“How was it? Did you find anything good?” asked Ben.

“As a matter of fact, I have! Check this out.”

Liza sat down by the campfire and showed them the red gem. Her voice and movements were casual, but her eyes were trained on the merchant they’d just rescued. Merchants were a special kind of breed in her opinion, with some of them becoming one of the most cruel and harsh people on Flanac when profit was involved.

Everyone was surprised when seeing the stone. Lawrence’s expression changed a few times in a couple of seconds. It went from surprise to greed, and from greed to acceptance. Watching his many transformations, Liza was somewhat reassured. It seemed that Lawrence wasn’t the type to turn his back on his benefactors for profit. At least not this amount of profit.

“Wow, such a pretty stone! Can I play five stones with it?” asked Eliot.

“Are you crazy?! No! What if you lost it?” exclaimed Liza.

“Is that a ruby? I’m not too knowledgeable when it comes to precious stones,” said Ben.

“Would you mind if I have a look? I’m not an expert, but I traded precious stones more than once,” said Lawrence.

“Go ahead,” replied Liza as she tossed the gem to the merchant.

Lawrence grabbed the gemstone and brought it closer to the fire to inspect it in detail. He played with it for a good while before giving his opinion.

“It’s not a ruby. If I’m not mistaken, this is a red carnelian. You should still be able to make some decent money from it, nonetheless. I can introduce you to a buyer in the capital if you’re interested. Free of charge, of course.”

“We’ll take you on your offer then. We’re also travelling straight to the capital and I could really use the money.”

“Oh, that’s great! You wouldn’t mind if I travel with you, right?”

“Normally we should charge you the standard protection fee from the guild at least, but whatever. You already owe us your life, who cares about a few extra coins,” said Liza jokingly.

“Haha… ha…” Lawrence laughed nervously.

They decided to spend the night where they were, since going by the position of the sun in the sky they wouldn’t be able to make back to the road before nightfall.

The group ate and talked merrily till it got dark, getting to know Lawrence better. The merchant was a born storyteller and kept them entertained for many hours. Even the most boring transactions became an epic tale when coming from his mouth.

By his stories they could gather that he was a bold merchant, always trying innovative ideas and taking risks to maximize profit. When he saw Boro it was the same. He immediately asked where they’d obtained the dragon and if they were willing to sell the breeding and training method to him. His enthusiasm only disappeared when he heard Boro was found in the Ancient Aldin Forest.

The next day they gathered all their belongings and moved back to the road. The splashes of blood in the location of the attack were already dark, and only ashes and burnt bits remained from the wooden cart. Lawrence gave a huge sigh.

“Thanks for taking care of their remains. I didn’t have enough coin to hire people from the guild, thus I got some local boys. I figured it wouldn’t be too dangerous since my cargo was small and I’d be sticking to the road for most part. Alas…”

“It’s the job. They knew the risks when they took it, whether they’re from the guild or not. You shouldn’t feel too bad,” replied Liza.

“Yeah, it’s the job… I’m just glad I’d the barrier scroll with me. I bought it after my first big deal went through and never had to use it… until yesterday.”

Lawrence paid his respects to the remains of his employees and the group continued onwards. A couple days later they finally arrived at the kingdom’s capital, Kalafrana. Ben and Eliot were both impressed by the size of the walls that towered twenty meters into the skies. One could only feel dwarfed standing near them when waiting for their turn to enter the city.

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They’d no trouble getting in after answering some questions and paying their fees. The capital was really on another level compared to the shabby hamlets and towns that dotted the kingdom. Even Starfall, which was considered one of the major cities of the nation, couldn’t hold a candle to it.

The buildings were all made of stone or brick and mortar, most of them being two to three stories tall. The streets were larger by a good margin and the sheer size of the city would easily accommodate two Starfalls in it. The only thing that remained the same was the style. Kalafrana was like a European gothic medieval city too.

“Well friends, here we are! Kalafrana! How would you like to proceed? Should I bring you to my acquaintance to sell the gem? Or a place for you to settle in perhaps? Or do you want to tour around for a bit?”

“Bring us to your acquaintance, we’d like to sell the gem first,” said Liza.

“Very well.”

Liza grabbed Eliot’s hand while Lawrence led them through the city. Losing him in this place wouldn’t be funny. The youth gawked and shouted excitedly about even the smallest things. More than once he unconsciously tried to rush off.

