Item Vendor

The lady at the counter was watching the people who were walking around her shop and smiled very nicely each time one of the customers made eye contact with her. A boy came up to the counter and she tousled his hair and said, “Andrew, are you here to buy dragon grass for your father again?”

Dragon grass was a herb that had no magical properties as far as anyone could figure out but once you smoked it, it helped with having a good night’s sleep and because of that many actually believed it was magical, in and of itself, no matter what anyone said.

The boy nodded. It was a lie, of course, that it was for his father. May knew very well that it was his mother who was the one in need of the herb, more than anyone else. She was the healer with the most magical power, and the kindest heart, in the entire town. But since the job involved a rather long exposure to the death and suffering of patients, many of which she couldn’t completely cure, it was inevitable that her dreams would be plagued by nightmares involving demons, gore and deathly screams. How could she tell her patients that she couldn’t stand the thought of even looking at them anymore? So, she endured the nightmares and each day she would smile the same bright smile she always had, all for her patients that didn’t even know she was suffering the most.

‘A kind heart is truly a hard thing to bear in this world we live in. Only fools would care so much for a complete stranger’ thought May as she gave the boy an extra bundle of dragon grass and a few sweets. The boy smiled and she tousled his hair again. ‘But then again I’m just as much a fool as she was.’

She sighed. She could almost hear her father screaming the fact that she was driving his business into the ground.

“You lost 3 silvers in this exchange. Are you trying to run for public office? Are you trying to gain favour? Or are you just being a fool again?” That was his favorite word for her. Fool. He would call any act of kindness stupid and tell her over and over again that any selfless act is just that. An act.

“I always tell you, we don’t live in a kind world May. Do not show weakness. Do not show your back to anyone. And never believe anyone at face value because once you do, you are inviting people to take advantage of you and they’ll do it in the most unexpected and cruel way.“

And again, of course, she didn’t listen to him. She took too much after her mother, the last healer of this small town. She was more powerful than Andrew’s mother, and twice as kind. She once told her, “Kindness is as important as the food we eat and water we drink. We can’t live without it. Those that do, become only empty shells of their former selves.”

She was right, she reconed. A few years ago, when May was only 10 years old, bandits broke into her mother’s clinic. She always left the door opened for any who needed her help and that left her vulnerable the attack. Her body was found the next morning. Unspeakable things were done to her and her father had to bury her in a hurry. Since then, a shadow loomed over her family and her town. Those who smiled, smiled less. Trust became as rare as dragon horns and sober dwarves. And her kind and generous father became this shadow of his former self, hellbent on seeing only the worst that humanity has to offer.

She knew that her father loved her but deep down, she couldn’t help but resent him for denying everything her mother ever believed to be right and true. Deep down, she hated him ever so slightly, each time he called her a fool.

Time flew by while she was working. Eventually closing time came. Not many customers came to do business at such hours. It was a silence that contrasted with the bustling and energetic mood during the day and it made the atmosphere very eerie, uncomfortable even. But tonight, it felt even more so. She couldn’t tell what was bothering her until she realized it was too quiet. No sound could be heard outside. No birds or insects. Not even people. It was late, but it wasn’t that late. Something wasn’t quite right.

‘When was the last time it was so quiet?’ she thought to herself but she couldn’t remember. This was the first time that she could describe her town with the word silent.

She left the shop and saw that, outside, a dark red cloud hovered over the town. ‘What is going on? There is no light. Not even the stars above are shining.’ Darkness as far as she could see.

In the middle of the town she finally saw people. It looked as if the whole town was gathered here for some kind of strange get-together . She saw her father in a corner of the plaza and she wanted to make haste to ask what was going on. But something caught her attention. It was the place that everyone was staring at. Up in the sky, atop a dark red cloud, three people shrouded in black cloaks were staring at them. The moment she looked at them, she couldn’t move or speak. Her instincts were telling her that if she moved, she would die. Even if she was ten times braver she was petrified in her place by some arcane forces.

One of the cloaked figures moved forward and spoke.

“The hero was born.”

“Wretched”, “Damnable” said the other two cloaked people.

The voice of the first one was apathetic and tired while the other two sounded enraged. But the thing they all had in common was that their voices sounded like whispers in the wind, spoken in a hushed voice that you could barely hear.

