They met the next day and went into the market. Their goal was to find a shop that would be amenable to a deal. They would be the suppliers, and the shop the distributor. The problem was finding a shop keeper who wouldn’t question where two young, low-leveled, and poor teenagers obtained their supply. They started by going to weapon and armor vendors. They had gone to several at this point, and each of them was the same story. Each was clean, well-stocked, and required the crafter’s seal on each piece of equipment. Another thing that Alec hadn’t known about. He searched his sword and found a mark stamped on the blade near the hilt. This caused a bit of a problem for him. What would happen if he remade a weapon created by a blacksmith in town and the blacksmith somehow found out about it. It sounded unlikely, but the more gear he enhanced, the more likely it became. That was exactly the situation he was trying to avoid.

“This isn’t going to work. Let’s go to the poorer section and look for a general store. We won’t make as much, but we should be able to at least sell my sword.” Alec shared, heading toward the less reputable portion of town. Part of him knew it would most likely come to this, as the nature of his sales required secrecy. They found the general store after wandering several streets. It was a bit more rundown than the shops in the richer portion of town, but that didn’t matter to Alec. As they entered the shop, Alec noted the broad assortment of items placed neatly on tables and shelves. There were various knick-knacks, weapons, armor, traveling items, and more. A lot more. For such a large number of items, it was surprisingly orderly. A bell rang from above the door as Sam and he entered. She went to peruse the items as he went to the counter.

“How may I help you today, young sir?” A lanky man of medium height stood behind the counter. He wore immaculate black robes with a silver lapel. His short brown hair was done perfectly, not a hair out of place. Everything about the man seemed orderly, now that Alec looked for it. Almost too much so. His blue eyes pierced Alec with their sharpness.

“I would like to sell this sword.” He said, drawing it from its scabbard and placing it gently on the counter. The merchant picked it up, studying it from various angles.

“A very nice weapon.” He stepped back, making room to deftly swing it in several different directions, almost appearing as if he were dancing. “Well cared for, balanced, and without a scratch or chip to be seen. I’d say it was new if not for the wear on the handle which suggests several years of use.” Alec could have slapped himself. He hadn’t thought to repair the sword with his skill, he had just changed the material of the blade. Its durability was at 10/10, but that didn’t mean it looked like it. The crabs weren’t strong enough to leave even a scratch on the blade either. He’d looked. “The durability is also max and though the sword is made of steel, the hilt, pommel, and guard are what you would typically see on a cheaper sword. Likely one made of iron. My first thought was that perhaps the hilt had been changed out, but the guard and pommel as well? Unlikely, especially with a blade this pristine. This sword presents a mystery, young sir. As the one presenting it to me, you do as well.” Alec tensed; this was exactly the type of scenario he didn’t want. He needed someone who didn’t ask questions, instead he got this walking encyclopedia of swords.

“Please calm down, young sir. I am simply a curious man by nature. I can see that you have a secret you are concerned about revealing, and I mean you no harm. Forgive my faux pas and I will purchase this sword for three gold and twenty silver. I am deducting the expenses I will attain from placing a new hilt on it.” The man’s demeanor hadn’t changed throughout his entire speech. Even after he had seen Alec’s discomfort, his tone was that of someone simply observing an event, not of one participating in it.

“Done.” Alec said, not divulging anything about the sword.

“Excellent.” The man took the sword and placed it behind the counter. He counted out the coinage and slid it across the counter to Alec, who had never seen so much in a single place like this. It was enough to rent a room at a decent in for over a hundred days, meals included.

“My name is Tenneson, if you get your hands on anything else you would like to sell, mysterious or banal, I will purchase it for a fair price with no questions asked. I appreciate quality gear and am no stranger to secrets. Now, is there anything you wish to purchase today?”

Alec observed the man for a moment, trying to decide whether he was being honest or if there was something else there. He decided the man was just strange and walked over to Sam to peruse the armor. She was looking at a set of bronze armor, used, but not too much so.

// Bronze Scaled Armor

Rarity: Common

Condition: Used

Durability: 4/10

Armor: 18

Material: Bronze

Weight: 25.7 lbs

Armor made of overlapping scales of bronze, imitating a serpent’s scales. Highly resistant to stabbing and slashing attacks. Weak to crushing.//

Next to it was a set of coiffed iron chainmail. This caught his attention.

