Choose your Alchemist like you choose your underwear. Avoid those who smell bad or cause unexpected burning sensations.
-Basen Koh, unprompted
Reid didn't exactly regret his decision to take on the writ of service. He had a place to stay and had met some lovely people. That was worth a lot. It was just so hard to be thankful for that when he was waist deep in sewage.
"They said I'd be cleaning!" he called to his partner, a tall orkenna woman named Urvi. She wasn't a member of the guild but worked for the city.
"In a sense, you are."
"Don't defend them!"
"Ha. Sorry, Reid. When they have jobs no one wants, they eventually go to someone with a writ of service. I'm happy to have the help, though."
They carried a long metal pipe down a sewer drainage area under the city. Urvi had explained they had to wade through a holding area that was backed up due to the existing broken pipe. The new pipe was heavy, and Reid could feel magic emanating from it.
"Can I identify this pipe?" he asked. "It'll leave a small mark on it."
"Have at it. It's not much to look at, though."
"That's alright. I just need to practice my ability."
Reid started his routine. It was slowly becoming more familiar. He focused on the magic. It felt sturdy, and he guessed the pipe had magical reinforcement. There was something else, but it was complicated, and he couldn't interpret the feeling.
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Lesser Magic Pipe
* 1 Star Utility Infrastructure
* Unbindable
* Linkable
* This pipe is magically reinforced to protect against high pressure and sudden shocks.
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Merchants Mark Growth Conditions
Mark and Identify 50 Magic Items
* 9/50 Items Identified
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"What does linkable mean?"
"When attached to existing infrastructure, it can be activated to magically link with the things it's connected to. It makes it harder to remove, but strengthens the joints and prevents leaks."
"If that's the case, then why are we trudging through all this shit?"
It wasn't literal shit, but he didn't doubt there was some mixed in. He was glad they'd given him waterproof overalls and a jacket.
"When these systems are constructed, they're made with mundane materials. When they break like this one, the replacements are often magical, so we make sure it doesn't break the same way again."
That seemed sensible. If Reid hadn't heard about lower quality magic items being relatively cheap in the city, he would have been astounded that they'd even use a magic item for such a repair.
They found the broken pipe. It was spewing an unfortunate stream of liquid into the air. The cutoff valve was right below it, so one of them would be getting wet.
"Oh, no," he said.
"Oh, yes," Urvi said. "Don't worry, there's a shower at the service station."
"How is this fair? You don't have hair!"
Urvi smiled at him.
"See if I come back and help you again..." he grumbled.
The impromptu shower was one of the worst experiences of his relatively short life. He recalled how pleasant falling into a swamp pit had been in comparison.
When the flow cut off, Urvi handed him the new pipe. He braced it against his shoulder. He could hold it, but they would need to work together to lift it into place. Urvi set to work removing the old broken one. Reid marveled as she conjured a small jet of fire in her palm and used it to cut away at the pipe.
"Is that from an item or orkenna natural magic? I only met my first orkenna yesterday, so sorry if that's rude."
"It's not. We don't put much stock in such things. This is natural magic. We can command fire with something akin to magic specialization, but it's a little different. Who did you meet yesterday?"
"Kenagavis, at the Royal Merchant's Guild."
"Ahh. Ken is a nice guy. I went on a few dates with him once. The dating pool in the city for orkenna is a little limited, so we mostly know each other."
"Good to know. Your dates didn't work out?"
"Honestly, it's a little embarrassing."
"Now you have to tell me. Please remember that I went into the shit shower for you."
Urvi ripped off the first section of pipe and started on the second.
"Okay, okay. It's just. It felt awkward going on a date with a guy who's taller than me."
"Wait, really? Are orkenna women usually taller? I have only met the two of you."
"Yes, significantly so. We're usually about a foot taller than men. Kenagavis is just unnaturally tall."
"I thought the same thing."
Urvi laughed and pulled the second pipe section off. Reid helped line up the new pipe with the existing infrastructure.
"Would you like to do the honor?" Urvi asked.
"Can I?"
She nodded. "It just requires the ability to sense and use magic. You activate it just like any other item."
The only item he'd ever activated was his mark, but he tried to use the pipe the same way. He expected some resistance, like when he couldn't figure out how to summon his mark from Leah's hands, but instead, the pipe responded immediately. The power spread out, and the pipe bonded to its neighbors.
"Oh, nice."
"Well done. We'll pressure test for five minutes and then head back."
