I had at least eight blisters by the time I ran through the gates of Celum, nearly two days later. I blame myself, really. Running in ill-fitting boots is about the stupidest thing you can do to your feet\u2014aside from running barefoot in the snow, that is.<\/p>\n
Yep. That\u2019s me. Ryoka Griffin, not-so-barefoot Runner. You\u2019d think it wouldn\u2019t matter, given the winter, but it does.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoi, running girl! Too cold for your feet, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the human guards on the rampart shouts down at me as I run onto the cobblestones and into the city. Briefly, I debate flipping him off or shouting something back. Instead, I run on.<\/p>\n
Bad temper? Who, me? I don\u2019t have a bad temper. It\u2019s not like I\u2019ve just run and slept in the cold for the last few days, all the while being pestered by evil incarnate.<\/p>\n
Speaking of which, I hear the guards at the gates laughing, and then cursing and shouting as my traveling companions arrive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cHark! A human city! Full of nasty iron and wood fires! Let\u2019s freeze the place, sisters!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2026And there goes the peace. The Frost Faeries I\u2019ve brought with me rush through the air above my head, bringing Winter with them.<\/p>\n Winter, in a literal sense. Apparently, around here the seasons don\u2019t just change with the weather. In this case, it\u2019s literally a phenomenon that follows these fairies as they fly around. Where they go, the temperature drops, it starts snowing, and the damn things can seemingly conjure avalanches out of the air whenever they please.<\/p>\n I want nothing to do with them, which is unfortunate seeing as how they keep following me. But now they\u2019re busy tormenting the human guardsmen, freezing metal to skin, pelting them with snow and so on, I\u2019m in the clear for the moment.<\/p>\n I can even take my boots off and let my feet breathe. It\u2019s cold around here, but the faeries haven\u2019t turned this place icy yet. They don\u2019t move around methodically, so I found entire sections of land that were still green and flourishing on my run back. Too bad the Frost Faeries froze everything they saw.<\/p>\n To the Runner\u2019s Guild then, almost less pleasant than the place I\u2019m headed to after that. But it\u2019s got to be done.<\/p>\n I push open the door, wincing as my blisters hit the wood floorboards. I need to pop them soon, but it\u2019s not going to stop the pain. A healing potion? Would it even be worth the cost?<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka!\u201d<\/p>\n The instant I\u2019m through the doorway, someone shouts my name. Someone male. Fals. I see him striding towards me across the room, followed by none other than Garia.<\/p>\n Well, well, coincidence is a strange thing. But then, both Runners live and work in this area. I guess I should have expected to see them.<\/p>\n Fals strides towards me, dirty blonde haired, handsome, athletic. Garia\u2019s type, which is why the shorter and stockier girl is right behind him. He\u2019s smiling at me. I think my lips twitch in reply, but I manage a small smile for Garia.<\/p>\n But for once, Fals seems genuinely glad to see me, and not about to offer me sage advice. And to my surprise, even some of the other Runners are smiling. That\u2019s\u2026odd.<\/p>\n Fals and Garia stop in front of me, smiling. Fals has straight teeth, nearly white despite the lack of special toothpastes and dentists in this world.<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka, where have you been? We haven\u2019t seen you in nearly a week!\u201d<\/p>\n His cheerfulness bothers me. So I nod at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, you.\u201d<\/p>\n Boom. His smile fades a fraction.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m well. How are you\u2026Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine, thanks. How\u2019s it going?\u201d<\/p>\n Now comes the pause of uncertainty.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do remember my name, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I do. Fall, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Hah! That flummoxed him. But Garia frowns at me. And I realize\u2014perhaps it\u2019s not best to enter jerk-mode the instant I come back. Oops.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s just having fun, right Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia elbows me in the stomach. Oof<\/em>. I forgot she was that strong.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure Ryoka remembers me.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals pats Garia on the shoulder, and she blushes. I sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Fals. I\u2019m surprised you lot are happy to see me, though.\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? That business with Magnolia was ages ago, and besides, you are<\/em> our fastest Runner. One of the best, too! We could use you here, now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay, if he wants to be buddy-buddy, I won\u2019t stop him. I give Fals one of those half-smiles with more teeth than smile.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Business is good?\u201d<\/p>\n He made a face.