My collection and the stock of my store are one and the same. How I came upon so many magical items is no secret. There's an attraction there that people know about but don't like to think about because it might say something about the world they're not ready to hear. Magic and danger are two sides of the same coin. If you want to find powerful magic items, you must put yourself in danger you're powerless to overcome. The more powerless you are, the more powerful the magic.
You can also hire people to do the dangerous bits. They don't tell you that in adventuring school.
-Basen Koh on the dangers of collecting
Reid was sure that Basen would either love or hate his idea. The plan was ambitious, hard to arrange, and above all, completely reliant on Basen to fulfill. Given what Reid had seen when he joined Basen's shop, the mage wasn't particularly interested in doing what he needed to do to stay in business.
"That is a big ask, Reid," Basen said, brow furrowed.
"It is. I'm not even sure if you could arrange something like that on such short notice. Obviously, if you're not comfortable, we don't have to do it."
They were in the shop waiting for Kris to arrive. Whether or not Basen liked the plan, Reid and Kris would be hanging up advertising flyers around the city. Basen spun his empty tea mug on the counter, watching it rattle and settle down to a stop. His quiet contemplation made Reid nervous. He'd never known Basen to be anything other than impulsive.
"It can be arranged," Basen said, still staring at the mug. "I have a list of people that owe me favors longer than some books. The problem is the event itself."
"I was worried about that. Would it be too dangerous?"
"Yes, but not in a way you might imagine."
Reid let Basen stew on that for a minute before he brought up the other thing he wanted to cover.
"I found a sell item notice at the merchant's guild that I think we can fill."
"Oh?"
Reid slid over the notice he'd taken from the board that morning.
"I'm afraid I don't have the ability to recall every item in my collection at a thought. Is this for what I think it is?"
Reid nodded and went to the front display, where the Greater Magic Necklace of Binding Potential was set out. The necklace was made from a series of small milky pearls strung together with a fine chain. Reid guessed the chain could be adjusted to fit just about anyone. It didn't glow, but there was something eye catching about the lustrous pearls.
"This is the only item you have out front that can unlock potential. Do you have another one in the Archives?"
"I don't think so. I couldn't remember if I had another, but now that I see this, I don't think so. I don't need it, anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"I can unlock potential without an item. My authority allows it."
"Really?" the new potential opportunities raced through his mind. "Is that a valuable service? Could we sell potential unlocking as a service in the shop?"
Basen waved Reid down.
"Hold on. I can do it, but there's a reason that even at Greater Mage, the item only allows it to be done once daily. Unfortunately, it would be irresponsible of me to expend my power that way. Besides, the Royal Mage's Society makes it fairly worthless to try to sell it as a service. They're subsidized by the Kingdom to perform potential unlocking for anyone ready and willing. All it takes is an application and then to wait a few weeks for a slot to come up."
"Ah. That's disappointing. The guild official I talked to seemed to think we'd still get a good price on the item. Do you think so, too?"
Basen nodded. "Oh yes. I have no doubt that a member of the mage's society put in the purchase request. They're often looking for more capacity."
"So you don't have a problem selling this to them?"
"I do not. I would like to sell directly to people who could benefit from an item rather than to intermediaries, but this is a special case. So long as the buyer is, in fact, the Royal Mage's Society, I'm happy to have you sell this through the merchant's guild notice."
"Great. What do you think the minimum should be? They asked for a reserve to set a floor on what we'll sell it for."
Basen thought for a moment.
"Five stars, no matter the item, has a certain premium. I would say at least one hundred and fifty gold."
Reid hoped to sell it for more, but he was glad Basen was willing to let it go for less. One way or another, this would make a solid dent in their outstanding bills.
The door bell rang, and Kris walked in.
"Hey, guys. Weirdest thing," he said, heading toward the desk. "On the way in, I walked by some old ladies walking a line of kids roped together between them with real rope. At first I thought, 'that's funny.' But now I don't know. You think that's alright, right? They weren't going to—I dunno—sell those kids or something, were they?"
Basen threw his head back and laughed, and Reid had to chuckle, too.
