Chapter 31
Materials
After forming their temporary alliance with Lexton, Erin’s group found themselves walking through the city, looking for a good place to buy equipment for some of the members. It apparently took only a single look from the kobold to tell that they were very ill-equipped to go against a general, so he offered to get them a much needed upgrade.
“Excuse me, Lexton?” Erin called out to the kobold. “What type of equipment are we going to be looking for exactly?”
“Pretty much the usual. Better weapons, better armor and some other stuff,” Lexton answered. “Also, please call me Lex. No need for full names now that we are working together.”
“Alright then, Lex,” the redhead said with a small smile. “So where are we going to first? Do you perhaps know a good weapons shop that has quality equipment at a reasonable price?”
“Oh please. Only those who don’t know better simply go to such stores. What kind of a merchant would I be, if I did such a thing?” the kobold said with a chuckle. “Nah. What I’m going to show you is much better and way more profitable for us.”
“The hell are you talking about?” Ryle asked bluntly before looking around, noticing some stores that they had completely passed by that had a sale going on. “Those places don’t seem too bad. They even have a sale going on.”
“Sales are for those who are in desperate need and we aren’t desperate,” Lexton said with a knowing smirk. “Besides, do you really think those shopkeepers are going to put anything worth our attention on sale? No, they only put the stuff that’s not worth a damn thing on sale, as they simply want to clear out their store for something better. Any weapon bought through such means is bound to break after just a couple of uses.”
“Hmph! Alright then, Mr. Merchant! Tells us what you’re actually going to do!” the blonde said in an irritated tone. “Since you’re such a hot shot, maybe you can get us top quality weaponry for what is essentially pocket change!”
“That is EXACTLY what I plan to do,” the kobold said with a grin. “However, before we proceed, I would like to ask you all something first.”
“A-And what would that be, Mr. Lexton?” Arkay asked.
“You know what, Arnie? So far, I like you the most out of this group. Not only do you seem to be the smartest, but you are also respectful. I appreciate that. But you can stop with the whole “Mr.” thing. I don’t need that,” Lexton said with a smile. “As for what I’d like to ask from you all is rather simple. What kind of fighting styles do you all use? Or at least what type of weaponry do you prefer?”
“I-I’m not much of a fighter, but I do have some offensive spells that I can cast. Mostly, though, I try my best to avoid combat, as it’s not my specialty,” Arkay answered. “The rest of my spells actually help me with staying unnoticed, like invisibility.”
“Hmmm… While I completely understand the desire to not get into physical altercations, I’m afraid that is something you’re going to have to face sooner or later, considering what we’re doing,” the kobold said thoughtfully. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m sure we can find useful gear for you. If nothing else, we can look into growing your list of magic spells.”
The cat boy was still nervous over the idea of getting into combat, but there was a small smile on his face due to Lexton reassuring him that it would be alright.
“Hey, don’t think too much about such things, Arnie,” Ryle suddenly said in a comforting tone as she put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You just leave all the fighting to me and Erin. No need for you to risk your life doing such things.”
“You do know that type of attitude isn’t going to help him at all?” Lexton asked sarcastically. “In fact, sheltering him from all the bad things is only going to make things far worse for him in the future.”
“Oh, shut your mouth, you stupid-!”
“Ryle, I hate to say this, but Lex is right,” Erin said, cutting off the blonde. “Whether we like it or not, we are all going to have to get our hands dirty, if we want to take down Lune. We can’t afford to shield any members of our group, no matter who it is.”
The group came to a sudden stop, as Lexton stopped walking. The kobold was holding his face and let out a groan.
“Here’s some good advice for you guys. When talking about such delicate subjects as what you’re planning to do in city, DO IT WHEN NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU. I’m honestly amazed that none of you have been arrested or killed yet, seeing as how openly you discuss your plans,” Lexton said and let out a deep sigh. “From now on, when any of you plans to mention “you know goddamn well what,” how about using something a bit less damming? Call it your holiday plan or future endeavor or something! Anything but the actual truth!”
“...No need to be a dick about it,” Ryle mumbled.
