There was something odd about his voice, which indicated that he was probably dismissing them, but Joy hadn’t taken more than a step when Cora spoke.
“Actually, yes. We left Seldrim because we’re looking for another apis hive, one that’s larger than the one outside Seldrim,” Cora explained, shuffling her feet slightly as she hesitated, then continued. “It’s for Joy. She used an incredibly valuable item to heal the poison I was afflicted with, and the hive there didn’t have any more of it to spare. We’re trying to find a hive that’s bigger since they can make it more swiftly.”
“Oh? Well, I don’t know about bigger, but there are two hives beside the one near Seldrim in the duchy that I’m aware of,” Silverhoof said, a note of surprise in his voice as he glanced at Joy curiously, continuing. “One is down in the Teeming Jungle near Bearton, while the other is in the Shimmerwood, outside Clarion. Would that suffice? If not, you should be able to get more details from Viper. He keeps up on all the current reports, though how is beyond me, as busy as the lizard is.”
“I see. Thank you, Guildmaster, that’s very useful,” Cora said, smiling and bowing to him. “We’ll leave you to your work, then.”
“You’re welcome,” Silverhoof said, and Joy took the chance to open the door for the others, still a little giddy that they wanted to help her so much. Even if she didn’t quite understand why.
“Come on, let’s go get our reward, then we can get a room at the inn and plan,” Brianna said, her voice eager as Joy closed the door behind them, her eyes bright. “Now we have leads.”
“If you say so!” Joy chirped happily, as Brianna’s enthusiasm was rather infectious.
* * *
About an hour later they were in an inn, and Joy sat back, having enjoyed a meal of honey while trying to ignore what the others were eating. She simply didn’t want to know, though with her sense of smell she had her suspicions.
“I think the only real option is Bearton,” Brianna said, pausing to take a sip from her mug before continuing. “The area there is suited for low-level adventurers, but the Teeming Jungle… according to what Viper said when I asked him, it’s considered appropriate for adventurers of up to level twenty, so it’s a good deal more dangerous than even the Blackstone Mines.”
“If we hadn’t leveled, it wouldn’t even be worth considering,” Stella murmured, tapping her index finger on the table slowly. “As it is, that’s a dangerous area, but one we can handle, if we go in and out quickly and carefully.”
“What about the Shimmerwood? That was where another hive was,” Joy asked curiously, holding her mug in both hands as she drank the water inside, which she’d mixed a little nectar into. She’d gathered just a tiny amount of nectar along the way to Irador, and it gave the water a pleasant flavor. It did set her antennae to twitching happily, too, but she ignored the odd looks people were giving her.
“That’s too dangerous. Clarion is a fortress city, and the areas around it are suited for level twenty-five to thirty, generally speaking,” Brianna said, shaking her head firmly. “The Shimmerwood is at the upper end of that scale, which makes it a choice of last resort. If we have to do that… I don’t know how we’d get to the hive.”
“We’d probably have to hire a group of higher-level adventurers to take us there,” Cora murmured, finishing her bowl of soup with a contented sigh. The elf eyed her bread, then picked it up, tearing off some of the crust as she continued. “I suspect that wouldn’t be too expensive, if it came to that… but Bearton is at least someplace we can go on our own, and the Teeming Jungle… who knows? We might even level more quickly, since it is dangerous.”
“As long as we don’t die,” Stella said, looking at Cora pointedly, and the elf coughed, blushing as she looked away.
“Well, yes, of course. I don’t want to die, mind you, but I think we can manage this,” Cora said, quickly eating the crust as she squirmed a little. “As long as we avoid any teleportation portals or high-level demons, I don’t think there’s much to be concerned about.”
“It does sound interesting!” Joy exclaimed, grinning broadly, and tilted her head for a second, then asked, “So, what’s a bear?”
“A big animal with fur and a thick hide, a little like a mink, but not as long. It does have longer limbs, though,” Brianna replied, shrugging as she added, her tone turning teasing, “They also like breaking into beehives and stealing honey.”
“What?!” Joy yelped, her eyes going wide. “That’s horrible! How can you abide creatures like that?”