Reid used the time to ask Urvi about her job, and she explained there was typically very little wading through filth. She had drawn the short straw when dividing work with her associates, so she had to come down with whoever the guild found to ensure the job was done correctly.
"I'm usually building new connections or upgrading existing ones. I don't even usually handle repairs."
"So if I see you outside the sewer, I shouldn't preemptively plug my nose?"
"Not unless you want to get punched."
"I thought your people were pacifists?"
She laughed. "Reading the guild's guide to non-humans?"
"...Maybe."
"Those are gross generalizations. I punch whoever I want, whenever I want."
"Duly noted."
"They're not wrong, but if you paint with a brush that broad, you're going to make mistakes."
"That is some quality life advice. And to think I was beginning to assume you were only an expert on other people's shit."
Urvi shook her head and made some notations on the pipe, indicating where it had been repaired.
"You're a funny one, Reid. Come on, this is all set. Let's get you cleaned up and paid."
"Don't we have to drain all this first? Also, I get paid?"
The murky wastewater didn't seem to have noticed the repairs they made. He had assumed it would start draining as soon as the pipe connected.
Urvi winced at him. "Right, forgot you were on that writ. You won't get paid, but you won't get tossed out onto the street either. Anyway, we don't need to wait for this to drain. It should take care of itself in a day or two, so long as the leak didn't keep adding to it. This is an overflow holding area, after all."
Reid was thrilled to get a shower. He washed and returned the waterproof overalls and coat he'd been wearing and then washed himself off. He hadn't actually gotten too much filth on him, but the smell was pervasive. He worried it wouldn't come out of his clothes and wondered if the ever-so-slightly lingering smell from his room's previous occupant wasn't entirely his fault.
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He bid Urvi farewell after she signed off on his work and returned to the Dusk Guild. Another fight was happening in the main room, and he spotted Leah near the front of the crowd, watching closely.
The masked man floated around the fighting ring, as untouchable as last time. The young man who faced him was using glowing brass knuckles and had what looked like a glowing spyglass hung at his waist. He moved faster than Reid could track but came no closer to hitting the guild leader than Leah had.
The biggest difference was the magic. Every dozen punches sent a bolt of lightning streaking toward the masked man. The flashes were similarly too fast for Reid to follow, but if the masked guild leader's robes were any indication, the lightning wasn't hitting him. After around a minute, the cane made another appearance and quickly disabled the young man. He tried to scramble, but the butt of the cane pinned his temple to the floor.
The crowd was smaller, and Reid noticed no one heckled or booed the contest. The difference in atmosphere made him uncomfortable. He'd have to ask Leah about it.
The young man rose, and instead of talking in hushed voices, the guild leader removed his mask and raised his opponent's arm.
"Duskers! Welcome our newest initiate made member, Thanus!"
Cheers erupted all around, but Reid only watched Leah. She clapped politely but looked annoyed, confused, and maybe a little hurt. She moved between expressions so quickly that he couldn't help but note each one. When she turned to leave, he shifted his attention to the guild leader.
He was a handsome man of middle years with a two day stubble and salt and pepper hair swept into a casual but neat style. He grinned at the newest member of his guild with perfect teeth and led him over to the desk. Reid wasn't sure he'd seen a man exude such easy attractiveness. He felt like he needed to see how yellow his own teeth looked by comparison. Maybe it was the fact that he was a Greater Mage. Maybe he was just a good looking guy. Reid tried not to dwell on it.
He didn't catch up to Leah in the main hall, but he found her on the couch in their suite. She was studying her weapon when he walked in.
"What the hell is that smell?" she said, holding a hand over her nose.
"Is it really that bad?" he sniffed his shirt. It smelled fine.
Can I not smell anymore? Am I just going to be the stinky guy from now on?
His rising panic almost prevented him from seeing Leah struggle to suppress her laughter.
"Really?"
"Hahaha. I'm sorry, Reid. Work orders are posted where initiates can see them. I saw you got stuck with the sewage job everyone's been pretending doesn't exist. I couldn't resist."
He sighed and sat down in the chair next to the couch.
"Whew? So I don't smell?"
She leaned in and sniffed, an action that prompted Reid's brain to take off in a direction he wasn't entirely comfortable with. He blushed and prayed she didn't notice.
"Nope. You smell good, actually. It's kind of weird."
That killed his derailed thoughts quite nicely. At least he smelled nice.
