READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 14 Budding Prospects
The dwarves introduced themselves with pumping handshakes and pats on the back. The rough welcome startled the newcomers but seemed a worthy rite of passage.
After the formalities, the reception quickly verified that Fabulosa had indeed secured more ale.
As the crowd circulated the good news, Fabulosa raised her voice. “And I also bought some brewery equipment in Grayton. They’re delivering it to Basilborough. We can pick it up on our next trip west.”
The assembly roared with approval, and after she recovered from the various displays of gratitude, Fabulosa pressed through the bodies and hugged me. “Oh, I missed you guys.”
Citizens directed their speculation to Charitybelle about scheduling the next trip.
Charitybelle laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “We can’t even build a brewery. Not until we have a town hall!”
Eyes turned to me in expectation, and I shifted under the weight of their gaze. “We can build a town hall after the motte and bailey—unless we need other things first.”
The dwarves immediately argued that Hawkhurst needed nothing.
Ally interrupted the clamor. “If ye want to mince about the town planning, we’ll recork the kegs—lest we compromise our judgment. Who’s up for that, eh?”
An uproar of protest followed, and the mob dispersed to the kegs for refills in the remote chance Ally wasn’t kidding.
I smiled gratefully at her and received a wink in return.
Game alerts appeared in my interface about Charitybelle admitting Olive, Fortune, Mrs. Berling, and Hugo into the settlement roster. Each gave their loyalty bond, promising not to undermine Hawkhurst. I noticed she hadn’t inducted the merchants or Sternways. Perhaps their loyalty came at a cost.
Everyone settled into smaller conversation circles. I used the moment to steal away Fabulosa—not an easy feat—nearly everyone in the camp wanted to talk to her, but eventually, I took my opening.
“So, Grayton! How was it?”
Fabulosa gave me a thumbs-up gesture. “Much bigger than anything else I’ve seen, that’s for sure. When I finally got to Basilborough—I’ll tell you more about the trip when Charitybelle is free—they had slim pickings regarding things we needed. It’s smaller than Belden. I guess being so close to Grayton kinda sucks trade upriver.”
I nodded. “So Basilborough is a little quiet. ”
Fabulosa nodded. “I found some farmhands who might want to join us. Winter seemed to be a good time of the year to solicit them—but no one has heard of us. I passed out your leaflets but didn’t get any takers in Basilborough or Grayton.”
“No luck then, huh?”
Fabulosa shrugged. “There’s interest in selling rice and wheat to Eastern cities—and swapping for other goods like salt or spices. Once we punch through to Fort Krek, we’ll hit it off with farmers.”
I gestured toward our crops. “Speaking of which, did you see? We have a plow now. We’re growing spinach now.”
Fabulosa nodded but wasn’t impressed enough to change her train of thought. “I lit out of Basilborough and hitched a ride upriver to Grayton. That’s where I found the Sternways. They’re mercenaries. And Lloyd, that’s Fletch’s father, is such a hoot. He spent a lot of his life on the ocean. You should hear his stories. The Sternways chaperoned me in Grayton and introduced me to merchants.”
“How much did they charge?”
She widened her eyes. “Mercs cost only two silver a day, three outside the city. But I bargained for a long-term contract with Iris to escort us through the forest. She is all business, that one, but I trust her. She and Fletcher started together in Fort Krek. They might kick off a guard guild specializing in convoys if the trade route is a go. They’ll fetch more guards if they think the route is viable. Iris has a nose for making coin, I reckon. She introduced me to the wainwright guild.”
“What’s a wainwright?”
“Wainwrights make wagons, and they monopolize carts and land deliveries. Some call them cartwrights. They sent Glenn Grene along with us to check out Hawkhurst.”
I looked to where she directed—a man talking to Rory and Fletcher.
“That one’s a complainer and more fuss than I care to swallow, but he’s the guy we need to impress. He doesn’t much take to the wilderness.”
