Chapter 28: Shopping
The Arcane Threads and Metalworks District was vast enough to be its own market plaza. A post at the entrance of the crafting district held numerous signs, each marked with a symbol that even an illiterate like Mercedes could easily grasp.
A hammer and anvil pointed further down the street toward several billowing funnels of grey smoke. Another board painted in white held the sparkling gold image of a necklace. Below that, a different sign contained the silver and blue outline of a needle and thread that pointed to a row of neatly aligned buildings positioned to the Initiates’ left. The distinct click-clack of looms could be heard stirring behind partly closed window shutters adorned with silk flowers and lace curtains.
“Shall we stop here first and get your uniform repaired,” Lorcon suggested, pointing to the open door where a shimmering curtain of beaded lace and bells parted as a trio of female customers exited the store, chattering happily.
“Won’t that take too long?” Mercedes responded, checking the quest screen before continuing in the direction the hammer and anvil sign indicated. “I can always stop by later.”
“No, I insist,” the brunette retorted as he caught her arm and pulled the albino firmly towards the glittering doorway. “You can’t walk around like that. Think of the Academy’s reputation.”
The Sparrow raised a cynical brow. ‘But why should I have to pay for someone else’s handiwork?’
Lamenting another loss of crystals, Mercedes sighed as Lorcon ducked through the glittering curtain of beads. A bell jingled somewhere overhead as she was dragged through behind him.
They were greeted by their own reflection in a large mirror set inside the small but comfortable vestibule. The Sparrow paused for a moment as the ambient blue lantern above them altered the color of her eyes to a lovely shade of violet. The flattering light did little to hide the heavy shadows under her eyes and along her sharp cheekbones and narrow neck.
“Welcome to Mystique Threads Atelier, Seekers of the Arcane,” a melodic voice greeted them as a woman garbed in violet-blue silk, hidden behind a sheer veil, appeared through another curtain of beads at the left of the foyer. “Ahh, I remember you, Initiate. You were in here yesterday with a different classmate.” A lovely pair of forget-me-not eyes glanced between the two students before settling curiously on Mercedes. “How may I assist you today?”
“Ahem. My friend here needs a quick repair,” Lorcon explained as he turned the Sparrow to expose the singed fabric along her shoulder. “We are limited for time, though, due to a quest.”
The tailor raised a slender dark brow before stepping closer to inspect the albino’s uniform and noted the damage with a soft sigh. “Oh dear. A mishap at the Academy?”
“Something like that,” Mercedes replied, distracted by the woman’s sweet and alluring fragrance.
“The repair shouldn’t take too long, provided the enchantments themselves remain undamaged. That’s when the job gets a bit more challenging—and costly,” the tailor said as she reached toward the singed fabric with floral painted fingernails.
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for anything complicated,” the Sparrow said as she stepped back, turning her attention back to Lorcon. “I can deal with this later. We need to finish the assignment.”
‘I’m already down to my last 18 Common Arcane Crystals as it is.’
“Now, now, there’s no need to fret Initiate,” the tailor murmured with a note of amusement as she pulled one of the cushioned blue chairs in the corner table over. “I wouldn’t dream of turning away one of the Academy’s students in such a state. And if you’re worried about the bill, know that the Academy covers all damages and repairs for the school uniform related to training.”
“But this was—” Mercedes’s protest trailed off in an awkward gasp as she tumbled back into the blue chair. Her discomfort wavered as she sank into deep, rich leather cushions that immediately relieved her sore joints and muscles.
‘Is this more magic?’
“Now, if I may?” the tailor said, raising an inquiring brow as she circled behind the seated albino. “The examination won’t take but a moment.”
The Sparrow glanced up at Lorcon, who was struggling to hide a grin as he returned an encouraging nod. She sighed. “I suppose.”
“Wonderful!”
image [https://www.royalroad.com/dist/img/ornaments/16.png]
“What—happened?” Mercedes growled in utter bewilderment as she stumbled out of the store carrying two loaded bags. The parcels inside them contained two separate outfits and additional accessories such as a belt, ballroom shoes, gloves, and a fan. “Why did I buy all this?”
Lorcon grabbed onto the nearest post as he doubled over, laughing obnoxiously to the point of barely being able to breathe.
The Sparrow ignored him as she struggled to recall the blur of events that had resulted in more than one unnecessary purchase. She remembered the tailor trading her jacket and shirt for a robe and the moment when she clumsily admitted to not having much else to wear outside of the Academy’s uniform, but still.
‘A spare set of clothes to wear when I don’t want to attract notice is one thing but a freaking white dress?’
The albino cringed as she peeked into the larger bag overflowing with tissue paper the tailor had used to wrap the ridiculous ballgown she had somehow been convinced to buy.
“Was I conned somehow or bewitched?” Mercedes’s pink eyes narrowed as they focused on the snorting, cackling brunette Mystic beside her. “I’m not joking.”
“Do you remember—when the Professor—taught us about Charisma?” Lorcon gasped as he straightened, struggling to compose himself as he met her annoyed gaze. “Let’s just say that most of the storeowners in the Marketplace have a dangerous amount of Charisma at their disposal—though I’ve never seen it used this efficiently before.”
