After their bath and a hearty breakfast, Sam and Nara split up and headed away from the guild grounds to shop and trade. Sam was going to see if she could find a buyer for some of her loot drops. Primarily some of the pelts, monster cores, and beast corpses. Nara, whom Sam had given some silver and gold coins, was going to grab their camping supplies and try to sell some of the extra weapons they now found themselves carrying around. They planned to meet for dinner and see how the other was progressing.
Before parting ways, Sam vehemently insisted she would be fine exploring the city by herself and told Nara that if anyone messed with her, she would take a sip of the cyan death toxin and melt them with her breath attack. Nara did not find that amusing, which made it hilarious to Sam, and she skipped down the street laughing and singing, "I have a breath attack. I have a breath attack."
Nara watched the psychotic woman leave and shook her head. “What have I gotten myself into?” Then she looked at Sam's shapely buttocks and smiled. Yeah, she knew what she was getting into. She was still smiling as she headed down a different street in the direction of a contact the guild master had given her who would hopefully be able to shed some light on what a sorceress was. Whatever Sam's magic was, it changed her more than she initially realized. After meeting the contact, she planned on trying to sell the weapons to a blacksmith she had visited the last time she was in the city with Arron and Alina. Nara took a deep breath of the clear morning air as she walked. It was time to begin her life as a free Tenarian.
***
Sam soon arrived at an armor shop and entered excitedly, unphased by a little chime going off when she passed the door's threshold into the well-lit interior. A young man and woman were tending the counter at the far end of the room, and they both looked bored out of their minds. Neither of them even looked up when she walked in.
Sam took a minute to examine the contents of the shop. Most of the armor on the manakins looked gaudy and too shiny to be functional in the wilderness, with bright polished plates of steel and glistening scales adorning most pieces. She wasn't sure this was the place she was looking for but walked up to the counter anyway.
The young man looked up with exasperation like she was disturbing him from staring emptily into the void. "Yes?" His tone matched his annoyed expression.
Sam was unbothered and asked, "Do you sell anything functional? You know, like some leather armor in muted colors. Something that doesn't just scream, I'm over here! Attack me!"
The young man just stared at Sam. The girl beside him snorted a laugh, finally looking up from the book she was reading, "You will want to go to Alexander's Wares in the middle district. He has the best in functional leather, and his weapons aren't bad either."
"Does he purchase raw materials like pelts?" Sam asked, wondering if she could trade instead of purchase.
"He does, but they must be high quality," the girl replied helpfully.
Sam got directions to the store and thanked the girl with a silver coin, much to the young man's surprise. “See. It pays to be nice to strangers’ kid.” She thought as she left the shop. In the poor boy’s defense, she was still wearing bloody clothes which did not fit quite right.
***
Alexander's Wares was an armory, tannery, leather working, and blacksmith shop all in one. Sam could hear the clanging of hammers against steel and smell the various chemicals used to tan leather a block before she arrived at the storefront. Walking into the first level of the two-story building, she was pleased with what she saw. This was like a one-stop shop for all her adventuring needs, at least everything that pertained to attack and defense. Everything in the store looked high quality and functional, with most of the armor dyed with muted colors that would blend in with various environments. Colors like desert and snow camo to flat black and every option in between were displayed. Many of the outfits had matching weapon sets with them, too. Sam was impressed; it was like an outdoor store of death, and she liked it.
“Can I help you miss?”
Sam turned to the voice, and after doing a complete circle without seeing anyone, she said, "Um, yes."
"I am here, miss. If you would turn to your left and look up, please." The voice said.
Doing as instructed, Sam turned and looked up to the high ceiling. A dark red Imp was hovering just out of her reach.
"Shit!" Sam grunted and jumped back, knocking over a freestanding manakin, causing its weapons to clatter to the floor. Several of the patrons shouted and moved away from the commotion. A short sword and shield she had crafted appeared in her hands, and she wrapped her threads around the Imp's arms and legs, yanking it to the floor.
