Joe woke up late the next morning. He tossed back the light cover and languished in the amazingly comfortable bed. This would probably be his last day at the Captain’s Glass. He had made twelve hundred gold from the quest and he had a bunch of trading to do to make more. If he wanted to, he could easily afford to splurge for a few more nights if he needed to.
His plan, though, was to find a boardinghouse and settle into a room of his own. Joe had been living in care facilities and hospitals for years. He hadn’t had a room that was actually his since his boyhood room with his parents. The idea of his own place excited him.
Joe stared absently at the ceiling picturing different rooms and what he would want from a rental. A view of the ocean was mandatory. That should not be too hard to find in the coastal city. Other than that just someplace to call home sounded good.
He put off rising for a few more minutes, relishing this moment where there was nothing pressing he needed to do.
He was well aware of the fact he had not needed to run out as soon as they landed, throwing himself into training and questing. He could have tried to chill out on the beach like Hah’roo, but he knew he would not have been satisfied enough to enjoy it. He had needed the win from the [Encroaching Apes] quest. Since he had been here in Illuminaria he had prevailed in a few battles but always by the seat of his pants or due to someone else’s actions. Sailing here to Fort Coral, Joe had real concerns if he was going to be able to become the person he wanted to be in this new land. Could he really hack it as an adventurer?
Now he knew it was possible thanks to this last quest. There was no question he could not have done it without Earcellwen but teaming up with her had been a deliberately made choice. It was not happenstance. He, the elf, and her stag had rocked the three-part challenge, even picking up a lead on the bonus content. Completing the hunt with RC finally lifted the doubts he had been carrying with him.
Joe closed his eyes and just lay there, sprawled comfortably, wavering emotionally between a simple sense of peace and a smug feeling of accomplishment.
‘This can work,’ he assured himself. He blew out a breath and bounded off the bed. Using the sink, he scrubbed himself off. He had seen there was a bathhouse across the street, but Joe liked showers better than baths. He decided to buy a change of clothes and use the facilities at the Adventurer’s Guild since he was meeting Earchellwen there sometime today anyway.
He dressed quickly in the cleanest clothes he had before gathering the few items not already in his dim-bag. After one last look around the room to make sure he did not miss anything, Joe headed downstairs. The desk clerk this morning was an older woman who nodded to Joe the moment she saw him. She was just as tidily dressed as the selkie had been. Her long brown hair was woven into an elaborate braid and her white shirt and maroon vest looked immaculately pressed.
“Good morning, sir,” she greeted him. When her eyes flicked to the key in his hand, she added “Are you checking out this morning.”
Joe bobbled his head a few times. “Think so. I was going to look for a boardinghouse but I do have a few other things to do today too so, if need to I might be back tonight.”
“Did you enjoy that room particularly?” she asked as she flipped open her ledger.
“I don't know if I liked it better than any of your other rooms since I had only been in the one, but yes, I very much enjoyed my last few nights here.”
“That is wonderful to hear. Well, I can do this for you. I’ll note that you might be returning and we’ll keep that room open unless we fill up for the night. I don’t see that happening tonight, but it could happen. Unlike next week, of course,” she added. “Once folks start trickling in for Founder’s Day, you’ll have a hard time finding a room in the Fort.”
“Someone mentioned Founder’s Day to me a couple of days ago. I didn't realize it was so soon.”
“Ten days to go. We get folks from all over the Horn. Even people from the Small Kingdoms, Duskrug, and the southern desert come and celebrate with us. It is a great time to see old friends and make new ones. I hope you’ll stick around. You will surely have a grand time.”
“I plan to. Thanks.” Joe handed her the key before turning toward the dining room. He had been assured that breakfast this morning was part of last night’s rental. He considered sitting and taking his time but he was too full of energy. He wanted to walk and look around town. Taking one of the parchment bags the inn provided, he filled it with a few items from the buffet table.
He grabbed a drum-plum. These fruits tasted almost identical to the plums from Earth but they had flat tops like their namesake. He also grabbed four egg-scones. The egg-filled pastries were quickly becoming his favorite breakfast food. He sent the paper container with the fruit and three of the scones into his dim-bag, holding the last one to eat on the street. The scones were crumbly so he waited until he had exited the Glass before taking his first bite.
He finished the pastry by the time he reached the market. That one had something tangy mixed into the eggs that reminded Joe of green peppers. The open-air bazaar was crowded this late in the morning. The hubbub of voices was louder than Joe liked but it was not so packed that moving through the crowds presented any problems. Thanks to the moderate thief-ward on his dim-bag, he did not have to spend the whole time worrying about pickpockets.
Joe knew the Adventurers Guild had a small shop that he could buy and sell at, but RC had said that there you took what they offered since they gave all members fair prices. There was a spark of excitement that came from trading and haggling in the general market that Joe assumed the guild shop would lack.
During the walk back the night before he and the ranger had split up the loot. RC had taken all the fangs since she could use them in her arrow-crafting. They each had taken an ape card. Since the elf did not have the strength for the pickaxe, she took the light sword. Joe got the bracers and the skill crystal.
The gems they decided to trade with the Guild since neither of them had an appraisal ability. They agreed to split whatever they sold for but Joe was going to make sure RC took a bigger share. He couldn’t imagine all those fangs, even though they had over fifty of them, would be equal to the value of the bracers. The skill was likely negligible in worth but he hoped to trade it for a Spirit skill.
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Joe stopped at a stall that looked like it catered to adventurers. It had a shelf of common potions and scrolls. There were jars full of wands and a stand of magical staves. On one side of the covered stall was a case displaying empowered jewelry. The items in the case were more functional looking than ornamental. This booth was where he had found the [Dual Cast] skill the other day, a skill he wanted and knew the Guild shop didn’t have.