"What? You never know!" Kris said. He tried to punch Basen, but the mage leaned back with the strike, dodging it perfectly.
"I'm sorry, Kris. Those were my friends from the orphanage. They were just here. I'm quite certain that if they had ever intended to sell those children, they would have done so long ago. Not that you can sell people in the Kingdom, mind you."
"We both know some shady types, Basen. I was just looking out."
"And you're a good man for it, Kris! Alright, Reid! That was the humor I needed to get me unstuck. You go ahead and set up the sale for the necklace, and I will inquire with some of my contacts about our other plan. I need to see if what you want to do is possible. If it is, then I'll do it. If it's not, I may do something slightly less attention grabbing. Will you trust me with the details?"
Reid nodded. He wouldn't mind knowing what Basen had in mind for a backup plan, but it was his business.
"Of course. Kris and I can take care of the other avenue I mentioned. I'd like to keep the shop open as much as possible. Do you think you'll be back in a few hours?"
Basen rocked his head back and forth. "Possibly, but unlikely. I'll need time to persuade or bully the right people."
"Don't get us in trouble, though. I should have probably mentioned that. If any of this gets us in trouble, we should probably not do it."
"Trouble with whom?"
Reid opened his mouth, but instead of responding, he could only make a confused face. He thought through all the parties involved. Only one made sense.
"...the city?"
Basen snapped his fingers. "Good call. I'll make sure we don't get exiled."
With that, Basen collected his robe and empty tea mug and headed out the door.
"Do I want to know what that was about?" Kris asked.
"Honestly, not sure."
"You're just as bad as he is. When he hired you, I thought there would finally be someone to keep his craziness in check."
"Why would we keep it in check when we can use it?"
"Okay, now you sound like him, too."
Reid laughed and pulled out the parchment he'd brought.
"Yeah, that was a little much. I have something completely not crazy for us to do, though."
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Kris shook his head. "Sure. I'll believe it when I see it. What are we doing?"
Reid explained his plan to hang simple advertisements on public notice boards around the city. He also explained what Kenagavis had told him about how they'd been thinking about their customer base. Kris agreed with the assessment. As a person with only one star of potential, even he viewed the collection as a place for "fancy" mages to find their next toy.
They sketched out some initial designs and wording on parchment. Reid wanted the advertisement to be attention grabbing and informative. He drafted the text while Kris drew some small pictures of magical items from around the shop.
"Those are really good, Kris. Where'd you learn how to draw?"
"School. Instead of learning all that math you seem to like, I just drew stuff. I like to do it in my free time now. The kids love it when I draw."
Kris's drawing skills didn't quite translate into neat handwriting, but it was better than Reid's, so Kris wrote "Basen's Immaculate Collection" across the top of the page in large flowing letters. Reid's handwriting was legible enough that he was comfortable writing the main text in the middle of the page.
The end result wasn't the best flyer he'd ever seen, but Reid was proud of it.
Basen's Immaculate Collection
Basen Koh, the renowned True Mage and Guardian of Avennia, invites you to visit his new magic item shop, The Immaculate Collection.
Basen has spent his life protecting the people of Avennia, and now, Basen is selling the spoils of his adventures to the people of New Avennia. That's right, a collection of varied magical items unlike any other, all for sale.
Whether you want to simply see what's possible with magic or you're trying to find the perfect complement to your existing items, The Immaculate Collection should be your first stop. All are welcome to visit and browse our impressive assortment of items from one to six stars of potential.
Kris's drawings lined the outside, and Reid wrote the address and rough directions from the Grand Market on the bottom.
"Pretty good for a couple of people who've never made an advertisement before," Reid said.
"Yeah, I like it!"
"Me too. Now comes the test. I know I can duplicate stuff from my ledger, but I don't know if I can duplicate this whole flyer, pictures and all."
Reid focused on the parchment, taking in everything about it. He found the power to create scribes supplies within himself, and it seemed to connect with the parchment easily enough.
He activated the magic and felt the familiar drain wash through him. The day of rest had paid off. He barely noticed the effect.
The parchment flashed, but it appeared nothing happened.