“Hidden from birth.”, “Hidden no more.”, “The coward will die.”, “Bring him to us.”, “Tear down his flesh”, “Rip out his throat.”, “Save your selves.”, “Or die.”, “Die.”, “Die.”.

The words continued to be spoken with more and more rage as the smell of iron whiffed it’s way to her nose. She then realized that the red cloud was made of blood which sent a shiver down her spine. ‘Where did all this blood come from?’

As if to answer her question, one by one people started falling. A stream of blood was flying from their mouth, ears, nose and eyes, creating a scarlet thunder cloud that forshaw their end. A harbinger of death led by three rippers, intent on finding the hero and killing him.

“Potions for sale. Discount if you buy more than three. Swords and armor for sale or rental. Really cheap and high quality. Don’t have enough money? Then just put a little soul in it. We can cut a deal or bargain. This is one vendor you can trust to always have what you need.”

In the madness that was brought forth by the three people atop the cloud of blood, a voice that sounded out of place was heard. It was cheerful and nonchalant as if the scene in front of him was an everyday occurrence.

“You sir,” he said to one of the petrified people, “do you not want an umbrella on this cloudy day? Or perhaps you are interested more in my beverages and food samples? A bit of foundation for your pale face? No? Well if you change your mind, come and look for me.”

He went around, asking people if they want his items. May almost admired this person. He was true to the spirit of a merchant. Make money wherever you are. If he wasn’t so abnormal as to not realize what was going on, May would have had the desire to scream at him to save her, to save them, to save as many as he could or to just save himself. But he was the only one able to move and, even if May wanted to, she couldn’t move a muscle, let alone speak.

“What about you miss? What does a girl like you desire?”

The vendor was standing in front of May. With black hair, black eyes and a charming smile, he used a hand to move her face ever so slightly so that their eyes could met and with that her petrification was broken. When that happened the three figures looked toward May with curiosity, than puzzlement, that excitement and finally rage.

“Vendor of hell!”, “Betrayer of kin!”, “Whore of the underworld!” said the three figures. In response, the vendor just said, “Silence” and as if the whole world listened, everything stopped moving. The three men were trapped in place. The other people in the plaza were as unmoving as before but blood stopped coming out of them. Only May and the vendor were able to move, as if they were the center of the whole world.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am the ‘Vendor of Hell’, the ‘Merchant of the Underworld’, the ‘Duke of Bargaining and Trade’, the devil known as Amon. It’s a pleasure to meet the hero known as May Aphoom, the hope of humanity.”

May was unable to react. She was the hero? Why was there a demon here? How could she be the hero? Why was this demon here? Wasn’t this just a misunderstanding? She couldn’t be the real hero, could she? She couldn’t be a hero any more than she could be a princess or a knight. She never even won a mock battle with a sword nor did she knew any spells beside the general spells for everyday life. How was she hero material?

But the demon was convinced she was the hero and more so his eyes showed that it was a certainty, not guesswork that prompted that statement. He was actually more surprised by her reaction at finding out he was a demon. ‘After listing all my titles she still looks unsurprised? This just goes to show I have a lot more to learn about speechcraft.’ Of course he didn’t truly believe he could scare the hero but not even a gasp or a weird look. This was truly disappointing.

“What is your wish? What is your desire? What is the thing that keeps you up at night? What do you want more than anything in the world? Has someone claimed your heart but refused to offer his? Maybe you wish for a different life, one where you are rich? Is it talent you want? Or maybe knowledge? The power of kings? Magic so powerful people would worship you as god? Just say the word and anything and everything is possible.”

May looked at Amon and her thoughts calmed down. She knew he was a devil but she was tempted by his offer, if only just a little. If someone offered you a hand when you were in trouble, would it matter that he was the devil?

“What is the price of salvation?” she asked.

“Your soul.” he answered.

“What about strong magic? Strong enough to kill those demons?”

“Your soul.”

“Talent for the sword?”

“Your soul.”

“What about…”

“Your soul. The answer will always be your soul.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s the only thing I desire from you.”

“I refuse then. You can go back from where you came from, devil.” she said with a bit of disgust.

“Really? Not even to save you father?”

