Seth gaped as he and his dad stepped off the boat and the open wooden gate of Arfeld came into view. The perimeter walls were made of worn brown stone that came a third of the way up with a wood palisade built on top.

“Why were the walls built that way?” Seth asked.

“The stone part is much older.” Levi replied. “Some say it was built pre-Shattering. Arfeld itself was built after wanderers found and secured the ruins.”

Seth had never seen anything that predated the modern era, and he started looking forward to seeing how else the town might differ from where he grew up. The layout of the streets was far more chaotic than Lith’s concentric design, and Seth was soon turned around.

“So, what do you think?” Levi asked, amused by Seth’s continuous goggling.

“This town is huge!” Seth said excitedly.

“I suppose it is, from a certain point of view.” Levi said, chuckling. “We have a couple hours before the Midnight Due departs. I have to speak with the mayor, but you’re free to look around. Is there anything you want to do? There is a tavern here.”

“Due’s the boat’s name? I couldn’t see it in the dark when we boarded.” Seth said, and Levi nodded. “Ok. Well, shouldn’t I come with you to see the mayor? I’m a Priest too.”

“I only need to give him a message.” Levi explained. “You might as well start getting used to navigating ‘large’ settlements. You were paid recently, so why don’t you take a look at the shops?”

“Oh, yeah!” Seth said. “I’ve never been to a real shop. Although, I wanted to look at the walls up close while we’re here…”

“It’s really just old stone.” Levi said dismissively. “If you’re still interested, you can take a look when we’re on the way back to Lith. The shopping street is that way. Go ahead, and I’ll find you in an hour or so.”

Slightly reluctant, Seth headed in the direction that his dad was pointing. After getting turned around again, he followed the smell of tanning hide to a leatherworker’s back garden, figuring they had to sell their wares somewhere nearby.

“Excuse me, where is the street with shops?” Seth asked the middle aged woman working in the garden with some embarrassment.

She stopped rubbing an oil of some kind on an animal skin and turned to him with a kind smile. She raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw his robes, and Seth felt self conscious.

“It’s just one street over, your worship.” She replied, gesturing toward the building behind her. “The front of my shop faces it.”

“Thank you.” He said, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “I’m not, er, I’ve only been a Priest for a week or two, just call me Seth.”

“I’m Tammy, nice to meet you Seth,” the woman said, amused. “Congratulations, it must be hard to become a Priest at your age. Why don’t you come in through the garden and take a look at my store?”

Seth thought for a moment, then shrugged and followed her. Tammy nudged the door open with her foot and led him into the building. She seemed to be trying not to touch anything with the brownish oil still on her hands.

After passing by a couple closed doors, they entered the shop itself. Seth was immediately overwhelmed by the thick smell of leather. As he looked around the wood and brick room filled primarily with clothes and bags, a child covered with various leather products that Seth had initially taken for a display dummy stood up.

“Aiden, help this young man find anything he needs.” Tammy said to the child, who looked about ten. “Seth, just head out that door when you’re done, and you’ll find the rest of the shopping street. Jimmy’s General might interest you, since you’re from out of town.”

Seth nodded, and Tammy walked back down the hall, awkwardly prying the door open with her elbows. Aiden, who was wearing three belts, seven pouches of various sizes, a vest, a jerkin, trousers, bracers, and what looked like a leather bowl for a hat, turned to Seth expectantly.

“So, you must like leather a lot, huh?” Seth said after a long moment of silence.

The boy just stared at him. Eventually, Seth bought a small tray with raised edges and quickly made his way out of the leather shop. He hoped none of the other stores used the disconcerting yet effective selling tactic of creepy, quiet children covered in wares.

As he stepped out into the street, Seth looked around at the other goods on display outside the various similar wood and brick shops, as well as two dozen or so other people milling about. Across the street to the left was the general store Tammy had recommended, but he wasn’t sure if he felt like taking her advice.

Seth’s gaze lingered on the display outside of a stonesmith’s business. His mind unwittingly drifted back to the jumble of pain and fear in the jungle clearing a few days ago. He shuddered, rubbing his arm absentmindedly. A weapon, that was what he needed.

Unfortunately, the dour smith’s reaction to his query wasn’t encouraging.

“What do you mean ‘in case you run into an Ain again?!’” The man exclaimed, accidentally dropping the massive rock he’d been chiseling directly onto his knee.

Seth focused his essence to heal the area, but found that the man was completely unharmed.

“Oh, you’re fine,” Seth said with surprise. “How did that not hurt you?”

