After the two clowns stopped laughing at me, I showed them the rest of the goodies I’d brought. Mahya’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the spell scrolls. Immediately, she grabbed the first one and channeled mana into it. The scroll crumbled to ashes in her hands. Her shoulders slumped.

“Didn’t work?” I asked.

She sighed and shook her head.

“Do not worry. We will keep searching,” Al said, taking the words out of my mouth.

I gave her an encouraging pat on the back.

She went through the other scrolls one by one, her expression growing more frustrated with each failure. By the time she finished, her shoulders drooped, and she looked dejected.

“Hey! Don’t act like it’s the end of the world,” I said. “This is only the first world we’ve visited. We’ve got an entire universe to explore. I’m sure we’ll find plenty more versions of these spells.”

She didn’t respond, her eyes still downcast and hands clenched into fists.

I pulled out the runic glasses and waved one pair below her nose to shake her out of it. “Look what Santa brought you,” I said in a sing-song voice.

She snatched them and examined them closely, one by one, and I saw her smile slowly return.

“What else did you buy?” she asked, glancing up with renewed interest.

I showed them the single-use scrolls. Mahya inspected them with a nod of approval. “These are very useful. Buy more.”

“More? Why?”

“These things are great if you find yourself surrounded. One scroll gives you the breathing space you need to handle whatever’s attacking you,” she explained, gesturing with the scroll. “By the way, do you know how to use them?”

“Just pour mana into them, like the others. Right?”

“No,” Al said, shaking his head. “It is similar, but there is an extra step.”

“What?” I asked, glancing between them.

“You pour mana into them like a normal scroll, but you will notice you can pour more mana in,” Al explained. “Once it is full, you tear it, which activates the magic.”

“But be careful,” Mahya added, her eyes narrowing. “If you flow too much mana, the scroll could explode. Like that goat you told me about.”

I winced at the memory. “So, just pour a little mana?”

“Yes and no,” Mahya said, picking up the Ice Wall scroll. “The more mana you pour in, the more effective they are.” She lifted the scroll slightly, inspecting it. “Take this one, for example. If you flow just a little mana, the wall will be thin and low. If you flow a lot, the wall will be high and thick. Just be careful not to overdo it—you’ll feel when the scroll’s close to its limit. It won’t take you by surprise. When you feel it’s full, stop and tear it.”

I nodded, taking mental notes. “Okay, thanks.”

“What else did you buy?” Al asked.

I sifted through my storage again, but there wasn’t much left to show them except the food. As I looked around, I stumbled across one box of quills from Tuonela. It sparked an idea, but I tucked it away for later.

“Other than what I already showed you, just more delicious food,” I said, shrugging.

Mahya shot a look at Rue and asked, “What? You’re not protesting?”

“No! This friend food. John and Rue have other food.”

“Smart,” Al remarked, smirking at the dog.

Once I’d handed out the food, I leaned back and gave them an overview of what I’d been up to over the past two weeks.

“How long are you staying?” Mahya asked.

“I’ll sleep for a few hours, then return to Lumis. It’s spring there now, and I don’t want to waste the time,” I replied, stretching my arms.

“Are you going on to Azureas?” she asked.

“First, I’ll go through Crystalspire again, then yes,” I said, cracking my neck.

“Why Crystalspire?” Mahya asked, tilting her head. “I’m sure you can find single-use scrolls elsewhere.”

“Yeah, I know,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. “But I had an idea for the quills I collected in Tuonela.”

“What idea?”

“Crystalspire has the Enchanted Smithy. Maybe they can do something interesting with them,” I explained, my mind already considering the possibilities.

“Yeah, good idea,” Mahya said, nodding in approval.

In the morning, after a few hours of sleep, Rue and I returned to the Gate and crossed over to Lumis. I didn’t feel like walking much, and the road was too busy for an ATV, so we took to the air, flying towards Crystalspire. This time, we flew leisurely—no need for speed—so I wasn’t worried about Rue’s mana. When we arrived about two hours’ walk from Crystalspire, we landed in the woods, turned visible, and continued on foot.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I changed my glamour and glanced at Rue. “Change looks, buddy,” I said, gesturing toward him.

Rue transformed into a giant wolf, his fur blending brown, gray, and white. I paused, frowning. It wasn’t going to work. He was still too big, too obvious. Anyone paying attention would immediately recognize that the giant wolf wasn’t a regular dog.

“I think you should change your glamour to a horse.”

Rue’s ears flattened, and he huffed, stomping the ground with his paw. “Rue no horse!”

I threw up my hands, exasperated. “I know you’re not a horse. Just glamour as one. You’re too big.”

He snorted in protest, his voice firm. “Rue no horse!”

Sighing, I gave up. “Alright, alright. You’re not a horse. Just go back to your old look. There’s no point in letting anyone know we can change our appearance.”

When we arrived in the city, I headed straight to the Enchanted Smithy. Five streets from it, I heard the clanging. Looking around, all the buildings looked residential.

How can they live with that racket?!

Rue flattened his ears. “Rue not like noise! Noise too strong!”

“Go back to the plaza with the trees we passed and wait for me there. No need for you to suffer.”

He licked my cheek and was gone in a flash.

