Pulling out the case that Gregory had seen last week, Yukiko placed it on the counter. “This was a gift of enticement, but I need to know more about it to properly judge the worth of the gift.”
Hemet’s eyes flicked to Gregory for a moment before he opened the case. “Hmm, this is master quality at the very least.” Hemet produced a monocle and placed it in front of his right eye. “Yes... high master quality, or maybe even lower grandmaster quality.” Turning the necklace over, Hemet tsked upon seeing the small flame emblem emblazoned on the inside of the necklace. “It is a good piece. It will allow one to conjure a globe of fire once, until it recharges.”
“Useful for the upcoming tournament,” Yukiko nodded.
“Ah, a novice. I had thought so,” Hemet nodded. “It could give you the edge to clear a tough fight, yes. It is well known that only the Eternal Flame produce these necklaces. They only give them to members in good standing and those they dearly wish to recruit.”
“How much will you buy it for?” Yukiko asked.
Gregory blinked, not having expected her to sell it.
“Not many of these are around. To sell it would give away that I bought one recently.”
Yukiko laughed lightly, “We both know that you transport items that you wish to distance from yourself to other cities and towns. I expect you to take that into account when stating your price.”
Hemet’s eye twinkled, “Ah, someone who knows the dance, and so young, too. If only I was two hundred years younger. Fine, I will give you twenty-thousand vela.”
“Thirty.”
“Twenty-five, and no more.”
Yukiko bowed her head, “As you say, but would you consider forty if it was in trade?”
Hemet’s professional smile became real, “Thirty.”
“Thirty-four, to undercut what I would normally ask for in return, out of courtesy.”
“Accepted, with no vela exchanged.”
“I would like to see what you would suggest for two novices who will have a very difficult time in the tournament.”
Hemet’s eyes darted to Gregory, the smile becoming knowing. “Very well. What magics do you both possess?”
“I have shadow magic and his… is unknown,” Yukiko said.
Hemet blinked slowly, before his lips pursed. “Interesting. That makes this more of a challenge. Please be seated. I’ll be back shortly.”
When Hemet went into the back, Gregory was confused on what he should be feeling. He wanted to argue with Yukiko for what she was doing, but he also wanted to thank her for doing so much for him.
Yukiko stood at the counter, not turning to face him. “Greg? I touched the spirit path today. I could feel it, truly feel it. That means I’ve touched two so far, so please, don’t fight me on this. It is a pittance compared to what you’ve done for me.”
Gregory shook his head with a sigh, “But I haven’t done anything, Yuki. You’ve done that all on your own.” Moving to the side, he sat at one of the tables. “I haven’t done anything to match this.”
“No. You’ve done more than I can say. I would never have tried to reach for two paths, much less all three, if not for you. I tried because you told me it was possible. I put my faith in you, and it’s been true. This barely scratches the debt I feel I owe.”
“I feel I owe you, you feel you owe me... makes it hard to know what to do,” Gregory chuckled awkwardly.
“Maybe we don’t try to keep track,” Yukiko said with a weak chuckle of her own. “Father would be appalled at that idea, but if we’re going to be partners, it makes the most sense.”
Gregory felt two paths open before him again. One where he disagreed and they quarreled, causing their friendship to fade and break apart by the end of the year. In the other, they stood back to back and faced all comers with smiles on their faces, while wearing sunflower kimonos.
“Kind of makes the choice easy,” Gregory muttered.
“What?” Yukiko asked, turning to him with worried eyes.
“Agreed, Yuki. No scores kept— only helping each other climb higher.”
Her cyan eyes stared into his for a long moment, her cheeks heating. “Agreed, Greg. We’ll climb together, no matter what others might think.”
Gregory felt like he was missing part of what she was meaning, but before he could question her, the door opened and Hemet came back into the room.
“I have a few items for you to consider,” Hemet said, laying a display case on the counter. Seven rings were contained within the velvet-lined, glass-topped case. “The first are simple; they will help you recover from fatigue and minor injuries,” he pointed at two plain silver and onyx bands. “These will allow you to manifest your aether into attacks,” he pointed to three rings in sequence, “kick, punch, grapple. Each of them is good as long as you have aether to fuel them. This one,” he pointed to an odd-looking reddish metal band, “blocks pain for a short time. It will block all pain, even fatal pain, making it both a curse and blessing. The last one is for you, miss.” Hemet smiled as he pointed to a band of mottled gray, “This will allow a shadow magi to shift from one shadow to another, but only as long as it has enough aether. If it is fully imbued, it can be used three times before it is drained. It normally takes a magus days to give it a single charge. A novice like you would take months.”
“I think that item would take all of my potential trade,” Yukiko said with a smile.
