Chapter 21 – New Gear

The Contestants had all arrived at the breakfast hall and taken their usual seats, tucking into whatever they could get their hands on - which as always was a plethora of every culinary delight that they'd ever imagined.

Again, Titus wondered how many people such a feast could feed and how easily the City could be kept well-fed if indeed this feast was provided by magical means. Whatever the cause for the food to be present for the Contestants, there always seemed to be so much left over, so much waste, and Titus only hoped it was eventually taken away to better causes.

Usually, the Contestants would eat their breakfasts and filter away to where they were supposed to be for the day, be it preparation for an arena battle, specialised classes for the higher-ranked, or generalised combat training for the White ranks. Today though, something new happened. Something that Titus hoped would bring an end to the daily grind.

Miss Kane stood up and clapped her hands once.

"Good morning, Contestants!" she announced with a beaming smile. "You know what today is, don't you?"

The Contestants, who'd all been busily eating their delicious foods, returned her question with whoops, cheers, and whistles. Titus looked at Jordan and Petra in confusion, but his friends shrugged, harbouring the same confused looks.

"It's payday!" She announced with her arms out wide. "And for those of you who don't know," she looked pointedly at the White-ranked Contestants, "that typically means you go down to see the merchants just through these double doors here to see what you can get your hands on to give yourselves that edge out there on the main sands. Now you may or may not know that we have our very own crafters, tanners, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, and enchanters right here in the Arena, and they are the best of the very best. So let me assure you that nowhere else will you find goods like what you will discover here in our Merchant Hall. Your funds are already kept recorded with the merchants, so once you've finished your food, I suggest you get there before all the good bits are taken."

Titus looked at both Jordan and Petra, though they both seemed to be as surprised as he was at the shock announcement. Of course, they'd all been told that they had a salary as Contestants, but up until now, he'd all but forgotten about it - because they really hadn't had a need for money yet. Food and beds were provided, and so far, the training sands provided everything they needed by way of weaponry.

"Do you think there's going to be more things like my wooden ring back there?" Titus asked.

"Could be," Jordan replied. "But I'm hoping for more in the way of weapons and armour. I've seen some of the fancy gear those Contestants wear out there, and I want me some of that!"

Nobody seemed too hurried to make a move from the breakfast hall though once Miss Kane had finished speaking, which led Titus to believe that the 'good bits' weren't going to be in short supply. The other option, of course, was that they could've just been too expensive that nobody really cared for them. In any case, the group all finished up their food while contemplating what the merchants could have and how useful it was going to be for them.

The Merchant Hall was a wide-open room similar to the breakfast hall, only about half the size. Lining each of the walls were men and women in long robes standing behind wooden tables, and by the time Titus and his friends had arrived, the place was busy with the sounds of people buying, selling, and haggling for what they wanted, needed, or were told they needed. It was clear from the start that these merchants were salesmen through and through.

"Come, my friend! You will see no superior clothing in all of the City!" one merchant proclaimed.

"If you would like to know what real luxury is, then come and sample my silks! You could truly not be closer to the Gods than sleeping on this mysterious, magical material," came the loud reply of another.

"What is it you seek, my friends?" A voice came from beside Titus as he walked, and it surprised him. This was the first person to actually ask what it was that he was looking for, and not simply tell him what he could buy from them.

The middle-aged man was short, wore a white robe with a red sash, and had a pleasant smile on his face.

"Um, clothes, weapons, armour, and... equipment?" Titus said in a strained question.

"Then you're going to have to talk to a few of the merchants here. You'll find that each specialises in different areas. So with the range of items you're looking for, I'd say you should talk to booths one, four, six, and twelve."

"Thank you," Titus said, not sure if he was supposed to tip the man for his help or not. If he was, though, he didn't have any money to do it with other than his first-ever week's salary for being a Contestant in the Arena - which he still didn't know how to get hold of or who was keeping track of it.

The three approached the first booth and saw that on the table was a selection of weapons. They were nothing special to look at, but they'd clearly been placed there to demonstrate a range of items. There were a couple of short, straight swords, a small dagger, two curved sickle swords, a single hand axe, and a heavy black mace with deadly-looking spikes covering its head. The merchant was wearing a black robe and had long dark ringlets of hair cascading down his back and onto his forehead.

