78 – Market

For all that Lori had claimed to be indifferent to the idea of introducing herself to society, as she, Ari, and Renna headed for Molehill, she was in a nervous mood.

Nervous might too strong … Lori didn’t seem especially unruffled. But not her usual self. Thoughtful, then? Was that the better word? Intrigued? Maybe a mixture of all three.

It was a big deal, Ari supposed. While Lori and Renna—and the rest of the Menagerie—had an idea of what Ari’s society was like, they’d never experienced it first hand. Even if Lori preferred a simpler life of hunting and progression, it made sense she wouldn’t be wholly indifferent to her first exploration of modern society, regardless of what she claimed.

They’d cobbled together backstories before they had set out. Lori and Renna were both from the same hometown: Pinvale, a place which decidedly didn’t exist, but which was located in Andolka to the east. The cover wouldn’t hold under scrutiny, so Lori and Renna would simply deflect or refuse to answer if someone tried to talk to them. A reputation for brusqueness was hardly the worst thing in the world, and on Lori, it wouldn’t even be an unfortunate necessity—she did want to brush other people off.

Initially, Ari had figured not associating with her Menagerie was the better idea, but she’d revised that opinion. Instead, she would simply pretend she had met the two girls organically—that they’d arrived into town and Ari had been one of the first people they’d bumped into. It was plausible enough. And why would Ari lie?

She was, as she’d thought about a few times before, likely being overly paranoid about everything. The truth was that Ari didn’t matter. Nobody would pay attention to her or her friends. While gossip did happen, Ari was hardly a person of interest—a first choice in that regard. She was just another low-level adventurer trying to make it, one of a million. So long as Lori and Renna didn’t show their tail, or animal ears, then no one would look twice at them.

Even wearing a helmet and cloak around wasn’t that odd. Maybe not common—helmets were uncomfortable even for people without cat or wolf ears—but plenty of adventurers walked around town geared up, and doubly so now that the dungeon had drawn a huge influx. People would assume Renna and Lori were dressed the way they were because they would be heading out shortly.

Their destination was the market, as they’d discussed. They had shopping to do. It was an easy, anonymous location to introduce Renna and Lori to crowds, and the bustle of proper civilization. Doubly so with the flocks that had come with the dungeon; the markets had been packed recently.

With luck, Ari and her team would be able to venture out for their second delve, soon enough. After the market today, she’d be heading out to find their fifth Menagerie member, and hopefully, she would be some sort of mage that offered a solution to their problems—an illusionist. Maybe Ari would level again, too; she’d been getting them with consistent speed. That, too, could provide a solution. Or worst case scenario, Ari would suck things up and simply post guards on their next delve. She’d have Claire, or whoever, watch for intrusions while Ari fought the dungeon’s monsters. But she would be getting out into the dungeon, no matter how risky.

She supposed even if she was caught … then, what? What would happen? She’d be mortified? But that was it. People might not even believe the report, if the intruder went blabbing about the event to others. Ari had a powerful defense in the fact that her class was so weird, most people wouldn’t believe it even if it came from her own mouth, much less someone—even a group of someones—who bumped into her in the dungeon.

The group of three ventured down the pathway, Molehill’s outskirt buildings cropping up more and more frequently as they got closer to the town proper. Ari observed her two friends’ reactions out of the side of her eye.

Renna was the more interested of the two, or at least, the more openly interested. She admired the homes scattering the town’s outskirts. An old woman sitting on her porch waved at Ari—or Ari’s group—and Renna returned it along with Ari. Ari didn’t know the lady’s name, but Ari came down this path pretty often, and the old lady was always sitting there, rocking in her sturdy wooden chair as she knitted. Ari didn’t know many people in Molehill, truthfully, outside the market and the guild, and even then, just a handful of names and faces. How could she? She wasn’t a local, and she’d been here no time at all, on the grand scale of things.

Lori, on the other hand, was interested, but in a more subdued manner than Renna … as if she was trying to hold tight to her previous words, that she didn’t care about mingling with Ari’s society. But Ari could read her. In most cases it would be her ears giving her away, but not this time, since they were covered by a helmet. Ari wondered if Lori even knew how much they moved—and gave her away—when they weren’t.

Lori’s interest melted to irritation, though, as they made their way into the city, and crowds started appearing. The heart of Molehill, unlike the outskirts, was loud, smelly in places, and packed with locals and adventurers. Lori was unimpressed. Renna’s interest remained, though. Probably because she was the more sociable of the two. The press of bodies didn’t bother her as much as Lori, though she didn’t seem wholly at ease with the sheer number of people walking through the streets.

“There’s only so much we can carry,” Ari said, “so we’ve gotta prioritize. We’ll make a trip every day, maybe two, even. But first off. Water conjurer, for showers and drinking water. A set of flasks, for … you know.” Ari coughed. Collecting monstergirl cum, she didn’t say. Their cum. “And maybe a heater. It did get pretty chilly last night. You two agree that’s the most crucial stuff?”

“Crucial?” Lori asked, sniffing. “More needed than the other luxuries … but still luxuries.”

Ari gave her an amused look, and she did appreciate the honest feedback, even if she didn’t agree, then looked at Renna.

Renna shrugged. “Sure? Sounds good to me.”

“And after that,” Ari said, “we’ll check out a few shops. Everyone’s doing fine when it comes to weapons and armor, but the stuff you find out in the wild isn’t as good as what we can buy. Not as suited to your classes.” The stat bonuses were random. From a market, a person was more likely to get something that meshed with their class—obviously, since buying items was better than relying on sheer luck. “And you’ve got extras to sell, too. We’ll want to start pawning it off bit by bit. I don’t really know what should sell for what, though.”

She had an idea, but not a perfect one. Especially as the financial landscape shifted due to the influx of adventurers; at a guess, things were going to get cheaper with supply going up. Though, demand was going up too, considering the influx … both a good and bad thing, then. She wasn’t sure how it’d balance out.

“We’ll stick to the busy stores,” Ari said, nodding to herself. “It’s less likely for someone to try to talk to us.”