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Doror was grinning fiercely.

"You heard me. Go ahead and try to sell those grubby little weapons at the auction. See if even half of them sell."

"You… know about the Auction?" I asked.

Kyrian sighed. "Oh no."

Doror kept that shit-eating grin on his face. "Aye, how would I not know about it? I'm a Dwarf you know. I smell gold." He picked his nose with his pinky. "And this town? It's full of it. Full of good iron, good fire and good soil. Where there's good iron and fire, there's good weapons and armor. And where there's weapons and armor, there are Cores. And where there are Cores…" Doror rubbed his fingers together. "Gold."

I stared at him.

"What's wrong, Slaveborn? Go ahead and sell your toys. Try to buy a single Core. Cause I assure you Lad, as the Clan Head of the Stonehammers, I've seen some things coming through from the Trader's Isles. And," He whistled, "They make your little toys seem like… well… dung."

He shrugged.

"And while you three are biting your fingers at all the Cores and Weapons you couldn't buy, I'll just be cleaning my little lassies here." He began to hum and brought out two small briefcases from underneath his bed.

Two plain but sturdy looking boxes.

Stole perked up immediately, her interest piqued. "What's that?"

"Oh, nuthing that you should pay your pretty little mind to, Lass. After all, Slaveborn over there," He pointed at me. "Is going to leave here all alone on this island. Without as so much as a soul to protect me and my people."

"You'll be safe here." I growled.

"Aye, safe. But maybe safe isn't what I want." Doror growled right back and opened the boxes.

Light shone out of the boxes.

Even Kyrian edged forward.

A beautiful pair of greaves sat in one, with clawed tips. Even I could see its quality from just a simple glance. Painstakingly made with each plate overlain on top of each other, it flexed and bent like well-oiled armor should. The color of dark green and with orange streaks that made it seem like a forest on fire, the thing shone even in the absence of light.

And in the other, a pair of matching daggers. Hooked and barbed, looking like torture implements –while the greaves seemed to shine, the dagger absorbed all light. True black with the hint of canopy when the light from the greaves hit it.

Doror's eyes never left mine, as he wiped the blade with a piece of cloth.

The cloth fell to the floor, cut in two just from that motion alone.

"Aye, it's too bad. That I have these two lassies right here, ready to sold to the highest bidder." He smiled at me, tooth and greed all contained in that stupid face of his. "Aye… I outdid myself, I did. I guess I'll just have to sell these and you all–"

"Lock." Kyrian warned.

"Alright, fine." I snapped. "What do you want?"

Doror didn't miss a beat. "The Stonehammer Clan accompanies you to Claw's Nest. Under your custody and protection."

"You're already under my protection," I almost shouted, "It's safe here."

"The hell it is," Doror shut the boxes closed and all I wanted to do was reach out and grab the weapons and hold them myself.

Especially the greaves. But judging by the colors, I already knew what Doror had in mind.

"Lad, you promised me. That you'll lead my people to a place we can call home. And you? You're going off into danger by yourself? And we just sit here and twiddle our thumbs on our asses and wait for you to come and pick us up? While you do all the hard work?"

"I told you, it's the-"

"And I'm the Leader of the Stonehammer Clan!" Doror shouted. "If you help me, it's only right for me to help you, ain't it?!"

"I…"

"Lad, I know what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it." Doror lifted his chin, proud and sad. "But I ain't a child, Lad. I'm not about to stay here in a comfy bed while you go and risk your neck for my people."

"It's not for your people." I shook my head. "It's something that I swore to do before I even met you all. It has nothing to do with you."

Doror stormed up to me, kicking metal out of the way. He jabbed me in the chest with each syllable.

"And what has something to do with you, has something to do with the Stonehammer Clan."

"..."

"You bleed, we bleed. You fight, we fight. Aye, we might not be able to wield sword and shield, or wave fancy magic like your friend over there," Doror crossed his arms. "But the Stonehammer Clan are Smiths. And we have our pride too. You think that hunk of metal is your shield? That steel is your sword? Think again."

"I'm your sword. I'm your shield. I'm the armor that protects all of ye." He stomped one foot in finality, face set in stone. "That's my pride and I ain't bending, Lad. Not even if you stick a sword on my neck; I swear it by the Forge and Smith."

The old dwarf was breathing hard, his chest heaving.

…He looked so old.

Even just this small tirade had gotten him too wound up.

But…

But his eyes…

They were burning.

They burnt with the clarity that had no place being in the eyes of an old drunkard like him.

