Xavier and Mickey quickly took out five of the imp monster stones each, and then hid the stolen magazine in his trousers. They both knew that trading this many was very risky, but the good thing about being awake so early, was that there was barely anyone around, and it was dark, so they could barely see anything. The guards that surrounded the orb has manned their post for over two hours now, and their vigilance has decreased overtime.
'Maybe being awoken this early is a boon in disguise.' Xavier thought as the two of them walked towards the Orb. The guards kept an eye on them through the corner of their eyes, and Xavier positioned his body so that the guards couldn't see any light from the monster stones turning into sparks, as this was one of their main concerns. Mickey nervously placed one hand on the Orb, and the other holding the five monster stones close to the orb. When he saw the message appear, he quickly answered yes, and red sparks flowed out of the gaps between his clenched fist. The sparks were nowhere near as bright as either of them thought, and they seemed more like the dim, dying embers of a flame.
"Hey, what the hell is taking the two of you so long?" One of the guards asked, turning around and Xavier quickly blocked his view.
"Calm down, we are looking for anything in here that might possess more resistance to fire than these rags we are wearing. I'm sure you heard the rumour about what happened yesterday, and you probably also heard that the Warden wants us to hunt some of those monsters for him, right? So, if you have a problem with us trying to fulfill the Warden's command as best as possible, then I would suggest you take it up with him." Xavier said in an annoyed tone, reciting his carefully crafted lie. The guard snorted, before turning back around, and Xavier sighed internally.
"Done." Mickey whispered and Xavier nodded his head as Mickey took his previous position.
"Would you like to trade 5 E- ranked monster stones for 1000 points?"
"Yes" "No"
Xavier smiled before answering yes, and even after standing for twenty minutes, the guard did not turn around again. Making Xavier realize just how effective using the Warden's name to threaten guards was.
"Now then, let's see what I can buy." Xavier said aloud, allowing the guards to hear him. He scrolled through the armour list, looking for anything that might help. He could mostly see leather armour options and ordinary clothes made of wool, cotton, etc.
'Come on, there must be something.' Xavier thought, and he soon spotted something.
"Name: Enchanted Leather Pants
Rank: F+
Enchantments: Fire Resistance
Price: 400 points"
"Name: Enchanted Leather Chest Piece
Rank: F+
Enchantments: Fire Resistance
Price: 400 points"
"Name: Enchanted Leather Gloves
Rank: F+
Enchantments: Fire Resistance
Price: 150 points"
"That's basically all my points, but...I really need these." Xavier said, feeling indecisive, as he wondered if he should just increase his attributes. It's not like there was any guarantee that these will actually work....but he really needed the clothes. He looked down at the burned rags he was wearing and sighed, before making the purchase. Reddish orange particles exited the orb and soon, three distinct sets of items were formed. Each of the items were orange red in colour and just his size. The pants had pockets on them and small metal pad at the knees. The chest piece, had long sleeves and had four pockets on the front as well. The gloves looked ordinary and Xavier quickly put them on, feeling just how comfortable they were.
"Are you done?" Mickey asked, looking at the new items Xavier was clutching in his hands.
"Yeah, I'll just change." Xavier said, and went behind a building and quickly stripped off his rags, and put on his new gear.
"Looking sharp....and a bit flashy. You'll definitely stand out." Mickey said, and Xavier sighed, as he knew it was true. Looking at the measly fifty points left, he decided to use it increase his strength.
"Stigma Window"
Name: Xavier
HP: 190/200
Energy: 5/5
Class:[]
Skills:[]
STR: 19
AGI: 22
VIT: 20
FORT: 13
Points: 5
"So, what did you use your points on?" Xavier asked Mickey and he smiled.
"Everything."
"Stigma Window"
Name: Mickey
HP: 200/200
Energy: 5/5
Class:[].
Skills:[]
STR: 20
AGI: 20
VIT: 20
FORT: 20
Points: 440
"I increased all my attributes to 20, and I still have some points left over. I'll save them for later, just in case." Mickey said
"Good, now, we just need to wait until sunrise." Xavier said, as none of them planned on going into the forest while it was still dark out.