"Anything that might prove useful would be greatly appreciated," I said and smiled my most charismatic grin. It had been quite some time since I'd last tried to make someone like me.
"Let's see," he said, and looked like he was thinking over it. "I definitely cannot sell you something rare that would immediately give away I'm helping you. Perhaps..."
"Yes?" Louie asked, as enthralled as I was in what the satyr had to say next.
"This might work," he muttered to himself. Then he leaned forward, elbows on the display in front of him. "Perhaps I can give you something which might be useful in multiple situations. I know just the place where you'll be able to use this, but of course you understand that I can't possibly provide you with this information. However, if you're witty enough, and I think you are, I don't doubt that you'll figure it out when the time comes."
"Sounds good," Louie said,
I also nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"Let's see now, where did I put it?" the man said, shuffling a few boxes and drawers in the background of his shop. "Ah, here it is. The precious."
He brought forth a small box covered in light-blue velvet. He opened it and inside lay a large leather bag tied with a dark-green rope. I was patiently waiting to see what he'd take out of the bag when I got a new item window.
Item: Minor Bag of Aeolus
Type: Magic Item
Durability: 720/720
Grade: D Grade
Weight: 2st.
Description: The Greek god Aeolus, the keeper of the winds, has enchanted this bag to contain a strong gust of wind that will be released when the bag is opened. The wind will blow in the direction the bag is facing for 30 minutes, and the bag then takes 20 hours to refill.
"Wow, that is seriously cool, Alex," Louie said excitedly.
"I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I don't see how this would help us."
"I'm already doing something I shouldn't be, young sir," the satyr said and closed the box again. "Perhaps you would rather select some of the wares on display?"
"No, no," I said, wondering if this might be just a merchant gimmick but giving him the benefit of doubt. There was something irrefutably trustworthy in the way he talked and carried himself. "How much does it cost?"
"Two hundred," he said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "and this is a special price I'm giving you because you're here for a noble reason."
"Oh, just two hundred dollars?" I said, surprised at how low this was priced compared to many of the magic items I'd seen on the DEM. "Then definitely, we'll take it. Perhaps you've got one that's a higher grade than this one? A greater--"
"That's two hundred astraliums, sir," the satyr said and tapped something on a DEM tablet of his own before showing it to me.
"Twelve thousand dollars?" I almost shouted. "That is one hell of an exchange rate, man."
"It is what it is," the man said, putting his hand on the box and pulling it toward him, ready to hide it again. "Do we have a deal, gentlemen?"
I hesitated. The chance that this man was trying to trick me and was just using some kind of class skill to appear so trustworthy was definitely high. What's more, twelve thousand dollars was nothing to laugh about given the current state of my DEM account. I knew I'd make the money back as soon as I returned to the Cosmos but I wasn't sure how long it would be before then. On the other hand, there was a very slight chance that the satyr was telling the truth, and I didn't want to be situation when something like this would prove useful and regret being too stingy to buy.
"Deal," I said.
Louie barked in excitement.
"You're doing the right thing, sir," the man said as he handed me the whole box. "Can I interest you in something more?"
"I think we're good for now, thank you."
"Have a fabulous night. And good luck with your quest," he said.
"Thank you," I said and waved him goodbye.
"Have a great night as well," Louie said, before leaving.
Pretty soon, we'd made our way back to the Resting Nook, up the stairs to our room, and into our bed. The day here was shorter than in the Cosmos, but for us it had been as full as any other day could be. We almost fainted into sleep the moment our bodies touched the bed.
The next morning, or at least what seemed like the morning judging by the creeping suns on the horizon, there was a knock on my door.
"Yeah?" I called, and Louie yawned loudly, too sleepy to even bark.
"Mishter Thunder, an emisshary of the queen is waiting for your downshtairsh," the familiar voice of Rajit An Inan replied.
"We'll be right down," Louie said, and immediately got out of bed.
"Is it time already?" I asked.
"Get dressed," he said and cast his telekinesis spell to open the door. "I'll go wake up the others."
The irony of me doing as my dog commanded didn't dawn on me until I was already out of bed and gearing up. Not that I cared much. This was going to be his day.
Leo and Louie waiting for me when I went downstairs, while Rory was stuffing his mouth with freshly baked bread. Next to him, a woman wearing a thin velvety white dress was watching him indifferently.
Name: Aquia Lanath
Race: Undine
Class: Singer of Magic
Level: 53
I wasn't sure if undine as a race belonged to the faeries, since this woman didn't have any wings but then again, it didn't look like she needed them. Her feet weren't actually touching the ground and a glow permeated her light-blue skin whenever I wasn't looking directly at her. It was as
