Tressa had just finished shining the skystones to perfection when Cyrus came into view. He carried himself with an air of pride Tressa had come to expect from him, but he seemed even more excited than usual today. This beaming smile only seemed to grow greater when he looked back and noticed the gemstones in Tressa's hands. "Skystones, hm? Where did you find them?" he questioned.
Tressa smiled as she held one out for him to take. "They were in the mines," she replied. "One of the miners found them and thought they were junk, so I bought them and dug a little deeper. As it turned out, my suspicions of them being something more valuable were correct."
"I see..." Cyrus murmured as he examined the skystone carefully. "I heard that skystones, for all their beautiful glowing, are especially susceptible to grime on the outer layer. Did you realize that was what was happening when you found them?"
Tressa hesitated before shaking her head with a shrug. "I didn't know for sure that they would be anything of value. I just had a gut instinct, and I decided to trust it," she replied. "In the end, I was right, and we wound up with these beauties."
Cyrus' eyes went wide as he handed the skystone back to Tressa. "You simply trusted your instincts and wound up with the skystones?" he questioned in shock, and Tressa nodded. "I'm impressed that your initial impression of these stones being so valuable was correct. Most people would have simply glossed over them as being ordinary rocks."
"You never get anywhere in my line of work if you wait for others to do the hard work for you. If you spend all your time waiting for a significant development, then you're going to spend all your time waiting and no time actually doing anything," Tressa grinned. "I took a chance, and it looks like it's going to work out well for us."
"These skystones will no doubt catch the eye of the wealthy people who live here in Quarrycrest... I'm certain they will come to see what they can buy from you when the time comes," Cyrus smiled. "Are you palnning on setting up shop soon?"
Tressa nodded. "Now that I'm done polishing the skystones, it's time to go get everything ready," she replied. "Everything is right where it should be, and if all goes well, we'll have everything we need to incentivize people to join us in a few hours." The stark class divide of Quarrycrest was far from being a positive thing for the poorer people involved, but as long as it was present, the least Tressa could do was take advantage of it to help out those who were struggling the most under its weight. This was a perfect first step to take, and she was looking forward to seeing where it brought her.
"In that case, allow me to help you to get your shop set up," Cyrus insisted. "I want to do all I can to help move this process along as much as possible."
"Hast thou determined a strategy for our next steps?" H'aanit questioned as she looked over in Cyrus' direction. She took to picking up a few of the extra skystones as she spoke, carrying at least two dozen rocks without breaking a swear.
Cyrus nodded, unable to hold back his smile. "Olberic, Primrose, and Therion are in the rest of the town right now trying to talk to those they think may side with us when we begin to push back against Morlock. There are bound to be at least a few who object to the working conditions and understand that they are being used," he answered.
Tressa winced, though she did her best to hide it. That didn't stop H'aanit and Cyrus from noticing though, and they looked over to her with frowns on their faces. "I don't know if this is going to end up going as we had originally planned it, at least not exactly," Tressa explained carefully. "When I saw the other miners here earlier... I don't know how to describe it, but it was like they were perfectly fine with the way Morlock was treating them. They're so captivated by the idea that they might get rich that they don't even seem to notice the way they're being stomped on by Morlock.
"That's... Certainly a complication we didn't anticipate," Cyrus murmured. "Still, we should be able to account for it. As long as we can get a few people on our side, others will feel empowered enough to join us. People work best in groups, and if we can get enough of a party to stand up for what is right, then the others will no doubt decide that they agree and decide to stand by our sides."
"Convincing them will be the hardest part then," H'aanit said softly. "That is a burden we must consideren when we begin to approachen others in the town then. For now, I believe our time would be best spent in the merchante quarter trying to sellen as many skystones as we can."
Tressa nodded. Even if the circumstances weren't looking as favorable as she would have liked, she wasn't about to let that stop her. "We just need a bit more time to get everything in order. Then we'll be fine," Tressa concluded. She proudly marched off toward the merchant square, Cyrus and H'aanit trailing behind her by a few feet.
