Wherever Marge’s quest took me, I’d need stats.

And much better gear.

My {Iron Ring} wouldn’t quite suffice as my only source of armour, so until my debt was repaid and my Defence issue rectified, I decided to shore it up with a couple spare points. The rest went into Strength.

Attributable Stat Points: (0)(-5)

Strength (6) (+3)

Defence (4) (+2)

Vitality (1) (+0)

Affinity (0) (+0)

Restoration (0) (+0)

Endurance (4) (+0)

Agility (5) (+0)

I also checked my options for new skills. With only Active Abilities in my arsenal thus far, I was keen to fill out with some Passive skills.

Attributable Skill Tokens: (2)

1. Shield Bearer I (Passive)

Increase strength of all shields by 10%. Shield durability replenished.

2. 2. Javelin Proficiency I (Passive)

10% increased damage using Javelins.

3. 3. Arc Strike I (Ability)

Your first Javelin cast on a chosen enemy deals an extra 80% damage and inflicts Stun. 1-minute cooldown.

4. 4. Dash II (Ability)

Dash cooldown reduced. 2-minute cooldown.

I was glad I’d waited. Having two skill tokens meant that my options were increased, allowing me to spot a nice synergy. With only one token available, I would’ve taken the [Shield Bearer] skill, but now I happily picked up [Javelin Proficiency I] and [Arc Strike I].

The urge to try out my new skills was overwhelming, but paying off my debt came first. I had a long time to procure the funds for Mr Hairy Chest, but I wanted to get the issue off my shoulders A.S.A.P, conscious of how packed my to-do list was becoming.

Only one week in and I was getting overwhelmed.

I had to kick some goals, now.

Helping Pilaf was my quickest access to Krad, so I stopped by the stall. Pilaf had agreed to tell his customers about my services, and he held a number of packages at his stall ready for me to deliver.

Quest(s) Accepted!

‘Hollyhock Hurdle’

Reward(s)

+30 EXP (7)

+30 Krad (7)

+2 Friendship (Pilaf) (7)

210 krad, just like that. Only one-hundred and ninety deliveries and I would have been able to afford an Elthen Fields Pass. Unfortunately, once they were gone, they were gone forever.

Like clockwork, I stamped over to the fast-travel zone, zipped on over to Cambree, said hello and good day to Pilaf’s customers, then got back to my stall.

My balance was in the positive.

A whole 60 krad.

I flipped the sign on my stall, told Pilaf not to expect any deliveries that day or the next, and rushed off to the weapons shop. It wasn’t nearly as busy as it had been previously, so I was able to see more of the store.

The tiled floor boasted detailed yellow and orange tiles, assuming they was orange and not just a perfectly manicured layer of dust. Without the rush of players, there were now employees manoeuvring along the aisles, polishing weaponry and placing new items up on the hooks. A short man with spindly glasses passed by toting a battleaxe with a blade larger than my chest. The man managed to carry the whole thing in just one hand, with a stepladder hooked under his shoulder.

I found my loan-shark from earlier, watching me with a winning smile.

“Back so soon? Come to negotiate our arrangement? I’m afraid the terms are fixed, if that’s so.”

“Nope. Here to pay you your thousand krad in full.”

His shiny teeth disappeared behind closed lips, cocking his head to the side with intrigue.

“If you had that much, why take the loan in the first place? You could’ve saved yourself hundreds of krad, boy.”

“Didn’t have any, but now I do.”

I was conscious that I was being a tad snarky, but it was hard to resist. The guy just had that air about him, as though he couldn’t wait to send his two trusty guard dogs to find me and claim their prize.

My krad balance escaped negatives earlier this morning, so I’d assumed the money was just going into the storekeeper’s balance as I earned it, but apparently it wasn’t. He stood behind the counter like he expected a neat little purse of gold to clink its way across the benchtop. I had to disappoint him.

“I don’t have the physical krad, I think it might’ve gone into your…account? Maybe?”

“Ah, yes. Straight to the bank. That’s lovely of you, now I’ll have to pay tax on it.”

He grumbled off into the backroom, which made it hard for me to ask about purchasing new gear from him. If there was any other option in town I’d have rushed there in a heartbeat, but there wasn’t, so I had to do business with this lout.