“All we need to do is keep him alive.”
Fabulosa exhaled in a huff. “I had half a mind to brain him myself. I’m not looking forward to the return trip. He wants to rest every couple of hours. I bet the guild sent him to get him out of their hair.”
We both smiled and shook our heads.
“That’s Oscar.” Fabulosa pointed to a young clerk who looked out of place.
Angus slapped Oscar on the back and guffawed after telling what probably ended in a bawdy joke.
“Oscar is good folk. He’s eager to learn and has access to all kinds of things. I wouldn’t count on him in combat, but his sense of adventure is admirable. He’s checking out our camp, but he’s not joining us either. I got the impression other Grayton merchants would listen to what he said about us. He’s from an influential family, so he’s probably making his bones with his partners.”
Fabulosa sighed. “And then there are the others.” She looked onward to Fortune, Olive, Mrs. Berling, and Hugo. “I bought ‘em boots and clothes and made them bathe before coming. I nearly killed Glenn over complaints about the crowded Dark Room—and this is after I volunteered to sleep on the floor.”
“They’re eager to work, so I brought them. Arlington outlaws homelessness, so Grayton has a surplus of beggars and pickpockets.”
“So you did well. Grats on making a successful trip. Did you get everything?”
Fabulosa nodded as Angus handed her a cup of ale unbidden. “Thank you, Darlin’.”
Angus beamed when she accepted the drink, but Fabulosa answered my question before the dwarf could divert the conversation. For once, he contented himself to listen.
“I brought tons of woodworking tools, two small copper bathtubs, scullery, cutlery, knives, and weapons of all sorts. You mentioned you found a level 17 shield. Feast your eyes on this!” She reached into the void bag and produced a tall, shiny steel shield.
Item
Prismatic Shield
Rarity
Masterwork (green)
Description
Level 32 tower shield
+25 Armor
+10 Stamina
Item use—Once per day, the wearer sees the true form of invisible, glamored, illusory, and hidden enemies for 10 minutes.
“Whoa!” Angus and I gasped in unison at the level 32 item.
“Where did you get this?”
As I took the shield from Fabulosa, Angus caressed its reflective steel as if studying the metal.
“It wasn’t cheap.” She mouthed the words. “140 gold.”
My eyes widened.
She nodded. “There’s more.” She opened a small bag with about five colored arrowheads. “We can make magic arrows with these. The four red arrowheads are +20 damage. The long blue one makes an Arrow of Withering. It’s so nasty that I almost didn’t buy it. It drains life. A target under level 15 loses half its levels. Ghouls are weak but stupid enough to attack the nearest living creature.”
Item
Arrowhead of Withering
Rarity
Masterwork (green)
Description
Level 30 missile
Item use—Turns living creature below level 15 into a ghoul.
“That’s amazing.” We could use it to counter large groups who might attack at night, like kobolds or goblins. Killing a bunch of ghouls would be easier. The arrowhead stretched long enough to be a dagger, but it wouldn’t make sense to use it that way. Archers can only shoot magic arrowheads once.
Fabulosa pointed to black feathers. “These feathers are flights, and they make arrows silent and invisible. Anyone hit by ‘em becomes invisible for a short while, and they cannot make a noise until someone pulls the shaft out, including when the victim falls. The trick is, you better make them die in one shot unless you’re fixing to fight an invisible foe. No one can see the arrows in flight, nor do they make a noise.”
“Do they glow if you imbue them with mana?”
Fabulosa shook her head. “Nope. I asked them about that! These would be perfect for Yula, so I’ll give her a couple. Each one of these cost ten gold.”
She pulled out a peanut. “This little guy is a Shockshell Seed. It contains a Compression Sphere that’s released when you crack it open. You already have the spell, but it might make sense for one of us to have it, too. It’s good for traps and party gags.”
I nodded. Redundancy made sense, and Compression Spheres had many uses.
