The Lumines Kingdom - Market

The princess gazed at the shopkeeper as he reached out his hand to take her coin. She waited for him to explain what he wanted, her curiosity piqued.

"Coins? Like the ones, my father the king collects? Do people normally carry them with them?" she asked, observing the bustling shoppers around them.

The shopkeeper repeated his request, "Yes, I require coin"

Yasuline remained perplexed, unsure of what was expected of her.

The expression on the shopkeeper was deteriorating surely as he begins to realize that this wasn't an act or prank. Especially when Yasuline kept eyeing the outside, jerking her body back and forth, seemingly more inclined to walk out.

"Payment! I require payment, miss." He says as straightforwardly as he can with his friendly tone before it disappears.

"Pay?" She immediately replies.

The cheeks on the man's face flushed, not from embarrassment, but anger.

"NOW SEE HERE, I DEMAND-" The man was cut off, not by words, but by a sudden rattle of metal being pushed right in front of his face.

There was a hand with a dirty cloak over it, holding four solid gold coins. The tension between the two was broken by the sight of the coins. The shopkeeper would usually be suspicious of someone with a hood, but the coins seemed to convince him otherwise.

He snatches the coins and studies them for a bit. Then he sways them away. "The purchase has been made. Thanks for shopping here, please come again." He says routinely, the chipper and happy tone returned to him once more, but Yasuline now knows it can easily be taken away. Confused as to even how the situation started at all. She quietly watched as another of the people visiting his shop would go up to him and also give him a small collection of coins while walking away with one of the clothes he had out. By the third person that did this, it registered to her that this was a custom she would need to understand for many of the other shops.

Yasuline and the White Reaper exit the shop and stand by the next-door shop to be away from the eyes of the clothing shopkeeper.

"I appreciate your input, it hadn't occurred to me to consider the common practices of getting items outside of my home. Normally, I tend to simply grab what I desire without much thought to the process." She conveys with a cheerful grin for her new experience. She then diverts her attention back to her ensemble, and a small chuckle escapes her lips as she discovers the existence of tiny pockets sewn into various areas of her clothing. These compartments exude an air of practicality and convenience, making them ideal for a globetrotting individual such as herself.

"Now then, since I just got my first taste of this shopping experience, let us see what else this place has for me."

She takes a stance, sticks her pointing finger out, and winks at the White Reaper, who didn't imitate her and simply nodded at her request.

Most of the shops in the area they were in all mostly seemed to be clothing shops as well. The ones featuring dresses were the most popular they looked, but none of it interested her. Nothing really would win her over like the clothes she had on. Skimping through them all, she finally finds something different.

Yasuline couldn't help but be drawn to the peculiar shop that stood out amongst the others. The air around it carried a distinctive scent that was both intriguing and mysterious. As she approached the window, she noticed an array of bottles and glass vials on display. Each one seemed to hold a secret waiting to be discovered. Curiosity got the best of her as she leaned in closer, wondering what kind of wonders lay beyond the threshold. "What is all this?" She wonders aloud, unaware of a person nearby who thought the question was directed at them.

"This is a potion-making shop, miss." Someone answered her question that wasn't directed to anyone. It was a boy, likely around his teens who was sitting on the open frame of the entryway. He wore an apron that had various stains on it of multiple colors and mutilated colors of the brown material it was made from.

"Potions?"

"You must not get out much." The boy says with an annoyed expression as he starts to rise to her feet and he starts to step inside the shop. Yasuline followed him inside, with the White Reaper entering behind her.

"Potions are medicine, brewed through herbs and mixed with magic to allow the effects it is supposed to give to occur as immediately as possible."

As he explains, he takes various sets of glass vitals and sets them in a line on the booth that looks similar to the one from the clothing shop.

Each of the potions he set was differently colored. One was green, another was orange, the other was blue, and the last one was purple. Yasuline leaned and looked at each one so intently.

"There are four types of potions available for use. The green potion is a healing potion that is capable of curing wounds, replenishing health, and curing colds and fevers. The orange potion is a stamina potion where it provides energy when feeling fatigued. The blue potion is a magic restoring potion that replenishes all magic once it has been depleted. However, it is important to note not to drink it when there is still a significant amount of magic left. Lastly, there is a standard antidote available for poisons."

Yasuline took in every word the boy had said. "I'll take each one." She says quietly.

Yasuline hums to herself so happily as she continues down the street as she takes the time to look at the shops and see what else she could buy for herself. Completely ignorant of the White Reaper behind her carrying her belongings like the sundress she had on before and the potion sets she had just purchased.

