Chapter 10 Natural Eccentric

Jason was setting up in the centre of the market. He was pulling out vials of unusual looking liquids, and setting them up on the cart. He wasn’t drawing attention as of yet, so it was alright for Axel to approach.

“Remember, pick me out as I walk by,” Axel reminded.

“And humiliate you? I can do that for free,” Jason said. Although, there was a hint nervousness in his tone.

“Yeah. Make me look like a right fool.”

“And how far can I go?” Jason asked. “Just a . . . Boundary.”

“Don’t push it,” Axel said, meeting his eyes. “Say what you really think.”

“Right, right.”

“Are you ready?” Axel asked.

Jason nodded. Axel disappeared into the crowd just as the alchemist hopped up onto the carts. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands together- sucking up confidence. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls-” he tried to remember what Axel told him to say. Then it came to him, and carried on, “And all those in between. Welcome to Jason’s Miraculous Show of Alchemy. All I need is a willing participant.”

A few players pinged onto him. It was hard to not spot him as he stood on the cart. Axel pretended to walk by, and Jason shouted over to him.

“You there, traveller. Yes, you, the ugly goblin.”

Axel acted like an introvert; he pulled his eyes down, but they eventually met Jason’s. “Uh, what?”

“Oh, my dear goblin, I have a wonderful treat for you.”

“I uh- don’t thin-”

“Nonsense, nonsense. You will be a wonderful showgirl.”

Axel grinned in his mind. Jason was doing well. “I’m a guy,” he meekly corrected.

It got a few laughs out of the crowd, and even more people were now paying attention. Axel just hoped there was a big enough crowd for when the guards arrived.

“Oh, you are rather feminine, aren’t you? I have a wonderful new concoction that will make the manliest man of all mankind. So, what do you think?”

Axel acted to be too embarrassed to back out. “Sure,” he blurted.

“Excellent. Now-” Jason turned around a plucked a vial out. It was a slimy grey substance. He handed it to the acting Axel, and he drank it.

Jason grabbed some explosive gas powder on the ground, and threw it before Axel’s feet. A puff of purple smoke shot from the ground, covering Axel. When the smoke dissipated, Axel now had a great, big, bushy beard. His eyebrows were now rough, and his muscles had increased in size. Axel himself was impressed. He barely felt a thing. It did feel odd, but nothing too strange.

“I give you: Manly Man!” Jason exclaimed, giving a bow.

The now large crowd all clapped in amusement. Some of the female players were even whistling at him. ‘Perfect’ Axel thought.

“Hmmm,” Jason said, rubbing his chin, playing into the act. “I think he’s too manly now, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah!” the crowd shouted.

Jason then handed Axel a bright pink potion. It smelt of perfume and small dogs. Acting reluctant, he drank the entire vial. Jason then threw another bit of powder on the ground, and Axel was once again surrounded in purple smoke.

He felt his hair growing his out, his chest enlarging, and his lips getting plumper. What emerged from the cloud, was a smoking hot Axel.

“My my, what a beauty,” Jason joked, whistling after. The crowd all pointed their fingers at Axel and laughed.

“Guards! Move out of the way,” a man in suit of armour said at the back of the crowd.

Jason put his hands on hips, his fingers shaking. “The guards are trying to ruin the wonderful show for all of you. Don’t let them through!” He held up a fist to the guards at the back.

The crowd of players turned around like a bunch of sheep, and blocked the guards from getting any closer to Jason.

“Get out of here!”

“Yeah, leave! Don’t interrupt his show.”

‘People are way too easy,’ thought Axel. People loved entertainment, and loved entertainers even more. It is in the same thought process as that of a singer, and a obsessed fan; they will do anything to gain their favour.

“Yeah!” Jason encouraged. “Get those guards out of here!”

The crowd of players pushed away the guards. They weren’t persistent, and to Axel’s immediate pleasure, gave up. He wanted to cackle with laughter.

