Walking up the stairs, Abby grabbed the metal door handle and swung it open. A bell rang above the door frame, alerting whoever was managing the shop that they had a customer. Looking around, Abby couldn't help but wonder what kind of supplies the store sold. Underneath her nose, Abby was confident she got the undercurrents of thyme, rosemary, and fennel.
Scanning the shop, Abby didn't see anyone. That’s odd. They must have heard me. A cash register sat atop a counter in the back right-hand corner of the room. The register was unattended. Uncertain of what to do or how to proceed, Abby decided to enjoy her time and browse the wares.
On the left-hand side of the shop, Abby could see rows of pots, burners, vials, and measuring equipment. Likely for the brewing of potions or poisons. "It was a dark and morbid thought that she was particularly proud of having.
In the middle of the room was a wooden island. The island was covered in jars. Some of the jars larger than most with exotic looking plants inside, but mostly the jars were odd assortments of different ingredients in varying degrees of small doses. Abby, not one to waste an opportunity, began sifting through them using her copper gauntlet to supplement her natural abilities as an Engineer to automate some of the processes. Trying as she might to guess by sight and smell what was inside each before using her skills to relay the information directly to her.
When finished combing through the jars, no one had still come out to greet her. Uncomfortable in the shop and uncomfortable with being unattended for so long, Abby shouted out, "Hello? Is anyone there? I'm just looking through a few things but need to talk to someone when you have a minute. Thank you!."
Abby waited a minute, listening, but heard nothing before turning her attention to a small bound leather bag. It was labeled as "Protection" from the dark. Putting her gauntlet over it, Abby examined the satchel closer, thinking perhaps it was time for a personal upgrade.
The sealed bag was revealed to be full of dried rowan berries, pieces of shaved oak, lavender flowers, sandalwood, and a single iron nail. Abby grabbed the bag if nothing else it was an interesting bit of potpourri she could use to freshen up her quarters once she secured lodging for herself.
"A good choice." Said a voice from the register. Abby jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Her heart beating in uncommon fear as she looked up to see the man who had so stealthily snuck up to the counter without making a single noise.
With a gasp, the bag landed harmlessly on the ground. Abby ignored it as she focused on the man, an innate inner sense screaming at her to be careful. The man himself was hard to judge, wearing an oversized grey robe that revealed very little about his stature. How oddly form concealing. Something is off about him. His arms were folded into the excess cloth of the robe.
The man’s face though what caused her the most concern. The man's face was obscured by a polished and bronze mask, gilded on the sides with gold trim, the mask itself set into the visage of a smiling face. To Abby, the mask seemed to imply something sinister.
Abby's eyes narrowed as her heart steadied. Noticing that her gauntlet was shining with the purple energy of the Arcane. An almost hungry thrumming. Is he a monster? What's going on?
"Who are you?" Abby demanded of the shopkeeper, getting close but not too close. Trying to keep a respectable distance, even as she closed the gap between them. On an instinctual level, Abby understood that the shopkeeper was not at all what he was presented to be.
The man looked at her and looked at the satchel which had fallen on the floor. "Please do not damage the merchandise. If you are not buying the item, return it promptly to its display location."
"Who are you, shopkeeper?" Replied Abby, not moving, her voice was bearing the edges of the authority of an Engineer and a Silverblood-hero.
The shopkeepers mask warped, the expression changing from the upturned smile to a pulled inward face of anger. "Please, return the item to its display or purchase the item." Replied the shopkeeper, ignoring Abby's question.
"Not until you tell me who you are. I'm looking for someone." Returned Abby, her posture defiant and unwavering. Preparing herself for the man to lash out.
The man's face mask twisted again, this time into an angry snarl. Iron bars descended on the windows with a loud crash as an oversized and heavy board sealed the entrance shut, slamming into place. This is bad.
"The store is now closed. You seem to be trespassing." The man said in a flat voice, even as the abrupt changes in the situation appeared blatantly hostile.
