The Ruby Magician

The familiar ring of the doorbell at The Silver Step welcomed Wyn and Marcy. Wyn had originally requested to come alone but Marcy asked privately at dinner if she could tag along, saying how she wouldn’t be in his way and would be ‘in and out’. She then quietly mumbled something about winning a bet between her and Cedric, and she was there to finally get her Boots of Mobility. It didn’t go unnoticed that she was carrying the staff Cedric pulled from the chest after completing their secondary quest, along with the bow she pulled and her own boots she’d worn since Wyn knew her.

It was obvious she meant business. If she said she wouldn’t bother him, well, Wyn knew she was telling the truth. Though he wouldn’t mind if she did.

The shop had some people inside looking through the aisles of items and a few were at the counter looking through the glass at some of the rarer pieces and jewelry, but overall it felt… normal. It wasn’t crowded but it wasn’t empty. Likely just how a merchant wanted it - steady and consistent. Benedict was tending to a few Climbers at the glass counter who wore enough combat gear to climb for days on end, their packs full with camping equipment adorning the sides and a weapon or two at their hip.

“Mappers and Packers,” Marcy said.

“Hmm?” Wyn asked.

“The people at the counter? They’re Mappers and Packers. You can tell by their bags and that they’re buying support equipment like potions, arrows, backup gear. You really think a Climber would do well fighting something with that on their back?”

Marcy had a point. The more Wyn stared the more he noticed that they were buying several potions each like she said, and one of them even bought a new pack that had a faint blue shimmer. He wondered what the effects of it were. Seeing the trio also made him wonder about Cal. Hopefully he was safe and doing okay. Wyn wanted him to join them again, to cook his delicious food and provide good company.

Thinking about missing someone made Wyn’s mind quickly wonder to Arabelle. He shook his head, willing away his distraction before it could take hold. He absolutely did not want to be moody again.

Benedict caught his eye and winked at him, causing Wyn to awkwardly wave. Well, at least the shop owner knew he was here, now.

“Here they are!” Marcy said, her voice far away.

Wyn looked over and saw that she had meandered through the store while he kept staring at the group. She was kneeling down to a pair of leather boots on a small shelf like a display. They hummed with a purple glow. When he walked over, he read the description.

Boots of Striding: The supple but strong leather of the Cloud Lupus serves to make fantastic running boots. Gives the wearer moderately improved speed, reduced carrying weight, improved endurance, and allows the use of Cloud Jump three times a day.

“Hey, my armor is made from the Cloud Lupus,” Wyn said. “It’s not that good, though. That’s an incredible effect, and on boots, no less!”

“That’s the difference between rarities,” Marcy said. “Your armor and these boots likely came from the same season but from monsters in different tiers. You can’t use that spell, can you?”

“Not at all. My armor is nice, but not that good.”

Marcy flashed a devious smile. “They can’t levitate over surfaces like Cedric’s boots, but Cloud Jump is a great spell. It makes a small puff of grey clouds cloak your silhouette, then teleports you away up to 50 feet of your choosing. With some restrictions, of course. It’s a fantastic emergency spell.”

Wyn gawked at the boots. He knew that with magic nearly anything was possible, and of course teleporting was possible as he used one over and over inside Alistair to move to different floors, but actually having an item to teleport at will was something he hadn’t considered. The thought just seemed too strong, too powerful to be able to be used. Of course it was obvious why those boots were purple rarity and the price tag under the description read “trade only” - how could you feasibly put a price on something that magically transported you from one place to another over and over?

“I take it you’re impressed,” Marcy said.

Wyn shook off his stupor. “Absolutely I am. Don’t tell Cedric but those might be better than his.”

Marcy laughed. “For me, they’re absolutely better. Being able to move positions and covering my escape at the same time is too good of an ability. And three times a day is plenty! These items I have might not even be enough.”

“If they aren’t I’ll chip in and help. You have to have those. It’s too good to possibly let someone else take them. I’m surprised they’re still here, honestly.”

