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Abraxas was suprised by the youth's kindness, as most looked down upon him as a mad man, and an old one too. "You-" his words were cut off by a small stone that lay on the floor. He fell to the ground, the scrolls scattering throughout the temple, some rolling out the exit. His mask had snapped off of his face and shattered as it hit the ground. The large, golden blade slid across the floor.

"No!!! Get the sword! Get the sword! Get it!!! Get it to me quickly!" the old man shouted at the top of his lungs. "Go, boy!"

Aias was shocked to see the man drop his things, and quickly turned himself on the balls of his feet to run after the blade he had dropped. He grabbed it just before it slid out the door, and caught himself on the frame. He turned around, and picked up everything of the man's he could on his way to return the blade.

Abraxas slowly stood to his feet, which for him was like an insects lifting up a boulder. He took the weapon and held it close to him. "This is a holy artifact." he said in his old, weakened voice. "I now show a greater respect for you, young man. I thank you for your aid." He took the majority of scrolls of of Aias's hands. "Will you carry those last ones for me?"

Lagging behind the others, Astraea took some cloth from around her wrist and covered her mouth and nose with it, then followed the others out.

Abraxas found it difficult to gain himself a free hand to reach into his robe and grab a spare mask, but he somehow found a way to hold all of his scrolls under one arm. He slid the mask over his face and stepped out into the open world. The storm shocked him, as it usually did when he left the clear air of a building.

Lord of Nature, he thought to himself, What have we done? Or...what have they done!?

He held the golden blade tightly and followed those ahead of him. His eyesight was bad, considering his old age. He looked back through the dust to Aias, who was holding some of the scrolls. "Hold those with a fine grip!" he shouted to Aias. "They are important!!!"

He looked ahead to the others, and found that he was slowly losing sight of them. He quickened his pace. "Hold up!" he shouted to those ahead of him. "Wait for us!"

Alexis pushed the cloth against her face and squinted her eyes at a swinging wooden sign outside a rickty old shack. "I think this is it," she yelled in a muffled voice.

Abraxas turned to Deimos. "Pleased to meet you!" he shouted back through the winds. "I am Abraxas Vaseta - the one they call the 'Owl Priest'!"

At that moment, Abraxas dropped one of his scrolls. It quickly blew away without even giving the old man a small chance to retrieve it. "That was the Sky Print!" Abraxas shouted in anger. "It had taken me years to collect the knowledge of which was written upon that scroll!!!"

He reached the shack, behind the adventurers that had travelled ahead of him. "Let's get in!" he said.

Zenon quickly went inside. He didn't care if that was the merchant or not, he just wanted shelter from the dust storm.

"Ahhh, this is much better" he said.

Astraea reached the building and joined her fellow travelers without saying a word.

It was surprisingly warm inside the shack, dispite its dingy appearance. A middle-aged clerk sat behind the cluttered counter with a bored expression. He leaped up when he saw the adventurers, and attempted to hastily brush the clutter into a corner.

"Hello, you must be the adventurers! I've been instructed to give my wares to you at half price." A fleeting expression of annoyance flitted across his face, but was swiftly replaced by a grin. "Do ask Zeus to bless this poor man!" He handed them each a list of his wares.

SPELLS:

Hestia Heal (heals 5 HP): 5 gp; difficulty 10 magicka

Feather Feet: (levitate for 5 minutes): 10 gp; difficulty 15 magicka

Touch of Zeus: (extra burst of 5 pts strength for 5 minutes): 13 gp; difficulty 18 magicka

Aphrodite's smile (extra burst of 5 pts personality for 5 minutes): 13 gp; difficulty 18 magicka

Shadow Cloak (invisibility for 5 minutes): 15 gp; difficulty 20 magicka

MAGIC ITEMS:

Bottle of Hydra Poison (can be used to poison weapons at a risk of poisoning yourself): 10 gp

HEALTH DAMAGING SPELLS:

Frostbite (5-10 pts frost damage within 5 feet): 15 gold; cost 15 magicka

Firebite (5-10 pts fire damage within 5 feet): 15 gold; cost 15 magicka

Shockbite (5-10 pts shock damage within 5 feet): 15 gold; cost 15 magicka

Poisonbite (5-10 pts acid damage within 5 feet): 15 gold; cost 15 magicka

Heartbite (10 pts ethereal damage within 5 feet): 20 gold; cost 20 magicka

God Bite (20 pts ethereal damage within 5 feet): 40 gold; cost 40 magicka


MAGICKA DAMAGING SPELLS:

Soulpinch (10 pts temp damage within 5 feet for 5 min): 10 gold; cost 10 magicka

Souleat (10 pts permanent damage within 5 feet): 30 gold; cost 30 magicka


OTHER SPELLS:

Drain Blood (drains 5 pts health from opponent, regenerates 5 pts health for caster): 20 gold; cost 30 magicka

Drain Life (drains 10 pts health from opponent, regenerates 10 pts health for caster): 30 gold; cost 40 magicka


WEAPONS:

Wooden Bow (medium damage): 10 gp, weighs 5 lbs

Mystical Bow (high damage): 60 gp, weighs 3 lbs

Whip (low damage, but can disarm an opponent): 5 gp

"Ask Zeus..." Abraxas said with irritation. "I'll ask him for nothing." He took a look at the list, taking off his mask and rubbing his chin. He set his scrolls on the floor. "Hmm...God's Bite...I'd like to learn this spell." He tossed a sack of 40 coins onto the counter. "And the Shadow Cloak spell as well." He tossed another sack containing 15.

