I've spent a great deal of time in Urish but little in the capital. My presence isn't exactly welcome there. That said, there are some other lovely cities in the country. Aquar is a favorite of mine. On the southern peninsula past the Torals and situated on the golden coast, Aquar is a city state that is technically independent of Urish.

The port is one of the grandest on the continent, and I think anyone interested in trade, shipping, or just neat things should see it at least once.

- Basen Koh on the cities of Urish

Leah looked at Reid with concern after he froze in place. She touched his hand, which he still held outstretched.

"Reid? Are you alright?"

Reid shook his head.

"Sorry, yes, I'm fine."

He couldn't describe what had tripped him up. Basen's warning about not revealing his growth artifact was still fresh in his mind. His mind was already spinning at all the new possibilities and slowed by some of the questions he now had.

One thing that jumped out at Reid was his trade earlier in the day. Acquiring the factory made dagger with the sharpness magic hadn't triggered the new growth condition. He didn't know if that was because of the item's inherent quality or because it was part of a trade in which he also sold something. That didn't feel right because he received credit toward his growth condition when he sold multiple items at once.

"Really? Because you've frozen again already."

"Ah, sorry. Just a little distracted."

Reid tucked the purifying stone into his pocket and smiled back at Leah. He pushed thoughts of his ability out of his mind.

"Thanks for the stone. What are you doing the rest of the day?"

"Well, I wanted to see about that stone, but now it seems like I have some extra cash to spend. I think I might take a look around the shop. I'll have to take you up on your dinner offer another day. There's a guild event happening in an hour that I have to go to."

"Not a problem. I should probably finish up some work here after we close."

Reid directed Leah toward some sound based magical items. Aside from Leah, the final customer left the store without buying anything.

"How did your advertising go?" Leah called from the aisle after the customer closed the door.

"Pretty well. A lot of people came in today. I'm hoping that's just a sign of things to come and not just a fluke reaction to the signs we put up and Basen's ham fisted announcement."

"Glad to hear it. Oh! How much is this?"

Leah spent the next half hour asking Reid how much various items cost and was frustrated that she seemed to pick the most expensive things. He told her there was a one gold per star minimum, but it didn't stop her from asking about anything that sounded interesting.

While he was helping, Basen stopped and said hello, and Kris introduced himself before leaving for the day. Leah's hour of free time came to a close, and she, too, headed back home to get ready for her guild meeting.

"Leah seems to be in high spirits. I didn't get a chance to speak with you both after the excitement yesterday. Did you both enjoy the match?" Basen asked.

"It was amazing. I wanted to ask you what you did. I noticed some stones around your head and the black arrow, of course. But I couldn't really make sense of the rest of it."

Basen nodded.

"My abilities are quite varied. I am very sorry, Reid, but I cannot reveal anything more than you have seen with your own eyes. Though my power was restricted, you've seen most of what I can do. Things get significantly messier with commands in the mix as well. I can tell you that the stones you spotted above my head were the same stones I am so fond of polishing."

"That's what I guessed. Well, if you can't tell me about what you did in the arena...I spoke with a corva at the merchant's guild. He mentioned you were known as 'The Scourer' in Corvas."

Basen nodded grimly. "I wasn't the only one on that battlefield, but I have long garnered most of the attention and blame in the aftermath. Some of it is fair, and some of it is utter nonsense. As for what you've heard and what you've seen, 'The Scourer' isn't the worst title I've ever been given. If you ever have any questions about what I've done, do not hesitate to ask."

"I guess my only one related to that is, what exactly did you scour to earn that reputation and title."

Basen drummed his fingers on the counter. "A fair question. You are naturally familiar with the Gates of Dusk, yes? Well, many years ago, there was another set of Gates on the southern coast of Corvas—the Gates of Dawn. A united coalition of powerful mages descended on the area to close or destroy those gates. Now, they are lost to time and memory, but in our efforts to destroy the monsters they spewed into our world, we had to do things I'm not proud of. The result is a southern coast made up of shattered coastline and miles of glass."

