It took considerably longer than anticipated to get through all of the books in the Adventurer’s Guild library. Raith wound up eating a surprisingly delicious lunch of fried onions and a fish sandwich right there at the Guild before returning to his mission. It was difficult to maintain focus for so long, but being able to take long breaks and naps in his library helped quite a bit.
Terra poked her head in to tell him she would be back in an hour to go meet the players, so he doubled down and pushed through the rest of the tomes. The adventurer specific literature was extensive, and he especially couldn’t wait to study the material on team tactics and strategies.
When Terra finally came back, he was finishing up the last few while she stood there impatiently with her arms crossed. She’s done that thing girls do with their hair and makeup that makes them look almost like a different person. The woman had become glamorous nearly to the point he suspected an actual faerie glamor was at work.
He snapped shut the final book.
“Ok, let’s get out of here.”
“It’s about time,” she said while Raith shelved the final book. His back was turned, but he could practically hear the eye rolling.
The walk to Market Square was a good fifteen minutes from the guildhall, and every second of it was awkward. Evidently, Terra’s primary interests were clothing styles and plays, two subjects which Raith knew absolutely nothing about. There wasn’t a single book in his library on the topics either, so he couldn’t even feign passing knowledge for light conversation. To make matters worse, she was not just uninterested but actively disdainful of adventurers and skirmisher players.
It was a huge relief when they finally arrived to see the Players of Shan still set up at the square. Raith was almost, but not entirely, sure that the troupe hadn’t abandoned his cellmates to their fate. The stage sat empty, and it appeared they were on a break before the evening performances kicked off.
“Hello?” Raith called as he led them around to the back. A tarp to keep the sun off was draped on a wooden frame attached to the side of the trailer. Beneath, a group of two men and two women sat at a table eating from a plate of fruit and cheeses, while another woman napped in a hammock slung between the wooden posts.
“Our meet and greet with fans is after the final performance each night. Please come back then.” The statuesque woman at the table had gray streaks in her hair and spoke in a deep, commanding voice. Raith could easily see how such a voice would be useful in projecting to an audience.
It was immediately obvious that no one here recognized Raith, and Terra’s face scrunched up with anger and embarrassment.
“You said you knew them.” She slapped him on his shoulder hard enough to sting. “This was going to be my chance.”
Tears started welling up in the half-elf’s eyes, and Raith turned towards the player’s growing frowns with a look of panic.
“I do!”
“I don’t know this guy,” the woman in the hammock declared lazily.
“Me neither,” one of the men at the table added.
“You’d best explain yourself, young man,” the woman who initially spoke said.
“I’m Raith and this is Terra. I was in jail with Figbert and Gerard. We were cellmates.” The frowns gave way to raised eyebrows, and Raith felt encouraged to continue.
“They asked me to come find you when I got out, and tell you they bravely endure in their, uh, great adversity and not to abandon hope. Or something like that.”
The woman threw a glance at the man across from her, who gave a nod.
“That does sound quite like Figbert. And when was it you last saw them?”
“Two days ago. Sorry. I would have come yesterday, but we had my uncle’s funeral.”
“Have they been brutalized?” One of the men asked with a look of concern.
“Tortured?” The woman in the hammock sounded almost hopeful.
“Not at all. They actually looked amazing. I don’t know how they kept their hair so nice in there.”
“That would be Gerard’s [Skill], [Flawless Mane]. Truly a blessing for our little troupe. My poor locks can’t wait for his return.” The younger woman at the table held a handful of long golden hair out in front of her face and pouted.
“They said it would be five more days.” Raith quickly did the math in his head. “So they should be out the day after tomorrow.”
“Ugh. Three more days in this boring city,” the golden haired woman complained. “The festival is over. I just want to head south.”
“Three more days in this boring, wealthy city,” the older woman corrected. “Why don’t you two have a seat. I am…”
“The Consummate Verona,” Terra gushed as she scurried over to sit next to the woman. “I adored your performance of Lost Child. It was absolutely sublime. I’ve never cried so much in my life.”
“Oh stop.” Verona waved a dismissive hand but couldn’t hide her pleasure at the flattery. She gave Terra an appraising once over. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing? And quite familiar. Have we met, perchance?”
Terra blushed at this. “My mother is Senora Goldheart. People say I look like her”
That got everyone’s attention. The woman in the hammock sat up so quickly she almost fell out. Verona’s eyes narrowed in a calculating way.
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“I see. And a moment ago, did I hear you say this was going to be your chance?”
Raith imagined Verona was already counting the coin she could cash in from the Goldheart name. Terra nodded.
“My mother doesn’t want me to be a performer. She’s warned off all the local players from letting me audition, so I was going to find a traveling group next year. But then Raith told me he could introduce me to you right now, and well…”
Verona nodded thoughtfully.
“I see. We can certainly discuss it.” She looked up at Raith, who was still standing at the edge of the tarped area. “And what did Figbert promise you during his impassioned incarceration?” She looked him up and down. “You’re handsome enough and move like a dancer. I suppose we can find a place for you. Can you sing?”
Raith took a step back.
“What? No.” He shook his head emphatically and backed up another step. “Figbert didn’t promise me anything. We were just being friendly. I can’t sing. Like, at all.” He resisted the sudden urge to run, settling instead for an embarrassing and flustered exit. “So, Terra, you seem to be in good hands. I have to meet a friend and really must run. It was very nice to meet you, Verona, and…everyone.”
He gave a big wave to include the group. They all just stared blankly at his odd performance. Terra was frowning and blinking rapidly in confusion. A final stiff bow, and Raith hurried away with cheeks burning bright red.
Weaver’s preserve me. That was close. I’ll take ogres and hobgoblins over singing on a stage any day.
