James walked with his small group, sticking with them like glue as they walked past crowds of people heading out of the harbor and into what looked like a plaza.
“Geez, how many people are there in Vindis?” James commented as another trader carrying a bag of goods bumped into him.
“Not as much as you might think,” Helen said, her hands no longer shackled together like cuffs. For better or for worse, depending on who you asked, her left wrist was now shackled with Haggard’s right. “Most of the people you see here are from merchant ships. The actual residents of Vindis are around the fifty thousand mark,” Helen explained.
Dahlia’s eyes widened. “Fifty thousand is a lot, isn’t it?”
“Not when you compare to other cities like Bernis, which have roughly doubled the population.” As Helen was explaining this, James noticed how some people had their own stands set up, just like back in Yorktown. Potions for breathing underwater, swords that never break, and magic for predicting the future were among the products being advertised. James felt a bit intrigued when one trader, a greasy-looking man with a crooked smile, recommended to him an assortment of fruits that could enhance him beyond his wildest imaginations. Dahlia had to pull him away from that one.
“Most of these traders are swindlers out for your silver and gold,” Dahlia told James, who laughed nervously.
“I knew that,” he responded, but gave the previous trader one last glance before he eventually lost sight of him.
James looked up at the gray sky, seeing how it slowly dimmed.
‘Has the day gone by so quickly?’
“Where are we headed?” James asked.
“Well, while you were out drunk, Dahlia here told me you were thinking about hiring a merc to help you all with your dirty work,” Helen started. Dahlia raised an eyebrow at the drunk comment. James could see how she opened her mouth to say something, possibly biting. He subtly shook his head at her, which seemed to do the trick of stopping her.
“So we’re heading to a tavern I used to frequent back in my youngin days. Pretty filled to the brim with swords for hire,” Helen finished. James swore he could see a hint of a smile on the ex-marauder’s lips.
“You guys can do that,” Dahlia said to Helen and her guard, Haggard, before looking over at James. “I’ll need you to help me with gathering some supplies for making potions and runes,”
“There’s a Wizard around here that can get you the things you need,” Haggard spoke up. “I’d been to his place before I came to Yorktown. Peculiar, but he’s very skilled and well-knowledge in magic. I can tell you where to find him.” James heard Haggard mention unfamiliar street and building names while Dahlia listened attentively.
“Good. James and I will head over to him,” the shaman responded. James and Dahlia soon departed Haggard and Helen on their way to the tavern, but not without Helen telling Dahlia where to find the tavern for later.
“Just remember,” Dahlia said before she left with James. “Our budget for a mercenary is roughly eighty pieces of gold, no more,” she explained to the ex-marauder. As James and Dahlia walked off, James looked at her with a confused look.
“Eighty pieces? Isn’t one gold piece worth about fifty silver coins?” He questioned.
“Yes, that is correct,” the shaman responded.
“Where’d we get eighty pieces from? How?” James wasn’t familiar with the monetary system of this world, but he could definitely tell that the worth of four thousand pieces of silver was a lot of money.
“Some of it is my entire life’s savings… and the rest is from the ship those marauders left behind. We have around a hundred and twenty gold pieces, but I’m not keen on spending it all on one or two mercenaries,” Dahlia explained. “Now pick up the pace, will you? We haven’t got all day.”
As the two maneuvered their way past crowds of people, James caught a look at some armored patrols. The guards all wore a mix of gambeson and chain mail, their weapons being that of spears. Like the guards who guarded the city’s entrance, they too also wore tabards that were the same cyan color.
‘I guess these are the city watch.’
James stayed close to Dahlia as he watched the gatherings of people around him like a child in awe. Most people were moving, making their way to their destinations. Others were grouped up, making transactions, socializing, or watching displays of bards or performers. James found it all fascinating, reinforcing the fact that this world was truly something else.
Both he and Dahlia stopped for a bit to watch a female bard sing, her fingers fluidly plucking the strings of her lute with precision as she sang about the wonders of the north and the mysteries of Valenfrost. James watched as she ended the show with a flourish, accompanied by small magical sparks that came from her lute’s strings. The crowd watching her erupted into clapping and cheers, some even tipping her various coins of different metals. James smiled at the display before feeling Dahlia’s hand tug him away.
James and the shaman moved through a couple of marked alleyways, crossing a couple of bridges that connected between platforms. James made the mistake of looking down the gap between, seeing the cold black waters of the sea splash against the platform. His stomach twisted at the thought of falling into it, unable to swim in the tight space while he drowned.
