Manifold Mirror Mage

Gio was stunned.

"Is Lot that dangerous? I… had no idea. What have I done?" Gio stammered.

"By all accounts, The Prophet of Chaos is a kind and eccentric old man. It is less that Lot himself is dangerous, and more that his presence causes danger. Whatever catastrophe he causes might not even begin until after he has left," said the Shopkeeper.

Gio furrowed his brow. "Is there any way that I can pay you to send word to Saint Baphelus?"

"My influence within the Crystal Ring is very limited. My only entrance in Vitrium is anchored to the frontline of the perpetual battle beneath the Academy, outside the light of the Manse. If I may… You have time. It will take weeks for the Prophet of Chaos to travel from the Wastes to the Gilded City." The Shopkeeper replied.

"Okay… I suppose I'll just tell them as soon as I return. Can you tell me what I should expect? How bad will it be?" Gio asked.

"Wherever he goes, Chaos walks with him." The Shopkeeper finished.

I wonder if Rio could counteract Lot. Is an Aspect more in tune with Chaos than a Prophet?

"I understand your concern, but I very much doubt that there is anything you can do about this issue today. If you are finished spiraling, I am still required to pay you for your information." The Shopkeeper said.

"Oh… okay." Gio replied.

He was still shaken by the revelation that he may have inadvertently brought catastrophe upon his home, but he recognized the wisdom in the Shopkeeper's words. He would collect his payment for the information he provided, and finish what he came to [Telchine's Garden] to do.

"Firstly, you should know which Saint this Legacy is anchored to. Her name is Saint Daria, and her honorable title is 'Voice of the Hive'."

"I've never heard of her." Gio said.

"Unless you specifically studied the tale of the saints, it is unlikely that you would. She is quite reclusive. She is responsible for several historic feats… which I cannot speak about freely."

"With a title like 'Voice of the Hive', I'd be surprised if she isn't some sort of magical entomologist, or user of… insect magic, or something. Am I wrong?" Gio said.

"Correct on both accounts." replied the Shopkeeper.

"So, that's it? The reason I got the ootheca is because someone with some sort of history with my mentor studies bug magic? If that's the case, I must confess that I'd be just a bit disappointed." Gio flatly stated.

"If that were the case, it would be more likely that you'd have been offered some kind of necromancy by now. Your mentor is one of the most prominent figures in the field." The Shopkeeper retorted.

"And Baphelus told me that I'd be a terrible necromancer…" Gio pontificated. "So there must be something else. There must be some other reason that the spirits have decided to offer me this legacy."

"I can tell you this much: The fact that the creatures involved are insectile is secondary to its primary purpose. The mirrored nature of the insects and the correlation with Daria's specialty are both symptoms of synchronicities falling into place. The first and most important detail is that if you use this ootheca, you will begin to foster bonds." The Shopkeeper finished.

"Bonds…?"

"The goal would have been the same, regardless if you were given a different treasure of the same kind. Perhaps the spirits might have given you a wand that summoned rock elementals, or a whistle that summoned birds. Who knows?"

"Can I trade? I'd like either of those options. Both of those options sound cool." Gio deadpanned.

"Try to be a little more optimistic." The Shopkeeper said. "You have no idea what kind of benefits a person like yourself might be able to leverage with this boon. If you keep an open mind, you'd be surprised at what the spirits could offer you."

The Shopkeeper stilled for a moment.

"There is one other… viewpoint I could show you related to this topic if you so desire… but you may have to make some deductions on your own."

"Okay. If it might help me understand… I'll try."

"Please do not ask any questions about what I am about to show you. If I answer them… it will almost certainly provoke the Shop to ask for something in return."

Gio gulped. "I understand."

The Shopkeeper raised four hands out and above their veiled head, facing the palms out toward each cardinal direction. They began slowly wafting those hands clockwise, and the walls began to shimmer and shift beyond the curtain.

"The first thing I can say is that the Shop proudly invites a diverse clientele to browse our stock and barter."

Gio looked out, flinching backward and digging his nails into the armrest of his comfortable chair.

"Worry not. What you see is merely a window, not a door. We take measures to separate clients who would not be inclined to browse the storefront at the same time. You would be surprised just who you might meet in the Shop."

