*******
Samar and Erion left for the city somewhat later than the two youngest members of the group. This idea was a little strange for Erion. Samar also looked very young, about the age of Mithir and perhaps younger than Ithelas. However, Erion knew that she was probably the oldest of them all. Her age was possibly centuries, but he didn't dare ask. He knew that, at least, she should be Thost's age, since she's been with him for so long.
Along the way, Erion tried to make conversation several times, but Samar answered in monosyllables or short phrases. She was fairly quiet. However, for some reason, Erion felt an open confidence towards her. He only hoped to have the opportunity to get that confidence to be reciprocal.
Erion watched the elf carefully. She was really beautiful: that ethereal, mystique beauty that only the elves seem to reach. Her hair, short and golden, seemed to emit brief flashes, illuminated by the morning sun. Her perfect face showed a classic beauty. Her slightly oval sapphire eyes seemed to light the rest of her face, and were perhaps the most attractive element of the set. It was possible that many men could easily fall in love with her. But the young man clearly understood that Samar kept them all at bay without much effort. Erion was thoughtful for a moment, toying with the idea of whether he would become one of those men.
As they rode toward the city of Ekunon, Erion remembered his brother Mithir for a moment. Since they had left the orphanage years ago, or even when they were still there, they had barely separated. They were almost always together, and they had become so accustomed to each other's company that if they spent a whole day without seeing each other, they longed to meet again. In any case, he thought he was lucky that he had to fetch supplies, accompanying the beautiful Samar.
“Why would Thost have divided the tasks like that?” he wondered.
Perhaps because he still didn't trust him or his brother, or if he thought about it, simply to facilitate the integration and cooperation of the group, so they got to know each other better. In any case, fetching provisions seemed more of an entertaining mission than talking with a wise man with an ego the size of a tarrasque. That task was better for Mithir or Ithelas.
“Well, you're the one who knows the city. Where do we go first?” Erion asked.
“To buy ointments. Let's visit the shop last, because there we'll have to buy heavier goods,” reasoned Samar.
Direct, resolute, determined, and had no problems presenting herself exactly as she was to men; Samar was very different from most women he knew. And the fact that she was a great archer or a decided adventurer was only part of it. Her personality was what most distinguished her. Erion felt ... he really wasn't sure how he felt.
Soon they reached the city with Samar leading the way to the shopping district that was located to the northeast. They came to a large square where convoluted and narrow streets came out of it.
“Let's leave the horses here and continue on foot,” the elf proposed.
In one corner of the square there were some stables and they gave their horses to a porter there. The elf gave him a few copper coins and then walked into one of the alleys, indicating Erion to follow her. They walked first by a street lined with butcher shops and other stores that sold food of various types. The smell was a bit strong for Erion, but was not entirely unpleasant. Several shopkeepers were stationed at the doors of their stores, watching them pass. It was likely that they had opened shortly before, and didn't have many customers yet.
They reached a wider and straight avenue. It was nicely paved and had beautiful flower arrangements. It was, perhaps, the most beautiful street he had seen in that city. It was the Walk of the Gem, where the goldsmiths' guild worked and had their business. It was one of the main economic activities of the city and the jewels that were made there were known throughout the county, even in the Kingdom.
After walking for two or three streets, they turned back into a very narrow dark alley. The buildings seemed particularly old, although most had some kind of maintenance. Only a couple of them looked abandoned. Most seemed homes, perhaps of older people who'd lived in them from long ago, or perhaps people who did not have sufficient resources to live in a major street. After walking a few hundred steps, Samar stopped in front of one of the buildings. Erion thought then that another possible reason could be the desire to live in a quiet area.
Samar shook the latch of the door twice, and then waited. After a minute the door opened, but no one went out. Samar then opened the door wider and motioned Erion to follow her, closing the door immediately after. The young man saw the back of what looked like a hunched old woman who walked away down the hall and disappeared into one of the last rooms. He followed Samar through the corridor, traveling the same path as the old woman.
They entered a strange, dark room. In one corner, a huge black cauldron bubbled by the effect of fire coals beneath it. The room had multiple shelves that stored all kinds of glass containers, roots, fruits of various kinds and various plants. At the end of the room, near the window, there was a table with two chairs. Samar sat and Erion followed suit.
The old woman stirred the pot with a long wooden stick, and seemed not to pay attention. She was dressed all in black and had long white, slightly matted hair. Her sour, pale face hid a difficult age to calculate, but she was certainly very old.
“You've brought someone,” said the old woman dryly.
“He's a friend. We won't take up much of your time,” said Samar.
“What do you need?”
“A few things, in fact: three large ointments, three poison antidotes and some potions,” said the elf.
The old woman nodded to Erion, as if asking him to come closer. The young man rose hesitantly, and then approached the cauldron. The woman stopped to look at him slowly, from top to bottom. She seemed to be doing some kind of evaluation.
