Chapter 5 - Chase at the Market

  ”I forgot to ask the bank employee’s name…” ~Shallies Mythernal

  After leaving instructions for Apple to sign off on their second account, Shallies summoned her winter coat and left the bank. Pulling the hood over her head activated its magical enchantment, turning her invisible. It was one of the functions of her Vanishing Rejuvenating Manaweave Coat of Quick Casting +9.

  Catching up with the chase didn’t take too long. Soft and swift bounces over rooftops gave her enough elevation to find where the commotion was and get there without anyone noticing. Her steps were muffled, not by any sort of Skill or item enchantment, but by sheer training and experience.

  Shallies chose to keep her distance and observe as they entered the market proper. For now, she disregarded the shops’ signs, except for ‘Magnificent Magical Mechanisms’, which was most likely the Enchanter and Tinker shop she was looking for. After making a mental note of its general vicinity, she returned to the chase.

  Four soldiers were behind the thief. Two kept chasing the bandit, while two others broke off in opposite directions to attempt to surround.

  Urgency was apparent, but curiosity got the better of Shallies. Many times did obstacles come into the bandit’s path, but each and every of them, he avoided with grace. He slipped through with caution, even at the detriment of losing ground against the soldiers. However, for how many shopping carts or stalling carriages he had to avoid, it was the same for the less acrobatic soldiers behind him. It seemed Lady Luck was smiling down on the bandit, or maybe it was good karma.

  Shallies had not the heart to intercept such a careful person. Not without knowing exactly what was going on. So, she kept pace, hopping from one roof to another while making sure she startled no birds that might give away her presence.

  The bandit looked taller than the average human’s height. A cloak fluttered over his back, hiding most of what else he was wearing and what he looked like. It seemed less and less that this chase was about thievery, however. The way he deliberately chose not to lead his assaints into poputed streets was enough to tell of his familiarity with the town and his desire not to cause them any trouble.

  Odd…

  Despite this curious development, which was something she became more convinced of as the chase went by, Shallies struggled on what to do. Interfering might complicate the situation, not to mention she’d be putting the spotlight on herself. But leaving it alone on the other hand felt irresponsible.

  She sighed and used her mana. Fortunately, her cloak was effective enough to hide the glowing highlights of her hair.

  “Scan,” she said, not really wishing to use it.

  [Scan successful,] Stachie replied.

  “Show me his profile.”

  [Name: Arun’dul zel Var][Species: Seraph, Angel-Devil][Divine line(s): Redacted][Csses: Guardian Armorer (Hero 11), Ascendant (Hero 31)]

  So that’s where the feather came from…

  Shallies stopped and contempted turning away. A seraph wasn’t exactly trouble, nor was it usually good news.

  The zel Var name, specifically, used to have carried honor and glory throughout each Divine War, until their own god had gone mad a few centuries ago. It had turned its minions into crazed abominations, while the stronger disciples, the zel Var and their seraphim kin, had been forced to don evil draconic forms, and had turned two nations into ashes overnight.

  Shallies had severed that god’s connection from Ysvil before ending its life, rendering any hope for reincarnation to absolutely zero. The religious followers of the dead god had long since forgotten it had even existed.

  Except for some of the zel Var.

  Regardless, whoever this man was, and why he was being chased became clear to Shallies. She had mandated the zel Var and the rest of the seraphim to remain in their own seclusion, only allowing those that remembered their god to become nomads and earn the redemption for their kin. And as far as she was concerned, it would take them a few more centuries of heroic deeds and good will to completely make up for their past.

  A zel Var without any permit to enter a civilized town or city wouldn’t be one of these repenting nomads. This one, Arun’dul, was most likely a stray, lost his way from his seclusion, only to become confused by the drastic changes of the outside world.

  If Shallies had been the Godkiller from back then, the choices she would’ve provided him would’ve been clear and simple. Return to his secluded nd, or forfeit his life. There would’ve been no negotiations involved.

  But she wasn’t the Godkiller anymore. Not for now, not for a long while anyway. That realization made letting the chase go effortless. Before she could head back to the bank, however, someone else shouted.

  “Stop right there, bandit!” Grace yelled, appearing in front of the running seraph. She activated her Mana-Edge, causing the mechanism from the hilt to emit a yellow, concentrated bde made out of her mana. Her Star Shine was bright and intense.

