an agreement not to hinder the progress of other adventurers either. Basically, put the team before yourself kinda deal”.

I nodded at Ogma, who then placed his hands on large oaken doors, pushing them so hard they slammed as he moved to enter. The act, of course, drawing virtually everyone's attention.

“Did you really have to slam the doors?” Morrigan asked, a bit nervous with all the onlookers.

“You have got to make a good impression for the newbie right?” Ogma replied with a chuckle. “That, and I get great pleasure from your discomfort, dear sister”.

“I know where you sleep, dear brother, and I do have a buzzer” Morrigan stated matter of factly.

I could see a devilish grin barely hidden from beneath her thief's hood.

“She’ll do it too,” Okane said while giving a slight elbow to my side and winking.

The front desk was populated by an elven woman in business casual attire and a name tag reading “Arden”. She had short blond hair that cut off at her ears and piercing blue eyes. Although Arden only stood to be about 5’5, she gave the impression that she was more than a simple desk clerk.

“How may I help you,” Arden asked in a light and pleasant tone.

“Well, I am new to this world, er..city, and I would like to become an official adventurer” I stated, a bit flustered. She was pretty cute, npc or no, and On top of that I was a bit out of my element. The combination of the two factors clearly not sitting well with me.

“Ah, if that is the case, give me just a moment, she said pleasantly”. The woman then started looking under her desk for what I could only assume were the papers. After a few seconds, her face lit up a bit. She then proceeded to place 3 forms in front of me, explaining each as Ogma had. “Once you submit these, you will be able to take on quests that have been posted by the city or other individuals in need,” she said.

After filling out the forms, Arden took them and placed them into an outgoing mail heap for the central office. This hall is one of very many apparently. After which, our merry group made its way to a large wooden board with various job requests on it. Things ranging from the simple missing items to fighting off orcs in the north. Ogma, however, had chosen about 4 quests that had yet to be taken on by others. Showing them to the group, I saw another one for wolves, one for the pact leader, one returning goods stolen by goblins, and lastly, to defeat a roaming field boss.

Our business now concluded, we made our way out of the adventurers guild and toward the main gate. Charon seeming very pleased with his new spear and kite shield during the walk as his flaming eyes seemed to focus on them. It somehow gave me the feeling of contentedness, or perhaps that was just the feeling he conveyed through our bond. Now, you do know how to use that thing right, I mentally asked while motioning to his spear.

Somehow his facial expression conveyed smugness as he replied: “hit bad guys, make fall down?”.

I chuckled loudly and the group all turned to look at me with questioning expressions. “Charon and I are just discussing the proper use of a spear,” I said.

The guards were significantly more at ease seeing us pass by this time, perhaps they were becoming more familiar with our odd bunch. Making our way through the field, Ogma finally spoke up.

“Ok guys, next order of business is to take down the pack leader, get us some good loot, and level our skills!”. To which Okane let out an exaggerated whooping sound. I suppose I finally knew who was the hype man of the group.

As we got close to the wolves territory, something a bit peculiar happened. A small group of about 7 goblins rushed out from the forest. Ogma mentally called formations in the party chat, assuming his bear form and taking the front position. The odd thing though, was the goblins did not look like they were ambushing us so much as fleeing. As they drew closer, one of the goblins yelled out “No attack! We no harm, help please!”.

“The goblins were asking for help? This could be some kind of trick” Morrigan said with narrowed eyes. Her daggers already at the ready position.

“Possibly, but maybe we should hear them out just in case” Ogma reasoned. It was at that point when Okane nodded and took the initiative. “Stop right there and don’t come any closer, what is it you need,” he asked.

“Humans attack village, our warriors try and hold them off, but too strong!” the frontmost goblin cried. Well, it was not that uncommon to grind mobs, I thought to myself. Still, if they need help, maybe we should give the place a look? Just as my thought had concluded, a window popped up in my vision for a quest. The title reading,

Save The Goblin Village: The goblin village is under attack. A small squad of fleeing goblins have asked for aid and are being assaulted by another group.

fend off attackers 0/1

Reward: 600 exp, 400 Gold

So, this was a real deal quest then, and a spontaneous one at that, I mentally mused. Got to give the developers credit for the creativity. What should we do, I mentally asked the group. Well, I presume we all got that quest notification right, Ogma asked. The other two affirmed, their bodies slightly relaxing, which also seemed to calm the fleeing goblins as well. It was then that Ogma shifted back to human form, 2 of the 7 goblins stumbled back.

“If you guys are pulling anything, I will literally eat you,” Ogma said pointedly. “Now take us to where we need to go”. The goblins quickly gathered themselves. The frontmost one of them pointing north towards the woods, yelling “this way” as they took off. Our group swiftly followed the goblins without much difficulty, their tiny legs making it easy to overtake them.

After about a 6 minute run, I could see smoke from between the treetops. Faintly audible cries brushed by my ears. “We must be getting close to be ready”, I said out loud while mentally nudging Charon to take the defensive. He nodded, swiftly moving to cover my front. His spear at the ready position. After a moment, we found ourselves in a clearing. There were assorted huts on fire and a small tribal village in chaos. Bodies littered the floor as a small band of people were destroying the village.

As soon as we reached the village, Ogma shifted to his bear form, letting out a powerful roar. The loud noise startling many of the fleeing goblins and caused most of the invading group to pause.

“What exactly is going on here?” Morrigan demanded, her teeth clenched in anger. Now that we were closer, I could see a total of 5 invaders. One of them broke out of the shock of Ogma’s roar and came slowly walking towards us. His hands raised in a gesture of peace.

“These gentlemen and myself simply took it upon ourselves to rid the area of these thieving goblins” the man stated, a small smile visible on his face. He was about 5’10 with slicked back silver hair, blue eyes, and a black cleric's robe. His belt holding a bloodied mace, evidence of his recent exploits.

“Who exactly are you and how is slaughtering an entire village for thievery a viable punishment” I asked in a growled tone.

“My name is Ignis, and I am a cleric of the dark god Zenrir”. His eyes momentarily flashing a crimson red. My fellow guild mates and I hail from a guild called Catalyst with other like minded individuals. “My god demands tribute, you see, and these thieving goblins fit that bill just fine”.