A sense of guilt overcame May. She couldn’t help but look in the direction of her father. If she agreed she could save them all, not just her father, but without her soul she was just a meat puppet. If she really was the hero, terrible things could happen if she became this devil’s plaything and she was unwilling to do that.

She looked at her father. He was pale faced with tears of blood dripping from his eyes but he kept his right hand over his right pocket the whole time. That was the place he kept an old pendant with a picture of May and her mother. It was made a long time ago by a magician skilled in a strange art that allowed the creation of moving portraits. She saw him from time to time, lost in that pendent with only thoughts of the good old days in which the three of them were a happy family.

“I know my father. If I make such a bad deal, he’ll call me a fool again.”

In response to this, Amon only smiled. Of course she wouldn’t agree so willingly. Half the fun of bargaining was convincing the other person he really wanted what he was selling. With a wave of his had the scenery changed. The dark cloud of blood disappeared and so did the trio who caused it. There were no more people forced to watch the dark cloud while bleeding scarlet blood.

All around May, there was only luxury. There was a gorgeous bed with sheets made from the softest silk that looked like water in the sun. The things in the room that weren’t made of silver and gold were made of Creamwood. It smelled sweet and pleasant and it made her feel relaxed. In a corner of the room scented candles were lit and books ranging from medical books to romance novels were lined in several book cases. Servants were on standby beside her, ready at her beck and call. One of them was even carrying a plate full of sweets and beverages. She only needed to utter one word for the servants to sprint into action, ready to make their master happy. And she, while in the middle of all these things, was dressed very much like a princess from a fairy tale, the epitome of grace and beauty and sitting on a throne while a handsome man was kneeling in front of her.

“Become my princess and you would never have to feel pain or misery ever again. I promise you would never have to lift a finger again. The best chef in the kingdom would cook for you at any time and will use only the best ingredients. There would be nothing you will lack nor need. There would be no one to ever dare look at you straight, for fear of offending you. Please May... my May, will you not marry me?”

For the second time today, her mind couldn’t keep up with the events. The man before her looked as if he was perfect. The word handsome was lacking while describing him and yet he showed her a caring and even obsessive desire for their union that she almost said yes then and there.

But there was something bothering her. It was at the back of her mind was telling her she was forgetting something but she just couldn’t remember. What was she doing before? It was driving her insane. ‘This is the most perfect moment in my entire life. Why do I feel as if I’m forgetting something? Why does he make me sick to my stomach? Why do I hate this?’

In that moment the prince became impatient and a deep and sensual kiss was forced upon her lips. Her racing mind was muddled in a matter of moments but she still felt as if something was wrong.

“Stop!” she said while pushing the prince away and in that moment everything faded away. The scenery changed back to the middle of the town. The dark red cloud was still looming over her. The three men on top of it along with the rest of the town were still paralyzed in a nightmarish picture of hell. Everything was how it was supposed to be and May was back in her normal everyday clothes, stained with blood and held in the hands of the demon Amon.

“And that was the best part. Pitty. It would have been fun.” said Amon.

“Bastard!” screamed May and pushed him away. She looked at him with scorn. If she had the chance, she wouldn’t mind beating him to death but she had to admit he was a great kisser.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“That was only just a small temptation my dear. I’m a devil after all. I tempt people. I knew you weren’t greedy, lazy, gluttonous nor lustful but one could only hope that when faced with all of them at the same time you would at least indulge in the idea. Too bad. It was such a perfect little world your mind created. I would have loved to make it reality.”

“If that’s all you got, then you might as well go back from whence you came you perverted devil.”

“That wasn’t even an attempt on my part my dear. That was just a vague desire that I found while searching through your mind.”

“Stay out of my mind!” she screamed.

“There are better things that you want more than that” he continued while ignoring what she said, “and there are two in particular that just might seal the deal. Do you wish to see them?” asked Amon while playing with a gold coin and making it spin between his fingers.

“No!” screamed May.

“Too bad” said Amon and with a wave of his hand, another change occurred.

The scene that was playing in front of her wasn’t one out of a fairy tale but one of everyday life. It was a scene of a father playing with his daughter while the mother was cooking.  It was such a very normal scene that May was surprised. How was this a trial?

“I can offer you that” said Amon while still playing with his gold coin.

“And that would be?”

