Zetaark

"Oh this? It's a dragonstone. Or, to be more specifically, a replica of one. I wouldn't keep my own out on display like that. It's a symbol for the Z'ark Merchant Council you see. Members tend to have rather large says in large-scale deals and such. The jewel you get depends on whether you're a regular human, a manakete, or a hybrid. The green orb there is a symbol for a regular manakete, a blue heart for a human, and an orb with a heart inside for a hybrid. It's a rather interesting design, but I personally like it," The woman answers.

"Decent, all things considered. Handling a few things here and there and waiting on some shipments. We were supposed to be shipping off some goods to Alios, but we're still waiting for them to show up," Caleb replies before noticing Clarisse's friend. "So, who is this that you brought with you?" ----------------------------------- "Oh? You two don't look like locals," the woman packing up instruments noted as Cass and Idei ran towards her hoping to buy some instruments. "The concert here is ending soon, and most of the buyers have gone elsewhere, so us merchants have to clear out for the next block. If you'd like, you could follow me to my shop," the woman remarks in a rather pleasant voice. After following her to the shop, she went behind the counter and glanced at the two men. On the tabletop, a lustrous green orb sat in a rather ornate stand. "So, do you two have anything specific you're looking for?" ----------------------------------- "I just buy from whoever sells the cheapest stuff. I don't pay much attention to who the suppliers are myself. Sorry," the man frowns. "If you don't have any other business here, you can leave."

Clarisse and Rayne went off for a little while, but the actual trip didn't take very long. Soon, the pair came across a rather nice house close to the sea. Clarisse goes up and knocks on the door, trying to see if anyone is around. After a small pause, someone answers the door. "Is this about the incoming order. We've been waiting for almost a week and-" the man pauses before taking a look at the people behind the door. "Clarisse! I certainly didn't expect to see you back yet. How are you," he says in an excited voice, taking her into an embrace. ----------------------------------- Following Percival's directions, the pair wind up in the center of the square, where they find a group of various musicians having a performance. The music itself is quite nice, and many of the people around have some sort of instrument on their person. On the side, several stands with an assortment of musical supplies seem to be present, though they seem to be packing up. ----------------------------------- "I get most of my goods through a supplier, so I couldn't tell you exactly what poison is in them. Sorry," the man shrugs.

"530 vespers," the man states after examining the knife, placing the poison knife on the counter-top.

"Alright then. Excuse me, but do you happen to know about any magical experiments around here?" she asks the shopkeeper. "Magical experiments? Oh, you must be talking about the merchant institute. Well that's what we call it anyways. They run a host of experiments there on new transportation and the like. But yes, that's probably the place you're looking for. It's at the eastern side of the town, and the building is quite large. You shouldn't be able to miss it," he answers. "Thank you very much. Now then, let's see if they're accepting visitors," she chirps as the pair go towards the east side of the merchant town. Walking through and looking, the pair notes that everywhere they look has some sort of shop or stall or some such, though parks and such can be found on occasion. After a fair bit of walking, they eventually found the institute building. In front of it were two bulky looking men who appeared to be guards. "You two, what business do you have here?"

"Well, a few years ago I overheard some professors talking about some interesting applications of magic being used by various merchants in Z'ark. Rumor has it that it's actually run by a few manaketes, so since we're here, I wanted to at least try and find the place. Though I am surprised that the thing about merchants and manaketes turned out to be true. Guess that's what happens when you don't leave home to travel," Helena finishes, thinking about her travels briefly. "Are you at all interested in going?"

After a bit of wandering, Cadence eventually finds her way to the alleyway with the poisons shop. Along the way, she encountered a variety of traders and merchant, human and manakete alike. One such trader seemed to be selling threads that reminded her of her own newly fashioned coat, and they seemed to be doing rather well. When Cadence went into the shop, she found the shopkeeper and a cloaked Belros.

