Racknar found himself in that room with the desk, standing a bit away from it as a being of white light. However, this time his silhouette was that of his new form rather than his old form. He walked up to the desk, which was empty this time, and looked over the cards. First thing he noticed is one of the cards, the one with the symbol of the Barbarian class, was now sporting a purple border. Racknar stared at it for a bit before looking around and shouting. “Hey, is there any chance I can swap my card from last time and respec?” No one responded, but when he looked back at the desk, he noticed a card he either missed or it had just now showed up as now the guy was behind the desk.
The guy tapped at the desk. “Let me guess, you want to swap your normal card for a hybrid card. Yes?” He slid forward the new card. Racknar recognized the symbol as being the one for the Berserker hybrid class. One that combined the strength based Martial Artist build and the Barbarian build. Racknar tapped the card three times. “Yes, I would like to switch to the Berserker card.” The man knitted his fingers and nodded before waving his hand dismissively at Racknar causing him to wake with a start. He felt groggy and had trouble remembering his dream.
Zero one zero seven zero ten. Racknar had somehow slept the entire trip, only waking up as the cart pulled into a designated parking area. The first thing he did was check for his arms, noticing he had molted and grown them back. He quickly packed the old shell into a bag for later.
The armored warrior heard him moving and looked over the boxes to check on him. “Hey kid, you okay? You were tossing and turning a lot in your sleep. I wasn't sure if I should wake you or not so I decided not to bother you.” Racknar rubbed his eyes a bit and let out a yawn. “I'm fine, I think. I just had a strange dream is all. Can't really remember it though.” The warrior taped at a box with his open hand one time as he shifted to exit the cart. “Make sure you tap the Yggdrasil gate before entering the city proper.”
Racknar got up and shuffled out of the cart, still feeling groggy. He shambled his way to the gate and grabbed it for a bit as he looked around to soak in the sights. The large carriage parking area had multiple stables set up as well, like a horse and buggy parking lot. The way it was organized was surprisingly modern with numbers on marked lots for carts and horses. The large outer wall was thick and made of well placed stone bricks. Considering that they were likely placed by hand, the wall was quite the feat of engineering.
Racknar walked with the party to the city gates, large thick wooden doors that were opened outward by guards was on the outer wall with a second inner door that was one solid piece of wood raised above the inner wall. An anti-siege defense. Inside the architecture definitely reminded Racknar of pictures he had seen of Florence in his previous life. Racknar was soaking in the sights when the warrior called out to him. “You coming with us to the guild hall or what?”
Racknar was shaken from his state of awe and began following them. “Yeah, I'm right behind you.” He then runs up to being just behind the party and follows them closely. They took him to a large building that had a bunch of tables inside. Many tables had adventuring parties sitting at them and discussing jobs. The party along with Racknar get into a line going to the counter. While waiting in line Racknar took the time to observe people in the building.
The building was mostly humans, but Racknar did see a number of non-humans as well. There was a male dwarf, though his skin looked dryer and more scaily than Racknar expected. He was in medium armor and carried a single edged two handed ax. He then spotted what looked like a werewolf in leather armor and a humanoid red dragon in robes. Beast-kin and dragon-blood.
Racknar then spotted a figure in high end leather armor with twin short-swords. They were as white as the driven snow, had large almost bug-like black eyes with strange blue dots in a circle where the iris should be, pointed ears, what looked like small horns, and pure white hair. They were somewhat tall and thin, built like an athlete with an almost bug-like body without the extra arms a bug person would have and it was clear it had skin like a mammal. It also had dragonfly-like wings coming out of gaps in the armor on the person's back. “What is that?” Racknar asked unintentionally out loud.
The ranger looked at Racknar then traced his eyes to the strange figure. “What, you've never seen an elf before?” Racknar felt a bit confused. That was definitely not how elves were depicted in Creatures and Catacombs. “That's an elf?” Racknar’s thoughts spun for a bit at the departure from what he was expecting before he shook his head and regained his composure. “I guess I should have expected something to be different from the books considering this isn't Creatures and Catacombs.” He thought to himself.
Finally the party he traveled with reached the counter and conducted their business. The warrior put in a request for an “iron rank quest in the area” and the man pulled out several papers for the warrior to look over. He held one up for the ranger and mage to see. “How's this one look?” They gave him a thumbs up and nodded. The warrior accepted the job then turned to Racknar. “Looks like this is where we go our separate ways, young one. May the light of Longinus shine brightly with you.” He then put his fist to his own chest and did a light bow.
Racknar wasn't sure how to respond. “Isn't Longinus the name of the guy that skewered Jesus during the crucifiction? That's definitely strange considering there's definitely a polytheistic faith that's active and even in Christianity that's not right. Maybe there's a figure of the same name and it's just a coincidence.” Racknar rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly responded with “And also with you?” He wasn't confident in the response but it was his best shot. The warrior pat Racknar's shoulder hard and let out a hearty laugh before leaving the building.
