Ozryn was considered the smallest city in the whole empire of Serene. Sitting in the territory of the Ravignac dukedom, it is surrounded by mountains and under the constant threat of monsters that lurked in them. No matter how small and how perilous its land was Ozryn was considered one of the richest cities.
By land alone, Ozyrn shouldn't have been a city however due to the huge money they bring to the Empire, they were awarded the title of City.
Numerous mines of different metals and gems can be seen in Ozyrn. The city also housed the best craftsmen and blacksmiths in the entire Serene thus its streets were always teeming with merchants and always bustling with trades. It was said that Hunters and guilds would have to visit the city even once in their life. That they must never miss the weapons and the armor sold in its streets.
Izik had always wanted to visit Ozryn yet he never really had any reason to do so. His expectations of the famed city were high but seeing and walking down its street, he knew those expectations were crushed to the ground.
Ozryn was way better than he expected.
After getting off the train almost two hours ago, he had hitched a ride with one of the merchants that took him to the city proper. Izik was rendered speechless by the tall thick walls that surrounded Ozryn. With the constant threats of monsters and bandits, Ozryn spared no expense in fortifying its defense. The walls were never lacking guards as well. He could see them patrolling around. He even spotted some on top of the walls.
"Looking for a weapon, Hunter?" A man grinned at him. He expected such a thing as soon as he walked down the trade street yet he was still caught off guard.
Izik tried not to get too excited at how he was addressed. He knew he looked like a Hunter based on his clothes but it still made him feel elated inside. Living all his life as Laic, Izik resigned to a boring and predictable life of finishing school, working somewhere, and maybe getting married but now all that dull future was shattering into nothing. He was now offered a dangerous path to walked into and somehow that path was enticing like no other.
"We got anything and everything you're loo—," The man placed his arm over Izik's shoulders but he activated his teleport and landed on the other side of the guy. The guy's grin widened, "You have some pretty tricks up your sleeve, Hunter."
Izik just gave a light shrug.
"Get inside and I'll show you our collection," The man jabbed a thumb at a small establishment. It was a weapon shop that was squeezed between other weapon shops. Izik wordlessly nodded as the man lead him inside the shop.
He didn't really get enough time to study about the whole city because of some /jerk/ but Izik hoped that he knew enough about the city and weapons not to get scammed. Even though people claimed that everything that was sold in Ozyrn was of great quality and value, humans were still humans. Plus he heard enough stories about how Hunters were usually scammed in Ozryn as they trusted every weapon and blacksmith in the city.
For someone who claimed he was not into gossip, Izik realized how much he knew because he was always listening. Maybe it was time to admit that, yeah, he's a little into gossip.
"What weapon are you interested in?" The man asked.
"Daggers."
"Ah," the guy was quick to guide him to a display shelf that held numerous daggers in different designs and variations. "You came to the right shop then."
Izik's eyes nearly sparkled at the daggers laid right before him. He had to inwardly scold himself, repeating how he needed to make sure that he kept his face blank. In this world, a face that easily conveys his emotions could be dangerous. Some daggers were simple looking while others have intricate designs. Some even have gems decorating them.
"We have every size and kind and design you could think of," the man huffed proudly. He grabbed one dagger from the display, placing it on top of the glass. Izik stared at the weapon with gusto. The dagger was made of what seemed to be onyx, its hilt was decorated with beautiful details and it was also embedded with a gem. Its full black color looked gorgeous and dangerous.
"This one is embedded with a special crystal that makes the dagger lighter and easy to wield," Izik watched the man toss the dagger in the air, playing simple tricks with it. "However, you can't underestimate how sharp it could be," Izik followed the dagger that was thrown on the wall. The weapon buried itself easily in the wood creating a satisfying sound.
The guy smiled at him, "What do you think?"
Izik let out a hum, "Interesting, however, I am more likely looking for a set of small daggers."
"I see," The seller gave what seemed to be a smug smile. "I have a thing for you... something I only show to a special client like you." Izik was dead sure it was a sales talk but it still piqued his interest especially when the guy disappeared to the backroom.
He went back after less than five minutes this time holding a wooden box which he placed on the glass before Izik. "If I were you prepare your money, kid, 'cause this is what you are looking for." Admittedly, Izik's interest was sky-high as he kept his eyes on the box. The guy paused as if checking how much Izik was interested in the weapon he was about to show. With a sly grin, knowing the Hunter was hooked, he confidently opened the wooden box.
Inside the box sat a beautiful set of silver daggers with small red gen embedded at its hilt. Izik was amazed at how beautiful it was. Even the hilt was made of silver and was carved with intricate and stunning designs. The daggers were positioned in a circular manner that surrounded a ring in the middle. The ring was also made of silver with a red gemstone embedded in it, it was also craved with runs from inside out.
Before the merchant can speak, a hand grabbed one of the daggers, "Impressive." A voice came next to Izik.
Izik turned his head, staring at the guy standing next to him, inspecting the dagger. He stood 6'1 tall with a lean build. His hair was short and red, which was styled to spike up. He looked young and handsome with his golden eyes being one of his biggest assets.
"It almost looked real," Another man spoke, who was standing next to the red-hair. He was taller, about 6'3, and his upper body especially his arms was built bigger. His hair was white as the snow, a bit curly, and long enough to cover half of his face. Izik almost jumped from his place when he saw a huge green boa constrictor wrapped around his shoulder and arm. The snake hissed, tongue out and it immediately filled Izik with goosebumps. Though Izik may not be scared of the monsters that lurked in their Empire, snakes, on the other hand, were a different topic. Izik was never fond of slimy creatures or any creature that critters. They gave him the heebie-jeebies.
"Excuse me," The merchant snatched the dagger off the red-hair's hold. "Who are you and why are you here? If you are planning to buy something wait for your turn!" He scowled.
The red-haired turned to Izik with a grin, his fangs showing, "Hey, are you planning to buy Obedience?"
Izik furrowed his brows, "/Obedience?/"
The guy pointed to the box of daggers. "This is called Obedience. It's named that way because the ring allowed you to control the daggers." Izik stared at the daggers, his eyes drawn by the red gems on them. It must be the gem that allowed the daggers to follow the orders of its master.
The merchant was quick to add, "That's right, this is the infamous Obedience. Designed by the best blacksmith of the era. This whole thing was coveted by a lot of Hunters and you are lucky that I have them on hand!" Izik barely listened to what he was saying, his eyes still on the weapon before him.
"A lot of people had been trying to look for this for years," the white-haired man hummed, his snake hissing. "It's definitely one of the best weapons out there." Turning to the merchant, he asked with a smile, "What class is this, sir?"
"Class S," The merchant proudly said. Turning to Izik the merchant let out a practiced smile, "And for you, you can have this one-of-a-kind weapon for only 2,000 gold coins."
It was expensive, as Izik thought. Hearing what the weapon could do, of course, Izik expected it to be expensive. The price the merchant gave was actually too low for the value of the weapon.
Something's not right, Izik thought
The red-haired whistled, "What a steal!" He then gently grabbed the ring in the middle and looked at it with scrutinizing eyes. Showing the ring to Izik, he grinned, "Look at how pretty this is." Wordlessly, he crushed the ring between his fingers. It shattered without much effort, small broken pieces scattering in the air.
There was a tense silence that hung in the air.
The white-haired man let out a quiet snort, covering his mouth with his fist, his snake just tilted its small head while the merchant looked at them with a face pale as a ghost.
"Don't worry," the red-haired man shook his hand, making sure he doesn't have the debris of the broken ring. He smiled wide, "It's fake. This is not the real Obedience."
Izik could tell.