The town was unusual for many reasons, the biggest of which was the plethora of people still roaming the streets despite the late time of day. Each person he saw wore accessories that glowed brightly against the night, illuminating their appearances. The other thing he noticed was the diversity of the crowd, many people of differing races being easily identified. Not to mention the inhuman changes appearing on some people, from odd eyes to patches of altered skin, he noticed the telltale marks of adventurers. Looking over the crowd, he asked the guard a question.

“Is there a festival or something going on?”

This sight could only be because of some grand event, but the old man just laughed at his bewilderment. His response came out in a knowing tone that one might misconstrued as smug.

“No lad, this is just how the town is at night. Plenty of adventurers retire here, and we offer them the freedom they want. Again, welcome to Forest’s Edge, a hidden paradise for adventurers.”

Mash was more than a little excited to explore the town now. It had looked unremarkable from the outside, probably using illusion magic to hide the lights and buildings. It was practically unheard of to use illusion magic to cover an entire town, but they seemed to be managing it somehow. Not to mention with all the retired adventurers here they were sure to have diverse skillsets. He wouldn’t be surprised to hear that this town was, in fact, one of the more powerful settlements. Just looking over the crowd before him, he guessed that it was stronger than his home city, despite being under half the size.

As they entered the crowd, Mash remembered to ask for the guard’s name. He received it while the guard waved at him telling them to enjoy themselves. Apparently, people referred to him as Gus, and that they should use his name when they got to the inn. While going to the inn was a good idea, they did not go quickly, walking through the crowds of adventurers. It was dense enough that running would prove difficult on the narrow streets. Their slow pace did allow for a good look of the town.

The name of the town seemed ever more inappropriate the further in they went. It was accurate for the location of the town but did nothing to convey its true nature. The buildings were tall, and closely bunched together. Lights bleeding through almost every window he could see. Each building made of a different colored stone, the combination making the streets shift like rainbows. The streets were narrow, only wide enough to fit two carts. They were crowded by large groups of people who shuffled slowly through the streets. The smells of foods and drinks coming off strongly from every person that passed by. All of them wore some type of glowing accessory, illuminating them in the night. In most towns, people would hide their monstrous transformations, but here it seemed like they were embracing it, showing it off as a badge of glory.

They watched the many stores as they passed, having wanted to get some accessories of their own. Although they realized that it wasn’t entirely necessary. Mash’s eye already shone faintly in the night. Still, he wanted to get some, if for nothing else then to fit in with the town. They also wanted a good meal and were looking for a place to sit and eat. That didn’t stop mash from grabbing a bite to eat at every vendor they passed. Most sold simple skewers, but he found two that sold some kind fruit. It was coated in a sweet syrup, but the fruit itself was strangely sour. The combination had been excellent, and he found himself getting those at every opportunity.

They found a jewelry store first, and were ushered in by Red, who seemed oddly excited to be going inside. Jill did not partake in her enthusiasm, originally saying that it would be needlessly expensive and unnecessary. Red managed to convince her, after stressing the amount of gold they had on them. Between their group they had a small fortune and could even afford some of the most expensive jewelry in the shop.

He didn’t really have any expectations as he entered the store but was still impressed by the layout. Along one half of the room, were as series of bookshelves. Each shelf lined with different types of crystals. The other half had different types of metals laying in piles across the room, different shapes, and cuts easily discernable among the piles. The floors and walls were made of some white stone that was flecked with specks of different colors. At one corner of the room, next to the entrance, there was a table set up. There wasn’t anyone there currently, and he didn’t really know what to do and followed the others. They didn’t get very far, stopping as a lady approached from some backroom.

She moved quickly, faster than he could accomplish, appearing only a few feet in front of them. Her jewelry, of which she had plenty, jingled as she moved. What looked like ten different necklaces and bracelets clanging against one another, as she made a small bow in greeting. It was directed at Red, and she spoked with a measured degree of deference.

“Greetings my lady, welcome to my humble shop. What can I do for you today?”

Her bow grew deeper as she spoke, and Mash looked away feeling slightly uncomfortable. The gesture automatic, feeling like it would be impolite to do anything else. She wore a dress that revealed a lot of her skin. Also being made of silk and having pieces of jewelry weighing down the edges made it hang loosely, and that was while she was standing straight. Focusing on the nearby gemstones, he heard Red introduce them.

“Hello, and there is no need for formalities. I am here as an adventurer. My friends and I, only looking to acquire some of the accessories we have seen on others.”

Despite her words, she sounded noble, having fallen into her old habits quickly. The shopkeeper seemed to take it in stride, quickly changing her posture and tone, as if everything thus far had just been an act.

“Well then, I will wait for you by the table. I’m assuming you know how things are done here.”

Her tone really did sound completely different, and her appearance seemed less regal as well. Nothing changed of her clothing or jewelry, but she wasn’t standing as straight nor with the same level of forwardness. After she left, Red led them over to the gemstones, telling them of how to purchase Jewelry. Mash and Luke listened attentively, but Jill already left to check out the items. She must have known what to do, her background as a merchant’s daughter having given her the knowledge.

