8 - Marketplace II

"Sorry," Ari said. "Wandered off, there. Um. Stamina potion, please? Whatever's the cheapest you have."

It'd be useful to stock up several at a time, but Ari just didn't have the money. Potions were expensive, even the weak ones. And sure, it'd pay for itself by letting her go for several encounters longer than she could otherwise, but Ari hadn't turned a profit on her fight with Lori, so she was still flat broke, to be frank about things. Or, she could afford to buy more than one, but she didn't need them bad enough to drop her funds so low. It was prudent to keep an emergency savings. Her finances would be in the mud for a while longer.

The alchemist didn't seem bothered that Ari wouldn't be providing her much of a profit today. She squinted at the variety of murky yellow potions, running her finger across them as she found something that fit Ari's criteria—being as cheap as possible.

Finding it, she plucked the vial from the leather loops securing it to the shelf and held it up in the air, waggling the glass as she inspected it. What she was looking for, Ari couldn't guess.

"Three silver," the elf said, holding it out cork-stopper first.

Ari tried her best not to choke, and was mostly successful. She knew adventuring equipment was expensive, but hearing the prices stated so casually hurt her soul, a bit. She wondered how much of that was Tark's not-very-affluent status setting her standards low.

Either way, she thumbed out the silver coins, passed them over, and after confirming that was all she needed, the alchemist quickly snagged eyes with her next customer. Alchemists, at least, weren't needing to vie for attention; she wasted no effort shouting and hollering, like many of the more mundane merchants around her.

Ari stared down at the potion, frowning. You better be worth it. She knew it would be … but three silver! Unbelievable.

She melded back into the crowd.

A stamina potion had been the only thing she'd known for sure she wanted to bring along on her next adventure. She was still on the fence on a few others. Namely, armor. Did Ari need armor? The stat bonuses they provided would almost certainly go to waste, but their protection could be important. She had the ability to [Transform] any monster who approached her, but what about the ones she didn't see coming? She got the distinct feeling that some tough, reinforced leather would do wonders for making sure a giant, gaping maw didn't take her out in one bite.

Plus, Lori's fumbling-around with Ari's buttons and buckle had bought her time away from Lori's hands doing much more compromising things to her. Which was an advantage of its own when taking into account how their 'fights' were ended by the first person to get the other off.

But the big reason she wouldn't buy armor was, again, financial problems. She wanted to avoid buying anything she didn't need to.

There was another big reason, too. Ari got the distinct feeling that she'd be receiving loot customized to her class, in the same manner she'd received the tooth necklace that made her lovebites more effective. Why buy armor that would go obsolete, when she'd be receiving her own, eventually?

A normal adventurer could forgive the waste because they'd sell back whatever armor they received from their adventures, therefore breaking even … but Ari's armor, potentially, wouldn't have a 'market'. Some classes were rare, and harder to sell items for, but a [Monster Layer]? Ari didn't think the market would be dry so much as completely barren.

What form would that armor take? Ari was almost afraid to find out. She got the feeling she was in for a future of skimpy, revealing armor—bikini sets, thigh-highs, lingerie, all kinds of lewd items. And stranger.

And weapons. What form would a [Monster Layer] weapon take? That, even more the armor, had Ari's cheeks coloring. Because one of the only reasonable assumptions—to her at least—would be something that got her opponent off faster. Which, um. She assumed would be vaguely phallic shaped. And perhaps vibrated.

Ari fought away a blush as she streamed along with the crowd. It's still worth checking things out. She'd always been interested in adventuring loot, and if nothing else, she could get a sense for the market.