Elementary, my dear Newman!

John looked closely at the few items that were laying in front of him.

Some sort of pitch black crystal that was somehow casting a shadow in all directions and even absorbing ambient light.

Another one, clear as glass but filled with a never ending lightning ball cracking and sparkling inside of it.

A small leather-bound book with a faded cover he couldn't read, but which looked very old.

A red leather collar with metal Studs and a lock to keep it closed.

"What are the terms of the bargain? Are you trading all of these?" he asked her before looking further.

"I might, those are things I gathered along the years but have no direct use for. Do you want me to introduce them to you, or can you guess what they are? Then we will see what you can get, and what it will cost you," she replied.

John focused on each item to see what they were exactly.

Darkness essence, elemental material.
This item is used to imbue an item or place with properties associated with the element it comes from.
Darkness isn't evil, it is just the absence of light.
Kingdom element: night cycle.

John looked back at the Undead one.

Undead essence, elemental material. Cursed.
This item is used to imbue an item or place with properties associated with the element it comes from.
Undead essence is mystically toxic and infects whoever comes into contact with it. Handle with care. (Or not at all!)
Kingdom element: blighted moor.

So he got further information when he learned more; still, a warning would have been welcome.

Lightning essence, elemental material.
This item is used to imbue an item or place with properties associated with the element it comes from.
Lightning is just a fancy name for electricity, magic is so old fashioned!
Kingdom element: thunder stones.

Lightning was a good element, especially in this age. John was pretty sure that with some training he would be able to recharge batteries or even manipulate machines through electronic devices if he got this.

The collar was next.

Bitch Binder: special item.
This collar makes its wearer the bitch of whoever put it on them, forcing them to serve them and fulfill any requests that are possible to fulfill.
The wearer cannot open the collar, even with the key.
Ownership cannot be transferred; to change the master, the collar has to be removed and put back on.
Durability: indestructible.

A **** collar? Or a way to tame a monster or creature to serve him? This offered so many possibilities, especially with the ability to put it on someone through their inventory sheet.

And finally the book.

A treatise on Alchemy, by Nicholas Flamel (translation): skill book
This book will teach you the bases of alchemy, the identification of the various materials and their uses. Advanced knowledge will be granted as the skills lvls up.

"A Darkness essence, a lightning one, a **** collar and a book on alchemy. Each of those is interesting, and I would like to get them all, but I have no knowledge of their exact values. The book, for all I know could be a classic, copied in quantities and present in every mages library. The collar looks rare and precious, but of the four, it is the one I have the least pressing desire for. You told me the essences I have are rare and sought for, but what about those? I would be willing to do an honest trade, but as much as I want these items, it won't be an open one. I don't want to get out of this owing you anything," he explained.

Achievement unlocked: no wedding deal!
You won't owe someone powerful an unnamed favor. That was a good call!
+2 Intellect
+2 Wisdom

"I am as impressed by your ability to guess their nature than the wisdom of your reasoning. In magical matters, it is always a great risk to owe anyone anything. The book is a very old copy, but is as you said somewhat of a classic, and to reward your insights, I would be willing to share its content but not the support. What would you say of the three items for your essences and the ore?" she offered.

"I'd say, no deal! I have nearly two Undead essence, and you wouldn't say you have no use for those if they were that rare and expensive. And if I trade the ore with you, then I won't have anything of great value to trade on the Abyss Auction to get useful stuff. Either essences for essences and we forget the collar for now, or you add the collar and I throw in the teeth. Can you even use those essences for more than one thing, or are they consumed each time?"

"You won't owe me anything, but I won't go so easy on later deals. The essences can be amplified by some crystals, and in some forms of barriers, you can use them differently without having them vanish, but they become linked to the place. I would advise you to be careful who you put this on, and who would react to it," she said giving him the collar and crystals. She was probably talking about his hearthstone: using them as a kingdom element was surely the way to use them multiple times.

As he left the office, holding a strange business card and waiting for the mail with the data from the book, he was glad to be rid of the noxious Undead essences. Even being near them felt weird. He had only kept the ore and teeth hoping to get a load of cash from them and buy a cool item on the website. He was surprised by how this hidden magic world had adapted to modernity, using computers and the internet; it was a lot better than to rely on owls for mail or such nonsense.

The collar was a great temptation, but then he had no problem getting sex these days and using it on a creature to get some sort of familiar (a useful, competent and permanent familiar, this Invocation skill sucked!) seemed a better use for it. He realized he could even use it to capture creatures and then release them in his new kingdom.

As he walked out of her office, he saw Frank and Vanessa walking in the hallway, so he hid himself behind a row of lockers and used Stealth to escape their attention. They turned their back to him and continued talking, standing side by side. John couldn't hear what they were saying, but their position gave him an idea.

He hadn't tried the new overcharged version of Move. Playing around with a phantom dick could be fun, but he had a better idea for this situation. He focused on his right hand, and using the spell, he then touched her ass, sliding invisible fingers in her crack, pushing on her asshole.

"You fucking worm! You'll regret that!!" screamed Vanessa, turning around and slapping her boyfriend.

"But! What did I do?" he asked, shocked at what she just did.

"Playing dumb? I told you not to touch me without my permission, and you try to finger fuck my asshole at school! You will regret that! My mom bought a new toy, and once we test it, you won't sit for a week," she scolded him.

"But, my love, I didn't do anything! I didn't touch you, I swear!" he tried to defend himself. He didn't deserve it today, but it would be payback for all the times he got away with doing worse.

The nauseated status on Vanessa gave John another idea. He prepared another Move , but this time, he focused on his dick. Once she turned his way in her flow of insults, he slid the uncorporeal penis in her mouth.

It didn't last very long, but the tip of his phantom dick hitting the back of her throat triggered her gag reflex. In a few seconds, Frank was covered head to toe with Vanessa's half digested breakfast.

John didn't stay any longer, as he had his **** and wouldn't want to have to explain his presence. He had just received the email from Mrs Wentworth and decided to run to the library to print a copy of the book. He hoped a printed copy, bound with staples, would work as a skill book.

He was cut short though; as he ran in the hallway, a door opened, and a strong hand grabbed him and dragged him inside. He found himself once again stuck against a wall, facing the Warden of the Golden Rose.