The Wandering Spire

With the coins from the Diamond Bank loan, Swordslayer and Rainbow went shopping. Jeze chased after them as they exited the lift onto another floor. Was this the fourth? Jeze, in her rush, failed to pay attention. Like everywhere else in the Guild compound, this level was bustling with people. It was lined with extravagant merchant stalls selling the finest weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. She saw adventurers from all around the world with Rune covered armor, and weapons that channeled with sparkling power. She saw other familiars as well, from giant hunting cats to fluttering fairies. Ziplocke had nowhere to hide and hugged close to her on her shoulders.

"It would be useful if you had sparkling wings," Jeze teased her bonded companion.

"Oh yeah? Well, it would be useful if you were not a knucklehead," Ziplocke snapped back.

Jeze laughed and fed the Goblin a pepper with a slice of lemon.

"When are you going to make the paste?" Ziplocke asked as he munched on his snack.

The teenager rolled her eyes. She will have to add that to her growing list of responsibilities. Jeze needed to find a job, to find time to train, to equip herself, and to also report to Seb. Why didn't Daverius write about these tedious aspects of adventuring? She wondered.

"Take this," Rainbow said and handed her a dark blue cloak. She also handed one to Swordslayer, who grunted a thank you.

The cloaks were simple, but Jeze could tell they were well made and would keep her warm and dry as well as hide her features. Inside, the cloak was lined with secure pockets and thin inserts where she can add Runic enchantments. Her brother had told her that not all Rune Casters were able to stitch and tailors have created such linings within their clothing that can fit thin wooden or steel plates that could be engraved with Runic enchantments.

"Thank you," Jeze replied as she removed her pack to put on the cloak. The cloth was comfortable against her skin.

She raised her hood and shouldered her worn traveling pack. Rainbow and Swordslayer nodded to her.

"We go our separate ways here. If you want to find us, we are staying at the Silver Chalice," Rainbow said.

"Silver Chalice?" Jeze asked. The teenager just realized that she didn't have a place to stay herself.

"It's an Inn, and it's famous for recognized Adventurers," Swordslayer boasted.

Rainbow tilted her head and grabbed Jeze by the shoulders. "Good luck, and I'm sorry things didn't work out as we had planned."

Jeze's lip quivered. She realized that they didn't invite her to stay with them and that she was on her own.

"If you figure this out, you can still adventure with us," Swordslayer said with a slap to Jeze's back.

"We can not help much more since we are struggling with our own circumstances, but this would be a good experience for you. Jeze, you are skilled and already assigned to a team with the Safe Zone Squad. Our paths will cross again," Rainbow promised.

Swordslayer nodded and added, "A word of advice. Do not get comfortable, especially with this Drake fellow around. It is unlikely that he has forgotten about you and the secret you hold. Be careful who you talk to."

"Trust no one," Rainbow added.

With a final wave, the two lost themselves in the bustling market crowd and left Jeze. She stood there a moment amongst the crowded merchant hall. Ziplocke smacked her on her head.

"What are you doing, knucklehead? We have work to do. You need to earn coin, buy gear, and most importantly, make my paste!" The Goblin hissed in her ear.

Jeze scowled at her bonded companion but inwardly she smiled. She needed that reminder to put her back on track. For thirty minutes, she squeezed her way to speak with merchants and craftsmen alike. In that time she discovered that none on this level would risk their top quality gear to be damaged by an unproven Rune caster such as herself. All the trades people were highly skilled artisans, and much of the items were already enchanted. One merchant suggested she go to the lower markets.

An hour later, Jeze found herself back outside in the courtyard she had entered when she first arrived. The merchant tents here were of much lower quality than the floors she had visited earlier. Jeze also realized that the adventurers here were all like her. Just newly starting out with limited funds.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Ziplocke said from her shoulder.