<\/p>\n \u201cBusiness\u2014our business\u2014is slow<\/em>, thanks to winter coming so quickly. Right now all the roads are frozen over so carts and wagons are going slow rather than break their horse\u2019s legs. Until they get sharp shod, no one\u2019s getting anything delivered fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Sharp shod? What the hell is that? Must be some way to travel on ice.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like it\u2019s good for Runners.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d think so, but us City Runners are having a hard time in the snow as well. We\u2019re overloaded with requests and no one wants to be outside for too long.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia nods and shivers. Her attire\u2014and Fals\u2019 is different. They\u2019ve got wool and warm clothes on, which I envy. Me? I need to buy warmer gear asap.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like I arrived just in time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to have you back, Ryoka.\u201d<\/p>\n I smile at Garia. And then I lose that smile when I realize she doesn\u2019t know about the Horns of Hammerad. Fals notices that, and changes the subject. He\u2019s\u2026considerate. Huh.<\/p>\n \u201cWell now that you\u2019re back, how many requests would you like to take on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia elbows me again. Ow!<\/em> That was a joke. But maybe she thought I was being sarcastic. I eye Garia\u2019s elbow and decide to stop joking around.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for the highest paying jobs. Fast deliveries, adventurers in the field\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDangerous requests.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there\u2019s never that many requests for us Runners. Adventurers don\u2019t like us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n They don\u2019t like most Runners, and for good reason. Don\u2019t say it out loud though, Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But there are some long-distance contracts I think no one will fight you over. You\u2019re best-suited for them, anyways. Plus, there\u2019s always good coin to be made now that a Courier is heading this way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA Courier?\u201d<\/p>\n That is<\/em> big news. I\u2019ve heard of the special Runners who go long-distance. One of them was supposed to take the High Passes request. Fals nods at me and lowers his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cWord is, there\u2019s a special request that\u2019s highest-priority. It\u2019s coming all the way from First Landing and a Courier\u2019s delivering it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhose word?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiles at me and shrugs imperceptibly at the receptionist\u2019s desk. Of course. Fals would know, since he gets along well with the staff. I suppose he\u2019s sharing the information with me and Garia because\u2026?<\/p>\n Well, a Courier, huh? But what was the place he mentioned?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not familiar with the place. Where\u2019s First Landing?\u201d<\/p>\n Now Fals and Garia both frown at me. Damn. I\u2019ve made a mistake. He raises an eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cThe largest city on this side of the continent? The port city?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. First Landing. Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n I should have read a book on local cities, but no one\u2019s writing almanacs or travelers guides for this continent, or at least none that I\u2019ve found. Play it off. I shrug casually as if I\u2019ve forgotten.<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder how much they\u2019re getting paid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMore than we make in a month, I\u2019ll bet.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals makes a face and Garia looks dispirited. But that\u2019s how it goes, right? The Gold-rank adventurers get rich and famous and everyone else below them gets screwed over in the adventuring world, according to Ceria. It\u2019s like that everywhere, both here and in my world.\u00a0 Erin\u2019s and my world.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for requests, I can show you a few high-priority ones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot really tempted at the moment. I need to rest. I\u2019ve been running all day and I\u2019ve got blisters.\u201d<\/p>\n I show them both my poor feet. Garia looks appalled and Fals just looks interested. He\u2019s seen worse feet, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n \u201cPainful. How\u2019d you get those?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoots.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou wear boots?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia giggled at me. It sounds odd, coming from her. Girlish. Which makes sense. She is a girl, I just\u2026didn\u2019t expect it from her. I scowl at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was either that or frostbite. I wasn\u2019t sure if healing potions could heal frostbite.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey can\u2019t. Not well, anyways. But if you need better shoes\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go buy some afterwards. For now, I need some stuff from the guild.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals spread his hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m cooling down from a long delivery from Remendia. Need any help?