“Please miss! Stop! I mean you no harm!” The Imp cried as he was violently pulled to the floor by an unseen force.
Sam was already stalking toward the Imp with her shield and sword raised. She caught herself when the Imp's words finally filtered through her fear-addled brain, but before she could release the obviously harmless Imp, who she noticed was wearing a nice dress suit, a booming voice reverberated through the room.
“Stop!” The voice penetrated every fiber of Sam’s being.
Sam and everyone else in the building froze in place. Sam couldn't move, she couldn't even think, so powerful was the command. She felt a presence so powerful it felt like her very soul was being crushed, and her spirit was going to wink out of existence at any second.
"What is going on here, Bradley? Are you okay?" A greying man in plain clothes walked up to the Imp. With a wave of his hand the man disintegrated Sam’s mana threads that were still wrapped around her target, and he helped the Imp to his feet.
Sam, still under the influence of the man's voice spell, could only bear the pain of her mana backlash in silence and watched as the man patted down the Imp, Bradley, to check for injuries. He turned to Sam.
"How dare you attack one of my employees in my store. Have you no shame?" He waited for a reply, and when none came, he asked, "Are you deaf? I asked you a question."
Bradly tugged on the man's shirt, saying, “Mister Alexander, I believe she is still under your spell."
"I…oh, yes, of course." The man, Alexander, waved his hand again, and Sam felt the pressure holding her in place release all at once.
She stumbled forward a half step before catching herself. Many other patrons weren't so lucky, and most fell to their knees, gasping and clutching their cores. Sam checked to make sure her own mana cores weren't ruptured. They weren't, thankfully.
She looked to Alexander and said through wheezing breaths, "I…I am sorry. Mister Bradley surprised me, and I overreacted. The last Imp, um, person like him I encountered nearly burned me to death." She wheezed, "That was only two weeks ago, so it's still fresh." She looked at Bradley. The little Imp was still eyeing her warily and standing close to his boss, "I really am very sorry. Did I hurt you? I have a healing ability if I did. And healing potions if you are afraid to let me touch you."
"He's fine," Alexander said, and Bradley nodded at his words. Looking at Bradley, Alexander asked, "Is her apology acceptable to you?” At Bradley the Imps nod he continued, “Also, how many times have I told you not to surprise people? I swear one of these days, I will not be around to help."
Bradley looked a little chastised when he said, “I know. But she looked weak and young. It’s fun watching humans jump.”
Alexander just rolled his eyes at the Imp. Then he took an appraising look at Sam. "A level 21 Pathfinder. Very interesting." Then his eyes narrowed, and he pointed to Sam's sword and shield, which she had been too distracted to dismiss. "Where did you get those? Wait, don't answer that. Come with me." He marched off toward the back of the store without looking back.
Sam was smart enough to know there was no other option than following the man. With one last apologetic look toward Bradley, the Imp, she dismissed her weapons and hurried after the enigmatic Alexander.
***
Nara was ushered into a plush waiting area when she told the clerk at the front desk of the small, unassuming magic shop who had sent her. After she declined any refreshments, the clerk left the room, closing the door softly on his way out.
“This is nicer than I expected from the plain exterior,” she thought as she relaxed into one of the plush chairs in the seating area.
Nara didn’t have to wait long. An elvish man walked into the waiting room a few minutes after she had been seated.
When he walked in, he waved at her to stay seated, saying, "No need to get up. We can talk freely in here." Silencing wards lit up the room with another wave of his hand before dimming again. "So, Harold tells me you have an undiscovered class." He looked at her closely through thick magical glasses, "Hmm, a level 26 sorceress. Never heard of it." He pulled a notepad out and started scribbling into it.
"Um, my name is Nara Evander. And you are?" Nara said. She did not like how the man treated her like a test subject. This was not the kind of 'help' Master Harold had suggested she would receive.
