“Mana stones?” Arjay asked, blinking and glancing from Encore to Abernathy. “Oh, right. Right! So sorry. Business before pleasure, as they say.”

  He turned, beckoning as he hurried around a display case and between two shelves lined with a variety of gently glowing gemstones. I examined one as we walked. It was a vibrant red. I thought it might be a ruby of some kind, until I read the name.

  Essence of Strength. Infuses items with bonus Strength in a variety of ways, depending on application and the nature of the item to which it is affixed. Requires Soulstone Melding Table.

  I glanced across the display case. There were several stones of differing colors. Essence of Intelligence was a sparkling blue, Dexterity was a vibrant green, and Constitution was a dull orange. I glanced down at the price tags near them and nearly stumbled.

  The cheapest one, the ruby-like Strength, was priced at 150 Gold. The prices only went higher from there.

  “Wow,” I mumbled as Arjay pointed to a display against the wall adjacent to the case filled with Essence stones.

  “Here they are! Don’t have a whole lot, they are hard to come by. I buy them as I can. Wouldn’t happen to have any you are looking to part with, by chance?”

  Arjay held his hand out, indicating a velvet lined shelf with six round stones that resembled marbles of varying sizes. They were clear and contained the familiar, gentle blue pulse of magic energy within. The smallest was the size of an actual marble. The largest was the size of a softball. I examined it.

  Moderate Mana Stone. Conducts and stores mana. Can hold the equivalent of 500 Magic Points worth of mana, with conductive capabilities of 1.5x the storage. A dual-crystal core lessens mana leakage, resulting in a longer charge.

  It was priced at 50 Gold.

  “It’s so rare that I have customers actually wanting to buy these! I love collecting them, they are useful for so many things! A minor mana core actually runs the lights for this whole store!”

  “This is exactly what I was looking for!” Abernathy exclaimed. He eyed the price and visibly deflated. “That… is a lot.”

  “The price is quite fair for what you are getting, I assure you!” Arjay smiled, lifting the orb in two hands and holding it out to Abe. “I infused it more than a month ago! Look how bright it is! This baby holds a charge!”

  “I could do so much with this,” Abe whispered, staring into the mana stone. He was actually salivating slightly. He sat the stone on the velvet shelf, wiping at his mouth. “Is the price… negotiable?”

  “Nothing’s set in stone. Except the foundations! Hehe.” Arjay laughed for a few seconds. “Hoo. What did you have in mind? I’m also open to trades!”

  Abernathy glanced around the store. “I noticed you sell potions. How about I trade you three of these? And throw in 20 Gold?”

  He pulled three vials of shimmering green fluid from his inventory, holding them out to Arjay.

  Abernathy: I really want this mana stone. I can make more of these if we gather more venom from your snake form, Chanter.

  I examined the green vials.

  Moderate Vial of Anti-Toxin. Reverses effects of most venoms and toxins. Can be consumed or applied topically. Effectiveness of use depends on nature of intoxication or envenomation.

  “Hmmm,” Arjay held out the sound for a second, drumming his fingers along a display case to his left.

  “What value would you place,” Encore walked down the aisle towards us, all nine tails on full display and flowing in a hypnotic pattern with each step he took. “On 100 questions? Some would consider such time as priceless.”

  Arjay’s eyes widened, the monocle falling to hang from a chain clipped to the collar of his shirt. His gaze narrowed and he took a step closer to Encore, moving his fingers as he did some mental math. “200 questions.. I can extend a credit of… 200 Gold.”

  Encore snorted, sitting a few feet from the gnome. “150 questions. 200 gold sounds fair, though.”

  Arjay’s eyes sparkled, but he forced himself to look away. “Too high. Not enough questions. 175 questions, 175 Gold.”

  I watched the exchange, flabbergasted at the amount of money they were casually tossing around.

  “We are leaving town tomorrow morning, and I know not when we will return, if ever. I hold firm on my final offer of 175 questions for 200 Gold.” Encore lifted his head, looking down his snout at the gnome. A single tear welled up in one of Arjay’s eyes and spilled down his cheek.

  “Okay. Deal. Mother will understand. Especially once she reads the next Kitsune Chronicles novel.” He glanced around at us. “You have a credit for 200 Gold. Use is wisely. No discounts or adjustments for purchases made with credit.”

  Abernathy: Holy hell Encore you’re a right devil. Well done, mate!

  Katarina: Did you just get us 200 Gold just to answer some questions? Damn. Damn!

  Chanter: That is a lot of questions though. You should specify a time limit so he doesn’t drag it out.

  “One last stipulation.” Encore added. Arjay froze mid-stride. “You have three hours, at most, to ask the questions.”

  We spent the next half hour perusing the store, inspecting hundreds of items. Most were relatively mundane. Wands, staves, potions. There were some very interesting enchanted equipment, such as a cloak that increased stealth and a helmet that came with a skill that enhanced the aggression of a targeted enemy, making it more likely for them to attack the helmet’s wearer, but in the end we decided to let Abernathy choose, as he would make the most of anything we obtained.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  He spent another ten minutes hopping between the Stat Stones and the Mana Stones, mumbling to himself. Ultimately he ended up getting the Moderate Mana Stone, three Minor Mana Stones, and five Mana Stone Gems, which were the smallest, marble-sized stones. Abernathy ended up paying 20 Gold and trading one of his potions.

  I purchased all nine books of the Kitsiho Chronicles. I couldn’t help myself, especially after seeing the cover art, which depicted a fox that resembled Encore in various landscapes. The whole set cost me a gold, and Arjay signed each book with a flourish.

