Second Skin: Fractures

by M Damon Baker

  I placed the carved ivy next to my Token of Grace, and the two pieces suddenly began vibrating gently in my hands. A faint blue glow, formerly only visible while the token was in my backpack, surrounded both pieces. I felt the two carvings gently pulling towards each other in my hands, softly at first, but then slowly growing stronger and more insistent. As they guided my hands together, the two pieces connected with a soft ‘click.’

  Quest completed — You have completed the hidden quest, Uniter. You have found the second piece of the unknown Ancient Symbol and joined the two together. Find the rest of the pieces and complete the Pendant to finish this Quest. For completing the first part of this Quest, you have been rewarded with 550 XP.

  Quest Assigned – Uniter II. Use the two joined pieces to help you locate the next part of the Ancient Symbol. Once you find it, join the pieces together.

  Although I hadn’t called up my notifications, my UI had opened and displayed the two messages in front of me. I found the situation very disconcerting, but when nothing else happened, I looked at the two tokens in my hand that were then joined as one.

  The carved rose had attached itself to the delicate ivy carving and was perched on the smooth green tendrils of vine looking as if it had always been there. Had I not seen the two separated, I would have never known that it was not a single work of art, and as I examined the symbol, a description of the ivy carving appeared.

  Minor Token of Insight – This charm increases the wearer’s Wisdom by one point. This effect is permanent until the token is given away freely or sold willingly.

  Interestingly, the description mirrored the one of the Token of Grace, save that it offered a bonus to Wisdom instead of Charisma. I replaced the token around my neck again and on an impulse, opened my Inventory once more.

  Ancient Symbol, Soul Bound

  Minor Token of Grace

  Minor Token of Insight

  Although the individual pieces that now made up the Symbol were identified, the Symbol itself remained a mystery to me, and while I would have liked to have been able to say I was surprised that the Symbol had become soul bound to me, I truly wasn’t. It just felt right somehow, not unexpected. So, with a sigh of resignation, I closed the window.

  I was exhausted, and with nothing more that I could do that night, I undressed and plopped down onto the bed, not even bothering to put on my nightdress. I simply drew the covers around me and fell fast asleep almost before my head was on the pillow.

  34

  Morning greeted me with the ringing sound of metal crashing against metal, and I shot out of bed to locate the source of the racket. When I peered out through the window slats, I could make out a shop next to the inn, and although I couldn’t tell what sort of business it was, it apparently involved the loud banging that woke me. Since there was no way I was going to be getting any more sleep with all that noise, I reluctantly decided to get dressed for the day.

  I gathered together most of my gear and left only my bow and quiver behind; I did grab my backpack since I had two of Jorum’s daggers to sell and the ring and third dagger that I wanted to have identified. Once I went downstairs and entered the packed common room, it took a few moments for me to locate Stel and Khorim settling down for breakfast before I was able to wind my way through the many tables and sit down beside them.

  “Venna already off to see the Abbott?” I asked Stel as I took my seat.

  “Aye,” Khorim answered for him, as Stel was chewing on an overly-large mouthful of food. “And before you ask, Broda is sleeping late.”

  I nodded in response to Khorim’s statement and let him return to his relentless assault on his breakfast.

  A waitress stopped by and placed a large platter in front of me, along with a steaming cup of dark tea. Although I hadn’t ordered anything, she departed before I could say a word.

  “They only serve the house special for breakfast,” Stel explained, once he managed to swallow the tremendous mouthful he had been working on. “You sit down; they bring it. There’s no need to place an order.”

  “Thanks for the info,” I replied.

  “No offense, Stel,” I said as I watched him load up another humongous forkful of food. “But I thought elves were a bit more... delicate in their eating habits?” While I had seen Stel consume many meals, I had never observed him eating in the gluttonous fashion he was that morning.

  Khorim’s raucous laughter in response to my question startled me, and as I looked back at Stel, he had an almost sheepish look that I hadn’t thought possible for the always-composed elf.

  “You’ve stumbled on his secret,” Khorim said between his continued hearty laughs. “He puts on a good show when the missus is around, but the only way he can maintain all that muscle is to eat like a half-starved worg when she’s not looking.”

  Stel looked completely mortified. Although he hadn’t seemed concerned only a moment ago, his embarrassment had only surfaced once I knew it was a sore spot for him. I thought that I might ease his discomfort and help myself at the same time.

  “Stel, my dear friend,” I began sweetly. “I wouldn’t dream of telling a certain someone of your indiscretion.”

  His eyes narrowed as he sensed the trap that I was setting for him.

  “Maybe you could return the favor and help me out with something as well?” I finished, closing the noose around his neck.

  “What is it you want?” He inquired hesitantly.

  “I have a couple of items I can’t identify,” I said, as I lowered my voice to avoid being overheard. “I believe they may be enchanted. I was hoping that you might know someone who could help me with that.”

  A look of relief instantly spread over his face. The favor I had asked of him was something that I knew he would have done for me anyway—I was only having a little bit of fun at his expense, and he realized it.

