The revelation that a duel path user had appeared, and appeared in the city they lived in, was valuable information. The nobles that had heard it were careful to prevent leaks. Ryder and Yuri didn’t plan on telling anyone, so the information didn’t get out to the common people.

            Which meant, that on the surface, the city didn’t even blink at the news. In the background, however, the hidden places where the commoners dare not trod, it did cause a stir. Countless battles were taking place all over the city, leaving bodies in their wake. The nobles were fighting for control of the information, and Ryder.  The city of the edge was playing a deadly game and Ryder was to be the bloody prize.

            Not that he knew. While people were getting killed left and right over the knowledge of his abilities, he was quite busy, studying the sword and practicing the arcane. No one in his sword class was aware of his abilities, in fact, no one besides himself had awakened in the class. So, they still treated him like an outcast, and he ignored them. The only person that talked to him on a regular basis in that class was not out of good will, but of bloodlust. Korari demanded they partner up whenever they could, and they would spend their time dueling it out for supremacy.

            The man still demanded he address Yuri more respectfully, and had even graduated to telling him to stay away from her. Ryder found it amusing. Plus, having someone so intent on hurting him helped him hone his skill with the blade. Just as a dull knife could not carve wood, a dull partner would not help him hone his sword.

            On the day’s he had arcane classes, there was somewhat of a change. Not much though. Some of the women in the class had become flirtatious towards him, but he easily placated them. He remembered the looks they gave him in the beginning. Gregor seemed determined to not speak another word to either of them, because he always left first and sat as far away as possible when he could.

            Ryder finally got creative with the arcane during this time, no longer worried he would blow himself up if he did something incorrectly. He also discovered something interesting. The amount of Arcane energy required to blend two types of abilities, such as flames and stone, was horrendous. His control of it was dismal as well. Though he could manipulate earth well enough, and fire with ease, putting the two together evaporated his control.

            He theorized it had something to do with the way Arcane affected rock, and flame. While Flame and water were actually conjured in his hand, creating something new, such as rock and air, or the wind as they call it, did not create. Instead, the ability was focused on manipulating what was already there. Ryder would not create new earth; he would spread his arcane energy throughout the area around him and manipulate the earth already there.

            The other, more complicated Arcane abilities were out of his reach at the moment. It wasn’t a lack of Arcane power that prevented him from creating lightning, or steam, or even Ice. It was simply a lack of experience controlling the arcane. It was much easier to control water in its liquid form, than it was to control in a gaseous or even solid state.

            More than three weeks passed, and yet the nobles still fought in the background. He had been going to class every day since he began, and finally, there would be a short break of two days. He still wasn’t sure of the calendar system in this world, but only 2 days off after 30 days of classes seemed extreme.

            The important thing about this break, was that he would have the time he needed to buy things. He had been wearing the same clothes he picked up from Rosa, and they were quickly becoming rags. Even the clothes the academy had given looked worn out, with frayed cloth and a few holes in it.

            Not anymore, today, he would stock up on soft, durable, clothes. That’s not the only thing he would buy today though. He had been planning on stopping at several stores. In order to accomplish this, he had asked for Yuri’s help. She told him of several stores that she shopped at, but she could not guide him to them, as she had a pressing matter outside of the city to take care of.

            She hinted not to ask about the matter, so he let it drop. He still bought her breakfast as thanks though. She happily agreed, taking a seat at the bar with Ryder as they waited.

            “So, finally going to buy some more clothes? I had wondered how much longer those rags would hold together.” Though her words sounded sharp, she said them with a teasing smile. He couldn’t really disagree with her, the clothes he wore had seen better days.

            “I had no time to do so before this, because our classes would run from dawn to dusk every day. By the time we get out of class the shops have already locked their doors.”

            “that’s true, the shops here do close early.”

            “You said here, was it different where you used to live?” Ryder was honestly curious about the place she lived before, not only because she rarely spoke of it, but because he had a pitiful amount of information about the land.

            “Hmm. Yes. The shops of my home would generally stay open past dark. Though there are many more criminal elements in this city, so I do not blame the shops for closing early.”

            What she spoke of was true, he had seen firsthand the amount of crime the city had. He still remembered the pitiful man being beaten into the ground he witnessed when he arrived.

            “Two orders of the house breakfast and two mugs of spring water, here you go.”

            There pleasant conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their food. He had made it a habit to ask about the food, and this time would be no different.

            “What exotic creature are we eating this time Lisa?”

            “Nothing you haven’t eaten already, just two Krill eggs with some bread on the side. And there only exotic to you, everyone else has been eating these things their whole life…”

            They thanked her, and dug into the meal. It would be considered a light breakfast, but it was better that way. He had learned quickly not to eat too much before sword practice, as he had thrown up the contents of his stomach more than once. While he didn’t have sword practice today, eating light meals for breakfast had already become a habit of his.

            “Is the bracelet working well for you?” Yuri apparently wasn’t content to just eat in silence.

            “Yes, it’s been a great help. I’ve been able to get the amount of Arcane I use down to about half the amount it was before. Before too long, I’ll be able to actively control the amount without worry.”

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            She grinned. “I always found it funny, that you had such an odd problem. Most work on building their Arcane center through meditation, yet you work on controlling the amount of Arcane coming from your center. Though, if I started with such a monstrous Arcane center, I might understand.”

            “It wouldn’t be the first time I bucked the trend.” Ryder finished his food with a smile.

            “I’m off to shop, good luck on your… matter” She waved goodbye, not wanting to talk with food in her mouth. He chuckled at her plight as he left the inn.

