Two weeks passed by in a blur and business in the Clinic slowly returned to their former heights after the forced break in Virigo. Preparations were underway for the inaugural festival marking the end of the war and people were understandably excited as decorations and banners were raised in the market.
Exill had put the time to good use, drafting contracts with the Mercenaries Guild and various vendors in each marketplace to set up a detox potion distribution network. Some cost elements had been underestimated, but he nevertheless expected to earn an easy 1000 Denars a month going forward.
There was already talk of branching outside Ark and a letter had been sent to Councilman Coran for references to potential vendors in Virigo.
That late morning, Tsarra and Exill were reviewing recipes in their newly acquired copy of ‘Herbalist Koncoctions’, fifth edition, noting the minor differences and improvements featured in the latest edition compared to the two-hundred-year-old copy they had previously studied.
“I’m glad we bought this.” Exill smiled, rubbing shoulders with Tsarra while eagerly flipping the page. The gentle scent of lilac filled the air when she leaned over the book, tucking her hair behind one ear.
The small perfume bottle had been gifted to her yesterday, purchased after a long period of haggling with the vendor at Central Market. Tsarra had been ecstatic to receive the gift and had rewarded him with a small peck on his cheek.
Their focus was broken when an ominous knock hit the front door, the sound reverberating through the Clinic. Exill laid a palm on Tsarra’s shoulder and stopped her mid ascent, standing up in her stead to approach the entryway. For some reason, he checked the location of his spear before unlatching the door, sensing an intimidating aura on the other side.
“It is good to see you again Witchdoctor.” The man dressed in plain sanguine robes examined Exill, his gaunt face featuring a sombre smile. The Inquisitor entered uninvited and wandered around the lobby, noting the little changes that had been made since his last visit.
“How can I help you?” Exill quickly asked, feeling his throat clench in worry.
“No need to be nervous, this is supposed to be a friendly visit… a clerk may have sufficed, but I had to see with my own eyes how the blessed Witchdoctor was doing.”
There was a sense of incongruity in the way Deroch emphasised his title, and Exill felt his guard rise higher. He remained silent while the Inquisitor peeked into the dim forge room, followed by a long examination of Tsarra, who remained seated nervously in the treatment room.
“As I said, this is a cordial visit, frankly a long overdue one. The Ministry has entered your blessing into Canon and your success in taking down the Infested Edifice has been similarly recorded. This is… a small appreciation of your deeds.”
Deroch placed two gold coins on the counter, sliding them next to the potted Eld Tree sapling.
“I hope to hear more of your exploits.” The Inquisitor whispered, placing a heavy palm on his shoulder as he made to leave. Exill tried not to flinch from the physical contact that seemed to drain all warmth from his core.
The door softly clicked shut behind the departing Inquisitor, and he saw Deroch striding off through the frosted side window. He turned to [Appraise] the coins, wondering if they were somehow cursed or bugged to overhear conversations. Exill’s paranoia was off the charts.
‘It’s okay, calm down…’ He took a deep breath. If the Inquisition actually had any evidence, they wouldn’t be doing him a favour by handing over 2000 Denars. It was likely an intimidation tactic.
Still, the urge to immediately flee consumed his mind.
‘Do I run to the Afrye Tribal Federation or the Usberg Theocracy?’ There was a lot more information to uncover in the library before making the plunge.
‘Let’s stick to the plan… I want access to the Spirit Guide and train [Slave Trader] in the Labyrinth so that I can free Envy.’ He pocketed the money and successfully calmed himself down.
‘The fact that I was canonised and celebrated for taking down an Aberration must count for something… right?’ His mind raced in thought. It would be best if he could come up with a reasonable excuse to leave the country, like setting up an overseas distributor network for the Witchdoctor’s Tonic for example.
“Are you okay?” Tsarra had been watching Exill from the partitioned doorway of the treatment room, seeing his emotions flicker from fear to grim determination that eventually melded into worry.
She had heard her mentor address the chilling visitor as an Inquisitor, and her heart had grown cold when the man’s icy eyes pierced her own, undressing all her sins.
