by Sarah Lin
With the boxes proving uninteresting, Bloodwraith had to look at the people and structures on the streets instead. The buildings were mostly old, built from the same quarries that fed the outer walls, but they were adorned with the styles of many different groups. He recognized many humans and dwarves from Bannlind, desert tribes, oasis elves, even drakekin from across the desert. It was a colorful mix of humanity that utterly annoyed him.
"Isn't it amazing?" Danniah looked around herself eagerly. "Just being able to experience all this was worth the trip on its own!"
"It's certainly a long way from my village, much less that monotonous little forest." Though Meara seemed less awe-struck, her eyes soaked in all the sights around her.
"Is there anything you want to do first, Bl-Raigar?"
"First," Bloodwraith said, "we need to find the best place in the city to sell our jackal pelts."
Danniah groaned. "That is not what I had in mind. We came a long way, we should enjoy ourselves a bit!"
"We can enjoy ourselves once we have our feet firmly under us. Right now we don't know what types of threats we might be facing, how dangerous the city is, or even where we'll be sleeping for the night."
Though neither of them was enthusiastic about it, they accepted his logic. Meara said she still wasn't comfortable enough in the city to determine anything with unnatural senses, but she used the normal skills she'd learned in selling potions to suss out the city. Unlike Cresthaven, it didn't have a single adventurer district, but it did have pockets specifically catering to different groups.
They went to one of those and found an establishment for selling such raw materials. Bloodwraith stood back and let Meara do the talking, thinking more about their financial situation. She actually got more for the wolf pelts than the jackal pelts - they might have less intrinsic mana, but they were less familiar in Manascas, whereas it seemed every single adventurer in the region was killing jackals.
In the end they had a total of 6 gold pieces, 47 silver pieces, and change. That was before Meara started selling all the goods she'd smuggled in, since she needed more time to determine prices. They didn't flash that much around, of course, but Danniah's eyes widened when she heard.
"That's so much... and it wasn't too impossible to gather, either..." She was unfocused and Bloodwraith wondered if she was thinking about the gold she had saved for her dream orphanage.
"The stronger we become, the easier it will be for us to earn large amounts." He put a hand on her shoulder gently. "In time we'll be able to earn more than you would need."
"You do remember." She smiled and put a hand over his gauntlet.
Meara stood nearby and gave them a moment before sighing. "Alright, you two, get a room. Literally, we need to find an inn." As they headed out the door, Meara shook her head slowly. "I might be able to find us a good inn by talking to merchants, but I don't have the experience to find places to buy equipment."
"It would be more logical to split up." Bloodwraith stopped once they were on the street, glancing in all directions. "Manascas seems relatively safe so far, and you can handle yourself. You can find an inn, we'll find equipment, and we can meet up here."
"No need for that last part. I'll be able to find you." With that, Meara pulled up her hood and moved into the crowds. Something about her seemed to change, becoming duller and flatter, the way she acted when she was playing a merchant. Soon she vanished entirely, leaving Bloodwraith and Danniah alone.
There were a great many shops catering to adventurers nearby, so it didn't take them long to find ones that sold equipment. Danniah wandered toward one of the larger ones that seemed to have a wide variety of adventurers moving in and out.
"Think this is a good place to start?"
"We might as well." Bloodwraith stepped in first, using his size to part the crowds so Danniah could follow behind him.
They faced a large and well-stocked store, weapons and armor of all kinds shining around them. Though Danniah seemed impressed at first, Bloodwraith was more concerned with the boxes. They were unparalleled at being able to evaluate equipment like this. He started with the most common weapons, a curving blade that might have been steel.
[Manascas Scimitar
Base Damage: 6-8
Durability: 75/75
Rarity: Common]
Frowning, Bloodwraith checked it against his equipment. Not impressive at all, but logically a smaller weapon like a scimitar would have lower damage. He looked more carefully until he found a greatsword similar to the old ones he'd used before acquiring the Lodestone Greatsword.
[Manascas Greatsword
Base Damage: 9-13
Durability: 75/75
Rarity: Common]
Barely better than the iron weapons he'd started with, and on top of that, selling for an absurd half a gold piece. As Bloodwraith started to say something, he saw Danniah hefting a mace with a frown on her face. When he moved closer, she spoke softly.
"All the weapons here look brand new and fancy, but... I don't know, the balance is strange and these spikes are more to look scary than anything..."
"You're absolutely correct - the boxes agree." Bloodwraith gestured toward the door with his head. "Let us depart, I have a better idea."
When they got back out into the street, he focused and summoned boxes only for the Levels of passersby. Just like in Cresthaven, he hoped that he could get a sense for the value of the different shops via that information alone.
Though he was looking for patterns, he couldn't help but compare the strength of those he saw. He saw that the largest number of adventurers were in the Level 4-8 range, but a surprising number were Level 10 or above. Just in the short time he watched, he saw several at Level 14-15 and even one Level 17. No one as strong as Daek the Knife, but the most powerful people in the city would not be wandering past him randomly.
"Come. We have a great deal of work to do." Bloodwraith strode down the street, Danniah following him.
