I was sitting on a bench on the edge of an open square that was half open bazaar and half public park. I had a packet of sausages rolled in dough and fried. Biting into my third, I was watching a couple having lunch bickering, and trying not to let it turn into a public argument. They kept looking around to make sure they weren't drawing any attention and hadn't noticed me watching them yet.

"This is kinda creepy," Mel said, appearing next to me on the bench.

It's just people-watching. There's nothing cree-

"Excuse me, young man?" A woman said from behind my left shoulder. "Are you from here? Do you know where the inn The Laggona is?"

I stared blankly at the face of the woman who had asked. It was my mother's, contorted into that expression of terror and pain that she held for so long.

"No!" I squeaked out, not recognizing my own voice, then growing louder. "No...No...No...No! This isn't real! This isn't real. I'm out! I made it out!"

The woman with the face of my mother, startled by my shouting backed up and everyone turned towards me, but I couldn't pay attention to them, I could only stare at my mother's haunting face.

Her face started shifting, slowly dissolving into a different, unknown woman's face. She looked terrified as well but without the agony.

"Cassieus? Cassieus?" Mel's voice came in faintly at first like it was behind another room, but I could still make out the panic clear in her voice.

I'm alright. I mean I'm not alright but I'm functional again.

I held my head ready to apologize to the woman when two guards in the city's standard steel armor approached at a rapid pace.

I infused some mana into my glasses and Identified them

[Human: Level 157(Journeyman)]

[Dwarf: Level 179(Journeyman)]

"What is the meaning of this disturbance?" The dwarf asked, clearly looking at me as though I was holding a weapon at the woman.

"I just stopped to ask directions, and he started screaming at me, I don't know what happened." The woman said, her voice shaky.

Both guards looked at me, assessing. It was the human who spoke this time. He looked young, maybe early thirties or late twenties, but then again in Journeyman, he could be up to fifty before the aging starts showing. "Would you like to speak to your piece, boy?"

I bowed deeply to the woman first. "You have my humblest apologies, I have survived a great trauma recently and it is still haunting my mind. Please do not take offense, you merely reminded me of someone close to me that I lost."

I did not look up but I could hear the surprise in her next words. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. You just startled me is all. No harm done, just a fright."

"Do you need help boy, can we take you to a hospital? Do you have any family close by, what's your name?" The dwarf asked, still wary based on his hand on his hilt, but I assumed he was just vigilant in his duties.

"That will not be necessary, I am here to collect the young Master." A familiar voice said joining the group.

Both guards kneeled in unison, arms crossed over their chests. "Lord Trennel, we didn't realize he was with you. Please, carry on."

"At ease gentleman," Trennel said in his very un-Lord-like voice. "Master Typhen if you will join me please, we are still on schedule to make it to the Material drops before we get to Madame Ceneste's shop."

"I apologize, once more, for the trouble I've caused all of you." I bowed once more to the woman and once to the pair of guards. Then joined Trennel and we exited the square heading east toward the center.

I took the chance to Identify Trennel.

[Human- Level 79 (Novice)]

"I do not wish to pry Master Typhen but are you well? Of course, it is none of my business, I just mean is there anything I can do to be of assistance?"

"No Trennel it's fine, it's something that will take time and work, it's not going to have a simple fix even with magic. And Typhen is fine, I'm not a Master, not yet at least."

"As you wish, Typhen it is. I am aware of what happened in the other continent, I can't imagine. I'm sorry. If there is anything my family can do for you please don't hesitate to ask."

"Your family?" I deflected. "So you're a Lord, huh?"

"Yes, my grandfather is the Duke, being the third born son of my father, the Marquess, that makes my eldest brother an Earl and the rest of my brothers and I Lords. At this point, I am just an aide to my father's station and usually the tour guide for important visitors and dignitaries."

