After almost an hour of walking in silence, I cannot take the tension anymore.
“Hey, do you want to check out a couple of shops around here?” I blurt out probably a bit louder than I should’ve.
If my words catch her off guard, she luckily doesn’t show it and instead nods while pulling a small ring of metal out of the pocket of her beige slacks. Various small chips of metal clink alongside one another as she shows me what this world’s version of a wallet is.
“That actually sounds good to me. I’ve been wanting to find some gear or clothes that are different than the same ones we always have to wear from the barracks. The beige-on-beige outfits kind of make us stand out a bit and are not really useful in a combat environment like on Floor One.”
Thankful for her willing response, I point out the ring she is holding while fishing around in my pocket for the random pieces of metal I stole from Master Lirin’s office a while ago.
Originally, I had thought they might have been interesting crafting materials or something I could practice carving inscriptions into, but only after checking the Forum did I find out that they were actually the currency this city used.
“I’m not really sure how much each chip is valued at here. It looks like you have a lot though; did you get paid or something during your training?” I ask while comparing her plentiful ring to the small pile of chips I pull from my pocket.
“It wasn’t so much as payment, but rather just an allowance from Lady Hylin. She didn’t want us bothering to leave during training times, so she would send us out to nearby food stalls and stuff to eat instead of heading all the way back to the tavern. She had us training on a bordering town near some local monster habitats, so we had everything we needed within an easily accessible distance.”
We walk for a little while longer until we find another street full of miscellaneous shops and other merchandise being toted around. This block looks to be away from the main roads, so there is only foot traffic to worry about as we weave through the streams of people moving through the area.
I’m unsure of where we are in relation to the more bustling parts of the city, but at this point, we have traveled much closer to the inner rings of wealth and trade, so the popularity of the shopping center is to be expected.
Pulling me off to the side after a few minutes of strolling, Kathryn leads me to a smaller shop that looks to have practical clothing items with a bit of a fantasy twist in their design. Without her help, I probably wouldn’t have spotted the place, as all of the signs above each shop really only have runes or archaic symbols that depict their wares.
Before we walk in, she shows me her ring wallet where three different types of metal hang in neat rows alongside each other. Putting my hand out, I show her my various chips of metal in turn.
“See, what I have here is mostly the least valuable chips.” She points at two different colors of chip on her link of which she has the most. “This copper looking one is the least valuable, and this bronze one is the next more expensive one after that. A few copper chips can get you some cheap food at a stall, but the bronze ones could get you a good meal at a restaurant somewhere with only one of them. This last type here,” She points at a darker purple looking chip, “could probably get you a week at a nice inn, maybe even more. I haven’t had the chance to use the higher valued ones at all, which is why I only have two of them. This was just the way the money was explained to me by Sandra after she had asked Lady Hylin.”
I listen to her explanation of the currency with interest while inspecting my own pile. I have a few of the two lower value chips she was talking about, one of the purple chips, and one that looks sort of aquamarine and has a nice shine to it.
“Do you know how much this one costs?” I ask while pointing toward the outlier chip.
“Hmm… no, I don’t recognize this one. Where did you get it?” She wonders after taking a second to check it out.
“I took it from my Master’s desk. After someone mentioned in the Forum that they were a form of money here, I made sure not to take any more just in case he noticed. So far though, I haven’t seen him buy anything, so I don’t think he uses his money much.”
Instead of reprimanding me for stealing, Kathryn actually laughs a bit before heading inside the shop. “I think if I tried that, Lady Hylin would probably have made me clean up the stables for a week.”
Following her inside, I almost run directly into a large man but end up catching myself at the last moment. The man continues on anyway, and I am slightly knocked to the side due to his bulk.
“Sorry, bud.” He rumbles in a deep baritone while patting me on the shoulder with a meaty hand. “Guess I gotta watch where I’m going, eh?”
I just nod at his apology, not thinking much of the instance. His bloodshot eyes and thick odor make me think he probably just had a little too much to drink, so I just let the little bump roll off my back while I trail after Kathryn, who didn’t even notice the interaction.
The interior of the shop is quite tasteful, as its layout reminds me of a tailor shop I once visited as a kid. A woman with a serious expression and light, fluffy blonde hair sits behind a desk in the back. She doesn’t bother looking up at our entrance into the shop, and instead continues to work on some piece of fabric in her hands.
I point the woman out to Kathryn, but she just waves me on while browsing some of the blouses that are shelved nearby.
