Chapter 15 - A Day in the City

 

I got a familiar feeling walking through the bustling streets of the city. It was much larger than it looked from above. From there, the buildings were small and largely ordinary. Down here they towered above and around me, each unique in its own way. Dark alleys wound through, around, and between many of the buildings, however, some sections were built wall-to-wall-to-wall all the way down the street. 

There were shops and houses, but most of the market buildings were clustered together to get better foot traffic. The Elven buildings and Orc buildings were incredibly easy to differentiate from, with one being elegant with many hand-carved pillars, statues, and intricate etching, and the other being sturdy and built with thick interlocked timber, like that of wooden cabins. Those weren’t the only two types of architecture, but they were easily the most abundant. 

Walking around the shops was reminiscent of every fantasy game I’d ever played. Every story I’d ever read. Fresh baked sweet rolls, market stalls with arms and armor, even tonics and potions. 

I traded a small earth-element crystal for two sweet rolls and took a seat on a nearby bench to observe and get away from the hubbub for a moment. I bit into the first roll and it was amazing. Soft and dripping with sweetness. Real food. This was something I could get used to. Once the Dragons are gone, at least. 

The thought of Dragons set me on edge. I wanted so much to feel safe. The people here didn’t have a care in the world for Dragons. In my time spent observing from the bench, I didn’t hear anything about Dragons or the world outside the grotto. It was all city gossip. How could they be so complacent? The Dragons were a huge threat! It was always in the back of my mind. I was always watching the skies, wondering if the next Dragon I encountered would be stronger than Draconis, or worse, stronger than me.

I pushed the thoughts aside. I needed a break! I wasn’t the only person in this world capable of dealing with the threat. My mind wandered to Tyrannus’s office and the imprisoned warriors there. I didn’t even know where that place was. Maybe Angeknight would know? They’re probably willing to fight the Dragons, too, after being imprisoned for so long. 

Compared to them, my sentence was light. If I staged a rescue, I could have exactly what I needed to face a world-boss-level threat: A party of high-level combatants. I’d start by tracking down this Dwarf, killing that stupid bastard Edge, and finishing my deal with Orianna. First things first, though, it was shopping time, and I really wanted to wear armor for the first time in my life. Second life.

In typical fantasy fashion, much of the armor for women was on the skimpier side when compared to their male counterparts. Luckily, I was able to find a female blacksmith who took battle protection for women a little more seriously. Helga, the owner, and smith, was a level 26 Volcaneon. Her hair was literally made of fire, dancing in thick tendrils along her scalp. That’s hot, I chuckled to myself. 

She had a wide selection, but the thing that caught my eye were three sets of gleaming silver armor with gold gilding displayed on mannequins at the front of the shop. The armor had an angelic aesthetic, with pauldrons layered with individually carved silver feathers. Two of the sets featured female mannequins: One full plate and the other similar, but with half the armor. I suppose that’s why they call it Half-plate.

“How much for this set?” I asked Helga, who was busy unleashing an incredibly hot gout of fire from her palm into a stove behind the counter. The heat from the flame was so intense it disabled my Vapor Sense in an aura around it. 

“Oh. My. God. Is that a literal Halo? And your hair? I love it!” Helga rushed over. She reached out and ran her fingers through my water tendrils of hair that defied gravity. It was an odd sensation that send a shiver down my spine. “I’m so sorry, that was inappropriate,” she took a step back and bowed apologetically.

“It’s OK, I like your hair, too.” I was surprised, but not terribly offended. “Oh, uh, the armor?” I pointed to the three mannequins.

“Oh, right, sorry!” She stood a little straighter and cleared her throat. “Down to business! Yes! This is my latest set. Enchanted silver is harder than steel, and it’s super comfortable. You can sleep in it!”

“Even better,” I said, “If I can afford it. Will one of these cover it?” I held up one of the fire gems from my inventory. It popped into my hand, surprised me, and I nearly dropped it.

“Maybe two of these, and a little more than that even.”

“Is that a fair deal?” I asked, moving closer so that I didn’t have to flare my halo to make sure she was telling the truth. I didn’t want to make it weird. I was hoping the current light would be enough to keep her honest and fair. After all, I wasn’t confident with my use of the money system here.

