Woodcutter 2

Two – Shopping Trip

“I still don't know if this is the best idea.” I muttered as I drove my cart through the city gates, I had never been to Port Jasper before, and if I was being honest, the sheer number of people living and working here was quite alarming, especially after two weeks on the road.

Yes I had left my home for a while, put up the closed sign, drove my animals over to Jed's place while I was gone, you see, if I left them there adventurers wold inevitably kill or steal them all, apparently a good way to check a hallway for traps is to simply make a goat, or a herd of them, go down it first, I learned the hard way a couple years ago that they will just assume anything unattended is theirs for the taking too, I once raised the best bacon in the village, but not since I took the family to visit relations the next town over.

“It's the only idea that will serve your purposes” said the voice in my head, I had gotten used to it over the last few days, but it was still weird to hear something without my ears.“Port Jasper is a major hub of commerce and government, you want to convert some of the gear you've acquired into money, this is the closest place to do it, how often must I tell you?”

I sighed, “Just until I believe it I guess, sometimes I think the path we are on is a bit ridiculous that's all.”

“It would be easier to simply move, and the plan was yours in the first place.”

“No no, I heard somewhere that you should be the change you want to see, and we do need cash to start it up.”

I grinned down at the sword lying flat on the bottom of my cart, “I guess I just needed to remind myself one more time. So, where too from here?”

“The docks and the market there, goods come and go from all corners of the world there, we shall find someone to take our business there, my previous wielder and his party did anyway, if the shopkeeper they used is still around that may be a good place to start.”

It turns out I was right, Bloodslicer was not the name the sword chose for itself, what kind of name is Bloodslicer anyway? It's ridiculous, blood is a liquid, it can either be cut by nearly anything, or the term”cut” doesn't really apply anyway, Barbarians are terrible at names, almost as bad as dwarves, everything is either “thing-verber” or named after an animal. The sword preferred the name Eustace, apparently this was the name of some influential figure on it's first wielder, a well respected bodyguard knight of some ancient kingdome.

Eustace was about seven feet long from point to pommel, made of enchanted steel and without decoration except for an obviously recently added pommel decoration consisting of a wolf skull carved out of obsidian. One of our goals in town was to get that replaced, not only did it look silly, but obsidian fractures fairly easily, and I had no interest in getting slivers of volcanic glass in my hands.

I paused at that thought, how did I know obsidian was volcanic glass? The headband I took off the wizard that was concealed under my wide hat must have finally started kicking in, I wonder what else I would find out I know?

Turns out it wasn't bargaining, Eustace pointed me in the right direction, and a local merchant made a deal for many of the assorted gems, art pieces, bits of furniture, and assorted knicknacks that adventurers have a magpies compulsion to pick up, Eustace chastised me for getting a bad deal, but the gold and letters of credit were more wealth than the entire town of Dunstead would see in a decade, surely it would be enough for my purposes.

It was when we moved on to some of the obviously magical gear that I began to grow suspicious with Eustace's aid I had a rough idea of what good quality weapons cost, and when I produced a dagger that continuously dripped an acidic venom I was offered scarcely enough to purchase a normal one. I know(sort of) the limits of my knowledge, but I am a proud man and will not be insulted like that, I am afraid I spoke harshly and turned to leave, then, when the merchant laid hands upon me I am afraid I lost control, pushing him quite hard, so hard in fact that he flew across the room and shattered a chair. It appears the belt I took from the barbarian also had been working its magic on me, I resolved to be more cautious in my future, a groan from the wreckage assured me he was alive and recovering, so I made my leave and with Eustace we retired to a local in which rejoiced in the title of the Rusty Clam, thanks to a ring about my left index finger, I no longer had need to eat, but even if I did I think I might have avoided the victuals provided by the surly innkeeper, but it had a room and, once he assured himself I had money to pay for it, agreed to provide a lock. A long trip and a stressful day in the big city caused my sleep to be swift.

I was woken by a ringing in my head, I spent a moment in confusion before remembering the wind chimes I had set up before falling asleep, Eustace claimed they would alert me if someone was attempting to enter the room an so they had, as I sat up, the door began to open, I quickly grabbed the sword and one other item an prepared for what came next.