Part 11: An Ordinary Day?

Concluding the tale of Alena and her loyal minions, it's time to move on to the tale of a more ordinary man. The kind of guy you wouldn't necessarily expect in a heroic quest.




A lot of people seem to be very fond of this chapter. It's not hard to see why, as when it comes to charm and novelty it's incredibly unusual for this time period.



"You're up at last. Here's your lunch."

"Go out and head west. Don't be a sleepy-head, OK? Have a nice day."

"Honey, I know where I work. Trust me, I know."



"Be good. Maybe today I'll be home before you're asleep."



Here, then, is the merchant Taloon. Average in most stats, but with great vitality. His HP isn't anything to write home about.. but he's not bad for a shopkeep.



"What the hell is this doing hidden away here? Is Neta keeping a stash?"



"I'll pay you to take me to the house of Healing. Will you?"

"How much are we tal.. ahh, hell with it. Come on."



"That so wasn't worth being late to work for."



"Would there be a reward for his son?



"A bit late for that. Should have printed it larger."



"Business idea #2 for the day: Obedience School."



"I also heard it should protect your money even when you're defeated by monsters."

"This is relevant to my interests. And even if I don't fight a day in my life, someone might want it."



"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on."



"I get it. I've been working for you for years.. but hey, about that commission.."

"I'll be downstairs."



"Uh.. yes. Yes it is. The crossed swords should be a pretty good indicator."



"Thanks.. but it's not that hard, really. We've got a price list here. I'd get chewed out something terrible if I didn't follow it."



"I can't be equipped with this.. can you still sell it to me?"

"Hell, it's your money. I don't care if you can use it. Once you give me the money and take the merchandise it's all the same to me."



"Seriously? This isn't complicated. Sell some crap and then come back. Or hell, sell it to me. I'll buy it."



"106 gold? I'm pretty sure we did a lot more business than that today.."

"Well, have a nice night!"



"Something like this is starting to sound like a really good idea."



"Good arms merchants should know how to use weapons properly."

"I'm doing pretty well so far, but.. well, maybe. Depends on how much my boss manages to piss me off."



"I don't know about that. I could probably figure something out."



"That's why I keep him caged."

"You know, I could maybe see about training that dog for you.."

"If it's all the same, I'd actually rather have my son back."



"Yeah, that boss is a slave driver. We've been here for a while, but it's starting to really get to me lately."



"When I grow up, I'll work as hard as you and let you two live in comfort!"

"I don't know where you get these ideas, but I like them. A lot."



"Wait, you mean I have a choice about this? Eh.. sure."



"It's.. you knew what you were here fo.. my... get the HELL OUT OF THIS STORE!"



"You... you just randomly decide how much extra you're going to give me over 100 gold every day, don't you?"

"Taloon, I'd NEVER do that to you. It's all about how much business we do for the day.."

"Yeah, but you're in the basement all day. I don't even know what you're doing down there. How do you know how much business we've even done?"

The Next Day...



"Wow..people will believe anything you tell them from behind a counter."



"Yeah, just walk yourself right out the door. Go try to find another weapon shop around... okay, I've had enough for the day."



"Someday, I'm getting out of here and seeing the world."



"I.. already feel better than I have in years. Why didn't I do this earlier?"



"This.. is worth more than a day's wages. I've.. been wasting my life at that shop. What have I done?"



"It's like I just keep finding reasons not to go back there. Maybe the boy can work there while I do this? I mean, a child could.."



"Why do people only sell one type of item? Wouldn't it make more sense to sell armor and weapons in the same store?"

Taloon has the special ability to conduct analysis on items that will tell you about who can use an item, what it will do in battle, and the resale price. I've heard that some of the analyses are pretty amusing, so I'll look into it later.



"This isn't a bad idea. Your merchandise isn't great but.. here. Take this. And this. And this."




"Well, that pretty much settles it. I'm not going back to work again."



"Although.. I just got an idea. Maybe one more day."



"You've only been gone for TWO DAYS. Where the hell were you?"

"Trust me, I've got a GREAT idea. I can't tell you the details yet, but we're going somewhere. I promise you."



"You know.. not even this is going to ruin my day. It's not my money, so.. whatever."



"Step 1. Acquire useful merchandise at the store."




"No no, that's okay. We're holding this for a higher price."



"Step 2: Come to Papa. It's time to get out of this town."

Since Taloon is the control over whether or not merchandise is accepted and sold, it's quite possible to get merchandise from the customers and hold it so that you can come back the next day and buy it yourself. There's a bit of a random factor in what becomes available, but if you're patient you can get some pretty decent equipment.