"Ah yes, where are my manners? I am Serge, magical advisor to the royal counsel here in Helms Peak and personal friend of Harrold's." He held out a hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evander."
“Will this be kept confidential?” Nara asked as she shook the man’s hand. She was starting to get worried she had made a mistake coming here.
"Oh, most certainly!" Serge looked slightly offended. "My business would fail if I went about telling everyone's secrets. In fact, apart from sending you here, Harrold will no longer be involved in our attempt to discover your class's potential."
"Okay…" Nara wasn't completely convinced, but she did need help desperately. She hadn't told Sam, but ever since she had been fed the arcane mana, she hadn't been able to cast a single spell. And her affinity had gone back to purely neutral. It was frustrating with the massive amount of power at her disposal she hadn't been able to figure out how to use yet. Other than to infuse her legs with it to keep up with Sam when she ran at a 'moderate' pace.
"Easy to understand. We drain her fully, and we will have all her secrets." Naris’s voice echoed in her mind.
“I’ve already told you no! Neither you nor I will hurt her!” Nara put as much force into her thoughts as possible: "You better promise if you ever want out again!"
"You are weak! You will lose control again, and I will feast so much you will never be able to return!" Naris hissed into her mind.
Nara shuddered involuntarily at the words, knowing deep in her heart she would eventually lose control again. It was one of her greatest fears. She could only hope Sam could resist Naris when he was at full power, as she did when he was weakened by the blood contract.
"Were you just conversing with your Blight?" Serge asked. He had been watching her intently. When Nara's eyes widened, he held up a hand. "Before you think it, no, Harrold did not tell me. I am an advisor to the royals, Miss Nara. I know more about this city's occupants than they know about themselves."
Nara slumped in her chair and asked, "What would you like me to tell you?"
***
Sam was led into a backroom and down a flight of stairs into a magical workshop. The walls were lined with shelves full of vials filled with liquids of every color. There were glowing crystals scattered amongst the vials. A central workbench dominated the room, scattered with magical tools. In the center of the workbench was a small node with a clear crystal about the size of her thumb set into it. There was what Sam could only call a palm scanner on the edge of the workbench with very modern-looking cables leading to the node housing the crystal.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Turning and seeing where Sam's gaze was directed, Alexander commented, "My prized possession. I looted it from an ancient ruin. I believe the ruin was from an enormous flying ship that crashed thousands of years before." His eyes took on a wistful look, "You should have seen the technology onboard. Much of the technology far surpassed my ability to understand! But alas," he shook his head, "the Children of the Light only hired me and my team to clear the ruin, which had become a dungeon by then, so they could claim it. Now they hold all its secrets.”
Sam walked over to the palm scanner and hesitated before she touched it, looking at Alexander for permission.
He just shrugged. “It allows you to transmit magical power into a crystal. I know what it does. What I want to know is where you found those weapons?”
“And if I don’t want to tell you where I found them?” Sam hedged.
"Then I believe our business is concluded, and I will need to file a report with the city guard regarding the assault on one of my clerks by a guild member," Alexander said with pleasure. He turned and headed back up the stairs.
“Wait,” Sam said quickly, “I found them in the forest.” It wasn’t technically a lie, was it?
"My dear, I am over nine hundred cycles old. Do not insult me with lies." Alexander said.
"Shit! How many people in this city will know all my secrets before I leave? All of them at the rate I'm going!" She thought before calling out to the retreating form, “I made them!”
He came stomping back down the stairs. This time, he was obviously annoyed. "I said don't insult my intelligence, young lady! There is no way a level 21 child such as yourself could make a pure crystalline mana—" His eyes widened.
Sam was forming a crystal identical to the crystal in the machine in the palm of her hand. Alexander walked over to her and stared in fascination at the crystal. As the layers of mana slowly brought its form into permanence. He leaned in so close that his nose threatened to touch the construct.
