Lady of Curses

''Fuuu~, that hit the spot.'' Karla said while walking out the restaurant's door. She had decided to go eat somewhere else instead of the hotel she was staying at. 

At first, she wanted to go and see what kind of food the hotel was offering, but Karla realized that she could go eat at the hotel at any time, so instead, she decided to explore a little bit of the city and eat somewhere else. 

She found a restaurant that looked good to her and ate there. While eating she listened in to some of the people talking, but she didn't hear anything of use to her, so when she finished her meal she paid and left. 

Now that her stomach was full, Karla started to wander the city with the intention of finding what she needed. She could ask some people to help her with directions, but she wanted to enjoy the city and a little wandering won't do her any bad. 

Karla had to be honest and admit that she was kind of impressed by the city as a whole. The buildings, the many different people, and the view all combined made her wonder. Although her old town wasn't small it wasn't anything like this city. 

One of the things that interested Karla the most were the many stalls because even in her old town there were times when an interesting stall popped up, either selling some exotic or intriguing food or some unique items, and she was sure that in the city they had similar situation. So when Karla saw a stall she looked over to see if anything interested her. 

And indeed one stall caught her eye. The stall was operated by a kobald that had ice-blue scales, and he was using his icy breath to create something that looked like an ice cream. Karla knew what an ice cream was but she had never tried it, but that was about to change. She walked up to the stall and ordered one, and after a little bit of waiting, she got her treat. 

''Mmm~'' The ice cream was delicious, and the chilly sensation in her mouth was a nice feeling too. Karla continued with her city exploration with her bowl of ice cream. 

Unfortunately for her, the ice cream was so tasty that she had finished pretty fast and now she was left with only the bowl and spoon, which interestingly enough were both made out of ice. She quickly found the nearest disposal point, and opening the lid she threw the bowl and spoon down the hole. Once that was done she resumed her search. 

Karla wondered about the city for a while until she finally found what she was looking for. Right now she was standing in front of a wooden two-story building, that had a sign hanging right above the door. On the sign, there was <Herod's musical tools> written on it.  Opening the door, Karla heard a bell ringing announcing her presence. 

''Welcome to my shop, I'm Herod and what can I help you with?'' The moment she closed the door behind her she was greeted by a beastkin man with rabbit features. The middle-aged man had some spring to his steps, and with every step, Karla saw how the three ring earrings that were on his left ear, jumped around. 

''Hello, I'm here to purchase one of your instruments.'' Karla didn't waste time and got to the point. 

''Of course.'' Herod indicated for Karla to step deeper into the shape with his hand. ''So what are you looking for, anything specific?'' 

''I don't know, I'm not too familiar with these kinds of tools, but something that I can easily travel with.'' While saying that she saw a piano in one corner. 

''I see, well we have many instruments here, guitars, flutes, small harps, and plenty more that match your needs.'' Herod pointed at all the stands and shelves he had in the shop. 

So without reservation, Karla started to walk around the shop and look at all the instruments. The selection of the instruments was impressive, and Karla spent a good time just looking around while Herod followed her from behind. 

It took some time before Karla found something that interested her. What caught her eye was a black metallic guitar that looked like it was sprouting two bird wings. At first, the thing that caught Karla's attention was the color, because it was similar to her savior's hair color, and after looking at the design she liked it even more. 

''Can I take a closer look?'' Karla turned to Herod and pointed at the guitar. 

''Of course.'' The middle-aged man just agreed with a smile. 

With the owner's approval, Karla took the guitar off its stand. It was heavier than she thought, but Karla still could easily carry it around. She put the strap around her, and then put the guitar in position, ready to play it.

*♪~~* Karla played a few notes, and it sounded good. With this, she decided to buy this guitar. 

''I will take this.'' Karla turned to the quiet Herod, ready to buy this instrument. 

''Excellent choice!'' Herod led Karla to the register so that they could finalize the purchase. ''Now before you buy, this instrument has an extra feature.'' Herod extended his hand indicating he wanted to show her this extra feature. 

When Karla gave him the guitar, he grabbed it by the neck and then pressed something. The next moment two blades came out of the wings, turning the guitar into a double-headed battle axe. ''As you can see this instrument can be used as a weapon, and you don't need to worry about breaking it because it is made out of sturdy material.'' Herod again pressed something and the blades went back inside. 

''And the instrument has a self-cleaning enchantment on it, but because of all this it is quite pricy.'' Herod said that and put the guitar on the table. 

''So how much is it?''

''Three gold coins.'' That made Karla stop for a moment but she could afford it. 

''I will buy it.'' Karla took about three gold coins from her pouch and gave them to Herod. ''Is there any more hidden features on this thing?'' 

''I don't know, the seller didn't say anything, and even the blade function I accidentally discovered myself.'' Herod put the gold away and pulled a grey wooden case from behind the counter. He put the guitar inside the case and then gave it to Karla. 

''I see, well good doing business with you.'' Karla took the case by its handle and went for the door. 

''Thanks for the purchase, do come again!'' As Karla left the door she heard the bell ring and Herod saying her goodbye.

Now back outside Karla looked at the sun, and saw that it was about time she returned to her hotel room. Fortunately, she remembered where the hotel was so she made her way straight to it without taking any detors. 

When she arrived at the lobby she could see some people staring at her, but she expected and just ignored them and went to her room. 

After getting inside her room and closing the door, Karla gently put down the guitar case on the floor. Then she opened it and took the guitar out. 

With the guitar in hand, she sat on one of the chairs, put the guitar in her lap *♪~-~* and started playing it. Karla had never played any musical instrument so her first attempt wasn't the best. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. 

So for the next while Karla just sat there and played her instrument without moving or saying anything she plucked the strings and immersed herself in learning how to play her newly bought instrument. 

She played like this until the night fell and only after she stopped did she see how long she had played the instrument. And the only reason she stopped was because she started to feel a little hungry. But Karla didn't want to leave her room right now, so she got some dried rations out of her sack and ate them in her room. 

While eating she looked at the sack and concluded that it would be a good idea to see what she got inside the sack before she continued to learn her instrument. 

She put her guitar back inside its case, and then went for the sack and turned it upside down, emptying it in the process. Now that everything was on the floor and in clear sight, Karla got ready to sort these things out, interested in what treasures she would wind in this pile of stuff.