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n He and I step to one side to let a snow-pelted Runner stagger in. She starts telling the other Runners about the Snow Sprites in the area as Garia follows us towards the receptionist\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing I need is a copy of the Guild\u2019s rules. Do you have a book or something?\u201d<\/p>\n Fals frowns.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we do, but if you need to know something you can always ask the desk or me. Is something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just need a copy of the rules. I\u2019m not in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n But my tenuous plan hinges on something I remember one of the receptionists telling me when I first registered with the Guild. Fals shrugs and talks to the receptionist.<\/p>\n This one\u2019s a young woman, perky, smiling at Fals and fake-smiling at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we do have a book, but it\u2019s expensive. I\u2019d have to charge you fifteen silver for it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She blinks as I slap down a gold piece on the counter.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take it. Do you have enough to give me change?\u201d<\/p>\n I actually have enough silver coins to pay for it, but I might as well exchange a few of the gold coins Teriarch gave me. Plus, she\u2019s annoying.<\/p>\n As she fumbles for the coins Garia elbows me again. This time I glare at her, and she glares back. What? I\u2019m being nice. Nice for me, that is.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you doing, Garia?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine. The snow was sure something, wasn\u2019t it? I saw the Frost Faeries on one of my runs. I nearly got covered in snow before I got to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMm. The faeries.\u201d<\/p>\n Curse them. Those little monsters probably enjoyed harassing Garia. They\u2019re like little bullies, only apparently practically invisible to everyone but Erin and me. I nod at Fals as he breaks away from the counter and tosses me a thin book.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you bring it back, we\u2019ll reimburse you. But I hope it\u2019s useful to you.\u201d<\/p>\n I hope so too. But on to my next point of business. I move away from the counter with both Runners.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know where I can buy any artifacts?\u201d<\/p>\n Artefacts? I\u2019ve always thought the British way of spelling things was cooler. Fals shrugs and point back to the counter, where the receptionist is busy dealing with the half-frozen Runner.<\/p>\n \u201cArtifacts? If you need magic, we do have some magical items on sale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen them.\u201d<\/p>\n Crap they are, too. Runners around here don\u2019t worry about monsters that much, so what the guild and shops mainly provide are healing potions, and one-time spells in the form of scrolls, bags*, and wands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *Yes, bags. Don\u2019t ask me why. I guess some things just store better in bag form. They\u2019re some kind of tangling spell. You toss it at people and vines come out. A classic?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for more utility. Or something that can recharge itself so I don\u2019t keep using up my supply.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals frowns and strokes at his clean-shaven chin.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut there is a market?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot here\u2014but with enough gold, you can get someone to deliver it. Pay a Runner.\u201d<\/p>\n He grins and I have to as well. This social thing isn\u2019t exactly easy, but at least it\u2019s not as much of a chore as I thought it would be.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let\u2019s assume a proper artifact that renews itself is worth two hundred gold?\u201d<\/p>\n I look at Fals. He shakes his head.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, four hundred. Six hundred? Eight hundred?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably around eight hundred gold for something cheap. But I can\u2019t just give you a set number, Ryoka. The spell and object makes it an entire range of prices.\u201d<\/p>\n Holy economics, Batman*. What\u2019s up with that price range?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *Yeah, I thought that. I watched the old Batman show when I was a kid. Sue me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then again, given how much adventurers can make \u2013 I think Ceria told me once that an average contract can pay several gold coins per contract even without the bounty on monsters \u2013 it makes sense.<\/p>\n Healing potions? A gold coin or two. It goes up with potency. Spell books? Several hundred gold coins to thousands for the really strong stuff. Enchanted weapons fall in between, while ordinary armor is cheap by comparison.<\/p>\n One-time spells aren\u2019t cheap, but you can buy some if you\u2019re a seasoned adventurer with coin to throw around. Ceria\u2019s robes cost her nearly a hundred and twenty gold coins \u2013 something she had to save up for years to buy. But they didn\u2019t break or tear even after she nearly died in the Ruins. They\u2019re about the only thing she did keep, but she told me her wand was half as expensive as that. It was just a focusing agent with some magic she had to constantly renew.