// Iron Chainmail with Coif

Rarity: Common

Condition: Used

Durability: 5/10

Armor: 16

Material: Iron

Weight: 57.3 lbs

Armor made of interlocking iron rings. Highly resistant to stabbing and slashing attacks. Weak to crushing.//

“What do you think of this?” Alec asked her. “You can hide it in your pack when you enter and leave the dungeon. If we can find a stronger, lighter metal to enhance it with, it could be amazing. You could wear it over your current armor, and we would only need a helm and shield to go with it. Oh, and boots and gauntlets. Wow, that’s a lot.” He thought about it, it was a great start at the very least.

“I’m hiding things now?” She asked him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m fine with it, and yes this would work fantastically, but don’t you think you are being just a little paranoid?”

“Better paranoid than imprisoned and used like a tool.” He took the mail to the counter, happy that he had put points into strength. “How much for this?”

Tenneson looked it over and found a small tag tied to the mail. “One gold and twenty silver. Any lower and the iron itself is worth more.” Alec nodded, expecting worse. “We will continue looking. Is it alright if we leave this here?”

“Of course, I have a pack that I’ll throw in for free if you purchase it. It will make it easier to carry.” As he said this, he took the mail to a back room.

They continued looking and found a helmet, gauntlets, and boots, but no shield. They found that everything in the shop had a small tag either tied or glued to it. They could get everything they needed for just over two gold. The most expensive piece was the chainmail.

Tenneson had brought the chainmail out in a decent looking brown pack. The chainmail didn’t fill it up, and it easily fit the rest of the items they purchased.

“That’s quite the coincidence.” Alec said to the merchant suspiciously.

“None at all!” Tenneson replied. “Mere conjecture. You sold the sword for a reason. Having something that fine yet outfitted such as you are. After your interest in the chainmail, I made the logical assumption that you would buy more with your proceeds from the sale. I will, however, say that I am surprised you haven’t bought anything more solid to place over it. I will not ask, however much I desire to, as I have promised you that I would not.” At this he came to the same side of the counter as Alec and Sam and helped her put the heavy pack on her back. “I would like to repeat my previous offer as well. I look forward to seeing many interesting goods from you, young sir.”

They left the store and went to the nearest blacksmith, following the sound of a hammer striking an anvil. The waited for the shirtless man to set the piece he was working on into the colas of the furnace and turn to them.

“Yeah?” Was all he said, looking at them expectantly.

“Good afternoon, my master has sent me on a rather curious errand. He would like a small sample of various strong, yet light metals. Do you have anything that may fit this description?” Alec affected the persona of a servant accustomed to obeying the wishes of a strange master.

“Mayhaps.” The man turned around and began to rummage through bits of metal on a shelf set away from the furnace. He returned with four pieces of metal, each a different shape and size, and handed them to Alec. “True silver, feather steel, calonite, and trisium.” Alec rolled each in his hand, before identifying them.

//Shard of True Silver

Rarity: Rare

Condition: Broken

Durability: 4/20

Material: True Silver

Weight: .2 lbs

A broken shard of true silver. This was once part of a sword.//

//Shard of Feather Steel

Rarity: Uncommon

Condition: Broken

Durability: 3/15

Material: Feathersteel

Weight: .05 lbs

A broken shard of feather steel. This was once part of a helmet.//

//Shard of Calonite

Rarity: Uncommon

Condition: Broken

Durability: 6/15

Material: Calonite

Weight: .1 lbs

A broken shard of Calonite. This was once part of a warhammer.//

//Shard of Trisium

Rarity: Rare

Condition: Broken

Durability: 3/25

Material: Trisium

Weight: .2 lbs

A broken shard of trisium. This was once part of a sword.//

“Which of these are suited for weapons, and which for armor?” Alec asked the man.

“All are light and strong. Would use the true silver for armor before anything else. Make the best sword too. Feathersteel is like it sounds, strong as steel but much lighter. Good for heavy armor. The calonite came from a Warhammer, not sure how the idiot managed to break such a thing. Trisium is something else. It’s light and strong, amazingly so, but its real value comes from its durability. It can take more damage than any of the metals here without wearing. Good for armor.” The man looked exhausted after saying this, as if words were more difficult than shaping metal.

“How much for these shards?” He asked.

“Nothing for the calonite and feather steel, nothing I can do but resmelt them and I don’t have enough to make it worth it. The trisium and true silver I’d let go for a gold if you take both. They are used for jewelry and even a small amount fetches a good price.”