  “Of course,” he replied. “Once we are finished here, I will introduce you to a friend of mine at the bazaar who should be able to help you.”

  As Khorim, Stel, and I finished our breakfast, Stel somehow managed to consume the rest of his meal in a somewhat more dignified manner, although he did ask for my leftovers once I was full. When we were done and ready to head for the bazaar, Broda still hadn’t come down, so Khorim begged off our trip to the markets in favor of returning upstairs.

  “Stel,” I asked as he guided us through the streets towards the bazaar, “I also have a pair of decent daggers to sell. Would your friend be interested in those as well?”

  “She’s more inclined towards information rather than merchandise,” he replied. “But I know someone else who would be.”

  When we reached the bazaar, I followed Stel closely as he wound his way through the tightly-packed carts and stalls. Then, when we arrived at our destination, he ushered me into a small, covered pavilion.

  “Hello, my friend,” a small woman greeted us as we stepped inside. “What can I do for you this day? Or is it your associate here who is in need of my services?”

  The woman who had spoken sat on the floor behind a small platform. In front of the platform were several cushions that had obviously been placed there as seating for her customers while she conducted her business. Stel immediately sat down on one of the plush cushions, and I followed his lead. But when I attempted to take a measure of the woman that was in front of me, I came up completely short.

  She looked neither young nor old, and while she was quite petite, her features gave away nothing about her origins. She could have been anything from a halfling to a short human or elf. Her indistinct features left no clues, and I had the distinct impression that this was precisely her intent.

  “My friend,” Stel said gesturing to me. “Has some items in need of identification.”

  “Show them to me, dear. Let me see what I can find out,” she bid me as she gestured at the small platform.

  I withdrew the dagger and ring from my backpack and placed them on the platform in front of her. She took up the dagger first and
turned it over in her hands a few times while she examined it closely and then placed it back on the platform, gesturing for me to pick it up.

  “You should be able to see for yourself now,” she simply said.

  I did as she told me, and when I took the dagger in my hand, I immediately received a prompt.

  Dagger of Laceration — Wounds inflicted by this blade have a bonus damage-over-time bleed effect.

  That was quite a nasty weapon, with a rather vicious property that Jorum had no doubt used in the most heinous of ways.

  My immediate thought was to sell the blade as quickly as possible, to rid myself of its vile taint—then I thought better of it. I considered that the better route would be to keep it and to use its enchantment in my pursuit of vengeance. The idea appealed to me since it would be a bit of poetic justice indeed to turn the magic of this blade against the very sort of criminal scum who had once used it for evil purposes. Once I made my decision, I slipped the dagger back into my pack and returned my attention to the woman who was now examining the ring.

  She held the small silver band between two fingers and appeared to be looking through it. Then she shifted the ring into her palm, clutched the band tightly in her hand, and closed her eyes as she began to softly utter a few words. When she’d finished with her brief chant, she opened her eyes again and placed the ring back on the platform between us. Without speaking this time, she simply gestured for me to pick it up, and when I did, I received another notification.

  Ring of the Bulwark — Increases all Armor and Armor-related Skills and Abilities by 10%

  While that bonus might be slightly useful for me, I could think of someone else who would benefit from it even more. With the ring still in my hand, I held it out towards Stel and offered it to him.

  “This is better suited to you, Stel,” I said as I dropped the band into his palm.

  He looked at the ring for a moment before slipping it onto his finger, and his eyes popped open in surprise as the item’s true nature was revealed to him.

  While I certainly would have benefitted from its magic, as a back-line damage dealer, the added armor bonus was not a real need for me. Stel, on the other hand, was our group’s front-line defender—his primary need truly was armor, and he would benefit greatly from its boons. Besides, any boost I could give him in that regard would benefit our entire party as well, so once I knew the ring’s properties, there really was no option for me other than to give it to him.

  “I don’t know if I can accept this, Dae,” Stel replied, obviously taken by surprise with my offer.

  “Not many Deathless are so generous, my friend. Do not reject her gift so quickly,” the merchant woman told him.

  My head whipped around, and I stared at her in surprise, but before I could say anything, she simply raised a hand to silence me.

  “Your kind are not so difficult to spot, at least not for me,” she explained. “What is truly rare is to find one so willing to treat us as equals. Your generosity with such a valuable item speaks well of you.”

  “Thank you,” I answered, somewhat mollified. “I appreciate your compliment, but I have to ask you to please keep your knowledge of me a secret. Not everyone is so open-minded as you are when it comes to the Deathless.”

  “Of course, dear,” she replied with a smile. “Discretion is my business, you know.”

  “I appreciate that,” I responded to her. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing, my dear,” she answered, as she waved me off. “The pleasure of meeting a Deathless of your character is sufficient enough for me, at least this time.”

  “That is certainly very kind of you,” I said in reply. “I will return if there is anything else I need identified. My name is Dreya, what shall I call you?”

