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Legends tell of heroes who met when their backs were against the same wall, desperate groups assembled by the remaining survivors of some cataclysm; others tell of parties that happened to assemble in a tavern at the right time to aid a wandering merchant on a quest that started as a mere afternoon's work that snowballed into a grand conspiracy.
In today's economy, however, that seems unlikely.
Sure, a marauding band of orcs might raid a small town now and then before being ousted by the State Troopers in their flashing red-and-blue mail, or a politician would be discovered to have been consorting with devils, but that was hardly the beginnings of anyone's quest-- though it would usually make the news, at least.
No, today's adventurers are more likely to be errand boys with swords. Sw0rd4Board, @Ven2r, and ClubHub host gig-based job postings that vary in prestige from clearing (literal) skeletons from one's closet to requests from clients who seem to be a little confused but are willing to pay a surprisingly high amount to get "valuable cargo" "escorted" to their home from Arby's.
It's this sort of work that appeals to you now-- whether due to a need for a little extra gold in your Wells Fargo account, expensive NSFW art commissions of your OC's, or simply a little fairly-compensated excitement on the weekends.
That said, save for an outfit and any family heirlooms, a quick look around your home and a little browsing on your phone prove two unfortunate facts:
You are currently drastically under-equipped for adventuring, and the local K-Mart is having a "Store Closing Sale" with a percent marked off of all items.
So, with either a bag jingling on your hip or a card checked and double-checked for your budget in your wallet, you arrive at the store with the big K on it.
The sale is still in its early stages; while it's not quite as well-stocked as before, you see very few bare shelves.
There are a fair number of people in the store-- more than there have been there at one time than there has been in years, in fact-- but to call it "crowded" is still a bit of an overstatement.
Most promising, however, is that everything in the store is at least 20% off!
Keeyan glances around quickly for any friends but then remembers that he's here to get some discounted equipment. 20% off isn't great, but it is better than full price. Maybe he could pick up a crossbow along with the pack that he would need to carry stuff. He grabs the closest shopping cart and heads to the sporting goods section.
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Zika had never set foot in the K-Mart before, and wouldn't have now if it weren't for the fact that she was desperate - and that it was closing. She walks past a display of "As Seen on TV" junk, like a small gelatinous cube to clean the floors of your apartment. "Down with capitalism," she mutters, remembering living in the forest commune with her family not too long ago. Sometimes it felt like yesterday, other times it felt like it had happened to another person.
"Now, now," A voice calls out from behind her, "You're much too young to be so cynical.... Even if you are right."
Rolling her eyes, she turns up an aisle abruptly, hoping to lose the spirit following her, even though she knew it wasn't possible for her to. While he claimed to be as powerless about their attachment as she was, she wasn't sure that was really the truth. "Dad, I told you to give me space," she hisses, "I need girl stuff. It's weird having you here."
A few seconds of silence pass, long enough where she starts to wonder if he has actually gone, when she hears a sigh. "I understand," his voice calls out sadly, already beginning to fade. "You're... growing up so fast. Call me when you're ready."
Zika tries to push down the pang of guilt, and pretends to look through clothes until she's certain he's gone, before breaking out into almost a sprint down the aisles, knowing she wouldn't have a lot of time before he would grow bore and pop back into this realm of existence. She makes her way to the other end of the store, heading right for sporting goods. Spotting what she wants nearly immediately, she forgets the feeling of disappointing her father, and picks up the composite longbow, looking down the sight as she draws the string back. "Girl stuff," she says to herself with a grin.
Edie is sad.
K-Mart has been around for as long as she can remember, and due to the BS shenanigans of the owners of the company it's been reduced to this shell of greatness that it once had. She's been dreading this trip with the rolling of her stomach -- it's morbid and terrible, like going to an estate sale of someone you know looking for that one item that you'd never be able to afford normally.
Picking over the corpse of a decaying retail giant seems to be about the only way she's going to get decent enough gear to not be dead on her first adventure.
She carefully makes her way into the store, minding the associates that are left and giving them all the space they need for whatever work they need to do -- she works the job, she understands all too well that this could happen at any given day at Crabbies and that'd be it.
Edie is tired
It's been a long day at work dealing with customers, and she's not quite sure how she managed to make it through the day, save maybe for the fact that she was going shopping to maybe help pick her spirits up some?
The tiefling keeps her eyes and ears open as she moves through the store.
