Chapter 11: Ten

“That is the scrivener supply store,” the vampire said as he led the way out of the market, which twisted around the corner onto another street to our left. 

The soft ding of a bell sounded as Noctus pushed open the door, holding it for Darius and myself to proceed him inside. As we walked further into the store, I breathed in the familiar scents of paper and ink. It was a scent that could only be found in a bookstore, library, or historical archive. 

Bottles of ink filled the shelves along the left-hand wall and below them was a glass covered display case containing rows of writing implements. Quills of all shapes and sizes filled the first case, displayed in small boxes. The second case held glass dip pens, while the third contained metal dip pens which looked like the one used by the dwarf in the bank. Though the pen that stood out the most was placed on a velvet cushion in the center of the third case with a price tag of two hundred gold. 

Steel fountain pen.

“So much for a fountain pen?” I queried, glancing at the vampire, who was admiring the basic dip pens. 

“They are made by an Artificer, so that’s why they are more expensive than the dip pens which are made from a casting mold.” He responded, tapping his finger on the case containing the metal dip pens. 

“These are easier to use than feather quills, and cheaper than glass. I will buy you a set of three metal dip pens, and ink, if you want a fountain pen that’s coming out of your own coin.” 

“Dip pens are fine.” I told Noctus, who nodded, and pointed out a leather case containing a set of silver dip pens, along with a matching inkwell and a pen holder. 

“This pen set, two bottles of standard black ink, drying powder, a cleaning kit, ten leather bound journals and three vellum bound journals.” Noctus said to the shopkeeper and glanced over at me as he continued speaking. 

“Each vellum journal contains two hundred and fifty pages, which can be for your research and translation notes. For the final translations, I would like them done in the leather journals. Is there anything else here you think you might need?” 

“I would like a set of drawing charcoal, and can I get more vellum journals? It will make it easier if I split my notes on different subjects into separate books.” I said, pointing to a case containing a metal pen with a dozen slender charcoal sticks that could be inserted into the hollowed center of the pen. 

“Add the charcoal set, and make it thirty vellum journals,” Noctus said to the shopkeeper after a moment's consideration.

 As we left the store, Darius indicated a cobbler further down the street and suggested we see if they had any pre-made shoes which would fit me, as I was still wearing the slippers that were a part of my starting outfit. Ten minutes later, I had on a pair of ankle length leather boots, which were a little tight, but the cobbler assured me the leather would stretch in time. 

“Where to next?” I asked, looking back towards the far end of the street where I could still see a glimpse of the colorful market stalls. 

“We can head back to check out the last street of the market, or if we continue on this road and head towards the eastern gate, we should find the saddle maker's store. It’s only seven, and most stores don’t close until at least ten.” Darius said. 

“Well, I need to get started on processing the mushrooms right away so I’ll need protective equipment. You said before there was a herbalist store near the eastern gate as well, right? I would like to see what they have in terms of equipment.” I mused.

Shoving my hand into my satchel, I pulled out one of the vellum bound books and the charcoal pen kit. After inserting a stick of charcoal into the pen, I shoved the kit back into the satchel and flipped open the book, writing a list of the things I needed for processing the mushrooms as we walked. Mortar and pestle, knives, bowls for sorting, jars, alcohol, sieve, ladle, funnel, gloves, eye protection, apron, mask. Once I finished the basic list for items I needed to get started, I began a second list of other tools and equipment I would need, such as different sized caldrons, additional retorts, beakers, storage containers. On and on the list went until I’d filled an entire page with all the items I needed, along with another two pages with specifications for the items I wanted Marcus to make.

“You need all this stuff?” Darius asked, glancing down at my lists as we walked. 

“Yes, and more, this is just the basics.” I muttered as I sketched out a rough drawing of a pelican distilling flask.

