Chương 8: 1-7 Big spender

"Well, hello there, handsome." Josef hadn't known himself to be narcissistic, but standing in front of a mirror inside a clothing store at Highsend's central marketplace, he was reconsidering that character trait. He had finally doffed his robe, for the sake of his pride he had to stay insistent on that point, and exchanged it for some proper clothes. And while he had wanted to keep to the color blue, as to represent his water affinity, elven culture clearly favored greens and browns.

Though he had to admit that this might be for the best, as giving his own specialization away by color wasn't the brightest idea. Josef had ended up with green pants of a simple cut, held up by a leather belt and a turquoise shirt. He even got a little cape to go with it. Together with some undergarments and multiple sets for changing, this had cost him a pretty penny. Or rather coin. The purchase had set him back a whole 5 gold coins, out of the 27 he had with him.

Going by the prices for food he had seen in the market, that was probably well over a month of work for most people. At least the owner had thrown a free hairband at him when he asked about one. Now he could at least keep his hair out of his face, though he didn't dare to bind it back too tightly, as he had to keep his ears covered. However, paying that much was fine for him, especially after the shop owner reassured him that all of his works came with a basic self-repair enchantment.

It meant he now had proper magic clothes!

"Sir, if that was all, please consider leaving the store." The nasal voice of the shop's owner interrupted Josef's self admiration. This elf hadn't been happy with his presence in the store from the start, glaring at his nose. But money was king, and thus his presence had been tolerated until now.

"No need to get pushy. Hope you have an interesting day," Josef mildly cursed the shopkeeper on his way out. He briefly considered heading to a cobbler next so he could purchase some proper shoes, but decided against it. Those sandals were just too comfortable to give up, and they didn't even slip while running. Clearly, they were already magical, or at least as close to that as possible. Now Josef could consider his next destination, dressed inconspicuously enough not to draw every gaze in the city.

It was time for him to grab some books from the nearby store, if they ended up having anything useful. Just as he stepped away from the clothing store's entrance, however, a little figure brushed past him somewhat roughly. Watching as the furry little critter, some kind of rodent he assumed, walked away, understanding dawned on him. Patting himself down, Josef almost called out after the little pickpocket, but realized that nothing was missing. That's when he remembered his wallet was now a magical hole in space.

Lucky him.

"Sorry, but not today," he chuckled to himself. However, he decided to hold the bag with his new extra clothes a little tighter, being more cautious after the attempted theft. He was not going to lose that one, he promised himself. After a short walk along the marketplace, he reached the bookstore. It stood uncomfortably close to the Sanctum. Giving that temple another glance, he spotted the same reptile as the day before standing guard up near the entrance. Onyx, he reminded himself.

He could see why that massive guy was an infamous attraction of the city. Two and a half meters of muscles, claws and teeth, packed with a sneer and an attitude. Josef had to admit that he looked pretty badass, with his armor and his eyepatch. He did a double take upon seeing the latter. Did he already have that one yesterday? His thoughts abruptly ground to a halt as their eyes met. Courageously, he retreated forward into the bookstore. Inside, he immediately found himself accosted by the owner.

"Welcome, welcome. What are you looking for? Ah, why am I even asking. Of course, you must be here for the new rendition of 'Laws of Order'. Sanctum has truly graced us with the light of their wisdom." Josef had the immediate desire to step back outside again, but found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Death glare or fanaticism. With brief consideration, he decided on the latter.

"Why, yes? How did you know? I really hoped to get one of those," he answered, going with the flow. He knew better than to talk back to someone who acted like that, so instead he went along with it.

"That and some other books on basic education. Like class-stones, biology, culture and geography. I… got a little one at home who needs some teaching. It would be prudent for her education." If the books he needed would make him look like an idiot or an outsider, whichever was worse in this culture, then he would just blame it on a kid. He mentally patted himself on the shoulder for that idea. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Fortunately, his tactic panned out, as the elf in front of him eagerly bounced around the store, picking up books, all while regaling him with a tale of how Sanctum was bringing the true light of healing to the world. He was slightly terrified by the sheer level of lunacy he was witnessing. Even more terrifying was the sum these books would cost him, at a total of 13 gold coins and some silver. That was more than half of his remaining money, which made him consider refusing the propaganda book about Sanctum.

However, seeing the elf's glazed over eyes, he decided not to engage further with this particular madman. Finishing his purchase, Josef headed out quickly. He didn't even spare the time to say goodbye as he rushed out. The sooner he got away from there, the better. Deciding to bring his purchases back home before he continued with his day, Josef was once more tackled by a smaller figure when he came out of the store.

