“Look at the sheer quality of it!” yelled Friedrich enthusiastically. “This vase is an antique, isn’t it? That must make it worth much more. I will take no less than fifty kupons for this one alone, never mind the rest of them.”

“Ten kupons per vase,” said the merchant, waving his hands at Friedrich’s poorly received negotiation tactic. “You have fifty of them, is that right? Five hundred kupons for the lot.”

Friedrich was elated. “It’s a dea—”

“One moment, merchant,” said Teleri, gently pushing Friedrich aside. “I would ask you to forgive my pale friend here. He is deficient in many ways—”

Friedrich was highly offended. “Deficient?”

“—and, as such, he is not who you should be talking to. I have a stake in these vases and would like to ensure that I am receiving a fair offer.”

“Alright,” grumbled the merchant. “What do you think is a fair price, madam?”

“Fifty was a fair, as far as I was concerned, however, we would like a quick sale and will take forty kupons for each.”

The merchant furrowed his brow and shook his head slowly. “You’re pushing it, stranger. I can do thirty-five per vase and no less.”

“It is a deal,” said Teleri, taking the vase from Friedrich’s hand and passing over the bag containing the rest for the merchant to inspect.

Once the merchant was satisfied that the brass vases and pots from the Ruins of Kotuga were indeed antiques, he counted out the kupons for the group. Teleri and Friedrich kept a careful eye and each took count themselves while Marina stood quietly in the corner, not wanting to interfere.

“One thousand, seven hundred and fifty kupons,” said Friedrich, nodding to Teleri.

“Yes, merchant,” said the elf. “We are satisfied with this.”

The three left the shop and walked back onto the streets of Port Balsia, much richer for it. After the kupons they took from Namavar and this new payment for the vases, they were all considerably wealthier than when they had first arrived on Kai’roh.

“You are a terrible negotiator,” said Teleri, shaking her head at Friedrich. “You will never own a boat at this rate.”

“I feel pretty good about myself,” shrugged Friedrich, jingling his wallet. “I’d better put these in the portal vault.”

“Hmm” said Marina very loudly.

“Yes?”

“Nothing.”

“You clearly have something to say.”

Marina smiled so widely her eyes were nearly closed. “Would you be open to spending some of those kupons so that you can earn more kupons in the long term?”

Friedrich’s eyes narrowed too, but out of suspicion. “What’s your angle here, Marina?”

“Considering that we continually find ourselves in danger, why not buy something enchanted that you can use to make our lives a little easier?”

“I was thinking the same,” said Teleri, looking at the kupons in her hand. “It would be most beneficial to be better prepared. If not for your ability to transform, Friedrich, we may have been killed in Legama.”

“Alright,” said Friedrich, surprising Marina.

“You mean it?” she asked.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

“Hooray!” she cheered, jumping into the sky and reaching up. “I thought I would have to spend hours trying to convince you to part with your hard-earned kupons.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“You brief, but compelling argument was enough for me. Your improved staff has helped, as did Teleri’s fire arrows before she ran out of them.”

Teleri sighed. “How I miss them.”

“Let’s go!” Marina called out.

The three walked down the street, perusing the stalls and shops for hours trying to find something they could use. Halfway through the search, Marina got distracted by a book shop which stocked spell tomes. She found one called Summon Lightning Elemental and immediately purchased it, spending seven hundred and fifty; much more than she had intended.

Friedrich was considering buying a new pair of boots that he was led to believe would make him lighter on his feet—Teleri insisted he was being scammed. Before he finalised the deal, his eye was caught by a shield sitting in a back room. He pushed past the shopkeeper and retrieved it excitedly, asking what it did. The shopkeeper said that it was a Shockwave Shield, and would knock back any foes upon contact with the shield. Friedrich turned over six hundred kupons for it immediately, but Teleri wouldn’t let him leave the shop until he tested it. Much to Marina’s pain, it did indeed work.

Teleri was the last one to find something that she wanted. She purchased a new belt called the Belt of Concealment that she could activate at-will to obscure her if she was already standing in the shadows. It was the most expensive item of all, costing the elf eight hundred and twelve kupons; and that was after an extensive negotiation.

