The Reformation Wars: Countdown to Catastrophe

Chapter 6

The rest of the day's travel took Manfred and Nathan to the foothills of the Monteraynian ring, and then the entirety of the following day was occupied in pushing through the mountain pass. They crossed into Alconte just when night fell, so the two knights agreed on arising as early as possible the next morning to investigate the weapons market on the other side of a nearby hill.

Not surprisingly, Manfred awoke first, just minutes after the sun's first rays shot over the horizon. He shook Nathan awake, and after a quick snack to line their stomachs, the pair mounted their horses and trotted the short distance around the hill to the market.

What Manfred hadn't been expecting was just how beautiful the Alcontean weapons market would be. When he and Nathan emerged from the other side of the hill, his eyes widened at the striking sight. A massive dark blue lake shimmered in the young sunlight, encircled by a ring of buildings, tents, and tables comprising a market as large as a small town. The collapsible tables and other temporary sales stands took up about three-fourths of the space, but the charming wooden buildings that were taller than they were wide served an important function—giving the weapons market an aspect of permanency.

In the middle of the lake was a lush little island. A handsome stone bridge spanned the distance to the mainland while also allowing boats to pass underneath by way of a pair of impressive arches. Beautified by colorful gardens visible from a great distance, the island contained an extension of the market to serve the patrons' non-weapon needs, made obvious by the attractive inn and several trails of aromatic smoke from cooking delicious meals throughout.

Manfred peeled his eyes from the colorful marketplace and offered Nathan a reserved smile. "It'll take us a while to make the rounds."

"Maybe so." Nathan replied, "But I'm confident we'll find some reliable answers here."

Manfred's nod was the end of the discussion. The two knights dismounted from their horses just before entering the marketplace and opted to gently guide the beasts along on foot. Not far in, they found a public stable, and after a little discussion, they paid the price and left their horses there. Then the two knights stepped back out into the main part of the market.

In stark contrast with the hushed quietude of the clandestine marketplace they'd visited a couple nights ago, this Alcontean trading center positively buzzed with various noises. A sharp grating of metal on metal drew Manfred's attention to an elderly bladesmith who sharpened a saber across a table from a buyer, apparently making subtle modifications to the edge to meet the customer's standards. Not many shacks down, a red-faced youth shouted at a seller of knives who was visibly doing her best to deescalate the situation. And opposite them in both location and spirit were a pair of vendors with nearly identical wares who bantered over their respective sales.

By an unspoken agreement between the two knights, Nathan led the way when the crowd grew thick enough to force them into walking single file. Each time they passed an archery shack, he took a pause to look over the merchandise sold there, but most vendors sold only arrows with standard arrowheads.

But soon enough, Manfred craned his neck upon sighting a rack of barbed Danlashian arrows among dozens of other varieties. He poked Nathan's shoulder and called his attention to the shop. With a satisfied grin, Nathan led the way through the crowd to speak with the vendor and examine her product.

The seller was hardly the type of person Manfred would have expected to see selling such deadly arrows, or weapons in general. She sported thick braided brown hair swept exclusively over her left shoulder, contrasting with her pale skin and light blue eyes. Her entire demeanor sparkled with mischief as she regarded the two incoming knights with an unwavering gaze. Manfred's own eye contact was far less enduring than hers.