“That’s cheating! That can’t be legal!” Mercedes shoved the two bags into her storage, then stared down at the slip of paper that remained in her left hand. “What is this?”
“That’s a Payment—Settlement Notice,” he said, half choking on another fit of laughter before he stepped closer to examine it. “You take that to the Mystic Bank, and they cover any expense you couldn’t pay out of pocket.”
The albino gaped at him wordlessly and then burned her gaze into the receipt, willing [Quest Insight] to unveil how much of a financial hole she had fallen into—with no success.
‘I’m so fucking screwed.’
“It’s not that bad,” Lorcon said, nudging her arm as he headed back into the street. “Come on. We have less than ten minutes to finish and one more store to visit.”
“I can’t think of anything more dangerous right now than setting foot inside another store.”
The brunette coughed suspiciously, then avoided her glare while tugging the tense Sparrow’s sleeve. “Look, I promise to protect you from any more charming saleswomen, alright.”
“You let her do this to me, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t see the harm. You need something else to wear, and the Academy holds several official events that require us to dress up. Besides, she gave you a rather generous discount on the dress. Hestia paid nearly double that amount for the fancy gold gown she got yesterday.”
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“Ha! Traitor…”
The brunette Initiate released her arm and held up his hands with a solemn, wounded expression. “I wouldn’t have let her fleece you, Mercedes. I have enough experience with bartering myself. That’s why I convinced her to extend you some credit for the fan and—” He darted away as the Sparrow stepped towards him with a threatening snarl.
“Stop talking,” Mercedes snapped as she stormed past him. “Let’s just finish this damn quest.”
‘I’ll have to visit the Mystic Bank to see if I can exchange the Void and Shadow Crystals I have into this realm’s currency. While I'm there, I’ll ask them how to take care of this payment…bill…, or whatever—and never set foot inside that store again.’
image [https://www.royalroad.com/dist/img/ornaments/16.png]
The scent of hot metal and burning coal mingled on the warm breeze that carried the overlying rhythmic clang of hammers. Lorcon followed the sound like a bee scavenging for pollen amongst a field of flowers. His hazel-grey eyes sparkled with childlike eagerness as he led the albino towards the connected forge and armory buildings marked on their map as the Arcane Forge Creations.
The Sparrow blinked as she entered the store, her eyes adjusting to the dimly lit dark grey walls and stone-paved floors that matched the grim masonry of the building’s exterior. Her ears strained cautiously for the sound of footsteps, half expecting the armor's shop owner to pop up from behind one of the many tables set up around the front room—only to find it empty, aside from a few shoppers browsing the hammers, axes, chisels, and other tools of labor on display.
The albino paused by a shelf of elegant cooking utensils, pots, and pans. She moved on slowly to the next set of tables, which contained some rather unusual items beside several stacked horseshoes tied in sets of four with a purple ribbon.
Curious, Mercedes picked up one of the large ornamental lumps of metal that was long enough to cover both of her palms and activated [Mystic Appraisal].
[Mystic Appraisal Successful!]
[Identified! A Common Feline Bit crafted from Mystilite ore infused with Arcane energy used to harness an Emerald Flame Gryph.]
M.DEF: 5.96. P.DEF: 4.26. S.DEF: 1.70.
“I thought you were going to try using that skill without touching the item,” Lorcon whispered over her shoulder, startling the Sparrow, who hurriedly returned the oversized bit to its table.
“Right.” She shrugged and glanced around the room. “I’ll do it on the next one.”
“Follow me. The good stuff is in the other room.”
She understood his meaning the moment they crossed through the small archway, which led to a much wider room divided into two sections and filled with enough weapons and armor to gear up at least sixty men.
“The green tags are for Common items,” Lorcon explained as he pulled the albino over to a glass display that contained several staffs crafted from metal and wood. They were forged from the same dark ore with rippling purple veins as the Arcane Resonance Wristlet she wore. Each staff's head was uniquely forged into spiraling metal limbs that each contained different colored spherical stones. “There, you can’t touch these. Give it a go.”
“Alright,” Mercedes muttered as she focused on the staff with a more wing-shaped head and purple stone. Her earlier confidence deteriorated as she gathered magic energy in her left hand with no way of channeling it directly into the staff. “Wait. How do I—” She turned to find the brunette gone.
"Lorcon?" She frowned, catching a glimpse of his uniform through the glass displays along the right side of the weapon’s section as he disappeared towards the sound of clanging metal. “Right—guess I’ll have to work it out on my own.”
The Sparrow took in an aggravated breath and clenched her right hand. ‘It’s not like I have to touch something to cast a spell, right? So I’ll just try focusing my intent on conveying the energy in my hand to the staff.’ She relaxed her shoulders, raised her left hand between herself and the staff, careful not to touch the glass casing, and then attempted to push the collected energy toward her target.
