The next week was a whirlwind of training and learning. Isabel pushed me to my limits with physical exercises, including sparring, running along the riverbank, and navigating increasingly challenging obstacle courses. Meanwhile, Lyra guided me through the complexities of spell work, teaching me how to sense and manage my ether reserves. I had to learn to recognize the subtle signs of depletion, such as a slight pressure inside me, akin to thirst. It wasn't easy at first, but with practice, I began to understand my body's language.

We spent many hours in the garden, honing my illusion-casting skills. I started with simple stationary objects like a knife or a small bush, then moved on to more complex and detailed illusions. By the end of the week, I was even able to conjure moving illusions of a cat darting across the yard or a bird soaring overhead. It required intense concentration, but with each attempt, the illusions became easier to create.

Although I made some progress, Isabel reminded me that true growth would come from high-pressure situations like a real fight. Hard work was essential, but the adrenaline and intensity of a battle would push me beyond my limits and yield more significant gains. As we wrapped up our training for the week, I felt both exhausted and exhilarated, eager to see how far I could push myself in the days to come.

My illusion magic had been progressing rapidly, and I was pleased to see that it had reached level 6. With each level, my abilities improved, allowing me to perform more complex illusions before depleting my reserves. However, Slippery Footing, one of my other spells, had not seen much progress. I had used it once in a sparring match with Isabel, causing her to fall hard on her backside. Although I found the spell to be quite useful, Isabel had been furious with me for using it on her. Despite my desire to practice the spell, Isabel had refused to let me do so during sparring, and her angry glares dissuaded me from suggesting it again.

On the first day of the second week, Isabel and Lyra took me into the city to sell the loot that Lyra had brought back and get some new gear for me. The carriage arrived to pick us up after breakfast on an absolutely gorgeous day with clear skies and a mild breeze blowing through the streets. I had always imagined cities in the medieval era to be smelly and unpleasant, but Creston was nothing like that.

When I asked Lyra about it, she just laughed and explained that most houses had proper plumbing, and people took baths regularly, so why would the city smell? I couldn't argue with that logic. As we arrived at the market, it was a bustling scene of organized chaos with street vendors, food stalls, and performers. We headed to one of the shops around the huge square, Isabel said she had a good idea of the kind of gear I would need now, and that this store would have most of it.

The proprietor greeted us with a warm smile. "Welcome back, Isabel! And you've brought companions today. Welcome all! How may we assist you today?"

Isabel bowed respectfully. "Hello, Ygda. We have some items to sell, and we also need to outfit David here."

"Of course!" Ygda replied. "Let's begin by bartering your goods. Please bring them to the counter."

Lyra placed the items on the counter, including rings, bracelets, a few necklaces, a fine-looking dagger, and some miscellaneous items. Ygda inspected them closely and nodded. "A few of these are enchanted, which will raise the price. Have you had them identified?"

Lyra shook her head. "None of us have that skill, sadly. Can you help us with that?"

Ygda nodded in affirmation, "I can, but there will be a small fee. Depending on your purchases and the deal we make for these items, that fee might be lessened or even waived entirely. Do we have an agreement?"

Lyra nodded and together with Ydga started sorting through the pile of items, dividing them into two separate piles. Ygda’s eyes glowed slightly and there were symbols twirling inside them which I found extremely cool. She gestured to the smaller pile and said, "These items are enchanted, the rest are simple items, good metal for sure, but not enchanted."

She picked up the first enchanted ring and explained, "This is a low grade storage item. It will not hold large amounts of materials or anything like that, but it can store a few sets of clothes and a couple of weapons."

Lyra's eyes lit up as she asked, "Is there anything inside?" Ygda frowned at the ring but shook her head, "Nothing inside sadly, but it's still a valuable item."

Next, Ygda identified another ring as a protective talisman, which drained ether to create a small protective dome around the wearer. "It's a low grade enchantment," Ygda explained, "but it can block a few spells before winking out."

