The set of clothes was less than impressive. Perhaps only a little better than what I had. And it smelled like a musty basement. Consisting of boots, pants, and poncho, it was not that much different from what I had already. The colors had faded, the bottoms of the leather-reinforced denim pants were frayed, and the poncho had a hole punched all the way through. I picked up one boot, and the sole fell off.

  “I don’t want to sound, uh, ungrateful or critical about this,” I said carefully. “But when you said antiques, I didn’t know there would be condition issues.”

  “Aye, lad. I swore they were in better condition than this. Why, I only checked that portion of the inventory pretty recently. Maybe seventy years ago.” The old dwarf stroked his beard, frowning at the sad state of the outfit. “I was goin’ to give ya a discount, but 10 percent would just be insultin’ us both.”

  “Is there anything that can be done about this? Like a repair spell or something?”

  “Lad, if that kind a magic existed, half my job wouldn’t matter. No, I would have to repair them by hand. Tell you what, I’ll sell them to ya fer half off, and I’ll throw the repairs in fer free.”

  “Really? That sounds like a good deal! What do you think, Jerseil?”

  “What is half off, friend Gorim?” the Cambion asked.

  “Ooh, let me think. The original price was around 50,000. But with the age and used nature and in the condition I got them, I would have sold em at 12,000. With inflation, that would be thirty… Well, fuck. Why don’t we just say an even 10,000, throw in the repair and a promise to bring me yer business?”

  Jerseil frowned. “I wouldn’t except anything above 5,000.”

  “Please give us a second, would you?” I asked the armorer Gorim, before pulling Jerseil away. “I don’t have that much. No where near that much.”

  “Oh? How much do you have?” Jerseil asked.

  “1,850.”

  “Gods, Finn! How do you have so little? Most people from your world at level 12 have ten, if not twenty, times that.”

  “Let’s just say I didn’t get this far the normal way.”

  “Okay. I’ll lend you the money this time, but by the Twins, Finn! Pay me back when you can. You’re my friend, and I hate lending money, but you need the protection better gear can provide. I can’t have you dying on me.”

  I clasped his arm. “Thank you, Jerseil. I will pay you back, I promise. You are a good friend.”

  “How bout 9,000?” The dwarf called out to us. “I could go as low as that!”

  Jerseil grinned at me before turning back to the dwarf in fake outrage. “9,000? How dare you, sir! Anything above 4,000 is disgraceful. We should take our business—”

  “There’s no one else in town and—”

  They argued over the price for several minutes, going back and forth on various points of materials and parentage, both enjoying it immensely.

  The cost they finally agreed on was 7,348, with the agreement that the dwarf would repair the mage armor and have it ready for pickup in the morning. I had wanted to go by that first store we had wandered into, so that I could check out the book that looked familiar.

  Jerseil had other ideas. “How about we don’t spend anymore of my money today? Let’s head back to Chiang Wu’s for dinner and get a good night’s sleep. We have a long day of walking if we want to make it down, out of the mountains.”

  *************************************

  The next morning was filled with the smells of breakfast and the pleasant early light. I hadn’t drunk much with dinner, or after, and I was refreshed and ready for the day. Breakfast itself was a delectable affair, and we made ready to go.

  “Please, check in with me before you leave. I need to make sure that you can get back out of the barrier without any further difficulty. I made some minor tweaks, so hopefully it works. But just in case, I should be there.” Chiang Wu said as we left.

  “We will! And thank you for letting us stay with you,” Harper replied.

  “Anything for the Allied Army!”

  Our walk through the town in the brisk mountain air was much less crowded than the day before. Apparently, most of the people in Lass Trusen shopped and strolled in the afternoons and evenings. This allowed us to quickly make it to the shop with the curious book.

  The owner of the shop had just opened up for the day and she was surprised at my interest in the tome. “That’s an ancient mage spell book. You seem quite young for a collector!”

  I smiled nervously. “Yeah, I know. But I, uh, like old books.”

  Her face brightened. “Well, I think that is just wonderful. Too many young people these days come in here and never buy anything, wanting new stuff. I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a deal on that book if you buy something else! Do we have a deal?”

  “Um, sure!” I said and began looking around at the various odds and ends, many antiques and strange curios. Nothing that looked like a weapon or such. I poured over a display of rings that the owner said were magical. All out of my price range. And then I came upon two items that were just perfect.

  The aviators were obviously from my world, yet looked to be in great condition for their age. My dad used to have a pair just like them. The second item, however, was strange. It was an oddly beautiful pendant on a gleaming silver chain, almost too thick for my liking. The pendant itself was an intricately cut clear gem, surrounded by a cage of silver and iron.

  “This is an interesting necklace. How much for it and the sunglasses?”

