Blades, Bargains, and Bandits

"Greetings young traveler!" an elderly voice announced as I finally left the snow behind me and stepped onto the cobblestone streets below me.

"It's been quite some time since we've seen a stranger in these parts, and I have to say it's quite nice to have new gold… I mean new friends come into town" The man beckoned me forward and reached his hand out in greeting. 

I took his hand, old but fiercely powerful, and backed down as his grip increased, knowing that whoever this man was, he would likely send me sprawling if I raised a fist in anger to him. I tried to gauge his strength, but I couldn't judge exactly how powerful this man was. I risked my life and posed a question to the elder.

"Thank you good sir, but I must ask, is your village typically surrounded by brigands and thieves?" my words left me, and immediately I felt as though I should take them back.

"I'm sorry?", he asked rather than truly apologize, unsure as to what I was getting at.

"You say you encountered bandits outside of our village?" he directly asked me, his gaze cautious, his attention focused on my response. 

"No, it is I who am sorry, I did not wish to insult you, I just found myself in combat with many opponents just a moment ago, fending them off before I could make my way to your village", I responded, giving time to allow the man an opportunity to observe the blood on my ragged appearance. I wasn't harmed during the conflict, but I tried to emphasize that I had just fought for my life. 

"Oh my" the man was aghast, he took stock of his surroundings and seeing that no men that fit this description were around them, continued.

"I suppose that explains why we had seen so few adventurers such as yourself", the old man chuckled to himself before turning his back to me. He wandered off slowly as if lost in his mind.

"Follow me, young man, let me take time to explain to you where you are exactly", the man paused beside a nearby shop, bracing himself on a supporting beam and turned back to me, a careful smile on his lips. 

"So, who is the big bad evil guy around here?", I asked, utilizing familiar slang within the tabletop group I had participated in many times before.

"And adding onto that, you said few have arrived here lately, how long have you been here?", I knew the game was new to me, but maybe there were beta testers or previous gamers who had been here before me and the AI had simply logged their encounters and developed from there. 

"I've seen many like you come and go," he continued, his gaze wandering to the frost-covered window.

"Seekers of power, chasing after the abilities of the regional leaders. You've set your sights on the ice mage, I presume?"

Surprised by his insight, I nodded again, realizing that my intentions were clearer than I had thought.

"So what's your name anyway?", I asked, hesitating before quickly stating,

"My name is James, just entered this realm and am looking to make a place for myself in this world" I finished, awaiting his response. 

"The name is Grigor, I am the elder of the village you see before yourself. As for the… Big, bad, the true threat of this village, I think you are asking about", Grigor's eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement.

"Ah, the ice mage. Truly a formidable foe, but not unbeatable. If you seek to challenge him, you must first understand your own strengths and weaknesses."

With a gentle smile, Grigor offered to guide me around town, pointing out shops where I could purchase supplies and upgrade my gear. I tried several times to initiate a conversation, but he brushed it away. As we walked, he shared stories of his own battles, foes he had defeated, monsters he bested, basically a list of reasons why he held the position he did. Though not the foe I sought to defeat, he was up there with the Ice Mage that ruled over these lands.

Eventually, our path led us to the outskirts of what I had learned was named Frostfall, where the icy cliffs loomed ominously in the distance. Grigor stopped, his gaze fixed on the distant fortress where the ice mage held court.

"I must warn you," Grigor said gravely, his voice carrying a weight of caution.

"I am no longer capable of facing the ice mage. But you, young one, possess a strength that goes beyond class or title. It is something I have seen only in a few rare souls."

His words puzzled me, but before I could question further, Grigor gestured towards the fortress.

"Go," he said, his voice firm yet encouraging. "Challenge the ice mage. Learn from the battle, and grow stronger. But remember, strength alone will not suffice. Hone your skills, and discover the true depths of your potential, but know that upon entering his keep, you are likely to die. It isn't often that those who challenge are allowed to leave, so please take time to prepare. Be it a day, a month, a year, you need to take time to prepare or you may not return."

I took the information to heart and asked the old man, "So where can I sell my loot? I think if I am to take on this mad frosty mage, I will need all of the advantages I can gain, and if I know anything, it's that gold provides an advantage in these scenarios. 

"A wise thought," Grigor nodded approvingly. "Let's return to town and see what we can do with what you've gathered."

He moved on, leaving me to follow, realizing this old man was more accustomed to visitors than he let on, despite his claim of few newcomers.

Grigor led the way back towards the village, his pace steady despite his age. As we walked, he pointed out various shops and stalls bustling with activity. Merchants hawked their wares, and locals browsed through weapons, armor, and magical trinkets. I wasn't sure if any of them were fellow adventurers, but it seemed like their motions were too natural to be like me, so I pushed past the feeling. 

"This is where you'll find Orla's Emporium," Grigor indicated, nodding towards a sturdy stone building adorned with colorful banners.