“Family. That is one of the strongest desires that you feel. You wish for everything to go back to how it was. Your father a happy and optimistic man that used to play with his daughter. Your mother still alive and constantly watching over you. And you, blessed by the warmth and kindness of them both and oblivious to the horrors of the outside world.”

“It is true that I desired that but who are these people?”

“These are just people that live a life close to the one you live before. The small little bundle of joy is named Jessica Welter. She likes the smell of freshly cut grass, the tales her grandfather tells her when he visits during winter and the lullabies her mother sings to make her sleep at night. She is a child that has as close a childhood to the one you had, minus the whole dead mother thing.”

“What is your point?”

“My point is I can turn you into Jessica Welter and let you live her life, a life that should have been yours.”

May wanted to reject it immediately but, while watching this heartwarming scene, she couldn’t take her eyes off of them. She remembered that her mother used to play the same way with her and tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes. She remembered her scent, her voice, the way she dozed off under the porch when it rained and how she used to cuddle with her under a blanket and tell her stories about strange and new places that she read about in one of her books.

“Are you ready to make a deal?” asked Amon. He never stopped playing with his gold coin while the image of the family was playing.

“No.”

“Do you not desire family? Don’t you want to feel a mother’s warmth again?”

“I do. I really wish it was possible to see my mother once more and tell her I love her but that can’t and will never happen again.”

“I can make you experience a loving family. I wouldn’t be your family but it would be a family that loves you.”

“They would love Jessica, not me.”

“I can make you Jessica. Nobody would know the difference. You would be their happy little daughter playing hide and seek with her dad while asking for cookies from her mother.”

“I would know the difference.”

“I can make you forget that you know.”

“I don’t want this. I wanted my mother back. I would never take someone else’s mother, even more so, their life.”

“I thought you might say that, so that is why I saved the best for last.”

“What can you possibly offer me? Is it a whole house full of cake or something?”

“Something like that. Catch” said Amon while throwing a spear in May’s hands. “A gift, for you. The cursed spear, Ardhavaṭa. What it cuts cannot be healed ever again. No need for payment.”

“Forgive me but I don’t quite trust you”said May while stabbing the spear in the ground.

“Think of it as a prize for resisting temptation so well. But you should really take the spear. This will be the last temptation. After this I will leave, with or without your soul. In fact, I’ll even grant you a wish. Any wish you want.”

“Really?”

“A devil can’t lie and we are bound by our promises. The price of being an angel, even a fallen one.”

After glaring at the devil for a bit, she reluctantly took the spear. She was prepared for Amon to change the scene immediately like he did before but nothing happened. The father was still playing with his daughter and the family still appeared as perfect.

“Are you going to just stand there?” asked May. She wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

“This is the last temptation.”

“We already went through this. I don’t want a new family.”

“I know. You made that clear.”

“Then why are we still here?”

“Because this is the thing that you wish for more than anything in the world. Revenge on the man that took your mother’s life. That man. The one who has a perfect little life, with a daughter and wife. His name is Finn Welter. He is the one that broke into the clinic that night. He is the one who robbed, raped and killed your mother. And now he lives a peaceful life. I don’t think that’s fair. Don’t you think there should be a price to pay for something like that? There’s no justice in this world. But I can offer you a chance at vengeance. An eye for an eye so they say. You can kill that man or spare him. If you spare him than good for you. You are a fantastic human being on your way to becoming a saintess. But if you kill him, then your soul is mine. I can’t wait to see what happens.” he excitedly said and waved his hand.

With a spear in hand, May might have looked like a ghost to the other party. Appearing out of nowhere with a strong blood lust that could give you shivers.

She didn’t know what to do although she was standing in front of him. Clearly, Amon knew her well. She dreamed of this moment for a very long time and in all her fantasies, the man ended up dead, dying or begging for death. She thought there would be no hesitation on her part. All it would take was to lift the spear and stab him again and again and vengeance would be achieved. Kill him the same way her mother was killed. It would be simplicity itself seeing as how the man was unarmed and she had the backing of a devil. But now that she arrived at this point in time, she started thinking of this man’s family.

‘If I kill him, would they not see me the same way I see him? Would they not mourn him? Will he not be missed? How much easier would it have been if he was ‘only’ a murderer and rapist?’