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Bella is wondering the aisles with the Extreme Adventuring Witch's kit in a cart. A raven perched on her shoulder. She sighs the kit did not come with a material component pouch. Apparently for traditional casters like her you have to go look in the Tools section. Though the salesperson did not know if they had any in stock...after a long ten minutes of explaining what she was looking for.
As she approach the the Weapons section she thinks...Maybe I should see if the have a bow...Yeah my parents would love to hear that their daughter is using a bow brought in a store!...at a K-Mart!
"You should check out the bows Bella...you did spend all of those years learning how to shoot after all." The raven on her shoulder says in Elven.
"You are right as always...while I go look at weapons would you mind going to see if you can find me a spell component pouch."
"Of course...be back in a minute,"
Bella turns down the weapon aisle...looking for a bow...probably some daggers...maybe a rapier...
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The moment he entered the K-Mart Basil remembered why he never went there. The healthy food was overpriced while sugar and saturated fat were cheap. It was almost bad enough to make him miss the Tesco down the street where he grew up. Almost.
It had almost always been an issue during his years in the US. Food. Or better put, good, healthy food. Large portions of his budget would end up being used to buy fresh vegetables and fresh fish. The latter being one of the main reasons he preferred coastal areas as there he could usually buy his fish directly from the fishermen.
Luckily he wasn't here for the food. He needed equipment if he was going out into the world to actually find hidden treasures of his own. Yet when he asked the store clerk for equipment fitting for sleuthing she had pointed him to the 'Little Sherlock: kit for the junior sleuth and alchemist', which wasn't quite what he was looking for. Now he ended up with a kit intended for 'Wack Wizards', but at least it contained all the things he needed.
Next step would be armor, preferably something light, and some weapons to go with the heirloom katana he already had. Some daggers and perhaps something like a shortbow.
Edie is nostalgic
It was bound to happen, as Edie finds herself walking down the memories of the past, of youthful days spent shopping at other K-Marts with her grandparents, or her parents, or her aunts and uncles. I wonder if they still DO that these days. It'd be such a hoot -- though it'd probably be a good idea to not be too close when they did it.
Edie meanders her way towards the 'Armory' section, the 'Combat Equipment' area in particular and notes the elf as she's keeping a wary eye out for the ancient stand with the post of the Blue Light.
If it is nearby when it lights up, it will draw the customers like angry swarms of horribleness.
Still, she sees the elf and can't help but fall slightly into Customer Service Mode -- it's an occupational hazard of working far too many years in retail. "Hi, I'm Edie, you finding everything okay? I'm still not sure what I'm looking for, but maybe I can help you and that will help me?"
As a concession to the 'No shoes, No Shirt' policy that still applies a pair of flip-flops slap dangerously from her feet.
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Spoilers below are separated for ease of relevance, but feel free to read other spoilers if you'd like.
Better yet, it's marked down to 20gp and comes with a pack of bolts!
Slightly more in your price range, however, is a hefty-looking greataxe; it feels sturdy in your hands, if a touch unwieldy, but you figure it's just as likely to hit as anything else.
There, in all its glory, is a proper little hunting bow, strong enough to do some damage and properly flexible (you think; they're packaged to avoid random customers dry-firing them). Better yet, the pack comes with a free quiver of arrows, and it's only 25gp!
A bucket on the end of the aisle contains a number of daggers and shortswords, with a Buy 2 Get 1 Free*! (Of Equal Or Lesser Value) sign.
Edie is bargain-hunting!
As she passed briefly through the Hardware section she picked up two bundles of the silk rope she was looking for -- they weren't kidding about the markdown prices being significantly reduced!
Unfortunately, the weapons aren't doing a lot for her at the moment. The one spear she picked up fit her hand almost like it was built for it... but the price tag made it prohibitive... and then after that picking up the greataxe made it feel somewhat lacking despite the nice weight to the blades.
"Hi Edie I am Bella. I am finiding what I need here...but my familiar is looking for a Spell Component pouch. And I still need to go over to the electronic s section." she pause...."you work here?"
Edie is momentarily confused!
"Oh, hello, Miss Bella. If you need -- I *think* those are over in Hardware... and --" the tiefling begins to explain/offer before pausing for a moment, glancing down at what she's wearing, then her skin tone darkens a bit.
"Uh... no. I don't. But old habits die hard and you looked like you might need help..." Matron, I'm doing it again. Why am I doing it again?
