Money spent

Tront moved me along quickly after negotiations came to an end. Paying my handsomely himself, rather than Brie having to do it. He held out one of those stones, the same as every time before. Held it over my hand as it warmed. Transferring the payment. It felt... like some weird bank transaction. It was, but it felt weird. Something I still wasn't fully used to. I rubbed the back of my hand as he finished and was promptly ushered out. Though he assured me that I would be taken care of. Though I wasn't sure what that really meant.

Just over 3,000 credits in all. Well above what I had hoped the quest would pay, even more than needed to see Cecilia again. Far too much for a man with holes in his pockets. Specifically a broken sword, rippec clothes, and a small debt to repay to a good woman.

Before long I found myself standing outside the guild, bag slung over my shoulder, and warmth still clinging to my hand. I found myself rubbing the back of my palms absentmindedly. Though it was fading it still felt... odd. As if I had a heating pad against my skin. Not uncomfortable, but odd. With the warmth receding I turned away from the square. Following along the wall as I had a set of goals in mind. First up, get my sword handled. Maybe something else.

It wasn't a long walk, since there were many shops along the same face as the guild. Thankfully it was also far from busy this early in the morning. As I stepped into the Blacksmith shop I'm immediately met with the stench of steel and smoke. It seeped into the wood and stone even in the shop itself. The actual smithy was blocked by the wall to the side, yet the odor from their work had worked its way into the very framework of the building.

As I entered the shop I quickly found myself wandering about the stock. Without a clerk to help me I was essentially window shopping. Either that or a five finger discount, but pissing off the guards, guild, and smiths didn’t seem like a good or fun idea. Rather than brand myself a criminal I decided to test out some of the blades along the wall. My broken sword still clung to my hip as well as the gifted dagger that had yet to see any action. Least not combat. I thought back to how my magic had worked, best I could tell at the time.

It was electricity, at its most basic. Using the metal in the blade to channel the power into blade constructs and burn enemies with the intense heat from the electricity itself. It couldn't block anything, but it could do damage to whatever it hit, more the longer it remained in contact. Then came my abilities from the reading. A swordsman, mage, and artificer. Brie had noe idea what it meant, but at least I did. Though it would'nt be immediate... I realized as I swung a greatsword, like an idiot, that my second package might be even more important than a sword.

Though the greatsword wasn’t unwieldy at all, I just wasn't skilled with it. Its long thin blade could do incredible damage in the hands of someone trained. Kept hitting my own arms or ribs with the longer handle. Maybe one day. Moving on though I found a small collection of single handed swords. Much shorter than the greatsword but with their shorter handle I could swing them like nothing. One of them in particular caught my eye.

It looked like something out of a fantasy story. A long single edged sword that was thinner near the base but widened out as it came to the tip. Almost like a machete, except for the back where it too widened and came to a sharp spike before ending in an even sharper tip with each side of the tip sharpened. It took some time but, nerdiness prevails, I realized it was something similar to a falchion, though exaggerated a bit. Swinging it around it almost felt like swinging an axe rather than a sword. Due to all the extra weight at the tip. As I searched for another item to toy with the workshop door opened with a slight creek. Odd given their proffession that the door make noise, but who was I to comment.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome in. How may we be of assistance today?" It was the same clerk that worked with Yura and I when we first came by. I wasn't sure if I should be thankful or not that he didn't recognize me. Regardless, I brought the sword I'd found up to the counter. Setting sword down I started by addressing the blade itself. It still felt oddly imbalanced, like an axe.

"Good morning. I'd like to place some custom orders and... may I speak with the lead smith? I have something... unique. Different than anything any of your people have made before." The clerk nodded with a smile and took down my notes. I ordered a longer version of the sword I'd presented. Slightly longer with a sloghtly longer hilt and added weight. Though he did have a minor note about the added weight. After a moment of reassurance he took down my order. Next was something to act as a small shield. I'd had it in my head for some time, but something small enough to carry easily but more than just my forearm.

