“Hm, that doesn’t seem too expensive… we certainly have the funds to cover that. Or at least I do,” Brianna said, glancing at Joy and the others as she asked, “What do you think?”
“Sure!” Joy said, bouncing again as she looked around curiously, trying to take in the sight of everything around her. “I don’t use my coins much anyway!”
“You really shouldn’t say that in front of most shopkeepers, Joy. Some of them will try to take advantage of you,” Stella scolded gently, but nodded to Draegur as she smiled. “But yes, I’ll pay as well. We were fortunate enough to encounter a cache of level forty equipment that we sold.”
“Ah, that would certainly do it!” Draegur said, grinning at Joy in amusement as he added, “And she’s really right, young lady. I’m not going to change the price on you, but even I’d be tempted to raise the price if I’d known that beforehand.”
“Oh, okay,” Joy said, blushing and fidgeting, then she admitted, a bit sheepishly, “It’s just that apis don’t use coins among ourselves. Maybe we would between hives… I don’t know, though! That would be neat to find out!”
“If you say so, Joy,” Cora replied dryly, shaking her head and laughing. After a moment she focused on Draegur and nodded, though. “As to that, yes. Assuming you can provide a staff and robe, at least. Or a tunic and trousers, assuming that robes aren’t possible.”
“Well, let’s find out! Resha! We have customers!” Draegur called out, prompting a muffled growl from the back room, before the door suddenly popped open, letting a blast of hot, smoke-infused air into the room, which prompted Joy to recoil ever so slightly.
In the doorway was a woman, and she looked a lot like Draegur, except that instead of a fine shirt, she was wearing a sleeveless brown tunic that was marked with soot, as was she in several places. Her hair was a lighter orange with the black stripes, and her skin was a touch darker than his. The real difference, aside from her being a woman, was that the woman looked even stronger than Draegur did, with muscles that rippled with every movement. If Draegur looked like he could pick up a house, Resha looked like she could do so with one hand.
The woman’s eyes darted across the group piercingly, and she spoke without pausing, at least at first. “Four women. Two humans, an elf, and an…”
Resha’s voice trailed off as her gaze settled on Joy, and she frowned a little. Draegur spoke a moment later. “An apis, dear. She’s an apis, and has wings. Additionally, they brought you a challenge. Look at what I have here.”
“What are…” the woman began, looking a little annoyed, then her gaze lit on the titansteel and her eyes widened slightly. Resha straightened a little, not saying anything for a moment, then smiled widely. “Luminous titansteel. It’s been three years since I saw any of the stuff, let alone this much of it! I see what you mean. Right, so what do you all want? Prospective heroes, are you?”
“Oh, goddess no!” Cora exclaimed, blanching visibly. “No, that’s a good way to get ourselves killed. We happened to come across it, and Joy has Advanced Harvesting, so we thought we might as well collect it.”
“Joy?” Resha asked, blinking.
“That’s me! I’m Joy!” Joy said, waving at the woman as she grinned. “By the way, you look like you could throw a house at someone!”
The woman blinked, then laughed, which was a deep, rumbling sound that sent a shiver through Joy, one that reminded her that these two were likely predators. But Resha smiled as she murmured, “A cheerful one, aren’t you? As for that, unless it was a really small house, I couldn’t throw it. But thank you, I’m proud of my strength.”
“You’re welcome!” Joy chirped, fluttering her wings a bit as she calmed down.
“As for heroes, I can’t say that you’re wrong. They do tend to get themselves into trouble a lot of times,” Draegur said, picking up a jagged piece of the titansteel, then frowned. “Does this have blood on it?”
“Joy… did you not clean off the piece that you stabbed the demon with?” Stella asked with exaggerated patience, turning to Joy slowly.
“I never put the piece back in my bag! I was thrown into the wall!” Joy protested, blushing brightly at the implication as she fidgeted, then admitted, “I also never checked on it until we got here. There were the right number of pieces in my backpack, so I didn’t worry about it.”