Jeze nodded and chided herself. She actually believed that she would be traveling with Swordslayer and Rainbow and would be equipped with the best gear. Was this how Daverius felt when he first started? Jeze wondered. A familiar merchant's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Come to Hannah's for the best armor at affordable prices!" The thick merchant with curly hair barked into the crowd.

The very same whom Jeze had talked with briefly on her arrival. The teenager approached the stall.

"Hey, young adventurer! I see that you have returned and in need of some protection. Please take a look at my wares!" Hannah greeted.

"Actually, I am looking for work," Jeze replied.

Hannah's smile faded somewhat, but she was an experienced businesswoman and replied, "Oh yeah? Well, what can you offer?"

"I'm an accomplished Rune caster. As you can see, I have a Summoned and Bonded Familiar," Jeze said and motioned to Ziplocke.

The Goblin sneered, and Hannah did not look impressed with the tiny Demon.

"Can you enchant armor?" The merchant asked.

"Yes!" Jeze said. But inwardly, she was not so confident.

From reading the tome she took from the Pyramid on the crafting of the globes, and what she discovered from creating magical traps, she was fairly confident she could overlay two aspects to power enchantments on armor. Hannah, being a skilled trader that haggled with customers for years, was able to read the look of doubt on Jeze's face.

The stout merchant thought for a moment and said, "I think I got work for you. Follow me."

Jeze followed Hannah through a tarp into the back of the tent. On the ground were piles of used and damaged armor. Jeze wrinkled her nose as she saw some of the leather breastplates were stained with blood that made it clear that the previous owners may have died in them.

"I buy used gear," Hannah explained and waved her arm to the pile, "If you can make this sellable, I'll let you keep 10% of the profit. Whatta say?"

"Who would buy this?" Jeze wondered.

"New and broke adventurers, such as yourself."

Jeze looked uncertain.

"Listen, girl, the Spire is dangerous. Having used armor is better than dying," Hannah explained.

"Don't accept the first offer," Ziplocke whispered into her ear.

“50%,” Jeze countered.

Hannah laughed loudly, which pierced Jeze's eardrums.

"I like you, and because of that, I'm willing to let you have 20% of the profits," the merchant said and extended a callous hand.

On reflex, Jeze shook the extended hand and Ziplocke slapped his forehead. Jeze didn't think about the deal she agreed to, but rather she wondered why Hannah's hands were calloused.

"Are you an adventurer?" The teenager asked.

Hannah chuckled. "That was a dream that died long ago. You see, I was not able to pass the trials. You need at least an Initiate rank to get the good assignments. As a Prospect, the best I could do was to scavenge for pickings the real adventurers left behind or work as a guard. What I learned was that I got pretty good at stitching and repairing armor. I then learned how to make a decent set, and here you see me now. A highly successful merchant!"

Ziplocke snickered, "That's why she has to sell outside."

Jeze was embarrassed at her companion's remark. Hannah's wide grin faded. Thinking quickly, Jeze told the merchant that she would get to work right away.

"Right then. You have tools?" The Merchant asked.

Jeze nodded. She had engraving tools in her pack. The teenager knelt beside a pile. The armor was used and damaged gambesons. These were quilted and woven linen tightly stuffed with various materials that ranged from scrapped cloth and horse hair. The armor fascinated Jeze because each one told a story that she imagined based on the damage received.

One piece of armor had a puncture mark that Jeze envisioned came from spears. A battle? Maybe this armor belonged to a soldier or mercenary. She studied it for any insignias before another set caught her attention. This armor had deep slash marks.

"What manner of beast did this?" Jeze wondered.

"A big one, a bear? Or maybe a Hellhound?" Ziplocke was hopping up and down with delight. Each armor told an unfortunate tale that he absolutely loved.

Hannah arched an eyebrow at the Goblin's mischievous delight. "Aye, there are all manner of beasts that roam the dark places of this world."

Other armor was a mixture of cloth and hardened animal hides. Some armor had metal rivets sewn in with the cloth. Jeze recalled that the hide and reinforced armors were more expensive, based on the prices she had seen outside.