  Arun’dul didn’t even hesitate, much less slow down. He faked a duck underneath Grace’s strike, which the girl failed to notice as she responded with practiced instinct. A quick flip, and he was immediately out of her range, dashing away. The guards that broke off a minute earlier suddenly appeared, but even they couldn’t stop the seraph from slipping away.

  Shallies feared for what might happen next. Spell Swords knew that if their bdes couldn’t match the enemy, their Magic Skills, or Spells, might. And no matter how gifted someone was, a Level 11 Base Css couldn’t possibly match against a Level 85 Hero Css, which was two tiers above. Not to mention, it was the lower level of the two he possessed.

  Grace was fortunate enough that Arun’dul had no intention of fighting.

  The complication forced Shallies to keep up with the chase, much closer now than before. If the seraph changed his intention from escaping town to fighting back, she needed to protect Grace right away.

  Where are Schooner and Elesia anyway?

  The soldiers had enough sense in them to command the half-orc to stand down. It gave her enough pause to fall behind, but she still went after them.

  Shallies found her chance. There was no more reason to keep her attention on Arun’dul. As soon as they turned another corner, she quickly but cautiously removed her hood before pulling the half-orc away from the chase. Grace had a moment of shock before realizing what had happened.

  “You should try to identify your opponents before deciding to fight them,” Shallies said. She left no room for discussion, heading back towards the park right away. When she heard no steps follow nor run away, she knew the half-orc was stunned in pce.

  “Come on. Help me choose some kitchenware.”

  “He’s just a bandit,” Grace compined, following now. “How can he be higher level than I am?”

  Shallies turned and raised an eyebrow. “How sure are you that that man is just a bandit? And in what world would a bandit be lower leveled than a Level 11 Spell Sword and be able to survive outside the protected territories?”

  She sighed. “Leave it to the authorities, Grace. You have a big day tomorrow. It won’t do well for you to get into trouble now, or get too exhausted to concentrate on your adventure.”

  Silence followed the next minute as they made their way back to the bank. Despite how chaotic the chase was earlier, Shallies had no trouble backtracking the route they took.

  “How did you get involved anyway?” she asked, trying to spark up a conversation. The scolding, soft as it was, must’ve dampened some of the girl’s gusto.

  “I was looking around for other things I might want to bring tomorrow,” Grace said. “I have the important stuff with me, so I’m just window shopping for something extra.”

  “Potions?” Shallies asked as they passed by what looked like an alchemy shop.

  “I have three basic healing pots and one concentrated.”

  “What about curatives?”

  “One for poison, one for paralysis.”

  “Good, they’re the most common ones. You apply them when?”

  “Within one minute of affliction.”

  The path eventually led to less magic-oriented shops, like furniture or house decorations, there was even a bookshop which seemed to advertise selling music records as well. At this point, Shallies stopped looking around. It felt wrong not having Apple to window shop with her.

  “What about light sources?” she asked, continuing down her checklist for Grace.

  “I have your Star Shine.”

  “And you shouldn’t depend on that alone.”

  The half-orc nodded, already expecting it. “I have one small mana-mp and a torch just in case.”

  “What about camping gear?”

  “Bedroll, flint, dry husks for a fire-starter, tent, rope, cooking pot, utensils, cups, change of clothes, and a water fsk.”

  “Before you enter the dungeon portal, make sure you collect some dry wood. Some dungeons are a little cheap with fire fuel, and you don’t want to spend your mana just to keep warm if you can help it. It’s rare for beginner dungeons, but some of them won’t allow you to go out for a while after you enter.”

  At this point, Grace pulled out a paper pad and a pen to take down notes. “Anything else I should prepare for?”

  “What about rations?”

  “Mom packed me two days’ worth. Ben and Marisa should be bringing theirs. The dungeon’s only about half a day’s walk away, but we packed extra in case the interior takes time to explore. We’ll scavenge for everything else.”

  Shallies smiled and held out a finger. “Good, good. Stop by my pce tomorrow, if you can. I’ll prepare some more food to go for you three. I have a Skill that gives even my normal dishes a +1 to all your Attributes.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. You should have one on right now.”

  Grace checked her System Console. It was a smaller screen, just enough for her to consult her active buffs. Her eyes widened.

  “There is! That’s amazing! I’ve never had a Food Buff before!”

  The amazement gave Shallies pause. “There’s supposed to be a tavern here, right? The cook’s not a Chef Css?”