“Climbers can be weird about their gear. You’ll find a good number of veterans keep the same equipment season after season, swearing up and down that they found the perfect combination of effects and that changing one would mean changing it all. Some of them have merit, but most don’t see the value in improving your abilities if you could just change one piece of equipment. That’s why they get Packers. If they do change, it’s an entire set of equipment, which is more reasonable to have a separate person carry it for them than fighting with a large backpack on your back.”

Wyn looked down at his equipment. “I get it. It could possibly mean changing your entire way of climbing and fighting, and most people see that as a bad thing. They found something their good at and stick with it.”

“Exactly. I guess it takes us ‘terrible classes’ to show them adaptability and change can be for the better. For me, I’d rather have one solid set and put my money elsewhere.”

Wyn smiled. He liked that thought. Which was partly why he was here.

“Marcy, dear, those are some excellent boots,” Benedict said, suddenly standing beside the two Climbers.

“Benedict, I know you put these out after I asked about them a couple of weeks ago,” Marcy said. “Tried to see if you could get a better offer?”

Benedict’s lips curled at the edges and a small, soft chuckle escaped them. “A merchant can’t reveal his secrets!”

Marcy scoffed. “Yea, yea, I’ve heard that before. So I have my blue rarity Padded Boots to trade, and two green weapons. A Windsnatcher staff and Huntsman’s Bow. Both have beneficial effects that put them on the upper end of green rarity, and you know how good my boots are.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Hmm… For a purple rarity item I normally ask for at least two blue items. You know the jump in power is greater from the second tier to the third.”

“True, but you also accept two green items for a blue. And these are two great items, which makes it a value trade. You’re still coming out on top with three items for one.”

Benedict pointed to the weapons in Marcy’s hands. “But those don’t look as good on a shelf. That bow is about as plain as could be, and the staff looks like a giant feather!”

Marcy tilted her head side to side. “Maybe, but they won’t last long enough to notice. You know you go through your green and blue stock far quicker than your purple items. I wouldn’t doubt both of these would be gone by the end of the week!”

Benedict crossed one arm over his torso and scratched his chin with the other. Whatever internal debate was happening was a serious one. “That’s still one of the best boots for a ranged Climber out there.”

Marcy smiled, her demeanor shifting like she’d already won their haggling. “Exactly, which is why it will go to a great ranged Climber. Plus, wouldn’t you rather have items you can sell rather than items that just sit on a shelf?”

Benedict’s contorted face morphed to one of amusement. “Alright, fine, fine! I should’ve known better to try and haggle with you. You’re too ruthless!”

Wyn didn’t know if he would call Marcy’s negotiating ruthless, but he understood that the man was likely paying her a compliment. Both of them had valid points, but Marcy’s final point stood out to Wyn’s the most - if Benedict couldn’t sell the boots on his own, they weren’t worth anything at the end of the day.

Marcy rose her chin at the shop owner and handed him the items. “I won’t deny it. These boots need a good home, and I’m the perfect person for them!” She immediately grabbed the purple shimmering boots and held them close to her.

Benedict held the staff and bow and snuck a wink at Wyn. Whatever the man was thinking was definitely not him just being bested at haggling. If anything, Wyn thought, he likely was going to trade them to Marcy no matter what, and wanted to have a little fun with her. Better to have your customer happy and leave satisfied rather than thinking they were being played. And, the man looked to be equally as happy with the outcome.

The entire exchange put Wyn in a good mood.

“Wyn, could you bring the boots?” Benedict asked. “I only have so many hands, unfortunately.”

Marcy handed Wyn her old leather boots. “And this is where I leave you,” Marcy said. “My work here is done. Good luck!”

Wyn had never seen her move so fast outside the tower as she shot off like one of her arrows.

Wyn followed Benedict to the counter at the middle of his store where the owner began to place the items and mark down notes on some pieces of paper. He effortlessly talked while he inventoried them.

“I know why Marcy came, but what brings you in?” Benedict asked. “If it’s anything like last week I can guess, but I don’t want to assume.”

Wyn cleared his throat and shrugged off his backpack. He pulled out his own piece of paper and slid it across the counter. “I have ten items I need to sell. Two are blue rarity and the rest green. I wanted to come to you first, of course, but I really need the coins.”

