by Aleron Kong
“I don’t understand,” Richter said. “Are you saying you can make the ship stronger? Why don’t you?”
Seeing his confusion, Shivona explained further, “A jewel can be infused with a spell and attached to the ship. An example would be the Earth spell Durability. The spell could be infused into a jewel and then attached to the ship. The ship’s structure would be stronger. The size of the ship usually means that several jewels need to be strategically placed in key positions, though. Otherwise, you have one part of the ship much stronger than the others. It might not seem important, but the boards of a ship need to swell and shrink together. If one area is much stronger than the others, it creates a stress point that might snap the ship in two. I’m sure you can see that using several jewels for one effect, while beneficial to the ship, would be very costly.”
Richter nodded his understanding. He wasn’t completely disregarding the possibility, though. He still had many jewels in his inventory, and it might be worth using a few to enchant the ship. “What about a kytachi?”
“A kytachi vessel is something else entirely, my L-, Richter. It requires that a soul stone that has been invested with a spirit to be irreversibly bonded to a ship. The stronger the spirit, the stronger the vessel. It is not an exact process, though,” she cautioned. “Over time, the vessel takes on the characteristics of the spirit. I’ll give you an example. There is a monster called a water dancer that skips over the tops of rivers and lakes on long thin legs. It spreads its weight out so each point of contact only dimples the water, but never actually penetrates the surface. Dancers are detestable creatures, and will use a paralytic poison to stun you. While you’re immobilized, they insert a thin proboscis into your body and drink your blood.” She shuddered for a second before continuing. “As horrible a creature as it is however, if its spirit was caught in a soul stone and then bonded to a ship, that ship would skip over the waves and move faster through the water than almost any others.”
“So if I got you a soul stone filled with the right type of sould, you could bond it to the ship,” Richter asked.
“Well that takes a shipmaster who is also at least a Journeyman in the subskill kyatchi bonding,” she said regretfully. Richter’s hopes fell.
“Lucky for you, I am just that amazing,” Shivona said with a smug look on her face.
Richter smiled back at the saucy elf, “Really? Oh, I could kiss you!”
“Settle down, Richter, it’s not that kind of party!” She was still smiling, though.
“How do I get a soul stone,” he asked.
“Now that is outside of my realm of expertise,” she said, “but some of the other mages here should have some ideas.”
“Fair enough,” he said delighted. “Then I will let you get back to work. Futen, send over a Mist Worker daily from here on out. Instruct it to follow the instructions of Shivona and her apprentices.”
“Yes, my Lord,” the remnant said.
Richter started walking back towards the village. He needed to talk to Randolphus. As he was entering the walls, he was greeted by his Companion Terrod. “Hello my friend,” Ricther said clasping wrists with the former innkeeper.
Terrod had large bags under his eyes and a harried look. Barely two weeks ago, the man had carried the dead body of his best friend in a desperate escape from Law, the capital city of Yves. That loss, coupled with trying to be pillar of support for his psychologically damaged love, Isabel, was clearly wearing the man down. Richter felt a bit of guilt over having left his Companion in charge for the last week. Terrod needed more time to recover. He would speak to the carpenters about building a small private cottage for Isabel and his friend as soon as there was time.
“Hello back,” Terrod said with a tired smile. “Did you accomplish everything you needed to on your trip?”
“I did. I’m not sure if you know, but the leader of the wood sprites has come back to perform a ceremony for us.”
“I had heard a contingent of sprites had come back with you, but I wasn’t sure why.”
“Well, either way, it is good to see you. Is there anything I should know about that happened over the past week,” Richter asked.
“Some predator animals were seen by hunters, but none came close to the village. As you can see, all the villagers are settling in well. Randolphus has been amazing in forseeing problems before they arise.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It brings up the other topic I wanted to talk with you about,” Richter said. He looked the man in the eye, and spoke softly but firmly, “I think you should have some private time with Isabel. You don’t need to do anything else for a while. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“That isn’t necessary,” Terrod protested. “I can pull my weight!”
Richter continued to look at him with a serious expression, “I know you can Terrod. Look around you. None of the people you see would be here if it wasn’t for your efforts. You are the one that included me in the raid with the Night Daggers. You are the one that organized for me to speak with the five elders. And you are the one who introduced me to Mama.” Richter paused before continuing, “You have already done more than I could ever ask. Now I need you to focus on just one thing. Be there for Isabel. Help her heal and heal yourself as well. I have a feeling there will be many trials in the days to come. I will need you at your best.”
Terrod looked at Richter a few more seconds, and then reached out and squeezed his friend’s shoulder. “Thank you. I will take a few days to be with Isabel, and will be ready when you need me.”
Richter smiled, “Good! Now walk with me for a moment, until I find Randy.”
Terrod smiled back, “You know he hates being called that.” Randy, or Randolphus as was his proper name, was a wonderful aide but was also a bit stuffy.
“Why do you think I do it,” Richter asked with a laugh.