“Yes, I do believe it’s more than fair,” Helga’s cheeks flushed when I got really close, maybe a little too close. “ If I were a male blacksmith I could charge twice or three times that much!”

“Fair,” I said. “I’ll give you these three, then.” I pulled the three large fire gems from my bag and set them on the counter.

“This is too much,” Helga pushed one of the gems back.

“No, you just said this was all worth more than that. Easily three times, right? This isn’t even close.”

“Fine,” she took the three and pulled out a set of measuring tapes. “Let's get you suited up.”

Helga fitted me with a breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, greaves, and leather battle skirt. I felt like a fantasy figure staring in the mirror. I wasn’t just some dress-up Barbie in a pink dress anymore. I felt like I fit in a little better.

“I love it,” Helga nodded in approval, “you look good in silver.”

“Thanks, I do like it.” I twirled in the mirror and admired the gilding and detail. I flared my halo and floated in front of the mirror. A wingless angel. 

“Are you some smaller Angeknight?” Helga asked with surprise. She was holding her hand out in front of her, shielding her eyes from the reflecting light. I toned it down a little. 

“No, I have the light element, that’s all.” 

“That’s rare,” she exclaimed. “Would you let me borrow you for an enchantment quick?”

“Right now? You aren’t busy?” In addition to the Orc girls half-gawking between me and the mannequins, there were others in the shop.

“It doesn’t take long,” she added. “The casting for this type of enchantment is quick, but it needs time to set into the object. The higher the quality of the object, the quicker enchantments settle.”

I nodded like it all made sense. “Yeah, I think I got it.”

“Good, just come over here and hold my hand,” she was leading me to a large wooden table in the corner of the room, etched with arcane writing and symbols. 

“Oh, sure,” I followed her over. 

“So you just have to stand here and hold my hand like this,” Helga laced her fingers with mine and continued, “I put my hand like so, and then activate my Elemental Enchantment skill on the item and pump as much power into it as possible.”

“I just stand here, then? And hold your hand?”

“Yes, exactly. The skill will draw on your light element because that will be the element I focus on to enchant the items,” Helga explained. “OK, now I will go get the things to enchant!”

Helga dropped my hand and left. I stood there, examining the circle. It was a few different overlaid images. A star, some concentric circles, and a pyramid shape in the very center. Helga returned wielding two familiar swords. They looked like Orianna’s but larger. They looked like the Angeknight’s swords from Tyrannus’s office.

“What are you doing with these?” I asked.

“They’re for Orianna! This one time I helped her and saw a portrait of what she said was he brother, and in the portrait were these swords, so I made them! When I asked about the swords, she said they were enchanted with the Light element. I have the elemental enchantment, but no Light element. That’s where you come in.”

“Wait. Back up. You saw a painting one time and made perfect copies?”

“I have a memory trait,” Helga shrugged.

I guess it wasn’t that weird. Anyone could have any kind of trait. I couldn’t even imagine what combinations were out there and what they were capable of.

Helga grabbed my hand again and I stiffened. Am I the only one being awkward here? I had no idea, but I went with it. 

 

Lightforce Barrier and Radiant Bolt depleted!

 

At least I didn’t plan on using those any time soon.

The swords began to glow, lifting off the table as if gripped by an invisible force. Helga had one hand raised between the swords, both floating blade-up with their pommels hovering above her outstretched palm. Glowing radiant light pulsed through the blades. I was glowing with a golden light, Helga with a purple light, and it was the tendrils of my golden mana that etched the runes upon both blades.

Large runes went straight up the center, while smaller runes danced along the very edges of the blade, barely visible. After a minute the blades were wreathed entirely in holy mana and hovered back down to the table to rest. Helga let out a sigh and doubled over in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

Helga was instantly wreathed in golden light, and when she opened her mouth golden light poured out like a spotlight. It wasn’t just her mouth, though. Her eyes were the same. “Too much,” she said, frantically looking in each direction. She grabbed an ingot of bluish metal from behind her desk and held it tightly with both hands.

The light poured from her and into the ingot. The transition was fast, and the metal was glowing like a white-hot coal fresh from the pits of hell.

“We need to get rid of this. NOW. LIKE SERIOUSLY!”

“How far?”

“I don’t know! I’ve never had this happen like this! It’s too much!”