  “She is, but her Food Buffs are expensive! You’re supposed to include magical ingredients to have them. But I saw you cook the tomato soup, and I’m sure you didn’t use any special ingredients.”

  “Oh…” Shallies thoughtfully twirled a strand of her white hair around a finger. “They must be still a single Css or is a double Profession Css. I only gained this because I was initially a Combat Css with Guiding Star.”

  “How nice,” Grace smiled, her eyes dreamily admiring the prospect of having two Csses. “I hope I can gain a second Css quickly.”

  “You’ll get there,” Shallies said. “As long as you keep working hard, you’ll obtain one eventually. But you should make sure to prepare and think hard about it before choosing your next Css.”

  “Why did you choose to be a Chef?”

  While Shallies had no issue answering the question, their stroll had already brought them back to the park, leaving her no time to reply. Apple, who was floating about by the entrance of the bank while checking her System Console, noticed them arrive. She waved the bank employee goodbye before meeting them halfway with a jolly expression.

  “We got it?” Shallies inquired, and the teacup fairy quickly nodded with a smile. It only took a quick confirmation with her own console to find the second account with the appropriate amount of bits. “Great, now we can go shopping.”

  “Do you need help going around?” Grace asked.

  “As long as you’re done with your main preparations, I don’t mind the help. I need to visit the Enchanter and Tinker first.”

  The half-orc pointed vaguely towards the direction of the Magnificent Magical Mechanisms, but Shallies had to act like she didn’t know where it was. She was lucky enough to have avoided any questions as to why she was on the streets during the chase instead of the bank. There was no need to bring that thought back to the girl, who was already preoccupied by thoughts of her first great adventure.

  Apple was about to inquire subtly about the chase, but the new Chef gave a stealthy signal to keep her questions on hold. The fairy was quick to understand.

  Magnificent Magical Mechanisms had one of the most unique signs on the street. In fact, Shallies could count by hand the number of memorable street signs that incorporated pyful lights with a conjured mascot to catch the attention of potential customers.

  For whatever reason, this mascot depicted a female cat-ferim, a human with the distinct parts of cat ears and a tail. She had magical clothing to cover her most important parts while she enthusiastically but silently beckoned Shallies and Grace over.

  It’s not that kind of store, is it?

  The interior, however, was closer to how Shallies expected a pce of craftsmanship would look like. Two rge workbenches immediately took her attention. One was messy with a lot of magical components scattered around, while the other was cleaned and organized.

  The walls were decorated with purposefully incomplete components to make specific jobs easier. A useful technique that she pnned to utilize when the kitchen finished its renovations.

  The shopkeepers noticed them. One was a human man with rippling muscles that could pass for an orc. The other was an elven woman with a build that could give her coworker a run for his bits. Both towered over Shallies, who was currently the shortest person in the room, not counting Apple.

  “Grace! Who do we have here?” bellowed the man. He abandoned his current task to greet them. His coworker, however, remained by the forge with her eyes trained on the tong holding the heating metal. Bcksmith.

  Taller than Schooner, the man smiled at Shallies as if he was about to coddle his daughter. She immediately held up a hand almost out of instinct.

  “I’m Shallies Mythernal, please to meet you, sir.”

  “Very polite! I like her already. Welcome to Triple M. I’m Danilo, your local Enchanter and Tinker. You have things that need crafting, or improving, I’m your man, little girl.”

  They shook hands. His grip, while considerate, gave the impression of someone used to carefully handling delicate things despite his strength.

  Little girl…

  This, though begrudgingly, she accepted. There wasn’t much argument Shallies could come up with to deny this man his rude assumptions without giving much away. While it was true, there were better, less demeaning words he could’ve used.

  “Oh,” she began instead, leading to a realization she should’ve had earlier. “I thought those were separate people.”

  “We didn’t mention it, did we?” Grace said.

  “It’s a pretty rare combination, isn’t it?” Danilo said, tapping his workbenches. “But with both, you don’t have to go very far to get what you need.”

  A strand of mana subtly touched Shallies on her back. She acted as if it was nothing while spotting the source without much difficulty. The elf was using Scan to check her out, while acting uninterested. Rude, but being store owners, they had the right to make sure who they were providing their services to. Not to mention, she might just be looking for information to help make her more customized offers.

  The elf paused only for a split second after she read Shallies’ modified stats.