"I wouldn't get too close there, buddy," Sam warned. "These things tend to explode if I make a mistake."
"Of course they do," Alexander commented, his nose still only millimeters away from the potential bomb. "This is fascinating! You are crystallizing your mana at a rate visible to the naked eye! This process normally takes centuries!"
Sam finished the product and handed it to the curious man. “Do you believe me now?”
Alexander snatched the crystal from her and hurriedly placed his monocle in his right eye, squinting down to hold it in place. He walked over to a spot on his workbench, mumbling to himself. He completely ignored her question. He set the crystal on his workbench, and a screen with readouts popped up, surprising Sam.
“Well, now I’m curious,” Sam thought and rushed to stand beside the weird man.
The readout stated:
Mana Crystal: Pure
Quality: Flawless
Affinity: Error
Power: 100mp
Output: 100mp/ms
Input: 10mp/ms
Uses: 1
“Is that good?” Sam had to ask. It had taken her nearly a thousand mana to make a measly 100mp crystal. She said as much to Alexander.
“It is not the amount of mana it holds but how fast it can discharge!” Alexander said excitedly. “100mp per millisecond! That is unheard of. Here, let me show you.” He grabbed a nearby crystal and replaced Sam’s with it on the scanner.
Mana Crystal: 67% Purity
Quality: Good
Affinity: Light
Power: 3787/4000mp
Output: 30mp/sec
Input: 30mp/sec
Uses: 1
Alexander pointed to the 30mp/sec, saying, "This is an average discharge speed for mana crystals of this quality. I have seen a few excellent-grade crystals that could discharge at nearly a thousand mana per second. Still, those kinds of crystals are always kept hidden away or used for armies' large siege and defensive weapons." He picked up the arcane crystal Sam had made. He whispered conspiratorially to her, "With a thousand of these crystals, I could arm five hundred mages that have both the Double Cast ability and a high-power attack spell and use them to devastate any invading force dumb enough to come near me!" He tapped his chin deep in thought then said, "or power a single cannon to fire a concentrated beam of energy with equal effect!"
"You need to calm down," Sam was getting nervous now. "I will not participate in that kind of mass murder."
"Then may I suggest you do not make many of these," he held up her crystal. "Although…" he looked thoughtful, "I tell you what. If you can make me a crystal similar to this one that can be recharged and can store, say—five hundred thousand mana, I will fully outfit you and up to six of your companions with all the adventuring gear you will ever need, that includes custom works if required." He paused to let that sink in before icing the cake, "for one hundred cycles and up to level 150."
Sam wanted to say yes at once. Anything she wanted from this shop for up to a hundred years! “Where do I sign?" But then her ability to reason returned from its temporary hiatus and informed her she had absolutely no idea if it was a good deal. She also had yet to learn if she could even supply a rechargeable crystal that could hold that much, nor did she want to think about what five hundred thousand mana could do if it could be released in milliseconds! She shook her head.
"Oh, hell no, I am not about to make or give you a weapon of mass destruction, Buster! Have you lost your mind? Five hundred thousand mana, what are you nuts? Do you want to blow up an entire city or something?" Sam was on a roll. The thought of what this guy was asking for, from a complete stranger, no less, was starting to grate on her.
Alexander made placating motions with his hands, saying, "The crystal wouldn't need such a high output as the one you just made. I only want it to power my shop and research your particular mana, which is of the arcane persuasion, if I am not mistaken."
Sam didn't answer and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Alexander, "If by some miracle I can make what you are asking for, what assurances can you give me that you will not just sell it to the highest bidder? Or use it against me?"
"Only my good name." He mirrored her posture, leaning against his workbench with a proud look.
"Dude, I don't have a fucking clue who you are," Sam said.
Alexander spluttered before composing himself, "I am Alexander Batiste, one of only five master crafters in the ten kingdoms! And the only one within two thousand kilometers of Helms Peak!"