"Did it work?" Kris asked.
Reid moved the advertisement and found another beneath it. It was a perfect duplicate.
"I think we're in business!"
"Good, because as much as I like drawing, I didn't want to do all that twenty more times."
When Reid made the twenty-fifth copy, he felt a little tired. But he didn't think he was tired enough, given what he'd done.
"Wow. I can't believe I made all those. A few days ago, I passed out after making three things."
"Did you make anything heavy?"
"Not really. Some scissors. They were metal, but not that heavy."
"That might be it. I've seen these kinds of powers a few times. Creating things that are technically aligned with the power but are maybe some other material or really heavy, drain a lot more."
"So paper is easy, and everything else will make me pass out?"
"That I'm not sure about. Try to make more scissors, and I'll let you know when you wake up."
Reid laughed. It might have been the scissors, but he'd also had a harder time with the card stock. That wasn't really different from the thick parchment he'd used for the advertisement. Maybe it was because he'd grown his mark. He hadn't thought much about it since he was still a Lesser Mage, but he was now a two star Lesser Mage. Maybe that gave him more fortitude or made using the scribe stone's magic easier.
"Either way, why don't we close up for a while and get these hung up. It doesn't seem like we'll miss anyone."
"Sounds good. Should we split up? I know where a bunch of the boards are, but not all of them."
"I have a map. Here."
Reid duplicated the map. The fortitude drain deepened his fatigue, but it was still nowhere near his limit.
"That is really handy. I've never really paid much attention to simple magic like that," Kris said.
"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I haven't been looking for this sort of small magic use. I should keep an eye out. If we can find some niche things that fill a need, all the better."
"If you say so. Where do you want to start?"
Reid and Kris divided the work and closed the shop. Reid chose some boards on the north side of the city so he could stop by the merchant's guild. He had the Greater Magic Necklace of Binding Potential verified, and the guild official offered a few dates to set up a meeting. That done, Reid spent the afternoon hanging their advertisements.
Reid returned to the shop. It was still closed, so Basen wasn't back, but he spotted Kris inside. Kris tossed an item onto the counter and carried another to a spot on a low shelf.
"Thanks, Kris. I'm not sure how I forgot the store was trashed. Those kids were all over the place."
"It's alright. Feels like I'm at home. I grabbed a few items I thought we could put in the front window. Handy that your mark lets me identify these still. Made it much easier to clean up."
Reid glanced at the items Kris had set on the counter—a glass marble, a small pin, and a small wooden basket.
"I remembered what you said earlier, so I thought some practical items would be good to get that group in the door."
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Lesser Magic Eye of Perfect Estimation
* 1 Star Utility
* Bindable
* Grants the binder the ability to perfectly measure sizes and distances between things they can see.
----------------------------------------
Lesser Magic Pin of Shouting
* 1 Star Utility
* Unbindable
* Wearing this pin on outer garments amplifies the wearer's voice.
* Volume increases with proximity to the wearer's head.
----------------------------------------
Lesser Magic Dream Cradle
* 2 Star Utility
* Bindable
* Anyone sleeping within fifteen yards of the cradle will be protected from nightmares.
* Grants the binder the ability to fall asleep instantly, so long as they are within fifteen yards of the cradle.
----------------------------------------
"Good picks. No flashy magic, just practical stuff that can help almost anyone."
Reid moved them and their small signs to the front display, easily visible from the street. He helped Kris tidy up, and they chatted for a while. They hoped for customers, but no one came. Basen still hadn't returned as the afternoon shadows grew long, and Reid and Kris decided to leave for the day.
Reid told Kris he was going to the duel tomorrow, and Basen would be otherwise disposed, so he didn't need to come in.
Back at the Dusk Guild, Reid waited for Leah to return.
She should have been back by now, right?
He didn't remember exactly what she'd said, but he was pretty sure she expected to return later yesterday. Hopefully, nothing went wrong on the notice.
Sitting alone and waiting didn't ease Reid's mind, so he went downstairs to a guild clerk's desk.
"Good evening, how can I help you?" the clerk said.