CHAPTER 4
The two Companions walked slowly through the village talking about this and that. Richter sent Futen ahead to look for Randolphus, and then report back. As he was talking with Terrod, he realized that he had not taken a look at his latest Companion status page. Letting his vision relax, Richter’s interface came up. He focused on the small icon of Terrod’s face that was floating next to Sion’s.
Name: Terrod
Age: 46
Level: 7, 41% to next level
Health: 190 Mana: 120 Stamina: 140
Strength: 16
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 19
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 19
Luck: 14
Abilities:
Comradery
Skills:
Swordsmanship Lvl 2; 67% to next level, 87% affinity
Shields Lvl 4; 82% to next level, 98% affinity
Cooking Lvl 8; 13% to next level, 96% affinity
Horsemanship Lvl 9; 32% to next level; 83% affinity
Repair Lvl 4; 64% to next level; 54% affinity
Repair Armor Lvl 3; 13% to next level; 52% affinity
Repair Weapon Lvl 4; 18% to next level; 52% affinity
Marks:
None
Resistances:
None
Race: Human
Reputation: Lvl 1 “Who are you again?”
Alignment: 0
Language: Common Tongue
Richter looked at his Companion. “Have you noticed that since we have become Companions you can see my status page?” Terrod nodded. “Well, I just looked at yours for the first time. You have a strange mix of skills.”
Terrod gave a small chuckle, “Yes, I know. I didn’t serve in the army if that’s what you were thinking. At least not in a traditional way. I come from a very minor noble line several times removed from power. My mother convinced a cousin to take me on as a page when I was a child. He was a knight in Yves’s army. I followed his patrol for two years. That
’s why I have some martial skills. One of the main responsibilities of a page is caring for his knight’s armor. If you have seen my status, then you’ve also seen that I was piss poor at that. What I was good at however, was making dinner each night and caring for the horses. I seemed to have a real connection with the animals. I also have good affinity for sword and shield, but riding was my true passion. That is what saved my life. My skill in Horsemanship was noticed, and I was promoted from page to mounted messenger. While I was away from the rest of my squad, delivering dispatches, they were attacked by a tribe of gnolls from the Whisper Woods. They were wiped out to the last man.”
Terrod stopped talking for a second. “I was the one who found them. The gnolls had taken their scalps as trophies, and the battle hounds they train had savaged the rest of the remains. I could even tell which of the bodies was my cousin. That was it for me. I had already been debating whether or not I should leave. I never could get used to being ordered around. When I saw their bodies though… I still remember the way they looked, and I still remember the smell of the blood and entrails…”
Terrod shook himself slightly as if to be rid of the bad memories. “Well, that’s why I have the strange collection of skills. I came back to Law and took on odd jobs til I landed at the Laughing Imp. Ten years later, I owned the inn. My Comradery Ability made things easier. It makes it more likely for people to enjoy my company, and want to work with me. As abilities go, it certainly helped me in life. And on more than a few dates, if you catch my meaning,” he laughed.
Richter laughed as well. He was glad that the shadow that had been cast over his friend’s mood with the telling of his story was gone again. He hadn’t expected to be digging up such painful memories with his question. Despite the discomfort, it seemed to have caused, Richter was pleased that his Companion felt comfortable enough to share those personal details. He tried to further lighten the mood.
“So you’re saying that if it wasn’t for your Ability, then you would be completely annoying and not just the pain in the neck that you are now,” Richter asked.
Terrod chuckled, “Shut up.”
“You got it,” Richter said. The remnant was gliding back towards them. “Futen, where is Randy?”
“He is in the catacombs, my Lord. The chamberlain appropriated one of the side rooms as an office.”
“Lead the way.”
The remnant led them to the inclined entrance leading to the chamber of the Great Seal. Terrod split off saying he was going to find Isabel. Richter entered the tunnel and came out into the large chamber that housed the mosaic. The four spirals constituting the four Powers of the nexus of ley lines the village was built upon were much the same as he remembered. Each spiral represented on of the four Powers he could master. So far only one spiral showed signs of life. The clear crystal indicating Air Magic glowed with an inner light and depicted a cyclone in two dimensions. The other spirals for Dark Magic, Life magic and Water Magic remained only cold tile.
There was one other change that made Richter smile. Someone had hung one of the larger paintings and the rug that Richter had stolen from Count Stonuck. They actually made pretty nice wall hangings, he thought. None of the smaller paintings were anywhere to be seen. Randolphus had told him previously he would see them hung as soon as the carpenters had time to make frames.
Futen continued across the Great Seal and into one of the side rooms. Richter followed him, sparing only a bit of time to look at the stairs leading downward through another arch set into the wall. It led to the next level of the catacombs. Richter had not gone there yet due to Futen’s warning that it was populated with monsters. He would have to conquer the lower levels at some point if he ever wanted his village to progress to level two. It was one of the requirements Futen had told him about. He wasn’t sure what it meant to move on to level two exactly, but Richter was sure that he wanted it to happen!