The shady shopkeeper looks at Belros for a bit, before taking the money and giving him the knife he requested. "Can't say I've heard too much, though I did hear that some thieves moved north to other islands. That any useful?" the man replies. ------------------------------ "Alright, I've got a new tome. Now then, anything you care to do here next? If not, there's a place I want to visit here," Helena remarks. ------------------------------- "Thank you for your business. And don't worry, I also think it's a weird name to give to an axe," Anna responds before thinking about Cass' question. "Music shops huh? See that isn't my personal specialty. Percival!" Anna calls out to the man, who is just coming back from moving stuff back to their shop. "You called? Any trouble?" "No, this man here just wants to know where a few music shops are," Anna replies. "Oh is that all? Well if you head towards the center of the square, you'll find a music hall. It also doubles as a school, but you should be able to find some nice instruments there. Does that help?" ------------------------------- "Poison knifes eh? Well there is a shop in a back alley that sells them but it's pretty shady. Actually, I remember a few days ago some rich-looking man went by there for some reason. I don't think he bought anything, but I wouldn't know. I think the guy himself is one of the political nobles of Z'ark or something, not that it means too much to the merchants here. Just thought you would know. Also uhh, don't mention any of what I just said to the shopkeeper there if you do go over there. I'd rather not end up in another mess," Biden answers.

"The guild itself is situated in Pasir, but some of the guild members go all over the place looking for new swords. Seeing as how you're part of the guard, I'd reckon you'd find them pretty easy. Just mention me and they'll be able to tell you about some neat swords they may have or know about. Anything else you need?" ----------------------------------------------- "1500 vespers, just like everything else. One time only deals here. And Percival worried about us going over-budget, this totally worked out," Anna muttered the last part, but still maintained a smile. ------------------------------------ "Hmm, 510 vespers is what I'll give you for your tomes. For the tomes you requested, your total would be 690 vespers. Good enough for you?" the man asks. Most of the background chatter is about various magical theories or some discussion on wind ships or some such. One pair of individuals, each appearing to be some sort of scholar, mentions something interesting. "That woman, isn't she the firstborn of the Vulcan family? I've heard she went out on field studies to finish her thesis, but didn't they say she was lost at sea?" Helena, incidentally, was too busy trying to decide what tomes she wanted to get to notice the conversation.

"Enchanted swords eh? There are a few lying about. You see, when I was over at Pasir, I ended up getting involved with a group that specializes in magical weapons. Some chats happened here and there, and I ended up becoming good friends with some of the members. That's how I got this shop. But yes, for enchanted swords, one moment," Biden says, going to the back of the shop. After a bit of rustling, he comes back with a medium sized sword that gave off a green aura. "Sadly, it's not a true wind sword. Only a prototype that some of the guys ended up coming up with. Still though, it's fashioned like a wind sword, so it has some similar properties, even if it's a bit weaker," he explains. "Given various history, I'll sell it to you for 1400 vespers. And also, if you ever happen to run into one of the members of the Four Swords Guild, you can show them this. You might be able to get yourself an actual wind sword from them. Sound good?" ---------------------------------------- Going through the alleyways of Z'ark, Belros finds a shop with a host of poison weapons. Shop List:

"Since you're here, let me drop off this tome and key," Helena says, giving the convoy man her wind tome and chest key that she acquired. "Now then, do you have any anima tomes on hand?" she asks Anna. "Hope you like siege tomes, cause that's what I've got in right now," Anna responds in an upbeat voice, showing Helena the three tomes. "Take your pick!" "Hrm, as much as I want to experiment with the Bolting tome, for now I'll simply make due with the Meteor tome. It's a bit more reliable and is still rather strong," Helena decides, handing Anna the money before running off to follow Darius. Now that she had started dabbling in thunder magic, she figured she could get a slight upgrade as well. After some walking, the pair found a rather large block of the town with stalls chocked full of tomes. All manner of tomes could be found in the group of 6 stalls, and the area itself was somewhat crowded. The pair could overhear various discussions on magic and some traders trying to sell of some tomes. Shop List: -------------------------------------- "Well, seems like you're mainly here for shopping, so I don't mind selling to you. And well, you did decide not to kill me back then. Losing an arm doesn't seem as bad when you consider the alternatives. So, what sort of swords are you looking for?"