Then Ygda showed them a necklace. "When activated," she said, "it will cast a ball of light above your head. It will continually drain your ether, but the amount is pretty small. Useful to be sure, but of limited value.’’

Finally, Ygda picked up the dagger and inspected it closely. "Yes...hmm...this has a layered enchantment. Sharpness...and bleeding. It will not only cut through most things, even an unenchanted plate of armor, but also the resulting bleeding will be more intense and harder to stop." Isabel understood the potential of the weapon and said, "A useful weapon indeed. Nasty.. but useful."

Ygda nodded sagely and said, "I will have to be careful who I sell this to, should you choose to sell it to me."

Lyra and Isabel shared a look and both agreed, "We will keep the storage ring and sell the rest." Lyra declared and Ygda smiled as she said. "You can go look at my wares while I put a value on these items. We will add everything together after that."

Isabel nodded and led me towards another room in the store, which was filled with all kinds of armor and weaponry. Isabel headed for a wall stacked with leather armor pieces. As I looked them over skeptically, I voiced my doubts, "Um...wouldn't leather armor be pretty useless against your attacks? Even if I wore this, a single blow from you would cut me in half."

Isabel gave me a glance and then nodded in agreement, "You're right, if this were normal leather it wouldn't do much. But most of the leather we use is taken from monsters in Aethoria, which is a lot more durable. That being said, I agree that we should add some plate armor in key places to provide better protection."

As she surveyed the racks with a critical eye, Isabel picked out an assortment of leather and plate armor items. We then moved on to a section with various forms of weaponry. Rows of gleaming steel and cruel implements of death greeted us, and at the far end were a few quarterstaffs standing upright. To my surprise, Isabel just picked one at random and we made our way back to where Ygda and Lyra were still bartering prices.

‘’Honorable Ygda, these items are worth more than that, surely you can be a bit more generous here?’’ Lyra said, trying to barter for a better price.

Ygda looked exasperated and was about to respond when Isabel and I returned. ‘’Ah, you found some things you liked then?’’ Isabel nodded and placed the items on the counter. Ygda inspected them and then looked at me intensely before turning her attention back to Isabel. ‘’Did you try these on?’’

Isabel shook her head with a small smile, and Ygda let out a frustrated sigh. ‘’Fine, let me help you!’’

She pushed me aside roughly to make more space. ‘’Armor is not just about randomly picking items off the shelf, Isabel, you of all people should know this.’’ Isabel simply nodded, still with a small smile on her lips. Ygda scowled at her and then turned to me. ‘’What is your class, boy?’’

I didn't want to irk her further her, so I answered honestly, ‘’Trickster.’’

Ygda's eyes widened in surprise, and she grinned broadly. ‘’Trickster, eh? A rare one that. Illusions and agility, then?’’ I nodded, also surprised she would know that. Ygda continued, ‘’That means close combat, but with a focus on speed and flexibility. So, light armor is what you need. Let's see... Bracers, greaves, a chest piece, and thigh protectors are important. Everything else here is unnecessary.’’

Isabel had picked out a gambeson, helmet, and chainmail, but Ygda scoffed at them and put them aside. ‘’Under the armor, you'll need something comfortable but sturdy, and something flowy too!’’

I raised an eyebrow, ‘’flowy?’’

Ygda smiled, ‘’Yes. As someone focused on deception and trickery, how you look can be a weapon in and of itself. Of course, most monsters won't care about that, but monsters aren't all you’re likely to fight now is it?’’ Ygda gestured for me to stay and disappeared through a door behind her counter.

She returned with two black pieces of cloth. ‘’This will do nicely. Strip down, boy!’’ I gave her an amused smile and started taking off my clothes. When I got to my underwear, Ygda huffed, ‘’That will do, boy. No need to get cheeky!’’ I gave her a sly grin and left my underwear where it was.

