by J D Astra
“Bottoms up.” Naitee gave a snarl of a grin.
With the very real fear that this green goop would kill me, I put the crystal to my lips and tilted the vial back.
Path of a Sorceress
BITTER ACIDITY, LIKE spirulina and lemon juice, slapped the back of my throat, and I swallowed before I had the reflex to spit it out. I slammed the vial down on the counter and coughed, then gulped a few more times to clear the flavor.
“Brash, determined, a little too trusting, but all things to be honed in time. What’s your name, girl?”
Ugh, from lady to girl, what a downgrade. I stifled a burp. “Abby Hollander.”
<<<>>>
Quest Update: The Path of a Sorceress
You’ve accepted Naitee’s challenge to become her apprentice and survived.
<<<>>>
“Well, Abby, it’s time to replace the ingredients you just consumed.” She corked the vial and put it back on the shelf, then grabbed a piece of parchment and began to scribble.
“Lumalgae, from the Wayward Caverns, at least four ounces. Balrigon soot, from at least ten different Balrigons.” I raised a brow, and she shrugged. “I need diversity. You can find all sorts of Balrigons on the mountainside to the north. Let’s see...” She continued her scrawling, but I realized she wasn’t making me a shopping list. She was drawing intricate runes in a mandala-like pattern.
“Oh yes, Rose Quartz, three or four stones should do it, from anywhere really.” She gave me a once-over. “You don’t look like a miner.”
I held up my arm and flexed, earning a grimace from Naitee. My Strength and Stamina stats were both pretty low. I looked to Otto.
“It’s extra,” he barked. I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to my new tutor. I wished she’d pick up the pace. Beads of sweat were rolling down my spine, and my Stamina bar was beginning to drop, ever so slowly, from the intense heat.
Naitee finished scribbling and rolled up the scroll, then tied it off and sealed it with wax. “This will get you to the mountains in the north. From there you can walk down into the Wayward Caverns. All the ingredients will be nearby.”
“And this one”—she scribbled four quick symbols and repeated the same process in sealing it—“will open your mind to all the magics of Sorcery. The potion you drank unlocked your potential energy, and seeing as you didn’t die, it seems you really do have some magic in you.”
She extended the rolls of parchment to me, but as I reached out, she jerked them back. “These are expensive. I will not replace them if anything happens,” she warned, and I nodded.
Naitee held them out once more, but pulled them back as she started in again, and I bit my lip to stifle an annoyed huff. “You’ll have access to the basic abilities from each school for five hours, and not a moment more. I expect you to use all four schools and become proficient. Oh!” She reached under the glass case and grabbed something else. “And here is a return scroll, too—it will take you to your bind point.” As she passed them into my hands, a new pop-up appeared on my screen.
<<<>>>
Quest Update: The Path of a Sorceress
Naitee needs you to replace the rare ingredients you just consumed and prove your proficiency as a spellslinger. She has provided a scroll to unlock the basic abilities of all four Sorcery magics for 5 hours. Use them wisely.
Quest Class: Uncommon, Class-Based
Quest Difficulty: Moderate
Success: Using all four schools of magic, collect 4 ounces of Lumalgae from the Wayward Caverns, 3 Rose Quartz stones, and 10 soot essences from 10 different Balrigons, then return to Naitee before the night is done.
Failure: Fail to gather all the necessary ingredients in time.
Reward: Class Change: Sorceress, Varying Kits; Unique, Scalable Item.
<<<>>>
I accepted the quest and dropped the scrolls into my inventory, out of sight.
“So, for what purpose are you becoming the Greatest Sorceress in Eldgard?” Naitee was oddly more talkative now than when we had first met and definitely warmer.
Did I want to tell her what was going on? Would it be worth risking her blabbing to someone else to earn the right to be her apprentice? There were definitely other sorcerers in Eldgard who could train me, but how far would I have to go to find them?
“Ah, some juicy secret.” Naitee grinned and walked around the counter. “Never you mind it for now, child, but,” she held my hands in hers and whispered, “I am no friend of the Empire.”
