Locating a merchant in Bruhle was simple enough. They were everywhere. Tariffs in Bruhle were traditionally kept low to encourage more trade and the local market was flooded with exotic goods from all over the Withered Lands. The problem Davros kept running into was finding one who wasn’t trying to rip him off.

  “My good friend, this scroll was the only item brought back by a party of adventurers during an ill fated dungeon delve. They were all close, personal friends of mine and I cannot possibly part with it for less than two gold pieces.”

  “I only have 60 silver,” I lied. Igvild had suggested I start lying after I told the first merchant I spoke to the exact amount of coin I possessed. It resulted in the grinning merchant trying to extract every copper I had while offering as little as possible in return. This merchant had the exact same smile as that one had sported.

  “Then alas, dear friend, you can get out of my shop.”

  “Yer gettin’ better,” Igvild remarked after the merchant slammed the door behind them on their way out.

  At lying or trading?

  That was how it went more or less each time Davros approached each Merchant who had spell scrolls or books to sell. Spell books were apparently out of his price range. The cheapest he could find was a spell called Create Water and it was listed at 3 Golds. The same spell upon a scroll cost 25 Silvers. Anya explained it to me.

  “Spells taken from books will give you the highest possible form of the spell. For example, a basic heal spell heals for a maximum of 10 Health Points. A book with that spell will give you the maximum of 10, but a scroll of the same spell might only give you the power to heal a maximum of 5 Health Points.”

  “So you would only ever be able to cast a heal spell that could heal no more than 5 Health Points?” I asked her as we meandered through the Market searching for more spell merchants. The trading was relatively light today as people were still unsettled by the previous night’s attack, but the Burgomeister had put more Watchmen on the street in a public show of strength and control.

  “There are other factors that can buff heals to do more than the maximum, but yes you understand the gist of it now.”

  Davros decided it was books he wanted, but he would likely have to settle for a cheaper, weaker version of whatever spells he could find. He was about to ask Anya about the differences between spells one purchased and likewise discovered through their own efforts in Boss fights, but then Igvild, who at the last moment had decided to tag along on the spell hunting shopping trip, spoke up.

  “Hmm, here it is. We should try in here next.” The dwarf indicated a small shop fronted with stained glass, but without any visible sign. “The Gnome who owns this place sometimes acquires interesting odds and ends. He’s been here a long time, but just know that he’s a nutter.”

  Igvild walked through the door, but the rest of them had to stoop and duck their heads to enter through a door that had been sized for smaller humanoids like dwarves, halflings and gnomes. The interior was lit with hooded lanterns, but Davros still found it much darker than the other shops he had been in. Rather than filled with raucous shoppers, this shop was empty and quiet, but crowded with a variety of items.

  Davros found it difficult to categorize the place at first glance. He approached one random shelf and he saw what he thought could be a Slynt’s eye preserved in a bioluminescent goop within a jar. Next to it was a dagger fitted with a jagged stone pommel that emanated a red glow pulsing as if a heartbeat. Davros shuddered as the weapon gave off an unsettling aura.

  “Can I help you at all?” said a high pitched, yet forceful voice behind him. Davros turned and looked down to see a curly haired, bespectacled gnome with an upturned nose glaring back up at him, hands on his hips. “Why are you in my home?”

  Davros had no reply, but stammered out an apology even as Igvild started laughing behind him.

  “Whaddya mean, yer home? Did yer wife finally kick you out, Blam?”

  “Igvild!” The gnome, Blam, scowled at the dwarf, seeming unhappy to see him. Igvild was holding an antique lantern shaped to look like a screaming mouth. The gnome snatched it from Igvild’s hands.“I haven’t been a Fence since our last deal with the Thieves Guild went sour. There’s nothing for you here!”

  “Shhh!” Igvild waved a hand to silence Blam from speaking further. Anya looked askance at Igvild, her eyes narrowed. Davros turned back to the agitated gnome.

  “This is a local shop, isn’t it?”

  “Shop? Local shop!? These are all my precious things I have meticulously collected over the years! Each of them a memory of a place, a person or in some cases a particular meal.” Blam balled both his fists and shook them above his head, his lips quivering with emotion. “I will part with none of them!” Igvild burst out laughing.

