The ore table loomed before Riley like a mountain she had somehow wandered up to by mistake. The green skinned woman stood behind it with her massive arms folded, watching Riley with a calm and steady focus. Riley felt her pulse tick upward as she approached. The woman looked even larger up close and Riley was not prepared for the sudden weight of her gaze.
“What are you looking for,” the woman asked, her voice deep and resonant, almost like the sound that vibrated through the tower walls.
Riley swallowed. “Well, ore actually.”
“I see. What kind do you need?”
Riley turned toward the display to buy time. On one side of the table sat raw iron ore in fist sized chunks, dark and speckled with metallic glints. There were smaller baskets of copper ore, darker and mottled with greens and browns. And lined carefully at the far edge were several neatly stacked iron bars, smooth and heavy and refined enough to look valuable.
Her fingers twitched slightly. She did not know the first thing about choosing ore. At home she had only ever known ore as icons on a screen, stylized shapes in resource menus. Now it was real and physical and embarrassingly confusing.
“I do not know,” Riley whispered.
The giant woman leaned forward so suddenly that Riley stumbled back. She didn’t relent, pressing closer, her shadow stretching over Riley like a wall. Riley’s breath caught and she braced herself. The woman’s brow lifted in mild surprise at the reaction. She raised both hands, palms open, and offered a small smile.
“Do not worry,” she said. “I will give you a good deal. But I can’t hear you if you whisper.”
Riley exhaled sharply as some of the tension bled from her shoulders. She muttered internally that she was at a market, not being cornered in an alley, and that the woman probably just wanted to sell ore, not eat her. She managed a small, embarrassed laugh.
“Sorry. I just… I have never seen a giant before.”
The green woman laughed, a full sound that rumbled through the air. “A giant. I am no giant. Have you never heard of a Droll.”
Riley shook her head. “A Droll?” she repeated softly. “No. Never.”
The woman tapped the table lightly with her knuckles. “My name is Zelgra.” She offered another smile. “And you are?”
“Riley. And sorry again. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Zelgra’s expression softened even further. “Tell me, Riley. Where are you from that you have never heard of my kind?”
Riley’s throat tightened. She didn’t like this question. She hated the way it scraped too close to truths she couldn’t give. “I am a traveler,” she said. “From far away.”
Zelgra nodded as though that explained everything. “And you are interested in ore? But you have never bought from a market before?”
“That’s right.”
“I will help you through it. What do you need it for?”
Riley felt her mind spiral. Another question she didn’t like. That question opened a door she was not ready to step through. She couldn’t explain the tower, the cube, the obelisk, the leveling system or even how she came to be in this world. She barely understood it herself. She certainly couldn’t tell a stranger that she was attempting to upgrade some ancient ruin that might or might not harmless.
She needed to say something, anything, but how could she explain the truth without exposing it?
“Stuff,” she replied.
“Stuff?” Zelgra echoed unsure whether Riley was joking.
Riley shrugged helplessly.
Zelgra narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. “People do not buy ore for scroll weights or doorstops unless they are eccentric collectors, and you do not look like one of those. Ore is for forging, crafting, repairing, building. It has purpose. And if you are merely browsing for fun, I have other customers waiting, so you may browse elsewhere.”
“No. Wait.” Riley leaned forward, flustered. “I am serious. I really do need ore. I just do not know what kind I need.”
The rest was meant for herself, but it escaped anyway: “I don’t even know how to carry it back.”
Zelgra gave a thoughtful grunt. “How far?”
“About twelve hours,” Riley admitted.
“Twelve hours on foot,” Zelgra repeated. “Then delivery is out of the question. At least for small quantities. Delivery for substantial amounts require magic.”
Riley blinked. “Magic?” she repeated.
“Yes. Magic.” Zelgra tilted her head. “Where did you say you were from?”
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Riley burned with frustration, caught between the need for help and the fear of what it might cost her.
“OKAY,” she snapped.
Zelgra’s expression turned curious as Riley looked left, then right, then leaned forward and stared at the ground as she whispered her next words.
“It’s to repair a building.”
Zelgra’s face split into a broad smile. “Ah. This is for leveling up a building.” Her voice lifted proudly, loud enough that several people in the immediate vicinity turned their heads.
Riley slapped both hands against her face and groaned. “Please lower your voice.”
Zelgra leaned in conspiratorially, her tone dropping. “Why? It’s common knowledge that buildings can be leveled up. And a lot of my order come from that. I have an order of four tons going out later today for that very purpose.” She gave a short laugh. “Did you think it was some grand secret? Hah. No, not at all.”
Riley wanted to melt into the ground. She could feel her cheeks heating as though someone had set a lantern behind her skin. She was certain the entire market was staring at her, even though only a few heads had actually turned.
Zelgra waited patiently for Riley to calm down before continuing. “You have far to travel and I assume you do not have a bag of holding.”
Riley shook her head.
“They are expensive, many gold pieces,” Zelgra said. “Part of your journey was on the main road?”
Riley nodded.
“Then you should find a ride with the next caravan. It will cut your travel time and you can carry far more.”