Behind the counter was a dark-skinned human with pale eyes and short, wavy, white-blond hair. He had a round, beautiful face. The shopkeep looked like a cherub that had grown up into a strikingly attractive man.
“Hello,” Joe greeted the merchant. “I have a few things I’m looking to buy and even a couple to sell or trade.”
“I never forget a face. You were here a few days ago looking at skills I believe,” the man announced in a melodious voice. This guy had the all outward checkboxes for a merchant ticked. A warm rich voice, handsome features, a memory for customers, and even a great location.
“I was. I have one to trade if that works best for you or I’m happy to just pay in coin for that [Dual Cast] shard there,” Joe said pointing at the purple-banded stone resting in a slotted box in the jewelry case.
“That is an unusual skill even though its rarity is common. Do you have something equally as good in trade?”
“I have a [Gang Leader] stone. Also a common," he replied, placing the shard in question on the table.
“Not quite as good but let’s see how the rest of your transactions go and maybe we can reach an even swap. What else can I offer you today?”
“I was thinking of a wand of cleaning. I am an up-close combatant and other than my gloves, which are enchanted, I keep ending up covered in gore. Oh, and one of mending too.”
“Ah yes. Those are the staple of most every warrior on the road. No worries, good sir, I have plenty of these. The question is how do you want them? You mentioned wands which I have. They are the most affordable in the short term but they wear out. Depending on the quality you buy you can expect to get between twenty and fifty uses per wand.”
The trader placed two plain-looking wands on the table beside Joe’s skill stone. Each of the foot-long rods looked sturdier than the typical fancy wizardy-looking wands. “The fifty-use wands are three hundred and fifty gold,” he quoted, placing his finger on the right-hand wand. “The twenties are one fifty,” he added, tapping the one on the left.
“That’s not so bad,” Joe stated.
“But,” the merchant interjected quickly. “You would be surprised how quickly one can run through those charges. There is another alternative. We sell [Rings of Refurbishing] too. These rings contain both of these enchantments, cleaning and mending, as well as honing, to keep your weapons sharp. On the high end, they have unlimited uses but for those starting out, most young adventurers choose ones that have a limited number of charges per day. Five or six daily charges are the most common number I sell.”
“And when do they recharge? Morning? Evening?” Joe asked.
“Well, technically they recharge one charge in hours divided by the total number of charges per day. I know that’s awkward. To put it more simply, the six-use rings recharge one charge every four hours. The five-use rings get one back in just under five hours.” The man reached into the case and took out two rings. Both were heavy-looking bands. One was a greenish-gold material with a yellow topaz. The other one was made from that more orange-colored metal with a tigers eye for ornamentation. Joe immediately was drawn to the look of the second one. The tiger eye and rich tiger orange gold looked great together.
“Got it,” he exclaimed. “How much?”
“The six-charge ring is one thousand gold,” he stated, tapping the green band. “The five-charge ring is eight-fifty.”
Joe worked the numbers and realized he would get a very slight discount with the more expensive ring per charge. On the other hand, he really liked the look of the tiger eye ring. He had planned to go the wand route while he was trying to save money for better axes but he did acknowledge that he would end up spending more in the long run with wands. Since he was drawn to the less expensive ring, and it would only cost him slightly more than two good wands, he decided to spend the extra one fifty gold pieces.
“So, if I take that one,” he began, pointing at the orange ring he liked, “instead of the wands, where are we with the skill swap?”
“Well, you said you had a couple of items to sell. What else do you have for me?”
“A brand new set of [Dire Fist] bracers,” Joe exclaimed, putting out the item in question.
“Not really my thing but I can give you market price for them if you like. I tend to stick to questing staples, not worn gear." The dark-skinned man picked up the bracers and rolled them around in his grip, looking them over from all sides. “Dire is a tier-two enchantment. Item quality is average. Best I can do is five hundred for them.”
Joe wondered if his +60 reputation with the Adventures Guild might net him more if they were willing to buy the item. He still had not worked out how reputation worked yet but it was worth a shot. “You know what … I’m sorry I never introduced myself. Hi. I’m Joe.”
“Nice to meet you Joe. I am Shanaquoth Sunorus.”
“Ok, Shanaquoth. I think I’ll pay gold for the ring and any extra on the skill shard exchange. I’m probably best shopping the bracers around to someone who wants them rather than make you do it.”
“I couldn’t agree more. While I’d be happy to buy them off you, you would have a chance to make a greater profit with a more committed buyer. The skill crystals are close enough in value that I’ll just ask for an additional ten gold if you purchase the ring.”
“Deal. I’ll also pick up four basic mana potions. Please.”
“Very good, sir.” Shanaquoth turned around and plucked four small purple potions from behind him then paused for a second and scooped up an even smaller bottle that clearly held the same liquid. “Since you have been such a pleasant customer, I’ll toss in a mana dram for free. So that will be … ”
“One thousand and sixty,” Joe stated in time with the merchant. “Eight-fifty for the ring, two hundred for the mana potions, and ten for the skill. And you get the [Gang Leader] crystal.”
“Exactly. It has been a pleasure doing business with you, young sir. Please come back any time.”
“I’m sure I will Shanaquoth. Thanks.”
After the exchange, Joe used his new ring to cleanse himself and his clothing. A warm sudsy feeling rippled away from the spot Joe had aimed the ring at. It spread across his body and through his clothes. As the pulse flowed over him, it took with it all those gritty, oily, or crusty sensations, leaving Joe feeling perfectly clean. When it had gone, he felt like he had just stepped out of the shower, been magically dried, and into clothes that had come right out of a dryer.
‘Oh that is awesome!’ he thought.
With a new spring in his step, Joe headed for the guild house.