Elias walked with a calm, even pace until he reached the man in the shade of a quiet alley, his goods laid out on a frayed, patchwork mat. To the normal eye, the display was a jumble of worthless trinkets: carved wooden birds, simple jewelry like rings and bracelets, and other mundane objects. However,each object, no matter how mundane, was an Artifact with a network of complex Arrays woven into it. They were so intricate and layered that Elias felt a thrill of excitement deep in his bones; he couldn't begin to decipher them all.
Elias wondered what a man like that was doing with so many pieces of the sophisticated art. More than anything why wasn't anyone buying from him,the again,he looked as shady as shady could get: a long, unkempt greying beard hid the lower half of his face, while a wide, straw hat cast a deep shadow over his brow, obscuring his eyes. But beneath the brim, Elias could see strands of greying hair, and as the man peered at him, he caught a glimpse of a pair of piercing, intelligent blue eyes.
He squatted in front of him, a look of pure fascination on his face.
"Where did you get all these and why are you just selling them on the street?" Elias asked.
"Hm" the man scoffed, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.
"You must be the little twerp from that jewellery shop. Listen kid, just because you won a fight, doesn't mean I'll be condoning any misbehaviour alright, you're either here to buy something or you fuck off." He said taking a gourd out of the gold of his tattered cloak and taking a drink.
Elias blinked in surprise.
'Rude.'
The man had been a good five metres away, in a crowded street, and yet he knew exactly what had transpired in the enclosed shop. There was no way he could have known. Well an argument can be made that he saw what happened when he passed by but it was a two way street. There was no guarantee that he passed that direction. Also his wares were quite a lot in number,so much that it would take him a while to set up but given his posture,he'd been here quite a while.
'Now I'm curious.'
A grin spread across Elias's face. He didn't feel intimidated; he felt excited. He pointed at a small, carved wooden flute.
"These Arrays… the layering is incredible! I want to know the person who could make such a layered and precise instruction for this artifact. And this too." He pointed at a silver bracelet.
The man's beard twitched, a hint of surprise in his expression.
"Oh? You have a good eye boy. It's not everyone who's Flow Perception technique is as advanced to tell from a glance." he said, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. "Most people just look at these and see worthless junk."
He picked up a bracelet made from smooth, grey beads.
"Take this, for instance. A simple bear bracelet. But with a well-made Array, you can store dreams within each of the 22 beads and share them with a designated person. Or these earings," he picked up two feather earrings.
" These can be used for sharing Traits between two people,each earings with one person. The only problem is, it only works with one person while the other person is left powerless and if you use it too long you the empowered one will begin to get a headache as more of the other person essence flows into you." He paused and raised the earings looking them over and muttering, deep in thought.
Elias heard him say something about modifying the binding array and some other gibberish but he was too distracted by what was infront of him to pay much mind. He picked up a small, iron key that looked rusted and old.
"And this?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"That's a Wandering Key," the man replied taking his eyes off the earrings."
Just put it into any lock, and it'll open it even those that aren't physical in nature though it consumes a lot of energy depending on the strength of the lock."
He then picked up a simple, polished coin.
"And this is a coin. Long story short,it makes you lucky for a day after which it'll catch fire."
Elias was skeptical about the descriptions of these artifacts but the Arrays were right infront of him he could even see the symbols that showed what class characteristics they belonged to.
"Did you make all these?" Elias asked, his voice filled with admiration.
The man quickly shook his head.
"Me? No, no. I'm just an agent. These were made by a... An aquauntance of mine. Yes, someone I know.He said they were just lying around, so I decided to dispose of them. They're not masterpieces, you see."
Elias wasn't convinced. If this man truly knew someone of that caliber he wouldn't be selling by the side of the street.
" Do you at least know the artifact grades of what you're selling?"
" Grades? Why would I keep that bullshit in my head."
Elias sighed. He was doubting the integrity of this man's enterprise even more now.
" Listen kid. Most people think that the potency of an artifact determines how useful it is but that's not so." Be produced the gourd again and took another drink.
" It all depends on when and how it's used no matter it's grade. It's the same with people,the world doesn't belong only to those who are strong. No. It belongs to those who are able to capitalize on opportunities with their talents and gifts. Its all a matter of timing and application."
Elias grunted in acknowledgement of the man's words but his attention had already been drawn to two particular items: a white and red Kitsune mask and a simple, Sapphire pendant. He pointed to them. "What about those?"
The man smiled, a strange, humourless expression that didn't reach his eyes.
"Ah. The Kitsune mask. It has a powerful Sensory Array for casting illusions, but that's not its true value....I don't feel inclined to tell you what it can do in particular but it's nigh-indestructible, you see." He waved his hand dismissively.
