Chapter 9: Chapter 9. Open for Business

“Come one, come all! Challenge yourself against the might of the legendary Cactus Warrior! If you manage to land a single hit on him within a minute, you can take home 100 gold coins. He will defend himself with nothing but cactus magic. For the strong and mighty only, you can try to defeat him for the grand prize of 500 coins!” Alexander stood on the side of the street yelling out to any passerby. After logging their heads together for most of the night, Alexander realized Thomas was a useless bag of muscles. Apart from surprisingly being at Grandmaster tier, he had absolutely no marketable skills. However, building on their victory over the bandits yesterday, they both came up with the idea of making the legend of the Cactus Warrior a reality by combining both their talents.

“You there, sir! The guy with the big arms. Yeah, you. Come here. It only costs a single gold coin to try to hit him. Why don’t you give it a try? A gold coin is worth about as much as a candy bar these days. Isn’t this new experience worth a candy bar? And don’t you worry about any injury, for 5 extra gold coins, I’ll heal you immediately. You know what? You look like such a strong man. I’ll just go ahead and write you down for 5 gold coins. For the price of 5 coins, you can sign up to fight the Cactus Warrior. Healing is included in that one which means you get to save your original single coin. Isn’t that great? I can feel your aura from here; you’re definitely taking home the grand prize.”

The man eventually relented and got into the queue. The city of Kalas had welcomed them with an open wallet. They had bought a stool and some scrap wood, made a sign, and set up a stall in the outskirts of the city, and within a few minutes, they were approached by their first customer. Whether it was due to Alexander’s genius marketing, or the fact Thomas was wearing a cactus on his head with holes cut out around the eyes and defending himself only with what the pair titled cactus magic, the world might never know, but pretty soon, a long line of people waited to try the novel challenge.

With each fight, Thomas would begin by making a cactus float through controlling the water inside it. If the person was attempting to strike him, he would use a wall of cactuses to prevent them from reaching his body. If the person had instead opted for a fight, he would simultaneously cause each cactus to explode by calling the cactus water to surround him, after which he would immobilize the challengers with the sticky cactus water. Every fight, Thomas would slightly injure the contenders, showing off the healing and allowing Alexander to train his white flame.

Noticing noon was fast approaching via a nearby clock tower, Alexander called out. “We’re gonna be closing shop for the day, people, but worry not. The Cactus Warrior and I will be back tomorrow at 8 AM. Mark your calendars! Can the Cactus Warrior remain undefeated for a second day? Find out tomorrow, again that’s at 8 AM.” Following the announcement, he took down the sign, picked up his bench, and moved towards the fighters to heal any remaining wounds.

As Alexander finished healing the last of their customers, he chucked the money into the pile now resting in the cactus sack. He figured putting the money in Thomas’ bag would be the easiest way to prevent thievery. The confident smile drained from his face, and he slumped to the floor next to Thomas. “I can’t do this anymore, man. We’ve been at it all morning. I feel like my heart is gonna burst out of my chest every time I yell out into the crowds, and don’t even get me started on collecting the money. This is a nightmare.”

The only hitch in the plan was how much of an introvert Alexander was. Thomas quickly decided the persona of the Cactus Warrior would be a quiet, brooding warrior. That left Alexander with the task of gathering customers, much to his dismay. After a drawn out back and forth argument, Alexander was convinced of treating this like working at the hospital, but even a work voice had its limits. His limit turned out to be a little over 4 hours, impressive in Alexander’s book.

“That’s okay, buddy. We made some great cash in only four hours.”

“Oh yeah? How much total?”

“157 gold coins.”

“That’s amazing! That means we earned ourselves enough for another night in town plus some food. “

“And most of our business came at the very end there. Hopefully by tomorrow more people have heard of us, and we can earn even more.”

*Grumble* Alexander grabbed his stomach as it rumbled. “I’m glad we earned some good money, but can we go find some food already? My stomach is protesting, and I intend to appease it.”

 

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In a small inn room neatly decorated with two small beds with a window between them and a desk and chair off to the side, Alexander and Thomas sat enjoying crab pies. In a rare display of self-discipline, Alexander had offered to eat the cheapest food available, but Thomas, as it so appeared, was a huge foodie. He fiercely argued if anything needed to be budgeted, he would rather sleep in the tent to allow for better food before going off on a rant about how the body was a temple and the taste buds were the physical connection to the soul. Alexander ended up accepting Thomas’ plea in exchange for grabbing the food to-go and eating in the room. No matter what, he was in desperate need of peace and quiet.