“Not many shadow magi, and most of them can do it without my trinket,” Hemet shrugged. “It was a bad buy on my end years ago. I would let it and one of the lesser rings go.”
“That doesn’t make things even,” Yukiko murmured.
“How is the ring charged, sir?” Gregory asked from his place at the table.
“Pouring your aether into it, which is why it’ll take her so long to charge it. It is fully charged currently.”
“Anyone can put their aether into it?”
“That is correct.”
“Take the offer, Yuki,” Gregory said. “That ring will help you more than any of the other rings. One of the lesser ones is more than enough for me.”
Yukiko frowned, but sighed, “If that is what you want, Greg.”
“It’s a deal, then,” Hemet said, unlocking the case and extracting the two rings. “The lesser recovery ring can be used multiple times, but like hers, it requires charging. This one pulls aether from the environment, and while at the academy, you should be able to use it every hour.”
“How much for the match to that ring?” Yukiko asked.
“Normally, ten thousand vela. I’ll let you have it for eight if you can pay it by the end of today.”
“Will you take a bond for the eight thousand?”
“A bond? Backed by whom?”
“Warlin Mercantile.”
Hemet eyed Yukiko for a long moment, “I’d want to verify the bond.”
Yukiko nodded and pulled out a scroll, “I’ll need a pen.”
Hemet placed a pen and ink on the counter. “Before you put ink to parchment, may I see it?”
Handing it over, Yukiko smiled at him. Hemet looked over the scroll, then placed his monocle on for a moment before nodding. “Always a pleasure doing business with someone backed by the empire.”
Yukiko wrote out the amount and signed the bottom of the scroll. She nicked her thumb for a drop of blood, which she smeared next to her name. The scroll glowed golden for a moment, and she handed it to Hemet. “Done.”
“Three rings,” Hemet said, handing over all of them. “Please come back again if you require anything further.”
“I shall,” Yukiko said as she took the rings in hand. “Ready, Greg?”
Gregory had risen to his feet, but stayed back when she had pressed for more. “Food, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m ready, then.”
Once outside, Yukiko put two rings on and handed him the other one. “Now we’ll have a slightly better chance during the tournament. Try not to use them before then
. That way, it’ll be a surprise to those we face.”
“Sounds like the best idea,” Gregory said, slipping the ring onto his left index finger. The band vibrated for a second, then shrank a little to fit him perfectly. “That was odd.”
“It is normal for enchanted items, otherwise none of them could be made except to order.”
“More to learn,” Gregory said as they climbed into the rickshaw that had been waiting for them.
Chapter Twenty-eight
The rickshaw dropped them off outside the Golden Boar. The tavern was lively when they entered. Seeing a table for two on the far side of the room, Yukiko headed for it with Gregory trailing her.
“Bit pale for my taste, but cute…”
“Her boyfriend is a twig. Bet I could break him and have her…”
“I think she’s tainted, eurtik b…”
Snippets of conversation reached Gregory’s ears as he crossed the room, and his hands tightened as he continued walking. Yukiko’s pace never faltered, though her smile waned a little when she heard them.
“Idiots... pale of skin and hair? That has to be the new novice up at the academy that has all the clans clamoring for her. I wouldn’t…”
They reached the table and sat. It was only seconds before a man in an embroidered kimono came to their table. “Welcome to the Golden Boar. Can I get you something to drink, and perhaps something to eat?”
“I’d prefer for our drinks to compliment the meal,” Yukiko replied to him. “What do you have available?”
Seeing her medallion, the server bowed his head slightly. “Magi, we have pheasant over rice with infused herbs or bane boar grilled with chunks of spiker fruit and served with buttered noodles. The other options aren’t aether infused, if you’d like to hear them?”
“That’s fine. We need as much aether as we can get,” Yukiko said. “Greg, did you have a preference?”
“The boar sounds interesting.”
“Two of the boar, with whatever beverage will best suit the meal,” Yukiko told the server.
“Yes, mistress.”
The server walked away, and Gregory glanced around the room to see most of the patrons involved in their food or conversations. “What have you got planned after this, Yuki?”
“Originally, I was thinking of going back to the academy for more study or training, but since we’ve come to our agreement, I’m thinking of being as bold as my father.”
Gregory frowned, “Huh?”
“Visiting the clans that sent me messages and seeing what they have to say. I’ll accept any gift they wish to give and use that to help us gain better footing. I also need to stop at a courier to send messages to my parents.”
“Are all of them inside the academy walls?”
“Yes, which means a stop at a courier’s office before we go back,” Yukiko replied.
“Your wine,” the server said, coming back to the table with two glasses and a bottle. Opening the bottle at the table, he poured some for Yukiko and presented the glass to her.
Yukiko took the glass, swirled it around, sniffed it, sipped, then nodded. “Yes, this will do.”
