After Gregory agreed to go with Olivander, he went to pack, and Olivander went to meet Gregory's sister, Helga.
Temerin ranch had a series of homes on it. A few were larger like the main family house, but most were just small cottages. Most of the cottages were empty, like the one Fezzic would be moving into. The larger houses were full, and had families that worked on the ranch or some of the Temerin extended family. Olivander headed towards one house with a large smithy bolted onto the side. The sound of a hammer ringing against an anvil and the smell of sulfur greeted him as he approached.
Zeke was in the yard just outside his smithy, beating Burturm’s armor back into shape. He stopped when he saw Olivander approaching, hanging up his tools and apron.
“Good morning, Mr. Olivander. We didn’t get a chance to properly meet with all of last night’s excitement. I’m Zeke.”
“Nice to meet you Zeke, and please, it’s just Olivander. You’re Burtrum and Helena’s son-in-law, right?”
“I am. I’m married to their lovely daughter, Helga. She’s just inside getting ready for you.”
“That is music to my ears, Zeke. Do you think you’ll be able to do anything with the materials Burtrum dropped off?”
“Oh yes. The wyrm fangs are exceptionally fine. Burtrum mentioned he thought Gregory might want a sword, but he suggested I ask you before getting to work, since you’ll be the one helping train him.”
“At this stage it’s hard to say. I know what he wants, and he knows what he wants. But both of those are the things he wants right now. Who’s to say he won’t unlock a class more suited to attacking from range, or a combination class that excels at combining magic with brute strength. I will say that whatever you craft him will certainly influence the direction he goes.”
“They are an interesting bunch, the Temerins. With a father like Burtrum, you’d think they’d all be peerless warriors. But of the kids — they have five, er, four total, the oldest is Herman, he lives closer to the capital — only Gregory wants to become a combat class oriented warrior. Herman is a scholar and scribe, Helga is a tailor, and Timothy is a chef.”
“So what you’re saying is that there is an amount of flexibility that runs in the family. If we keep his options open, he’ll have a greater range of choices. So doing something like sticking him with a great hammer, like his father, would be rather limiting.”
“I believe so.”
“Hmm. Thank you for the insight Zeke, you have a good head on your shoulders. I will consider for a bit longer. How long do you need to craft something usable by a copper rank warrior?”
“Copper rank? Half an hour. At that rank my skills do practically all the work. If you can afford to wait another day though, I can make something well enough that it should be upgradeable.”
“That may be the best course. Let me see what your wife says. If she needs more time for my robes, then we have our answer as easy as that.”
“I’ll wait to hear from you then. You can head on inside, just up the porch there. We have a little one running around, but she should be down for a nap right now. Just watch out when you open the door and don’t bother knocking. Helga probably heard me stop hammering away and knows you’re here.”
Olivander thanked Zeke and headed inside. No one tried to make a dash for freedom when he opened the door, so he entered the sitting room. A woman was spinning some cloth on a loom in the next room. She was clearly Helena and Burtrum’s daughter. She was another offspring with impressive height, but where Helena and her sons were solid and strong, Helga was lean, with an athletic figure and nimble hands.
“You must be Olivander! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for helping out Gregory with his guild contract and Dad with the wyrm. I didn’t see your sword spell, but Zeke told me about it. Very impressive.”
Olivander waived away the compliments but couldn’t hide is broad smile. “It was your father who distracted the beast. I just had a powerful and very lengthy spell that I managed to use to finish it off. He did most of the work.”
“If you insist. My father said you needed some new robes, but I didn’t need to hear it from him to see that. These are hanging on by their last threads.”
She took the sleeve of his robe in her hand and rubbed it gently in between two fingers.
“Nether-Shadow Silk, very fine. And this enchantment. Some kind of muffling, but I can’t say for certain. Self repair enchantment is, obviously, totally done for.”
Olivander was impressed with her identification skills.
“Might I ask, are you using a skill to learn the properties of my robe?”
“Partially. It helps me identify the basic properties, but doesn’t give me exact names or specific enchantments.”
“Then I am doubly impressed. I’m surprised you recognized the Nether-Shadow Silk. It’s rare, even in the capital.”
