The bulk of the loot (namely the rabbit pelts and the magic stones from the normal feralises) was distributed between the three divers. Each of them held their four magic stones and their four rabbit pelts, considering what they should do with them. For Cort and Emile, they realistically could only sell it.
Lond had the option of selling his share, or using his magic stones to strengthen the magic of his rings. Cort wondered if the mage would take that choice, or if he had something else he needed.
"Then what do we do about that?" Emile asked as he gestured to the staff the elite feralise had given them.
"I would suggest that we sell it," Lond said. "Split the money between us."
"You don't want to use it, Lond?" Cort asked. He had little use for magical implements, lacking any strong aptitude for magic himself. "That fire breath was fairly strong. Could've done serious damage if it hit us."
"I'd like to avoid using more fire magic if I can help it," Lond replied. He glanced over to Emile. "Dry air is enough to weaken you, Emile. Until we find a solution to that issue, I don't want to be the one impeding you with my magic."
"Appreciate it," Emile answered. He looked at the staff again, a soft disgust on his face. "What will you do with the money then?"
"You could buy more magic stones," Cort suggested. "Make your water magic better."
"That's my thought," Lond said. Cort could spot a thin smile forming underneath his mask. The mage leaned down to pick up the final reward from their dive. The elite feralise's magic stone fit in the palm of his hand, and glowed a soft orange color.
"How much better is that stone than the little pebbles?" Emile asked.
"The known magic stone grades are black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white," Cort answered. "The best I've ever seen is a green one the same size as that, and it sold for five hundred gold pieces."
"Interesting." Lond glanced at the stone, then at the rings on his fingers. He then laid the stone on the ground at the base of the staff, shaking his head to fend off any further temptation.
"I think we should split the sale just like the staff," Lond stated. "Cort, can you make a list of what we are missing right now? I've been keeping an eye on the other groups, and they aren't bringing just armor and weapons into the labyrinth."
Cort nodded and recalled the Diver's Trinity, a nickname for key equipment that all divers needed. He had been told it a thousand times by the experienced divers in Vim. The ones that forgot them lamented their absence, or did not live to do so.
The bottomless bag, an enchanted bag with infinite space to store loot. Gendy was the best brand, but it was expensive. It was usually a goal for rookie divers to shoot for.
A steady light source of some kind. The lair of the elite feralise was fresh in Cort's mind, and emphasized the need for a good one. An eternity torch would be a good place to start for their group.
Most important of all was a Core. A proper Core was a gear piece that would always be worn, strengthened by magic stones throughout the entire career of a diver. They could increase all the abilities of a diver, including agility, strength, endurance, and magic power. Slowly, but steadily, a Core became the most powerful and essential piece of diving equipment.
"We'll sell the orange magic stone and buy the equipment we need most," Cort told the others. "It should be enough for some cheaper stuff."
"And still leave money for food?" Emile asked, his smile wide and his eye's hungry as drool seeped through his teeth. Cort nodded nervously, as he was unsure how much a Savorian could eat.
The divers left the tent with all their spoils minus the in tow, making their way to the crowded areas of the encampment to go about their business. Their first stop was the main trading post, the largest of all the tents with numerous emblems of animals and weapons stitched into the cloth. Cort was worried at first, but spotted Ulgrim's wolf emblem and decided the trading post was safe.
Within the trading post tent was a number of shop stalls of all shapes and sizes. Anything someone needed for diving could be found, whether it be a simple tool or an outright weapon or even a tastier than normal ration.
Cort and his team's first stop was the main desk. In Vim, the main desk was managed by the local merchant's guild directly, and was the quickest place to trade in labyrinth loot for money. As it turned out, the Veranus encampment worked similarly.
By the time they traded in all their items, each of the three divers walked away with five silver coins and twelve copper pieces each. Even Lond sold his, seeming pleased with himself as he held the coins in his hand.
The merchant buying their stones looked at the orange magic stone for a moment, then to the divers, then back to the magic stone. "What dropped this item?" the merchant asked, running a thumb over the stone's smooth surface.
"It was an elite feralise," Cort answered. The merchant raised his eyebrows, then nodded to Cort. He reached under the counter to where the money box was, and Cort could hear the shuffling of coins as he gathered the payment.
They received fifty gold marks for the orange magic stone. They were provided a small coin purse to carry them around, and the three stepped away from the counter to discuss.
"Okay, we got super lucky," Cort said.
"He thought you stole this, didn't he?" Emile asked. "Smarmy little bastard."
"Let's take the victory while we can," Lond added, stifling Emile's frustration. "This will be enough to buy all of our things, right Cort?"
"And then some." Cort was still in shock. Fifty gold marks was more money than he had ever possessed in his life. He also realized that it literally cost him an arm to get that. He needed to keep a clear head.
The pressures of leadership and knowledge were on Cort's mind as they walked through the marketplace with their new funds. He had not expected to earn so many coins, so he thought he would need to carefully budget out their equipment shopping. Cort did not want to splurge though, as that was unfair to his teammates that worked so hard helping him on the dive.
They were able to buy a Gendy bottomless bag, which according to the seller could hold "a near infinite" storage of items. They bought an eternity torch for each member of the group, guaranteed light for up to twenty five meters. Cort got maintenance kits for his sword and purchased dried jerky at the insistence of Emile.
Then there were the Cores.
The stand selling Cores was a small wooden stand manned by a gentleman covered in tattoos. Creatures and scenery adorned his skin from head to toe, and his arm movements were wide as he advertised to the potential customer base walking in front of him.
"Come see the Cores, my precious friends!" he said in a vague attempt to sound ever mystical and mysterious. "I have jewelry from the furthest reaches of the world. The labyrinths are dangerous. No diver should be without a Core."
"Should we trust this man?" Lond whispered in Cort's ears. "He sounds like a fraud."
"These would be the best deal that we could get," Cort replied under his breath.
Cort ignored the man's further advertising as he approached the stand. He found the three pieces for him and his team quick enough. A copper ring painted white each for Cort and Emile, and a copper bracelet painted gray for Lond.
"Excellent choices my friends," the merchant whispered, his movements becoming smaller. "Alvari knows the wise eyes, even when the youth hold them. Do you know how these work, young divers?"
"Yeah we're good," Cort replied. He paid the man the listed price for the Cores before the group walked away. Despite their importance, Cores were not complicated to understand.
"The magic energy generated by defeating monsters is absorbed by the Core," Cort explained as they walked away from Alvari and his stand. "Stronger monsters equals more magic absorbed and faster strengthening of the Core."
"Simple enough," Lond replied. He was looking at the ring, holding his fingers to compare his new Core to his original jewelry.
"Alvari is a Jicotti name," Emile thought aloud. "But Jicotti are forbidden from marking their skin."
"Maybe it's a fake name," Lond suggested. "What shall we do now, Cort?"
Unknown to them, a prophetic sign appeared before them. A man was walking around with a wooden board hanging before his chest. On it read:
The Pit! Enjoy a fine meal and finer sport! 6 Silver Pieces a head! No better deal in Remus!
"We'll go eat," Cort told them, smirking at Emile. "I know we're all famished."