<\/p>\n But self-sustaining magic? Let\u2019s say\u2026a ring of fireballs or something? One cast per day? That\u2019s probably the kind of artifact they were hoping to find in Skinner\u2019s lair. It would cost\u2026one thousand two hundred gold pieces?<\/p>\n \u201cHow about a ring that shoots fireballs? Once a day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d bet that would cost at least<\/em> three thousand gold pieces. Probably four, and that\u2019s if you don\u2019t have to deal with some merchant from overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia\u2019s jaw drops. She looks at Fals and me and shakes her head.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? I had no idea they cost that much. I looked at a tripvine bag for protection, you know, but even that was out of my price range.\u201d<\/p>\n She turns red and falls silent, as if she thinks Fals and I will judge her. It\u2019s true, he and I could probably afford one or two, but I\u2019m not that kind of person. And he\u2019s not either, at least, I don\u2019t think so. But Persua is, so I suppose in the past\u2026<\/p>\n I\u2019m glad she isn\u2019t here. I still owe her a shattered leg bone, and she still has it out for me if I\u2019m any judge. But magic.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an expensive ring.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s more like adventuring gear. It would be nice for a Runner, but we don\u2019t need that kind of weaponry, at least, not unless we\u2019re doing Courier jobs. Why, are you hoping to become one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia stares at me, as if I\u2019ve announced I want to become a Gold-rank adventurer. Which is pretty much what a Courier is, right?<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re saying anything worth having is at least a few thousand gold coins, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d have to imagine so. There\u2019s a lot of limited-use magic for less, but if you want something you can rely on, you\u2019d have to be rich.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay, let\u2019s see. That would make any kind of real magical artifact pretty much the equivalent of a supercar or\u2026or a fighter jet from my world. The only difference here is that some people carry around the equivalent value of a nuke in their pockets. With probably the same effect.<\/p>\n Gazi wore armor that didn\u2019t even take a scratch when she got hit. Her sword cut through everything but Relc\u2019s skin easily. I wonder how much her equipment was worth? Or that teleportation scroll?<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals draws me out of my musing. He\u2019s looking at me seriously, and so is Garia.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou really want to become a Courier? I don\u2019t know what went on down in Liscor, but I\u2019ve heard rumors. Undead attacks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI missed that. But a Courier\u2019s the dream, right? If it pays better, I\u2019ll become one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals stops and glances at Garia for some reason. She looks uncertain as well. Which means they want to say something and they\u2019re not sure how I\u2019ll take it. I stare at Fals.<\/p>\n \u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka. If you never level up, you\u2019ll never become a Courier.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals says it straight to my face, meeting my eyes directly. He gestures at Garia.<\/p>\n \u201cGaria told me, and the rumors are spreading. You\u2019re one of our best Runners, Ryoka. But this is a dangerous job even for Street Runners. City Runners risk their lives, and a lot of us retire each year. But Couriers are different. You\u2019re the fastest Runner in the local Guilds, but you\u2019re nowhere near fast enough to become one of them, Ryoka. In a year or two, even Garia will be able to outrun you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I blink at Fals. I can\u2019t have heard him right. Garia, outrun me? She\u2019s got terrible form. She\u2019s slow, even if she is strong, and her body\u2019s not build for the kind of running I can do. She\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n She\u2019s got the [Runner] class. She\u2019s Level 11, or at least she was when she first met me. And I guess if she keeps leveling she\u2019ll get faster?<\/p>\n That makes sense, but I can\u2019t imagine Garia ever beating me in a footrace. But Fals is serious, so I try to respond without biting his head off.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for me to think bigger. Bigger and better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate that, but you\u2019ve never seen a Courier, have you? They can cover distances in hours where it would take you and I days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. Well\u2026I don\u2019t have a class.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s liberating to say, although it makes Garia stare at me as if I have half a head. But Fals just frowns at me.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have\u2026any reason for that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPersonal preference. And I\u2019m not about to change.\u201d<\/p>\n He shakes his head at me, uncomprehending.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be the first to admit that you can beat me in a race even without levels. All of my skills are geared towards sensing danger and preserving stamina, anyways. I don\u2019t have any movement skills, but I was lucky. Mine have kept me alive so far.