Chương 27: The Call (V)
"Identify ring."
Enchanted Elven Ruby Ring
The ring was made from an ancient magic by the old elven race. Created by singing it to life, it has been continuously reinforced with light and sound magic. A warm light can be felt emitting from the ruby ring, restoring the holder's health very slowly over time.
+1% increase to restoration of health over time
+10% increase in power to light and sound magic
+ An unusual power emits from the ruby ring.
"Now that's done with. Not bad for today's haul," said Zero with glee. He skipped down towards the carriage. The lady's rude behavior was forgotten in matter of seconds. Once again he climbed up and sat next to Alan.
"You seem cheery." Agnis peered over. Zero smiled ear to ear. "You're giving me the creeps…" Agnis scooted back towards Zeraph, a bit worried with his odd behavior. Zeraph looked at him funny. He didn't feel the urge to tell them of his good fortune.
"Well, onto the city." Zero jumped up and stood up on top of his seat pointing towards the city. The joy of getting a good item made him jittery with excitement. The wagon bounced up and down and Zero flailed around, trying to catch his balance. Alan's hands quickly snatched him from falling over.
"I would sit down if I were you. These roads are pretty rough." Alan pointed towards the road. Large ditches, muddy holes, protruding rocks, and uneven terrain heavily littered the road. He pushed him back into the seat.
"Thanks," replied Zero as he tried to pull it off as if nothing had happened. Clay giggled behind him.
"How long have you been traveling the roads?" asked Zero. Zero wondered how Alan could travel by himself through the dangerous terrain. There weren't just monsters to worry about, but thieves, bad weather, and the wagon possible breaking down. He was even more surprised that this old rickety carriage still stood strong.
"I started on the day of the Yami Hikari gaming convention." Alan carefully drove his carriage over a muddy hole. It squished and splashed against the wooden wheels as the wagon moved up and down.
"Wait, you were there?" Zero looked towards him, surprised.
"Yeah. Why?" Alan examined Zero with wariness. He handed everyone a straw hat to cover their eyes from the bright sunlight.
"I'll be expecting these back. I'm just lending them to you," Alan said. He fidgeted while giving them the hat.
"Thanks. You're a nice guy." Agnis smiled one of her beautiful smiles that made people tingly on the inside. Alan blushed rosy red.
"I was there as well. It was quite a stir," said Zero, reminiscing over the past. Agnis hands him a small lollipop. Agnis was handing out candy to everyone. She had asked for candy from Zeraph. For some reason Zeraph had some. At this moment, Zero and Alan looked like hillbillies as they both sucked on the candy canes with their straw hats on.
"Yeah, it was. I waited for that day to start playing for almost a year." Alan paused as if he was remembering something. "I was looking for possible group parties to start on that day," he said with a pained voice.
"I saw you on that day. How did it go?" Zero asked curiously.
"It didn't go so well. I had a difficult time leveling up in the beginning. There were a couple of people that I met that helped me out, but everything was earned through my own blood, tears, and sweat." He cringed at the thought of those hard days and times.
Zero nodded with understanding. He thought of how Agnis had made him go through hell and back again during his first fifty levels: being chased by hundreds of small horned rabbits, tangled up with large snakes, and even almost eaten alive by brown bears. He shuddered at the thought of his past.
The cart continuously squeaked towards the stone gate.
"Hold. Permit please," the sentry guard called out as he walked up towards the cart. He stuck out his hand, ready to receive the paperwork. The cart halted.
Zero noticed the city guard's medieval armor. He'd always liked the design. It reminded him of an bird in flight. There were a couple of times he wondered how he would look in it.
The sentry guard skimmed through Alan's permits paper and gave it back. He looked at them suspiciously.
"Who are these people?" he asked waving his hands towards them.
"They are mercenaries that I hired," Alan quickly replied. He did not wanted any trouble from the guards. It was known that the City of Diadem had the roughest, toughest, meanest guards in the Fire Continent.
"They don't look like mercenaries to me. They look unarmed." The guard didn't quite believe Alan's words and moved his hands toward his sword.
"What's a mercenary?" asked Clay he stuck out his head toward Alan.
"Shh." Brook pulled Clay back.
"What's a mercenary?" he asked again struggling out of Brook's hold.
Zeraph gave him a stern look. Clay shrank back.
"Well, that's what you get when you don't have enough money to pay for the best," admitted Alan with a casual wave of his hand. "A poor peddler like me needs to start somewhere. My goods are my life," said Alan with anguish. He dramatically started to create a scene. People stopped to peer over to see what was going on. A couple of the other merchants that were waiting behind him yelled out an agreement with his statement. They all understood his pain.
"Sir, let them through. We all are businessman. We got to make a living somehow," a male merchant behind them shouted out toward the guard.
"Yeah. You don't know how hard it is to protect your goods when you barely have any money," another yelled.
"Do you think he will buy it?" Agnis quietly whispered towards Zeraph. She leaned towards him covering her mouth slightly so Zeraph was the only one who could hear.
"I don't know. It's worth a shot," he whispered back.
"I hope to god that he does. If not we're going to jail. Getting out of it is a hefty price to pay," she said worriedly.
Tino and Brook sat nervously, while the kids huddled together trying to hide their presence from the guard. Tino straighten his back trying to make himself big as possible trying to make himself seem like a mercenary for hire. Brook on the other hand kept fidgeting with his hands.
Zero leaned over towards the guard.
"Sir, I know we don't look like it, but we are mercenaries. We have a personal contract with Mr. Alan here to protect him till we arrive. He not a rich man, but he is a man of worth. We are holding up the line the longer we stay here. Look." Zero pointed towards the back. Already they were ten merchants' carts with a dozen more people behind them peering with curiosity wondering what the holdup was. "I don't think you want to work overtime. It's going to be too much of a trouble"
"I barely make a living, sir. I am the only one that feeds my family. It's been awhile since I had come back to drop off some food. Don't you know how precious time is when you don't see them for a very long time?" Alan had begun to cry. The guard nervously pranced around from the amount of attention.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to offend you." The guard stepped back. He did not want to be in the center of attention and let them through.
In daylight, the large earthy city bustled with players and NPCs were filled with shouts and laughter. Merchants camped out with stalls on the side of the streets and sold livestock, food, items, goods and many more. Groups of wagons, tents, and fires were randomly spread across the streets.
Crowds churned around a line of brightly colored wagons clogging the main street. Horses whinnied nervously from the loud noises. Baked sweet potato pie added a rich aroma to the many smells that wafted around them. Players haggled amongst merchants for a cheaper price. Bards loudly sang their favorite tunes. Some sung about the great heroes of the Fire Continent. Zero felt like the recommended capacity for holding players has already reached its max. It was just too crowded.
"You know that new expansion to the Electric continent will open up so many new adventures and land. It is the hottest topic right now. I'm waiting to move there when the settlement is underway," explained Alan excitedly. "It's too crowded in the five major cities. Competition is fierce, and without having good items to sell, it's difficult to sell anything at all. Either way, I got to ride the wave or I might miss this great opportunity."
Alan parked his cart in front of the town square's water fountain. "Well, guys, this is the stop. It's been nice doing business with you." Alan tipped his beret to them while they were getting off. "If you need me, I'll be selling goods for a couple of weeks in the town square. Just call me through the friends list when you're ready to go on that quest." Alan punctuated the last sentence, stressing the importance of calling him when they were ready to do the quest.
"Will do." Zero waved his farewell towards him.
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