The Dragon's Wrath: Ashes of the Fallen

by Brent Roth

  Somehow, I was the only person inside the shop.

  Of all the people roaming the streets, none of them had taken an interest in the goods for sale in these smaller shops that littered the town. It was a bit of a surprise but it made sense in a way. I figured most players didn't have a lot money to spend at the moment, so it did little good to waste time perusing a store.

  The game was still relatively new anyways, and people were just now experiencing their first dungeon. The blacksmith and bowyer were busy, as were the proficiency trainers and the trade post.

  That was expected, though.

  If I was a crafter ahead of the times, I could have made a fortune.

  There were at least one or two crafters attempting to ply their trade. Though they were largely inexperienced they were certainly on the right track.

  Well, I had larger goals in mind and my NPCs would bear the brunt of the labor in the long run while I reaped the rewards. Not to say that I was or would take advantage of them. I believed in fair profit for all involved even if they were just limited artificial intelligences.

  Yeah, I wanted a happy town, not one filled with corruption.

  There's enough corruption in a person's daily life anyhow, no reason for people to bring it with them inside the game, where most of us come to escape from our reality.

  "Ah, hello there," I said to break the silence as I eyed the goods messily spread throughout the store. As I nodded at the man behind the counter, he cleared his throat before acknowledging my presence.

  "What can I do ye for?" he asked kindly with a hint of sadness to his voice.

  "I'm looking for a mask," I replied slowly, so as not to appear impertinent. "Or, something that can at least be used like a mask, preferably a cloth of some sort so that I can breathe a bit better in the dungeon."

  The man looked depressed but feigned a smile as he turned his gaze to a corner of the store. He was clearly an NPC but it was rather strange to see such clear emotions on him. Well, I couldn't really be bothered by it, as there were more pressing needs than the emotions of a random NPC.

  "Hmm, yes, we have something like that," replied the clerk while pointing to a spot in the store. "Check over there, I believe you'll find what you're looking for in a small pile behind that large one with the blue coat on top, just over there in the corner."

  "Will do, thank you," I said plainly while giving him a nod and a weak smile.

  Shuffling through the packed store proved slightly difficult as there were simply too many articles of clothing lying about. Though it took some effort I eventually found my way to the large pile of outerwear with the blue coat on top. It was a rather ugly coat, but I was sure there was at least one flamboyant person out there that would love to showcase it out on the streets.

  But, good luck finding that one guy, mister store clerk.

  A few steps past that large pile was the small one that the clerk had pointed out, which was literally just a pile of bandanas, scarves, and shawls. There was a colorful assortment of various sizes and lengths and it was precisely what I was looking for.

  The shawls and scarves were the nicest looking of the bunch, with fancy embroidery that were more fitting for females than males, but there were a few semi-masculine ones that drew my attention. Though, one look at the mirror on the wall and all interest in a scarf was lost.

  It wouldn't really match my blood-stained fur coat and leather armor.

  Oh well, even I wanted to appear somewhat reasonable.

  Rummaging through the bandanas, it took me nearly ten minutes to separate and find a suitable one to my liking. Narrowing down my choices to a plain white or black, I settled on the white one to match my gear. It wasn't perfect and was really quite pedestrian but I figured it would suffice for the task at hand. As long as it filtered out some of the ash and kept my mouth and nose from burning, I would be a happy man.

  Walking over to the counter where the older man with intermixed white and blonde hair sat with his head hung low, I couldn't help but wonder what was bothering him. I didn't want to waste any time on some random NPC, but it was hard to ignore a clearly depressed person sitting in the corner of a dimly lit store, even if it wasn't a real person.

  "How much are you asking for this bandana?" I questioned politely while placing it on the counter in front of him. He eyed the piece and sighed before looking up at me.

  "Ten copper for the plain ones like that," he answered with little interest.

  "Ah, I see," I replied while grabbing ten copper out of my pouch. "I'll take it then."

  As I looked at the man in front of me, his eyes seemed to light up slightly when he saw the coins in my hand. Waiting for him to take them, I carefully watched as his mannerisms changed right before my eyes.

  He eagerly took the coins from my outstretched hand and quickly changed his tune as a smile appeared on his face. "Oh thank you very much," he said gingerly, having temporarily woken from his depressed slumber. "If you're interested in any other goods, to possibly replace that stained coat of yours, I do have a line of furs in the back I can fetch for you."

  "Hmm, I may have an interest in some female clothing, though I'm not certain on the size just yet," I replied casually while glancing around the room. "A gift for some friends of mine, you see."

  "Well, I have plenty of clothes perfect for that!" he exclaimed. "All shapes, sizes, and colors, from moderate to extravagant, wool or linen, I've got them all!"

  "If you have the time, I would be interested in seeing a few summer dresses," I stated with a kind smile. "They're tall women, but rather slender. Something loose and breathable, would do well I think."

  "Right this way!" he said while standing up and leading the charge.