“Ryle, be nice. He is correct in what he said on both accords,” Erin said with a sigh. “We need to be more careful as to not let the wrong people know about our project, so it’s a good idea to not mention it. As for Arnie, it’s very likely that he’s going to have to take part in combat, considering what we’ll be working on. The least we can do is prepare him, so he has a better chance at getting out of it alive.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The blonde woman wanted to argue, but Arkay stopped her.
“I-It’s alright, Ms. Ryle. I understand that I can’t just sit back and let you guys face all the danger on your own,” the cat boy said with a gentle smile on his face. “Besides, I wouldn’t want that either. I hate the idea of not doing anything to help when you’re in trouble, so I’m honestly glad that there’s something that can be done about it.”
“...Fine. I guess I’ve lost this argument,” Ryle said with a sigh. “But I’m going to demand at least one thing from you, Arnie!”
“W-What is it?” Arkay asked nervously.
“I WANT YOU TO STOP WITH THAT “MS.” STUFF!” the blonde woman yelled. “Why do you have to speak to me in such a way, when we’re already buddies!? I don’t like it!”
“I agree with Ryle, Arnie. I’d like it if you dropped that way of speaking to us,” Erin said with a smile. “I appreciate that you want to be polite to us and all, but it makes it feel like we aren’t friends. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“O-Of course I don’t want that!” Arkay said in a panicked tone. “I just didn’t want to seem rude, so that’s why I used Ms. When I was speaking to you two, Ms. E- I mean, Erin!”
The cat boy’s sudden panic was found amusing by both Erin and Ryle, who laughed at Arkay’s attempt at explaining himself. The two women laughed at him, while the boy himself blushed in embarrassment.
“It’s alright, Arnie. We know what your intentions were,” Erin said with a smile as she gentky ruffled the cat boy’s hair. “We just don’t like such formal speech, as it feels unnecessary. I’m sure that’s why Lexton wanted you to drop it as well.”
As Erin was having this touching moment with Arkay, the sound of someone clearing their throat caught their attention. It seemed like Lexton wanted to get back on their main topic of conversation.
“Anyways, back to business,” the kobold said. “I now know what kind of a fighter Arnie is, but what about you?”
“Well, I am-” Ryle began, but was quickly cut off.
“Not you. I don’t need you to tell me,” Lexton said with an exasperated sigh. “Just from what little I’ve seen, I can tell that you’re one of those morons whose preferred way of fighting is to punch and kick at their opponent until they stop breathing. And if that doesn’t work, you just hit it harder.”
“HEY! I’ll have you know that it’s a perfectly valid method!” the blonde yelled angrily. “Besides, I don’t just punch and kick. There are other methods as well, like strangling, breaking bones, gouging out eyes-”
“Okay, we get the picture. No need to give us the whole rundown,” the kobold said. “The point is that I already know what your specialty is, so I have an idea as to what I should get for you. But I still need to know what Erin’s fighting style is.”
“Hmmm… Mostly I use stealth to sneak up on my opponents to take them by surprise. I often use things like knives and pistols to get the job done in such cases,” Erin said thoughtfully. “However, I do have some skill with swords. Not much, but it’s something.”
“Your skills might not be much, but at least I have an idea that I can work with,” Lexton said before he began to walk again. “Come on. It’s time I show you guys how a real merchant like myself does work around here.”
Erin and her friends followed the kobold, as he kept walking past more stores. He kept doing this until he seemed to reach a place that satisfied his standards. However, while he had a confident smile on his face, his companions didn’t seem to share his thoughts.
“Ummm… Lex?” Erin called out to the kobold. “I get that you don’t want to spend too much money and everything, but don’t you think this is going a bit too far?”
“What do you mean by that?” Lexton asked. “What’s wrong with this place?”
“Well, that’s easy to answer!” Ryle said angrily. “IT’S A GARBAGE DUMP!”
“I am very well aware of that, thank you very much,” the kobold said with a frown as he rubbed his ears that were now sore and ringing slightly from the blonde’s yell. “And just what in the world is wrong with that? Can’t you see that I’m trying to help you save money?”