Zelgra reached beneath her table and lifted something swaddled in a cloth. With deliberate care, she loosened the folds, revealing a dark, compact chunk of ore that was different than the raw pieces on the table.
“This,” Zelgra said, “is refined ore. Not a finished metal, but a middle stage. More concentrated than raw ore. It is worth three to five times as much for building purposes.”
Riley’s eyes widened. This was exactly what she needed. Something more compact meant carrying it back would be possible.
Riley reached for it without thinking, but Zelgra pulled it away gently.
“The price,” Zelgra said, “is the question now.”
“How much is it?”
“That depends on how much you want. A miner’s basket of raw ore is heavy; three baskets would weigh as much as you. One basket of raw ore costs three silver. On the other hand, a basket of refined ore is lighter and easier to manage but it is ten silver.”
Riley’s heart plunged. Ten silver was far more than she had. Even with the long exchange pending back at the tower, she only had three silver and a handful of copper on her. She could try to negotiate, but ten to three was a massive gap.
She was still trying to think when someone stepped up beside her and began speaking to Zelgra, interrupting the entire negotiation. He appeared middle aged, wearing a brown coat and a dark cap, and he immediately launched into questions about iron ingots.
Zelgra gave the price politely, but when he tried to dominate her attention entirely, she raised a hand toward him.
“I am speaking with her,” she said firmly. “Wait your turn.”
The man’s face tightened as though he had been insulted. He glared, bumped Riley’s shoulder as he turned, and stormed away.
Riley stared after him in disbelief, then looked back at Zelgra. “All right. Can I buy half a basket of refined ore? Is that is even possible?”
Zelgra tapped her finger on her chin. “Half a basket would be five silver.”
Riley stepped forward hesitantly. “Could you do three?”
Zelgra studied her carefully. “You say you need ore for building. That suggests you will need more soon.”
“Yes. Definitely. A lot more.”
Zelgra’s lips curved into a thoughtful smile. “Since you are the first sale of the day, and because that is considered good luck, I will accept three. But I also expect your return business.”
Riley could not help the grin that spread across her face. Relief swept through her so intensely she nearly forgot she was still in a crowded marketplace. She reached for her coins with excitement, already imagining returning to the tower with real progress in hand.
Her fingers searched.
Then her hand froze.
Her makeshift pocket was empty.
Riley opened it wider. Only two copper coins clinked inside. The silver was gone. Every last piece.
She snapped her head downward and checked the ground. Then her bucket. Then her helmet. Her breath started to quicken.
“My silver,” Riley said, her voice an unsteady whisper. “My coin is gone.”
Riley forced herself to pull her mind backward as she retraced her steps. She saw the steam in the bathing room. Her clothes folded on the bench. Her hand checking her pocket when she dressed. The full weight of her silver still inside.
“I had it this morning,” she said. “Right before I came to the market.”
Zelgra exhaled sharply through her nose. “A pickpocket.” She scanned the market with sharp eyes.
Riley followed her gaze desperately, but the man from earlier was nowhere to be seen. If he had taken her coin, he was likely already far away by now. The more she looked, the more hopeless it felt.
“I am sorry,” Zelgra said quietly. “It is not uncommon here.”
Riley’s throat tightened until it hurt. “What am I supposed to do? I came all this way.”
Zelgra’s gaze softened with genuine sympathy. “You came for ore. You will not leave empty handed. How much do you have left?”
“Two copper. But I needed other things from the market too.”
Zelgra paused for a long moment, then reached beneath her table again. She pulled out a generous handful of raw ore and weighed it briefly in her palm before offering it.
“This is listed for three copper,” Zelgra said. “You may have it for one.”
Riley’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
“It is an investment in future business. Agreed?”
“Yes,” Riley said quickly. “Yes. Thank you.”
Zelgra nodded. She placed the ore in a pouch and closed Riley’s hands around it. “Come back when you have more coin. I will have more ore for you.”
She called for one of the young workers behind her. A tall human boy jogged over and Zelgra leaned down to speak to him. He nodded and ran toward the village gate.
Zelgra turned back to Riley. “I know the caravan driver. There is one caravan leaving shortly and none for several days after. With your coin gone, walking alone seems unwise. Ride with them. It will cut your return time more than half.”
Riley’s breath caught in her throat. “Thank you. Truly.”
“One more thing,” Riley said. “Why can I not find ore the way I find stone near the river closer to where I live”
Zelgra chuckled. “Because ore lies beneath the ground, not on top of it. It is harder to find here in the lowlands. In the mountains it is plentiful and the quality is better. You can find traces here if you are patient enough to dig but harvesting good ore requires experience. Ore is sometimes carried down river and that is why you are finding it near the river. I can find it because I was trained. Others buy it because it is easier.”
The boy reappeared and pointed toward the gate where a caravan was being loaded for departure. The driver waved impatiently.
Riley packed her things quickly and offered the Droll woman one last grateful smile.
The day hadn’t been a complete failure. Without her new friend, it might have been far worse. As Riley ran for the gate, ore clutched tight, she realized that she possessed something rarer still, the feeling that she had an ally in this strange world.