“Used a rod from Jimmy’s.” The man said dismissively. “Now, look. I have daggers, swords, clubs, spears, nails, doors, and plenty of other goods, but there is nothing in here to deal with an Ain. If you go to a city, you might be able to find a weapon imbued with Offense and Immutable essence, but it would cost more than this whole shop and still probably wouldn’t keep you alive.”

“You don’t have any imbued weapons?” Seth asked, disappointed.

“Of course not.” The smith replied. “Why would I have something like that?”

“I didn’t think they were that rare.” Seth said.

“Well, they are.” The man said brusquely. “So, do you still want something or not?”

Seth ended up buying a quasi-decorative onyx dagger with a hilt of carved mangrove wood. He also had to go back to the leatherworking shop to get a proper sheath. He tied it to his ghostly belt, and decided to go to the general store after all.

Jimmy’s General was by far the largest shop on the street, and the whole building was made of brick. Stepping inside, Seth found a huge selection of goods that reminded him of the quartermaster’s building in Lith: grits, candles, stakes, rope, and the like. While he was curious about many of the things on the shelves, he had a more pressing question and made his way to the counter at the back of the store.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Good morning, your worship.” A gaunt man behind the pocked counter said with a slight bow. “My name is Jimmy. How may I help you?”

“A few minutes ago, I watched the smith a few shops over drop a rock the size of my head on his knee.” Seth recounted. “When I attempted to heal him, I found that the rock had caused no damage. I asked him about it, and he said it was because of a ‘rod from Jimmy’s.’ Could you tell me what he meant?”

“Certainly.” Jimmy gestured to a locked display on the wall behind him. “I sell Immutable path rods at very reasonable prices.”

Seth glanced up at the rack of thin pink cylinders covered in inscriptions, then looked back at the gaunt man blankly.

“I know that selling them at such low rates must seem odd,” Jimmy said quickly, indicating the plaque at the base of the case, “But I have an arrangement with an Immutable essence user. I assure you that they’re genuine. I just want to make it easier for the people here to protect their families. It’s a dangerous area.”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Seth cleared his throat uncomfortably. “To be honest, I have no idea what an Immutable path rod is. I’ve never heard of them in the town I come from. Do they make you more durable or something?”

“Never heard of…” Jimmy trailed off. “Do you not know what path rods are?”

The incredulity in his voice didn’t make Seth feel any better, and Jimmy seemed to notice his expression.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about, your worship.” Jimmy said kindly. “Is this the first time you’ve left your hometown? I’d be happy to answer any of your questions.”

“It is.” Seth admitted. “I guess there are some things that my parents never thought to tell me.”

“Well then, let me give you the full sales pitch!” The gaunt man said, becoming more animated. “These little beauties are a very special resource called path rods! There’s no need to spend decades of your life toiling away or risking it all in mortal peril just to develop a new ability! With one of these and a simple ritual that anyone can learn, you can have a brand new ability in mere minutes! These little rods are made using pure Immutable essence, guaranteed to help keep you or your loved ones safe!”

Jimmy brandished a knife and stabbed it into the counter. The blade sank several inches into the wood with relative ease, and several similar marks on the counter suggested that this wasn’t an uncommon demonstration. Jimmy then yanked the knife out of the counter and, with one swift motion, drew it across his throat. Seth stared open mouthed as no blood came out.

“As you can see,” The man continued, “A little sampling of my own wares, and I have nothing to fear from knives any longer! Please note that the abilities granted vary within the purview of Immutable essence, and stabbing yourself is not a recommended way to test your new gift.”

Jimmy slid the knife below the countertop and leaned forward conspiratorially. He continued:

“Now, you might be thinking, ‘but Jimmy, what if I want some other kind of ability?’” The proprietor lowered his voice. “I actually have a little secret for you; you can use these path rods to get even more varied gifts! All you have to do is perform the basic ritual somewhere that another essence is common. Of course, you could always buy a path rod somewhere else with another essence or even multiple essences, but can they beat my prices? I don’t think so!”

Unsure what to say to all that, Seth just clapped lightly. Jimmy bowed again.

“Those are amazing!” Seth said. “Can I buy one?”

“Well, they are still fairly Valuable.” The proprietor said. “I don’t ask for nearly as much as the sellers in big towns and cities, but they still aren’t cheap.”

Seth set a finger on a Value transfer plaque set into the counter, and most of the semiprecious stones shimmered then dimmed again. Jimmy whistled.

“I see!” The gaunt man said with raised eyebrows. “You’ve got the Value, kid. Ahem, your worship.”