Above Abby’s head, an internal alarm began ringing, and the shopkeeper advanced menacingly towards Abby. Not one to wait for a bad situation to get worse. Abby put her hands on the central island, deconstructing the wood even as the jars fell to the ground. Most of them remained intact.
Before even the first jar had landed on the ground, Abby was able to condense the wood upon itself, forming a harden core club that she wielded in her hands. Her copper gauntlet was blazing with purple light the closer the shopkeeper got.
A grey and leathery hand reached out to grab hold of her, but Abby was too fast for the shopkeeper to catch her. He is a monster. What is that? A talon? A ghouls hand? She stepped away. The time for talking was past and slammed her newly created club down on the shopkeeper's arm.
A dull breaking sound could be heard, but the shopkeeper didn't make a sound. Instead, he held the broken arm close to his body and kept after her, completely undeterred by the broken bones. Abby felt her heart fluttering as she pushed back against her fear. The energy pulsing from the gauntlet was overflowing and flooding the weapon in her hand with arcane energy.
As the shopkeeper tried to grab her again, Abby swung the club sideways at the man. The arcane energy imbued within the club, leaving a trailing of purple haze as it slammed into the man, knocking him over onto his stomach. Landing near soundlessly on the floor.
“Don't dare try to touch me," Abby yelled at the man, her voice hard and angry. Hoping to get answers from the man. "Who are you? What exactly are you?”
The man ignored her. The broken hand reverted to normal with a grinding click. The shopkeeper began to push himself up with his hands off of his stomach. A ring of dark crimson energy beginning to roll up and down his body.
Abby involuntarily recoiled at the violent aura radiating off the thing masquerading as a man before hardening her resolve. I will not quit. Gripping the club in both hands, Abby swung down before it could pick itself up. Meaning to hit the monster upside the head and only knock it unconscious while she searched for answers..
Instead, Abby's club passed through the monster and its robes. Striking the floor as the monster became wholly enveloped in a purple light before collapsing into a pile of dust. A trail of paper traveling from the pile of dust, straight into Abby’s gauntlet.
"Oh gods, What have I done?” Abby thought, her stomach turning in horror as the things dead essence strengthened her. A thought which was replaced by information fed to her directly from the gauntlet as it absorbed the fractures of the creature left in the dust at its death. She had destroyed a homunculus.
Chapter 16: To Pay A Debt
"I was afraid I would find things like this after hearing the sounds of a commotion and the alarm going off." Said a masculine voice that Abby didn’t recognize. She turned to face to where the voice had originated from. The club at the ready in her hands as she saw a man pushing his way through the privacy curtain that separated the storefront from the rest of the building. Abby couldn't help but cringe as she saw the horrified stares the man was giving as he examined the damages to the store.
This looks like it is going to end in another fight. What's wrong with these people here in Quincy. Abby groaned nervously. The man's presence rattled her. Abby was feeling less powerful then she had moments earlier when she had destroyed the homunculus. The purple energy of the arcane that had pulsed through her weapon had dissipated. Disappearing along with a sizable portion of her own strength. Abby took some comfort in the absence of the enchant
ing glow of purple from her gauntlet. The lack of glowing enchantment letting her know at least that the man before her was human.
"You knew that monster that tried to attack me, didn’t you?" Asked Abby, her voice harsh with accusation as she processed his words. She narrowed her eyes in hostility, glaring at the man as she started to slowly stand up. Never for even a second taking her gaze from the man. Perhaps he’ll decide to let things go.
"It wouldn’t have attacked you. It would have dragged you by the scruff of your neck and tossed you out into the street like the trespasser you were being." The man glanced at her copper gauntlet and the emblem of the Masons Guild upon her uniform. The man’s demeanor abruptly changed towards her. His eyes reflected with an equally hostile look.
His voice rose in anger. "A dog of the Empire is it? Come to fetch me? Come to finally finish old business and send me off? Hmph, maybe not. They must have thought I've grown old, soft, and senile, sending a mere pup to come after me." What is he talking about?
