Getting up from his bed, Deacon put his shoes on and decided breakfast was in order. He exited the room to find all three other members of his party just waiting for him. Thinking back to last night’s conversations didn’t yield any reason they would all be standing there in full traveling gear waiting on him. He decided to play it off like he’s been waiting on a wake-up call that never came.

  “Boy the front desk really dropped the ball on this one.” He said with a smirk.

  “What does that mean? There is no desk in the front of the building.” Typhus replied.

  “Weren’t they going to knock on the door or something to get us up?” Deacon said.

  “No, why would they do that?” Typhus chirped.

  “He’s messing with you Ty. Must be some nonsense where he’s from.” Elle chuckled.

  “Alright get your bag. We probably have time to check the shop downstairs before we get going.” Armand said.

  “What about breakfast?” Deacon asked.

  “That was two hours ago.” Elle said.

  “You didn’t wake me? I like to eat.” Deacon said.

  “We thought you could use the rest. Now get your blasted stuff and let’s get moving.” Typhus said.

  Deacon went back and grabbed what little he had. His mood perked up when he thought about the shop downstairs. Shopping sounded like a great idea. Scratching some things off his shopping list could be cathartic. Let’s see, he needed a mortar and pestle, some basic ingredients, traveling pot, and maybe a box of glass vials. What would be best is if he could figure out how to make rubber. Then he could refill palm sized balls with potions. So many ideas were blossoming in his head. Before he knew it, he was at the bottom of the staircase staring at the entrance to the…market. There was an entire town market down that hall with stalls filled with equipment and various goods for sale. What exactly is this Inn? Time to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

  Elle wandered off and Deacon was left with Typhus and Armand. Armand was looking at kite shields while Typhus was checking the balance on some throwing daggers. Knowing full well the weapons held nothing for him, Deacon wandered a little further down the hall. Quickly checking his slate for the list of recipes he just learned, he eyeballed stall after stall managing to get enough ingredients for basic healing potions. Picking up a mortar and pestle was no problem. Getting a small pot on the other hand became a chore. The two merchants selling a small cauldron were right across the hall from each other.

  “How much for the mini cauldron?” Deacon asked.

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  “You have a good eye. It can be used for many things from cooking on the road to mixing various concoctions. I couldn’t let it go for any less than two silver pieces.” The merchant said.

  “There is a crack on the inside! Do not buy that from him. My friend, come to my stall.” The second merchant said.

  “You be silent. Stop trying to steal my customers!” the first merchant yelled.

  “Wait, wait, wait, what are you selling a cauldron for?” Deacon asked.

  “For you, I will sell it for one silver piece.” The second merchant replied.

  “Now that sounds like a good deal.” Deacon said.

  “It has a broken handle. That alone will cost you time and effort once the contents spill out. Don’t buy that my friend. I will drop the price down to nine coppers if you buy it from me right now.” The first merchant said.

  “That means you were ripping him off to begin with! You can not trust him.” The second merchant screamed.

  They both came out from behind their respective stalls to scream at each other in a language Deacon didn’t understand. He stepped back as the two practically came to blows periodically pointing at Deacon. This seemed to be getting out of hand when a third merchant came over with a cook pot claiming its as good as the small cauldron’s he was trying to buy. Well, that was the final straw the first merchant tackled the third to the ground screaming about second rate wares in his down line. An all-out brawl broke out and several guards showed up to break it up. This was a suitable time to make himself scarce as the now subdued merchants started pointing his way. Spotting Typhus out of the corner of his eye, Deacon made a bee line right for him.

  “Time to go.” Deacon said as he tucked a hand under Typhus’s arm. A confused Typhus just went along with him as they met up with the others. Inside of ten minutes they were at the exit of the Udder. The market starts on the inside of the U and wraps its way around the outside then back to the entrance on the first floor. Massive for a roadside stop a day away from Iron Mountain Plateau. Once outside Elle mentioned something about a brawl in the market, she wanted to know if anyone saw it. Deacon just shook his head.

  The team started off on foot for about twenty minutes before Deacon asked where the wagon was. Armand made it known if he woke up on time, he would know that the wagon was sent back to Everhart courtesy of Molok. Furthermore, he took a notice off the message board about bandits a few hours out from the Udder.

  “It’s a chance to make some coin and do some good. The stores on the mountain are more expensive so it couldn’t hurt. Also, you could use some more field work before you join the guild. You are still struggling to control your speed and strength. I would like to see you use half of your potential when you are not in mortal danger. That will help you grow as fighter.” Armand said.

  “He has a point. You were going all out against the kobolds but as soon as we started fighting those marauders, you were all over the place. We keep forgetting how new you are to all this.” Typhus affirmed.

  “I think its more important to know when to pull your punches. With an attribute as high as yours, I’m surprised you aren’t breaking more things by accident.” Elle added.

  Instead of reacting to criticism, Deacon stopped walking and really started to think about his recent fights. He was more scared than anything against the kobolds. Killing humans was a little more impactful. The training he did with Robert was more about form than fully evaluating his limits. He supposed that helped him gauge how much force to use. That gave him an idea.

  “Ok how about this, once we get close to the area you suspect the bandits are in, use me as bait.” Deacon said, “That way I can test out my capabilities in a real-world environment. Unless you really think these bandits can hurt me.”

  “He’s got that insane glint in his eye again.” Typhus said.