When I arrived at the smithy, it looked like a miniature city. It was massive. It was a collection of workshops connected by passageways, with a cloud of smoke hanging over the entire area. The second I stepped inside, the noise hit me like a hammer to the skull. My eyes teared up from the smoke, and I had trouble breathing. Blacksmiths were shouting at each other over the constant clang of metal. Hammers pounded repeatedly, making the ground shake beneath my feet. The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning metal and sweat.

Everywhere I looked, sparks were flying; young men were pumping bellows, and others were scooping up shovels of coal and throwing them into the furnaces. It was pure chaos. Smiths worked near the forges, covered in soot, their faces half-hidden behind goggles. They shouted orders and tossed tools, and I started sweating from the heat rolling off the furnaces. It wasn’t long before the banging and clattering made me feel like my head was about to explode from the sheer intensity of the noise.

I rubbed my forehead. It was impossible to hear myself think. I wasn’t sure how anyone worked in this madness without losing their mind. After ten minutes of audible torture, I gave up and left—it was too much.

I walked around the complex, and at the other end, I saw a large store with glass windows and a sign that read “Enchanted Smithy.” When I stepped inside, all the noise stopped.

Hmm, must’ve come in through the back door.

Long counters lined the three interior walls of the store, and salespeople served customers behind them. In the middle were stands displaying all kinds of weapons and other metal products. It was such a tremendous difference from the smithy. Everyone here spoke in hushed tones, and there was a pleasant smell of flowers. My headache started to melt away.

I noticed two salespeople were available and walked over to one of them. “Hello, sir.”

“Hello, dear merchant. Are you interested in buying individual items or wholesale at merchant prices?” he asked, giving me a polite smile.

“Neither. I have quills I collected from a mana beast, and I wanted to see if there’s anything I could do with them.”

“Show me, please.” He nodded, gesturing toward the counter.

I took out some quills and showed him. He reached for one but almost pricked his finger, testing the sharpness, and I stopped him. “Careful, they’re venomous!” I warned, holding up a hand.

His eyebrows shot up as he froze. “Where did you find these amazing things?” he asked, his voice suddenly more interested.

“I’m from Lotham. Heard of it?”

“Yes, but just the name.”

“It’s a small continent northeast of Lumisor. I collected these quills from bears in the forests there.”

His eyes lost focus for a moment. “High level,” he muttered. His voice barely audible.

I stayed quiet. There was no need to elaborate.

“How many do you have?” he asked, refocusing on me.

“A lot.”

“Show me, please.” He leaned forward eagerly.

I put a box of quills on the counter. “I’ve got two more boxes like this.”

He studied the box. “The best thing to do with these is crossbow bolts. We usually add enchantments to the items we work on, but in this case, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why not?”

“We usually add enchantments for increased penetration, which isn’t necessary here. The material already guarantees that. And increased damage, but again, not needed—they’re venomous, so the damage is built-in. Show me all the quills you want worked on, and I’ll give you an answer in a few minutes.” He explained with a wave of his hand.

I pulled out the other two boxes. He stared at them, his eyes glazing over briefly, and said, “1,253 quills.”

My Sense Honesty skill stayed quiet. He was right.

I need that skill!

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said, heading through a door behind the counter.

He came back after fifteen minutes. “There are two options. We can turn all the quills into bolts for 49 gold and 80 silver, or the blacksmith is willing to turn 1,000 of them into bolts for free if you let him keep 253 quills.”

After careful deliberation, I reached a decision. I had plenty of bolts, so I could spare a couple hundred. “I agree. When will they be ready?”

“Three days.”

“Can you direct me to a skyrest that’s close but far enough away that you don’t hear any noise?”

He laughed. “No need to worry. All nearby buildings have noise-canceling enchantments.”

He gave me directions, and I picked up Rue before heading to check-in. This skyrest was more modest than the last one—just twenty-five floors instead of forty, and the entrance was simpler. The simpler design also meant a cheaper price, only three gold per day, but it didn’t have the amazing balcony I loved.

Oh, well, you can’t have everything.

Rue and I spent the rest of the day in our suite, and the next day, we went to the Free Bazaar. I bought another thirty copies of the various single-use scrolls and paid with coins from Earth. After buying the scrolls, I asked the seller, “I understand that the bazaar moved here because this road is no longer used. Why? It’s much wider than the other road north from Crystalspire.”

“This road goes through the cursed forest, so no one wants to go through there,” the seller replied, his voice lowering. “The new road bypasses the forest and joins the old empire road after four hundred trots.”

“Why is it cursed?” I asked, curious.

“I don’t know. It happened before my time,” he said, shrugging.

“Thanks,” I said, nodding.

On the way back to the skyrest, I felt eyes on me again. I said telepathically to Rue, “Our sneaky sneak is back.”

“John want Rue do something?” he asked.

“No need, buddy. He’s welcome to keep sneaking. We’re leaving in two days.”

We spent the rest of the time in the suite. I had no desire to feel eyes on me all the time, and I had already visited most of the city. I just wanted to collect my bolts and be on my way.

After three days, I collected my bolts, and Rue and I headed north.

I asked him, “Want to visit a cursed forest?”

He looked me straight in the eyes, and I could feel his confusion. Though he said nothing, the strong feeling of “Huh?!” hit me like a wave. I translated it as, “John’s gone mad.”

But since he didn’t say no...