"Orla deals in all manner of goods—weapons, armor, potions. She's fair in her dealings, though she'll drive a hard bargain, so I hope you have a strong grasp of haggling, or she will rake you over the coals.", he laughed to himself, seemingly knowing what would happen before it did.

Next, we passed by a small, cozy shop with a sign depicting a swirling potion bottle. "That's the 'Alchemist's Brew'," Grigor explained. "Run by old Elias. He brews potions and elixirs, some of which could come in handy in your upcoming challenges, though mind my manners, I honestly do not believe you could afford half of what he has to sell."

Further down the lane, a tent was set up with exotic trinkets and artifacts on display. "Ah, Razak's Oddities," Grigor chuckled.

"He claims to have relics from distant lands. Whether they're truly magical or just cleverly crafted baubles, I can't say. But adventurers like yourself often find something of interest there." his voice gave into the fact that he either believed I was gullible enough to purchase these items, or that I simply wouldn't comprehend what was being offered to me. Honestly, I couldn't tell what he wanted me to think about Razak, and I felt uneasy even approaching the tent. 

As we approached the center of town, the largest building came into view—an imposing structure with a sign that read "Sword and Shield Armory.", a very generic store that seemed to radiate normality. I felt like this was every store in every game I had ever played. A basic General Store that would take everything I sold at a severe loss, but would buy it all. My thoughts were confirmed when he continued.

"This is where you can sell your loot," Grigor stated, gesturing towards the bustling armory. "They'll appraise your gear and offer you a fair price.", I held back a chuckle at his words, knowing they were absolutely not true, "If you need to upgrade or replace your equipment, you'll find everything you need here."

Inside, the armory bustled with activity. Merchants haggled with customers, blacksmiths hammered away at anvils, and scribes penned scrolls of enchantment. Grigor guided me to a counter where a burly dwarf with a fiery beard, no, a literal beard on fire, greeted us.

"Welcome, traveler!" the dwarf boomed cheerfully, "The name is Thrum Firebeard, and I take it I need to explain why I have this name" he chuckled to himself before continuing, "Looking to sell some gear or maybe looking to buy some new armor? Either way, you've come to the right place."

"The name is James, pleasure to meet you." I commented, only receiving a affirmative nod in response.

Knowing this was likely my best bet at dumping what I had gathered, I emptied my bracelet of the spoils from my previous skirmishes, placing them on the counter for inspection. The dwarf examined each piece carefully, muttering to himself as he assessed their quality.

"Hmm, not bad," he grunted, nodding approvingly. "I'll give you a fair price for these.", His words rang true, but I couldn't help but resist what he said. It was like a battle against his Charisma modifier. It was an uphill battle but in time he counted out a handful of gold coins and slid them across the counter towards me.

[You have failed your Charisma check. The price you have negotiated is far below that of which you wished to obtain.]

The voice was aggressive, not verbally, but emotionally. I hated to hear what was being said, but it was nice to get verification that I was being taken advantage of. 

After quite a long discussion, I still felt like I was being fleeced, I thought I was making progress and that maybe I had made progress despite the earlier message. I did everything I could to drive the price up. Even so, I thanked him and pocketed the coins. "I'll take a look around, and see if there's anything I need to prepare for when I take down that Ice Mage".

[Items sold:]

Wand: 1 gold.

Ancient Grimoire: 3 gold.

 Crystal Sphere: 1 gold.

Mystic Amulet: 2 gold.

Sorcerer's Robes: 5 gold.

Paladin's Helm: 6 gold.

Hunter's Crossbow: 5 gold.

Miscellaneous potions: 5 gold.

Total Wealth: 28 gold.

"Seriously? I gave you all of those legendary items and this was the best you could do?" I muttered as I accepted the gold.

Grigor nodded, "You think you can get premium prices out here in the boonies? Be happy with what you have." Grigor scoffed before taking on a much more gentle tone. 

"Take your time, James. When you're ready, I'll be here. There's much to be done before facing your opponent. For now I will leave you in the capable hands of Thrum.", Grigor took his leave and nodded to the store owner who nodded back before turning to me.

"Alright, listen here mate, if you really want to take on the Mage on the outskirts of town, I'll give you a discount so long as you sign this document. Feel free to read it over, but it states that when you die".

Thrum coughed into his hand and adjusted his speech, "If you die, your gear will be transported back to me and I will be the sole owner from this point on. So should you find a way back to life, you would lose ownership. That being said, if you sign this document, I will give you a 75% discount on all gear I have available. Not a bad deal is it?", Thrum asked, trying desperately to seem on my side, though it was clear to me that everything going on was stacked against me, and Thrum just wanted to make some extra cash with little risk of losing his gear. 

I knew I was in this for the long haul. I wasn't quite sure what happened to players after they died, but going forward it was clear that I would need to advance rapidly if I wanted to keep a leg up on the competition.