Chapter 54: The Grey Merchant’s Wares

I spent a moment considering what to spend my money on: equipment, consumables, skills, or abilities.

Skills are my first priority, I decided. They required time to train, and unlike consumables and equipment couldn’t be lost if I died. Next would be abilities. Only once I had a good mix of both, would I turn to my gear.

“Show me your skillbooks,” I said.

“Coming right up,” Hamish said and scurried back into the wagon. He returned almost immediately and held out his finds to me, bobbing excitedly up and down as I inspected them.

I took the proffered skillbooks. Disappointingly, there were only three. They covered the skills of light armor, longswords, and air magic.

“These are the only ones you have?” I asked. Of the three, only light armor was useable to me, and I had four skill slots to fill. I had been hoping for better.

Unaware of the unhappy direction of my thoughts, Hamish simply nodded in response. Dejected, I bowed my head to consider the skillbooks again.

“Of course,” Hamish added after a moment, “these three are only samples. I can get whatever you want.”

I lifted my head to stare blankly at him. “Huh?”

“I am a merchant, you know,” Hamish said with a twinkle in his eyes. I still didn’t take his meaning.

The dark elf’s smile faded. “You do know what being a merchant means, don’t you?”

I shook my head mutely.

“How did you manage to get to level eighteen and still not know these things?” Hamish asked disbelievingly.

I blinked. “You know my level?”

“Of course, I do!” he exclaimed. “I analyzed you.”

Something else occurred to me. “Hamish,” I asked slowly, “are you a player?”

The merchant looked at me strangely. “Did you not get a message when you entered the safe zone? Only players and Powers may enter its borders.”

“Uh, right,” I said, my face reddening. I recognized the look Hamish was giving me now. He thinks I’m an idiot. With good cause too. I shouldn’t have forgotten something so simple.

I sighed. “I’m sorry, Hamish. Please excuse my ignorance. I should have realized you and the other merchants are players. If you don’t mind, can you explain how you will get more skillbooks?”

The dark elf grinned. “Of course, anything for a customer!”

I smiled wanly. “Thanks.”

“I have the merchant Class,” Hamish began, “which means I can access the sector containing the Nexus from anywhere in the Forever Kingdom.” He paused. “Do you know what the Nexus is?”

I nodded, relieved that I wasn’t wholly ignorant.

“Good,” he replied. “That make the explanation easier. Simply put, I contact my partner in the Nexus, he buys what I need, and sends it back to me.”

“How though?” I asked, intrigued.

“Aether magic,” he replied simply.

“Aether magic?”

“It’s a form of non-combative magic used primarily for long distance communications, and transporting goods and people across the aether,” Hamish explained. “Only a few Classes have access to the skill.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. “How long does it take to send something through the aether?”

“The transfer itself is instantaneous. The only delay experienced is a result of the spell casting time,” Hamish answered. “Which depending on the distance involved and the mass being moved, can be anywhere between five minutes and one day.”

“Huh,” I said, impressed. “So you can get any item I need?” I asked, getting back to the matter of the skillbooks.

“Well… I might have exaggerated slightly,” Hamish said, looking sheepish, “but I can certainly source anything within reason.”

I smiled at the merchant’s qualification. The dark elf looked at me expectantly. “So what do you want?”

I scratched at my chin. When it came right down to it, I really didn’t know enough to make a choice from an unknown set of options. I had been assuming I would be presented with a limited range to choose from. “I’m not sure,” I said. “Can you take me through the options?”

Hamish’s face did not show the slightest concern, despite the scale of my request. “Of course, anything for a customer!”

~~~

Things worked out simpler than I expected.

Hamish had a slim leather-bound book, proudly titled: ‘Hamish and Spuren Trading Company Catalog of Skills and Abilities.’ The catalog laid out every skill and ability, Hamish and his partner were able to provide. The moment my eyes fell on the book in the merchant’s hands, I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing it and burying my nose within its pages.

The catalog was a treasure trove of information. While the book did not contain detailed descriptions, it provided me with what I desperately sought: an understanding of the bigger picture, at least as it related to skills and abilities. For a newbie like me, the slim volume was worth its weight in gold.

“How much for the catalog?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from book for a second.

Hamish stared at me, his face a comical mix of humor and disbelief. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“It’s free.” He paused. “For paying customers.”

“Thanks!” With a pleased smile, I dived back into the book and scanned through the catalog, which was admirably sorted and cross-indexed. Picking a few items at random, I perused their information in more detail.

Water magic skillbook. Governing attribute: Magic. Tier: advanced. Cost: 5 gold.

Focus skillbook. Governing attribute: Constitution. Tier: basic. Cost: 2 gold.

Poison dart spellbook. Governing attribute: Mind. Tier: basic. Cost: 5 gold. Requirement: rank 0 earth magic.

Fireball spellbook. Governing attribute: Mind. Tier: advanced. Cost: 10 gold. Requirement: rank 5 fire magic.

The prices caused some of my good humor to evaporate, but I didn’t stop flipping through the catalog.

It turned out that what Hamish actually meant by ‘within reason’ were primarily basic and advanced tier skills and abilities. The catalog did contain a few master tier ones, but for the most part, the cost put them out of reach. It did make me curious, though, about their grading.

“What separates master tier skills from basic and advanced ones?” I asked.

“When it comes to skills, rarity is the differentiator,” Hamish replied. “Master tier skills are not necessarily better than basic ones, but they are harder to find.”

“And abilities?”

“Ability are a different matter entirely. A higher tier ability is always better than a lower one, but they come with higher skill requirements. But for a new player like yourself that is all immaterial. You will only be able to use basic abilities.”

I nodded thoughtfully. Something else was puzzling me. “Why are the abilities so much more expensive than skills? Considering skills are more valuable, I would have expected the reverse.”

Hamish chuckled. “You would think so, wouldn’t you? But its all about supply and demand. Players are always searching for more abilities—even basic ones—but conversely, once their class configurations are completed, players almost never need new skills.”

“I see,” I murmured and returned to scanning through the catalog. One other thing quickly became clear: I did not have nearly enough money to buy all the skills and abilities I desired. I needed more money, and there was only one way to get it.

I closed the book with a snap and turned back to the merchant. “Before we go any further, I must know: do you buy as well as sell?”

Hamish grinned. “Of course. I will take any trinkets you do not need of your hands.”

“Perfect,” I said. Emptying my backpack, I laid all the items I was willing to part with on the floor. “So how much will you give me for these?”