  “Torbelie finally kicked you out, eh?”

  “SHE DID NOT!” Blam roared. Then, straightening his smock and adjusting his glasses he stated in a more even tone. “She only said I couldn’t keep any my things in the house anymore, so I moved everything here to my second home and I sometimes…sleep here when I’m too busy to walk across town to my primary domicile. That is all!” Igvild laughed all the louder and Davros and Anya stood dumbfounded while Blam screamed insults at Igvild for another minute before both got themselves under control.

  “Now then, what is it you want, Igvild? I would like to hurry this up so I can return to my very important cataloguing of all the ah…things.” Igvild smirked and gestured at Davros.

  “This Human needs some spells. Pyromancer spells, if ye got ‘em. I figure you must have a few lying around here in this mess?” Blam sniffed and pretended he hadn’t heard Igvild’s insult.

  “No. Now, consider my door never open. Good day.” Davros was about to turn about and do just that, but then he saw Igvild wiggling his fingers at him.

  “You’re still a Trader, ain’t ya? Even if ye don’t need any coin, we may have something ye could be interested in?” Igvild said as he found located some dirt beneath a nail he began to worry at.

  “I sincerely doubt that,” Blam said as he gave them all an indifferent look that now had Anya looking irritated enough to move towards the door.

  “I think he’s made himself clear,” Anya said with a huff.

  “Even if it is something looted from the Herne’s Grove Dungeon?” Igvild said without looking up from his nails. Davros noticed the slight smile on his friend’s face and kept silent. Clearly, Igvild knew Blam well, because suddenly the gnome became all smiles as he moved to block Anya from reaching the door.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Well now, let’s not be hasty! So few adventurers even try to delve anymore these days. They’d rather get honest jobs. Whatever happened to the blind faith in exaggerated abilities and theoretical spell combinations, I always say?”

  “What indeed,” Anya murmured dryly. I removed the Gloves of Elemental Molding from my Three-Pack Ring with a thought. I hadn’t told Anya or Igvild about my new spatial ring and both were surprised when the gloves seemed to materialize directly into my outstretched hands. Blam, however, only had eyes for the fingerless gloves.

  “Ooohh, what have we here? What an interesting enchantment!” Blam practically skipped closer and his fingers wiggled as he looked over the gloves. “May I?” I nodded and Blam lifted them from hands with a deep breath. “Yess…yes! A most unique magical function. Crafted from the skin of a Mana Wyrm…? I have a bestiary tome around here somewhere, I’ll have to look those up. A type of Dragon, perhaps?”

  The Gnome continued to fuss over the gloves as he debated aloud the function, use and point of being able to convert one type of elemental mana into another. Davros attempted several times to engage Blam in discussing what the gnome might have to trade for it, but was having trouble getting a word in. Igvild saw the issue his Mage was having, but fortunately knew the solution.

  “Hey Blam, what does this do?” Igvild snatched up a dust covered glass figurine of a bird of prey filled with glittering motes of light.

  “Be careful with that!” Blam yelled and Davros took the opportunity to snatch the gloves back.

  “I’d like to see what spell books you have to trade for these unique gloves, Master Blam.” Blam looked at me through narrowed eyes for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face.

  “I don’t believe we have been formally introduced. I am Blamford Bramdower. Entrpreneur, Writer, Professor of History at the Bruhle College of Bardic Verse and a Collector of Dungeon Knick-Knacks. At your service.” Blam bowed and I returned the gesture.

  “Davros. I’m just…Davros. Awakened Adventurer,” he added. The gnome’s eyes grew wide.

  “Why didn’t you just say so in the first place? An Awakened? Ah, but I should have guessed! A Pyromancer, but of course!” Blam ushered both Anya and Davros back into his home/shop and started to explain the purpose of this and that item while making a point of ignoring the smirking dwarf.

  “And over here we have a most wondrous item, the Fetish of Ill Reasoning, not a dungeon drop mind you, but said to have been looted from a rare Troll Shaman deep within the Jungles of Xoratai on the far side of the world. They say that any whomever possesses it shall never make a sound business decision again. Personally, I find that to be hogwash as I have never had any issue, but it is interesting, is it not?”

