We walked out of the guild house towards the center of town where the market was. Two blocks of shops, with the Town Hall in the middle, made up the shopping area. There were many stores for clothing, food, and other necessities. A few stores were more specialized for tools or adventurer goods. For fancier things, you'd have to go to the capital of the province at the very least. I'd never been, but I heard that it was a huge place with tens of thousands of people.
Uncle Rodney took out two four-copper coins from his purse and handed one to Ellie and the other to me. There were many types of coins, each twice as valuable as the last. There were four differently valued coins per metal (one, two, four, eight). The three metals held comparative value in such a way that sixteen copper was equal to one silver and sixteen silver was equal to one gold.
"I'm going to look for some equipment and to sell a few things I picked up on the way here. You can get something with the coins I gave each of you. We'll meet back at the Town Hall when we're done."
Uncle Rodney left us. Ellie and I split soon after. I wasn't sure if I wanted something sweet from the bakery or a training sword. Four coppers was a decent amount of money after all. My elder brother Micon, who was new to his apprenticeship as a mason, only earned about one silver eight copper per year.
I walked to the smithy next to the adventurers' general goods shop where they sold weapons and armor. There was another smithy outside the walls that handled the everyday items like tools for farming. I saw Uncle Rodney next door haggling with the owner of the shop as I headed inside the smithy.
The inside was sweltering with the forge blasting out heat. The master smith was working on a cuirass while directing the many apprentices to do their various tasks. The more advanced apprentices were working on their own pieces.
As I stepped into the shop, a man of fifteen or so came over to me.
"How can I help you?" he asked.
"Would you have an inexpensive training sword I could buy?"
"Looking to train with a sword. Hmm..."
The man looked through several bins at the side of the shop before returning with three options. I could tell that the quality of them wasn't amazing. They weren't chipped or anything, but the workmanship and finish left something to be desired. The first was about the length of a grown man's forearm, a short sword. It would be light enough to handle and something I could practice with now, but also something that I'd have to replace in just a few years as I got bigger.
The second was about a hand bigger than the short sword. This was the typical one-handed sword that knights used with a shield. It would be too heavy for one hand now, but it was something I could grow into.
The final option was about as long as a man's arm, a two-handed longsword. This was definitely not something I'd be able to use for quite a while, so it was out of the running from the start.
"What are the prices?"
"The short sword is two and a half copper. The arming sword is three and a half copper. The longsword is six copper. These were practice pieces made by the apprentices, so they're a copper or two less than a more well-made sword. However, these are perfect for practicing."
"Hmm." I acknowledged.
I wasn't sure which to take. If I wanted to be an adventurer, having a decent sword was almost a necessity. I suppose you could get away with a slightly cheaper one until you had the money for a better one, but trusting your weapon was important. Knowing that I'd need a weapon for a while and I couldn't know when I'd have enough money for a better one, I chose the arming sword. Although it neede two hands now, I could grow and the sword couldn't.
"I'll take the arming sword," I said, giving the man my four-copper coin. He handed me the sword and pulled a one-copped coin that had been cut in half and passed it to me for my change.
"What was your name young man?"
"Kameron."
"I'm Pon. Thanks for your business. Treat your sword well and it will keep you safe."
I thanked him and put the sword over my shoulder before walking down the road to the Town Hall to wait for Ellie and Uncle Rodney. On the way, I stopped at a food stall and bought several muffins for my remaining half copper.
When I arrived, Uncle Rodney was waiting for me. Ellie, as usual, wasn't there yet.
"What'd you get?" he asked.
"This," I said, giving him the sword.
He took the scabbard from me and pulled the sword out. He looked it over and gave it a couple of test swings.
"It's not terrible. The balance is off and the look leaves much to be desired, but it's a good enough starter weapon."
"I'll need one in a few years, so I may as well learn how to use it, right?"
Uncle Rodney laughed.
"I'll give you some pointers later. Your father can help you, too. Despite his easy-going nature, he's quite the fighter!"
"Mm." I agreed.
I shared one of my muffins with Uncle Rodney as we waited for Ellie.
* * *
It was nearly an hour later when Ellie finally arrived. She was wearing a bright orange dress that she'd bought. The fabric looked better quality that we were used to wearing most of the time.
"Hey, Ellie, took you a while," I teased.
"Shut it, Kam."
I gave her a muffin as an apology for being hard on her. The three of us walked back through the gate towards our house. The sun was low on the horizon by the time we got back.