The more Tressa talked about it, the more real it felt. Speaking in hypotheticals about giving Morlock everything he deserved and ensuring that he faced justice was one thing, but actually putting the plan into motion was another. If seeing Morlock earlier that day hadn't been a wake up call that this was real, talking about it more and starting to gather the necessary funds to push back against him was most certainly proof that this was, in fact, Tressa's reality. Her throat felt tense all of a sudden, but she did her best to stop it from showing.
Instead, Tressa busied herself with setting her things down on a small piece of fabric that she had brought with her when she and the rest of the travelers first set out from Rippletide. She began to organize the skystones on top, putting them proudly on display for all the world to see. Normally, she would have preferred something a bit more formal like a full stall, but Tressa knew they didn't have the time for that nor did they have the materials. This was about something greater than just selling skystones, and Tressa refused to lose sight of that.
Tressa had gotten everything set up a few minutes later, and she sighed before placing her hands on her hips and stepping back to admire her handiwork. Cyrus polished the last bit of grime off a few more skystones before placing them at the top of the stack, and he sighed before looking over to Tressa with a satisfied smile on his face. "Do you think this looks nice enough for your potential customers?" he questioned.
Tressa grinned as she nodded. "It doesn't matter how it looks specifically. As long as it looks nice enough to get the attention that it needs, everything is going to be fine," she assured Cyrus. She walked to the back of the small towel before she glanced around the area, seeing the people pass by in a constant bustling motion. "Now, it's time to see a master at work."
Unbeknownst to Tressa, there was a familiar face among the crowds nearby. Primrose was spending much of her time examining the people around her to see if she could sense the weakness in their eyes that would incite them to revolution, but she glanced up to see Tressa as the merchant rubbed her hands together in preparation for what was to come. Primrose smiled before stepping off to the side, ready to see just what the young merchant had in store for her.
"Come one, come all!" Tressa declared, spreading her arms wide to get the attention of as many passerby as she could. "Be the first to get your hands on one of the rarest treasures in the realm!"
One of the people from the crowd took a step forward, something excited and almost desperate in her eyes. "Gold?" she asked, her optimism so high it was almost painful to see.
Tressa just shook her head. "Nope! It's better than gold! Now feast your eyes on this: the shimmering skystone!" she announced as she picked up one of the green gems on the cloth before her. It gleamed brightly as if on cue, perfectly shining at the angle that would catch the woman's attention the most.
"Oh my!" she whispered as she took a few steps forward to examine the gem.
"Look how it sparkles!" came the voice of a man in the crowd as he joined the woman in looking at the skystone pressed into Tressa's palm.
"Let me see!" another man demanded as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd to see the stone. As soon as it was in his line of sight, his eyes lit up with excitement, and Tressa could already tell that he was wondering where it would look best in his home.
Deciding to take that point and run with it, Tressa smiled as she tilted the stone so the light caught it once again. "Well? Quite the beauty, isn't it?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.
The first man nodded. "I've never seen anything like it!" he clamored excitedly.
"It's absolutely breathtaking!" the woman agreed.
"It most certainly is," Tressa beamed. "But did you know? The skystone's radiance is surpassed only by its rarity. So if you'd like one of your own, this may be your only chance!"
Chatters rose up from the small group gathered around Tressa's station, and the woman nodded before reaching into her pocket to pull out a small bag of leaves. "I'll take one!" she declared.
"Oh, me too!" the first man chimed in as he reached for his own wallet.
Tressa gladly accepted their leaves before handing them both a skystone, flashing them a smile and a wink once she was finished. "Pleasure doing business with you!" she announced grandly.
The excitement of the crowd only grew from there, and others began to pull away from the cluster of the streets to admire the skystones. The next twenty minutes unfolded with a beauty well beyond Tressa's wildest expectations. The skystones were all gone by the time the top of the hour rolled around, and she was left staring with wide eyes at the empty blanket before her where the skystones had been resting just a short while ago. "Whew! Those stones practically sold themselves!" she exclaimed as she looked over to Cyrus and H'aanit. "What did you think?"
