They came to a well on the outskirts of the clearing with a few spare wooden buckets. A man sat next to a fire close by, bringing large kettles of water to a boil.

"Tea water, tea water!" the man called as they approached the well. "Boiling hot water for sale!"

"We'll take… uh, five gallons," Andy said. There were a few sizable pots going at once, but five gallons would likely be over half of his supply.

"Five gallons?" The man said. "What ever for?"

"We've got to scrub the boar's tusks," said Sven.

"Ah," the man said, adjusting the small glasses at the end of his nose and peering toward PL. "My, my… isn't that a ferocious beast."

"He is nice," Kermit said. "Usually."

"Kresta said to put it on her tab," said Andy.

"Ah, Kresta, you say?" the man said.

"Yes," said Andy. "Long story, but we've got to get the pig cleaned up."

"Ah yes, very well. Whatever you need, please feel free. And there are some clay pots over there that you can use as a basin. I'll charge it all to Kresta."

"Thanks," Andy said as he fetched a heavy basin, bringing it closer to the fire.

"Please, take a cloth here," the man said, standing up. He was skinny but not frail, like a veteran marathon runner. He pulled a rag out of a dish of ice water and handed it to Andy. "For picking up the handle."

Andy slowly poured the hot water out of several kettles, three in a row, into the basin and mixed in the bag of fresh hyssop. It smelled like the most fragrant mint and licorice. Not Andy's favorite flavor, but it was certainly striking, and he could appreciate it.

They gazed silently at the hyssop steeping in the steaming basin. The play of the vapor whisping up from the basin had a familiar mesmerizing quality, like the flicker of flame. Then, the complex aroma of the mountain hyssop hit Andy with some force, breaking the visual spell.

"Could I use a few rags?" Andy asked.

"Of course," said the man. He bent down and fetched several cloths from a small pile that sat in a basket.

Andy dipped a rag in the basket and wrung it out. The water had cooled off enough not to burn, but it was still very hot.

"Here you go," he said, tossing it to Sven.

He tossed another to Kermit and the three of them began scrubbing PL's tusks. It was a bizarre moment, peaceful and serene, but also covered in blood. Andy gently scrubbed the tusk. They hyssop water was removing not only the blood, but also much of the dirt and grime that had accumulated over the years.

PL grunted happily.

***

They finished bathing PL's tusks, which were now a radiant ivory hue, and thanked the water-seller before departing toward the commercial area of town.

"I think it'd be better if I stayed behind with PL and kept him away from the crowd," Sven said. "You go ahead."

"Can we find you anything?" Andy said. "A weapon? A shield or something?"

"Dealer's choice," said Sven. "I'm not the tactician, but I'll fill whatever role you need me to."

"Got it," said Andy.

"What about you, bud?" Andy said to Kermit.

"I think I need a slingshot," said Kermit. "I took a level in combat, so I need something to fight with."

"Slingshot? Not a bad choice," Andy said. "Range is better."

"I agree," said Kermit. "I don't like getting in the middle of things."

The two headed toward the shopping district. There were several tables of vendors. One table in particular seemed promising: it looked like it had hunting knives, short bows, and trapping equipment.

"Let's check this one," Andy said, gesturing toward it.

"Interested in hunting?" said a man on the other side of the table. He wore a fine hunting coat with trim made from the mane of some beast. He sported a black, trimmed goatee. "What are you looking to hunt for? Do you hunt in order to eat, or do you eat in order to hunt?"

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"What do you mean?" Andy asked.

"Oh, it's just an old saying from my village on the other side of the island. We are hunters where I'm from," the man bowed slightly. "My name's Perin."

"Perin," Andy said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Andy."

"The meaning of the phrase is this," Perin said. "Some of us hunt in order to provide food for our communities and families. We hunt because we have to, so that we can eat. Others of us hunt because it is what we do naturally. We're driven toward it. We can't do anything else. Do you know that feeling? The feeling that you're only happy when you can do it, that one thing that makes you feel free?"

Andy immediately thought back to the feeling he experienced as a child when he could create pictures. He could lose himself in the act of drawing, of envisioning… the creative act of genesis.

"I know the feeling well," Andy said, smiling. "I know it extremely well."

"People who feel that way on the hunt, they 'eat to hunt.' Understand?"

Andy nodded. "I do," he said.