  Still rude, though…

  “So what are we looking for?” Danilo asked.

  “I’m looking for kitchen tools and appliances.”

  “Hmm? There’s a shop specifically for those on the next street over.” Despite this suggestion, Danilo didn’t look disappointed. “Unless you’re looking for…”

  “Mana-crafted ones, yes,” Shallies finished for him with a smile.

  “Now you’re talking. What do you have in mind specifically?”

  “I have a list, if you want to check?”

  The buffed man reached out a thick arm with a worn out hand. Calluses were baked in among thick skin. While these were signs of a hardworking man, they weren’t usually prominent from for an Enchanter or Tinker. If he was a Bcksmith however…

  Shallies decided not to pry and produced her list. By this time, Grace and Apple had started wandering around the shop. The half-orc inquired to the fairy about certain items on the wall or rack, which she responded with shrugs for the most part.

  Danilo perused the list, nodding and humming along as he considered each item. “You want a giant fridge for storing produce, two four-section stoves, a rge oven, grills, smoke racks. Some of these aren’t mana-crafted.”

  “If you have mana-crafted versions of those in mind, I’d like to consider them,” Shallies said while her eyes shifted towards the elf who was slowly stalking behind Danilo. She quickly snatched the list, but he somehow knew she was coming.

  “You don’t need these things for a regur kitchen,” she said dryly, implying her question.

  “I’m opening a tavern west of town, near the main road.”

  The two perked up.

  “Wasn’t that Catelyn’s house?” Danilo asked.

  “Yes,” Shallies replied. The elf said the same thing at the same time. Surprised as she was, she continued. “I purchased it from the Mayor yesterday.”

  “It has a small kitchen,” said the elf. “These won’t fit.”

  “I was going to look for someone who can renovate that section ter, actually.”

  “I’ll do it.” The elf shoved the list back to her coworker’s chest and returned to the forge. “We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Excuse me?” Shallies blinked.

  “Sorry,” Danilo said, a dumb smile on his face while apologetically scratching the back of his head. “That’s my wife, Yor’ylin. She’s only like that during work mode. She’s usually very sweet and—”

  The elf threw a dirty rag at the back of her husband’s head to stop him from speaking more. Shallies took that chance to ask an odd question.

  “I can see that she’s a Bcksmith, but that Css doesn’t build houses, right?” While this was common knowledge, she had to ask to imply her actual question.

  “Yes, she’s also a Builder specializing in everything involving building houses.” Danilo pounded his chest proudly. “From pnning to constructing, whatever aspect of your house needs renovating or building, she can handle it for you. Plus, I’m a pretty handy assistant.”

  “I used to renovate and repair for Catelyn,” Yor’ylin added while she worked rhythmically on the anvil. “I vaguely remember she mentioned something about opening a tavern or a cafeteria. Coincidence or not, I want to help you make that happen.”

  Shallies couldn’t recall Catelyn ever mentioning anything about Yor’ylin, but now that she thought about it, the Biomekeeper hadn’t had the obligation to tell her everything in the first pce. Like the elf said, coincidence or not, this made her visit to the town already well worth it.

  “What about the list?” Shallies inquired.

  “Mmm… I need to come up with a few designs,” Danilo stated, rubbing his chin inquisitively with his strong fingers. “I’ll have some within the next few hours, or I can bring them to you tomorrow while we do some preliminary assessment of your kitchen. Do you have magical items I can work with? Mana-infused loot, monster parts, anything of the like?”

  “I have a lot, but I haven’t done a detailed inventory, yet. I’m not sure which you would need.”

  “Things that involve temperature for the most part. The better items you have, the better the tools and stations I can make for you.” Danilo smiled, intrigued by this new challenge on his and his wife’s hands. “Tell you what, we can finalize all of this tomorrow. Designs both for your new kitchen and its interior. We can negotiate the price after.”

  Shallies nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, then. You can keep the list.”

  “Awesome.”

  With that, her agenda for the morning was suddenly accomplished. And while they still had time before the agreed meeting at Schooner’s pce, Shallies thought it would be prudent to show up early.

  “You’re not going to tell them about what I did earlier, right?” Grace asked.

  “You’re old enough to make your own decisions,” Shallies said. “I’m just really curious about your meals and how you cook them.”

  The half-orc had an accusatory look, but she led her back to the residential area anyway.