Basen looked pensive at the admission, and Reid dropped the subject. He was still curious about Basen's abilities, but it seemed like he would have to wait to learn more.

Reid took the opportunity to go into the back of the shop and begin marking the remaining items. It was a varied bunch with no true standouts in the first half, but there were some decent quality items and a few with real power. After marking the first half, he noticed the telltale signs of low essence and allowed himself a break.

When he returned to the front of the store, he found Basen sitting with his feet on the counter, precariously leaning against the display cabinet while sitting on two legs of his stool. He was reading a book.

"Hey Basen, I forgot to mention. I found a notice about an upcoming auction," Reid said, pulling out the sheet with the information about the Curios auction. He set it on the counter in front of Basen, and the man righted himself, picking up the paper. "Do you think we have something to sell?"

Basen nodded. "I think we probably have several items that meet the minimum qualifications. That said, I'm not sure if we should or shouldn't sell at this particular auction. I've attended it myself and made purchases a number of times."

"What's the problem? We can't vet the buyers?"

Basen rubbed his beard. "More that the buyers are mostly collectors. Other collectors are perhaps the worst buyers of my items. They like to work through intermediaries, but in the end, they buy fantastic magical items...and then just sit on them! It's enough to drive a man insane. I'd rather sell to merchants. At least they don't want to hang onto the items forever."

"So, no on the Curios auction. Got it. I thought I might still go to the auction and maybe do some work on behalf of the merchant's guild."

"I think that's a lovely idea. That's still, what, a month away?"

Reid nodded.

"Well, if you happen to hear about anything truly interesting, do let me know. With how well you're getting us set up, we might have some extra funds in a month!"

That was true, but Reid wasn't sure they needed any more expensive magical items. He kept the thought to himself.

Basen peered outside and saw the sun was beginning to set. The day's blue sky was tinged with orange and purple.

"Why don't you head home for the day, Reid? Either Ebre isn't coming back here, or she's going to be late. Either way, I can meet her. If she's so late that even I want to leave, well, I can leave a message on the door for her."

"Sure. Let me write the note, though."

A few hours later, Reid was back in the comfort of his own room. He set his new purification stone on the shelf next to his bed, and he could swear his bedding was becoming more comfortable as the stone worked on tidying the space.

The next morning, Reid skipped his visit to the merchant's guild and headed north. The Avennish Mage's Society was in a building that looked more like a castle than a place of business, with soaring towers and parapets that seemed to be manned by faceless clay figures. The gate was wide open, and Reid made his way inside.

Through a small courtyard and then a set of doors, Reid finally found a reception desk. The man at the desk wore the same pale blue robes that Wesley had worn yesterday.

"Good morning, sir. What can the Avennish Mage's Society do for you?"

"Good morning. I made some arrangements with Assistant Director Limen yesterday, and I was wondering if you could tell me when the certification assessor might be coming by my shop? I also needed to drop off my sponsorship letter."

"I see," the clerk said, taking the letter. He looked it over and nodded without reacting to Basen's name or signature. He grabbed an empty folder from the corner of his desk and put the letter inside, writing Reid's name on the folder. When that was done, he looked back up. "This looks to be in order, but having an assessor leave the campus is an unusual request, so let me see if that has been noted elsewhere."

"Thanks. I was also wondering what it would take to schedule a safety inspection for my business."

"Ah, that I can answer a little more directly. Here, fill out this form. I'll look it over when you're done, and we can set up a time."

The clerk produced a form and set it before Reid.

