Chapter 4: The Shop of Requirement

Back in the Giggling squid, it was a good half hour after Godfrey and Garrick left before more movement was seen. Wandering down the stairs and stretching in a yawn was the tall figure of Indira. She had chosen to forgo her heavy hooded robe, seeing no point in hiding her features while not in the presence of Alistair's nagging. This revealed a forest green dress decorated with various knick knacks and keepsakes that she liked to collect on her journey. From pretty stones to more man-made items such as arrowheads, all were lovingly stitched into the fabric of her clothes. Her hair, a mess of red tresses down to her waist, also had similar items attached to various pins and clips.

Finishing her stretch and looking curiously around the tavern, her eyes fell upon the figure of Rogon in the middle of the room. Tilting her head to the side, she tried to figure out what exactly Rogon was. She had never seen a man quite like him, though that wasn't saying much since before meeting Alistair, she had never met anyone outside of her birthplace. This world was so exciting!

Unable to contain her curiosity, she chose to walk over to the table Rogon was at, a slight skip in her step. Once there, she went to the opposite side of the table to him and plonked herself down on the bench there, resting her head in her hands as she simply looked him over in more detail. This slight commotion failed entirely in shaking the large man out of his slumber, still sleeping soundly with his head down on the table, slight snores emanating from him steadily.

The man was large, with broad shoulders and a thickly muscled neck. He had a light green tint to his skin, though it was hard to tell in the dim light of the tavern. His garb also caught her attention, being primarily made of leathers and adorned with enough pockets that Indira wondered what he could possibly need so many for. Rogon shifted slightly in his sleep, causing a slight glint to flash into Indira's eye, forcing her to blink and search for the source.

The glint was reflecting off of some sort of metal item strapped to the man's thigh. Quite what it was Indira had no idea, she had never seen anything quite like it. She assumed it was some sort of weapon, as it was in the position where most would keep their daggers and swords, within easy reach. Quite how they worked she was unsure though, as they clearly didn't have any sharp edges. Perhaps it worked by blunt trauma? Yet they lacked the mass to be efficient for that. Reaching toward them in her curiosity, her progress was halted before she could grab the item by a massive hand clasping her around the wrist in a strong but gentle grip.

Looking up in surprise, she became aware that the man was now very much awake, and looking at her with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.

"Bit o' advice luv, don't go touching other people's weapons. Don' know where they've been, yeah?" Rogon teased, before releasing her hand and straightening up into a more comfortable position. Indira, embarrassed at being caught, withdrew her hand and looked off to the side, a blush creeping up her neck. "Apologies, I was just curious is all. How does such a weapon even work?"

Rogon chuckled while hailing for Borgin. "In a town such as this, I hope you won't ever need to find out. Now for more important things...breakfast! Then you can tell me why a young lass such as yerself is talking to strangers, eh?" He said exuberantly, his infectious grin making Indira smile also and agree.

As the pair were ordering food and starting to converse amiably, the hooded figure of Na'ish appeared through the tavern's door. Sweeping a look around and failing to see Godfrey, He assumed he had missed his companion. Godrefy seldom slept in, so he must have headed out for the day already. Shrugging and deciding against going back out in an attempt to find him, Na'ish instead headed over to the only other person he recognised.

Parking himself at the end of the table, Indira was the first to notice his arrival. "Hello there Na'ish, did you have a good night's rest?" At first, it appeared Na'ish was not going to answer, remaining still and not even looking at Indira, whose smile was starting to slip a bit. Eventually however, he replied "...It was...fine, thank you."

Indira, happy that Na'ish was opening up a little, continued "Any plans for today? I for one would love to explore the town in the daytime, without any creepy alleys involved!" Na'ish finally looked to her, and then cast a glance Rogon's way, who appeared a little confused by the comment. Trying to distract from having to answer any awkward questions from the orc, he replied "I had planned to gather some supplies from around town with my companion, although he doesn't appear to be here currently…" Indira brightened up at that "Then come with us! We'll gladly accompany you to where you want to go. I'd love to see new shops! Right, er…?" She said, looking to Rogon.

