We entered the area around the Bazaar as incognito as possible. My staff and armor were stored in my ring and I had put on a change of clothes. Man, it felt nice to wear clean clothes after so many days.

Fiona had argued with me about storing her armor but eventually, I won out, saying that there were enough guards downtown to prevent any shenanigans by the Black Dragon members. She also had a change of clothes, thanks to my neighbor's wife being of a similar build. The clothes were a little loose on Fiona though.

There were really only two people we needed to avoid and they were easy enough to spot. Looking around I didn't see the mage or her cohort so we hurried into the entrance tunnel, being whisked into whatever space the Bazaar occupied. I had asked Fiona about it after our first visit but she didn't know much about how the building worked.

"I'm going to see about getting us some mounts with the coin from selling off our spoils from last night. You should pick up some passive skills for yourself. Mainly riding and mounted combat. While not as good as active skills it will at least let you attack while on your mount without falling off. Meet me back here in six hours and we can leave together."

"Yes, mam," I said giving her a slight bow and a jaunty salute. Wait, since when did she start taking charge again? Oh well, it freed me from trying to figure out what constituted a good mount other than the basic horse.

The first thing I did was hit up Victoria's shop for the skills, I chuckled again just thinking of the name.

I was still kind of miffed at the little pixie for not explaining the drawbacks to the skills I purchased but she did seem to sell some stellar skills. I needed the two riding skills as well as an upgrade to Identify so I could use it on items.

I arrived without fanfare asking the pixie if she had the skills I was looking for. I think that made her even angrier than my laughing at her store name the previous day. Eventually, she calmed down enough to say she did indeed have the skills. All three were relatively cheap as they were common skills costing me 375 credits for the bundle.

My next goal was to find a trainer. Turns out there were quite a few trainers, although I didn't find any that impressed me overly much until I ran across an old man standing on a carpet in front of a weather-beaten tent.

The old man must have been pushing ninety he was so weathered. When I watched him practice in his stall I could see the fluid grace of his movements, slow and methodical. Not at all like the flashy and over the top movements, the rest of the trainers were using to pull in respective clients. I walked up to his booth.

"Greetings," I said, waving to the man who kept his staff moving almost without thought.

"Greetings, young fellow. Are you lost?" he said with a warm smile.

I laughed, "No, I was wondering if you could train me in the art of staff combat? Oh, by the way, I'm Paul and what can I call you?"

"Everyone simply calls me Old Man Trumbo," the man said before pondering my other question.

"Hmm," The wizened old man said, putting one hand on his chin. His staff continuing its slow spin around his neck effortlessly. With the tiniest of flicks the staff struck out stopping an inch from my nose causing my heart to skip a beat, "And why should I teach you my techniques?"

"Enlightenment of the youth?" I said, trying to be funny.

I didn't even see him pull the staff back, it was now spinning lazily in one arm, "Humor is good, it helps one cope with the horrors of life," he said the staff coming to rest on the ground with a soft thump. I swear that soft thump radiated through my entire being. I was itching to use identify on this man, but I heeded Fiona's warning from the day before.

"Very well, you made an old man smile, so I will teach you for one day. If you show promise, perhaps I may teach you again in the future. The cost of training will be 1000 credits."

I was going to haggle with the man for more time or a discount but something told me if I did, this chance to train with him would be lost. So what if it was three times the cost of the other trainers. I agreed following the man into his tent that contained a small training room.

The man placed his staff tip down on the floor and walked to the back of the room. The staff stayed upright, perfectly balanced on its metal end, "I cannot teach you my technique, exactly. As it has to do with the flow of air and water and I sense that your abilities lay in earth and air."

I must have let my feelings show as Old Man Trumbo replied.

"Fret not young man, I can teach you a suitable technique," Trumbo said, alleviating the sudden worry that I had wasted a large chunk of money.

He proceeded to take off his shirt, leaving him in only a pair of loose ankle-length pants and sandals. The dude was all corded muscles, the only wrinkles he sported were on his weather-beaten face.

"You may keep your shirt on if you wish but it may be easier your first time with it off."

"That's what she said," I spit out before realizing it.

The old man stopped, seemed to ponder what I said, then laughed a deep belly laugh that I didn't think a man of his age could have conjured forth.

Once the man finished laughing he asked me, "Your weapon, may I see it?"

I had no reason to deny the man and pulled the staff from my ring handing it over to him. The man deftly twirled the staff managing to stop it on a dime and switch direction. He then used it to vault into the air doing a corkscrew flip, slamming the end of the staff down on the hard mat. I could hear the staff vibrating from the impact but the man held on and used the added momentum to go into another series of moves. After a few minutes of this, he handed me back the staff. His staff still upright in the center of the room as if unfazed by all the gymnastics happening around it.