"Good evening. I was wondering if you could tell me if a group had returned from a notice yet? I was supposed to meet a friend, but she's not back yet, as far as I know."
"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the nature of the notice and any stipulations on file. What's your friend's name?"
"Leah Darrow."
The man looked over some list he had posted next to him. It was too far away for Reid to read, but he guessed it was a list of names.
"Alright, I see she was sent out on a job. Doesn't look sensitive. Let me grab the details."
After some rummaging around, the clerk came back with a paper.
"Here we are. No report in yesterday, and we haven't heard back from them today. It's a group of newer members, though, so that's pretty common. When they get back, we'll scold them for not sending notice status updates. I'm afraid that's all I have for you."
Reid now felt worse about it. That's what he got for sticking his nose into guild business.
"Ah. Well, thank you."
"Sure, sure. Look, I'm sure your friend is fine. They probably just couldn't find the buggers. That's what usually happens with these lesser monster nest notices."
Reid accepted the explanation. It was better than worrying.
Back in his suite, Reid lay down on the couch and tried to distract himself with some numbers.
He woke up when the door opened sometime later. It was dark inside the living area. The magic lamps that lit the room needed to be manually turned on after tenth bell, so it was at least after that. The glow from Leah's sword illuminated her as she entered. She let the door shut and then leaned against it and groaned.
"Oh, hey, Reid," she said. "Sorry if I woke you. What are you doing on the couch?"
"I was just thinking about some work stuff, but I fell asleep. What time is it?"
"Eleventh bell. We just got back."
"How was it?"
Leah pushed herself off the door and walked to the chair. Reid could see more details as the glow of her weapon got closer. She looked like she'd been through a lot. Her hair was messy and filled with small sticks. Her cloak was torn, and her boots and pants were covered with dried mud.
Leah collapsed into the chair, not bothering with a light.
"Awful. No. Worse than awful. We crawled around in bushes, looking for the monsters' lair all day. Finally found it, and the dumb things are these mud creatures. My magic worked great at hurting them, but it also made them burst into mud sprays."
"That stinks. Mud doesn't sound too bad, though. Could be worse things, right?"
"No, Reid."
"What?"
"I didn't say that happened when I killed them. No, they burst into sprays of mud, and it got all over us. Then it started attacking us. The mud that was all over our bodies just...bit us. I don't know how to describe it, but I think Trevor is my new best friend. He's a water mage that hosed us all down."
She shuddered.
"I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there. It wouldn't have been pretty, that's for sure."
"Oh, wow. That's awful. I guess you couldn't have known that was going to happen."
Leah sighed.
"No. I could have. It was right in the notice. Force effects make them explode. I just forgot my sound magic is a kind of force magic."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, it must have been a good bonding experience, at least. You got a new best friend out of it, after all."
Leah buried her face in her hands.
"Everyone hated me. They were so mad I did that. It's not like I didn't think they were all super annoying, too, but man, did I mess things up."
Reid tried to decide how best to keep his foot out of his mouth. Only one answer came to mind. Keep it shut.
Leah seemed to appreciate the silence.
"I'm sorry, Reid. It was a crappy notice. I know you're trying to look on the bright side, and I appreciate that. Just not a lot of bright sides on this one."
"Well, you can at least be glad it's done then. Plus, you have the duel to look forward to tomorrow."
Leah perked up. "Oh yeah. That is tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Sure is. I was a little worried you weren't going to be back."
"Ah, I would have quit the notice. It might have been a few points off my membership, but it would have been worth it. I think the duel begins at noon. We'll probably want to get there at least two hours early...I think there might be some opening spars between four star mages. Those can be fun, too."
"Sure. I'm free all day."
"Great. Should we go to Veris's for breakfast? I've been thinking about it for days now."
"I expect she'll be thrilled to see you."
"Thanks, Reid. Meet in here at, what, eighth bell?"
They agreed on the time and the plan, and then Leah went to bed, exhausted from her two days on the road. Reid forgot about the numbers he'd been figuring out. Instead, he went to bed looking forward to spending the day with Leah and seeing some real magic.