Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Being on the phone with strangers yelling at me all day is my idea of hell.
Unfortunately, it was the highest paying job I could get back in my home world.
Now, I’m trying to sell stuff from a merchant stall in a fantasy game developer’s under-researched idea of an ancient Greek city.
This may be a close second in the miserable job department.
Of course, that might be partially due to how fucking tired I am.
I’m not able to block out any background chatter because I must talk to people outside of my party to sell stuff.
The road is crowded because of a music festival, and everyone’s heavy use of musk is giving me a headache.
Even the unexpected and blessed arrival of Aphrodite’s calm isn’t enough to make this job bearable.
Did the developers have to make these NPCs so nasty? I’m just asking people if they want to buy some jewelry. A simple “no” would do, but they gotta go a step further and admonish me for it.
This woman is literally looking down her nose at me. “Why would I want such a cheap-looking necklace? I’ve got plenty of high-quality gems at home.”
“I understand,” I say in my best customer service voice and with my most pleasant smile. “Enjoy your day!”
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she continues. “You’re out here peddling junk when you should be married and taking care of children.”
It’s past lunch at this point, and I’m nowhere near earning enough money for Dolius, but I’ve had it.
“Are you married with children?” I ask her.
“Of course I am!” she huffs.
“My condolences to your family,” I say.
Her eyes are so wide, and her face is so red that I’m surprised there isn’t steam shooting out of her ears. I guess Karens are timeless. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sure you have much more important things to do than hang around my stall,” I tell her. “I mean, if I were you, I wouldn’t want to be caught looking at such tawdry wares while talking to a harlot.”
She opens her mouth to give a retort, then closes it again. Then she gives an indignant, derisive “hmph” and storms away.
The man hawking housewares in the stall next to me laughs. “I wouldn’t have the nerve to talk to someone like that,” he says.
Of course, he wouldn’t. He’s an NPC. Though none of the NPCs I’ve met today have acted like one.
“It helps that I’m only working this stall today, and I’ll be long gone from here in a few days,” I tell my neighbor.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” the man says. “I could use the entertainment.”
“It’s not really my stall,” I explain further. “I’m helping a man named Dolius.”
The man’s eyes light up at the name, and I hear the quest notification ping. “Dolius? I didn’t realize I’d nabbed the stall next to his. Wh-why isn’t he here today?”
“He’s getting ready for a trip to Thrace,” I answer.
Disappointment droops all the man’s features at once. “Oh.”
“Are you friends?” I ask.
He laughs, but it’s as sad and forced as the fake smile on his face. “We once met at a market day in Athens,” he says. “I doubt he even remembers me. He was very busy that day.”
“Maybe he does,” I say. “After all, you remember him.”
He shakes his head, and it hits me what the man is actually trying to say.
That ping was probably about progress in my side quest to convince Dolius to believe in love.
My neighbor here has had a crush on Dolius for a long time, but he doesn’t even know this man exists.
Could this be any more like my middle school experience?
“What’s your name?” I ask him.
“Cyrus,” he answers. “What’s yours?”
“Lauren.”
He tilts his head. “What an unusual name!”
I laugh. “Not where I’m from.”
“Where’s that?”
Oh, boy. I don’t know enough about Peripeteia to make something up, and I can’t exactly tell him the truth. Wait, why can’t I? I’m already breaking the damn game by having this conversation. What’s another crack?
“America,” I tell him.
I might as well have told him I was from Jupiter. He’s never heard of America. Why would he have? It’s not in the program. The only world these NPCs know about is Peripeteia.
“How far away is that?” he asks.
I sigh. “Too far.”
This prompts countless questions from Cyrus.
He wants to know if I miss it or if it’s anything like Thebe.
I tell him what I think is just enough to settle his curiosity without giving too much away, but I only create more questions on his end.
What is a phone? Is it magic? What do you mean everyone has one from where you’re from?
Is everyone in America a mage? You mean you can just travel around in carts without animals to pull them?
Maybe I should have lied about where I come from.
To my relief, Dolius shows up before I have to admit that Peripeteia is a work of fiction that I’d accidentally stumbled into.
“How are sales?” he asks me.
Ugh…
I search my mind for the most positive way to spin that I’ve only earned about two silver all day and just pissed off a woman who’s likely spreading word that Dolius’s stall should be blacklisted.
I don’t need to say anything, though. He’s nodding his head, like he can tell just from my facial expression.