Upon leaving the shop, Marina was still as enthusiastic as when they had all started shopping. “This was the best birthday ever,” she said.

“Birthday?” asked Teleri in surprise.

“Yes.”

“We were born on the same day.”

Friedrich laughed. “But how many years apart?” he asked snidely.

“If I tell you my age, will you never refer to it again?” asked Teleri, growing angry.

“Yes.”

“I am eighty-five years old.”

“I knew it!” yelled Friedrich. “You aren’t that much older than us after all.”

“Sixty-eight is a big gap,” replied Teleri, turning up her nose. “I am much older and wiser than either of you.”

Marina started counting on her fingers. “Eighty-five to an elf is…about twenty years old in human years! We’re catching up on you quick.”

“I wish I had said nothing,” spat Teleri. “This is why I have kept my age quiet! You two always ask the most undignified questions of me, and I do not like it one bit!”

“We’re going to be older than you in a couple of years,” teased Friedrich.

“You will be dead before you turn one hundred and I will still look as I do now,” scowled Teleri before muttering under her breath. “Humans can be unbearable.”

“Come on, young one,” cackled Friedrich, leading the way back towards the inn they were staying in for the evening.

Teleri smacked him on the back of the head, but he continued to laugh while Marina tried to stifle her giggles. The trio walked back towards the bay where the ships docked. It would still be some time before Captain Alden and his crew returned, but they were all feeling positive about how fruitful their trip had been so far and they had only scratched the surface of the island.

The party ordered their lunch and sat down at a table, eager to have a chance to rest well. They had arrived back in town after midnight the previous night and Friedrich had insisted on being up early to offload their treasure from the ruins as soon as possible.

“Happy birthday to you both,” said Friedrich, when the barmaid brought over their drinks.

The three clanged their cups of wine together and took a drink. Friedrich winced, not a particular fan of the beverage, while Teleri looked quietly satisfied and finished her cup seconds later.

“So…what next?” asked Marina.

“We could always seek out the hammer that Elketh spoke of?” asked Friedrich, looking smug.

“Surely, you must be joking?” asked Teleri.

“Of course,” said Friedrich. He had been joking, but the lingering song of the mysterious tale teller lingered in his mind.

“No good can come of it,” said Marina.

“Probably not, but the minotaur mask has had its uses. We would have been dead a few times over without it, wouldn’t we?”

“I know…” said Marina, but she looked uneasy.

“Friedrich, were you not the one who insisted of doing the opposite of what Elketh wanted you to do?” asked Teleri, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, that was me,” he admitted. “But I do wonder whether or not finding a way to awaken the power of the minotaur’s soul gem would grant me greater control over that form.”

“Or it would let him dominate you completely. Do you forget what you did to Namavar and his men?”

“Did you not say he deserved it?”

“He did,” said Teleri, nodding firmly. “Good riddance. That said, how much control did you have over yourself when you were slaughtering your way through Legama?”

“Honestly? I was fully onboard with killing them all.”

“You killed so many people. Enough that it would have taken far longer than five minutes…”

Marina’s expression dropped. “Please tell me you did not wear the mask a second time to keep killing them.”

Friedrich looked uneasy. “Perhaps…”

“Friedrich!” she roared, slapping him repeatedly on the arm as she scolded him. “What. Were. You. Thinking?”

“Stop hitting me!” he said. “I was thinking that nobody threatens either of you and gets away with it. Mask or no mask, I protect the people I care about. I would sail cross the world to keep both of you safe.”

Marina and Teleri sat in silence for a moment.

“That is…touching,” said Teleri awkwardly.

“Yes,” said Marina, taking Friedrich’s hand. “I’m…I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“It’s fine,” said Friedrich. “Just know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for the people I care about.”

At that moment, the food arrived and the three began to eat, but Friedrich’s mind was elsewhere. He would indeed do whatever it takes to keep those he cared for safe, and it was why he wanted the power of the minotaur. He knew it would be the key to reaching his father.