“Aaric Longbloom, I present to you, on behalf of the Steelblood Guild, this custom-crafted staff in congratulations for your victory in the Rockmoor Tier 2 Dueling League. May it not be your last!”
All three of the messengers bowed, but it was the frontmost human, who had by far the highest level according to the scout (and a larger teardrop emblem across his upper chest) that held out a gorgeous blue staff with both hands. His speech was neutral in a way that felt forced, as though his accent had been sanded off, leaving an aggressive plainness.
[Malcolm, Human, level ?]
[Norren, Half-dwarf, level ?]
[Vortrix, Scaleborn, level ?]
Aaric gazed at the staff in appreciation for several moments before using [Identify] on it. It was stunning. The wood with which it was made had a bluish tint that was further enhanced by the veins of bright blue magic woven through it. They made the entire staff glow the perfect color of blue, and it would easily accentuate any of Aaric’s ensembles. Though honestly, it might steal the show. This staff clearly was not an accessory; it was the main attraction.
While the wood was not perfectly straight, Aaric could tell from just one touch that it was strong, durable in a way he’d usually feel from cold steel or similar crafts. But this staff was quite pleasing to his touch, and he quickly found that the few knots left twisting amid the otherwise-smooth wood actually offered easier grips and hand placements. The top flared appealingly as it seemed the natural weave of the branch came undone in a gnarled, empty spiral.
[Staff of the Frostmagus (rare)]: [Core of Frost], [Quick Freeze]
A staff shaped from high-quality wood and infused with frozen mana by a woodworker at the pinnacle of the craft.
He immediately expanded the two properties, praying that the Guild had somehow granted him what he requested.
[Core of Frost] Increases damage dealt and cooldown reduction of ice spells by 5%.
[Quick Freeze] Increases cast speed for all ice spells by 5%.
He was not disappointed. With both cooldown reduction and increased cast speed, it was ridiculously powerful for tier 2. Better than that, it was beautiful. He gladly accepted it.
Holding it in his hands, he further admired the craftsmanship. It was striking enough that Aaric honestly would have accepted it even if it hadn’t been precisely what he wanted. Appearances mattered, after all, and Aaric knew that walking around with this staff would make a statement. He’d seen tier 4s with less-impressive looking weapons!
In his party chat, the scout was also providing his feedback.
Scout: I actually can’t tell whether they put one of their best crafters on that or merely paired a great woodworker with a skilled enchanter. It’s high quality work. They want you badly.
Aaric was glad his assessment aligned with the more experienced man’s. He also tried to tamp down the pride he felt at the outside acknowledgement of his value. He remembered the scout’s other advice, though, and reined in his reply a touch, trying to find that golden middle ground between too positive and merely polite.
“This staff surpasses my expectations. Is there any way for me to deliver my compliments to the crafter or crafters? I would also be interested in learning whether they might consider further commissions.”
The front man, Malcolm, inclined his head politely. “I am glad that everything is to your satisfaction, sir, and will deliver your gratitude personally once the crafter returns from their month aloft. But I must tell you that to commission the crafter of this staff normally might strain even the deepest of noble pockets, and that is before considering their quite substantial backlog of work.” He bowed almost apologetically. “But the Guild does recognize quality when it sees it, and in this instance, we thought it might be a worthwhile investment to go above what we were obliged to provide.”
Scout: Here it comes. This man’s Class is literally ‘grand recruiter,’ so be wary. He has skills that make his offers more enticing.
Aaric: Would he really use them on me in recruitment?
Scout: Probably not actively enough for you to notice. Some are passives, and thus worth the warning. His presence here shows the Guild’s interest is sincere. Know that any deal he offers will be actionable and official.
Aaric: Don’t worry. I’ll stick to our strategy.
He had long since lost count of the many times the scout had told him not to join a guild. ‘Definitely not in tier 2, and ideally not ever,’ he’d said repeatedly. So when the grand recruiter began his sales pitch, Aaric was ready.