Benedict wrote something down on a piece of paper and put it in his pants pocket. In a swift motion with his hands he turned Wyn’s paper and glanced over it. “Fairly standard gear. Good for new Climbers, not much else. But you just about cleaned me out of my coins last week.”

Wyn grimly nodded. “I was afraid of that. I really need to sell them, though. I’m not in a place where I can keep extra items just in case.” Wyn kept his voice down and looked around the shop, not wanting to outright mention his debt. Benedict knew his situation but respectfully didn’t announce it, which Wyn was thankful for.

“I know. But most Climbers don’t need such large advances of coins.” He moved to place an item under the counter, then whispered to Wyn. “I have a contact that could suit your needs for selling items. It isn’t the most popularly viewed way to offload items, but it can be incredibly lucrative if you have a good haul. Which I know you do.”

Wyn leaned down on the counter like he was inspecting an item, whispering back. He tried to hold in his excitement but kept his voice steady. “I do. Why isn’t it popular?”

Benedict gave his famously smirking smile. “The buyers are mysterious and unknown. But the coin is honest. Isn’t that enough?”

Wyn nodded. Of course it was. And if this contact was trusted by Benedict, than Wyn had no reason not to trust him. “It is. I would greatly appreciate meeting this person.”

“I’ll set something up and send a letter to you with more information.” He then stood up and spoke a little louder. “In the meantime, did you have another reason you came by?”

Wyn pulled out his spear from his bag and carefully placed it on the glass. It was large and nearly took up the entire counter, but he had seen more items and heavier ones rest on the glass without issue before. “Yes, actually. I’ve been using this spear this month since there are fire-based enemies, but I’m having second thoughts. I’m wondering if I need to change directions and start using a sword and shield. Or spear and shield.”

Benedict’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know you had such flexibility in your combat prowess! That’s impressive, Ardwyn.”

Wyn felt his cheeks flush. Somehow Benedict caught him off guard. And somehow it was quite often. “Well, yes. But I want to protect myself and my group more. And without a sixth member, I’m thinking this might be a good solution for now.”

Benedict nodded along as Wyn explained. “That’s a fair point. This spear, though, isn’t easily wielded with a shield, I’m sure. Wouldn’t it be feasible to have both weapons? Packers are quite common to exchange equipment, you know.”

“So I’ve heard. But I’d like to be able to change on a moment’s notice. In the middle of a fight. I tend to be more flexible that way.” And hiring a Packer meant less money that Wyn made per climb, but he didn’t want to outright say it out loud.

“Well, that is atypical. But not impossible! Outside of carrying both I’m not sure what you could do. Unless you find a weapon that can change sizes and types.”

Wyn perked up. “Those exist?”

“Absolutely! Climbers don’t tend to like them because they prefer beneficial effects for skills and abilities, like boosts to strength or magic. Instead, those types of gear can change appearance or structure but have less overall benefits. More flexibility, less power. I unfortunately don’t have any in stock at the moment, but you might could find some in the trading district.”

Wyn nodded. It made sense. And he understood why other Climbers didn’t prefer them - everyone wants power and strength instead of the flexibility component. But Wyn wanted to try one out anyway. “Thank you for the advice. I’ll be sure to be on the lookout for that.”

“Good! I want you and your group nice and safe, after all. Is there anything else I can help with?”

Wyn shook his head and looked down through the glass. Those were his only two reasons for coming, but he found himself distracted by the incredibly shiny and attractive jewelry in the display. Rings, necklaces, crowns and circlets, even some bracelets with and without jewels radiated various colored auras but all were beautiful.

An idea suddenly occurred to him.

“I think there is, actually. These items in the display. I’m assuming they’re worth more than an even trade for green items?”

Benedict gave a soft smile. “Jewelry is valuable because they’re lightweight, easy to carry, and most importantly incredibly fashionable. Yes, the trade criteria is different for these pieces.”

Wyn nodded. He looked down at the piece of paper for his items he brought in, curious at what they were worth. His intention was to sell them, but he could always find more items. If the meeting with Benedict’s contact wouldn’t be for at least another week, which was likely, then that would give him plenty of time to find more items to sell. For now, maybe he could show his appreciation to his group with some gifts.

