"How did you know that name? I knew it! You are a damn dog! Well, jokes on you! Everything here is clear, clean and above board!" Z practically hissed, their voice tightening with a venomous edge. Their eyes, usually assessing and aloof narrowed to predatory slits as they fixed on him with an intensity that promised pain for apparently tricking them. An air of anger and hostility slowly filling the store enough to make Alice back a step, her expression a mix of confusion and alarm as she looked between them, even Ash seemed far more on edge, a hand seemingly creeping to her choker.
John though remained outwardly calm, though a flicker of caution began to build in his gut. He had no desire to antagonize Z, put them in their place and try to turn the table? Sure, but not to antagonize or upset them. "I just used the skill you sold me," he explained, holding his hand up in a placating gesture. "My class did the rest after that, boosting its effects far beyond basic appraisal, that's all. So, calm down. And besides, if I were part of 'them,' wouldn't I have tried something already? Especially after seeing so much of your personal info?" He chose his words carefully and kept his tone even, hoping to de-escalate the situation and preserve any chance of future transactions with the volatile merchant. His mind was already mapping out potential deals and items he would want them to get for him and Z, despite their eccentricities, was a source of unique and powerful items he couldn't get anywhere else.
Z's gaze remained locked on him, suspicion warring with logic before slowly, almost imperceptibly they nodded, a grudging acknowledgment of his reasoning. Yet, the intense glare never fully receded, leaving him to wonder just how much Z believed him and more importantly, how much detail his skill had actually revealed about them. The air though, well still tense no longer felt quite so ready to snap.
Sensing the lingering unease, he quickly tried shifting gears. "Ash," he said, turning slightly to his companion, "why don't you talk to Z about what you wanted to know and hope they can help you get in the future? It might be a bit more private if I keep Alice busy for a moment so you aren't interrupted." He hoped this would offer Z a chance to cool off and Ash a less scrutinizing environment where Alice would no doubt try to needle her about anything she would choose for herself, he hoped it might even pave the way for a more normalized rapport between them.
Biting her lip, Ash nodded slowly in agreement before casting one more a quick, unsure glance at him before stepping towards Z. Z though still kept their eyes on him, they seemed to flicker with a level of distrust but before they could comment or try to say anything another gleaming coin was tossed over towards them and landed on the counter. The faint ring echoed in the silence as it landed causing Z's expression to instantly soften, their attention snared by the glint of potential profit. With a swift motion they pocketed the coin before questioning Ash about anything and everything she could want well flipping through various pages in the catalog.
While Ash was going over the various items John turned to Alice. "So, see anything interesting while you were browsing?" he asked, a gentle smile on his face. She slowly turned her gaze from Z to him before slowly nodding, her initial trepidation fading as she pointed out the array of peculiar goods.
"There was this," she began, her voice a hushed whisper, "A razor whip that looked like it could flay someone in an instant and then there's also this pony toy." She seemed to be visibly vibrating, as she spoke of the second item. "When I saw it, I couldn't help but want it!" She added excitedly, the 'pony toy' looked like it was straight from hell, with blood dripping all over it with a sharp, bared teeth smile. "I'm not entirely sure how something amazing like this could be classified as a weapon but I really see myself using it but then these that razor whip!" He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the supposed toy but wisely decided not to pry into the demonic equestrian's use or purpose. "Perhaps," he suggested, a note of gentle guidance in his voice, "you should try something you're more comfortable with. Like a good knife or something similar." He certainly didn't want to risk her accidentally flaying herself with a razor whip or worse, bringing home Satan's little pony.
After a full ten minutes of careful deliberation, his quiet advice and a lot of pouting, Alice finally settled on her chosen items. The first was a vampiric dagger, its handle intricately carved with a promise to heal its wielder based on the amount of blood it drank from their enemies. And for her armor they had settled on a large, pristine red ribbon bow, seemingly simple yet able to increase or decrease its size and length at will along with possessing a slight, almost imperceptible stab resistance. It was more for show and utility than battle but far better than the bulky, oversized obsidian armor she had tried hard to convince him 'she needed'. As for himself, John chose a sturdy blacksmith's hammer. He felt its raw utility would serve him well until he could craft his own bespoke weapons and would be a good addition to his dagger and chains, adding a blunt weapon to his arsenal. As his piece of armor, he selected a simple looking blacksmith's chain mail apron, even though it was heavy he hoped to use it as an extra layer of defense for his front. He made a mental note to inquire about some carving knives from Z once they returned along with possibly other goods he could use to craft and grow stronger, maybe about other supposedly 'watered down' skills he could turn into something versatile and useful.
"Is there anything else you want, Alice?" he asked, with a small smile, enjoying the way she seemed to light up even further. "I don't mind trying to get you or Ash another item or two, within reason of course." A thoughtful look seemed to cross her face before she eventually shook her head. "No, at least not right now," she replied, "but I'll gladly take you up on it once I see something I really want so don't forget this offer mister!" He simply smiled at her before promising it, that seemed to bring an even brighter smile as she squealed in delight. The genuine joy radiating from her was the exact response he had been wanting.
