The marble bricks of the street pavement glowed radiantly in the morning such as it cast its light down the length of Libere street. The streets were filled with activity as merchants advertised their wares to passersby. Heavily dressed men whom seemed scrawny in stature in spite of their clothing bid prospective buyers into their basic silken tents. Angels stood aside, marveling more at the artistic works around the marketplace as various horned entities moved about brutishly from stall to stall. At the end of the street stood two large alabaster statues of angelic women reach to each other to form an elegant arch. From beyond these works of art came a golden glow radiating from a vortex to beyond.

Aiden Toft had visited Libere District many times over the course of his life. It was one of Nexulai's largest marketplaces, containing many valuable goods originating from the realm beyond the green portal known as Ceciderunt Dea. He'd come here often with his parents ever since he was a child, and even now, two decades into his life, he still frequented the marketplace, which contained many tools and supplies that came in handy during his training. Occasionally, he would also find a merchant who was selling souvenirs, which he would gladly purchase and add to his collection back at the Toft estate. There were always Caelestine and Dalimos in the area, since, of course, this was the portal leading to Ceciderunt Dea, but Aiden never really had the chance to get to know any of them very well.

Aiden strolled down the street towards the marketplace, smiling gently and glancing around at the brilliant marble streets and walls, which were heavily based off of Caelestine architetcture. His clothing wasn't much different from what he wore on the previous day; a black morning coat, along with a grey double-breasted vest underneath with white sleeves. His trousers and boots shared the color of his coat. However, this time, unlike his visit to the Grand Ambassador's Spire, he was armed. Slung over his shoulder was a large recurve crossbow, and on his left hip was a metallic scabbard containing a finely crafted steel saber, its lustrous copper hilt barely poking out from under his coat as he walked. The weapons were necessary; Aiden was about to embark on a critical mission, escorting a Caelestine pilgrim through unknown territory, possibly braving many dangers along the way. He was her charge, so he had to be prepared to face down any possible threats during their journey.

The explorer stopped halfway to the portal, gazing up at the angelic statues. He let out a deep sigh, placing his hands upon his hips as he examined the sculptures. For the first time in his life, he would be entering another realm inhabited by sentient beings. This world would be vastly different from the one he'd been born and raised in. Excited as he was, he was also rather nervous. This would be a truly unique experience for him, and he briefly wondered if he was truly ready to face it before wiping such doubts from his mind. Aiden had spent years preparing for this day. Whether this mission would end in success or failure didn't matter to him; he had to take the next step.

Of course, that next step involved purchasing important supplies, so the explorer began to browse the marketplace for wares that would assist him on his journey. Eventually, he came across a merchant who looked like he had the supplies he'd need to survive this journey.

"Excuse me," Aiden spoke as he approached the stand, leaning on the counter. "Aiden Toft, certified state explorer. I, um, I'm about to head into the portal. Gonna need some rations, lantern fuel, crossbow ammunition... really, anything that can help me survive out on the field." He reached into his trouser's back pocket, retrieving his wallet. "So. Got what I need?" He asked, smiling.

The light rolled off the merchants ebony skin, and with a dispossed raise of an eyebrow at the mans apparent authority, his eyes fell down below his stand. "Alright, sir, y'came to the right place. Don't go no where else, you're my favourite, best customer." His tone wasn't exactly convincing, but the effort he put into getting three containers might show otherwise. 
"Now I got just right what you need,"

With the merchants hoarse voice, he authoritively proclaimed, "You said you need rations? Well I don't carry things that go bad within a few days. I carry things that'll keep you going forever. So this here is a high quality fishin' set, bound to keep you goin', great for lakes and seas-- yer' gonna need it whether you think it or not." He opened the case and began presenting its contents,

"It's got five hooks an' each has a line to match, as well as some little jerky that'll probably act as good start bait. Otherwise y'can find bait anywhere else. Wouldn't recommend chewin' on it myself, though."

Moving on to the next case, he didn't give Aiden a moment to speak or protest, "Now, what's gonna happen when yer' clothes rip or yer wallets got a hole in it, for some reason or another? Ain't gonna use no fishing hook to fix that. That's why I got you here a premium sewing kit."

He began pulling some of the contents out, "Now, this set'll do for those who have no idea how to use 'em an' for those who are professional tailors, y'hear? An' I throw in surgical wires fer' you, just in case you need to stitch up a wound 'er something. Now, lets say, though, if you REALLY screw yer'self up, huh? What're you gonna do? Well, I'll tell ya' what I got for you when that happens. . ."

"This is the best medical kit that'll get you running-- better than that Akhmed quack who'll up charge you for fancy stuff like camphor or quinine. You don't need any of the hodonk he has to offer, this is all you need. Some pain-away sauce and gauze to keep yer' bits in. Now, listen sir, listen real quick. . ." He was closing the deal, pushing all the 'sets' together and towards him,

"I can give you all three of these sets for a discounted price-- even if you only like two, this deal is too good to pass up. Five thousand two-hundred Incrims sound fair to you?"

Aiden didn't give the merchant an immediate answer. For a few seconds, he just stood there, mouth shut tightly, blinking twice at him. When he came to this stand, he didn't expect all that much from it. He thought he'd just walk away with the supplies he requested and maybe something extra, nothing more. This merchant offered him a lot more than just that, and it toook Aiden off guard. He soon recovered, looking over the tools offered to him closely, rubbing a hand over his beard. A fishing set, a sewing kit and even a medical kit stocked up with morphine and gauze... all that, offered to him for just for 5200 Incrims? That was pretty damn impressive, but a part of him felt that he could do a little more about it.