  The older woman looked at it with disdain. “My father picked that up on his travels, like most of the items in my store, and I really don’t know why. It looks so cheap to me, a gray and speckled stone on a leather cord. I’ll tell you what, how about 200 for the sunglasses and the rock, and another 200 for the book? Does that sound fair?”

  Shocked, I stared at the finely cut stone again. I looked up at her, disbelief on my face. “I…”

  “Oh, alright. I’ll go down to 350 gold. But only because I like your interest in old things.” She said pleasantly.

  I nodded, realizing that I had stumbled onto something uniquely magical and handed over the gold for the three items. I placed all three into my backpack for further study, but then pulled the sunglasses into my hands and put them on. They made me feel pretty cool.

  “Finn, I’m not sure you got a deal there. The sunglasses are stylin’, but that necklace was just… I don’t know,” Harper said while we walked out onto the street. “What do you think, Jerseil?”

  “I’m pretty sure he did. That was a mage spell book, if I’m not mistaken. If she had known about the increased interest in such things outside of this backwater town, she would have wanted to hold on to it for a rich collector. I heard things connected to mages are going for tens of thousands of gold. Mage spell books for even more.” He looked around conspiratorially. “I heard a rumor that one spell book went for over 200 thousand!” he whispered.

  “Fuck me! I’m going to have a hell of a time finding any more spell books then.”

  “Sorry, Finn. With the increased focus on the monstrous mages of the past, mage stuff is taboo and in high demand be the rich. Theres a lot of weirdos out there, and rich collectors are the worst,” Jerseil said.

  The old dwarven armorer didn’t even look a little tired when we entered his shop. In fact, he looked downright energetic, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  “Well, good morning to ya! An what a fine morning it is, if I say so,” he greeted us.

  “Gorim! I can’t wait to see what my gold has bought,” Jerseil said, taking a good-natured jab at me. I winced when he said it though, reminded that I would need to pay him back as soon as possible.

  Gorim beamed and pulled out the repaired clothing. The change in visual quality was astounding. Re-soled and restitched, the black boots practically gleamed in the morning light, looking almost like combat boots. The denim pants looked new, with clean hems and the leather now obviously thick, hardened leather plates protecting different parts of the legs. And they looked freshly oiled.

  And then there was the poncho. Where mine was a maroon color, this one had offset stripes of red, brown, green, and purple. There was no evidence that the hole going all the way through it had ever existed. Gorim had also placed a couple pull-over shirts with laces at the neck hole, almost like pirate shirts, neatly folded on the pile of what was armor for my class.

  “I went ahead and upgraded this poncho a bit more. Giving it some more inner pockets and a bit more in the way of thick leather plates. Save ya from the odd thrust or arrow. I also figured ya could also use some fresh shirts. On the house.”

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  “This is more than I expected. Thank you Gorim Steelmantle,” I said. He must really want my future business. And he’s got it, if I survive! “You don’t have somewhere I could change, do you?”

  The old dwarf chuckled. “Of course, lad. What kind of apparel shop would this be without changin’ rooms?”

  Everything fit as if he had taken my measurements. Both the poncho and the pants had extra weight with the added leather armor pieces, yet I barely felt it. Being stronger than average had its perks alright. The boots were a little stiff on my feet, and I missed my old boots. Hell, I missed my shoes, but I’d likely never have anything that good. But I never noticed any feet problems while walking or running in my first boots here, I thought.

  Almost as an afterthought, I pulled out the strange stone pendant and put it around my neck. I tucked it beneath the fresh swashbuckling shirt. It was cold against my chest, and maybe I shouldn’t have put it on. I didn’t feel weird or wrong, which was fortunate. Hopefully, that in itself showed the pendant was safe. Guess I’ll just have to get it identified, depending on the fucking cost.

  Shouldering my backpack, I stepped back out into the main area of the store. Jerseil whooped, and Harper clapped. I took a quick bow.

  “Questions fer me, lad? It all fits okay?” Gorim asked.

  “Oh, it’s good! Everything fits fine. And apparently, I look good in this!” I replied jauntily. I was feeling pretty confident with the refurbished armor on.

  “What bonuses does this armor provide?” asked Harper.

  “The lad should see a small increase in his mana pool, armor level, and spell damage. Oh, and a slight increase in carrying capacity with the extra pockets. Canna have too many pockets!” Gorim answered.

  I focused on my stat ‘screen’ and noticed that it had updated. Now, in the armor section, there were actual positive numbers and words. Ostensibly, I was wearing an armor set. It even had a name. Halkok’s Armor Of The Spectral Mage +1. Seriously? What does that even mean?

  My mana points went up by ten percent to 259. I gained 10 pounds of max carry weight. And my armor class… went up 10 points to 30! Fucking A, I’m not unstoppable. But at least I won’t have to drink so many potions. Elation and confidence flooded me.

