Chapter 73: Sovereign's Call to Arms

Monsters—true monsters, some towering over the stalls, others with claws and fangs—are selling wares to human customers.

A merchant stall, manned by a heavily built orc, displays swords and armor unlike anything Roderic has ever seen. The metal gleams unnaturally under the daylight, the craftsmanship beyond what any human blacksmith could achieve.

Another stand, run by a beastman, offers vials of shimmering liquid. Potions?

A pair of goblins haggle with a human trader over a crate of enchanted bolts, their sharp voices rising in argument before they finally settle on a price.

Roderic exhales sharply. "This is… real?"

"Oi, you buying or just staring?"

He turns to see a massive, four-armed troll behind the counter, its lower set of hands idly polishing a gleaming battleaxe while the upper two gesture at the displayed goods.

Roderic swallows hard before stepping closer. "That blade," he nods to a black and white longsword, "how much?"