"Well, I'll take weird over beached Bog Lurker."
He sat back, and they sat in silence for a time. The suite was quiet, and he had yet to meet the other two people he technically lived with. Their doors looked the same as they had when he'd first entered.
"Did you see the fight?" Leah said, breaking the silence.
"I just caught the end. What did you think?"
She shrugged. She was still holding her weapon and held it up.
"Thanus, the kid that passed, he was the one I beat pretty easily yesterday. My weapon has more reach, sure, but still. As far as I can tell, there's only one difference between our fights."
Reid thought he'd seen it, too. "He was using his magic."
Leah nodded. "You should have come a couple weeks ago. It took me this long to notice the difference, and I only did because of the extremely obvious flashes of lightning."
"I'll try to be a little more punctual next time."
She nodded like that was exactly what she expected of him.
"I've been holding back, though. I told you about the ability. It's not exactly discerning. I didn't want to hurt anyone watching."
Reid shrugged. "Shouldn't anyone watching know of the danger? I mean, I didn't, but I'm also basically a bumpkin."
"Maybe..."
She didn't look confident. Reid wasn't sure he'd want to join the guild if the challenge was to go all out, even if it might hurt others. That didn't seem like the kind of people the guild were, though. He was sure that meant there must be a way to control the effect to stop it from hurting others.
He remembered Urvi controlling the fire in her palm. She'd mentioned something about it being like magical specialization.
"I don't know much about magic, in general, but is there any way to control the effect? Like, not allow it to just blast out, or whatever?"
Leah froze and looked at him. She was sitting with her mouth half open in the most startled pose he'd ever seen on someone.
"What?"
She deflated. "I am an idiot!"
"I was right?"
"Yeah, kind of. I forgot, somehow. When you transition from Lesser Mage to Mage, you can choose a magical specialization. I was saving mine since I wasn't sure what abilities I might get in the future. You can only choose once, so it's a big deal."
He leaned forward. "That sounds promising!"
"I think it would work, but I'm not sure what the specialization would even be. Sonic magic? Sound magic? Force or wave magic? Air magic?"
"You have to be that specific?"
"I don't know, but I know who to ask. Thanks, Reid. I can't believe I've been so dumb."
"You can't be expected to know everything. Besides, I probably would have done the same thing."
Leah stood and tucked her sword cloth under her arm. He'd have to ask why she always carried it like that, but he didn't want to interrupt her current train of thought.
"Maybe. Maybe not. This changes a lot. I need to go talk to someone. I'll catch you later!"
"Bye!" he said as the door was already closing. "Look at all these good deeds I'm doing."
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
Reid jumped.
"Ah! Oh, sorry. Didn't know you were there."
A woman was locking room three of their suite. She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. She had long blond hair and a distracting figure. She looked a few years older than he and Leah were. Reid battled with his general self awareness when around women he considered attractive. He uncrossed his arms, then crossed them again. Then, he put his hand on his chin like an idiot before dropping it to his side. He had lost the battle with his self awareness.
Fortunately, the woman hadn't been looking, and when she turned, she found him standing like a normal person. He hoped. She looked him up and down while he did the same with her. He tried his best not to leer but just take her in and meet her eyes like he wasn't a teenage boy.
"Don't like to leave while Leah is here. She's a little too chatty," the woman said.
"Well, I'm Reid, and if you'd like to not chat, I won't keep you!" he said with a smile.
She didn't return the smile, but she nodded at him. "I appreciate it, Reid. I'm Trace."
Trace didn't say anything else, and Reid found he'd backed himself into a corner of not wanting to annoy the woman but also not wanting to continue feeling awkward.
"It's nice to meet you, Trace. Were you heading out?"
She nodded again and walked past him, leaving without another word.
"Well that was the most bizarre interaction I've ever had, and I once spoke with a giant snake and his giant spider brother. Do I talk to myself all the time?"
Reid returned to his room to collect his pack, coins, and magic goblet. He had all afternoon to check out the market and generally explore, and he was looking forward to it.
After a quick stop at the guild desk downstairs to turn in his service writ completion, he was back on the heart road. The market district was only a few minutes walk, and he took his time. Arvind had been a fast walker, and he'd pushed Reid to move quickly, but the road wasn't so busy this afternoon. He admired the buildings and people of New Avennia.
The buildings were constructed of brick, stone, wood, and even a few that appeared to be covered in straw. It was an odd hodgepodge that clashed with the smooth walls of the towering buildings of the guild district. It was like the city had gone through hundreds of years of advancement in the space of a lifetime, leaving old and new hopelessly smashed together.