“Thank you, dear travellers. I almost thought for a moment the show would be cancelled . . . So, shall we carry on?”

Jason’s confidence grew with every passing second. Like Axel had guessed, he was a complete natural. His quirky movements and speech confused them, relating him to eccentric. It only made him more interesting. Within ten minutes of the show starting, the market had come to a standstill. People were standing on crates dozens of feet away to only get a glance.

It was going well, until someone shouted out, “Don’t use the puff of smoke this time!” Like Axel had planned, he wanted people to wonder if it was trickery; a visual illusion, or simply Axel just changing wigs and applying makeup.

“I must warn you, the potions I make are not kind to the eye,” Jason played along.

“Then it’s just a magic trick!” the brave player argued.

“No no, my wonderful traveller. It is not. Shall we do it without the smoke?”

The crowd all cheered in agreement.

“How small are you, ugly goblin?” Jason asked Axel.

“Five feet and ten inches in real life,” Axel responded. “But here . . . I’m like five-five?”

“Woman of the crowd, do you like tall men? I know I certainly do.”

A few hollers came.

“Would you like a few inches- no, you devilish minded travellers, not of that kind.”

The crowd laughed.

“Yes . . . Yes, I suppose I do.”

“Now. Since the big oaf standing in the front thinks my alchemy is merely just trickery, you are all going to watch this man pour the liquid down his throat. There will be no smoke, and you will see it with your own eyes. Are you all ready?”

“Yes!”

“I said, are you all ready?!!!”

“YES!”

Jason handed Axel another vial. This time, the liquid was more viscous, and looked elastic. Acting nervously, Axel tipped it down his throat.

“Now, travellers, watch this!” Jason bellowed.

Axel could feel his entire body start to stretch. To add to the show, he pulled up his starter trousers so the crowd could watch his legs grow. He kept going and going, all the way until he was six feet tall.

The crowd exploded in amazement.

“See, travellers, does that look like visual trickery? I am not no ordinary alchemist!”

The big oaf that Jason had mentioned, was still trying to catch him out. Above the hollering, the big oaf shouted out, “Make a potion that grows a horn on his head!”

“Say that again for the crowd to hear,” Jason instructed, cupping his ear.

“Make a potion that grows a horn on his head!”

They hadn’t planned for that. Jason initially thought it was the guy trying to save his ego. Axel tensed his jaw as he gave a side eye to Jason.

“Yeah! Make a potion that grows a horn on his head!” another shouted.

Jason cleared his throat nervously. “I don’t think I can do that-”

“You said you’re not an ordinary alchemist, so prove it,” the big oaf declared, folding his arms with a smug expression on his face.

Jason smiled away his annoyance. He was trying to think of how he could do it. He needed to properly think about it, but he knew didn’t have the time. Jason didn’t want to disappoint Axel.

“Fine, big oaf,” Jason said. “But if I make this potion, do I have all of your promises that you will come to my stall in Bandit’s Hideaway?”

Axel subtly gulped. Jason had steered off course. He was meant to announce it after his performance. Still, Jason carried on.

“So do I?” Jason asked the crowd while trying to hide nervous shakes.

The crowd grunted a yes.

“So be it,” Jason said, turning around to look at the vials he had. Compounds and properties raced through his mind as he thought of ways around it. It was going to be difficult, but he knew he could do it. He cracked his knuckles and went to work.

As Jason threw potions together, the crowd waited patiently; all on the edge. Axel could cut the tension with a knife. All he could do was patiently wait, and pray that the made alchemist could it.

Jason span around to the crowd and shouted, “Does anyone have a fireball spell?”

A woman raised her hand.

“Brilliant! Shoot down on the ground just there.” The woman did as instructed, firing a ball of flame on the ground. It kept the cobblestones alight for a few moments, allowing Jason to work his magic.