“Might I also impose a bit upon your time, sir, and discuss the great opportunity presented by our encounter?”
Aaric smiled politely but instead of looking up at the man, he instead continued examining his new staff, tracing the coursing blue magic along and through the wood. “No matter how grand the gift, as I already told the last Steelblood representative, I’m not interested in being recruited.”
If he was frustrated by Aaric’s lack of attention on him, he did not show it. “Yes, sir, I am well aware. However, the Guild sees a great and promising future ahead of you, and we think a continued relationship of some sort between us would be mutually beneficial. We wish only to assist in making your potentially historic Path just a touch easier to tread.”
Aaric nodded without letting his face show his rising intrigue, though even that he might have played off as being solely about the staff. “What sort of assistance are you authorized to offer? With the understanding that I find full membership too restricting.”
The grand recruiter gestured toward the fine staff. “You see for yourself the skill we bring to the table, and it is with the same pride we craft every item. I am authorized, as you so accurately put it, to extend a rather unique offer to you. It isn’t every day the realm is blessed with a titled Prodigy, such as yourself.”
Aaric set the thinner end of the staff on the ground and leaned his weight against it. It was a comfortable height--a few finger widths shorter than he was--and despite putting most of his weight against it, the enchanted wood didn’t even flex. “I’m well aware, and that’s part of my hesitation. I want to continue building my own name, not someone else’s. And I don’t want to seem to borrow or worse, be overshadowed, by the Steelblood Guild’s name either. People should know of Aaric Longbloom as his own man.” And not just for his family name or as his father’s son, he wanted to add but didn’t.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Malcolm was nodding along with him. “We at the Guild agree, and so, as I said, we wish to offer something unique that we feel will only enhance your already stellar growth... while also connecting us as equal partners, not marking either as superior or inferior.”
“I’m listening,” Aaric admitted. Whether he would accept such a deal or not was a long way from settled, but he was intrigued to learn what kind of offer they were talking about.
The grand recruiter gave an easy smile. “Of course. My superiors are offering what they’ve termed a ‘branding deal,’ though it will be nothing like the branding of steers in your hometown, I can assure you. In actuality, what will happen is you will wear our logo, on our top-end gear, at all times. Of course, we will supply the gear to you free of charge.”
“So I’ll essentially be a walking advertisement for your guild.”
“From a certain point of view, yes.”
Aaric asked his next question quickly, before even seeing the scout’s message to get more solid numbers. “How much gear will you be providing, exactly?”
“Enough for your every visible gear slot.”
“So chest, pants, helm, and gloves?” Aaric asked, leaving off a few to test the deal’s limits.
The grand negotiator was not fooled. “As well as necklace, both rings, belt, and boots, yes.”
That was potentially an incredible amount of coin saved, but he wondered if he could get more from them. “Replaced once, or--?”
“Multiple times throughout the life of your endorsement.”
“Let’s be specific. How many upgrades, and how often?”
“The whole set, once per tier.”
“Twice,” Aaric countered immediately, nearly cutting into the man’s final words.
He watched Malcolm’s jaw tighten, his mind working on something. “Twice in tier 3, with the second set coming no later than level 37.”
“And even then, this will be absolutely awful at tier 4. You’re basically telling me your interest is only for the near future.”
“If you make it into tier 4. We will add a clause to renegotiate at that point.”
I’ll definitely need to cut ties with them by then.
“And they’ll all be of this quality?” he asked, lifting his staff and tapping it on the floor.
“Well, not exactly,” the man replied, clearly trying to let his smile cover his unease. “As I previously mentioned, your staff was made by one of our pinnacle crafters, who also happens to be one of our charter members, and their time is incredibly valuable. However, per the terms of your deal, the Guild will always provide top-end gear.”
“What if I find something better in a dungeon?”
The man visibly fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “The Guild will be willing to discuss that at such a time as such an unlikely event occurs.”
“And it will require me to wear that ridiculous teardrop all the time?”