The others laughed at her response, and after a moment Joy blushed, then laughed with them.
* * *
Cora hung her cloak on the peg and let out a breath, a tiny part of her nervous about what she was doing. Behind her she could hear Joy humming softly to herself, sounding even happier than she had through most of the day, the floorboards creaking as the apis bounced along with her rhythm.
“Are you sure you want to room with me, Joy? Brianna and Stella both seemed perfectly happy to share a room as well,” Cora said, turning in place, then almost froze, blinking at the apis in surprise.
Joy was still bouncing idly, but in the time Cora had taken to set her staff in the corner and take off her cloak, the apis had mostly undressed. While Joy wasn’t naked, as she had some thin underclothes, it was the first time Cora had seen her without her armor or other concealing clothing, and Joy was stunning.
The apis’s skin looked virtually flawless, with a healthy color to it, even though Cora knew that she didn’t have red blood. Cora really didn’t understand why the apis had such a full figure, considering that they didn’t have to nurse their young or anything of the sort, but she appreciated the apis’s beauty regardless.
“Of course I do!” Joy chirped, looking over at Cora and grinning widely at her. “I enjoy all of your company, of course, but tonight… well, there really only was one choice, in my opinion.”
“Oh? Why is that?” Cora asked, shaking off her shock, and forcibly tearing her gaze away from Joy.
“I can’t smell meat on your breath,” Joy said simply, and the explanation made Cora blink a couple of times, then she laughed.
“Of all the reasons I might have imagined, that wasn’t one of them,” Cora said, smiling a little more as she stepped away from the door and leaned down to open her pack. She had a nightgown inside it, and she particularly wanted it if she was going to have company. As she pulled out the silky garment, she added, “I suppose there’s something to be said for eating vegetable soup, isn’t there?”
“I certainly think so!” Joy said, grinning, then looked at the bed, shrugged, and the apis slipped into it, leaving her armor and weapons neatly stacked in a corner. “I just don’t like the smell of meat. Or most food, but meat is worse.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Cora said, turning away to disrobe and slip into her nightgown. It was a little awkward, changing in front of Joy, but Cora honestly didn’t mind that much. She’d had to change in front of other adventurers enough times that modesty was secondary, even if she preferred privacy most of the time.
Joy laughed, smiling as she moved over to the wall, almost cuddling into it, and once Cora had changed, she slipped into the bed, feeling just a bit awkward.
After a few moments, the elf murmured. “Rest well, Joy.”
“You too!” Joy replied happily.
It took a while, but Cora eventually drifted off to sleep, feeling the warmth of the other woman behind her.
Right up until, in the middle of the night, Joy latched onto her, waking Cora for a bit as she caught the faintest scent of honey on the apis’s breath. The woman was warm, but fortunately the night was cool enough that Cora wasn’t about to overheat. She considered asking the apis to move away, but after a bit Cora decided against it, instead biting her lip as she tried to get back to sleep.
That was hard, with Joy cuddling against her as if in search of warmth.
Chapter 13
Cora yawn
ed, and as she did, Joy blushed, a flicker of guilt rushing through her as she glanced at Cora. She did smile sheepishly as she apologized again. “Sorry, Cora… I didn’t realize I’d keep you awake.”
“As I said the last couple of times, don’t worry about it. It isn’t as though we’re going out hunting or anything today, so being a bit tired won’t hurt,” Cora replied, glancing at Joy with a smile, even if there were faint circles beneath her eyes. “Though I do think that separate beds are in order. You latched onto me like a child onto their mother.”
Stella giggled, the smile on her face wide as she glanced at Joy, looking like she was about to say something, but changed her mind. Joy simply shrugged, even more embarrassed than she had been.
“It isn’t like I have any way to know that!” Joy said, gesturing widely. “I didn’t have a childhood. The idea of spending so much time in a larval state is weird to me. It only takes thirty days for us to be ready to work, and that’s important, considering the size of our hives.”
“I believe you, Joy. It doesn’t make this any less amusing, though,” Brianna said, smirking at the apis, her eyes glittering with mischief.