The sight below was shocking. In one row of shelves, shambling humanoid husks stalked decayed aisles, some gorging on piles of rotting meat, while others stood inert, staring up at a pulsating black orb. Black tarry sludge covered the floor, and it seeped from the black wood of the walls.

"Likewise, I take other forms when necessary to better understand my patrons." The Shopkeeper said, pointing at the orb.

A gaunt figure approached the orb. His skin looked partially flayed off, and a stream of clear purple liquid flowed from his wounds. As he reached the orb, some sort of wispy energy flowed out of him and into the pulsating black mass. An eerie blade of black metal appeared in the figure's hands before he walked back into the gloom.

A dungeon!?

Gio turned to look at the Shopkeeper with a shocked expression.

"Do not misunderstand me. This is a place for trade. Not a place for moralistic determinism. All are welcome in The Dungeon Shop, regardless of how palatable mortal society would find them."

The scenery changed another few times, passing a hall of fire and molten stone, as well as a crystalline cavern full of violet lightning. Finally, the Shopkeeper paused the viewing magic on an underwater vista, a bleached coral reef overlooking a steep drop-off into an inky black abyss. The reef was sparse, containing only a few happily swimming fish nibbling away at whatever they could find. It was a sparse but idyllic scene.

"What you're about to see is… confidential. I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to suggest that you should not take the information you garner here and leverage it for your own gain, but I would still ask that you not do so… as she is still so young." The Shopkeeper said, turning away from Gio.

Young? Who is young?

A shelf of coral moved on its own. A big clam, the size of a boulder, opened its shell, revealing a shining, transparent pearl glowing with mana.

"Of the manifold ways a dungeon can form, I have always found that those that form around a sentient being to be the most beautiful and diverse. She's only a year or so old, and she has recently learned how to summon defenders. She has elected to make her first choice a school of algae-feeders to keep her shell clean."

The vision condensed on itself, shrinking until it was small enough to fit in the space between Gio and the Shopkeeper. Gio looked down on a mollusk the size of a dinner plate. A small dinner plate.

"There. This should be a proper reference size, were you to be there in person."

The mighty cliff face was no more than a particularly large rock. The shell closed before reopening again with a puff of sand.

"She's… almost cute." Gio said.

"Almost?"

"Well… She is a dungeon. If she keeps growing, she will eventually become strong enough to threaten civilization." Gio answered.

"Ah, yes. Kill or be killed—the Rule of the Sword."

A shock ran through Gio.

Is that the true essence of the Rule of the Sword?

"Perhaps from the eyes, or rather the sensory organelles of plankton, you'd already view her as dangerous, rather than a developing threat. What you don't realize is that everything feeds. All life is violence, to some degree. Even plants wage silent wars over nutrients, strangling each other at the root to secure their place in the sun. Is 'cuteness' or amicability solely reserved for those things that do not pose a threat to you? How pathetic." The Shopkeeper derisively snarled.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend-"

"I could never be mad at a customer, dear boy. I merely resent the way of the world. I resent the flow of nature that teaches us to fear instead of understand. You might be interested to know that she gets excited to learn new things. She enjoys the warmth of the sun. She likes the tickle of bottom-feeders removing the algae from her shell. She's so very like a human child, in so many ways."

The Shopkeeper looked deeply into the image.

"In a few days, her first pearl will finish developing. If she chooses to sell it to me, I can teach her how to defend herself and hide her domain from interlopers long enough to build some real defenses. If she chooses to keep it, a pirate settlement nearby will be alerted to her location, because a treasure hunter doing some freelance work as a master of rigging aboard a mid-sized trading vessel has a skill for detecting valuables in the water. I cannot tell her this, as the information is worth too much for her to pay for. For you, Giorgio, this is useless information… and so I may give it freely." uttered the Shopkeeper.

"At the risk of asking a question… is that pearl worth a lot? Why would you want it?" Gio asked.

The Shopkeeper responded by reaching out a hand. From their outstretched palm, a stream of pearls of all shapes and sizes clattered to the floor, rolling under chairs and bouncing across the room.

"Worthless."

'Then why bother?' Gio wanted to ask.