  The chipper mood of the clerk gave some indication to his position within the store. I figured he was most likely the owner or at least tied to the profit in some shape or form, and a slow business day likely got him down. I didn't know much about the limited artificial intelligence system, nor did anyone outside of the developers really, but I realized with my interactions with Selene and Katherine, that they were quite far along with their emotional responses.

  It was almost too real, sometimes.

  There must have been a preset emotional trigger set into the businessman, so that his motivation and happiness was tied into how well he did financially. I mean, there was definitely some behind-the-scenes play at work with manipulated and scripted motivation, seeing how NPCs happily stuck to one job for their entire artificial lives.

  They weren't truly of free-will, these NPCs.

  Well, I wouldn't be the one to break that to them.

  The thought of truly self-aware AIs kind of scared me a little.

  It was a little too soon for that, anyways.

  "Has it been a slow week for sales?" I asked genuinely yet not innocently.

  "Ahh… yeah, it has been a rough month," he replied with a sigh. "Sales are always steady but, with such a large influx of foreigners, travelers and adventurers alike, business has boomed for a lot of my friends. I'm happy for them, but I have actually seen a slight decline in store traffic and most who come in don't buy anything. I don't understand why I'm the only one not making any money."

  "The market is such a strange thing, isn't it," I stated quizzically.

  "You got that right, I don't know what to do if business continues to dry up."

  "Maybe I could help with that," I offered out of the blue. Though not entirely random, I had a theory on a possible market share that I wanted to test.

  I also wanted to experiment with how neutral NPCs reacted to players that weren't from the same region. I was a foreigner here, a hundred miles displaced from the North I called home. This town had little relation to the Northern Triangle or Dragon's Breach, but my influence still carried slightly.

  It was an invisible thing, but the NPCs automatically registered it.

  I was a man of importance, according to my Reputation stat.

  "What are you su
ggesting?" he asked, clearly curious but dubious as to what I could offer. He just didn't trust a stranger completely, for which I couldn't blame him.

  "I have… a segment of the market that I think you can corner," I started to explain as I brought my hand to my chin and began to scratch. "Most of the beginner adventurers here have yet to reach the lower levels of the abandoned mining complex that was recently opened, but once they do, they'll be quick to find their equipment lacking. They'll be wanting a mask, like this bandana here."

  "And… so, you're saying, if I just wait, my sales will start to increase?" he asked while looking doubtful. He didn't quite believe me, but that was alright.

  I obviously needed to explain in more detail, so even he could see the light.

  "That might happen, but you can be proactive here," I continued. "Rearrange the store slightly, so that the bandanas, scarves, and shawls are at the front, interspersed with your more expensive specialty items. Either raise the price on the little items slightly, while advertising them specifically for the dungeon, or toss one in free with a purchase of a more profitable, costlier item."

  "How does that help me sell more," he replied with a smirk.

  "Simple, these adventurers aren't going to be buying the clothes you have laid out here at the front, they aren't useful to us at this point," I said seriously with no hesitation. "Most of us don't need these luxury items, and most of us can't afford it anyhow. Those masks are cheap and would be quite handy for anyone going into the mines. Start advertising what they can be used for and I'm willing to bet you will see an increase in sales."

  I stood my ground after laying everything out there for the man to mull it over, as I was positive that there was a market for those goods. I could put up with a lot of things, and considered myself an extremely patient and tolerant person. Especially when it came to issues of pain and discomfort. Yet the fact that I was getting annoyed and tired of breathing in the smoke and the burning of my eyes and nostrils had me convinced that there were other players thinking the exact same thing.

  If he didn't want to believe me, I was tempted to buy him out and open my own stall in front of the dungeon. I was going to make money off this theory of mine, one way or another. When a chance to make large sums of quick money stares you in the face, it behooves you to grab it and hold on tightly until the market dries up. Nothing lasts forever, but you may just make a small fortune in between.

  I didn't care if it was a short ride, so long as I made some profit.

  I considered it a crime to throw away an opportunity.

  The man seemed to be stuck on what I had said, and couldn't quite make up his mind. I didn't blame him, and was actually surprised he wasn't angry with me for making such a blatant suggestion.

  Usually, I would be more subtle and goad the person into seeing things my way less they be offended, but here… I didn't feel like wasting the time.

  Part of paying full price for the bandana instead of bartering was my way of breaking the ice as well, getting on the good side of the clerk. It wasn't quite that malicious though, just friendly business practice.

  I considered it more, standard etiquette, I guess you could say.

  It usually worked, and the man was quite receptive once he had some money in his hands. Now he was showing me around the store, listening to suggestions, and perhaps, even willing to work with me.

  A return customer to a privately-ran store could expect some reasonable discounts, if the customer is friendly and sociable enough. That, or purchase enough goods to bring the profit margin down a little, as bulk transactions that move a lot of inventory are often seen as a plus. Especially if its old inventory that has been sitting for a while.

  "Ah I don't know," he finally stammered after quite some time.

  "Well, how about this then," I said, having decided on suggesting an alternate plan that required a little investment from me. "Sell me all of your bandanas, scarves, and shawls at your standard price, and then let me run a stall right in front of your store."

