[Veiled Bazaar, Lunia]
Willem found Ronnie in his usual niche, a recess that smelled strongly of preservatives and decay. The zombie-like man looked even more pallid and corpselike under the sickly witch-light. Elizabeth would not bother to come to the Veiled Bazaar, and her disciple Ronnie would do her bidding in her stead, selling potions mainly.
"Willem", Ronnie rasped, not looking up from the alchemical contenants he was cleaning with a blackened cloth. Inside, organs of various sorts were conserved in green liquid, giving an eerie sight. Out of all stands, Ronnie was the most successful. Ever-sharp, he muttered "Heard you had a… long vacation in the catacombs. The accommodations didn't agree with you."
"The next vacation requires better preparation", Willem stated, his tone flat. He untied a heavy pouch from his belt and placed it on Ronnie's counter with a solid thud. The clink of over thirty magic crystals was a language they both understood.
"Blood crystals. The purest, most potent you have. Not the dregs you sell to the newcomers. And a spell tome. Offensive. Something direct."
Ronnie's lethargic demeanor vanished. His fingers, quick and surprisingly deft, loosened the drawstring and peered inside. A greedy light ignited in his sunken eyes. He produced three small, dark red crystals that pulsed with a slow, rhythmic light, like captured hearts. Then came two slender scrolls, their cases fashioned from polished bone.
"[Blood Arrow]" Ronnie said, tapping the first scroll. Its surface was inscribed with fine, spidery script that seemed to writhe in the low light. "Simple. Brutally efficient. Channels your power into a solidified projectile of crystallized blood. It can pierce enchanted leather and will shred through mundane armor. Pairs beautifully with your… companion's distractions"
It was exactly what he needed. A spell to complement Moe's claws. He paid the exorbitant price without a flicker of emotion, tucking the pulsating crystals and the bone scrolls into the inner pockets of his robe. Foundations were everything. He would use the wealth accumulated to grow stronger, one step at a time.
Meanwhile, Greem moved through the market with the practiced ease of a regular. He navigated the chaotic flow not as an intruder, but as part of its current. His first stop was a stall shrouded in a haze of faintly narcotic smoke, run by a being whose form was obscured by layers of tattered grey cloth.
[Bert - Lv. 5 Acolyte]
He had met the man. People said he used to be a prisoner and survived tortures beyond human cruelty, and was so disfigured that he hid behind bandages and layers of cloth. Elizabeth once mentioned him as a potential ally, back when he was weaker, and had yet to join. Back then, he was only level 4. Like him, Vanessa and Willem, he was part of the stronger bunch of beginner rank acolytes and had some fame.
"Cores," Greem stated, placing the chest on the counter and opening it just enough to reveal the shimmering, condensed magical energy within.
The grey-wrapped figure leaned forward, a long, multi-jointed finger extending to hover over the contents. A low, chittering sound emanated from within the hood.
"Quality is… acceptable. Most are quite fresh, but not ancient enough to bring value." A price was named, an attempt at a lowball, "Twelve magic crystals"
Greem didn't flinch. "The taint is the source of their stability. You know this. The golem amateurs on Gold Street would pay half again as much for cores this pure. My price is twenty" He counter-offered without a hint of request in his tone.
A tense, silent haggling session ensued, conducted with slight gestures and the narrowing of unseen eyes. A deal was struck at eighteen crystals—a significant profit. The crystals, now his, felt heavy and warm in his pouch.
Next, he began working through Malakor's list, a task that required multiple vendors.
He haggled with a dwarven smuggler for a set of finely crafted communication crystals, their interiors swirling with captured light.
[Jeremy Smith - Lv. 2 Acolyte]
He then bargained with a hunchbacked woman who blinked with too many eyes for a specific blend of powdered shadow-root. Weak, she possessed a strong gift in old druidic magic, although she did not adhere to their teachings of neutrality. According to Willem, she had sacrificed a dozen villagers for a ritual.
[Kayra - Lv. 3 Acolyte]
At a stall run by a nervous human whose fingers were stained with arcane inks, he secured several enchanted woodworking tools, their handles warm to the touch. Each transaction was a miniature battle of wits, his merchant's mind and his acolyte's cold nerve making him a formidable negotiator. When he could, he would sell beast cores at the same time, reducing expenses while overflowing the market.
Beast cores were in high demand, as magical beasts were rare in the vacinity, and usually too dangerous to attempt to hunt. This caused the price of beast cores to be inflated. With his supply, he could solve the issue immediately, for the next couple of months at the very least. However, selling them all to one person would cause the price to decrease dramatically. This was the first day of the veiled bazaar, and he certainly planned to sell all of his cores before the price reflected the actual supply.
[Lv. 1 Acolyte]
[Lv. 2 Acolyte]
[Lv. 2 Acolyte]
Each trade, although often based on market rates, was in his favour. Most acolytes would plan to re-sell the core at a higher price, but by the tenth stand, Greem had already sold all of his magical beast cores, and their potential clients vanished with each of his trade.
The smuggled contreband was nothing fancy. Magical trinkets, alchemical resources refined in Lunia, magical tomes, and some potions...Although he lacked context on the mission itself, the Skull Sect was trusting him a lot. Part of this trust came from the curse tattoo on his chest, for which he still lacked a long-term solution to, and the rest came from his month in the catacombs.
With Roric, Anya and Gael under his wing, he had basically become someone of influence. He could not yet compare to Borin, who founded the sect, or Malakor who used fear and curses to bind its members, but he was a leadership figure that the sect desperately needed.
Additionally, he had talent, and this basically made him unbelievably valuable. With their position so close to Lunia, they were forced into hiding in the catacombs, without a way out. They wyvern would not recover in the next decade or so, and it showed no sign of awakening from its deep slumber. Perhaps it would take more than a century for it to be fully healed. Wyverns were not like humans, they could live for hundreds of years.
Meeting with so many acolytes of the association gave him better data points to compare the two magical organisations. There was a lot of common points. The Skull Sect and the Black Widow Association were both made of evil humans. He had seen some skull sect members torment goblins for fun.
However, the size and strength of the organisation was completely different. The Association was just bigger. He estimated the total number to range in the 70s, ten more than last year, and it was accounting for new joiners and deaths. It basically meant that Elizabeth was recruiting new blood at a rapid pace. Four years ago, they were not even 40.
But at the same time, the quality of acolytes was quite mediocre. Most acolytes in both organisations were only Lv.1 or Lv.2, with only a couple being Lv. 3 and 4. Others, like Greem, Vanessa, Willem, were rarer and belonged to official parties. In those circles, they were like celebrities. Many would pay to join a team of that standard.
The Association also had 3 intermediate rank acolyte, and one advanced rank acolyte, which was far superior to what the Skull Sect possessed (if you excluded their wyvern). Malakor was gifted in curses, but he was probably weaker than Beretheum.
The Veiled Bazaar was always a good event. Greem looked at his pouch filled with magical trinkets and crystals, and pondered on his next purchase.
Ultimately, he found his way to the third intermediate rank acolyte of the Black Widow Association: "Aranthra". She had contracted a demon and learnt forbidden magic through rituals. Rumours said to avoid her at all costs, but Greem did not fear her.