“Ah, I seem to recall just tossing it in her bag when I was grabbing her,” Brianna said, sounding a little embarrassed as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I’ll remind you we were getting swarmed by motini at the time.”
The two shopkeepers looked at one another for a moment, and Joy could see the surprise in their gazes, which she had half-expected. She just smiled at them and shrugged, prompting a chuckle from Draegur.
“It sounds like you’ve had an interesting time of things,” Draegur said, smiling wryly. “As for what they want, only the elf decided what she wanted, a staff and robe, or trousers and a tunic if we couldn’t make a robe.”
“That’s right,” Cora agreed, clearing her throat as she nodded toward her staff. “A mage’s staff, to be precise. I’m hoping to become a high mage… oh, and I’m Cora. My apologies, I should have said. These are Brianna and Stella.”
“Good to meet you, but if you’re wanting a robe, the answer is no,” Resha said bluntly, crossing her arms. “I don’t help magi commit suicide.”
“What? Why would a robe be suicide?” Joy asked, looking at Cora as the elf blushed.
“Have you ever tried running in a robe or dress?” Resha asked, gesturing at Cora. “Oh, you can, if you hike up the hem enough, but with your hands full? Good luck with that. Robes may be traditional, but that doesn’t mean they can’t trip the wearer in the field. No, I refuse to make them for adventurers. If you want trousers and a tunic, sure, but not a robe. You can find another smith for that.”
“Ah, I… didn’t think about that. I bought a gown, and it would be hard to run in,” Joy said, thinking for a moment, then grinned. “I could fly just fine, though!”
“Yes, but I don’t have wings,” Cora replied, looking at Joy in amusement as she shrugged, then turned her attention back to Resha. “As to that… as you like. I enjoy robes, but I’ll admit they aren’t always practical. What about the staff? Could I have a focus stone added as well?”
“Certainly, though it’ll add a bit to the cost,” Draegur interjected, glancing at Resha as he added, “A hundred coins, I think… and you’ll have to decide on a type.”
“A ruby, if you please,” Cora said, nodding in obvious agreement.
“Good. Now, you, Brianna,” Resha said, looking at Brianna closely, then smiled. “A Warrior, hm? Good.”
“Swordswoman, actually, but close enough!” Brianna said, grinning as she shrugged and tapped her armor. “I don’t want anything too different. A corslet, greaves, and the like, something which gives me a good degree of mobility. For a weapon, though, I’d like a sword that can be used one or two-handed. While I’ve liked my hammerblade, I’ve run into a few situations where I wish I’d been able to wield it one-handed, or even been able to use a shield.”
“Easy enough to do, and I don’t blame you on the sword. Adaptability is good,” Resha agreed, then looked at Stella, raising an eyebrow. “Well?”
“Something similar to Brianna’s armor, though preferably which I can add vestments to Mother Moon to as well, then a morningstar. I prefer to be on the front lines, with a shield,” Stella said calmly, tapping a finger on her side as she hesitated, then shrugged. “I don’t suppose you could also make a matching shield, just in general? One with the emblem of Mother Moon? I’d happily pay the appropriate price, and if I’m going to be upgrading my gear anyway…”
“Hm, dear? How long did you tell them this would take?” Resha asked, looking at her husband. “I’ve got a lot on my plate as it is. Gargoyles aren’t easy to equip.”
“I know, which is why I told them two to three weeks. They’re going to be heading to Bearton to investigate so
mething, which is pretty ideal where timing is concerned,” Draegur replied calmly, nodding. “It’s up to you.”
“Right, that’s something I can do,” Resha said, nodding in satisfaction as she looked at them, explaining. “Honestly, I’m expecting it to be on the low end of that time, but I never know when an emergency will come up, and don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. I’ll make your shield happily. It’s good to see a follower of Mother Moon in these parts.”
“Thank you. May her light shine on you always,” Stella said, smiling warmly at Resha.
“Thank you,” Resha replied, nodding slightly, then focused on Joy. “Now then, you. What is it you’re after? If I’m not mistaken, your armor and weapon weren’t really crafted at all. It doesn’t have any of the marks I’d expect.”
