Chapter 10: Equipment and Expansion
The blacksmith's forge burned hot enough to make my skin prickle from six feet away. Hammer strikes rang through the small shop in steady rhythm, sparks dancing with each impact. The smith—a broad man with forearms like tree trunks—didn't look up when I entered.
"Be with you in a moment."
I waited, examining the weapons displayed along the walls. My Scanner activated automatically, painting each blade with assessment text. Most glowed the dull grey of mediocrity. A few showed hints of color—decent craftsmanship, fair materials.
One sword caught my attention.
[ITEM IDENTIFIED]
Steel Longsword (Quality)
Classification: Combat Weapon - Uncommon
Condition: 100% (New)
Materials: Folded steel, leather-wrapped grip, brass pommel
Actual Value: 35 crowns
Notes: Well-balanced, maintained edge. Suitable for extended combat.
The smith finished his current piece—a horseshoe, mundane work—and set down his hammer. He turned, wiping soot from his hands with a rag that was itself more soot than cloth.
"What do you need?"
"A sword, a combat knife, and leather armor reinforced at the ribs, chest, and shoulders."
He looked me over. Fifteen years old, thin frame, no visible military experience. The skepticism on his face was familiar by now.
"Those aren't tourist requests."
"I'm not a tourist." I drew an imaginary blade, ran through three basic forms—guard, strike, reset. The footwork Mira had corrected. The grip I'd practiced in alleys. "I've been taking contracts for two months. The gear I started with broke in the sewers."
"The sewers." His expression shifted. "You're the drowner kid."
"Reputation precedes me. Finally useful."
"That's me."
He walked to the wall, pulled down the quality sword I'd been examining. "This what you're looking at?"
"If it's well-made."
"I made it myself. Everything in here, I made myself." He handed it over, watching me test the weight. "Forty crowns for the package. Sword, knife, armor fitted to your measurements. Three days for the armor—blade and knife are ready now."
"Thirty-five. The armor's standard work, not custom."
"You haggling with me?"
"I'm paying fairly. Forty's your opening price, not your final."
He laughed—rough, genuine. "Fine. Thirty-eight. I'm not dropping below that."
We settled at thirty-seven. I paid half upfront—eighteen crowns from my remaining funds—and scheduled pickup for three days hence.
Walking back through Oxenfurt's streets, I felt the old satisfactions returning. Negotiation. Planning. Building toward something larger. The appraisal work with Gregor and Aldous seemed distant now, almost quaint. A different phase of survival.
"Phase. Like the system uses. Foundation work before real construction."
The tavern was busy when I arrived. Mira caught my eye from across the room, tilting her head toward the back door. Our signal for "meet me when you can."
I waited until she had a natural break, then followed her to the alley behind the building. She was practicing again—the light globe hovering above her palm, brighter than before.
"You're improving."
"Slowly." She dismissed the light with a thought. "The manual talks about feeling mana currents, but I can't... it's like trying to see a color that doesn't exist. I know it's there, but I can't quite—"
"How long did Aretuza give you?"
"One hour of testing."
"And you've been studying for how long now?"
"Two weeks."
"Then you're ahead of schedule." I leaned against the wall. "The smithy had decent work. I ordered the full package. Three days."
"We can afford that?"
"Barely. But proper equipment keeps me alive longer, which keeps contracts coming, which keeps money flowing."
She nodded, accepting the logic. Over two weeks of partnership, we'd developed a rhythm. I handled combat and strategy. She handled administration and research. The division worked because neither of us tried to do the other's job.
"I found something in the manual last night," she said, pulling the book from her apron pocket. She'd started carrying it everywhere. "A section on light manipulation for communication. Basic signal flashing, nothing complex, but..."
"But useful for coordination."
"Exactly. If I can master it, we could work contracts together. You in position, me providing visual cues from distance."
"She's already thinking tactically. Good instinct."
"Practice that specifically. We'll test it when I have the new gear."
The next two weeks blurred into routine.
Contracts came steadily now. The Guard Captain's promise of work materialized as pest removal jobs—giant rats in warehouses, insects infesting grain stores, one memorable encounter with centipedes the size of my forearm that nested in a merchant's basement.
