View Full Version : New job, new tools
Keeping the hood of her cloak pulled as far over her face as she could manage, Poison walked quickly through the streets of the Bazaar in Gisela. She was looking for a specific type of shop and was not in a mood to deal with the crowds. Still, she resisted the urge to shove everyone out of her way and wove between people and carts until at last she came to a weapons shop. She went inside, glad to be out of the scalding heat and sunlight.
Weapons of every type, weight, shape and metal adorned the walls. These were of course for display only. The weapons for sale were kept behind the counter to lessen the chances of shoplifting. She wandered slowly around the room, gazing at the wide variety, but she wasn't precisely sure what she wanted. Eventually she made her way up to the counter and pulled her hood back to reveal her lovely face and long, silvery hair.
"Good afternoon, shopkeeper. I'm looking for a particular type of tool, but I'm not sure I see what I want on your walls. I need a weapon that is lightweight, but durable. I need to be able to use it against multiple enemies at once. I was thinking that something I could throw would be good, with an enchantment that would make it return to my hand, instead of me having to go pry it out of a body. Do you have anything that fits that description? Or any suggestions for what might fit?"
She kept her voice cool and business-like. She was not in a mood to dilly dally about this. She had a mission to complete and she needed to finish it as soon as possible.
((Sorry you've been kept waiting. I'm stepping in and helping with the bazaar right now, but I must have missed your thread. Again, I apologize.))
The shopkeeper nodded to her as she entered his shop. He set down his copy of the latest news and greeted her politely. “Hello. What can I do for you?”
After hearing her request he thought for a moment. “Well I can get you a dagger and have it balanced to be good for throwing, but I’ll have to take it to someone good with magic to have it enchanted, which can up the price quite a bit. Those wizards don’t work for cheap.”
He quickly jotted down some figures on a piece of paper. “The dagger itself, balanced and all, would be about 30 gold pieces if it was made of steel. To have it enchanted would be another 60 gold, for a total of 90. Of course, I can get it in a stronger material for a bit higher price.”
“Does that sound like it would suit your needs?”
Poison thought carefully for a moment. A knife would do well enough, but she would prefer something smaller. After thinking it over, she shook her head.
"It works, but it's not quite what I'm looking for. What about shuriken? How much would it set me back to get half a dozen steel shuriken enchanted in the same manner?"
She really hoped to be able to get these weapons today. She did not want to stay in Gisela any longer than was absolutely necessary. She refrained from tapping her foot or fingers in impatience. After all, it was not the shopkeeper she was impatient with, but rather herself for not having taken care of getting a better weaponry variety before now.
The shopkeeper thought for a moment.
“Well I’m afraid that would be much less cost effective. You see… the wizard would have to enchant each of them separately. The shuriken itself would only be about 9 gold, but to enchant it would be about 30. So for six of them you’d be looking at about 234 gold pieces.”
Noticing the woman seemed to be a bit impatient; he decided to downplay the cost in favor of speedy delivery in an attempt to press the sale.
“I can see you are a busy woman. I could have them made and enchanted for you before the week is out.”
"A single dagger is not going to be enough, so I would need to have six of them. By my math, that makes the shuriken a better deal after all. At 90 pieces total each, that makes six daggers 540 gold pieces."
She fell silent a moment, thinking carefully. She wanted the new weapons today, but it did not seem as if she would be able to manage that. At least, not the return enchantment part. She sighed heavily and silently reprimanded herself for not doing this sooner.
"I would really prefer shuriken and I do want the enchantment. However, I need something today. I will purchase the six shuriken to be enchanted today. In the meantime, I still need another six steel shuriken to use. Would it be feasible to let me use six ordinary shuriken while I wait for my order?"
The shopkeeper had apparently underestimated just how busy this woman was. She wanted her weapons today and he was desperate to not lose the sale. He quickly ran through a list of enchanters that he knew that he could get on short notice. Finally he settled on a solution.
“Alright. I think I can pull in a favor with an enchanter I know and get them to you today. Just please remember the fine service you received at my shop the next time you need a weapon.”
Return business would make his extra effort worthwhile in the long-run. A good business man knows that a good reputation is the best advertising.
“So that’s six shuriken, enchanted to return to you, for 234 gold. If that’s all you need, then simply come back later this evening and I should have them ready for you.”
In spite of herself, Poison's eyebrows rose in surprise that he would be able to get them by tonight afterall.
"That would be even better. You have yourself a deal, sir. I will be back tonight."
Relieved that she would have the tools she wanted in plenty of time, she gave the shopkeeper a quick smile, then quickly left the shop. As she stepped out into the daylight, she pulled her hood up and over face to protect her delicate skin from the sun. For now, she would go back to her rooftop perch and try to hammer out a plan for tonight's work.
Hours later, Poison made her way back through the emptying streets of the Giselean bazaar. The sun had dipped below the skyline and stars were starting to peek through the night. Now that the street was mostly in shadow, Poison walked with her hood down, allowing her silvery hair to move freely in the gentle breeze. It felt good to walk around without the hood. Perhaps one day she would figure out a way to reverse the effect of that blasted vampire's bite.
She smiled as she entered the weapons shop. Hopefully, she was not too early to be able to pick up her new shuriken.
"Good evening!" she called out, "I'm here for the enchanted shuriken."
"Ah, yes." The shopkeeper said with a grin.
He bent under the counter and returned with a small sack that jingled slightly. He set it on the counter.
"There you are. Six shuriken. That'll be 234 gold.
"Thank you very much for your business!"
Taskmienster
07-01-09, 02:47 PM
GP removed.
Poison opened the pouch and pulled out a shuriken. She examined closely, wanting to be sure that she was getting her money's worth. In a sudden flash of movement, she sent the shuriken flying across the room. It imbedded itself into the wall, then disappeared a moment later. Poison looked through the bag again, and was pleased to find that the shuriken she had thrown was in the bag once again.
"Excellent work, sir. If I am ever in Gisela again, rest assured that I will be coming to you."
She quickly counted out the required money and set it on the counter for the shopkeeper.
"These will be perfect," she smiled, tying the bag to her belt. "Have a good evening."
Highly pleased with how everything had managed to work out in the end, Poison left the shop. Now that she had better tools, she was ready to take on her mission. She just hoped that no one would connect the recent purchase to the events that would take place later tonight.
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