Inside a horse-drawn cab, Ann was on her way to Earl’s cottage for a discussion. She wanted to talk with the message menu, but he needed them to meet in person.

Waiting, Ann pulled a wand from a coin purse strapped to her belt. She used the coin purse for storage or a trash bin.

It was a cheap wooden wand from Earl, no charge, perfect for a beginner, he said.

Pointing the wand up and away from her head, she pictured a vast, windswept plain. Tall grass rustled, and a cool breeze pressed against her skin. The prittle-prattle of leaves danced in the wind.

She channeled mana into her wand.

In an enclosed space, the fluttering air flapped around her ear, and from small gaps, a hiss. The currents caressed her neck and ran up her face, lifting her hair.

All her attention was on the imagery. She wasn’t aware of her surroundings. I still need to work on that.

She stopped the flow of mana, and the breeze died.

Then, having a simple image of fire, Ann channeled mana into the wand. Spark. A continuous flame hovered above the tip of her wand. Though a small flame, she didn’t have to imagine anything vivid. Her mana flow offset how detailed she had to imagine the fire.

Keeping the flame small, she concentrated on her surroundings. Nope, still needs work.

Ann stopped channeling mana, and the flame fizzled. Her vision refocused, locking onto the coachman through the front glass window.

The coachman's body had turned toward her. His head swiveled, his face expressed concern.

“Sorry,” Ann said, with a voice louder than usual. She put the wand back into her coin purse, embarrassed.

The coachman gave a nod and turned.

Having arrived at Earl's place, Ann stood facing him. “Why did you need me to come all the way here?”

“I need more items, particularly potato chips. I have a list.” Earl went to a desk with papers strewn on top. “Let’s see where’s—ha, here it is.” Grabbing a piece of paper, he returned and handed it to Ann.

“What’s this?”

“Descriptions of things that may exist in your world which would sell very well. I have to resort to this since I don’t know what’s sold over there where you come from—so please bear with me. Unless you have suggestions of your own?”

After reading the first few lines on the list Ann looked up. “I’ll see what I can get. And also…” Ann hesitated.

Earl tilted his head.

On her way over here, her mind drifted to when she had marked up the item sticks she sold him. At the time, she wanted to get back at him and regain her loss, but he helped her with her ability and magic.

Ann’s gaze fell to the floor, a slight weight pressed on her chest. “I marked up the item sticks when I sold them to you. Sorry.”

“That’s alright. It shouldn’t have affected the experiments all that much. On that note, I’d like to speak to you about our partnership going forward. We split the profits 90-10 in my favor. What do you say?”

Her eyes twitched. Ann wanted her apology back. “I’m the one who‘s supplying the stuff.”

“And I’m the one doing the leg work of selling the products. 80-20?”

“You said it's a partnership, right? 80-20 doesn’t sound like one to me. 50-50.”

“How about 70-30, and the magic lessons are free.”

Ann crossed her arms, wrinkling the paper she held. “50-50.”

“60-40. That’s as low as I’m going.”

Ann checked her balance on the menu screen. In truth, she didn’t need the coins, she did better than her companions. But she refused this treatment, yet she wanted to avoid antagonizing Earl.

Ann uncrossed her arms. “How about this, it's still 50-50, but you keep all the profits for now until I ask for my share.”

“And when will you ask for your share?”

“Not anytime soon. And the magic lessons are free.”

Earl brushed his fingers over his beard. “Deal.” Earl reached out to shake hands.

Ann let out a long exhale and shook his hand. Is he messing with me?

“Another thing.” Earl strolled over to the desk again. With two bangs on the desk, he straightened a disordered stack of papers. Then walked back with it in hand. “I need you to go to these locations.” Earl handed the stack of paper to her.

Ann grabbed it with both hands to look it over. “Why?”

Earl leaned forward and pointed at the top of the papers. “These places sell high quality wares. And guilds—they sell high quality materials too so you’ll be visiting all of them. Make sure it’s registered to your ability.” He straightened his posture. “How’s your magic training going?”

“It’s going fine.”

“Wonderful. Pardon me.” He stretched his hand and placed it on her shoulder. “Circulate your mana for me.”

Ann pushed her mana around her body.

After a moment, he pulled his hand away from her shoulder. “Still needs work.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she let out a low groan. “I have a question.”

“Yes?”

Ann paused. “When I watched one of my party members fight, I saw mana…leaking out of her? But it was a different color than I usually see.”

“Yes, mana does leak out when you aren’t very good at mana control, losing some potential when casting spells. What I find interesting is that you can see it in color.” Earl stroked his beard. “My concoction worked. I developed that to increase my mana sensitivity, but it only increased it slightly. For you it seemed to have increased in leaps and bounds. What was your friend using her magic on, and what color was it?”

“I think her body and weapon. It was gray.”

“And what color do you normally see mana?”

“Colorless.”

“If I were to hazard a guess, gray is for physical enhancement.” Earl wheezed out a laugh. “Sorry, can't help you other than that. I’ve not met another mage who can see mana in color.”

