Read Online Inexperienced Mage (Reawakening Saga) by D.W. Jackson - Free Book Online Page A

someplace else quick or he would be broke in a matter of weeks. With his few meager possessions stored in the small trunk at the foot of his bed, Thad stuffed his coin pouch into his jerkin, picked up his wooden sword and headed back down the main hall. When he reached the desk, he inquired about a bath. After paying the one silver and being assured that when he returned from his outing in the city his bath would be waiting for him, he left the inn and headed toward the market district.
    As far as he could see, the market district was lined with shops selling everything from trinkets to jewelry so expensive it was ridiculous. He found a decent-looking clothing store and bought three new shirts - two dark blue and one, a nice light green. He also bought two new pairs of pants, a dark blue cloak with pockets lining the inside, and a nice money pouch. All told, it cost him twelve silver and eight copper for the clothes. Almost double what it should have cost, but as a male there was little he could do about it.
    Wrapping his new purchase in his cloak he slung it over his shoulder and began looking for a someplace to purchase himself a sword, metal, and some more crystals or gems if they weren't too expensive. At one of the cheaper jewelry stores he was able to purchase a large sack of crystals of varying sizes, as well as a hand full of garnets and about a pound of broken silver jewelry costing him a total of one gold four silvers and three coppers. The lady was nice and didn't charge him too much more than what was reasonable. Then he found a blacksmith who let him buy two bars of steel for six silvers.
    With his materials for enchanting purchased, he made his way to a small weapons store on the edge of the market district. He had seen many others but this one seemed the cheapest. While a good sword would be nice, he planned to use this one for a small experiment. If the experiment worked, even if the blade was of poor quality, it wouldn’t matter. Besides, if he messed up, he wouldn’t be out as much coin.
    Inside the store was cluttered with weapons of every type, though most of them were rusted, broken or marred in some fashion. Behind the counter he was surprised to find a man sitting casually, whistling as he sharpened a long nasty looking dagger. “What can I do for you?” the man inquired, never turning to look at him.
    “I’m looking for a short sword,” Thad said, putting as much confidence as he could behind his voice.
    The shopkeeper sat down the dagger he was sharpening and went to the back of the room. He reappeared a few moments later, carrying a large assortment of short swords. The man displayed them on the counter and sat back down returning to sharpening his dagger. Most of the swords were marred in one fashion or another. After a lot of consideration, he decided on a simple one with a small crack that ran the length of the blade.
    The shopkeeper let out a slight chuckle at Thad’s choice. After paying the five silvers for the sword and another seven coppers for a slightly used dark leather sheath and a small whetstone, as he began to leave the store when the man put a hand on his shoulder. “Business is business, but I’m not about to send a young boy out without a warning. That sword you have there will break after the first few times it connects solidly with anything.”
    Thad assured the man it was more for show than anything else. He made his way back to the Double Dove Inn. As promised, there was a large tub filled with water and a small bar of lye soap waiting on him in his room. He quickly put away his packages and stripped down for a nice soak. The water was much colder than he expected, but the weather was warm, so it was oddly refreshing.
    Once clean, he tried on a set of his new clothing. The pants were slightly longer than needed, but, other than that, fit well. The dark blue shirt fit snugly but comfortably. Clean, refreshed and dressed, he sat down and began to closely examine the