Sorry for the Delay. More coming soon.
*****
Chapter 7
I left Naomi, gazing around the far sparser guild hall. The place had been packed when I came in, and there were probably half as many people, if that. Charles seemed to have disappeared on me, which I supposed was a blessing as I wouldn't have to try and ditch him before I went home. I had managed to accomplish something today, if that was only stirring up complications while ordering a wardrobe, and getting registered for the Adventurer's Guild.
The inner mall of the guild was designed as a large cross, with five separate levels. Walkways stretched between the different levels, and from what I could tell they largely contained shops and other professional services for the members. The entrance hall contained a large billboard with all of the job postings, at least those that weren't printed up in one sheets. Most were listings for subjugation of this, or retrieval of that. I saw some that looked like issuance for cold blooded murder, if they didn't have 'Demon' or 'Monster' in the title. For all I knew, some of them might actually be assassination requests, though I found it hard to believe such a thing was openly advertised. Still, there seemed to be a lot of 'combat capable' people floating around what was essentially a platform for mercenary work for the masses. When I signed up all I was asked for was a listing or testing of my capabilities. If there were limitations on the types of jobs allowed by this organization, I hadn't seen anything so far. If there were, I couldn't imagine it was that difficult to arrange 'jobs' in dark corners or secluded rooms.
Taking another glance around me in search of Charles, I headed into the mall to look at the shops. Quite a few of the stall workers or shop owners gave me leery glances as I passed by. I wasn't sure if my attire was inappropriate for the type of work I was going after, since I had seen at least a minor scattering of well dressed 'adventurers' when I came in. I really had no idea what type of things I would be needing to purchase, but I thought that seeing what was available would give me a better idea.
I found a small shop tucked into a small corner of the guild mall on the third floor. The shop was relatively unassuming and contained a lot of 'sale' or second hand items. A hodgepodge of weapons, armor, and gear, the shop seemed ideal to figure out what things I would be purchasing in the near future. There was a faint scent of incense in the air, something that might once have sent my sinuses into a fit...I supposed I wouldn't have to deal with the same issues. There were shelves covered in knick knacks, from small statues to lamps and pots. There was a thin swirl of magic in the air, or at least what I was coming to associate with magic. Given the condition of the items, and the poor state of the store, there were probably a few minor magic items somewhere that had just sat here forever, or maybe this world's version of an alarm system?
There was a soft shimmering of chimes somewhere as I turned an aisle. “Can I help you?” a voice grumbled as I glanced around with a frown. Stepping between aisles I spotted a very old Asian looking man sitting behind a desk mahogany counter. His skin looked paper thin, and he had a long white beard, with a few wisps of grey in it. He wore a small, tattered black cloth hat on his head, and a set of simple grey robes. He was slowly grinding away something with a jade mortar and pestle. I assumed there was likely iron in the mix, as I caught an occasional spark flickering from the top of the mortar.
“Oh...Um, I wasn't sure. I was just looking around to see what you had.” I said letting my attention wander around the long rows of stockpiled 'junk'. There was a pulse in the air, and a soft whispering as my mind wandered. Stepping along the aisle I could feel a strange distortion of the air around me. It became harder to breath as I put one foot in front of another, a sense of vertigo overcoming me as the length of the isles extended outward. “Shit!” I whispered, my voice cracking as my heart raced. As my feet seemed to move of their own volition I found myself approaching a shadowed alcove, the rows of shelves parting, revealing harder stone floors and pillars. The stone had faint black lines running through it like cracks, or veins in marble, and as my footsteps fell the glimmered faintly with an orange hue.
A statue of a woman made from pitch black stone lay on the floor of the alcove, her features worn away with time. Her body was curled up, holding a sword through her center, the hands cupped around the blade leaving the hilt exposed. Her gaze was down turned, and her form was draped in stone robes. The blade was a dull ash grey with faint green veins in it, probably from oxidation meaning there was likely copper in the mix. The blade was double-bladed, without much in the way of a hand guard. As I came in close I could see odd symbols etched along the blade, only faintly visible. The thing looked large, and probably far too heavy for a woman the size of the statue holding it. As my hand closed around the hilt I could feel a soft, almost electric, vibration. The statue began to glow a soft amber as I pulled the blade free, pulling the dim light from the statue as it came. The blade was...large, probably more than four and a half feet long, but it felt almost weightless in my hands. The dull looking blade cut the air as I drew it, giving it a flick of my wrist to test the balance.
Standing with the blade in my hand, I turned my head to find the ancient looking man from behind the desk staring at me with clouded eyes. He was holding a long pipe in his hand, and as I stepped from the alcove he drew a greenish smoke from it, blowing a thin stream which curled around the hair of his beard. As I looked at him, I held up the blade in one hand and cleared my throat. “So...how much for the sword?” I asked, feeling a weight to his gaze. He slowly turned around, and returned to the front of the store. Glancing back behind me, I found the alcove I had taken the sword from gone, and only a blank wall behind me. “Uh...” I said confused, but shrugging it off as 'magic', and probably a way of saving space.
