It's noon the following day, I'm all packed and ready to start my journey. I check my ring one last time to make sure I have everything. I notice the box with the keepsakes and gun and hand it to Richard. "Hey, I found this in a car on the way here and forgot about it. Can you find the people it belongs to and pass it to them? There were no bodies, but there was a lot of blood." I also hand him the Desert Eagle and the ammunition. "Please take care of these. I don't want to rely on the gun due to its limited resources. The last thing I want is to run out of ammunition in the middle of a fight and risk getting killed. Until I have a better grasp on magic and the system, I won't take a gun into combat."
From their garage, I take a few items: three empty 5-gallon buckets, 20 16oz. mason jars with lids, a 100ft rope, and 3-inch-long nails. When I ask about the jars, Helen insists that I take an additional 40 jars, claiming that I'm doing her a favor by taking them off her hands. So now my inventory looks like a white woman's Instagram wedding. After a token protest, I end up with 60 jars in three sizes 8oz, 16oz, and 32oz—with 20 of each size.
"Alright, y'all, I'm off. Come give me some hugs; I'm about to teleport out of here, I think." Now that I've reached level 15, I feel more comfortable heading out to find Valerie. So here goes nothing. I access my menu and go to the maps interface, selecting the obelisk. A window pops up, covering my vision.
"Would you like to use the one-time teleport for reaching level fifteen? Yes or No."
"Shit, I was hoping I could get to Urza. Now I'll have to find my way there. Why couldn't I have been born with better mana affinity? Oh well, it's not like I can choose not to go. I just hope I end up close to Urza." Without informing Richard and Helen of the change in location, I accept the prompt. A ring of blue-green light springs up at my feet. It's a complex spell with so many arcane symbols that I get lost every time I glance at them.
In a moment that feels far too fast, the ring moves from my feet to my head, and I'm suddenly standing there, looking at Richard and Helen. Then I look down the street, and it's packed full of people of all types. It's overwhelming—the sounds, the smells, the heat, and the press of so many bodies. I struggle to focus on one thing at a time.
Suddenly, someone cries out, "Step to the side if you're going to be sick." I take the advice and move to the side of the road. As I look up, I see the city stretching out in front of me for miles. The buildings have a similar style to medieval buildings on Earth, or at least as depicted in movies. The key difference is that all the buildings are covered in metal breastplates, with only the roofs spared from the metal treatment. Upon closer inspection, some buildings have only a few breastplates, while others are completely covered, making it hard to tell what the base material is.
There are some oddities regarding which buildings have metal breastplates and which ones don't. As I walk down the street, I see that the shops and smaller buildings don't have breastplates, while manor houses and larger homes are covered in breastplates. The breastplates are made of various metals, some of which I've never seen before—an orange metal that's polished to a mirror-like finish, a bluish-white metal that seems to shift as I move my head.
After taking in the architecture, I turn my attention to the people surrounding me. There's a mix of elves, dwarves, and orcs, and my instincts tell me not to stare at them. But then I spot a few oddities—a birdman with wings on their back, two arms behind an eagle-like head with bird-like legs, a woman with a spider-like head and a bright purple exoskeleton that looks smooth and polished, and a dragon person with dark blue scales covering their body. Upon closer inspection, I notice that the dragon person's head is longer and more lizard-like, while the Spider Woman's hands are more humanoid with large black multifaceted eyes and no noticeable nose. Her chin is split in the middle, resembling a human's but made of exoskeleton. I stare for too long, and the woman of the group looks back at me.
I can sense that they are questioning why I was staring like a creep, so I quickly smile and wave. The Spider Woman tilts her head at me in a questioning manner. Then, to my shock, she turns and heads in my direction, accompanied by the Birdman, Dragon Man, and Orc who follow suit. My heart skips a beat as they approach, and the Spider Woman walks right up to me before she can say anything.
In a rush, I apologize, "I'm sorry for staring at you. That was rude. If you don't mind me asking, what is your race's name? And if it's not too much, may I also ask for your name?"