‘No one will be able to save you…’
James shook those thoughts away. It would be best if he ignored the gaps.
Soon enough, James and Dahlia finally arrived at their destination. It was a small shop at the corner of a two-story building, its windows covered up by blue and purple blankets. The only light around was a lantern hanging off the corner of the building, its flame a pale blue. The sign above the storefront was faded and beaten, but James could make out the words.
“Nathan’s Runes and Gizmos…” James read aloud, squinting as he reread it silently, making sure he had misread nothing. He looked at Dahlia, who shrugged.
“Let’s see if they have what we need?” She proposed. James nodded and headed into the shop’s doors.
A bell rang as James entered, catching the attention of someone at the desk ahead.
“Ah! Customers!” A slightly high-pitched male’s voice spoke out. The walls and corners of the store were cluttered with random objects, making the inside cramped. James looked at the desk, seeing a smaller man sitting behind it. His proportions were strange, as if he had the body of a nine-year-old, despite his slightly bigger head and his features being that of a man in his late twenties.
“Oh, a gnome,” Dahlia commented in a whisper. “I haven’t seen one of them in years.” James glanced at the shaman before he walked up to the desk, looking down at the smaller man.
“Uh... are you Nathan?” He asked.
“No, I’m just the receptionist, Wheaton,” the gnome explained. “Nathan is in the back, doing some ‘big’ project or something…” He gestured towards the door right behind him, which was blocked by a curtain. James could hear something back there, his ears focusing on the sound as he leaned a little closer. The sound was rhythmic, muffled, and…
“Is that snoring?” James asked, surprised. Wheaton chuckled, but James could tell there was a hint of annoyance and anger behind it.
“Yup! And it’s been going on for the last…” The gnome pulled out a small pocket watch, its moving gears exposed and visible. “Three. Hours.” Wheaton took a breath, murmuring to himself. “He told me not to bother unless a customer asks. He told me not to bother unless a customer asks…” James could sense that the gnome was more than a little bothered by his boss’s lack of responsibility.
“Uh…” James started, but Wheaton raised his head a bit too quickly, looking up at James.
“Would you like to ask for Nathan?” he asked, a little strained in his words. James nodded, to which the gnome accepted as a yes. “Great! I’ll go get him for you!” Wheaton got off of his stool, grabbing himself a broom as he pushed past the curtains that led into the back room. The snoring continued loudly for about a second longer before James heard a loud whack and a surprised yell.
“Delphine’s fucking tits! What the hell!” a man shouted, to which Wheaton responded,
“Get your shit together, Nathan! There’s a customer waiting for you!”
After some cursing and some arguing, the back room went quiet. Then a man’s voice rang out, tired and groggy.
“Come in!” he called. James looked at Dahlia, who shrugged. The two eventually walked through the curtains. They were met by a tall man with light brown skin, his height rivaling James’ own, as he straightened himself out. He wore dark, dirty red robes, a hint of gold threads accenting them. He had a large wide-brimmed hat on his head, its tip crooked. It reminded James of those stereotypical Wizard hats in cartoons and old RPG games.
The Wizard took off his spectacles, which were cracked and dirty, not unlike his clothing, which were frayed at the edges and ripped in some places. James guessed those robes had immensely outlived their expected use. The room they were in was lit by a couple of lanterns emitting the same blue light as the one outside, as well as a couple of normal oil lanterns.
There was what looked like an alchemy set in the corner, a bookshelf in one, and a workbench near the entrance to the room, accompanied by two different gnomes. The female one of the two looked up at James, seemingly curious at first, before she resumed her work with her male friend. James looked at the Wizard named Nathan, who seemed exhausted as he dismissed Wheaton.
The Wizard looked over at James, dark bags under his tired eyes. “What can I do for you two?” he asked, yawning as he scratched at his patchy beard.
“Well,” Dahlia started. “We need some supplies, specifically these materials and potions.” She took out a list, handing it over to Nathan. The Wizard put his spectacles on, reading the piece of parchment.
“Hmm… Some of these are rather scarce, but I can provide you with these materials,” He answered, folding up the piece of paper.
“Ha! Bullshit!” a rough voice rang out from the door across the room. There was a dwarf there, carrying a couple of rucksacks as he entered the room. He had a braided gray beard, showing to James that he was an aging man.
Nathan groaned. “For the last time, old man! Bandits intercepted the ship carrying your supplies! I could do nothing about it!”
“Hmph, I still call bullshit.” The old dwarf headed towards the workbench where the two gnomes were working, dropping the rucksacks.
