Chapter 43: Shopping

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Shopping

"The most valuable investment is in the tools of your trade." — Benjamin Franklin

The morning sun broke through the spring clouds, casting a warm, pale light over the bustling merchant district of the frontier settlement.

After two months of relentless training and adventuring, Riven had finally accumulated a considerable amount of money. His coin pouch was heavy, and the spatial storage bag hanging at his side contained most of his belongings.

He had spent the morning checking the Adventurers’ Guild’s notice board, but none of the available contracts interested him. Instead, he had decided to take care of something he had been putting off for weeks.

It was time to upgrade his equipment.

His current gear had served him well enough, but it was beginning to show its limitations. His leather vest offered little protection against anything stronger than a graze, and his old sword sheath was poorly fitted. He also wanted to expand his collection of spells.

Most importantly, he needed equipment that suited the way he fought.

Riven had no intention of spending money simply because he had it. Every purchase needed to serve a purpose.

He had spent too long living with nothing to waste his savings on unnecessary luxuries.

After checking the coins in his pouch one final time, he stepped away from the Adventurers’ Guild and headed toward the market stalls and trade shops.

His first stop was a cramped armory tucked away down a narrow side street.

The shop smelled faintly of hot oil, treated leather, and hammered steel. Weapons hung from the walls, while armor and assorted pieces of equipment were stacked on shelves behind the counter.

A burly middle aged man with a thick beard sat at a workbench, carefully sharpening a short sword.

He glanced up when Riven entered.

"Looking for gear, kid? You’re a long way from home."

Riven ignored the comment and approached the counter.

"I need a new sheath and a vest."

He placed his old one on the counter.

The battered leather casing was the one he had taken from Gorn months ago. It had been far too large for him from the beginning, and the months of use hadn’t helped. The seams were frayed, the leather had begun to split near the opening, and the sword rattled whenever he moved too quickly.

The shopkeeper picked it up and examined it.

"Where’d you get this thing? Looks like it survived a war."

"Something like that."

The man grunted and turned the sheath over in his hands.

"It’s too big for you. And whoever made it didn’t bother with a proper locking strap. You could lose your sword if you fell hard enough."

Riven already knew that.

He had experienced the problem several times during training. Whenever he moved quickly or fell to the ground, the oversized sheath shifted against his hip. It hadn’t caused him to lose his sword yet, but he didn’t want to wait until it did.

"Do you have anything smaller?"

"Depends on the sword."

Riven took Gorn’s short sword from his storage bag and placed it on the counter.

The shopkeeper examined the weapon, checking its length and the width of its blade.

"Short sword. Pretty standard. I’ve got a few sheaths that’ll fit."

He disappeared into the back of the shop.

While he was gone, Riven examined the equipment displayed around him.

Most of the armor was designed for adults. There were leather vests, chain shirts, metal breastplates, and several sets of heavier armor that looked far too cumbersome for his fighting style.

He wasn’t interested in any of them.

He needed something light enough to move in but sturdy enough to protect him from a glancing blow.

Aiden had repeatedly warned him that avoiding attacks was preferable to blocking them. However, that didn’t mean he could afford to go into every fight without protection.

A few moments later, the shopkeeper returned carrying two pieces of equipment.

The first was a sturdy, form fitting boiled leather vest reinforced with thin, flexible strips of treated iron. The metal plates were positioned along the ribs and other vital areas, providing additional protection without making the armor excessively heavy.

The second was a compact leather sheath designed for a short sword. It had a secure locking strap and reinforced stitching along the edges.

The shopkeeper placed both items on the counter.

"Try the vest."

Riven pulled off his outer cloak and slipped the armor over his tunic.

It fit surprisingly well.

The leather was stiff at first, but it settled against his body once he adjusted the straps. The reinforced sections covered his ribs and upper torso without restricting his arms.

He rolled his shoulders, twisted his torso, and bent forward.

The armor moved with him.

It was heavier than his old vest, but the difference wasn’t significant enough to interfere with his footwork.

"How much?"

The shopkeeper named his price.

Riven frowned.

"That’s expensive."

"It’s reinforced armor. You want something that won’t fall apart the first time a monster hits you, don’t you?"

Riven didn’t answer immediately.

He inspected the stitching and the metal reinforcements again. The armor was well made, and it was clearly designed to last.

He had enough money to afford it, but he didn’t want to waste his savings.

"Can you lower the price?"

The shopkeeper gave him a skeptical look.

"You always bargain like that?"

"When I think something costs too much."

The man chuckled.

After a brief negotiation, they settled on a slightly lower price.

Riven paid and tried on the new sheath.

It fit the short sword perfectly. The locking strap held the weapon securely, and the reinforced leather prevented the blade from cutting through the bottom.

He drew the sword and returned it several times, checking how easily he could reach it.

The difference was immediately noticeable.

His old sheath had been a constant annoyance. This one stayed in place and allowed him to draw his weapon without fumbling.

Satisfied, he packed his old equipment into his storage bag and left the shop.

His next stop was a specialty boutique dealing in second hand magical texts and oddities.

The building was smaller than the armory, squeezed between a merchant’s warehouse and a shop selling imported fabrics. Its windows were dusty, and a faded sign hung above the entrance.

Inside, the shop was quiet.

Shelves lined the walls, filled with bound scrolls, weathered grimoires, and books of varying sizes. Some were wrapped in cloth, while others were secured with leather straps. He decided to visit a different one then last time as it supposedly had cheaper prices.