The orc, successfully distracted from his curiosity, started "Oh, er, Rogon's me name. And sure, I hadn't planned to go shopping or ought, but it could be a good way to pass the day". Na'ish appeared apprehensive "But what of your companion, Alistair I believe? Surely you would want to wait for him?"

Indira giggled at him, then gave a wry smile. "Oh, not to worry. He should be getting up right about…" A muffled thump was heard from above them, followed by a loud "Son of a bitch!" Soon after, a small rodent-like figure glided down the stairwell towards them, landing neatly in Indira's outstretched hands. Shortly afterwards staggered Alistair, appearing dishevelled and still attempting to put his hood onto his shoulders. He looked less than pleased, scowling at the rodent that was doing it's best to appear innocent. "I swear Indira, if Peanut wakes me up like that one more time, I'm going to throttle the little sugar rat!"

Indira gave Alistair a smug grin while scratching Peanut behind the ear. "Then perhaps you shouldn't keep a lady waiting. And Peanut is a sugar-glider, not a rat, you know this." Alistair huffed as he reached the table, calming down considerably. "That still doesn't mean that he should wake me up by biting me in the ar…"

"Anyways, shall we get goin'? Places to be, things to buy, all that stuff!" Rogon exclaimed, effectively cutting off Alistair, before rising from his seat and heading to the exit. He was soon followed by Na'ish, silently leaving without even having acknowledged Alistair's arrival. Indira stood and placed Peanut onto her shoulder. Alistair fell into step with her. "...So...who's the orc?"

Once outside, Rogon took a deep breath of the fresh air. "Ahh, so much more refreshing than the dust bowl back home…" before turning to his new companions. "So, where we off to?" Na'ish passed him by and started to walk down the main street with purpose, gesturing to the others to follow. "I know of a suitable place to acquire what I need." Being unfamiliar with the town due to how little time they had been there, the others happily fell into step. Soon they were passing many traders, from bakers to bookstores and parchment supplies to farmers markets, Graybens bay clearly had a varied merchant populace.

As they were travelling, Rogon was surreptitiously trying to get a gauge on the group he had found himself with. Na'ish was ahead of him, steadfastly heading to his desired destination. He had not started a conversation the entire time they were walking, and any attempts to ask him anything were met with short, clipped answers that seldom really answered the question asked.

Alistair and Indira, a short ways behind, were almost the opposite. They had spent a good chunk of the journey bickering about the rodent ("sugar something?) and whether or not Indira should be wearing her hood, for some reason. A short way into the journey they started to also talk to Rogon, mainly trying to get him to side on one side or the other in their little argument. Rogon simply chuckled good naturedly each time they tried.

After a half hour walk, Na'ish stopped outside of a store located down a side street heading towards the town's docks. He did this so suddenly and without warning, that Rogon had to swiftly side step lest he walk into him. "This is the place." Na'ish announced, before stepping into the building. Rogon huffed, "A sorry wouldn' a gone amiss". He looked up at the sign above the door, proudly announcing the place as "Sindar's Sundries". Shrugging, he followed Indira and Alistair inside.

The shop inside was typical of an all purpose goods store. All sorts of items lined the shelves, vaguely categorized in an attempt to be tidy but still resulting in customers having to search for a bit for their desired purchase. Na'ish had wandered over to the far left, clearly intent on finding what he was after. Indira and Alistair had gone to the opposite side, perusing what appeared to be a multitude of coloured bottles. Shrugging, Rogon decided to head over to them.

"100 gold for a simple healing potion?! It's daylight robbery I tell you." Alistair exclaimed, revealing what it was he had been looking at on the shelf. Indira sighed and reached for the bottle. "You won't be saying that if you find yourself injured in the future." Alistair huffed and headed off into another low grumble "Well I'm not paying that for it, for sure…"

Rogon approached with a cocked eyebrow "Trouble in paradise?" he queried. Indira merely smiled and shook her head "Oh, me and Alistair are not like that, he is merely a dear friend. He is just a bit stingy when it comes to using his money. He, er, prefers to use other peoples…" Rogon thought about this interesting comment. "Sounds a bit selfish to me, but oh well".

