My eyes fell upon the Gloves of Archery and the Bag of Holding. A moment later, they fell upon the attached price tag, and I knew that they were out of my price range. I could have gone back to my carriage and retrieved more money, but my significant wealth did not mean I could spend hundreds of gold coins so flippantly.

Those two intermediate magic items would have been helpful later, but they were not necessary for my plans. Instead, I looked at the cheaper magic items and started calculating which of them would grant me the greatest utility.

“How many Anti-Observation rings do you have, Menzo?” I asked, looking at the single ring sitting inside of the glass case.

“There’s one in the back in addition to the one behind the glass. Naturally, I’m wearing one on my finger, but that one’s not for sale.”

“I’d like to buy two Anti-Observation rings, then.” I paused for a moment to think. “I also want to buy a sword and a dagger. That’ll take me up to seventy gold coins… Is there anything you need, Beltane?”

My mentor eyed the glass cases, though it was clear by his expression that none of the items excited him. Beltane carried a treasure trove of magic items on his person, most of which were of a higher quality than the items present. He spun his newly-acquired staff in thought a few times before saying, “I used a health potion in a… fight earlier. I could do with a replacement.”

“Okay, we’ll get two health potions. That leaves us with ten gold. Hey, what kind of arrows do you have over there?”

One of the only objects in Menzo’s shop that wasn’t hidden behind warded glass was a quiver of arrows that, to my eye, seemed no different from a normal collection of sharpened sticks.

Without halting the process of undoing the ward on the glass case holding the enchanted sword, Menzo said, “I’ve got Elder Sign arrows, explosive arrows, anti-magic arrows, and armor-piercing arrows. The Elder Sign arrows cost ten gold, the explosive arrows cost five gold, and the other arrows cost two gold each.”

My blood ran cold when I heard Menzo speak the words “Elder Sign.” I looked at Beltane and then at Menzo. Immediately, I was aware that neither of them understood the significance of those words. The kind of magic used in the creation of such an object made Blood Magic and Necromancy look like child’s play. The Elder Sign was eldritch in nature. If Eldritch Magic wasn’t banned in Etronia, it was only because no one in the country had heard of it.

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“Elder Sign? I’ve never heard of that. What is it?” Beltane asked.

“A merchant from Caligo sold them to me. I’ve been using them for research into divination, but I only need one. When you look at the symbol inscribed on the head of an Elder Sign arrow, you will receive visions of the future or the past. Like all forms of precognition, however, it cannot be controlled.”

With more enthusiasm than I intended, I said, “Cancel one of the health potions, Menzo. I’d like to buy an Elder Sign arrow, two anti-magic arrows, and three anti-armor arrows.”

Both Beltane and Menzo looked at me in confusion, but neither openly questioned my decision. It was my money, after all.

After a few minutes, Menzo laid out the magic items, and I placed a pouch filled to the brim with gold coins on the counter. Without missing a beat, Menzo pulled a small metal container from under the counter he was standing behind and placed it on the countertop. He emptied the pouch of coins out into the container, and an extended sound of an avalanche of coins crashing against the metal basin filled the shop like rolling thunder.

Menzo frowned at the basin filled with shimmering coins as if deep in thought before he reached in and started pulling coins out. “It seems that you’ve overpaid. There’s 103 gold coins and 5 silver coins in here.”

Soon, 3 gold coins and 5 silver coins had been placed in front of me. Beltane laughed and asked, “You can tell all of that from the sound alone?”

“It’s just one of my [Skills].” Menzo said with a laugh, intentionally keeping the [Skill’s] name a secret.

The coins returned to the pouch, and we were soon outside. The sky above was starting to turn orange, and it would soon be twilight in the city of Etron. Beltane held everything we had just bought except for one of the rings and the enchanted dagger, which hung from a loop on my belt. The Anti-Observation ring laid in my pocket. I intended to don it later.

“So, what’s next?” Beltane asked me as he struggled with the many extra magic items he was holding. The sword weighed down his belt, and he held a quiver filled with six magic arrows under one arm. I knew that the arrows would not pierce anything since metal sleeves had been fitted over the arrowheads, but I was somewhat worried that Beltane would snap the shafts.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman dressed in the fine garments of a noble and carrying a thin blade at her hip. Though the expense of her attire was obvious, her clothing was still functional. She wore pure black pants that were tucked into thick leather boots. Years of aristocratic upbringing told me that she was a low-ranking noble whose job involved physical labor.

“I think we’ll know what comes next in a few seconds,” I said, straightening my posture and puffing out my chest. Beltane recognized this as the sign that I was entering noble-mode, and he followed suit a moment later.

Finally spotting us out of the corner of her eye, the woman marched up to us with conviction in her step. After snapping a quick bow in my direction, the woman said, “Greetings, Lord Thale Feldrast. On behalf of his majesty, King Theophrastus, I, Dame Caroline Eridanus, request your immediate presence at the central keep of Castle Etron.”

An authentic smile crossed over my face as I responded to Dame Caroline’s greeting with a subdued bow reserved for nobles of an inferior rank.

“Lead the way,” I said.