"I'm sorry, I work in retail and it's beyond habit, it's been so conditioned in that even on my days off in stores I don't normally go to I find myself straightening shelves or trying to help customers."
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Klyto roots around the various hardware displays until luck strikes, tucked back on the bottom shelf are a pair of tool kits. These will really speed up his work on his more complicated pieces. He also snags a crowbar on his way.
So long bird Klyto calls as he moves over to the camping gear.
Snagging a backpack, he starts to load up for a long weekend trip; a bedroll and blanket, a compass, some silk rope, a pack of tindertwigs, some packs of rations, a waterskin, and a small tent to sleep in.
Excuse me Klyto slides past the conversing ladies Sorry to interrupt, but I did see a little raven over in Hardware trying to lift a leather sack. He tried to tell me something, but I couldn't understand a word that came out of his mouth. Have a good day
The adventure department has a decent selection. After a longing look at some of the heavier styles It's hard enough keeping up with the big folks a suit of leather lamellar gets dropped in the cart, along with a grappling hook. Klyto checks his wallet and realizing just how much he's saved springs for the spring loaded wrist sheaths. No idea what I'm going to stick in these, but the price can't be beat.
Recognizing Basil from times he'd been called to check antique arms and armor. Getting ready to head into the wilds? The armor hear will do for a start, but if you stop by the forge I can get something of better quality started for you.
Feeling a little flush he heads over to the pest control aisle and grabs a variety pack
Basil looks up as he hears a familiar voice, and turns to Klyto "That is the idea yeah. I figured I might as well go and look for some historical or fantastic items of my own. How hard can it be? And thanks for the offer on the armor, I just don't think custom kit is within my budget at the moment." Considering the buffoons that came into the show, not very.
Basil picked the bow and grabbed an extra quiver of arrows, just to be sure. He stops at the sign advertising cheap daggers and shortswords and contemplates his options. Shortswords would be nicer, but even at a discount they'd hurt his budget. Even with the discount the armor had put a dent in his budget. So with a sigh he resolved to stick to the daggers.
He the pulled out his shopping list and started mentally ticking boxes ticking for all the items he had grabbed. When Basil reached the bottom of the list he sighed again. He still needed a new maintenance kit for his grandma's blade. They'd never have the proper tools here, nor could he afford those, so some smithing set would have to do.
Keeyan puts the crossbow and quarrels in his cart and continues shopping. The rest of his list is simple stuff, a pack, a waterproof sleeping bag, and other camping equipment. He considers a lantern but then chuckles since he doesn't need one.... Maybe he'd been pretending to be human for too long?
"Understandable I also work retail...though I love my job...the customers are not usually annoying and my boss is awesome. Which is unusual for retail jobs.
As Klyto scurried past Bella calls out after him,"What? You could not help her?" than with a eyeroll to Edie mutters,"Men!"
She puts the longbow and two daggers into her cart and says to Edie,"Would you like to finish shopping with me? The poor employees here seem to be distracted and with our retail powers combined we would be unstoppable!" she pauses and adds,"I really hope Starwing has found a spell component pouch that is NOT branded with My Little Ponies, 'Friendship is Magical'. I have a certain ascetic to maintain after all."
"Okay." Zika says to herself, putting the bow and quiver over her shoulder, checking them off her list mentally, and doing some quick maths. "200 for the bow... half off... with the quiver... I still have 30 gold left... wait, that's not right."
Opening her pouch, she looks over the coins that represent the last of her inheritance, the only remnants of the money she escaped the old country with. "40 left." She sighs, wishing it was more, but pleased that it should be enough...
"No time to waste!" She exclaims, rushing down another aisle, and knowing that her father would be reappearing soon. Her only hope was that she'd already be outside in the parking lot by the time that happened.
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You manage to find what you're looking for, but it's not neatly bundled, unlike some of the more classic adventuring types' kits. Still, working off of what you find listed in the bard's kit and barbarian's kits, you're able to scrounge a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a lighter, an aluminum pot, a mess kit, a small hand mirror, rope, soap, ten torches, five days' worth of convenient trail food, and a name-brand waterskin. You're "missing" the spell component pouch and the instrument, but you've got something workable for both back home. You also find that the studded leather in your size comes with a nice bowie knife strapped to the thigh. In total, it runs you 46gp-- just affordable, and with enough left over to maybe grab some incidentals if you need them later.
You also notice a bit of movement from the boxes. Odd...