Ann pouted.

“Cheer up, you said you saw her mana leak? From how far?”

“Roughly fifty feet. Max.”

“And how far do you think I can?”

“I don’t know, more?”

“I have to make contact to see the mana. Most mages do. Only a very few can see a couple of feet around them.”

Ann cracked a smile. Warmth swelled as she puffed out her chest.

Earl covered his mouth with a fist and coughed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You still have a long way to go if you ever want to use that talent of yours to its fullest potential.”

Ann deflated a little. He could’ve kept that to himself.

“Now then, about the item sticks I need.”

“Before that.” Ann held out the papers except for the creased paper. ”Can you message me the directions, I don’t want to carry all this around. It’d be more convenient for me to check the message tab.”

“Very well.” Earl took the stack of papers and pulled a folded one from within. “Keep this one. It’s a map of the city I drew.”

Ann accepted it, rolled it up and stuck it inside her coin purse.

“Try to avoid the southeast side as much as possible.”

“Why’s that?”

“The slums. It’s best to avoid that place. Unfortunately some of the stores and guilds are close by.”

Ann nodded and thought of something she had wanted to ask before. “What floor are you on?”

Earl’s foot tapped the wooden floor. “This floor.”

Ann rolled her eyes.

Earl chuckled. “I mean it. Like many others, I’ve settled down on the residential floor. I don’t climb the Tower anymore.” His eyes looked tired.

“You don’t?” Ann's voice quieted and trailed. Maybe I shouldn’t pry.

“Now then, about the items I asked for.”

After Ann had given him the goods, she went on foot to visit the stores and the guilds.

Since Chad and Fuyu went dungeon diving, Ann didn't need to rush. They had invited her, but she declined because of Earl’s request, and also she was still sore from the third floor. Do they ever get tired?

Ann had offered them money, but Fuyu refused, and Chad wanted to repay her.

As she roamed the city, the sun shone above with the Tower in view. When there weren’t many people to bump into, she glanced at the message tab for directions. Ann looked up at a sign bearing the words "Fountain Street." The fountain should be up ahead.

She planned to make her way through the city counterclockwise. She was on the south side; Earl’s place was further down.

Ahead was a massive plaza with a fountain in the center where people sat on the edges. The spouting water splashed into a large basin and mixed in with the hum of the chatter and laughter. There was Chopping and sizzling near the food stalls in a line to her left and right. I’ll take a bite.

Ann weaved through the crowd to a food stall and checked the price. Withdrawing the right amount of coins from the menu screen, she poked out her hand. “I’d like one, please.”

“Here you go,” the food vendor said.

They exchanged hands.

When she was on the go, she found it more convenient to pay with physical coins and be on her way.

Ann ordered a skewer with a variety of grilled meat.

Taking a bite of the top piece, a hint of smokiness and spices mixed in the tenderness of the meat. The flavor caused a tingling sensation on the sides of her mouth.

Leaving the loud square on Rocky Road, Ann took a right. Further down, she slowed her pace, convinced the place must be here somewhere.

She circled the block, searching for a shop and passed the same groups of people.

Frustrated, she messaged Earl.

33333333333333333: I can’t find Jon's accessory shop.

GrandMagusEarl: I’m sure it's there. Keep looking.

Ann exhaled and kept circling.

She took the last bite from the meat skewer and placed the stick inside the coin purse, using it as a trash bin.

Thirsty, she then took out her wand and pointed it at her mouth, careful not to hold it too close to her lips.

An image of gentle lapping waves drifted onto shore. The saltiness of the sea mingled with the crisp morning air wafted into her nose and mouth.

Splash. The water streamed all over her face and up her nose, dripping down her clothes. Coughing, she took the time to catch her breath and then looked around. People gawked.

Heat rushed to her head. She wanted to disappear.

33333333333333333: Hey, I can't find the store anywhere! When was the last time you visited it?

GrandMagusEarl: Several years may have passed.

Ann squeezed her wand. Calming down, she released her grip and returned it to her coin purse.

33333333333333333: Is that the same for all the other stores too?

GrandMagusEarl: No. Some of them I found on the forum and word of mouth still you should check them out.

33333333333333333: I don't want to go after something that doesn’t exist.

GrandMagusEarl: The guild's locations should be up to date.

33333333333333333: I’m going to those then.

Ann ignored Earl’s messages and hurried out to avoid the stares, soaking wet.

When she distanced herself from her mistake, Ann looked for a place devoid of people, an alleyway. She pulled out a map from her coin purse, then unrolled and unfolded it. Ann rotated the map to get the correct orientation, then pushed it against a wall to keep it upright. The top half landed on her head. Peeking at the bottom half of the map, a guild in the southeast caught her eye.

Earl had made a detailed map with the locations of the guilds. He omitted the locations of the shops.

Ann let out a long, weary breath. She regretted not checking this first.

