Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Aaron showed me around and told me a little about the history. Apparently, the entire compound was a retired missile silo. After it was decommissioned, it was privately sold, and was in the middle of being converted into some tech bros apocalypse hideaway when the dome permanently halted construction.

That was annoying. The government didnt make a habit of announcing the locations of missile silos, even decommissioned ones. Outside research wouldn't help me. I needed to locate it another way.

There was a simple vendor square in the center of the compound. Judging from the open plan and alcoves with counters, it had once been a cafeteria. I removed my gauntlet before I perused their wears, and as I hoped, their enthusiasm to help me increased by magnitudes.

Kicking it off with consumables, I cleaned out a thrilled mage of his status effect palliatives. I already had two of each offered on Kinsleys store, but figured having three wouldnt hurt, and there were a few cures for ailments I had yet to see. I paused in the weapon section, swiping through a tablet that all the vendors used. Unsurprisingly, they had an excellent selection, which presented something of an opportunity. Id been biding my time waiting for an upgrade, intending to fully refresh my collection.

I had a slight advantage in that everyone and their grandmother seemed to migrate towards hand-crossbows. In a demographic where much of the population fetishized firearms and venues that offered concealed carry courses were more numerous than coffee shops, it was the obvious fallback for a handgun. The downside, of course, was that everyone was buying them. Id been hunting for a while, but the good ones sold out on Kinsleys store in seconds. And one of my primary weaponsQuick Crossbow of The Frost Leechwas incredibly recognizable both in appearance and effect. Id primarily used it as Myrddin, making it a non-issue if Aaron had stuck me with anyone other than Nick, but now that he had, I was in the unfortunate position of having to improvise.

What are you buyin?

I glanced up from the tablets screen, unsure if the out-of-place reference was accidental, or if the man across from me was invoking it intentionally. There was an apron tied around his waist, and beneath them, knee-high muck boots. He was dour and gristled and sounded like hed spent his last break setting a carton of cigarettes on fire and breathing in the smoke. There was a silver tag pinned to one arm of the apron that read: Erik.

Small blade and a hand-crossbow. I said, then amended. A few hand-crossbows, actually.

How many? The man rumbled.

Uh. Eight? Actually, nine.

He looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. You a reseller?

No, I I stopped mid-sentence to reconsider. I hadnt really been able to talk to anyone about this outside of Kinsley, who didnt have the technical know-how to advise me. Barring some huge, unforeseen outcome, Id be with the Order at least until things came to a head. And while Id do everything I could to shroud and mislead them on what the Ordinators core abilities were, theyd eventually learn the brick and mortar of how I fought. And if this was their weapons vendor, a man embedded with killers who knew their craft, he might have a solution for me.

Briefly, without going into too much detail, I outlined my use-case.

By the end, the vendor was stroking his beard thoughtfully. Got half a mind to tear you a new one for treating any of my creations as disposable, but I can grasp why yer goin that route.

Huh. In my mind, vendors got most of their wares from the system. It made sense that some crafters sold their own work. Though from the look of the catalogue, Erik never stopped working.

He gave me another suspicious look. Before my wheels spin too quick to stop, I should probably ask. Whats your budget? You blow it all at bargain bin potions over there?

No. I mean, Im not looking at buying any artifacts, but its significant. Even now, it felt strange to say that out loud. Like I was lying, even though it was true.

Kai! Erik barked suddenly, his voice carrying across the open space of the cafeteria.

The floor next to Erik turned into a circle of magma, and a figure ascended from it, dressed in violet mages robes. Their face and features were effeminate, and there was a sheen of lip gloss that reflected the overhead light.

Yes, Erik? They pitched their voice higher than average but read as male. They sounded annoyed.

Erik slapped the mages ass with a meaty thwap, startling us both. He continued, seemingly oblivious to the mages growing ire. Skip the theatrics. I found the market for that enchantment of yours.

Kai twisted in their seat and snapped. Im a boy!

Sorry.

Erik caught my eye and gave a stoic nod, confirming that Kai was not a person I wanted to fuck with in any capacity. Its a little twisted, but it makes for a hell of a distraction. And as far as the other one goes, I know you said hand-crossbow, but figured youd reconsider once you held it. Cant help you with the daggers, unfortunately. Unless youd settle for a small sword.

Kai let out an exasperated sigh and stalked towards the counter. He pulled his outer robe aside and drew one of several daggers on his hip. This one was black with a single line of inlaid ivory, spanning the wide hilt to the narrow tip. Because you have that mark, and youre commissioning something big, Ill give you a loaner.

What is it? I asked.

Its a knife.

I felt the vein pop out on my forehead. What does it do?

Read the system text, I aint your daddy. Kai walked back to his place before I could make the mistake of biting back.

When I read the description, though, my irritation faded.



Description: This tooth-like blade can easily carve through common natural and metallic armor types, though it loses sharpness quickly. Once dull, its original sharpness can be regained through both traditional and magical sharpening techniques only a handful of times before it requires re-enchantment from the original source.

Item Class: Epic

Item Value: ???

Hold on, how much is this worth? I asked.

Dunno. Its a spare. Never had it appraiseddont lose it. Kai called over.

It was a clever item to lend. While strong andI suspectedmassively valuable, it required maintenance from the original enchanter, meaning no one could run off with it without eventually ending up with a paperweight. But that old familiar feeling of uneasiness washed over me, the same feeling that haunted me every time a person did me an unrequited favor. I dealt and traded favors daily and knew, on an intimate level that there was always an associated cost.

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Erik leaned in and lowered his voice so only I could hear. Theres, uh. A lot of swinging dicks around here. Some are just pricks, others like to throw their weight around. Most of em have that tattoo on their wrist. Its not that bad, really. Worked in worse places. But I guess you could say were looking to expand our network.

Ah. There it was. Show your worth to the up and comer, help him out early before he hits his stride and bank on the hope he remembers you when you need it. A simple play, but innocent enough.

I think I understand. I reached out for Eriks hand. He shook it heartily with enough force that it rattled my teeth.

Then I forked over the selve, trying not to pay attention to the deep dent in my balance. Itd been too long since Id delved a dungeon. Bothering Kinsley for a softball quest was always an option if the coffers got low, but considering how much expanding she was doing, I wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. With any luck, this outing with Nick and the Order would be both lucrative and illuminating.

Heh heh heh, thank you. Erik said.

He had to be doing it on purpose.