Aliandra

  Ali walked up Artisan’s Row by herself, enjoying the bright afternoon sunshine and the busy sidewalks as people went about their business. She was the subject of a few strange looks, walking with her Kobold Acolyte in tow, but familiars as were quite on oreets of Myrin’s Keep, so nobody made a fuss.

  It probably doesn’t hurt that she identifies as an Acolyte, Ali thought. She imagi would be hard for the townsfolk to feel threatened by a healer dressed in pristine white robes, even if it was a Kobold and higher level than many of them would be able to accurately identify.

  had warned her about the dangers of walking in this area after dark and she could certainly see why – but her request for Lydia shouldn’t take long and she had no iion of staying out te enough for it to bee an issue. Even though the street was bustling with business and trade – people rushing about on errands and such – she could still see the signs of arson and crime in the abandoned, gutted buildings here and there, and boarded-up windows belonging to otherwise busy stores. There seemed to be a furtive urgency, an edge, to most of the townsfolk, as if they were eager to plete their errands before something bad came along.

  When she finally reached the quaint storefront with the elegant sign, Ali noticed that Lydia had found the time to have the upper floor repainted, lending the store a much more presentable face.

  She pushed on the door to Lydia’s Allure, opening it to the pretty chiming of the entryway sound entment. Much to her surprise, the store was busy, with Lydia attending to several ers who were standing around in outfits of varying stages of pletion. Lydia was fussing irl who looked like she was from a noble family. At least, the presence of someone who seemed to be a maid or assistant attending to her indicated a level of social status Ali wasn’t quite used to.

  “Hi Aliandra, I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” Lydia called out without looking up from her work.

  “Thank you,” Ali answered. She moved to a spot to one side beside a couple of well-dressed mannequins, allowing her eyes to feast on the delicate tracery of mana on dispy as Lydia wielded her skills. She hadn’t studied crafters’ skills and magic much. From what she could tell, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of differeween some of them, and bat spells – at least by mana struuch of what Lydia was doing appeared to be some kind of perception skill – at least there was a lot of magical energy tered on her eyes as she worked – but there were also subtle flickers and wisps of mana around her fingers and the needle she wielded with suy deftness and speed.

  “So, Lydia dear, did you hear about that nasty busihe other day?”

  The well-dressed woman who spoke sat primly upright in a rge browher-covered chair surveying the work. She spoke with an affected high-css at and Ali assumed she was the girl’s mother, judging by the simirities in their eyes and cheekbohe strong st of an expensive rose oil infusion wafted out from their dire.

  “Which business would that be, my dy?” Lydia asked respectfully, firming Ali’s guess that they were some kind of nobility or well-to-do.

  “It seems that some ruffians killed two of the Town Watch dowhe market. I was horrified!”

  “That sounds awful,” Lydia answered, her fingers flickering with speed as she sewed a seam. Ali blihose stitches were so fine and precise, it almost looked like the seam chose to weave itself together.

  “Yes, Adrik and Edrik. Nice young ds. Who is going to keep this town safe noeople are killing the Watch left and right?”

  Ali ched her jaw. Nice youhey had been looting the alchemy shop while the owner, Morwynne, bled out oreet.

  “That’s horrible, your family must be so scared,” Lydia answered, finishing up a few more trims.

  “I know, I was just telling my sister-in-w, Agnes, I’m not sure we stay here in Myrin’s Keep anymore. It’s too dangerous. What happens if Cordelia gets attacked at school by these ruffians? It’s just wless out there! Don’t tell anyone I said this, but we’ve been thinking of moving back to the capital.”

  Ali just stood in stunned silence, listening to the misguided discussion, her pulse throbbing iemples. had mentioned several times that Adrik and Edrik had visited this very store, in their usual aggressive fashion. How is Lydia agreeing with this out-of-touoblewoman? Ali just couldn’t fathom it. I thought I was the meek one!

  Lydia nodded. “I hear Southport is beautiful at this time of year. There, is that how you wa?” She gestured to the outfit the girl was wearing. “Turn around Cordelia and show your mother the back.”

  The girl took a few turns while everyoched.

  “Oh, my, that is perfect!” The mother excimed. “Lydia, your work is exquisite! I will miss you in Southport.”