  “Gorim, you’re a fucking genius. Thank you for this,” I gushed. The dwarf had become one of my favorite people.

  “Save yer thanks for when ya come back alive, lad. Now, if we could conclude this transaction, I would very much like to take a wee nap.”

  Jerseil smiled and pulled out the required payment. “You do fine work, master Steelmantle. We might have to conduct more business in the future.”

  “I’ll take yer money, but I’ll believe the future when it comes,” said the now tired looking dwarf. I guessed that once the high of completing the work and the sale, any vigor the old dwarf had was swiftly departing his body. We left him snoring on his stool and entered the bright sunlight of the morning.

  We said our goodbyes to Chiang Wu, promising to come back and visit. I still was not fully confident that I would survive to do so, not without Juan watching my back, in addition to Harper. Even with Jerseil with us, I didn’t have high hopes. Harper and Jerseil might survive, but I questioned even that. Juan’s death by an ogre was too fresh in my mind. The lack of crowds or interesting things to look out meant I had nothing to distract me from my grief, even with the uplifting surprise visit with Arilyn. I had a pang of fucking loss for her, as well.

  It was a recipe for brooding introspection, depression, and intrusive thoughts. As we walked down the mountain path, surrounded by pine trees sighing and creaking in the light wind, I pondered Jerseil’s words over the past couple days. What if Arilyn was the demon? If only I had more power, I could have helped Juan. A tinge of self-loathing crept into my heart and mind at the thoughts. Yet how could I not wonder at such things? I didn’t understand a lot of how this world worked beyond the basics.

  Gravity worked, though I had questions about the height of this mountain range and the air not getting as thin as I expected. The day and night cycle seemed the same as it was back home for what it was worth. Magic was a thing, and I had zero clue how or why it worked. The food was decent, though. And there were gods and demons. Not just religious writings and myths that required faith, but honest-to-God deities. It was a little weird. And frightening.

  Getting power quicker was important. But at what cost? I didn’t want to lose my friends, but I couldn’t protect them yet. Just like I couldn’t protect Juan. And I hated myself for being so weak. I hated that even the people that I had recently come to care about were leaving, and I was powerless to stop it. Just like I was powerless to stop my dad from getting sick and dying.

  It was a punch in the gut, that thought. I hadn’t realized how much I was still feeling the effects of losing my dad until I put it all together. The loss. All the loss. I lost my world and family. Then I made new friends, became close to them. Then boom! I lost Juan. And Boom! Arilyn popped back into my life and then was gone again. What’s the third shoe going to be? Harper? Jerseil? Myself?

  The sunbeams danced on the rocky ground, bare except for pine needles and branches. My thoughts grasped onto the transitory nature of the moment, dipping further into despair. But then I noticed a mountain lion sunning itself on a rock, watching us pass. There didn’t seem to be any fear in the creature, only a curiosity. We weren’t a threat to it, but I knew that if we could see it like this, it probably just ate.

  In that moment, I was awed by the pure power and disdain it presented by the way it lounged like a house cat in a sunbeam. It was beautiful and horrifying all at the same time. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen this. When I was little and hiking with my parents, we saw a mountain lion sunning itself 50 feet from the trail. My dad had told me to not be afraid and to also keep my eyes on the predator. I was scared shitless back then. Yet now, I wasn’t.

  I knew I could take it. I was physically strong and had several spells. The thought challenged my perspective. I may not be able to take out an ogre, but one of the most dangerous predators in the Rocky Mountains? Who knows? I could probably take out a full-grown grizzly bear. That I was getting stronger with every engagement, and now with better gear, meant I only had to get better at using what I had. No, not better. Smarter.

  I turned to keep my eyes on the great cat, grinning. It cleaned itself, dismissing me. Or maybe just pretended to ignore me. I was ready if it changed its mind.

  Jerseil must have noticed I was out of my introspective state and slowed down to walk with me. “What’s up, my friend?”

  “Oh, not much. Just thinking about things.” I replied noncommittally.

  “You know, I think about things too,” Jerseil said.

  “Funny. Okay, okay! I was thinking about loss. Loss and power.”

  “Ah, yes. Feeling down about not having enough?”

  “Well yeah. But then I saw that mountain lion sunning itself. And it hit me. I am more powerful than that mountain lion. If I wanted to, I could kill it in several ways. Maybe even my bare hands,” I said.

  “True. So why didn’t you? Why didn’t you just destroy that dangerous creature?”

  “It wasn’t threatening us, Jerseil. What would be the point?”

  “Maybe make you feel less powerless? Or would you still feel pity for the poor animal when it eats the next villager?”