“No, it isn’t! I have an ability called, um, Innate Armory, or something like that. It lets us apis grow our own equipment, though it’s weak until we add other ores, at least at level ten,” Joy replied, grinning at Resha as she shrugged. “It works well for me, though! I added silver to this, and I like how it looks!”
“It is rather pretty, yes,” Resha agreed, looking at Joy patiently. “Now, what sort of gear do you want? Armor like that, with a rapier?”
“Yes!” Joy agreed, nodding vigorously, then paused, hesitating for a moment as she considered getting a different weapon, then shook it off. “No, no, I don’t need a different weapon. I can get plenty of daggers. A rapier would be great!”
“Right, then you lot need to pay Draegur, and I need to get measurements,” Resha said, her tail flicking slowly behind her as she smiled at Joy. “Particularly from you, Joy. I need to see those wings in use so I can make sure the armor won’t interfere with them.”
“Sure!” Joy said, grinning as she quickly opened her belt pouch, looking at Draegur as she asked, “You said a thousand coins, right?”
“That’s right,” the man replied, looking a little amused as Joy pulled the coins out.
She had a bit over twenty thousand coins, Joy noted, and she smiled even more as she pulled out the number she needed, considering how she really didn’t know what to do with all the coins.
Not that it really mattered, so she just handed the coins over to Draegur, while the others were pulling out their own payments.
Chapter 14
“So, what species were Draegur and Resha?” Joy asked, pausing to sniff a flower, and Cora tried to suppress the urge to laugh at the broad smile on Joy’s face, and was only partly successful. The apis had quite firmly folded her arms behind her back and grabbed her wrists when they’d entered the street, which told Cora that the apis was trying hard not to collect any nectar or pollen from the displays.
The street was a riot of color, with dozens of florists hawking their wares to anyone who came close. Cora thought that many of those present were merchants or nobility, though she saw people in less expensive clothing patronizing a few of the stands with less impressive flowers or pots. Beyond several of the shops, Cora could also see the destination that she had in mind. Three large buildings bordered the street, each of them metal frames with incredible numbers of thin, clear glass windows that enclosed the buildings. Those were the greenhouses, Cora knew, and kept flowers growing inside them year-round, including many that didn’t usually grow in Irador’s climate.
“They’re members of the beastfolk tribes, which are… diverse, to put it mildly,” Cora replied after a moment, shrugging as she admitted, “I can hardly begin to keep track of them, but I know that they’re the type like tigers, which explains why they’re here readily enough.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” Joy asked, switching to a different flower, this one a huge purple blossom, then she inhaled and exclaimed, “Ooh, that has really nice nectar! I bet the bees love it!”
The merchant standing nearby paused at the exclamation, blinking at Joy as he opened his mouth, but Cora decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed, instead speaking over him, even more amused now. “Because tigers don’t get along with one another, Joy, kind of like your queens. From what I’ve heard, if they stay too close to one another for long periods, they make each other angry. Unless they’re mated, anyway… but that’s beside the point, really.”
“Yeah, which is why most cities only have a single pair of tiger beastfolk living in them. Or, in cities like this, there’ll only be one or two per district,” Brianna agreed, nodding firmly as she walked along the street, looking around curiously. “The lion beastfolk are a lot more like you apis, and they stick together a lot of the time… there’s a huge variety of them, really. They certainly aren’t all cats!”
“That was going to be my next question!” Joy said, then paused, blinking several times as her antennae perked up, her head turning as she looked around curiously. “I… what is that? Something smells…”
“What?” Cora asked, feeling a touch taken aback by Joy’s sudden focus. If anything, the apis was usually difficult to convince to focus on one thing, but the apis was looking down the street intently, almost like a hunting dog that was on point.
“I’m not sure! It’s coming from… there!” Joy said, pointing at the nearest greenhouse on the left, and before Cora could react, the apis bounded down the street, not quite at a run.