"I'm not sure why I should care and how does that describe your integrity?" Sam was a little lost now. "Look, I'll just ask about you around the city and see what the locals say." She shrugged, "Meanwhile I’ll see if I can make what you want, and while I'm at it I will try to build in a safety to prevent it from being used as anything other than a battery."
"It is acceptable," Alexander nodded. "Also, if it helps alleviate your concerns about giving me what I requested, you should know, Miss…ahem, I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name."
"Samantha Moura, but please call me Sam," Sam said.
"Yes, very well, Sam. As I was saying, many crystals are out there holding millions of mana. The mana crystal that powered the crashed ship, for instance, would have had a capacity of at least twenty million mana units. I honestly believe it is why the Church sent my party into the ruin in the first place. So that we could find the crystal that fueled the ship. Fortunately, there was no crystal in the main chamber, only a much larger one of those." He pointed to the node in the center of the workbench.
"That is terrifying, actually," Sam said, "not reassuring at all. "But it sounds like that 'ruin' might be an airship. Or even a spaceship! Didn't Nara allude to the Children of the Light being outworlders? I wonder if I could create a crystal to charge that ruin up and get off this planet. Maybe it could be a System Quest…?" Sam waited for a notification, holding her breath, but sadly none came. Alexander was still talking, so she focused back on the conversation.
"There are also many treaties between the kingdoms to prevent using such powerful items. Our histories and fables tell of several times Hallista was nearly destroyed before the rise of the gods who, in their infinite wisdom, removed the items of power from this world." Alexander concluded.
"Gods, huh, or as Nara calls them, very powerful beings." Sam placed her hand on the scanner for the machine and asked Alexander, “If I fill this gem and let you keep the crystal I made, will that be enough for me and one friend to get outfitted for free?”
While Alexander thought about her offer, Sam pushed some mana into the pad beneath her hand, and it lit up. Turning on Mana Sight, she watched as her mana flowed through the cable and into the machine. The crystal embedded in the slot began filling a moment later. For Sam, it was a little like giving Nara mana, except this time, she had to keep pushing the mana into the machine. In contrast, Nara pulled her mana out once Sam opened the gate.
The little crystal held much more than she expected. A small readout displayed on the machine showed it at a little over fifty percent capacity when she had already dumped nearly forty thousand mana into it. The crystal was a bright purple when she stopped at seventy thousand mana. It took over an hour and a half to fill the little thumb-sized gem of power.
Alexander must have accepted her offer because when she was finished, she found several suits of leather armor laid out on a bench nearby. Seeing no one else in the room, she walked over and, picking up one of the chest pieces, she examined it.
Leather Chest Armor of the Basilisk [Level 30]; 1 of 5
Classification: Light Chest Armor
Quality: Excellent
Magical: Yes
Charge(s): NA
Made from the hide of a level 36 Basilisk and infused with its core. This armor will harden itself at points of Impact, increasing its defense slightly. This effect is increased when a complete set is worn.
Sam grabbed the tag hanging off the chest piece of the grey armor. “Aww, he wants me to know how valuable this is. Let's see, it costs, holy shit, a thousand gold! What the fuck? Is there gold inlay I can't see or something?"
Sam placed the armor back down carefully before going to the next set.
Leather Chest Armor of the Salamander [Level 15]; 1 of 5
Classification: Light Chest Armor
Quality: Excellent
Magical: Yes
Fire Resistance: 33%
Charge(s): 3/3
Made from the hide of a level 19 Fire Salamander and infused with its core. In addition to being fire resistant, this armor can entirely negate a single fire attack lasting 10 seconds or less up to three times before needing to be recharged.
