The inn was a three-story building near the edge of the city made primarily of stone with light wooden accents. The windows were made from colorful stained glass and they each depicted a different scene from what Kelsey assumed must have been either history or folklore. Epic battles, massive wars, and heroic achievements were all shown.
The one that caught Kelsey’s attention though was a large rectangular pane of glass hanging above the front door that showed a heroine wielding a gleaming blade of light fighting against a veritable sea of what Kelsey could only describe as demons. They had red, purple, or dark blue skin, with a variety of horns jutting from their skulls. Each of them was wielding a jagged and evil looking weapon. Specific details about the creatures were discerned to see from the glass, but she couldn’t think of anything else the flood of enemies could be if not demons.
“Hey, Melody, what are those creatures?” Kelsey asked as she pointed at the artwork.
Melody followed her finger and squinted her eyes. “Not sure, probably just creatures from a story or something. I don’t know who the woman is supposed to be either.”
I don’t think I’ve heard anyone mention demons, but the rest of the creatures in this world have been very similar to Earth’s folklore, why wouldn’t there be demons too?
Kelsey nodded her head in thanks before letting Melody lead her into the inn.
Kelsey’s domain was powerful and very useful in many situations. But when she arrived at the Seller’s Cellar, she was shocked at what her domain had been missing. She knew that just because something was in her domain, didn’t mean she would take notice of it, but this was a different story.
Underneath the inn was a massive underground structure that had dozens of rooms surrounding what Kelsey could only assume was some sort of great hall. The main room must have been over 80 meters long and 30 meters wide. The rooms to the side of the main hall were all sealed with domain blocking enchantments too. She was able to see the outline of the structure, but nothing inside. The structure was large enough that Kelsey was sure she would have noticed it before coming here, but she simply hadn’t. It was large enough that if the underground area had been above ground, it would be taller than the vast majority of the buildings in the city.
I seriously need to find a way for my domain to pick up stuff like this. It’s frustrating to know that there are probably super important things happening in my domain right now that I’m not noticing.
She didn’t have time to stop and focus on her domain any longer, as Melody was dragging her relentlessly through the doors of the inn.
The inside of the inn was seemingly normal, if a bit fancier than she was used to. The tables and chairs were all made from a solid dark brown wood with gilded plates covering the joints. The bar was a several meter long block of white marble with gold veins running through it on top of a gilded dark wooden base. Standing behind the bar was an elven gentleman with long black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an incredibly fancy blue and black outfit with a white ruffled shirt underneath.
Oh hey, another elf... and this one doesn’t seem to be a bandit.
Melody walked up to the elven man and spoke a quiet word. “Spade.”
The elven man nodded and motioned for them to enter a door in the back that had a staircase leading down it. Before they left the room, Kelsey quickly identified the elf, just out of curiosity.
[Mage - 119]
Quite strong for a bartender. Guess he’s the auction’s first line of defense then.
Walking down the stairs Kelsey and Melody eventually arrived at a small room with a woman standing behind a counter to the right. There were large wooden double doors with golden handles and hinges blocking their path. The room itself was sparsely decorated, clearly designed for nothing more than an entrance area. There were a few potted plants and paintings, but nothing overly extravagant.
As the pair walked into the room, the woman behind the desk raised her eyes from the documents she was reading and looked at them. “Hello, how can I help you?” the woman said in a cheery voice. Kelsey could instantly feel a strong mental magic fall into place around her mind as the woman spoke to them.
Melody seemed unaffected as she spoke. “The Magician, here for the auction.”
The woman briefly scanned one of the documents on the table before nodding her head slightly. “Of course. You may enter ma’am. Have a wonderful time.”
Melody thanked the woman before pulling Kelsey, who was still fighting against the mental manipulation, through the double doors.
As the doors opened and the pair entered the next room, they found themselves standing in the grand hall. The room was massive, and filled with glass display cases that were advertising a variety of items that were up for auction. The room was absolutely filled with well dressed people who Kelsey assumed must all be either merchants, nobility, or adventurers of some sort. There must have been at least a hundred people, and as Kelsey and Melody entered the auction hall, every eye turned towards them, the conversation in the room briefly dying before awkwardly continuing several seconds later.
“What was that all about?” Kelsey whispered into Melody’s ear.
