"That's a Sunvine Peach." The man explained.
"It's quite popular." He said.
Thinking about it for a moment, Luna decided that the Sunvine Peach was going to be her first pick.
"I'll have one then. Could you recommend any others for me?" Luna asked the man
The man stroked his beard for a moment before standing up and moving out from his desk. He walked by Matt, giving him a mischievous smile, before picking up another type of berry. This berry was small, but had a beautiful palette. It was not translucent like the Sunvine Peach but had a slight ember emanating from its surface.
Luna's eyes fell upon the fruit, her pupils dilating slightly, the small red flame reflecting in her eyes. "What is it?" She asked.
The man chuckled before speaking. "This is a Cindercore, a rare fruit that grows in the Dwarven Kingdom. It has quite a kick, but it is very popular among the people of Elarion." He raised one eyebrow while holding the Cindercore.
"So what do you think?" he asked Luna.
The small flame that emitted from the small fruit made Luna warm. The blaze twinkled like the sun in the sky. Watching the flame expand and then fall, she looked at Matt, searching for an answer.
Matt looked at the girl, giving a small smile and then a slight nod.
"I'll take that one too, please!" Luna shouted.
"Hahaha, amazing!" The storekeeper chuckled aloud.
"Well, young lady, you have one left to pick."
Luna, smiling, quickly began searching the store, looking for any fruit that stood out to her. She passed multiple shelves, each with many amazing-looking fruits.
There are too many! Luna yelled inwardly while looking at a moonpear.
Dropping the fruit back where she found it, she walked down the final aisle in the store. She searched each shelf and bucket of fruit, but none stood out to her. Looking back, she saw Matt and the storekeeper making conversation as they waited for her to pick out the final fruit. Sighing, she began scanning the store once again, searching for a fruit that interested her. After a few momments of disappointment, a small bucket in the corner of the shop caught her interest.
Walking over to it, Luna's eyes ran over a small nameplate that was bolted to the bucket of fruit. Engraved on it was "Midnight Veilfruit." Her eyes fell upon the bucket, seeing that it was mostly empty, with only one remaining.
"Hohoho, the Veilfruit, huh? That's an interesting one right there, and I thought I was out of them." The shopkeeper laughed aloud.
"Why is it interesting?" Luna asked.
"Pick it up and see." He told the girl.
Hesitantly, Luna reached down into the box. The fruit was a deep purple that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. As her finger brushed the fruit, her body went numb for a moment as a shivering cold ran up her arm and into the rest of her body. Her hair stood on end, as small bumps appeared on her skin. The cold made her shiver, and it felt as if she were about to freeze solid. With her vision going black, a hand grasped her shoulder.
The shopkeeper stood behind her, holding the Cindercore. He brought the fruit closer to Luna's face, and with it, the cold seemed to fade. Her body still felt numb, but the heat from the Cindercore evened out the cold.
"You felt the cold, yes?" He asked Luna.
Staring at him, she shook her head.
"The skin on that fruit can cause an extreme cold to spread through a person's body, but once the outer layer is peeled off, the inside is extremely delicious. Usually, most people would carry it with a bag and only hold it with thick gloves on." The man explained.
Luna looked at the fruit in her hand, the cold still affecting her body even with the Cindercore so close. "How do I peel it then?"
"Well, most buyers have their own way to do it at their homes, but others may also pay a certain person with the ability to do it. And luckily for you, I have the capabilities to do it for you." The shopkeeper told Luna with a smirk.
"Really?" She asked excitedly. But then a frown appeared on her face as the man had said that she'd have to pay for it. Feeling guilty, she looked at Matt for a moment before speaking.
"Well, I don't want to make Matt pay more... So I'll find something else. She told the shopkeeper.
The man chucked. "Hahaha, there's no problem, it's on the house for today, you have brightened my day, young lady!" The man smiled. He handed the Cindercore to Luna and then headed towards the front desk. Reaching underneath, he pulled out a puffy glove before signalling Luna to approach him.
As she walked over, the man reached out with an open palm. Quickly, Luna dropped the Midnight Veilfruit into his palm. With it, the lingering chill dissipated, and a nice heat entered her body. The Cindercore seemed to glow brighter as the Veilfruit was moved farther away from it.
The man told the two of them to wait a moment while he went through a door, supposedly to peel the fruit. While waiting, Matt looked at Luna.
"You're not helping me out, picking some pricey options," He stated while laughing.
After a few moments, the door in the back of the store opened again. The shopkeeper walked out holding the Veilfruit; its skin was completely gone, revealing a deep black circular shape. The man put the skinned Midnight Veilfruit on the counter, next to the Sunvine Peach.
"Here you are, young miss." The man said while opening a drawer in the counter.
"Ok, you have the Sunvine Peach, the Cindercore, and the Midnight Veilfruit. Some pricey options." The man exclaimed with a grin.
Looking at Matt, the shopkeeper held out his hand. "That will be 8 copper pieces, please," he asked.
For a slight moment, Luna saw Matt's face scrunch slightly before turning into a pained smile. A small leather pouch appeared from his pocket, his hand reaching in, scrounging for the eight coins. After a moment, the copper coins clanged together as they fell into the shopkeeper's hand.
"Thank you kindly, sir." The shopkeeper said, before waving us goodbye.