I called on an employee. He hurriedly flung a bundle of arrows into a nearby bin and rushed up to me, smoothing out his apron and barking out a ‘Hello! How can I help you!’

Now that’s good service.

“Hi, hello. I’ve recently paid off my debt with this store — a number of items — I was wondering what further options you may have in the way of spears?”

The employee replied in a chatter, their lips moving faster than a beatboxing squirrel.

“Why yes of course of course we have spears yes we do we do have spears!”

I took a moment to unravel the flurry of words. “Perfect! My budget is, oh, twenty thousand krad? Can you show me the best in your range?”

For choosing a number that high, I received a very suspicious up-down from my young attendant. It probably wasn’t often that someone as scrappy as me demanded such a lavish item.

But I had a plan. A desperate one, but still a plan.

My attendant calmed down after his initial outburst, assuming the air of a congenial assistant.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Sir, I would be delighted to assist you, but may I ask how you will afford such an item? I overheard you just paying off your last loan…”

He trailed off, unsure how to politely ask me how poor I was. I played my first card.

“Well, I figured that since I paid back my first loan so quickly, you’d be happy to have my business this time around, too? You can see I’m a very reliable customer.”

I tried to pose in a way that didn’t show how dusty and mangled my clothing was. My spear and shield were in decent condition, so they dominated the presentation. The employee seemed only somewhat satisfied.

“Very well, I will show you our finest wares, and we can discuss financing once you see the prices.”

We passed through the store, barely glancing at the wondrous creations throughout. Swords dominated one section, their blades mirroring my curious face in a million different ways. Piles of bow sat nestled in their racks, ten or so unstrung with the bowstring looped around the main limb.

But what I wanted wasn’t on the menu.

Not to the general public.

I was ultra-aware that if this went the way I intended, my wallet would soon be at least twenty thousand krad lighter. Having 60 krad to my name had been fun for the couple hours I’d had it, but you’ve got to spend money to make money, and I was spending big.

Half an Elthen Fields Pass kind of big.

There would be practical applications of course. A big bad spear meant big bad damage, which I could happily handle.

But it also meant status.

It meant that when a stray reporter decided to take their eyes off the Fields and check out what was going on in the slums, they might see little old me wandering around with a weapon worthy of, say, an article, perhaps.

An article that would attract attention.

I had not lost sight of my goal. I was here for a year, but then I was not. Annette, Duri, Joey and I would meet again at this time next year. When the time came, I’d either be something, or I’d be nothing.

I needed all the help I could get.

My attendant produced a toothed key from his pocket and prodded the wall in front of us. It looked the same as any other wall, however after a few tries, the key pierced a tiny flap, and he was able to insert it and twist. The seamless door pushed inwards, and I was ushered in after a quick glance behind us.

This was where the magic happened.

The room was like a shrine dedicated to gorgeous weaponry and armour. Not a single ray of light found its way into this place, but eight braziers dotted the room, their aqua flames casting just enough light to fill the space. I felt a little out of my depth, like I didn’t belong here.

All I did was ask, and he let me in. If I was a thief…

I didn’t want to test my luck. Partly because I had ethics and morals, but also because I had no idea what this employee was capable of. If he was anything like the bloke with the axe, I could expect a prompt flattening followed by a sore head and a quick respawn.

We walked into the centre of the room, each of us marvelling at the items. I got the feeling that my guide wasn’t allowed in here too often, either.

“Wow,” I said.

“Wow indeed,” he replied.

“How much would that red armour over there set me back?”

The price of each piece was engraved in a plaque that sat at eye level, just beside the armour. He strode over, reverent before the valuable gear.

“There’s a discount if you buy the whole set,” he began.

“Oh?”

“Two hundred and seventy-six thousand krad.”

“Oh. Right. Never mind then, carry on. Where are these spears?”

I’d claimed a budget of twenty thousand because I thought that would be the absolute upper range of any singular item in the entirety of Bill’s Yard.

To accrue that much money in just one year, what kind of quests would I have to find?

Delivering dough and pretty flowers certainly wasn’t enough.

We moved further into the room, weaving around a row of lecterns hiding glass-encased tomes. Whatever spells or secrets they protected had to be legendary.

But the spears were better.

The selection was small, but for a [Hoplite] with a penchant for shiny things, it could not have been more glorious.