  "What?!" he quickly yelped. "How could I do that, that's direct competition!"

  "Right, hear me out," I replied calmly. "You run the stall, after I've paid for all of the items, and sell them at fifteen copper, I'll give you a cut of one copper per. Try it for a day or two, if it doesn't do anything, I'll pay you ten copper per day for the hassle."

  It was a reasonable offer, seeing as most NPCs could get by on a couple copper a day. A single rabbit was plenty of meat for one person to feed themselves, so ten copper was quite a sizeable daily-wage. I figured the bandana I purchased for ten was at least eight copper in manufacturing costs, so that left two copper profit for the man selling it. After sitting on them for who knows how long, the profit wasn't that great.

  "Wait, so you're going to buy all of my items, then ask me to resell it?" he asked, slightly angry. "Do you realize what you're asking of me?"

  "I do, but it's because you don't trust my marketing sense," I said plainly. "I'll buy all of those items, and instead of sitting behind the door inside the store, you can move and sit in front of the door, outside. You're making profit on what… at least a hundred items? And you're free to get customers to come inside to buy other goods, and I'll also pay you for every item sold. I'm trusting you with the coin purse at the end of the day."

  "This is insane, you're insane," he stated, bewildered.

  Pulling out my coin pouch, I eyed the seven silver plus some loose copper coins that were inside. I could afford at least seventy of his items, but if I needed more money I could sell some of the loot from the dungeon. Nodding my head after I had convinced myself to take the gamble, I placed the open pouch in the man's hands.

  "I'll take as many items as that pouch can satisfy," I followed up. "And if you've still got more items left over, I'll come back with more coin."

  The man greedily eyed the silver and copper as he hesitated to turn me away.

  He didn't believe in my idea, nor did he trust me to come through with my plan but money meant more than words. Hard money moved men while words simply swayed them. That was something every business man or woman knew, as fact.

  "Do we have a deal?" I asked succinctly.

  "Uh-h, yeah, sure, why not?" he replied with uncertainty. "You'll pay me ten copper when this fails, right? No returns on these goods either, got it?"

  "Yeah, that's fine," I said while nodding.

  I was positive I would turn a profit here, and if I didn’t… well, the residents of Dragon's Breach were all going to receive a nice new gift for the upcoming winter.

  I didn't believe in a losing situation.

  Chapter 45: Pugs

  (Saturday, May 29th Game Day / Friday, February 19th Real Day)

  I found myself standing in front of the dungeon entrance once more, checking out the groups of players assembled just a few feet from the portal. They wore gear similar to mine, leather and furs with some light cloth here and there, with an assortment of weapons from spears, bows, to staves. It was just another typical scene of mismatched riffraff standing around waiting for something to happen.

  Well, I wasn't much better.

  Two of the three groups were already full going by body count, so I made my way towards the only one left that appeared to have four members lined up. There was a good chance I could fill whatever void they were missing, so long as they didn't need a healer. The only thing really bothering me was if they were experienced enough to get through the first and second floors. A first time group grinding out the first floor at a slow plod would be hard to bear… but, everyone had a first time, at some point.

  There was little reason to be elitist this early in the game, anyways.

  "Hey are you guys looking for a fifth?" I asked the group, directing my question at no one in particular. All four of the males turned their heads to eye my gear as I approached, while I returned the same gaze. They weren't equipped with anything special, though the archer did appear to have a decent bow slightly better than
my own.

  Otherwise, it was a standard group.

  "Can you tank?" asked the archer bluntly.

  "Yeah, I can tank."

  As I said that, I pulled out my one-handed axe and rotated the shield off my back. Raising it in front of the man so he could see it clearly, I nodded at him as he turned around and started to walk away. "What floor are you guys on?" I followed up, hoping to gain some sort of information before committing.

  "Let's go, I'm tired of waiting," said the archer as he looked at the healer. "Invite him, lets hurry this up. We're running out of time."

  Without bothering to answer my question, the archer walked through the portal and disappeared as he was transported into the dungeon. Not more than a second later, I received an invite from the healer of the group as the other two mages continued to talk amongst themselves. I looked at the healer to see if he would respond to my query, but he simply turned around and entered the dungeon as well and then, so too did the two casters.

  "Right," I muttered to myself while letting out a sigh. "Social group of kids I got here." Before accepting the invite, I looked around once more to see if another group happened to be approaching on the horizon.

  To my dismay there was no such luck.

  I was stuck with this pick-up group if I wanted to enter.

  Oh well, have to roll the dice sometimes.

  Accepting the invite, I shook my head and sighed once more before stepping forth into the cold muddiness of the portal that transported me from the pleasant outdoors to the stifling, dreary and dank interior of the mining complex.

  The home of the Outcast Goblins… a joyous adventure, filled with all the rancid odors one could think of along with all the ash one could choke on.

  A lovely place, this dungeon was.

  The only thing better, was this lovely party of mine.