Chapter 40: chapter forty

I lean against Ulged’s counter, watching the brawny Gnoll working the bellows with a massive footpaw, his shaggy fur limned in flickering oranges and yellows, his great blows cascading sparks into the air as Trinity produces a gold ring from a tray and begins engraving it with careful, precise taps, the delicate chiming of their jeweller’s hammer underscoring the gonging peals of Ulged’s.

The blade slowly takes form, a long, double-edged isosceles triangle of tempered and beaten metal, a deep, burnished bronze, with a vibrant silver edge. Ulged presses another ingot against the tang and begins tacking it into the shape of a spread-winged bird of prey. While he bonds the ornament to the base of the blade and replicates the same design on the other side, Trinity affixes a beautifully-cut purple amethyst to the ring, surrounding it with a halo of tiny pink pearls.

The constant clanging and clinking are beginning to give me one heck of a virtual headache, so I start making my way outside for a bit of quieter breathing room.  The sun is warm, but there’s a nice breeze blowing, which keeps things from getting too toasty. The street is mildly bustling, with Argonauts and citizenry alike wandering in and out of shops, calling to each other, chatting, and whiling away an otherwise ordinary day.

Lounging against the wall, I just watch the world go by for about twenty minutes, before I get a message from… “Marika? Huh, what’s up with this, I don’t think I added her to my friends-list…”

Checking, I find only Harvenhaight, Asteria and Trinity. Sending the pinkette mage a friend request, I interact with the message tab, the standard scroll appearing in my hands. Unrolling it, I blink, before spluttering with laughter.

“Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Halp. Kettrin, halp. I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask you this, but you know more about this stuff than me. How do I know if I’m gay?

Like, I was outside the city, and I was trying to work on my magic, and there were these monsters that looked like two-headed giant snails, and they were… kinda faster than I expected and I twisted my ankle when I tried to back up...  And then this girl came and saved me. She was one of those Vulpa. The fox-people? And she was so small, like… five foot at most! And she was waving the same kind of sword you use. Like, it was as big as she was!

Like… she was really strong, but really pretty… she had this sandy fur, with a black-tipped tail and ears… and she kinda… picked me up and carried back to the city. She was so… gentle… like, I think I kinda babbled like an idiot when she asked me, “Are you alright, love?”

She added me on her friends-list, and her name is Sionnach, and I don’t know if I’m attracted to herrrrr….”

 

I wipe my eyes, tears of laughter streaming down my face. It’s a relief I’m not streaming right now, or I’d have to play my amusement off. “Ohhh, Marika, you baby gay…” I giggle, as a familiar voice tickles my ear.

“Who’s a baby gay?” Asteria coos, and I explain Marika’s predicament. She starts cackling with delight, almost bent double, a cloth-wrapped bundle fastened on her back. A few minutes later, Trinity sticks their head out of the doorway. “Weapon’s done, Kettrin! Hiya Astie! So, you tell me all about your mew relationship, nya? Is Kett as good at smoochin’ as she looks?”

 

I duck inside the shop, blushing, as Ulged stands there, one ham-sized paw clenched around the haft of a huge blade. It looks like a spear with a shorter haft and a longer blade, or maybe a sword with a very oversized handle. Silver gleams along the honed, glittering razor edge, while the mellow golden bronze shines softly in the lamplights. The bird-of-prey ornamentation has been coated jet-black, with rubies set into the eyes. It’s…

“Magnificent…” I breathe, staring at it, before pulling out my coin pouch and swiftly counting seven hundred fat, round gold coins into the tray before the massive hairy reptile, which bows its head and tucks it away beneath the counter.

 

Ulged hands me my new weapon, and I marvel at how well-balanced it is. I can use it in one or two hands, and it’s perfectly weighted for thrusting as well as slashing with! This is exactly what I had in mind! Asteria sticks her head around the door-frame. “Ooooooh, a new toy? That looks like it could cause some serious devastation!”

I giggle and nod. “Oh, while I’m here, I’d like to buy a new shield, please? Something at lvl 20, if that’s possible?”

Ulged grins and nods, heading into the back and clattering around for a couple of minutes, emerging with a huge kite-shield, the top engraved with the same bird-of-prey emblem. He sets it down on an anvil, picking up a large paintbrush. “Want it tae match yer armour? All black and red?”

I nod, and he swipes the brush over the shield. The frame turns black, while the face of the huge shield flows into a deep, rich crimson, a band of black at the top, where the face meets the frame. The bird-of-prey takes on the same scarlet hue, and he hands it over. “Here, gie it a check fer balance and weight!”

I slip the shield onto my left arm, striking a blocking pose, swordspear at the ready, and then make a couple of trial swings and thrusts. “Oh, this is great! The shield’s not getting in my way, and it’s light enough that it doesn’t slow me down too noticeably! I’m gonna kick sooo much ass now!”

Ulged’s grin widens, and he chuckles, “looks good! Now, I’ll gie you a good deal on it. 125 Ducats, sound good?” I nod, counting out more coins, before storing my new gear in my inventory. Asteria raises an eyebrow. “Babe, why… aren’t you in your armour?”

