Ryan turned back to see who'd just said that, his entire being quaking in indignation at the implied slight.

Turns out it was another short and stocky— dwarf. Yep, Talas' kind seemed to share the same kind of humor. The majority of them that he'd managed to interact with seemingly preferred to banter with whoever, irrespective of their feelings or standings, and how he loathed being on the receiving end of one of their barbs.

Unlike Uro, however, this dwarf was an unknown to Ryan, hence would normally be disposable, and Ryan could've chosen not to respond to the taunts by the short man. Not today though; Ryan would have to cater to each and every person that would walk up to his stall. Even to the vermi—

"—yan, Ryan," Leo said as he shook Ryan out of his daydreams.

Ryan ran a hand over his face in embarrassment; the dwarf who'd said that was smirking at Ryan's action, no doubt reveling in the free show that Ryan was.

"Sorry," Ryan said as he apologized to the dwarf. "What can I help you with?"

Ryan struggled to keep from gritting his teeth but failed. The dwarf probably noticed as his smirk seemed to grow wider, likely picking up on that.

"I'll have health potions," the dwarf said, still smirking. "What grade do you have available?"

Ryan would've loved nothing more than wiping the smirk off the dwarf's face, but it turned out that he didn't really need to do anything as he saw the adventurer's face glance behind him before he seemed to gulp inaudibly. The earlier smirk was replaced by the look of a child that had just been scolded by their parent.

Ryan didn't have to turn back to know that Leo was probably the catalyst for the change in the dwarf's expression. The big man seemingly having gained the skill of being intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Well, I currently only have minor health potions. I believe those will serve you well?" Ryan asked with a smirk of his own.

Ryan knew that it was now his turn; the presence of Leo had turned around what would've been a one-sided conversation.

"Of course, I'll appreciate that," the dwarf said begrudgingly. "How much would that cost?"

"Three hundred and ten silvers for our premium package of fifteen potions," Ryan replied. "We are also running a limited-time special: buy a T-stone and our premium package just for a token of five gold and two hundred silvers."

Ryan almost cursed himself for not leading with the offer from the beginning. At this point, he was just being deliberately stupid and sending away customers by showcasing his inexperience and, worse — his desperation.

"Hmm, a T-stone. A very useful thing, I think. I often have to borrow those when in a pinch," the dwarf said, a snort coming from Leo.

Ryan, on the other hand, was eagerly waiting for the words that would signify the increment in the weight of his pouch and the reduction in the amount left to clear what remained of his guild tax.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Alas, lad, I cannot afford such things," the dwarf said, a smirk seemingly reappearing on his face. "I'll have the premium package straight up."

Ryan was someone that considered himself a very calm person, but he wasn't so calm that he could even resist what he did next.

He sucker-punched the dwarf, the motion hurting him more than it hurt the adventurer. The dwarf seemed totally unaffected by the punch that hit him, merely dazed— and probably surprised, or was it confused?

Ryan couldn't tell as he clutched his fists close to his chest. Every single bone in his body had become something that he likened to liquid metal or lava; his hand felt as though it was on fire.

While Ryan cradled his wrist, a whole lot of emotions ran across the face of the adventurer, shock and confusion warring on the dwarf's face as he contemplated what had just happened.

Ryan didn't have to wait too long to find out which emotion won out — anger. Pure, unbridled rage seared through the dwarf's features.

It couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds that the events happened, and yet the atmosphere was charged. The signifier — a massive warhammer that appeared in the outstretched hands of the dwarf from nowhere. Probably the damned pocket space of those adventurers.

Ryan had always wanted to get one of those; it would surely come in handy. Ryan couldn't imagine all the things he coul—

"Grr," the dwarf growled as he raised his hefty warhammer, clearly going for Ryan's unprotected head. "Yer going ta regret that, lad!"

Ryan should've ducked, screamed, or done any of the thousand other actions that someone in his present predicament should've done, but he was more preoccupied ogling the inversely proportional warhammer to the size of the dwarf wielding it.

It looked as though it was nothing more than a child wielding a broadsword or, in this case, a warhammer. Ryan would've laughed if the attack was against another adventurer or a fellow static, but he couldn't even manage a chuckle or anything at this point.

His brain refused to take in the severity of the moment, the way he was currently severely underclassed or, in his case, ill-equipped to deal with an annoyed short bastard.

His entire being just seemed frozen in the face of certain death. His eyes almost glazed over as a part of him patiently waited for what seemed like the inevitable.

With the overhead strike already in motion, it was all Ryan could do to wait and finally be free. At least he wouldn't have to clear any more bills.

"Stttoooppp—" Leo screamed at the top of his lungs.

The big man was probably rushing over to try and save Ryan in some way, shape, or form. Maybe by pushing him out of the way, maybe by taking his place, and even the off chance that he was going to manage to disrupt the strike.

However, that was not to be as the big man was a hundred percent going to be too late; the dwarf's hammer already had a massive head start, very massive lead from what he was staring at.

Clang

The sound of metal bouncing off of metal echoed in the shop. The warhammer going in the opposite direction as the dwarf clinging on to it almost toppled over.

Maybe it was the weight of it or the surprise that his strike had been rebutted. Ryan highly doubted that it was the former as he could clearly see the bewilderment plastered on the face of the dwarf.

A big meaty hand pulled him backward before he could take a look to even confirm what his eyes saw.

"Do we have a problem?" the imposing figure of Leo asked the... bewildered? Yep, definitely bewildered version of the dwarf.

Ryan was currently only seeing the back of Leo but had no doubt about the effectiveness of the big man's scare tactic as the adventurer seemed to blanch.

His entire form seemed to quake as his warhammer disappeared into thin air.

"I-I- I—" The dwarf tried to speak but struggled with the words.

"You WILL apologize for the mishap both in words and coin," Leo said, his voice booming within the confines of the shop. "Do you understand?"

Ryan hadn't seen this version of Leo before, but he was loving it by far. Who knew? Maybe all he needed was to put up muscle, and he'd stop getting picked on by bird brains like the dwarf.

"Do I understand?"