We were given three days to get ready for our excursion south.

It was early evening by the time Umi-Doo released us, so we all went to have dinner before separating into two groups, with Myria accompanying Nuralie to her alchemy shop, and Lito accompanying Xim and I to my underground lair. After getting Xim and Lito settled in their guest accommodations I spent the evening meditating, working my aura, and helping Grotto use the mana that we… acquired from the Artemix group.

There was eighty-four-thousand mana, which would allow eighty-four-hundred additional cubic yards of space, assuming we wanted to spend it all on raw size. I had a few other ideas, though, especially since we were about to go on a somewhat lengthy road trip.

After all, who wanted to sleep on the dirt when we could have more comfortable accommodations?

First, I added a thousand cubic yards to the top of the main room, creating a vaulted ceiling. This would allow Grotto to begin adding additional size to the obelisk by creating a new ‘shell’ that could fit on top of the original. Doing this over time would create an increasingly powerful obelisk with many layers, like a big pointy onion, and each layer could be mana-woven with additional enhancements or functions. The core was currently focused entirely on gathering mana, and Grotto advised that the next layer do the same. After all, more mana gathering helped us snowball the Pocket Delve’s growth even faster.

I then spent the rest of the mana making three additional rooms, separated by walls, with spaces where doors could be set. I adjoined these rooms to one another, then created a long hallway which led to the obelisk room. That way I could keep any guests separate from the more sensitive areas of the Closet.

The first room was focused on lodging, with a basic barracks feel. I was able to move the Closet’s entrance to this room, which gave me some ideas about spooky things like disappearing exits and shifting hallways. Those ideas went on The List.

After speaking with Nuralie about the length of time it took to practice her alchemy and the difficulty of “brewing on the road”, I decided the second room could serve as an alchemy lab for the time being. The third room would be a general-purpose practice and training space.

I spent the next morning acquiring some doors, basic furnishings and supplies, and one sturdier, reinforced door to block off the obelisk room. It probably wouldn’t deter Myria or Lito if they really felt like snooping, but it was an obvious sign that said ‘off limits’.

Satisfied that I had the requisite furnishings and fixtures for my expanded Closet, I spent the afternoon doing something I really should have done earlier.

I went gear shopping.

Lito and Myria were happy to provide me with a few recommendations, and they both agreed that my best bet to find quality gear for my “early career” was a place called Seinnador’s Combat Regalia. Lito and Xim accompanied me to the store, then moved on to make some purchases of their own while I perused. Lito made it clear that anyone trying to make trouble with me inside of Seinnador’s was “gonna’ get made into a pair of boots.”

Seinnador’s was closer to a high-end collector’s boutique than what I imagined as a standard medieval fantasy front. It was the size of a small department store, gently lit, with rows of neat and clean display cases lined with glowstones and presenting a variety of equipment. Larger items, like halberds and greatbows, lined the walls behind a lengthy counter that ran along three sides of the shop. The countertop was made of glass, under which a wide array of daggers, jewelry, and gadgets were displayed.

Seinnador himself was a level eleven Delver, equal parts silver and copper. Like his store, he defied my expectations. He was distinctly not Hiwardian, standing well over seven feet and with a willowy, graceful frame. Two small antlers extended out from his scalp, parting a long and lustrous mane of hair the color of red clay, which ran down over a pair of pointed and furred ears, similar to a deer’s. His skin was a deep tan with a reddish hue, and he had a wide, flat nose, much larger than a human’s. He wore an immaculate suit which evoked a sense of forestry and wildlife with organic patterns and leafy edges. He looked up from a ledger as I entered, and watched me approach the counter with a pair of sparkling, slate-gray eyes. There was no one else in the store.

“Welcome to Seinnador’s Combat Regalia,” he said in a smooth voice with musical undertones. “I am the eponymous Seinnador. Whose acquaintance do I have the pleasure of making, this afternoon?” He held a hand to his chest, palm up, and gave a small bow as he spoke.

“Esquire Arlo Xor’Drel,” I said, deciding that his formal address was worth a full name in response.

“Yes, yes, wonderful,” he said with a slight grin, managing to sound pleasantly surprised by the information. “I presume that makes you of the Third Layer.”

“Yes, though it’s a recent move. Haven’t had the opportunity to acquaint myself with the new motherland quite yet.”

Seinnador’s eyebrows crept up the slightest bit, and he gazed intently into my eyes.

“But you have already been touched by the Eye. I see. Yes, yes. So do you as well, it would seem.” He chuckled, though I wasn’t precisely sure what the joke was. The sound of his laugh was multi-tonal, and created a light harmony. “Before we proceed, is esquire the title you prefer? One of the Third Layer may also be addressed as low-lord or simply lord in this kingdom.”

“Feel free to call me Arlo.”

“As you will it, Arlo,” he said, then eyed my boa and vest. “C’thonic.” I looked down at my fabulous garments.

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“That is an accurate statement.”

“May I inspect them?” He locked onto me with another intense gaze.