This “girl” and “child” stuff was getting on my nerves. I shot a glance at Otto, who seemed not to be paying attention, a thick sheen of sweat visible on his forehead.
“I’m here to take down a tyrant and stop the oppression of every living person in Eldgard.”
Naitee squeezed my hands lightly. “Such a noble cause. Though, not many tyrants ruling today. Harrowick is a free city.”
I nodded. “He’s not come to power yet. We’re in a race, of sorts, but he doesn’t know.”
“I see. Well, girl, best of luck. Off you get!” She pushed me toward the exit, my annoyance peaking at anger.
She held open the door, and I looked back at her from the stoop. “It’s Abby Hollander, and I will be the greatest Sorceress.”
“Of course you will. Hurry up now, those ingredients won’t collect themselves.” She slammed the door, a gush of hot air slapping me one last time as a countdown appeared in the corner of my vision: 12 hours, 34 minutes, 21 seconds.
I pumped my basic robe, trying to circulate cool air in, and saw Otto do something similar with his pants.
“So, shop?” I asked, finally cool and not so pissed off.
Otto grunted his reply and took off down the alley. The population on the streets had thinned out since the morning sun was delivering a cloudless blast of heat. Though it was far better than the inside of Naitee’s shop, it was still uncomfortable.
We stopped in at Portish Goods to sell all the junk, and I was surprised at Otto’s bargaining skills. He was able to sell all my ten-copper blades and five-copper worn shirts for fifteen silver. Not enough for me to buy anything, but enough to pay Otto back.
After selling, we walked to another nearby shop which didn’t seem like the place for Otto at all: Satin and Beech. When I stepped through the door, I was bombarded with smoke from burning incense. The dim light took a moment to adjust to, but when I finally did, I was taken aback by the wondrous things hanging from every wall. Black velvet cloaks embroidered with shimmering crimson thread in the shape of a hummingbird; tall staves topped with massive gemstones, or pulsing spheres of multicolored energy; robes, elegant and flowing with power. This was a shop for me. But, I didn’t have any money, and I still owed Otto whatever he’d charge me for mining the Rose Quartz.
I turned on my heel and whispered at him. “What are we doing here?”
“You need better robes. You look like...” His brow scrunched. “I don’t want to say what you look like, but you don’t look like the greatest Sorceress in Eldgard.”
“That’s because I’m not yet,” I said tersely, fully aware of the shopkeeper’s approach.
“Hello, welcome in! What can we get started for you?” The man rolled his r’s, and it was obvious he wasn’t from Harrowick. I turned back to face him and gasped at the flutter of his massive, beautiful black wings. He was an Accipiter.
“I, uh, we made a mistake,” I stuttered, pushing Otto with both hands as I kept my eyes on the man.
The shopkeeper grinned. “Nonsense, no mistake. You can look around. You’ll find something you want, I know it.”
Yeah, that’s what I was worried about.
“She needs a new robe,” Otto blurted, and I gritted my teeth.
The Accipiter grabbed me and squared my shoulders. “Yes, I see. Of course she does.” He put his hand to his narrow chin as his eyes scanned over my body, lingering at my wide hips, and I felt a flare of indignation at his indiscretion.
He snapped his finger
s, declaring, “I have just the thing,” and pumped his massive wings as he jumped and rocketed himself to the back of the shop.
I shot a glare at Otto, who shrugged in a very innocent way. “How am I going to pay for this? I have one silver!” I demanded.
“I’ll cover it for now, I know you’re good for the coin. I’ll just have to stick around until you can pay me back.” He slapped me on the shoulder, the gesture sending me off balance, then moved on to pick up a large translucent sphere on an opulent stand.
With the shopkeeper occupied in the back, looking for a robe wide enough for my hips I assumed, I decided to look around. Everything on display was incredibly expensive. If the robe he found for me was anywhere near the prices of the things on the walls, we’d be thrown out for trying to barter.
