Final Preparations

Each time Tenpao strolls outside he believes that he has already seen everything but each time Oddtown is glad to prove him wrong again and again, today, right outside his home stood a tall skinny man in a trench coat wearing a fedora and a mask with a foldable table displaying a various magical... Plates.

"This right here, good sir, everything that you eat from this plate will taste sweet!" What's worse than his gecko-like voice was that it changed every time he spoke, a thought crossed his mind, one so stupid that it might just be it.

"Is there a bunch of kobolds in there?" Tenpao said as he tried to move around the man.

"N-nooo. Look at this plate, everything you eat from it will taste spicy!" The man grabbed another plate that lacked any design besides the different runes displayed on it.

Tenpao really didn't have time for this but the trench coat man didn't seem to care about his attempts of trying to get around him, instead, he just took four more plates and seemed deeply insistent about at least selling one of them.

"This one makes stuff salty, this one makes them taste just like how your mom used to cook, this one makes it taste sour n' sweet, this one-"

Tenpao tugged the coat and it came out smoothly revealing a dragon, a kobold, and a goblin. "Do... You want to buy any plates?"

"No," Tenpao said, they honestly would've been able to sell their wares more easily if they hadn't worn that shady outfit. The gate opened and Tenpao walked through his lawn and stopped at the sight of Bushy, "You could've waited upstairs."

"I wanted to practice a little." Bushy shook her staff, nearly falling while doing so, "Did you get it?" Tenpao walked closer and handed the health potion to her, the elf acted no less like a man in a desert after finding an oasis, she took the cap out with her teeth and drank everything in one gulp, she felt her mana being augmented to the extreme to the point her true self could change her, and change it did. Her spine snapped back to the right position and sequels of old mana poisoning were removed, it was for a moment, even less than a second but now she felt great! "So, what is the plan?"

"We'll wait for the others to come back, then grab some potions and pack some rations," Tenpao said a bit annoyed at their gnoll partner but at least this trouble could come with an opportunity if they find some other artifact besides the acorn staff. But for now, he has to decide what artifacts to bring with him, Tenpao walked inside as Bushy resumed experimenting with her spell, at the living room he stared at his grandfather's clock before gently moving it to the side, under where the clock once was there was a wooden chest with no apparent lock, the wood seemed to have been fully painted black while there were multiple white runes and swirls adorning the surface of the chest.

Tenpao picked it up and walked outside, just about when he stepped out runes started to manifest in the very air with a huge circle right by the fountain, in the very next moment all the runes clashed in a single spot releasing a blinding flash of magic and in a receding cloud of magila, Lulu emerged wearing a pawful of rings. "Hello!"

"Gosh, can it not flash so brightly?" Bushy said while using her robe to alleviate the burning her eyes felt.

"Sorry." Lulu offered, walking closer to both of her companions, "What's inside da chest?" Bushy turned around and nearly jumped, that chest in Tenpao's hands felt weird, something that shouldn't be there yet it was. "It's leaking too."

Tenpao shrugged, set it down, and opened it. This was one of the chests he had found on the battlefield long ago at an enemy camp near the Great Woods, maybe it was time to throw it away, perhaps - but first, he needed to put all the valuables out. His hand flipped the lid open revealing abyssal darkness inside that not even the very sun could illuminate, without hesitation Tenpao reached inside and pulled out an hourglass from inside, then an old girly doll with a small dress and red tiara, then a spyglass, and finally three perfectly preserved cat heads tied by a rope to stick close to each other.

"W-what is that?!" Bushy took a few steps away while Lulu smiled.

"Lure! Oh boy, has it been a few years since I have seen those," Lulu elbowed Bushy. "They changed the heads format for a more effective alchemical liquid."

Bushy face slowly turned contorted, "HEAD FORMAT?!" Then her stomach promptly protested.

"Are you hung-" Before Lulu could finish, Bushy turned around and vomited. Thankfully they didn't have breakfast.

Tenpao though, did ask the obvious, "Are you okay?" Bushy replied by giving a thumbs up before turning around to throw out yesterday's breakfast while Lulu gently tapped her back.

It was amidst this that a dwarf in the distance came carrying four plates- Tenpao faceslapped. Dwelm strode with large steps with a big grin on his face, opened the gate, and quickly stopped smiling once he saw Bushy bawling her intestines out. "Did the health potion not go down well?" 

"Nuh-uh, it's because of old lure." Lulu replied, waving him closer, "Now that we are all here, look what Pampkin got!" The gnoll tail wagged as she began taking off the rings and giving one to Tenpao, to Dwell, and holding one for Bushy once she felt better.

Dwelm smiled, "Sorry lass-"

"Its magic augmentation rings." Lulu cut before the dwarf could finish his sassy comment, both Tenpao and Dwelm looked at the rings then back at Lulu.

A silence ensued as both didn't know what to say, but it was Dwelm who broke through the awkwardness, "Don't they cost one gold each-"

"Sixty-two and a half, actually." Before more silence could ensue, Lulu showed a bag clicking with coins, "Pampkin had left over fifty gold after selling that junk."

"T-to who did you sell to?" Tenpao asked.

"Magic tower of course!"

====

"Okay, since Lulu got us some hefty funds we'll be buying some high-quality survival equipment," Tenpao said, the newly formed party walked among the streets towards a less neat part of the town, where houses were made of rotten wood and while Oddtown doesn't have a high amount of homeless people, it doesn't mean there aren't poor people - even more with the thief guild influence when they decide to steal from those where consequences may not arise.

However, many adventurers come here to help the situation as the mayor does give rewards for adventurers who keep the city safe from itself, together with the United Hands initiative made jobs more available which made less and less of the population grow from the lower class to a more comfortable living condition. 

The party stopped right in front of a run-down shop with boarded windows, rotten wood, and falling stones. For any passerby, this shop may be just another ruined business among the many others in this part of town, but for adventurers, this was the best shop ever.

They all stepped inside, one a bit more reluctant than the other, one a bit too joyful, one just happy to be there, and one expressionless. The wares of the shops went from food rations, torches that never burnt out, camping tents, ropes, bombs, bandages with enchantments, antivenoms, and other items that could help through a trek in the wilderness or inside a ruin. The owner of this shop was a Roachman, his antennae swirling around and his carapace deep dark, a face that fused both human and insect into one displeasing look. Yet, despite looks, Roachman are quite easy to become friends with due to their hivemind effect, all roachman have the same personality, and the same look - a feno-characteristic that is similar to the Fangs.

And thus, shopping ensued.