The party arrived at Harkon just before nightfall. Splitting up as usual, Dagon headed to the guild. He'd already cleaned out his previous room, so he rented a new one for the night.
When the sun rose, the group met in the main hall of the guild. Eager to hurry up and continue their adventure.
As they entered Jack's shop, Dagon pulled the white tiger corpse from his storage ring.
Jack's eyes widened. "Where did you find this," he asked as he pointed at the large beast.
"In the deepest part of the forest of Umbria. We believe it to be the King of the forest," Dagon answered with a proud smile on his face.
Jack stared at the beast a moment more before replying, seemingly lost in thought, "it's beautiful. I've never seen such a beast before. We don't have many high rankers in Harkon, and none of them deem the forest of Umbria to be worthy of their attention. It seems they were slightly mistaken in this case."
Jack paused and inspected the corpse before speaking up again, "it's not in perfect condition, but it's still a marvelous beast. Due to its rarity, the price will increase drastically. I'll offer 5 gold coins for this."
All four of their faces smiled instantly. Everyone would be making good money off the loot today.
Dagon collected the coins before leaving the shop, Raj and Lily following close behind.
They found a table before ordering some food to eat while they made their plans.
Dagon gave Raj 2 gold coins, and Lily 1. He then proceeded to hand Lily 33 silver coins, before motioning for Raj to do the same. Lily had made one less silver coin than the rest, but she had no quarrel with it as she did the least amount of work.
"We can spend a few hours shopping for anything we might need on the rest of the journey. I'll give Targen his cut of the haste flowers on the way, and then we'll meet back here. The plan is to get a carriage to Valko city. It's a 2 day journey from Harkon, so be prepared," Dagon said to his group.
Both of them nodded as they ate. Dagon was satisfied with their agreement as he quickly dug into his food immediately following his speech.
Once they had eaten, the group split up to take care of their business.
Dagon went straight to the potions store to speak with Targen.
There was no one in the shop, so he headed straight for the counter.
"Good evening, Targen. I've got some haste flowers for you."
"Well that was quick, how much did you get," Targen asked as he raised his eyebrow, clearly surprised at the speed of Dagon's return.
Dagon laid the 30 haste flowers on the table before replying again, "30 of them just for you."
Targen's surprised face got even worse. His eyes widened, and his mouth hung open for just a second before he closed it.
"Very well, I'm impressed. I know I asked for the cut in exchange for the guide, but since you brought me so many, here's a little reward."
Targen reached under the counter and pulled out a bottle containing a light blue liquid. It splashed around the bottle as he put it onto the counter.
"This is a potion of strength. Although it's only low grade, it's a fair deal for the flowers you've brought." He put away the flowers as he spoke.
"Thank you, I'll see you again when I return, Targen."
Dagon picked up the strength potion and left the shop. Making sure to stuff it into the storage ring once his back was facing Targen.
He headed to the armory next. His current leather armor was torn at the shoulder, and wouldn't do him much good from here on out.
When he entered the shop a loud voice reached his ears.
"Welcome customer, how can I help you today?"
He turned to see the large man behind the counter. The man looked like a tall dwarf. Hair covered almost his entire face, and the back of it reached down to his thighs. He was a heavy set man. The perfect picture dwarf, only a couple feet taller.
"Hello, I'm looking for a new set of armor. I like the current style I'm wearing, but I'd like something with a little bit more protection without sacrificing movement if possible."
"I've got just what you need. Give me a moment."
The man quickly walked to the back room, leaving Dagon alone in the store. He browsed the interior for awhile before hearing the man's footsteps approaching once again.
"Here we go. What do you think."
The man dropped the bundle he'd been carrying onto the table. Dagon walked over to take a better look.
On the table were many items, more than his last set of armor. He had them laid out in the order they were put on to show the levels of protection offered.
The shopkeeper described each piece as Dagon inspected it.
"The leather armor is boiled to add extra strength and durability, while still remaining flexible. It comes in 4 pieces; the torso, arms, legs, and boots. The torso will cover your upper body, along with the shoulders. The arms cover from the wrist to the armpit, with a slight overlap from the shoulder guards. The pants slightly overlap the torso, going down to your ankles. Lastly, the boots will slightly overlap the pants. It's the best leather armor you can buy, that isn't enchanted at least."
Dagon nodded, moving on.
"Next is the robe. It's made out of wool, and tightens around the torso, making it easy to move around in. It's complete with a hood to hide your face, or remain hidden in the dark. I made sure to stick with the same color style you currently have on."
"Gloves are also an option if you're interested," Targen added after a pause.
Dagon studied the armor a moment more before replying. "How much for the set, including the gloves?"
"Leather armor is the least expensive armor we sell here, but this one is still slightly more expensive. Boiled leather, along with the added protection, adds to the price. You'll be looking at 1 and a half gold coins for the set."
Dagon was surprised at the cost of the armor, but it was worth the investment. His life was more important than any amount of money. He paid the man before changing in a back room, and slipping his old gear into the storage ring. He could've sold it, but having an extra set might come in handy some day, so he decided to hold on to it.
After leaving the shop, Dagon headed to the guild. He had everything else he needed for the trip, so there was no point in looking around.
He took out the strength potion to bide the time. There were still 4 more days until he could use the haste flowers again, but he figured the strength potion was free game.
After downing the bottle, it only took a few seconds for a familiar message to pop up in his head.
[Strength has risen to 13]
"Potions are much more convenient, too bad they're also expensive. Collecting ingredients is my only option at the moment," Dagon thought to himself.
He ordered some ale and waited for the group to arrive.
It was only an hour later that they stepped through the door together.
"Ready to go guys?"
"Ready," they said at the same time.
"Let's go find a carriage then."
"I like the new armor, it looks a little sturdier than the last set," Raj added as they walked.
"Thanks, for what I paid it better be a lot sturdier."
They all laughed as they made their way to the carriage.
After paying the man and planning the route, the group was off.
It was a long trip. They stopped to camp two nights, Dagon and Raj rotating watch. No dangers were present as the group enjoyed their first journey to a new town.
Valko city was only a stopping point for them, as they needed to hire a new carriage from them, but the group was still excited to see a new place. None of them had ever been to a city besides Harkon.
It was early on the third day when the trio arrived at Valko city. The gates loomed over the horizon as they approached. Lily was the first to notice, grabbing the groups attention while she pointed ahead.
The city looked to be equal size of Harkon from the distance.
Dagon remembered his first time seeing Harkon city as they got closer to their destination. Excitement bubbled in his body.
Dagon turned to his companions with a sparkle in his eye.
"The real adventure begins here," he excitedly announced.