“How are you not exhausted? We were out there for almost 4 hours.”

“You were the one working hard. Calling out to everyone and healing about a dozen people must’ve sapped you dry. All I did was move some cactuses and splash some cactus water. It would be a little lame if a Grandmaster’s mana supply dried out from that.”

Alexander held the crab pie in his hand while he processed Thomas’ words. “Wait, so that means I’ll be able to heal more people without feeling like my body’s gonna shut down once I’m stronger? That’s awesome! You gotta hurt the challengers a little more, bro. I feel like I’m on the cusp of reaching the next tier and more complicated healing will get me there.”

“Uhh, sure. I never thought a doctor would ever be asking me to hurt people more. It’s no sweat on my end, but aren’t you a pacifist?”

“Technically, I was only ever a medical aid. Anyway, that’s what I used to follow, but the last few weeks have really flipped my world upside down. I’m still trying to work it out, but I don’t think what I’m proposing is bad. We aren’t forcing anyone to challenge you, and I’ll heal them as soon as the fight’s over. All’s well that ends well.”

Seeing his friend rationalizing the situation, Thomas remained quiet. He knew how it felt to have your life upturned. With a slap to the back, he smiled at his friend. “You’re totally right. Maybe by tomorrow morning you’ll finally be at the Senior Apprentice rank.”

Alexander smirked imagining his approaching power-up. “That’s the goal.”

“Okay, but before then, I’m gonna walk around Kalas and try to search for some information regarding our next destination. Want to come?”

“I’m gonna pass on this one. I’ll just take a nap in the room while you go look for directions to our secret adventure. If you find anything fun, come get me.”

 

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“Haaaa.” Thomas sighed as he sat on a street bench watching the people go about their day. He had told Alexander he was heading out to find information, but he didn’t actually know how one would do that. He had sat inside of bars and stores listening to the surround conversations hoping to stumble onto something of note, yet life wasn’t going how it did in the stories. After hearing nothing except for the town gossip, he began to outright ask people if they had heard about a town in an island in the southernmost frozen tundra of the Tecon Desert, the name of the desert he and Alexander had met in, but all he got was confused stares.

Grandma told me the ruins were special. That I would only be able to enter them if I first found the hidden village in the south, but all these people just keep talking to me about a port in the Southeast coast. I suppose I’ll just look for supplies and try again tomorrow. Let’s see… I need a map of the area, the entire island if possible and a coat for Alexander. I can’t imagine a fire Elementalist does well in a tundra.

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Deciding to accomplish at least one of his tasks, Thomas stood up and began walking towards the city center. One of the things he and Alexander had quickly noticed was the city gentrified the closer they were to the palace. Although the guards never left the palace grounds, a certain degree of respect was given to the surrounding area. Thus, if he wanted to purchase goods with a higher quality, the shops closer to the city center were his best bet.

The city’s construction is a real shame. I don’t think the palace realizes how damaging not mobilizing its guards to the rest of the city is. Out in the outskirts, crime runs amok. Maybe I should stop by and let the guards know. Thomas walked with his head in the clouds as he wondered why the leadership here had allowed parts of the city to decay. He had been out in the town for only a few hours but had already intervened in three attempted robberies- not even counting the pickpocketing attempts. It didn’t take much effort on his end, a show of water magic would end the event at once, but the victims were always happy. I’ve never seen a city like this in Mesto. I mean it’s not even like younger men and strong-looking women are usually targeted. Everyone just goes for the elderly. Tlaloc would never allow this.

Before he knew it, he reached the richer shopping districts and shook the thoughts from his mind. The difference in quality between here and the rest of the city was easily visible. For starters, there were real stores built out of differently colored sandstone giving each building a more individualized identity. In the outskirts, each building melded into one as many of them were identical to lower costs. Shopping stalls made from scrap wood and signs, similar to what he and Alexander had made, saturated the streets, but here, the only stalls he could see were underneath a large canopy in an outdoor bazaar. The area was clean and orderly, with most stores having their own security personnel.

