Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

“One gold for each sheet, Brother,” the woman said, eyeing up the half elf, handsome, pointed ears, who wore fairly simple attire. However, the dagger at his side, the steel tag which lay beside his obsidian amulet, and the dagger shaped bulge beneath the obsidian and steel caused her to pause.

“A gold?” Adam raised his brows, eyeing up the sheet. “How many ribbons would each sheet make, exactly?”

“At least fifty, but you can get up to one hundred if you wish for them smaller, Brother,” Marie replied, revealing ribbons of different lengths.

“Oh, those are a little too thick, and those are too long, but these here, are just right,” Adam said, motioning towards one of the sizes.

“Sixty, and if we are lucky, the cloth does not break, seventy.”

“Perfect! I understand I have brought quite a large number of sheets, so… how long will it take for you to…” Adam glanced to the hundred or so sheets, carried by the myriad of urchins, each of whom were eager to earn the promised gold. ‘Actually, isn’t this too much work?’

Dunes watched as Adam fought within his mind about this and that, the half elf taking the matter of the ribbons far too seriously.

“Perhaps I’ve brought too many sheets?” Adam let out an awkward chuckle, feeling guilty for bringing so much work to the woman.

“If there is an immediacy to your request, we can work upon a few sheets so you are able to take them with you, or if you are willing, we could send the ribbons to a temple, or the Adventurer’s Guild,” Marie said, suddenly lucid when it came to matters of burdening her purse with silver.

“Oh? You can do that?” Adam’s mouth formed a small circle at the very obvious way to deal with the issue. “I’m not in a huge rush, and if you can send it over to the Guild, that would be great. I’ll leave my contact information, and I’ll send someone to let them know.”

“A gold per sheet, and you will need to pay for the fees the Guild places upon the request,” the thin woman stated, staring up at the Brother curiously.

“Sure, that sounds fine to me,” Adam said, nodding towards Jurot, who took out a small pouch. It was large enough to hold roughly fifty coins, but the woman’s keen eyes noted the various lumps within. As she opened the pouch she realised why, for though there was the unexpected glint of silver and gold, there was also the black of the gems, obsidian, each worth at least ten gold. As she counted the coin, there was almost two hundred gold!

“If you could pay the fees with the coin there, you can keep the rest,” Adam said, waving his hand dismissively, since he had just procured close to six thousand ribbons, enough gifts to last a lifetime, and in Adam’s hands, at least a year. One could buy a ribbon for anywhere between one copper and a silver at the market, so paying about three or so copper for each ribbon didn’t bother the half elf one bit.

After revealing a few designs, Adam tossed another hundred gold, and for the sake of keeping the numbers simple for him, handed over three hundred gold total, so each ribbon cost him close to half a silver, and yet the half elf only beamed with joy. The woman stared up at the half elf, who had paid a several years worth of gold for some ribbons.

‘The life of the rich is truly…’

“Marie Ribbons, wasn’t it?” Adam said.

“Yes, Brother,” the woman replied, bowing her head quickly.

“Whenever I’m in Gold Port, and I need some ribbons, I’ll be sure to come to you from now on.” Adam continued to beam with joy, for he had ordered quite a few ribbons with extra designs, those which held a hundred different threads, each of different colours, for a handful of the ribbons.

“It is always a delight to find someone who appreciates ribbons, Brother,” the woman replied respectfully, her feelings complex due to Adam’s position as being rich, a fool, and a Priest of Death.

“Oh! If you could, please deal with the extra sheets first, and send them over to the military outpost,” Adam said, turning to Jurot to let the woman know which one it was. “The soldiers are currently hosting us, so I’d like for you to gift them these ribbons so they can hand them over as gifts to their children, and their families, and their friends.”

“As you say, Brother!”

Adam stepped out of the shop with a satisfied smile, his heart fuller, his pouch lighter. “Let’s go spend a few more hundred gold!”

‘Adam…’ Dunes thought, trying to recall just how much money the business possessed. He was already spending thousands each month on the businessfolk’s wages, but to think he was spending an equal amount in gifts, so many which were going to go to the children of the business, and yet the piles of the gold their parents had sent along were untouched.