“Take this and stir,” she said, as she handed him the stick.
Then she left the room with short but quick steps. She returned a while later and placed several bottles on the table in front of the elf, while Erion kept stirring the cauldron.
“What else?” the woman asked.
“Give me five regular healing potions like the last time. Do you also have a more powerful one?” Samar asked.
“Why, this is much more than usual. Are you getting ready to go to war? Yes, I have potions for serious wounds,” the old woman said.
“Something like that. How much do those cost?” asked the elf.
“Those are more expensive: 750 gold coins each,” the woman replied.
“Too much for me,” Samar said.
The old woman went to one of the pieces of furniture in the room and opened a drawer. She took a kind of leather belt from it. Then she opened another drawer, and began picking up small glass jars filled with a liquid of a strange color. They were slender cylinders no more than three fingers high and a half finger wide, closed by a small cork. One by one, she put the five bottles in the belt insertion points. Then she placed it in front of Samar.
“The belt's a gift,” clarified the old woman. “I understand that's all?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you very much. What do we owe you?”
The old woman sat down and took a scroll and pen and began to make a few scribbles. When she finished, she handed the note to Samar.
Order Samar
3 ointments ------------------------3 x 250
3 antidotes ------------------------ 3 x 750
5 moderate potions ---------------5 x 300
Total ------------------------------ 4,500 g.c.
Samar stared at the last line of the note. It was a lot of money. But on the other hand, this could be the most important investment of them all in the preparation for their mission. The lives of several members of the group, or even all of them, could depend on having these products or not. It also meant investing almost the entire advance that Phoroz provided. The elf hesitated whether to consult Erion or not before making the purchase. She decided against it.
She took the bag with platinum coins that Thost had given her and, after taking a few she had put in a smaller bag, handed the huge sum to the healer.
Then she got up, put the other bottles that the woman had given her on the belt, and fastened it on the breeches. She thanked her and left the room, followed by Erion.
“Close the door on the way out,” requested the old woman, stirring the huge cauldron.
Samar and Erion returned to the narrow, dark alley.
“That bag you gave the old woman seemed very full,” said Erion.
“Yes,” admitted the elf. “Luckily, the rest of the gear should be much cheaper. Let's go now to the Blacksmiths' Round,” she added.
They came back again to the Walk of the Gem and walked for about ten minutes on different streets of the shopping district. Finally, they reached a steep, cracked, cobbled street. As they walked, Erion could feel the heat coming out of the stores. Sweaty blacksmiths pounded steel parts with their hammers’ steel in incandescence, threw shovels of coal into boilers or cooled the leaves on which they were working in large basins filled with water.
After reaching almost the end of the round, Samar went into a large room with large quantities of all kinds of goods stacked from the door, and even outside of it. Shields, helmets, boots, belts, arrows, swords, axes, spears, maces, daggers, arrows, ropes, backpacks, sleeping bags, of all sizes, types and colors were heaped all over the place, limiting the speed at which one could walk. Erion looked at the sign hanging on the door before entering behind the elf: The Bold Adventurer.
A man dressed in a garish red shirt came when he saw them enter. He came smiling and making a great show.
“But look who's here! My favorite client! How are you, dear Samar? How have you been? What a stupid question. I see you're great, as always! And now you come accompanied by this handsome young man! Excellent! Everyone is welcome at The Bold Adventurer. Here is ab-so-lu-tely everything any adventurer could need. We adapt to all budgets and all tastes. No matter what you want, you just have to name it and you'll have it in front of you in a heartbeat. And if given the bizarre fact that right at this moment we don't have the item you want, no problem. We'd order it and deliver it to you in record time. What if you've bought more things that you can load on your horse? Not a problem either. For a small fee, we'll transport all your purchases and deliver them anywhere in Ekunon and its surroundings. In The Bold Adventurer we are delighted to serve our customers,” said the man at enormous speed and barely stopping to breathe.
“Thanks, Maroq. This is Erion,” said the elf, introducing her companion.
“Pleased to meet you, Erion,” said the man as he shook hands and bowed. “We are delighted to have you here. I see you're wearing fantastic boots, although we see they have traveled a lot. Ha ha ha! Perhaps you might consider renewing them. You could also take a look at our leather armor and our belts. I'm sure you could find something that would match the boots. With an outfit like this and that manly manner you'd have all the girls from the city chasing you!”
The man was surprising. Really, he seemed to not need to breathe to talk. Erion believed he didn't recall having seen anyone speak so fast in his life. The young man thought whether Maroq was like this with all customers, and how much energy he had to spend every day.
“We'll need these things,” Samar said as she handed the man a small paper.
“Yes, of course! No problem. But, come in, come in. You don't have to stay here. Follow me ... Here, here, please sit,” he said, while indicating two comfortable chairs at the back of the store. “I won't take long. I'll be right with you soon,” he added.