  Ali dropped into a chair, fuming, while Lydia settled up and finished with the st few waiting ers.

  Finally, Lydia turo her and said, “Sorry about that, it got really busy. How I help you, Aliandra?”

  “What was that about? Don’t you know how horrible Adrik and Edrik were?” Ali said, her voice perhaps a little louder than olite. It was really none of her business, but the versation had really rankled her. She had put her life on the line and saved Morwynne and helped put ao Malika’s misery at the hands of those two. Her business or not, she simply couldn’t abide listening to them talking about it like she was the criminal.

  “I see,” Lydia said, pressing her lips together. “Would you like some tea? I want some tea.”

  Ali stared at her, nonplussed. The drastic ge of subject took her pletely by surprise, and without waiting for an answer Lydia vanished into a ba, emerging with a steami and an eborately carved dark wooden tea caddy. The silence as Lydia selected the tea leaves ahem to steeping didn’t seem to bother the woman in the slightest. It was only when the aromatic st of brewing tea reached Ali’s nostrils that the tailor looked up at her.

  “I had heard that two girls from the Adventurers Guild had killed Adrik and Edrik. Not a lot of possibilities there, it was you and Malika, wasn’t it?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Ali said, defiantly meeting her gaze. “But…”

  “Thank you.”

  Lydia’s interruptio her speechless, struggling to find the right words, all her carefully prepared rebuttals colpsing like a precarious pile of wood under a stiff breeze.

  “Look, Aliandra, that dy is a he Town Watch doesn’t beat up nobles, so she has no idea what is really going on here in Myrin’s Keep. Especially not with their blue-eyed darling hero, Roderik Ice, waxing poetic about the galntry of the Watch at every hering.” Lydia’s eyes were hard as she reached over to begin p tea into two small white por cups adorned with delicately hand-painted pink cherry blossoms.

  “Those two beat me up simply because they could. I had already paid them, but they wereertained enough, I suppose. I had to wait for to e home so he could carry me to the temple for healing. Most of this town is grateful to you for ridding us of those two sadistic bastards. I am personally grateful.”

  “But then… why?” Ali said, not quite following the sudden reversal.

  “The hey are my ers. If I try to correct their preceived ideas, I might be successful at ging their minds. Most likely not. But I wouldn’t get their business either way. It’s better to let them talk and make their clothes ahem be on their way.”

  “I don’t know how you do that,” Ali finally ceded. “I would be so upset with them.” She took a sip from her cup, finding the aroma to be surprisingly rexing.

  “I know, I do get upset. I’ve just learo hide it. I’m sure a better person would be able to do something about it, but I have bills to pay, and even though Adrik and Edrik are gohe Town Watch will still collect their proteoney as long as Kieran Mori is at the helm.”

  Fair enough. Those thugs must have had a master. Ali took note of the name, one Malika had discussed a number of times before. The spear rogue responsible for tossing her and Mato down into the ruins.

  Lydia took a deep breath and smiled. “Speaking of business, I wao thank you, and Malika in particur, for what you did at Laurel’s Café. My store has bee an ht sensation ever since you went there. I heard some of the stories via the grapevine. People were raving about these important folk from out of town that paid a gold for lunch without thinking and had shopped at my store.” She chuckled as if the previous topic had already been fotten.

  Ali smiled. “That was Malika’s idea. I would have saved the ge to give back to you.”

  “Smart girl, that. I’ve made that gold back many times over already,” Lydia smiled. Then she gazed at Ali over her teacup for a moment and asked, “So, what happened yesterday?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I gaiwo levels out of the blue. My regur tele never does anything risky if they help it. It should take me many months or even a year to gain a level, let alowo. It had to have been you. You’re wearing my only piece of bat armor. You did something, didn’t you?”

  Ali identified her.

  Tailor – Human – level ??

  Still too high.

  “We defeated a level thirty-seven raid boss in a dungeon deep beh Myrin’s Keep. It would have been early evening I think,” Ali admitted.

  “Well, that expins it,” Lydia said, her lips pursed as she took a thoughtful sip of her tea. “I’ve never leveled so fast in my life – thank you! I hope it wasn’t too dangerous?”

