Young Writers Society

Raven, Lvl 3, Health: 300/300, Mana: 300/300, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100.
(Experience to next level: 85)

"Actually, the rogue has the bow," Raven replied, thinking the mage might be good at magic but he wasn't the most observant of people. "I've got an axe. And while a shield does sound tempting, it's a rather heavy axe." Raven liked the axe, it reminded her of splitting logs for her fire back home and she'd woken up with one hand wrapped loosely around the handle so she supposed it must have been given to her or intended for her or- well it was hers anyway. There was no chance she was going to trade it for a rubbish bow, she didn't even know how to fight with one of those. And she would need to fight if she was ever going to find her way home.

What were her fighting strategies? Raven wasn't sure that she actually had strategies as such, she just liked to get up close and hit things. Brute force. Lots of scariness. That tended to send them packing or sometimes they ended up on the ground in a pool of their own blood. It was messier but very effective. "I wouldn't mind a dagger in case my axe get stuck in someone," Raven mused. There was also the issue of her enemies running away. Usually that didn't matter but on one occasion, somebody had stolen something from her - from her! - and she'd chased him down and got it back. That might be tricky to do with an axe like this one though and she wouldn't want to risk putting it down somewhere. She didn't trust scavengers not to steal it. "And how about something to throw? I think I saw some spiky stars in your cart, those would do."

She'd take anything he offered her really, just so long as he didn't think she was interested in any of the magic stuff. That was really beyond her. Another idea occured to her though. "So I might not have a free hand for a shield but what other armour do you have? I think I'd quite like a helmet or some gloves."

Eleven, Lvl. 3; Health: 300/300, Mana: 304/304, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100g, (Experience to next level - 82 XP)

"What about an enchanted shield? Something light, to defend myself with, if I can't use magic," Eleven asked, fingering her gold pouch. Following the hooded man's example, Eleven bowed her head and added, "I agree. Please teach us, sir. We don't know where we are, and you obviously do." Plus, maybe she would learn a bit of magic from the old man.

Eleven glanced at her hands. Magic! The world was at her fingers. Who wouldn't fear and respect someone with abilities beyond purely physical?

Grif, Lvl 3, Health: 300/300, Mana: 300/300, Stamina: 300/300, Gold: 100g (79 XP until next level)

"Blah blah blah blah blah..." the Trader continued talking on and on. Grif decided to just look at what the guy had. Near the wagon was a convenient shopping basket, and in the wagon was a variety of wares.

Grif immediately began filling the basket. He started with utility objects. He placed the following objects in the basket:

• Knife (3kg, 10g)
• Coil of rope (10kg, 8g)
• Grappling hook (4kg, 8g)
• 3 Lockpicks (1kg, 6g)
• Spyglass (2 kg, 10g)
• Map and compass (1 kg, 3g)
• Tiny bottle of poison. (.5 kg,15g)

Other items were more domestic.

• Backpack (5 kg, 10g)
• Two blankets (4kg, 8g)
• Cloak to wear over the armor. (1 kg, 2g)
• Wooden cup, bowl, plate, utensils. (4 kg, 5g)
• A box of assorted spices. (2 kg, 20g)
• Bar of soap (.5kg, 5g)

Satisified with the contents, he went over to the Trader. "How much for all of this?"

Alick, Trader, NPC, Blind River Path, (Open Quest).

Alick cleared his throat, "244 gold pieces for all that, young sir," he wobbled his head for a minute considering a price off for it, and then shrugged, "But I'll give you it to you for about two thirds the price. And I'll round it off; 160g. They're all good quality items and if you treat them right, they'll last for years."

Alick turned to the hooded young man, "The young man with the rude initiative," the old man cast a shrewd glare at the rogue who was now considering what to buy and what not to, "Tends to have some idea of the necessities. But he's going for what's good for him. You might want to pick some of the same stuff, but not exactly. As a warrior, those throwing knives I see won't lend you much help. Range weapons aren't often suited to those of such melee combat, but it mightn't bother you," his brow furrowed, "And you might want to pick up a whetstone as well. If you'll be using those knives, it's mandatory. 15g for a whetstone, by the way."

Alick cleared his throat, thinking hard, "Now, I think... I've got just the thing for you. You'll want some extra damage for those throwing knives... But it'll take some of your other attributes. This is a master spell. You can choose to sacrifice some of defense or mana or speed from any of your equipped items and the spell will add it to your damage. I can do this for anyone, but you have to be sure. I can only perform this on anyone once. Give me your answer when you're ready. It'll cost 25 gold too."

Alick changed his attention to the devil's mistress, "I can go one better and teach you a shield-spell, so that'll keep you protected and never break, but does deplete your mana for however long you have it up; I learnt it when I was a young miscreant much like you children. It'll cost you as much as shield though - 35g," he cleared his throat and begun, "I can teach you other spells, but it'll depend on what direction you want to take as a mage. I took the attribute path, with a few weird choices here and there. There are about three paths, but you can wind through each, if you try really hard. Attribute, Battle and Miscellaneous. Abilities magic will affect attributes either temporary or permanently. Battle is fairly obvious," Alick screwed his nose up, not that interested in violence, "The miscellaneous is a catch all for the other spells which may or may not be useful. It's up to the caster to understand them. You'll want to pick up the necessities, like the rogue, but as a mage a spyglass may be useful as well. Since you appear to have a melee weapon at your hip, a whetstone would be wonderful for you too."