The seller disappeared through the door into the back room of the premises. He returned a few minutes later, carrying a lot of different objects that he placed on a table in front of them. Then he began to move at a high speed through the store and took some additional goods from different places. A few minutes later, he had everything stacked on the table.
“Let's see,” the salesman began, “we have two regular travel backpacks, a hundred boxwood arrows of top quality, two small bags with flint and steel, forty standard quality arrows, two braided ropes twenty steps long, two hooks, three canteens, two new sleeping bags, climbing equipment and ten torches of medium duration. You gave me the freedom of bringing some options that you may choose. For example, what do you think of these backpacks that just arrived from the capital? They are a new design with more pockets and, mind you, they have reinforcement on the inside for durability, and also ...”
“Maroq,” began Samar.
“Oh yes, I know, I know. Once you have decided on a particular model for particular merchandise you prefer to not review other options. But I thought that the gentleman may want to consider these possibilities. These backpacks are a tad expensive but definitely worth it. They're all the rage. They are selling fast.”
“Keep me out of it. Everything that Samar chooses seems fine with me,” clarified Erion.
“Oh, of course, of course. I just thought that maybe you wanted to see these new things, well ...”
“Give me ten small flasks as well,” interrupted the elf.
“Coming right up. While I go look for them, you can take a look at these ropes of silk. They are just as strong but much lighter and take up less space, you see. Also I have this oil lantern with a cap. You can turn it on and keep it that way, but any time you can put down the cap, and it’s dark again. Ideal to surprise your enemies if you're in a cave or something like that. With torches people will see you coming a mile away, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to my favorite customers. Anyway, I leave everything here for you to take a look. I'll get the flasks. I'll be right back. And don't go anywhere!” Maroq said as he turned to go out the door of the back room.
Samar and Erion were checking the goods that the talkative salesman had brought, and decided that they were of reasonable quality. They also took a look at some other options but ultimately decided not to change anything. Maroq returned shortly and put the flasks with the rest of the gear.
“Here you go. I think that's everything. Samar, dear, let me ask. How are your funds? In the special section I have several things that will surely interest you. In addition ...”
Samar always interrupted Maroq when he wanted to say something. Otherwise it was almost impossible for her to talk.
“I wish, Maroq. I'd love to have a look. But I fear that we can't spend a lot,” said the elf as she stood up. “I'll get one of the horses to carry all this. Erion, I will bring it through one of the back streets to avoid crossing the shopping district with him; I don't want to have problems with the militia. I have to make a detour, so it will take a while,” she added.
“No problem. Take all the time you need. Anyway, if you want we can send all this to the mansion. You'll have it there tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest ...”
“No, thanks. We'll take it. What do I owe you for this?” asked the elf.
“Well, you bought many things. Let me see. Well, you're my favorite client, so I think we can make an effort. But, please, do not tell anyone about these prices I'm giving you. I only do this with you. Anyway, I think you can take everything for 270 gold coins,” Maroq concluded.
“I think it's actually 124 gold coins and 4 silver ones,” Samar said precisely.
“Oh, don’t say that, for Oris’ sake! What have I done to you? Anyone would say you want us to close. If I sell it for that price I'm losing everything. I have to feed my four children, and the two that are on the way ...”
Maroq continued recounting the many problems and catastrophes that would be triggered if he sold the goods at the price the elf offered. At the same time, the seller knew that Samar had made a precise calculation of the value of each object and knew their market price. It was obvious that she had bought many of these things right there in the past and knew their reasonable price. Maroq still continued to make his speech for a while, until they began to bargain. Samar ended up paying 137 gold coi
ns so she didn't waste any more time on that discussion.
“Wait here with the goods. I'll get my horse to load all this,” Samar said to Erion.
The elf paid Maroq and left. Erion watched her go into the street without understanding very well what was coming. In the half hour it took her to return, Maroq tried to sell new trousers, shirts, boots, armor, daggers, swords, horses, even a farm near the town with pigs and chickens included. Erion had met with vendors of all types, and had very well cataloged the ones that went in the same category as Maroq, but he really didn't ever find a seller that talkative. Erion made a mental note. Perhaps the man could be useful someday.
When he finally saw Samar by the door, his head was turning because the seller made him dizzy. He wondered whether the elf would have left him there on purpose, instead of sending for the horse. In any case, she was already there.
Within minutes they loaded Samar's horse with all the goods. They said goodbye to Maroq, who was still trying to teach them the benefits of some of his goods, and left.
“What a character!” Erion commented.
“True. But he's harmless and really has everything. Also, if you know what things are worth you can buy for a reasonable price,” reasoned Samar.
“What was that special section?” asked the young man.
“Magical objects. But it takes a lot of gold to buy any goods of that kind,” explained the elf. “Perhaps when the mission is over, if things are going well, we can go back and take a look.”
They returned to the square where they could pick up Erion's horse and, after distributing the load, left to go to Thost's mansion.