Malcolm did not take the bait and maintained a face of utmost professionalism. “When out in public, yes.”
Aaric raised a finger. “The gear will have to look good.” He flicked his glance at the two rear messengers behind Malcolm and gave a slight grimace. “Not like that.”
The other two guild members both looked shocked, with the lowest leveled scaleborn actually flaring his nostrils and inhaling sharply.
Yet the grand recruiter merely smiled. “Guildmade gear does look good, especially given its function and, more importantly, its extremely high quality. You will find that no challenge at your tier will your gear keep you from handling.”
Aaric appreciated the subtle return jab. “Clearly your aesthetic and mine are not the same... tier.”
“We will arrange for a stylist to consult with you about your desired appearance, thus allowing us to tailor your gear to meet your demands--prior to your first full delivery, of course. We will want to make sure that everything meets your approval.”
Scout: Don’t get too caught up in appearances, Aaric. I know how you are. This sounds like a decent deal so far, though I will remind you that the more you keep him talking, the more you can negotiate and hold them to later. Specifics are good.
Aaric nodded silently, still not looking toward the scout. “Then this all sounds like a good starting point to me. I just wonder what else this arrangement will entail. I want to be sure I understand exactly what the Steelblood Guild hopes to gain from being associated with me.”
“Well, since your star is rising so quickly and shining so brightly,” the man began, embellishing on Aaric’s words in a clear attempt to build him up, “we would encourage you to make a rather public splash in the near future. In a similar vein to how you essentially sleep-walked through what should have been a stacked field of talent in the recent Rockmoor Dueling League, we thought you might be interested in entering... the Tier 3 Tournament in Camille.”
Aaric was interested. In fact, it was something he and the scout had discussed in great length already. But he did not look toward his advisor. He didn’t want to overplay their hand. “I’ve given it some thought.”
“Of course you have. But had you considered going as early as level 21?”
Aaric looked away so as to not show the smile that immediately crept across his face. Vindicated! Precisely when he would enter the tournament had been something he and the scout had discussed at such length and with such passion that some might have called it a fight.
The scout insisted that they should wait, dismissing Aaric’s concerns by saying they were doing well enough financially that they didn’t need to push to the tournament quite so soon.
But Aaric also remembered what the man had said before: that everything he had was thanks to his parents. And Aaric hated that that was true. Tournament winnings would remedy that.
And going to the Tier 3 Tournament in Camille early...! Aaric knew it would be the best way to challenge himself and his Path. No matter how much he wanted it, he wasn’t going to just let these guild people see his aspirations. He was a better negotiator than that. “That’s a dangerous proposition.”
“We could make it less so,” the grand recruiter offered, taking a seat opposite Aaric. The two others followed suit, having clearly waited until Malcolm did so first.
The scout, however, did not sit. He didn’t move at all from his perch against the wall. If anything, he probably preferred his view now that he was off to the side and not directly in the three men’s line of sight.
In an attempt to not seem overeager, Aaric began channeling mana through his new staff, generating some frost slightly quicker than usual on his other hand. “How could you do that, exactly?” He didn’t like the way the man had said it. “I’m a prodigy; I don’t have to cheat to win, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“We would never interfere with the sanctity of the Tournament itself,” Malcolm quickly said, sounding genuinely insulted. “What I was suggesting was that, if you enter as our representative, we could provide you with even further enhanced gear that would give you a greater edge than you already have. Higher-level affixes and properties, stuffed down into early-tier gear. It could easily level the playing field, especially since you’ll likely find yourself matched against a few level 39 opponents.”
At that, Aaric finally, openly smiled. “I’d be very interested to see what your crafters could offer to help even that kind of playing field.”
Scout: I’m impressed. That was well negotiated.
Aaric finally allowed himself a glance back toward the scout, and they shared a nod.
He ran a bit more of his mana through his staff, causing it to flare briefly. Then he extended his hand to the grand recruiter. “With all of this spoken aloud and witnessed by both sides, I believe we’ve got ourselves a deal.”