The sun rose over the walls of the town, signaling the beginning of a new day. For many this meant many different things, some of the slightly luckier kids could go to the only school in town, something typically only the children of the wealthy or noble could do, This is what Emma was doing. For others it meant going to the adventurers guild to grab a quest for the day or put a quest up, or simply going to some other work such as Sarah. For our dear starting Merchant Alex? It was his signal to sleep in anyways until near an hour before noon. That is until he was awoken by a knock at the door. Alex woke up and looked through the window, to see the one who knocked being a human adventurer in chain mail, looking like a warrior. He was flanked by a dwarven Warrior in leather armor, with brown hair, stone-grey eyes, and a noteworthy beard, an elven Bowman with long sky-blue hair and green eyes and behind the Bowman was a female elven Cleric with short sky-blue hair and green eyes.

Alex went up to the door and asked the human, guessing he might be their leader,

"Yes what is it?"

"Well, we heard you bought the building the other day, but we wanted to make sure you were okay since we saw you sleeping on the floor." The Human Warrior Said,

"We also couldn't believe anyone would want to buy this place and had to make sure." The Dwarven Warrior chimed in,

"Ah, I see. Well, It's true. I've bought this building and I'm setting up shop here. I'm afraid I'm not open until later today however so you'll have to come later." Alex said,

"What are you even selling in there anyway?" The Bowman said,

"I'm glad you asked," Alex said, before bringing his voice up so all the adventurers nearby could hear, "My shop specializes in both selling and buying adventuring equipment! Opening later today!"

This caused a little fuss among the nearby adventurers and the news spread fast into the building, many couldn't believe it, but there he was, and looking in they could see the potions and a couple weapons in there.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to look around once it's open." The Bowman said,

"Speaking of, looking at the sun, I need to go pick up some signs. Shop opens as soon as I'm back!" Alex said, shouting the last part.

So Alex rushed off back to the merchants guild, and lo and behold there was Smith, waiting with the signs. A quick chat and a walk back, and the Signs were hanging and propped up in the window respectively.  Alex, smiling greatly hung the sign to the open side, and after taking a chair down, sat behind the counter, ready for business.

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In a relatively short time, some adventurers walked in, the same group from earlier it seemed.

"So shop's open I see." The Human Warrior said,

"Yes it is, right now since I couldn't bother to stack the shelves more fully I've only got some Potions and escape scrolls up, as well as those rings." Alex said, "But if you need something else I might be able to check what I have up in storage."

The elven cleric leaned in towards the bowman and whispered, after a moment the bowman said gesturing to the left shelf,

"My sister here wants to know, but being shy as she is doesn't want to ask directly, What does all this stuff do?" 

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Oh, the bottles are just some lighter healing potions on the bottom, and then some scrolls for running away, then some Mp potions, and the staff is display only for now, or at least until I think of some more fitting way to give it out." Alex says,

"U-um," The Cleric said, now speaking up a little, "But, what does it do?"

"Oh, Raises agility of the wielder, and of anyone healed by them for a short while." Alex said. There was a brief glint in the clerics eyes.

"While we're all just asking questions of ye here," The Dwarven Warrior chimed in "What do you mean 'Use It, Break It, Buy It'?"

"I mean, if you use it, or break it, whether it was an accident or not you'll have to pay for it. So be careful not to break anything, that Morningstar alone costs a minimum of fifteen gold." Alex said.

"Fifteen Gold!" The Human Warrior shouted, "What could make it so expensive!?"

Alex said, "If you think that's a lot, everything behind me right now would be at least twenty gold for the cheapest thing here."

"That's enough to buy a high quality slave almost five times!" The Bowman shouted, while everyone else quickly put their weapons where they couldn't knock anything over.

"Then you best make sure you're careful. If you want to buy anything bring it up to the counter here and I'll get the price for ya." Alex said,

They milled about for a second before eventually settling on a potion and a scroll each, as well as two mp potions for the cleric.

"Alright," Alex said, before thinking out loud for a moment quietly, "Let's see, multiply the copper, add the prices, divide by a hundred, add the silver.." After this brief thinking out loud he said, "Okay! This would normally cost you five silver, but since you're my first customers, I'll cut the price in half for ya this time, only two silver and fifty copper!"

The Human Warrior said to the others "I'm the one who suggested we try this out, I'll pay this time." Before reaching into a small pouch at his side. He looked inside and said to Alex after a moment, "I'm afraid I don't have fifty copper, just silver. I guess we can't bu-"

"Nonsense!" Alex said, "Of course you can, Just hand me three silver and I'll give you your change."

"Change?" The Human Warrior asked,

"I mean, whatever you overpaid by, I'll return. In this case, you hand me three silver, and I'll give you fifty copper back." Alex said,

The Human Warrior turned to his team, and said to the Bowman, "Frei, You're better with all this number stuff than I am, does it work?"

The Bowman Frei* said, sighing beforehand "Yes Seig, it does work."

The Human Warrior Sieg* turned back to Alex and said "Okay then, I suppose that work too." before putting the silver on the table.

Alex put fifty copper on the table, took the silver, and said "Pleasure doing business with you, feel free to come again!"

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After the Adventuring party left and walked away, they couldn't help but talk about the odd merchant.

"Can you believe that," Sieg said "Twenty gold, for what looked like blackened glasses!"

"For those, not a second," The Dwarven Warrior Gran'It* said, "But I could tell, that Morningstar had something brutal to it."

Frei chimed in, "And what kind of merchant offers to buy things off of their customers? That's just nonsense." He turned to his sister and said "Hey, Gaeia*, You've been quiet with that look in your eye you always get when you really want something, what is it?"

At this his sister, the Cleric Gaeia, said "I need to find some way to get that staff, if it really does what he says it'll do it should help me be more useful!"

Frei said, "More Useful! You've already saved our lives at least three times each, how could you be more useful!"

Gaeia said, "With that staff, I could get away from the front quicker and avoid enemies easier! I wouldn't need to heal myself as often and you wouldn't have to worry as much."

Before Frei could respond, Sieg already said, "She has a point you know, it would be very useful."

Gran'It responded too, "But we can't just buy it, he said it himself, 'Display Only'."

Sieg said, "Maybe we could hang around the adventurers guild more often."

Frei said, "And how is that supposed to help?"

Sieg said, "Well he mentioned 'A more fitting way of giving it out'."

Gran'it said, "There's no way he would offer something like that as a quest reward, would he?"

Sieg said, "He came up with this 'change', I think he might."

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*Pronunciations are as follows,

Sieg - Seeg

Frei - Fray

Gran'It - Grahn, (Very, very slight pause), Eet

Gaeia - Pronounced the same as Gaia, just different spelling.