The business district seemed like chaos as usual. Merchants haggled loudly over pile of incompressible wares while shoppers flitted from booth to booth like caffeinated hummingbirds. Micky seemed to slip through the crowds like a local, ducking and weaving with an ease he hadn’t felt before.

“You there! Yes, you in the dashing vest” a voice called to him across an alleyway. “You’ve the look of a man in the market for a deal.”

This ought to be good, thought Micky with a smile as he approached the figure. “How can I help you mate?” He asked the diminutive dragebarn.

“You should be asking how I can help you my friend, for I have a selection of only the finest good. All of which have been freshly retrieved from a dazzling array of convergences. Come, gaze upon the wonders of a dozen ‘verses.”

The man's tail flicked back and forth like an agitated house cat as Micky followed him into the dim interior of his stall. Light filtered into the space through the cloth hangings, giving the whole space a hazy, dreamlike quality. Arranged on velvet on a velvet covered table were a dozen objects of varying shapes and sizes.

“No where else in Baer’s Landing can an enterprising man such as yourself find such an array of goods.” The dragebarn gestured widely at the table. “Behold, my stuff.”

Despite finding the mans attitude more than a little off putting Micky couldn’t deny the curiosity building in him to see some of the objects he might soon be employed to seek. Looking down at the first item, which resembled nothing so much as a brass egg, he activated Examine.

Item Name: Saperavi Orb

Description: Used by sailors to test the depths of a body of water. Unlike a sounding line, which requires constant monitoring a Saperavi Orb can be deployed and then left to its own devices. It will return to the user and sound an alarm if the water depth falls below a set point.

Huh, that’s actually pretty cool, thought Micky, not much use to me now but still cool. Moving on he turned to the second object. This was a hollow cylinder of a clear glasslike substance.

Item Name: Calxy Chamber (incomplete)

Description: A compression chamber for an engine of incomprehensible function. This chamber is missing both a piston and any kind of fuel source.

This kind of seems more like a pile of junk than anything worthwhile. Before he could move on to the third item he was interrupted by the dragebarn merchant. “Does sir see anything he likes? Amongst these treasures are weapons fit to shake all of Outremer.”

“So far I’m just looking. It a seems nice though” Micky replied, unwilling to cause offense by sharing his true opinions.

“Feel free to look, feast you eyes upon the glorious wares found only in Morten’s Emporium of Glory.” Micky was sure he could hear the capital letters as the dragebarn described his own store. Sighing internally he turned back to the third item, a triangle of clouded glass with smoothed edges that reminded Micky of a guitar pick.

Item Name: Fulgurite Plectrum

Description: Crafted from Fulgurite, also known as fossilized lighting, this pick still contains some of the ferocious energy of the storm which created it. Music created with the pick can be used to energize those around the wielder or channel the fury of the storm at their enemies.

Bonuses

- Bound Ability - Shared Power

- Bound Ability - Storm’s Wroth

Remembering what he had read in the IP about bound Abilities and their rarity Micky focused on the two powers, using examine again.

Shared Power

Item Bound - No Stat Prerequisites. Bard or Evoker Class Only

Active Ability: 10SP per use

Description: this Ability allows the user to share the power of the storm with their allies. This restores 10 SP to up to 5 friendly targets

Storm’s Wroth

Item Bound - No Stat Prerequisites. Bard or Evoker Class Only

Active Ability: 6 SP per use

Description: this Ability channels the pure power of the storm outwards from the user in a single bolt, striking one target for moderate electric damage.

All Micky could think was I need this, I really need this. This might be the single coolest thing I’ve seen in Outremer. Turning to the merchant and doing his best to remain calm, he asked “How much for the triangular rock?

“Ahh I see sir has a fine eye for the exquisite merchandise I have it stock. That is a fragment of purest aetherite from the hilt of an enchanted sword.”

“Are you sure mate? I’m pretty sure its a guitar pick.”

The merchants shoulders slumped and his demeanor changed markedly at Micky’s words.

“Ah BLEEP, you’re not a tourist are you?” His voice had dropped at least an octave from its previous obsequiousness and fallen into a much more normal speaking register. “Ah well, that’s another sale buggered up for fair.”

Shocked by this sudden change Micky was silent for a moment. “Wait, that whole thing was just an act?

“Yeah bruv, the tourists eat it up. Put on an air of mystery and they’ll buy any old tosh. I’ve not a clue what half this stuff does”. He picked up the pick and waved it in one hand for emphasis. “Bloke who sold me this swore blind it had powers, but no one has been able to get BLEEP all out if it.”

“I’m pretty sure it needs either a Bard or an Evoker, whatever one of those is” Micky offered.

“Well its taken up BLEEPING space in my shop for donkeys years now. I paid the bloke 3 gold for it. I get me money back and you get one of whatever this is. Square?”

Reaching down for his coin purse Micky handed over the gold with a smile, taking the Plectrum from the merchants hand with a smile. “Square as you like mate” he said with a smile.

“Much obliged, do us a solid and don’t tell anyone about the whole ‘exotic merchant’ bit yeah? I’d never hear the end of it.”

“Not a word of it mate.” With a friendly grin Micky turned and walked out of the booth, well pleased with both his purchase and catching out the merchant. The rest of the trip through the business district passed without incident and Micky made it back to Ma Dukes, humming the whole way.

Given the time of day it wasn’t particularly surprising the boarding house was empty when Micky arrived. Unlocking the door with the key he had been given, he walked upstairs to his room. After pulling the Induction Pack from the shelf Micky flopped down onto the bed, determined that he wouldn’t be under prepared for dinner with Blaes and Algernon. Lost in the dense information Micky barely noticed as the sun dipped low over Baer’s Landing as afternoon passed into evening.

Emerging from the flood of information Micky looked around his room, noting the long shadows being cast through the window. “Righto, better get a move on then” he said to himself. Standing slowly from the bed he gathered the Vaixell and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was full of light and energy, a large pot boiling on one hob while minced meat and onions browned in a frying pan. Ma Duke was sat with slightly worn and disheveled Opal, the two enjoying a cup of tea while dinner cooked. Noticing Micky she waved tiredly.

Hanging his head slightly Micky approached the table. “Hi Ma” he started before turning to Opal “Hey Opal, how was work?”

“Could have been better, but I made it through alight” she replied. “Remind me to never go for just one drink with your friends ever again though.”

“Yeah. That got a little out of hand right? Uh, thank you for carrying me home last night, Ma Duke had to tell me about it, I had no idea how I got back here.”

Snorting with laughter Ma Duke piped up “don’t forget the elephant song boy. You were singing load enough to wake the dead.”

“Sorry about that Ma.”

Opal gave the first hint of a grin, “Don’t mention it Micky, dragebarn are stronger than we look”

“Yeah, I kinda did wonder how that had worked. I had visions of you dragging me along the cobbles by one ankle or something.

“Nope” Ma Duke interjected, “over her shoulder the whole way home and then into a princess carry up the stairs.”

Micky slapped his palm into his face. “Ugh, my bad. Let me make it up to you next time you’ve got a day off. I’ll take you for lunch or something. No booze involved I promise” He offered.

“It’s not a big deal Micky, work today was awful but last night was fun. I’ll take you up on the offer of lunch some time anyway though, okay?” She smiled across the table at him.

“Sound like a deal, I’ve got to head out for a meeting but we’ll sort it out when I get back yeah?” Micky said with a smile of his own.

Heading back towards the TRC and the meeting his thoughts were no longer on his employment prospects, but on a certain redheaded dragebarn.