"It is an acceptable staff for this training but I suggest you purchase a war staff you will find it to be much more compatible with the style I am about to show you."

I followed along as Trumbo showed me stances. How to set my feet, how to move with my strikes, constantly pushing my opponent, or retreating safely. Then he showed me how to strike out and angle my staff for the greatest effect.

I practiced the moves for a few hours before he told me it was time to test my skills, to see if I learned anything. I fought like a mad man using all the moves and footwork he taught me. He easily blocked or sidestepped each attack with very little effort, pointing out mistakes and asking me to try again. After another hour of this, he called a halt.

"You have improved much in such a short time. Keep practicing those simple moves and the more advanced moves will come much easier when you unlock the intermediate skill at level ten. Just remember there is no substitute for experience and training. The system may impart the knowledge of a move but it won't tell you how best to employ it in a fight. Find me again when you reach level twenty and we shall see if I can impart more, now be off with you."

I did feel like my ability to handle the weapon had improved and I bowed and thanked the man for his time before heading off to find Horace. After activating the token he had provided for me it was a simple matter to find his stalls new location.

"Ah, hello again friend," Horace said with a smile as I approached his booth, "Here to buy today or to pick my brain some more?" he said ribbing me.

"My heart couldn't take the thought of you going hungry for lack of making a sale, so I just had to return."

Horace let out a rumbling laugh. "What'll it be today then? Staffs I think I recall you asking about."

"Um yes, specifically war staffs?"

"A rare weapon those are, I do have a few though, have a look."

'Everything is rare when you're trying to make a sale,' I thought wryly.

After he filtered out his wares a screen popped up showing me four options and a description of each. It even came with a nifty description of what a war staff was.

War staffs are a standard length staff with one short-bladed end and one blunt end and are balanced towards the center

Iron war staff: This staff is banded in iron along its entire length

Quality: Average

Damage: 15-35 bludgeoning/slashing x2 critical damage

300 Credits

Ok, the first option was meh, the only thing it had going for it was that it was cheap. I looked at the next one.

Viridian war staff: Made from lightweight viridian, faster and more flexible.

Quality: Good

Damage: 10-20 bludgeoning / 18-38 slashing x2 critical damage

1800 Credits

The second one seemed awfully expensive for what it could do and I doubt the viridian was the same material as the viridian on Earth. Fast was nice and all but that seemed like something a spear user would prefer; didn't seem like a good fit. On to the next.

Tungsten war staff: Capped on either end by tungsten shells, the blade is made from high-quality steel with a pole made from Eldar wood.

Quality: High

Damage: 18-40 bludgeoning/slashing x2.5 critical damage

2100 Credits

Now this seemed like a nice upgrade, it was pricy though, "Hey Horace, what's Eldar wood?"

"Eldar wood is strong as steel but lighter and more flexible. It is commonly used in high-end spears and other long-handled weapons."

Then there was the last item.

Collapsing war staff of Frost: This staff is capped on either end by frost-steel with the blade made from the same material. The weapon is enchanted with the collapse function allowing the pole to shrink down to 2 feet in length turning the staff into an improvised mace. Uses 5 mana for conversion.

Quality: Exquisite

Damage as Staff: 15-30 bludgeoning/slashing 15 frost damage x2.5 critical damage

Damage as Mace: 10-20 bludgeoning/slashing 15 frost damage x2 critical damage

4000 credits

Now, I could definitely see the advantages of having a staff that shrank down to a mace for fighting in tight quarters. However, even with the magical enchantment, I didn't think it was worth the price. I also wondered if I could duplicate the enchantment with my runes, something to think about.

At the end of the day, it came down to credits so I purchased the Tungsten war staff giving it a quick test. It felt great. I decided to keep my old staff for testing purposes.

Horace was nice enough to point me in the direction of a merchant that sold healing and mana items so I made my way over there next. I picked up 3 more of each injector style mana and health potions. They cost a bit more but were far easier to use during frantic combat. That brought my credits down to 575.

After that, I decided to pick up some crafting supplies: uncut leather, leather string, rivets, and other odds and ends spending another 300. Last I purchased a week's worth of trail rations for 25 credits. Looking at my remaining funds I decided my spending spree was over and I headed towards the exit to wait for Fiona.

I didn't have to wait long, and she wasn't hard to spot holding the reins of two lizard-like mounts. They looked like miniature T-rex, with wide squarish jaws and powerful hind legs. Their front legs were a bit longer than what I had seen on T-rex's and it appeared they could rest on all fours if they choose to. They looked to be covered in a mottled fur at first but as Fiona got closer I realized it was feathers. Each beast sported a saddle and the beasts didn't appear to be as wide as a horse, so perhaps riding them for a long time wouldn't leave me bow legged.