The server poured for each of them and left with his head bowed. Gregory picked up his glass and sniffed at the wine. The scent was complex, and he was unfamiliar with most of the spices. Sipping it, he discovered that the predominant flavor was orange, reminding him of a dessert his mother had made for him once.
“Reminds me of oranges,” Gregory said after his sip.
“Mostly orange, as well as spices that mell...” Yukiko trailed off when she saw Gregory staring at her. “What?”
“Something you learned from your family?”
“Yes. You have to know what the wine is made of to better sell it.”
“You know so much more than I do,” Gregory smiled wryly. “I’m lucky you’re here to teach me.”
Yukiko looked down, a touch of pink showing on her cheeks. “I’m just as lucky that you enjoy my company. You heard them, didn’t you?”
Gregory’s smile slipped for a moment. “Idiots,” he said softly. “Your heritage doesn’t make you— only you can do that.”
Yukiko looked up to speak, but closed her mouth. A moment later, the server was beside the table with two plates. Placing one before each of them, he bowed his head. “Please enjoy.”
The scent hit Gregory’s nostrils like a punch. His mouth started watering and his stomach growled. Coughing, he pulled out the cutlery he had made sure to bring with him. “Let’s eat.”
Yukiko had almost the same reaction so she did not argue, pulling out her own set of cutlery. The two of them sat there in silence, the sounds of a busy tavern washing over them as they ate.
The spiker’s sweet-tart nature made the bane boar’s flavor more potent, but also helped mellow the influx of aether that rushed into them with each bite of boar meat. The buttered noodles helped to blunt it even more. Gregory was surprised to find that the butter sauce had the same tangy flavor of spiker fruit. The wine softened the tartness of the spiker, adding a bit more boldness to the boar.
Gregory and Yukiko lingered over their meal, enjoying the new flavors. Both of them sighed when it came to an end and, sharing a content smile, they just stared at each other for a moment.
“Would you care for orange tart or chocolate cake?” the server asked, breaking the moment.
“I’d like the chocolate. What about you Greg?”
“Orange tart, please.”
“And two of the bitter bean, please, with sugar and butter on the side,” Yukiko ordered.
“Right away,” the servant smiled as he took away their empty dishes.
“Bitter bean?” Gregory asked.
“It’s a popular drink in Buldoun. It will refresh you and leave you ready to do more work after the meal. It’s actually more prominent than tea in Buldoun.”
“How different is it there?” Gregory asked.
Yukiko went silent for a bit, thinking. “We never went far past the border. Buldoun and the empire are tentatively at peace, and have been since the last war fifteen years ago. We only visited Blum, a small city two dozen miles from the border.”
Gregory finished his wine while he listened to her relate the differences in architecture, clothing, and culture. Full-blooded eurtik were treated almost as badly as in the empire, but those of mixed blood were tolerated better.
Yukiko broke off her explanation when the server came back with their desserts and bitter bean drinks. Gregory took a sip of the drink at Yukiko’s urging and nearly gagged at the bitter taste.
Yukiko was giggling as she added two scoops of sugar and one of butter to hers. “That is why it’s called bitter bean.”
“Very apt,” Gregory said, copying her additions to the drink and taking a hesitant sip. “That’s much better.”
~*~*~
Instead of taking a rickshaw back, Gregory and Yukiko decided to jog to the academy. Halfway up, Yukiko asked Gregory to stop just outside of a plain-looking structure with a five-story tower. Following her in, he stepped into a large room with over a dozen desks scattered about, each one with a sign hanging over it. One side of the room had a long counter with stacks of paper on it.
“I need the paperwork to send two missives to Handa province,” Yukiko said without preamble upon reaching the central desk.
“Do you have them ready?” the man asked, not looking up from his paperwork.
“No. I’ll need paper and ink, as well.”
A frown flickered across the clerk’s face, then his expression was neutral again. “Use the counter over there.” He motioned to the counter with paper on it. “Fill out these two forms.” He took papers from stacks on his desk and thrust them at her without looking. “Once you have all that in order, see the Handa province desk.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko said, taking the forms and moving toward the counter.
“I need a form to send a letter to Alturis in Saito province,” Gregory told the man.
“Here is the form,” the man said, thrusting another paper at him. “Same instructions as the lady, but the Saito desk.”
“Thank you.”
“Sending a letter home?” Yukiko asked softly when he joined her.
“Figured I might as well let them know how I’m doing.”
Yukiko smiled, “Good.”
Gregory got the form filled out with minimal questions to Yukiko. Taking a blank sheet of paper from the pile on the counter, Gregory thought for a few minutes, then started writing.
Aether's Blessing (Aether's Revival Book 1) Page 22