  “It retty bad, but we made it.”

  Lydia had expined her mana signature and the way it allowed the wearer of her work to ‘tithe’ extra experieo the crafter, but Ali had not expected it to have such a dramatic effect. Acc to the entment, Ali had been awarded extra experien the enter with the Skeletal Wyvern, and the excess had been given to Lydia, proportional to the value her armor had provided. It seemed that it was reted to exposure to risk, not necessarily from being hit, otherwise Mato would be getting all the experience.

  “Anyway, I assume you want to update your armor, seeing as you leveled a lot?” Lydia asked, her eyes sparkling with i.

  “Mmm, yes, please. I also had a few questions for you,” Ali said, moving on to the reason she had sought Lydia out. “I found these in the dungeon. I was w if you could duplicate the entments for me?” She was restricted to whatever had been inscribed in her Grimoire, and now that she had a wider variety of minions, Ali was beginning to see the potential value of crafting.

  Ali retrieved a few Simple Robes she had learo make from the higher-level Bone Mages and Acolytes they had entered in the library. “I’m particurly ied in this healing power entment,” Ali added, pointing to her Kobold Acolyte standio the wall nearby. “This is one of my summoned creatures. If you make gear with this entment, I’d like to equip my mooo.” Ali wasn’t sure how tithing experiehrough the mana signature would work when used on a minion, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

  “I’m sorry, I ’t make any adventurer entments yet,” Lydia answered, handing the robe back, with an apologetic frown on her face.

  “What would it take to learn it?” Ali asked.

  “Normally, training at the Guild of Tailors. Or perhaps a book, but her of those two options are avaible to me,” she said.

  “Is that the only way?”

  “Well, it’s theoretically possible to learn entments by studying the item, but the process will destroy it. Also, it will undoubtedly take several tries before I’d be successful, which is why it’s rarely dohat way; nobody wants to give up a det or expeem to a process like that.”

  “How many?”

  Lydia g her with a fused expression flickering across her face. “How many what?”

  “How many robes do you o learn the ent?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve ried it before. Maybe a couple?”

  Ali retrieved two more of the robes and put them in a pile oable, o the tea. “Let me know if you need more.”

  “Are you sure? You probably sell these for a lot of money.” Lydia seemed quite surprised by Ali’s request, and her insistence.

  Even though there was nobody else iore, Ali lowered her voice. “I duplicate items if I have enough of them to learn from. I make as many of these as you need. It just takes time and mana.”

  It’s intriguing that we both o destroy several items before we learn something. Does that mean my Grimoire of Summoning is actually a crafter skill?

  Lydia nodded, now seeming more sure of herself. “Ok, I’ll study them and see what I learn.” She straightehe pile of robes and put them on the desk. “Please don’t share that we’re doing this too widely. I’d like to avoid the attention of the Guild of Tailors.”

  “Ok. One more thing,” Ali added. “ I ission a couple more sets of your cloth armor? A few in her size,” Ali poio her Kobold. “And a higher-level one for me, if possible. Oh, and I have mohis time, so I pay for your work properly.”

  “Definitely,” Lydia answered, quickly measuring the Kobold, and jotting down a few notes with an eborate quill pen. “Is tomorrow ok? I have quite a few orders to work on.”

  “That’s perfect,” Ali answered. Thanking her, she took her leave and headed baeet the others.

  We do all the quests and then I pick up the items tomorrow.

  ***

  Havi up with and the others at the guild as agreed, they followed him as he led them across town to the outskirts of the Western Quarter. It seemed to be a quieter neighborhood, without much of the bustle and busihat was on o the ter of town.

  The house itself was recessed quite far from the street, and the goldeernoon sunlight highlighted a lush and dense garden full of trees, well-tended bushes, and a soft trickle of water. There was a low wooden feh a small gate, upon whi elegantly painted sign read: Eliyen’s Herbs and Essehe fend the sign were grown through with climbing roses blooming in delicate shades of red and pink, looking for all the world like they had chosen to grow in a way that didn’t obscure the sign, rather than having o be trimmed back.

