The perfect girl - The difference Luna makes

Luna takes my hand and leads me to the quest-taking area.

-"Rune, which quest do you want to take first?" she asks.

"I got a tip that there's a small village, not too far from here. It's called 'Learslake' apparently, and they have a library I want to check out".

-"I know this place. I went there for a few missions that required collecting herbs and monster loot. They make the best potions. However, they sell it in large quantities since it's mostly for shops. If we take their quests though, they might give us potions too! Potions are relatively pricey in shops but since it's a mandatory expense, getting some for free is like a large extra pay!" she explains.

"Great! That settles it then!" I declare, getting excited.

-"Here is a quest that is similar to what I described. We need to collect monster loot, along with some rare loot from the same monster. 'Sky champion'. A beautiful bird monster. Hmm. I'm not sure we can target them though".

"I can throw my dagger as well. Only one at a time though, and I only have one so I will need to collect it after. Also, with my damage, the bird will not be defeated with one shot so if it stabs it and sticks - we are pretty much screwed unless we get some more daggers".

-"Well actually, I have a skill that can duplicate your weapon of choice. I knew it might come in handy" she replies with a smile.

"Luna that is amazing!" I say loudly, I didn't mean to shout it but it attracts some people's attention. "I think we should stop at the weapon shop beforehand just to see if I can upgrade my gear. I also want to see if they have anything for mages. I have no idea if they would, honestly".

-"It is unlikely that they do, and even if they do - they wouldn't have much, that's what I think. But let's go and check!" she says in agreement.

We take the bird hunting quest, and go to the shop. We spot a nearby armor shop so we decide to start from there. We quickly realize there isn't anything for mages there, and while there is plenty for melee combatants, most of the ones that have better stats than mine are either not effective to my weapon of choice that requires a certain swiftness, or are way too pricey. This seems like an upgrade for veterans who worked for a while.

-"Rune, these seems very pricey and are barely an upgrade to what you have, since you need armor that isn't heavy and adaptable to your movements. Don't forget that if it comes to it I can also heal, although it's only the basic spell that heals one person. Still perfect for us", she explains.

"Yea, you are right. Let's check out the weapon shop now".

We go to the weapon shop and see a variety of melee weapons available. A lot of them look like they would be pricey but they don't seem to be as pricey as armor. We locate the daggers. It seems most daggers aren't better than my prestigious one. The top 3 daggers they have in the shop actually surpass it in stats. My dagger has 5 damage and 10% critical hit chance. The one in third-placement from the top has more damage and less critical chance, however since I convert damage to critical chance, and in my "next attack" the dagger's damage might be doubled, a high damage weapon is still better for me. I can also afford that one.

The second-placement one has the same stats as that one, but has a unique styling to it and cost much, MUCH more. That one isn't an option. The best dagger they have though, that one standing at the top of what this shop has to offer - has no critical chance built into it, only damage. This one hits nicely. It deals 20 damage.

"Luna, combined with my stats - I will have 50 overall damage using that dagger. After landing the first attack I will deal 1 damage, since I won't have a chance to critically hit, as that dagger doesn't have that.

However, my second attack will have a 50% chance of critically hitting, dealing 2 damage. Which leads to my third attack being interesting. If I dont critically hit - it will stay on 50% chance for the next attack, but if I do - then my 50 overall damage will be doubled to a 100, and be converted immediately to critical chance. This means I will actually deal 2 damage, but my critical chance will be a 100%, unable to be reduced for 5 minutes, according to my skills".

-"Okay! That's a beginning! However, I'm not sure we can afford it... How much do you have on you Rune?"

"I have 500 coins. This one costs 5,000 though... Well, maybe after grinding some quests I'll have enough to..."

-"I have 2,000 coins since I worked adventuring and also at the guild's desk", Luna cuts my sentence, -"If we combine the amounts - it's half the price but maybe we can negotiate?" she offers.

"But Luna that is your hard-worked-for money, I can't ask you to use that..."

She cuts me again -"YES YOU CAN, and yes you WILL! Listen to your party leader!" she orders me. -"Rune, don't you realize how much I waited for us to be doing this??"

"Me too Luna. I'm too lucky to have you by my side".

She suddenly turns red.

The shop owner caught our whole conversation so he starts laughing.

-"Yihuhahahaha, you two are so cute together, hihaha, young lady, your determination is something else" the shop owner says.

"Do you have anything for mages by any chance? What about that garnet ring?" I ask, and point at the only thing that looks like it could possibly be for mages. It's on the wall behind the owner, far from the other merchandise.

-"We don't have anything for mages here. That ring belonged to my deceased mother and is not for sale. She used to be a mage. This ring let her have lots of magic regeneration, it is indeed one of a kind, and is a family heirloom", he answers.

-"Don't worry about me Rune" Luna says. -"I might not have much magic regeneration, but my bracelet gives me a lot of magic capacity, so I have lots to begin with! If I run out of magic, I can use potions. Not to mention, if we go to Learslake, they might have something for mages there".

-"You two are going to Learslake? I was just about to put a request in the guild. I'm looking for 1 pair of crystal wings from the butterflies in the forest nearby, and also, a beak of a 'Red sky champion'. The wings may be a little hard to get, and the bird may be a little hard to find, as that one is a rare monster from Learslake. 'Tell you what. I was thinking of giving as a reward for this one around 2,000-2,500 coins. How about I'll give you the dagger right now for half the price, and you take that quest straight from me as part of the payment. As a thanks, maybe I'll even throw into the bargain a little extra something once you return. How 'bout that? Not a bad deal huh?" He yells proudly.

Me and Luna look at each other. We nod together in agreement and say together: "DEAL!"

-"How about you give me your old dagger as a deposit? A little insurance I didn't just hand over my best dagger for half the price..." He says and winks.

We pay the man and I give him my old dagger.

We leave the store and I happen to check my skills. A new one unlocked: "Rest Easy - Every first attack on a monster will critically hit. After a 5 minutes cooldown per monster, a new 'first attack' can be made on it".

"Oh! A new skill appeared! I think it might have been triggered by my very holding of a weapon with no critical hit chance" I say to Luna as I raise that skill. It is, like always, maxed out at level 1.

-"Great! So all of your hits will be critical! Now we just need to find out how to use it well in combat. We make progress. Aren't you glad?" she asks.

"I am. I'm glad you are here. I'm going to find a way to get you a ring like that".

Luna suddenly blushed again. I realize a ring is a bold statement, but I ment it.

"Hey Luna?"

-"Yea Rune?"

"What happens if I raise my critical hit chance beyond 100%?"

-"I don't know...", she answers.