Caught off guard by my exclamation, the Spider Woman takes a moment to process my words and respond. "What do you mean, what race am I? I am Arachnea. You have not earned my name."
"That is so cool. I've never seen someone of your race before. How rude of me to ask for somebody's name before introducing myself. My name is Havoc Deamhan. It's a pleasure to meet you, and again, sorry for my rudeness," I say, extending my hand for a handshake.
She looks at my preferred hand questioningly but then extends her hand, and we shake hands. Her hand has five fingers, each individually segmented with an exoskeleton texture on the outside but soft like flesh on the underside.
"I am Xantcha, an adventurer with the Crimson Bulwark," she introduces herself, gesturing to the group around us. "We are a peak bronze-ranked adventuring group," she says proudly.
I look at her with a blank expression. "Is that supposed to mean something to me? It sounds important. Congratulations on being a bronze-ranked adventuring group. But how does this world define adventurers?" I ask. Then, I quickly add, "Oh, wait, I have a better question: how do I get to Urza?" The words spill out almost too fast.
All of them burst into laughter simultaneously. The Dragon Man points at me, struggling to catch his breath, and says, "He thinks he can just go to Urza as if it's a quick teleport away and not the hardest area on this world to explore." the use of “this world” catches my attention and i file that away for later.
After about a minute, they calm down, and I ask, "So, it is doable but hard? I can work hard. That means growing stronger, acquiring better gear, and going on adventures. Would you mind showing me to the guild so I can sign up?"
They suddenly become somber, and Xantcha responds, "Do you know what you're asking? Do you know what it's like being an adventurer? It's not a job for someone weak-willed. Adventurers do what needs to be done, even when it's not the right thing. They have to make tough choices all the time, and some of those choices may lead to the deaths of friends. They have to be willing to sacrifice their own lives to save others. Can you handle the pressure?"
"I have to. My wife is in Urza, and I have to be strong enough to protect the people I love. I will endure anything if it gives me the strength to protect and save the ones I can," I say firmly, with determination in my voice and stance.
She nods at me and says, "Alright. I've heard better reasons and worse ones, but I don't believe the wife part though." She turns and starts walking away towards the guild. I quicken my pace to catch up with her. I hear her mumbling about wives, cities, and races, then her head snaps towards me. I know she has figured out that I am from a different world.
She whispers to me, "Are you native?" I shake my head from side to side to indicate no. Then, abruptly, we pivot to the right and head towards what appears to be a bar. For a moment, I question whether I've made a mistake trusting these people, but I figure that if they wanted me dead, they would have killed me when I was rude. The bar is mostly empty, with a couple of people scattered across the room, a few in the corner making out, and the barkeeper.
The barkeeper is a massive orc, all muscle with arms as thick as watermelons. He greets us as we enter the bar. Xantcha requests a private room with drinks for the five of us. The barkeeper hands her the key, and we make our way to the back room. As we all sit down in the room, I see the Birdman making a series of complicated gestures. Suddenly, there is a pressure in the air followed by popping sounds in my ears. "Okay, so the room is warded against listening and scrying spells," the Birdman says.
Before the conversation can go any further, I interject, "Okay, what are the rest of your names and races? I know it might be rude now, but it's better to be rude now than to unintentionally insult someone later." They look startled by my questions, then a little sheepish. They each speak up in turn: the Dragonman is a Drake named Leopold, the Birdman is a female Anzû named Trila, and the Orc is named Amurak. I greet each of them with a handshake and a smile. "What would you like to talk about?" I ask Xantcha.
"For starters, where are you from?" Xantcha asks.
"That's easy. My planet's name is Earth. I also have a bunch of questions, so how about we take turns? How do I get to Urza?" I inquire.
"To get to Urza, it is said that you have to be over level 25 and bring an item of legendary value to the gates of the city. What level of magic does your world have?" Xantcha responds.
