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"I believe it was last in the possession of the church in NewTown," Darl responds. "Father Malaki was a collector of antiquities ... though much of his collection was flawed in one way or another; or otherwise considered dangerous; which is one reason why I'm looking for an expert appraisal. Before we test it, know that I suspect this weapon is responsible for a fire which destroyed the NewTown church ... before he passed, Father Malaki asked me to track down the thieves who triggered the blaze, and recover the stolen item."

"Unfortunately, the act of recovering it took more effort than I anticipated, and then I wasted even more while attempting to figure out the staff. Is there any way that I could somehow take back the energy I've put into it? And if not, do you have any suggestions where I can borrow use of a PPE battery ... I'd be happy to pay for the recharge time, if I may."

After having examined and questioned Darl as much as possible, the shop owner takes the staff in one hand and swings at an unsuspecting pile of debris nearby. A loud zzzt and the smell ozone fill the air as the staff discharges in a burst of energy. Debris from the pile flies across the room and impacts into the far wall just missing Darl in the process. Wide eyed the wizard says simply "wow" as he subconsciously brings the staff back to a vertical position and touches it down to the floor. As soon as the end of the staff touches the ground there's another loud zzzt, this time not as loud, which makes the wizard jump and drop the staff from his hand. The staff tumbles harmlessly to the ground. A black sooty spot remains where the staff burned the floor.

The wizard cautiously bends down to the ground to retrieve the staff and carefully sets in on his counter. The anticipated shock does not occur this time; the staff having apparently decided it was done randomly zapping things for the moment. "Most curious." The wizard says with a sparkle in his eyes. "I would love to have more time to examine this, if you would leave this with me for a few days. In exchange, I could help you restore a portion of your lost energy plus give you a PPE battery stone. The stone I have in mind can contain 50 PPE. If spent, it regenerates half of it's PPE every 12 hours. I happen to have two fully charged right now. One I would use on you, and the other you are free to take and do with as you will. If you do not return for your staff within seven days, the stone is yours. If you do return, simply return the stone to me along with attuning my project to me, and I will return your staff along with whatever information I have gleaned from it."

Darl nods his head in agreement.

"I can agree to those terms," Darl states, nodding his head in agreement. "I am most grateful for your assistance."

As he leaves the wizards shop after receiving the PPE stones, he ponders what to do next. With his reserves somewhat replenished, he now felt much more confident about his ability to evade the Shade, should it show up at the inn where he promised to fill in for their absent bouncer. He could easily meditate in a corner for the rest of the afternoon, restoring the remainder of his mystic reserves; and count on the innkeepers to help ensure he wasn't bothered (as if his own visage wouldn't help ensure that!).