Dungeon Prowler : One Man Army

Chapter 44: fun at the barber

Inside the barber shop the atmosphere was very explosive, so much ruckus and noise were spreading from the barber shop that the customers from the nearby shops and streets were drawn in and surrounded the shop and tried to look inside or gleen whatever they could from the voices that escaped now and then.

Let's turn the clock hands to an hour earlier, after the Debauchery party and children stepped inside the barber shop Yunan took a seat on service chair waiting for the old barber to do his work. To everyone's surprise the old man used no scissors or any cutting tools, but created a magical construct in each hand and started muttering the chant.

Moments later the hair on Yunan's head grew longer and shinier and even silkier as it fed on the mana generated from the spell. That was not all the hair started swaying and changing its length into many haircuts, some were neat and clean some were classy and extravagant, some made Yunan like a beggar, other made him look like playboy.

The atmosphere in the shop turned from baffled to excited and then devolved into laughter as the marvelously odd hairstyles kept changing every passing moment, soon the barber stopped at a neatly short cropped cut for Yunan as he thought it suited him most.

As per the habit of debauchery fun took precedence over everything else, and a round of coin flipping, treaties and threats ended up in everyone taking a turn to sit on the chair and enjoy the marvelous spell at work.

Balin as lucky second pointed at his beard and sat on the chair watching the mirror in front of him keenly, soon his booming voice was heard as his beard was braided, cut, lengthened, branched, turned into a goatee, shaped into all manners of things in all colors, finally it was settled in a strikingly shiny coal black silky thicket that had no right being on a dwarfs face.

Everyone from the party had their turn on the chair and even more than one turn for some. They all laughed together and at each other amazed and amused by the skilled spell work done by the old man, something that was both effective and fun, it was so much fun for Debauchery that Dustan tried to recruit the old man.

Once everyone had their fun and were ready to leave the old man told them to wait for a moment, he went into the back of the shop and one could hear him rummage through the items that probably had not been in order for decades. Soon the old man came out holding a tray in hand and ont it was a very old box.

The old man walked in front of Yunan and said "you and your friends are the funniest customers i have ever had the pleasure to work with, i am old and lost too many dreams, this here" he gently opens the box and a black ring that shined like obsidian is revealed inside " this here was the epitome of mine and my friends hard work, keep it, and use it to make your dreams into reality".

The old man put the black ring on the right index finger in Yunan's hand and as if by magic the ring vanished and melded with the skin on the finger, there was no trace left, even Yunan could only vaguely feel something was there but he could not even touch it.

"Don't forget to come back and play with me sometimes lad, and when the day you leave for Tartarus arrives come by and have a free haircut, i know one that would make all the ladies swoon over you". The old man new very well that this kid here came and brought his luck with him, why else would he remember the old box now of all the time he spent in this shop.

For the old man luck was another facet of destiny or fate, one that was more abstract and intangible, yet this kid came here by sheer luck, reminded him of something he buried deep in his heart for decades, and brought enough business with him by simply being there.if it were any other the old man would brush it as sentimentality.

The old man was someone who delved deep into Tartarus he knew very well that no matter how good or bad you luck was, Tartarus only gave what one needed, and that ring was something neither he or his party needed, they knew by then it was meant for someone else. They were given that ring for the sake of another and their job was to take it outside to await it's owner.

Balin bought the old box the old barber used to keep the black ring, although he offered quite a hefty price the old man only took 10 gold coins stating as an excuse that it has fulfilled its purpose and is now useless trash. Balin walked out caressing the box as if his own child, once outside he told the masses that were watching them eagerly "go get a haircut inside, it costs 10 gold and it is worth 100".

The party left the old shop with smiles on their faces chatting about the most hilarious styles they had seen, Leader noticed Yunan touching his own index finger and was itching to ask about it so she reassured him "there is nothing to worry about, we can talk about it in private later". The party made its way into the armaments market where they could buy fitting armor and weapons for the kids.

Once again they did the same an asked about the best armor maker in the city, they were led to a joined shop with a smithy outside and a tailor shop inside the building, the couple who owned the place inherited it from their forefathers and were masters at spell work.

Within an hour each of the kids had a well fitting level 5 heavily enchanted studded leather armor on them, they paid around a 1000 gold for each piece. A price that was about 5 times higher due to the heavy modification and special enchantements, there were casted on them. According the makers, these full body armors will grow with them until they are 15 and can be useful in the dungeon until they need better ones.

The lucky ones this time were Dustan and Reina. Dustan had pestered the smith for a matching axes that had their own bloodlust, according to the smith they were made by the first generation inside of Tartarus from the body of a freshly slain dragon and were enchanted with its soul, he did not know on which floor it was forged, but he knew that the dragon that was killed to make them took a week to be slain. As for Reina she got a golden bracelet from the tailor lady as tribute to the kitsune, something her father vowed to make for them as thanks for saving his life, and Reina was the first kitsune she ever met whether in or outside the dungeon.