A faint smell of old paper and dried herbs hung in the air.

Behind the counter sat an elderly man with thick spectacles. He was reading a book when Riven entered.

He glanced up.

"Can I help you?"

"I’m looking for a shadow affinity attack spell."

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"An attack spell? What level is your core?"

"Level one."

"Then your options are rather limited."

The man stood and began searching through the shelves behind him.

Riven waited patiently.

After several minutes, the shopkeeper returned with a slim, dark bound volume.

"Umbral Needle," he muttered, placing it on the counter. "Good choice for a beginner."

Riven opened the book.

The first few pages contained diagrams showing how to gather and shape shadow mana. Further along were detailed instructions explaining how to form the spell and release it.

The spell condensed a small, solid spike of shadow mana and fired it in a straight line.

It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it offered something Riven currently lacked.

Range.

Most of his fighting experience involved getting close to his opponents and striking with his sword. Even with Shadow Veil, he still had to approach enemies to deal damage.

A ranged spell would give him another option.

He could attack enemies before they reached him, interrupt their movements, or force them to change direction.

It could also prove useful against opponents who were difficult to approach.

Riven carefully examined the diagrams.

The mana patterns were more complicated than those in Notes on the Shaded Blade. He would need to spend considerable time studying them before he could cast the spell reliably.

Still, he was confident he could learn it.

Riven examined the book again.

It was an older copy, with a few worn pages and faded diagrams, but the important sections were still readable.

He decided it was worth the expense.

After paying, he carefully wrapped the grimoire in cloth and placed it inside his spatial storage bag.

He now had another spell to learn.

His final stop was a dimly lit curiosity stall known for acquiring minor, low rank enchanted relics from frontier scavengers.

Unlike the armory and the bookshop, this place was cluttered with all sorts of strange objects. Small trinkets, old jewelry, broken weapons, and enchanted tools covered the shelves and tables.

Most of the items were either useless or too expensive for Riven’s needs.

He wasn’t interested in anything flashy.

He wanted something practical.

Something that would give him a small advantage without draining his savings.

His eyes eventually settled on a pair of worn leather boots.

They were made from supple, dark leather and lined with fine stitching that seemed to absorb the light around it. They looked ordinary at first glance, but the material felt unusually smooth when Riven picked them up.

He turned them over in his hands.

"What do these do?"

The proprietor, a thin man with a crooked nose, glanced over from behind the counter.

"Those? Silent Step Boots."

Riven looked up.

"What’s that mean?"

"Minor acoustic dampening enchantment. Nothing impressive, but it muffles the sound of your boots against hard surfaces."

The man tapped one of the soles.

"Doesn’t make you completely silent, mind you. You’ll still make noise if you stomp around or walk through loose gravel. But on stone, wood, and similar surfaces, they’re quieter than ordinary boots."

Riven examined them more closely.

"Do they need mana?"

"No. The enchantment is already built into them. You don’t have to activate anything."

That caught Riven’s attention.

He had been practicing Shadow Veil and was now learning a new attack spell. Both required mana, and his core still had limited capacity.

An item that offered a useful advantage without consuming mana was worth considering.

He tried the boots on.

They fit well enough, though the leather needed some breaking in. He walked a few steps around the stall, testing the soles against the wooden floor.

The difference was subtle but noticeable.

His footsteps were quieter than before.

He walked back and forth a few more times, then stopped.

They weren’t going to make him invisible, but they could help him move without drawing as much attention.

Combined with his improved footwork, they might prove useful when approaching monsters or avoiding enemies.

Riven hesitated.

He had already spent a considerable amount on the armor and grimoire. The boots were useful, but he wasn’t sure whether they were worth the additional expense.

He checked his coin pouch.

He still had enough to buy them, but doing so would leave him with very little money.

He considered walking away.

Then he remembered the number of times his footsteps had alerted monsters or given away his position. The boots wouldn’t solve every problem, but they could make a difference.

After negotiating a little, he bought them.

The proprietor wrapped his old boots in a piece of cloth, and Riven placed them inside his storage bag.

By the time he stepped back into the spring air, the sun had climbed higher in the sky.

The merchant district was busier than before. Merchants shouted over one another, customers crowded around stalls, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifted from a nearby bakery.

Riven barely paid attention.

He reached into his pouch and counted his coins.

Out of the 142 silver coins and 45 copper coins he had started the morning with, only 3 silver coins and 32 copper coins remained.

He stared at the small pile in his hand.

He had spent nearly everything.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had been too reckless.

He could have kept more money aside for emergencies. There was always the possibility of an unexpected injury, a failed contract, or a sudden need to travel.

But he had also been using the same equipment for months.

His old armor offered little protection, his sheath was unreliable, and he had no ranged attack spell. The new boots would also make it easier to move quietly.

These weren’t luxuries.

They were investments in his survival.

Money didn’t matter if he was dead.

He put the coins away and adjusted the straps of his new armor beneath his cloak.

The fit was snug, and the reinforced leather felt reassuring against his chest. His new boots made little noise as he walked across the stone street.

The Umbral Needle grimoire rested safely inside his spatial storage bag, waiting for him to study it.

He still had a long way to go before he could use the spell, but he was looking forward to learning it.

He was better armed, better protected, and better prepared for the dangers beyond the town.

His savings were nearly gone, but he didn’t regret spending them.

After all, money was only useful if it helped him survive long enough to earn more.

Riven turned toward the inn.

Tomorrow, he would return to training.