He had dozens of vials in his hand. He held one over the fire until the liquid boiled. He emptied another vial, and used it to collect the rising smoke. Axel was praying he could do it. Jason’s hands moved in unusual way; changing liquids, catching smoke, shaking others. But finally, with ragged breath, he held up a purple vial in his hand and bellowed, “I have it!”

The crowd cheered, but they were all waiting to see the results.

“My ugly goblin,” Jason said with a bow, handing Axel the potion.

Axel gulped. He didn’t want to drink, but he had to. He pressed the top of the vial to his lips, and let the disgusting liquid fall into his stomach below.

A moment of silence passed- nothing happened. Jason jumped on top of the cart and yelled, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all those in between, I give you: The Ugly Horned Goblin!”

Axel could feel something coming out from his forehead. He didn’t have to act to be surprised because he already was. He touched the growing lump on his forehead while looking panicked at the crowd. It started grow more and more, however, it was hurting Axel. He bit down as hard as he could on his tongue to relieve himself.

A white horn pierced from the skin on his forehead, and grew exponentially. Axel had to hold himself up it was that heavy. With gasps and awe from the crowd, Axel held his head up to show the horn on his forehead.

The crowd erupted; hollering, shouting, chanting Jason’s name. He bowed again. “Thank you all for coming to my show. I am selling some potions currently, but you’ll be able to find me in Bandit’s Hideaway.”

The applause lasted for minutes after, and even when Jason started selling his potions. Axel on the other hand, was still troubled as to why the horn wasn’t disappearing off his head. The horn was heavy, and even he strained his neck to keep it upright.

“Sorry there, ugly goblin, here you are,” Jason said, handing him a vial. He then gave Axel a hug and whispered, “Did I do alright?”

“Perfect,” Axel responded. “We’ll need to disappear after you’ve sold your last potion; the guards are watching. Take the cart to the alley behind you; I’ll make it disappear and you run back to Bandit’s Hideaway. Got it?”

Jason gave a subtle headnod. He pulled away dramatically. “No, ugly goblin, I will not go on a date with you!”

‘A natural,’ Axel thought. He drank the potion, and a few seconds later the horn was turning to dust. He gave Jason a side eye before heading into the alleyway. The performance had worked so far, but now getting away scot-free was the problem. If Jason was caught, then he would receive a punishment, and Axel could deal with that.

Axel waited in the shadow of the alleyway, and watched as Jason pulled the cart towards him. There were no guards following him as of yet, but Axel knew they were watching.

“I think I shit myself two times,” Jason said with ragged breath.

“You did a good job,” Axel comforted. “Keep the coin and get back to Bandit’s Hideaway, there’s a stall waiting for you there. I’ll be just behind you.”

Jason nodded his understanding, and ran further down the alleyway. He pushed himself up a wall and into someone’s garden. Axel put the cart inside his inventory, and walked towards the other exit of the alleyway. Just as he got to the exit, he noticed a dozen or so guards running down. Axel calmed his breath, and walked into a nearby crowd to disappear. He waited patiently as the clattering of armour passed him.

Axel grinned; the ploy had worked. He wasn’t aiming to make money from this, but to send people to Bandit’s Hideaway. He wanted people on his turf as it was going to be easier for him in the long run.

He was about to head back, when he received a message from Jack.

Message from G3T_JACKED69

Come to the edge of the trade terminal area. DO NOT go near the actual terminal. Get here quick too.

Axel didn’t reply, but put on a brisk walk towards the area. Axel knew that there was a problem from the way he put it. He also felt that it wouldn’t be good.

He got back onto the main road in Tresluna, and walked towards the trade terminal. He noticed the metal gates, and took a turn down the road. Along the road, there were markets. He was looking for Jack, but a hand grabbed him, and pulled him in between a few stalls.

“Axel,” Jack whispered.

“Could’ve been more gentle,” Axel joked.

Jack let off a small chuckle before he said, “There’s people watching this place like s fucking hawks.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re after you,” Jack said, glancing around the stalls. “If you buy one of the items, and someone notices. They’re gonna spring up and start checking people.”

