As soon as Eleisa and Bonlanu returned, he showed them his findings.
“We must bring this to the Guilds’ attention. If there is a person who is somehow responsible for the infestation hiding in the Scholar Ward, keeping this knowledge to ourselves could result in needless suffering.” Eleisa made her opinion known.
Jared nodded. “That’s a good idea. Bonlanu, do you have any errands you need to run or preparations to make?”
“I do not. Would you like me to inform the Hunters’ Guild?”
“If you would, that would be great. I’ve got some supplies to get, and I need better armor. Eleisa, it might be a good idea to get you something as well, even if it’s just something light.”
She hesitated, then agreed. “I would also like to purchase or commission an improved spear; I have outgrown my current one.”
Jared continued. “That’s a good idea, I should do that to. I’d also like to find an alchemist and get some health potions for emergencies. There anything else we think we’ll need? We should try to be prepared for anything.”
Naomi shifted into her doll form, pointing at herself, making Jared chuckle.
“Yes, Mimi, we can get something for you, too.”
They parted ways, Bonlanu heading to the Hunters’ Guild with the map that Jared had made all his notes on, the others heading to the market square for some shopping.
The first place they went was a large stone building with a sign out front depicting a piece of armor that would go on a person’s shoulder. Jared had noticed it when he was looking for party members and had asked around about it. Everything he had heard was positive, so he decided they’d try it first when they needed equipment.
As they entered, they were hit by a wave of heat. In the back corner, a well-muscled woman with golden feathers instead of hair was hammering a piece of metal on an anvil next to a forge. Workbenches lined the walls, most of them piled high with various scraps of metal and leather, pieces of armor, and unfinished weapons.
The smith looked up at them as they entered, setting her hammer down. “Welcome to the Creaky Pauldron, the place for all your arms and armor needs. What can I do for you?”
Her voice was smooth and melodic and gave Jared the impression of birdsong.
“We need some better equipment. Both of us need armor and new spears.”
The woman nodded. “Are you looking to purchase from our stock, or would you like to have new equipment made for you?”
Jared exchanged a glance with Eleisa. “I’m sure you’ve got some great items in your stock, but we want equipment more tailored to us.”
The feathered woman seemed to expect that, moving on. “Do you have any of your own materials you would like me to use?”
“Yeah, we’ve got some stuff that should work.”
She raised a feathery eyebrow, then cleared off a space on a nearby workbench. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Jared gestured to Mimi, having already discussed which materials they wanted to use. She went over to the workbench and lifted her hand over it, a mouth opening in her palm. A cascade of glittering white scales fell out, followed by several other items which made up the best of the materials they had collected.
Albino Skorvok Scale (Scarce, Average)
Albino Skorvok Claw (Scarce, Average)
Albino Skorvok Fang (Scarce, Great)
Ghost Wolf Osseous Plating (Scarce, Great)
Shadeweaver Blade (Uncommon, Great)
Shadeweaver Chitin (Uncommon, Average)
Shadeweave (Rare, Excellent)
“These are the main things we have. What do yo-”
He was cut off as Mimi withdrew a few more items, a dozen or so spheres of different sizes plopping into a large jar. Staring at Jared were eyes from all the creatures he had killed, each unique in its size and design.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about those. If you can do something with all those eyes, that would be cool. I don’t really know how to use them.”
The smith stared at the materials for a moment before beginning to examine them. She picked up each one, turning it over in her hands, muttering something under her breath. When she got to the eyes, she lifted the jar, taking in each individual organ. Setting it down, she returned her attention to Jared. “These materials should work well. I can already see the items taking shape.” Her eyes sparked and glimmered as she spoke, proudly displaying the excitement that she was trying to suppress. “Now as for payment, the spears will cost 100 Royals each, and assuming you want full armor sets, they will cost double that. The eyes are a curiosity I don’t often have the chance to work with, so I’ll do something with them for free. No guarantees that item comes out worthwhile, but I’ll do my best.”
Jared blinked, not having expected such a high cost. What she was asking for was a large portion of his remaining gold; he hadn’t exactly been the most frugal. Sighing, he took out the requisite amount, handing it over. The feathered woman grinned, sticking out her hand for him to shake. “Pleasure doing business with you! I’m Sabrine.”
Jared matched her grin with a smile of his own. “Nice to meet you Sabrine. I’m Jared, this is Eleisa and Naomi. We’re looking forward to what you make for us.” He was about to turn and leave when a thought struck him. “Do you need anything else from us, like measurements or information about our classes or Skills so you can tailor what you make to us?
