The dwarf took out a pair of spectacles and began to study the core, rolling it over in his meaty hands that were a tad too big for his stature. They looked more like the hands of a blacksmith than those of a merchant. He was hunched over the core to the point of almost touching it with his nose, going over its imperfections, studying the cracks in its flow of mana. Those cracks and imperfections had been added by a ritual, and they were what made it so the core was stuck a Tier 3, and not 4. The total capacity was also a factor, but a lesser one at this tier. Ishrin wondered if the dwarf would realize the core had originally been a higher tier, and if so what to share with him. But he needn’t have worried.
“Good. Very good,” the dwarf muttered. Without even taking his eyes off the core he marked the quest as completed, a thing Ishrin noticed only because the token sent him a notification not too dissimilar from a VR he had once tried in his many travels offworld.
“Is it to your liking, then?” Ishrin asked. He had not yet gotten paid.
“Yes, yes. It’s almost suspiciously perfect. Thank you, how did you get it?”
“Nothing too fancy. Just a fire sprite in the forest.”
“You went to the enchanted forest?” The dwarf adjusted his glasses. “And what’s a fire sprite doing there, of all places?”
“I think it’s got to do with the volcano changing the flavor of mana nearby.” Ishrin said, “but yeah, I went to the enchanted forest. The map said I could find monsters up to Tier 5 and I wanted to get some materials.”
“It’s deadly! And you’re just Tier 1.”
“Good scenery, though.” Ishrin grinned.
“It’s a deadly place, and you went there for the scenery!” The dwarf roared with laugher, loosening up and losing his transactional demeanor. “You’re a strange lad. Well, Ishrin,” he said after reading his name on the token. “Here. Already marked as complete, if you want to check. Let me fetch the money for ya.”
He disappeared into the back of the shop and returned some time later with the money. Ishrin thanked him politely, to which the dwarf nodded.
“Don’t mention it. I really should be the one to thank ya. I really need this core for a weapon my brother is making, down at the forge. With all that’s been happening around here lately, all the queer stuff, I reckon these newer weapons will sell well. But ya need expensive ingredients to make them, found in dangerous places.”
Again with the ‘queer’ stuff. What’s going on with these guys and queerness?
“I see, queer stuff.” Ishrin said. Perhaps the dwarf knew why the guild was feverish with activity, and perhaps it would turn out to be unconnected to his presence. “You should tell me more, about this queer stuff. So I can be properly careful.”
“Ha! Don’t mind me saying. I’m ancient, not used to all these… changes, if ya catch my drift. What’s queer for me is normal for you youngsters.”
Ishrin nodded slowly, wondering whether he should feel ancient or not. At that moment, for some reason, Liù chimed. She was probably feeling left out of the conversation.
“Oh? What do we have here? A pixie of the light? Is she your summon?”
“Yeah,” Ishrin said, impressed Dwymer knew of pixies. “Her name is Liù.”
“Love it. Reminds me of the Easteners. Strange folk. Used to trade with them long ago.”
“She seems to have taken a liking to that sword!” Ishrin said, laughing at his pixie’s antics. “It’s too heavy Liù. You gotta settle for something smaller.”
“Don’t be so sure lad. It’s a magical item.”
Ishrin looked at the price. 144 gold coins. Perhaps not too heavy physically, but the weight of its price was nothing to scoff at. Although… he had just made 12 coins in barely an afternoon of work as a D-Rank adventurer, so perhaps there was hope. Ishrin could sense the magic coming from the sword, snaking around its exquisitely decorated hilt, around the double-edged polished blade that shone in silver and adamantium. The red blood gem at the base glimmered. This was a sword that could withstand Liù’s light bursts and even help her to focus them.
But it was expensive.
“I can make it so it can shrink on command. Reduce its weight too. The blade is coated with indestructible metals so that it never loses its perfect edge. The gems in the handle channel magic and focus it. Your little friend, Liù, could really benefit from having such a weapon. I can see why she wants it!”
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Ishrin eyed the dwarf, then Liù. Dwymer talked like a real salesman, losing even his accent in the process, and Liù was sold. She pulled on Ishrin’s shirt and pointed at the blade.
“Fine. If we save enough money, and you behave…” He looked at the little pixie. She was nodding furiously. “I will buy you the sword.”
***
Ishrin slipped into the guild almost unnoticed. Most regulars were asleep or deep into their third pint of beer, and the newcomers had begun to settle around town. After he was done with Dwymer, he had gone for a little shopping spree around town, securing some ingredients that he needed for his next ritual he wanted to do. Together with what he had gathered in the forest, and what he could get through the guild, he had everything he needed.