  Davros’ brow furrowed as he took a closer look.

  Fetish of Ill Reasoning

  Type: Trinket

  Class: Any

  Presence +5

  Focus -5

  The eyes of the monkey skull that tops this Fetish seem to follow your every movement…

  “Over here is something you may be interested in trading for. A most mysterious tome called the Book of Perfect Answers.” Blam pulled a heavy book of a shelf behind where Igvild was fiddling with what looked like a stuffed cat until the animal hissed at him in annoyance. “Don’t touch Caspian, Igvild. He doesn’t like people with sticky fingers. Now then, I myself have utilized the answers in this book several times. Whenever my wife draws me into one of her ceaseless arguments, I merely fall back upon the wisdom therein. You should see my wife’s thunderstruck face whenever I quote her a line. In fact, she was so overawed the last time I did so, she told me in no uncertain terms to acquire this place immediately!” Blam gestured around his space. “Best thing I’ve ever done!”

  Book of Perfect Answers

  Type: Off hand

  Class: Caster, Support

  For every hour spent reading from the pages of this book, the reader will gain an increased chance to succeed in any WILL challenge against a Targeted enemy, but suffer an equal chance to fail in any FOCUS challenge against a Targeted enemy.

  What in the name of the Eye are these items? I can’t tell if they are cursed or some sort of a joke?

  Davros was about to ask Blam if he had read from the book that very day when Anya pointed at a wooden carving of a boat resting upon a shelf. Her eyes were intense and her mouth was half open in shock.

  “Where did you get that?” Her voice was hoarse and Davros looked in her direction. She appeared to sway on her feet and he moved to her side.

  “Anya, what is it?” He whispered.

  “Ye should dust in here sometimes, Blam. These Sylvan-bloods have sensitive noses from having them constantly up in the air.” Anya flashed Igvild some strange hand signal Davros had never seen before that made the dwarf laugh, but she never took her eyes off the carving. Blam eyed the carving and scratched his chin as he searched his memory.

  “Hmm, I’ve had that for a while now. Nothing magical about it, but I acquired that in Bludgard many years ago from a down-on-his-luck sailor. An excellent rendition of an Elassian schooner, don’t you think?” Anya nodded mutely and Davros knew he would be asking about adding the ship to his trade.

  She likes it. I’ll give it to her as a gift. I’ll say it is just a thanks for all her instruction and patience. Nothing more than that!

  “Ah, I put those spell books back here. Now you undoubtedly already know that such books are rarely recovered from dungeons, but are more likely written by Master Scribers, yes? They are considered quite expensive, yes? Good, but I wager you did not know that there are different grades of spell books?”

  Davros mutely shook his head.

  “I know about the difference between spell books and spell scrolls? Is it similar to that?”

  “Ah, you follow sound reasoning, my new Awakened friend, but no. The differences between spell book grades revolve around the inherent affinity of the spell it holds. Take for example, the Arcane Bolt spell, which is a spell that most Forged Mages will attempt to learn as they train.

  “I learned a spell called Fire Bolt when I first Awakened!” Davros offered, intrigued.

  “Really? How remarkable! Ah, but it is different for the Awakened than for the Forged. Mage Trainers or finding scrolls are how a Forged would learn Arcane Bolt. It is a spell that fires an attack of raw, unaspected Mana.” Davros nodded, following Blam’s explanation. It followed everything his friends had taught him so far.

  “Let us say, for the sake of my explanation, that you did not have your version of the Bolt spell and I were to hand you a spell book that taught you the Unaspected Grade Arcane Bolt spell. What do you suppose would happen when you, an Awakened Pyromancer, read it?” Davros’ brow furrowed.

  “I would…learn Arcane Bolt?” Grinning, Blam shook his head.

  “Incorrect, I’m afraid.” Blam answered apologetically. “An Awakened Pyromancer will instantly convert Arcane Bolt into Fire Bolt! Do you see?” Davros stared blankly at Blam while he turned this information over in his head.