After several wasted minutes of effort, Mercedes lowered her hand in defeat. ‘Maybe the case itself is enchanted to block magic? I should look for something not locked behind a glass wall for now.’ She glanced around for Lorcon, then headed over to a table of random small weapons, mostly daggers and knives, with a few curious metal fans and throwing darts tossed in.
‘I don’t get it. If Mystics don’t use swords to fight Monsters, then why bother selling these in—’
The familiar chill of something dark and malignant pulled the Sparrow’s gaze over to a simple sheathed dagger of smoke-grey steel that emitted a dark shadowy aura.
‘Weird. I wonder if this has something to do with my new [Sensory Awareness] ability.’
Mercedes almost reached for the blade but stopped—suddenly recalling Raimund’s warning about not touching something she couldn’t identify.
‘Right. I should play it safe, just in case. I wouldn’t want to trigger another pissed-off specter like High Priestess Primula.’
She examined the daggers and items on the table, noticing that all of them, except the shadowy dagger, contained a tag that was either grey, green, or blue.
‘Probably not a good sign.’
Still curious, the albino held her hand over the malevolent blade and attempted to activate [Mystical Appraisal] without touching the item.
‘Come on.’
The Sparrow clenched her jaw as she focused on the magic energy pooling beneath her palm less than three inches from the dagger. She frowned, observing the red aura that collected around her hand as it seeped between each finger. So far, her magic energy appeared to be moving in any direction except the shadowy weapon, as if it were being repelled somehow.
‘Stop crawling up my arm and go to the dagger instead so I can identify it!’
The albino’s gloved hand wavered unsteadily in front of her narrowed gaze, almost touching the ominous blade, before Mercedes released an angry breath and pulled back.
‘How hard could it be? Well, pretty freaking hard, apparently.’
“What am I doing wrong? The same method worked when I activated those single-use scrolls to open the Emporium.”
The quest screen popped up in the corner of her vision, the timer flashing at four minutes remaining.
‘Shit.’
Admitting defeat, the Sparrow quickly grabbed two other random items on the table to identify.
[Mystic Appraisal Successful!]
[Identified! An Inferior Twisted Kobald Skewer crafted from Mystilite Ore, infused with a weak amount of Arcane Energy. This weapon serves as a wand and blade, though its quality ranks it somewhat unreliable for combat. Drop Location: Mystic Cavern Dungeon.]
M.ATK: 3.56. P.ATK: 2.37. P.DEF: 4.56.
Stats: +1 VIT.
[Mystic Appraisal Successful!]
[Identified! A Common Obsidian Locust Fan (II) crafted from the wings of an Obsidian Orthopteras. This weapon serves as a wand, blade, and defensive tool for a more fashionable Mystic. Drop Location: Terracore Cavern Dungeons.]
M.ATK: 12.70. P.ATK: 6.35. M.DEF: 14.91. P.DEF: 7.46.
Stats: +1 VIT, +1 STA, +1 DEX, and +1 INT.
[Quest Updated! Progress 9/10 items identified.]
‘Geeze. This gives a lot more information than [Quest Insight]. I should take another look at my gear later, but first....’
Mercedes’s pink eyes returned to the shadowy aura that wrapped around the unassuming yet mysterious dagger before she reached out impulsively to grab it and finish her quest.
“There you are!” Lorcon said as he grabbed the albino’s right hand, pulling her away from the dagger and display table as he headed toward the exit. “We better move. We’re going to be late as it is.”
“But I still need one more to finish the quest!” the Sparrow sputtered, annoyed that someone younger than her could easily overpower her.
“Oh, well, then use this.” He pulled a ring from his inventory and handed it to her as they entered the armory's front room, cutting through the tables of tools and riding gear.
Mercedes accepted the simple black band of metal inscribed with the golden image of an anvil surrounded by blue flames and activated [Mystic Appraisal].
[Mystic Appraisal Successful!]
[Identified! This Superior Anvil Ring is a prestigious signet band granted to Expert Blacksmiths who have completed their apprenticeship and gained acceptance into the Mystics Metalworks Guild. Crafted from Enigmium ore, this ring bears the guild’s emblem. It symbolizes the Blacksmith’s skill and potential to rise to the rank of Artisan or even a Legendary Master Artisan, granting them recognition and access to the guild’s resources and knowledge.
Wearing this ring enhances the wearer’s forging abilities, allowing them to channel their innate magic into their hammer, creating a unique technique that distinguishes their work from other blacksmiths.]
P.ATK: 7.86. M.DEF: 5.67. P.DEF: 2.83. S.DEF: 1.13.
Stats: +2 STA, +2 M.ENG, +1 STR, and +1 Metalworking.
“Wait—Does this count?” Mercedes asked as they stumbled into the street.
“Why not?” Lorcon shouted back, pulling her into an alleyway where he recovered his ring and checked the map before leading the way back. “I got it from the Master Artisan who owns the Arcane Forge Creations, so technically, I picked it up in the Marketplace.”
The Sparrow couldn’t exactly argue with that after her quest screen reappeared in all its radiant gold splendor.
[Quest Update: [Get Appraised!] Is Complete!]
Please see Disciple Raimund for your reward.
Time remaining: 01 minutes and 37 seconds.