I groan, “Because that psycho-bitch Anri might have managed to get into the city and I don’t wanna fight her in a crowded place. The civilian casualties would be astronomical if we kicked off, even if I COULD beat her…” Ulged, Asteria and I all go silent, and then…

 

“Thanks for holding on to that sword for me, big guy!” I shout as I leave Bloodbath & Beyond, Ulged putting something under his counter for safekeeping. Asteria smiles, “It’s so kind that he agreed to take it off our hands for now, yeah? I mean, the Blade of the Fallen King already got you targeted once, so now he’s holding it, we shouldn’t have that happen again.”

Asteria’s hand takes mine. “Come on, I picked up a couple of quests in the local area, and I wanted to do them with you.” She leans against me, and I blush. “T-that sounds… really nice, actually… let’s go!”

 

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Thirty minutes later, we head out through the main gates, Asteria leading us towards one of the farms in the near-distance. The sun is just past its zenith, and I wait till I’m a good way away from the city before equipping my armour and manifesting my wings. Asteria giggles, unbinding the bundle from across her back and slowly unwrapping it. Inside… is a sword. It’s sheathed, but it’s clearly not a longsword or broadsword.

In her hands is a very slim, narrow sheathe, ornamented with small plates of a mother-of-pearl-esque substance that seems to shift colours in the light. She fastens it to her hip, adjusting it until she’s comfortable. “Well, what do you think?”

I blink. “I… I thought you used a book? You know, that grimoire that floats in front of you?”

Asteria’s giggle floats out through the air, and I pout. “I used to, but now I use this. Perks of getting an Advanced Class, like you did!”

My eyes widen and I hop around in excitement. “OOH, OOH! What’s it called? What can you do now?!”

She puffs her considerable chest out proudly. “Yeah, I AM ‘all that’, aren’t I? Jokes aside, it’s pretty sweet. Instead of needing a wand, staff, orb, or tome, I can use this sword Ulged made me as a spellcasting focus! Plus, thanks to the materials I had used, it uses my magic attack power instead of strength! I can do plenty of damage, because I play a caster, right? Well, I can use the same powers in new ways!”

I stare in awe. This could be revolutionary for how casters adapt to martial classes!

“So… what IS your class now? I think you were just called a Mage, yeah?”

“Indeed. NOW, however, I’m called… a Mana Knight!”

I clap, kinda impressed. “Wow, how did you get that?”

“Well, it’s actually because I used the Rimeblade Dance incantation a lot. Using a melee-based attack spell seems to be the trigger.”

Asteria stretches. “So, shall we pick up the pace? This quest comes from a farmer who’s having trouble with some kinda unidentified creature or pest. It’s been killing chickens, and some of his crops are going missing. He’s at his wit’s end and the guards haven’t got a clue what to do.”

I frown. “What, really? The guards have no idea at all?” I follow Astie, brushing my hair back and tying it into a ponytail with a scrap of ribbon.

“Yeah, they’ve been utterly stumped! There are no tracks, even the Imperial Rangers haven’t found anything, and the Mage Corps have tried using magic to locate whatever beast is responsible, with absolutely zero success…”

I shiver. “Then, that means that whatever-it-is is either capable of perfect concealment, or it’s something that doesn’t have the ability to make any physical mark on the world around it. Something intangible, like a ghost or spirit…”

 

“Right. I’ve got a couple of new skills, so I think I have a fair-to-middling chance to figure this out before anyone gets hurt. Livestock and crops can be replaced, but… people can’t.”

Asteria clears her throat, her armoured dress clinking softly as she rubs the top of her serpentine familiar’s head. “Naberius is getting stronger, too, so using that spell from our… “fight” with those stream snipers shouldn’t tire us out so much. Still can’t spam it, though.”

As we pause at the end of the dirt track, someone calls out to us from behind, his deep voice obviously male, but clear and lighter than I thought it would be. “Argonauts, a moment of your time, if you would?”

Turning, we’re confronted with a sight neither of us was expecting. A centaur, skin and fur as black as obsidian, with glowing cracks running over his entire body like lava veins. He’s almost 12 feet tall, and his burning red eyes hold nothing but warmth and kindness. His hair and tail are smoke, hazy cloud-like drifts that seem to stir in a non-existent breeze. His hooves leave gently-steaming prints in the dirt.

“My apologies, but I hoped to enquire as to which Lord you are considering making your pledge to?  If you have not decided, might I suggest myself? I am Furnacio, the Lord of Wind and Flame. It would be an honour to welcome you to our humble group.”

I clear my throat. “I mean, I’ve… had a few dreams from Lady Voltesse, I didn’t expect that there were… more of you.”

He chuckles with rich amusement, his tail swishing. “Ah, my sister always has a keen eye for talent. If you’ve set your heart on her, I can only surrender the matter. But, I do hope we can at least join forces in the defence of our world."

Despite his intimidating appearance, Lord Furnacio is quite openly a positive and approachable sort. Before our conversation can really continue, a trio of small children, dressed in smocks and simple clothing, swarm out of the corn at the side of the path, calling greetings to him in eager delight. He roars with laughter, scooping the children onto his broad horse-back. “Ah, you three! It’s been a while, Kaide, Salin, and Misha! Our usual game?”

As the children whoop and scream in glee, he rears, belts of wind forming and keeping the kids in place on his back, and canters off, clearly as fond of them as they are of him. I turn to Astie as she goggles at the departing demigod. “Well… apparently, my Lord is… chill, despite being an on-fire horse-man…”

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