“I have actually never seen it before, only read about its properties. I’m guessing the robe was significantly better quality when the materials and enchantments were new.”
“It has seen a few rough days, to be sure. The threads are old and worn, and it's barely the same color it was when I first had them crafted.”
“If you’d like, I can repurpose the material. It won’t be quite as good as it was, but you’ll still get most of the benefits of the silk. I might be able to save an enchantment or two, but you might need to find an actual enchanter to recharge them.”
“That would be splendid. I like the cut. I just need something a little less close to falling apart. Anything you think would be helpful would be appreciated.”
Helga conjured a set of robes and held them out to him. “I’ll get started right away. This will take me a few hours, and the silk will need to rest between treatments, so I should have it ready by morning. These conjured robes will last a few days, so you can wear them until I’m done.”
Olivander’s eyes gleamed when he saw the robes being conjured.
“Great, I’ll get changed and get out of your hair. I should ask though. Is there any way you’d be willing to teach me the spell you used to conjure these robes? I’ve been thinking about getting something like that for a while.”
“Do you have a tailoring related non-combat class?”
“No, but my combat and non-combat class combination gives me the ability to learn new spells from others.”
“That’s amazing. I’ve never heard anything like that.”
Stolen story; please report.
“It has its drawbacks, but overall it is a strong ability. The utility is unmatched.”
Olivander slipped into the restroom to change and then left his old robe with Helga. Before he left, he wrangled a promise that she would teach him some magic when he came back.
Knowing that Zeke would have time, Olivander stopped by his smithy and requested a specific weapon. It was still just a sword, but with a few modifications. He had to provide some of his own magic to power some of the constructs Zeke would need to use, but if there was one thing that Olivander had, it was an excess of magical power.
He had one more stop to make before he was done with his pre-trip preparations. He found Fezzic, and then Helena led them both to Fezzic’s new home.
“This is amazing. Thank you, Helena,” Fezzic said, exploring the new space.
“It is no trouble. We’re looking forward to having an alchemist around. The last one that worked in Demering retired a year or two ago. People have been needing to travel up to Prost to get any potions or elixirs.”
“Alright, Fezzic, where do you want my book? Remember, you’re probably not going to be able to move this thing. At least not without Burtrum’s help.”
Fezzic picked out a room, and Olivander held out a hand in the middle of the floor. He winced in anticipation. A book the size of a boulder appeared in his hand and immediately dragged him downward. He managed to get his hand out of the way as the book hit the floor, cracking some of the floorboards.
“That’s a book?” Fezzic asked.
“Oh yes. I’ve never been much of an alchemist, but I retrieved this from the laboratory of a man who was trying to find an elixir that would let him live forever. He eventually died during the process. Definitely avoid the last elixir in the book. Anyway, he took very detailed notes on thousands of experiments. In theory, it should be helpful.”
Fezzic flipped through the first few pages of the tome. The pages were nearly as tall as he was. His eyes grew wide as he read through the first experimental concoctions.
“This text is unbelievable. Just reading through this will level my alchemist class, I think. I probably won’t even need to brew anything. This is a priceless gift, Olivander.”
“It is just a gift. I might call on you for assistance in the future, but this isn’t in exchange for that.”
“You let me know what you need, and I’ll be there.”
* * *
The next morning after breakfast, Olivander had Gregory come with him to pick up the items he was having crafted.
Zeke and Helga were having breakfast of their own, and Olivander saw no reason to refuse the invitation to join them when they arrived.
“Wow, Olivander. You’re not a big guy, but you can really put food away.”
“Here’s the first lesson of adventuring, Gregory: never turn down a free meal.”
Zeke quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, while Gregory nodded seriously.
“So Olivander, you’re going to make something out of my little brother? He could use some hardening up. Mom and Dad are too easy on him,” Helga said. She was feeding their little girl, Annebell, who thought it was more interesting to decorate the front of her bib than actually eat anything.
“While he is currently one of the worst fighters I have ever laid eyes on—”
“Hey!”
“I am hopeful that he takes after his father and will become a formidable fighter.”
