The next morning Isa met Joth in front of Lund's. “Before we go anywhere, we're getting you a rapier,” he said.

“I have like 2 gold and that's supposed to last until I get back.”

“I know a guy,” said Joth. He led her down the road and past a few side streets to a ramshackle house. “This,” said Joth, “is a great second hand store.”

He banged on the door and a very short, old man opened it. He looked up at Joth and snorted.

“Gimble! Don’t act that way.” Joth held out his hands. “I said I was sorry. You shouldn’t be so thin-skinned. This is--” He turned to Isa, but before Joth could introduce her, she stepped in front of him and held out her hand.

“Hello sir. I’m Isa Chamberlin. I’m a fighter in need of a rapier. I hear you are the man--” Was he a man? “Um, the shopkeeper, the vendor to see!”

The shopkeeper crossed his arms. He looked her up and down and stepped aside. “Rapiers,” he said in a high voice, “I have.”

“We need other stuff too,” Joth said as he followed Isa into the shop. She shot him a glare and shook her head slightly.

“This,” Isa tried to take it all in, “is quite a place.” She was standing in what looked to be a converted living room that was piled to the ceiling with gear. She saw a jumble of helmets in one corner. There was a set of what she assumed was chain mail draped over the back of a small rocking chair. She saw shields and swords hanging on the walls. One bookshelf was crammed with glass jars, scrolls, and stacks of dark brown bars. A long low table held stacks upon stacks of wooden boxes.

“I can see,” the little man said, “that you have an eye for quality. You need a rapier, you said? Fine weapon. Fine, fine weapon.” He squinted at Isa and then looked at the wall of swords. “And yet, I happen to have a goooolden scimitar.” The words rolled off his tongue. “Used it was, by an elven princess. Its hilt inlaid with polished amber, just the color of your eyes. It’s in the back, with other rarities.” The way Gimble said it, the A in "rarities" seemed to last a minute.

He turned to go behind a curtain when Joth grabbed his shoulder. “She doesn’t need your painted iron junk. What about that one?” To Isa it seemed that he pointed at random.

Gimble shrugged out of Joth’s grip. “What do you know of it, wizard?”

“She’s got 5 silver to spend as a down payment, gnome.”

Gimble winced. “Seriously?”

Isa smiled and nodded.

“Right then,” he said and ran his hands through his hair. “You need the rent-to-own chest.” He crossed the room and kicked open an iron-bound chest. He waved at it. “There you go,” he said and slumped into the rocking chair, which caused the chain mail to clink.

Isa approached the chest. Inside it was a deadly snarl of blades. Joth joined her and reached out, threading his hand between two flat blades to grasp a hilt. “Careful!” said Isa.

Joth nodded as he tugged on a dull gray metal sword with a covered grip. The blade looked impossibly long and thin.

“Of course,” Gimble said suddenly, “I have been known to trade.”

His tone of voice made Isa and Joth stop and turn. “I don’t have anything--”

Joth slapped her stomach with the back of his hand. “What did you have in mind?”

“Eh, just stating the obvious.” He waved his hand, and the chair and chain mail moved with him.

“Sure.” Joth nodded and turned back to Isa. “What do you think of this one?” He help up the gray sword. “Length looks good.” He sighted down the blade. “Could be worse.” He gingerly touched the tip. “Still sharp. Well done, Gimble.” He handed it to Isa. “Give it a thrust.”

“Too heavy.” Gimble said from his chair. “Look at that grip. She won’t be bashing anyone with that! It’ll fold like tin.”

“I’ll be bashing people? Lund didn’t say anything about that.” Isa stopped and pointed the sword at the gnome. “You are trying to pull a fast one.”

Gimble shrugged.

“No, no. I get it,” said Isa. “I read a car salesman book once. You’re showing me the lemons so that I’ll buy the car you want me to buy. The car you want to sell.”

“‘Showing the lemons.’ I have no idea what that means, but I like how it sounds!” Gimble hopped off the chair. “And I like you. You’ve got spunk! Verve. Vinegar. I just want to help you out.” He walked to the wall of swords. “Take your pick. We’ll trade, even.”

“Really?” Isa put the rapier back in the chest point down and took 2 steps toward the display, but Joth stopped her. “Trade what?” he said.

“What has she got to trade? That is the question.” Gimble looked at Isa. “What have you got?”

“What do you want, you old pisser?” Joth crossed his arms. “He wouldn’t be talking if he didn’t have his eye on something.” He looked Isa up and down, and then he smiled. “It’s gonna cost you, Gim.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He took Isa by the arm. “You just take a look at the blades. Don’t worry about the price, my dear. Which one speaks to you?”

Isa looked up at the wall. Her eye traveled down the side where all the rapiers were. They all looked the same: long, thin, and deadly. But then, no. One stood out. All the other swords had ornate grips with scrollwork hand guards that curled up and around, but this one had a rounded plate at the end like a mini shield for her hand. The cross piece was a thin silver bar and the grip was black with a large knob on the end. A single silver band of metal rose from the cross piece as a hand guard, more of a suggestion of a guard, like a note of music that lingers.

“That one,” Isa pointed.

“Ooo, the girl has an eye; doesn’t she, wizard?” Gimble rubbed his hands. “Picks the jewel from the potato bin.”

That didn’t seem like much of a challenge to Isa, but she smiled. “Can I afford it though? I mean, how many payments is it?”

“As I said, I like you. I want you to succeed, have a long career! Maybe you’ll remember your old friend Gimble if you come across any treasures in your journeys.”

“Wait for it,” muttered Joth.

Gimble glared at Joth. To Isa he said, “I’ll take your shoes for the blade. And a scabbard, of course. You have to have a scabbard. You deserve that.”

“My shoes?” Isa looked down at her Brooks. “But these are--”

“Incredibly rare,” finished Joth. “One of a kind, actually. And you know it! We could have this whole store for what those shoes cost.”

“Pah! I saw some just last week,” Gimble said. “I’m doing you a favor.”

“You saw running shoes last week? Someone else was in this shop, wearing--”

“He’s lying, Isa. He wants to get the shoes for a song.”

“Well,” said Gimble, “what do you propose, Mr. Smarty Wizard?”

“She needs something else to wear on her feet, obviously. Decent boots with a lot of life. She needs a first aid kit, a belt….” He looked around the room. “We need 10 ration bars, a component pouch, and a ring.”

“I’d like a change of clothes, too.” Isa added.

Gimble seemed to be doing math in his head, and after a moment he said, “Done.”

“Where are the rings?” Joth moved toward the long table.

“Got a tray of them under the counter. Box of boots over there.” He said to Isa. “And I’ll take my shoes now.”

“You heard the gnome,” Joth said as he bent to peer at the rings. “What size ring do you wear?”

“Oh, I get to wear the ring? Very generous.” Isa sat in the rocking chair and unlaced her shoes. “Why do I need a ring? These are Ghost 8s, you know. They don’t make these anymore.”

She handed the shoes to Gimble who took them gingerly. “‘Ghost 8s’,” he said softly and shivered. “Ghooost 8s.”

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 2

Alignment: Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hit Points: 15 AC: 13

Combat: +4 to Hit

Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +2 (piercing) / Quarterstaff (right hand) 1d6 +2 (bludgeoning)

STR

11

0

DEX

14

+2

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

4

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

1

Nature (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

2

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

2

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.