Lawrence brought them to a small shop on a busy street. The place was called Boni’s Family Jewels and all kinds of rings, earrings and amulets were on display behind the shop’s window that was protected by a steel fence.

“This name…” said Ben.

“I know, right? It’s Boni’s sense of humour,” said Lawrence, shaking his head.

A large, armed and ferocious looking man also safeguarded the entrance, but he only gave them a look-over when they went into the shop. The inside of the store was small and simple, with only a few cabinets displaying the products, each protected by another armed warrior. Lawrence went ahead and traded a few words with an attendant before signalling the rest of the group to follow him.

They entered a side door and after walking through a short corridor they arrived at a workshop. A gnome with scant amounts of grey hair on his head was sitting on a set of mini furniture, working on engraving a silver ring. He was completely focused on his task and didn’t notice he’d visitors.

“Boni, old pal! I’ve brought you someone with a decent material to sell.”

“Is that a chi–”

Liza clamped Eliot’s mouth with her hand before he could finish the question. She looked him in the eye and shook her head. The gnome still didn’t seem to have registered their presence, as he kept working without responding. Only after finishing his engraving did he look up.

Ben was surprised to find that gnomes looked like kids, but with a bigger head and an adult’s face. This appearance threw him off, as he was expecting someone with a pointy head and ears, a big nose and more of a chummy feeling.

“Grafton! What’s the big haul you have this time?” asked Boni.

“Nothing! This time I’m lucky to have escaped with my life. My friends here on the other hand found a raw stone they’re looking to sell.”

“Really now? You’re always treading dangerous waters, I keep telling you that. But we can talk about that later. Now, let me see this stone then.”

Liza grabbed the stone and gave it to Boni. The gnome pushed all the tools on his tiny table aside and examined the gem under a set of magnifying glasses. After observing and making a few tests, he held out two fingers in the air.

“It’s a red carnelian. Its size and quality are above average. I’m willing to give you two hundred gold coins for it. What do you say?”

“Two hundred?”

Liza was flabbergasted. Adding all the tasks she did for the guild so far would probably amount to only thirty to forty gold coins. That was over a big period of time as well. She never had such large sum of money on her hands in one go. Boni misinterpreted her silence as reluctance and added a few more words.

“That’s the most I can give you, more than that and it’s not worth it. Take it or leave it, but I guarantee you won’t get a better price in this city.”

“It’s a deal!” said Liza in a rush.

A couple minutes later the group exited the store. Liza was still stunned. Her left hand held onto Eliot and her right hand clasped a leather pouch with an iron grip. Lawrence watched her expression and sighed, feeling nostalgic. Didn’t he have this same expression when he first made big money?

“Very well heroes, my part here is done. I must make haste, for I too have money to make and many debts to settle. If you ever need my services again just go to the Logarth Union and ask for me,” said Lawrence.

“Right, take care Lawrence,” said Ben.

“Bye Mr. merchant!”

“Uh? Oh, yeah, bye,” said Liza absentmindedly.

Lawrence walked away, blending with the people coming and going on the streets. They quietly watched him until he was gone. Liza was still out of it, looking dazed at the passersby, when Eliot tugged her hand.

“That wasn’t a child then?” asked Eliot.

“No, that was a gnome Eliot,” replied Liza.

“Oh. He looked like a kid though. An old kid.”

“That’s just how they are.”

“I must say I was surprised too. I imagined gnomes differently,” said Ben.

“Say, Liza, we made good money, right?” asked Eliot mischievously.

“Yes, we did! I almost can’t believe it!” exclaimed Liza without thinking.

“Are we going to buy my sword now then? You said we’d when we got the coin.”

“Urgh… we can’t Eliot. I really need this money. Could you wait a little longer? I promise you I’ll buy you an awesome sword when I can!”

“Boh-Boh, but you said you’d buy it!”

“I… I…”

Seeing Liza out of words and in a tough spot, Ben approached Eliot and whispered something in his ear. Eliot seemed surprised and nodded his head vigorously. He tugged Liza’s hand again.

“That’s ok Liza, just buy it for me when you can.”

Liza eyed Ben, feeling both curious and grateful, before replying.

“Thanks Eliot! I promised you I’ll get you a sword, so I will! It might just take some time, that’s all.”

“Hum, I understand.”

“All right, where should we go from here? Look for an inn perhaps?” asked Ben.

“No, let’s find the guild! This should be enough to get the info I need. I want to make the request right away!”