"Wow, I could have used this a couple of weeks ago,” Sam thought and checked the price. Unsurprisingly, it was more than the first one at eighteen hundred gold, and that was just for the chest piece. She had to admit the workmanship was excellent, and who wouldn't want to be fireproof? But that was way more gold than she was expecting. She was seriously beginning to think she should make the crystal he wanted right then and there if this was the kind of equipment she could get out of the deal. And for a hundred years! Placing the dark red armor back, she moved to the last set. It wasn't armor but a cloak, pants, boots, and a tunic. They were almost translucent, and Sam thought they were made of plastic until she picked up the cloak and felt the soft pliable leather it was made from. She identified it.
Leather Cloak of the Morph Rat [Level 41] 1 of 4
Classification: Outer Garment
Quality: Excellent
Magical: Yes
Form(s): 0/5
Made from the hide of a level 68 Winged Morph Rat and infused with its core. This cloak will hold up to five pre-set forms created by the wearer. The forms can be changed instantly, giving the wearer an advantage in any situation they can predict and plan for.
“A…rat…this is the hide of a rat,” Sam said, questioning the information. She ran the smooth velvety leather through her hands as she spoke. Then she looked at the other pieces and asked no one, "Just how big was this rat?"
"About five meters long, if memory serves," Bradley said from behind her, causing Sam to turn. He winced when she looked at him. "Sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you again," he said quickly.
Sam ignored the Imp and checked the price tag. Then she rechecked it because she had to have read it wrong. It read thirteen platinum coins. "Bradley," Sam asked, "how many gold coins make up a platinum coin?"
“Uh, let me see, at the current exchange rate,” he did some math in his head and on his fingers, “I can’t give you the exact number without consulting one of the banks, but I think it is around one thousand gold right now. Maybe the high nine hundreds.”
Sam held up the cloak, “you’re saying this cloak made from rat skin is worth thirteen thousand gold coins?”
"Yes, precisely. It is an amazing piece and priced to sell." Bradley didn't get Sam's emphasis on the word 'rat' and seemed quite proud of the rat suit Sam was holding. He entered business mode, crushing Sam's hopes of wearing the latest rat skin fashion trend. "These are some samples of what you and your companions will be outfitted with should you provide my employer with the item he requested or something comparable. For now, though," he pulled a handwritten note from his pocket and started reading it aloud, "Bradley, the young adventurer, I forget her name. Anyway, her current contribution is enough for a store credit of eighty gold coins. Also, see if she has anything worthwhile to sell or trade. Thank you, Bradley, and don't surprise her again!" Carefully folding the note and placing it back in his breast pocket, Bradley looked at Sam expectantly.
***
Sam left Alexander's feeling like she had done okay in her negotiations with the shrewd Imp. Of all the hides she had, she only kept the hides of the Blade Tail and Great Timberwolf. She liked curling up in them by the fire, too much to part with them. The meat the store wouldn't purchase, and there was no way she would part with the summoning token just yet. She traded off everything she could, including all the beast corpses and cores. Apparently, beast cores were essential in enchanting any clothing or armor made from their hides. They were highly sought after because not every beast had a harvestable core. At lest for those without the loot skill.
In return for everything, Sam walked away with three changes of clothes and two sets of high-quality leather armor, not the magical kind, unfortunately. She also had the same items for Nara. When she had voiced her concern about not knowing Nara's size, Bradley assured her the outfits would mold to her shape as it was a perk of a master crafter. She hadn't purchased any weapons; she could make her own, and Nara seemed attached to the ranger's bow they had looted, so she could see no need for anything at the moment. Everything said and done, she walked away with fifteen extra gold coins than she had gone in with. Bradley even gave her a premium on the items she sold him and a fifteen percent discount on all her purchases. Overall, she felt pleased with her transactions.
Now, to find Nara. It was late afternoon, and shopping made her hungry! And thirsty.
***
Sam found Nara lounging on a bench outside the guild gates, and the two filled each other in on their day's activities. Sam wanted to try the local cuisine. Nara knew of a nice restaurant in the area, so the two headed to dinner, planning to have a relaxing evening.