To the Black Markets

After quite a few hours of working on finding the information he was looking for, Aro managed to find something that looked promising. The entry spoke of a man named Lucien. This man was rumored to be in virtually every major town and city at once. As if that wasn’t fantastic enough, the rumors also said that he had a nearly limitless stock of incredibly powerful magical weapons and armor. While this man wasn’t a black market all by himself, he wasn’t picky about his clients and was known to be incredibly discreet. It was clear that going to Lucien was going to be Aro’s best bet.

It wouldn’t be an incredibly hard journey to get to Lucien either. One of his known locations was Magnolia town, and that was only about a four day walk from Blackmist’s headquarters. Magnolia is a relatively new town, but it’s a part of a coastal railway system that has been growing quickly based on imports from Hargeon City. Hargeon is the main port city in Fiore, so almost all interstate commerce flows through there. Towns have been popping up like crazy along the railway between Hargeon and Clover Town, and Magnolia is no exception. Magnolia has largely prospered as a merchant city due to its close relationship with Hargeon City. Its layout is similar to that of any hastily constructed city; there was a clear attempt to make it on a perfect grid, but many times the roads curve and wander around buildings that were put in the wrong spot.

Lucien’s shop was on one of these back alleyways, and Aro knew the spot to look for. In order to get there, he had to venture out of the forest surrounding Blackmist, and this would take him most of a day. The next two days of travel through the grasslands leading towards Magnolia would pass relatively uneventfully for Aro, but the fourth and final day of his journey would not. As he got closer and closer to Magnolia, he began to come across other travellers every hour or two. Most were of no note, but there was one traveller that would be of interest to Aro. A merchant who had only brought a single guard with him had had the misfortune of his wagon breaking down. A wheel had shattered, stranding the merchant where he was less he abandon his cargo. The wagon itself was covered, so there was no way to know exactly what the merchant was carrying, but the merchant’s profound fatness and elegant robes made it clear that his cargo was probably valuable.

The guard looked relatively young and inexperienced. He wore a full suit of iron armor, sans a helmet. The man was rather thin, and it was honestly surprising that he could even stand in such a heavy suit of armor. If one had to place a guess, he was probably no older than 17. Despite this, he was the only visible guard for this wagon. The lone guard leaned tired on his lance, largely unaware of Aro’s presence. There were several paths that Aro could take here. He could overpower the guard and seize the wagon’s contents. Alternatively, he could simply try to scare them off. If Aro was feeling like a good Samaritan, he could even try to bring a new wheel for the merchant’s wagon.

Aro’s method of introducing himself didn’t exactly go over too well with either the merchant or the guard. The merchant was scared enough by the noise to bolt into his wagon. A disturbingly high-pitched shout echoed out from outside “Make him go away!” The voice seemed far too effeminate for it to belong to such a large man, but there were no other detectable presences beyond that of Aro, the merchant, and the guard. The guard’s reaction was equally predictable. He was practically shaking in his boots without Aro even trying to scare him. Clearly nervous, he stuttered “S-s-stop right there you. D-don’t get any c-c-c-closer to the w-wagon!”

This command had been accompanied by a thrust of the guard’s lance in Aro’s general direction. Overall, this preliminary aspect of the encounter would give Aro an idea of this guard’s capabilities. This guard was clearly as much of a novice as he appeared to be. His movements were slow and untrained. His reaction time was pitiful, like that of a toddler who took too long to figure out if it needed to poop. Disposing of this guard would be no issue for Aro if he so wished. The pathetic quality of the guard would likely give wise to one question though: If the guard was so pathetic, would he actually be guarding anything valuable?

((Guard has 10 body/mind and zero soul. 50hp. No traits. E-class armor and weapon.))

Everything worked exactly as Aro intended. He side-stepped the attack (if one could really call that thrust an attack) without it even coming close to hitting him. His blow was strong enough to not only knock the air out of the guard’s lungs, but also to knock him to the ground, clutching his midsection. Needless to say, this motion also caused the young man to discard his lance. If Aro had any desire for such a weapon, he could freely claim it in this moment with ease. Truth be told, he could claim it at any point now. His intimidation tactics had proved more than enough for the fragile mind of this young guard. After a moment of getting his breath back, the guard stood and quickly ran away towards Magnolia as fast as he could.

Moments after the guard started running away, the voice of the merchant came crying out of the wagon. “I heard running,” he wailed. “Did you send that brute packing?” There was an obvious air of fear in the merchant’s voice, but he had been too busy hiding to see what had just transpired. He didn’t know his guard was the one who had run away, and this gave Aro an opportunity to collect some loot non-violently if he so desired. On the other hand, the merchant was so fat that Aro could probably fire blindly into the wagon and hit him.

As the cloth ripped of the side of the wagon, Aro would be greeted by two interesting sights. The first would be a merchant who was actively soiling himself. “Take anything you want! Just don’t ruin my beautiful face!” he cried. It was clear that this merchant wasn’t a threat, and it was also clear that he didn’t want to go to jail. Aside from this pathetic merchant, Aro would get a glimpse of the cargo at long last. This merchant was transporting an interesting haul indeed. It was no wonder he was dressed so nicely. Each piece that he was carrying was probably worth at least a few hundred jewels. There weren’t too many, only a half-dozen, but each rested in a beautiful carrying case.

