“Silent arrows, four for one gold piece! They’ll even work on big-ear jackalopes!”

“Level six embedder here! I’ll embed any jewel in any weapon for a reasonable price!”

“Learn to blacksmith! An hour lesson for just fifty silvers!”

With a kabob in one hand, Freya leaned around Infamous Biscuit. He was at a particularly crowded tent that sold potions.

Behind one of the tables, a woman in an elaborate blue and gold robe talked with customers.

[Dihydrogen Monoxide85]

[Lvl 27 Alchemist]

“Look healing potions!” Infamous Biscuit said, he reached over someone’s head and snagged two bottles. He handed one to Freya.

“You should buy one of these. They’re good to have in a pinch.”

Freya looked at the bottle in her hand.

[Minor Healing Potion]

[Item Class: Uncommon]

[Heals up to 100 HP points. Warning: Paralysis will occur if more than one is taken in an hour]

“How much is this?” Freya asked Infamous Biscuit. She couldn’t see above the crowd to read the price.

“Five gold coins. I know it’s expensive, but they’re difficult to make I guess. They actually used to be more expensive, but some alchemists have developed better techniques to make them.”

Moving to a less crowded part of the tent, they continued to look at other items. Infamous Biscuit picked up a small bottle with interest.

“Soak a seed in this potion for two days and the resulting seedling will grow stronger? I’ve never seen that before.” 

Freya took a bite of her kabob and glanced at the price tag. In neat script, it listed: {5G 50S}

Next to him, two people were ogling a different item. Focusing her eyes on the bottle, a screen popped up.

[Sticky Explosion]

[Item Class: Rare]

[When thrown hard enough to break the glass, an explosion will throw all in a 20-meter radius away and stick them wherever they land for 10 minutes]

The tag attached listed: {10G}

Freya looked around at the other items while she finished her kabob. She felt full but wished for another one. The seasonings were simple, but the meat was so tender and juicy it seemed only right to let it shine on its own.

After throwing away the stick, she came back and looked at the cheaper potions at the front of the tent.

[Minor Strength Potion]

[Item Class: Common]

[Raises strength stat for five minutes]

{20S}

After some debate and discussion, Infamous Biscuit decided to buy the plant starter potion and Freya a minor strength potion. 

When they approached the counter, Dihydrogen Monoxide85 looked over Infamous Biscuit’s purchase with excitement.

“Oh, the plant starter potion! Could I ask you to DM me the results?” the alchemist asked, eyes shining.

“I created that not too long ago and tried one out myself, but the results weren’t too impressive. It turned into just an extra pretty flower. But I’m not a druid. I’m sure that will make a difference, and the seed type too.”

“Sure, once I find a good enough seed, I’ll try it and let you know.” Infamous Biscuit said.

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” said Dihydrogen Monoxide85. She also gave him a slight discount on the price.

Once Freya paid for her potion, they continued to wander around the market. Infamous Biscuit wanted to immediately find suitable seeds, but no vendor sold any.

They also looked at a couple of different player’s tents that sold clothing and armor. Freya gawked at some of the pieces. 

One full suit of armor seemed to reflect off red light, drawing even more attention to its enormous pauldrons that looked like they would extend a person’s shoulders above their head.

[Armor of Crystalred]

[Item Class: Unique]

[Shaped from pieces of crystalred by the People of Glass. This armor is helpful against elemental attacks]

[+2 Armor, +4 Vitality, -1 Dexterity]

{60G}

“Maybe it has good stats, but I don’t think I would ever wear that,” Freya said to Infamous Biscuit.

“It is a bit flashy,” even he agreed.

Not finding much in the rest of the player managed tents, they finally went over to the silent auction.

Half the market was dedicated to the silent auction. Rows of benches displayed items and skill books. They were not in any particular order or grouping. Thus people were fairly spread out scanning for good items to bid on.

Knives, jackets, and various parts of monsters were some of the more common items. There were some entries that didn’t make sense to Freya, like half an eaten sandwich and another that was only a silver piece listed for two silvers.

Amongst everything, Freya found two martial artist related skill books that seemed interesting. She made a bid on them and hoped for the best.

Then in the last row of the silent auction, something caught her attention.

It was a simple undyed shirt, but inside near the neckline, Freya saw the small embroidery pattern of a rose.

Startled, Freya picked up the shirt.

[Warning if not returned in 2 minutes the item will return to the table and the player will be forcefully removed from the market]

Freya quickly looked over it to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. The rose symbol was a mark her friend Yina always put on her clothing designs.

“How did Yina’s work end up here?”

She put the shirt back on the table. Inspecting it as if it were a game item, a text box showed up.

[Tailored Shirt]

[Item Class: Common]

[Soft and comfortable shirt. Tailored to original buyer]

[+0.5 Dexterity]

{10S}

Freya froze, staring at the text box. 

Then she looked at her own shirt, focusing on it like she would a game item. 

Nothing. 

Yet, her shirt was also fitted by Yina. However, her shirt was a bit old. This shirt on display looked brand new. Had Yina recently stumbled into the game unknowingly? She hadn’t said anything about seeing text boxes like Freya, but maybe the game curse was just beginning to spread to her.

Freya mumbled to herself, “Why is the game spreading?”

.............................

~Info Corner~

Class Descriptions

[Alchemist]

[Suitability: DPS, Healer]

[Uncovering the secrets of alchemy can lead to fortune and prosperity. Alchemists rely on their knowledge and intuition to create potions. These brews can do almost anything from inflicting pain to healing the injured!]

[Innate Skills: Potion Brewing, Potion Pitch, Intangible Infusion]