  “Pleased to meet you, Dreya, I am called Ineth,” she informed me.

  It hadn’t escaped my attention that she had only said that she was ‘called’ Ineth, not that Ineth was her name. She was certainly doing an excellent job of maintaining an air of mystery about herself, and with all that I had been through, I had a certain appreciation of that. With our business concluded, we bid Ineth farewell and exited her pavilion. Once we were outside, Stel spoke to me again.

  “Dae, this ring… It is quite valuable. Are you sure you want to just give it to me?” He said, still somewhat incredulous.

  “Now that you mention it, no,” I replied. I only waited just a second before I continued, just to draw out his discomfort.

  “I have a simple question that I need you to answer for me. That will be my price,” I finally told him.

  “Of course. Anything I can tell you, I will.”

  “When we first met, you won all those bets with Khorim,” I began, and his eyes widened just a bit as he clearly became uncomfortable with where I was going. “Then later, you seemed to be able to anticipate my moods and impulses, even heading them off on occasion. How were you able to do all this?”

  He nodded at me but said nothing and only gestured for me to follow him away from the crowded street. Stel then led me out of the bazaar itself, and when we stopped on a narrow side street, he pulled me aside into a small alcove. After he glanced around quickly to make sure that we were alone, he finally spoke.

  “You’ve obviously noticed my... gift,” he began. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any discomfort, that was not my intention.”

  “Truly, I cannot explain other than to say it is something that has always been with me,” Stel continued. “Sometimes, without even trying, I just know things. Usually small facts or details about someone; only rarely is it ever anything of real consequence.”

  “So, you have no control over it?” I asked. “You can’t focus on someone and learn things about them?”

  “No, it doesn’t work like that,” he answered somberly. “When the knowledge comes to me, it comes on its own accord, unbidden.”

  “I have only ever told Venna this about me,” Stel continued. “Now, only you and she know, and I must implore you to keep my secret, as I will keep yours.”

  “I understand, and will not tell another soul, my friend,” I assured him.

  “And I trust that you will, I just had to say it,” he replied.

  “Good, now take me to your dagger-buyer and let’s finish our business here,” I replied, putting the matter behind us.

  Stel led me back through the bazaar again and brought me to another merchant friend of his. This time, the man’s shop was a large, open-air stall filled with all manner of weapons and even a few select pieces of armor. When we arrived, Stel slid up next to the shopkeeper and greeted him warmly.

  “Gorth!” Stel exclaimed. “It has been too long, my old friend.”

  But for his part, the merchant only turned and met Stel’s gaze with an angry glare.

  “You dare call me your ‘friend’ after what you did last time?” The shopkeeper growled back at him.

  “What? I… I don’t understand,” Stel stammered in confusion. “Nothing happened last time I saw you.”

  “That’s exactly what I mean!” Gorth replied as all traces of anger instantly vanished from his voice. “You didn’t even stop by for an ale with your old friend Gorth before wandering off to who-knows-where with that pretty wife of yours!”

  Gorth burst out a hearty laugh and I realized that I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed having a bit of fun at poor Stel’s expense. I couldn’t help but laugh at the joke, and after a moment even Stel relaxed and joined in on the fun.

  The two then spoke for a while, catching up with each other on all that had transpired since they had last been together. Most of what Stel related were the events that had occurred since I had joined the group. The little else he spoke of amounted to the Abbott giving Venna her quest and their fruitless search for the undead lair prior to me showing them its location.

  “So, did you just stop by to say hello, or is there something else I can do for you?” Gorth asked when they had finished speaking.

  “
I have these two daggers to sell,” I said, as I stepped forward and showed him the blades.

  Gorth took the blades from me and after only the barest glance at them, his eyes shot open in surprise.

  “I recognize these daggers,” he said as he stared at the weapons. “I heard there was a change in leadership with the Bloody Hearts, I just didn’t realize that you were involved, Stel.”

  “We were there, though I dare say my friend here was the party most responsible. Is that a problem?” Stel inquired cautiously.

  “No, quite the opposite as a matter of fact,” Gorth replied. “Jorum and his people have been, shall we say, bad for business. You did everyone a big favor getting rid of them. With him gone, things will be much better for us all.”

  “Even so,” I quickly interjected, “I would like my role in the matter to remain unknown.”

  “Say no more,” Gorth replied firmly. “No one will hear of it from me.”

  “Now, about these blades,” he continued. “They’re quality blades, of that there’s no doubt. Normally, I would offer you four Marks each for blades like this.”

  “But,” Gorth went on. “These are not just any old blades. Jorum was something of a notorious figure, and his daggers are quite recognizable. There’s no small number of people who would be interested in having these as a display in their collection.”

  I hadn’t even considered that as a possibility. The fact that someone would want Jorum’s blades for a collection hadn’t even crossed my mind.

  “I don’t honestly know what I will get for these, but I’m willing to offer you one Talon for each,” Gorth concluded. “Consider my offer both a premium and a small gesture of appreciation for ridding the city of that menace.”