"Shit, that sounds hard. Where am I going to find a legendary item? We didn't have any magic until about a week or two ago, so I can't say what level of magic we have. Okay, so what do I have to do to become an adventurer?" I ask.
"You have to choose a class, and you have to pay them 10 gold cosmic coins or provide an item worth 20 gold cosmic coins. Are you telling me that you are from a Forced Integration world?" Xantcha asks.
"Yep, it was integrated about a week and a half ago. It was rough at first, really rough. What are gold cosmic coins, and what is the conversion scale for cosmic coins?" I inquire.
"Let's see," Xantcha reaches into a pouch and pulls out three coins. "This one is copper, silver, and gold. The conversion rate is 1 to 100," she explains. Trila interjects, "What happened to your planet after its integration?" Xantcha shoots her an annoyed look and refocuses on me, waiting for my answer.
"I'm going to want 3 questions for this story," I say, and they all nod in agreement. "It was a massacre. We had no warning, no idea of what was going on. We had no magic and no monsters in our world. Then one day, monsters were everywhere, and there was a massive influx of mana, enough to warp areas. All we had was our technology, but it was enough to hold the line until we figured out what was happening. Then we went to war. When I left, we were winning, but the death toll was staggering. It reached 40% of the total population in the first week." I finish telling my story and feel a light buzzing sensation to the right of where I am looking.
I turn my head to Drake, who is looking at me with eyes that have a slight glow. "Wait, if your planet was only integrated a week ago, how are you already level 15, and what is an Arcane Arborist?" the Drake asks.
"That's two more questions with no interruptions. I saved a city with a massive explosion and have fought at least 5 different monsters, and an Arcane Arborist is a druid-based class, though I don't know what to expect from it,outside of growing a dope ass tree." I reply. "Now, here are the three questions I want to know: What does it mean that my world is integrated in the big picture? Are we going to have to wage war with other planets? What is the system, and where did it come from? How do professions work? And how do I obtain a legendary object?"
"Those are some big-picture questions. I only know some things," Xantcha begins. "The big picture depends on whether your world will be rich with mana and your level of technology. If your planet scores high in both, it will be considered a high-class world that will either have to fight or show enough strength to be left alone. Most newly integrated worlds land in the middle of the pack, often plundered and eventually forgotten. Interplanetary wars are not uncommon but are very expensive. You can choose to attack other planets, but it is more common to hire a small army and loot the planet. As for the system, it is believed to be a creation of a god or a cabal of gods. It was designed to create growth for the universe in hopes of defeating the Sower of Oblivion. Finding a legendary object of such rarity is very difficult unless you have the gold to afford it. Many high-level merchants on Astromore have items for sale or auction, but they come at a steep price, often in the thousands of gold for a low-grade item," Xantcha explains.
"Alright, while you answer, let me show you these items," I say, placing the following items on the table: a 5-inch round piece of metal, 2 feet long, 5 unknown orbs measuring about 6 inches each, and 5 unknown augments.
"I can cast Identify on the items, but it will cost you 3 questions," Trila says with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the game.
"Done. Ask away," I reply.
"Okay, so you said that you lost 40% of the world's population. That doesn't sound too bad considering some stories put it at 80 or 90% for some worlds. Then there are worlds we never hear about," Trila says, bringing the mood down a few notches. "What level of technology did you have that allowed you to stand against the hordes of monsters? And how many people has your planet lost?" she asks.
Before I can respond, the Orc interjects, "Why aren't you there now defending your planet?"
This takes me back. Amurak, who has not spoken once, cuts in with his first words. I look him in the eye and respond flatly, "I am here to gather information to bring back to my world and to find my wife. We need context for the universe and our place in it since we don't have anything other than the tutorials. As for my wife, on Earth, the system gave her a prompt stating that she was going to be taken to the city of Urza because her Mana Affinity was over 90%. So, 24 hours after the Integration started, she was teleported away to Urza. As for my world, it should be fine unless there is something beyond the waves of monsters pouring into it. To answer your questions, Trila, our planet had a population of 8 billion people across the entire world, resulting in a loss of 3.2 billion people. It's hard to relate our level of technology; is there a measure of technological advancement among the races of the universe?"