Working alongside me he drew up a basic schematic. A two foot long shield in the shape of an arrow head. Wider at the back, almost a foot and a half, behind my elbow with a sharp front and angled top that would help to deflect. With two straps to keep it secure I would have a decent way to block attacks. With my pain tolerance being through the roof it would be incredibly useful. I also had an idea about coating it in magic. With luck I might be able to block and attack at the same time by electrocuting the attacker. Seeing it on my sword is one thing, would be one hell of a surprise.

After taking two out of three orders the clerk left me with a smile and set of notes. I only had to wait for a few minutes before the door opened once more. This time an older man stepped through. His ebony skin dripped in sweat and dirt. A long braided beared kept in a neat short knot. The rest of his head was bald and shimmered in the candle light. He greeted me with a respectable smile and firm handshake. "You've given us some interesting requests. Though not out of possibility, but I'm told you have something else that might be worthy my attention."

"Yes, but... it's something a bit more than a sword or shield. Do you have an office we can talk in? I'd prefer this to be a private conversation." With a wave of his arm he let me behind the counter, into the workshop and through to his private office. Small and full of different metals, papers, and a large business ledger sitting on the desk. Our discussion lasted for nesrly two hours before we finally settled on costs and time frame. Almost 2,000 gold after everything was said and done. But I would have a new sword and shield in four days, with my private request being done by a less strict schedule. As soon as possible, really.

Though I left empty handed and with significantly less coin I'd gotten my most prudent orders in. It would be some time, but hopefully I'd be well armed by the end of the week. Next came a trip to the potion store. The same where I had bought my healing potion before the quest. Though my bottle was empty it had saved multiple lives. Something I wasn't about to go without any time soon.

Entering into the apothecary I'm met with a smiling Miss Shari standing behind the counter. She closed a small book she appeared to have been reading before addressing me. "Ah! Yura's referral. Welcome back! I hope your quest went well. Something must have gone right if you're back so quickly, or something went horribly and you need more healing tonics."

"Eh... bit of both. Went poorly, but your potion saved four separate lives. My own included." Stepping up to the counter I fished out the bottle that Miss Shari had given me with the first tonic in it. I sat the bottle down in front of her with a small clink. "I know I'm not going to get those multitudes of discounts, but I would at least like a refill. Never know when it will come in handy."

"Of course, a refill will actually cost a bit less. Normally about 75 gold, a refill is 60. Bottles of high quality are expensive." Miss Shari took the bottle with a smile before leaving behind the curtain. Returning a few minutes later with a full tonic and sat it in front of me. "Will that be all?"

"Oh, actually... something else if at all possible. I could use a... uh... stamina potion. Something to keep me going for as long as possible."

"Can I assume this will involve a certain young woman?" The look on her face was rather knowing. Though it would be pretty shitty to tell her it wasn't for the certain woman she had in mind.

"Yeah... in a manner."

"Then a stamina potion will only go so far. It'll give you the stamina to 'run' for days, but you'll be out of... 'fuel' long before you're done." Leaving with that interesting message Miss Shari left behind the curtain once more. This time returning with a set of small vials. Each containing a blueish liquid. On the vial there sat a rose, carved into the very glass. No label outside those intricate carvings. "Take these two. Only drink one in a day though. Anymore than that and you'll probably explode. Not entirely but your... manhood. So one a day. Full 24 hours."

"Okay... okay... one a day or my co... manhood explodes? I'm going to pray that you're being dramatic." Though hesitant I eventually reached out and took the closest vial. Examining it closer before popping the cork. Giving it a small whiff. Though subtle... it smelled like jello? Lime jello.

"No dramatics. The potion works by channeling energy through your spine, hips, and legs. It was originally made as a stamina potion for running long distances. But... the side affects were a bit too much for people to ignore. Or run with. So it's been rebranded. The explosion though, that's due to the energy. It already pushes your body past your limit. So think of it as your limit being 2 hours, a single bottle raises it to 5. But double that? That'll raise it to 13. You can only imagine how dangerous that much energy could be coursing through someone's... area. Of course only getting worse as your natural energy grows."