“I’ll take it.”

“It’s going to explode! Just get rid of it quickly!”

I nodded and shot out the door and up through the canopy of the grotto, flying as fast as possible. I cleared the first branches, and I could feel the ingot growing hotter by the second. I came through the second set of branches and was halfway to the top when I threw the brick with all my might, straight toward the canopy. The metal had begun to bubble and I couldn’t hold it any longer.

 It went up and up, out of sight through the leaves as I stopped near the highest branches.

I don’t know what startled me more. The Silverfang that pounced me, the explosion, or the rain of falling branches. The Silverfang that pounced me immediately panicked and slashed me again in a mad dash to escape. It was the first time I’d felt pain in a while, lancing through my side quickly.

You take 489 piercing damage from Silverfang’s Pounce!

You take 549 slashing damage from Silverfang’s Claw! You are bleeding!

 

I activated Rain Armor to heal, and counter the bleeding effect, but it only covered the ladder. It was nearly a third of my health, and it was coming at me again. 

The large cat had re-oriented itself and pounced again. I was aware this time and I dodged it. One, two, three claws in quick succession and I yeeted his ass off the branch when he came in for the bite. 

 

You have successfully shoved Silvercat!

The cat hit the tree and managed to snag a claw. He hissed up at me and gracefully leapt back up to my branch. The explosion had died down now, and many of the falling canopy branches had fallen past us. Flying monsters had flocked away from the area and the explosion had rung out loudly with a bright flash. I wondered if that was a bad thing. I didn’t have time to consider it. The Silverfang was coming at me.

Dodge. Duck. Dip Dive. COUNTERPUNCH! 

The Silverfang’s swipes came fast and in a flurry, and my own counter punch was dodged. The cat had a reaction speed that put me to shame, however, as fast as they might be, the swipes were obvious to me. I was what you might call a “cat person” in real life and had a lot of experience with them, and my own reflexes were enhanced and I had the Dodge skill. 

I lunged forward to catch and opening and the cat leapt backward, immediately crouching and pouncing. I ducked under and took a position closer to the tree on the thicker part of the branch. “How about this, then?” 

 

Mana Beam deals 423 to Tree Branch!

 

I was standing on one side of the branch, and the Silverfang was on the falling side of the branch. It jumped towards me again, but that was to my advantage.

“Try dodging in mid-air,” I said, firing another Mana Beam straight into the flying furball. 

 

Mana Beam deals 389 damage to Silverfang!

Silvercat takes 46  from impact (Tree Branch)!

Silvercat takes 79 damage from impact (Tree Branch)! 

Silvercat takes 168 fall damage!

 

The feline crashed through two branches and hit the forest floor with a satisfying thud. I took a moment to breathe, watching the cat from the branch. He scampered into the underbrush, alive and kicking. “Little shit,” I grumbled, activating Rain Armor to finish covering the damage I’d taken from the initial attack. I didn’t want to fight more than one of those, if any, I thought. It was a wonder anything survived in this forest.

I scanned the area for any more surprises, but I didn’t see any. That was unhelpful though, considering that might just mean they had a high stealth ability. I cautiously dropped back to the entrance of the grotto. To my surprise, a few of the falling branches had fallen in to the grotto and landed in the city. 

Guards were swarming all over the place now. The market was cleared out, buildings had their windows shuttered, and a feeling of panic hung in the air. Fuck.

“It was her, Sir Orrick!” I had barely entered the blacksmith’s shop, avoiding the other patrols, when the group of Orc girls saw me.

“Miss Valerie. We meet again under unfavorable circumstances. We take the safety of our city very seriously from outside threats. Part of that safety is not revealing our location with loud, flashy explosions, or destroying said city.”

“It wasn’t her fault! We had an enchanting mishap! It was an accident!”Helga blurted out.

“I’m afraid I will need to take you both in. Relinquish your arms,” Sir Orrick stepped forward, hand held out.

I sighed and held out my hands in front of me, but Orrick looked at me confused.

“Your weapons, not your actual arms,” he corrected.

“I don’t have any,” I said, “I thought you’d restrain me or something, I don’t know.”

“That’s not necessary unless you struggle,” he chuckled. Then he looked dead serious. “I have to send word to the council. They will decide what happens next.”