The next shop she stopped inside was a ring shop. According to the shopkeeper, rings are the perfect accessory equipment that can withhold enchantments that would work on the wearer as long as they had it on. Almost everyone had at least one, according to the shopkeeper. Though, Yasuline wouldn't know if that was just a sales pitch or if it was a genuine fact. In the end, Yasuline purchased one ring from him. She wanted more, but the shopkeeper was looking suspiciously at her when it looked like she was going to do just that. The ring she had chosen to take would give her a slight resistance to fire skills and fire-magic skills. Chosen as the mention of what it protects her from reminded her of the Daemons that nearly ended her with their fire-magic skills.

The ring had a tiny red gem on it, pressing a finger over it, she could feel it gave off a warmth. Yasuline wondered if she looked more like an adventurer now with her new get-up and accessories.

The shops continued to be repeated ones. Though they had different items on display, they didn't seem like anything she needed.

Yasuline's heart raced as she finally laid her eyes on what she had been searching for. Without wasting a single moment, she rushed towards it and stepped inside. The sheer size of the shop amazed her, and she couldn't believe how many shelves they had arranged to display their wares.

It was a weapon lover's paradise: swords, spears, axes, halberds, javelins, great swords, short swords, daggers, and shields--all of them were there. Yasuline's eyes widened with amazement as she looked around, feeling a sense of overwhelming joy. She couldn't help but feel moved by the beauty of the weapons before her. "They're all so beautiful," she whispered, feeling truly grateful for this incredible find.

A peal of hearty laughter burst out after she said that. It was from a bearded man who was carrying one of the great swords. Holding it with one arm and a cloth on the other. "Glad to see that this city has women who appreciate a well-crafted weapon when they see it. It means I still have a shot at getting a wife."

The man looked like he was a member of the dwarven race. They mostly lived underground in Flamorse, but the shopkeeper here was human. "A dwarf?" Yasuline says, not sure if she was guessing correctly or not. "Ha, showering me with compliments won't get you a big discount, missy. But thanks. No, I'm human. But I was raised by them. Guess their appearance stuck on me as well as their blacksmithing."

Yasuline explained to him how she wanted a weapon. He was glad to help her in that department. He asked her what kind she had in mind. Immediately, she asked for a sword but mentioned how she had trouble handling them because they were too heavy for her. She flexes her wrists, partly to demonstrate the ache she feels when she tries to swing around steel swords for so long.

"I see, I think I have just the thing." He leads the princess to one of the shelves which was mostly hoisting swords on display. All of them appeared vastly different from one another. The metal was different colored, the blade was carved differently, and the decoration on the handle and hand guard. They all looked appealing to grab and test, but she, for once, patiently waited to be handed the sword by the shopkeeper. However, neither of the ones displayed would be picked for her and instead, he pulls one that was hanging on the wall. She likely overlooked it before, because it looked more like decoration than the others.

The blade was silvery but also had a blue shimmer that can be seen when the light reflected on it just right. It was also extremely slim and looked pretty frail. More like a rapier than a straight sword. When the shopkeeper held it out to her, she took it and immediately felt the weight of it. Or lack thereof.

She barely felt the strain on her wrist that she usually feels when she first holds a steel sword with one hand. Not even a hint of it, even when she began to twirl the sword left and right in front of her.

"That, there is a mythril sword. While the metal is mostly used for armor pieces, it can be used for weapons as well. They are incredible weapons for their ability to be lightweight and sturdy enough at the same time." The man explained while the princess continued to test how well the sword was to her weak strength. "So how's it feeling?"

"It feels great! It's just the kind of sword I've been looking for!" She stabs the sword into the air, the tip still had a long way to go before it could reach the top of the room.

"I see. That is terrific to hear! I have been trying to sell that one for so long, People these days all just want big heavy swords." Yasuline nodded to show physically she was listening, but she was still paying attention to the weapon in her hand. Out of everything she had planned on doing if she was in the capital, getting a sword was her top priority.

Yasuline practically shoved the White Reaper over to the booth where the exchange of payment was to be made. Even when the shopkeeper was trying to say he was going to give her a discount on the sword, Yasuline was too excited to listen to the amount the White Reaper was paying for her. Once the coin was accounted for, the man finally brought forth the scabbard it was crafted along with it. Luckily, her new outfit had a belt that could have a sheath of a sword attached to it. Even as it was settled into place at her hip, she can still barely feel it weigh her down, like the other swords should.

The weapons shopkeeper had taken quite a liking to the unrecognized princess and waved her off as she left the shop to see what else she would find in the capital. Every moment from this day is special to her.