The form wanted to know basic business information and inspection availability. There was a section to note down any pieces of volatile inventory, and Reid wondered if he could just write "most of it." In truth, Basen was right that they didn't have much that was truly dangerous to anyone coming into the store. Sure, all it would take was someone with a bad attitude and some open potential to cause trouble, but that was slightly mitigated by several items in the shop. Reid recalled the art that reduced hostile intentions and was glad they had it.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

The clerk wandered off to verify Reid's request, and Reid completed the form to the best of his ability. When he was done, he looked around the mage's society building. He had quite literally walked into a castle, and the interior did nothing to hide that. The walls were made from massive stone blocks—the same tan coloring as they were on the building's exterior. The entrance hall had a few other desks and a huge open stairwell that led to a second floor. Doors on either side of the ground floor led behind the stairwell, with two more doors on either side leading to the east and west wings of the castle. Huge banners featuring the royal family's crest and what Reid assumed was the Avennish Mage's Society crest adorned the walls. The space was well lit by a glass dome that let in natural light from outside.

The clerk returned as his eyes finished their wandering, and the man set down a stack of papers on the desk.

"Looks like your assessor is scheduled for this afternoon. Going to the Immaculate Collection, right?"

"That's right."

"Perfect. Alright, let me take a look at your sheet. Good, good. Yep. Ahh...huh. Your inventory contains forty-five dangerous items?"

"Probably more. They're only dangerous if someone binds them, though."

"Okay then. Ahh...sorry. It says you need an inspection done by Monday. Is that right?"

"It's a bit of a time crunch, yeah."

"That's an unusual request. There's a...small fee for expediting an inspection."

Reid narrowed his eyes at the man. He wouldn't find it unusual given how they seemed to monetize many services, but the way the man had spoken gave him pause.

"Is there really?"

"Well. Ahh, keep this between us, but I won't be able to get an inspector to take the job with such a quick turnaround without a little extra incentive. You understand?"

Now that made sense.

"I do. For what it's worth, we'll be financially ruined if we don't get this inspection, so just let me know what it will take."

The man glanced around.

"I can have someone over tomorrow morning for fifty silver."

"That would be excellent. What does the inspection cost?"

"Depends on the size of your business. Really big buildings are more expensive. That and buildings with a lot of magical inventory. It seems like yours falls into the second category?"

"Yep. It's not very big, but it is packed with items."

"Not a problem. You're looking at around five gold. You'll pay that to the inspector, who will have an itemized list of charges as well as his report available once you pay."

Reid nodded and pulled out fifty silver. He was using his own money, and he'd have to pay himself back from the shop's funds.

"I appreciate the help."

Basen had opened the shop before Reid's arrival, which was surprising. Even more surprising was the tree person browsing a shelf. Reid wasn't an expert on the mysterious people, but this one didn't look like Mr. Foursprout.

"Good morning, Reid. You're looking chipper this morning."

"Just booked our safety inspection for tomorrow, and the certification assessor is coming by this afternoon. Once we have those done, we'll be ready to pay off the debt they called due."

"That's fantastic. Great work, Reid."

"Thanks. Say, who's the tree person?"

"Reid, just because I'm friends with one tree person, it doesn't mean I know all of them."

Reid flushed a little. He had assumed Basen knew the tree person, but the True Mage was right. That was a bad assumption.

"But I do happen to know that one. That's Moonflower. She's looking for something that will help her communicate a little better."

Reid threw a coin at Basen, who caught it and slipped it into his pocket with a wink.

"She can't use a sign like Mr. Foursprout?"

"She's a little too young to have that kind of control over her own growth. Mr. Foursprout is an ancient tree person with over a century of experience. Moonflower is a child among the tree folk. She's only thirty."

Reid was glad he wasn't still considered a child, even if he felt like it sometimes. He was doubly glad that he didn't have to wait until he was past thirty years old to be considered an adult. He couldn't even imagine how much life might have changed him by then. Maybe tree people were a little more steady and consistent.

"Did you have any ideas about what she should get?" Reid asked.

"Why would I do that when I have you to do it for me?"

Reid laughed and tried to check his ledger. He filtered by hearing, then sound, then communication, coming up with only a few offensively oriented items.

"I'm not really finding anything that could help. At least not at first glance. We might be able to come up with something a little more creative, though. Do you know how much potential she has?"

"Three stars, but she's not a mage. No magic items bound."