"Good morning," the merchant said in a heavy accent. "Is there anything you are looking for in particular, my White-ranked friends? I have many weapons that you will find suitable for your first foray into the arena sands. Weapons that you will be able to keep with you for a very long time, as is important when spending your hard-earned golden coins."

"I'd like something small," Petra said before Titus could respond. "Something that a Rogue would be able to use. Nothing heavy though if you would."

The merchant smiled. "I know exactly what you mean," he said. "I have known many who have prioritised the speed and deadliness of their attacks over much else. Please, allow me to share these items with you now."

Titus waited for the merchant to do something, but after a moment, he realised he was awaiting a response. Petra apparently realised the same thing.

"Okay, shoot," she said.

The merchant smiled, and as Titus watched, he realised that text was beginning to filter into his field of vision. When he concentrated on it, his jaw dropped as he realised the merchant was sharing the details of his weapons directly with them through his Awakening to The God of Balance. Titus examined the text.

Steel Dagger

Value: 1s

Effect: +1 Stamina

Steel Kukri

Value: 1s

Effect: +1 Stamina

Steel Stiletto

Value: 1s

Effect: +1 Stamina

The list of small blades with plus one to stamina seemed to be endless, with the merchant apparently having pretty much any style of basic blades Titus had ever heard of. After the first few, he gave up on trying to imagine the subtle differences between the blades.

"There are so many," Petra whispered in agreement with Titus' own thoughts. "And they all look... ordinary," she said, sounding a little downbeat. "I suppose it's a good thing I can afford them all."

"Ah, this is your first time at a merchant store then?" the man asked.

Petra nodded, her focus still on the list of daggers and short swords that was scrolling through her mind's eye.

"Then excuse me if I am being a little blunt, but please allow me to offer you a little instruction."

"What's in it for you?" Titus asked, immediately aware that this man, although sounding kind and helpful, was still a merchant, and merchants always wanted just one thing. Gold.

"For me?" the merchant said, sounding genuinely confused. "Ah, I see! When we are here in the Arena, we are merchants by Profession; we are not like the swindlers that you may have encountered out there in the City. We make a set percentage of every sale of the items we sell, but ultimately the price of goods is fixed by The God of Balance. We are always fair with our goods and prices, and in effect, are unable to swindle as others may."

That sounded good to Titus. If the prices they were seeing were fixed, then at least it would be a little more difficult to make a big mistake.

"Now for some instruction, yes?" the merchant asked.

Petra nodded.

"Now the list of items you see before you has been filtered by my own hand to the things that I believe you are capable of wielding, but if you concentrate on the list, as you would with any other skill, then you are able to filter this list further. For example, you can reduce the number of items you can see by placing a minimum and maximum cap on the value. Similarly, you can filter items that provide a boost to your Stamina, Mana, or Health, for example. Honestly, it will take but a moment to get used to, but when you do, you will see how easy it is to find, and buy the items you both want and need."

"And my coins?" Petra asked. "Where can I see how much I have to spend?"

"Ah!" the merchant exclaimed. "Well, whilst inside The Arena, that is an easy question to answer. Your coins are tracked by The God of Balance. Your salary is paid into the merchant guild where you can spend it here with us. But if you are to travel outside the Arena with the intent to spend, then things can become rather complicated. Safe to say though, you are always able to retrieve your wealth from the Merchant's Guild directly."

"That's all… convenient…" Petra said, still paying more attention to the list of weapons than what the merchant was saying. "I think I've got something here… but I can't afford it. I've only got the one gold coin from the week's salary and well, have a look at this…"

With what could only be sheer intent, Petra shared what she was looking at in the merchant's stock list so that Titus and Jordan could see it. It took Titus a moment to realise what was happening, but eventually, he saw what Petra was seeing.

Stiletto of Minor Poisoning

Value: 2 gold

Effect: When cut by the needle point blade of this weapon, it inflicts poison on the target.

Effect: Poison from this blade inflicts 1 point of damage every 5 seconds. 