For a brief moment, you see a hint of a deep green hue, and something disappears off of a shelf near the stack of boxes.
[spoiler=Edie]As you pass by the hardware section, you see a section beside it; a square of floor that's been cordoned off, its shelves mostly empty. There's a bit of empty packaging here for bathroom goods-- toilet seats, shower curtain rods, the and the like-- stacked somewhat haphazardly in one corner.
For a brief moment, you see a hint of a deep green hue, and something disappears off of a shelf near the stack of boxes. Wait, was that... a goblin? It's none of your business, but...
The intercom crackles to life; it clearly needs a little maintenance, but it seems unlikely someone's going to fix the audio system in a store that's likely to be gone in two or three months.
The voice that comes through is deep and cool.
As budding adventurers, you will each be well-aware of Coca CLoWa's unique properties. One of the first regenerative carbonated drinks on the market, Coca CLoWa mixes the flavor and freshness of Coca Cola with a healing potion's restorative effects. The only "problem" is that the fizziness makes it take a while to drink enough for the restorative to kick in, but more than a few adventurers swear by it as a between-encounters pick-me-up.
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Klyto pauses and asks Bella a question in Wayang.
Not so easy to help when you don't know what's being asked. Not to be rude, but how was I supposed to help without knowing if or what help was needed?
Hearing the special announced he turns to rush over.
Ooh, that will be great for this weekend. I'm going to try my hand at adventuring.
Seeing the strange color in a cordoned off section, Keeyan steps closer and examines the area. To aid his viewing he quickly activates an app on his cell phone.
He hears the mention of the Blue Light special, but considering his mostly depleted funds decides against running over to it.
Edie is hopeful
"Customers are a fifty-fifty proposition, it's the Corporate you gotta watch out for... or why we're here, even. My boss seems to think I'm there to be fondled when he can't be caught doing it -- thankfully we have a lot of cameras after Corporate settled that suit against that one incubi that attempted to hurt a gnome." Edie offers with some consideration, then squints at Klyto, about to say something but letting Bella have the lead as the involved party.
"I guess that's why English is used a lot here to communicate. We start tossing in all those languages and things get confusing really quick." they offer diplomatically to both Klyto and Bella before grabbing three cold iron daggers and the great axe with some hesitation.
"I need to get some armor and some basic survival gear, what do you need to get beyond that, Miss Bella?" Edie offers hopefully then her eyes NARROW as she sees the Hardware section and the flash of movement. "Shoplifters. Gobs."
Edie's demeanor changes from casual and laid back to the edges of fury, almost as if she's about to go and murder every single one of the shoplifters with her bare claws and barely just barely keeping it in check.
Saved by the announcement Edie calms down slightly but it's clear that she wasn't expecting to find thieves on her time off and her normal workplace ritual isn't in place.
Edie is upset (Heavily Irritated)
Not sure what he is actually seeing Keeyan continues his shopping. Pricing out his supplies so far he figures it won't cost anything more than a bit of time to check out the BlueLight Special, so his pushes his cart in that direction....
Zika feels immense pride with herself for being able to cobble together what she needs (and within her budget, too!). Adventuring was something she'd been researching, been dreaming about, and finally being in the store and picking up the items that would enable her to do so were making it feel real. She thought that if he were able to see past what she were actually doing, her father would also be proud of her - her foresight and preparation, how frugal she was being. It was one of the few times so far that she had truly felt like an adult.
Frowning at the Blue Light Special announcement, she begins making her way towards the checkout. "Gross. Fizzy drinks." She mutters. "'Restorative agents', yeah, plus all the chemicals that they don't tell you about." She begins placing her items on the conveyer belt. "Processed magic. Unbelievable. This whole thrice-damned country."
"Oh the place I work at is privately owned...so no corporation. And my direct boss does fondle me...but since she is the love of my life...that is a bonus. Anyway enough about work..." she pauses to check a list..."I need the Spell component pouch and a Go Pro or something like that...
Hearing about the blue light special...
"I guess that could be useful for adventuring...coming?"
Bella sends a mental message to Starwing...Hold your position. Make sure no one takes the last spell component pouch
Edie is briefly exhausted.
"Oh. Privately owned store has it's own hurdles. Probably have a bunch of high-margin items, less stress, and a much more loyal customer base. And probably don't have to worry about people crapping up the aisles talking with their best friend instead of talking about shopping or whatnot." Edie offered with a weary smile as the conversation was thankfully shifted away from that tender topic.