Racknar watched him just blinking repeatedly for a bit before turning his attention to the person behind the counter and handing them the certificate of completion. The guy looked over the certificate, then looked at Racknar. “Guild I.D?” Racknar shuffled a bit. “Don't have one.” The guy then hands Racknar a paper. “Fill this out, one gold service fee. Then you'll be a guild member and can turn in this quest. Racknar looked it over and scratched his head, then started filling out the areas.
Name? Racknar Aradae. Age? Ten. Race? Beast-kin. Combat Type? Racknar wasn't sure what that was so he pointed to it. “What's this?” The guy across the counter looked at the paper and explained “You know, like… Warrior, Ranger, Wizard, Cleric. It's to let people know what to expect from you when you fill out a party join request and stuff.” Racknar nodded. Combat Type, Berserker. He then hands over the paper to the person who looks it over.
“I see here you didn't specify a subtype for your race. It's not required but most people prefer to have it.” Racknar nodded. “I choose not to specify.” He then placed the gold on the counter and received a guild I.D made out of metal. In addition to the info Racknar gave, it has a stamp that reads “Adventurer Rank: Wood”. The guy taps the stamp and says “You have to start from the bottom the same as everyone else, otherwise I'd start you at copper rank. Don't lose that, it's an aurum to replace.” He then hands Racknar a bag of coins. “Oh, and they increased the reward on that job before you turned it in. You received the updated reward of two thousand argentum coins. Don't spend it all in one place.
Racknar grabbed the bag feeling excited. That was until he looked inside and saw that they were silver coins. “Oh, right. I always get those two mixed up. Aurum and argentum are easy to get confused, I guess.” the guy behind the counter laughed a big laugh. “That is still a lot of coins, kid. Around a hundred aurum coins worth. That's enough to buy yourself a nice enchanted item.”
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Racknar tied the bag to his side and turned around to exit the building, but when he turned around to leave he walked right into the ranger who apparently hadn't actually left. She quickly swiped the guild I.D out of Racknar's hand and looked at it. “Hey Ken, you owe me ten argentum!” The warrior who's sitting at one of the tables shouts back “Damn it Marcel.” The ranger then hands Racknar back his I.D. “Hey kid, you seem awfully verbose and skilled for a ten year old. You a noble or a reborn?”
Racknar tilted his head to the side. “Reborn? I'm not familiar with that term.” The ranger pivoted on her feet. “Oh, it's what we call people whose souls were brought here from other worlds that retain some memories from their last life.” Racknar straightened his neck. “Is that common?” The ranger chuckled. “It's not uncommon.” Racknar sighed. “Yeah, I'm a reborn or whatever. And although it's not relevant or any of your business, I was human in my last life.”
The ranger then shouts to the warrior. “Ken! You owe me another ten.” The warrior slams the table with his fist. “God damn it Marcel, how do you always do this!?” The ranger chuckled then walked to the table. Racknar followed her. “You guys had a bet going as to what race I was?” The warrior nodded. “Although many in the Empire have issues with non-humans, more so when they are not devout followers of the Church, I don't. Anyone that follows the light, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, is my brother.”
Racknar then realized that the interaction with the warrior earlier was a test, to see if Racknar knew the proper response to his religious prompt. “He's making an incorrect assumption, but it would probably be a bad idea to correct him.” Racknar simply nods. “Well if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.” He does a light bow and quickly walks out of the building while waving. “May the light of Longinus be with you.” An empty saying for Racknar, used only to avoid conflict. “And also with you.” The warrior responded.
Racknar looked around once he was out of the building and started walking down the street. He glimpsed a map in the guild hall that showed businesses and landmarks so he could find a magic item shop before leaving the city. There were a few options so Racknar chose the closest one. It was decently sized but not exactly a large building. Racknar wasn't sure how well stocked the place would be but walked inside to check.
The building was unattended, but Racknar could see a number of magical artifacts on display. Racknar shouted into the shop. “Hello?! Is anyone here?! The door was unlocked and it's the middle of the day so I assumed you're open.” There was no verbal response, but after a moment of silence there were rapid stomping sounds as someone ran from an unseen area of the building into the main shop area. “I’m very busy today, didn't realize I left the door unlocked. Come back another time.”
Racknar looked at the man, a sleep deprived mess of a human with a wild bedhead of gray hair and a wrinkled face and dark bags under his eyes. However, despite looking much older, Racknar guessed the man was in his forties at the oldest. “I'm already here, and I know what I'm after. This shouldn't be long.” The man let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, how may I serve you today, impatient child?” Racknar approached the counter. “I'd like to purchase a ring of minor illusion, disguise self. How much would that cost me?”
The man perked up a bit and raised an eyebrow. “That kind of magic is restricted. Can't risk someone robbing or killing in broad daylight while looking like someone else to avoid consequences or even scapegoat some poor soul.” Racknar sighed and put his guild I.D and the bag of coins on the table. “I didn't ask about the legality of it, I asked how much it would cost.” The store owner eyed the I.D and coin bag. “I would need to know the nature of the illusion, and twenty aurum or two thousand argentum.”