"You know the best store, then?"
"There was nowhere as obvious as Haral's shop back in Cresthaven, but I see several stores that seem to be used by adventurers of all types. Those are likely where we'll find the best offers."
The first store they tried was less fancy and lit less brightly, but the value was obvious. While Danniah looked around by hand, Bloodwraith scanned the boxes until one leapt out at him:
[Manascan Steel Greatsword
Base Damage: 21-27
Durability: 100/100
Rarity: Uncommon]
That was a fantastic weapon, superior to his own in terms of raw power. He wouldn't want to give up the ability to store mana in his blade, but the idea of a similar weapon made with that quality appealed.
But the price... it wouldn't make sense to use 4 of their gold pieces on an upgrade like this. Though there were no other weapons in the shop comparable to it, clearly many weapons were made of Manascan steel. Despite the price and the quality, this was nothing truly remarkable, for Manascas.
"This stuff is really expensive." Danniah shuffled back to him, a bit downcast. "They do have some basic armor that looks better than mine, though, even back when it was new. If we spent most of our gold, I could get new armor, but is that worth it?"
"No." When Bloodwraith saw Danniah look to him uncertainly, he hastened to explain. "The local economy will be glutted with basic equipment, so it's inefficient to upgrade regularly. We need to spend our money on equipment that will last, which means looking for single valuable pieces."
"Oh, so it's sort of a treasure hunt! That could be fun..."
They looked through several stores, one of them selling used equipment like Haral's. Though he saw a number of decent items, Bloodwraith didn't purchase anything. Mostly, he was frustrated by the hefty cost of everything. Part of him had been hoping their money would be enough to pay for an overall upgrade, helping them cope in the difficult city, but that was clearly a fantasy.
Though it had been some time, he remembered
fighting Daek very clearly. The other man had been far faster than him, an overwhelming force that he could only deal with via strategy and relying on others. It had been a frustrating experience that he didn't want to repeat. In his old life as a lich or in his new life as a barbarian, he preferred to strike with overwhelming force.
While looking through a specialized jeweler's wares, something notable caught his eye:
[Ring of Great Might
Might +5
Durability: 25/25
Rarity: Rare]
He had never seen a piece of equipment that the boxes gave such a high statistical rating before. That was what he needed - or perhaps an equivalent ring for speed. They had rings for many different statistics set in a locked and reinforced case and he could only imagine what it would feel like to wear the whole set.
Each one cost at least 8 gold pieces, however. Getting a full set was impossible for now, but if they saved their money a little longer, he could afford one of the most useful. Bloodwraith thought back to the prices Meara had negotiated, trying to calculate how quickly they could earn enough.
While he was focused on that, however, his eyes happened to fall across something else. A dark helm he liked the style of, with only a narrow slit for the eyes. It was too small for him and so he nearly dismissed it, but then he realized that it was about Danniah's size. Though he was still more interested in one of the rings, he examined it more carefully anyway.
[Vicious Helm
Armor: 17
Might +3, Vitality +1, Willpower +1, Charisma -3
Durability: 90/90
Rarity: Rare]
What a curious helm. He wasn't entirely certain how the enchantments on it could reduce one's "Charisma" - he'd read the description of that statistic, but still wasn't entirely sure how it worked. However, it did seem clear that Charisma wasn't very important for warriors like Danniah, so its primary disadvantage was hardly crippling.
The price was over five gold pieces, however, and it wasn't a truly exceptional item. Besides, Danniah probably wouldn't like the imposing design. Bloodwraith turned away from it and continued to browse, but found he couldn't get the helm out of his mind.
Was it really an inferior item, or had he just convinced himself so that he could buy equipment for himself? Though Bloodwraith was no longer uncomfortable thinking of Danniah as his lover and ally, he still had a strong instinct for self-preservation. She had done just fine with her current equipment, after all, and she usually took a less dangerous role in combat.
But then he thought back to how she had almost died while fighting Daek's men. Bloodwraith walked back to the helm and stared down at it, slowly rationalizing the decision. He wanted Danniah alive and healthy, and she would always be fighting at his side, so spending almost everything they had on her was still rational. Besides, she'd given a greater sum to purchase his equipment.
Meanwhile, Danniah was cheerfully looking through maces and shields across the store. None of them were rated higher than "Uncommon", however, so he knew that he'd made the right choice. Bloodwraith purchased the helm, tried not to wince at the loss of money, and brought it over to her.
"This is the best item we've seen today, within our means." Bloodwraith presented it to her and Danniah blinked at it.
"Isn't that a little small for you? And I thought you needed to wear all your equipment because of the enchantment..."
"No, it's for you."
"Me?" Danniah's eyes widened and she took the helm as if afraid it might bite her. "I don't know, it looks kind of scary... you wouldn't be able to see my face at all."
"But feel the power of the enchantment. And we already know what you look like, we don't need..." Bloodwraith suspected that might be the wrong direction to go and hastily changed course. "Our communication is good enough in combat that it's more important to protect yourself. We'll have plenty of time without our helms later."
