Crystal of Storms 57
57
The usual bustling sounds of the market are more muted today. You don’t see as many stalls open, and the crowds are sparser than normal. The explosion on Nimbus has driven many indoors, but the stallholders are hardier, and most won’t run and hide whilst there’s even one person to make money from.
If you can charge up Halleck’s hovers you will have a valuable piece of equipment at your disposal. You also realize you’ve managed to keep hold of his Coin Bag. He won’t mind you borrowing it in the line of duty. (Add 10 Gold Pieces to your Adventure Sheet.)
You check your waist; your trusty Short Sword is still there, thankfully. You get the feeling you might need it. (Add this to your Adventure Sheet.)
“Whoa! Ain’t you a little junior for those hovers?”
It’s Dav, a Goblin friend of yours who works in the local bakery. You vainly try to explain what happened on Nimbus and why you have Halleck’s hovers, but it’s still all so confusing and you have no answers to his questions yet.
“Sounds like you’ve had quite the morning,” says Dav sympathetically, passing you a Ginger-Cream Horn, which makes you feel just a little bit better. (Restore 1 STAMINA point.)
“We all heard the explosion,” continues Dav. “Never seen the market fall so quiet. Some folks hid. Don’t blame ’em with all the extra elemental energy wafting around here. Most of the stalls stayed open. You know the types around here; they wouldn’t budge unless the ground fell out from under them! Er, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Your resolutely tell Dav that you’re going to investigate what happened. “Probably best if I join you while you’re on Cumulus,” says the little Goblin. “I’ve done all my chores and you look like you could use the company. Plus, I got few moves if anything gets a bit fighty. Oh, and here, this might come in handy.” He tosses you a Healing Potion. (This will restore up to 4 STAMINA points when drunk.)
As long Dav is travelling with you, you may add 2 points when calculating your Attack Strength, you may increase any damage you cause by 1 point, and you may reduce any damage you suffer in battle by 1 point. (Make a note of this on your Adventure Sheet.)
“Right,” says Dav, readying himself for adventure. “There’s a Goblin I know called Hazi who lives on the far side of the market. He used to work at the Citadel on Nimbus. He might know something. And we could always go and talk to Methedus, the Stormborn who works over at the mill. He might know a thing or two about the elemental energy that got released.”
“There are rumours that the explosion has stirred up some nasty critters.” Dav taps a small dagger at his belt. “Good job you got ol’ Dav with you. But maybe you want to tool up first, or make some coin?”
If you want to head for Hazi’s place on the far side of the market, turn to 351. If you want to head to the mill, turn to 261. If you want to check out the market stalls, turn to 258. If you want to engage in a game of chance in the hope of increasing your gold, turn to 304.