“I haven’t pissed anyone off yet,” Axel explained, eyebrows furrowed.

“You have a lot of fans . . . And don’t forget the people you pissed off on Omegus.”

Axel screwed up his face. He did piss a lot of people off; more than he had hoped. “Ah, shit, you’re right . . . You’re going to have to buy all the items then.”

Jack nodded his head. “Yeah. I found out we need an initial investment of 300 gold to get your level up to effect the rewards more. After that, we’ll need 3000 gold’s worth of the collection items.”

Axel grinded his teeth as he thought. The maths made sense. “What will my greed stat be with that 300 gold?”

Jack shrugged. “I’ve done a quick browse of the different experience levels. It’s roughly a 1.35 increase per level on average. Sometimes it’s 1.1, or even 1.5. It would be difficult to say. It’s just the time limit that is an issue here.”

“Yeah, I know. So the 300 is an estimate. “

“I’ll find the best experience collectible for the cheapest gold. We’ll want to save the more expensive rewards for your other spell.”

“Thanks Jack, again- for everything.”

“I’m just glad to be working with the The Legendary Hoarder again. The stuff we used to get up to. I’m surprised we never got banned.”

“Adora’s Reckoning, the Battle at Blunder Valley- I could go on,” Axel listed. “Do you think it’s worth doing it right now?”

“Yeah. The prices will go up the more the word spreads,” replied Jack. “By the way, do you think I suit an orc?”

“Eh, you used to only play elves. At least you look more manly.”

Jack flexed his giant biceps.

“Here’s the gold,” Axel said, opening a trade window.

“I’ll try not to run off with it,” Jack joked.

“I’d hunt you down and tear one ball off at a time,” Axel said seriously.

“Jeez man, I was only joking.”

“I know,” Axel admitted. “It’s hard to trust people now. I almost told Jasmine she couldn’t help, and she’s a fucking gold mine.”

“She’s kinda hot too, I dig the goblin look . . . Yours is just ugly.”

“Yeah, thanks Jack. I’ll remember that for your best man’s speech,” Axel said, grinning at him.

“Honesty is the best policy,” he declared.

Axel slapped him on the arm. “I’m going to head back now, let me know if you run into any problems.”

“I don’t think anyone would want to mess with these weapons,” Jack said, flexing them again.

“Always an ego,” Axel said shaking his head. “Fuck off.”

Jack started chuckling as he headed over to the trade terminal. Axel could only smile as he rekindled old memories. Him and Jack used to get up to all sorts. He was a collector like himself, only Axel took it a step further. Most of the time they played as the good guys, but collecting was a risky business with a lot of hungry people. They would often have to fight their way to get out of situations. They were good at fighting too, after all, they were in the top guild on Omegus.

Axel headed back to the warehouse while brainstorming. As of now, the target was 3000 gold. He roughly had 490 gold on him, as he had given Jack 300 and Jason 10. They were all worthwhile investments. He was unsure of how much Jason and Jasmine could make with the stall and thieving. At best, he was hoping for 500 gold a day between them, but even that was hopeful. If they made 500 gold a day, he would still need to find 100 extra gold. He couldn’t sell outdated bread as it was far too risky.

Again, player killing crossed his mind, but he didn’t fancy being hunted more than he already was. He was famous among the gaming community, but hated just as equally. If the word had already spread, then people would be sniffing out clues everywhere.

Now his name was out, restraints were across him. He needed something big. Something covert. Something smart, and with a dash of luck.

{TRIUMTERRA WIDE ANNOUNCEMENT!}

{A horde of Uhyre Monsters is approaching Tresluna}

{The King of Tresluna wants you to help him defend his city}

{Experience will be doubled for those who compete in the event, and will receive rewards according to their contribution}

{Event begins in 11:59:59s}

“Oh yes,” Axel moaned. That had just tingled his money bone, and his greed tickled down throughout his entire body.