Shopping Part 3

As Joshua walked the streets on the way to the blacksmith, he noticed he was passing Gina's shop, so he took a quick detour. The wooden door swung open, and the little bell resounded through the shop. Gina came from the back with a big smile on her face. "Welcome, what can I get for you sir?" She said.

Joshua smiled and walked up to the counter. Gina looked him over, having the nagging feeling that she knew this boy.

"Do I know you sir?" She asked.

"It's me, Joshua." He said with a smile.

"Joshua?!" She shouted. "You look so different and clean! What has happened to you?"

"That money you lent me changed my life." Joshua said. "It let me buy this sword and go out and earn a living. During my attempt to empower myself I inadvertently completed a high paying A-rank quest. I killed the demon of the forest."

"That was you?!" Gina said. "I told you to be careful!" She yelled while slapping him. "Not go and pick fights with an unkillable beast!" She started to tear up. "You could have died!"

"It wasn't that I purposefully sought the demon out." Joshua said. "It found me, and I thought I was going to die, but I got lucky, and it impaled itself on my blade."

"That's its favorite thing to do!" Gina said. "I get adventurers in here all the time and I overhear them talking about it. Apparently, the demon isn't the wolf. It is something possessing the wolf. Sometimes it's a bear, or whatever it can find really.

It feeds on fear and despair, so its first attack is always to kill itself and then transfer to a new host. That's why it was said to be unkillable. How did you even kill it?"

Joshua pulled out his status plate and showed it to Gina. "I have a skill named demon slayer." Joshua explained. "Apparently it allows me to slay demons…"

"So, you were lucky." Gina said. "You broke your promise and went out to get yourself killed!"

"No, I am fine, see?" Joshua said. "No broken promises here."

"Then where is my money?" Gina asked, still angry about the whole situation.

"I have it!" Joshua said. "But I have a business proposition for you first. I want us both to make a lot of money. I noticed the only thing you have here is bread. Different varieties, but still all bread. Have you thought about cake?"

"What is cake?" Gina asked. "Is it a type of bread?"

"Okay, let's call it sweet bread." Joshua explained. "Do you have molasses, honey, or sugar?"

"I don't know what those are." Gina said. "Are you okay Joshua? Did that demon do something to your head?"

"I am fine." Joshua said. "From what you are telling me, we are going to make a fortune."

"We are?" Gina asked. "From bread?"

"From cake." Joshua said. "Tell me how many nobles you have shopping here?"

"That's easy." Gina said. "None. There are better bakeries up town where the nobles live. I hear they put extra yeast in their loafs to make them even fluffier."

"Gina." Joshua said. "Where is the market?"

"It's uptown." Gina explained. "You should know that though."

"I was sick remember; I was wondering if they moved it." Joshua said.

"But it has been there for as long as either of us has been alive…" Gina said. "Why would they suddenly move it?"

"I just forgot, okay?" Joshua said.

"So, the demon did do something to your head." Gina said. "We need to go to the church so they can cleanse you right away!"

"Nothing is wrong!" Joshua said. "Was just a slip of the mind. I am going to head to the market and look for those items I asked you about. I think they might have different names in this world, because there's no way you wouldn't know them."

"This world?" Gina asked. "Joshua…"

"It was a vision in my dreams!" Joshua said. "They were called something else. That's all, nothing more to read into it." [I really hope she bought that. I almost let the hey I am from another world and the Joshua you know, and apparently love is long dead bomb go off.] Joshua thought to himself.

"So, it was a divine revelation?" Gina asked. "The gods have gifted you this knowledge, but gave you the wrong names?" She thought to herself while Joshua just smiled like an idiot, hoping she would believe his obvious lies. "I suppose dreams are hard to remember, or the gods gave it to you as a test." She looked at the status plate of Joshua one more time. "You lack the prophet skill, so that could be why it was difficult to understand."

"Right." Joshua said. "I just lack the proper skills to understand my dream fully."

She gave him a stern look as she thought. "I still think that demon did something to you." She said. "But you appear to be fine for the most part so I won't force you to go to the priest. However, if I think you are getting worse, we are going to get you cleansed!"

"Okay." Joshua said in agreement. "I am just going to go to the market real fast and I will return. I promise I won't be long."

"See that you do." Gina said. "You still owe me my money after all."

Joshua left the shop and Gina returned to the back; her mind filled with worry that something had happened to Joshua.

At the entrance to uptown there was a guard posted at the gate. He was a large man wearing standard mail armor and a skullcap with a halberd draped across his arms. He looked down at Joshua and raised an eyebrow as he approached.

"Can I help you with something young man?" He asked.

"No, I just need to get to uptown." Joshua said.

As Joshua started to walk past the guard, he lowered his halberd and blocked Joshua's path.

"Son, I know every noble that dares enter this trash heap, and you are not one of them." The guard said. "You are just a rat, and rats are not allowed in the upper city. It is the law. A law that we take very seriously."

Back in the bakery. Gina had a troubling thought cross her mind. "I hope he didn't forget the secret entrance we use to bypass the guards…" She said looking up. She shook her head, "I am sure he did, I hope he did…"