"Yes, there is. It is often measured by the understanding of the makeup of the universe or the range of interstellar travel," Trila responds with intensity.
"Oh, I see. In that case, we are at the second level of interstellar travel, and we just achieved positive power production with our fission reactor. We haven't colonized our second planet yet, but we were on the verge of doing so. We can see and manipulate the subatomic," I say with a hint of excitement.
"Um, what does a billion and subatomic mean?" Xantcha asks. Trila proceeds to explain the concept of subatomic, and then they all look at me for an explanation of a billion. I ponder for a moment, considering how best to explain it to them.
"Do you know what a million is?" I ask. All except for Trila shake their heads. "Hmm, a million is one thousand thousand. Do you understand that?" More head shakes follow. "Ah, sacks of gold. If you fill a sack with one thousand gold pieces, and then you make a thousand copies of that sack, you would have a million. Now, if you take all those sacks of gold and repeat the process a thousand times, that is one billion. Does that make sense? If not, how many people can this city hold?" Xantcha nods in understanding, as does Trila, but Leopold and Amurak shake their heads. It seems they might better understand the concept of people, so I press on. “how many people does this hold Maximum” i ask. They estimate that the city can hold around 750,000 people. "This is the largest city on this continent, and during winter, it can be filled to capacity," Amurak boasts. I pick up on his pride and wonder if this is an orc city.
"So, if you were to take the population of this entire city and place them outside, and then make 4,266 copies of that population, that would roughly be the number of people who died in my world during the first week. That is just under half of the total population," I say, filled with sadness.
Sadness overwhelms me as I contemplate the staggering number of people lost. Explaining this to them drives the point home for me. So much death for no good reason. Xantcha interrupts the somber moment and says, "We are truly sorry for the loss. It is staggering to think about. I do have an interesting point to make, though. Your planet is very high in mana content. Everyone was infused with mana, so to have that many people die releases a massive amount of mana back into the planet, which then gets cycled to all lifeforms. I have finished identifying all of your items. This bar of metal is what's called Necronium. It is a very rare metal infused with death mana, and it can cause damage to living beings upon contact. These orbs are throwable poisons, uncommon in nature. They contain odd mixtures of chemicals that were altered by magic into a contact poison called blister flesh. Finally, the five augments consist of four common ones and one rare. The rare augment is quite valuable and can enhance armor. It must have been a tough kill to have dropped an armor augment. If you were to sell a bar of Necronium of this size, you could get 25 gold. Metal like that is hard to come by, so places like the adventure guild have a buy list. The rare augment is worth a pretty coin to the right fighter or knight," Trila explains, looking somewhat strained.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
"Twenty-five gold, is that a lot in this world? What are expenses like here?" I inquire.
"It is a lot if you're an average person. Cooked food costs around a silver on average, while beds go for 5 silver a night, unless they like you. The average person earns about 10 silver a week. However, adventurers require items such as weapons, armor, potions, spells, and more. So, while it may take the common man years of work to accumulate that amount, it's a good contract for an adventurer," Xantcha explains.
"Thanks for the information and the conversation. It was really enjoyable. If you guys ever need a 5th member, count me in. I have a wide range of spells and abilities, more focused on utility than damage at the moment, but I hope to acquire more damage-dealing capabilities," I say as I pack the items away.
"Oh, really? What skills do you have that would help us?" the drake rudely interjects.
"I don't really know since I haven't been in the field as an adventurer. So, I couldn't say for certain which skills are good. But I do have a looting ability, a movement ability that's close to novice level. Are you guys actually considering it? I can provide more information," I reply, not expecting a positive response. They exchange glances before the orc speaks up.