The pelican flask was made of two round sections called chambers, stacked on top of each other, with the bottom one being larger than the top. On either side of the upper chamber’s neck were two tubes which curved downward and back into the neck of the lower chamber. Once the material to be distilled had been added, and the flask sealed, it would be heated, distilling the matter in the lower chamber into steam which would rise into the upper chamber where it would cool into liquid and drip down through the tubes returning to the lower chamber where the cycle would repeat. When I was younger, I’d once likened the pelican flask to the image of a snow man standing with its hands on its hips. 

 

“Most of these Markion can make out of copper, as that has better heat dispersion than bronze, iron or pewter. Though, I would prefer them to be glass.” I told Darius, who sighed, shaking his head. 

“Glass is expensive. It is why so few buildings have glass windows and, instead, use wooden shutters. Here it is called Arcanium glass, which is made using a mixture of crushed Arcanium crystal and sand.” Darius said, pointing to the surrounding buildings. 

“Was that why the alchemy kit with its glass retort was so expensive? Why was it Arcanium glass and not normal glass? Arcanium is the crystal that forms a Mana crystal by absorbing mana. Does that mean Arcanium glass also absorbs mana?”

“Arcanium glass can withstand moderate amounts of mana. It is used because it won’t shatter if a spell is cast at it, and can also withstand some physical damage. Think of it like magical bullet proof glass. It can be destroyed if you try hard enough, but it isn’t easy.” Noctus chimed in, and I flushed, not having realized I’d been speaking my thoughts aloud. 

“We’ve a craftsman who is learning to work with glass, but,” Darius began, only for Noctus to cut him off.

“He is shit at it and refuses to admit it.” The vampire grumbled, looking annoyed. “Ivan is my cousin, and an utter pain in the ass. If he wasn’t family, I’d have never let him join the guild. Ivan is a player, so has this sense of superiority with digital’s like us, but he hasn't done anything serious enough to be given the boot aside from being annoying. If I kick him out just for that, it would set a bad precedent.” 

“Oh,” looking down at the book I held, I flipped it shut and put away my charcoal pen, feeling a little lost for words. 

The scent of horses, and more notably the scent of manure, wafted across my senses, as did the faint sound of neighing. Rounding a corner, I saw a large elongated building with a yard beside it where dozens of horses and other animals were corralled into dozens of pens. 

“This is the saddle maker's workshop, and over there is the eastern stable.” Darius said, pointing to a smaller building to our right and then towards the larger elongated building with the pens. 

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 “Does the stable sell horses?” I asked, looking at all the horses as we passed. 

“No, horses are sold at the stock auctions or bought from breeders. You might find a wild one, and can tame it, but because of the dense population on the continent, most wild horses have already been domesticated. If you are looking to get a horse, then I suggest you ask Yuki to go with you to buy one. She is a tamer, and can help you pick out a good one.” Darius suggested as we entered the saddler's store. 

“How much do horses cost?” 

“You’ll be lucky to find one under a thousand gold. Most are upwards of five thousand.” 

“You can get a donkey for three hundred gold, it would be about the right size for you.” Noctus suggested with a sly smile, and I contemplated whacking him over the head with the book I still carried. 

“Ah, customers, what brings you to my store this evening? Looking to fit your mount for a new saddle?” A burly older man with balding gray hair asked as he entered the store from a door at the rear of the room. 

“Hello sir, I am looking for some protective equipment, eye protection and a mask.” I said, approaching the man, who smiled warmly at our group and gestured to a small display past a rack of bridles. 

“Got yourself a flying mount, do ya? Well, these goggles are made with the finest leather, and clear quartz with no impurities to disrupt your vision. I’ve these here which are just standard eyewear with no enchanting, and then these over here which come with anti fogging, and a night seeing enchantment. As for masks, these are all I have. If you are looking for something prettier, then Mavis’s Marvelous Masks should be where you’ll find what yer looking for. You can also find a larger variety of eyewear at Elmers eyewear, as they both be the ones who own these items here. I sell these few on their behalf.” 

“Hmm, well, I’ll just take a pair of standard goggles for now and these two black cloth masks. If I need something more than these, I will certainly visit those stores. Thank you sir,” I said, smiling as I followed the older man back to the counter with the items, where Darius paid a total of 2 gold and four copper. 