The man pulled himself up, his body telegraphing violence. Radiating a wave of anger that rolled off of him. He’s trying to scare me... Abby had no intention of being intimidated by the man. Prepared to meet him head-on in a fight if necessary, though it was not her preference.
Seeing that she wasn’t running away, the man raised his hands and clenched his fists ready to brawl. The muscles of his arm bulging. The skin of his arms was tanned and leathery. The linen shirt he was wearing was tight against a barrel chest stained with marks of grey with black soot marks among marrings. An indicator of both his trade and a hint towards a slovenly nature.
Abby found the man's face hard to read. His expressions partially obscured by the trimmed beard covering his bottom jaw. He had a scar above his right eye where it seemed the skin had healed from the eyebrow to the forehead where the skull had been split. That looks like it was a terrible wound.
"Well, kid, it seems that you insist on a beating so before I put the hurt on you. Take a moment to talk me out of it, explain just what exactly you think you're doing in my shop. Explain why you're wrecking my things trying to steal from me." The man asked his voice, dropping some of its hostility, even as the anger remained. Maybe he is reasonable.
Abby responded to the question. She was equal parts irritated and mad. "I didn't steal anything I was browsing, waiting on somebody to show up. Did you not hear the bell go off?"
Ignoring her question, the man replied with one of his own. "Did you not see the sign saying the shop was closed? You had no business browsing my store. It was closed. "
Sheepishly Abby admitted she had not, in fact, read the sign or realized the shop was closed. It wasn’t something that Abby wanted to admit. It was a shortcoming of having lived a relatively sheltered life.
"So let me get this straight." The man challenged. "You waltzed into my shop without paying any attention to the fact that it's closed. You then proceed to destroy the homunculus that I've trained and programmed to run and guard the shop in my absence. The homunculus I depend on to manage things while I work to repair equipment and brew potions, and you want to get an attitude with me?
Abby stuttered, unsure of how to respond. The man’s argument had merit, and it made her feel stupid. “I guess so, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to cause a problem.”
The man signed, relaxing as he dropped both his arms and his guard. "Not a dog of the Empire than just a dumb kid. Here grab that broom over there against the wall and start sweeping some of this stuff up. Just focus on the pieces of glass. I’m going to save what I can of the ingredients and components. Don’t even think of saying no. It's the very least you can do to try and make right this mess you’ve made. For your sake, I hope the bill for damages won’t be too much."
"What do you mean bill for the damages?" Asked Abby, her face growing pale. "I didn’t do anything wrong. It was that thing that attacked me. I don’t even think I have any money on me. I might be able to scrounge up a little bit to pay you if I have time, but I didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t my fault.”
The man stared at her with a look of incredulous indignation his face and shook his head. "It’s definitely your fault that half my store is wrecked, and I doubt you can just go and gather up all the money to pay for it. Just help me clean up all these pieces and scavage what we can. After I can inventory the damage, I can go ahead and give you an accurate quote."
Cowed, dejected, and feeling guilty about possibly ruining the man's livelihood, Abby went to grab the broom. I really messed up. The weight of guilt hanging heavy on her shoulders as she told the man, "I’m sorry." As she started to sweep up the dust and the broken glass.
The old man watched her clean up. Keeping his eyes on what she was doing, occasionally stopping her to grab something she was about to sweep up. The man took his time to look through all the components on the floor. Seemingly more concerned with making sure she didn’t accidentally touch what was dangerous or poisonous to the touch. For all of his bluster, he’s being pretty considerate.
Overall for Abby, it was tedious and hard work. Work that took hours before they were finally finished recovering the components that could be saved. When the floor was finally clean, Abby made the mistake of thinking the task at hand was all done.
Putting the broom back against the wall, Abby slumped down tired into the chair to rest. The older man shook his head. "You’re not done yet. I can see that gauntlet on your hand. I know what that means. At the very least, you can fix the island you destroyed. Those aren’t cheap to replace."