“Be careful Rockford!” The female gnome cried out, moving to the rucksacks. “These are very delicate parts!”
The dwarf grunted dismissively in response, heading off to another door as the gnomes hurried to check up on their stock.
“Boy,” Rockford suddenly called out, catching James’ attention. James turned to the old dwarf, who was halfway through the door. “When you’re done talking with Mr. Twiddle-Fingers over there, come by my shop behind this here door.” The dwarf tapped at the door, gesturing towards the room that it led to. James looked into the dark room and could see an entire workbench, as well as what looked like an oversized furnace and anvil.
“If you ever need any smithing to be done, you just come to me. I’ll make ya something nice and sturdy, unlike that fool’s ‘mighty’ magic.” Rockford flashed James a grin before shutting the door and disappearing.
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“Ignore him,” Nathan commented, sighing. “That arsehole has been trying to steal my clients for the last five years we’ve been running this shop.” He turned away from James and headed off to his little corner, where he rummaged through a chest.
“Some supplies you want will be harder to find in this mess I have here,” Nathan said, pulling out a couple of items and setting them aside. “So give me until… tomorrow morning.” He stood up, sighing as he closed the chest, before grabbing some items he had pulled out and placing them into a linen bag.
“These are the five vitality potions you requested, as well as some of the alchemical ingredients you specified. Again, it’s not everything, but I’ll get you what you need by tomorrow morning.” He handed the bag to Dahlia, who accepted it.
“How much do we owe you?” Dahlia asked.
“Well… The potions are fifty silver a piece… the Horcus herb runs at ten… Rune stones and chalk are...” He trailed off in soft muttering, closing his eyes as he did the math. “Roughly three hundred and fifty pieces of silver or seven queen pieces. You can pay half today and the rest when you come back for everything else.”
James looked over at Dahlia, who nodded as she reached under her poncho and into her belt’s pouch. She took out four gold coins and handed them over to the Wizard, who accepted them graciously.
“Do you mind if I use your workbench?” Dahlia asked, gesturing towards the alchemy table.
The Wizard shrugged. “Sure, just make sure not to break anything,” he responded. The shaman grinned before heading her way to the corner of the room.
James looked at the Wizard, who seemed to be on the edge of a deep sleep.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked.
“Huh? Oh, sure...” Nathan seemed to zone out, but James had brought him back to reality again.
“I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but I haven’t really gotten a straight answer,” James explained. He looked around the workshop, which seemed to emanate a fruity smell. “How does magic work? Is it possible for me to learn?” He finally asked, looking back at the Wizard. James was genuinely curious if he could learn to harness magic like Dahlia, or at least, similar to the shaman. Nathan seemed to perk up at the question, his dark brown eyes gaining a spark of life in them.
“Of course. What would you like to know?”
“Just... pretend I’m a child, like I know nothing about anything,” James explained. He watched as the Wizard cupped his chin in thought, closing his eyes.
“Well, let’s start with the basics,” Nathan started, looking around the room before he reached for a nearby steel orb from the gnome’s workbench.
“Hey!” One of them exclaimed, obviously agitated by the sudden removal of their project.
“Just gonna borrow this for a quick demonstration. I’ll give it back when I’m done,” Nathan explained, to the disappointment of the gnomes.
“Alright, let’s start with magical ley lines,” the Wizard started. “Pretend this orb here is Azura, alright? Throughout Azura, there are these ley lines of magic running through the world, hidden deep within the ground.” He tapped his fingers across the orb’s engraved grid, which reminded James of a pineapple’s surface. “They’re quite amazing, spanning across the world in complicated patterns, unlike whatever this thing is.” The Wizard’s comment seemed to do it for the gnomes, the male one snatching the orb from the Wizard.
“It is no ‘thing’! This is the future!” The gnome commented, to which the Wizard waved his hand, shooing the gnome away before he continued his explanation to James.
“Anyway… Despite those ley lines being physically out of our reach, we can still summon the energy from them to cast spells and magic.” The Wizard demonstrated by forming his right hand into a strange formation before a glowing rune materialized onto his palm. “Only whenever we’re on land, however. Here in the middle of the sea, we cannot summon power from them without the help of Vindis’ rune totems.”
James blinked, awestruck, at the rune. Despite seeing Dahlia use her Ignition spell and other magic countless times, it always fascinated him, no matter how many times he watched.
