Nero stood with Amaryllis in the new shelter, before the painter returned. She flew around and he looked at the paintings outside. It looked okay to him.
"That's... so boring!" She complained when she returned.
"Boring? I did my best to make it look like the paintings!" Nero protested.
"No, not you! The prince is boring!" She explained. "Seriously? The lion wants a savannah?"
Amaryllis spread her hands and pointed everywhere. Nero understood what she said but there was one thing he couldn't agree.
"Don't do that. Don't call beast-folk by their parent animals. it's terrible," He chastised the pixie.
"Oh. Yeah, there's this rule," she sighed. "He's not here though."
"I'm beast-kin, and I would hate if anyone called me a monkey," Nero said. "What would you do if someone called you after a creature whose wings resemble yours? Six legs, hard carapace..."
"Okay, okay," She held her hands. "But to answer your question, I'd turn him into the same creature he called me."
They heard the door opening. Nero walked outside through the open portal and Amaryllis followed. Niven and Tyre entered.
"Is it ready? Is it done?" Tyre could barely hold his excitement.
He took a step - or what looked like a step - and he was before the portal. Then he entered. Nero's eyes went wide and his lips parted. What did the prince just do? He couldn't even tell him to wait so the painter could check first. No. He could hear the rustle of the grass as the prince ran around.
"Wonderful. Marvelous. That's perfect!" The prince shouted from inside. He walked out of the portal. "Master Grennan, come. Tell me if this is not perfect, it is as if the ink in your canvas come alive."
The elf painter sighed and walked inside. He looked around and nodded. "It is as you say, Your Highness. The young lad did exactly what you wanted."
There wasn't much sincerity in the elf's voice. But Tyre seemed happy so it was fine.
"Come inside, all of you. How high is this place?"
"Four hundred feet, your Highness," Nero answered with the same voice the elf used. "There's no sky. That's the roof of the space, with an illusion that looks like the sky. The same thing goes for the walls. There are no real mountains."
There might be in the far future, Nero thought to himself.
"I can see they are fake, thank you," Tyre waved a hand and dismissed Nero's worries. "Can we start building the tent? We are departing tomorrow."
Nero nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. I can make a portal with a password to open and close it. Just show me where it should go."
He cringed inside every time he had to be polite with Tyre. A person he wanted dead, but that might not be too far away from the norm when dealing with court politics. From the stories he heard and read, their natural state is to wish to kill each other. He was more disgusted by that thought than by buttering up to the prince.
"That's very good. I'm pleased. Master Grennan, your services won't be needed. Thank you. You may collect your reward now."
Niven bowed and did an elaborate gesture with his hands that might be some kind of reverence. The tall leonal smiled and waved a hand. Niven walked backward for a while and turned around, leaving the room. and closing the door after him. Nero took note of everything the elf did to learn a bit of etiquette. He should've asked Crystal to teach him.
Amaryllis sat on Nero's shoulder and grabbed a tuft of hair. Tyre seemed conflicted for a moment because he apparently wanted to dismiss the fairy but shrugged it off.
"Follow me, this way to the back courtyard."
He led them to the back of the castle, near the stables and barracks. A crew of builders and a pile of colorful fabric waited alongside carts full of thick dowels. Tyre pointed out where he wanted the portal, chose a password, and Nero made one.
"This portal will last as long as you need, Your Highness. I'll need mana recovery items later though."
Tyre barely registered what he said. "Yes, my quartermaster has orders to keep you supplied with what you need to fulfill your tasks. I can imagine this spell is very expensive."
That meant he didn't have the full description of the card. Good. Nero nodded. Now that his job was done, he wanted to get some fresh air.
"I'm not required to stay near the portal for it to work. Would it be okay for me to go shopping in the city?"
The prince dismissed him, more interested in playing with his new - rented - toy. "Sure. Be back before dusk. The castle has a curfew."
Nero did the same thing as the elf painter and left. Once he was out of the prince's sight, he put a spring on his feet and walked fast to the castle door.