"I guess I can," Abby admitted in agreement, wondering why she hadn’t thought to do so already. Though she had always wanted to be an Engineer, much of this was new to her. Abby put her hands on the hardened club she had made from the island. Steadily she unwound the material that had been condensed to harden the wood, widening and expanding as she converted it into a more malleable form.
As she held the gauntlet over where the island had been, the gauntlet began to glow. The purple energy of the arcane glowing, synthesizing with the blood in her veins, amplifying her power. In her mind, she envisioned the island as it had been. A long table with many drawers underneath the countertop and cabinets underneath the drawers, as she imagined it, a green foundation overlaid itself on the ground. All she needed to do was finalize it. I just need a little imagination in the absence of plans. I’ll need to remember this.
"Ah, an Engineer bound to the school of the Arcane. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of you willing to bind yourself to something considered taboo by those in the capital. Go ahead and do me a favor then since you destroyed my Homuclous. You should have the ability now to go ahead and enchant one onto the table you just rebuilt." Explained the man, trying to remain neutral even as his voice betrayed emotions of excitement.
Abby shook her head, not really understanding with the old man was asking of her. "I don't really know how to do that," She admitted to the man. "I haven’t been bound to the school of the Arcane for long. Nobody has taught me anything about it."
"Of course, they haven’t." Sighed the old man in dismay. "Alright, Arcane magic allows you to imbue or inscribe magic with effects from anything you’ve killed. So think of an aspect of the Homunculus and trait of the Homunculus. View it in your mind, and hold that thought, applying it to the object you just created."
"Okay, I'll give that a try," Abby said as she held her gauntlet out as the man described. In her mind, she thought of what the Homunculus she had destroyed had been assigned to do. Which was to tend and manage the shop. It was a helper, a stand-in.
As Abby's thought of the Homunculus, she closed her eyes, touching the newly created island with the gauntlet. Not seeing as a tiny sprite sized featureless man pulled itself up from the table, and then another, and another. A small house appearing on the table where the little men would call home. When she opened her eyes, Abby looked around the room but did not see a recreated Homunculus. Abby shook her head in disappointment. Th
inking herself a failure as the old man started to laugh at her.
"Look at what you’ve done, girl. You did just fine." Complimented the man with a smile. "You managed to make me a little family of helpers. They’ll be able to help me a great deal in managing and taking care of the components. However, I might need to take a more active measure in managing the front desk until I can build myself another proper Homunculus."
The man looked and saw that darkness had fallen, long shadows being cast in the room by candles that magically lit. "The hour is late, and thank you for helping me to clean up and fix what you destroyed and messed up. This hasn’t been a complete waste of time. I was able to salvage a lot of the things you almost ruined. The bill won’t be quite as expensive as it could have been. I’m even willing to cut you a break now that I can see what you are capable of. I can refill most of my stock in a nearby dungeon, I can’t tell you where it is though, trade secret. But if you're willing to accompany me and help with the gathering, I’ll wipe away the entirety of your debt. That seems fair.
Abby nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, if you don't mind, I would like that. And I'm so sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Abigail Ruthiare, and what might your name?
The man's body language changed, curiosity in his expression, his eyes clouded in confusion, and an element of desperate need. "I know who you are Abby, people know me as Johnston, but you would know me as Nicodemus."
Chapter 17: The Webs We Weave
"You're Nicodemus." Abby stuttered, realizing just who the man was. "I was given a sealed letter to give to you as part of my duties. I’ve been tasked to investigate the increased monster presence around here.”
"I kind of figured it was something like that, but I haven’t worked with anyone in a long time. I don’t know how much help I might be. Truth be told, I rarely leave this building anymore." Abby examined Nicodemus’s expressions, his face betraying neither shock nor surprise that Abby had been sent to him. "I really should have figured it out from the beginning as soon as I saw you, but you've got a lot more of your father’s sin you than I care for. Count yourself lucky that you at least inherited some of your mother’s features. Like the color of your hair or the ability to use the arcane. Both of your parents could, but still.."
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