Chapter 13: Chapter 13 – Sticky Fingers

The slender woman known as the viper stood beside the secret door and gestured toward the boy. “You may enter valued customer.” She ordered, her tone was not suggestive at all.

Despite all the alarm bells ringing inside Alfred’s head, he warily approached the door and entered. The room behind the doors was dimly lit and eerie. There were many bookshelves placed around its perimeter and a single table at the center of the room. The table was made from one large chunk of wood.

At the table was a hooded man scribbling something on a piece of paper with a feather.

“Please sit,” the man pointed to the empty chair before him and continued to write. He didn’t look up to see who was at the door.

Alfred walked over and sat, his shoulders were tense and his eyes alert. ‘What’s up with all these strange people I keep running into?’ he muttered to himself.

After finishing writing, the man removed his hood and looked up at Alfred. Suddenly, both of them looked stunned.

“Sticky fingers!” shouted the man.

“How?” blurted out the boy.

They spoke at the same time while pointing at each other. Alfred was irked by his new nickname but didn’t let it show on his face.

The man was the same clerk Alfred had robbed at the market. He was furious at the sight of the boy. He reached below the desk to pull something out but Alfred reacted.

A knife flew through the air and came at the man’s throat, stopping as soon as it drew blood.

Echo Henley, the clerk, was stunned. ‘How did he do that? He reacted before I could even pull out my blaster!’ he fell into thought.

The Black market was protected by a mysterious force, anyone who attempted to steal wouldn’t see another day. The clerk was not worried about being robbed but was taken aback by how he misjudged the boy from their first encounter.

“How can you be here, I thought you sold meat buns!” Alfred shouted out.

“It’s to build an image, why are you here?” Echo responded without a hint of fear in his eyes.

“To buy your wares of course!” Alfred smiled, still holding the knife at the man’s neck.

“You think I’m stupid, you couldn’t even afford meat buns yet you think you can afford items here? You’re bold to be attempting the same trick twice!” Asserted the clerk. “We may not have many guards but you’re mistaken if you think you can get past the Viper.”

“No, it’s not what you think…” Alfred sighed and dropped the knife, placing it on the table.

He reached into his pocket to reveal the pouch before taking out one silver and placing it before the man.

“I’m sorry for before, this is for payment with interest. I’m also sorry for cutting you, I’m not good with a knife yet. May we please start over and get to business?” Alfred suggested. He couldn’t go to another branch considering what he was about to do.

‘His knife work is that efficient yet he claims to be an amateur? What a scary boy!’ the man let his emotions slip and showed a hint of shock.

“Hmph, that’s more like it. Here at the Black Market, we don’t turn away anyone with money. Even if the money they have is clearly stolen.” Remarked the clerk staring at the pouch in obvious doubt.

“Do you buy stolen wares and if so can you promise me anonymity”

“Of course!” The man replied almost instantly. The whole unique selling point of the black market was its anonymity, Echo prided himself in this.

“First of all take a look at this and tell me how much it’s worth.” Alfred took out a small talisman with an inscription.

The man’s eyes opened wide.

“It would be rude of me to ask where you got this from, however, I must know if you can get us more. We promise to give you the best prices, no, better than the market price!” The man blabbered excitedly.

“Hold on, you’re getting ahead of yourself. Tell me what it is and how much you’re willing to give me first.”

“This is a Grade-B freeze talisman, anyone can activate it without much mana. It’s a life-saving item that can freeze any opponent for a minimum of 30 seconds depending on their strength. It can even freeze Grade-A mages for up to 10 seconds!” Echo blurted.

“What! Really?” Alfred was enthusiastic, if it was truly this good then the price he could get for it would be high. “So how much are you willing to trade for it” he continued.

“For a one-time sale, I can’t go higher than 150 gold.” The clerk responded. It was his turn to rob the boy.

Alfred was elated and almost jumped out of his seat. 45 silver could provide for a small family of 3 for an entire year, 150 gold was a substantial amount.

“I’m not so sure, 150 gold seems too little for a life-saving treasure don’t you think?” He questioned.

“Don’t try and haggle kid, if anyone found out you have that on your person you wouldn’t live long. I’ll add 10 extra gold coins to the price, but only so we can build relations. I’ll be honest, I like you kid. If you managed to get an item like that with your life intact then you’re someone worth working with.” Grumbled Echo.

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“Oh alright, I’ll thank you for your business,” Alfred replied, feeling embarrassed that his bluff was caught out. “I’m also looking for some items that could help me.”

“We have plenty of Thief Equipment, Sticky fingers.”

Alfred’s eye twitched and his face turned glum. ‘I’ve never needed to steal anything my entire life, the only thing I stole was ideas and designs! Wait… that’s still stealing, whatever!’ he was conflicted as he fell into a daze.

“…Are you interested?” the man continued.

“Yeah, tell me the items you have,” Alfred said with a helpless look.

“Here take a look at this.” Alfred was handed an electronic device. He could see many useful items but there were two that caught his eye.

Grade-D Cloak of invisibility: reduces the presence of the wearer during the day, complete invisibility in dark environments.

Grade- D Shrouded Armor set: boosts movement ability and reduces sound when moving.

“How much are the Cloak of invisibility and the Shrouded Armor set?” The boy asked.

“I can give you the set for 10 gold and the clock for 50.”

“Okay deal.”

Alfred handed the clerk the talisman and received the merchandise plus 10 gold. Looking pleased he stood up.

“Before I leave, do you have anything that can help me change my appearance?”

“I have plenty of items that can do that but most are not very effective against stronger opponents,” Echo informed.

“Do you have anything that can make me look older?” The boy asked.

“If you want something that can alter your height I have a C-grade talisman that can change your appearance to whatever you desire. Even B-Class mages will find it hard to discover your identity unless they use a special item or spell,” the clerk explained.

“How much?”

“95 gold.”

Alfred winced when he heard the price, “got anything cheaper?”

“The cheapest in that category would be the Troglodyte Aging Ointment, it changes your face but not your height. For 5 gold you can have it.”

“Alright,” Alfred said reluctantly and gave him the gold.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the clerk smiled before reaching for his feather pen and continuing his writing.

Alfred left through the door while feeling robbed.

Back at the bar, he noticed the Viper was serving a man in black with an indigo belt. Paying no mind Alfred made his way out the entrance.

The man looked at Alfred once before turning back and continuing his conversation.

After leaving the Inn, Alfred decided to grab some food before heading home and trying out his new equipment. He walked passed some roads before making it to the markets.

The food in the slums was not very appetizing but when you were starving, anything would taste great. He found a stall that sold some rice and mystery meat before buying a healthy portion.

The stalls were some distance from his hut, he dragged his feet while he made his way home and arrived half an hour later.

The rice was dry and stale while the meat was salty and slimy. Closing his eyes, Alfred scoffed the food down and threw the scraps outside.

The clerk had given him a sac to carry the wears sold, Alfred opened it and took a look at his new cloak. It was made of thick black cloth and gave off a mysterious air.

The boy put it aside before taking out the Armor set. The black Armor set was made of tough leather and absorbed all the light that hit it.

Alfred slipped on all the pieces, which included some boots, bottoms, top-plate, and arm guards. They were initially oversized but shrank down to fit his frame, he was impressed with the functionality.

‘I’m going to take a nap and wait for nightfall, then see what all these skills and equipment can truly do…’ He made a plane before knocking out on his bed.

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