As if reading his mind, the Shopkeeper responded. "It's the only thing she has. It is the only thing I can take from her that would be fair to ask for. The reason I am showing you this… is that the legacy you are about to squander is relevant here. It's not about the pearl. Sometimes, there is value in doing something for more than just the physical, tangible reward. Some say that the ends justify the means… but I implore you to contemplate the means themselves, at this moment. "

Gio sat in contemplative silence.

So what does any of this have to do with the legacy of Saint Daria?

He looked at the image, viewing the tiny domain of the newborn dungeon. He looked at the waving seaweed, and the sparkly little fish feeding off the bottom. She sat there in her tiny kingdom, oblivious to the workings of the world around her. Strangely, he almost envied her.

" I believe that I've shown you all I can. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" The Shopkeeper said, transitioning away from the subject entirely too quickly for Gio's liking.

"I don't entirely understand yet, but I… think I've learned quite enough for today… Thank you." Gio said.

"Indeed."

The Shopkeeper stood up and parted the curtain for Gio as the vision of the dungeon faded away.

The rest of the group stood up when Gio walked out.

"Food court?" Jean hopefully asked.

A wood paneled door opened, revealing a great hall of white marbled tiles and a domed roof of glass tiles. At each side, shopfronts of various eateries bustled with activity. Ahead of them, there was also a section labeled "GRAB N GO" full of white glass boxes. A scant few other people were scattered throughout the space, each looking around with a sense of wonder.

"Your meal vouchers will cover any standard fare except for the high-end items in stasis chambers at the end of the prepared foods section." The Shopkeeper said.

"I already know what I want. Shall we split up and find a table afterwards?" Chandrika asked.

_____

There was truly an astounding amount of options, even if some of them were of… not so common tastes.

"Fried crickets wrapped in lotus leaves and dusted with reed sugar." Hatra read.

"You know what? It smells better than it looks." Gio replied.

"That's just because we're so hungry," Hatra noted.

"East Carniolan hotpot. Chili-crisp Bladefish. Farlands-style Augur-nuggets, whatever that means. Too many choices… I don't know what to get." Gio lamented.

"Same here… you pick." Hatra said.

He was so hungry that he was beginning to feel lightheaded, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to try something new and exciting. His nose twitched.

"Wait… I know that smell." Gio said.

He grabbed his cousin by the wrist and led her through several stands, almost barreling into a hooded figure.

"Sorry!" Gio and Hatra both yelled.

Gio came to a screeching halt in front of a sign that just said "Ancient Recipes - Proven Taste." The booth looked more like a historical re-enactment than a proper store, but Gio knew what he smelled. He pointed down at his target with scintillating quickness, nearly startling the store clerk, an elderly woman wearing a bandana.

"That. What is that called?" Gio demanded.

The woman blinked. "Barbajuan. You are an… intense young man."

"We'll both take two servings of the different flavors to share, as well as… that loaf of fresh bread. And… do you have… an after-meal beverage some kind that looks red and is served in a tiny glass?" Gio asked.

The old woman's eyes went wide. Hatra looked curiously at Gio.

"We don't have the means to produce it anymore… but what you're talking about is called Amaro. If there's any of that here… it would be over in the Shopkeeper's private collection." the old woman said.

"I see. That's a shame, but if the Barbajuans are as good as they smell, I think we'll survive." Gio smiled.

The old woman got to work plating up the two orders. "You aren't one of those baby-faced immortals, are you? You look young to be interested in food from a dead civilization."

"Aha. no. I've just recently learned a bit about the Kingdom of Red Flowers, and I wanted a chance to try these. Someone… described them to me in such detail that you could say I could almost taste them." Gio said.

The old woman smiled, handing Hatra and Gio their trays. The cousins practically sprinted over to a set of tables where Sapphire was digging into a large tray of what looked like sushi.

Without even speaking to each other, the three began plowing into their food. Hatra and Gio were both making noises of delight as they ripped into the cheese-filled fritters. Jean got back with a cartoonishly large sandwich, as well as extra plates, napkins and utensils. Chandrika had a big cardboard box that she opened to reveal a steaming pizza.