  “Jerseil, there is no indication that it even hunts people. Most mountain lions don’t. They, like house cats, are attracted to movement and prey-like behavior. They will play with anything that gets their attention. It’s dangerous, yes, but not necessarily fatal.”

  The support and supply bard shook his head. “That may be, and the creature might not be the best example. But doesn’t it make sense to deal with things before they are a problem? When you leave a thorn or a splinter in your hand, it can get infected. But if you remove it as soon as possible, you won’t have to deal with the infection and possibly losing your hand.”

  “Oh, I get it. But I have a hard time accepting any argument built around the ends justifying the means. Should we lock up children that take toys from other kids? Or step on bugs? Wouldn’t that prevent theft and murder in the future?”

  “It’s not the same thing, Finn. Kids are not wild animals.”

  “But that’s just it, Jerseil. If one accepts the idea of killing a wild animal to prevent possible future deaths, how much of a leap is it for one to accept locking up misbehaving children? There is a certain logic to it. Taking a small step on the road of good intentions, accepting little evil acts one by one, can bring one to the destination of greater and larger evils in the name of the greater good,” I said. My argument startled him, leaving my friend speechless for a moment.

  “That makes sense. But don’t you feel a certain amount of responsibility to help others? Honestly, Finn, you can still do a lot with what you have. And when you have more power… why, you have the potential to become the most powerful mage this world has ever seen! Can you even imagine?” he grinned at that point, his excitement growing. “With enough power, you could stop the Empire, saving thousands of lives, if not more. You would be a hero!”

  I laughed, cheered by his exuberance. “You know I don’t want to be a hero, right?”

  “But you could be. Once you power up, you cou—” Jerseil was cut off by the screech of some animal in the trees.

  We all froze, and I looked up into the upper boughs of the pine trees. “What the fuck was that?”

  “Perytons!” Harper cried out, pulling her knives.

  I saw them then, a surreal cross of various forest creatures grossly crossed with birds. I saw a couple that looked similar to foxes, two different variations of stag deer, a few that looked like either bobcats or lynxes, a wolverine one for some reason, and a massive elk-looking creature with a wingspan that would make a goose proud. The one thing that seemed to unite them, other than the wings, was their dirty and unkempt appearance.

  “Can we reason with them?” I asked.

  “Reason with them? What the Fuck, Finn? Perytons are aggressive and wild beasts. What makes you think we could reason with them?” Harper snapped at me.

  “I think he was looking at this as if they had some intelligence!” the cambion bard said loudly. He pulled out his… gittern? And strummed a few chords.

  I looked at the sitting herd or pack. Or is it a flock? “They aren’t attacking, and they look like shit.” I hiss-whispered. “Maybe, if we make no sudden movements, they might leave without attacking.”

  Nobody moved. Not Harper, or Jerseil, or even the flock of monstrosities roosting above and around us.

  Harper looked from Peryton to Peryton, gripping her knives tightly. “How fast can you hit them with that chain lightning spell if they attack, Finn? A surged one?”

  I blinked. “As fast as I can cast it. And that is as fast as I can think zippity zap. Harper, what are you thinking?”

  “I was thinking we should hit them fast and hard, but now that you point it out, they aren’t looking too good. Like they’re recently divorced and homeless or something,” she said. Harper relaxed, making a decision. “I’ve never seen Perytons look like this. And they look like they have been on the move for a while. If they attack, we’ll hit them with everything we got. If they, like chill and conk out, we’ll just let them chill.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Jerseil said smartly.

  Harper scowled at him. “We’ll discuss your calling me ma’am later. Finn?”

  “I could use the experience, but not enough to attack them when they aren’t being hostile,” I said, looking at the bizarre creatures. “Is that badger one sleeping already?”

  “Then let’s get the hell out of here. Slow and soft,” she ordered.

  With that, Harper became less noticeable and Jerseil put away his gittern before humming a little tune that did something similar. Guess it’s my turn, I thought. I cast my Walk In Shadows spell on myself and carefully followed them. The gaze of the fox like Perytons followed us as we went on our way. They didn’t cry out in alarm, though. It was a strange thing.

  Once we were far enough away, we went back to normal. “I hope we don’t run into what caused those Perytons to be in such a state.”

  “Right? Sort of like the Brask pushing out different species. I hope it’s not some sort of arboreal Brask,” Harper mused.

  “Oh, gods. Don’t even say such a thing!” groaned Jerseil. “The idea of something like that… like a vicious, mindless dragon kin. And I’ve never heard of one of those with working wings.”

  I shuddered, thinking of the Shrindaba we ran from in the sewers of Alsiger. If that thing could fly, not one person or animal would be safe. I could almost hear the beat of leathery wings in the distance.

  THLAP, THWAP!

  Was that in my head or… Jesus fucking Christ.