Mageblood

by Christopher Johns

  Mona carefully kept her distance, easily facilitated by Ori fawning over her with guffawing pride while she explained what had happened over and over. He made her promise to come to the forge so that she could swing a hammer for him. I didn’t know if that was an invitation to try crafting, but if it was, that would be great.

  The other smiths tried to arm wrestle Sundar, who laughed loudly as she won some and lost others, getting sloshed as it happened.

  It was well into the morning by game time, but only around noon our time. But surprisingly, I didn’t feel hungry at all. Not physically. Though the bar manager—his stated title, not mine—kept passing me pretzels that tasted delicious with this cheese dip that reminded queso mixed with a hint of mustard for a little tang. It wasn’t anything like what my tias made when the family got together, but it was something.

  By the end of the night, I had the Sloshed Debuff and had to be carried to a nearby inn that the smiths were all too happy to pay for.

  It felt like I was really drunk and tired, but I knew I could go on. As soon as I was on the bed, a prompt came up.

  Would you like to get some rest on this bed until daybreak in 4 hours, 34 minutes, and 23 seconds?

  Yes? / No?

  I hit yes and knew nothing for a little while, then a blaring alarm made my eyes open as I smacked my head to try and stop it.

  “It’s a doozy,” a soft voice stated from across the small room.

  I was on the bed, taking up the majority of it, enough room for the bed, a wash basin, and a chair in the corner by the closed door. In said chair, sat Albarth.

  “Hey.” He waved as I sat up on my elbows and addressed him. “What’s up?”

  “Last night was fun, but we can’t let it go to our heads.” Albarth frowned and put a hand under his chin, staring out the window. There wasn’t much light, so he blended in well. “Not to mention, Monami’s plight.”

  “I thought she was acting weirdly, what’s going on?”

  He graced me with a thoughtful glance before his chest heaved with the weight of his sigh. “You truly are clueless.”

  “What?” I blinked, grimacing at the newest Debuffs I had.

  Hungover – Sounds and lights are more intense than usual. Food and water will help to curb this.

  No time limit? I groaned inwardly. Better get the ingredients to get rid of it fast.

  “She’s so in love with you, and yet you’ve never once acknowledged it.” Al pressed quietly. “Seeing you with someone else last night hurt her, Ky.”

  I blinked, sorting through the emotions going through my head. I knew she treated me differently than other men. We had both dated other people and never really seemed to find anyone who lasted very long, but me? Come on.

  “And how would you know that?” I challenged him as I sat further up onto the bed. “We’ve been best friends our whole lives, I see her almost every day. She’s like a sister to me.”

  “And being on the inside of those attentions would blind anyone.” He insisted angrily, smacking his hands together, making me wince at the noise. “She adores you. You’re the one who she tries to find in whomever she chooses someone as a prospective date, and they always fall short. They never come close.”

  “Again, how do you know?” I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands tiredly.

  “Because I’ve lived in her shoes,” he whispered quietly and sat back. “We hadn’t known each other since conception like the two of you have, but we had known each other for some time.

  “We were so close that what I felt, that love, was as much a part of me as it was to breathe. But I always shied away from asking her hand because I didn’t want our relationship to change. Then, one day as if out of the blue, a man came along and swept her off her feet in a whirlwind of romance and passion.”

  His normally posh, prim British voice turned bitter. “He left her when he found someone else he fancied more when it was no longer new with her. Her first true love gone, leaving her jilted, and broken. She hid away from the world, and nothing I did, nothing anyone did, could heal her wounded heart.”

  His lip trembled softly. “Until she decided to let go.”

  I reached out and put my hand on his, his eyes thick with unshed tears met mine as I said, “That’s why you heal in-game. It’s why you retreat here.”

  He nodded once, whipped his hand across his eyes haphazardly, and stood suddenly. “I would save one of my dearest friends that same fate—this same bitterness. If not both of you.”

