"I think if we run into a swarm like that we'll have to just run." Reid said.
"Definitely. We need to make sure to have an escape route whenever we're in the dungeon, the main thing is just knowing it's coming." Anna replies.
"I can handle that part. My senses will pick up if there's a huge concentration of monsters like yesterday. I'm still worried even if it's just fighting them normally, though. There was a huge difference between the strength of monsters on the first floor and the ones on the second." Reid said.
The two hunters were in their own little world as they went back and forth discussing strategies and breaking down everything that happened the day prior. Around them, customers and employees alike stared at the two as they walked past. The duo was currently inside the Graceful Wisp, the shop run by the noble merchant they rescued the other day, Amelia Von Clyde.
"Mr. Reid, Miss Anna, the owner will see you now." An employee says while peeking her head out of a large set of double doors.
"After you." Reid says while gesturing with his hand.
The two file in behind the employee, their eyes immediately shifting to an ornate tea set out on a short wooden table surrounded by fancy treats of all shapes and colors. Firm couches surround the table on each side while a large and cluttered wooden desk sits at the end of the room. Multiple shelves packed tight with documents and legers sit against the right wall.
On the right couch sat Lady Amelia. Her delicate features were accentuated by her official uniform. A tight white jacket that bulged with temptation combined with fitted leather pants that accentuated her hips and thighs in a way that was dangerous to the teen boy.
Reid's eyes darted around the woman, trying to find anywhere that was safe. He eventually settled on her face, where he noticed her eyes where narrowed and her lips had curled into a predatory grin. The wolf ears below his cap fell to his head in reflex.
"Welcome hunters. Come and take a seat." Amelia spoke with a disarmingly pleasant tone.
Reid and Anna sit across from woman, while the employee stands next to the familiar knight Dagon, directly behind their boss. Reid sat stiff as a statue with his hands stuck to his knees. Anna looked between the boy and the noble merchant with an unreadable expression.
"Refreshments?" Amelia asks.
"No thank you. It looks a little too fancy for me." Reid replies with a nervous chuckle.
"Oh, don't worry about such things. I had them prepared just for you, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste. So please, I insist." She says while offering a pleasant smile.
"If you insist." Reid caves under her pressure and reaches for a red gelatinous cube filled with a purple berry.
The boy plops the treat in his mouth, and the moment he bites down flavor floods his tastebuds. His mouth puckers from the sour fruit but he is quickly alleviated by the warm sweetness of the rest of the treat.
"Enjoying it?" Amelia asks while savoring his reaction.
"It's delicious! I've never had anything like it before." Reid replied in excitement.
"I'm glad you like it." She says while covering her grin with her hand. "It's a new treat called jello. If you like it that much, I can arrange for you to take some home." She offered.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose."
"Of course! I insist. You are my savior after all." Amelia replies with an infectious smile.
Anna stared at the two with a blank expression.
"So thank you for inviting us to your store. It's lovely." Anna said, while emphasizing 'us'.
"It's the least I could do. So tell me, what brings you to the city of Forterra?" Amelia looks at the girl for a moment before turning right back to the boy.
"We're here to get stronger in the dungeons. We're hoping to get C rank in the next couple of years." Reid replies.
"Oh my! What a lovely ambition. I have no doubt someone as talented as you could achieve it." The noble lady said with a radiant smile.
A scowl snuck onto Anna's face as the woman in front of her continued pushing her out of the conversation.
"Thank you." Reid says with a bashful smile. "By the way, what happened to the employee form the other day? Is he safe?"
"Not to worry, he's fine. Thanks to your medical treatment he made a full recovery. Right now he's resting, but he should be back on his feet in a few days." She answered.
"I'm glad to hear it. Still, that bandit attack was crazy! I never would have expected so many people to attack at once!" The boy said.
Amelia's face grows dark as she responds. "Yes, well they've been growing more frequent as of late, I'm afraid."
"Are bandits that big of a problem?" Reid asked.
"No, bandits aren't a big problem. I'm talking about attacks against my family, against the Clyde's."
The statement hangs in the air until Amelia starts again.
"To tell the truth, the only reason I had the knights with us in the first place was because we were tipped off about the attack. I don't want to think about what could have happened otherwise."
"Oh no! Why are they targeting you?" Reid asks, his face deep with concern.
Even Anna, who had been less than thrilled with the young woman's attitude thus far, felt concerned.
"That would be the fault of my father, the city lord."
Reid's eyes went wide at Amelia's declaration as she continued her story.