With a sigh he says, “Well, you tried.”
“The day’s not over,” I say.
Dolius shakes his head. “I’ve talked to several merchants, and they’re all having bad days. It’s unlikely that there will be any sales in the last few hours.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Please don’t leave until the empusa is taken care of, though.”
“Empusa?” Cyrus asks. “Where?”
“On the road heading north from here,” I answer.
Cyrus leaves his stall to talk to Dolius directly. “Empusas are dangerous. You should do as she says.”
“I can’t,” Dolius explains. “If I don’t make it to the market day in Dardanus, I won’t have enough money to get to Thrace.”
“How much do you need?” Cyrus asks. “Perhaps I can help.”
Dolius eyes almost pop out of his head. “Three gold,” he answers. “You don’t have to—”
“I’ll give you five,” Cyrus interrupts.
I gasp in unison with Dolius. Five gold is a lot of money. Cyrus must really like this man.
“Why would you be so generous?” Dolius asks.
Cyrus blushes. “We merchants stick together, right?”
Dolius chuckles. “That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard. We’re all in competition over the same customers.”
“But you and I don’t have to be,” Cyrus says.
“You should take his offer,” I tell Dolius. “Like I told you, in just a few days, the empusa will be gone.”
“How do you know that?” Cyrus asks me.
“She’s a Cleric of Aphrodite,” Dolius answers for me. “She received a vision of the future.”
“A Cleric of…” Cyrus says and trails off, though his eyes remain on me, like I may be the ticket to a dream come true.
Now’s my chance to complete this side quest.
“Dolius, this is Cyrus,” I say. “He was at the Athens market the same day as you.”
“You were?” Dolius asks him.
Cyrus nods. “You don’t remember me. That’s fine. You were very busy that day.”
Dolius tilts his head, examining the man, and then recognition registers on his face. “Oh, yes, you sell housewares, right? You had long hair and a beard back then.”
“Y-yes…” Cyrus responds.
“This is a much better look on you,” Dolius continues. And then I see something new on his face. Is he realizing he’s attracted to men? Then he sighs. “I can’t accept this much money from you. What if there’s an emergency, and you need it?”
“Maybe you could travel together,” I offer. “That way you could share the costs and help each other in case something unexpected happens.”
Cyrus smiles and nods his head enthusiastically. “That’s an excellent idea!”
Dolius gazes at Cyrus. There’s a note of admiration in that look, though I’m sure he’s mostly considering the pros and cons of the idea. “All right,” he says. “I suppose some company would be pleasant on the road.”
I hear another ping, and I hold back the urge to fist pump.
This is it! I’ve completed this side quest. I bring up the menu, then groan when I see the update.
Instead of it showing as complete, it’s amended the quest. Dolius doesn’t believe in love yet, so I will need to escort Cyrus and him to Dardanus and help the two merchants get closer.
Another fucking escort quest. Cait’s gonna kill me.
“My party is also heading that way in a few days,” I say. “We can join you until we all get to Dardanus. Strength in numbers, right?”
Cyrus looks annoyed at my suggestion, and I give him a look that I hope communicates that he should trust me. This is for you, dude. I’m trying to get you laid.
“Fine,” Dolius agrees with a nod. “Talk with the others you’re traveling with, and let’s plan tomorrow. I’ll be here all day.” He gestures at his stall.
I leave the market, relieved that I at least convinced Dolius to hold off on traveling and helped Cyrus secure some quality time with his crush. My day isn’t over, though. I need to go talk to Phemie.
My arrival surprises the woman at first. Then she remembers that I never returned for my payment yesterday and invites me in so she can find where she’s hidden her coins. I wonder if the ancient Greeks didn’t have banks, or if that was just an assumption that the game developers made.
I take a moment to look around her house.
Despite the cooling temperature outside, her house is warm.
The scent of stew boiling over the hearth fire has me salivating.
All of her children glowed when they learned their mother had sent them something.
It’s hard for me to believe that this dear woman doesn’t believe in love when so many love her.
Phemie returns with a handful of coins ready for me. “There you go, my dear,” she says.
A ka-ching tells me the transfer of money is complete, but I know the quest isn’t.
“Your children are all so delightful,” I say. “You did a wonderful job raising them.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “I’m no better than any other mother.”
“I’ve known many people whose mothers hurt them growing up,” I tell her. “Your children had nothing but beautiful things to say about you.”
“They did?” Phemie asks.