"Spells, eh?" Astraea stood in front of the merchant, weighing her options, for a minute. "I'll take Hestia Heal, Feather Feet, Aphrodite's Smile, Shadow Cloak, Poisonbite and Drain Life, please. And there goes most of my life's savings."

"I fight not with illusions and trickery. Selling your spells to me is worthless old man." Hector said and sat down while he waited for the others to make their purchases.

"I'll buy...a whip! Yes, give me one of those nifty whips!"
Zenon giggled like a schoolgirl in love at the whip.

"Here's 5 gold" he said, as he placed five coins on the desk.

"WHAT!?" Abraxas shouted at the hearing of Hector's words. He gathered his scrolls at ran to Hector, sitting beside him. "How could you say such a thing!? I'd hardly call them 'illusions' or 'trickery'! The ways of the arcane are the true ways of both your gods and mine!" The old man set the golden blade upon the pile of scrolls, and pulled one of the scrolls from the side of the pile. He opened it. On the scroll was a large diagram of the human body, with both inner and outer organs drawn and labeled in Greek, Egyptian, and Persian. He pointed to the head, where a brain was labeled as well. "The human mind, you see, is the only actual bendable organ of the mortal body. These 'illusions' as you call them are quite real, but our minds reject the sight of magic. We believe it fake. But it is real! That is the amazing part! Not only physical damage is set upon the enemies through a destructive spell, but confusion as well. Which is why us magic users are able to wield the mind as not only a shield in which our thoughts are used to defend ourselves, but also as a weapon, where we know the ways of magic to be of reality and not fiction!"

Abraxas handed the scrolls to Hector. "Take it! You can learn much!"

"I have no desire to learn of this magic. Magic is a cowards way to fight. I'll show you what it means to be a warrior, I swear to you by the time we have reached the summit, gods and their sons will have bled by my hand." Hector said, and began to walk away from the old man.

"But you don't understand!" Abraxas said trying to get up. "Magic and combat are brothers joined at the hand!"

Maxelas, Lord of Nature, the old man thought to himself, How is it that your people have become so ignorant?

"Wait! Fellow adventurer!" Abraxas said as he stood to his feet by pushing up from the wall and floor. "I have more diagrams! Years of study put to use to educate those who deny the use of magic and look upon it as a negative art of fighting!"

"And what magic did my ancestor Heracles utilize in his rigorous trials? What manner of spell did my namesake Hector use to defend the walls of Troy? Perhaps Achilles, then, defeated Hector with magic? No? I tell you now, old man. These great sons of Greece and Troy were not touched by the gods nor were they helped by magic. Pure fighting prowess proved to be their key to greatness. As will it be mine. And, indeed, Greece's key to greatness will not lie in the intelligence or the wisdom of it's old men but in the heroic deeds of her greatest warriors."

Hector stepped to the door and looked outside into the dust storm.

"And if such a warrior-dominated people were to rule this realm, the world as we know it would be engulfed in war and destruction." Abraxas said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Greece's key to greatness would be the destruction of such ignorant folk as this berserker who watches the anger of higher beings and still craves war...pathetic..."

"You seem to see in absolutes old man. Their is a god of war just as powerful as the god of love and the god of peace. Why, then, do you continue to see in absolutes? Combat does not entail war. It entails naught but combat itself. You seem to believe that Greece's greatness lies not in destroying her enemies, but the greatest among her sons and daughters? I suppose you would have Sparta and Corinth razed to the ground? Perhaps Thebes as well, why not leave this land open to attack from her many enemies by destroying her only defense against them! This is among Greece's many problems. It seems no one in this damned land cares about Greece anymore." Hector then spoke up enough for the entire party to hear, "And you, are you truly sons and daughters of Greece? Or just residents of one of her many petty cities?"

"You view this lands greatest to be the mightiest of her warriors! You claim to be a descendant of one who joined my master's rivals long ago! Just as there is a god of war of which is the equal of the god or peace or love, there is a mortal of wisdom of which is the equal of a mortal of combat or anger! I do not claim that we should simply retreat into the heart of darkness and let other nations walk upon our soil, drink from our waters, and bear children with our men and women! The true problem is people like you, who call upon the powers of war to resolve even the smallest of issues. People, tribes, cities, nations - all clashing in battles that are neither won nor lost! The victor will always become the defeated at one point or another: a cycle that shall continue for decades to come. War is a cycle of death and destruction, and also a source of problems and anger. Just as Greece and Persia will never come to know each other as brother and friend, you and I will never agree with each other's claims and ideas!"

Suddenly, an old, kind, and highly wise voice rang in Abraxas' mind. "Stop it, my follower." it said calmly. "You preach of my ancient opinions, but you are unknowingly causing a war between yourself and one of your powerful allies."

"Yes, my Lord." Abraxas said under his breath. "I believe we should stop now." he said to Hector. "I apologize for my words."

Aias strolled into the door far behind the others, carrying an extra scroll. He handed them to Abraxas. "And here's the one you dropped," he stated, pulling it from his waistband. He wandered over to the counter and studied the list. "So, this Mystical Bow... What's so Mystical about it?"