Edie is upset (irritated)
"Let's go secure the pouch together, make sure that we have it... though I have no idea what a GroPro is unless it's some sort of 'enhancement' supplement? That'd probably be in vitamins, right?"
At the discussion of the 'restorative potion' Edie blanches a bit. "I'll go along with you, but I'm not going to buy any -- do you know how many fake sugars they cram into one of those to make it taste pleasant? You Do Not Want To Know.. Thinking about it, it's probably why it's on Special. Could you please do me a favor as we walk over and keep an eye out for a suit of armor that's actually, y'know, armor and not the chain-bras that someone thinks are good for someone who has bonus wings?"
Edie is semi-content.
Basil scrunched his nose as he heard about the Coca CLoWa. That stuff was horrible, or at least the US version was. Here they sweetened it with glucose-fructose corn syrup, which was horrible. Back home they made it with good, old fashioned, beet sugar, which was much better.
No, instead he proceeded to the tool section to find himself some weapon crafting tools. He just hoped it wouldn't include a portable anvil, he couldn't afford one of those.
Passing by the spear rack as he moved towards the tools he quickly grabbed a long spear. Having one of those on hand would always be a good idea.
Looking in the crafting section, you find a clear plastic case containing the tools necessary to do the job... but it's no secret that they're not great.
With a little scrounging, however, you find a few better pieces laying individually around the aisle and the one next to it, and are able to put together a kit of your own making that should do much better and run you right about 30gp. Not bad!
Combined with the white floors, it's almost a patriotic display.
As a few other shoppers pull cans and boxes into their carts (including a drow with an asymmetrical bob, a halfling with long hair and a faded Metallica tee, and a half-orc child who grabs one of the cans and immediately opens it, much to his human father's dismay), you hear a sound from somewhere across the store, near the hardware section. It sounds like a tone-deaf voice... singing, maybe? It's pretty far off.
When it comes to armor, you're in luck, but only slightly. A lone tunic (along with matching pieces) sits on the bottom shelf. Picking it up to inspect it, the smooth plates of horn click against each other as they shift.
It's not the first time you've seen a lamellar cuirass, and you know that some tieflings swear by them-- companies find it easy to slightly adjust the way the back lays to be reasonably comfortable for winged folks. Better yet, a small split in the back provides room for your tail. The way the sleeves and pants tie on isn't so bad for your claws, either.
And this one seems to be only 50gp. There's two missing panels, but they're right on the hip, and given how many panels are there (and where you expect to carry your axe), it probably won't be a problem.
Not to mention, there's not a lot of other options at the moment.
Keeyan watches as the crowd paws the stock by the BlueLight special. Mentally he knows that he doesn't have enough money left but he considers his 'inventory'. He has to have the backpack to carry various gear on an adventure. If he tried a cheaper sack he'd be constantly dropping it when he needed both hands.... The belt pouch was too important for stuff that he might need to access and not have to take the pack off and dig through it. Ditto the spell components app. He was a wizard after all!Rations, waterskins, mess kit.... The only thing he could possibly drop was the coffee pot. That would leave him just enough for one Coca CloWa.
Nah! He needed his coffee to start the day, and brewing it Texas style in a sauce pan and 'filtering' it with an egg? Nah!
He turns his cart toward the checkouts, pausing only long enough to chuckle a bit as the kid chugs his can. Strolling off he listens to the singing, also a bit amused. Maybe he could get back home and check the BBS for an adventure before his next shift. Or maybe he had some time for that Kingmaker game in Steam!?!
Bella will keep a eye out for armor for Edie...though her knowledge of armor is very limited...
As they wander..."A Go Pro is a camera that you wear that you can upload the video online. I am thinking of becoming a adventurer and doing a web show about things and I figured showing people my adventures could be...lucrative."
As they stop by the the Spell component pouches a Raven flies to shoulder. They converse in Elven for a minute as she adds the Spell component pouch to her chart.
As the approach the Blue Light Sale..."I try not to drink a lot of soda myself...but my healing is kinda limited at the moment...I can only heal people once a day...I can heal everybody in the world but only once in a day. So it might be...useful."
Edie is concerned.
Bella helps Edie by eliminating some of the obvious spots armor would be at, possibly unaware of how difficult it is to get armor for the oddly shaped.
"I'm not so sure about potentially being a 'Net star. I like having a little bit of privacy?"