Alec thought it over and accepted. He paid the man his gold and left nearly broke. He led Sam back to his room with a skip in his step. He may be poor, but he was excited.

-----

As the boy left his shop with the giant of a girl in tow, Tenneson picked up the sword he had just purchased.

“Omar, follow the boy and learn everything you can about him. I am going to put this sword in a display box in our trophy room. Something tells me that we may be seeing the birth of a new power in the region.”

A black form emerged from a shadowed corner.

“And if he is threatened?” It asked in a deep, curt voice.

“Do nothing. Let us simply observe the child.” Tenneson walked to the rear wall and stomped the floor. A wide portion of it slid aside to reveal a staircase descending beneath the building.

“Oh, this will be fun.”

-----

He set out the armor they’d purchased on his bed and picked up the chain mail. It was long enough to reach just past Sam’s hips with a coif that would cover as much as a hood. He identified it and held the trisium in his hand. He chose the metal for the mail because it would be taking most damage while Sam was fighting.

// Iron Chainmail with Coif

Rarity: Common

Condition: Used

Durability: 5/10

Armor: 16

Material: Iron

Weight: 57.3 lbs

Armor made of interlocking iron rings. Highly resistant to stabbing and slashing attacks. Weak to crushing.//

//Would you like to Enhance this item?//

Choosing yes, Alec selected material to see the cost of enhancing the mail with trisium.

//Enhancement cost is 300 experience points.

Would you like to enhance your Iron Chainmail with Coif with Trisium?//

He thought “Yes.” and the set of mail lit up from the base, just as his sword did. The nimbus of light passed dull grey rings as it moved up, replacing them with the swirling dark red and black of trisium. It was almost the color of dried blood, yet glossy and vibrant. When the enhancement finished, he was left with a beautiful set of chainmail that took his breath away.

// Trisium Chainmail with Coif

Rarity: Rare

Condition: Pristine

Durability: 25/25

Armor: 42

Material: Trisium

Weight: 14.9 lbs

Armor made of interlocking trisium rings. Highly resistant to most physical attacks.//

He handed the chainmail to Sam. She gasped as she felt how light it had become. “It’s so light. So beautiful.” She began to tear up, holding the armor like a child would a treasured blanket. “Thank you.”

He turned his attention to the shard of trisium in his hand, only half of the shard had been used. He had assumed it would be gone due to the amount of metal he transformed. He really needed to study his skill.

“I’m going to try it on.” She said excitedly. Alec took his cue and left the room. He waited a few moments before the door opened and gauntleted hand hand pulled him back into his room. “It’s so light! It’s a little harder to move in, and I will need a belt to keep the bottom from flailing about, but this is amazing!” She was dancing about the room as she said this. Doing odd movements that allowed her to test her range of motion. Her exquisite chainmail was offset by the rest of her mediocre gear.

“Belt will need to have some plated metal on it. I have enough experience and trisium to make one last item.” Alec laid back, head on his pillow. “I wanted to get you a better weapon, but we have fifteen silver left. I’m not sure that will get us what we need.” He nearly slapped himself on the forehead as he shot into a sitting position. “Wait! I am an idiot. Give me your mace. I might have enough experience left to enhance it. I was so focused on getting you something better that I didn’t even think about it.” He took her weapon and instead of the trisium, he grabbed the shard of calonite. It had been broken off a warhammer, so he thought that would be his best bet. He also wanted to save the trisium to try something later.

He looked at the prompt, it would take 150 experience to enhance her weapon, leaving only six left on his character sheet.

//Calonite Mace

Rarity: Uncommon

Condition: Pristine

Durability: 15/15

Damage Type: Crushing

Damage: 18

Material: Calonite

Weight: 14.7 lbs

A mace with an oaken handle and a head of calonite. It deals heavy crushing damage.//

He looked the weapon over. It had a heavy wood stock, apparently oak, with a gleaming bronze-colored ball of metal sitting atop it. While he preferred sharp edges, he could see the devastation this could bring with the right wielder. He handed the weapon to Sam, who immediately stepped back and swung it. She let out a little laugh that chilled him a little. Seeing a fully armored form laughing while swinging a deadly weapon as if it were a branch made his blood run cold.

“This is going to be so. Much. Fun!” She continued to laugh and swing the weapon while Alec slowly backed away from her and out the door.