"That was amazing, Tressa!"
The sound of Primrose's voice pulled Tressa out of her thoughts, and she glanced up to see the dancer approaching her with a smile on her face. The merchant beamed as she closed the distance between them, practically bouncing on her toes all the while. "I didn't realize you were there, Primrose!" Tressa grinned. "How long have you been watching?"
"I saw you set up shop, and I decided to see what happened afterward. I certainly didn't expect you to run into such instant success," Primrose smiled. "You've got a natural affinity for merchant work, that's for sure. I'm proud of you."
Tressa couldn't hold back the red flush of embarrassment and pride that rose in her cheeks, and she pressed her hands together in a clap in front of her chest. "Thank you so much, Primrose!" she exclaimed, hoping the dancer understood just how much she appreciated the praise even without the need for further explanation. Tressa didn't know if she would have had it in her to say how much that meant to her even if she tried; her embarrassment was much stronger than she could have ever expected.
"Are you off to restock your supplies then?" Primrose questioned. "If those skystones sold so quickly the first time, I have no doubt that you'll be able to get the people of Quarrycrest to buy a few others, especially if your initial customers share the details of your shop with their other friends."
Tressa nodded. "I'm sure there are a few other skystones hiding in the mountains," she confirmed. "There were a lot of them hiding in the area, and the miners just thought they were regular old rocks. I would say that there are others that the other workers I didn't talk to have picked up, and all we need to do is go over and talk to them about it."
"Then we have our next destination," Primrose announced as she started off toward the mountains. There was an air of excitement to her, and Tressa was certain that Primrose had seen success in her own endeavors throughout Quarrycrest as well.
H'aanit's voice stopped the dancer in her tracks to ask about just that. "How did thine investigation enden?" H'aanit questioned. "Didst thou speaken with the townsfolk about Morlock?"
Primrose nodded as she turned to face the huntress. "I did. There are quite a few people here who aren't satisfied with the way Morlock runs things. Even those at the top of Quarrycrest's financial hierarchy think that Morlock is greedy and dislikable because of how firm he is in maintaining control over a town he barely cares for," she replied. "In other words, we should be able to earn at least a few alliances if we spread the word at the right time."
"I guess everything is in order then," Tressa grinned as she looked at the bag of leaves she had pulled together from her skystone sales. "We've got quite a bit here in terms of leaves, and I'm certain we'll be able to get more to fund this revolution of ours."
"Then let's not waste the opportunity we've been presented with," Cyrus declared. "As long as the option is there for us to find more funding, we should take advantage of it. Tressa, lead the way."
Tressa nodded as she dashed off toward the mines once again. H'aanit lingered in the area of their impromptu shop to hold down the fort while Tressa took Cyrus and Primrose off to purchase more skystones from the miners. It was surprisingly simple to get more of the gemstones, and buying more barely put a dent in the bag of leaves Tressa had already managed to acquire. From there, it was just a matter of heading back to H'aanit and shining the gems to perfection.
The work went by a lot faster with four pairs of hands working on the project, and before any of them knew it, the skystones shop was up and running once again. The pile of skystones was much larger this time around since Tressa had bought gems from multiple miners, and the large number of jewels only seemed to accentuate their beauty even more than before. The skystones were like a beacon of light begging for attention at the center of the merchant square, catching the eye of most people who passed by. If the skystones were asking to be sold, who was Tressa to deny them?
"Step right up!" Tressa declared as a small crowd started to gather around her shop for the day. The people around her chattered amongst themselves as they looked down at the skystones, entranced with the beauty of the gems. "Be the first in line to see the rarest-"
"Ladies and gentlemen, gather round and prepare for a breathtaking sight!"