Reid searched his ledger, but the best he could do was some kind of elemental control item where the tree person could essentially write their communication on another surface.

"It's not a bad thought, though no tree person will ever bind anything with a fire or lightning based ability. Best not to forget that. The ice control item is interesting."

It turned out Moonflower was significantly more thorough than Reid thought Mr. Foursprout had been. She moved painfully slowly around the shop, barely covering the first row in the hour and a half Reid had been in the shop. A few other customers came and went as the tree person browsed.

Reid had to check the time when the mage's guild assessor walked in. The man was short with grey hair and thick glasses. He held a book in his right hand and a golden chain in his left. He noticed the counter and walked up.

"Good afternoon. Is one of you Reid Aveno?"

"That's me," Reid said.

"Very good. I'm Phineas Milieu. I've been told you've been granted special dispensation to demonstrate your ability outside the confines of our normal assessment course and even to be allowed to join as a full member if your certification is confirmed. Does that make sense, and is it something you would agree with?"

"It does."

"Very well. I've been told you can demonstrate your ability. Would you mind describing it to me first?"

"Sure. My ability marks items and allows them to be identified on touch."

Reid had prepped for this and grabbed a grey slate from the counter. It was a square of dark stone about the size of his palm and etched with writing all over the surface. According to Basen, the writing was actually a form of Anazal script, and he claimed it was a shopping list, but Reid refused to believe that.

"I marked this just yesterday."

Phineas took the slate and saw what Reid had seen.

----------------------------------------

Magic Slate of Retribution

* 4 Star Curse Talisman

* Bindable

* Damage dealt to the binder is reflected back at attackers at 10% effectiveness.

* Grants the binder the ability to cast the spell [Curse of Retribution]

----------------------------------------

One thing Reid wanted to cover immediately was the fact that he couldn't identify spell effects. He'd forgotten to ask about it when he'd spoken with Niles and Wesley, but Basen assured him that only highly ranked certified identifiers—grade four—could identify spell effects.

"Interesting," Phineas said. He spun around the slate until he found the small indentation where Reid's mark had appeared.

Phineas pulled a small tool with a gemstone tip from his bag and gently rubbed it against Reid's merchant mark. The gemstone wasn't sharp or perhaps hard enough to damage the mark, but the assessor inspected it afterward all the same.

"It can't be removed?"

"Nope."

"And it can't identify spells?"

"It cannot."

Phineas nodded. Reid felt a spark of power connect the man to the slate, and he stood with his eyes closed for a minute. He passed the slate back to Reid and then fished out another item from his pack.

"Once I am convinced your ability allows you to identify items, I will take a look at the items in the shop to verify it can pick the things required of differing grade identifiers. The first step in that is having you identify a brand new item you've never seen before. You will mark this and then read me the description."

Reid nodded.

The item Phineas removed from his pack was a leather wrapped shoe with fluffy white fur on the inside. It looked incredibly warm and cozy, and Reid thought it would be a shame if there was only one of them.

He took the item and marked it immediately.

"Lesser Magic Slipper of Deception. One Star Equipment. Bindable. Deception Aspect. Grants the binder the ability to tell convincing lies."

Basen seemed to slide into Reid's field of vision.

"I'm sorry, did you say 'Deception Aspect?'"

"Mr. Koh, my humblest apologies, but I must ask that you give Mr. Aveno space. I would not wish you to unduly influence his assessment."

Basen nodded and slid away.

Reid handed the slipper back to Phineas.

"Very good. That is exactly what I see, as well as an acceptable variation of how I identified the item."

"Great. What's next?"

"Now you must show me items you've identified with the following properties."

Reid was sure that Phineas expected the hunt for the items he wanted to verify to take hours. Instead, Reid found them all within moments of each item requested. An item with an elemental aspect. An item with an active ability. An item that provided a passive effect. An item of each star ranking up to six stars. His ledger proved incredibly helpful, as did Basen's thoughtful store layout. Phineas seemed all too happy to finish early.