The pair approached the counter, where Na'ish was finishing placing his recently purchased items into his pack. Serving him was a tall, well dressed elf with high cheekbones. He appeared to have greying hair, which for an elf would signify that they had been alive for a very long time. The elf finished thanking Na'ish, before turning his attention to his new customers.

"Hello, and welcome. I am Sindar,. how may I serve you today?" Before the two could answer, a call from an aisle over said "You can make everything here bloody affordable!" Indira coughed awkwardly, "Please ignore my friend, he is simply not a morning person. Just this please" she said, placing the potion on the counter. As Sindar rang up the purchase, he scoffed with a smile. "Quite alright, I am used to people thinking I overcharge, but my items are of good quality, and that is what makes the difference. Sadly, not everyone can have the wealth that Grayben boasted."

Hearing the word wealth, Alistair reappeared at Indira's side. Rogon blinked, having not even seen him approach. "Wealth you say? This Grayben must be an interesting man. Was he named after the town?" Sindar finished putting the coin from Indira away into a small chest and chuckled. "Hardly, it was the town that was named after him. He was a very rich and wealthy traveller that settled the town as a base of operations. He was one of my very best friends, but sadly that was a long time ago, and he has since died." Alistair sighed and looked crestfallen. "So his wealth is long gone then probably."

Sindar nodded to him "Most likely. Some people like to weave fanciful tales of a hidden stash kept somewhere, but in all this time, I can't believe that no one would have found it already". Having lost interest, Alistair starts to follow Na'ish out of the store. Indira gave a short bow to Sindar in thanks, with Rogon simply giving a friendly wave before leaving. Sindar returned the gesture, before continuing to work on something behind the counter.

Once outside, the group started to meander their way back to the Giggling Squid, as Na'ish still wished to meet up with his companion. As they were, Alistair stretched before placing his arms behind his head and looking up to the sky. "Man, a hidden stash huh? Would be amazing to find such a thing. Reckon it really exists?" Rogon snorted at him "Unlikely, like the Sindar man said, it was an age ago. Prob'aly went into some stinkin' thieves pocket a long time ago."

"Yeah" Mused Alistair, still not looking where he was walking. "But still… treasure is a man's drea… Oof!" Alistair exclaimed as he ended up walking face first into a low hanging sign, stopping to rub his nose and glare at the offending object. "Huh? Fundamental Gubbins?"

The rest of the group paused at this, Rogon chortling at his misfortune. Looking up at the store the sign belonged to, they were treated to a very old looking building. The stone the walls were made of was much older than the adjacent shops, and they had wooden beams interspersed as supports. Looking at the shops to either side, Indira gained a confused look. "I don't remember there being a shop between these two on our way here, does anyone else?" Na'ish walked forward and shook his head "No...there was not…". Shrugging, Alistair walked in. The rest shared a look, before they followed him.

Within the shop, The shelves contained all manner of items and trinkets. There were glass bottles and crucibles stacked in one corner, jewelry and precious gems within a case in the other. In the centre of the room sat a large table with even more wares of apparently magical origin, whirring and whistling in some sort of undefined pattern. The counter at the end of the store was currently empty, meaning they were the only individuals in the shop.

Alistair was immediately drawn to the Jewelry, looking over the various gold and silver items with a sharp eye. The rest of the group soon disseminated throughout the shop to peruse behind him. The jewelry was all clearly of a very high caliber, with various filigree and stones studded within them. One in particular stood out, having a dark, almost obsidian stone embedded in a simple silver band. Reaching up, he went to place his hand one the glass pane between him and the item.

"I would rather you didn't, I have just wiped that glass after all." Came a voice from behind him. Whirling around, he saw that there was now a gentleman standing by the door to the exit of the shop. How he had got there without making any sound was beyond Alistair. "Wuh...but?...how?"