"My father, Azel von Clyde, has been working to expand the city for some time. It had been going well for many years, but that all changed when he tried expanding into the slums. The fighting started almost immediately. My father is the only one who has any legitimate claim to the land and property, yet these people refuse to let them fix the area! Those mongrels would much rather drink, gamble, and steal their way through life, than let us come in and build a respectable city!" Amelia shouts as her voice turns sharp.
"Um… Lady Amelia…" Reid couldn't look the noble woman in the eyes as his voice trails in a weak and defeated tone.
Amelia watches as the boy physically recoils from her tirade. With a deep breath she continues with a less aggressive tone. "You're right, a lady shouldn't be talking like that. But I can hardly stand it anymore. Even the attack the other day was almost entirely made up of those dirty mixed bloods! How dare they-" Anger began to seep into her voice yet again before she was cut off by Reid.
"Amelia!" Reid's unexpectedly stern voice shocked the noble woman.
"Y-Yes?" She replied as she met his intense gaze.
"I'm really sorry for what has happened to you, but please stop spewing so much hatred for mixed bloods." Reid said.
"You want me to stop? How can I stop against a group of nothing but vile barbarians!" Amelia retorted.
With an expression devoid of emotion, Reid slowly rose to his feet.
"So that's how it is." Reid said as he removed his hat.
Amelia's reaction was instant. The moment her eyes saw the wolf and elf ears together her pulse quickened as she broke out in a cold sweat. "Dagon!" She called out to her knight.
The man jumped over the couch and stood in front of his charge. He made no attempt to reach for his weapon, instead he simply looked between the boy and the lady.
"I guess we're done here, wouldn't want a vile barbarian to be talking to a noble lady after all" Reid said. He turned to leave as Anna stood with him, both eager to leave.
"Wait! That's not what I-" She started to plead, but it fell on deaf ears as the young hunters left the room.
"My lady… You went to far." Degon said as he turned back toward the noble woman.
"Yes… With everything that has been happening lately and after the attack, I…" Amelia's words caught in her throat.
"I know." Dagan said while dropping to one knee. "Times are tough, but you are not alone. Your employees and myself will be here for you whenever you need us. So please, don't bottle it up anymore. I will be there to listen to your worries or help with your problems. You can rely on me."
"Thank you, my knight." Amelia said as she slunk back in her chair. "How did this turn into such a mess?" She asked to no one in particular.
"This must be the reason the guildmaster withheld information on the boy." The servant answered from her position behind the couch.
"Yes, but why is Varen backing the boy? I thought it was because of his Valestone lineage, but as a mixed blood he wouldn't be able to garner much influence within that family." Amelia said before looking to the sky as if searching for something.
"I see." The noble lady said suddenly. "It wasn't about Varen or the Valestone's. It's about the one they serve."
"If that's true, then our intel missed the mark."
"Yeah, and I don't know if there's any way I can fix this. What a horrible blunder." Amelia said as she gripped the couch tight enough to threaten to tear the upholstery.
⁘⁘⁘⁘
"Just who does she think she is! First, she ignores me the entire time, acting like I don't even exist while she talks to you. Then she goes and badmouths mixed bloods. If that wasn't bad enough, she went and called her guard on you. You! The guy who saved their butts the other day!" Anna's voice was filled with a fiery passion that hadn't cooled in the slightest since they left the Graceful Wisp.
"I know. I'm not happy with how things turned out either." Reid responded in a melancholy tone.
"How are you so calm? I feel like I need to go back to the dungeon just to let off some steam." Anna asks.
"To be honest, when everything was said and done, I wasn't angry at all. I was just… disappointed." Reid said.
"Disappointed?" Anna asks as she tilts her head.
"She was so happy and thankful for what we'd done, but the second she learned I was mixed blooded it was like none of that even matter." Reid said as his gaze dropped low.
Anna could feel her anger stripped away by his statement. She looked at the downtrodden boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. His gaze shifted onto hers, as she showed him the best fake smile she could muster.
"It's fine, some people are just jerks. You can't let people like that bring you down." She said.
"Yeah, you're right. We've got enough to worry about." Reid replied.
"Of course I'm right! And for right now, I'm more worried about finding this enchanters shop." She says while looking around the crowded maze of streets.
After looping around the block three times, they finally gave up and asked for directions. A few minutes later and their destination was in sight, the 'Leyman's enchantment shop'.
A thick wooden door opened with playful jingling of bells. Inside the shop, wooden shelves lined the walls and were adorned with gizmos and gadgets of all shapes and sizes. At the opposite end of the room was a small glass counter with a simple register on top. Behind the counter was a short beastkin woman.
Her short hair was brown with two black steaks running down the center. She had puffy cheeks yet was quite skinny. Behind her was a large puffy tail that stood up straight with a green ribbon tied near its tip. She wore a set of thick rimmed goggles on top of her head. Below that were her tired eyes which contrasted heavily to her cheerful smile.