"You're missing the ability to identify spells, your mark causes permanent changes to the items you identify, and your identifications don't always provide specific or exact numbers. That puts you at grade two. I'll go ahead and file the paperwork upon my return, and you can stop by the mage's society tomorrow to pick up your stamp. Congratulations. You are now a certified identifier!"

Reid wanted to celebrate, but he couldn't quite yet. Not until the entire collection was actually certified. At least he could get started. Phineas explained the document he needed to produce, and Reid got to work using his Scribe's Orrery Stone to create papers with the requisite information. All he needed to do was stamp them with his official seal and then send them to the records room at the Avennish Mage's Society. He could stamp an inventory document to verify everything on the list had been certified, but he didn't want to do that until he'd officially submitted the certifications. Reid wanted to cover any point of failure.

After a few dozen certifications, he began to feel the sluggishness of fortitude use settle in, and he stopped.

"You've become quite proficient with that ability," Basen observed.

"Yeah. It got easier when I moved from a one star Lesser Mage to a two star."

"That makes sense. Even though you're still in the realm of Lesser Mage, any bump in an individual's highest bound start rating will positively affect basically any physical and magical attribute. A five star Greater Mage, for example, would never have been able to outlast either Arvind or Lucian in the arena."

"So whenever I become a Mage, it will drain me even less?"

"It will drain you the same. You'll just have more to drain."

Reid was looking forward to that.

The bell on the door interrupted their conversation, and Ebre walked in. The woman from Aquar wore her customary loose fitting tan and white clothing and navy blue vest.

"Ebre! I'm sorry I missed you yesterday, but I had to see a man about a goldfish," Basen said.

"A goldfish?"

"Never heard of them? Let me tell you, the name doesn't really leave anything to the imagination."

"No, why were you seeing a man about one?"

"Oh. I can see why you're confused. That's on me. It was actually about an entire school of fish. What would I do with one goldfish?"

"Feel free to ignore him, Ebre. I trust your time at the mage's society wasn't too difficult?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't. They mostly just asked many questions. The man from the meeting, Wesley, was very interested in seeing if I could bind a five star item."

Reid flinched back, thinking about how hard Garret had been hit by binding three stars.

"You didn't, did you?"

"No. He was just thinking about it."

"I would advise against that," Basen said. "I'm not saying you'll pop like a balloon, but I'm not saying you won't, either."

Ebre looked disturbed by the idea. She shook it off.

"I think they want to see if they can figure out how I have so much potential and unlock more potential at five stars."

"That would be a huge breakthrough. So much of the population is limited to a single star. Not only does that limit what they can bind, but it's actually harder to gain more stars when one starts with so few."

"That seems like it would be a huge advantage for Avennia," Reid observed.

"Oh yes," Basen said. "That's the kind of breakthrough that might get Avennia invaded by the God Emperor of Urish himself."

Basen leaned in and lowered his voice conspiratorially.

"Although, just between you and me, I think Infinium would rather trade away the Eye of God than have to deal with me again."

Ebre rocked back like she'd been slapped. "You've met the God Emperor of Urish??"

Basen sat back on his stool and crossed a leg. He waved the comment away.

"'Met' is so pedestrian, Ebre. I didn't 'meet' the God Emperor. I was arrested, stole from him, got arrested again, and then struck a deal with Infinium himself for my release, as well as some other generous terms."

Ebre shook her head, and Reid was a little suspicious himself. He knew Basen had done a lot, but that sounded far fetched.

"I don't believe you," Ebre said.

"Well, if you have some time, I can share the story. Then you can judge for yourself."

Reid pulled out an extra stool and slid it over to Ebre. He flipped the sign in the front window to "closed." He'd deal with Moonflower whenever she finished browsing, but it didn't seem like that would be soon.

"Are you going to stick around for the story too, Reid?"

"Are you kidding?" Reid said, pulling up his own stool. "I have to hear the insanity that's about to come out of your mouth."