“How much is this one?” he held up the most detailed map. “Or this one?” Dakkon then pointed towards the crude one.
“25 gold for the first one,” said the steward. “The second for five.”
“I’ll give you 27 for the pair of them,” pushed Dakkon.
“We do not barter in an institution so fine as—” the steward trailed off as he looked at the unpolished, second scroll that Dakkon had selected. “Very well, two gold for the second… map,” he spoke the word with an air of contempt, “is a fair price.”
“Deal,” said Dakkon. He paid the steward and collected his two new maps.
\\\\\\
While he was shopping in the area, Dakkon knew it would be a good idea to buy some gear. Of which, there were many choices he could make. The average character could wear a headpiece, a tunic, chest armor on top of that, leggings, vambraces, boots, gloves, a cloak, a bag, eight rings, an amulet, and an assortment of trinkets and pouches. Currently Dakkon wore boots, pants, a shirt, a bag, a cloak, and not much else. He worried that buying armor might leave him with something he’d have to replace soon. If he bought a few powerful rings however, he would have less to worry about when a better piece of armor crossed his path in the future. He scoured markets and craft halls in search or rings, stopping only once to regenerate his mana and create two new Hotspots to continue his training.
Every second or third merchant had at least one ring to sell, and at a variety of prices Dakkon suspected were anything but a good deal. It made sense. With an item that small, a merchant could afford to hold out for a buyer who would pay their asking price. Dakkon found a plethora of rings to choose from. The most common type of ring in his price range modified stats. There was an abundance of rings for each and every stat except for luck. Dakkon found this somewhat odd, even if the stat was unpopular. His curiosity drove him to try and find out just how rare a luck item might be, and if he found a lucky item, whether or not it could be sold for a premium. No matter how hard he searched, there wasn’t a luck increasing ring to be found.
After hours of haggling and comparing merchant’s prices for rings, Dakkon advanced his bargain hunting tactics by heading directly to crafting hubs in hopes that he could buy some rings directly from a manufacturer. After making the switch, it didn’t take long for Dakkon to find a player holed up in the back of a workshop who was in the process of casting new rings. A blue nametag identified the crafter as Denden.
“How powerful are those silver rings you’re making?” Dakkon asked of the crafter after he’d finished a ring and dropped it into a third-full bucket near his feet.
Looking somewhat relieved to take a break from his task, Denden wiped the sweat from his brow and replied, “These are only +3 rings. I can make them for any stat, save stamina as I haven’t learned the etchings for it yet, but it takes about 20 minutes per ring.”
“Oh. That seems like it could get tedious. I don’t suppose you’ve made any luck rings?” Dakkon’s inflection made for an inquisitive tone.
“Luck? I take it you’re no crafter,” Denden eyed him speculatively. “No one buys luck-based anything. I’d be losing money on my materials if I did that.”
“That bad, huh? Then, I guess their scarcity won’t translate into value?” sighed Dakkon.
“They’re cheap but almost nobody sells them. If you want luck rings, you’d be better off scouting around dungeons or quests for luck equipment than buying them off merchants. Even the NPCs don’t carry items that won’t sell.”
“That makes sense to me,” said Dakkon. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sell some agility rings to me?”
“I could do a custom order +3 agility ring for 30 gold if you want. Like I said, it’ll take 20 minutes per ring and you’ll have to pay me up front,” said Denden. “I’ve also got a pile of +3 strength rings I can sell you for a modest 20 gold a piece. They’re worth 30 easily, but I just want to cover the cost of materials and a bit for my time is all.”
“If it’s not too forward, how much do materials cost you?” asked Dakkon
“Well you have the material itself, the moldings, the etching tools, and a magical reagent that accounts for the stat bonus itself,” said Denden. “I can make the reagents as I’m something of a wizard in my own right, but all said and done it probably costs 75 gold to make your first silver ring, then 12 or so gold for every one after that.”
“Would you need a different reagent for making agility vs strength rings?” Dakkon asked with interest.
“Nah, that’s where the etching comes in. You need the right reagent for the right metal, and working with it is tricky business,” said Denden. “Truth be told I could probably make a ring in 10 minutes if I rushed, but if I messed up I’d have tainted silver and wasted reagents. I’d be out eight of the 12 gold and no better off for it.”
“That actually sounds pretty interesting,” said Dakkon truthfully. “I’d love to watch you make a few rings if you wouldn’t mind us coming up with a compromise.”
“What sort of compromise did you have in mind?” asked Denden.
“Since stamina seems to be off the table, how about three agility rings and one of strength, dexterity, and intellect for 100 gold?” suggested Dakkon.
“That’s about 16 gold a ring although they’re easily worth 20,” stated Denden coolly.
“That’s true, but you’ll be paid in a nice lump sum and will have some company for the next hour or two,” Dakkon said with a grin “I bet it can get awfully boring back here alone. I’ll even make it 105 gold, but I really can’t offer you any more than that.”
After a moment’s consideration, Denden shrugged. “Fair enough. Beats guild prices and haggling with street merchants, that’s for sure.”
C
HAPTER 15:
A
N
EW
L
EAF
When Dakkon walked back out onto the streets of Correndin equipped with his six new rings, he felt better. He didn’t feel bad before, but now he felt… improved. The night air, however, felt unseasonably cold by Dakkon’s estimation. It was past midnight. Dakkon had spent the promised hour with Denden, watching him work, and an additional three hours talking with and learning from the craftsman.
Although grumbling figures passed him by on the street, clutching their cloaks tightly around themselves to ward off the chill of night, Dakkon warmed himself by merely willing it so. Aiming to make his way to the west gate, Dakkon wandered down unfamiliar roads and alleys in the general direction of his destination. About seven minutes into his walk, Dakkon heard a scraping noise that drew his attention. Were he not free to take in his environment so fully, he likely would have walked right past the little horse thief whom he had encountered twice before. The dirty boy was huddled into a ball, shrouded only by a tattered quilt that was sloppily stitched together from odds and ends no doubt scavenged from bins and piles of refuse.