"Not that pile," Hannah said and added, "I need to repair those."

The stocky merchant motioned to a second pile of armor that had patchwork repairs. "Clean and enchant these," Hannah said and showed Jeze a wooden wash bin.

"You'll need to heat the water, but you being a Rune Caster and all, that shouldn't be a problem. Call me when you are finished." Hannah explained and left to help customers.

Jeze and Ziplocke were alone in the back of the tent. The front was where Hannah did her business, and the two overheard her hawking her wares, and occasionally, she made a sale. Hannah was open to taking trades and added the worn and damaged armor to the pile by Jeze. The merchant also had a work table with tools that allowed the craftswoman to create and repair the padded armor from the scrapped material from the damaged sets. She worked alone, and from the sounds of it, Hannah made a decent living. Jeze reflected.

"Best get to work so you can make me more paste," Ziplocke stated.

Jeze bopped the Goblin on the head. Using her Fire aspect channeling rod, she Summoned and Shaped flames to heat the water. She selected a set of armor reinforced with metal rivets and began to wash it.

"This one received a mortal wound to the liver!" Ziplocke screeched with delight.

A hand-sized patch was sewn over the spot in the armor that would have covered the vital organ. The work appeared to be well done, even though no efforts were made for cosmetics. It was an evident patchwork repair as the material and color did not match the original.

Jeze observed Hannah work as she cleaned the reinforced gambeson. The merchant created and sold new armor and took in used armor to repair and resell. Hannah's customers ranged from newly minted adventurers to more experienced ones who were down on their luck. Jeze saw and heard it all and was surprised at how busy it was! Even though there were hundreds of other stalls selling armor. When no customers were present, Hannah worked at her table to create or repair another set.

"The Wandering Spire is good for business. Normally, you would be hard-pressed to find an adventurer as they are scattered throughout the realm. But when the Spire is set to appear, adventurers from all over come to it. Heck, I wager many of the more expensive and talented craftsmen only work once every five years," Hannah explained.

Jeze finished washing the armor and hung it over a small flame to dry. She wished that Rainbow had shown her the Water aspect spell. That would have made drying the armor much easier. While it dried, Jeze pulled out her brother's journal and the tome she carried from the Pyramid. Hannah had returned to the front to help more customers. Jeze's brother, Daverius, specialized in the Earth aspect, and he wrote down dozens of Rune patterns in his journal. One caught Jeze's attention; it was a spell that would harden the metal. Daverious wrote:

I have heard from veteran soldiers that It is common for a sword to break or a spear shaft to snap in combat. They say that it is imperative to carry a backup weapon unless you want to find yourself unarmed and dead. I made some adjustments to an Earth Shaping pattern so that it will harden steel. It is immensely difficult to Shape existing metal, and I practiced this pattern daily to strengthen my Will. After several weeks, I discovered that I could harden my sword for up to an hour. That is plenty of time for most combat situations and an extremely useful Rune pattern that will increase the longevity of my weapons…

Jeze studied the Runes and saw that she was familiar with them. They were similar to the pattern she used to Shape dirt into the stone fists. Daverius was always clever when it came to making adjustments to the Earth aspect, Jeze reflected with a pang of sadness. Jeze removed a narrow metal plate from the reinforced armor she cleaned. She could engrave Daverius's pattern into the steel using her tools. It wouldn't be easy, but Jeze felt confident that she could accomplish this.

Curious, she didn't engrave the final Rune and attempted the spell herself. Jeze completed the glyph and directed the energy toward the steel plates sewn into the reinforced gambeson. She gritted her teeth from the pressure on her Will as she Shaped the non-summoned steel and was relieved when she felt the energy snap into place. She was breathing hard, and sweat coated her forehead.

"Aww, I was hoping to see you pass out!" Ziplocke cried.