Before Tressa had the chance to finish her thought, another voice pierced the skies. She glanced over to see Ali standing behind a cloth that held a pile of skystones just like the one Tressa had pulled together. In fact, everything about their setup was identical save for the fact that Tressa's cloth was red while Ali's was blue. Tressa was so distracted with staring at him, her jaw agape, that she remained silent as he continued to speak. "This, my friends, is the one and only sparkling, shining skystone!" He jabbed a thumb in Tressa's direction. "You can be the proud owner of these lovely gems for just a fraction of her prices!"
"What?!" Tressa yelped, her eyes wide as could be. She remained still as a few of the people in the crowd around her stand started over toward the other skystone station, and Ali smiled to her through the crowd. She glared at him, her teeth grinding together with rage. She couldn't believe he would pull such a dirty trick. Setting up shop so close to her felt like a betrayal of everything she had ever learned about good sportsmanship and community in her field. Her chest twisted with rage and Ali's blatant spit in her face and her trade.
But more than that, Tressa couldn't believe that he had gone so far for the sake of staying on top when she needed the money for the sake of standing up to Morlock. She couldn't stand down now, not when Morlock was so close, and Ali's declaration of intent made it that much harder for Tressa to gather the leaves the party was going to need to change the tide of Quarrycrest's history once and for all. Ali didn't know what he was doing or how much it was getting in Tressa's way, but Tressa most certainly did, and it made her want to punch something even though she liked to think she was far from being a violent person.
Still, she wasn't going to let Ali take over without a fight. She had to do something to stay on top, and she would give it her all in the name of defeating Morlock as the rest of the group had agreed. Tressa cleared her throat, trying to ignore the way her heart was screaming and thrashing in her chest.
One of the men who had wandered over to Ali's stand picked up a skystone and examined it gently. "They certainly are beautiful," the man murmured.
"But what makes your stones different from hers?" another man questioned as he cast a quick glance back in Tressa's direction.
"You won't find purer skystones anywhere. Just look at them!" Ali proclaimed as he held one of the gems up to the sky. It caught the light in just the right way to make it glow in the sunshine, and he offered it to the man. "You can see all the way through. Not a single blemish or impurity to be found!"
Another woman had drifted over to the stand and was looking down at the gems, her eyes shining with excitement all the while. "Dazzling, is it not, milady?" Ali questioned. "Almost as dazzling as your eyes."
The woman flushed at the compliment. "W-Well, when you put it that way..." she murmured.
"Resorting to cheap flattery? Does he have no shame?" Tressa found herself questioning under her breath before she could hold the words back.
Ali, meanwhile, turned his attention to a man passing by. "Do you have a daughter, my good sir?" he asked. The man nodded, and Ali smiled as he shifted his gaze down to a small doll toy perched in the man's grasp. It was a gift for someone, Tressa could only assume, no doubt the way that Ali had figured out the man had a child at all. "That doll's of Bolderfall make, yes? A precious gift for a precious little girl, no doubt."
The man's eyes went wide, surprised at how easily Ali had been able to read him. "Indeed it is," he confirmed.
"Clearly, you're the type of father who only wants the best for his darling child," Ali went on without missing a beat. He looked down to the skystones before gesturing to the doll again, something in his eyes shifting to the darker side. "Do you truly believe that doll will suffice? The skystone is as pure, innocent, and beautiful as a daughter's love. And every time she sees its radiant glow, she'll remember her dear father who gave it to her. Its light will connect her to you, no matter how far you may travel..." Ali cleared his throat before taking on a childish tone, raising his voice's pitch slightly. "'Dear father, where do you roam? Dear father, when will you come home?'" He returned to his regular voice a moment later before gesturing to the skystones with one hand. "Surely you can see why this would be the best purchase you will ever make!"