  “It’s a game, Al,” I tried to reason with him, but he held up a hand. “She’s not real.”

  “It doesn’t feel that way, does it?” He touched the pine door frame gingerly. “Her lips were purple fire, as colored as her attire, but when I watched and saw her face, all I saw—desire. Mona loves you, my boy. And no matter the dalliance, virtual or otherwise, it hurts her every time.”

  He made to leave, but stopped, glancing over his shoulder. “If it helps, I’ve seen you taking note of her in the last day. I don’t know what has changed, but if there is yet an ember of hope for the two of you not to follow in my frozen footsteps, I would see the flames fanned. This conversation never happened.”

  Then he was gone.

  I stood and contemplated what he had said, then decided it was in my best interest to put it aside, for now, and try to do what I could. I could talk to her at home, maybe. The thought sent wild thrills up my spine, and I shook myself out to get my head back.

  I washed my face, my avatar feeling refreshed, then did the rest of my body too. I took my time and eventually wandered out into the common room. A server waved me to a table, explaining that the smiths had even bought breakfast for us and that I was the last one to wake up.

  Breakfast was decent, and the water was divine. Once I had it all down, my hangover debuff had a countdown timer added to it of half an hour. That wasn’t terrible. I would definitely be going to visit Ophira before I went to see about any weapons training, that could prove disastrous and humiliating.

  I opened up the chat settings, seeing there was an option for party chat, it was basically the equivalent of a whisper, it was just that the whole party would get it.

  —P/ Hey guys, I’m going to go do a quest for Codgy; I’ll share it with you now. What’s everyone else doing?—

  I took a moment to share the quest with the others, then it took a couple of minutes before anyone responded, but Sundar did first.

  —P/ Party chat? This game is unreal. Thanks for the optional quest! I’m working on mastering Gage’s sword… techniques. So, if anyone needs me, I’ll mark my location and send it to you all. He has some masters lined up for us, so try to be here before it gets too late. Ciao!—

  —P/ God, you horn dog, do you ever get the urge to not enlighten us to your lecherous ways? I’m with the smiths discussing terms with Monami and seeing if that delivery yesterday counts. We will be together for a while, so let us know if you need anything.—

  Albarth being with her was no surprise. I could only hope that he wasn’t trying to do damage control with her for my supposed stupidity.

  I did care about her and seeing her in the light that I had been lately was nice, but at the same time—terrifying. I couldn’t tell if she was subconsciously using an ability from the game, like me with Evil Eyes, and with that uncertainty, was what I felt real, or her using her Allure.

  Until I knew for sure, I couldn’t think about trying anything with her. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. And the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings.

  Trusting that she was going to be okay, I went off to find Ophira’s place.

  It was south of the inn that I had spent the night in, which was conveniently just outside the Fire Square by a block or two. The city had begun to wake with the sun, and soon I had to fight the tide of citizens on their way to work. It wasn’t hard; many of them seemed a little startled by my presence and acted as if they somehow instinctually knew I wasn’t one of them.
/>   After fifteen minutes of solid walking through all of that, I arrived at the bright green mark on my map shaped like a home with “Ophira” above it.

  The home was everything I had hoped for, loud colors that clashed like her outfit and several weird and oddly shaped windows with dyes and powders sparkling in the sunlight. It was beautiful. Chaotic. Amazing.

  And to top it all off, the name of her business was To Dye For. How was this anything less than divine providence? I sighed contentedly and tried the door, just as Ophira opened it. She wore a patchwork dress with swatches of different materials and colors that hugged her sleek form perfectly.

  “I had wondered if you would take your time or not.” She smiled and waved me inside, leaving the door open behind her.

  “What can I say?” I shook my head and took in the sights of her business, breathily adding, “I was dye-ing to see what you had to offer.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes closed as she chuckled at my poor attempt at a joke. “I am already growing fond of you.”