“Excuse me miss, but what do you want with us?” finally asked the man.

“Is your name Finn?” she asked. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped as few degrees by the amount of hostility this young girl was emitting.

“Yes… My name is Finn but…”

“I am going to ask you a question and for every lie you say, I’m going to stab you.”

At this statement, the only thing Finn could do was stare at her. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her. In fact, judging by the sheer hatred she showed while looking at him, he was scared she just might kill all of them at any moment.

“Have you ever been to a town called Sebil?”

Finn hesitated for a moment but when May’s spear drew near him, his hesitation stopped.

“Yes.”

“Have you went into a clinic there and met a woman that looked similar to me?”

After taking a better look at her, Finn finally understood why she felt so familiar to him and at that moment he realized that if this continued, he’ll die.

With expert moves, he got near May in the blink of an eye. He tried to take her spear from her but the moment he touched her it was like he tried to catch smoke and passed right through her.

May took the chance and stabbed him in both legs making him fall to the ground and scream from the pain. The woman screamed something about apparitions and started praying while the young girl cried and ran to her mother.

“Answer me now before I get mad, otherwise I might not stop before I turn you in a pincushion.”

With a bloody spear in hand and a murderous look in her eyes, nobody would believe that this was the new hero even if you told them. She looked more like a vengeful spirit or a Ripper ready to send their victim to the underworld.

“Yes, I remember. I know her. Please. I have a family. Don’t kill me. Please. I’m sorry.” the man said while crying. He was begging for his life in the hope that she would feel pity for him but what he didn’t realize was that he was only making things worse.

“You are sorry? Then by the heavens, that makes everything alright now doesn’t it.” she said while kicking him in the face, stomach and stepping on the his newly received wounds in his legs.

“Tell me, do you think that is you were in my shoes, you would forgive me?”

At her words, the man stopped struggling and begging for his life. He looked as if he was ready to die. She was just about to stab him in the heart when her sight fell on the little girl that was crying in a corner near her mother. She looked at her and she could see something of herself in her. ‘Should I really kill him?’ she hesitated for moment but the time of hesitation was long over and with a swift thrust she stabbed him in the back, severing his spine, paralyzing him for life.

“You want to live? Live as much as you want. Live at the mercy of others for all eternity. This is a fitting punishment for one as spineless as you.”

The scene blurred again and she was once again in the bloody plaza watching the three hooded people struggling to break free from Amon’s spell.

“You didn’t kill him. Why?” asked Amon. He lost his nonchalant and carefree attitude and he almost looked irritated.

“Because there are consequences to our actions. If I killed him, his daughter would want to avenge him and one day she might come to kill me.”

“You are the hero! By the time she’ll be old enough to wipe her own ass you would be so strong that the demons would tremble at your name.”

“I didn’t spare him because I was afraid of her. I just wanted to give her a chance at another path other than vengeance. A chance to grow up with both parents no matter how much of a monster he is. A chance to make things better.”

“Did you make things better?” asked Amon in a sarcastic tone.

“I don’t know. Maybe she’ll come for revenge or maybe not. I don’t really care. That’s her choice. What I do know is that I don’t feel better after punishing him. I don’t think killing him would have made me feel better either.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes I do. When I stabbed him back then, I felt neither joy nor happiness. It made me sick to my stomach. Well, that’s enough of that topic. I think you owe me a wish.”

“If you just killed him, your sin would have been enough for a soul harvesting but now you went and pissed all over my plan. Truly a hero of the human race. You guys are a pain to trick and irritatingly morale. Fine, you get your wish but even so, I still win. ”

“What do you mean you win? Wasn’t I the one who just got a free wish?”

“You get only one wish.”

“I still don’t see the problem.”

“You might be the next hero but right now you are very weak. If I hadn’t helped you, that old bandit could have killed you back then, to say nothing of the three demons.”

“I can just wish for you to kill the demons. Problem solved.”

“Yes, you can, but then again the townsfolk are dying. Bleeding like that isn’t natural as you might have realized. Even if I kill the demons, they are still cursed and will eventually die. In the end, you can either wish for me to save the townsfolk or to kill the demons. Either save yourself or die together with all of them. You see the problem. If you want both you need to make a trade with me.”

“What if I wish for you to save all of us?”