Fabulosa held up a saber. “Meet momma’s new upgrade.”
Item
Phantom Blade
Rarity
Masterwork (green)
Description
Level 21 main hand saber
+3 Agility
+2 Damage
After attacking, saber repeats illusory attack 12 seconds later.
Fabulosa explained. “It visualizes a fake attack identical to a previous combat maneuver. If I time it correctly, I can use the feint to open up an opponent for an actual attack—but I must remember how I attacked twelve seconds ago to coordinate it. It’s tricky, but I can memorize rotations by training in the battle college. I got it for only 80 gold because it takes tons of practice to be effective.”
“I’m not sure I follow you.”
Fabulosa drew her saber. “Watch. I stab to the right. Twelve seconds from now, a phantom arm will stab to the right. It’s like a visual echo.”
A few seconds later, Fabulosa swung leftward while a third arm materialized and stabbed to the right.
“That’s amazing.”
“It would be if it weren’t so confusing.”
“If the illusion confuses you, have you tried it with the Prismatic Shield activated?”
“The shield only works on enemy illusions.”
Predicated routines worked against armed humanoids, but fancy stances did little against unarmed monsters. Fabulosa’s natural fluidity could turn the saber into a scary weapon if she ever mastered it. Her lack of discipline remained her only weakness.
I admired the shield before stowing it in my inventory. “A +10 stamina shield might be perfect for C-Belle. I already gave her my Flying Wall shield—it has +2 stamina.”
“Rats. I didn’t think you’d find a shiny new shield in the sticks. It’s a level 32 item, the best I could find.”
I reassured her. “You made a good purchase. I’ll take it if C-Belle doesn’t want it.”
Fabulosa looked apologetic. “It’s easier spending my dad’s money. I’m sorry I didn’t get more. The merchants in Grayton mentioned a scarcity of magic items. They said these past couple of years have been a sellers’ market. I looked and looked but didn’t know what you wanted. This shield seemed to be perfect for you.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry about it. It’s hard to find gifts—it makes birthdays and Christmas so awkward, especially at my house.”
I hugged Fabulosa and told her she did well. She tiredly leaned against me. Together, we strolled back to the widening circle of people talking to Charitybelle.
Fabulosa recited a list of her purchases when we rejoined the party. She held the void bag while naming everything, including agricultural material, bolts of linen, cotton bales, ingots of raw metal, and even sponges. She focused on basic needs more than exotic magic items, and the volume of her purchases from only a couple of days in Grayton amazed me.
When she caught my expression, she furrowed her brow. “Don’t look so shocked, partner. Shopping happens to be my thing.”
I laughed and bowed.
“Oh! I almost forgot.” Fabulosa presented a set of mining hammers. “And I bought these. The shopkeeper said they’re for mining quartz and hardstone. I thought these might break through the tough stone at Hawkhurst Rock.”
Our resident quarry master, Maggie Hornbuster, rubbed her fingers over them. “Lass, I dinnae. These hammers suit precision blows. If ye can rightly angle a blow to crystals, you can split them with wee effort. What we need for the blue rock is something that wallops, something—well, I haven’t yet figured out what does the trick.”
Fabulosa glumly nodded, and I gave her another supportive hug.
Angus raised a mug and toasted Fabulosa’s efforts. “Lass, you’re an angel of deliverance, nutrients, and intoxicants. Ye’ve no license to feel dour about picking the wrong hammers. Not every strike splits a fissure.” The camp echoed approval.
Fabulosa bashfully smiled from the lavished affection. After thanking everyone, she excused herself. “Thanks, guys. I’ll feel perkier tomorrow. I’m overdue for a coma. Thanks, and good night.” She handed the Dark Room rope and void bag back to me.
“It’s still light out. Are you sure you don’t want to borrow the Dark Room for one more night?”
“I’m a wheel down and dragging an axle. It’s the roundhouse for me. The last thing I care for is another night inside that crazy box.”