Jeze rolled her eyes at the Demon, and that minor effort was difficult. When she felt recovered, she tested the steel she hardened. Jeze let out a cheer when she discovered that she could not engrave on the plate. It was much more durable.

"Everything okay?" Hannah peeked her head inside and asked.

"It worked!" Jeze cried.

Hannah arched an eyebrow. "Was there any doubt? Can we sell the armor?"

Jeze shook her head. "No, I didn't enchant the armor yet, but the Rune pattern to harden the steel worked!"

"Well, if the armor is not enchanted, then to me, it is nothing to boast about," Hannah grumbled and returned to helping customers.

Jeze scowled at the departing merchant and muttered, "Now to the hard part."

Ziplocke assisted her with opening the tome to the page, which talked about enchanting the glow globes. While munching on peppers and lemons, the Goblin translated the writing. Enchanted items were self-powered and did not require the user to channel their Will. Jeze discovered how to do this by overlaying two Rune aspects over each other. The Globes used the Fire and Light aspects, with Fire being the energy source and the result coming from a Summoned Light aspect spell.

Jeze figured this out when she created the Affliction Aspect trap in the forest. She had overlaid the Darkness and Affliction aspects. In that case, the Darkness aspect was the power source, and the Affliction aspect was the outcome. With the armor, she wanted to harden the steel so that it would provide more protection. The outcome aspect was Earth.

"How can I power the Shaped Earth aspect?" Jeze asked, and she handed Ziplocke slices of lemon and pepper.

"Fire," Ziplocke answered.

Jeze nodded and asked, "Why not Darkness? Or Life?"

"Several reasons, knucklehead. One, Fire is a very common Aspect. It would be easier for the user to find someone to charge this enchantment. Two, Earth and Fire go well together since they are used to create steel. And it is steel that you are trying to enhance!" Ziplocke explained, his voice shrieking with excitement. The Goblin added, "They are all very compatible, and this enchantment will last longer as a result."

Jeze nodded and said, "Thank you."

Ziplocke snickered while rubbing his hands together. "Overlapping the two Rune aspects will be very difficult for a knucklehead such as yourself. I will find enjoyment with watching you fail."

And Jeze did fail over the course of the next four hours. In many instances, after painfully engraving the intricate Runes onto the steel plates, nothing happened. One time the armor caught on fire when Jeze tried to empower the Earth aspect. Another time, the pressure was so immense that Jeze blanked out. That was Ziplocke's favorite outcome, and the Goblin danced with joy.

"Are you alright, girl? Are you sure you can do this?" Hannah asked with concern on her face. The merchant gave Jeze a cup of water.

Jeze scowled at the dancing Goblin and answered, "Yes. I almost had it."

It was getting late, and the crowds were shrinking with the setting sun. The merchant examined Jeze's work.

"Fire and Earth aspects? Are you trying to harden the steel plates?" Hannah asked.

"Are you a Rune caster?" Jeze asked, perking up.

Hannah shook her head with a chuckle. "No, girl. But when you have been around adventurers and crafting for as long as I have. You see things. Now, I couldn't complete a Rune pattern if my life depended upon it. But I know some stuff."

Jeze nodded with a little disappointment. The teenager glanced outside and said, "I can finish this one armor. Sorry, I am taking so long."

"Don't apologize, I know you are learning. Besides, this is costing me nothing, and I only have to gain if you succeed. Do you know the Life aspect?" Hannah asked.

Jeze nodded and was perplexed by the question.

Hannah rummaged through the pile of dirty armor that she had repaired and pulled out a breastplate made out of hides. "You could use the Life aspect to harden this armor. It is made out of animal skins. I suppose you could power it with the Earth aspect. Those two are similar enough for it to work."

Jeze wanted to slap her forehead. That made much more sense!

Ziplocke fell over laughing. "The look on your face!" He squeaked out.

"He ain't right in the head, huh?" Hannah commented.

Jeze agreed and looked at the work she had done. "Was this a waste of time?" She wondered.