“Seth is fine.” Seth assured him. “I haven’t been a Priest long.”

“Well Seth, to be honest with you,” Jimmy said hesitantly, “I don’t think you should spend that much even if you can afford it. It’s a lot of Value, and you don’t seem to have a plan for your ability growth. I think that’s important for Priests.”

“I’m not sure what you mean again.” Seth replied. “I just want to get something that can protect me.”

“I can respect that.” Jimmy nodded. “But I still think you should at least talk to whoever your superior is. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the ability you want. The one I have makes me hard to cut, and George, that smith you mentioned, got something that makes him better at taking a hit, but the results can vary.”

“You said that the rods could use other essences.” Seth said, ignoring the suggestion. “How exactly does that work?”

Jimmy paused a moment, before admitting, “I don’t really know, to be honest. If you use a rod in a Virtue temple, the ability can develop a healing component, but that’s the only example I have.”

Based on that anecdote, Seth was fairly sure that an area aligned with an essence was the relevant factor, but most people wouldn’t know how that worked. Suddenly, he felt his dad’s essence projection brush over him. Seth turned around in confusion, not seeing Levi in the shop.

A moment later, his dad walked in and came up to the counter.

“I finished giving the message to the mayor.” He told Seth. “Have you found anything?”

“I want to buy one of these path rods.” Seth said, gesturing to the display behind Jimmy.

“Can you afford that?” Levi said, glancing at the plaque on the display with skepticism. “Are you sure they’re real? Is something wrong with them?”

“Nothing of the sort, your worship.” Jimmy explained quickly. “I have an arrangement with an Immutable essence user is all. I recommended that your young colleague wait to purchase one until he has a plan for his ability growth or at least talked to a superior, which would be you I assume.”

“Good man. Thank you.” Levi nodded. “I’ll talk it over with Seth later. We will be stopping back by Arfeld in a month or so. If he is still interested he’ll come by.”

He turned and left the shop with a slightly reluctant Seth trailing after him.

“Dad, I just wanted to get an ability that would keep me safe if I ran into another Ain.” Seth said hotly once they were outside. “If I had been able to resist the attack, or at least the pain, I might have been able to save the scout.”

“I understand, son.” Levi said, pulling Seth into a hug. “Let’s go to the tavern so we can talk.”

He led them into a nearby two-story sloped wooden building with a sign over the entrance that simply said 'A Boar.’ The interior of the tavern reminded Seth of the dining area off the temple kitchen, but much larger. Most of the tables were already filled with the lunch crowd, most of whom seemed to be town guards. A burly pair of tusked individuals were working behind the bar. Levi led Seth to a small table against one of the walls.

“Don’t we get our food up there?” Seth asked, nodding toward the bar.

“Most people do, but we’re special patrons.” Levi replied, as one of the people behind the bar noticed them and came over.

“Your worship. Your worship.” The man nodded in turn to each of them. “Any requests?”

“Just stew for both of us.” Levi said, glancing at Seth, who nodded. “I’ll have mead to drink as well. What about you, Seth?”

“Uh, do you have any wine?” Seth asked hesitantly.

“I can get some in short order.” The man said.

When neither of them said anything else, he walked away.

“Most taverns don’t have wine.” Levi said. “They’ll get it for you, but it will cost more.”

“Why are they being so accommodating?” Seth asked. “Is it just because we’re Priests?”

“Yes.” Levi explained. “In Lith, almost everyone was assigned to work there, and many of them were…less respectful than the norm. You’ll find people treat you quite differently in most places. You shouldn’t take advantage of that, and help others whenever you can.”

“I’ve tried healing people here.” Seth said, slightly exasperated. “But it seems like they all have some Immutable ability that means they never get hurt in the first place.”

Levi chuckled, “A good problem to have.”

A moment later, the woman behind the bar came over with two large bread bowls. She promised that their drinks would be out in a minute, and the pair thanked her. They fell silent and focused on eating the hearty boar stew for a while. When she brought their mead and wine, Levi transferred the Value of their meal to the woman.

“Dad, I’m an adult. I should pay.” Seth complained quietly.

“And I’m treating my adult son to his first proper meal in a tavern.” Levi said with a grin. “You’re free to pay for a meal once we reach Estroma, if you think you can afford it.”

After they finished, Levi told Seth that they needed to get back to the boat before the town went on lockdown due to the Ain sighting he reported. Delaying the discussion of the Immutable path rods, the pair made their way out of Arfeld and back to the Midnight Due.