[CONTRACT COMPLETE: CENTIPEDE INFESTATION]
[+180 GP AWARDED]
[Bonus: No civilian injuries]
[TOTAL GP: 3,947]
The centipede contract left me exhausted and covered in ichor that smelled like rotting copper. Mira found me by the river afterward, scrubbing my arms with sand and cursing under my breath.
"You look terrible."
"I feel worse." I dunked my head under water, came up gasping. "The big ones had mandibles like scissors. One got through my sleeve."
She sat beside me on the bank, producing bread and cheese from somewhere. Tavern privileges—she always had access to food.
"Eat. You missed lunch."
I ate. The bread was fresh, the cheese sharp and crumbly. Simple food that tasted perfect after a morning of chitinous nightmares.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask."
"Your past." She chose words carefully. "You deflect every time it comes up. The drowner contract, the appraisal gift, knowing things you shouldn't know—you're fifteen, Finn. Where does all this come from?"
"Truth would sound insane. Lies would eventually unravel. Partial honesty, then."
"I'm running toward something. Not from something—toward it. Building an organization that matters, that helps people survive what's coming." I met her eyes. "I can't explain how I know things. Not yet. But I'm not lying to you about the goal."
"What's coming?"
"Wars. Monsters. Magic that destroys more than it creates." The meta-knowledge burned behind my words, prophecies I couldn't share. "The world is going to get worse before it gets better. I want us to be ready."
She was quiet for a moment. The river flowed past, carrying debris from upstream.
"Aretuza rejected me because my magic wasn't dramatic enough," she said finally. "They wanted sorceresses who could burn armies. I could make light. Useless, they said." She pulled her globe from nothing, let it hover between us. "But light shows truth. Illuminates what hides in shadows. That's not useless."
"No. It's not."
"Two rejects building an empire." She smiled—the first real smile I'd seen from her since recruitment. "We're either brilliant or completely insane."
"Probably both."
We sat there until the sun moved past its peak, two people with improbable ambitions and insufficient resources, planning impossible things.
It felt right.
[SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE]
Guild Master: Finn Colen
Level: 4
Phase: 1 (Foundation)
GP: 3,947
Energy Pool: 400/400
Guild Members: 1/5
- Mira Voss (Trainee Mage) - Status: Active, Training
Local Reputation:
- Oxenfurt Merchant Class: 81%
- Oxenfurt General Population: 67%
- Oxenfurt Guard Corps: 74%
Combat Contracts Completed: 7/10 (Shadow Step unlock)
Active Abilities:
- Resource Scanner (Passive, 10m range)
- Danger Sense (Passive, 5m range)
- Basic Regeneration (Passive, 50% healing boost)
- Auto-Translation (Passive)
- Member Locator (Active, 5km range, 1 member)
Locked Abilities:
- Shadow Step (Requires: Level 5, 10 combat contracts)
- Enhanced Physicality Tier 2 (Requires: Level 6)
- Protective Barrier (Requires: Phase 2)
Inventory:
- Quality Sword (Equipped)
- Combat Knife (Equipped)
- Leather Armor (Equipped)
- 18 Crowns
- Contract completion records
Next Milestone: Complete 3 more combat contracts for Shadow Step unlock
The interface filled my small room with ghostly light. I reviewed each category methodically, tracking progress like a project manager reviewing quarterly reports.
"Seven contracts done. Three more for Shadow Step. Level 5 shouldn't take long at this rate."
Shadow Step. The ability description promised ten-meter instant displacement with a three-second cooldown. In combat terms, that was survival insurance. The drowner alpha had nearly killed me through raw speed—Shadow Step would neutralize that advantage.
But I needed three more contracts, and I needed to reach level five. The experience was accumulating, but not fast enough.
"Unless I take bigger contracts. Higher risk, higher reward."
The thought circled back to the veteran network I didn't have. Tom—Old Tom, the smithy owner—had connections throughout the city guard and mercenary community. Connections I couldn't access as a teenager with good luck and a decent sword.
"Recruit Tom. Access his network. Accelerate everything."
I pulled up the Member Locator, checking Mira's position out of habit. She was at the tavern, probably finishing her shift. The connection felt like a gentle warmth in my chest—awareness without intrusion.
"One member isn't enough. Time to find the second."
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