            The streets were crowded, but he had gotten used to it in his time living here. While the city couldn’t compare to the ones on earth he’d lived in, the roads were much more crowded. He figured the lack of alternative transportation to be the reason.

            “hmm, I guess I’ll stop by Rosa’s shop first.”

            Rosas shop hadn’t changed in the time he had been away, but it seemed Rosa wasn’t working in the store. Instead, an old lady minded the store. He made his way inside, the door squeaking behind him.

            “Hello there, I’m here to purchase some clothes, what happened to the other store minder, Rosa?”

            The lady gave his battered clothes a glance, but didn’t comment on them.

            “Her? If I remember correctly, she quit about a month ago. Went and bought a farm. She told me some lord gave her a huge tip, and she had been saving up for a while to buy one anyway. I’m glad for her. Living in the city can be hard.”

            “Wow, good for her!”

            “Well, that’s good to hear. But the main reason I’m here is still clothes. I’d like some clothes that aren’t too gaudy, but if possible are both durable and soft.”

            “clothes that are durable tend to not be soft, and the opposite holds true. The ones that are both tend to be very expensive.”

            The old lady asked it in a way that hinted her thoughts. She was worried about his ability to afford such clothes.

            “Price is not a problem.”

            The clerk gave him another look, then her expression changed into a smile. She must have put two and two together, and figured that he was the one who tipped Rosa so well.

            “Right away sir!”

            The old lady nearly jumped from her seat to go find some clothes. She returned just as quickly, holding several rolls of cloth.

            “The more expensive the material, the less likely they are to be used, so we rarely sew them into clothes, instead we tailor them to the individual.” She explained, placing several on the counter.

            “A good plan, though I am purchasing several sets of clothes. Let’s see, seven shirts, and just as many trousers. Will you have enough cloth in stock?”

            “Of course, we have a hidden storehouse where we keep our cloth. I assure you we will have enough.”

            “Great, now the cloth rolls, I see you brought three, what is the difference between then?”

            “The three rolls of cloth here are our best stock. This one…” She picked up the one on her left, unrolling it slightly to display it better, “Is Arcadian Whitten. Durable, soft, and very breathable material. It’s the best material for the inner lining of a shirt, or armor.”

            She set one roll of cloth down, and picked up the one in the middle.

            “This one, is called Belfast Sheer. Its grown far to the north, and is the most durable of these fabrics. Though that mean it tends to be itchy. A great mid layer for jackets, or outer layer for trousers.”

            She set the Belfast sheer down and picked up the last roll of cloth.

            “This cloth is our most expensive, and mostly worn by nobles. Very durable cloth, but not itchy like Belfast sheer, this cloth is called White Valkyrie. Though it’s not as durable as Belfast sheer, most nobles prefer a thin shirt over the combination of both Belfast sheer and Arcadian Whitten.”

            “Hmm. Which to choose...”

            “does it get cold here?”

            The old lady nodded. “Yes, in fact were getting close to our cold season. Though its hot now, the cold season is about a moon away. If you don’t have any thicker clothes, I would recommend getting some soon.”

            Ryder gave her an odd look. “I’m not from this area, and we use a different calendar system there. What do you mean by moon?”

            Ah, quite far from home aren’t you? It means how long it takes the moon to appear after it disappears.”

            “Ah, I see. So they follow a lunar calendar here. If I had to bet, I’d say it takes around twenty-four days for the new moon to become full.”

            “Then I want three shirts made of the whiten, and fours shirts made of both Belfast and whiten. Ill also take seven pairs of trousers made of both whiten and Sheer.”

            “She said the cold season is a while off, so I don’t think I need a jacket now. Besides, I’m used to cold weather.”

            “Alright, and is there any specific color you would like to have them be we can dye them for extra. Otherwise the clothes will be the color you see here.”

            The rolls of cloth were varying shades of gray.

            “If you could die the thin shirts blue, and the rest black, including the trousers.”

            “Of course we can. Let me just total this, and then I’ll take your measurements.”

            It didn’t take the old lady long.

            “The total will be a ten septum’s and forty Seps.”

            “Wow, she wasn’t kidding about the price of the cloth. 100 Seps equal a Septum, so that’s over 1000 Seps! Still, I have the money, for now anyway. I’ll need to look into some job opportunities while I’m out, see what the average pay around here is. Can never have too much.”

            Ryder placed eleven Septum’s on the counter. The old lady smiled business like, and counted out the change. She slipped the change into a coin purse, handing it over to Ryder.

            “If you will follow me to the back of the store, I will take your measurements.”

            Ryder nodded, and she brought him to a separate room, with a circular stool in the middle of the room. The coin bag disappeared into the ring as soon as she looked away.

            “If you would please stand on that stool for me.”

 Ryder did as he was bid. She started measuring his legs, pulling out a length of cord from a pocket, and writing notes onto a slip of thick paper.

            “How long should I expect to wait for the clothes?”

            “They should be done in a few hours. Probably just before closing.”

            Ryder was shocked at how fast they would be made. The old lady noticed, and gave him a smile.

            “We have several seamstresses and tailors that sew clothes for us. It will take longer to collect the cloth then it will for them to sew it.”

            Ryder was impressed. The measurements were all taken, and the lady led him back to the front of the store. Ryder said his goodbyes, and exited the store.

            “That’s one thing done. Now on to the more interesting stores. Yuri told me there was a great blacksmith not too far from here. I just have to…”