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AFTER THE MARKET, Badger and I went to his sauna for a sweat. His father had left him quite a nice household. It was a true mansion almost in the central area of the small town, surrounded by sturdy walls on all sides. The two-story timbered house had a sauna and a stable with room for livestock. Honestly though, apart from ten chickens and a yappy old dog, I didn’t see any other life. By the looks of things, this brother and sister pair had fallen on hard times. They must have still been living on their parents’ savings.
Then came dinner. Mink set the table but then said she didn’t feel well and went to her room. There was something off about her. She was scared of me, no two ways about it.
Over dinner, Badger just chattered away without nonstop. He was in a good mood. He’d heard that the Chief was coming back ahead of schedule. I meanwhile thought I knew why ― he was hurrying back to catch Gravedigger. Well, he was in for quite the surprise. I had personally seen Gravedigger’s longship untie from the dock three hours after I left his tent. The old man had left Lakeside in a panic. My heart is telling me he had more to tell me.
After dinner, I wished Badger a good night and went up to my room. Finally I can look through all my new purchases in peace.
Beyond Gravedigger’s artifacts, I had acquired two sets of travelling clothes, a backpack, two pairs of boots, a few shirts, a bow, a full quiver, a hatchet with a narrow blade, and several machetes. And I bought machetes from a few different craftsmen. That part of my purchase came as the biggest surprise to Badger. He actually laughed at me for it. What could I possibly need that many machetes for? Was I going to salt them and pack them in barrels like pickles? I just joked back and laughed. But really I was up to something. I was planning to run an experiment.
Once in my room, I locked the door behind myself. Then, laying out all my purchases on the bed, I sat comfortably on the chair and started a thorough inspection.
I had already placed the life crystal into the crystal slot of my ephemeral belt, and to my great joy, it started slowly filling up. In the end, with the twenty-percent bonus, my life supply was up to two thousand five hundred and ten points! My chances of surviving this world were a lot better now!
At the very least, I now understand the elf who traded all his artifacts for six of these crystals. Honestly, though, there was still one thing I didn’t understand. If one were trying to defraud a merchant with secretly faulty items, then why bother giving him some that could be fixed? Gravedigger couldn’t see their descriptions after all. Or could he? No. The old man made that perfectly clear, though he could have easily failed to mention something important.
I took one last look at the cloak, set it aside and picked up the next artifact.
Sphere of Speed
― Type: Speed Boost.
― Rarity: Rare.
― Effect:
― Increases speed by 30%.
― Duration: 20 minutes.
― Sphere disappears after activation.
― Weight: None. Takes no space.
A useful item. It could easily save my hide in a tough spot. Just too bad I only had one. It also had no restrictions, which was crucial. But similar spheres of various descriptions were quite common in my world. That elf was probably able to afford many more toys like it. The pointy-eared scammer.
The next artifact was a flask.
Traveling Flask of the Elven Scout
― Type: Travelling accessories.
― Rarity: Rare.
― Special effect:
― Purifies water in just a few minutes, filtering out dirt and making it suitable for drinking.
― Expends 300 mana points (1 use).
― Capacity: 1 qt.
― Requirements:
― Mind: 10.
― Intellect: 5.
― Durability: 16/50.
Another piece of tangential evidence that the adventurer that cheated Gravedigger was an elf.
Nice to see it didn’t have a level requirement. For travelling, this artifact was obviously indispensable despite its fairly high mana expenditure. Over the last few months, I’d been forced to drink some pretty nasty water. Sometimes it was so bad it made me gag just thinking about it.
I carefully set the flask aside and picked up the next item. It was an elongated cylinder the size of my pointer finger. Matte gray. I couldn’t tell what kind of material it was at first. Either metal or some kind of highly polished stone.
The name of the artifact was no less strange.
― ES–35
But when I tried to delve into the description, I saw a familiar message.
― Attention! System error number %?#!
― Finding solution...
― Finding solution...
― Finding solution...
I had already started to think it would last a while, but the system gave me a response before too long:
― Attention! Alternative protocols engaged! Solution found!
― Your Will is high enough to initiate synchronization.
― Synchronization complete.
I reread the message a few times and, not totally understanding what had happened, decided to try my luck. That time, the odd cylinder’s short description opened without issue.
ES–35
― Type: Energy storage.
― Model: 3rd generation.
― Energy: 0/3500
― Requirements:
― Will: 30
― Note:
― Weight: None. Takes no space.
I lost my breath when I realized what I was actually holding in my hands! My energy supply would now be going up to three thousand six hundred and ten points! I was now quite the pack mule! Ugh, if only I had this artifact a month ago...
I considered why the elf left it behind. Although I can guess. That synchronization thing must not have worked for him. Not enough Will. He decided to get rid of it because he couldn’t read its description. And I was immeasurably grateful to him for that.
I attempted to place the cylinder into my belt’s crystal slot but met with failure. The system gave me a clear indication that my new little toy was not considered a crystal. What a shame... Seven hundred points would make an awesome bonus.
