When Lanek roused himself a few hours later, he found Caelis sitting in the meeting room, deep in thought. “Hey, Caelis. Feeling a bit better now?”

“A little. I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly, but it really was a lot to take in. To think that even Geirsa is gone. What hope is there for Laethon?”

“Come on, Caelis. It wasn’t all bad news, it looks like at least some people have managed to survive, even if it sounds like it is in much smaller settlements.”

“That’s true. Maybe there will be some of these settlements in Laethon’s territory?”

Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Lanek nodded. “There very well could be. So, where is our guest?”

“Downstairs, she wanted to look around a bit. Don’t worry, I warned her about Idril.”

“Aw… Why would you do that? I wanted to see her expression when she found the gryphon.”

“Don’t be mean, Lanek.” Caelis chuckled alongside Lanek as they went looking for Liv.

It turned out to be a pretty simple task as Sanguineus had decided to keep an eye on her. He clearly didn’t trust her after her attack on Lanek. Following his bond with Sanguineus, he found himself in the workshop area of the first floor, watching Liv rummage around.

Seeing Lanek and Caelis, Liv ceased her work and waved. “So, you gonna call off the wolf or what?”

Lanek looked at Sanguineus’ disapproving face before responding, “Nope, this is between you two. You were the one who started the fight, you get to be the one to settle it.”

“Alright, I get it. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind, but I figured I would look through the tools and equipment for something to use to fix the front door. Maybe even an actual weapon to equip myself with.”

“Feel free to help yourself to whatever you need, it’s just sitting around being useless. I don’t have any skill at repairing or crafting equipment. Also, I would appreciate help with the door, a friend made it pretty clear that I’m shit at making doors. However, if you’re up for a bit of a jaunt, I know where we can get you some quality gear that isn’t in need of repairs.”

“I would appreciate that, when do you want to go?”

“Now’s good, the sooner we can get you in fighting shape the better. Before we go, what kind of weapons do you prefer?”

“A spear and shield, primarily. I also typically had a short blade for close quarters work. Typically something like the one you are wearing.”

“Really? Is it long enough? I thought it was a dagger?”

“It depends on how you use it, but that’s definitely long enough to be considered a short sword.”

“Well, I have other backup weapons if I need them, so you can have this one.” Lanek removed the sheathed seax from his belt and handed it to her.

“Appreciated.” She whistled in appreciation as she drew it from its sheathe. “Where did you get a seax? I didn’t think anyone used these outside of my homeland.”

“I found it in a home in the adventurer’s quarter. How about armor? Feel like an upgrade or do you want to try to fix up what you have?”

“I’ll put it to good use, thank you. I wouldn’t mind new armor, provided it didn’t slow me down too much.”

“Gotcha, come with me and we’ll see if you could use any of the stuff I’ve found so far.” Lanek motioned for her to follow and went back upstairs to his quarters, Caelis drifting alongside them. While Liv looked at his spare gear, he turned his attention to Caelis.

“Hey, I was wondering, do cores just replenish all mana or does their effectiveness vary depending on the creature it came from?”

“They all replenish the same amount of mana. The only difference between cores is how they affect evolution and crafting. An example would be a zombie core giving a boost to the darkness element while an orc core would provide strength bonuses. Granted, this is very simplified as level and evolution of the creature would also play a part.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Good to know, I picked up a fair number of goblin cores and was hoping they wouldn’t be worthless if I used them on the crystals.”

“They’ll work just fine.”

“Excellent. Now, I’ve been meaning to ask, does this world have spatial storage? You know, rings or bags that can hold a massive amount of items regardless of size and weight?”

Caelis looked at him incredulously. “No. No, we do not have that in this world. If they did exist, I’m pretty sure merchants and adventurers would murder each other for them.”

Lanek sighed in disappointment. “It was worth a shot.”

They were interrupted by Liv returning to them. “Hey, are you sure I can have any of this stuff?”

“Sure, it does no good just sitting there. What do you want?”

“Well, I would love the brigandine. It’s very similar to the armor our warriors wore back home. Not so much in appearance, but how it is made. As for weapons, would you mind if I took the short spear?”

“Not at all, go for it. But, I have to warn you, I expect you to bring them back if you find something you prefer while we are out. The places I mean to take you have longer spears and more armor. Grab a pack while you are at it, just in case we find some more stuff to bring back.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.”

Once Liv was geared up, they proceeded to leave the monastery behind and head north. Along the way, Lanek became a bit curious about his new companion and decided to have a bit of a chat while Kazuma and Sanguineus scouted ahead.

“So, Liv. Do you mind if I ask what class you are? I don’t mind sharing mine in return. I’m a Soulbinder, with Shinobi and Ranger subclasses.”

“Huh, never heard of Soulbinder or Shinobi, what kind of classes are they?”

“If I had to say, Soulbinder is kind of like a tamer? It’s the reason I have Kazuma and Sanguineus with me. Shinobi was an upgrade option from rogue, focuses on stealth and precision attacks. Kind of a bitch of a downside though, I can only level up by fighting things at my level or higher.”

“Ah, one of those. Code of honor thing? We have a class like that back home as well, Drengr. It’s one of the evolutions from the Vanguard class. As for me, my class is Spearman with a Scout subclass. I’m aiming for a bit of a rare class at my next evolution. I was taught that if you have some combination of a class with a nature affinity and one that focuses on a spear as the primary weapon, then there is a chance that you will be offered a mounted class.”

“Really? That sounds awesome, good luck to you. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest, I would love a mount.”

“Thanks, but even if I get the class, I’m still going to have to find an appropriate mount.”

“That could be tricky, I haven’t seen any horses about.”

“Yeah, mounts aren’t all that common anymore.”

“Well, let me know if I can help when the time comes. Also, we’re almost there. I haven’t felt any warnings from the furballs, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some ghouls or ghasts about.”

Liv turned serious, drawing her seax in one while readying the short spear in the other. Lanek drew his weapon as well and led the way to the weapon shop, finding immense comfort in the company of yet another ally. He hoped she would choose to stick around for a while.

He ducked into the shop, Liv just behind him. Lanek instructed Kazuma and Sanguineus to keep watch while he and Liv pried up the flagstone, revealing the hatch underneath. Liv looked into the darkness skeptically, then glanced at Lanek.

“It’s worth it, trust me.” Lanek laughed quietly, leading the way down.

“Holy shit…” Liv breathed when her eyes fell on the massive amounts of crafting materials stored in the hidden basement.

“I take it you approve? Good, but that’s not what we are here for, come take a look in here.” Lanek lifted his lantern, illuminating the weapon room where he had acquired his sabre.

He watched in amusement as Liv’s face lit up at the sight of so many weapons. She dug into every nook and cranny of the room, before hefting a spear that had a shaft that was a little over two meters in length topped by a 42 cm spearhead.

“Find something you like?”

“Definitely. Here, take a look.” She passed him the spear, which he proceeded to identify.

Exceptional War Spear Crafted from ironwood and enchanted bronze, this spear can withstand a charge from most foes without shattering or cracking. Due to the enchantments on the spearhead, it never needs to be sharpened or maintained. The spearhead can sustain multiple enchantments.

“Wow, self-maintaining? That’s definitely a keeper.”

“Oh, yes. Umm, do you mind if I keep the short spear as well? I would like something I can throw.”

“Sure, I don’t mind. Do you see anything else you want, or should we go look at some armor?”

“I’m ready to go.”

Lanek tilted his head as he received a pulse of warning from Kazuma. “Hey, Liv.”

“Yeah?”

“I hope you’re ready to put that spear to use sooner rather than later, it seems like we have company.”