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nThe group of three stood in front of the entrance to that out-of-place building here at the bottom layer. It really did seem to be some kind of shop instead of just a house that someone lived in, so Foster chose to take initiative and pushed open the door.

nThe moment he stepped into this cold, dark space, he had to press his hand in front of his face. The air was nearly unbreathable in here, with so much dust floating around everywhere.

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"Urgh...

" He groaned loudly, but before he could take a proper look, Aster jumped off of his head and started running around one of the shelves. Compared to that store from up there, this place certainly looked a lot more like what Foster had imagined.

nEverything was cluttered, with stuff just thrown wherever there was space. But that didn't change that these things definitely looked pretty cool nonetheless, with a bunch of different weapons and armors set up all over the place. It seemed like Aster just wanted to show the group to a different store that they could use. Not that Foster had any idea how he knew about this place.

nFoster walked to the other side of the room, trying not to fall over anything, to see if he could find someone in here. And a few moments later, he heard something cluttering around in the corner of the room. The hairs on his neck nearly shot out of his skin as he turned around immediately. His eyes still didn't get used to the darkness here in this place, but he was still abe to see a rough figure moving around in the darkness as the cluttering continued.

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"Whooo're ya **ers?!

" A deep, raspy voice yelled out, clearly slurring their speech.

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"Erm... We came here to just take a look around? Maybe buy something?

"

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"I ain't sellin' to ya bastards! This shop is mine, ya hear?! Ya hear?!

" The man exclaimed even louder than before, throwing something at Foster. It missed, since the man was clearly drunk out of his mind, but Foster slowly turned around. The light shining in through the door just barely illuminated that item, which turned out to be a particularly sharp knife that now had its tip buried inside of the wood of the shelf behind him.

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"We're not trying to buy the shop, we're trying to buy some items! I need some armor...

" Foster tried to explain with a wry smile, as he awkwardly turned his head back toward his friends, who were slowly entering the shop as well.

nWith a deep grumble, the man stepped over the clutter and soon reached a table in the back of the room, where he quickly sat down,

"Where'd I put that **in'...

" He muttered, but before he was able to do anything, Aster did something that Foster hadn't seen him do before. Aster jumped from the shelf right onto the table in front of that man. No matter how dark it was, Foster was able to see, or maybe 'sense' was more accurate, where that small nature spirit was at all times.

nIt leaned forward, and as if it was as bright as day, Foster could see Aster's mask shift in shape just so slightly. It morphed from its flat form over to forming a slight lizard-like snout. It kept shifting and the snout slowly opened up, and a small flame appeared in front of the mask's mouth. It traveled far enough to burn up the candle's wick, and the room started being somewhat illuminated.

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"The hell's this lil' thing..?

" The man asked as he leaned forward closer toward it, making it possible for the group to luckily see him a bit more easily. He was a short, stout man with a broad build. His face had rough edges and was covered in soot, at least in the areas that weren't covered by his thick graying beard.

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"It's a Nature Spirit. He's my familiar.

" Foster explained, as he stretched his hand out to pick Aster up again. The man raised his head and stared back at Foster with a light frown,

"Yer familiar? Ain't'cha a fighter or somethin'?

"

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"...What, is it weird for fighters to have familiars?

" He asked with a slight sigh, and from behind him, he swiftly heard the answer.

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"Oh yeah, it definitely is.

" Octer said bluntly,

"Remember how I told you that I always wanted to have a familiar? The reason why I can't is cuz' I don't have a magic-focused class, and I have no talent for magic at all. Only magic-users can have familiars.

"

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"Ah... Alright, that makes some sense. Well, I'm not a pure fighter, I'd say. I can use some spells, so.

"

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"Huh... interestin' fella... Yer sayin' ye ain't here to try'n buy my shop?

" The man behind the table said, still slurring his words, and Foster quickly nodded his head,

"Exactly. We're just here to buy some armor.

"

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"Then take a look around or somethin', and bring whatever ya want over to me... I'll tell ya the price...

" The man said, before laying his head down on the table, trying to take a nap. His hair nearly hit the candle's flames, so Foster quickly pulled the candle away so that this man's hair didn't just suddenly catch on fire.

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"Alright, well, let's take a look then.

" Foster said with a wry smile, unsure if this was really the best choice after all. Well, everything would probably be a lot cheaper than in those stores up there, and that was the most important part for now.

nHowever, as they walked around the store, Foster and Octer weren't able to really see anything, while Lynol was looking around as if the darkness didn't bother him at all. And as it turned out, it didn't.

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"Of course I don't mind the darkness. My eyes are capable of seeing in such darkness without issue.

" Lynol said bluntly, before scoffing lightly,

"What, are your puny human eyes not able to see these items?

"

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"Dude...

" Foster glared back at Lynol... or at least he thought it was Lynol, altzhough it turned out to be just a mannequin standing near him. Their build was pretty similar...

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"The man that owns this place probably doesn't need to bother with light. He probably doesn't get too many customers.

" Octer pointed out with a sigh, and Foster turned around confused.

"What do you mean? Then how is he supposed to see?

"

nOcter scratched the back of his head, remembering that Foster doesn't really know that much about this world yet,

"Well, he seems to be a Dwarf, so... Y'know... They also have dark-vision.

"

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"Wait, seriously? He's a dwarf?

" Foster asked surprised, looking at the drunk guy just slightly illuminated by the candle. He was the first dwarf that Foster had met. But weren't those guys supposed to be able to drink that Dwarven Spirit like it was practically water? How much did he have to drink just to end up like this..?

nHe shrugged a bit, since it really wasn't his business in the slightest, and instead chose to lift Aster up all around the shop, led by Lynol, so that he could light up the lanterns hanging all around the place as well. And so, soon enough, this room was bright enough so that they could take a closer look at everything.

nAnd immediately, Foster realized... that this place was much more dirty and messy than he expected it to be.

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