Lina slams her hands on the wooden counter as she says agitated,
”What do you mean you can’t purchase the stuff we got from the dungeon?”
The adventurer guild clerk coughs to regain their composure before continuing,
”I’m sorry but this branch doesn’t have the funds to purchase things, if you want to sell the materials you have to head more west towards the major cities.”
Lina notices she’s getting lots of attention so she grabs the bag filled with stuff they got from the dungeon before heading to the shack at the end of town.
The wooden shack’s door creaks as it opens but after what she went through, this is nothing, she says to the dark room,
”Ashen I’m back.”
Lina hears the rusty bed creak as he gets up and opens a window letting light into the room from the sun outside.
”Let me guess, I was right about them not being able to buy our stuff.”
Lina wants to retort but can’t, she tosses the bag at him before siting on the edge of the bed and says,
”Well we can’t go to the major cities to sell this stuff cause that’s where the paladins will be gathering, we got out from the dungeon and came to the small town we stayed in for what?! It feels like we are at square one.”
Ashen smiles as he starts packing his stuff,
”If there’s one thing I’m good at, is handling misfortune when it comes. If we have to head west to get funds and gear then so be it. We just have to be careful, besides for better gear we have to head south west anyways, this will just be a little detour.”
Lina wants to retort his logic, that they would just be marching towards the head churches of life handing her over on a silver platter.
But they are low on funds and supplies after their recent ordeal. She then says begrudgingly,
“Fine, but let’s avoid Drake cause that’s where the main church is, the nearest city west of here is Everett. We stop there for new weapons then head south to the dwarves.”
Ashen finishes packing their bags and hands her one of them,
“Sounds like a plan.”
Lina takes her bag as they head to leave. Lina finds it funny Ashen is so much more approachable now that he isn’t trying to push her away with his dramatic act of death.
Later they stop to rest for the night, Ashen is butchering a rabbit for its meat while Lina dries them over a fire for jerky, they are still practically strangers but have gone through so much, so it feels odd to do something so normal. Lina says,
”Hey doesn’t this feel weird? I’m still being hunted and you’re still being called the Sole Returner, we haven’t fixed anything so why does it feel so… peaceful?”
Ashen doesn’t smile as he works with his only remaining dagger to butcher this dead rabbit, then he responds saying,
”It can’t be constant danger, not even my luck is that cruel. We have time before life gets chaotic again, I don’t know about you but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.”
Lina is quiet a moment, Ashen is always so calm it’s both cool and unnerving, is this from his life as the Sole Returner? She asks him hesitantly,
”Don’t you want to try changing your life? Make it so nobody calls you the Sole Returner again?”
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Ashen’s knife pauses mid slice, he is still for a long moment before replying softly,
”I do, but it isn’t that simple. I’ve lived with misfortune all my life so I know better than anyone, it won’t stop just because I plead it to. So I try to look at the bright side, it’s through my pain that I feel joy when I overcome it.”
Lina chuckles then says,
“That’s pretty masochistic isn't it?”
Ashen continues his knife work as he says,
”I won’t deny that, but I think it would help if others had views like I did, not that I think I could change their minds.”
Lina gets annoyed at his words,
”So you’re just gonna give up? Live as the Sole Returner forever?”
A snapping sound as Ashen tears a leg off the rabbit, bones break apart as he looks towards Lina, she gets a little shaken up seeing him like this even when she knows he is a good guy.
”See? Even you flinch at me, look I’m not saying I’ll give up, but right now I’m just tired, I just want to enjoy my current life even a little before it gets hellish again.”
His words hit Lina hard as she pauses, she brings her knees to her chest as she sits on the ground. She then says,
”Sorry, I made you angry, that was uncalled of me to say.”
Ashen goes back to preparing the meat as he says,
”I’m not angry though a little upset, I’ve learned getting emotional only gets you killed.”
Lina has to agree with what he said, but she thinks back to the relief after the dungeon, after Ashen regained control from death, the emotions she felt when she saw Ashen get impaled, possessed, the morbid death Evan had…
She thinks back to the moment Ashen was possessed, how did Evan know when a priest becomes an attuned they get temporarily possessed?
She had been told her family died to a landslide when she was only a baby but the goddess of life saved her and afterwards the church found her and took her in.
But if Evan knew about the possession, she clenches his fists as she imagines, the church must have witnessed the incident, possibly even caused it too.
Over the next few weeks, Lina and Ashen make their way west towards the city of Everett. They make it there and enter using their adventurer’s licenses.
They pass the large iron gates of the stone walls surrounding the city, inside is a large rural town of wooden and stone buildings, there is a hill near the other side with a small stone castle atop the hill.
Lina takes in the sight for a moment before saying to Ashen,
”Should we start with these stalls around the market place?”
Ashen ponders for a moment before shaking his head,
“No, most people won’t have the funds for purchasing what may be artifacts if they can’t afford a proper building for a store.”
Lina admits he has a fair point, but that raises another problem as she retorts by saying,
”Well how are you going to explain how we got so many materials from a dungeon when we aren’t even High Priests? If they aren’t as desperate for funds then they will as questions.”
Ashen nods towards the alleyways behind the buildings, then he says,
”There are places that sell to more dangerous people, black market dealers, I’ve worked with them before, they charge more and try to scam you but they don’t care about the how.”
Lina heard from the temple priests the black markets were awful things, should she really be endorsing it by shopping there?
Then she thinks about the paladins who will eventually come after her again, the monsters of the wilds, bandits, rough adventurers, and her one crappy knife, she steels her resolve as she heads towards where Ashen indicates saying,
”Come on then, let’s hurry this up.”
They wander around the back alleys for a while before finding a tavern, its fill but dark and quiet unlike most taverns. Most of the patrons are wearing cloaks covering their heads and faces.
They consider looking for a different place to ask for buyers but this place isn't too far from the residential areas, it’s unlikely these people will cause a scene so close to being overheard, so they enter.
Lina walks up to the big burly man at the counter as he cleans a glass cup. He has scars along his face and big arms as he works meticulously. Lina asks bluntly,
”Do you know where we can find a priest of Wisdom to appraise our items?”
The burly man smiles as he sets down his rag and towel before turning to them and saying in a western accent as a man who grew up on the seas,
”You’re in luck, I’m an appraiser, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Lina doesn’t trust this man so doesn’t show him the best items they got, she pulls out the rusty ring from the 10th floor of the creepy crypts dungeon and sets it on the counter, Lina asks,
”How much is this worth? We found it on the 3rd floor and suspect it to be an artifact.”
The burly man holds the ring up to his eyes, his eyes glow slightly as he uses his blessing. He smirks before setting the ring down and saying with a smile,
”Piece of junk, barely 2 silver pieces.”
Lina knows he’s lying, she doesn’t know the value of the ring but it was found on the 10th floor of a dungeon treasure room in a chest.
She reaches to take back the ring refusing the offer but she notices the other patrons are watching them with killer’s intent. The burly man says still with a smile,
”How unfortunate of you two, but since you’re here might as well see what other treasure you’ve got.”
Lina looks toward Ashen who is calmly looking around the room at the cloaked men before Ashen simply says,
”How unfortunate indeed.”