"I suppose you're right." Danniah tugged off her helm and handed it to him before carefully lowering the new one over her head. Soon after she perked up, though he had to imagine her cheerful expression. "Wow, I feel stronger! You were right, that's a great enchantment!"
She put her initial helm back on and turned the new one over in her hands as they left the shop. Her enthusiasm made him feel a little better about his decision, though his eyes lingered on the rings on the way out. What he needed to do was acquire his undead army again and conquer a kingdom. Then he would have more than enough money to purchase everything both of them needed.
Just as Danniah started to ask about Meara, they both noticed her leaning against a wall outside. She had been staring at nothing, but she smiled when they got closer. "Well! Isn't that scary!"
"I didn't pick it!" Danniah awkwardly played with the helm a while before stuffing it under one arm. "But it's a really good helm. It cost a lot, but hopefully I'll be able to use it for a long, long time."
"Oh, it wasn't a bad thing. You and Bloodwraith are more of a matching set, now - I feel like I need a scary helm or I won't fit in. But I doubt Bloodwraith would spend all our money on a gift for me."
Even had he been unable to see Danniah's face, Bloodwraith would have known her exact expression based on how she squirmed. "Meara, don't make such a big deal of it. Did you find an inn?"
"Many, but one in particular is a good match of price and privacy." Leaving aside the teasing, Meara rapidly led them through the streets of Manascas to her chosen location. "I don't know that we can afford getting two rooms, but I have enough to do that I can leave you two alone."
That was a practical choice, especially given that they had far more valuable equipment to purchase than they had money. Though Bloodwraith felt it was a fair trade-off, he wasn't sure about Danniah. When he glanced down at the short woman, however, she was yawning.
"I don't mind if it's you, Meara. You're like family. Besides, we've been walking around all day. I just want to sleep."
"Agreed," Bloodwraith said. "Better to stick close together in any case."
Meara nodded, her serious expression giving way to another smirk. "So you don't mind if it's me, Danniah? That sentence is open to a great many interpretations..."
Danniah groaned and slumped into his side. "Ugh. Can you find a helm that makes it so I can't hear her? I'm too tired for teasing..."
Bloodwraith chuckled and put his arm around Danniah's shoulders, supporting her. He glanced at Meara, but she just smiled at them affectionately and let it go. The three of them headed to their inn as the sun set on Manascas.
~ ~ ~
Though the two beds in their room were a bit cramped, they all slept soundly. Bloodwraith woke up first, entirely refreshed, and eased from under Danniah's arm to let her sleep longer. He headed into the main room of the inn and spoke to some other travelers. From them, he learned that while Manascas had a thriving Adventurers Guild, even more skilled travelers focused solely on the Red Sands Arena.
Apparently it wasn't all grand combat events - there were smaller competitions every single tenday. Only the winners of many qualifying events were eligible to compete in the more significant events that granted the real prizes. Though Bloodwraith was not interested in prizes or notoriety, not yet, he was glad to learn that even the smaller competitions paid the winners.
When he returned to their room, he found that Meara was awake and lounging back on her bed, while Danniah slowly put on all her armor. Meara nodded to him when he entered.
"There you are. Settled on a quest for us yet?"
"Actually, I don't think we should start with taking assignments - the chances of encountering unacceptable risks are simply too high. Perhaps we should begin with safe competitions until we can earn enough money to upgrade our equipment."
Danniah stopped tying one of her vambraces to clap. "Oh, then do we get to go to the Red Sands after all?"
"One of the smaller ones, yes. There's a competition every tenday and one is coming up just tomorrow."
Meara nodded, but
some skepticism remained in her eyes. "I assume most of the battles aren't to the death, though. Does that mean you won't be able to harvest any EXP from the fights?"
"Probably not, but that's where you come in," Bloodwraith said. "While we're signing up and engaging in the competitions, you can check all the requests at the local guilds. Do you think you can judge them like those you did in Cresthaven?"
"To find ones that have something of value, but aren't deadly? The risks will be higher, but I think I can do better than just trying to guess."
"Excellent. Then let's finish our business as early as possible today, and after that we can take the rest of the day for recovery. We traveled long enough - we can afford to relax for one day before we begin the tournament and quests seriously."
Though he was fairly certain the day wouldn't go so smoothly, he figured there was no harm in the goal. The group ate a decent breakfast and then headed out into the city for the day. They didn't have any trouble at the Adventurers Guild, getting their ranks acknowledged easily and then leaving Meara there to discern what she could from the wall of request papers.
That left him going with Danniah to the Red Sands Arena. It loomed over the eastern half of the city, an imposing structure built from blood red stone. Though the central gate led into a circle of sand with a large seating area for crowds, they'd barely entered before an official waved them down.
"New adventurers?" The man hastened up to them and straightened his robes, looking over them like he'd done this many times before. "You can't simply enter the Sands, and there's no event today anyway. The system is-"
"We know there are qualifying events." Bloodwraith cut him off to save time. "Can we sign up for those tomorrow?"
"Oh, then you know how it works. Yes, you can sign up. No more than three events per person, to keep the complexity under control. Choose carefully." The official gestured for them to follow and they entered the rooms built beneath the audience seats.