Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

My visit to the Flea and Flotsam is brief. The proprietress promises to drop by Beldragor's place a little later to have a look at the crate of clothing in question. This is exactly what I let the dragon know upon my return.

It essentially seems to be what he expected. He just nods happily and motions for me to join him at the counter, where he has set out a little spread of throwing knives for me. It's several matching pairs of light blades for throwing. It seems I'm not the only one who wants more than one throwing knife.

I can rule out several right away. I do so with a heartfelt sigh though.

"Those are pretty, Beldragor. No doubt that they are functional too, but I have to watch my spending, even if you can give me a good price."

I turn my attention to the plainer but no less functional weapons instead. One pair catches my attention right away.

"Have these been made from hoof files?"

The dragon nods, confirming my suspicion. He doesn't seem too bothered by the fact that I turned down the more pricey blades he selected for me to choose from. No he doesn't seem bothered at all. Quite the opposite seems to be true.

Oh, of course! For him it's probably easier to give me a deal on those rather than the others. He can probably charge some lad or gal with more coin than sense a little fortune for those other throwing knives.

"Oh yes, they have been made from old hoof files indeed. It's good enough steel and the balance and weight distribution is pretty decent. That's what really matters with knives intended for throwing, right?"

Well, I don't mind that he is doing his best to make a good deal in any situation. And he isn't wrong about the knives either. The balance is what matters most. I nod in agreement. Over all this means there is only one more matter, a balance of a different kind, to resolve.

"So, how much coin do you want to see for those two? I mean, they aren't too bad, but they aren't exactly custom made weapons either."

As I ask that question, I do so with a raised eyebrow. And I'm not wrong to imply that they are essentially recycled trash metal of sorts. We have done some haggling before, but I suspect we are not quite done yet. Not until we shake hands to seal the deal.

There is a familiar sparkle in the dragon's eyes as he perks up.

"But they will serve your needs nicely anyway. No doubt about it. How about twelve pennies for both? That's a pretty good deal, you know?"

He isn't lying. It's a pretty good deal. Still not the kind of deal I have been hoping for. The rascal is trying to empty my purse completely! I can't just let him have his way like that. I'll have to push back a little.

"How about ten instead? And I'll help you haul your little silver treasure to the lord's mint."

That's still a painful price, but it'll at least leave me with a coin or two in my purse. It's not much, but it's still better than being flat out broke.

He taps his chin with one of his claws thoughtfully.

"Well, yes. I could still use a little help with that. We won't have to go all the way though. There usually is a stall at the nearby market where they buy up precious metals."

"Oh?"

"Yes, yes. It's mostly intended for coins that have been damaged. Need to get those out of circulation after all. The lords civil servants buy them up by weight to have fresh coin minted eventually. They aren't above doing some bigger purchases too though. There is always need for more coin after all. Can't really have too many."

I nod along with the explanation. At the same time I cross my arms though. He hasn't answered my question yet.

"So, how about it? Ten pennies and I'll help you out with that?"

He still looks reluctant at first, but finally he gives in.

"Alright, fine. We'll do it that way. At least I don't have to reach out to any of the others like that. Ten pennies and you help me lug the silver to the market in exchange for these two knives."

At long last we shake hands to seal the deal and I hand him the ten pennies we agreed upon before stowing the knives in my pack for the time being. I nod in the direction of the chest with the tarnished silverware. At the same time a notification whispered in the voice of Fox tickles the back of my mind.

[*Ding!* Your skill Haggling has leveled up to level 5!]

This one counts towards the progress of my masked mediator class, but, while I really appreciate it, I don't let it distract me. Instead I push right onward.

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"Want to take care of it right away? If it's close by it shouldn't take too long, right?"

He perks up even more, if that is even possible and barely stops long enough to deposit the handful of coins I handed him with the rest of his hoard. A moment later he already slips out of his little barred room to join me on this side of the counter once again.

"Alright! Lets get going! Let's be quick about it, so I don't miss any prospective business while we are out!"

I just grab the chest by the handles to follow him out, while he holds the door open for me. I hope it really isn't too far. This isn't as bad as the crate with the clothes, but it's still heavy. It's silver after all and not cotton candy. At least the chest has proper handles.

Beldragor doesn't waste any time and starts moving through the crowd, in the direction of the market. It's the same one where I helped myself to breakfast before on occasion. It's a good thing I haven't been caught so far.

The stall the dragon aims for is the one right next to the spot where an official settles minor disputes about prices, measurements or the occasional petty theft. Yep, it's really for the best that I have never come to the attention of the official dispensing justice here. Otherwise me showing up with a chest full of silver wouldn't be a good look.

I do my best not to draw any unnecessary attention right now too, standing in the background while Beldragor does the talking, which helps my [Stealth] skill progress a little. In the end the only time someone actually looks at me for real is when I get to empty the chests contents onto a scale to determine the exact weight of the silver in question.

The quality gets checked too of course, but by that time I'm already out of everyone's mind again, standing at the back with the empty chest. The chest doesn't stay completely empty for long though. The silver Beldragor just sold to the official of the mint seems to amount to enough that he gets compensated with a little pouch containing gold coins.