"It's been so long since I've been in the desert sands. Now then...hmm?" Ecquis pauses as he scouts out some of the enemies on the field. One of them reminded him of a description he heard about some time ago. "About that woman on the horse, doesn't her appearance remind you of someone? At any rate, crossbows aren't too pleasant, so it looks like I'll be in the sands for now." Moves to K10, dismounts, and readies Iron Javelin.

"You called?" the convoy man responds, appearing out of the blue before taking a quick look around. "Oh, Anna, good to see you." "Not entirely sure I can say the same, though it certainly seems like you aren't around for your normal collection jobs," Anna frowns, eyeing the convoy man. "Not at the moment no. I'm attending to other matters at the moment, one of which involving the guard. That's all." he finishes before looking back at Rayne. "So what did you need?" -------------------------- "Heavens no. I probably would have died if I drifted out that long. Probably due to the injuries on my arm. At any rate, I ended up floating to Pasir. The people there were rather pleasant, and some of the healers took me in to help me recover. Unfortunately my arm was in rather bad shape so..." Biden lifts up his wooden arm. "Anyways, after that, I ended up getting involved with some people, which led to me coming here and opening this shop. Now I make an honest living here selling swords," he finishes.

"Spears huh? Let me check," Anna rummages through some of the crates before finding something. "Lucky you. I happen to have a Short Spear on hand. Considerably lighter than the one you've got there. Want it?" Anna asks with a smile. --------------------------------- "Hmm? Sure, give me one sec...aiee," the man yells as he falls behind the counter. "Er...what exactly are you doing here, and what do you want from me," the man asks in a panicked tone.

Entering the shop, Cadence sees a man with what appears to be a wooden right arm looking for something behind the counter. Besides that, there are a plethora of swords present in the shop, each with varying designs. ----------------------------- "Axes hmm? I've got a Swordreaver and a Francisca. Don't ask me why it's called a Francisca by the way. I have no clue what kind of person named a hand axe something like that. Anywho, either of them strike your fancy?"

"Well, the one I got apparently makes someone more durable. Percival knew some people with it, so now I've got it," Anna says, pulling out the lyrics, being that of Ninis' Grace.

"Alright, the tome is yours," Anna takes the money and gives the tome to Darius. "As for the crossbow...hmm this is still in good shape. I can shave off 600 vespers off of the price with this. Is that fine?" Anna asks Idei before directing her attention to the others. "Yes, Percival there is a manakete. Also my husband, but that's another story. Anywho, I'm afraid I don't have any instruments on hand, but I do have some lyric sheets if those interest you at all. As for staffs, I have a couple," Anna responds, showing a Quickness staff, a Kia staff, and a Silence staff. ------------------------------------ Cadence finds a host of travellers and merchants alike throughout the town. Various stalls are scattered about with people discussing deals and trading wares. Some of the stalls have some miscellaneous weapons, and by the alleyway there appears to be some sort of specialized sword shop.

"Tomes, swords, and bows huh? On the dark magic side, I did actually pick up a few things. They're pretty hard to come by though, but I did get myself 3 tomes. Sadly, I'm not the most knowledgeable on these. Percival is better at identifying them, but if you're proficient with them you can probably tell," Anna responds, displaying 3 tomes: Nosferatu, Black Lance, and Gorgon's Eye. "As for blades, I've got a Cutlass and a Switchblade. Your choice for which you want. And for bows, I've got a Poison Bow and a Steel Yari. No crossbows sadly, but what can you do. All the weapons are 1500 each incidentally. Normally they'd be a bit more, but again, you helped out a friend, so you get a special discount."

