EFate: An MMO Story

Tonbura Village was just waking up when Eric arrived. Farmers were attaching beasts of burden to their plows, merchants were scurrying about their shops, getting ready for the day, and various travellers wandered the streets, preparing to set off for a day of hunting, whether for monsters or other items such as herbs, Eric did not know.

The number of adventurers in Tonbura had increased recently, especially in the three days since the Battle of Lichfrost. While the Kingdom still refused to send aid north, instead choosing to reinforce the southern and western borders, mercenaries and adventurers had a sense for where their services would be needed most. Danger begot opportunity, and the turmoil in the north had thus attracted many, eager to test themselves against the monsters that continued to flow in from the regions north of Novanalba.

Making his way into the village via the northern gate, the delicious aroma of warm food filled the air as wives went about preparing meals for their husbands before they headed off to work. Taking in an appreciative breath, Eric nodded to Harak who was awake for once, happily spooning oatmeal into his mouth as he waved Eric through. With a tired smile, Eric headed for the general shop where he would be able to find the supplies Alistair had recommended.

Burgess' General Store was fairly busy, considering the early hour. Squeezing his way through the door, Eric's eyes roamed the countertops that teemed with various items and supplies. From food and rations to a set of armour, Burgess' General Store had it all, which was surprising considering Tonbura's size. Chalking it up to a liberty of the game developers, Eric began to browse, snatching up five of each item that Alistair had recommended, as well as a few apples for Floof who was currently residing in his pet space. Flitting back and forth through the shop, Eric's eyes were continuously drawn to the suit of armour that dominated the center of the store. While he was by no means a wearer of heavy armour, it was not the armour itself that had drawn his eye, but rather, the cloak layered over top of it. Made of a dark fabric, the cloak's interior was velvety smooth, with silver threads faintly visible that ran through the violet inner coat of the piece. In contrast, the exterior was a dark grey colour that seemed to divert the eye, which had caused Eric's glance to skirt past the garment on more than one occasion.

Staring wistfully at the cloak, Eric made his way to the front of the store where a halfling woman stood behind a small counter.

"Will that be everything?" she asked him, her usual cheer only slightly dulled by the earliness of morning.

"I'm actually still looking for common antidotes. I didn't see any though," Eric responded.

"I think we ran out of those yesterday. But Burgess was due back today and he should have a new shipment from Vindammer. Did you want to wait for him?"

"Wait for who?" a new voice interjected. Peering behind him, Eric's gaze fell upon a middle aged halfling man. Standing roughly four feet tall with curly brown hair and a short goatee, the man's appearance was well groomed, despite the dust that spotted his travellers clothes.

"Daddy! You're back!" the cashier exclaimed happily, rushing forward from behind the counter to hug her father.

"Yes. Don't I always come back, Bertha?" he asked with an amused look, shooting Eric an apologetic look from over her shoulder. Breaking from the hug, Burgess turned to look up at Eric.

"Sorry, my daughter gets a little excited when I return. Was there something you needed my help with?"

"I've got a few in the wagon. Give me a moment and I'll have them brought in."

"Do you need my help, daddy?" Bertha inquired her eyes shining.

"That would be appreciated. Jamie's unloading now, so you can help him while I man the counter."

With a happy squeal, Bertha gave her father another quick hug before dashing outside, her short halfling legs taking her out of sight far faster than Eric would have normally thought possible.

"Sorry about that. The girl's got an enormous crush on my assistant, Jamie. She'll be bouncing around for the next hour waiting for him to finish if I don't let her go help," Burgess explained, setting his hat down behind the counter and patting himself off. "Now then, what can I help you with?"

Showing the merchant his items, Eric received an appraising nod. "An adventurer, eh? Some pretty standard stuff here. I'd imagine you'll also be needing healing potions and a few other essentials?" Burgess asked, a cunning glint appearing in his eye as he appraised the half-elf.

"Yes. I still need arrows, healing potions, possibly some new armour…" Eric replied, ticking off the remaining items on his list one by one. As he talked, his gaze was drawn to the armour, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Burgess.

"I actually have healing potions available as well. Higher quality than the ones Maria offers," Burgess said conversationally. "As for arrows, you'll have to go to Craig for that. But armour I do have. Are you interested?"

"I'm good for armour," Eric said after a momentary struggle, giving the cloak one last glance before turning back to the shopkeeper. "I am interested in the healing potions though."

"That's a grade D healing potion with the effectiveness of a grade C potion. Made by the high priest of the Church of Rhannia in Seacove himself. I can offer them to you at five Sricks each, or five for twenty. What do you say?" Burgess asked, his eyes alight as Eric fidgeted with the potion.

[Health Potion - D Grade]

Restores 65 health when consumed. 30% more effective than the standard grade D healing potion, this potion was created by a follower of Rhannia.

"How much are Maria's potions?" Eric asked at last, causing Burgess' smile to slip slightly.

"Two-and-a-half Sricks each for a grade D potion. But the effectiveness is lower. Can you really put a price on something that could very well save your life or the life of your companions?" Burgess asked, the model of virtuosity as he gave Eric a concerned look.

As Eric hesitated, he turned, checking the door to see if Bertha had re-emerged with the antidotes. As he did so, his gaze was caught once more by the cloak, lingering there for a second before turning back to Burgess.

"Sorry, but I just remembered that Alistair told me to get the potions from Maria," he apologized.

"Of course, that's not a problem," Burgess replied smoothly, scooping the potions back into the box before locking it and placing it back underneath the counter. "Did you need anything else? Bandages? Scrolls? Cloaks?"

Eric's ear twitched at this, causing Burgess to smile and push further. "I have a few cloaks available. Most of them are nothing compared to Doreen's works of course," he said, referring to the owner of the tailor shop down the street. "But I did get one cloak recently that I'm very proud of. Made of real Swordclaw fur, it naturally increases the wearer's magic resistance and stealth. Swordclaw Lynx are incredibly rare, this is an item that can't even be found in Seacove, let alone anywhere else in the Lunbrengur Region."

"How much is that cloak?" Eric asked at last, unable to contain his curiosity.

"One gold Galley," Burgess responded. "But to the hero of Lichfrost? I can sell it for eighty-five Sricks. No lower."

Eric's face paled. He'd only been awarded a single gold Galley and a handful of Sricks for his efforts in winning the Battle of Lichfrost. With the cost of the items he'd already picked up taken into account, as well as the coin he would need for arrows, health potions, and possibly new armour, that left him with only just over a Galley remaining. He'd initially planned to save this Galley and use it to purchase an enchanted item from Lucy, but the cloak was just so enticing…

Seeing his hesitation, Burgess pushed a little harder. "You can ask Alistair or Lucy Morningstar if this is a good deal. I can assure you they'll say yes. If they don't, I'll refund you the full price."

Still hesitant, Eric looked back at the cloak, a conflicted look visible on his face.

"Tell you what. Buy the cloak, and I'll throw in a discount on the other items. Your current total is nine Sricks for everything. I can sell that to you for five, and then the cloak for eighty-five, for a total of ninety Sricks," Burgess offered. "Any lower than that and you're eating into my margins, I do have a family to feed you know."

Turning back to look at the cloak, Eric gazed wistfully at it once more. He'd been extremely jealous of Tanix's cloak, envious of how cool and elegant it had made the mage look. Now he had the opportunity to purchase an even better looking cloak for himself, and it even had magical properties to boot. Scrunching his eyes, Eric made his decision, turning to Burgess and giving the halfling a nod.

"It's a deal."