“Either way, it doesn’t make much sense to tease her too much about it,” Cora said, shrugging and looking around the street. “Let’s see… where’s that smithy Viper recommended…”
“Sharpfang’s Armory,” Joy said immediately, perking up as she asked, “Do you think that they’re a varanus too?”
“Possibly, given the name,” Brianna said, standing up straighter, as if trying to look over the crowd. “Hmm… I don’t see it offhand.”
They were on one of the numerous streets of Irador, and if it weren’t for her innate sense of direction, Joy might have found the city confusing. Instead, when she compared it to the Flower Forest it wasn’t that hard to navigate, and it was certainly smaller. The best thing would be to explore most of the city so she could figure out the best route, and from what Joy had learned, that wasn’t likely to happen.
This particular street was home to armorers, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, silversmiths, and weaponsmiths, among other professions, and Joy had simply shrugged off the confused look Viper had given her when she asked why armorers were on the street when every other profession he’d mentioned had smith in the name. She was used to the reaction by this point. On the other hand, she did not like the smell of smoke that pervaded the air, even if there were brightly shining stones in attractive colors in some of the windows, and other items that she recognized as good gear, based on what other adventurers used. Left to her own preferences, though, she would’ve avoided the section of town like it’d been infested by wasps, since a few streets back she’d smelled a lot of fascinating flowers.
“There it is,” Stella interjected, pointing at a sign down the street, and Joy blinked at the sight of it, as the sign had the image of a dagger and mace protruding from the mouth of a cat.
“Why doesn’t it have the name on the sign?” Joy asked, honestly curious as the others started toward the shop, circling around a man haggling with a merchant, with two mules behind him.
“Many people aren’t able to read, including a modest number of adventurers,” Brianna replied idly, then paused, looking at Joy as she frowned. “In fact… suddenly that makes me wonder. Why can you read? It isn’t like you had need to as a bee!”
“No idea! I just can,” Joy said, grinning in return. “Maybe it’s just that I was changed? Or maybe apis can from when they hatch?”
“Good question, and not one we can answer. We can ask when we reach a hive, so let’s go, hm?” Cora interjected, smirking back at Joy. “I’d like to finish this part, so we can go to the cathedral and visit those greenhouses. I saw you slow down when we came near the flower district, Joy.”
“Ooh, yes, yes!” Joy said, clapping her hands together, and quickly bounced forward, eagerly heading for the shop. As she caught sight of the window she saw several odd pieces of armor, like a pair of gauntlets with open fingertips, and a helmet with an elongated front, but before she thought further, she bounded into the shop, then paused, blinking as she looked up at the man behind the counter, who was wearing a finely tailored red shirt and a pair of black leather trousers.
The man was seven feet tall, and she almost gawked at him, as he had a mane of orange and black striped hair, large cat-like ears, and a long black and orange tail behind him. The man also was incredibly muscular, with darker skin, though not as dark as Stella’s, with thin black stripes across his skin at regular intervals. He also looked like he could pick up a wagon to Joy. Or maybe a house.
“Good morning, welcome to…” the man began, then his deep voice trailed off as his amber, cat-like eyes blinked at Joy, and he continued a moment later. “Well, aren’t you unusual? Welcome to Sharptooth’s Armory, how may I help you?”
“Hi! I’m Joy, an apis!” Joy replied, looking at the man curiously, and she couldn’t help wondering how soft his fur might be, though she resisted any urge to check. She also looked around the room, her eyes brightening as she did so.
Fine weapons hung on racks around the room, ranging from polearms and greatswords to numerous types of swords, daggers, and hammers, among many other styles as well. There weren’t only weapons, though, as she also saw there were different types of armor, chain, plate, and even one suit that looked like its scales had been made of wood. More interesting to her, several of the suits of armor looked like they’d been made for a variety of species, like one suit of chain for a centaur, or another that had armor for the front edge of a wing. Not that it would be useful for Joy, as fragile as her wings were, but it was fascinating.
“Ah, I see why Viper sent us here,” Cora said, looking around and smiling broadly as she looked at the big man, adding, “My apologies, but we were just told that you might be able to help us, and don’t know much about you.”
