Izzat was now hovering behind the man but from a distance it was impossible to see the engraved lines filled with a rich and vibrant mana So he could only wonder why this man a member of the great Crashing Wave Style would spend so much time on a piece of leather armor that he could have made himself with barely any levels in his Leatherwork skill
The man set the second bracer down and picked up the third which was the Ghosthound’s greatest with an effectiveness of 52% The man’s eyes tightened but he said nothing taking the time to use his fingers to explore every inch of the engraving Claptrap was starting to realize that he was searching for something but he couldn’t be sure what that was As it was he could only wait
The man set the final bracer down and spoke Madam Adept a moment of your time
Claptrap and Izzat both paled as the towering woman handed off the tassle to one of the other members of her style and walked slowly forward She was one of the Adepts of the Crashing Wave Style Although they had a few dozen Spear Artisans even the largest style in Qtal only had 3 Adepts at the moment And considering her prodigious size and gender
There was only one that fit that description Ivkka the Slow Tide
Her eyes flicked across the bracers then she blinked slowly Is this a joke
Claptrap stood there for several seconds before it became clear to him that in fact she was talking to him Uh no But he didn’t really know what would be a joke about his wares
Then he realized and stammered A a at least I d don’t think so A man approached me saying he was a novice engraver unaffiliated with the guilds
Claptrap stumbled to a stop And from the way that Izzat’s eyes widened he suddenly regret that he had stammered that out so easily where anyone could hear him The Guilds took their trade very seriously and took certain steps to ensure that any individuals with the talent for engraving joined their guild
Or they became unable to engrave in a series of tragic accidents
If Izzat would leak that information or worse try to blackmail him with it
But Ivkka just chuckled her laughter and voice slow and even You need not lie friend I am aware that the guilds occasionally send out their apprentices with a shell merchant in order for them to gain experience But I would never had guessed that the Guilds would come to such a small place as our Qtal
Claptrap couldn’t respond He just opened and closed his mouth Izzat was now looking at him with narrowed eyes calculating Ivkka continued to speak Perhaps then when you are willing to display your true wares we can do business Come Sevven
The grinning man Sevven whose easy smile had returned spared Claptrap a glance before following Ivkka away Hesitating for a moment Izzat decided quickly to scurry after them still interested in a deal But from the stink eye he gave Claptrap over his shoulder this business wasn’t concluded and Izzat still had his suspicions
Abruptly alone and with the gazes of the surrounding merchants on him Claptrap felt very cold Why had he said that
After shivering for several minutes he abruptly put the bracers away and left not even bothering to speak to the event staff He needed space and some time to think what saying that would mean for his business
Would this Ghosthound end up being a blessing or a curse
Despite his high status as the most talented recruit of the Iron Spear Style he had simply jogged around the arena for the first hour content to wait things out He saw many powerful spear users that aroused his fighting spirit but he had received instruction from his master Egger to help the Iron Spear Style dominate every stage
He had even taken to wearing a disguise so he wouldn’t be recognized After all in Qtal and the surrounding areas the most talented disciple the Iron Spear Style had seen in 50 years needed no introduction Just his trademark aura of confidence was enough to make lesser opponents quake with fear
Much to his disappointment only 4 of the stages had the tassle of the Iron Spear Style at the halfway point He shook his head sorrowfully but it could not be helped After all although he had done all he could to assist his fellow disciples they didn’t possess his talent and poise They would never understand the Iron Spear Style like he would
It was a style focused on steadfastness in the face of adversity of withstanding incredible pressure without bending It was perhaps not the flashiest style which disappointed him somewhat but that didn’t matter After all his shocking performance would be flashy enough to make up for any weaknesses in the Style
As he jogged past a stage he looked up to see that the crowd here was rather thin Although there were already 3 people on the stage they all seemed to be heavily injured and were carefully sipping potions while eyeing each other up
Cowards
Seeing the first stepping stone he would take to lead the Iron Spear Style to greatness he moved forward heading towards the crowd Apparently even his talent for disguises was too impressive for as he pushed his way through the crowd no one gave him a second glace He secretly memorized all of their faces with his prodigious memory swearing to repay this slight 1000 fold
As he moved to the front he realized how decidedly pathetic all three of the spear users up on stage were He hadn’t seen any of their moves but all 3 of them had ripped clothes and dried blood on their bodies evidencing their earlier wounds One wasn’t even wearing shoes
Grinning he removed his cape and mask with a flourish revealing himself right at the edge of the stage
No one around him wavered as they stared intently up at the three on the stage And those three continued their strange pregnant silence as if waiting for a sign that they should overcome their fear and resume fighting There was currently no honor here
He would change that
Ill fated peasants why do you bleed over my stage He said stepping grandly up onto the stage with the three cowards For several long seconds they did nothing The closest the pitiful shoeless one didn’t even turn A man foolish enough to wield two spears at once squinted at him then yawned The woman spared the new arrival a glance but then turned back to the shoeless one
He was infuriated To think that these fools would have the audacity to ignore him Well he would show them all how high the sky truly was
He drew his spear which was a beautiful piece of artisanship studded with precious materials to boost its effectiveness It even had a very basic Gazelle Engraving which boosted his Agility and Reaction
With this spear he would
He stilled his eyes locking with the far man’s who used two spears In that man’s eyes he saw a desolate wilderness and a rising storm of spears threatening to engulf him They were endless and hungry those spears like a pack of hyenas and they rushed forward aiming to eat him alive
Sweating he used every ounce of will to dispel the illusion emerging to stagger forward slightly The man snorted looking away
His eyes narrowed To think they would rely on underhanded mental attacks in order to throw him off his game Truly these three were bumpkins because they didn’t recognize him as the most talented member of the Iron Spear Style And obviously the Iron Spear was not one that could be swayed by petty illusions The Iron Spear was a Style that
His gaze met the womans
Her eyes were dark so dark that the irises seemed black from this distance and He found himself unable to look away As their gazes remained locked in spite of his struggles He found that the edges of his vision began to darken Slowly but surely piece by piece his vision was ripped away at the edges consumed by the darkness in her eyes As his gaze narrowed there was less that he could see apart from those eyes and even more quickly he was drawn into them until it felt like he was falling to his death there
Abruptly he blinked finding himself sitting on the ground trembling his spear laying next to him He had no idea what had happened or how long this had been going on for but he was filled with shame and a vicious anger After this he would track down these bumpkins and murder their families in their sleep