Richter also peeked into his room before following Futen, but Hisako was apparently occupied elsewhere. He continued on to speak with his chamberlain. Randy was sitting at a rough-hewn table bent over a stack of papers scribbling. Richter had not bought much paper and ink from Hafiz, he would have to remember to negotiate for more. “Hey Randy,” he said in a loud, boisterous voice.
The man gave a clear sigh before looking up, “Welcome back, my Lord. I trust your trip went well.” He really didn’t like that name, Ricther thought with a silent chuckle. Randolphus, as was his full name, had been the chamberlin for the late king of Yves. The rules of proper decorum were heavily entrenched within him. So even though the shortening of Randolphus’s name clearly frustrated him, the man was too enamored of the proper rules of conduct to correct his liege. That kind of circular logic trap was exactly why Richter just spoke his mind. Being PC all the time took way too much effort and needless complicated things.
“It did, thank you for asking. I’m guessing there are some things that require my attention?” Richter looked pointedly at the stack of papers on the desk.
“Yes sir, there are.” Randolphus reached under the table and pulled out a previously hidden, and much larger stack of papers. He set them on the table top and picked up the first page, “Item one…”
Richter gave a sigh of his own as he sat at the table. Was that a smirk on Randy’s face?!?
Richter wasn’t able to escape Randy’s grasp for hours. Food was brought, but they kept grinding away. They covered topics ranging from resource management, defenses, the need to allocate people to key positions like trade master and captain of the guard, requests of the new villagers and items that needed to be bought during the next trip to Leaf’s Crossing. Unsurprisingly, the man had already included paper and ink in that list. As painful as the hours of book keeping were, there was no denying that Randolphus was thorough and indispensable.
Richter stood and stretched. There were more items to be discussed according to his chamberlain, but he just couldn’t sit still any longer. When Randy had pulled a list of all the new villagers and wanted to go through each person’s qualifications and skills, he thought, enough! It was probably a few more hours until full night. Richter had more to accomplish before the planting ceremony. He was leaving the room when a thought occurred. He walked back to Randolphus and reached into his Bag of Holding. He withdrew the stack of papers he had taken from Count Stonuk’s private safe. The count was involved in nonhuman slavery in the Kingdom of Yves. He was also the reason that Terrod’s love, Isabel, had suffered so much emotional trauma.
“Do you know Count Stonuk,” Richter asked.
A look of distaste crossed Randolphus’s face, “Yes I do. One of the new king’s inner circle. A distasteful man that would not have been tolerated at court in the days of his father.”
“Well, I was able to… procure, these papers from his private safe. They were well hidden so I’m assuming they are important. I’ve only glanced at them, but there are references that I don’t understand. It seems to be in code as well. Do you think you could make sense of them?”
“I had many duties under the old King, my Lord. Part of that was to monitor the correspondence of less desirable types in court. Count Stonuk never struck me as overly bright. I have an ability called Code Breaking. I am sure that I can decipher these papers given time.”
“Code Breaking,” Richter asked incedulously. Just who was Randolphus? All Mama had told him was that Randolphus had been a chamberlain. Richter wasn’t 100% up on his Ye Olde English terms, but he was pretty sure a chamberlain was kind of like a supped up butler. Now he was finding out that the man was 007! Analyze didn’t reveal much, however. Like Terrod, his level was a bit higher than other humans, but it was nothing to write home about. Richter didn’t know why he hadn’t analyzed the man before.
Name: Randolphus. Human Level 9. Health 170. Mana 120. Stamina 140. Disposition: Friendly. Humans are one of the shortest lived, but most prolific breeders in the Land. Humans have a broader affinity for skills than other races.
No special bonuses to race. Humans get four points to distribute per level.
“Yes, my Lord,” Randolphus answered.
“Just ‘yes’?”
“Yes, my Lord,” he said with just a touch more force.
Richter was silent for a moment. Who would be born with an ability in Code Breaking. How often could that come up? It seemed very coincidental that the former King of Yves’ chamberlain had such a useful and appropriate ability. Then again, Richter thought, maybe that was one of the reasons that Randolphus had risen to power.
“Well, no rush. I truly appreciate you help.” Every man was entitled to his own secrets, Richter thought. It didn’t seem like he was getting the whole story though, and so he resolved to pay a little closer attention to his chamberlain in the future.
“It is my pleasure to serve, my Lord.”
Richter left the room with Futen floating along behind him. He stopped at the Great Seal. When he had searched his inventory for the count’s paper, he had seen two other items that required his attention. The first was also from the count’s safe. It was a blue wand tipped with a white jewel. Richter had no Lore to speak of yet, despite finding snippets of time to read Leandra’s book, and had no identification spells. When he looked at it, the prompt simply said, “Magic wand.” Luckily, Futen had an ability to identify items.
He held the wand up, “Futen if you would be so kind.”
A white light flared from the center of the glowing remnant.
You have found: Wand of Magic Illumination. Durability 30/30. Item class: Common. Quality: Above Average. Weight 0.3 kg. Sends out a beam of blue light that illuminates the darkness. Magic seen in this light will glow white. Twelve hours of illumination per day.
Well, that could be useful, Richter thought. He resolved to play with this latest toy as soon as possible.