"No, girl. What you are trying to do will work just fine. This steel-reinforced gambeson has enough plates where your enchantment will provide effective protection. Actually, this might be better," Hannah said.

Jeze was not sure if the merchant was just trying to be nice. "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, because your enchantment will not harden the cloth, so that will still allow the user some maneuverability. If you use my suggestion, the protection will be more spread out, but the hide will become more rigid," Hannah answered.

Jeze sighed with relief.

"Some people like to dance around in a fight, and others like to plow through. I recommend you finish what you started, and if you can, reinforce this hide armor with my suggestion," Hannah said and left to help another customer.

"I'm so close. I can do this," Jeze said and with gritted teeth she returned to work.

"No, you are not. You will fail again! Oh, I hope you pass out. That never gets old for me!" Ziplocke cried.

Jeze growled, "Help me. Tell me what I need to do." She dug into her pack to offer the Goblin his snack.

Ziplocke munched on his treats and pointed out to Jeze. "The Fire aspect needs to be performed fast, and your Runes need to be closer together, almost as if they are blended into one giant pattern. You need to link them like this." The Goblin demonstrated this by engraving the swirling patterns.

"I never needed to engrave them like that before," Jeze commented

Ziplocke scowled. "Yes, you have! You needed to perform the motions quickly when trying to Shape and Control the flames. When you are slow, the Fire fades away," the Goblin snapped.

Jeze nodded in understanding. The Fire Runes she had inscribed earlier to create her Channeling tool were to Summon flames. She Shaped and Controlled them through movement and gestures. For it to empower the Earth Aspect spell, she would need the inscribed Runes to Summon and Shape the fire. Just like how her movements were quick and precise, so will the Runes she engraved on the steel would need to blend and be close to each other.

With gritted teeth, she Shaped the steel to remove the Runes she had engraved. This required an immense amount of Will, and after, she needed to rest to recover. She meditated and drank water. When she felt restored, she set out to engrave the Fire Runes in the way that Ziplocke had shown her. It was tricky because they needed to overlay the Earth Runes. It required patience and determination to engrave the Runes correctly onto the steel plates. With a tired smile, she felt the energy snap into place. The enchantment was ready to be empowered. She reinserted the steel plates into the gambeson. The plate with the Fire Runes needed to be strapped tight in order to activate the Fire aspect so that it charged the Earth aspect hardening spell.

"Now we need to test it," Hannah said from behind her.

Jeze didn't realize that it was dark outside and all of the other shops had closed. What time was it? She wondered. The teenager was exhausted.

Hannah placed Jeze's enchanted reinforced gambeson onto a wooden display dummy. Jeze tied the strap holding the Fire Aspect plate and felt the energy snap into place. Hannah stepped back and loaded a crossbow with a winch.

"Normally, this bolt would pierce the cloth and steel plates with ease," Hannah explained.

Jeze watched with nervousness mixed with exhaustion. If this failed, she would have to start all over again. The teenager reflected with dread. Hannah aimed and pulled the trigger. The crossbow twanged, and the bolt launched forward faster than the blink of an eye. Jeze let out a roar in celebration when the missile bounced off the armor.

"Not bad, kid," Hannah said.

Jeze fell to her knees, her body shaking. "I did it," she whispered.

The merchant inspected the armor. "Not even a scratch!"

"That enchantment should last for an hour. The user just needs to strap in the plate on their left shoulder to activate it," Jeze explained.

"Will they know when it runs out of charge?" Hannah asked.

Jeze nodded. She felt sleepy, and it was a chore to keep her eyes open. This had been a very long day! "Try it. You will feel the energy snap into place."

Hannah did that and nodded. "It is warm," she observed.

Jeze had fallen asleep on the floor.

"Can she stay here? She has nowhere to go," Ziplocke said with an unusual quietness to his voice.

Hannah nodded and observed, "You care about her."

Ziplocke snorted and replied, "Don't tell her that. It will just go to her head."