The man considered it for a moment, smiling to himself. "I can just see her smiling face now..." He nodded as he addressed Ali once more. "What a pleasant young man. I'll take one." As the two exchanged leaves, he nodded to Ali. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome, my good sir!" Ali declared as he pressed the skystone into the man's palm with all the care in the world. Tressa's jaw dropped in shock at just how quickly and effortlessly Ali had turned the situation around to fit his favor, and while she fumbled for the words, she found herself coming up short each time she tried to speak. Just how did Ali get to be so incredible at this?
Ali looked back to the crowd, his grand facade slipping into place effortlessly despite the personal moment he had shared with his most recent customer. "Step right up! There's not a moment to spare if you want a rare skystone to call your own!" he declared. "You won't find them anywhere else! I promise you won't be disappointed!"
"I'll take one please," a woman said as she stepped up to the stand and reached for her wallet.
"One for me too!" another man chimed in as he did much the same.
Ali passed out the skystones with a smile on his face, accepting the offer of leaves gladly. "Thank you, thank you!" He continued on without missing a beat, passing out the skystones and taking the money the townsfolk offered to him. It was almost dizzying to see, and in a matter of five minutes-just a fraction of the time it had taken Tressa to make her sales-all of the skystones were gone. No traces of the gems had been left behind on Ali's cloth either; it had been a complete success.
The area had mostly emptied out by the time Ali spoke to Tressa once again. Nobody was even bothering to look at her stand by this point, all of the townsfolk having gotten their gems with Ali already. "Would you look at that? Business is booming!" Ali declared. He began to pack up his supplies, starting by folding up his cloth, a hum on his tongue and a smile on his lips. He glanced over and saw Tressa glaring at him with grief in her eyes before shrugging. "Well, maybe not for all of us."
Tressa forced herself to not glare at him too much, instead taking in a careful breath before letting it out tightly. "You win this round," she muttered. Ali might have claimed victory in this battle, but he wouldn't win the war. He couldn't win as long as Morlock was going to fall. Tressa couldn't let him.
Ali let out a laugh and a loose shrug. "There's no way I'd lose to a green pea like you," he replied nonchalantly. He continued to pack up his things, completely apathetic to the looks the other travelers were shooting him.
Tressa took another moment to breathe before she forced herself to respond. "I'll admit, I've never seen anyone make a sale like that before," she began. It was hard to admit that Ali had claimed the upper hand so easily and thoroughly, but credit had to go where it was due, even though Tressa wished that wasn't the case.
"Practice makes perfect," Ali told her with a smile. "If you want to survive in this world, you need to learn how to tug on heart strings and loosen purse strings."
"But being a merchant is about more than just making a sale!" Tressa found herself shouting back as she took a step toward him. "A good merchant should understand what their customer needs and sell them what's best!
"What I sell may not be what they need, but it is what they want. What's wrong with a little embellishment?" Ali questioned.
"Embellishment?!" Tressa shrieked, her eyes going wide.
"A merchant's words are like a warrior's blade. Don't forget it, Green Pea," Ali told her. He reached out and rustled the top of her head with one hand, leaving her hat sitting sideways off her temple and her hair disheveled underneath. With that, Ali pivoted on his heel and walked away, a merry hum on his lips all the while.
Tressa stood there fuming at the place where he had been for a few moments before forcing herself to relax. She was under a lot of pressure with the upcoming fight against Morlock, but she couldn't lose her grip entirely, not yet. She had to try and stay calm as long as she possibly could. The others were counting on her to help with defeating Morlock, and Tressa refused to be a liability. She was just going to have to try again with selling the skystones. Maybe she would have a bit more luck elsewhere in town. There had to be someone out there who was still willing to buy the skystones from her, especially after her first round of sales had been such a resounding success. All she had to do was find the right place to set up shop.
"This Ali fellow seems rather good at this..."
Tressa was so caught up in her anger that she didn't even notice Ophilia had come up behind her to join the rest of the travelers until the cleric spoke. Tressa turned to stare at her, eyes wide like she was a hunter's prey caught on the receiving end of an arrow. "Ophilia!" she yelped. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long," Ophilia replied as she stepped forward to help Tressa pack up her things. The other travelers were quick to join her. "I did see that entire conversation with that other young man... Ali, I believe it was?"
