Walking down the cobbled streets of Etron with Beltane, I remembered that I hadn’t yet done everything I could possibly do to assure a meeting with the King. I quietly started mumbling a prayer to myself and activated the [Miracle] Skill.
“Goddess Nyx, please allow me to meet with King Theophrastus as soon as possible,” I said at a conversational volume. Hearing me speak, Beltane turned his head and frowned.
“I didn’t know you prayed outside the use of Healing Magic,” Beltane said.
“It’s a new Skill I gained called [Miracle]. Nyx can hear me pray once per day,” I responded.
“Does she do what you say?” Beltane asked, his eyes wide with shock.
“No, but I think She tries to guide reality in the direction of my prayer,” I said.
After a long walk, we reached an ancient structure that must have been constructed long before any of the surrounding buildings. The structure was built out of wood, though the other buildings were made of stone. On the front of the building was an ancient yet sturdy sign that read, Menzo’s Magic Items.
I opened the door to the building and was greeted by a large lobby similar to a general store, but all the goods were held behind warded glass cases. Small price tags were displayed next to the display cases, and all prices were listed in Etronian gold coins. Not a single item in this shop could be bought for less than one gold piece.
BLANK WAND: 15 Gold
ENCHANTED KNIFE: 10 Gold
ENCHANTED SWORD: 40 Gold
ENCHANTED CHAIN MAIL: 40 Gold
ENCHANTED SHIELD: 20 Gold
STAFF (SORCERY): 50 Gold
STAFF (ILLUSION): 50 Gold
STAFF (SOURCE): 50 Gold
STAFF (ABJURATION): 50 Gold
ANTI-OBSERVATION RING: 10 Gold
LIAR’S RING: 35 Gold
ARROWS (VARIOUS): 2-10 Gold
GLOVES OF ARCHERY: 80 Gold
BAG OF HOLDING: 100 Gold
HEALTH POTION: 10 Gold
Every kind of entry-level magic item could be found displayed in that shop. Most player’s reached Menzo’s shop in the early-middle game, however, when they had already acquired those items through quests or killing monsters. For a beginner like me, Menzo’s shop gave me a significant headstart that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I silently looked inside of the pouch I had brought with him and saw the 100 gold coins held within.
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Behind the counter at the far end of the lobby was a man figure sitting in a chair reading a heavy leather tome. The man wore a flat cap on his head, and two pointed ears could be seen beneath the hat’s brim. His square reading spectacles and worn clothing gave him an elderly air. After looking at him more closely, one could see that he was quite youthful. Like all elves, Menzo appeared to be in his early twenties, but his eyes and general disposition made it clear that he was much older.
“Hello, welcome to Menzo’s Magic Items,” Menzo said without looking up from his book.
“I’m here to pick up a specialty order I made a year ago. The order should be under the name Thale Feldrast.” I said to the elf behind the counter.
“Oh, Lord Thale. Yes, I finished your fire-resistant coat a few months ago,” Menzo said, looking up from his book in interest. He didn’t seem surprised at all that I had arrived unannounced after a year.
Without another word, he disappeared into the back of the store. Half a minute later, he re-entered my view with a long black coat held in his hands. Menzo held the coat up at his shoulder level, and it almost brushed against the floor as he carried it.
“Here it is. You know, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. Fire resistance only really evolved in northern Sondrith. It’s been assumed that [Hellfire] was an evolution of Sondrith’s [Divine Radiance] Talent, but that wouldn’t explain why fireworms are native to that same area. Perhaps, whatever function gave [Fire Resistance] to the fireworms ‘latched’ onto the [Divine Radiance] Talent and mutated it in some way, creating [Hellfire].” Menzo said all of this to me with a conversational tone as if it was a continuation of a conversation we were having just moments before.
“Excuse me?” I said, genuinely confused. “What I said earlier? I don’t understand. I just got here.”
“Our earlier conversation. Don’t you remember? You said it was strange that the natural habitat of fireworms is the same as the ancestral homeland of the northern lords.”
A faint memory played in my head. When I first ordered the coat more than a year before, I said that in response to Menzo telling me that my coat would be made out of fireworm silk, which were native to northern Sondrith.
“Oh. That was a year ago,” I said, eliciting a chuckle from Beltane.
“Is that strange? Well, it felt like yesterday to me. It’s not every day that I’m able to engage in intelligent conversation. Anyway, do you agree with my assessment?”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Skills and Talents mutate frequently, and they sometimes mutate within specific individuals. A few years back, I heard that one of the Vulpas changed her [Hellfire] Talent into an entirely different Talent when she mixed it with a max-level Skill.”
“Precisely, that’s what I’m thinking. So? Are you going to put your coat on? I worked quite hard on it.”
Snapped out of that strange conversation, I picked the long black coat up from where Menzo had placed it on the table. I looped my arms through the coat’s sleeves and hoisted it over my shoulders. It was comfortable, though a bit heavy. I suspected that the coat would be far too hot for the summer heat if not for my fire resistance.
“It feels nice. What level of fire resistance does the coat have?” I asked, turning to Menzo.
“Level 7. It’s actually two levels lower than yours, but it will be more than enough to protect against heat strong enough to melt rock. You can throw around [Hellfire] to your heart’s content, and it won’t damage this coat.”
“Is that so?” I muttered. Quietly, I placed my hand against the black silk of the coat. Flame sparked in the palm of my hand and licked against the garment, but it merely bounced off harmlessly.
Extinguishing the flame, I looked up to Menzo with a smile and said, “It’s perfect.”
“Thank you for your patronage. Since you paid when you ordered, no payment is necessary at this moment. Is there anything else you need from my shop?”
I eyed a few of the magic items held behind glass cases and said, “I’ve got some money to burn, why not?”