"Coffee! Coffee!"

― Immanuel Kant, Basic Writings

I will never wish on that thing again.

The system held too much sway over his mind, as he released it from his thoughts the world was sharpened, clear. The smell of well-made bread filtered into his nose, unnoticed before but a wonderful highlight to the background of the day.

"Hey, you're looking better!" Rafe pressed his face next to Ven's as he studied the space above. "That's more like it, positive thoughts!" He punched the air, his body contorted in a mimic of Kalina's victory pose.

"You look ridiculous..." Vendak snorted as the halfling ignored him and held his pose like a diligent pupil. "So are you just watching me for the laughs or..." The small man was… off putting somehow, and Ven wanted him to go away, or hide so he could pretend he didn't exist.

"Well, besides being curious, I was instructed by Aangor to keep you away from Mara for the week." Rafe said, his hand still raised in a small V. "But that was easy since you just sat inside like a homebody."

"And why would I need to stay away from Mara?" Ven stopped, his masked face turned to the pint-sized man. "She's my friend, as much as she's your Grandmaster to be. She can decide for herself who she sees."

"Hey now, It's no biggy!" Rafe waved his hands dismissively. "She's about to break through, and Aangor said Ooulin's instructions were to keep you away from her tribulation." The halfling beckoned him forward, finger pointed down the street. "Come on, I'll take you to a tailor and solve your clothes problem, you big baby."

A sigh forced its way from between his lips, and Ven shook his head. This little assassin knows everything huh? No doubt he was aware of the contents of his letter down to the word.

"Fine, let's go then," Ven shrugged. "I'll need a new mask as well." He motioned the halfling forward and followed behind the smaller man.

"Also," Ven added, his eyes squinted at the back of Rafe's head. "Since I've finally got one of you trapped with me, maybe you can explain some of the basics about cultivation?" Ven had searched for books on the topic and found nothing. Plenty of tomes regarding the Practitioners of the True Gods, but that was relatively useless to him.

"Oh?" Rafe tilted his head back until he looked at Ven like some haunted marionette. "You want to become a cultivator?" He narrowed his eyes and peered at Ven's chest, as he could see within. "Well you can try it out I suppose, but you read a lot like a dragon." He flicked a hand toward a carved depiction of a dragon-mounted knight on a nearby storefront.

"Things like dragons don't really cultivate," Rafe said as he turned toward a nondescript doorway. "They just sit around getting stronger." His small fist reached out and rapped on the varnished wood. "But once we finish here I might be able to help you out."

A small metal viewport, cut into the door at Ven's eye level, slid open.

"Who is it?" An uncultured voice grumbled from within. A pair of yellowed eyes, framed in the small opening, glared out at Vendak with suspicion.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"It's me!" Rafe jumped up into the man's line of sight, a grin plastered on his face. "Let Ulgrin know we need a few things, clothing and accessories," Rafe spoke, faced pressed into the slot. The man beyond snorted, and the metal slider closed forcefully.

The metal plate grazed the tip of Rafe's nose, and he clutched it dramatically as the door creaked open. The elderly man with yellow eyes stood framed in the light, a grin on his face as he waved them forward.

"Good to see ya Rafe!" The man lacked a single tooth, and his true age was difficult to determine. He had a smooth, shaved head, with a face to match. Even his eyebrows were bare. His only hair was located within his large nose. Twin spikes formed from densely interlocked bristles protruded far enough that, at first sight, Ven thought they were a moustache.

"You as well Goff," Rafe replied, as he led the way into the building. "This is Vendak, I promised him a fine suit and a new mask to match." He waved over his shoulder at Ven. "You can put it on my tab, but don't let that partner of yours run up the prices!"

"Ha!" Goff shook a lacklustre fist at the halfling. "Forget that, I'm not interested in getting between him and his business."

Ven admired the craftsmanship of the building's construction as he followed the friendly pair deeper inside. The exterior of the building was indistinguishable from those around it, a plain marble facing with a few sculpted reliefs. Inside was unlike any other decor Ven had encountered. The ceiling, over twenty feet above, glinted through the shadow, as if they walked beneath the night sky. This long, wide hallway led beyond Ven's view. The walls were painted black and trimmed with golden mosaics, a gilded lace that surrounded the many doors.

"Ulgrin will be with you shortly I imagine," Goff said as he waved them toward the closest doorway. "Make yourself at home, but don't forget the liqueur isn't free!" He stumped off down the hall. The old man did not spare them a second glance and soon disappeared beyond the slight downward curve of the floor.

"Oh!" Rafe crowed as the door opened. "He gave us one of the nice rooms!"

Within was a large resting place. Thick fluffy couches surrounded a warm hearth, a glow that comforted the mind. Rafe lept into the embrace of one such oversized monstrosity, a deep sigh expelled from his lips as he sank into its depths.

"So, what is this place?" Ven asked as he sat across from the small man. The cushion was so soft that it defied belief. It wrapped around him like a warm embrace as he mimicked Rafe's sigh of relief.

"It's the place that most Semi-Divines shop when they're in town." The man's voice filtered into Ven's ears, the suppressing comfort of the room enough to make him sluggish. "Ulgrin has everything, for the right price."

Rafe struggled upright, his hands pressed deep into the amorphous pillows as he faced Ven's reclined form.

"After we've got what you need for the party, I'll take you to the catacombs and we'll see if you can train like a dragon."

"I thought dragons just sat around?"

"They can, but like all beasts, they get stronger by eating powerful monsters." Rafe spun a coin between his fingers as he gazed at Ven. "I'd be interested to know if you're the same."

"Alright," Ven shrugged. "What are these catacombs anyways?"

"Tail ends of the great labyrinth," The coin spun faster and faster as Rafe spoke. "The source of the monsters that plague the surface of this world, and the entrance to the worlds beneath."

The coin was now a blur, a solid ribbon of silver wrapped around the halfling's hand. With a deft flick, he returned it to his palm, held up to the firelight like a treasure.

"We'll see how well you do down there," His fingers twitched, and the metal disk resumed its journey. "Ooulin said you could help pave the way to a better future, but so far I'm not impressed."

"I've only been walking around for a few weeks now, we'll see how I measure up after some more time." Ven laughed as he sank deeper into his couch. He needed to adjust himself completely to his new body, then find a way to climb upwards in power. "I don't care what that big turtle said, I'll just do what I think is right."

"Pfff," Rafe snorted and the coin flew out of his hand in a blur. "You don't strike me as the justice type, so I'll take that with a grain of salt."

"You're not one who should talk about justice, Rafe," A high-pitched voice interrupted. "Ooulin found you serving the shadows and dragged you back to the light."

Ven glanced at the open doorway, focused on the man who held Rafe's stray coin between two wrist-sized fingers. He filled the door, not with height but width. A barrel of a man that stood almost on par with Rafe's short frame.

"Ulgrin! You old dog, how are you?"

"Not too bad you pint-sized cutthroat," Ulgrin said, his voice out of place, like a bodybuilder who inhaled helium. "Goff tells me you're here to outfit this strange fellow?"

"After seeing the sights of this world, I'm not sure I'm so strange..." A small cloud formed around Ven’s head. It was one thing when he called himself odd, but he didn't want others pointing it out.

"HAHAHAA!" The big man leaned into his laugh, as if it would topple him over. "Fair enough! Fair enough! Well, Goff has told me what you're looking for, so how about we begin?"

With a wave of his shovel-sized hand, a vast quantity of clothing and masked accessories appeared in the air, each highlighted by a dim blue light. Ven found himself overwhelmed with the sheer variety, and he sighed heavily, despite the comfort of the chair.

I hate shopping...