Racknar was a bit surprised, in the books it would have cost him at least a thousand gold. Then again he did notice the price on other things being lower than expected. Copper coins were like pennies, one hundred copper is one silver making that like a dollar. One gold is one hundred silver making it a one hundred dollar bill, and one platinum was like a ten grand note. So considering he was asking for what was basically two thousand dollars, it definitely wasn't cheap.
“Well I need the illusion to make me look like I'm a regular human, just donned in black armor. As far as anyone that looks at me would be concerned I would look like I'm in high end armor. This bag has exactly enough to buy one.” Racknar explained as the man eyed the bag. “I have… a lot of questions but not a lot of time. I'll be right back with your ring. Shouldn't take too long. Wait right here.” The old man then goes into a backroom, leaving the coin bag on the counter.
Racknar stood and waited, looking around at items on display while he did so. There are a number of different weapons: Swords, axes, bows, daggers, you name it. There were two full sets of armor on display, three cloaks, and numerous rings and necklaces. All labeled with prices and names. Then Racknar spotted something in a corner that looked slightly out of place and shuffled to investigate.
It was a large marionette doll, life sized, from the looks of it made to appear like a girl in her teens or so. Fourteen if Racknar had to guess. It was well made, using a polished material that almost looked like it could be either porcelain or plastic from where Racknar was standing. He closed in to look at it closer. It was wearing a black Victorian style dress and had black hair. Racknar reached to it and touched its face, it was surprisingly smooth and the level of detail on the doll was exquisite. With a thumb, he opened an eyelid to see the dark brown eyes. If it weren't for the obvious joint lines on its jaw and limbs one could mistake this for a pale skinned person at a distance.
Racknar heard footsteps that stopped sharply and looked up to see the shop owner staring daggers at him. “Sorry, I got curious because it stood out. This one isn't labeled, what kind of magic does it have?” The store owner's face softened a bit “It doesn't, it's not magic. It's just a normal doll. An old hobby. I started out making them when I was very young, it's how I got into crafting. Moved onto magic items because that's where the money is.”
Racknar shut the doll's eye gently and stood up before going back to the counter. “Well it's really well made. You can see the love and passion that went into all the little details.” The shop owner's eyes widened a bit, a small measure of life returning to them. “You don't think they're creepy?” Racknar shook his head. “I think they're cool. Then again there are a number of things others find creepy that I find cool. Like spiders, and snakes.” The store owner gave a small smile and nodded. “Spiders get rid of many pests, they are a necessary and important part of the world. The giant ones however… I'm not sure how I feel about. I mean I guess there are also giant insects so… Anyway, it's nice to meet someone who can appreciate my hobby.”
Racknar nodded again “and it's nice to meet someone who understands the importance of spiders.” The shopkeeper puts a ring on the table and takes the coins. “I like you, so I'm not going to charge you extra for the size adjustment enchantment I added so that it'll always fit you. Have a very nice rest of your day and I hope to see you again.” His statement sounded genuine.
Racknar bowed slightly, thanked the man, then grabbed the ring and left. As soon as he was out of the building he put it on and removed the tattered cloth tossing it to the side. Although he still had the height of a ten year old, at least he wouldn't have to worry about someone catching a peak of his true image unless he encountered a paranoid mage.
The door for the shop closed and the shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief. He waited for the strange kid to leave then put a “closed” sign on the door before locking it. He then moves over to the marionette and gently puts his hand on its cheek. “I had my doubts, I've been hesitant to dive fully into my convictions. But if there is at least one person in this world who could accept you as you are once I bring you back, then I have hope. No more hesitation, no more holding back. I will bring you back to me, my dearest Emily.”
He then carefully lifts the doll and takes it into a basement. On the floor there are several magic circles with various runes drawn in what looks like dried blood. There are several herbs and animal parts hanging from the ceiling and sitting in jars and bowls on shelves. There are several books on tables and on shelves, some of the ones on the table are opened. The man walks over to the books and fingers through a few before closing one. Most of the books titles suggest that they are about dark magic and necromancy.
The man gently placed the doll in the center of the circle before setting up candles and various items from his collection. He then speaks in an indecipherable language, casting some sort of ritual spell. Air swirls around the room, the runes and circles glow a sinister red, and the wind picks up till it is whipping around the room and the man has to shout over it. The spell ends, but nothing seems to have happened. He moves over to and lightly shakes the doll to no response.
“A failure. What did I do wrong?” He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration as he mutters to himself and pages through the books again. He dives back into research. Hours become days, days become weeks, weeks become months. After hours upon hours or research and struggle a full year has passed and the man sets up the ritual once more. The arrangement is different, several of the items placed are glowing with magic. He then opens the book and starts chanting to cast the spell. Once again wing whips and runes glow. Then, a night blue ball flies through the ceiling like a ghost and slams into the doll making it jerk and have a glowing blue outline for a moment.
The man tossed the book over to the table recklessly and ran over to the doll and lifted it gently, putting his hand under its head and caressing its hair. “Emily, Emily” he lightly slaps the cheek of the doll. “Come back to me Emily.” Then, without being moved by the man, the doll's eyes open and its head quickly moves to look at him.