"We are interested, but there's a small problem. When we reach level 25, we become silver rank, which means harder missions and more danger. For someone who is 10 levels behind, it will be a real struggle," Amurak explains, seeing the dejected look on my face. He then nods and continues, "How about you give us more information about your spells and abilities? If you're a good fit, we can work with you, at least for a mission, to show you the ropes. How does that sound?" Xantcha chimes in.
"That sounds good to me. So, I have two buff spells, three damage spells, a healing spell, a cleanse, a summoning spell, a self-buff armor, and a hard-to-define utility spell. Oh, I almost forgot, I need the training to wield this, Oh also I have some titles but I don't really know if they are good. " I say, pulling out the Blackwood Naginata of the Elemental Bull.
Trila looks as if I've kicked her puppy, but everyone's attention is quickly drawn to the Blackwood Naginata. They stare at it in awe, as if they've never seen anything like it before. I proceed to tell them the story of its creation, leaving out the details about the other six weapons, just in case.
“ What titles do you have and how many are duos or trios.” Xantcha asks.
"How did you acquire so many spells?" Trila asks.
"Is there more of this horn?" Amurak questions.
"What type of summon?" Leopold inquires.
"Okay, okay, one at a time. There's no more horn left, the summon is a plant elemental, and I traded spells with some friends. I have 10 titles but only one of them is a tio. To be honest, out of all the systems I understand this one the least." I respond as I read off the titles and their effects. “Are spells and titles rare here?”
"No, they're not rare, but they can be expensive. Most people who teach spells charge based on the level of the spell imparted. This has led to inflation for generic spells. Titles are rare to find these days some organizations have them rulers can grant them and dungeons can grant them for completing them." Trila explains.
Xantcha cuts in “ You should combine titles that are of the same branch. Take the titles that boosted stats these are all one branch, the same is true for the basin ranks and the damage Amplification. Duos with good Synergies will always be better than titles by themselves which is further compounded by a trio with good synergies. this is why most people prefer to combine titles based on the branch to ensure good synergies.”
"Shit, I was hoping I could get some spells at a lower cost. I need to fill out this roster of spells. I can have up to ten generic spells and ten class spells and abilities. I have five classes and six generic spells," I state.
"That's a lot of spells and titles for someone so new to the system. Most people at your level only have three or four, and they have them at the upper student ranks. You need to stop acquiring spells and abilities and focus on leveling the ones you already have. For your level, you should have at least two of them as a student. It's not that they become harder to level the more you have, but people tend to spread them out instead of focusing on their class-specific ones. Class spells are the most important; they define your style of combat and role in a party. You would have a hard time finding a party with your unique build," Xantcha advises.
Keeping what Xantcha said in mind I go over the titles and group them by branch. Then I start to combine them. Hope that I am not being misled. I start by throwing Bathe in Blood
Arcane Catalyst, and Earthshaker as they all deal in damage.After accepting the prompt asking if I would like to fuse these three titles. I nervously wait for the combination.
Congratulations you have combined three titles into Arcane Earthshaker(trio): + 25 spell damage.
“ So um I combined some titles and I lost a effect why did that happen?” I ask.
“From what I have read that happens when the effect is weaker than that of other titles.”
Being ready for this I was not surprised when the next title combination gave me this. I put the titles Mass Butcherer, Butcherer of Hundreds, and The unseen Reaper. This also gave me some piece of mind knowing where the title came from it was nice to discard them. This was quickly dispelled by the name of the new title.
Congratulations you have combined three titles into Unseen Butcherer (trio): +25 damage with Physical attacks.
Knowing that I need to finish this up I added First of the Basin and Savior of Cities. As they both did the same thing.
Congratulations you have combined two titles into Savior of Cities (Duo): +2 Basin rank + the first 3 ranks are free to enter.
Getting frustrated at the fact there are more rules that the system did not explain but very excited that I can delve into the first 3 ranks for free this will save me so much SP. I ask “ Why did the name of this not change.” showing them the prompt. It was Amurak that had the answer.
“You said it was a bad title that a ruling body had to change. That means it is a bestowed title. A bestowed title will always keep its name. They are very rare and are often a sign of honor.” Amtrak says Impatiently.
