"There you go... Good job today Kael."
"Thanks."
He'd finally received his first payout from the guild. Just enough to cover his needs for the day. But still, he could only sigh as the receptionist told him he couldn't leave town for another quest without having to pay the guards to return, and by then the guild would already be closed.
'Guess I should call it day then.'
He laid the money on the counter and thought about everything he needed to pay for as his expression soured instantly.
He took his reward and was about headi6over to the bar section of the guild, but then he saw a grown man balling his eyes out over some bet. Not just him, most of the guild members present were pretty depressed over this 'bet.' He didn't want to partake in their sorrow, so instead he just B- lined fir the door.
Though he had no idea he was really the cause of they pain.
"I re5 hope I have enough though..." He whispered as he crossed the guild's doors, heading out until the merchants district.
*****
He walked for a while before spotting the sign hanging out out of a shop–a simple forge inscribed on a piece of wood. It was a blacksmiths shop, exactly what he needed to gear up.
'I hope I've got enough for something good in there."
....
"30 silvers?" Kael asked in shock while still trying to sound as professional as he could.
Various places weapons lined the walls of the shop, ranging from crude iron daggers to even high grade weapons made steel.
"Of course." the dwarf sneered at the black haired youth. The dwarf here was the blacksmith and salesman of this shop, but one look at Kael and anyone could tell that he was broke. After going through a few of the blades, the salesman nonchalantly headed to a box in the corner.
"How about these 'er lad?" asked the smith with his strange dwarven accent while handing Kyle a long sword for sale. "2 large copp'rs each."
He quickly accepted it without so much as bothering to bargain. In reality the weapon wasn't all that high in quality, but in. Kael's eyes, he saw a cheap rust-free sword that would suit his needs perfectly.
He paid and left the shop with a positive expression as he'd gotten himself a new weapon with 3 large coppers to spare.
...
Standing in front of the smith's shop his curiousity got the better of him and he activated his skill but this time however, his target was the sword.
[Name: Longsword
[Materials: Iron ??
[Grade
'It worked...' he mused excitedly. "Does everything seriously have a soul in it" you
"Alright, next is a fashion change."
With that, he scanned the streets a shop few blocks away with the sign of a threaded needle, a smile tracing his lips as he approached it.
'Perfect, a Tailor's shop...'
The moment he walked in though he almost lost his composure from just the sights displayed in the shop.
From the looks of it, the building was at least half the size of the guild. But compared to every other building he'd seen so far it was without a doubt one of the largest in Fai6rhaven.
But even still he was never really one to fawn over things like clothes. That was more of Mira's character than his. The fact that he even felt this subtle craving felt rather strange to him.
'Could it be because of--'
"Welcome to Raven's boutique," A green-haired woman spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "How may we be of service young sir?"
"Oh uh..." He stuttered as the greeting caught him off guard. "I'm here for a change of clothes."
"Oh that's splendid!" She exclaimed, still keeping up her professional smile as she scanned his current attire. "Do you have a style in mind?" she asked.
"Whatever works."
"And your budget?" She asked smiling even brighter. But Kael hesitated, scratching his neck in embarrassment.
"I see... This way please." From her years of working in this shop, she could tell he was broke, only a silver at best, but still she couldn't bear to see a face as handsome as his go around in rags while she could help, no... that would just be a hurt to her pride as a tailor.
'After all giving free clothes to a handsome guy is better than selling it to those... ugh.'
If Kael could see her face he would be really confused as her expression seemed to shift from one thing about to the other every second.
She left him in a room and told him to wait while she wandered off to get his clothes.
When she returned and he put them on though, he was practically shining in her eyes. Though inwardly he didn't take too kind to the wierd lustful stares shot at him, but still he had to admit, he looked pretty good.
What she got for him was a black hoodie which he wore on a white shirt vest with black pants to match. She even threw in a pair of black boots on the account that they were having a promo for customers which he gladly accepted.
Finally he confirmed the price with the saleswoman. Turns out he was really wearing just 3 large coppers worth of clothes though he could only imagine how much his get up would cost for real.
*****
By the time Kael reached The Whispering Inn, the sun had already begun to dip below Fairhaven's rooftops. Even the streets were bathed in its fading orange light, aslanterns flickered to life one after the other.
Standing at the entrance, he sighed at his pitiful state. Right now he was more than grateful that Hazel had insisted on paying his rent for two nights upfront because at the end of the day, hewas still flat broke.
The familiar creak of the inn's wooden sign greeted him as he stepped inside. Its usual warm lights and casual chatter filled the air. Well that and the smell of roasted meat. The owner/bartender woman with her ever-busy position, waved from behind the counter, while a few barmaids followed suit as they went from table to table carrying trays of drinks as went.
Kael nodded at their greetings and made for the stairs. The instant the smell of food reached his nostrils, he could feel his stomach growl in response as a sigh escaped his lips.
'I really need more money.'
*KYAAAAA!!!
1
But the moment he rounded the corner and reached the top of the stairs, a sudden burst of high-pitched screams erupted from downstairs.
He froze mid-step. It came from the girls.
But instinct told him not to rush in blindly, so instead, he went down and peeked around the corner—just enough to see without being seen.
The barmaids cupped their flushed cheeks in embarrassment.
Kael blinked, confused.
For a brief moment he thought there'd been an attack or a fire, but no—apparently, it was because of him. Or rather, the sight of him in his new attire with his hood down.
How did he know?
Was that really the same guy from yesterday?
"He looks so cool now."
"Yeah, is he a secret model or something?"
Their chatter only grew louder as Kael just gave a small, tired sigh. One that said spoke of disinterest. Then quietly turned on his heel, walking back upstairs as if nothing had happened.
He shut the door to his room with a soft click and exhaled through his nose, muttering, "This town's full of weirdos."
As he sat on the edge of his bed, the faint noise from downstairs faded into the background. The twilight rays filtered in through his window, glinting faintly off his sword at the corner of the room. The peace didn't last long though—his thoughts drifted once more toward power, training… and the silent, metallic god that was no doubt still watching.
"It's still not enough, I have to get stronger..."
He brought up his status to see his progress so far.
"So other than my stamina increasing, I got a level to my class and a new skill as well."
He instantly jumped off the bed and grabbed his sword as he took a few practice swings and coming off as impressed.
His new skill [Basic Swordsmanship] was doing exactly as described. Although at the moment the difference wasn't much, but it was there.
[Basic Swordsmanship Lv. 1] (Passive skill)
Increases the user's proficiency when handling a sword.
Satisfied, he went over to the table and raised his blade to his palm, drawing blood in one quick cut with a muffled groan.
He watched his blood drop down from his palm as he guided it towards the table with much concentration.
He watched the wound mend itself from the corner of his eye with a satisfied grin while focusing on the task at hand.
The blood twisted and turned at weird angles as he tried everything he could to level up his skill.
This 'training' continued for well over an hour as he finally exhausted his brain.
"Alright."
He stood with a sigh after successfully dropping the blood on the table without so much as a splash.
"Looks like I'm getting better at this..."
He took a few steps away from the table and stopped, as he activated the skill from a few meters away.
The weight on his mind didn't increase, but his control decreased drastically. He could barely even make it vibrate, talk less of to move it.
"Well thats good to know... It has a range of effect huh..."
Kael rubbed his temples as the strain finally got to him. He fell back lazily on his bed as his thoughts drifted in a long peaceful slumber.