“I’d like to gift the group an item each. I know I mostly have green items, but I’m willing to trade them all. Two blue rarity and eight green. Would I be able to get four pieces with that trade?”

Benedict smiled. “You aren’t exactly the negotiating type, are you?”

Wyn shrugged. “I leave that to Tasha. And apparently Marcy. I tend to lay all my cards out on the table.”

Benedict slowly picked Wyn’s piece of paper back up and looked it over. “I know you do, Ardwyn. It’s a good reason why I like you. If you wanted to trade all of these, I could definitely find you four items. They’d be green rarity, maybe a lesser blue, but I’m confident you’ll find some items to compliment them.”

“How about five green pieces?”

Benedict chuckled. “Wanting to gift yourself, too?”

Wyn returned his own sly smile. “Not exactly. The fifth is for my sister.”

Benedict gasped. “That is absolutely the most precious thing I’ve heard all day! Is she coming to Alestead? Oh, I’d love to meet her!”

Wyn’s smile dimmed. “Well, I’m not sure. But I’m hoping to see her soon. At least with this, I’ll have something for her when I do see her.”

Benedict slid open the back of the glass. “Excellent. Then why don’t you tell me what you all need and let’s get some gorgeous pieces.”

They spent the next half hour going over the various pieces of jewelry Wyn could reasonably trade for. He ended up with a necklace for everyone except John, who still wore the tribal necklace they found during the last season. Instead, Wyn got him a ring with a small but shiny ruby. Cedric and Tasha’s necklaces gave a small boost to their mana pool, Marcy’s gave a small boost to her bow’s power, and John’s ring gave a small boost to his strength. He got Arabelle a diamond necklace that allowed a single use of Cure once a day. It was a small diamond, but still a beautiful piece of jewelry. And who would argue about having a healing spell that could be used every day?

Wyn hoped everyone could benefit from them. Their effects weren’t large since they were only green items. Still, it was better than nothing.

While he handed over each item and secured the jewelry in his pack, Wyn began thinking about Arabelle and her safety more. She was so far away, back home with their bastard of a father, and the only contact was her letters. Letters that likely weren’t telling the whole truth of her situation. He knew she was proud and wouldn’t tell the entire truth, but he desperately hoped she was alright. More than once he thought about leaving Alestead to go and get her, then bring her back to the city so they could be together. So he could watch her over and protect her. Not that she needed protecting, but it was better than her being alone.

He had decided that if she wouldn’t be able to come see him, he’d go get her. It would take basically an entire month to travel there and back, but if he could stock up on payments ahead of time, that could be arranged. And it would be worth it if he knew his sister was safe.

Which brought Wyn’s mind back to Benedict’s contact, and doubt started to flood his mind.

“I can trust him?” Wyn asked after some time. “Your contact, I mean. No offense, of course.” Wyn cursed himself. He hated stumbling over his words.

Benedict stored his new items away behind the counter while he kept talking, a smile never leaving his face. “No offense taken. I serve all manners of clients, some great, some not. Some straight-laced, law-abiding citizens, some… not. You get the gist.”

Wyn slowly nodded. Benedict was answering by not answering, but Wyn could read between the lines. If he wanted an answer, he’d have to ask this mysterious person face to face. No sense in pissing off Benedict by asking him too much about it, either. “I understand. This could completely save me, though, so I have to try. You’re sure it’s not a big deal?”

Benedict batted a palm at him. “Not at all, dear. If it goes well he’ll rely on me more, which means more business. And I’ll get a bit of a commission, so to speak, for every item he buys from you as a referral. Just remember he won’t trade them, only buy, so if you’re still looking to exchange items I’m your man. I can’t have you leaving me so suddenly, after all.”

“I don’t think I’ll do that. I enjoy your shop and company too much.”

Benedict laughed a hearty, charming laugh. Somehow it made him even more appealing.

Wyn smiled. If Benedict trusted this person, then he would, too. He hadn’t led him astray yet. That didn’t mean that Wyn shouldn’t be cautious, but if this meeting helped him fulfill his debt, he’d be forever grateful.

Maybe it was time to loosen up and start being a true player in this game he was inadvertently dragged into. The Assembly may be powerful, but he wasn’t one to back down. Not for his sister.