"Here, put this one on first." Ygda handed me a black robe that resembled martial arts attire, with overlapping panels in the center that were secured by a cloth belt at the waist. She then began to affix armor onto me, starting with leather shin guards covered in thin steel plating, followed by bracers that protected my forearms and top of my hands. Next came a layered chestplate, with metal plates that slid over and under each other, and finally leather armor for my thighs, upper arms, and shoulders.

Ygda examined me critically, and Lyra beamed at me from the sidelines. "Yes, that will do for now. Try moving around," Ygda instructed. I complied, jumping up and down, rotating my arms and legs, and found that the armor was surprisingly light and didn't hinder my movements.

"Okay then, next is the outer robe," Ygda said, handing me a gray robe that hung loosely on my frame. It had short sleeves and reached to around my knees in length, with several strings sewn into the inside that Ygda began to tie onto my armor. The robe flowed more naturally with my movements after the ties were secured, and Ygda stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Now that is how a trickster should look, martial but with a flare of the arcane!" Ygda declared. I turned to the mirror behind me and admired my new look, feeling like a samurai with the flowing robes and sleek armor.

"I agree, I look good!" I said with a grin.

As I looked at myself, I couldn’t help but notice the slight changes in myself. I was still me obviously, messy dirty blonde hair around shoulder length, a slightly large nose, blue eyes, and a wide mouth with smile lines at the corners. My chin was sharper though getting pretty bearded, my features more defined and my skin looked.. Healthier i guess? I didn’t have time to ponder further on this, as Ygda soon pulled me out of my thoughts.

Ygda chuckled. "That you do. Now for the weapon, you use a staff?" I nodded, and she examined the staff Isabel had picked out before shaking her head. "Nope, not this one." She disappeared into the weapons section and emerged with a twisted, dark brown staff that tapered almost to a point at each end. "This will suit you better, and it has a built-in function," Ygda said, demonstrating by pulling the staff apart into two long sticks. "It's more versatile for one such as you. But it's also enchanted for durability. It can withstand a full swing from Isabel, if you have the strength to withstand it."

I took the staff and felt the smooth wood in my hand. I wasn't well-versed in staffs, but I trusted Ygda's judgment and decided to go with it.

Ygda turned to Isabel, ‘’happy?’’

Isabel gave the first genuine grin I had ever seen on her, ‘’happy!’’

Ygda huffed and returned behind the counter before stopping, she seemed to have remembered something and looked at me frowning slightly, ‘’perhaps it will work with this one..’’ she mumbled, and I raised an eyebrow. Ygda gestured for us to wait, left through the door again and returned a bit later after a whole lot of shuffling around in the back room. She carried a small box, and she put it on the table gently.

‘’I have had this for a long time now, I was wondering.. It has not accepted anyone so far, but perhaps there is a chance!’’

Lyra’s eyes widened, ‘’is that what I think it is?’’

Ygda smiled slightly, ‘’it is indeed lass.

I looked on in confusion but no one seemed about to explain, so I asked, ‘’what is it you think it is?’’

Lyra turned to me her eyes sparkling, ‘’a possessed item!’’

I frowned, ‘’not sure I liked the sound of that.’’

Lyra laughed, ‘’it may sound ominous but it really isn’t. A possessed item carries a spirit within it, they are very hard to create and therefore pretty rare. They are nigh indestructible, and once accepted by the spirit within creates a bond with its wearer or wielder.’’

Isabel was nodding along, ‘’my sword is a bonded item David, they are very useful items.’’

Ygda was frowning at us, ‘’how in the heavens does he not know what a possessed item is?’’

Lyra just shrugged and gave her a grin, ‘’I picked him up in the mountains, he has been pretty sheltered.’’

Ygda looked at me in disbelief, ‘’sheltered.. Were you raised under a rock or something boy?’’

I gave an apologetic smile, ‘’perhaps on a rock is more precise I suppose.’’