“Like I said, there is a chance Louis sics his thugs on me, and they all know it.” she said back, loud enough for the people around them to hear.
After answering her, Melody began pulling Kelsey around the room, clearly looking for her stolen property. As they were walking around, Kelsey got a good look at the auction items themselves.
The objects in the display cases were all extremely unique. Kelsey could see that the vast majority of the items were either expensive pieces of jewelry, or historical objects such as books, accessories, or pieces of art. The accessories were fascinating. She saw one case that had a pair of cracked glasses inside that, according to the plaque in front, were worn by an ancient religious official. As they walked around, she saw many other examples of religious artifacts from robes, scripture, art, and even a crown.
Religion wasn’t something Kelsey had seen many direct examples of since coming to Anoura. She had of course seen the cathedral inside of the Trial, as well as a few people in the streets of both Whitebranch and Neim who appeared to be a clergy of some sort. But she rarely heard people talking about it. Maybe magic being in the world lessens the need for people to find answers from external sources?
After looking around at the objects inside the cases, she quickly identified a few people that she thought may be potential threats, but her worries were lessened somewhat when the highest-level person she identified was simply level 161.
A few minutes of walking later, Melody found what she was looking for and stopped directly in front of a case.
“There it is.” Melody whispered to herself as she reached out and gently caressed the display case.
Inside the case was a small pendant on a silver chain. The pendant itself was a small golden circle with the engraving of a dove standing on a top hat. It was very clearly some sort of magician-based token. She knew that doves and those hats were very common with old school magicians back on Earth.
However she learned magic, an Otherworlder absolutely must be involved... The tricks she did. The pendant. It all points to some earthly connection.
Then, without speaking, Melody moved over to the small leatherbound book that was sitting next to the case and opened it. She quickly wrote down her name as well as a bid for the pendant.
Kelsey didn’t see what number Melody wrote down because she was paying attention to something else going on in her domain. Standing less than 10 meters away, behind a display case, was an older man wearing a black and white outfit, maybe in his mid 50s. He was staring daggers at Melody, his fists clenched in rage. He had short brown hair that was beginning to gray. His clothing was incredibly fancy, and he was being flanked by three bodyguards who were all eyeing the crowd suspiciously.
That must be Louis, he does seem pretty pissed that Melody is here. Hopefully he won't cause too much of a scene...
As Melody finished writing down her bid in the small book, the well-dressed man began making his way towards Melody and Kelsey, his guards following closely behind. As they approached, Kelsey quickly identified them.
[Worker - lvl 122]
[Mage - 151]
[Warrior - 129]
[Warrior - 136]
Louis has a non-combat primary class, good. The mage could be a problem though, he’s higher level than expected. If it comes down to a fight, I may have to use more than just spatial magic.
As Kelsey identified the group, the level 151 mage looked at her sharply, clearly noticing the brief flash in her left eye when she activated her Eye of the Magus function of her domain skill. When Kelsey had reached her level 100 advancement, she was hoping that her eye changing during identification would have been removed, but sadly, it was still present. Thankfully, the mage didn’t press the issue and the well-dressed man began speaking.
“Melody. How nice of you to join us.” the man she assumed was Louis said, his voice dripping with false pleasantry.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Melody turned around to see the man standing behind her. “Ah, Louis, thank you for hosting such a wonderful event. I am just enchanted by this pendant; how did you acquire it?” Melody asked with a sweet venom in her voice as she wrapped her arm around Kelsey’s elbow.
A flash of anger crossed the older man’s eyes before he responded. “That pendant was a gift from someone that I helped out of a tight spot a few weeks ago. They were in debt to a very… dangerous man, and they gave me that pendant as thanks for helping them free themselves from the danger.”
Melody shot him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “How kind of you. Truly, such a gentleman!”
“I thought so, unfortunately, that very same person has just done something incredibly foolish, and I don’t think I will be able to protect them tonight. Alas, such is the way of the world sometimes. People sometimes take... risks. Please, enjoy the auction, I hope you have a safe evening.” Louis said before turning around and walking away.
Kelsey looked over at Melody, who was still following the middle-aged man with her eyes. “You weren’t kidding. That guy hates you.” Kelsey said with a bit of false joviality in her voice.
“Yeah… think you can take those three if push comes to shove?” Melody asked, her eyes never leaving the back of the loan shark.
“Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. When do you think they’ll attack?”
“I thought he would have just attacked us here and now, but I guess he’s going to wait until I’m on my way home. Anyways, let's enjoy the auction while we’re here. If there is anything you want to bid on, I say go for it. He won’t be foolish enough to ruin his reputation by denying you something you win.” She said as she began leading Kelsey around the room.
The pair spent the next couple hours wandering the floor of the auction, going back to the case with the pendant every 15 minutes or so to ensure that Melody was still winning the bid. Kelsey hadn’t expected to find anything she really wanted, but she was wrong.
Sitting in one of the larger display cases was a massive pile of papers bound together by a few metal rings. The pages were each slightly different sizes, so the stack of papers seemed wild and unruly. The pages had clearly been made by hand, rather than by a machine. What drew her attention to the stack, however, was what happened when she identified it with her Domain of the Magus.
[Sage’s Notes - Ascendant]
A Sage’s journey into the secrets of magic and the soul.
What in the world…? An Ascendant rarity? I’ve never even heard someone mention a rarity like that. As far as I knew the only rarities were Common, Rare, Unique, and Immortal... Also, Sage. I know that word. It's a title, right? Kelsey stared at the pages, thinking back to books, movies, and video games. A Sage would be like... the granddaddy of all mages. The most white-bearded, pointy-hatted of them all... Damnit, if I'm even close on my understanding, I need these damn notes.
“Hey, Melody. Any idea what those papers are?” Kelsey asked as she moved to take a closer look.
Melody followed Kelsey and began to peer closely at the papers. “No idea, sorry. Looks like gibberish to me.” she said.
Kelsey looked more closely at the pages. The paper seemed extremely old and worn. The edges were frayed, torn, and they were covered in brown foxing stains from years of exposure to the open air. But the words written on the page were completely legible.
Gibberish? Wait… is this in English?
“So, you don’t know what that language is?” Kelsey asked carefully.
“Nope, never seen anything like it.” She answered offhandedly, clearly not interested in the stuffy old book.
"What do you see when you identify it?" Kelsey asked quietly.
Melody glanced over at the pages for a moment. "Just says, [Ancient notes] - An unknown scholar's notes on an unknown topic."
Why am I seeing something different? If that's all people are seeing, no wonder they aren't clamoring to bid on it. A merchant would surely be able to determine its value with one of their skills though, right? Why are people seemingly ignoring an Ascendant rarity item?
Kelsey nodded as if she had expected that. “Okay, well I want it. How do I bid?".
“You don’t want to use your real name here, so come up with some other name and write it down with a bid amount.” Melody answered distractedly as she was peering into a nearby case that held a short ceremonial dagger.
A name? Like an alias? Well shit, I don’t have one. I could just go with Kel, but that seems kind of boring. She quietly considered options for several minutes and found that it was a struggle. She went through several options ranging from famous scientists to characters from games or movies, and even Greek gods. But eventually, she decided to simply go with Sage. It was a real name. She even worked with a woman named Sage back on Earth. Plus, it just sounded cool.
She quickly wrote down the name along with her bid of 750 gold, beating the next highest bid by 250 gold.
Alright, never mind. Someone here clearly understands the value of this item if they're bidding 500 gold on it.
“Okay done, I need to make sure I get this, so we’ll need to check back on it before the auction ends. How much time do we have left?” Kelsey whispered into Melody’s ear as she walked up beside her.
“About forty-five minutes. Why do you want those papers so badly anyways? Just looks like old junk to me.” Melody said as they began walking back towards her pendant.
Kelsey waved her hand dismissively. “Just looks like a fun challenge to decipher, I love stuff like that.” She lied.
The pair continued walking around the auction for the next half hour. The bid on the pendant hadn’t been beaten by anyone since Melody placed her original bid, but when Kelsey arrived back at the book, she saw an elderly woman leaning over the book, writing down a bid for the Sage’s Notes. Kelsey quickly identified the woman.
[Mage - lvl 392]
Shit. What the hell is a strong Immortal doing in this random thug’s private auction?
The woman in question was old, with long, pure white hair that fell down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a set of robes made of black silk with white and gold designs on the edges of the material. With her domain, Kelsey could see that she had deep brown eyes, and a face full of wrinkles. Her most striking feature however was the light blue color of stable mana leaking from around her entire body. It was extremely reminiscent of Kelsey’s Armory skill, except significantly more powerful and steady.