Thomas entered a store named “The Adventurer’s Corner” figuring adventurers would need maps, and he was immediately stunned by the amount of people inside. He had seen crowds of people in Mesto but never had he seen a store so full. He figured maybe Kalas did things a little differently before standing to the side by the door. What a strange land. If the store is this packed, how many employees must they have to help each customer?”

After several minutes of waiting, Thomas was beginning to become confused. He had seen loads of people come and go, but apart from security at the doors and some workers at the register, he saw no sign of any personal attendants. Perplexed, he turned to the guards and asked. “Excuse me. Where do we find the shopping assistants? I have a few things I’m looking to buy.”

The guard, a bigger bald man wearing sunglasses and a light-brown leather armor looked to Thomas and scoffed. “What are you talking about? Get looking or get the hell out of here.”

Thomas absentmindedly nodded his head and moved deeper into the store. I’m just supposed to shop around on my own?

 

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Following quite the interesting day, Thomas made his way back towards the inn under the light of the moon. He was emptyhanded, returning with a sack still filled with gold. In order to return home as quickly as possible, he was releasing snippets of his aura to preemptively thwart any attempted attacks on himself. After looking through the aisles of “The Adventurer’s Corner,” Thomas had ended up going into many of the stores in the upscale shopping district before finally finding maps in the bazaar; unfortunately, the citizens of Kalas weren’t shopping how he was used to. They would yell out prices, while the vendors counteroffered another, higher cost. The final sale price was always some sort of number in the middle. Realizing he hadn’t the slightest clue how much anything except for food costed, he decided to go home and return tomorrow with the worldly Alexander lest he squander their limited income.

I think father has talked about this before. Haggling he called it. What a strange method of business. How can they guarantee a profit when everyone pays something different? Doesn’t matter, I’m sure Alexander will know how to find a good price. It’s so odd. He’s also never left home, and yet he knew to make a stall, where to find cheap wood and even how to price our little performance. Could it be I’m missing some basic knowledge? Surely not, I was raised with the most prestigious of tutors. It’s just Kalas being weird.

A few minutes later, Thomas entered the room and dropped down on his bed, completely spent. Something about trying to understand how Kalas worked had fatigued him in a way fighting never could.

Alexander was currently sitting by the desk reading. Hearing a plop, he spun around in the chair to greet Thomas. “Hey! How was shopping?”

Face down in the pillow, Thomas answered. “Terrible.”

“Terrible? What happened?? Did someone seriously rob you? You’re a Grandmaster tier. I don’t think anyone of the caliber necessary to whoop you would really be stealing in the streets.”

“No, I didn’t get robbed! It’s much worse.” Thomas spun out of bed and flung his arms. “This city is so weird and stupid. I couldn’t figure out where to find information, and all the stores expect you to create your own prices. How am I supposed to know how much a dumb map or a pair of winter jackets cost? In every book I’ve ever read, the protagonist just walks around town before a stranger approaches them, tells them the info they need, and gives them a map. This is so frustrating!” As he finished the short monologue, he curled back into bed.

“Umm, what?” After some careful prodding, Alexander was eventually able to get the full story. “So you went out there, expecting to find a clue to a hidden ruin… in a bar… after only a few hours of searching because the stories you’ve read before explained that was the best way to find clues on treasure.”

“Well, yeah.” Thomas had become a little calmer now and was sat at the edge of the bed.

“And then once you decided to call it a day with that, a wise decision I might add, you became frustrated because the stores were so packed.”

“Don’t forget the haggling thing.”

“Right, the concept of haggling also upsets you because there’s no set price, and you’re not sure how much you should be spending. Does that about sum it up?”

“Yep.”

Alexander dramatically clapped his hands. “Then I know exactly what the problem is here.”

“Really?”

“It’s a two-parter really. First off, you really need to stop basing your decisions on the stories you’ve read. I don’t know what kind of kid’s book you read, but it already left you almost dead from dehydration with the cactus water. Don’t let it end our adventure before it’s even begun.”

“I guess I can do that.” Remembering the horrible vomiting and diarrhea he experienced before meeting Alexander sent shudders through his body. The near-death experience was a memory that would haunt him forever.

“The second part is a little trickier, but I think the gist of it is you grew up sheltered. How rich did you say your family was?”

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