Spending my retirement in a game

chapter 5

"Why are ye just standin' there, Gramps?" The same Dwarf as before asked, keeping up his somewhat grumpy demeanor but mixing a light smile into it.

Eisen laughed apologetically and scratched his beard, "Sorry, sorry. I'm new here, and I just thought that this town is beautiful. Seems like I got caught up in my thoughts."

The Dwarf slightly frowned, and just then Eisen felt a shiver going down his spine. He wasn't sure what exactly happened, but he felt like something was staring right into his soul. Then all of a sudden, the dwarf ripped his eyes open in surprise and his jaw dropped.

"What the- ye a level 1?! At that age? And you only have a single skill, a Rank 0 Appraisal skill? How the hell is that possible?!" He yelled out in utter disbelief and stepped around Eisen, carefully inspecting every part of him, "The hell are ya, Gramps?" He decided to ask at last, crossing his arms while still looking at Eisen suspiciously.

Eisen swallowed down the saliva in his mouth and looked down on top of the Dwarf's head while thinking about what to do. It was then that he remembered Ari's suggestion. "I'm nothing special, young man. Actually, not even I myself know who I am. The only things I know about myself are in my Status. My name is Eisen, and I'm a level 1 Giant-Dwarf Halfing without an occupation. So you know as much as me, haha." He laughed nervously and looked the Dwarf in the face, whose eyes quickly shot open again.

"Holy- Ye're a Giant-Dwarf Halfling?! I was so surprised by the rest of yer status that I didn't even see that! I thought ye'd be just some human! I've never seen one of yer kind before! Listen, Gramps, I can see that somethin's not going right. I've got a suspicion, so how about ye come with me for a bit, I've got a friend who might be able to help ya." The Dwarf explained with a curious, but still suspicious grin and decided to walk down the spiraling streets. Agreeing to follow him, Eisen shrugged and stepped next to the Dwarf, stopping him for a second to introduce himself properly again.

He held out his hand for the Dwarf to shake and with a big smile said, "Thanks for your help, lad! As you know, my name is Eisen."

The Dwarf in front of him laughed slightly and shook Eisen's hand with a tight grip, "The name's Belrim. Nice to meet ya, Gramps."

Belrim and Eisen continued walking down the road silently until they reached the front of a shop. Through the display window Eisen could see a few different glass bottles filled with colored liquids that he wasn't able to identify. Next to those bottles were also a few books whose titles he wasn't able to read, because they were written with letters he didn't recognize. The wooden sign above the window read 'Everything Magic'.

"You comin', Gramps? I don't have all day." Belrim grumbled and opened the door to the shop, stepping inside a second later, followed by Eisen who was wondering what this place was about.

Belrim looked around the front of the shop, and after not seeing anyone walked to the door leading to the back. "Oi, Morrom, ye got a customer ye bastard!" He yelled into the darkness behind the door, and the only respond Eisen could hear was a rumbling coming from the back, together with the sound of glass shattering. After hearing these sounds, Belrim sighed loudly and held his hand to his forehead while grumbling out "Don't accidentally kill yerself on the way."

"Sorry, sorry, haha..." From the back came a young man, maybe 20 years old, wearing a robe that reached to his ankles. He had messy hair and a short beard that looks like he just hasn't shaved in a few days. His ears were slightly pointy, which Eisen somewhat recognized from Xenia. But compared to hers, his were far more rounded. He was just slightly taller than Belrim, and while Morrom's arms and legs weren't as thick as his, they still were thicker than one may expect from a human of his general stature.