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I walked down the cobblestone roadway on my way to the shops. My armoured chest plate had taken the brunt of a blow from a great axe to it a few days before and I needed a new one before I could continue on my quest.
Keep in mind that this was a very important quest—I was looking for the last phoenix egg, which was stolen from the king of my land, Ravenscourtia, by the dryads of Oak Forest. They were ruthless when it came to protecting animals from harm.
Disclaimer though: neither I nor my kingdom were planning to harm the phoenix egg in any way, shape, or form.
As I got to the shops, with my keen elven eyesight, I spotted the gleams of an armoury set into the stone cliff to my left. Of course, I made a beeline for it.
With a heavy thunk, I set my almost busted chest plate on the wooden table out front. “I would like to purchase a new set of armour, if you happen to have anything.”
A figure turned around from their hunched position over a forge farther back from the counter. Their horns and red eyes both gleamed in the light of the fire. “I can do that for you.”
Leaving the forge, they darted into the shadows for a second, coming back with the most exquisite piece of armour I’d ever seen. It was black metal that seemed incredibly durable and almost seemed to emit its own light.
“Wow, this is exquisite,” I picked up the armour and hold it up to my chest, seeing if it will fit.
“It is, isn’t it,” the tiefling said, gazing at it with the pride only of someone who was looking at their own creation. “How much are you willing to pay for it?”
I went to start bargaining the price down, but I had the sudden urge to say, “It’s worth everything I have.” I didn’t say this of course, but I wondered for a second where this urge came from.
Instead of replying, I made it look like I was thinking by inspecting the chest plate thoroughly. Although, I was truly racking my mind for how to defend against mind-readers. Was there anything I could do? I mean, I already thwarted one of their compulsions, so how hard could it be to compel them back?
I asked the tiefling in front of me, “How much do you believe it is worth?” In my mind, I pushed forwards the word—
“Nothing.” The tiefling had spoken the word, surprising the both of us.
Quickly, I recovered my wits. “Well, if that is the case, I will be taking this and going.”
I pushed another compulsion into their mind, and they said, “Alright. Good luck, adventurer!” And I was the proud owner of a shiny new chest plate.