“You have a wife!” He bickered loudly.

“Yeah, but she would obviously die of heartache after me.” Simon said, innocence and glee filling his voice.

“But-”

“Nope, you saved my entire family from pain and orphanhood. No arguing. Accept the expensive cloak.”

Mel gave the man an annoyed glare, while the cloak slowly intermingled with his skill. It was almost a physical sensation, kind of like a change of temperature. He could feel the cloak becoming his slowly. “So mind explaining what it does then?”

Simon was wearing a fancy suit, with a streamlined cut. His pants and shoes were both immaculately white, while the shirt transitioned to a bright red as it approached his head, leaving him looking like he was eccentric. It wasn’t a bad look, and paired with the beaming smiled, it actually looked quite nice. “So it’s really only got one enchantment on it, but trust me, it’s perfect for you. It's a Greater Adaptation enchantment, which essentially means it can serve most purposes you have for it. Combined with your skill, and I can’t imagine a situation where you don’t have the perfect tool you need. Hopefully it will keep you safe, just like you kept me safe.”

Mel glanced down at the cloak that had transitioned from a dark green, to a mottled mixture of almost every color. It was discordant and was simply just a mix of bright cheery colors. With a thought it changed to a solid teal. Another had it change to a soothing green. The fabric changed feel according to his whims, and the cloak easily bent and changed shape. He took a moment to form a bit of it into a hammer, then a chisel, before simply cycling it through as many different tools and forms as he could think of.

“Thank you, Simon. Even though it’s way too much I appreciate it. If you ever need saving again, I guess track me down. I can’t really tell you where I'm heading after Leoris, because I don’t actually know yet.” Mel said, a bit sad to be leaving, but happy to be traveling again.

“I’ll find you if I need to, but I’m hiring a couple professionals to ensure nothing like that ever happens again” Simon said, smiling fading a bit. “I hope your travels are peaceful, Mel. You know where to find me if you ever need anything at all.”

Mel lingered a bit longer, before leaving the inn. It still smelled horribly to him, but Simon seemed to love the smell of the burning candles. The sun was low behind him, and Mel turned to leave Langston. It was a nice trip, and he hoped to have many more like it. He left behind the painted city, his backpack slightly more filled and his trusty cloak stuffed in it. His new cloak easily replicated the old one, becoming identical to it in an instant. Mel shifted to something slightly different. He didn’t want it to be the same. He wanted to have it be something new and wondrous everytime he set out.

The cloak flowed like liquid before settling into its new form. A thousand tiny leaves of various colors decorated his cloak, all slowly swirling. The leaves slowly changed color as they approached the hood, slowly turning from green and going through almost every color he had ever seen before becoming a light orange at the hood. The gradient was not smooth or perfect, leaves of all colors mixing turbulently as they circulated.

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Mel stepped onto the road and began his journey anew. Walking purposefully and with the knowledge that he was the only person dictating where he went felt amazing. He was free to do as he pleased. The cloak attracted looks from others going in and out of the city, but it wasn’t anything incredibly spectacular. Plenty of people in Langston had far more dramatic clothing.

The road was smooth up as he walked till the sun was nearly setting. He was about to start looking for a place to set up his tent when a bright light caught his eye. Someone else was camping nearby. For a moment he considered just ignoring it and walking for another hour or so, but he decided ultimately to investigate. He walked up to the fire as the sounds of music drifted from the campsite. A man around Mel’s age was playing a flute by the fire, producing an enchanting song.

“Mind if I share in the fire? Or should I leave you in peace?” He gave the traditional greeting, as best as he could remember it. According to the rules of hospitality, either of them would be cursed by the spirits if they were hostile now. He highly doubted that fear of the spirits would stop someone determined to kill him, but it was a small comfort at least.

The shorter man stopped playing, glancing up at him as though only now noticing him. “Sure, you can set up nearby as long as you don’t mind me practicing.” He said, his voice rich and light. “My name is Kosternoct but most people call me Ko.”

“Im Mel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said while setting up his tent. “Where are you heading to? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Ko shrugged. “Mostly just heading south. I’m trying to get an audition for the Crown city orchestra, but I really doubt I will. It’s a very prestigious position. I’d just be another hopeful who has to try getting by with music.” He said glumly.

Mel tried to cheer him up. “You sounded great to me. Even if you don’t make it in the orchestra I'm sure you'll be able to make a great life off of music. I mean, my class literally doesn’t have any way for me to make money but I'm doing just fine so far. I’ll admit, it is a bit of luck. But i'm sure you can achieve success!”

As he was turned around he felt a small pinch as one of the metal rods claimed it’s blood price. The stupid abominations. He turned to fix it when he realized he had a notification.

Traveler Class Level Up! Traveler Level Five.

Skill Gained: Travel Companion

Travel Companion? He felt the skill come into effect immediately when a small bird landed on his shoulder. It was a tiny sparrow. It looked delicate and ethereal. Mel’s response was to just try to figure out a name. He giggled at the thought of naming it Darby just to make fun of Simon, but he immediately had a better idea.

“Well hello there TC, what’s up.” The bird chirped and hopped up and down on his shoulder, before moving to balance on his moving arm. He had a little friend! This was the best day ever! The bird happily flew around him as he finished setting up his tent. This time, it looked decently set up. He probably should have actually studied how to set it up before leaving home.

He ate a small meal for dinner, before going to bed. Ko practiced for hours into the night, and Mel drifted to sleep to the beautiful music. The Flutist, or Wind Instrumentalist, or maybe just Musician was clearly quite competent. His dreams were relaxed, and the small presence of TC sleeping on his chest was comforting.