Transferring the cylinder into the ephemeral slot, I sat for a little while with a dumb smile plastered on my face watching my several-times greater energy supply slowly but surely filling up.
After that, I checked my life supply, which was already halfway to its new capacity. I remembered that drinking a satiety potion could accelerate the process. But I quickly told myself off. Wasting a valuable elixir on something that would fill up on its own would be the height of wastefulness. If I were in a desperate situation, it would be a different matter.
Not wanting to tempt myself any further, I moved on to my next purchase. It was a small item shaped a lot like a small garden rake. It just had a hemispherical base with a rough leather band instead of teeth. The accessory’s name was straight and to the point:
Scraper
― Type: Magical mount maintenance accessory.
― Rarity: Rare.
― Description:
― Thorough and proper pet care is of the utmost importance. To keep your pet clean and happy, the craftsmen of the Great Forest created this special artifact that removes dirt and grime while also providing a noticeable boost your loyal pet’s mood.
― Effect:
― Cleaning your pet with the Scraper instantly replenishes their life and energy supplies by 20%.
― After cleaning, small wounds and minor cuts will heal faster.
― Mana expenditure: 100 points.
― Effect may only be used 1 time per day.
After rereading the description, I couldn’t hold back a smile. Without a doubt, the scraper would now be Gorgie’s favorite artifact.
Now on to the last one. The same thing happened to it as the energy storage item. Honestly, I had to wait a bit longer but, a few minutes later, the Great System announced another successful synchronization. Yet again, just like with the energy item, my Will level was a big help.
It was an amulet made of dark metal. Based on its hazy yellow smudges, it looked like black bronze and was the size of a large coin.
The skull of either a bird or reptile, it was spine-tingling to look at. A mottled angular ornament.
Sharpwing Skull Amulet
― Type: Defense.
― Rarity: Artifact of the Age of Thunder.
― Resistance to physical damage +30.
― Resistance to magical damage +30.
― Resistance to Mind magic +30.
― Special effect:
― Requirements:
― Will: 50.
― Weight: None. Takes no space.
Hand shivering, I rubbed the back of my head. If that elf knew what he had given up to the old junk dealer, I’d bet my right hand he’d be choking in anger right now. How great for me that the big-eared stranger hadn’t put much stock into Will!
Quickly placing the amulet in my sash, I breathed a sigh of relief. I realized I had been holding my breath all that time. I had the feeling someone could burst into the room and take it all away at any second.
With a nervous chuckle, I wiped the sweat off my brow and took a few deep breaths. Then I stood up and walked over to the window. I opened it slightly, letting the fresh air inside. I ran my eyes over the roofs of the buildings in the sleeping city and gave another chuckle. No. I was no longer powerless. Those days were long gone. If somebody wanted to take something from me now, it wouldn’t be so easy.
Breathing in a bit more of the night air, I calmed down and went back to the bed. Time to get started on the experiment.
Taking six machetes from my new backpack, I pulled them all from their scabbards and placed them in front of me. I wasn’t going to pickle them as Badger suggested, but they would be transforming regardless. I really hoped the changes would be for the better.
“Let’s get started,” I whispered to myself and took an orb of darkness out of my ephemeral pocket.
― Would you like to activate the ability Darkness Purging?
“Yes.”
― Attention! Darkness Purging successful!
― Congratulations! You receive:
― Spark of the Otherworld (3).
― Orbs of Darkness destroyed: 1.
I spent some time admiring the three fiery yellow sparks in my hand and picked up the first machete. To my eye, this was the highest quality of the bunch. And on top of that, the smith that made it was highest esteemed smith in Lakeside. At the very least that was what Badger told me.
Placing two of the sparks in my backpack, I slowly brought the third closer to my chosen machete. At first nothing happened, but then the System guessed what I was doing and asked a question:
― Would you like to activate Enchant?
I glanced one last time at the machete and, mentally bidding it farewell, gave my permission.
To my surprise, the system didn’t activate the ability right away. A familiar warning appeared before my eyes, but with two extra parts. And they were in fact extremely important pieces of information!
― Warning! Because Sparks of the Otherworld are an unstable substance, Vanquishers must be rigorous in their choice of object to be enchanted. Otherwise the consequences could be extremely unpredictable, right up to destruction of the object.
― Number of Sparks of the Otherworld used: 1.
― Attention! Chance of positive outcome: Minimal!
Ah, so that’s how it works! So I hadn’t just been thrown off the deep end like a blind kitten.
A minimal chance of positive outcome, to my eye, meant I would surely lose the machete. Beyond that, as far as I could tell, the spark would also be destroyed.
But what if I were to use several sparks at once, as the description of the skill said?
Taking two sparks from my backpack, I added them back to the first and brought them up to the machete. Hm... Minimal chance again.
I considered it for a moment... So what if...
― Would you like to activate the ability Darkness Purging?
Yes.
― Attention! Darkness Purging successful!
― Congratulations! You receive:
― Spark of the Otherworld (28).
― Orbs of Darkness destroyed: 10.