After a few moments of searching she finds a lamellar armor piece that she folds up with a bit of a worried look and places it into the cart.
"Good point, but maybe they have something beyond the cola version, you know, like CLwater or somesuch? Can't hurt to check at least."
Those of you searching for more health-conscious alternatives find LaCure, a healing, sparkling water "flavored" to a bleachling's idea of what fruit might taste like. It is for this reason that gnomes typically either avoid the stuff entirely or delve into trying to detect the flavor in blind taste-test challenges.
Regardless, you find that it's currently selling for 30gp a bottle. It's also available in miniature bottles for 12gp.
"Yes...let's look for more healthy alternative...and one that is not as bad as weight gaining either."
Bella will pick up a bottle of LaCure...
[ooc] 34gp left[/b]
"You want to head over to electronics now? Or do you need something?
Basil grumbled. Even with some mixing and matching he wouldn't be able to get a proper kit below 30 gp, which he didn't have.
Then suddenly, when he was about to just grab the crappy set and pay he had an idea. He put the bad ones back, loaded the good gear into his cart and started making his way through the store. He had to find Klyto! If he he had permission to work in Klyto's shop for just a few hours he'd be able to make his own daggers, and spear and probably some extra things that he could sell for more funds. But he'd need to find the guy first.
Edie is shopping.
Edie sets aside some money for the armor (which will probably need a good looking-over by a trained professional just to verify the safety of it WHEN she gets some money) and then likewise throws a bottle of LaCure into the basket.
"I just need to get some basic survival gear if we're going to be out in the woods, but beyond that, I'm pretty set for the moment? I'll go with you to Electronics, if you want, though?" Edie offers to Bella hopefully.
That will be nice of you...so I am a witch what do you do adventuring wise?"
Bella is looking for a GoPro like device that can been worn by a raven...hopefully within her budget.
Edie is social.
"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say abou-- OH! someone who has ties to a greater power 'Witch'!" Edie exclaims as Bella mentions her calling.
"Well, to be honest, I... I haven't really figured out what I'm doing yet. I can get angry really quickly and hurt people a lot... so I'm trying to find some way to do it outside of work in a socially responsbile fashion so I don't get fired." the tiefling says as she guides the route through the Linens section to grab two heavy wool blankets (or the equivalent) and a couple of light sheets. If there are any nice feather pillows available, she'll acquire those as well. Making a 'bedroll' might be cheaper on the budget than some fancy sleeping bag, after all.
As for Bella, once the pair reaches Electronics, they find a slightly older model of GoPro available. It used to be 30gp, but with the sale, it's a nice 24gp. It comes bundled with a head strap (which admittedly is going to be too large for Bella's avian friend), but there are a few straps available for familiars that cost only 5cp.
"GO 'WAY!!!" shrieks a voice, moments before a wide green head with pointed ears pops over the side of the wall.
Knowledge (local)
DC 5
Perception
DC10
DC15
"Do we h...ve any adv... turers in the s...re today? If so, pl... see Jeron."
At this, the dwarf turns as he reaches the end of the row of check-out counters. "I'm Jeron! If any of you want to help me with a problem, follow me. Feel free to borrow anything out of your carts, while we're at it. Weapons, I mean!"
He stops just a second to see if anyone follows him, then waves them over and starts trotting toward the Hardware section.
The intercom crackles for a bit, cutting off the mid-10’s soft pop that was playing:
Upon seeing Klyto Basil speaks up, "Hey Klyto, a question. Could I.." He then spots the goblins hiding among the boxes. And they are armed. Quickly he grabs the longspear from his cart and stands at the ready, waiting to see what the goblins will do.
Keeyan dumps his stuff back into the cart, grabs the crossbow and runs after Jeron. Concerned that this seems to be combat related he taps an icon on his phone and voices a command.
Zika grins, grabbing the items from her cart and tossing them onto herself before chasing after the Dwarf. Her small legs moving fast, she looks up at the slim human beside her , saying "What do you think it might be? Are there dire rats in places like this? Maybe assassin vines? Oh oh, what about flytraps?" She says, thinking of things she's seen in the old country.
To Zika as he readies his crossbow, "Who knows. Could be some shoplifting customers with some ability that store security can't handle. Imagine anything! A shape shifter. Maybe a mage using an illusion of an ogre! We'll see when we get there I suppose, but I wonder if there's a reward. I was low on cash so only got the minimums, not even one of those healing drinks!"