"Would you like to head to the adventure guild now? The faster we get you registered, the faster we can take on the next job," Amurak asks.
"That would be great. The only problem is that I don't have the money for the 10 gold fees. I could teach one of you a couple of spells in exchange for the entry fee," I say. Trila looks at me with shock.
"We could not ask that from you. In this culture, it is considered intimate to share spells because you are sharing an aspect of your powers. This can make you seem weaker and less than others. So why would you do such a thing?" Trila asks.
"Well, I understand why people may think that way, especially with strangers. But we are friends, even if you don't know it yet, and I won't have my friends watching my back without the spells to save me or others. If someone is in need and I have the power to help, then I'm going to help. In my eyes, giving away perceived power doesn't diminish my value. After all, what is a life compared to one level of a spell?" I respond.
"Wow, you really are from a different world. Here, life is cheap, and power is king. I'll take you up on the offer. What spell do you have, and what does it do?" Trila asks.
So I explain all the spells, and she picks Minor Cleanse. Everyone else also picks Minor Cleanse. It turns out that Minor Cleanse is an uncommon and highly valued spell, so everyone throws me 5 gold coins. I initially protest, but they inform me that it would have cost them 50 gold for a level 1 uncommon spell. They enlighten me about the scale of spell costs, causing me to rethink how to make money.
The scale goes as follows: 10gp for common, 50gp for uncommon, 100gp for rare, 1000gp for epic, 10,000gp for legendary, and 100,000gp for mythic, for the base versions at spell level 1. The cost increases additively for each level of the spell, so a level 10 common spell would cost 100 gold.
After collecting the gold, we walk over to the guild and begin the process of making me an adventurer. The building appears grand, with large ornate doors standing 25 feet tall. The front of the building is adorned with small metal plates, polished to a shine. As we approach, I get a closer look at the plates, each bearing a name and some minor information. The lettering is small, but I resolve to ask the desk attendant about them. Upon entering, I notice a decent number of people going about their tasks. There is no seating available throughout the guild hall the hall has a air for haste it is like they are trying to say keep it moving by having no seating. Taking a better look around the room, I realize there is a complete absence of furniture, with only the tiled flooring present—a level of simplicity that can only be described as Spartan.
The party leads me to an attendant who greets them by name with a large, friendly smile. "If it isn't my favorite team, The Crimson Bulwark. What can I do for you today?" the attendant asks.
"Well, we have something different for you. Can you assist my friend here?" Xantcha gestures towards me. "He needs to sign up as an adventurer with a polearm-based weapon, specifically a glaive if you have training available for that weapon type," Xantcha says. I then chimed in, mentioning that I already have the Polearm Mastery skill. Both of them look at me, and Xantcha is the first to speak. "Yes, but the guild trains you as a novice, so you'll still need to go through the training. We'll be taking him out to teach him the ropes," she says, unnecessarily loud.
I notice heads turning towards us momentarily before returning to their activities. It dawns on me that Xantcha is both asserting ownership of me and signaling to others that I may be available, hoping it will make finding a party easier. The attendant addresses me, but I miss what she says, so I ask her to repeat it. "I need your name, a bit of blood, and the gold," she says, tapping a book.
"What do you need the blood and gold for? I thought you guys took 10% of the fee from the contract," I say, puzzled.
"He is from a city without a guild HQ, so he is new to the system," Xantcha interjects.
"Oh, I see. Then let me start from the beginning. Every adventurer is given a badge that has a tracking spell and an Antitamper spell embedded in them. The tracking spell allows us to locate your body or send help if needed. The two enchantments serve as proof that the badge is authentic and reflect your rank within the guild. If your badge is destroyed or lost, we can replace it with a hefty fine, of course. The gold is for the cost of the ring and the skill book. The ring is linked to our system, so when you complete a quest, the reward can be sent to you, and the quest objective is collected automatically by the system. Everything we do is connected through our guild HQs and the system. Are you familiar with the rank categories?" she asks.
