Hungry internally

AINT NO WAY AZIRAPHALE WOULD’VE LET THE BOOK BURN.

It’s a BOOK and he’s AZIRAPHALE.

Never ever ever.

"CAPTAIN"

After a short burst of huffing and puffing, you both risk a peek behind. The door leading to the room with treasure is nowhere to be seen. What a shame. All that effort, and you came away with nothing. Well, there is something.

You pull on Valen’s hand, forcing him to slow. He looks quizzically at you. You tell him that someone is hurt, and you are going to stop and see who is it. You show him your stained hand.

“Dura-it’s not your blood, is it?!”

There is a good bit of shuffling as you both examine yourselves. No definite conclusion could be reached, because both you and him have minor injuries. A few scratches, some bruises, nothing life threatening. Valen carefully touches a cut near his jaw with a groan.

“Not my handsome face!”

You roll your eyes. Valen leans over to look at your scratches, grimacing at the sight of them. “The General will have my head for this if he knew.”

Oh well. Some things are best unsaid. That being said, you offer to dab some ointment on the wounds. What ointment? Of course it’s the healing ointment you carry around that can disinfect and promote healing of minor injuries. Really, what do people think you carry around in your satchel?

“Right.” Valen snorts. “You wouldn’t happen to carry around some wine, do you?”

Unfortunately not. As you prepare to tend to your scratches, Valen gives a small cough. “Say. Why don’t I help you with yours, then you help me with mine?”

Does a man like Valen really need help patching himself up? You doubt it. 

Will you accept his offer?

Here’s that Book Crowley about to beat TV Crowley’s ass!

He ain’t havin it!!! NOT ONE BIT!

I wish I could say that Aziraphale’s appointment will go better, but unfortunately neither of these two have a clue.

“Greetings. I am Aurelian. What are you trading for? A man like you must encounter many adventurers in this dungeon.”

“Far fewer than you think, my good sir. Adventurers are few but varied, and each have their own treasures that they are willing to trade for my wares.”

“Your potions shimmer with quality. What would you take for them?”

“I accept payment in many forms. Coins are but the most common. Please, name your offer and I shall gladly consider it.”

You’re not much of a business person yourself, considering you have Dolly and Cranky to lend you a hand. As long as you had enough to go by, you spent the time trading and haggling on other more interesting things. Perhaps it was lucky that you picked Aurelian after all.

The two men face off, already deep in discussion about prices and markets. You crouch down to examine the wares. Other than the key to the door hanging from the Merchant’s belt, anything else is up for perusal. There are teeth and claws, some still bloodied. The potions mentioned earlier shimmer with an unknown quality. To the side, jewels and gold lie quietly. There are also objects of an ordinary nature that radiate a magical aura, such as a quill stained with blue, and a pair of boots slightly scuffed. 

Still, there’s only so much to look at. After a while, you notice that the two men are still locked in their trade. It seems to be heating up. Aurelian is holding a perfectly round pearl in his palm, while the Merchant is rubbing the key on his belt. 

Seems like Aurelian isn’t just wearing all those jewels for show. You notice a few bulges in his coat pocket. Very angular bulges. Surely no one carries around jewels for fun?

As nice as it is to let someone do the bargaining, you’re not seeing any progress. It might be better to take actual action.

Do you let the bargaining continue?

Aurelian is aghast. “Merlin, wait. There is no need for violence in a business talk-”

“I accept.” The Merchant doesn’t seem surprised. “If you would be so kind to let me put away my wares first. I would like for their integrity to be preserved.”

You’re not an unreasonable person, so you wait for the Merchant to pack up. Meanwhile, Aurelian is trying to undo the situation. Unfortunately, no one listens to him amidst the gentle sounds of packing.

Aurelian, to none of your surprise, shifts behind you as the Merchant stands. Without the guise of trade, he now looks much more menacing. He draws an expensive looking sword as his weapon of choice. You hear Aurelian gasp. Something about the jewels costing a lot. 

The fight starts off managable. But soon, you realise there is more to the Merchant than fancy wares, and that he is using the least effort possible to end the fight. You step up the intensity with more creatively used simple spells, and you swear you can see the Merchant fighting a smile.

Aurelian, at least, is trying his best to support the fight with his repertoire. It is also now that you discover his skills are best at trade and magical contracts, and less so in battle. Of course. 

In an unspoken agreement, you team up with Aurelian to defeat the Merchant. As the sword clangs to the ground, the Merchant bows. You grab the key from his belt.

“I have a feeling you may come to regret this. But this remains a satisfactory trade for me.”

As you and Aurelian head to the door behind the Merchant to try the key out, the Merchant disappears in a puff of smoke. Lo and behold, the key snaps on the first turn.

Do you search for the Merchant again, or blast the door?

Looking around, you spot a door that is barely visible in this gloom. Thanks to Cyran, you must have missed it on your first tour of this area. You try the door, and voila, it opens. Since someone decided they didn’t want you around, best you proceed alone. 

Nothing exciting happens. A few goblins block your path, waving small blunt knives and yammering about gold. You turn out your pockets to show you have none. Apparently that was the wrong answer, and you’re forced to fend them off with some quick bursts of fire. 

You wander around more, looking for something that resembles an exit. Nope. But you do come across several rooms filled with treasure. A quick examination tells you that some of them are fake. 

After a lot of boring encounters, you spot a familiar figure. What is he doing though? Why is he tugging at something like it owes him rare ingredients?

Upon closer inspection, you realise Cyran has gotten his hand stuck in some sort of mechanism. He does not look pleased to see you. For your own amusement, you continue to watch him struggle for a few more seconds.

“Enjoying the show, Merlin?” He hisses at you. It’s like a cat with its claw stuck. 

You promise not to tell anyone. Cyran doesn’t seem to believe you. Anyway, you circle him to take stock of the situation. Yes, you could definitely free him.

Will you?