  “Good, because if this place is even a fraction of what you have to offer, you’ll be seeing a lot of me.” I slowly made my way from a section of bottles near the door that seemed color-coded, not by any sort of system other than shades of red in one area, then orange and the other colors all the way to matte colors that were amazing.

  “Well then, my new regular, allow me to be the one to share one of the secrets of my shop with you, and only you.” She closed the door behind her, locked it, then took my hand and led me to the center of the room. When I looked at her curiously, she pointed up to the top-most window in the room, where a single beam of light slid lazily toward a mirror. “This is my favorite part of the day.”

  As soon as the light met the mirror, a single beam split into thousands that hit the colored bottles and powders washing the walls and the air itself with different blends and shades of colors. Vibrant purples battled vicious reds, and pale blues serenaded radiant sunshine as the yellows blended with oranges and whites like fire.

  “How do you ever leave this wonder?” I asked her, unable to tear my eyes away. “How is the rest of the world not gray after this display of spectrum and vibrancy?”

  “Because there is a life to all color, and I will see it to where it belongs.” She took my hand and tugged at me, I looked down, and she looked up at me, breathless in her excitement. “It belongs everywhere, and that is my mission. To bring color like that to the rest of the world.”

  This was something I could stand behind, and was the perfect segue into what had spurred this visit in the first place. “Let me help you.”

  She smiled. “You just promised to become a customer, that is already a good start, Kyvir.”

  “No, I mean, I want to really help you.” She seemed a bit perplexed as she went to open the door once more. “Let me help you get some more business to this place and spread your work and wares far and wide.”

  She froze. “You have my attention.”

  “Codgy, the weaver who made these clothes, is colorblind,” I began inelegantly. “But my asking for some dyes sparked an interest in him. He’s asked me to see if I can find someone I trust to give him a fair price on good dyes that he can sell at his shop. If the sales go well for simple, base colors, he’s willing to promise to send them straight to you for better product and different shades. Even if they don’t sell right away, it’s likely to help because he can still send people to you.”

  “And what do you get out of this?” She turned and faced me contemplatively.

  “My friends and I won’t have to pay steeper prices if I fail.” I shrugged, then motioned to the room around us. “But most of all, I get to be as colorful as I feel I should be. And I can share that same sight you showed me to the world in my own way. Hell, if I could learn to make dyes like these, I would love nothing more.”

  She blinked at me. “You wish to take up a profession?”

  “Is a profession different from a job?” I raised an eyebrow. “Forgive my ignorance, please.”

  “A profession is like what I do as a dye maker, I create.” She motioned to the colors around us to land her point. “A job is something that a wanderer unlocks with a combination of their natural skills and some that they may be fortunate enough to acquire. Say, for instance, you had decent skill with tracking, ranged weapons, and survival tactics, you could develop a Forrester type job.”

  “I see, that makes sense.” I frowned deeply. “Is it that unheard of for a wanderer to want to take up a profession?”

  “My knowledge is based on myth and lore, but I suppose a wanderer can do whatever they like.” She shrugged but saw the confusion on my face. “Until recently, wanderers were a type of story that mothers would tell their children about as a bedtime tale. These beings who could die and come back, who would lead a fight against the demons before they took our planet and lives for their own twisted wants and desires.”

  There was the story that Mona would adore. I’d have to see if she knew that later.

  “No one believed it when the wanderers were prophesied to return, but sure enough, people began to fall from the sky as ignorant to our ways as newborn babes.” She scratched her head in thought. “Then one of the guards saw one fall in combat outside the gates, moments later she walked back out the same gate and went back to fighting the same creature she had fallen to before. The wanderers had returned, and now the rest of us are playing catch up and learning all of these things about all of you.”

  “We’re a lot to take in.” She nodded at my statement but said nothing more. “And as I’m sure a lot of you know, there are some of us who can be real… asses. I’m sorry, my answer is yes, I would love to learn what you do. I would happily train with you if I could.”