I shake my head in the negative. "The breakdown is as follows: Bronze level 1-50, Silver level 25-75, Gold level 50-100, Platinum level 75-125, and Diamond level 125+. The minimum threshold represents the level you need to reach to apply for a promotion, and the maximum serves as a cap on levels. For example, if you were to sign up as an adventurer at level 51, you would be a low silver rank. Does that make sense?" she explains.
"Yes, any more questions can wait. My name is Havoc Deamhan. Here is the cash, and how do you want my blood?" I ask.
"Cash?" they ask, catching on from context clues. "Just prick your finger and place it here," she points to the ring, "and here," she points to a small box about the size of a deck of cards. "Then I'll take the gold, and you'll receive your three items. After that, you can take a look at the job board," she says. She pricks my finger, and I touch the ring and box with the blood. As the blood makes contact with the box, two circles of spells emerge, rotating before sinking back into the box. The attendant opens the box and retrieves a plate similar to the ones I saw on the walls of the building. It hits me that all those plates represent people who died adventuring. Suddenly, a prompt fills my vision.
"Congratulations, adventurer! You have joined an adventurer guild. You are ranked bronze (1). You can view your ranking, along with any completed and ongoing jobs, in your guild tab in your menu."
Once I have the three items in hand, I ask the burning question that has been on my mind ever since I learned I would be getting a third ring of storage. "So, I already have a ring of storage. Can I wear them at the same time, or will that cause problems like exploding or creating a black hole? Also, how much is a ring of storage worth?"
"Haha, no, none of those things will happen. Most people ask us to combine their base rings with our integrated ring to increase the inventory size. Rings are moderately expensive, ranging from 50 gold to 100 gold, depending on the size. The external size of the storage container makes a difference in the granted inventory size. A ring will never be able to hold the same capacity as a cart of storage. Would you like me to combine your rings?" she asks. I think about it for a moment and reply, "Yes, please combine them." I hand her the required 2 gold, including the additional ring I obtained from the soldier.
"Yes, that will be one gold per ring, so 2 gold in total," she says. I hand her the gold, and she takes all three rings into the same hand, speaking words of a spell that I cannot understand. The two rings transform into a metallic liquid, flowing into the guild ring. The ring doesn't appear any different, and when I look up at the woman who has been helping me, I notice she is pale and winded. Concerned, I inquire about what's wrong, and she explains.
"These rings are larger than the standard rings, requiring more mana. There's something inside that is draining your life force while simultaneously depleting the mana in the area at an alarming rate. It wouldn't have been a problem if whatever was draining your life force hadn't resisted the transfer, requiring five times the mana to move it."
"Oh no, I'm sorry. I thought it would just be a simple combination. I didn't realize you would have to bear the cost. Please accept this gold as an apology. I hope the pain wasn't too burdensome," I express remorsefully while handing 3 more gold pieces.
"Ha, it's fine. I'm fine, it just caught me by surprise and taxed my channels. If you don't mind me asking, what could be draining so much life and ambient mana?" she asks.
"I'm willing to show you if you promise to keep it a secret. I don't know what they are or how rare they are. I found them and have been wondering, but I don't know how to appraise them," I whisper to her. She nods and touches a rune, and an opaque half-dome appears above me and the Crimson Bulwark. They gather in closer.
I proceed to take out the items in question. First, I show her the flowers. When she sees the Opalescent Baby Blue Eye, she gasps quietly. "That is a Light of Hope. It's a rare plant that can be cultivated and used in various potions. It's known for its effectiveness against the undead." Then I reveal the Bloodroot Daisy. She looks from me to the daisy and exclaims, "By the forgotten gods! Where did you find this? It's a Bloodroot Daisy. This plant is used to make potent health potions. It's also extremely rare, almost on the level of an epic item. Alchemists would pay hundreds of gold for it. If it were alive, you might even get a thousand gold for it." Leopold whistles loudly in amazement. I store both plants away and ask her where to put the final, larger item. She gestures towards the counter, assuring me that "regardless of size or weight, the enchantments will keep it off the counter."