The man, who had a very smart suit complete with a bow tie and lapels, swept towards the counter at the back. "Ah, a shopkeeper must have his secrets. Welcome to you all, to my humble abode. I'm sure we have what you need. After all, no one visits Fundamental Gubbins without leaving with that which they came in for."

As he reached the counter, Indira approached. "Oh no, we were just curious really. We did not come in for anything specific." The man turned and gave the girl a critical eye. "Perhaps, but sometimes people that come in are not even aware themselves of what it is they need...that is where I can help miss Indira". Indira cocked her head to the side slightly. Had he overhead her companions calling her by name? She was sure she had not given it to the gentleman.

Before she could think too heavily on this, the man extended a hand to her "I am Gaunt, a pleasure." Indira went to return the gesture, the man took her hand and placed a small kiss on the back of it. Alistair audibly huffed at the action, though when Indira turned to look at him he was determinedly looking the other way.

"Now," said Gaunt, releasing her hand and standing up straight once more. "How to help you. Hmmm." He started to look critically at Indira, causing her to squirm under the scrutiny. "No, you are fine...then perhaps." He started to look the same to each of the current individuals in his shop, each feeling a bit creeped out when he did so. When his eyes rested on Alistair, he gained a smile. "Ah, there you are, do come forward, Mr Alist…"

Just as he was about to finish, a small disturbance and the sound of shattered glass caused all eyes to turn to the far corner. Here, Rogon still had his hand extended, with one of the many glass instruments clearly in pieces at his feet. "Er….sorry 'bout that…"

Gaunt gained a gleam in his eye. "Quite alright, although I am afraid to say that all damages must be paid for while in this shop." Alistair scoffed "Please, there isn't a sign saying that so...huh?" As he had gone to turn back to the jewelry, a small placard had since appeared on the top of the glass cabinet, stating that damages must be paid for. "I swear that wasn't...but…"

Rogon, realising it was his mistake, sighed and smiled at Gaunt. "Very well, I'm man 'nough to own up to me mistakes. 'Ow much for the glass trinket?" Gaunt gave a wicked smile "10 Platinum." The announcement caused everyone to look at him in shock, and Na'ish very nearly dropped the item he was inspecting at the time, hastily catching it he returned it carefully to the shelf.

Rogon had now lost his smile, and had a bead of sweat on his brow "10 Plat! I don' got that sorta coin!" Gaunt chuckled to him "I wouldn't expect you to have. Perhaps instead, then, you can assist me with something?" Rogon grumbled and walked forwards "Don' really have a choice do I."

"Now now," Gaunt chastised while reaching down and retrieving an old scroll case from beneath the counter. "I assure you this will be of benefit to everyone, should you help." He opened the case, retrieving an extremely old piece of parchment. Unfurling it onto the counter, he revealed it to be an old map of sorts. Alistair approached, glancing at it and frowning.

"Er, hate to tell you, but that map doesn't exactly look useful. All it's got is the coastline and some marks…" Gaunt smirked at Alistair "Ah, but as you know, looks can be deceiving" he said, as he reached once more for another, newer looking piece of parchment that was mostly transparent somehow. "Luckily, I am very good at seeing through deceptions…" Gaunt then placed the new item beside the first, revealing it to be a map of Grayben's Bay, before laying one on top of the other. This resulted in the marks from the first sheet perfectly lining up to show the same coastline, as well as a large "X" symbol hovering over one of the buildings by the docks.

"As you can see, this map reveals a location somewhere here in Grayben's Bay. What it is, well, that's what I would like you to find out. Isn't it exciting?" The group exchange looks. The words of Sindar from earlier today came to the forefront of their mind. Could this lead to Grayben's secret cache?

Alistair looked back to Gaunt "And why have you not gone to look yourself?" Gaunt shook his head "Because, I am only a simple shop keeper, it could be far too dangerous for me to go." As he said this, he snapped his fingers and the parchments rolled themselves up and replaced themselves into their cases, before floating over to Indira, who tentatively took them.