Ygda shook her head but gestured to the box. ‘’This is the harlequin’s mask. The spirit within is quite the character from what I’m told, but it would likely suit your class very well. It is not a cheap item mind you, but I have had this a long time now, and honestly I would like it to be used instead of collecting dust, so if you are able to bond it, I will give you a good discount on it.’’

Isabel nodded without hesitation, ‘’we will take it.’’

I felt my nerves kick in, but I tried to sound composed, ‘’Are you sure about this Isabel? Possessed items sound a bit… dangerous.’’

She smiled reassuringly, ‘’It’s all right David. Bonded items are really useful in our line of work, and besides, Ygda wouldn’t sell it if it was too risky.’’

Sure, here is a revised version that includes the complete dialog:

Ygda nodded and opened the box, revealing a white mask with a creepy smiling face depicted on it, black slits for eyes, and a large grin on the mouth. Lyra was giddy with excitement. "Try it on, David! Try it on!" she urged.

I hesitated and everybody stared at me. "I'm not sure this is a—"

Isabel interrupted me with a not-so-gentle slap to the back of my head. "This is a treasure, David. A chance to gain an item like this does not come often. Put it on!"

I sighed and approached the counter, looking down at the mask. "Oh, what the hell!" I grabbed the mask in both hands, turned it around, and put it to my face. That's when everything turned dark, and not because there were no holes in the mask for my eyes.

Suddenly, I found myself in a dark place with mist swirling around everywhere. I wasn't sure how I could see since there was no obvious light source, but sometimes you just need to go with the flow. I slowly turned in place, but everywhere was just more of the same—darkness and swirling mist.

Then a voice came from the darkness, a creepy voice that reminded me of Batman’s nemesis the Joker, and a chill ran down my spine. "Another one, eh? Have you come to beg me too? Another weak child with delusions of grandeur!"

I found my voice, and it only shook a little. "No. Honestly, I don't want anything to do with this shit."

The voice laughed. "Then why are you here, hmm? Did you just stumble onto a beautiful mask and decide to put it on?"

I shrugged. "Not sure I would call it beautiful, more like creepy as hell."

The voice laughed a bit maniacally this time. "Creepy, eh? Well, that works for me. So if you want nothing from me, then why not leave?"

I raised an eyebrow. "How?"

The voice hesitated. "Oh, right. I suppose you are in my world right now, and in my world, I decide who leaves."

I sighed. "So make me leave then."

More creepy laughter. "I think I will not. You are an interesting one. You do not wish to be here, and yet here you are. You do not want anything from me, and yet...here you are! What to do, what to do? It is becoming quite dull doing nothing, truth be told, so maybe..."

I was getting a little annoyed now. "Look, I don’t need some spirit in my head influencing my thoughts. So if you would just let me out, we can go our separate ways!"

The voice seemed to choke at that. "You think I would influence you!? I am not some demonkin! How dare you!"

I shrugged. "How would I know what you can do? Honestly speaking, you could be anything as far as I know. I have been in this world for perhaps two weeks, and this is the weirdest experience I have had so far. If you're not going to influence me, then what is your purpose exactly?"

The spirit's creepy laughter started again, gradually increasing in volume until I could imagine some creepy clown rolling on the floor holding its stomach. After a while, the spirit got itself under control and spoke, "So... you're not from this world, eh? Well, you're getting more interesting by the second. As for you, my purpose, dear boy, is to assist you. As you grow, I will grow. At first, I will give advice should you ask it of me, and be a second set of eyes for you. I can tap into some of your abilities and use them at your command. In time, I will be able to do more, but our bond would have to strengthen first. So you see, I will be more of a servant than anything. We can even set up a contract if that would make you feel more comfortable, hmm?"

I pondered the spirit's words, realizing that it wasn't going to let me go. So, perhaps, if I was now forced into it, a contract stating the terms clearly was my best bet. "A contract then," I said.