“I’m okay… he just dropped by to reward me for taking down that Aberration. Can you watch the Clinic for a couple hours while I do some shopping?”
Tsarra nodded, perturbed by recent events. She had spent enough time with Exill to recognise most of his emotions and she was determined to support him in his time of need.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Fetching his cloak, he wrapped it around his shoulders and pocketed the clay tablet containing his shopping list. It all boiled down to disposing of a few items, chief among them the knuckle duster he had never really used. Next was obtaining a replacement Wizard Ring and four more EXP boosting items to bring his experience modifier from 8>>256x.
Over the past painstaking year, he had graphed the experience requirements for each level gain and concluded that the requirements exponentially doubled every twenty levels or so. It would take a dedicated practitioner 37 years of unamplified training to reach level 80 in a single job, and a total 77 years to reach level 100, assuming that was the cap.
Level EXP required 20 2 years 40 7 years 60 17 years 80 37 years 100 77 years
By amplifying his EXP gain to x256, he could raise seven jobs simultaneously from level 1>>40 in just over a week, where it would take a mundane person seven years to raise just one job to the same caliber.
His hand rested on Tsarra’s shoulder, thinking of the fast-approaching deadline of their farewell. He ruffled her hair affectionately, knowing the clever girl would do just fine. Deroch’s promise not to harm his companions provided they cooperate with the Church had simplified his decision to leave her behind. With such a bright future ahead of her, it would be needlessly cruel and wasteful to drag her along a dangerous journey.
“I’ll see you in a few hours.” He said, then stepped out into the bustling street.
Carefully avoiding the workmen precariously balanced on step ladders, Exill was swept along with the crowd towards the East Gate, marvelling at the colours and banners that festooned the main street. There was a sense of excitement in the air, from the liveliness of people’s steps and the loud calls of vendors from their stalls.
There were three major pawnbrokers, all located in Ark’s Inner City, and he had to visit them all to find what he needed, trading in the brass knuckleduster that had barely seen any use.
In its place he earned training pugilist gloves, a robust gauntlet of leather with a rune inscribed plate fortifying the knuckles. The second item was a replacement Wizard Ring. Unlike the intricate band of silver he had gifted Tsarra, this one was a simple design with no adornments. Next was a sturdy training boot meant for knights in training, a simple rune inscribed steel toecap covering the front.
Still needing two more EXP boosting items, but running out of options he purchased a Trainee Carpenter’s Ring and Enchanters Circlet.
The whole set cost just under 2700 Denars and he was eager to delve into the Labyrinth tomorrow morning with Envy and shake off his rusty combat skills. He had already decided what jobs to raise, and they were:
Job Level Passive Buff/Active Skill Warrior (Tier I) 39 Passive Buff: +attack speed, STR bonus, Hunter (Tier I) 36 Passive Buff: +accuracy, SPD bonus, Spearman (Tier II) 29 Passive Buff: +attack damage, Active Skill: [Weak Point] Wizard (Tier I) 12 Passive Buff: +channel efficiency Slave Trader (Tier III) 1 Active Skill: [Subjugate] Murderer (Tier I) 1 Passive Buff: +damage to humanoids. Scribe (Tier I) 14 Passive Buff: +reading speed
On the way back, he dropped by the Enchanters to pick up a small gift he had prepared for Tsarra. The ‘Paralyzing Mithril Blade’ was an exact replica of the scalpel he commonly used.
Several nights ago, he had purchased half an ingot of mithril to craft the tool in secret, then paid the Enchanters to apply a paralyzing enchantment to the blade. It was a slight downgrade from the one he owned but it would suffice in kickstarting her budding career.
‘She is going to love this.’ He smiled, looking forward to another a peck on his cheek.
Equipment Enchantment Training Bracelet, Copper Necklace, Copper Earring EXP Plus Wizard Ring EXP Plus, MP Plus Pugilist Gloves EXP Plus Knight Training Boots EXP Plus Carpenter’s Ring EXP Plus Enchanter’s Circlet EXP Plus Mithril Spear [1-slot] - Leather Armour - Heater Shield - Ironwood Treant Shortbow -