“Viper, that explains it! How’s the lizard doing?” the man exclaimed, grinning broadly, which revealed teeth that were more like those of a predator to Joy, and he glanced at Joy speculatively, murmuring, “An apis, hm? You’re a new one, but I don’t think you’d be too much of a challenge to make armor for. Your wings look far easier to work around than a tengu’s, which is encouraging.”
“Viper seems to be doing well, as far as I could tell. Are you the smith here, then?” Brianna asked, looking around as she smiled. “I must say, this is impressive work!”
“Me? No, no, this is all my wife’s work. She handles the smithing, and I handle customers. It keeps her from biting anyone’s heads off, and me from breaking the anvil in frustration,” he said, grinning broadly as he nodded. “No, I’m Draegur Sharpfang, and my wife is Resha. We specialize in making gear for species who’re a bit more unusual. Tails, claws, wings, ears, or even unusual faces… we deal with all of them. Not to say that we’re bad at supplying elves or humans, mind you, but it isn’t what we’re known for.”
“Ah! That’s why Viper sent us to you, then!” Joy said, clapping her hands together as she finally figured out what Cora had been saying.
“Precisely!” Draegur said, smiling broadly back at her. “Now, may I ask what you’re here for?”
“Joy, would you get the ore?” Brianna asked, looking at Joy with a grin. “This should be interesting.”
“Why would… ah. Oh my.” Draegur’s confusion vanished as Joy unslung her pack and pulled out the first jagged chunk of luminous titansteel ore and set it on the counter. His eyes widened enormously as she pulled out one after another, until all thirty-six chunks were resting in front of him. He blinked at it, then asked, “Am I mistaken, or is this luminous titansteel? I suppose it could be moonstone…”
“No, it’s definitely luminous titansteel. We accidentally got teleported deep into a mine with deposits, and since we were there, we thought we might as well gather it,” Cora explained, smiling wryly. “We nearly died getting out, but were fortunate.”
“Besalk bless you, then. Which he obviously did, for you
to gather this much of it,” Draegur said, carefully sorting through the pieces curiously, and nodded. “Thirty-six pieces. That’s exactly enough for each of you to get a weapon and suit of armor. Was that intentional?”
“Yes, it was. Though partly coincidence,” Stella said, sounding oddly satisfied. “If we could’ve gotten more, we would have.”
“We’re hoping to have equipment made from it!” Joy added excitedly, bouncing in place. “Can you do that?”
“Of course!” Draegur said, looking up abruptly as he smiled. “Sharpfang Armory can provide up to level twenty-five weapons and armors, I’ll have you know, and baseline luminous titansteel gear is level fifteen. It is rather delicate, mind you, and would take some time to work with, though. It’ll probably take a couple of weeks for Resha to work through our backlog and make gear for four of you, too.”
“That seems reasonable to me,” Cora said, glancing at Joy and the others as she added, a bit of amusement in her voice. “It’d give us time to go look into the Teeming Jungle a bit, which is probably for the best, since none of us are actually level fifteen, yet.”
“True!” Joy said, nodding eagerly, though the idea of it taking a couple of weeks to make the equipment did disappoint her a little. As little time as it’d taken her to modify her armor, she’d been hoping to get the luminous titansteel made into equipment much more quickly than that. “We can even meet other apis, which will be interesting!”
“The only question is how much it’ll run. I know that most level fifteen gear is, what… a thousand coins per piece, on average?” Brianna asked, tilting her head at Draegur curiously.
“If you’re buying it off the shelf, yes. That’s about the price for a high-end level fifteen piece of equipment, but in that case we’re also supplying the materials. With you supplying these, the price would come down. Normally, I’d charge you about a third of the total, or about three-hundred and fifty coins, but luminous titansteel is delicate to work with,” Draegur said, tapping a finger on the table speculatively, and for the first time Joy noticed that his fingernails were instead long claws, and she wondered how she’d missed that, at least until one of them retracted. “I think we’d have to charge you about five hundred each, in this case. Or four thousand coins for all of you.”
Webs & Wards (Beesong Chronicles Book 2) Page 9