As per agreement, he waited for Melina to be done with her paperwork so that he could let her see the ritual in action, which took about 40 minutes. She was utterly drowned in papers to sign and documents to sort with all the new arrivals, and her mood reflected the stress she was facing. Lisette also joined the duo soon after, and the three left for a more secluded place to conduct the ritual in peace.
It was late into the night, and the city was asleep. Only a few people were around, mostly workers of the night, restless night owls and scant few adventurers with jobs that required them to be awake after dark. The narrow streets were cramped, and the tall stone walls of the buildings hid the starry sky from view, but the lamps were bright and their orange light soothing. At least until one left the main road. The back alleys were darker, damp and ominous, and were best left alone.
The trio arrived at the little empty field outside the walls. Ishrin had taken a liking to the place, and it was fairly secluded for being so close to the North gate. A flash of a badge, and the guards let them through without batting an eye, stifling a yawn or two in the process.
“I have two rituals planned for tonight,” Ishrin explained as he prepared the various ingredients and drew the lines in the soil. “The Left hand of Aer’Naari, and the Right hand of Aer’Naari. The first increases my strength, and the second increases my dexterity and speed by about 80%. But the cool thing is that if you do both of them, they combine their magic and the bonus increases twofold.”
Melina shook her head. “I have never heard of such rituals.”
“They were pretty rare, even in Eternia. I had to tweak them a little to make them work, but they should work fine.”
“Should?”
“Oh, right. They can only be performed at Tier 1, and I was much stronger by the time I found them in an old ruin back in my homeworld. This is the first time I actually get a chance to perform them as they should be done.”
“I am envious,” Lisette said, monotone voice barely a whisper. “You have the opportunity to build a perfect foundation from the very beginning. I would kill someone just to have such a boost to my speed and dexterity.”
Ishrin looked at her with a strained smile. She had said it so casually that he would be inclined to believe she was telling the truth, and not a joke. To her side, Melina cleared her voice.
“Anyway!” She said a little too cheerfully. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Yep.” He checked the inventory just in case. “Oh. Wait. Where’s the Derillomouf? I was sure I had it.”
His storage opened up to a view of stars, galaxies and strange energies. He rummaged through it, both mentally and by plunging a hand into the portal opening, but couldn’t find the drop of crystallized dew. It was a critical component for the Right-hand part of the ritual.
“Can’t you do the Left hand first and then the Right hand later?” Melina asked after Ishrin explained the problem to her.
He shook his head. “They need to be done together. I’ll go see if the guild has it. Be right back.”
He left in a hurry. From his pocket, Liù expressed her discontent. She had been promised dinner at a restaurant, and was still waiting for her summoner to deliver on her promise.
“I know I promised, but can we pleeeease do this little thing first? I just want to see if they have it!”
Liù pouted but conceded. They made record time getting to the guild.
“I can look through the Guild database to see if someone is selling it, or if there is a Quest that has the item you are looking for as a possible reward.” The boy at the front desk said.
That was good. Surely somebody somewhere across the whole Guild network had it.
“Sure, thanks.”
“I’m sorry.” The boy said after fiddling with something behind the desk, hidden from view. “I have nothing on the quests side aaaand… and nobody is selling it either.”
“Oh, I see.” Ishrin frowned.
“I can put in a request for you, if you want.”
“Sounds good. How does it work?”
“It’s simple. How much are you willing to spend?” The boy asked.
“What’s the market rate for the item?”
“18 gold pieces. If you offer that amount as reward, it’s going to cost you… 25 pieces.”
“Why so much?” Not that he could afford the base price either.
“Processing fees and transport fees.”
“I see. Thank you. I don’t have the cash on me now, but I’ll be back when I do.”
“Oh, you don’t have to pay now.” The boy said. “You can do it like most people do! Pay only once the quest is completed. The money will be taken from your token automatically, and the items will be sent to the closest Guild. If you don’t have the money, the Guild will pay for you and open a debit line with only a flat 10% interest rate. This way you can also cancel the quest from your Token if you ever manage to get your hands on the item you want on your own.”
Ishrin accepted, although a bit reluctantly. He counted on his ability to clear quests very easily thanks to his unusual power level, although he was beginning to realize that although money was easy to come, it was also very quick to go. Ingredients and adventuring related supplies were expensive in Noctis! Much more so than lodgings and food.
Speaking of. He had to pick up Lisette and Melina and tell them about the delay. He had some cash, so he figured he could treat them to dinner to make up for the time he wasted them. On the way back, he tried to fiddle with the guild token to see how it handled money. Only by the time he reached the gate did he finally get it to work: it was a sort of bank account connected to the guild network. If you touched a coin with the token, the physical coin would disappear in a puff of magic and its value would be added to the account. Like everything else related to the guild, it was easily accessible through menus very reminiscent of Mekano’s VR technology.
It was a while later that a trio of adventurers of different tiers could be seen wandering around town, along with a very happy and excited summon.