“Feel free.”

Seinnador reached out and ran a hand across the blue and violet feathers. He had two thumbs and his fingers were exceptionally long, even considering his height, with an extra knuckle on each digit. Seinnador then brushed the deep blue leather vest with his fingertips. A gentle light danced in his eyes, and he let out another harmonic chuckle which quickly grew into a full-bellied laugh. He brought his hand back to wipe a tear away.

“The descriptions!” he said. His reaction reminded me that both items contained not-so-subtle innuendos concerning my sexual proclivities and aspects of my personal anatomy. “These are rewards handed out by a Delve?!”

“They are indeed.”

“I have seen some flavorful descriptions in the past, but these place highly on my list of the unusual. Have you had these inspected by a craftsman with System Insight before?”

“I don’t even know what System Insight is, so no.”

“Oh, you poor child of the deep! You know not what you possess.” He took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Tell me, has this vest or boa ever been soiled?”

I thought about my experience in the post-Delve spa where I’d found the vest and boa spotless, despite being worn over my otherwise filth-ridden body.

“Not that I remember.”

“How about damage? Any holes or tears? Has this boa even lost a feather?”

“You know, now that I think about it, I did fight twelve members of an organized crime ring all at once yesterday. These both came out the other side of that unharmed.”

“A curious way to spend the day, but I am not one to judge. Yes, yes. These items both have a form of the ‘immutable’ property. It is a durability enhancement with many intriguing uses, but it requires a rather rare essence to craft.”

“What all does it do?”

“It prevents the item from being changed. There are limits, of course, as with all mana-woven properties. It is similar in structure to different ‘resistance’ weaves, like fire resistance, pierce resistance, and so on. I like to describe it as reality resistance, although that characterization is somewhat flawed. I’ve yet to find a better term, however.” He drummed his lengthy fingers on the counter and stared off into the distance again. “It changes as its concept demands, but changes not for concepts that seek to change it. Perhaps… conceptual resistance?”

My brain did some backflips trying to figure out how that would even work, or what the limits of an ability like that would be.

“Does dirt being on something really change it though? This vest can be washed. The dirt isn’t becoming a part of the leather. Does it create some sort of… causality field that prevents anything from gathering within range of creating a molecular bond… or something?” I struggled to put my thoughts into words, as I had a no-good-really-bad understanding of subatomic physics and the general science of very small things. My comprehension was also based on rules from an entirely different dimension, so I was assuredly out of my depth.

“Hmm, I believe you are trying to ascribe scientific principles to a magically imbued item. The practice can be useful for certain types of mana weaves and item attributes, but at a certain point it all breaks down and leaves the Men of Letters weeping.”

“If this vest is immutable-”

Seinnador held up a finger.

“Sort of immutable,” he corrected, then gestured for me to continue.

“If this vest is sort of immutable, will it stop an arrow? Or a knife? Does it ignore things like heat generated from friction? Why is it blue, and not black? Or should it be white, since it reflects light, rather than absorbs it?”

“Excellent questions, but you misunderstand the nature of the property. It will do the things you expect a leather vest to do, in addition to the effects listed in its description. The same for the boa.”

I squinted at Seinnador, trying to decide if that meant my items had some sort of entity making conscious decisions about what constituted normal leather-vest things. Maybe it relied on my own understanding of the item?

“Perhaps it is better to show you,” Seinnador said, seeing me wind up with more questions.

He walked down the length of the counter to where it was fitted with a hip-height door and opened it, waving for me to join him. Once I was behind the counter, Seinnador waved a hand and the back wall of the store became translucent, exposing a large workshop beyond, full of tables and shelves covered with in-progress weapons, armor, and trinkets. A pair of women walked between the tables, taking down notes or depositing jars and pouches of an array of unidentifiable substances next to the projects. Near the back were three beefy men working a forge and hammering away at lengths of metal. There was also a large space cleared of anything, though the stone floor and the wall beyond were riddled with scorch marks, divots, and cracks.

Seinnador walked through the semi-transparent wall, and I followed, feeling a gentle sensation of pressure as I went through. Once on the other side I looked back, finding the view of the storefront unobstructed, as though no wall existed at all.

It was pretty impressive. I thought I might want to consider the idea for the Closet.

[It would be a wonderful mechanism for spying on intruders,] Grotto spoke into my mind. [Perhaps it could also hide a small chamber full of mana monsters. Or maybe a wall full of arrow traps.]

[No illusory walls full of hidden dangers.]

[Then what did you want it for?]

[I thought it might be badass to put a lounge behind it. On one side is a dining hall where guests can enjoy a tasty meal, then the wall melts away to reveal a well-appointed sitting room complete with a fully stocked bar. Coffee and dessert to be served there as well.]

[Are we building a Delve or a penthouse?]

[You do what you want with your half, I’ll do what I want with mine. Besides, I already have a penthouse. This will be a magic penthouse.]

I ignored Grotto’s subsequent grumbling, and followed Seinnador deeper into his workshop.