"Would you please tell me where are you going?" An almost impossible sharp voice came from his shoulder.
Nero jumped to the side and felt a tug on his hair. "Oh, godmother. You're there."
"Tehe. You must be in a good mood. It's the first time you called me godmother. Feels good," Amaryllis giggled.
"I'm going to see if there's any card shop open. I need a [Twin Spell] Skill."
"Oh, I wonder where you could find one of these," Amaryllis said cryptically.
Nero didn't mind her. He wanted to get out of that oppressive castle. He'd burned all his social energy already. They reached the gate and one guard flagged him.
"Hey, lad! You're with His Highness' entourage, right?"
Nero nodded. "Yes. Is something wrong?"
"No, no, sir!" The guard snapped into a proper form right away. Maybe being with the prince had its ups, to counterbalance the slew of downs. "We have a pass for His Highness' guests. It will help with the guard and with coming back here. Here, one for you, sir, and one for the lady."
Nero almost forgot Amaryllis was with him. He took both passes, they were medals with some words on one side and the Honeywitch emblem carefully engraved on the other. Counterfeiting that would be a real pain in the rear.
"Okay, thanks," He nodded and the guard returned to his post.
Nero crossed the gates and walked into the street. His first stop was the card shop they visited months ago. It was closed. The whole block seemed to be on an extended holiday. He felt hungry.
"Would you like to have lunch now, godmother?" He asked the shoulder fairy.
"Yes, of course? Are you buying?" She asked.
"I'm on a budget. As long it's not expensive, I'm okay with that."
"Okay. Steet food then. Let's hit some stalls."
Other shops and even the guild branch's doors were closed. After asking for a while, he found one card shop that catered for the high society near the castle that was still open. He entered and chimes hung in front of the door frame rang as the door knocked them.
The shop nothing like the other before, with the counter right by the door. Several thin screens were blocking the view from one alcove to another. Each division had two, three armchairs, or one armchair and a couch around a small round table. The furniture was all uniform, made of engraved wood and velvet upholstery. A cat-kin woman approached with a big smile on her face.
"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" She asked, her eyes moving between both newcomers. Nero wasn't well-dressed in his travel clothes but the clerk apparently didn't mind it. "Milady, milord. I'm Melissa and I'll be your clerk for today's visit. Please this way. What brings you here today?"
"I need some Skill cards," Nero replied. "Would you have a catalog of something like that?"
"We indeed do," Melissa answered. "However, it would be easier if you tell us what Skills you want. Should I assume it is for the young warrior? Or for your lovely fey companion?"
Amaryllis giggled but said nothing. Nero thought about how to explain what he needed without saying why.
"I have a spell. If I try to cast it again before it expires, the first effect vanishes. I wanted something that could allow me to keep two or more instances of the same spell going simultaneously. Maybe something like [Twin Spell], but I'm not so sure. Do you have something like that?"
She paused to think. "I don't think [Twin Spell] will work, because that only duplicates the spell at the time of casting with the same parameters. I will ask my boss if he knows of any card. Mister...?"
"I'm Nero. I am a collector of cards. I'm looking for some I don't have yet. Would you bring your catalog of first-tier Classes and Skills? Also, any first-tier equipment with the word 'clockwork' on the name or technical in nature."
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The cat-kin clerk bowed, "It will be done. Would the two of you accept a cup of tea? We have some pastries as well."
"Just the tea," Amaryllis said. "We had lunch not an hour ago."
"I got it. Please wait. A server will bring your refreshments in no time."
Melissa left to fetch the catalogs and cards. While they waited, Nero noticed how this high-level shop seemed unaffected by the crisis going on outside. It was as if they were living in another place and not in a city that was about to go to war. His observations were interrupted when a gnome girl brought a tray with a teapot and two teacups, one medium and one small. She returned right after they finished the tea. Nero suspected she was waiting exactly for that.
"Here is our catalog, and some Skills I thought you'd be interested in. My boss recommended [Autonomous Spell] for you. Here, see if it works for you."
She handed him a yellow card.
> [Autonomous Spell] - Yellow Skill. Requires +6 Reason. +6 Willpower
>
> +4 Reason
>
> +4 Willpower
>
> "Not recommended for long-lasting spells. Risk of sentience. Proceed with caution. Do not use with combat magic."
>
> Effect: When casting a spell, spend [100 * the mana cost squared] Essence in addition to any other cost. The spell now functions autonomously for the duration without straining your concentration. For all effects, the spell is not under your control but it still uses your Attributes to determine effects. You can spend extra Essence and mana at the time of the casting. For every one mana point and one hundred points of Essence, replace a point of mana to pay for the upkeep of the spell. You cannot take over the maintenance of the spell later but you can dismiss the autonomous spell at any time.
It had a sticker. It read, "Price: 150,000 Essence."
He set it apart. Browsing the catalog and the cards she brought, he found some cards he wanted so he could upgrade some of his builds. The fire [Mage] one needed a revamp, for example. A few of the others were very outdated or didn't work as intended because he didn't have the right cards. Unfortunately, he couldn't get all the cards he wanted with those jacked up prices.
"Melissa, would you please get a [Lesser Dimensional Pouch] for him?" Amaryllis said while he browsed.
"Of course. Just a moment," She went away.
Once the clerk was out of hearing range, Nero complained. "This will be too expensive. And I have the shelter to keep things."
"You can't rely on the shelter, you basically rented it out. You need to keep your things with you. Trust me, a pouch is a must. It's the best thing you can buy here. And if you delve and open the shelter in a Dungeon, you're going to kill everyone in there. So, shush. Trust me in this one."
He looked at the catalogs for a bit longer, dreading how much that pouch would cost him with the pre-war markup. Melissa returned with the yellow-grade card in a glass case. Nero's face locked up. A freaking glass case.
"Here it is, miss," She showed the case to Amaryllis. "it is our last one. We are out of the blue and purple-grades."
There's a blue? Nero asked to himself. Before he could voice his doubt, Amaryllis answered.
"You don't want the blue one. It has no upkeep but the capacity is based on a fraction of your Attributes. Since you can't have two-dimensional pouches at the same time, it is just a waste of space."
"Yes, that is correct. We almost don't stock the blue ones, but some less-savvy customers ask for them," Melissa added.
"How much for this one?" He asked since there was no price sticker.
"Eighteen hundred," She replied with a smile. A street vendor selling grilled vegetable skewers wouldn't be as shameless as telling their price.
A wave of relief washed over Nero for a moment before he realized she omitted the "thousand". His purchases already netted up "eight hundred" from the "ten hundred" he brought with him.
"You know, I can loan you some money if you want," Amaryllis suggested.
Yes, he could. But the cards had a huge markup, from thirty to seventy percent above what Nero would be comfortable paying for. Melissa also brought not a single card below blue-grade to boot. Nero thought if he was going to spend a few million in a single build, he should try to optimize it. And that would take time. He also had to worry about saving Essence to buy the cards for Altia and Crystal. Getting into debt now would be too bad. He had no idea if he would be allowed to delve during this assignment either.
"Thank you, but there's no need. I wrote down the cards I'd like to buy later, once I'm done I'll seek them. I will take my time."
"Okay."
She didn't insist further. Melissa, however, let her mask drop for a while and a faint expression of dismay painted her face. Nero would've missed it if it weren't for the cat-ears pointing up from the sides of her head twitching. Cat-kin ears were much like furry elven ears but the upper lobes stuck to the scalp further up, pulling them closer to the center. If you didn't know, you'd think they sprouted from the top of the head.
"We don't do reservations," She said. "And these cards are very rare. I'm afraid you would have a hard time finding them elsewhere, Mr. Nero."