"Yeah... Ali," Tressa muttered crossly. She looked down at the skystones as she took one in her hand, her grip around the gemstone tightening. "I can't believe he got away with that! He doesn't know what he's doing by making things so much harder for us!"
"It's certainly... Not helpful for our cause," Ophilia agreed slowly, choosing her words carefully so as to not clue anyone else in on what she was truly referring to. She looked down at the ground for another moment before shaking her head. "But we cannot let this stop us. We've come this far, and I intend to push through to the very end."
"Me too," Tressa assured her. She hesitated before continuing to speak, already uncertain about how she was meant to phrase her next sentence. "I... I saw him earlier. Morlock, I mean. I didn't get the chance to talk to him directly, but he has the entire mine under his control. The people here just do what he tells them to because they want to have a chance at getting their hands on the leaves he has saved up for when they find him some gold. That's the reason people come to Quarrycrest at all. They want to be paid their weight in leaves to find a gold nugget."
"And he's been in this business for a long time... So long that word of his unethical labor practices extend back more than fifteen years," Ophilia murmured. "That was the cause for the fight with Saintsbridge back when I was young... And now, we're going to do what we can to end that fight and help those who he's hurt. It's so strange to think about... After all this time, we're on the cusp of ending everything."
"Are you going to be okay?" Tressa questioned. "I know facing him wasn't exactly on your list of things you wanted to do, but..."
"I'll be fine," Ophilia assured Tressa all too quickly, and while the merchant was confident there was more to it than that, she chose to not push the subject more than she already had. "We should focus on finding another way to get our funds together. How are you thinking we can push back against Ali?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to figure it out soon," Tressa promised Ophilia. "We came here to stop Morlock, and that's what we're going to do. I'll find a better place to set up shop, and hopefully, that'll give me the leverage I need to get more people to purchase the skystones. After that... Well, I guess we'll just have to see."
"Then we should take this chance to look around town and see if we can find a better place to position the stand," Primrose chimed in as Tressa tucked the last of her supplies away in her bag. "There's sure to be another ideal spot elsewhere in the merchant district."
Tressa nodded her agreement. "You're right. Let's go and see what we can find," she announced. She started off deeper into the bazaar at that, the rest of the travelers hot on her heels. Tressa scanned the surrounding stalls with a light frown, hoping she was able to strike gold soon enough in terms of finding a place to set up shop for the rest of the day.
Everything seemed like it was just getting worse. Tressa didn't want to be the one to hold back the plan to take Morlock down because she let someone like Ali get in her way. She was going to figure everything out, and when she did, Morlock would finally be defeated.
For the sake of everything in Quarrycrest, he would be down for the count by the time the sun set.
And there we've got the next chunk of Tressa's chapter two! Woohoo!
This chapter is moving at a pretty decent clip so far, I will say. I'm happy with the faster pacing, and I'm looking forward to being able to carry this momentum ahead into the next few chapters. At this rate, I'm thinking most of our Quarrycrest adventures will be finished by the time chapter 100 rolls around, leaving only Victors Hollow for chapter twos. I'm really holding out for having all of the chapter twos done by the time this story hits its two year anniversary in January, and I think things will speed up after that. Without the need to stop for shrines before each chapter three, things will get faster. It's just a matter of getting there first.
As for details about this chapter, the main thing I have to say is that a lot of the travel banter is changing for this chapter two for the sake of keeping things consistent with this new purpose for Tressa. I'm really liking how the twist of Morlock and his involvement with the plot is going, though it leads to a lot of changes. I hope everyone is liking those shifts as much as I am since I think they're joys to work with. It's very different from the in-game context, yes, but as long as I'm doing different things with a different medium, where's the harm in experimenting?
I'm going to wrap things off here for now, and I'll see you all next week as we jump into the next part of Tressa's chapter two. Until then, I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital