“Are you sure that’s what it does? I can’t even identify it.” The fort quartermaster held up a twisted metal spike that Marke had handed her.
“Of course I’m sure. I’ve even used it a few times.” Marke said. “It makes a spike earthquake over a very large area. Perfect replacement for caltrops against a mounted enemy.” Marke had used the spike against vampire horses, but it made little difference.
Marke and the quartermaster were going over a few items the fort might want to acquire before Marke left to visit a city. Marke had a meeting with the head mage next and the quartermaster would need an official identify from the head mage before the fort could consider purchasing Marke’s items, so the two of them discussed the items while they waited for the head mage. The quarter master put the spike in the “maybe” pile.
The head mage turned out to be a very small elven woman with fairy wings that let her fly around. Marke resisted the very strong temptation to identify the mage since Zily had explained that it was rude to identify non-hostile people you have just met. The mage settled onto the rug in front of Marke.
“Go ahead, identify me.” She said. Marke complied immediately.
> Identify
> ----
> Name: Nern
> Level: 101
> Race: Lesser Wood Elf (Female)
> Danger: Minor
“Greetings, Nern.” Marke said.
“I know you saw it. ‘Lesser’ wood elf.” The mage said with a sneer. “Don’t call anyone with wings ‘Lesser’ if you want to keep your teeth, I don’t care what the System thinks.” The mage glared defiantly at Marke. Marke meekly nodded acceptance of the directive.
“Great!” The mage brightened up and flew over to the piles of items. “What’s all this stuff? Looks like a bunch of
“Nern!” The quartermaster objected to whatever word the mage had used.
“Sorry, sorry. I just mean it all looks like you found it lying on the floor in the corner.” The mage picked up a tuning fork made of glass and raised an eyebrow.
“I found most of them on, under, or inside dead monsters.” Marke said. The mage slowly put the tuning fork back down and discretely wiped her fingers on her robes. Marke laughed. “I’m joking.” The mage reached for the tuning fork again. “They were all definitely inside dead monsters.” Marke laughed again as the mage whipped her head around to glare at him. The quartermaster leaned back from the huge man and the tiny woman as though something might explode.
Nern’s glare broke and she gave a snort of amusement. “Did you at least clean them, Hero
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“I cleaned them as well as I could. Also, I have had most of them for over a year.” Marke said. He picked up the tuning fork. “This one was part of a set in a shrine of some sort, but the rest were broken.” The mage took the fork and squinted at it. Marke knew what identify would show her.
> Identify
> ----
> Mahonrael's Mind (Rare, 375,000 Gold)
> - Mahonrael reached such a perfect consistency in his magical analysis process that he was able to infuse the process into this glass tuning fork
> - This tuning fork emits no audible sound when struck
> - When struck near one or more magical barriers, Mahonrael's analysis of the barriers is forced into the mind of the user. May cause madness if the barrier is too complex for the user to comprehend
Nern’s eyes slowly widened. “Wow.” Was all she said for several minutes. Eventually, she looked up at Marke. “Have you ever used this?”
Marke nodded. “Yes. It’s uncomfortable and I don’t like it. It’s much better to find a way around a barrier than to try and find a weakness.” Kente piped up. Also, you did nearly go mad and I had to save you. He said. Marke waved his hand by his ear, acknowledging Kente’s comment. “That tuning fork is related to the topic I want to discuss with you.” Marke said.
“Making a body for someone else.” Nern stated. “Why do you want to do this, Hero?” The head mage’s face looked very serious.
“Because they need one. It’s important.” Marke said calmly. Marke could almost feel a buzzing from Kente’s rising anxiety. It was a good thing Marke was the one talking, because Kente would have been shaking the mage with both hands while screaming.
Nern spoke sternly. “Spirits seeking a host have lead many well-meaning people to ruin, Hero.”
Marke shook his head, still calm while Kente began muttering. “Not a spirit. I’ve killed or banished plenty of spirits.” Before Nern could ask, Marke continued. “I believe it is a unique entity. I know more than I want to know about spirits and…” Marke didn’t know the word for ’undead. “…and creatures like that. That magic will not work for this entity. I need to find or make a very different magic.” Marke sat down on a nearby stool. “I need to be creative.” He said.
Nern frowned deeply. “You are a-”
Marke interrupted the head mage, not wishing to hear an accusation of necromancy. “Are you capable of dropping all these suspicions and bad assumptions you have made and talking to me with open honesty?” It was Marke’s turn to speak sternly.
The quartermaster tried to move even farther away as Nern practically snarled at Marke. A moment later, she blinked and looked down at her hand. She was no longer holding the tuning fork; instead, she held a softly glowing white orb. “What-” She stuttered.
“Some spirits cannot be fully banished and return after a time. That orb is a permanent binding that prevents the spirit inside from fully returning to the living world.” Marke stated as he slipped the tuning fork into his pack. “I am an enemy to evil things and I am looking for a way to help a friend without using evil magic.” Marke waited to see which way the head mage would proceed.
The small elf inspected the orb for half a minute before turning a new glare on Marke. “Why did you keep this?” She asked.
Marke sighed. Kente ranted and swore. Nern had chosen to remain suspicious. “Do you think there is somewhere I could have left it that was safer than my pack?” He asked. In another movement that was too fast for Nern to see, Marke retrieved the orb. He stood and swept all the items from the table except those in the quartermaster’s “yes” pile. As he walked out of the room, Marke blocked Nern’s attempt to use identify on him.