Alistair cocked an eyebrow "...A simple shopkeeper huh?" Gaunt simply smiled at him. Sighing, Alistair turned to the rest of the group, who seemed to have accepted they were going to have to do this, or face having a debt being held over them. "Fine, let's just get this over with…"

"Do have a safe journey, I would hate to have to wait for someone else worthy of seeking this out." Gaunt said as they were starting to leave out the front door. "Oh and Alistair, do come back to see me, if you are successful. I might be able to help you with your personal errand of finding Rog…" he finished just as they had left and the door swung closed behind them.

Alistair, the last out, stopped immediately in his tracks, his eyes wide upon hearing this. He immediately swung around intent to question Gaunt on all that he knew. However, the moment he did so he had to come to a halt to prevent himself from colliding with a solid stone wall. Placing a hand to it, he quickly looked to the left and right. There was no sign of the door to the shop, and the sign for Fundamental Gubbins was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the shops to either side appear to have simply moved closer to one another, with even the stonework returning to a uniform type and colour along the street.

"Fuck! That was my chance! My chance to finally find something!" Alistair exclaims, beating his fists against the solid wall and earning him looks of concern from his companions. Indira moved forwards, and gently grabbed his wrists in order to prevent him from doing damage to himself from hitting the wall over and over. He stopped, and looked to Indira with moisture shining in his eyes. Indira had a sad smile on her face. "We will find what you are looking for Alistair. Whether it be here or the next town. If we have to do this errand for Gaunt to be able to do so, so be it."

Alistair calmed down, and nodded to her. He looked sheepishly at the other two. Rogon had a look of slight pity on his face, and Na'ish was quiet as usual. It was impossible to determine what he was thinking with his hood still up. "Sorry you had to see that…"

Rogon shook his head "It's 'right. Pasts, eh?", to which Alistair nodded. Na'ish looked to the sky at this moment. "...It is late afternoon...we would be foolish to start this venture now. We would be better off returning to the tavern for the night, and set out for the morning. I may be able to convince my companion Godfrey to assist also…"

Everything in Alistair wanted to scream that they do this now, he had waited long enough dammit! Still, he couldn't argue with the logic, and eventually agreed. And so, the group continued once more back to the tavern.

The sun was just starting to dip by the time they returned, the streets bathed in a warm golden glow. Upon entry, Na'ish immediately spotted Godfrey, sat in his customary window seat. He was having a hushed conversation with a man he did not know, about what he could not make out from here. He immediately made a beeline for them, sitting down opposite them.

Seeing this, the rest of the group left him to it, choosing to sit on the middle table once more. Rogon clapped Alistair on the back, "Firs' round on me, yeh?" causing Alistair to perk up a bit. Just as they had sat down, the door burst open and the panting figure of Varus appeared, looking around the tavern. He spotted Godfrey and Garrick where they had been before, along with Na'ish. Garrick, having seen him enter, gave him a wry smile and raised his tankard in cheers at him. Varus scowled and stomped in to sit at a stool by the bar, determined not to look at him and give him the satisfaction of winning.

It was shortly after this that the door burst open a second time. "For Seven's sake!" Karin Stormport shouted at the newcomer " If you lot can't enter normally, I'll have to stop you coming in….." she paused upon looking up, before erupting in a shocked gasp.

All eyes in the tavern turned to the newcomer. He was garbed in the armour of the town watch, but there were gashes in the armour and he was bleeding profusely from what appeared vaguely to be bite marks. The most noticeable thing about him however was his withered features, his face gaunt and his limbs barely able to support him. It was only after close inspection that several recognised him as Garret, the man that had approached them in the alley last night.

"...Sha….shadow...the shadow is coming…" Garret managed to whisper, before falling over onto his front, his body stilling.


Character Profile

Name: Alistair

Race: Half-Elf

Class: Rogue

Subclass: Assassin

Alistair is traveling in a desperate search for an individual known as "Rog". Why he is, nobody knows but him. Even Indira does not know his true path, despite traveling with him for some time. Whatever the reason, it is clear that he has a desire to remain out of the way of Grayben's guards.