Each of the surprisingly small golden coins, each pound, is worth twenty silver shillings. I try to compare the converted amount of silver to what we just turned in. Of course what Beldragor received in turn is much less, but for him it probably still is a good deal, when compared to what he paid. I, on the other hand, am just glad that I don't have to carry back a full chest. The few gold coins are hardly worth noting, as far as their weight is concerned anyway.

Considering the way Beldragor's tail keeps moving excitedly he probably considers these few coins an essential addition to his hoard though. Maybe because he doesn't have many opportunities to get his paws on actual gold coins? They certainly aren't used in most everyday transactions.

We walk in silence until we are back inside his pawn shop. It's only then that I speak up. I open the lid of the chest as I do so.

"I take it, those will go straight to your hoard?"

Instead of answering he actually first levitates the pouch out of the chest and then the coins out of the pouch, one after the other, making them dance a silly little jig as they float to his hoard.

I grin as I watch the casual display of his telekinetic abilities. Then I move the now empty chest and pouch over to the shelf where containers of all sizes and kinds are on display. I take a moment to stretch afterwards before I return to the counter once more.

"Alright, can I head upstairs to practice with my new throwing knives?"

Beldragor nods and hands me the key from below the counter.

"Here you go. You know where you practiced your lock picking? Behind the fake shop front? There is a target somewhere back there too. Just a few soft wood boards with a little paint on them, but it should do. Please do not practice on my mannequins though, alright?"

"No target practice on mannequins. No problem, I get it."

No matter how advanced his telekinesis powers are, mending clothes and the likes is beyond them anyway. And I see no reason to antagonize the helpful little dragon.

Besides, if I have to pick a lock to slip into the space behind the fake store front, I can practice that skill too. If anything, that just makes this little trip to the training parkour even better.

I grab the key and head up the stairs to the training room, taking care to lock it again after entering, just in case. Once inside I drop my pack on the table by the door, to adjust my get up. I break out both my new throwing knives and my lock picking tools.

The latters' hilts are fashioned in such a way as to integrate a ring at the very end, which I can use to hang them from my sword belt. It's not exactly on optimal solution, but for now it works well enough. In the long run I should look into getting sheaths for these newest additions to my arsenal too though.

I can't help but grin like the fox that just found its way into the hen house, as I step away from the door and past the first mannequins coming alive. I slip past a few more and behind the display of one of the fake stores to get to work on the lock of the door beyond it.

Out on the real streets of the towns I would never work with flimsy cover like that. And there probably is a very good reason why I don't earn any progress for my [Stealth] skill. Never mind though, what matters now are the lock and my picks. The reason why I picked this lock is that it's one I haven't picked before. I want this to be a challenge after all. And as it turns out, it's quite a challenge indeed.

I actually have to ease away, as to avoid breaking my pick, and try again. And even on this second attempt it's a close thing, but at long last the lock springs open and I can slip behind the fake storefront. The feeling of my [Lock Picking] skill making a little progress is much appreciated. Sadly it's not yet enough for a level up. Well, I can't have everything. Not all at once and right away at least.

That is all but forgotten anyway, as I straighten up to look around in search for the painted target the dragon proprietor has mentioned. It's pretty much impossible to miss, as it's the only splotch of color here behind the facades of the fake storefronts. It still takes me a moment to actually spot it, as there are plenty of beams obscuring it.

I move up and down behind the fake store front a little, while keeping an eye on the softwood boards with the painted target. Turns out it won't be that easy to hit at various distances. Just as well. I want to get some skill levels out of this after all.

With a tight little grin I grab the newest additions to my arsenal off my belt, one in each hand. I weigh them carefully, as I move to a position that should allow for a relatively easy first throw. Then there is no more holding back. I launch first the one and then the other dagger at the painted target.

The result is not quite what I have been hoping for, but it's pretty close, for one in regard to the hits I score. Only one of the two daggers sinks deep into the soft wood. The other hits at an odd angle and clatters to the ground instead. Even as I'm moving to pick the weapons back up my mind is a little preoccupied by the notifications I earned though. Those are not exactly what I expected either, but hey, who am I to complain?

[*Ding!* Your skill Ranged Weapons has leveled up to level 2!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Ranged Weapons has leveled up to level 3!]

Those were the easy levels. The ones I very much expected. These notifications are not the only ones though.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Throwing Weapons general skill at Level 1!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Throwing Weapons has leveled up to level 2!]

Earning a specialized skill, even if it's only a slight specialization when compared to ranged weapons in general, this early is a bit of a surprise. No, the real surprise is the last notification whispered into the back of my mind in the voice of Fox.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Ambidextrous general skill at Level 1!]

That last one is an uncommon skill, and while the other level ups count as progress to both my classes in equal manner, this one counts towards the progress of my scoundrel class. I can feel both my strength and agility improve a little too and my attack power as a result as well.

The little grin I have been sporting blooms into one that might look a smidgen scary. This is good. This is so damn good!