The spirit let out more creepy laughter before saying, "Agreed, and your terms?"

I thought for a while, knowing that I needed to word this carefully. "Three terms then," I said. "First, you will not ever try to influence me in any way."

The spirit laughed at that, but agreed to the first term. "And your other terms?" it asked.

I took a deep breath. "Secondly, when giving advice, you will not color it with your own opinions unless asked to. Finally, if we are to work together, I want it to be a partnership. I do not care for slavery, and so I wish to build a relationship of trust. The second term can be changed in the future once I am satisfied such a relationship has been reached."

The spirit was silent for a long while, but finally spoke, "Partnership...hmm. You really are quite interesting. I agree to these terms, and so the bond is made. I am looking forward to seeing where you will go from here, young trickster!"

I was suddenly back in reality, stumbling a little before being steadied by Isabel. Lyra flinched at the sight of me still wearing the creepy mask. "Heaven's, that is creepy. Could you remove the mask now, David?" she asked.

I frowned and reached for the mask, only to feel it dissolve into smoke and be absorbed into me. It was a disturbing feeling. "You did it!" Ygda whispered in an awed voice.

"I have been trying to find an owner for that mask for years, but none were accepted. How did you do it?" Ygda asked.

"I told it to fuck off," I said. "It seemed to like that and bonded to me instead. I have to say, that was the weirdest thing I have experienced so far."

Ygda and Lyra burst out laughing. "You told it to..." Lyra managed but couldn't finish the sentence.

Isabel clapped my shoulder approvingly. "You did well, David. You have received quite the boon."

She turned to Ygda. "Let's talk payment then. We have other errands to run before we are done for today."

Ygda wiped her eyes and nodded. "Aye, payment. Let's see." They discussed prices for a while before reaching an understanding. We would pay 9 gold pieces and 6 silver, and Isabel just handed them over without any fuss.

I looked at her apologetically but she waved me off. "It is a fair price, David, and it will prove to be a good investment. Pay me back by acing that initiation."

I thanked her and promised to do everything I could to do just that. We continued shopping for a while, and by the end of the day, I had 3 new sets of clothes, all variations of robes and soft clothes.

That night when we returned home, Isabel put me through a round of hellish sparring with my new staff, even asking me to use it in its second form with the 2 sticks. Dual wielding is pretty damn hard let me tell you, and Lyra grinned at my bruised face as I went to the bath later that night.

As I was soaking in the bath, I brought up my notifications and status screen. I hadn't given it much attention, but I felt it was time to take stock.

 

 

 

As I perused the new information, I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed. Despite putting in a lot of effort over the past week, the gains seemed lackluster. Granted, back on Earth, these kinds of improvements would have been unheard of, but I still felt like I wasn't making much headway. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that bonding with the spirit mask had earned me a few new attributes - that was a nice bonus.

Curious about the spirit, I tried focusing inward and calling out to it. To my surprise, the response was immediate. "Ah, so you haven't forgotten me already then! Now that we are bonded, I am quite shocked to find that my partner is quite the weakling!"

I bristled at the insult. "I will get there!"

The spirit's creepy laughter echoed in my mind. "Of course you will. I will not allow you to remain weak. We must grow, and in time, the world will bow down to us!"

I couldn't help but smile a little at the spirit's ambition. "Already planning world domination then?"

The spirit huffed in mock outrage. "Nothing of the sort, illustrious partner. Ruling seems so boring. I want to have fun, and power will allow us to visit all kinds of interesting places. Perhaps we could mock a few powerful people, make a few enemies. What is life without enemies, right?"

It seemed that "crazy" was the new flavor of my life. Not only were the people around me a little unhinged, but the spirit in my head was pretty crazy, too. But I found that I liked it - at least it kept things interesting.

‘’I suppose you might not be wrong there’’ I said, and dismissed the spirit back into the recesses of my mind, before going back to enjoying the rest of my bath before retiring for the night.