Chandrika placed a slice of her pizza in front of the other members of the party. In between bites, Gio placed a Barbajuan from his plate in front of everyone, and the others each divvied up their meals so that everyone could try a bit of everything. After a few more ravenous moments of silence, the group began to slow down enough to talk.

"Okay, the pizza was good, but Gio what was that?" Jean asked. He still had three large cross-sections of his massive sandwich left, and he was placing each in its own wrapping paper to take for the road."

"I had it in the memory that I told you guys about. It's from the Kingdom of Red Flowers. It was just as good as it was in the memory… I just wish that she had the after-dinner drink that was supposed to go with it… Although she did say that there might be some in the high-end section. Oh well. I'm ready to walk around a bit if you guys are." Gio said.

"Well, let's go look. Depending on the price, I'd be willing to buy some for us all to try." Chandrika replied.

Gio's eyes bugged out of his head. "What? You don't have to do that."

"Sapphire already spent a pretty penny on us. I think it's sort of gauche to talk about wealth… but please remember that my mother is the Queen of my country." she said.

Gio frowned.

"What's wrong?" Hatra asked, reading Gio's mood from years of experience.

"I feel… weird. This feels like the exact thing that Abigail Kosmas was accusing me of when she blew up on me last class. I don't want people thinking that I'm only friends with you guys because you might spend money on me."

"This again." Jean said. "We know, Gio. It's okay."

Hatra punched him in the arm. "Hey man, don't ruin my chances. The daughter of a foreign Queen was just about to buy me a drink." Hatra joked, eliciting a chuckle from the group.

But… it isn't fair. Gio thought.

I can't just let Chandrika spend money on me. It would just be me taking advantage of her for her wealth. I have to turn her down.

A sense of wrongness invaded Gio at the thought. For some reason, Gio sensed a faulty justification.

What?

Gio went over the thought again. The idea that it was unfair for Chandrika to spend her money on Gio was incompatible with Gio's justification sense.

Why is my justification sense telling me that I'm wrong about this? This isn't spellcasting. What's going on?

"Come on. Let's go look to see if they even have it." Chandrika said, smiling.

Gio thought while he walked. He tried remembering everything Viniculus had taught him about justifications.

"The world itself can make its own justifications." Viniculus had said.

Maybe this is a case of the world itself weighing in? That's stupid, though. Surely the world has better things to do than worry about social blunders between friends of differing financial situations.

They walked into rows of glass cases, each holding a curiosity. There were little blank signs on each item that updated when the group came near. Gio regarded a little purple cake.

[Wistful Tarte - a cake made with a kind of special sadness. Cost: Five years of servitude.]

"Five years of servitude for a sad cake? I'm all set. No thanks." Gio said, mostly to himself.

"Huh. Looks like the placards update based on whoever is reading them. Mine just says fifty thousand Bits." Jean replied.

"Great. That doesn't make me feel self-conscious at all." Gio deadpanned.

Hatra squinted at the placard. "Mine says I can't afford it at all."

"Great, a judgmental cake." Gio said.

"Wait… does that mean that the Shop is valuing a year's worth of your time as 10k?!" Hatra gasped.

"That makes sense, but who would even work for five years for a cake?" Sapphire asked.

"It's not the cake. My mom makes seven thousand Bits a year, and that is considered an outrageous salary by Copper Ring standards." Hatra answered.

Now it was Chandrika, Jean, and Sapphire's turn to look uncomfortable.

"That's…" Jean began.

"We can change the subject." Gio firmly interrupted.

"Y-yeah. Please." Hatra agreed.

Both cousins looked a little put off by the revelations.

The group walked in silence for another moment before they started to hear voices in the next row over.

"My final answer is NO. You don't need it. Her ladyship already judges you too reliant on your blade, and you think that adding cursed lightning will make that better? Not to mention that we have no idea what kind of hazard such a weapon could pose to our unit's battle tactics." Said a stern, aristocratic voice.

"I don't care about any of that, and it wouldn't be a weapon I'd use every battle. Only for big finishers that our new damage dealers can't manage yet." replied a gruff, masculine voice.

Jean and Chandrika both turned to face the noise, but with opposite reactions.

Jean hastily turned the corner at the end of the row. Chandrika grimaced.

"Donovan?"