"Well you two having fun," Ash's voice, cheerful and teasing cut through their quiet exchange, making them both jump slightly, not having realized how close they had gotten to one another. She popped up between them, having seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "What did I miss? Or was it just more filler again, like a Naruto episode?" She winked, completely ignoring to the earlier unpleasantness John had with Z and there skeptical and uneasy gazes they had sent them before.
"Nope, no filler this time," John said simply, feeling amused yet feeling oddly annoyed by her timing. "But if you're done browsing, I wanted to ask what weapon and equipment piece you wanted. Also, I'll be given you an extra item if you see something you really like or couldn't choose between two of them." He watched her eyes widen, a look of surprise quickly morphing into one of pure excitement.
"I want the armor-breaking battle axe and the arm guards of strength!" she burst out, her words tumbling over each other. "And then… the snake chains as my extra item! And no take-backs!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, making him laugh outright. She had clearly processed his offer of an extra item quicker than he anticipated.
After confirming their choices, Z seemed positively ecstatic, their earlier coldness completely forgotten at the prospect of more coin. They seemed particularly delighted when John paid a total of six coins for Ash's formidable-sounding armor-breaking axe, something they refused to allow to be part of the free item and armor offer. John, however, couldn't shake the vague unease. He definitely felt something was off, especially when Z repeated their familiar "no returns and no refunds" spiel with an overly wide grin. Selling an axe of that description for what felt like well below its true value was suspicious if it really could ignore armor or break it. Yet, he kept silent, hoping this display of trust and good faith would help build a solid foundation for future dealings. He knew they needed Z more than they needed him and sometimes a little overspending could be seen as an investment.
It was only moments later, when he took the time to appraise their newly acquired items properly, that he realized why Z had practically given them away and only proved to confirm his feelings.
For Ash, the snake chains proved to be far more finicky than expected. They required a person to verbally command their actions and even then, they could only accept simple orders such as 'stab forward' or 'wrap around my waist.' To be used effectively in battle, they would first need to be explicitly ordered to unwrap from wherever they were kept and then told what to do step by step. What's more, they couldn't target independently, instead needing the user to manually direct their every movement and action. The armor-breaking axe, while powerful in name was immensely heavy. Though it could indeed break armor this ability only applied to items of normal or below quality and even then, its weight made it difficult to wield with any speed or precision, clearly meant for someone with a lot of strength and immense size, Ash was convinced she could use the bracers to offset the weight of the axe and well at first they didn't seemed to have no real issues and did indeed doubling a person's strength they soon discovered they weren't easy to remove and the sudden doubling of strength took a lot of effort to adjust to, which would resulting in accidental over-exertion or, according to the description, possibly tearing muscles.
Alice's items also had their quirks. Her red bow showed some slight fraying along its edges, though it was barely noticeable. More importantly her vampiric dagger couldn't be used yet. Z had stopped her from touching it directly and began to sternly inform her that she would first need to feed it a steady flow of blood until it was satisfied to even make the slightest use of it and even then it would prove to be picky, she claimed it was cursed and somehow developed its own consciousness through thirst and a final, pointed reminder to always keep it fed regardless if it was satisfied or not.
Oddly enough, the blacksmith's hammer John chose had no apparent downsides other than not having been appraised by Z. The merchant had felt it was a waste of time and effort to spend on such a seemingly mundane and worn-out item, a decision John now realized was his stroke of luck. His appraisal revealed it carried a hidden chance to increase the quality of any items created using it. The blacksmith's chain mail apron, while perfect for working at a forge and a good means to add to his defense would apparently increase in weight when away from a forge and lighten when close to one. Though not cumbersome enough to truly impede movement, it definitely made him a lot slower, bringing an unexpected weight to his steps.
However, as John tried on the apron, something astonishing happened. His existing cloak, the one he'd acquired far earlier seemed to ripple and flow, engulfing the heavy chain mail just as it had once done with the armor Lesh had chosen. Z, who had been watching with a smirk suddenly froze, their eyes widening in disbelief at what they were watching. The cloak began to transform once more, It grew slightly heavier as a faint, metallic chainmail pattern visibly weaving itself onto its surface like a shimmer before what looked like flickering flames and small, red sparks began to dance across the fabric, giving it a unique, almost molten appearance before settling down, now looking like a cloak with a chain pattern and faint sparking flames trailing from the bottom that seemed to slowly flicker upwards depending on how the light caught it.
"How much for the cloak!" Z shrieked, their voice abruptly escalating from shock to unrestrained avarice. Their eyes were wild yet fixed solely on the shimmering garment. "I want it! Tell me, tell me, tell me! I will gladly trade or pay for it! How's 700—no, 650 coins sound! It's really generous for a used item! And I'll throw in 40—no, 30 more gacha tickets ontop! You could win something much better than a shoddy cloak that way!" As Z screamed, they launched themselves at him, their hands reaching out to examine the transformed cloak, catching him completely off guard and leaving him stunned as they circled him, examining each part with a burning intensity and desire.