'Gee,thanks for the explanation.' Elias thought, rolling his eyes.
And the sapphire pendant... that's a special one. It has a ridiculous ability to create a 'miracle' by sacrificing half of the wearer's Flow and life force. I call it the Miracle Maker."
" What do you mean by 'miracle'?"
" Who knows. Do you believe in miracles?"
Elias glared at him.
" Your not helping."
The man just shrugged and took another sip. Elias sighed.
" How much for the mask and the pendant?"
"The mask and the pendant... that'll be five gold crowns."
Elias felt his jaw drop. That was the exact amount he had on him. "Five gold crowns?! That's a ridiculous price! I'm probably the only customer you'll have all day!"
"I'm content with no customers," the man replied, a stubborn look on his face.
Elias haggled, begged, and even tried to guilt the man, but he didn't budge.
Elias,frustrated,burried his face in his knees and groaned. The mans gaze fell on his own coat pocket, where the hilt of the Jade Fang was peeking out.
"That dagger, that's the Jade Fang." the man said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"If I recall correctly,it's from the Mellou House.Hey, you didn't steal it,did you?"
Elias was offended.
"No, I didn't steal it! It was given to me!"
The man shrugged.
"Just making sure," he said.
'The nerve!'
" May I have a look at it?"
Elias looked at the man,his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He however took out the dagger and handed it to the man since he apparently knew he got it from a Mellou."
"Incidentally, I was there during its creation, you see. It came from a particularly dangerous Mythical Beast." He said as he unsheathed the dagger,it's Jade blade glinting in the sunlight.
"Really?" Elias asked,temporarily forggeting his outrage. The man nodded.
" Yeah,it was giant turtle as biv as a mountain with pale skin and a brilliant jade shell. It created earthquakes when it moved but it's real power was uta ability to drain life and unleash waves of despair that corroded the soul of anything that was near among a few more insidious abilities. Even non-living things withered and broke apart. Luckily it had just recently ascended to the 'Mythical' rank otherwise things would have been a lot worse. Still,it took twelve of the twenty-two Paragons to kill the bastard. Naturally, a lot of Artisans were interested in making all kinds of artifacts from it but aside it's faint energy draining all its other characteristics seemed to have evaporated along with its life. Or so everyone thought. The turtle was more than met the eye."
"Oh?What other characteristics does the dagger have them?" Elias asked, his voice low and serious.
The man, instead of answering ,ran his fingers along its blade and infused it with a precise amount of Flow.The ruby embedded in the blade shone with a brilliant crimson glow. The man then sheathed it and handed it back to Elias.
"Find out for yourself." He said handing him the dagger along with the mask and the pendant and stretching out his hand.
"That'll be an extra three Pounds for the history lesson and me unlocking the daggers Binding Array."
" Son of a-!"
" Woah there,you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
If looks could kill,Elias' glare would have been enough to erase the man ,body and soul. The man however ignored the young boy, casually whistling a tune.
Finally, out of sheer frustration, Elias buried his face in his hands and reluctantly handed over the money.
The man, a sly grin on his face, counted the money in front of him and even held it up to the sun to make sure it was authentic.Elias kissed his teeth at the sight of this.
"Alright then." he said.
Elias took his purchases and turned to walk away, a deep sense of being cheated in his stomach.
"Elias," the man called out.
Elias turned, and the man threw something at him. He caught it instinctively. It was a black, obsidian dagger.
"A freebie," the man said mischievously.
"So you won't go home and cry to your mother."
Elias's face turned red.
"I'm not a kid, you crazy old man!" he retorted.
"My name is S.K.," the man said, a low chuckle in his voice, "and I'm neither crazy nor old. Im not sure even 60 yet."
Elias scoffed and walked away, but after a few steps, he stopped. His mind replayed the moment. The man had called him by his name.
'I never told him my name though.'
He turned back, but the spot where the man was sitting was empty. Elias looked around, but there was no sign of him. He quickly checked his coat pockets to make sure the mask,pendant and his dagger were still there. They were, and he let out a sigh of relief, happy that he hadn't been scammed after all.
He wondered about the man's identity and how he had disappeared so quickly. He shrugged, dismissing it as a silly trick to impress a kid, and started to walk.
He noticed the sun was past the middle of the sky, a signal that he was late. He had to meet Miss Gable. He started to rush back to the meeting spot, but as he passed an alley, he saw a group of five men surrounding a boy. He recognised him. It was the same boy with the prayer beads he and Aina had met in the forest. Elias paused despite himself.He knew he should walk away. He was late, and he didn't want to face an angry Aina.A small part of him debated whether he should help him, but he finally decided to hide and watch.