Sabrine shook her head. “Nope. I got your measurements already, and the GEAS will help me make the stuff right for you without you divulging that private information. I should be able to have everything done by tomorrow morning, so you should come back then.” Having finished with what she needed to say, she scooped up a few materials and took them back to her forge, grabbing a new ingot of metal and putting it into the fire.
They left her to her work, setting off to find the next stop on their list. It didn’t take them too long, especially since the entire shop had been painted a vibrant violet.
The sign out front depicted a bubbling potion bottle, and entering the shop, they found a large room filled with shelves. The air was suffused with the scents of many different herbs, along with something that had a distinct chemical smell.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
A bell rang as they entered, and a man’s muffled voice echoed out from another room. “I will be right with you.”
Jared browsed as they waited, impressed by the sheer variety of products. Each shelf held dozens of glass bottles, each holding a different substance. Some had liquids of various colors, others held small orbs that seemed to be made of herbs, while still more had thick, sludgy pastes within.
After a few minutes, a door in the back wall opened, and a bug-like man stepped through. He was quite short, maybe a meter and a half tall, and had dull yellow chitin covering his body. He had four arms, each with four fingers, and four gossamer wings were folded to his back. His onyx eyes were more vespid than human, and he had black hair on and around his head, similar to a lion’s mane. The only parts of him that seemed reminiscent of humanity were his button nose and thin lips.
“How can I hel-” He started into a greeting, then froze as he saw Eleisa. He bent at the waist and made like he was about to fall to his knees, but Eleisa stopped him. Moving faster than Jared had ever seen, she grasped his shoulder, forcing him to stay standing. She then said something to the man, who Jared assumed was another Kyrien, speaking in a strange clicking language. His response seemed to annoy Eleisa, and she fired back another series of clicks. They went back and forth for a minute or so, before the man seemed to surrender.
She rejoined Jared, ears and wings twitching.
“What was that all about?”
“Kyrien business. If you need to know, I will advise you at a later time.” She responded without looking at him. She tried to play it off as blasé, but her shoulders were tight, and her limbs were tense as if she was ready to fight or flee at any moment.
Jared’s gaze lingered on her for a second. Then he shrugged.
“Alright.” He turned to the other Kyrien. “We’re here to get some potions. Healing is our top priority, but we’re also looking for anything that could give us an edge.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eleisa relax. She was obviously hiding things, but this was neither the time nor place to address the fact.
He looked to Eleisa, but when she gave no reaction, he answered Jared’s inquiry.
“I do have a few healing potions, but to help you with your other request, I would need more information.”
That made sense. “We’re probably going to be going up against large numbers of weak monsters and at least one powerful person. That’s about as much as we know.”
The alchemist rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Alright, here’s what I would recommend.” He shuffled over to one of the shelves, pulling a few flasks down. He placed them on the counter, four in all.
“First, we have bottled flame.” He pointed to the first bottle, which had a glowing orange ember within. “When exposed to normal air, the contents of this bottle will combust, filling a large area with fire. Next,” he pointed to the next bottle, which was filled with a greenish gas, “We have a contained toxic cloud. It will cover a similar area as the bottled flame but tends to linger. Third is a potion of haste, which will speed all of your movements for a time but will take a heavy toll once it has run its course.” This bottle held a silvery liquid that moved around inside the glass much faster than it should have. “And finally, there is the monster lure. It attracts most monstrous creatures of a lower level than its creator.” The final bottle had a viscous liquid that was mostly clear, but with hints of pink.
Considering that last point, Jared identified the man.
[Kyrien Drone Alchemist](lvl 43)
He had to forcibly keep his jaw from dropping. This alchemist was the highest level person he had ever been able to identify, even higher level than the albino skorvok by a large margin.
Despite his discretion, something must have shown on his face, as the Kyrien smiled wanly at him. “Yes, I have a decently high level, but I am just a drone, and as such, I am only useful for alchemy. I have no combat ability.”
Jared frowned. “But even so, you should have fairly high stats, right?”
The man just shook his head. “The only classes offered to drones give only one stat point per level. As such, you almost certainly have more total stat points than I, despite our level disparity.”
“That’s not fair. You should be offered more stat points at higher ascensions.”
“If I were a soldier, or even a worker, that would be the case. But I am merely a drone.”
The more Jared learned about this system, the less he liked it.