The whooshing of wings brought my attention back to the shopkeeper as he glided down to the open entrance. “I’ve found it, the perfect thing.” He grinned and held out a blue-and-purple, simply sewn gown.
I took it and inspected the item.
<<<>>>
Dignified Robes
Armor Type: Light, Tailored Cloth
Class: Uncommon
Base Defense: 15
Primary Effects:
● +5% Spirit regen
● +3 to Intelligence
We’re not all made of money, but we can at least look nice.
<<<>>>
“It’s great, but—”
Otto cut me off. “How much?”
The Accipiter man shrugged noncommittally. “I could let it go for five gold.”
“Two,” Otto replied immediately.
The Accipiter looked scorned. “This is a handcrafted garment, not that a brute like you would understand...” He crossed his arms. “Four gold.”
Otto shook his head. “Two gold.”
I was watching lines of code on a server barter. I’d helped build a world where computers could communicate with one another beyond transferring packets and connecting to DNSs. Otto and the Accipiter went back and forth, Otto firm at two gold and the Accipiter trying to weasel a few extra silver out of him. It was a visceral reminder of what The Crunch created, but also, all that was lost to accomplish it. Osmark would pay his dues.
“All right!” The shopkeeper threw his arms up. “Two gold, and you’ll bring her back again, she’s in dreadful garb.”
“Deal.” Otto shook his hand. “We’ll be back tonight.”
They exchanged coin for goods, and Otto beamed as he handed me the gown. I was taken aback. Even my last boyfriend hadn’t been this nice. Not that I’d gone out of my way to buy him anything amazing, but I’d known Otto about twelve hours, and he was willing to pay two gold, an IRL equivalent of two hundred dollars, for a robe, for me.
I took the gown and held it, staring at the soft fabric. “I don’t know what to say,” I muttered.
“Say you’ll pay me back later.” He patted me on the shoulder again, this time softer, and strutted for the exit.
“Thanks,” I shouted at him, and he turned back, giving me a huge, tusky grin, then walked out.
I opened my inventory and selected the new robes. The old one popped off into my inventory, and I held it in my hand. Ah... that was a lot easier than taking it off by hand.
“What would you give me for this?” I asked the shopkeeper, and he looked at the old robes in disgust.
He cleared his throat. “I could give you, ah, a few coppers?”
I frowned. “We’ll be back later tonight, and I can buy more at full price. Come on, I want to pay him back, at least a little.”
The shopkeeper seemed defeated, exhausted. “Fine, five silver.” He jabbed a finger at me. “But don’t say Hasan never did anything for you!”
I held out the garment to him with a grin, and he groaned, holding it between two fingers as he pulled a coin from the purse at his belt.
“Thank you, Hasan,” I said, taking the coin and running for the door.
“You can thank me by coming back to buy my most expensive item!”
The streets were alive again, and the fresh air, sans incense, felt light in my lungs.
“Otto.” I punched his arm and instantly regretted it as 10 of my HP leaked away.
He chuckled as I shook out my hand in frustration.
I held out the coin to him. “Here’s something for the mining.”
“Good,” he mumbled, taking the silver with a little less enthusiasm than I expected. He was going on and on about wanting me to pay him, but as soon as I did, he looked upset. What a weirdo.
“All right.” I whipped the teleport scroll from my inventory and held it out with a devilish grin, then asked, “Ready to go?”
Otto put the coin away and checked over his body, hand falling on his sword hilt and bandolier. He nodded. “Let’s go.”
I popped the wax seal on the scroll, and it unfurled on its own, then fizzled in a shower of sparks. The tiny balls of light floated gently, but I could see they were about to burst! Each luminescent sphere vibrated with power, drawing nearer and nearer to one another. The light filled my vision, a rainbow prism of pure magical wonder.
It faded just as quick as it came, leaving behind an ovular window thrumming with a soft beat, beckoning us in. The view on the other side was a calm, green valley blowing gently in a breeze not felt from this side of the portal.
“So freaking cool.” I reached toward it, warmth filling my body as my fingers touched the event horizon.