The shop functioned simply, a person would pick out their favorite gemstones, then choose an accompanying metal. From there they could either request a specific design for the piece or let the shop owner make it. She would have some general designs that could be make quickly. Mash looked over the gemstones but wasn’t thinking about which was his favorite. Rather he was imagining what he wanted for the completed piece. Not to mention it would be a good opportunity to get his siblings some presents. He was going to visit them soon, and these seemed perfect.

It took him a while to come up with things, but even once he had he was still faster than the others. Jill seemed to be paying more attention to the price of each item, but he thought that was unnecessary. From what he had seen, the amount of gold that he had would be enough for everyone to buy several pieces of jewelry. It was only in moments like this, did he realize just how much money they earned from their first dungeon run. They still had two more items to identify too, selling just one of them would probably be enough to afford all the jewelry they wanted. Red was meticulously amassing a pile of gemstones, and Luke was perusing the metals.

Now that Mash knew what he wanted, he grabbed a few clear gemstones, ones that he could still gaze through if he tried. He knew glass would work for what he had in mind, but he thought that crystals would look nicer. For the other piece, he grabbed mostly black gemstones, knowing that other colors clashed with his usual appearance. He grabbed several large ones too, the color not being very popular. For his sister he grabbed a blue gemstone that resembled the sky, and his brother received one that reminded him of the blazing sun. Even without the enchantments to make it glow, it already seemed to shine faintly. Both gems were much more expensive than the ones he got.

With the gemstones picked out he made his way to the front table, ready to make his purchases. When he arrived with a veritable handful of gems, the Lady’s expression changed drastically. The number of gemstones he picked up had told her of his wealth. and she must have guessed that he was also some rich aristocrat.

“It seems you have found things to your liking; do you have anything in mind for their shape and glow?”

Sounding strangely intrigued, she moved in a way to accentuate her beauty. It was entirely unnecessary, having seen her charm earlier. That did not mean that it wasn’t working, his heart was certainly beating faster than it was before. He coughed a little before speaking, finding a need to clear his throat.

“Can you turn the black gems into small triangle shapes, and one of the clear ones into a larger triangle. The other clear one should be a circle, but the same size. Oh, and make them flat, like a piece of glass might be. Also, can you make the black gems glow, but leave the clear ones as is.”

He made some awkward gestures with his hands, to indicate the size of each object. She seemed a little confused at first but obliged none the less. After those were done, he handed her the two bigger gemstones he grabbed for his siblings, having them made into spheres. He asked for the blue one to glow white, that way it would resemble the sky, and the yellow glow orange so that it would shine like fire.

He was surprised to see her perform all the magic herself, from changing the shapes of the stone to adding light to them, she alone was enough to do it all. How many different types of magic did she have access to, with the variety she demonstrated, he guessed she must have been a high level. It didn’t even take her long to complete the process, even with him changing the lengths of some of the gemstones.

“This is going to cost you 74 gold pieces, and I want to see what you have in mind for them.”

He paid, not wanting or willing to haggle. He was not talented at it, and she already had the advantage. He nodded to her, handing her the money, and grabbing the black gems first. After which he begun growing his wood out in the shape of half a mask. It covered the lower half of his face, the black gemstones made to look like the teeth of a beast. With the patches of black scales on his wood, the teeth seemed even more at home.

He put it on in a mock gesture, and the shopkeeper already had a mirror held out for him to use. She gave him an approving whistle as he used the mirror to see the result. With his abnormal eyes, the half mask seemed to fit almost too accurately. The crystal’s glow was enough to illuminate the rest of his face and neck, highlighting the deformities in a dark light. Now, others would certainly believe he was a monster. He tested it, opening, and closing the mouth as he wanted. It was perfect, though not something he would wear during the daytime or in front of normal people. It would be perfect for tonight and would also do wonders to scare people in a fight. Though, he didn’t really need help with that.

The next piece he worked on was the two clear crystals. They lacked any glow but were easy to see through. This is what he would use to hide his monstrous features when needed. Since illusion items didn’t work, he wanted to have a mask at the very least. He now knew that he couldn’t keep going about as he had, the others would be too inconvenienced by his appearance. This became a half mask too, but instead covered the top half of his face. Big enough to hide the scales around his eyes and the eyes themselves. Each of the clear crystals became eye sockets, the triangle matching with his snake--like eye, and the circular crystal matching his new eye.

With both in place he donned the mask, using the mirror again to check its appearance. It had oddly been covered almost entirely in scales. Normally his wood only had the occasional patch of scales, but this was entirely made of them. Though it was a little unusual and would make him seem suspicious; it was still a lot better than his normal appearance. The mask looked even better than he imagined it would and could be combined to the lower portion if he ever wanted to do that. With that out of the way, he waited for the others to finish their own purchases.