It was several minutes of walking with the only goal being ‘get away from the people who want me to sing’, before he remembered that he actually did need to meet a friend. Two actually, as he realized he was only a few blocks from Nessa’s shop and she should have his boots ready.
While off the beaten path and a little on the small side, The Cobbler’s Corner was neat and clean. As the name implied, it sat on the corner of a side street and an alleyway, across the street from a quaint clothing store. A shop in the Market District was a remarkable achievement for someone Nessa’s age, and Raith took a moment to reflect on his own accomplishments, or lack thereof.
That’s all about to change. I’ll be off on an adventure before the week is out.
Two large windows flanked the door, and a drawer sat beneath the left one with a sign that read ‘After Hours Repair Drop Off’. Like Vandamir’s shop, Nessa had a little bell that chimed when the door opened. As he entered, she glanced up from the workbench in the back of the shop behind the counter. She immediately set down the shoes she was working on and came to the counter.
“Remind me never to get involved in any of your schemes again. I made a fortune, but it wasn’t worth the anxiety of seeing the guards lead you away.”
Raith had the good graces to look embarrassed.
“I’m sorry about that. You know I’d never throw you under a cart.”
She nodded, but didn’t lose the look of concern.
“Yeah, but you’ve also never been interrogated by the guard. They have truthcullers. How did you get out so quickly?”
“I think Thea’s dad pulled some strings.” He’d decided this was the lie he was going with.
“Have you talked to her since you got out?”
“No, that’s my next stop after here.”
“Good. She was freaking out when they hauled you away.” She held up a finger. “Wait here a second.”
Nessa went into to the back room and emerged a few moments later with a handsome pair of chocolate brown suede boots. They were far nicer than anything Raith had ever owned, and he was instantly enamored.
“What’s that symbol stitched on the heel?”
She set the boots in front of him so he could pick them up to admire.
“That’s my crafter’s symbol. Which leads to something we need to discuss. I went a bit overboard stitching the enchantments on this job.”
She looked both embarrassed and proud at the same time. Raith examined the boots closer, wishing he had the [Skill] to see the runephrases.
“Oh really? What can they do?”
“I’ll get to that in a second. First, you are getting a way better deal than what you paid with that [Quest].”
His heart sank. There was no way he could afford to pay the amount of gold these were worth.
“I braided up, Nessa. I have nothing else to give.”
“And I’m not asking for money or weft. We made a deal and I’m not breaking it. I leveled three times, so this was good for me, too. Excellent even. I’m asking for something as a friend.”
Raith set down the boots and met her eyes.
“Of course. Name it.”
“Tell everyone who made these.” She pointed to the symbol on the heel. “Tell them that’s my symbol and where to find me if they want something just as good.”
A big grin split Raith’s face.
“I would have done that anyway, you know.” He reached across the counter and nudged her arm. “What do they do?”
Now it was Nessa’s turn to grin.
“The water walking enchantment is obviously there, as promised. It is always active unless you concentrate on turning it off. These will keep your feet dry, even submerged. There is also a self-repair phrase stitched in. Unless you disintegrate them in a vat of acid, they’ll eventually repair themselves.”
That was a huge bonus. Self-repair enchantments were not uncommon for magical gear, but very expensive.
“Wow. Thank you, Nessa. I’ll brag about them to anyone who will listen.”
“Hold on, there’s a couple more things. I put a no-slip enchantment on there, that should keep your feet steady even on a sheet of ice. It will also help with climbing, although you won’t just stick to the wall like a spider.” She gave him a smile. “I remember how much you like to climb everything.”
Raith returned the smile.
“That hasn’t really changed.”
“I figured as much. Finally, I stitched in a quiet-step runephrase. I don’t actually know how much you need something like that, but it was an enchantment I wanted to practice. You should find a significant reduction in the noise you make when walking.”
He was pretty good a sneaking, especially with [Lesser Stealth], but the act of moving quietly was painfully slow at his skill level. Especially over surfaces like dry leaves or gravel. This would be a huge benefit, and let him put off upgrading stealth for a while to focus on other [Skills].
“I don’t know what to say, Nessa. These are amazing. Thank you.”
She patted his arm.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t forget to spread the word.”
He grinned as he put the new boots on and jumped up and down to test them out.
“Perfect fit.”
Nessa looked mildly offended.
“Of course they are.”
“Get ready to be busier than you’ve ever been in your life. Because I’m a shoe salesman now.”
“Don’t be weird about it and scare people away.”
He headed back out the door, anxious test out his new gear.
“And don’t get arrested again.” She called as the door swung closed.
Across from the shop was a two story brick wall. Raith sped directly at it. Leaping, he smeared his feet on the rough surface to run up the wall and do a back flip off. The sticky enchantment worked better than expected, and he nearly made it to the top of the building before pushing off.
Woah, this is too high.
The [Skill] upgrade to [Enhanced Agility] let him quickly adjust to the unexpected positioning. He turned the momentum into a backflip, and [Featherfall] was the only thing that saved him from twisting an ankle, or worse, when he landed.
Several groups of passerbys had paused to watch the display, and Raith offered a smile.
“Did you guys see that? These boots from Cobbler’s Corner are amazing.”
He pointed back towards the shop as Nessa watched in shock from behind the counter. A pair of women, already encumbered by several shopping bags, nodded to each other and headed for the store. Raith gave Nessa a salute and sprinted for the river, [Squirrel Running] across the rooftops for maximum speed.
I’m going to walk on water!
An hour later he was pleasantly tired, damp from river spray, and pretty sure he’d sent another dozen customers towards Nessa’s shop. There was just enough time to grab Thea and Nyhm before heading back to the Adventurer’s Guild for interviews.