Fiona handed me the reins of one and I kept my distance from its massive jaws and two-inch-long teeth.

"Um...," was all I could say.

"These are ravor beasts, while not as fast as a horse at full gallop, they have more stamina for long-distance travel at a faster pace. These are also trained combat mounts so that should help keep both of you safe. They have another nice quirk, they can be blood bonded to a rider. Just know that if you do blood bond with her, that you can never sell her."

"Why would I ever sell her, it's every boy's dream to have a dinosaur of his very own," I said all wide-eyed and innocent.

Fiona just rolled her eyes at me, "To blood bond you only need to put a drop of your blood in their mouth."

I was about to reach my hand up to its mouth and just cut my hand on its teeth but Fiona grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Best to place the blood on a bit of food and toss it to her, they tend to bite un-blooded people and you would be lucky to only lose your arm."

Well, that explained the blinders over the creature's eyes. I took out a piece of dried meat and put a few drops of blood on it. I could see the beast's nostrils flare at the smell of blood and it turned its head towards me. I tossed the meal into the air and she snatched it up lightning quick.

You are now blood bonded with this ravor beast would you like to name her?

Oh, I definitely wanted to name her, but what to choose? Oh, I know Belladonna or Bella for short. I entered the name.

"What did you name yours?"

"Oh, I named mine Yonel, It's the name of a mythical mount from my world, almost forgot, I also got these," Fiona said, handing me an odd-looking box hanging from a leather strap. It looked like the old animal cracker boxes shaped like a circus wagon. I assumed the leather strap was for hanging it from your belt or pack.

"Ok, what is it?"

"Portable stable, similar magic to a storage ring but meant for living beings. It can store one mount with food and water for a week."

"Neat, pocket monster," I said with a chuckle.

Fiona just stared at me vacantly, not getting the joke. I sighed, 'so much good material going to waste.' She showed me how to fill the device and lead Bella into the box. It was pretty easy, just had to touch the reins to the box and poof. The device even removed the saddle and tack until I recalled her again.

"All of this must-have cost a fortune, how did you afford it all?"

"It did cost quite a bit, but turns out those Assassin's blades were magical. If only slightly and they practically paid for everything. Oh by the way here is your half of the remaining credits," she replied, flicking the credits to my wallet.

I was surprised to see that my half came to 600 credits, so that means she had 1200 left after purchasing all of this. Anything magical really did sell for a premium it seemed. That was good to know for the future.

"So what are you going to do now?"

I had pondered this question for a few days, wondering what I would do after I finished my missions for the Commander and Frathsar. I knew one thing, I needed to level, and I wanted to work on my crafting and rune knowledge. There were enough people left in this town that if I got good at crafting, I could earn a decent living. Especially with the Bazaar being here.

"Not, sure, perhaps we can find someone who knows of a dungeon in the area we can clear. I need to increase my level some more. Or I could speak to the town representative to see if they have any work I could do."

"Seems like a solid plan for you, but what am I supposed to do?"

She had me there, I was still thinking of myself as a solo act, and with her bond, I doubt that was the case anymore.

"Well, I figured you would tag along, or you could wait here for your envoy to arrive?"

"I can just imagine the trouble you would get yourself into without me to back you up. So, No, I won't be sitting around waiting, I will come with you."

I shrugged, she would be leaving in a week anyway, as she had to fulfill her oath with the Royal Guard.

"Gertrude might know where we can start our search," Fiona added.

I shuddered at the mention of the Matron but knew Fiona was right, it seemed like the old crone had her finger on the pulse of the community, what little she had left anyway. So we made our way on foot to the market, it was much too crowded in the town to ride the mounts, especially since I wasn't that confident in my riding skill, despite having the actual skill now.

While looking around I noticed something I had missed the previous day. The small crowds of people moving about seemed to be composed of many different species, less than half being humans. Now, I had noticed a bunch of different species the day before but hadn't realized the extent of the change.

It was also easy to tell Earth humans even non-human Earther's apart from otherworld humans. The Earth humans seemed to keep to themselves and eyed most of the other species with open hostility. On the other hand, the non-human and otherworld pedestrians didn't seem to care as long as the hostile humans kept to themselves.

I just shook my head, even after everything people still fell into old habits of fearing what was different. Most of the humans that showed open hostility, were likely to die off or join a human only faction like the Black Dragon. At least I assumed the Black Dragon was human only, I hadn't seen a single non-human in their ranks. If you can't adapt to a changing world it will leave you behind, that was true in the old world and is even truer in this new world.