“Then, by using the correct word, we can cast them.” The Wizard aimed his palm at a nearby wall before chanting. “Spark.” The rune did as the Wizard said, disintegrating before it exploded into red and blue sparks. “That was an Ignition type spell, so no actual harm until I combo it with another runic spell,” the Wizard explained.
“Yeah… unless you keep using that spell near our workbench! Be careful with that stuff. We have blast powder over here!” The gnome exclaimed. Nathan shrugged at that before he turned to James.
“What else did you want to know?” The Wizard asked.
“Well, for starters, how do I become a spellcaster?” James was more than a little curious about the possibilities of using magic. His mouth watered at the idea of slinging Fireballs like a badass.
“That’s a bit difficult,” Nathan explained. “First, your body needs to link up with the magical ley lines below, which require months of meditation and studying, or a special ritual from a shaman. Even if you linked up, you wouldn’t be able to cast spells right away.” The Wizard seemed to struggle with the explanation, thinking about it for a while longer before he continued.
“After linking, there are two ways to become a spellcaster. The first one, and the most difficult, is to study tomes and spell books for years. I’m self-taught, but most self-respecting Wizards go to schools or colleges to learn how to cast spells and such. The second one….” The Wizard hesitated a bit.
“Let me explain to you something first before I go on. The average humanoid has its own ley lines in the body. They work similar to the veins inside you. So once you link up with the magical ones below, your body’s ley lines also become magical. Which allows us to use spells. The first option that I explained to you requires us Wizards to meditate, study, and slowly coax our bodies into naturally harnessing those ley lines of power.” He took a pause, as if he was debating whether to tell James.
“The second option… Isn’t so patient. The second option, the fastest, is to have a highly skilled shaman or Wizard imprint the runic spells you want onto your body. This is also much more painful and much more limiting. We Wizards can cast as many spells as we want, depending on our mental fortitude and how much we trained our body’s natural ley lines. Those who use the second technique require a heavy tax from their body’s underdeveloped ley lines and physical energy. Because of this, there is a limit to how many times you can cast a runic spell. For the first week or month, it varies. You’ll only be able to cast one or two spells a day before your body’s ley lines run dry and need to recover their lost energy through rest and substance. But, as time goes on and you cast more spells, your body’s ley lines will slowly improve and grow, like a muscle. Do you understand?”
James nodded slowly, going over the explanation through his head. Nathan’s explanation of how magic worked was complicated, but James understood it, even if vaguely.
“Do you think you can link me up, then? Through one of those rituals?” He asked suddenly, surprising the Wizard and even catching Dahlia’s attention.
“I can, but the ritual takes at least twelve hours. Possibly more or less, it varies between people.” The Wizard stepped forward, examining James, “I can check to see if your body is any different, estimate what’ll it take for you to get linked up…”
With little of a warning, the Wizard reached to touch James’ forehead, not giving the young man any time to react. Just as the spellcaster’s finger made contact, the world turned sharp. James could feel his body react to whatever magic the Wizard was using, sending jolts throughout his entire being. Almost as if by impulse, his hand shot up, grabbing the spellcaster’s hand. The connection broke as a result, leaving James feeling disoriented as he held onto the wrist of a very confused Wizard.
“Huh. Interesting,” Nathan commented. “You’re already linked up… Yet there is no evidence of control over it. Very interesting.” Nathan raised an eyebrow, causing James to answer before Dahlia could.
“It’s a very long story,” James explained. “Best if you don’t know about it.”
The Wizard seemed unconvinced, but sighed. “Fine, I won’t ask. We don’t really get many customers, and I will not risk our business because of something so trivial… Still, you’ll have to tell me someday.”
‘Maybe when I find a better excuse and cover story…’
“So… if I’m all linked up, can you give me that second option you talked about?” James asked shamelessly.
‘Cause I’m sure as hell ain’t studying for years…’
James had barely got through high school and college that way, achieving most of his academic success through the help of Wikipedia and good intentions. If he couldn’t get through college without extensive help and some cheating, then learning spells in this world was going to be nigh impossible.
Nathan sighed. “Sure… But again, I have to warn you, it’s really painful,” he reiterated, making sure James knew the cost of such a thing. “Also, it’ll run you about five gold coins per magical casting rune and two per physical casting rune.”
“Magical and Physical?” Jame asked, curious about the two types.
“Right… hadn’t delved into that. Well, magical casting runes are the fancy stuff. Fireballs, Ice Bolts, and the like. You have to form the rune to cast them, of course. Physical castings are something else. They mainly enhance or change your physical body with the help of magic. Power Strike, for example, uses the magical ley lines in your body to enhance your physical strength by ten folds for a couple of seconds, letting your strikes do some real damage. You can even cast these runes without forming them with your fingers.” Nathan shook his fingers for reference.