  Ali ehrough the gate and found herself on a narrow path of moss-wreathed ft brown stones meandering through the garden, curling zily around trees and bushes, and even a small waterfall with a pond that tinkled merrily. Every open space was covered with a tiny herb, shrub, or flower, filling the air with a plex medley of aromas and sts. Everything seemed to just grohazardly like it had simply been tossed into the air and grew wherever it nded. Ahe master pnner’s i came through clearly as every bush and flower spired to create a harmonious whole.

  “Are you getting some ideas for your forest?” Mato asked, his void broad grin breaking her entranced spell.

  I was staring. Ali realized that she had been so taken by the garden that she had even stopped walking. A little embarrassed by her distra, she resumed heading dowh.

  “It’s really beautiful,” she admitted.

  “Yes, whoever made this is extraordinarily skilled. As far as I tell, every pnt here is useful for some tincture or potion. Or cooking.” He pointed out a few herbs he had noticed as they passed. At least half the pnts Ali could see had some kind of mana affinity, and even those seemed to blend elegantly.

  The house itself was covered with climbing roses and a wisteria grew across the wooden doorroviding a beautiful purple archway. Aly handwritten sign – in both on and the flowing script of Elvish – hung on the door: Open: please e in.

  As Ali opehe door, a soft rush of wi a cluster of chimes ting delicately in the open room. The wind was clearly magical, but the chimes were simply delicately crafted metal tubes, hanging from a string. It was like stepping into a greenhouse, the room was filled with pnters across the windows and attached to the walls where others might have installed decorations and shelves. Hanging from the ceiling were more pnts and every open space had pots growing something. The lush growth filled the room with an invigorating verdant st and the soft perfume of flowers.

  In the far er of the room stood a spry Elf, tending to an unusually blue fern with a watering . Her skin had the same green hue as many of the pnts, and her long hair spilled in a soft wave of grayish silver down her back. Her dress seemed to be made entirely from living leaves and rustled softly as she moved about. She gnced up as they entered.

  Herbalist – Wood Elf – level ?? (Nature)

  It was odd seeing a Wood Elf in a Human town, but Ali presumed ust have ged remarkably in the many intervening years since she had st seen one of their kind. The fact that she identified as using nature affinity magic was no surprise at all. Wood Elves had always had a strong cultural e to forests, trees, and nature in general.

  At least it used to be. Ali had to keep reminding herself that many things had ged from what she remembered.

  “We’re looking for Eliyen Mistwood,” Ali said, addressing the Elf with the traditional bow that was ary iime.

  “I am Eliyen.” Her voice had a soft quality that seemed to linger in the air after she had spoken. The pnts seemed to rustle and shift throughout the room, as if eager to catch the remnants of her voice with their leaves.

  “Yarden is beautiful,” Ali said retrieving the quest posting she had taken from the guild board.

  “Thank you, dear,” Eliyen smiled at her.

  “We saw this quest at the Adventurers Guild and thought we might be able to help.” Ali handed her the script.

  “Aah, yes, thanks for taking our request,” Eliyen said, handing the quest notice back to Ali. “Basil will go with you to harvest the mushrooms – all you o do is protect him from the Kobolds in the area.” She turned away and called out toward a ba, “Basil, ers!”

  “I’m ing.” There was a hurried scurrying sound from the ba, and a thump before a studious-looking, flustered young man appeared in the doorway with a surprised look on his face.

  “You’re her! Aliandra!”

  Ali immediately reized Basil. He looked more serious and studious in the light when he was not terrified and fleeing from Goblins. Ali cast Identify.

  Human

  He still identified as being without a css, but he seemed old enough. He must be approag his css unlock soon, surely?

  “Basil, you’re fetting your manners,” the Elf chided softly, a hint of a smile on her face. “These people are here for your Stonecap gathering.”

  “S… sorry.” Basil shifted awkwardly, clearly fighting a rising flush in his face. Colleg himself a little he added, “Thanks for savihe other day.”

  “You’re wele, Basil, it’s good to see you again.” Ali smiled at him, and she could tell when he began to rex. “What you tell us about these mushrooms you need?”