Restriction: Rogue Class only

"Wow…" Titus said after he'd read the description of the weapon. "It sounds like it'll be really useful. It's just a shame it doesn't do more damage with that poison."

The merchant smiled. "That is where finer weapons come in. For example, there is a blade here in my inventory that causes fifty points of damage every second after it has cut an opponent. But it is multitudes more expensive than what you are looking at now. Have a look at this."

Poisoned Dagger of the One-Armed Thief

Value: 150 gold

Effect: When cut by the needle point blade of this weapon, it inflicts poison on the target.

Effect: Poison from this blade inflicts 50 points of damage every second. 

Restriction: Rogue Class only

Restriction: Agility of 20 or more

"That's more like it!" Petra announced at the description of the new dagger. "But… I couldn't even use it if I could afford it. My agility's still at just level one."

"Do not worry!" The merchant said with a smile. "This is the very nature of what we do here. You take what you can get and use now, and you strive to replace those things with stronger and better tools later!"

"Well, I still can't even afford the one with minor poisoning," Petra said. "Just… I suppose I'll take the regular Stiletto."

"It's not a bad choice," the merchant said. "And once you've spent some more time here in the Arena, I'm sure you'll be back again for an upgrade."

"Wait," Titus said as the merchant started to turn away. "You can have my coin too. I've got my salary to spend, and I think that weapon will come in really handy for the group of us. Just… get the Stiletto with the poison and pay me back next week."

Petra looked at Titus, and then Jordan.

"Don't look at me for help," Jordan said. "I'm buying a basic shield and sword and sending the rest to my family. God knows they need it more than I do."

Titus wondered if that was true but let his offer stand. Besides, he wondered if he really even needed a weapon, given the fact that he still had no idea what he was going to do with his Class.

"Titus, I can't…" Petra started.

"Yes, you can," he interrupted her. "When we go out to fight against a real monster, you're going to have to be the one to do the damage. Jordan will defend us, and I'll work to keep you both alive as best I can. That means you two need weapons and armour, and I don't need anything, not now, at least." Then he turned to the merchant again.

"She'll take the Stiletto," he said. "Take my coin as well."

The merchant smiled from ear to ear. "That is most noble of you, my friend. And as selfless an act as I've seen in a long time. I wish you all the best of luck in the Arena, and hope to see you fight many battles."

Then he turned around and opened a small chest to produce a long, needle-thin blade with a wooden handle, inlaid with bright green flashing. Titus wondered how exactly all of the weapons he had listed fit inside the rather small chest, but he didn't voice the concern.

"You know what, because of your selfless act I feel compelled to bestow upon you three pieces of information or advice that could help you on your path. First, not all equipment is made the same. You may have noticed the name of the Dagger: 'of the One-Armed Thief'. When you see a weapon whose name is 'of the,' it means that it is of high quality or rarity. Do not let these things pass you by when you find them if you can afford not to. And second, sometimes you will see that weapons and equipment bear a maker's mark. Should you ever see the name 'Callistus,' it would do you well to do whatever you can to obtain whatever it applies to. People tend to avoid pieces by this man because it always has a hidden effect that nobody is able to see until it is held. The effect is specific to the first wielder of the piece so it is not resaleable. But believe me when I say that the effect is almost always something useful. And lastly, there are two kinds of bonuses that weapons and equipment can give to stats. Fixed and scaling. Fixed is much like what you've seen: a bonus of points to a particular stat, or even multiple stats. But scaling is what you should be on the lookout for. These provide a bonus percentage based on your base number for that stat. So for example you could see a weapon with a stamina plus five, and another with stamina plus five percent. Always chose scaling, even if right now the bonus is lower because these items will stay with you for a long time, and their benefits will increase with your own abilities indefinitely."

"Right, so buy scaling gear, anything made by Callistus, and anything with the name 'of the'," Petra recounted. "You got that big guy?" She asked Jordan who looked like he'd just been given far too much information at once to remember.

"Uh…" he started. "Don't worry, we'll write it down," Petra said. She took the Stiletto from the merchant and thanked him, as did Titus and Jordan before they moved away to the next table.