The sword was awkward to carry, though amazingly easy to wield. I simply had no idea where the fuck I was going to put it, as if I tried to put it on my hip it would drag on the floor behind me. In response to my thoughts, the blade faded away leaving only the handle in my hand, causing me to blink. “Well...that's fucking cool.” I said, arriving at the counter, holding up the handle and placing it on the counter top. The old man just stared at me, grinding away with his mortar and pestle. As I watched he grabbed a handful of ingredients, mostly dried herbs and some powders, and put them into the mortar. The jade pestle ground with every twist of his wrist, kicking up the odd spark. “Huh..” I said getting a bit perturbed by his lack of response.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Clearing my throat I considered for a moment, “Um, I don't suppose you carry books on that stuff.” I asked, motioning to the array of herbs. It occurred to me that I had no idea what types of plants and materials were available in this world, or what they did. While I could depend on the Divine Identify to tell me about the things I encountered, it wouldn't tell me about things I hadn't encountered yet. The old man put the mortar and pestle down, slowly getting up without a word, and walking into a back room. I stood there confused, but patient for a few minutes, before he returned with a small stack of book and scrolls. He placed them on the counter, and sat down again, “One gold, Twenty silver.” he said simply.
“Ok...” I said pulling out some coins, “And how much for the sword?” I asked, but he just kept staring at me coldly. “Right...will this do?” I asked fishing out one of the platinum bak, and placing it on the counter. The old man stared down at it for a second considering, while he took another puff on his pipe. He stood up again, walking into the back room again, leaving me once more confused. When he returned he had a jade scroll case in his hand, which he placed on the counter. I looked at it with a raised eyebrow, but shrugged, frankly growing tired of whatever the hell was going on. “Thank you.” I said, taking the small collection of books, scrolls, sword handle, and scroll case awkwardly in my hand. I stepped out of the shop, deciding I needed to get a backpack or something to hold all of this crap, before it occurred to me that I could have asked for a bag. Turning around I found the shop gone, and only a blank wall.
“Ok, I think I've had enough of this crazy shit for today.” I said shaking my head as I headed back through the mall towards the entrance. On the way I picked up a satchel to hold the books and scrolls, a belt with an attachment to hold the sword hilt, and a couple of maps of the city and the surrounding area from rather pleasant woman who ran a cartographer's shop near the entrance.
When I returned to the entrance I still didn't see Charles anywhere, and the population of the guild hall had gotten more sparse if anything. I stepped from the Adventurer's Guild feeling a bit lost all things considered. I had accomplished a good deal with my morning, but I was lacking anything like direction. I needed more information, but more than anything I needed to decide on some goals to work toward. I knew I needed to get Jasmine out of that whore house, and I probably had enough money to do that, but I still didn't know why she was there. The Bishop's reaction to my lineage didn't instill feelings of comfort and trust. For all I knew I had put Jasmine at risk, though I might have just been over-reacting. Regardless I was going to bring up a change of venue with her when I got back.
I wandered through the streets and alleys near the Guild, looking for a restaurant to have lunch at, and otherwise lost in thought when I noticed a small group of people at the end of one of the alleys. They looked fairly well armed, with a scattering of armored plates among the bunch. They were staring at me with leering grins on their faces, causing me to take a step back. As I turned around I saw another dozen men approaching from the other side. As I turned around I saw more people appearing almost out of the woodwork.
“My my my, what have we here? I wonder why a sweet young thing like yourself is wandering alone through back alleys ...that's not very safe you know.” one of the men said, with a grin on his face. A few others started laughing as they closed in. I glanced around at the dozens of men around me, my Divine Identify providing a list of stats and classes. Most were thieves or warriors, though there was the occasionally assassin packed into the bunch. Most of them were mundane humans, with physical stats in the mid fifties to low eighties, and levels from twenty to fifty. A couple of the higher level warriors had strengths at around a hundred, causing me to pause nervously. This could all go very bad, very fast. I knew I healed quickly, but...Christ, there had to be more than sixty people crowded in here. If a dozen at a time did even moderate amounts of damage...I could be dead before I had a chance to recover.
“I don't want any trouble...” I said, my high pitched voice obviously signaling my nervousness. It caused round of laughing.
“Well darling, such a young girl carrying around so much gold. Now, it could be we have ourselves a young noblewoman. Might bring a tidy random.” a large muscular man with a scar down the right side of his face said with a grin. “But see...I don't think that's the case. I think we have ourselves a pretty little thief, one trying to pass herself off as something she's not.” he said his tone growing more vicious as he thumbed a blade at his hip.
“Did a scullery maid's daughter steal from the treasury?” another man asked in a wheezing voice.
“Oy, she ain't even human! Maybe 'er mother's some noble's slave, or his whore.” another man said with a chuckle as the groups of men were closing in.
My hand wandered over to the pocket of my longcoat, as I considered the situation. I could try and fight it out over a pile of gold and platinum, but...I could always make more. If dropping however many pounds of dead weight would get me a free pass here, It seemed like a good trade. “If you just want the money, It's yours. No problem, just let me go.” I said pulling out a handful of coins from one of my coat pockets.
“Aye girl. It's ours alright, but I'm afraid you'll not be walking free today.” the man with the scar said with a grin. “I may not know where you got your money, but I can't imagine someone won't come looking for it, which would lead them out way. But don't worry darling, we're not going to kill you. A pretty little girl like yourself will sell well in the slave market, and you'll be far enough gone by tomorrow that we won't have to worry about whoever's going to be on your trail.” he said with a wide smile.
“Hey, why don't we break the bitch in first! Have a few rounds. I bet she'll be moaning like a little whore before we're done.” someone said behind me, causing my body to tense...my emotions shifted from nervousness to anger. My breathing grew quicker as I felt a dull rage building in my stomach. Someone's hand grasped at my hip, and I felt a shock run through my body like I was touching a live wire.