"Welcome to the Leyman's enchantment shop! Name's Layla, how can I help you today?" She asked with a chipper tone.
"Were actually here with a recommendation from Kine in Acacia." Reid says while walking forward and handing her a sealed letter.
"A recommendation from the infamous 'imitation dwarf' smith? That's a shocker." Layla replies while taking the letter to read.
"Imitation dwarf?" Reid asks while raising an eyebrow.
"You know dwarves, short, stocky, muscular, with large beards who are expert craftsman? Fits Kine perfectly, right? Well, to everyone's shock, he's just a short human. That's why his fellow blacksmiths call him the imitation dwarf." Layla explained.
"That seems a bit rude." Anna said.
"It is. The other smiths made the nickname just to get under his skin. Don't take it the wrong way though, that's just how smiths are with each other. It's their weird way of showing affection." Layla said.
"Well, if other smiths are anything like Kine, then I'd definitely believe it." Reid said as a small chuckle escaped his lips.
A few more moments go by as Layla finishes reading the letter. She places it onto the countertop gently as she adjusts the goggles atop her head.
"So, in exchange for some specialty metallurgy and enchanting information, you want to be granted usage in our forge and workshop, right?" Layla asks.
"That's right."
"Sounds fair enough to me. The blacksmith won't be back for a few more days, so you'll have to wait to ask for his permission, but I don't mind you using the forge while he's out. Just remember, you break it you buy it." Layla says while winking at the boy.
"By the way," She continues "do you know why Kine is asking me to use scene imprinter to record the smith's reaction?"
"Is the smith an elf by chance?" Reid asks the oddly insightful question.
"Yeah, Julius is an elf. How'd you know?" Layla asks while tilting her head.
Reid lets out a deep sigh. "So that's why he seemed so excited for us to come here…" Reid whispers under his breath before showing the girl his two guild cards.
"My partner here has two souls inside him, and they can change places at will." Anna says while gesturing at Reid. "The other soul is technically a Primal Spirit, and anytime an elf sees him they freak out."
"Oh, that's… Interesting." Layla replied with a blank expression.
"Here, I'll show you." Reid said while switching places.
"Greetings, I am Amadeus." Said the now whitehaired boy.
"Oh wow!" Layla exclaimed while lowering her goggles over her eyes. She leaned forward over the counter, examining every changed feature on the boy with startling intensity.
"Layla…" Anna says calmly.
"Right, sorry. Curiosity got the better of me." Layla said while returning to her side of the counter. "By the way, the letter mentioned you were the one with the special enchanting info, right?" She asked.
"That is correct." Amadeus replied.
"That's awesome! So, what kind of juicy secrets does a primal spirit have to teach me?" The excitement in Layla's voice was palpable.
"A way to increase the output efficiency of mana color changing materials." Amadeus replied.
"So, you know some special material, or mixture that gives a better output?" Layla asks while fidgeting with her goggles.
"No. My method is actually based around using the less efficient and mixed element color change materials." Amadeus replies calmly.
"What!!! Why would you ever want to use those?!" Layla shouts while slamming her hands onto the countertop.
"For its transitive effect. Although I should clarify that the primary component will still be the typical highly efficient material. The mixed element materials will be used at the areas adjoining two elements as a way to minimize the mana lost during the transition." He replied.
Laylas eyes shot open underneath her goggles. "If you can decrease the energy lost during the transition then not only can you make enchantments easier to use, but you can create larger and more complex runic inscriptions… This could change enchanting as we know it!" Layla declared as she set out from behind the counter.
"Layla?" Anna asked while she observed the girls erratic walking.
"Right! Shops closed for the day. Amadeus, you and I are going straight to the workshop!" Layla boldly declares while heading for a runic inscription next to the entrance. She reaches out a hand and allows her mana to flow into the pattern. The complex pattern begins to glow as sturdy iron bars descend just past the entrance door they came from.
"Follow me out the back. We have about 30 seconds before the rear gate closes as well and locks us in." Layla said.
"Wait, right now? We still have more shopping to do!" Anna replied in protest.
"I'm sure you can handle the shopping by yourself. Now let's get going Amadeus, we have much to discuss!" Layla said while grabbing the primal spirit and guiding him by the hand.
Reid takes control as they head for the back door.
"Sorry Anna, but I don't think she's going to take no for an answer. Can you take care of the rest?" Reid asked while bowing his head.
"Fine." She replied while putting a palm to her head. "But you're going to owe me!" She warned as she followed them out the dimming shop.