My head swiveled and tilted, but I managed to stay upright as we plopped onto waving fields of grass below crisp white peaks. Blue dots wiggled in my vision, and my head swam as sweet honey-coated bile pushed up my esophagus. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath as a cool wind blew my curly locks.
Portal travel was disorienting, but also the coolest shit since Python. With all the scrolls Naitee gave me, I assumed portal travel was something I was going to need to get used to.
“Check your map.” Otto sucked in a breath that closely resembled the type of breath one would inhale when trying not to throw up. I smirked, and he turned away, hands on his hips.
I popped open my interface and sure enough, the map updated with a blinking yellow arrow, and the quest log title of “Path of a Sorceress” blinked yellow along with it. “This way.” I pointed north into the trees at the base of the mountain.
“How long do you have?” Otto asked as we headed into the forest.
I pulled the bound scroll from my inventory. “Once I open it, five hours.”
Otto stopped us at the first trees, his head turning slowly on his thick neck as he surveyed the land. There was a rustling in the trees and bushes as the wind picked up.
Otto looked me up and down. “You should get some practice shots in first. I don’t need you blasting my backside by accident.”
I withheld my comments about the size of Otto’s backside and how difficult it would be to not hit him. Old gamer culture was creeping back up on me. I nodded my head without a snigger and ran my thumbnail under the seal of the scroll of sorceric knowledge.
All thought shifted, and I didn’t remember how I’d ever thought of anything beyond the power surging through my body. I dropped to my knees, hardly aware that I even had knees anymore. Heat swelled in my chest as the colors shifted to red and gold. My hands trembled with a voracious lust for combat. Refreshing blue washed those feelings away, replacing them with devious curiosity. The blue darkened until it was nearly black, and I felt a sense of grounding, stability, and drive.
Before the technicolor smokenado completed, it gave one final thrum of ecstasy-inducing power. My shoulders shook, and I looked at my sweaty palms.
“Well,” Otto said, drawing me from the trance, “let’s see what you can do.”
“Otto, wait!” I demanded as he pushed on into the forest, sword at the ready.
He half turned as he continued his charge toward the bushes. “Don’t worry, it’ll come to you like breathi—”
A massi
ve black fist smashed through the bush to Otto’s left and pummeled him in the face. Otto flew backwards five feet and “oofed” as he broke a fallen branch with his butt.
The fist belonged to some rabid concoction of a gorilla and a bear, with fur like porcupine quills. The [Lowland Balrigon] reared up and beat its chest as it roared. Bits of lava spat from its wide-open jaw, and liquid fire dribbled down its three-inch canines. Oh, shit.
The Balrigon turned to me and raised a massive fist, revealing deadly retractable talons below the spiny fur. The paw swiped down at me, and I jumped back on instinct. I landed hard in the dirt as I groped for the staff at my back. The Balrigon took two ground-trembling steps forward on its hind legs, this time raising both fists.
My fumbling hands couldn’t get the war staff free. “Shit!” I thrust my hand forward to block, and in an instant, a thick, gray mass materialized at my palm and rocketed into the beast’s face. The object cracked against the creature’s skull, and the Balrigon tottered before falling to the side in a heap.
Critical hit!
The Health bar above the thing’s head flashed a deep red and dropped to 65%.
“What the hell was that?” I scrambled to my feet and Otto finally found his.
He staggered toward me and then jabbed his sword down hard into the monster’s throat once, then twice. It gave a final gurgle as its Health bar hit 0, then went limp.
“That was a Balrigon.” Otto wheezed a bit and rubbed his head.
“No,” I stammered, “the thing that shot out of my hand?”
Otto grinned. “I told you, it’s as easy as breathing.”
My eyes widened, and I opened my character sheet with delight.
Grind for Goods
SORCERY. WAS. Amazing.
I could shoot fireballs out of my hands. Out of my hands! And not just fire. I could shoot an ice lance and hurl massive boulders. The passive abilities were just as cool, if not cooler. They were all so fantastically useful, too!