Alick left her to ponder it over and his eyes fell onto the most normal girl, the knave, "Hmmm, you're right. What you saw were sêr taflu, made in foreign kingdoms, but it roughly translates to "throwing stars". Not many buy them, they think they're useless, but you've seen to the heart of them. They bite into skin and make them bleed. 35 gold for them, a set of ten. A dagger would be nice. I've got you a heavy based one. It's got some... interesting qualities and for 50g you wouldn't be throwing money away. Mmmm... more defense.... I have gauntlets for knaves, mages and rogues, if you're really interested. 15g for a pair, they're all class specific so... tell me, if you're interested."

The old trader turned away again, to let her stew on it, and then looked at the silent one demon, "You've yet to give me a class or a fighting type. Say. I have an idea. I have this... orb thing. I picked it up, awhile back from an abandoned wagon. It seems like it can tell one's orientation. Or at least, that's what it whispered to me. Might tell you something different."

Alick dug into his wagon and pull out an orb that fit precisely in the palm of his hand. He reached over and proffered it to her, "Here, take it and listen carefully to it in your mind."

As soon as her hands touched the cool glass edge of the ball, the wind picked up, violently whipping at the group. A gale force so strong, it nearly pushed the wagon on it's side, the vehicle tipping dramatically. The other's could only watch in wonder as a scream ripped out of the girl's mouth, so horrifying that the others cringed. In the blink of the eye, the supposed demon was gone, her clothes momentarily keeping the form of her body, but then falling to the ground with a thud.

Ominous laughter from an unidentifiable source echoed through the strong wind and then everything was still. Alick blinked in horror, his eyes on the orb which had fallen among her attire and items. He stepped away, the fear clear in his eyes, and then fell to his knees, words slipping through attempted clenched teeth which chattered.

"Oh, Gods, what have I done?" he whispered.

The orb rolled towards him and Alick was terrified by what he saw. The girl's face was inside it, locked in a perpetual state of absolute pain. Alick's own face paled and he looked away. A stupid thought flowed into his head, Well, this will certainly put a damper on our trading.

He turned to the others and not knowing exactly what to say his mind defaulted to a trading option. He flashed them a crooked, failing grin, "So, about those items. Half the price I originally told you, alright? Especially, if you take the orb with the girl inside it."

Eleven, Lvl. 3; Health: 300/300, Mana: 304/304, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100g, (Experience to next level - 72 XP)

Eleven stepped warily towards the orb, still laying on the ground beside the girl's clothing. She gave the orb a nudge with her foot. The orb didn't roll; it must have been very heavy. A faint noise she couldn't decipher whisped on the wind. Eyes wide, she turned to the trader, "What was that? Is everything here dangerous?"

Nevertheless, the items were half price now.
Eleven picked up:
-Spyglass (1kg, 10g)
-Map, Compass (0.5 kg, 3g)
-Bar of soap (.25kg, 5g)
-Salt (.25 kg, 10g)
-Single blanket (2kg, 4g)
-A gold ring that caught her eye (>.25 kg, ?? gold)

"And," she said, carrying the items to the man, "That shield spell. How much for it all? And I think I'd like to be a miscellaneous mage, if that matters."

Alick, Trader, NPC, Blind River Path, (Open Quest)

Alick swallowed, "I didn't mean to do it. I thought the damn thing was harmless. I don't understand why... I just..." The old trader cleared his throat and turned his attention to the girl, "Of course, I'll teach you the shield-spell."

He gave the orb another edge-ways look and then closed his eyes, reaching out a hand, "Hold my hand at the wrist and listen."

The miscellaneous mage followed his instructions, and fragments of an almost purple nature, unknown, seemed to seep out of the man's skin and skitter over his flesh, delving into the young woman's arm. She let out a gasp of surprise, but Alick held her tight. And then it was over.

"There! You're actually quite easy to teach. I get a lot of mana rejections from people. Stubborn lot, mages are. Generally refuse to be taught like this," Alick appeared to be a bit back to his senses, "17g for the spell."

The others still appeared to be gaining their bearings. He shot them a wobbly smile, "You kids made up your minds yet? I figure you're all travelling in a party, so if one of you takes the cursed orb - you all take the cursed orb. Half-price off for everyone. Even the rogue's initial price. 80g for everything you've taken, because you were right off the bat."

