hotmtlnovel Chapter 33: Myrin’s Keep
Chapter 33: Myrin’s Keep
Chapter 33: Myrin’s KeepAliandra Myrin’s Keep was surprisingly extensive. Given the way her friends had described it, Ali had initially formed the impression that it would be a little hamlet, littered with trash and overrun with bad people like a plague of rats. She and Mato had left in a rush in the quiet before dawn, almost a week ago, but now the streets bustled with activity and noise. It was not nearly as large as Dal’mohra had been, obviously, but it was still large enough that she had to call for a break to catch her breath.
she thought as she trotted along. She could tell the others were slowing down for her, but she didn’t want to be a burden, so she had been walking as fast as she could, and now she was sweating and breathing heavily. There was always the option to invest in a little more endurance to improve her stamina, or dexterity so she could go faster, but neither attribute would help any of her other skills.
It was just like when she had been younger, the other Fae simply flew everywhere, and she had been forced to scamper along on the ground trying to keep up.
In Dal’mohra, there had always been the public transit system: the levitating disk platforms manufactured by the Gnomish Engineering guilds that were always just a call away using her communication panel – but neither piece of magical technology seemed to be available anywhere in Myrin’s Keep. At least, she hadn’t seen signs of any advanced magic yet. There were a few carts and people riding horses – and one person at the magic academy had been flying – but for the most part, people walked everywhere.
she realized. Now that she had a few moments to pause and really look, she saw the gazes – many of which were cast in her direction – some curious, and more than a few looking away quickly as they caught her eye. What bothered her most was the shocking amount of hostility and fear in some of the stares. For the most part, people were avoiding them, giving them a wide berth when passing, or even crossing to the other side of the street. It was a poor and rundown part of the town, but Ali was beginning to get the impression that was just how most of Myrin’s Keep was.
“How common are Fae?” Ali finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. In her time, Fae had been a small, but consistent presence in the Grove, of course, and participated actively in magical re
“Malika!” But Ali nodded, and then to her surprise, Lydia summoned an astoundingly complex formation of magical energy, manifesting it between her palms. It swirled and pulsed with a vibrance that made it seem almost alive.
Ali stared openmouthed as Lydia separated the formation into two, joined by a glowing ribbon of energy. She reached out and placed one hand on the garments she had made, causing that half of the magical energy to infuse into the fabric, spreading through it like rapidly growing roots. The other half sank into Lydia’s chest where it pulsed slowly, not unlike the kernel of mana she had seen in the chest of her Kobolds. Slowly the energy, and the glowing ribbon linking her to the tailored clothing, faded to invisibility.
“Wow, what was that?” Ali had never seen anything like it. The complexity was easily on par with some of the magic her Grimoire had produced.
“My mana signature,” Lydia answered, chuckling. “I guess you can see mana? I’ve heard that signatures look quite complicated.”
Ali identified the item a second time, curiosity burning like a fire within her.
Tailored Cotton Clothing – level 15
Resistance: 216
Mana: Self-repair.
Requirements: Intelligence 53
Body – Cloth
There at the bottom of the description was Lydia’s signature. “All that for a signature?”
“Look a little closer,” she suggested archly while handing Mato his new outfit.
Ali blinked. Alright, someone was justly proud of her work and she had better respond accordingly. Burning with curiosity, she focused on the signature and willed it to give up any further detail that she might access.
Mana Signature – Lydia Avery
Enchantment – Tithe
A lot of things suddenly clicked in Ali’s mind. Tithe enchantments were a complex branch of magic that awarded experience to the person who provided a beneficial effect to another person. Not everything worked this way, but it seemed that crafters could use them, which explained Lydia’s comments about her gaining experience for important items. Ali knew there were a lot more details, but she hadn’t paid much attention during those lectures because the professor had habitually droned on like a bored mosquito. she thought, regretting her distraction in that class.
It also explained why Lydia only bothered to put her signature on the expensive outfits and Ali’s armor, but not on the adventuring clothes she had created for Malika. Malika’s gear had no armor or level requirement because it would interfere with her class, and so the item would not affect combat in any meaningful way, and thus not affect the outcome. They were just ordinary clothes. For the stylish outfits they planned to wear around town, presumably any profitable encounter might earn a little experience, perhaps if they had merchant classes, but more importantly, mana signatures were notoriously impossible to fake, and they were advertising.
Ali sat back down to wait for Lydia to finish with the boys. While she waited, she glanced down at the bag Calen had given her to hold her old Tattered Robes.
She surreptitiously reached her hand into the bag and Deconstructed it.
Once they were all ready, and all the outfits were adjusted to Lydia’s exacting standards, she hugged Calen goodbye and then handed him a gold coin.
“Take them to Laurel’s,” she suggested. “That should be the perfect place to show off. And be sure to tip well.”
Ali didn’t have a good understanding of how much things were worth in this town, but judging from Calen’s surprised expression, and Malika’s shock, a gold for lunch was unheard of.