Each weapon was backlit with multicoloured lights, like LEDs had been introduced to the world for this specific use and no other. A sky-blue trident with accents of greens, purples and dark ocean blues sat before a red light, like Poseidon had imbued the weapon with his wrath.

I had shivers already, and there were four to go.

“Just pre-emptively, can you tell me which of these are within my price range?”

Again, the plaque was squinted at. His teeth chattered on his bottom lip, and I knew that a few of these would be exempt.

“Well, the trident isn’t, that’s for sure. And {The Mad God’s Halberd}, yikes.”

I wasn’t keen on the halberd anyway. Too big.

“So these three?” I gestured at three items that, to me, were more beautiful than anything I’d seen in the Olympics. When everyone in the competition has amazing gear, it all kinds of blends into one and none of them are impressive. But isolated, these spears made my mouth water.

“Precisely.”

A thick oak table sat behind us, and the employee unfurled a soft red cloth bordered by gold tassels. It perfectly covered the table, with the gold decorations cascading over the edge, providing a border.

The first weapon came down. Gloves were pulled on before touching.

With it laying across the table, I could tell it was a tad longer than my current weapon. It was far from a dealbreaker though, I wasn’t attached to my {Redwood Spear} just yet.

“Eighteen thousand krad,” declared the employee. “This is {Ayari’s Bliss}, the only spear we have from outside the Casclatl Region. It was wielded by King Werstman the Bold, before a member of Bill’s Yard…acquired it…in a…routine cross-border, erm, interaction. Now it’s here.”

I used the command that would show the stats of the weapon.

621-892 Damage.

I was almost fell over, melted into a puddle and drained into the gaps in the tiles.

“It’s beautiful,” was all I could muster.

This wasn’t a spear. It was a work of art. I could probably graze a [Wolthair’s] ear-hair and it would detonate with enough power to send the thing’s left toe all the way to the Elthen Fields.

I thought I’d already decided, but there were two more options for me to look over. {Ayari’s Bliss} went back on the wall, though I could barely tear my eyes from it.

“Next, we have {The Sentinel Spear}. This one is kind of interesting — no matter where you hit your opponent, it always does the same damage. Twenty-two thousand krad.”

It was a little outside my price range, but if it was being shown to me, it was within negotiation.

The weapon was placed on the table for all to see. At first glance, it appeared basic, but closer inspection revealed a different story. The entire shaft was made of hundreds of circular sections of wood, all somehow stuck together and laced with strands of gold, iron, and other precious metals. Whereas {Ayari’s Bliss} had been statically pretty, this one pulsed, showing off the powerful enchantment it was imbued with.

I analysed it once again.

810 damage.

For the extra four thousand krad, it was interesting. Though not able to deliver quite the punch of my first find, it was consistent, a trait that would benefit me greatly.

Esko wouldn’t approve of me shirking the results of my training though, so {Ayari’s Bliss} was still my first choice.

Didn’t hurt to keep four thousand krad, too.

{The Sentinel Spear} went back on the wall, and we moved onto the final subject.

Out of the three, this one was the most ridiculous.

The shaft was glass. Like, straight up, run-of-the-mill glass. Nothing ornamental, nothing to make it easy to grip, nothing.

With it laying on the table, I didn’t know where to start. The pointy end was cool — a relatively wide, flat blade that shimmered with enchantments — though {Ayari’s Bliss} put it to shame in terms of looks. This thing could’ve hung up on the wall out in the main store and people might’ve pointed at it because it looked like a joke, then continued their shopping for a real spear.

But stats don’t lie.

“{The Glass Cannon},” he announced. “Very peculiar. I have absolutely no idea where it came from, but it has been here ever since I’ve worked here, which isn’t long mind you, but—”

He stopped himself, aware that the monologue wasn’t required. I stepped forward and analysed the weapon.

{The Glass Cannon: Level 1}

Durability: (10499/10500)

Damage: 1-1340

Holy mackerel.

‘The Glass Cannon’ was an apt name. I’d never seen or heard of anything like this.

My guide placed his gloved hand on the glass. “As you can see, skill and technique are paramount for the correct use of this weapon. Its average damage falls below the other two, but with enough training…”

The terms and conditions weren’t required. I thought of the leaps and bounds I’d already made under Esko’s tutelage, and how, after a dozen more training sessions, how capable I might be. I’d be hitting four-digit numbers in no time.

“I’ll take it.”