As Kelsey stopped behind the woman, preparing to remake her bid, the woman’s hand froze for several seconds before she crossed out what she had been writing, and turned around to face Kelsey, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Hello young one. Are you ‘Sage’?” She asked, her voice motherly and kind, but sounding weak.
Kelsey wasn’t fooled for a second, she knew that this woman was no weak old lady. She could practically feel the ocean of mana sitting below the surface.
“Yes ma’am, I’m Sage. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Kelsey said as she bowed slightly, keeping her tone friendly and neutral.
The elderly woman smiled a genuine, warm smile. “I see, well, in that case, I leave the book to you. I assume you know what must be contained within these pages, correct?”
If this woman knows what this book is, why would she let me have it?
Kelsey eyed the woman suspiciously. “I believe I do.”
She looked at the elderly woman more closely, trying to gauge her intentions. She didn't seem overtly malicious, but it did feel as though she was hiding something.
“Very well, take good care of it. I do ask that once you are done with your research, would you be willing to part with it? I would love to have it for my collection.” The woman asked sweetly.
My research? Why do I feel like I'm three steps behind in this damn conversation? It's like she already knows me, but how is that possible?
Kelsey was incredibly on edge, but really wanted to look at the notes, so she was willing to say anything to get her hands on it. “Sure… I guess. I don’t live around here though; I have no idea how I’ll find you once I’ve finished.”
“Don’t worry deary, I will come find you in a few years to retrieve it.” she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The woman then turned and started walking away.
“Wait, ma’am, what's your name?” Kelsey asked before the woman could get too far away.
“You may call me Autumn.” the old woman answered without stopping or turning around.
As the woman walked away, Kelsey kept her eyes glued to the woman's head until one of the waiters walking around the room with finger foods tripped, dropping his tray to the ground. Kelsey's eyes glanced at the man for a single moment, and when she looked back, the elderly woman was gone.
What was that all about? Kelsey felt a strange sensation in the back of her mind. Like there was something she wasn't understanding. A missing piece to the puzzle. She felt as though she had just played into someone's hand, and she didn't know why or how. She didn't feel like she had been attacked mentally in any way, just out played. Like playing a hand of poker against someone with a stacked deck. She felt like she had just lost a bet.
She played the short conversation back in her mind, trying to figure out why she was feeling so lost. Then, all at once she understood. That woman wasn't here by accident. The notes weren't here by accident. And she didn't bump into Kelsey by accident. She 'wanted' me to find those notes. Why does this woman even know who I am, or that I would be here on this specific night? I didn't even know I'd be here...
Kelsey shivered. It was the only thing that made sense. The entire conversation had played out like Autumn had known what Kelsey was going to say before she said it. It was like her words, reactions, and even thoughts were somehow accounted for. Any time Kelsey spoke, Autumn had answered quickly, without thinking or pausing. She had 'known' the answer before Kelsey asked the question.
She was deep in thought until Melody walked up beside her and poked Kelsey in the side with her elbow. “What was that all about?” she asked.
Kelsey didn’t respond for several seconds, trying to find the best way to answer the question. “Not sure. Just some strong woman that was interested in the book I guess.”
“Strong? What do you mean? She had the aura of someone who had just reached their first advancement.” Melody said as she walked over to the book. “You still have the highest bid, that’s good.”
“Really? Yeah, you’re probably right, it must be the age that made me think she was stronger.” Kelsey lied. That aura reading of hers isn’t nearly as full proof as she thinks it is.
The last fifteen minutes of the action went by without a hitch. As the auction time ended, a loud bell rang out across the room and a group of men and women wearing butler uniforms went to each of the cases and announced the winners. The name Sage was one of the first to be shouted, so Kelsey walked up to the butler who had shouted her name and handed them the 750 gold coins she had bid for the book. Once she had paid, the man walked her over to the case and unlocked it, and Kelsey was able to quickly store the pages within her vault.
A few minutes later, Melody’s alias, The Magician was called and the pair of them walked up to the butler and quickly paid the 200 gold that Melody had bid. After retrieving the necklace and pendant from the case, the two women excused themselves and made their way out of the inn and back towards Melody’s house where Kelsey could already see the three bodyguards waiting in ambush, thanks to her domain.