  “I would happily take you on.” She smiled sweetly. “On two conditions.”

  I raised my eyebrows as she thought, then smiled. “One, take me to this Codgy you speak of so that we can finalize a deal, and two if you find any rare ingredients for making dyes, you bring them to me. Is that a good deal?”

  “Hell, yes, it is!” I blurted and went to shake her hand.

  “This is a wanderer thing?” She looked at my hand as if I was being odd, and I almost took it back before she grasped it with both of hers. “I’m only kidding.”

  Open Quest received - Ophira has agreed to make you her apprentice (training to be decided) provided you take her to Codgy and bring her any rare materials you might find that could be used to make dyes. This quest has one portion that is ongoing. Good luck!

  “You really have to stop doing that.” I rolled my eyes, and she stepped behind the counter for a moment, then came back with a colorful sign that said, “Be back whenever.”

  “Let’s go and see this Codgy.” She grinned at me, then we were off.

  Using my map, I was able to find my way to Codgy’s place easily enough. When we walked in, he was dealing with a couple of other wanderers, the larger brute of an orc who had shoved his way through the citizens on my first day in-game like a jerk. He had another guy with him, a troll with gray-green hair slicked back over his head, and both still wore their starter clothes.

  “How about you give us seventy percent off the price, and we let you off with just a warning?” The gangly troll asked. “Since we were so nice as to bring you the pelts that you were too lazy to go get yourself?”

  “I told you what my price was, the quest was filled already, and I don’t need them.” Codgy growled, his foot still pumping lightly as his hands moved deftly along his spinning. “If you don’t like it, leave.”

  “Make us.” The orc growled, red energy flaring to life around him, cloying the air and snaking toward Codgy.

  “Hey, Codgy!” I greeted in a chipper tone as I stepped closer. The aura died down immediately before touching Codgy, and he looked relieved to see me.

  “He’s busy, runt, scram.” The troll waved a hand without even looking at me, but the orc did.

  “Yeah, scram, or get
pancaked.” The voice sounded familiar, and the aura looked that way too, but I couldn’t quite place them.

  “Fighting isn’t allowed in the city outside sanctioned duels, or in the training grounds.” Ophira crossed her arms.

  The troll turned around, his long, crooked nose jutting out, sharpened teeth gnashing in disgust, and his black eyes eyeing us both seemed unperturbed.

  “I said, scram.” A sickly green aura that looked like the visual identity of the scent of rotten eggs washed over me.

  Fear spell resisted

  I crossed my arms in front of me and tapped my foot, before spreading my arms. “I’m not going anywhere while my friend is being threatened. So, you can either get out, or we can go to the training grounds where your magic won’t work on me anyway.”

  “We can take you right here, right now.” The orc growled as he took a menacing step forward, but a meaty hand wrapped around the back of his neck, and Codgy stood up. He touched the troll on the shoulder with a grimace, then smiled menacingly.

  “The two of you are banned from my establishment,” Codgy’s voice took on a steely edge, and the two men flew across the room and out the door. I had to dodge to the side to miss getting hit.

  They landed with a crash that I heard from the inside and went to go see what was going on, but before I could step out, a small hand grabbed my wrist.

  “They sealed their fate,” Ophira warned, looking me dead in the eyes. “They will likely grow violent, and with them trying to threaten crafters, they’ll be receiving a city-wide ban momentarily as soon as—there it is.”

  “They’ve been banned by every crafter in the city.” Codgy clapped me on the shoulder with one of his huge hands. “Can’t even enter their establishments, and any of the merchant squares will have guards who recognize their names.”

  “How can that be possible?” I asked in wonder.

  “We can see their names once they enter our shops, that way our dealings are fair, and the second they use harmful magic or abilities, they’re subject to the Trade Accords and violating them has severe consequences, as you now see.” Ophira smiled, her sharp canines catching more of the light before they began to scream and shout about not being able to come in.