“Yeah, but you were supposed to get us some new equipment as well!” Ryle shouted. “Don’t you know that garbage is essentially stuff that can’t be used anymore!? Or were you going to arm us with empty cans and used diapers!?”
“Oh Lord, give me the strength to make it through the asinine arguments of those who don’t know any better,” Lexton mumbled with a sigh. “Look, anything can be used, if you just use your brains a bit. I know this must be a foreign concept for one of you three, but if you just trust me I can show you a way to get quality equipment nice and cheap. Okay?”
Ryle was about to blow up from rage, but luckily Erin stepped in.
“Well, trust you on this. I’m sure you must have a plan of some kind,” the redhead said. “So do you need us to do anything?”
“Nah. It’s best if I handle this on my own. I’ve got the eye for the things that we need from there, after all,” Lexton answered and he was about to go to the garbage dump, when he suddenly stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot! I do need you to do something for me.”
“And what would that be?” Erin asked.
“Give me your cash,” the kobold said as he put up his hand to take the wallet.
“WHAT THE HELL!?” Ryle yelled angrily. “Didn’t you just give it back to us in order to gain our trust after scamming us!? Why the hell would we give it back to you!?”
“If you’re afraid that I’m taking it and running away, even you should realize that’s not my intention,” Lexton said in a frustrated tone. “If all I wanted was money, why would I have gotten in contact with you at all? Especially since I could have just kept what I got from you and continued scamming other gullible people?”
“Look, I get what you’re saying, but this is kind of a sudden and big request from you,” Erin explained. “I mean, why do you need our money? Don’t you have more than enough on your own?”
“That is true, but why should I use my own money to pay for your equipment?” the kobold asked. “I already told you that this is just a temporary alliance due to us having similar goals. Once this is over, we most likely will never see each other again. I don’t want to gift you all with stuff that is going to cost me not just in terms of time and effort, but money as well. Instead, don’t you think it makes more sense that you’re investing in a service that will help you further down the line?”
The redhead thought about Lexton’s explanation and understood what he meant. While they might be allies now, that would not last forever. In fact, they could even be enemies in the future, like they had in a way been not too long ago. When you thought about it like that, it didn’t really make sense to spend money on making your possible future enemies stronger.
Erin took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. This was no time to hesitate.
“Alright, you can have it,” the redhead said, which shocked Ryle and Arkay. “However, I do expect some really good quality weapons from you in return.”
“Hey, I might make a living by scamming people, but when I actually put effort in my work, it will be worth every bit you spent and more,” Lexton said with a smirk, as he was given the wallet with the money Erin’s group had. “Trust me when I say that I’m worth investing into.”
Once he had the money, the kobold walked into the garbage dump and spoke to the owner. It seemed like they came to an understanding quickly, as he soon went further in and disappeared behind the piles of trash that the place was filled with.
Meanwhile, Erin and her group waited outside for Lexton to return. Ryle was pacing back and forth, cursing to herself about “untrustworthy kobold bastards” and Arkay was desperately trying to calm down the upset blonde to no avail. Erin herself hadn’t taken her eyes away from the entrance to the garbage dump, as she kept waiting for Lexton to return.
After some time had passed, Lexton came back. He was carrying a rather large sack for his size that was filled with junk he had bought. The owner of the dump was walking behind him, carrying larger bags that were also completely full.
“Glad to see that you’re all still waiting for me here! I was afraid that I would have to find a way to transport all of this on my own,” Lexton said with a bright smile, as the garbage dump owner put the bags he was carrying on the ground before leaving. “In all honesty, I found far more than I had expected. I’m sure I’ll be able to make some really good stuff with this haul.”
“I see… Anyways, where are we going to be heading to next?” Erin asked, somewhat impressed by the amount of junk the kobold had bought.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Lexton asked with a smirk. “We now have the materials, so what we need to do is make something out of them. Next we go to my workshop.”
image [https://i.ibb.co/pWM143t/Ch-31-Pic-1.jpg]