Okay, now I have thirty-one sparks. Let’s give it a shot. When it asked if I wanted to activate, I said yes. To my surprise, I wasn’t exactly afraid. I was nervous. But that was excitement. If it all worked out the way I wanted, this was going to be a big change.
When my handful of thirty sparks came up to the machete, the System gave me yet another message. I quickly skipped the warning about the sparks being unstable and stopped when I saw a new hint.
― Number of Sparks of the Otherworld used: 31.
― Attention! Maximum allowed number of sparks for this action: 10.
― Attention! Chance of positive outcome: Minimal!
“Minimal again!” I whispered angrily and tossed the machete aside.
My next three “test subjects” gave the same result. But the last two caught me by surprise. The Great System designated their chances as Low. To my eye, that was better than minimal.
Hm... But the last items were the ones Badger said were the lowest quality. I had bought these two blades from an old blacksmith for the price of one. Clearly to keep up with the harsh competition, his smithy was located on the outskirts of town. But the old man didn’t let that get him down. He just plugged away day in and day out. After all, poor folks also needed smithing.
And now wouldn’t you know it? His blades might have been better than the other more highly touted ones. Maybe it was all to do with the material?
I took a closer look, comparing the most expensive machete with the cheapest one. Probably, the difference between minimal and low was not huge, but the mere fact there was a difference merited attention. And yeah, when I looked closer at the weapon, I realized why the expensive blade cost so much. It was all down to the ornamentation. The shiny leather of the handle, the pommel shaped like a wolf head, the guard speckled with artful trim. The scabbard alone justified the price! It was a true work of art. A polished and finely-honed blade.
Although... The blade of the cheap machete was also in good shape. And based on the System’s evaluation, it was the best. If given the choice, I would take the cheaper but higher quality one without hesitation. Sure, it wouldn’t make me stand out to the local ladies, but I didn’t exactly want that. The only girl whose opinion I cared about seemed to be avoiding me out of fear.
Okay... That isn’t what I’m thinking about right now.
One second! I actually have another blade!
I hurriedly took Dragonfly from my backpack and braced myself as I checked the system’s reaction. And it didn’t keep me waiting.
― Attention! Maximum allowed number of sparks for this action: 10.
― Attention! Chance of positive outcome: Maximum!
For the first few minutes I stared at the text unable to believe my eyes. As it turned out, all this time I had a perfectly good item this right under my nose!
― Would you like to activate the skill and use the maximum allowed number of sparks?
“Yes, of course!” I exclaimed in a loud whisper.
A moment later, ten sparks instantly disappeared, while Dragonfly’s handle warmed up slightly. Was that all?
Burning up with impatience, I opened the knife’s description.
― Dragonfly Pocketknife.
― Category: Simple.
― Damage +7.
― Restrictions: None.
― Durability – 65/65.
I held the gift I got from my parents in my hands and slowly realized just what had happened. I had managed to improve its damage and durability!
For the next few minutes, I feverishly checked every one of my artifacts to see if there was any way to improve them. And once finished, I sat back wearily in my chair. The results were less encouraging than I was hoping, to put it lightly.
In fact, I could enchant only three of my artifacts. The knife, ring and button. The other items were rejected. And at that, almost all the rejections were unexplained. The Great System gave nothing but the dry phrase “action unavailable.” It had a bit more to say about the named artifacts, but still not a ton.
But I didn’t let that get me down. I decided to focus on what I had.
I set Dragonfly aside for the time being. I’ll start with the button.
Another ten sparks disappeared, and I pored over the text.
― Rock Monitor Bone Button.
― Category: Simple.
― Agility +5.
― Strength +1.
― Mind +3.
― Restrictions: None.
― Durability – 35/35.
Agility had gone up by three points! I wanted to jump and shout for joy! In all my jubilation, I had missed the fact that my button had also gained durability.
The next ten sparks gave me two more strength points. After that, I destroyed another thirty orbs to yield ninety more sparks.
The Great System allowed me to have the maximum chance another three times. In the end, the button’s Agility went up to eight, while its Strength went to nine. It also got a lot more durable. But alas, Mind was stuck in the same position.
After that was my ring’s turn. Four activations of the ability gave me this:
― Steel ring.
― Category: Simple.
― Strength +12.
― Restrictions: None.
― Durability – 70/70.
I used the remaining sparks on Dragonfly. Its damage went up to seventeen points.
In the end, that left me with sixty-five orbs of darkness in my backpack. With a bit of luck, I could get almost two hundred sparks out of them.
Just think! Today my Agility had nearly doubled, and I gained twenty points of Strength!
I glanced at my figures and smiled in satisfaction. Off to a good start!
The emotional overload made me want to go outside to get some fresh air.
Tiptoeing, I went down the stairs to the first floor. I concluded that the far door leading into the kitchen wouldn’t make as much noise as the front door and walked across the dining room then found myself in a realm of pots, stoves and... food. Trying not to breathe in through my nose or look too closely, I slunk over to the back door. I undid the lock, cracked it open and basically collapsed outside.
Before I made it a few steps from the door, I heard muffled voices coming from the stables. I recognized one of them. It was Mink. And it sounded like she was crying!