  “Yes. The mushrooms.” His fidence reemerged now that he was on familiar ground. “Stonecaps are ah affinity mushroom. We use them to make armor potions. Sihe Goblin war, demand has been high, and we’ve already run out of Stonecap essenormally Eliyen sends me to these caves in the mountains north of the farmnd to gather them, but there have been lots of reports of Kobolds having moved into the area.”

  Ali winced inwardly but gave an encing nod.

  He added, “The ones we are after are brown and grow underground, directly on rock. I usually just wahe caves and collect about ten mushrooms. They go quite a long way. Here, this is what the essence looks like.” He pulled out a rge vial with a small amount of a tar-like bck substance collected into a blob at the bottom. “The extra process uses a plicated, three-stage Glumnur-keyed filtration meism –” he caught Eliyen’s slight smile “– ah, well, I suppose you don’t care about the details that much.”

  Ali enjoyed hearing him ramble on about the mushrooms, even though he was clearly sharing the information because he ealking about it, rather than fog on what they would o plete the request.

  Mato shifted, transf into his Wolf Form, startling Basil. He s the Stonecap essence vial before transf back. “It has ahy st,” he said. “I think I will be able to help search for them whe there.”

  “Sorry to make you all fight the Kobolds so I collect mushrooms,” Basil apologized.

  “It’s ok,” Ali answered. “We got a request from the farmers to take care of the Kobolds anyway, so it will be good for everyone. How about we meet at the city gate in an hour? I have a few things I o prepare before we head out.” Ali wao collect her minions and find a way to smuggle them through the city without causing too much arm. One Kobold healer had attracted quite a lot of attention: she was more than a little ed about the rea she would get walking through the town at the head of a small army.

  Probably I use the hole Seri and I made…

  Malika

  It was on the way back to the guild that she reized him. Malika had been walking along with her friends, idly listening to Mato’s test story and just enjoying their pany, when the well-dressed mert emerged from the storefront of a small-time odity trader right across the street. She couldn’t help but notice the very same mert she had pickpocketed to afford her shrihe day she had taken her first steps to sever her ties to the Town Watd Jax Hawkhurst’s criminal empire. It was the sharp pang of guilt in her heart that did it.

  He no longer wore a visible money pouch, and there was a brand-new, expensive-looking ring on his fihat had not been there before.

  “Give me a moment,” Malika blurted out, elig a cascade of surprised looks from her friends and she dashed over to intercept him before he vanished into the bustling crowd.

  “Excuse me,” she said, as she approached. He turned his head sharply, regarding her with a guarded look.

  “What is it?”

  “You probably don’t remember me,” Malika said, and then took a deep breath, itting herself to what she had to do. “My name is Malika. I stole twe silver pieces from you at the css adva ceremony iown Hall. I didn’t have the moo pay for the shrihen, and I thought… well… I wao apologize aurn your money.” She retrieved twe silver pieces from her ring and offered them to the mert.

  The man glowered at her admission, a red flush of anger flooding his cheeks, but right as he was about to say something he paused. “Wait… you’re her!” he excimed, his face suddenly flipping to an expression of surprise. His hand paused a few inches above the s offered on her palm.

  He’s going to call the Watch. It was a normal rea, she supposed, sidering she had just admitted to a crime. Why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut, Malika? A, she had felt guilty enough about robbing him that she had felt pelled to say something.

  “Thank you,” he said, his hand falling back to his side.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Why is he thanking me for robbing him?

  “Your name is Malika? You and your friehe oo help the alchemist?” He moved closer and whispered, “You killed Adrik and Edrik?”

  “We… did,” she admitted, still fused by the man’s ued response.

  “Well, thank you both. I sleep easier at night now that I don’t have to worry about a visit from those two. Please keep the s – that way I tell all my friends I helped you get started! They’re going to be so jealous.” He grinned broadly and wi her and then walked off, leaviaring after him in surprise.

  “ you imagine being so awful that aire town is happy yone?” Mato asked soberly, as her friends joined her on the sidewalk.

  Malika grimaced. “Tell me about it.”

  From her other side, put in quietly, “It’s good to take out the trash, Malika, but eveer not to return to pick it over ter.”

  Startled, she sidered his words for a moment befnizing their wisdom. They really are gone forever. “Thanks, .”

  timewalk