  “So, what you are saying is that whatever spell you give me, it will instantly convert into something Fire Affinity related?” This sounded similar to what had happened when he learned his Cauterize Soul spell from the Soothe book.

  “Only if you read a spell book for an unaspected spell, of which there are many, I might add. If I gave you a spell book with a spell that was aspected for Water Mana…”

  “When I cast it the effect would be half of what it would otherwise be for a Class other than mine.” I answered.

  “Good to know there is a mind underneath that hood. Why then are you partnered with a Dwarven miscreant? Regardless, your deduction is correct. I have on this shelf here a common spell called Create Water. As it is already aspected for Water Mana it is therefore an Elemental Grade book. Even as a Pyromancer you would still learn this spell as is, but as your affinity is opposed to Water, you would cast the spell to a lesser effect than even a Forged Mage would!”

  Davros nodded in understanding. He had one last question. “What would happen if I learned a spell already aspected for Fire?” Blam smiled a toothy grin. “Now things become interesting.” Blam’s eyes narrowed and he steepled his fingers. “Did you know that there are actually two types of Mana? Three, if we count that wretched Wrath stuff?”

  “No. Well, I did know about Wrath Mana, actually.” Blam waved a hand dismissively.

  “We won’t discuss that, as Wrath Mana is destruction and the antithesis of what Mana is: Creation. The two types to which I am referring are Natural or Organic Mana which are the six Affinities of Wind, Water, Earth and Fire as well as the two rare Origin Mana types of Light and Void. These types are the most common and are what Forged Mages will often seek to tap into in order to gain Classes. Awakened Mages, historically, potentially can gain a rare class as you have by forming a direct bond with one of the elements.

  The other type of Mana comes the Eye itself. This is referred to as Lunar or Astral Mana. Inorganic Mana that comes directly from the domains of the four Watchers: Marfa, Imbolc, Oengu and Sif.”

  “So then my Fire comes from Imbolc’s Astral Mana rather than Natural Fire Mana?” I asked Blam. This was a lot to take in at once, but I was pleased I was able to follow it. Blam leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

  “What makes you suspect that? Does it say so in your Status?” I pulled my Status up with a thought and found the original message description for my Class. I read it aloud for Blam, Igvild and Anya’s benefit.

  Class: Pyromancer (Rare) is a specialized Mage who draws their power directly from Imbolc’s Astral Plane of Fire. Casting spells from other Astral Planes will have weaker results. Opposition spells drawn from Oengu’s Plane of Water are 50% less effective. Unaspected spells will be cultivated automatically.

  Davros finished and took a step back when he saw Blam staring at him in disbelief.

  “Fascination and confusion,” Blam whispered. “I have heard of others with the Class, but their Mana was surely Organic and Elemental? What are the differences between you and they? Subtle, yet poignant I shouldn’t wonder! Should there not be some Class distinction between a Natural Mana user and a Lunar? Unless the differences will not become apparent until you achieve an Ascended Class? By the Eye, I should research your exploits and write a dissertation on the subject for the University in Charros.”

  “That’s all just lovely, Blam.” Igvild interjected as he tried to get the gnome back on track. “Can the lad see what spells ye have now? I know ye want those gloves!” Igvild griped as he searched for a place to sit. It was getting hard not to help himself to some of the more interesting pieces he saw lying around. Regarding the state of this place, he knew his old friend was lonely, but the three of them had other ore veins to tap that day!

  “Of course I want them! I’ve never seen an enchantment like that before. Aspect conversion!? You did well in bringing this fascinating boy to me, Igvild. Perhaps I’ll forgive you for not visiting me in over two decades!”

  Blam shoved a few old chests aside and revealed a a small shelf full of familiar, tattered looking books. There were about twenty in all and Davros eagerly stepped forward to examine them.

  “I would say three of any of these would be a fair trade for the gloves?” Blam beckoned Davros closer, Anya looking over his shoulder also interested. The books were arranged neatly, but didn’t seem to be arranged in any particular order. One thing became abundantly clear to Davros just moments after he read the titles of the first few.

  I’m going to need more gold. A lot more gold.