"So stop treating us like outsiders." Doror said once he caught his breath. "Because to us, you all became part of our Clan the moment you stood up for us against that Hell-damned War-Prince."

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Kyrian put a hand on my shoulder.

I looked back to find him smiling.

"I know what he's feeling." Kyrian said quietly, "Unless you forgot how you, Skaris and I came to start this journey together?"

Closing my eyes, I briefly thought back to that time. When Kyrian had practically forced himself upon me and Skaris… much like Doror was.

Did I have a right to turn Doror away? When he himself had made this choice?

Doror's eyes were like iron. There was no room for doubt.

"You're mind is made up?." I said finally.

He scoffed, not even bothering to answer.

"Fine. But not all of you. That's suicide."

"Aye, It'll be myself and a few trusted hands."

"The less the better."

"I know how to do an expedition lad! Teach your grandmother to suck eggs before you talk to me like that!" He snapped. "So we have a deal or not?!"

"Fine."

"Shake on it." He spat on his hand before sticking it out.

I tried to shake his when he growled at me. He gestured to his hand, wet with his own saliva. Rolling my eyes, I spat on my hand as well before shaking his.

"Ok." He replied and stumbled over to the bed, grabbing the boxes. He made for the door.

"Where are you going?"

He looked at me, quizzically. "To the Auction? With you?" Like he was stating the obvious then added in the usual jab, "Are ye daft, boy? "

"I don't think that's necessary."

"And you know the proper worth of my lassies?!" He frowned in annoyance. "Lad, you might be strong as a hellfiend, but you're a hundred years too early to properly assess a weapon! Before I know it, you'll get ripped off for my hard work and come back with nothing but garbage for it! Now, is that your carriage out front? Also, I haven't had lunch yet; I hear the War Prince has some–"

The dwarf's voice faded out as he went down the stairs, Stole running after him and begging him if she could try on the greaves. Kyrian followed, telling Stole to be careful.

I shook my head, smiling, as I followed after them.

" –Told you to take good care of the spear, didn't I? Lad, you ain't got the sense to oil it, wipe the blood from it. Look it! It's covered in soot and ash and only the Forge knows what else!"

"SHAAAAA! ENOUGH DWARF! I SSSSHALL DO WHAT I WISSSSH!"

"What you wish?! What you wish?! Why I ought to–, You little spiny lizard, I'll twist your skinny little lizard–"

"Ssshaaa! Do not touch me! Ssssslaveborn! If he doessss not ssstop, I will–"

" –might as well take that spear and give it to the Lass over there so she can just use it as an arrow–"

"Oooo, really? Can I?"

"Sssstop! Do not! Sssstop trying to– Sshhaaaa! Sssslaveborn, do ssssomething!"

I groaned, putting my face in my hands.

Doror, with his mighty height of a full four feet and change, kept trying to push on over to Skaris' seat. He hadn't made up his mind whether to try and take Skaris' spear or, in his own words, 'twist his little lizard neck'. His hand kept reaching for Skaris' [Dimension Ring] and the other towards Skaris' neck. But even while seated in the carriage, Skaris' humble height of seven feet kept the dwarf from actually choking him.

Stole sat next to them, delighted and joining in where she could.

Across from them sat Kyrian, Aurora and I.

The carriage felt rather cramped.

"Sssslaveborn! This sssmith! He isssss crazy! He doesssss not know the first ssssstep to battle and yet–"

"First step to battle? First step to battle! Lad! Teach yer grandmother to suck eggs!"

"The Deep Mother hassss been cleaning the eggssss of our tribe sincssse generationsss past! Yet you–"

"Lizard beastman aren't born from eggs." Stole chimed in.

Kyrian sighed, looking out the window. Aurora did the same. Of course, they forced me to sit in the middle. A strategic decision, so that they could look out the window and tune the three out. Whereas I was forced to be directly across from them.

"Enough!" I shouted.

They stopped.

"Skaris, after today, you're going to learn how to take care of the Spear."

"But Ssslaveborn–"

I sighed, "It's your duty Skaris. As an Adventurer and Warrior."

The seven foot tall killing machine who could melt stone gave me a mournful look.

Looking to Doror, "You can teach him directly."

Doror beamed at me. "Aye, should have been that way from the beginning."

"And Stole?"

"Yes, Mister?"

"Stop egging them on."

She gave me the same look Skaris did. They could've been brother and sister.

I met each of their eyes. "Everyone happy?"

"I'm not." Stole complained.

Skaris mumbled something, however. Doror crossed his arms instead of answering, but there was a satisfied air about him.

