Black Market

After walking along the streets for several minutes, Beta finally stood in front of his destination, a pharmacy. He didn't have enough time to go to the market, so he chose to sell the herbs here instead. It was already rather late, thus the crowd, on the usually bustling street, thinned down. People entered and left various shops, or walked inside alleys. The banner on top of the shop says "Bert's Herbs". "Who would name their shop like that?", even though Beta found it weird, he still entered the shop anyway. He didn't have a choice after all. If he wanted to sell his herbs on time, he would need to be fast, and this is the only shop he found. As soon as he entered, a pleasant scent entered his nostrils, invigorating him. It was a small shop with walls that had a wooden design and also a wooden counter. Behind the counter was a door, which opened shortly after he entered the shop. An old man with a gentle smile pasted on his face, giving a warm vibe to his customers, stood now in front of him.

"What would you like to buy?"

"I want to sell herbs, not buy them. Is that possible?"

"Of course it is. But you need to have a certain quality of herbs for me to buy them.", the old man said patiently with a smile.

Beta didn't say anything else and just placed all of the herbs he and Brian had gathered earlier on the counter. The old man was stunned, seeing the amount of herbs that accumulated.What stunned him even more though, was the quality. All of the herbs were expertly picked and still fresh, smelling of the earth they were buried in.

"Oho…Did you pick these herbs?"

"Most of them. Some were picked up by my friend. How much are you willing to pay?"

"Hmm... These herbs should be worth two silver- and five copper coins.", said the old man while sneaking a peek at Beta's face and figure. Trying to gauge what the little guy in front of him will say.

"Don't try to rip me off. I think, we both know that these herbs are at least worth three silver coins."

"Eh?! What are you even talking about, young man? These days are hard and I barely come by. Herbs aren't what they used to be anymore.", the old man said with exhaustion covering his face.

"Those are lies. Herbs are used for many things. I'm not some novice, so stop that facade and offer a satisfying price."

Beta didn't falter and be deceived by the other's acting. He already checked with Brian on what's the worth of the herbs before leaving after all. He needs to be wise and cautious against shops. Especially, because he is only a child, barely old enough to negotiate and know the ways of the world.

"Tsk, brats these days are getting smarter. Alright, I'll give you three silver coins. If you're willing to get me herbs again I will add another 5 coppers!"

Seeing Beta's determined, hard look, the old man relented and showed a more genuine warm smile, despite his unyielding remark. He liked kids with strong conviction and Beta looked like an honest kid to him. Thus, it made him show a more genuine expression, while offering a better deal.

"If I come across any, I'll sell them here, but I'm not sure if I will."

"Oh well…That's already enough for me. So, what's your name?"

"Alright, thank you. I'm Beta."

"Beta, huh? What an interesting kid.", the old apothecary said in an inaudible voice with a smile on his face.

After Beta got his money, he felt much better already. They didn't even have enough for both of them to get a meal anymore, so this amount of money came just at the right moment. After leaving the shop, he first went to a clothes store. After only ten minutes did he left the shop with a sigh and two big bags. "Now we are down to two silver- and one copper coins again.", he thought while shaking his head slowly. He went back to the room he rented with Brian and started meditating. He had always liked to meditate and just think of the battles he fought so far and how he could have won faster, with less injuries. This was something he had always done way back then at his parent's place, in order to keep winning. But sometimes he does it to relax, and let go of his worries.

He was only a little kid, but so many things are already going through his head. He wanted to know what happened, why his parents did that kind of research, and most importantly - their names. Although they were definitely not good parents, he still wanted to know their names. How else could he look for clues about them? He can't possibly ask if someone has seen his parents without having to use their names.

The more he understood about this world the less he disliked his parents. They were fanatically following their research, but they provided him with a stable life and made him stronger. He now had to worry about even the food for the next day. After a short sigh, he put all these thoughts away and focused on improving his skills. Not long after, Brian entered the room with a bright smile.

"I got the location!"

"That's great! I bought some new clothes. After changing we will go to the black market."

Brian didn't hesitate at all. It has been a long time since he wore new clothes without holes. Shortly after, they were both dressed and covered in dark black cloaks, finally looking like proper citizens. After leaving the Inn, they both pulled their hood over their heads and headed into the direction of the black market. When they entered the slums, Beta noticed the stench but didn't think much of it. He had smelled rotten corpses without end from the point when he was born, so this little bit of stench is nothing.

He let Brian lead the way as they walked the dark alley paths for several minutes and finally arrived. What they saw didn't look like the market they expected to see. Instead, there were people sitting on the ground with mats in front of them. But the one thing that didn't disappoint them was what was laid out on these mats. There were sharp blades and many other kinds of equipment that made their eyes shine. But that wasn't what they needed nor came for.

They kept looking around and tried not to get in contact with others as much as possible. The street they were on wasn't particularly crowded, so it was rather easy to dodge people who tried to steal their things or 'accidentally' run in them. They saw many strange things which ranged from vicious beasts or even slaves. Beta raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't pay any more attention to it after that. If you're not strong enough, you have no control. That's the only thing that occupied his mind when he saw that.

Soon, they reached their destination, the beast trader. Unlike the others, he has a big house. The shop inside was still pretty small though. "The store room must occupy at least three fourths of this building...", Beta thought while taking a slight look around. After five minutes passed by, the shopkeeper finally arrived. He was a tall, brute-looking guy, with a bushy beard. He sure did look the part of being a beast trader.

"Oh? What a surprise. I rarely see kids in here. What can I help you with? Do you want to buy or sell stuff?"

Just like how he looked like, his voice was loud too, booming both Beta's and Brian's ears. Brian winced and almost ducked to cover both of his ears but Beta warned him beforehand to never cower once in the Black Market or they will be marked as easy preys. He managed to stand firm and with the cover of the cloak, the trader didn't see his expression. Beta, on the other hand, stood steady and cold. Not one bit of his muscles flinched nor reacted any movement that shows weakness. He faced the beast trader and went straight to the point.

"We want to sell.", Beta said while taking out all the parts of the Lynx.

"Why the hell did you cut it into little pieces? Oh well, there are still some parts that can be used. So, I'll give you 10 silver, sell it at that price or leave.", the shopkeeper said in a nonchalant manner. Not minding them anymore.

Beta had no choice but to agree. He didn't mind agreeing to it though. 10 silver was already a huge amount of money for him at the moment. They also needed the money fast, so they couldn't sell it somewhere else even if they wanted to. After trading, they immediately left the store but, on their way, Beta and Brian took a roundabout way to leave the black market to avoid getting robbed. It was the right choice because four strong men had already marked them, hiding in the shadows while waiting for them to show up again.

As soon as they arrived back at their inn, they finally let out a long breath of air. A couple of people had followed them for a while and only let them loose once they left the slums. But that didn't make them feel safer because there could still be ones that they couldn't detect, so they took a lot of twists and turns, hoping to lose anyone who might have followed them.

"Now we finally have enough money for school and even some extra!", said Brian while looking at the amount of silver coins in front of him.

That was more than he had ever earned since he lost his family. He couldn't help but act like he and Beta have hit the jackpot. Beta, noticing Brian's weird expression and outburst, couldn't help but smile and shake his head. He appreciates his friend's positivity but as always, he will have to lower it a bit to face reality.

"I'm not too sure about that. We will only have four silver left after paying for the school entrance fee and we might have to buy other things once we're accepted there. But, we'll see about that once it comes to that point. Now let's train a bit, sleep, and then go to school tomorrow!", Beta said with a radiant smile.