V2Ch167 New Street Rat

It wasn't hard to find the original path that brought me to the four-way crossroads. I cautiously walked in the direction of Tian Ret. The pain of those headaches was not something I would soon forget. I just hope those were all of the important directions the Ent gave to me.

I successfully made it to the city by the morning of my fourth day in the Dark Elf Territory. It was getting light. People were just starting to hustle around with places to be. I had no idea where to start. This was my first time here and I had only one thing on me besides my clothes.

I rotated the eye in my pocket with my hand. I guess a shop of curios would probably be my best bet. May as well ask someone. A guard, maybe.

I walked up to one of the guards near the path's end. He directed me to the end of the street and to the right. I found the shop quite easily. Before I could open the door, a woman wearing an all-white leather uniform and a shadowed hood pushed through the door and past me. She was about my height and didn't seem to care that she bumped into me.

"Huh. Weird."

I muttered to myself. I let it go and went into the shop. A middle-aged dark elf male was behind the counter. He had a semi-bushy mustache and a short haircut. He had a few signs of white hairs but he looked pretty spry.

"Greetings. Anything, in particular, you are looking for today?"

"Ah, well. I'm looked to get something priced. I lost almost everything I had in my travels so, I kinda need some money."

"Well, that's unfortunate. What do you have to sell?"

"I got this from a kill."

I pulled the eye out of my pocket and placed it on the counter in front of him.

"It can't be melted by acid nor cut by a blade. I've seen it survive those circumstances myself."

"What... What is it?"

"Um... Are you familiar with the Nightmare from the Beast Lands?"

"Nightmare? It's the eye. The eye of a Nightmare? Oh, gods. Seven platinum."

"Platinum?"

'Platinum is equal to 1000 gold coins. It's not common to see outside of major trade ports.'

"Hmmm. Is it worth only that much, though?"

I was in fact asking Rage and attempting to haggle the dark elf at the same time.

"Eh! ONLY?!"

'I couldn't say. If it suits the purpose, why not just sell it. What would you keep it for anyway?'

"Wait wait... let me check the back. Maybe I have some extra lying around."

"I suppose."

Hearing my casual but almost impatient tone caused him to pause for a moment before he nearly ran into the back room. I heard multiple things slamming and sliding. Falling and crashing.

"AH! I FOUND SOME!"

The dark elf brought out a sack and let the contents slide out.

"Eight platinum, and 300 gold. That's the best I can do without selling the store itself and everything in it."

"That's it? Hmmm."

I pondered out loud.

"That's? You... Please?"

He begged. He put on a stupid grin in an attempt to convince me.

*Sigh*

"Fine."

He quickly scooped up the pile of coins and placed them in the sack before handing it over to me. He took the eye to the back. He looked at it like it was a precious gem of untold fortune.

"Whatever."

I left the shop. I started exploring the city. I strayed along the docks and checked out some of the shops along the way.

I hadn't even bought anything yet when a street rat ran at me from behind. My sense picked it up right away. At the last second, I pulled my sack of money out of harm's reach and kicked him into the ocean. I leaned over the side and saw him pop his head out of the water.

"Bastard! Better watch your back. I'll get that sack when you least expect it."

He squinted at me in a threatening manner.

"Hope you like to swim. Bring your bathing suit next time."

I spent the rest of the day shopping, exploring and getting information. I learned of a nice inn with top-notch security. I made a mental note of the name of a particular boat that's known for searching out adventure. I had a feeling that that boat was my best bet to getting back to Missing Star. Any mention of the continent was usually laughed off or I got looks like I was crazy.

That same street rat showed up multiple times while I was browsing shops. I made sure he landed in water every time. It was annoying but he kept me amused to a point.

I found a smell that dragged my nose over to a restaurant. It reminded me of Goldie. I was almost disappointed when I found out she wasn't there. I knew she wouldn't be but, in some small sense, I had hoped.

I ordered a bit too much food and sat at an outside table. I was feeling a bit full when the street rat came walking at me. He wasn't rushing this time. He had a stern look on his face and wasn't ready to back down. His hair was a little long and he was definitely skinny. His clothes were torn and worn. They looked like they got a bit of a clean with all of the dunkings I've done to him today, though.

He slammed his hands down on my table.

"I JUST WANT TO..."

"Sit down. Want something to eat?"

"...Feed... my sister... Are you for real?"

"I ate too much. You can have whatever is left on the table."

He looked down. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Is this some kind of trick? If I take a bite, will you call the guards and blame me? Is that what this is?"

*BUUUURP*

"Ahhhh. Only one way to find out. Man, I'm stuffed."

He pondered for a few moments. His hands suddenly grabbed a handful of food and he ran. He was fast when he wanted to be. It didn't take long before he slowed down and eventually came to a stop. He looked back. I was just sipping on my drink.

He cautiously came back and sat down in the chair across from me.

"Why didn't you call for the guards?"

"Cause I don't need to bother them. I can take care of myself quite well."

"So... I can really have all this food?"

"Take it. It's already paid for."

He started stuffing his pockets with as much food as he could. His arms were full by the time he got everything but the plates. He gave me one last look. I held five silver coins. He reached for them, but I pulled them away.

"This is so you can feed your sister. Got it?"

I held them out again. He gripped them.

"Take care of her."

He nodded while he was still chewing a mouth full. I let go and he started to run.