As I entered the only Merchant shop of this settlement, I found the merchant Lloyd, the fat brown brown-haired man, sitting behind the counter counting the gold coins on the table. He wore a brown coat over his white shirt while the bottom was hidden behind the counter.
My eyes slowly traced the notes and papers scattered on the table before I looked at the shelf behind him, holding half a dozen potions. Though my eyes slowly focused on the silvery dagger present there, shining a bit more than the others, before I turned back to the man in charge of this shop.
He was already looking at me, his eyes half confused at my appearance and half worried for some reason.
"Ezekiel. Anything I can help you with?" He asked with a pressed smile, most probably hoping for me to finish the business that I came here for. I gave it a bit of thought before moving closer to him as I asked,
"Do you happen to have any daggers or swords you are selling? The one I was using broke."
A bright smile appeared on his face as he nodded before he stood up with difficulty as he asked," I certainly have a few. Though, what's your budget? It would be easier for me to arrange the weapons based on that."
Looking at the 10 Silver coins I had, I pondered for a few seconds before answering,
"5 Silvers. Think I can get a good weapon with that?"
"5 Silver, huh? It won't be enough but I should have two that I can spare for you. Consider it a discount since you helped me out," Lloyd spoke as he brought two weapons and placed them on the table in front of me.
[Sharpened Dagger
Attack: 10~15
Defence: 0
Durability: 50/50
Remarks: Built to last. Might break if you try too hard though.
Cost: 4 Silvers]
Unlike the pure wooden handle in the basic dagger, this one had a black leather handle. As for the blade, it was sharper and more silvery than the basic one. Overall, it was aesthetically pleasing, making me nod before I got to the other one.
[Pincer Rapier
Attack: 13~18
Defence: 0
Durability: 70/70
Additional:
+2 Pierce Damage
+2% chance to ignore the opponent's armour
Remarks: This is not the sword that I ordered from that Amazon warrior!
Cost: 5 Silvers!]
A rapier with a black handle, probably made from leather as the one that the [Sharpened Dagger]'s handle had. I liked the additional options but a rapier wasn't the best of the options I had given my fighting style.
"What about that dagger?" I asked as my eyes landed on the shining dagger on the shelf behind him. Understanding what I was talking about, he chuckled as he stood up without saying anything. Tiptoeing a bit, he took out that particular dagger before presenting it in front of me.
[Enchanted Silver Dagger]
[Attack: 20-30
Defence: 5
Additional Effects:
+20% Chance to cause bleeding
+20% Damage against undead
+For every kill, increase total attack by 2% for 1 minute
Durability: 250/250
Remarks: It will cost an arm and a leg before you can have it. Forget it, how are you gonna wield it with one arm and one leg, anyway?
Cost: 70 Silvers!]
The price is high but not too much. Still, high enough for me not to think about it for a while.
All I could do was give him a pressed smile before he chuckled and took the dagger back and placed it back where he had bought it out from. Meanwhile, I kept observing the two weapons in front of me.
Rapier or Dagger? While the Rapier is definitely better based on raw stats, given that it's one of the least used weapons of mine, it would be much better to go with a dagger. Hmmm? Should I change my entire approach and choose a bow or a spear? Nope, that won't be the wise choice, either. Let's just go with the dagger and trust our skills for now. I gave it serious thought before choosing it. If it does not work, I would simply buy the Rapier later as well.
"I will be taking this," I spoke as I paid 4 Silver Coins for the dagger to Lloyd, to which he gave one coin back with a smile as he added,
"3 is enough. Just make sure to listen to the request of this merchant, will you?"
Just as I thought, Lloyd was probably the key to solving this second part of the quest.
[You have purchased [Sharpened Dagger] for 3 Silver coins!]
Soon I saw his humble smile slowly turn grim, he looked deep into my eyes. And with his fingers fidgeting as he was mustering courage to speak, he then spoke with all the seriousness he could show,
"Ezekiel. What I am about to say is something that I should not be saying, it might even get me killed. But brother… please save me… I think the village chief is going to slaughter the entire settlement."