Aro would have immediately recognized these instruments for what they were: compasses. Each piece was precisely crafted and a beautiful sight to behold. These were clearly not ordinary compasses, but rather some kind of luxury version designed for the richer folks. They could probably be sold pretty easily, especially since they appeared to be handcrafted. There was no obvious serial number, so it would be hilariously easy to move these items on a black market. Best of all, the compasses were small enough that Aro could easily walk off with all of them if he wanted.

Aside from the compasses, there were a few other items of interest inside of the wagon. A few books lay scattered about the floor, though none of them had titles. A quick glance through, if Aro chose to take one, would reveal that they were business ledgers. There was also a set of keys to be found, six all total, connected to a large iron key ring. Beyond that, there was a good collection of food onboard. Most of it was trail food, so it wasn’t especially appealing, but it could save Aro from needing to hunt today if he chose to partake from the merchant’s foodstuffs. Last but not least comes the item of interest outside the wagon. Since wagons don’t pull themselves, two horses were tied to the front of it. They could either be used as beasts of burden or a food source.


((Merchant has stats of 5/25/0 if you want to do anything. He has no traits. 25HP.))

It appeared that things were still going according to Aro’s plan. The merchant had offered no resistance to having his things taken, the horses were cooperative, and he did indeed manage to outrun the merchant’s guard. Aro would likely never learn what happened to that merchant. It wouldn’t be surprising if he died, but there were certainly other possibilities. For now, the only consequence that Aro would be aware of was that he was burdened slightly by loot from his raid. This entire interaction had taken only a few minutes, so not much time was lost from travelling. In fact, the journey was made far more rapid by the addition of a steed. With this bestial aid, Aro was able to arrive at Magnolia Town early in the afternoon.

Magnolia was a bit of a nerve-wracking site for someone like Aro. It had a population of around 20,000, most of whom were packed into apartment complexes. The city was clearly growing fast, and it would likely stifle Aro a bit. He was a wild man, and this place would likely be a full-fledged city within a few years. Nevertheless, it was not all bad. Magnolia was densely populated at the center, but the objective today lay on the outskirts. A lone building existed on the northern outskirts of town. By the look of its exterior it used to be a bar, but the outside appearance also indicated that it had been closed until recently. A rusty sign hung over the door. In bright red paint it read “LUCIEN,” but “The Bloated Boar” was visible in the metalworking underneath. Unless the sign lied, this place was Lucien’s.

Should Aro venture inside, he would rapidly realize that the outside was merely a façade. The inside of the shop was several times larger than the outside, and that was just the first room. The walls were a dark maple; the floors and ceiling were also made of this wood. Instead of magical items all over like one would expect in a store, this room was rather bare. The walls were lined with doors every few feet, gray suits of armor stood in each of the square room’s four corners, and a maple counter closed off the back portion. The layout was odd to say the least.

Behind the counter was the only other occupant of the store. The details of this individual were distinctly hard to make out. They wore a black hooded cloak that seemed to flow as if there was a constant breeze in the room. This cloak seemed to defy every law of physics that one could think of. It flowed like water in random directions, yet it still maintained its shape at all times. Almost immediately after Aro entered the store, the cloaked figure had noticed the potential customer. Because Aro’s hearing wasn’t incredibly exceptional, he wouldn’t hear the mumbling that came from the cloak. What we would hear, after the mumbling ceased, was, “Welcome to my shop traveller. I ask no questions about your coins if you ask no questions about where my goods come from. Is there something you’re looking for today, and do you have a budget in mind?”

The cloak smirked. It wasn’t the face inside the cloak that smirked, but rather the swirling black mass of fabric itself seemed to twist into a smile before Aro’s very eyes. It would seem Lucien was quite pleased with the wares that had been brought to him, and also with the man standing before him. “I like your style traveller, but you’re pushing your luck a bit. Just because you can’t see my eyes it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It’s pretty clear there are only six compasses in that case. Offhand, considering they’re pretty nice ones, I could give you something like 1,000 Jewels a pop, take it or leave it.

As far as upgrading the one you plan to keep, I can think of two fun possibilities offhand. Have you ever heard of a flashbang? They’re these little devices that shoot out a giant blast of light and sound, stunning whoever you hit. I could make your compass into a one of those, and that’d only cost you about 1,000 Jewels. On the other hand, I could make it into a fully functional mapping system of almost every location in Fiore… but you’re going to have to shell out some cash for that one. That modification doesn’t come terribly cheap: 10,000 Jewels is as low as I’ll go.

With your armor… I can see that it already some enchantment on it, and it’s pretty high quality. Adding a scavenger enhancement onto it shouldn’t be too hard. That’ll only set you back 1,500 Jewels, including making it a bit tougher ((this price is because I’m factoring in the item system adjustment on armor prices)). Your gun on the other hand, is going to be a bit on the pricey side. Upgrading a directly offensive spell, especially one that’s going to shoot a projectile larger than the barrel… that’s tricky. 6,500 Jewels for that one. All total, that’s 8,000 for the gun and armor, then another thousand or ten if you want me to do something to the compasses. I’m giving you five-k for the compasses, so your total is either 4,000 or 14,000 based on how you want me to upgrade that compass.”

((Any Upgrade costs should be added to the current cost of your gear on your profile. Exact item specs will be provided for the compasses if you choose to buy them, as it wouldn’t make sense for your to see their full effect IC before Lucien modifies them as both are non-standard items right now. I decided against the standard grenade route, as Lucien has you figured more as a sneaky-sort than a brawler.))