Declan, Lvl 3, Health: 300/300, Mana: 300/300, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100g
(Experience to next level: 72)

Declan thought it over for a small while. The knives in his bag do seem like ranged weapons, so a whetstone might be the thing for him. As for a spell, something inside him didn't trust this "master spell" that the merchant spoke of. Sacrificing attributes didn't seem to agree with him, almost like it would give him bad luck. With all of his thinking in mind, he gave up fifteen gold for the whetstone. He explained calmly, "I just don't feel comfortable with spells. Something about spells kind of set off a certain distrust to my being. And don't take me rude, but I think I'll pass on your spell."

Grif, Lvl 3, Health: 300/300, Mana: 300/300, Stamina: 300/300, Gold: 100g (79 XP until next level)

Grif didn't hesitate, but paid the 80 gold. He took stock of his inventory.



Then he looked at the curious stone. The person, he had never asked her name, was visible, frozen in a scream of pain. He covered the stone, then went through the clothes. Her armor and weapons were also present, but both were made to fit the girl; it would be useless to Grif. He searched the pockets and struck gold. Literally, there was 100g in a pouch. He pocketed it.

"She's been a stone for a minute and you're already looting her stuff?" Grif turned around to see another one of the people. She was dirty and her clothes didn't seem to fit her. Her hair was dark, let a rag that someone would use to clean up an oil spill. Grif wouldn't have looked at her twice, but then he saw her eyes. They were a deep blue and had a fierce intensity to them. For a moment he was captivated, then he broke eye contact and turned back to the loot.

"She'll need it when we restore her and we can use the extra equipment. Or should we leave it here?" Grif asked. She gave him a severe look.

"Pass me her armor and bow," she said bluntly. Grif obliged her.

"My name's Grif," he said.

"I'm Raven," she said. She took the armor and that ended the conversation.

Raven, Lvl 3, Health: 300/300, Mana: 300/300, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100. Capacity: 66/89 (+new items) (Experience to next level: 75)

So much for being lucky. Raven couldn't bring herself to look at the orb and she felt a guilty kind of relief when one of the others covered it up. She thought he seemed an alright sort of person; good looking, good natured. A bit on the clean side. Of course, all those warm, fuzzy feelings evaporated when he decided to steal the woman's gold. His explanation did little to reassure her of any good intentions but then, she could hardly claim purely innocent thoughts herself. As she accepted the armour, bow and what looked to be some kind of potion it did cross her mind that they might be useful to trade somewhere along the way.



She hesitated for a moment and then pulled the girl's pack close and slipped the orb inside before shouldering it along with her own. There was a feeling that came with it which she hadn't encountered very often in her life; responibility. "Alright, so I'm carrying the orb," Raven said, sounding less than pleased. Just the idea of having the magical device so close to her was terrifying. It seemed she wasn't alone in her distrust of magic though, the other male evidentally wasn't too keen on it either.

"You and me both so no spells for me either and defineately no magic orbs," Raven agreed with a shudder. Then she returned to looking at the items; the pouch of gold was starting to feel very uncomfortable in her hand. She was distracted a moment as the other female picked up and examined a gold ring but decided firmly that it wasn't a good idea. She needed practical items. Things she could use to survive until she found her way home, however far away that might be. Finally she made her decision and held the money out to the trader. "I don't need the change, keep it."

Alick, Trader, NPC, Blind River Path, (Minor Quest Started - Dead or Alive)

Alick smiled at them, obviously relieved at how they had taken the orb. He heard one of them mention that they might want to save the demon in the orb and Alick thought on it, "I picked it up on a road just south west of here. It was an abandoned wagon that had been pulled to the side. With luck, it might still be there and you might find something. I don't know."

He went silent for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, as if hit by an epiphany, he grinned widely and gestured wildly.

"Can I have one of your maps? I'll mark it off. And where we are."

Grif handed him his map and Alick hissed a few words. Drops of blue appeared on two sections and the others crowded around him to watch.

"The triangle is where we are now. Blind River. The only thing named. And here," he pointed to the blue diamond, "Is where the wagon was. Okay?"


They nodded in understanding and Alick packed the remaining items that no one had chosen. After a quick glance at the remaining items, he considered today's sale a success. Apart from the extremely horrifying case of the orbed demon.

He took their gold and watched as they placed their items into their bags. With a few parting words, he said good bye and headed away from the party, heaving the wagon back onto his shoulders and crossing the Blind River Bridge. They were on their own now. Alick wished them luck and placed an alarm spell on them. He hoped it would help.

Only the Gods knew what he had just gotten them into.

Just a quick post to say that you have the classes the wrong way around! Raven is the knave and vice versa.

Eleven, Lvl. 3; Health: 300/300, Mana: 304/304, Stamina: 340/340, Gold: 100g, (Experience to next level - 67 XP)

Eleven placed the ring on her middle right finger and examined it. It was a plain gold ring, nothing special. Eleven liked the simplicity of it. She probably should not have spent so much money on it, but the deed was done. The shield spell felt good in her veins- like it was what she was born to do.

When the trader was out of earshot, Eleven hissed, "We're not actually going to this silly wagon, are we? We're not honestly going to risk our necks for some evaporated girl that we don't even know! That's ridiculous." Eleven crossed her arms andd glared haughtily at the other travellers.