"You persistent bastard." Josef spat as he rushed after the thief. On the bright side, he had managed to hold onto his bag of clothes, as planned. The same couldn't be said for his newly purchased books. He was not going to lose those after how much money he had paid. Even if coins hadn't been an issue, he outright refused to head back into that place ever again. Josef found it surprisingly easy to keep up with them, though that might be because his legs were longer than theirs.

That wannabe pickpocket was either a child or part of a small race. He decided to send Dusty on the hunt as well. He still didn't truly understand the rules by which his rabbit worked, but he had proven himself an apt tracker when they chased Cana. In the end, he didn't even need his familiar's help. While he did occasionally lose sight of his target during the twists and turns of the alleys, he was never far enough to be shaken off.

He became frustratingly aware of just how much cardio he was getting in these days. Maybe he should have focused on Endurance after all. Having reached the end of the chase, panting, he saw them slip inside the door of a large, rundown building. The roof had visible holes, and the wood of its walls was clearly old and rotten in places.

A board nailed onto the wall above the door had 'House of Smiles' painted on it in large, uneven letters, marking it as either a haunted house or, more likely, some kind of place for kids. Following inside, he quickly concluded that this was an orphanage because of the amount of children and the worried, elderly cat-lady herding them. Josef coughed into his fist to catch the woman's attention.

"Greetings ma'am. I'm afraid we need to have a chat." Her ears had clearly picked up his presence before, but she still whirled around to meet him with a somewhat shocked expression.

"Oh dear, it can't be another payment already. We barely have-" She broke off as Josef shook his head.

"Nothing like that, though I'm afraid one of your children just… acquired a bag of my stuff out on the market. Small, reddish fur, a long and bushy tail. Does that ring any bells?"

"Oh, for the love of…" Her voice cut off as she took a deep breath.

"RATA, get your ass down here, right now! I am so sorry, I promise you will get back everything he took." Only a few seconds passed before Rata appeared on top of the stairs to the second floor, doing his best to look completely innocent. Though the matching appearance and ragged breathing gave him away rather handily. Having had a chance to look him over, Josef realized that he was looking at a squirrel person. He briefly considered inspecting his status, but thought better of it.

That matron had similar vibes as Dizzy, and he didn't want to risk getting caught and scolded. Fixed by the older lady's glare, he stammered, "I-I took nothing. I swear, matron!" The lie was flimsy at best, as he practically outed himself. The poor kid was too innocent to lie in earnest. But before either of them could scold the kid, a scratching nose interrupted them. Dusty was trying his best, pulling along the bag full of books from somewhere deeper within the orphanage.

They watched wordlessly as he pulled it down the stairs before he finally arrived before his summoner. Josef had no idea how his familiar pulled that one off. If anything, he was surprised just how much autonomy the rabbit showed, especially given his curt initial command. Not that he minded. He was quite happy with his companion after all.

"Thanks, Dusty. Good work." He petted his bunny. Should he get him some treats? It didn't look like familiars needed any kind of sustenance, but perhaps they could still eat. As Josef was ruminating about the intricacies of magical rabbit food, Rata was busy getting a scolding. And from what he could overhear, the kid hadn't done this for the first time, being a repeat offender multiple times over. He couldn't exactly blame him either, looking at the rundown building around him.

This orphanage was clearly in dire straits, and the boy probably just tried to help. Or to steal a future for himself.

"I am terribly sorry for this." The matron was now bowing, dragging a clearly unapologetic child with her.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make up for this, please. There is no reason to involve the guards."

"It's water under the bridge, really. No one got hurt and nothing was lost. All's fine by me," Josef attempted to calm her. He hesitated before he continued asking, "In fact, are you alright? Is someone troubling you for money? I'd be happy to help if I can."

"No, not at all. Everything is well, I would not dare to complain," she deflected. Clearly there was an issue, but she was not willing to talk about it. At least not with him. After all, he still was an elf in the eyes of most. It wasn't surprising that she wouldn't open up to him, as she was likely expecting him to take their earlier issue out of the orphanage. Understanding that stung Josef, but unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do for them at the moment.

Taking his rabbit and his bags, he bid his farewell and left.

"Fixing this city is going to take a lot more than just goodwill, isn't it Dusty?" The rabbit in question answered with a bassy vibration.

"Gotta earn a lot of money if I want to help build things up. A reputation to be heard. And power so others can't trample on my values." He listed what came to his mind. That was going to be a long journey, but one he had to make. After all, he doubted all of those issues were just going to go away once dragons were back in the picture. So making a beeline for the ultimate goal wasn't worth it if he ignored everything else on the way. With a sigh, he made his way back to the tavern.

Today he had books to read and plans to make. Tomorrow? He was going to enter a dungeon, alone or not.