“I don’t know. I can just heal all of you and send you to an abandoned island somewhere far far away. I’m sure that you won't starve to death there if you resort to cannibalism.”

“What if I wish for nothing bad to happen to us?”

“Then nothing bad will happen to any of you but you will all still be cursed since that happened before the wish was made and death is outside my domain of activity so to speak. Give up. No matter what wish you make, I can always find a loophole. You have ten seconds to make your wish. After that I’ll release the demons from their petrified state.”

May started thinking of each and every wish she could make and all the loophole Amon could exploit. ‘This devil bastard! Why is he such a sore loser?’

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…”

“I wish for you to become my companion, the hero’s companion.”

Amon’s face paled and his smiling face wasn’t smiling anymore. He started thinking of ways to get out of helping her but there were none. She found a wish he couldn’t interfere with.  A hero’s companion had to help and listen to the hero. Even if he was a bad companion, he still had to help her to the best of his abilities. There were no ways out for him.

“You cheated!”

“How? You said I could wish for anything I wanted and I wish for you to help me on my hero's journey as a companion.”

“But...That’s...I can’t…”

“A devil can’t lie and is bound by his promise.”

A contract appeared between Amon and May and in that moment both of them coughed up blood that intertwined and bounded into it.

“You...bitch.”

“Oh dear companion, it seems that the townsfolk are in danger. Since I’m just a weak little thing, would you please go and help them.”

Amon’s face contorted with rage. He wanted to beat that smug look off her face but because of the contract, he was unable to do it. A devil’s contract can’t be broken unless both parties agree to it and May most certainly didn’t agree.

He summoned a black pearl from his bag and threw it in the air. It pulsated with a dark light that sent shivers down one’s back. This was the eye of a very ancient being that made a deal with Amon a long time ago.

It looked up in the air, then at the ground and then at Amon before blinking three times. After the first blink, the people recovered from their curse. After the second blink the cloud of blood disappeared and the stars became visible again. After the third blink, the hooded demons screamed.

“No!”, “Traitor!”, “Whore!”

This were the last words they said before they turned to ash and died.

“Eye of the vampire prince. It needs a lot of blood but it’s pretty powerful.”

“Are the people okay?” asked May when she saw that nobody in town was moving.

“They’re fine. They’ll have a few bad dreams and a few headaches but they won’t even remember what happened today. Lucky them.”

The next morning it was just like Amon said, nobody in town remembered what happened. With a few memory altering spells from Amon, everyone thought they had a grand party that ended with a lot of drinking.

May was still the same as ever. The events of last night exhausted her more then she realized and she slept like a log. She was just about to open shop when her father stopped her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m opening the shop.”

“That’s not your problem anymore now is it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you drank too much last night as well? Didn’t I say I was going to send you to learn from a merchant friend of mine yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yes. Speaking of which, there he is. Amon my friend, how are you doing?”

May was speechless. More then that, she didn’t know what was happening.

“I’m fine Joshwa. Is this your daughter?”

“Yes. I’m glad you agreed to take her as your disciple. She has a weird world view and I’m scared she might be taken advantage some day. So that’s why I want you to show her the world.”

“Someone take advantage of her? Somehow, I doubt that’s possible.”

“Either way it’s better for a merchant to see the world. I already put your bag in the carriage and as for expenses,” he said while pulling a bag full of coins, ”this will be enough until you reach the capital. Listen to Amon and try to stay out of trouble.”

May took the bag and hugged her father but could help but start crying. Eventually she separated from him and left on the carriage. While he was looking at the faraway carriage he couldn’t help but mutter, “She is just like her, a true blue fool.”

In the carriage that was leaving town May was behaving like an apprentice. Until they were out of sight that is.

“What was that all about?” she asked.

“You don’t seem the type that can leave their love ones to fend for themselves so I manipulated his memory a bit so that you can leave with no questions asked.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes I did. The sooner we finish this hero’s journey, the faster I can get out of this contract.”

“Some hero journeys last years, decades or even entire lifetimes.”

“Don’t remind me. Let’s just get this over with. This is the first time I made such a bad deal in my entire life.”

“You can add ‘Hero’s Companion’ to your titles. The item vendor hero companion.”

And so the two of them left on the muddy road while chatting and arguing.