I then take out the rock and place it in the enchantment, causing it to float in midair as if weightless. The attendant's eyes transition from interest to shock, widening in panic. "Store it. Store it now," she urgently instructs.
In that moment, instead of acting, the stone suddenly drops like, well, a stone. It smashes onto the counter, triggering a deep pull on all the mana in the area, akin to a vortex drawing all the mana towards the stone. I instinctively lunge forward, lifting the stone and throwing it back into the ring. The suction stops immediately as the stone is removed, but in those mere 5 seconds, the damage is already extensive. All the mana in the area is disturbed, the protective bubble around us vanishes, the counter is cracked in the middle, and the runes turn dark while the tools lay broken. The other attendant down the counter starts shouting, realizing that all the runes within a 25-foot radius have been drained. All eyes are on me as I stand there, hand on the cracked counter. I burst into laughter—a deep belly laugh—and say, "Haha, magic, right? Can't live with it and you can't live without it."
A guy at the back of the room joins in the laughter and shouts, "Ain't that the cold truth of it." The room fills with murmurs, expressing sentiments about the frustrations and drawbacks of magic.
Then, someone comes stomping over, looking quite pissed.
"What the hell is going on over here? What caused that? Who did this to the counter?" the new person asks. "Well, Ulauri, are you going to tell me?" So Ulauri tells her everything leading up to the accident, leaving out the plants.
"I am the manager of this branch of the Adventure Guild. You can call me Azazel. Did you know what you had before pulling it out? Answer honestly; I can tell," Azazel says.
"Nope, not a clue, and I still don't. Would you mind filling me in?" I ask. She nods and pulls out a cube, pushing one side and turning the top. An orb of the same magic pops out over us.
"We can talk freely without anyone listening in. So what you have there is a very large Mana Well Anchor. It is an Epic-ranked item and a controlled item. It can be very dangerous if left unenchanted. It is very expensive, and people would kill for it, especially one of that size. Now, I have heard what happened from Ulauri, and you truly did not know what would happen. I will not fine you for any damages nor for the mana stones that it will cost to re-enchant the counters nearby," Azazel says.
"Awesome, thanks. I am sorry for what happened. Is there a better way of getting stuff identified so I don't break anything else?" I ask.
"No, this one falls on us. If Ulauri had thought a little longer, she might have realized that something that draws on mana when being transferred might draw on the mana in the enchantments," Azazel finishes loudly, almost shouting at the younger woman. "Then she might have realized that she might need to get someone with experience to enchant the object properly. In doing so, she might have saved this new adventurer from being harassed by people who will want to know what he has." By the end, she was shouting down at the woman who had gone from looking sheepish to looking mortified at the problems her lack of attention might cause me.
"Aw, fuck me," was all I had to say, while the Crimson Bulwark winced behind me.
"Well, nothing I can do about that. So how do I enchant this stone?" I ask.
"You have to take it to an enchanter. I would suggest not one in this city unless you like politics."
"No, I do not. It is always tiresome, regardless of the world," I say. Then I snap my mouth shut so hard I hear my teeth clack together, but the damage is done. Both Azazel and Ulauri look at me more closely. Then I hear what could only be a palm smacking a forehead. Both women look at me for a minute and then say at the same time, "Your world was integrated when the Sower woke. Sorry for your loss."
“Will you both keep this a secret?" I ask. They both nod and then Azazel says, "If you leave it in your ring and don't take it out, then it shouldn't draw any more attention. If that's all, you should take a contract that takes you out of the city for a bit."
"One last thing, I need to sell this," I say, pulling out the bar of necronium. "I was told that you have a buylist."
"Miss Ulauri can handle that. Again, sorry for any problems," Azazel says.
"Thanks for the information. Sorry for the headache," I say. They chuckle as they turn off the dome.