“I can do it!” Gregory said, balling a fist and thrusting it into the air.
Annebell laughed and imitated him, splattering what looked like smashed peas all over Gregory’s tunic.
“Let’s say we get cleaned up, and show you what you came for,” Zeke said, handing Gregory a cloth.
A few minutes later, they were in the sitting room, and Zeke brought out a cloth bundle. Helga rolled a small clothing rack out of her workspace.
“What did you make for me?” Gregory said, excited.
“It was a rather unique creation. Olivander and I knew you wanted a sword, but he didn’t want to steer to strictly down that path, so we made something that has quite a lot of utility.”
Zeke pulled back cloth from the bundle he set on the table, revealing a longsword and scabbard. The sword was made from metal and threaded through with the ivory coloring of the fangs that had gone into its crafting. It was edged on both sides, and in addition to the ivory veins, it had a black stripe of what looked like obsidian running through the center of the blade. It looked wicked, like the beating heart of a monster had been sealed into the metal, and it was straining to be released.
“That is one sinister looking blade, Zeke! I feel like just carrying it around will make me look so much cooler!”
“Thanks Greg. Take a peek at what it can do, it’s not just about looking good.”
“Looking good never hurts, though,” Olivander chimed in.
Gregory picked up the blade.
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Channeling Sword of the Desert Wyrm
* Weapon: Sword
* Rarity: Rare (Upgradeable)
* Crafted from the heart of a Wild Desert Wyrm with the assistance of a Master Magician.
* Allows the user to channel spells through the blade. Doing so will imbue the weapon with an effect based on the spell channeled.
* When not channeling spells, this sword does additional scorching damage.
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“Wow, that’s amazing. I don’t have any spells though, will I be able to use it?”
“Even if you end up as a purely physical fighter, you’ll still have the odd spell or two, like your father. As you form a connection with the blade, your body will naturally adjust and will remain open to the opportunity to follow a spell-based path,” Olivander said.
“That’s right. We crafted this so you can choose whatever you want to do, and not be hampered as a result. Eventually you’ll gain some kind of specialization though," Zeke said.
“Thank you Zeke, Olivander, it’s more than I deserve,” Gregory said. He stood and buckled the scabbard around his waist.
“Careful, Greg!” Helga said, catching a vase. “Don’t go spinning around until you’re used to wearing that thing. Take it off and put it back on when you’re outside.”
She put the vase back on the side table and then approached her clothing rack.
“Olivander, I think you’ll like what I’ve put together. I have a few traveling robes, very basic, comfortable, with some light warmth and drying enchantments that will make you comfortable, even in the rain.”
“They are lovely,” he said, standing to admire the fabric of the two new robes.
“And here,” she said, pulling a bag off the last robe, "is your newly refurbished Nether-Shadow Silk robe! I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It will muffle your spellcasting slightly to enemy senses, the self repair functionality has been restored, and it will slightly increase the duration of portal abilities used by the wearer. That’s one of the effects from the Nether-Shadow Silk itself and was tricky to preserve when I was remaking the robe.”
Olivander reached out a hand and touched it.
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Refurbished Nether-Shadow Robes
* Armor: Robe
* Rarity: Epic (Remade)
* Robes woven from Nether-Shadow Silk. These dark purple robes are great for any occasion.
* Provides minimal physical protection.
* Increases the duration of portal effects used by the caster, if desired, when casting the effect.
* Muffles the wearer’s spellcasting from enemy senses.
* Self-repairs.
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“You have done an excellent job, Helga. I am glad to have my favorite robes intact once more!”
“Thank you, Olivander. I was happy to work on them. They gave me a solid chunk of crafting experience. Materials that rare are a treasure.”
Olivander changed into his restored purple robes and met Gregory outside, where they said farewell to Helga, Zeke, and Annebell.
Both Helga and Gregory shed some tears, but Olivander assured Helga that he would bring back Gregory, safe and sound.
With another series of goodbyes at the main house and a quick stop by Fezzic’s new place, the pair were off. They were both excited to be on their way. Gregory was looking forward to new adventure, and Olivander was looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble he could get Gregory into.