“Don’t give me that kind of look,” Adam said, leading the group onwards. “It’s either this or causing trouble for the soldiers, so let me deal with my frustrations by buying gifts and stimulating the economy, so the King understands I’m here to be a good little boy.”

The soldier hadn’t heard it, but Dunes and Jurot had, the threat which hung within the half elf’s voice.

‘He is so annoyed?’ Jurot thought. The half elf had, somehow, hidden his frustrations well enough for not even Jurot to notice, but thankfully was still managing it well.

Adam continued to enjoy market, buying gifts by piles of silver and gold, including a large number of wooden figurines, taking the shape of various items, from flowers, to dragons, some with the symbols of various factions, from the Florian Orders, even to noble families.

Jurot glanced aside to one market stall, in which they kept a stack of coins in a particular manner, and he met the merchant’s eyes for a moment, but their gazes did not linger. However, he took a half step closer to his brother, since the Biodi operated in this area.

Adam spotted a few weapons, noting the green dancing upon the steel as the light hit it, and though the half elf wasn’t that big of a fan of the colour, there was something about the green that mesmerised his eyes.

“What is this?” Adam asked, stepping towards the stall, though rather than just a stall, it was a small complex within the district.

“It’s a sword made of the prettiest steel,” the merchant stated, snapping his fingers as a guard stepped forward. The guard, an older man, picked up the blade and whipped the blade within the air with a flourish, allowing the light to dance upon the steel, the green pulsing like a heartbeat across the steel. “They call it foreststeel, it is from a small village in Aswadasad, but it’s true name is hardrasteel, in Gold Port, and in Aswdasad, khadrasteel.”

“Ah,” Dunes said, flashing a wide smile. “You know how to speak it true? I wondered where you got this steel, for it is hard to slip out of the village.”

“You know of the steel?”

“It is forged in a village near our Order,” Dunes said. “Not that one, Black Mountain.”

“Ah! You are from Black Mountain, Brother?” The merchant stood, and with his wide grin, revealed the silver tooth within his mouth. “I may have a blade you may be interested in, but that depends on if you can afford it.”

“How much is it?”

“Five thousand gold.”

Dunes frowned, holding out his hand apologetically. “It is a shame I do not possess such a sum.”

“Now, now…” Adam raised a hand to interject. “If it’s worth the price, the business is more than happy to procure such a weapon for our esteemed Manager.”

“Adam,” Dunes called out, but the look in his eyes told Adam to back down.

“I will show you the blade, and you may make the choice,” the merchant said, a wide smile upon his lips, and he snapped his fingers. The guard placed the blade upon the stand, slipping away between the colourful fabrics, hidden from sight, and after a few moments of shuffling, most of it to add to the illusion of importance, the guard brought out a wooden box. It was a deep mahogany, but with a tinge of green all across it.

“Is that some nice wood?” Adam whispered.

“It is good,” Jurot confirmed with a nod.

“You know your wood, Iyrman?” the merchant asked, brushing along the top of the box with a far too sensual touch.

“Yes. I know of most woods in the Iyr, Aldland, and many from Aswadasad. I recognise ahdarwood when I see it.”

“Khadra and ahdar both mean green,” Dunes whispered as the merchant slowly nodded his head, impressed the Iyrman knew of the wood.

“Like, green, or different types of green?”

“Just green.”

“Why are there two different words for green?” Adam whispered in return, furrowing his brows.

“One is masculine, the other feminine.”

“Why do colours have genders, man?” Adam huffed, but before Dunes could respond, the guard finished drawing in the curtains behind them to block them out of sight, and the merchant opened the box to reveal the blade within. It was straight as an arrow, sheathed within a deep green sheath with copper accents.

Dunes and Jurot tensed up lightly, for there was no detail more important than the copper hilt. It was not that it was copper, but because it held such colours, which were not rare at all, but the hilt was that of a triskelion, revealing what the blade was.

“Five thousand gold,” the merchant said, understanding that Dunes had little choice in the matter. “It is worth twice as much.”

Dunes glared into the merchant’s eyes. “How did you come to acquire this blade?”

“Misfortune,” the merchant replied apologetically.

Uh oh! Mystery! I bet it’ll take 5000 chapters until we find out what it is!