They ended up getting a couple of each of the four potions, in addition to several healing potions. They regrouped with Bonlanu at the Raven’s rest, taking the rest of the day off while waiting for their equipment. The next morning, they went straight to The Creaky Pauldron, finding Sabrine waiting for them.
She greeted them with a wave and a grin, then Bonlanu entered and her eyes went wide.
“By all of Narsys’ tail feathers, that’s a real live Arborial!” She ran over to him, looking him up and down, tracing her fingers over his wooden armor. “Wow, I’ve never been able to see one of your people before. Your armor is amazing! Who’s your crafter? And that axe, how can you even lift it? It must weigh half as much as I do.”
Jared cleared his throat. Sabrine looked up at him, then back at Bonlanu, and blushed. “Sorry, I tend to get overexcited when I see cool new stuff.” She went over to one of the workbenches, grabbing a couple of bundles wrapped in leather. “Anyway, here’s your stuff. Everything turned out great.” She handed the bundles to Jared and Eleisa. Jared unwrapped his, finding a set of scale and bone armor that included a hooded shirt, pants, and bracers.
White Death Jerkin (Unique, Magnificent){1/3} – A piece of armor crafted by a master. Its rare materials provide a great amount of protection while allowing its wearer to remain flexible.
* While wearing two or more pieces of this set: you will blend into your surroundings with greater efficacy.
* While wearing all three pieces of this set: once a month, if you would be killed outright by a single source, you will instead survive in a heavily injured state.
* Requirements: Level 20
White Death Leggings (Unique, Magnificent){2/3}– A piece of armor crafted by a master. Its rare materials provide a great amount of protection while allowing its wearer to remain flexible.
* While wearing two or more pieces of this set: the sound of your movements will be absorbed, making them nearly silent.
* While wearing all three pieces of this set: the kinetic energy of attacks made against you will be absorbed, lessening the damage. Once enough kinetic energy has been absorbed, you may unleash it to either increase your movement speed for a short time or add damage to an attack.
* Requirements: Level 20
White Death Bracers (Unique, Magnificent){3/3}– A piece of armor crafted by a master. Its rare materials provide a great amount of protection while allowing its wearer to remain flexible.
* While wearing two or more pieces of this set: much of your scent will be contained, making it much more difficult to track you through smell
* While wearing all three pieces of this set: Some of the recoil you experience when using a firearm or similar weapon is absorbed and is expended when you are hit with an attack, passively increasing your defenses.
* Requirements: Level 20
He let out a low whistle as he read the effects. Looking over, he found Eleisa had a similar set, but with less bone to make it lighter, and the scales had somehow been changed from brilliant white to the same obsidian black as her chitin. She seemed equally impressed by her armor. Not wanting to wait until they left, Jared and Eleisa put on their armor right then and there.
As soon as the pieces were in place, Jared could tell an immediate difference. None of his movements seemed to make any sound, and he felt safe and secure.
Next were the spears, which Sabrine handed to them when they had finished donning their armor. Jared’s was about the same length as his previous longspear, but the blade was obviously made from one of the skorvok claws. It was curved and wickedly sharp, making the weapon into more of a polearm than a normal spear. It seemed that the GEAS agreed.
Sovnya of White Death (Unique, Magnificent) – A polearm crafted by a master. Its blade, made from the claw of a rare albino skorvok, retains a portion of the monster’s cunning. While wielding this weapon, your attacks are more difficult to defend against.
He wasn’t sure what that meant, but considering the abilities his armor had, he was certain it would come in handy. Finally, Sabrine handed Jared a small circular piece of glass. “It’s not finished, but this is the best I could do with the eyes. It was definitely an interesting project.”
Millenium Eye (Unique, Supreme[Incomplete]) – A unique item created by fusing many eyes that had been distilled in the magic of the creature they came from. Can be infused with additional eyes to become complete. Eyes from unique creatures may grant an additional effect. (Progress:10/1000)
Effects:
* Darkvision
* Thermal Vision
* Low-light Vision
* Mana Vision
Jared grinned as he handed the glass disk to Naomi. “This’ll be perfect for your scope.” He turned to Sabrine. “All this is frankly amazing. When we need upgrades or repairs, I know where I’m going.”
Sabrine blushed. “Thank you, I’m glad you like them. Feel free to come back anytime, I got two levels from working on your stuff.”
They agreed and headed out, turning towards the southwest. Now that they were geared up, it was time to find some terrorists.