"So, if you hunt to eat, I can sell you any old thing."

He gestured toward the items on the left side of the table. A few wooden shortbows, several plain-looking quivers, arrows of various lengths and thicknesses, as well as some iron traps.

"Most the stuff on this side is your run-of-the-mill hunting gear. It's good, of course. It will get the job done. I wouldn't be selling it if it didn't."

He stepped away from the left side and shifted to the right.

"Now on this side, there are the more specialized offerings. These are for people who eat to hunt. Who enjoy the act."

There were several more elaborate traps, some with seemingly magical jewels pulsating with light. There were bows made from various materials, some looked like a kind of metal. There were arrows tipped with exotic alchemical compounds, as well as several giant tomes that seemed to be instruction books on hunting, complete with complex diagrams and illustrations. There was also a row of different slingshots, each in a different color. There were also several small satchels holding smooth stones of varying colors.

"Slingshots!"

"A slingshot, eh?" said Perin. "I've got several. Different stones too. This red one is a classic design from my village. It's a bit oversized to prevent misfires. It is also exceptionally forceful, about twice as much as the average slingshot. Of course, it's not enchanted, but I have plenty of enchanted ammo here for you if this one speaks to you."

"Enchanted?" Kermit asked. "What is special about the enchanted ones?"

"Ah," the man said, his demeanor suddenly becoming more sure, more well-rehearsed. "Well I have three enchanted slingshots here from around the world. The first, this is called the 'Warlock's Shooter.' Any successful hits against a target will heal the attacker."

"We'll skip that one," said Andy. He could barely control his emotions when he used his level zero warlock feat, Drain. He wasn't even sure if he even wanted to continue using it, except in difficult circumstances. The way it changed him… made him hateful. Spiteful. He didn't like it. And he certainly didn't want Kermit to have to wrestle with warlock magic.

"Very well," the man said. "Warlockery can indeed be controversial. This here is very different, it's a druid's sling." He held up a slingshot with a leather wrapped handle. The frame was composed of antlers, though the inside of the frame was sanded smooth. "This slingshot gives the wielder a hunter's vision, the ability to detect motion easily, so long as it's in your possession."

"What's the other one?" Andy asked.

"This," Perin said, "is the arcane sniper. It's, well… it's a lot. It isn't popular in hunting circles because it's too powerful. It leaves no room for skill. The slingshot basically aims for you. On its own, it's not so high-powered, but it's devastatingly accurate. Now, combined with enchanted ammo... it's unstoppable."

"What do you think?" Andy said, looking down at Kermit.

"I like… that one," he said, pointing to the arcane sniper.

Of course he liked that one. It was obviously the last item in the sales pitch because the other two, while nifty, were completely blown out of the water by it. Why opt for hunter's vision when the slingshot could just aim for you?

"What kind of ammo can you use with it?" Andy said.

"Oh, anything that will fit in the pouch really," Perin said. "But I've got some specialty stones here from the enchanter's guild. These are explosives, these emit electricity." He pointed toward some that were a bit bigger and blockier. "These are called clobbershots. They increase the force of impact by a factor of ten. Notice they have flatter sides. It's to maximize not only the total force, but also the surface area so that the force is more evenly applied rather than simply shooting straight through the target. They can nonetheless be every bit as lethal as more common ammunition. Think of it like a ranged melee attack with immense velocity."

"Can we get a little of all of them?" Andy asked.

"Why sure," said the man, "but it isn't cheap."

"We're on Kresta's tab," said Andy.

"Ah," he said. "Then sure, you can have all of it."

He bundled together the explosive, electrical, and clobbershot ammo. "Don't mix up these bags," he said. "They all do very different things."

"Understood," said Kermit.

"Should we get one for Sven?" Kermit asked.

"I think you and Arlene have ranged combat covered," said Andy. "I'll keep an eye out for something else for Sven. Maybe a shield or something…"

"What about you?" Kermit asked. "Do you want a slingshot?"

Andy thought for a second. The slingshot, for all of its virtues, didn't really speak to him. It would take a lot of practice to become proficient, and he had other things to do.

"I'll find something else that's more for me," said Andy.

They thanked Perin as Kermit attached his ammo pouches to his belt and tucked his new slingshot in.

There were a lot of vendors to get to in this little village square, and, if the array of magic items that Perin offered was any indication, they had a lot more to discover.