As I approach the desk, the woman still doesn’t register my presence, so I cough in my fist to announce myself. The woman seems surprised for a moment before snapping into saleswomen mode with a pearly white smile that doesn’t match the slight annoyance in her pale blue eyes.
“Oh, um-hello! Welcome to Leyette’s Fashion and Design. Can I help you find anything today?”
“Yes, do you happen to have any flame-retardant clothing or fabric here?” I question politely.
“Heat resistant? Hmmm… let me check our catalog for a moment.”
The woman bends down to grab a stone tablet from underneath the desk, and I wait patiently as she sorts through their current stock.
I have been hoping to get some fire-proof clothing of some sort, as I am getting quite tired of constantly having to change clothes any time I want to use the growing pool of radiation in my body. The general heat-waves I create are one thing, but since I have discovered the utility of infusing my skin with intense heat from the radiation, my clothes are no match for the flames that flicker along my skin and scorch the flammable material they are comprised of.
Finally, the woman seems to find what she is looking for, and her tongue clicks while her fluffy hair bounces up and down.
“Sorry sir, it looks like we are out of salamander thread, so we do not have what you are looking for in stock. I apologize for the inconvenience.” She says without sounding too apologetic as she begins to work on the piece in her hand once again.
“Do you know of anywhere nearby I might be able to find something of that sort? My skills do a bit of damage to my clothes, and I would like to get something as soon as possible that can withstand the heat.”
She pauses her project for another moment to look me up and down.
“Are you looking for functionality without too much care for aesthetics? I can point you toward two places only a few minutes away, but your destination will be dependent on how much you are comfortable spending.” She asks despite probably already knowing the answer based on my earthly colored outfit.
Taking out my chips, I put them on the counter to show off my wealth for her to decide.
“You will want to go to Locklan’s Smithy down the street and around the corner. There isn’t any signage as I doubt the man can afford it, so you might have to ask around.” She says in an unimpressed tone while going straight back to work.
I am a bit confused at her reaction, as I had assumed that based on what Kathryn said, the aquamarine chip should at least be more valuable than a week’s stay at a nice inn. Maybe she just didn’t see that one. Reaching forward, I go to pick it up and show it to her for a better estimation of my wealth.
Unfortunately, when I go to sort through the pile, the shiny chip is nowhere to be found. Panicking for a moment, I reach into my pocket to see if I had missed it, but there is nothing in there either. Backtracking through the store doesn’t help either, as if I dropped it in the ten feet it took to reach the woman’s desk, than surely I would’ve been able to easily spot the chip lying on the ground.
“Um, ma’am? Did I perhaps drop a shiny aquamarine piece of metal behind your desk?”
The woman just looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Do you seriously think you are the first customer to try this crap on me? If I had an Eclet anywhere in my register, I would have already closed this store and retired by now. Stop bothering me if you don’t have the money to pay for anything.”
“What’s wrong?” Kathryn asks after I grab my remaining coin and move away from the desk. By the time she is next to me, I’m already scrambling along the floor to find the ‘Eclet’ that is apparently worth enough to retire a fashion store owner.
“I think I lost that expensive chip I had.” I admit solemnly while not mentioning how much the desk lady said it was valued around.
“Oh that sucks. Did you drop it in the entrance or something?” She asks.
Suddenly, I remember the guy that bumped me on my way in.
“Motherfu… That fat bastard who ran into me at the door must’ve taken it!” I curse while running out into the street and looking each way to see if I can spot the fake-drunkard.
The man must’ve seen when Kathryn and I compared our collection of chips and knew that I was carrying a veritable gold mine in my pockets. Unfortunately, no matter where I look, I can’t spot the man anywhere.
Also, trying to find the thief reminds me of the average level of each citizen walking about, and I quickly realize that even if I could somehow find the meatball with legs, the man would probably be a high enough level to where it didn’t even matter.
Grumbling curses at my own ignorance, I stalk back into the shop where Kathryn is waiting.
“I’m guessing you didn’t find him?” She asks in a sympathetic tone that thinly veils the smile hiding underneath her hand.
I slowly shake my head with a look that just makes her smile even wider. Instead of explaining the seriousness of the loss at hand, I instead tuck the true depth of my embarrassment away, and allow her to think I just lost an inconsequential amount of money.
As she continues to giggle to herself, her attention turns back to the shelves surrounding us and I let her continue browsing like before. After a few minutes of this, my embarrassment outweighs my patience, and I let her know I’ll be back in a little bit.
“I’m heading to Locklan’s Smithy where the other honest folk do their business.”