The people were just as distinct. Even leaving aside the various non-humans, the more plentiful humans that filled the streets wore a wide range of styles and colors. He was dressed as everyone in his village had dressed—plain and simple, with muted earth tones. People wearing bright pinks, blues, greens, and oranges passed by with regularity. Wild, tall haircuts and impossibly complicated braids were just as common as unusual hats. It was a lot to take in.
The market square was noticeably less busy, and a quick look around told him only the stalls on the main road through the center of the square were all open. The other rows had some open here and there, but he guessed only around a third were set up today.
He found a likely looking stall filled with items that looked relatively mundane, aside from the signature glow of magic. Shovels, axes, hammers, knives, magic blankets, and more filled the stall.
A gaunt man with tired eyes stood in the stall, polishing some wares. He gave Reid a wave and set down his cloth and the knife he'd been working on.
"Good day. Something I can help you find today?"
"Yeah, I'm hoping to find someone that might buy a one star item off me. Do you buy items?"
The man gave him a strange look that Reid couldn't read.
"I don't usually, but it won't hurt to ask, I guess. What is it, and what does it do?"
Reid pulled out the goblet to show the man. He stopped short of handing it over.
"It's a goblet that cools down and keeps drinks cold."
"Hmm. Not my kind of thing, so it doesn't sound worth buying. You might have better luck with the specialized item sellers. That's not factory made, right? Doesn't have the look."
Reid looked between the items the man was selling and his goblet. He didn't see a difference.
"I'm sorry. Factory made? I'm new in town."
The man nodded and indicated his wares.
"Factory made magic items. They're useful, naturally, but what you see is what you get."
Reid was still confused, but the man didn't seem enthusiastic about the conversation or his item. He nodded and tucked his goblet away, a little disappointed. The man wasn't hostile in any way, so Reid changed the subject.
"Can you tell me about what you have? I need a few things. I want to make a map, and I need some paper that might resist the elements?"
The man nodded and shuffled him over to a stack of volumes.
"Check out the paper in those books. The book has magic that resists damage and waterproofs it while still letting you write. I can get some paper with the same magic if you want. Just tell me what size you need, and I'll tell you how much."
Reid thumbed through the volume. It was blank, but he could feel the magic pulling on him. The pages were thick and felt nice in his hand.
"This is exactly what I was looking for. I don't know the measurement, but I have what I'm trying to reproduce."
The merchant nodded, and Reid pulled out his borrowed map. The man ignored the map's content and additions, instead unfolding it to measure each side with a tape he had hung behind the stall.
"Twenty-six inches by forty inches. It's a custom size sheet, but I have someone who can do it. With the enchantment, I can go twenty silver and have it here in two days. Twenty-two if you want it this afternoon."
Reid had to blink in surprise at the speed. He hadn't even known magic like this could be put into something. He'd never really thought about how all the old items they found had become magical in the first place. They'd just fished them out of the swamp and sold or used them if they could.
He absolutely wanted the paper, but he was still tight on funds. His writ of service only covered his housing, and he still had to eat. As it was, his seven silver from yesterday was now six silver and some change.
"I do want it, but I need to sell this goblet first."
The man nodded. "Just let me know. It's not complicated or anything, so stop back anytime."
He thanked the man and left. He'd wanted to identify all the items in the stall, but he thought that would have been a little rude. He poked around some more but didn't find anyone else to buy the goblet. More than one suggested stopping back for the Sunday market when smaller but more specialized buyers and sellers would be in the square.
He also tried to casually inquire about work, but all the people in the stalls said the same thing. They were single person operations and didn't need the help. It was frustrating, but he didn't lose hope.
By the time he finished making his rounds of the square, it was nearly dinner time, and traffic along the heart road had increased. Near the guild district, he spotted one of the tree people he'd seen yesterday. According to his informational paper from the Dusk Guild, the literal translation of what they called themselves into human language was "tree people," but it still didn't feel right calling them that in his head. The tree person turned off the road and ducked to enter the Royal Merchant's Guild.
That reminded him that he wanted to check the public postings again. He'd found that since he was on a writ of service with the Dusk Guild, he couldn't accept their public postings. It was an odd rule, in his opinion, but he could still take advantage of what the Merchant's Guild had to offer.
And maybe he could talk with a tree person.