Chapter 4: Markets and Mayhem Year 1638, 26th of Vembra After sailing through the night and most of the morning, the ship finally neared its destination, the merchant island of Z'ark. As the ship nears its destination, a few creatures can be seen overhead flying towards the island, many of them appearing like dragons. "Looks like all of the merchants are flying in today. Business should be pretty good I would think," Xavier nods to himself, pleased with the sights. As the ship nears the docks, the party sees a large collection of people scattered about. There is a section marked for boats to dock, and to the left there is a large, empty patch of land. As the party disembarks, one of the dragon-like creatures started circling around the area, with the people on the ground guiding the landing. As it landed, a woman could be seen riding on the creature, something that Xavier noticed immediately. "Well well, looks like its a lucky day for anyone who needs shopping. Speaking of which, if you need some nice weapons, she may be able to help out. Anna!" he shouts, running over to the woman and the dragon. "Well this is...surprising. I didn't expect to see manaketes around here," Madante stated, surprised to see any in the area. "Oh, and before I forget, some cash from the past mission." ((The party receives 2000 vespers!)) "Now then, let's check up on our friend before he gets hurt," Madante states with a hint of fear in his voice as the party walks over to Xavier and his friend. "Is that right? Well, good to see you managed to get out of that mess safely. And I presume these people are the ones who helped you?" the woman sitting atop the manakete asks, nodding at the arriving party. "That's right. They were a great help for me, and they are also the reason I was able to bring my goods over to the market." "Well in that case, I think I can offer them a little something. But first I've gotta unload all this stuff. Percival's been flying around all this cargo and I'd like to give him a break you know?" Anna remarks, tapping the manakete's back. At that, the manakete snorts a bit before responding. "Yes, all of the extra goods that you just couldn't pass up. How many times did I have to remind you to not go over-budget?" Percival retorts with a slight grin. "Oh hush you. It was fine in the end, and some of it was too good to pass up," the woman pouts. "Whatever you say dear," Percival remarks in a sarcastic tone. After some unloading, the woman eventually stepped towards the party while the manakete, apparently named Percival, transformed from his draconic form to a more human form. "Good to be back home. Now then, shall I take some of these back to the shop?" "That would be great dear," the woman winks at him as he gathers up the supplies and begins to move them. The woman then looks over to the party once again. "Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Anna, and if you couldn't already tell, I am one of the resident merchants. The best one also, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Now then, since you helped out a friend of mine, I may be able to help out some of you," Anna looks over the group and checks their equipment. "You seem to be well armed, but perhaps you would like something else? I've got some great equipment on hand, and I'll even give a small discount. Do note though, you only can get one of an item, and I don't stock every type of weapon. We can only carry so much stuff after all. But if that's fine with you, tell me what you want and I'll see if I have it," Anna cheers.

"That doesn't look very good. Let me see your arm," Helena states, taking Idei's arm and pulling out a vulnerary and some cloth from her person. "Still though, if you ended up getting an injury like this, it probably isn't a good idea for me to see him. Shame, I do enjoy the company of animals," Helena muses as she patches up Idei's arm. "Now then, what was that about a shipwreck? I don't recall hearing about something like that."

"Shame. I wanted to see the horse, but if he's asleep then I'll let him sleep," Helena pouts a little bit, somewhat disappointed. -------------------------------------- "It was mostly just through his service. He had been with the guard for decades and has done exceptional work in handling disputes and conflicts around the land. The mission he gets a lot of credit for was him navigating the king to Z'Ark for an event. The ship ran into a large group of pirates, but he managed to outmaneuver them and prevent them from getting to the ship. I think after that was when he got his current title. As for his family...I don't think he was nobility, but I never really asked about it," Madante answers.

"One of the other captains taught me how to use the sword. Captain Valtios is one of the highest ranking captains in the Royal Guard and serves the royal family directly. He was incredibly strict, but he was a very good teacher," Madante nods, recalling the training he endured. -------------------------------------- "Dark magic is usually associated with the legend of the summoners of old, which is why it's usage is frowned upon. Or so I've heard. I don't think there's a way to really find out for sure if that's what happened, but because of that legend, dark magic isn't actually discussed at any large institutions. Well, not in great detail anyways. Which makes why they sent me out to investigate some was a strange decision, though it worked out in the end," Helena sighs before looking at Idei. "Incidentally, where is your horse at right now?"

"I'd uhh, prefer not to say too much about that if at all possible," Madante frowns, taking a sip of the wine. "All I'm willing to say right now is that some family circumstances made joining the royal guard the best option for me. Though that hasn't fixed things yet." Madante sighs, taking yet another sip.

"Well, I became captain for this squad particularly as a trial to test out some of the recruits. It would also be my chance to prove myself as a captain. As for why I joined..." Madante paused a bit, glancing downwards. "Family issues, I suppose."