“Going to go get a worthwhile weapon, hit up a shop for food and drink then probably head back out. Nothing else here in town to really keep me.”
Alburet said his goodbyes a moment later as Stewart had nothing to add. Using the portal, he found himself in the graveyard again and started walking towards Grimgar's Weaponry.
While he walked, he looked over his new spell, Demonic Vitality. Mana cost: 100. Duration: 1 minute. Restores 5 health every second. To use this spell touch your fist to the target while saying the words “Demonic Vitality.” Alburet paused to change the spell so that he touched his target with the extended pointer and pinky fingers of one hand with the others curled along with the words “Burning blood.”
As Alburet walked towards Grimgar’s he felt an itch begin between his shoulder blades, as if he were being watched. He spotted a bench just down the street and strolled over to it. He took a seat and rolled his head around as if stretching out his neck muscles. As he did, he narrowed his eyes to seem as if he had them closed and he took a look down both directions of the street. He didn’t see anything appearing out of the ordinary so he leaned back on the bench and arched his back, letting his vertebrae pop. Letting out a deep sigh he sat forward, hunching his shoulders and twisting his torso slightly to make sure he was flexible. As he got back to his feet he glanced both directions before again heading onward towards his destination.
He hadn’t spotted anything to explain why his hackles were up or the itch between his shoulders. The last time he had felt like this was five years ago when an inmate had tried to shank him while he had been responding to a medical call into medium security. That had been pretty ugly all told, between him being stabbed by his attacker and the ensuing fight before the other guards had gotten there. Nothing happened though as he made it to Grimgar’s and entered, the jingle of the bell above the door announcing his presence.
“Ah, back again are ye?” Grimgar said with a smile, “What can I do fer ye today?”
Alburet felt the tightness in his shoulder ease up some at Grimgar’s greeting. “I’ve come to get a better weapon. I’ve grown beyond the goblin fort, so it’s time to move on to my next hunting grounds.”
“Gud fer ye lad,” Grimgar chuckled. “Well, and how many points did ye allocate into strength?”
“Not a single one, but I can use anything you have, Grimgar. Show me the best damage weapon you have for five gold, please.”
“Aich tha’ be somethin’ ye can’t use. Me best weapon fer five gold would require at least a fifty strength. As a Summoner ye would be a right fool to have done tha’. Ye last had a five strength, which would leave ye with staves as ye best bet.”
Alburet held out his gloved hand, “Check the equipment then tell me that, Grimgar.”
Grimgar frowned but touched the glove, reading the status information. His eyes widened. “Bloody hell lad. I’ll be right back.” Grimgar went into the back, returning with a heavy maul which he set on the counter. “This be the best flat damage I have fer what ye asked. The Hardened Steel Maul, it does a flat two hundred damage. It has no other stats, which is what makes it so cheap.”
Hardened Steel Heavy Maul
200 Damage
400/400 Durability
Alburet dropped his five gold onto the counter and hefted the maul as if it were a toothpick. “I’ll take it. Do you have a way to attach it to my back that won’t interfere with my pack?”
Grimgar brought out a sling for the weapon that attached directly to the pack. “There ye go lad. Just do me a favor and if anyone asks were ye get ye stuff send them me way, righ’?”
“It would be a pleasure, Grimgar. You’ve treated me well both times now. I thank you and wish you a pleasant day. I need to go find some provisions for my trip next.”
“There be a provisioner two streets down from here,” Grimgar told Alburet.
They exchanged goodbyes and Alburet exited to the street. A pop up appeared as he left the shop.
You are now Liked by Grimgar Smith.
Clearing the pop-up away, he started walking the direction Grimgar had pointed him. A few minutes later he felt the same itch between his shoulders again. Checking the street as if looking for the right shop, Alburet couldn’t see anyone that might be watching him. Foot traffic was starting to pick up now that the day was really getting under way which made spotting a watcher even harder. He stayed wary all the way to the next shop, but the trip was uneventful.
“Welcome to Pablo’s Provisions. What kind of food are you looking for?” A very tanned individual stood behind a counter right next to the door. His features screamed Latin descent to Alburet, who nodded to him in greeting.
“What would you recommend for say, a week’s worth of food that needs to be able to keep for a month or longer?”
“Hard tack is the easy answer to that, but it tastes horrible. If you have the coin, the Elvish Waybread is a fantastic option as well as being tasty. Even the most foolhardy, besides dwarves, stay away from the Stonebread though. We have a pretty good selection of hard cheeses, dried fruit and jerky to help round things out as well. It really depends on how much you want to spend.”
Alburet nodded, “I am not averse to spending a gold on the right food and beverages for a week.”
Pablo grinned, “Well then, did you want to pick it out or did you want me to assemble a selection for you?”
“By all means do your best for me, please,” Alburet said with a small bow.
“Hah, a two-souled with manners,” Pablo chuckled as he came around the counter, pulling several packages from the shelves lining the shop. He stacked them on the counter, “Alright come and see what you’re buying.” Pablo pointed out the seven different cheeses and jerky to be paired together along with a few small bags of dried fruit. Alburet nodded at the selection. “I see you are happy with the food, which is good, so now let’s move onto the beverages.” Seven glass flasks were lined up on the counter. Each held a day’s worth of different types of tea. “Will these suffice?”
“Done,” Alburet dropped a gold onto the counter and packed the supplies into his satchel. “Many thanks to you, Pablo. Next time I need more I’ll be sure to come see you.”
Pablo thanked him for his business as Alburet left the shop. Alburet started walking back towards the Dead Man Inn, thinking lunch was a good idea before heading out into the wilds. As he walked the itch between his shoulder blades returned, stronger than it had been. The certainty that he was being stalked loomed over him. Alburet ducked into the next alley, sprinting for the end of it, side stepping out to hide against the wall next to the alley. He stood there controlling his breathing as he waited. No one appeared behind him, and after ten minutes he glanced down the alley to see it empty. The itch was still with him though the ominous feeling had abated somewhat. Stepping away from the wall he headed out in a fast walk towards the portal guild, which was closer than the inn.
Alburet hated the feeling of being watched and stalked, hated feeling like prey. He made it to the building and as soon as he entered the feeling of being watched and stalked vanished instantly. Stopping, he took a deep breath and straightened up. He hadn’t realized he’d been slightly hunched as he hurried here. He glanced around seeing others waiting in the lounge area watching him with smirks, as well as the receptionist looking at him with a smile.
The receptionist was the same one he’d met before. “Welcome back sir, where would you like to go today?”
“I was told about a goblin problem further east from the goblin fort. What would be the best destination for me to help thin out the goblins there?” He did his best to smile, but his nerves were still slightly wound up from his ordeal.