The Market

The old lizardman tapped his chin. "Hmmm, I think it was from my old traveler days."

His stare was blank, as if he was trying to recall something.

"And?" Kai asked.

"Oh, I remember now!" The lizardmans eyes lit up. "It was when I visited an elven city. They gave it to me as a gift."

Kai nodded his head.

"Sounds interesting," Narcen said. "Do you remember anything else?"

The lizardman shook his head. "Nothing else at all."

Narcen flicked his tongue and sighed. He looked over to Kai who seemed space out. He put hand on his shoulder. "Should we visit another stall?"

"Uhhh, yeah sure."

They went back and forth at many different stalls. Some sold food and spices, others sold products and various things. They were enjoying their time. The clouds were surprisingly clearing up even further, and sunlight began to emanate through the air.

Narcen looked up at the sky with his arms out and closed his eyes. His whole body loosened up. "Sunlight's warmth. It feels too good."

Kai looked up at the sky too. "It does feel pretty good, I guess." He looked back at Narcen and chuckled. "You seem to be enjoying a lot."

"We reptilian races thrive in sunlight. The amazing warm feeling can't be explained. Especially after it's been raining, although it was only for a couple of hours."

Kai scratched the back of his head. "Guess I'm missing out then. You see, when the sunlight makes me feel too warm, and my head ends up getting all scratchy. It seems like it's already happening for some reason."

"Strange," Narcen replied. He pointed out another stall. "Want to visit this one last?"

Kai nodded. "Sure, let's do it."

They walked over to the stall, but it suddenly got even more crouded than it was before. They had to weave throught all the bodies. It was even harder with all the scaly tails.

They were greeted by a lizardman who seemed to be in young adulthood with a bunch of little children running around behind him. 

"How's it going?" Narcen asked. "I noticed the lack of products."

The shopkeeper sighed. "I sell a more exotic fruit called Zenga. My mom and dad recently got sick, and that puts me in charge with all my smaller siblings. I didn't have time to go out collecting them yesterday and the day before."

Kai put is finger on his chin and thought. Helping him would probably help build more trust. I should probably go find them for him.

He nodded, a plan forming in his mind. "Tell me where to find these Zenga fruits. I'll go and collect them for you."

The shopkeeper's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You would do that? If you insist, they grow deep in the forest, in a small clearing surrounded by tall ferns. The fruits are bright red and hang from low-lying bushes."

Narcen chimed in. "Oh, I know that place!" He looked over to Kai. "I can guide you there."

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. "However, there are many hostile entities that lurk over there. I'd rather not put the burden on you. I only do it with my parents because we have a bloodline of a strong ability mark, and we can face the monsters."

"Ability Mark?" Kai asked. He remembered another lizardman telling him about them. Some kind of mark that gives someone an aptitude for a certain type of magic. Kai was wondering what those marks all around his body were, because they seemed familiar. But now he remembered.

"Yeah, my ability mark gives me an aptitude for life magic. My whole family has the same mark."

"Huh," Kai said. He wondered how life magic would work offensively. Maybe controlling plants to trap enemies? "That's cool, however I think we can do this no problem. "

The shopkeeper made a confused expression, but he bowed his head. "Well if you insist. This is your wish, and I am very grateful for it."

Kai nodded.

The two of them headed out of the village, delving into the dense rainforest. Narcen used his senses to navigate through the thick foliage, while pointing out landmarks and paths that he had been on. The deeper they went, the more alive the forest felt, with the sounds of birds and rustling leaves.