"Now, we're going to go the rest of the way in silence." I said to them.

Aurora let out a breath I didn't know she had been holding. "Thank you, Mr. Lock."

"I didn't even do anything, why did I get in trouble…" Stole mumbled but quickly stopped when I shot her another glare.

This was good. Skaris needed to learn how to take care of his weapon anyways. Aurora had tried to teach us both, but the Beastman had tuned her out. He said that cleaning a man's weapon was a woman's job. He also said that bows are a woman's weapon. It made me wonder just what kind of lives the Deepeater Tribes led in Zimmskar for him to grow up this way.

Doror won't always be with us. I would never risk the life of a Master Smith if I could help it. If we go into Fractures or start on multi-day expeditions, taking care of one's weapons is a necessary skill to have.

Plus, Skaris' weapon: [Strange Antler] was not just a Legendary-class weapon, but part of a Plurality Set.

'It could be his endgame gear… unless we find something more oriented towards flames. Still, he needs to take good care of it if we want to sell it off later on.'

Kyrian cleared his throat after a moment.

"Lock, I want to explain a little about the auction process. Is that ok?"

"You've been to one?"

"Not in the Free Trader's League, but in Turina. I've gone to a few during my time with the Akka Xaluds."

"Go ahead." I nodded to him.

"To simplify the process, we're doing two things tonight. Selling," Kyrian gestured to the boxes that Doror was holding. "And bidding."

Doror scoffed. "A right genius, you are."

"Boring." Stole rolled her eyes.

Kyrian frowned and looked to me.

"Doror. Skaris." I warned.

"Hmph." Doror pouted. "It's always my fault, ain't it?"

"He's always picking on me too." Stole complained.

Great. Now Skaris, Stole and Doror all had the same exact pouting expression.

"Once we go in, we have three things to sell." Kyrian raised three fingers, folding each one. "The party's spare equipment."

He was referring to the Scavenger's Equipment.

"The other two are Master Doror's equipment." He cleared his throat. "Aurora and I inspected them before we coming here. The greaves should be worth about half a million; the daggers possibly two million."

Stole whistled.

One might be wondering why my [Lunar Shield] had been worth less than two hundred thousand while the price for Greaves is over double that and the Daggers can be upwards of two million.

Well, a Shield is way less versatile than the Greaves. Plus, the Daggers are weapons.

Swords, Daggers, Breastplates, Boots, Earrings, Gloves and Greaves. The more versatile the armor or weapon, meaning more classes can utilize them, the more expensive they were. Plus, these Greaves and Daggers had been forged by a Master Smith.

Though, now that my [Lunar Shield] had been fixed up by Doror, I'd be surprised if anyone other than collectors would want it. After all, the shield only gives debuffs to its wielder. Why would any adventurer pay top dollar for it?

"Though depending on the market here, I'm sure they're worth a lot more." Kyrian said, seeing Doror's unhappy look.

"Hmph." Doror began, "I made those with specific people in mind. They'll go for a lot more than what you and the missy surmised."

That's the thing about Auctions.

It's not necessarily what the items are worth. But what it's worth to the buyer. Rare items like these that don't drop from Monsters but were made by Master Smiths have multiple benefits to them. They can be much more easily modified than Monster Stops.

"Our goal is to make three million gold." Kyrian said. "Our first priority is a Core for Stole. Second, a Core for Lock. Third, a Core for Skaris."

Kyrian gave me a look, before delving into what he and I had discussed moments before.

"But in the case that there's an item that Lock is looking for, that will be our foremost priority. We'll forgo all the previous goals for that one item."

"What isssss it?" Skaris' interest was piqued.

"A book." I said. "A small leatherbound journal actually."

"A journal?" Stole looked less than impressed.

I shrugged. "If it shows up, it shows up. If it doesn't, it doesn't."

"What's the book called, Mister?"

"It goes by different names. A Knight's Journey. A Knight's Vow." I turned to the matters at hand, "But if all things go well, we should be able to walk away with a Core for each of us. Or a weapon. If there's something you want, don't hesitate in asking for it."

"Can I get a new Arbalest?"

"I'll make you one, Lass. Anything I make will be loads better than what you can get from this auction."

That depended, but I didn't bother.

I looked at Aurora who was pretending not to listen.

What I hadn't mentioned was that a book like the 'Knight's Journey'...

If used well, one could learn [Aura].

The problem wasn't what if they didn't have it.

What if they did have it.

Just how far would we have to go to get our hands on it?

Whatever happened, before we left for Claw's Nest, Aurora learning [Aura] was a must.

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