“What the… what got into her?” Brianna asked, blinking in surprise, then began trying to move down the street more quickly.
“I’ve no idea,” Cora replied, following as quickly as she could, though they weren’t able to make progress nearly as quickly as Joy could. Despite how relatively few people there were on the street, there were still enough of them that Cora had to be careful not to run into someone, and she didn’t possess Joy’s ability to move through crowds easily.
Fortunately for them, Joy reached the door of the greenhouse and stopped, talking to the merchant there. It wasn’t like they let just anyone inside, so it gave Cora time to catch up.
“…not sure what you’re talking about with the smell, as we have a lot of flowers in there, but we certainly don’t have any beehives. That would lead to people getting stung, though we occasionally get a druid to guide them in to pollinate the plants,” the human merchant said as Cora came into earshot, though it didn’t really explain anything to Cora.
“Joy? What’s going on?” Stella asked first, an instant before Cora could speak, and the elf looked at the other woman in the tiniest bit of annoyance, but held in the impulse to snap. It wasn’t like she had priority on speaking to Joy, after all.
“It smells like there’s a beehive in there; that’s why I came over here quickly. It smells like a big one, but it’s also in danger!” Joy said, her voice uncharacteristically frantic as her gaze darted to the door of the greenhouse, fidgeting and looking nervous. “Can I help it? Please? I’m worried about the hive, and if we don’t—”
“Joy, calm down,” Cora said firmly, frowning as she glanced at the man and apologized. “I’m sorry, sir, but she was a giant bee until a couple of weeks ago, and this is the first time we’ve run into this. Would you mind letting us look around the greenhouse? We wanted to show her foreign flowers to begin with, which is why we came here. Maybe we can even figure out what’s causing her reaction.”
“Well… I suppose so. Normally we charge two coins per person to enter, but if you damage any of the plants, you’re going to have to pay for it,” the merchant replied, his brown mustache oiled and curling upward toward the ends. “Are you willing to do that?”
“Sure!” Joy said instantly, quickly pulling out the coins for all of them and all but throwing them into the man’s hand. Before she could rush into the building, though, Cora grabbed the apis’s arm to stop her, and Joy paused, blinking at Cora.
“Joy, why do you think there’s a hive in there? I can’t imagine the people who take care of the greenhouse not noticing a large hive of bees,” Cora said, making sure to keep her tone patient.
“Because of the smell! A queen has a scent, one which helps guide bees back to
a hive, and this one is really strong,” Joy said, her voice anxious as she looked at the greenhouse again. “There’s another smell, too; it’s the one the hive guards make when the hive is under attack! Well, not quite, but the smell is close.”
“Ah, I see,” Cora said, blinking a couple of times, and glanced at Brianna. The merchant looked puzzled, Cora noticed, or possibly a bit put out. Brianna, on the other hand… she simply looked concerned.
“In that case, let’s go inside and look around, and see if we can’t find out why you’re smelling that. If there is a hive in there, I’m sure the owner would want to know about it,” Stella interjected gently.
“Okay… I can do that. I just need to… try to calm down,” Joy said, fidgeting nervously, and it was enough to make Cora really concerned.
“If there is a hive in there, we’ll have the druids come take care of it,” the merchant added, frowning as he continued. “There shouldn’t be, though. There really shouldn’t.”
“We’ll find out, then,” Cora said, and let go of Joy, adding, “Let Brianna go first, though? I don’t want you breaking anything.”
“If you say so,” Joy said, blushing and fidgeting. “Just… quickly, please?”
“Sure, Joy, just keep behind me, hm?” Brianna said, glancing at Cora in amusement, then headed for the door, one hand on her belt near a dagger. Cora wasn’t sure how much good that’d do against a swarm of angry bees, but she wasn’t going to argue.
Instead, since Joy was almost crowding Brianna, Cora followed closely, wondering just what was going on. If there was a beehive in the greenhouse, she imagined people would be running, if anything. Not meandering around inside it.
Webs & Wards (Beesong Chronicles Book 2) Page 10