"I'm going to war. If I survive," Nero pointed out and paused to let his words sink, "I'll have much time and money on my hands to seek them out. It's just a hobby. Thank you for your time, Melissa, but I'm afraid I have to go back now. Would you please wrap up?"
The cat-kin clerk measured him and made a coy smile. "Of course, sir. I didn't know you were with the military."
"He's not," Amaryllis said and hinted an accusation. "But don't pry, would you?"
"Of course not. We value--"
"Is everything paid for, Nero?" The pixie asked, ignoring the clerk.
"Yes. Let's go guild ma- godmother," His tongue slipped.
----------------------------------------
Melissa's eyes went wide. She only pampered this country hillibilly because of the pixie. Fey seldomly left their forest homes and her trained eyes knew how expensive the pixie's accessories were at a glance. There were a handful of wealthy pixies in Bast and most of them were famous, their flamboyant personalities not at all compatible with the concept of "laying low". The clerk had a hunch but dared not assume. Why would Guild Master Amaryllis be here, so close to the front when the local branch of the Adventurer's Guild literally packed up and left?
The kid's verbal slip all but gave her identity up. Melissa never caught the pixie's name and she didn't introduce herself, settling into an escort role to the country simpleton posing as a card collector. Some of the cards he bought weren't rare at all, and one of them, [Overcharge Spell], he bought blue-grade duplicates of. Collectors wouldn't do that. Was it a test? Some kind of prank? She worried about her career. If her boss knew that Amaryllis came in-person to her shop and wasn't treated like royalty...
"Please, let me escort you to the door," She blurted.
Amaryllis turned around and met her eyes. The pixie lifted the index before her tiny lips and winked.
"Wait," Melissa said and almost grabbed Nero's clothes. "I can talk to my supervisor about the card price."
"Okay," Amaryllis tugged Nero's hair. "Go back to the booth."
She left in a hurry, almost forgetting her manners. Once she was out of the customer's sight, she ran to the back and barged into her boss' room.
"What is it?" Madam Hye-Sung, the count's aunt, was visibly annoyed she didn't even knock.
She was a holan-yan, a race of cat-folk from the far east. She had tiger stripes over her fur. They were distant relatives to the Leonals, a fact that granted them instant nobility when they arrived in Bast.
"Ma'am, sorry," Melissa entered and closed the door behind her. "I have a VIP situation. Guild Master Amaryllis is in the shop with her godson."
That made the old holan-yan lady frown. She stood up from her chair and walked with uncanny grace. Melissa couldn't help but watch as her well-toned legs appeared and vanished behind the slits of her silk dress.
"Are you sure? Damn, she must've arrived with the Prince or something like that. What did they want?" Melissa explained and the madam's frown intensified. "Follow me."
They walked back to the booth and fortunately for Melissa, the boy and pixie were still there.
----------------------------------------
"Greetings. I'm Hye-Sung. Could we talk for a while?"
Nero was astonished. The lady was an exotic beast-folk obviously related to the leonals but with a black and white striped pattern on her fur. He felt the same predatorial caution he had around Tyre and he was certain she was nobility or close to.
"Of course," Amaryllis pointed at the seat across Nero's. "I came just to escort my godson here, and we were leaving. What can I do for you?"
The fine lady sat and set her slitted eyes on them. "You should've introduced yourself, Guild Master. You know we have discounts for our suppliers," She said.
"Yes, I do. But I'm not the one shopping today. I told you, I'm just an escort."
"He's family. It counts," Hye-Sung said.
Amaryllis hugged Nero. "Damn right it does. He's my dear godson."
He couldn't see the pixie but he was sure she was showing her tongue. Hye-Sung narrowed her eyes and looked at the poor clerk.
"Melissa, what did he buy?"
The cat-kin girl jumped and produced a slip of paper. "Here is the receipt. I was going to hand it over to them at the door, as protocol demands."
"You did well. Please, bring some drinks for us. What will you have?"
"Chamomille tea," Amaryllis shot. "I think we all need it. Get one also for the lovely girl there."
She must be talking about Melissa. Nero understood that as a way to shield the clerk from reprisal later. Melissa flagged another clerk and asked for the tea while Hye-Sung looked at the cards on the table.
"While the tea is brewing, let me tally your purchases." She looked at the receipt and at the cards still on the table. She pulled a few to the side, including the dimensional pouch. "Here. I hope this is enough."
"You don't need to do that. Nero here is just a regular member of the guild," Amaryllis said as if taunting the cat-folk lady.
"Nero, may I ask you something?" Hye-Sung looked at him.
Her gaze had a hunger that drew him in. He feared she would eat him up and not in a nourishing way.
"Yes, of course," Nero blabbered.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He faced Valananademoted, Holmes, and Tyre. Why this lady was making him skittish? Triggering his flight instincts like that?
"What kind of gear you use? Do you have any equipment slot open?"
"Not really. I'm looking for upgrades to my accessory and headgear, although the headgear I have a specific item in mind."
She grinned, showing just a bit of her fangs. Differently from Tyre, she knew the effect that had on other beast-kin. "Would you mind telling me what are you using now?"
"Dungeon goggles. I like the Essence detection feature mine has."
"Oh. I have just the upgrade for you then."
As if summoned, the other clerk returned with the tea tray. Melissa took it from him and set it on the table, serving the tea with practiced movements just as before. Hye-Sung told her to get all the [Dungeon Goggles] versions they had and bring it here. She asked Nero some questions about his build and he felt uncomfortable revealing much because his build was too fluid.
He went with "I'm a gunner-tinkerer hybrid. But I can still equip some Skills, hence my purchases," He justified.
Melissa returned shortly after. Nero wondered how they stored their cards, to allow such fast retrieval times.
"Here we go," the owner said. "We have several versions of this gadget. Choose one."
> [Dungeon Goggles] - blue - Requires level 5. Perception +10
>
> +1 Dexterity
>
> +1 Reason
>
> +1 Willpower
>
> +1 Perception
>
> "Electrostimulation boosts working memory and general reflexes."
>
> Special: Attribute bonuses from this item are doubled inside a Dungeon.
> [Dungeon Goggles] - yellow - Requires level 45. Dexterity +30. Reason +30. Perception +30
>
> +3 Endurance
>
> +3 Agility
>
> +3 Dexterity
>
> +3 Reason
>
> +3 Willpower
>
> +3 Perception
>
> "What's wrong? Why did you miss an exhaust port two yards wide, you ask? You didn't switch on your targeting assistant, that's why!"
>
> Special: Your ranged actions have 40% more range and have 20% more accuracy and effect inside a Dungeon.
He set the last one apart, interested in them as a gift for Altia later on when she levels enough. There were a few more that required a level. Nero sifted through them and finally found something he wanted.
> [Dungeon Goggles] - yellow - Requires Dexterity +25. Reason +25. Willpower +25. Perception +25.
>
> +1 Agility
>
> +1 Dexterity
>
> +1 Reason
>
> +1 Willpower
>
> +1 Perception
>
> "Now with a brand-new array of polarized lens."
>
> Special: Attribute bonuses from this item are doubled inside a Dungeon.
>
> Effect: While your limiter is off and the lens are covering your eyes, you can detect Essence in the environment.
"I want these two yellow ones," he pointed at the level forty-five and the last one. It was intentional. This way she couldn't gauge his level. "And a set of cards for each. [Permanency] I and IX. Enchant plus three or four, if you have them."
Amaryllis snickered right next to his ear. To Nero, it sounded as if she was mocking the shop owner. The cat-folk lady wasn't fazed at all.
"I'll get them right away, Nero. It was a pleasure to deal with you. Now, let me tally your new invoice with the guild discount."
Turned out she had [Enchant +5] in stock and the blue [Permanency] that increased chance of other pink modifier cards sticking. Nero ended up having to take that loan from Amaryllis.