After confirming where to go, she folded and rolled the map and stuffed it into her coin purse.

She exited the alley and proceeded up the road, through the crowded streets of Riverstone, and through another narrow alley into Woodland Terrace. She kept to this street to reach the guild’s building.

Ann dismissed the clippity-clopping of hooves on the cobblestone. She chose to cover the rest of the way on foot.

She had stayed under the sun to dry the dark spots on her plain clothes, but they remained wettish.

As Ann trod down the path, the activity of people shrank in the background. The streets grew quiet, and the vibrant colors of the city waned. The potholes collected stagnant puddles of murky water.

Ann’s body stiffened.

Ann noticed a large building to her left, adorned with a sign that read “Forest Leaves Guild.”

The door swung open, and a person walked down the creaky steps. “Excuse me.”

Ann moved aside.

As the door inched shut, a muffled, rowdy laughter spilled out.

Ann climbed up the stairs and brushed her hair back. A couple of strands had stuck to her neck.

She opened the door.

Inside, against the bar and at tables, were most of the crowd who drank from a mug. And across the room, a receptionist stood smiling behind a polished wooden desk.

Ann approached the long desk with two more receptionists chatting with others.

“Hello. You’re a new face around here,” the receptionist said.

Ann checked her shop ability, but it didn’t register this area as a shop. “Where’s the place to buy…materials from?” Ann asked, glancing at her name tag, Holly.

Holly’s head cascaded waves of golden hair, and eyes sparkled their hues like a cloudless summer sky. She wore a dark green vest with a white dress shirt underneath and a long dark brown pencil skirt.

Holly pointed behind her. “Further down the building is where we sell materials.” Then she pointed to the stairs near the bar. “And upstairs is where we sell magic items and materials exclusive to our guild members.”

Ann hesitated to ask Holly about the guild, considering Earl could tell her.

Holly broke her thought. “Have you recently arrived at the Tower?”

“I’ve been here for about a week. I don’t know much about the guilds in this city.”

“No worries I can explain.” Holly brought her right fist to her mouth. “Ahem.” Then she placed her hands behind her back. “The Forest Leaves Guild offers a central hub for a community of like-minded folks, standing as one among several guilds. Unlike the other guilds that focus on climbing the Tower, our guild tackles dungeons only. Also, the Forest Leaves Guild engages in philanthropic endeavors by offering help to the poorer parts of the city.” Holly placed a fountain pen and paper on the desk.

Ann glanced at the objects. “I’m not planning on joining any guild at this moment.”

“Oh this? This form isn’t for joining our guild. The guilds around the city maintain a central record for recruitment. Completing this form would benefit me.”

Ann figured it wouldn’t hurt to fill out the form. “Sure.” Ann grabbed the pen and started to fill it out.

“For this section, tap your username on the menu screen, a number should appear. Write that down here.” Holly pointed.

“What’s the number for?”

“It’s for people who have the same username. A number shows if you tap their name.”

Ann wrote her username, and below the number one. She doubted the number of threes written.

After filling it out, Ann recounted the number of threes and then handed her the form. As she did, she reflected on when they were on the third floor. They needed someone with a ranged weapon. “You guys keep a record of everyone, right? My party’s looking for someone who deals with monsters at a distance.”

“Of course. Our guild facilitates in bringing people together.” Holly glanced at the form. “For the fourth floor?”

Ann nodded.

“I have the perfect candidate in mind. You two missed each other. She's been looking for a party to climb the fourth floor for a while now. People usually team up on the first floor or much later.”

Ann beamed. “When can I get in contact?”

Holly fidgeted and joined the tips of her index fingers. “Sorry, I broke the usual procedure. The cost for this process is two silver.”

Ann withdrew two silver coins and placed them on the desk.

Holly picked up the coins and wrote something down on the side. “Thanks. I’ll contact her and message you tomorrow for a time to meet. Is there anything else you need help with?”

“Can I see what you sell upstairs?”

Holly nodded. “But purchasing anything requires a guild badge.”

“Okay, thanks.”

"You're welcome. If you have any more questions or need further help, feel free to ask." Her smile shined.

After giving a small wave, Ann walked further into the building where Holly had pointed. She glanced at her shop tab and noticed her ability added the guild shop.

From behind a scratched counter, a man stood. "Hello." 

Ann had yet to find a bag imbued with space magic. She wanted one. Placing any items inside her coin purse didn't increase the load; the downside was its size. If she had a bag, it’d make trips easier.

“Do you guys have a bag imbued with space magic?”

The man chuckled. “No, we don't sell rare items here. What we do sell is surplus of our materials and items.”

“Does the shop upstairs sell it?”

He scratched the side of his beard. “Your best bet is to find one from an auction or the Steel Titans Guild.”

“Okay thanks.” Ann headed for the stairs to the second floor and passed by the folks near the bar.

After she added the shop for guild members, she left the building. Knowing how her ability worked made her uneasy about gaming the system.

Ann planned to hail a cab to visit the remaining guilds.