"Why don't you do something else?" I asked as we exited the Enchanter's Emporium. We had stopped by the Alchemists Botanica and I had spent almost six gold buying out both shop's entire stock of Beginner ingredients, and what was on my list for school, as well as all the Beginner recipes. I picked up a simple cauldron, an Enchanting mat, a Rune Rod, and enough lesser mana crystals in every Affinity, to bury someone alive. Trennel had gotten a lot more comfortable with my company as we chatted through the city.

"I struggled to convince my father to even allow me to attend Primrose Academy, let alone do anything with the knowledge I have gained there. Since I'm not heir, there was no reason to train me in magic or combat. In their eyes, I would be at a desk in the office of my father until the day I die. I managed to persuade him to allow me to train my magic to gain levels so I may at least see two hundred, and even then, only non-combat magic."

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"Professor Winthraw, my Dimensional Magics instructor, said I have a talent for spatial transmission spellforms. I've never been allowed to travel, with the exception of school. So more than anything I just want to see something, anything new. I have a hypothesis on how to connect the entire world with long-range teleportation arrays that my professor and I have been theorizing together in one of the auxiliary study groups. but that could take years of research. As of right now, the best Master level arrays can't travel across the oceans. So I need to live long enough to develop it and get the power required to bring it to fruition."

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"So do that then. That sounds like an awesome goal," I said. We turned another corner passing an entire block that was taken up by a Colonnade with pristine entablatures made of white stone. With blue borders.

"I'm unable to go against my father's wishes. He has made his decision on the matter clear and will not hear any more on it."

"Oh he is a sneaky old man, I'll give him that," Mel said in my head. "But it kinda worked, didn't it? I already know how you feel about it, there is no point in lying to yourself."

It's rude to read people's thoughts.

"How am I supposed to help it? Your thoughts go directly into my head, it's just how it works." She mentally shrugged.

Out loud I asked, "How did you get saddled as my shopping guide?"

"It is not a burden youn- Typhen." He caught himself.

I waved him off dismissively. "Not what I meant, relax. How did you get assigned your task?"

"Master Osipheos made a request of my grandfather, an escort for his nephew. The only requirement was that they had to be around your age and trustworthy. In the immediate family, I am the only one in the city currently that fits the parameters of the request."

"With being gifted land and estate from the King, it is likely that he was given an honorary title equal to the Duke himself. Since they think you're his nephew you would be on the level of his father the Marquess." Mel mused. "Hey look, you're a noble now."

Changing the topic I asked, "So you said you attend Primrose. I'll be starting in the next three months. How is it?"

"It's fantastic, it's known as the best academy because all of the professors are either high Adept or low Expert. And the headmaster is already Master tier. You'll really enjoy it, we won't have any classes together as I'll be in my second year. But a familiar face is always welcome in unknown territory." He finished, as we finally came to a small workshop with a sign that said: The Jaunty Jambeau, with a picture of a pair of dancing greaves.

Entering, a muscular Beastfolk woman wearing dull gray workers clothes, greeted us with a bow.

"Day, Lord Trennel, Master Typhen. I am Madame Ceneste.I have the sets out in the back room ready to be inspected. If you wish to expedite the process, please inform me of your fighting style, what weapons you typically fight with, your Affinity, and what kind of effect you are looking for." She stayed bowed until Trennel told her to rise.

I noticed how formal she was compared to Skraalner. Completely different in fact, the dwarf had been very familiar with the young Lord before Trennel mentioned me as "young Master" instantly changing demeanors.

Madame Ceneste was a feline Beastfolk, the most common variety. She seemed to be of the tiger clan, as she was taller than me by at least a head and her physique gave the impression that she could easily tear apart a smith's anvil with her bare hands.

Nodding I answered, "Close combat with a focus on Agility, Strength, and Dexterity, in that order. With a high Intelligence, so anything with a high Mana cost is fine. I prefer fists or a sword, but I am trained to improvise. Something with a unique effect and amplifies speed. Also, I have the Karmic Affinity. I'd prefer a growth set if possible."

I was always going for a Dodge Build. Why did anything else matter if you couldn't get hit? Don't get me wrong, I love well-rounded numbers but if you were faster than everything else, the only thing that you really needed was the Strength to do something with all that speed. Getting my Intelligence so high didn't affect that.