“Just focus your will and shout Power Strike while performing the action and it’ll cast. Downside is that your body turns into a furnace while it’s active, putting you at risk of a heat stroke, which is fatal. Carapace, another physical casting, is on the opposite end of that spectrum. It covers you in a protective layer, which strengthens your body and armor as if you were wearing steel, acting as a defense for a few hours. Again, like Power Strike, it also takes a toll on your body, but not as much in the long run.”
James listened intently to the Wizard, taking mental notes.
‘Power Strike. I remember seeing that casting back in Faust’s memory. It really did a lot of damage.’
James imagined himself with that power, able to take on an abomination, not unlike the one he had fought last week.
‘I’ll be able to take one of those things out with one hit if I do it right…’
Just as James opened his mouth, however, Faust finally butted in.
‘Take Carapace…’ the spirit muttered.
James raised an eyebrow, surprised that the dead man spoke up. ‘Huh?’
‘Carapace. Take it. It’ll keep you alive much longer than Power Strike… and it won’t floor you with the heat either. Believe me, judging from my memories. You won’t be able to handle the Power Strike’s toll.’
The spirit spoke with an informative voice, as if he was a teacher correcting his student. James sort of wanted to argue, since Power Strike sounded tantalizing, but the young man couldn’t find any fault in his argument. He remembered back on that day of the raid, how he had been nearly killed by the abomination, how it had nearly gutted him. Even with his armor back then, James wouldn’t have survived a full-powered strike from the creature, as even its kick nearly broke his ribs.
“Give me Carapace,” James chose, deciding to go with Faust’s intuition.
“Alright, let me go get my tools for the job, be right back!” The Wizard turned and walked off to his corner, before rummaging through his chest once more. Dahlia approached James, pocketing a couple of freshly made vials into her belt.
“James, are you sure you want to go through with this?” She asked.
“Of course.” James was feeling a tinge of excitement as he watched Nathan stand up, a couple vials in hand, as well as a small pouch. Dahlia didn’t seem to be particularly worried, but had given James a look that said: ‘Are you really, really sure?’
“Rune imprinting isn’t really… pleasant,” she whispered to James, just as the Wizard came back.
“Alright let’s get started!” He announced. “Just sit over here on this stool, and I’ll get started on the imprinting. Also, you’ll need to take off your armor and tunic.”
As James headed towards the stool, he could feel himself taking in the possibilities of this being very painful.
‘Maybe I should…’ James started, but was interrupted by Faust.
‘Don’t be a child. Believe me. It’ll hurt for a few seconds. At least that’s what I heard…’
James was already regretting this. Regardless, he held his head high as he sat down, moving to take his armor and clothing off. By the time James’ torso was bare, he could feel the eyes of everyone on him, making him shift uncomfortably in his chair.
“Alright, let’s start with sterilizing the area.” The Wizard started by pouring a cold substance over Jame’s back and arms, making him shiver. “Stand up straight,” Nathan told James, who followed his words the best he could. The Wizard came into view, uncorking a second vial and pouring the clear liquid over his front torso. James had to try his best not to cough, as the stuff reeked of rubbing alcohol.
‘It probably is…’ James realized as he felt the liquid dry up. The Wizard produced a chalk-like stone, not unlike the one Dahlia used back at Yorktown. Without missing a beat, Nathan traced lines throughout James’ body, chanting unintelligible words under his breath. In the end, James’ torso was marked with symbols and runes, all of them covering every inch of his torso. The Wizard raised his hand at James before uttering a single word.
“Engrave.”
The chalk suddenly lit up in blue flames, engulfing James into a split second of intense heat before it suddenly vanished in a quick whoosh.
James was now panting, sweat forming on his brow as he looked down at his body. Nearly all the lines and complicated markings were gone. James’ body was now marked by simple faint black lines and hollow shapes that interconnected across his chest and shoulders, possibly his back as well.
“That wasn’t so bad,” James commented, relieved.
“Oh no, that wasn’t the rune imprinting process,” the Wizard revealed suddenly. “That was just me setting up the framework.” Nathan grinned as he held a different-looking chalk stone in his hand, before he moved in to draw a symbol in one of the faint circles left behind from the framework. Once the rune was drawn, James’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Wait what—?”
“Inscribe Rune! Carapace!”
James felt nothing but pain.