My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 258: The Black Legion

On top of the counter now sat thirty different potions of varying permanent effects. In total, if he drunk all of these his Strength and Endurance would increase by twenty points each, his Speed would gain thirty points, Charm would earn a massive fifty points! And his Luck would gain an extra ten points. Kace kind of wished that they had more Luck potions, but beggars can not be choosers.

Of course, all of these potions came at what he expected to be an exorbitant price, judging by the predatory grin the storekeeper was wearing on her face. She looked like the literal cat that caught the canary! Kace ended up refusing to buy the healing potions and other ones with minor effects. He felt like their performance was just too weak!

'Still, this is a pretty good haul.' Kace eyed the collection that piled up on the counter with a hungry look in his eyes. He could not wait to down them all. As far as he had been told, there would be no side effects.

However, Kace thought that it was probably only that case if only one or two were consumed at a time. He doubted there was really anyone who would buy so many at one time, especially when anyone but those with a system, would not be able to tell the exact value of what they did.

"Is that all for you, sir?" The shopkeeper beamed at him.

"Ah, sorry. No, I'm just waiting on my companions, and I'll be buying a few things from the first floor. Is it possible to pay for it all at the same time?"

"Certainly! I'll just have someone package these up and bring them downstairs for you."

"Thanks. That would help."

"Please remember us in the future if you require any more products!" 

Kace bid the woman farewell and headed back down to the first floor. The woman was so happy with his purchase that he even wondered if she was paid on commission. He had spent quite a bit of time perusing the products, so he hoped that Shadow would not take much longer in returning.

Kace only had to endure the shop staff's impatient stares on the lowest floor for a short while. The entrance suddenly became crowded, immediately kicking up a fuss as the staff attempted to bar the way inside.

Beyond the store's team, a large group of dark-skinned goblins could be seen trying to boisterously push their way inside. Kace almost laughed as he watched the staff struggling to hold them back. Shadow's line of sight suddenly picked out Kace in the crowd.

"Ah, fuck this! Come on, guys!" Shadow shouted to the group before melding into the ground.

The staff became alarmed as one by one they all disappeared. They had no idea what to do or what would come next! Their faces turned from shock to horror as a scream was let out by one of their patrons behind them.

They turned around only to discover that the Tu'Thrag tribe had completely circumnavigated their blockade! They went into a flurry of motion as they tried to apprehend the trespassers as they yelled with glee.

A cold and deadly aura washed over the store, causing the patrons to fall unconscious from the sudden fear! Kace nodded as around half of the store's team also fell alongside them. The other half, Kace had deliberately directed his aura not to affect them.

He still needed them to serve his tribe, after all! It would be no use to render them all immobile! Some of the smarter ones in the remaining crowd realised that Kace was the source of this phenomenon. What puzzled them though was why he was sticking up for a bunch of poor ruffians.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you know these people? If so, could I ask for your help in getting them to remove themselves from the store? It's clear that they don't belong here and will bring great distress to our customers." One of the staff that looked like a managerial type said with a shaky voice as he stepped forward.

"What ruffians?!" Kace growled, causing the man to quake in response. "All I see are honest customers!"

The venom in Kace's voice caused the staff to become alarmed. The manager cast an appraising look over the rowdy goblins, but failed to see how the could possibly afford to be patrons.

"I'm sorry, sir. But, can they afford it?" Even though he was terrified, to his credit, the manager refused to back down. 

"I'll be paying for their purchases. Alongside my own." Kace jabbed a thumb as the boxes stacked to the side of the counter.

"Of course! We'll be glad to serve them!" The manager's eyes went wide as he stared at the already considerable amount of goods that Kace had waiting for him.

Kace felt like that if this were a cartoon, the manager would have dollar signs in his eyes. 'It seems like their not much different from humans. Through enough money at them and they don't care who they have to serve!' Kace felt thoroughly disgusted with how quickly the staff turned into bootlickers for his tribe.

They fawned all over the goblins as they spread out and took charge of a group each. Leading them around the store and giving their best sales pitch to impress them. This failed to have much of an effect on them. They were not the type to become en armoured with pretty looking toys.

All they cared about was how much of a beating the armour could take, and in turn how much of a beating the weapons could deal! Kace loved this simplicity of the goblins. There were no bells, whistles and needlessly guessing with their kind. They were always blunt and to the point!

Kace chuckled at the poor shopkeepers as they became exasperated at the fact that they failed to convince them to buy the more expensive, ornamental pieces. Kace soon noticed a divide happening between his own people.

Around twenty per cent of his tribe were picking out slightly more elaborate items while the rest were settling for cheaper options. However, it seemed like that despite the price difference, they would perform to the same standard.

Kace guessed that it was their own command structure at play in the choices. Just like how Shadow was picking out an even more expensive set than anyone else. As Kace stared towards his loyal bodyguard, he witnessed the storekeeper responsible for serving him collapse on the ground!

"What did you do?" Kace asked hurriedly as he rushed over to stare at the fainted shopkeeper. 

"Nothing! I just told him to paint it black and grey!" Shadow replied indignantly. "All that gold will just make us easier to spot! Why would someone be so stupid as to paint such a target on themselves!"

Kace finally understood what happened. Shadow had a point in his thinking that was utterly logical from their viewpoint. 'However, these guys probably can't imagine tainting the splendour of all that gold with such a fun colour.'

Kace chuckled as he realised that there would probably be a few more episodes like this happening soon. Sure enough, dull thuds ran throughout the store as more of them collapsed from the shock.

Kace shook his head at those who had fainted. Their own aesthetics were their downfall. It just showed how shallow these people were. Kace was honestly impressed by the manager and few remaining staff that managed to withstand the shock.

Despite their appearances and attitude, they came across as true professionals as they took note of the changes the tribe wanted to make. They quickly picked up the slack left behind by their colleagues.

Kace nodded in approval as they quickly moved on to measuring the goblins. Due to their shorter stature compared to those the items were made for, the staff felt it necessary to recommend a few changes of their own to accommodate them.

Most of these changes involved removing the armour meant for the thighs and replacing it with an armoured skirt. This would allow the goblins more flexibility in moving their legs to suit their battle style.

After quite a bit of deliberating between the two sides, it seemed like they all finally agreed. Although the finished products would not be as decorative due to the smaller surface area that the artisans could work with, the Tu'Thrag seemed happy with the changes the staff drew up.

"Sir, about the bill." The manager said with a shaky voice as he neared Kace while slowly rubbing his hands.

"What about it? I already said I'd be paying didn't I?" Kace growled as he thought the man might want to extort him or something.

"Ah, it's just that with all the changes that have to be made I can't give an exact price right now. However, the total should be cheaper since less materials will be used, and less time will be spent on the more basic ornamentation."

Kace practically grinned like a madman when he heard that. 'Indeed, bargains truly do soothe the soul! Thank God I got landed with goblins and not something as tall as fucking treants!' Kace shivered at the thought of much the cost would be for armour of that scale.

"So, how long will it take?"