Madame Ceneste pulled out a tablet similar to the one I looked through at Skraalner's except with the logo from her shop on the back. After a few minutes of staring at it, she looked up.

"We have no sets with your Affinity but there is one that fits the rest of your specifications. If you'll wait here I'll retrieve it." She bowed once more before exiting a side door deeper into the shop.

A few minutes passed as she returned with a 1-inch square cube made of a glossy red metal. She handed it to me and I infused mana into it to check its contents

Helm of the Perceptive Nihilist

(Epic)

(Type> Growth)

Type> Equipment> Helmet

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

Enchantment: Increase all Dexterity-related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent. (Beginner)

Affinity: Swift

[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]

Featherfoot of the Nihilist

(Epic)

(Type> Growth)

Type> Equipment> Boots

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

Enchantment: Increase all Agility-related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent. (Beginner)

Affinity: Swift

[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]

Gauntlet of Nihilist Delight

(Epic)

(Type> Growth)

Type> Equipment> Gauntlet

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

(Paired set)

Enchantment: Increase Mana Efficiency through the Dexter and Sinister Brachium resulting in more qualitative Mana coalescing in these regions. (Beginner) Increased effect on Death Affinity spellforms.

Affinity: Death

[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]

Greaves of the Swift Nihilist

(Epic)

(Type> Growth)

Type> Equipment> Greaves

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

Enchantment: Increase dash acceleration by 10 percent. Channel momentum gathered to a single point on your body, releasing it as Kinetic Force damage.

Affinity: Swift

[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]

Cuirass of Shrouded Nihilist

(Epic)

(Type> Growth)

Type> Equipment> Cuirass

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

Enchantment: Increase all stealth-related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent.

(Beginner)

Releases a cloud of Death Affinity aura that makes it harder to see you on a battlefield.

Affinity: Death

[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]

Set bonus:

[Armor of the Profound Nihilist]

Set bonus: Once per day release an area of effect domain for (10% of Agility) feet that does (10% of Dexterity) damage per second for 60 seconds to all targets within the domain. (Beginner)

Set bonus: Self-repair 5. By infusing mana into any piece of the armor, you can repair it back to its original blueprint. Cost: Dependent on damage.

Set bonus: Self-cleaning 5. By infusing mana into any piece of the armor, you can expel all foreign compounds. Cost: Dependent on Compound.

"I think the universe is trying to tell you something. " Mel teased

"This will do perfectly, thank you," I said to Madame Ceneste, ignoring Mel. It really was. After equipping all of it, it would add a little over one hundred Armor, that was an extra fifty damage I could absorb before it took Health at a fifty percent damage reduction. Not an insignificant amount, and with all the effects and the set bonus this really would be an excellent set going forward.

"No cloak in the set?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not, but I do have some separate cloaks, though none are as good as the rest of this set." She said, pulling out her tablet, tapping it a few times then handing it over. "There are three that will fit the style of this Armor both aesthetically and in effect."

Looking over the list my hope was crushed as I saw the three cloaks. There was only one that appealed to me, as something I didn't currently have the ability to do.

Mantle of Awareness

(Epic)

Type> Equipment> Cloak

+(1% Vitality) Armor

(Beginner)

Enchantment: Increases all senses by a moderate amount. Increase based on Perception.

Affinity: N/A

"How much for the set plus the cloak, including enough Upgrade Stones to get all the pieces to Adept?" I asked

"Eight Gold, seven Silver, and two Iron Sir." She replied after a few taps on her tablet.

Taking out nine gold from my ring that I had spaced out separately in my storage, I handed them over and placed the cube in my ring, along with my new cloak and my change. This had turned out to be a very good day indeed. Maybe Mel was onto something with stuff being great. I did feel good after all, I was also excited to get to the estate so that I could finally do some proper testing.

Wishing farewell to the Crafter, Trennel and I disembarked once more this time in search of the local library. Because I wasn't the only one who deserved new stuff today. But first, a new wardrobe.