"We-heh-hell," Aiden began, awkwardly half-chuckling as he spoke, "I... I must admit, I didn't see this coming. You have a very impressive inventory." The explorer grinned, opening his wallet and retrieving the required cash. He had about 10000 Incrims to spend here. The rest of the money he had with him was converted to Ceciderunt Dea's standard currency.

He paused before retrieving the money from his wallet. "You know...I'm gonna be in Ceciderunt Dea for a while," He said, looking back up at the merchant, "Hell, I'm expected to be going through Dalimos territory at some point. It ain't gonna be easy, and I'll need a lot of good gear if I expect to survive." He leans further in, looking at the merchant expectantly. "How 'bout...forty eight hundred? No less than that."

"Hm, well I'll strike you a deal with your words of honor on it. Four thousand eight hundred and when you come back from the portal, you and all your friends buy from me what you can from other merchants. Deal?"

A sharp cackling came from the next stall over. "Still can't secure return business I take it?" came the shrill voice. A short creature red of skin and pointed ears peaked around the side of the planked barrier separating the two businesses. "Did you not notice he sold you everything but what it was you asked for?"

"Go away! This is my customer, not yours!"

The little demon smiled mischieviously. "Why would I need to steal customers from you? As a matter of fact, how would I?" He held out a golden earring with an ruby set inside it. Across the surface of the gem were sylized grooves filled with silver as a means of writing names across them. "When this alone is worth more than your whole shop, I doubt anyone visiting you has the money to afford anything of mine." Tilting his head and putting out his lips as though pouting, he continued his taunting, "I just want to see this fine young man come back alive."

Aiden remained silent throughout the confrontation, just looking between the feuding shopkeepers. He struggled not to smirk; the sight of these two rival merchants, vastly different in height, insulting each others' skills (well, actually, it was more one-sided, with the small Dalimos doing most of the insulting), was nothing short of amusing to the explorer. He would not laugh, of course, lest he ended up on the receiving end of the taller one's wrath.

"So...I take it you two have a history?" He asked cautiously with a shrug.

The merchant pretended to ignore the demon, "History with who? Oh, the little thing next to me? Don't mind him, he's just upset that he has to stand on a stool all day. So, four thousand eight hundred?"

The rival scowled at the taller gentleman. He gritted his teeth a moment before vanishing back around, mumbling to himself "At least my seat is made of gold."

Right, of course. Back to business. Aiden now found himself in a bit of a conundrum. It wasn't like this merchant had a bad selection, but to restrict his purchases to him alone...it just wasn't realistic. This was what he got for trying to haggle a bit, and he was spouting endless curses at himself in his mind for it. He didn't want to lose this deal. In fact, if he turned it down, the merchant would probably become mighty crossed and bump up the price, or even refuse to sell him his goods altogether.

"Would this be a permanent condition?" The explorer asked, hesitant to give him an answer.

"Why would you go anywhere else? No one else would give you the deal I'm giving you. Imagine what discount I'd give you next time you come with your friends." The merchant looked a bit perplexed, "I'm just talking about the survival gear, bub. I'm the best around."

"..." The human found himself at a loss. He didn't doubt that this merchant was a decent guy, if rather greedy, but he just couldn't abide by his request. Especially since he knew that camphor and quinine were a hell of a lot more useful in medical applications than the ebony-skinned man claimed. Aiden started to feel disappointed with himself. He'd shown such arrogance; he was literally about to take on his first job, and he'd already gotten himself into a trap. Such incompetence was ill-befitting of an Explorer.

Then it hit him; this whole situation was silly. Aiden was a state-certified Explorer, purchasing supplies required for a mission given to him by the Grand Ambassador himself. He was pretty sure that there was no actual law in Akreaus that allowed merchants to restrict customers from purchasing from them alone. If there was, he'd never heard of it. In any case, Aiden was sure that he was perfectly free to disregard the merchant's demands. However, he did want that gear, and he didn't doubt that the merchant would have some valuable wares for him to purchase in the future. Aiden didn't feel comfortable with the idea of shutting him down because of his position, so he decided to compromise.

"Alright. You have a deal." The human planted the money required for the purchase onto the counter with a cheerful smile. It was a lie. Well, maybe not a complete lie. More like a half-lie; if Aiden came back from his mission to find that the merchant had a whole batch of handy tools for him to use, he would stay true to his word. If he was outclassed by the other merchants in the marketplace, well, he would disregard the deal. It was harsh, and it pained Aiden to do it, but it was the most practical decision he could make in this situation. He knew he shouldn't have gotten into such a situation in the first place, but what was done was done. He took a little risk, and things got a little out of control as a result, but as long as the merchant didn't make him sign a contract or anything, he'd be fine. He just hoped he wouldn't make more rash decisions in the future much like this when the stakes were higher.

The merchant took the cash and then moved the kits from his counter and pulled out all three new set for his customer, although they looked a little older then the ones he displayed. 
"There you go, it's all yours." 

"Excellent." Taking the newly purchased supplies, he began to stuff them into his rucksack when he paused, looking back up at the merchant. "By the way, I never caught your name."

"My name is Kadir; come back anytime."

"Thanks, Kadir. I'll see you around!" He backed away from the stand, waving at the merchant before turning around and heading deeper into the marketplace. As he spent the rest of his Incrims at other stands, including the one owned by "that Akhmed quack", he kept thinking back to his encounter with Kadir.

"What a whimsical fellow," Aiden said, chuckling to himself as he left the marketplace and approached the portal, ready to carry out his mission.