  We left the shop as Arjay set up a fresh parchment, with Encore comfortably lounging on an oversized pillow. I didn’t think Encore would be there very long, Arjay had already rapid-fire asked half a dozen questions in the time it took us to cross the lobby to the exit.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Sebastian said as we made our way out in the blazing afternoon heat. “Anywhere else you would like to go?”

  “Is there a metallurgic shop?” Abernathy asked.

  “Metallur… you mean like a blacksmith?”

  “Yes, sorry. I would also like to pick up some other general supplies. If there is a herbologist, or an alchemist would be even better.”

  “Honestly, your best bet for those types of supplies is probably going to be the Adventurer’s Guild. They will cut you a better deal.”

  “Ah, alright mate, thanks! I guess I’m good then. Want to head back there so do some shopping soon.”

  “Is there an instrument shop?” I asked.

  “No, no instrument shops. There was one in Bornholdt Keep, though. Huge shop, took up two blocks!”

  “Ahh, shame. Seems to be rare. I have yet to find an instrument shop. Anything you need, Kat?”

  “Hm? Actually, yes! But I am guessing it is probably best to buy them at the Guildhall as well. I wanted to get my hands on some throwing knives.”

  “Oh, I can make those for you!” Abernathy chuckled. “Simple metal work like that is easy. I can even do that from my inventory craft screen, but the yield is much better if I use my Metallurgy Table. You should have said something! I have a couple dozen that I crafted for experience!”

  “Oh, shit. Yeah, I’ll take all you got!” She jogged over to Abernathy and they did a quick trade.

  “I can make some higher quality ones after I get my hands on more crafting materials. I hope they are okay. They aren’t exactly throwing knives.”

  “No! Abe, are you kidding me? Throwing darts are so much better!”

  “Oh! That reminds me. Chanter, could I borrow one of those knifes? That store the venom charges? I want to study it, I might be able to adapt the Throwing Darts to store venom as well.”

  “Of course! That’s awesome!” I pulled one of the daggers out and handed it over.

  “I can learn a lot more if I deconstruct it, but that would destroy it.”

  “Go ahead, Abe! I have another! And being able to inflict venom from a distance is much more preferable. I need to practice with those darts too.”

  “Don’t worry, lute boy.” Katarina walked over and slapped me on the back, initiating a trade. She offered me Iron Throwing Darts x50.

  “Oh!” I accepted the trade.

  “They can’t go on your quick slot. We should try to find a bandolier or something to keep them in. Unless…” Katarina trailed off a moment, looking over at Abe. “Can you craft those too?”

  “Actually, I think I can! Just need to get a few measurements from the both of you. And some more information. Want them across your chest? Waist?”

  “I was thinking of bracers. On each wrist.”

  “Oh that’s cool, good idea, Kat!” I agreed.

  “So… can you just craft anything?” Sebastian asked. I glanced at the mini-map. We were almost back to the Guild.

  “I wouldn’t say anything,” Katarina answered before Abernathy could. “He burns food something fierce.”

  “That was one time,” Abernathy whined. “I got distracted and forgot. But no, I can’t craft anything, my specialty is in alchemy and tinkering, but those are both really wide umbrellas that a lot falls under.”

  “Impressive.” Sebastian intoned.

  “How about you?” Katarina asked. “What do you do?”

  Sebastian laughed. “I study two fields of magic, mostly. I mean I know basic fire and water spells. I can make a spark of flame and shape a small volume of water — not more than a cup at a time — but my specialization is in Lightning and Time.”

  “Time?” I asked. “You can stop time?”

  “No, no. Nothing that powerful. Though I would be lying if I didn’t admit it is what I hope my class ends up with. I mostly thought it sounded cool though, and I loved the irony.”

  “What irony?” Abernathy asked.

  “Of an aquatic elf using lightning magic.”

  We all laughed at that. “That sounds like an incredibly powerful skillset. What is your class called?”

  “Chronobolt Sage,” he replied. “I can’t complain, though it can be risky. A lot of my strongest spells are dangerous. Lightning is incredibly difficult to control. After the first few fights… I just stopped using it. Kept hurting teammates.”

  “Lightning. Incredible.” Abe mumbled as we stepped into the Adventurer’s Guild. “I might be able to come up with something to help protect our front-liners from lightning. Something with rubber, that would help…”

  “Abernathy! Welcome back!” Jules cried as we walked in. “My shift is just about to end! You have perfect timing!! I just need about… ten minutes? Do you mind waiting?”

  “What? Oh, right, hi Jules!”

  Abernathy: Oh no, I completely forgot about Jules. What should I do? I don’t have time for this.

  Katarina: Make time for it! You’ve got ten minutes. Do you shopping, then have fun with a pretty girl.

  Abernathy: …

  Katarina: What?! She’s adorable. Shop. Date. You need to loosen up, Abe!

  Abernathy smiled at Jules. “I’m just going to do some quick shopping in the crafting area.”

  “Ok great, I’ll come find you when I get off! I hope you find what you’re looking for!”

  “Oh, I think he already did.” Katarina chimed in with a wink. I don’t know who blushed darker, Jules or Abernathy. “Lute boy, let’s go get some training in. This place has to have a training area, right?”

  “Of course!” Jules replied. “I can show you! You can get there through the back halls, or on the other side of the dining area.”

  “Training, huh?” Sebastian said, following us. We waved at Abernathy, who hopped away toward the crafting side of the Guild. “Mind if I tag along? Curious to see how you fighter types train.”

  “Of course!” Katarina laughed. “It will be fun to have an audience. Right, Chanter?”

  I groaned as we made our way through the Guild’s dining area, already feeling the first phantom sensations of pain that I knew the training would bring.