“Onward, to the herbalist shop.” I exclaimed as soon as we exited the saddler’s store, much to the amusement of the two men accompanying me. 

The herbalist shop was easy to identify. Surrounded by lush gardens was a two story high cottage style building with bundles of drying plants hanging from the roof of the front facing upper balcony. More plants hung in bundles from the roof of the store, leaving not a single inch of the ceiling bare. Glass jars lined floor to ceiling shelves along each wall, and three aisles of crates ran from the door towards the counter at the rear of the room. The overwhelming scent of dirt and plant-life filled the store, causing my nose to twitch as I fought the urge to sneeze. 

“Kadia,” placing a hand on my shoulder, Darius leaned down to murmur in my ear. 

“Many of the plants here can be found locally, and they are rumored to over charge. You can put up a request for any plants you need in the guild hall so you don’t need to buy them from here.” 

Ears drooping, I nodded, pulling away from the guild leader to head towards the corner of the room where various tools were displayed. The first thing I picked up was a basic stone mortar and pestle, which I handed to Darius to carry towards the counter as the shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen. Next, I moved to the knives that were laid out on a roll of leather. The basic set contained three knives, while the other sets contained twelve knives ranging from a small paring knife to a large blade shaped like a crescent. There were also sets which contained a mixture of knives made from different metals, and recalling the grimoires notes about retorts made using different metals affecting the potency of materials being distilled, I guessed the same must be true when cutting herbs and plants.

In the end, I chose a set of three iron knives for three gold and made a mental note to get Marcus to replicate the better sets. There was no point in wasting gold on those more expensive sets when my brother could make them. I also found a nice pair of leather gloves and an apron with pockets sewn onto the front, which I carried to the counter. 

“My apologies for the delay, good customers. I was detangling some viper vines downstairs and got a little tangled up myself.” A tall, slender elven man said as he appeared behind the counter.

 

“I am Bo, of Bo’s Botanical. What can I help you with this evening?” 

Bo? His name is Bo? That doesn’t sound very elf like. Shaking my head to refocus my thoughts, I greeted the shop owner with a smile. 

“I am Kadia, of the Eternia guild. I would like to purchase these items,” I said, mimicking the man's introduction and gesturing at the items on the counter. 

“Of course. Are you planning to follow the path of a herbalist or potioneer? Might I recommend my Bo’s herbalist kit? It contains a set of shears, a hoe, spade, fork, pruning knife, linen collection bags and five storage jars. The cost is ten gold, but if you fulfill a few gathering requests for me, I shall offer you a discount of three gold.” Bo said, pulling out a canvas satchel. 

Strapped to the outside of the bag were the tools the elf had mentioned. Pulling back the flap, I saw five jars made of clay and a bundle of folded cloth sacks. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I glanced up to see Darius shake his head. In response to his gesture, I closed the flap of the bag, and pushed it back towards the shop owner with a polite smile. 

“No thank you, just these items for now.” 

“For the mortar and pestle, knives, gloves and apron it will be eleven gold.” Bo said, his smile losing some of its brightness. 

As Darius paid, I put the items away in my satchel and, after giving the rows of herbs a mournful glance, I followed the two men out of the herbalist shop. 

“What a fucking rip off, ten gold for those shoddy tools and bag? That shit isn’t worth even two gold. I know people said he was expensive, but I didn’t know it was that bad.” Noctus hissed the moment we reached the street. 

Shocked by the vampire's sudden outburst, I jerked to the side and almost crashed into Darius, who reached out a hand to steady me. 

“From what I’ve heard, all three of the herbalist shops in the city are just as bad.” Darius said with a shake of his head. “I think I remember seeing a potter's stall near the end of the second street. So we can order the jars you wanted from there.” Darius suggested, getting a lazy nod of acknowledgment from Noctus. 

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, as we continued down the brightly lit street back toward the market.

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