Matt said nothing before leaving the store, quickly grabbing the two pieces of fruit on the counter. Luna followed behind, trying to keep up. As she reached the door, the shopkeeper's voice rang through the empty shop once again, causing her to halt and turn towards the big, bearded man.
"Be careful, young lady, it's said the Midnight Veilfruits can attract demons and misfortune." He stated sternly.
Luna's mind went blank for a moment as the word demon left the man's mouth. She stared blankly forward, seeming to the shopkeeper as if she were staring at an invisible existence. But in her eyes, purple words flooded her vision.
Race: DemonBorn
"Demons?" Luna questioned hesitantly.
The man stared at her, staring intently, before a slight quiver appeared in the corners of his mouth.
"Bwhahah, you don't have to worry, miss! It's merely a superstitious rumour!" The man bellowed while holding his stomache, slightly gasping for air.
"Demons aren't attracted to fruits, or else one would have appeared here a long time ago, so don't fret and just enjoy the fruit. Don't let it go to waste, that lad you're with seemed to have almost had a heart attack when he heard the price!" The shopkeeper chucked.
With a final goodbye, Luna left the shop, returning to a bustling street full of people. Matt was leaning against the building, his face seemed pained as he looked at his shrunken pouch of coins. As he saw Luna with the fruits, he smiled.
"What were you two talking about?" He questioned.
Luna, thinking for a moment, told him the minimum.
"Nothing, he just told me a joke..." Luna stated.
Nodding, Matt returned his pouch to his pocket and turned away while he began walking.
While they walked through the town, people rustled through the small streets. Many were women who carried large bags full of food, clothing, and other small items. Many wore simple but pretty outfits.
As I walked farther down the street, the people began to disperse, leaving the area very empty. Luna ate her fruit, savouring the delicious textures of each. The Sunvine Peach was very sweet and seemed to melt in her mouth. The Cindercore was the next to be devoured, its spice almost buring Luna's tongue. And finally, the Midnight Veilfruit. Frost seemed to encase her entire mouth for a moment, small ice particles breaking off and falling into her mouth. The fruit almost seemed to hiss as she bit down once again, indulging in the fruit's amazing taste.
With the final portion of the fruit disappeared into Luna's mouth, her shoulders slumped as she realized that there was nothing left.
"I want more." She grumbled.
Matt turned for a moment, his fist clenched. "You ate those really quickly." He said.
"Didn't savour them at all..." He mumbled quietly enough that even Luna's Heightened Perception lvl 4 did not allow her to hear it.
Walking behind the sulking man, Luna took in the environment, examining everything that she could see. The sun was high, and the sky was clear except for a few white puffy clouds. Trees swayed with the grass, and the wind blew her hair around.
This world truly is amazing, she thought silently.
Following Matt, she turned a corner until suddenly, a wall caused Luna to stop moving. She had run straight into Matt's back, causing her to take a few steps back.
"Why did we-" Luna said before being cut off.
"Shhh," Matt demanded while placing his finger on his mouth.
Luna stood there motionlessly while Matt seemed to be very focused on something. His eyes darted through the street and in every direction. There were no people in sight, and it seemed like they had walked into a less crowded area of the town.
Quickly, he grasped Luna's hand and pulled her back out onto the street that they were walking on before. To Luna's surprise, the once bustling street now held no people. Matt pulled harder, increasing their speed from a walk into a jog. While moving, Luna's eyes looked through a window of a shop, and she saw as the clerk locked the door and closed the curtains.
Matt's face, now pale, dashed faster through the street before coming to a sudden halt as two figures appeared from one of the many alleys alongside the road. The two people came into the light; both were men, built and much bigger than Matt. The first was bald, with a smooth face. He was a large man with a massive gut. In his hand, he held a small dagger that shimmered as the sun bounced off of it.
The second man was not as large as the first, but clearly had more muscle than fat. He wore a simple buttoned linen shirt with tight leather pants. The man had deep black hair and a rough stubble that made him seem older. In his left hand was a small shield, and in his right was a short sword.
They began approaching us, massive smiles plastered across their faces. Within a second of them beginning to move, Matt dashed backwards, pulling Luna tightly behind him. He ran fast, coming to a nearby door and banging on it.
"Help! We need help! Open the door!" He yelled out, but other than some rustling from the other side, no one responded.
Cursing Man tugged on Luna's wrist, causing it to bruise. Luna winced slightly but ran behind him.
"What's going on?" Luna yelled out, asking Matt for clarity.
"Nothing good," He replied, halting once again.
The two they had encountered before were running towards them, the fatter man falling slightly behind the more muscular one. Luna tried to keep running away from those two, but was held back by Matt.
"We have to run!" Luna yelled.
"No, not that way!" Matt demanded, as he forcefully pulled her back.
Luna looked at Matt and saw he was looking at something. Following his gaze, she saw that two other people appeared. One was a woman with bright red hair who wielded a whip; the other was a man with brown hair who was on the skinnier side and wielded a spear.
As the two appeared, they cut off Matt and Luna's escape. They were being flanked from both sides. Luna's eyes widened as she sensed the bloodlust emanating from each person. She held Matt's hand tightly, trembling slightly. Sweat dripped from Matt's face, his breath was ragged, and with a deep breath, he put his hands up.