\u201d<\/p>\n He gestures at the requests board across the room.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Ryoka. If you wanted to become a Courier, you\u2019d either need to run like the wind\u2026or complete enough requests to guard yourself even against bandit attacks and assassins and so on. Taking on dangerous requests like that job with the Horns of Hammerad and the one to the High Passes is a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. But is there any way for me to make a name for myself?\u201d<\/p>\n Money. Earn money. Eighty gold pieces for Erin\u2019s refrigerated cupboards? She and I will need a lot more, and if my two stupid ideas don\u2019t work, I need a fallback plan. Running is honest work.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the City Runners do a short run from city-to-city around here. From Celers to Remendia, Ocre, Celum, and even down to Esthelm, but almost never to Liscor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the best Runners travel across the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n I nearly said \u2018real\u2019 Runners, but bit my tongue just in time. I\u2019ve never run that far, and Garia is a Runner too, in her own way.<\/p>\n Fals nods.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about trade and the nobility. And the ruins, too, I suppose. All of the really powerful nobles and the Five Families live closer to the north. And a lot of the really important adventuring areas are north too, so there\u2019s more business there. And the trade happens at our port cities, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich one\u2019s the biggest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFirst Landing. If you want to see our biggest city, you have to go all the way north until you reach the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia jumps in. I suppose she wants to impress Fals. Or help me.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a famous dungeon up there, too. One of the magic ones that keeps spewing monsters and treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n Magic dungeons? Like the Ruins? Or\u2026magic? What difference does magic make? I guess I\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so let\u2019s assume I take a request to go up there. How much would that pay? Are any available?\u201d<\/p>\n Fals shakes his head at me. What have I said this time?<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka, if there were any requests from here, they\u2019d be Courier-only. Besides, most people set their requests so one Runner takes it to a city along the way, and the next Runner takes it further and so on. You\u2019re not going to find much work that way\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Thump.<\/em><\/p>\n Fals breaks off and frowns. I turn my head, and Garia blink and points at one of the windows in the Guild.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, what\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n Heads turn as something bumps against a window pane. I take one look and cover my eyes. Fals squints and looks at Garia.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t make it out. Is that\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrost Sprite!\u201d<\/p>\n Half the Runners in the room groan or mutter. One of the Runners who was about to leave takes his hand off the door handle as the small, naked faerie* taps against the glass and leers into the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *Don\u2019t get excited. There\u2019s nothing to really look at, since the faeries don\u2019t have any real features down there. Or maybe they\u2019re just wearing skin-tight clothing? Either way, anyone who\u2019d be interested in faeries is sick\u2026or Gargamel. Mind you, I\u2019d be rooting for him against the Frost Faeries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh no. Why is one of them interested in this place?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not leaving if those things are hovering about. My request can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia stares at the window and exclaims as a second faerie joins the first.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, there are more of them! It\u2019s a swarm!\u201d<\/p>\n Fals looks sick. He sighs and shakes his head.<\/p>\n \u201cWorse luck. I don\u2019t know if you have many of the sprites where you come from, Ryoka, but my advice is to stay clear of them if you don\u2019t want another broken bone.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay. Is it painful admission time or do I feign ignorance?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve\u2026seen them before. They might be following me.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals and Garia give me a look as if I\u2019m crazy. But then Garia nods.<\/p>\n \u201cThat could be. Um, it might be because you\u2026look different, Ryoka. The sprites like anything unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n I guess Fals is only an expert on things that pertain to running. Garia nods though, and tries not to stammer as Fals and I stare at her.<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2014well, as a child I liked them even if they did play awful pranks. Back at my farm\u2014well, we had a dog that had a wonderfully black coat\u2026but the fur around his head was white. He was interesting to look at, and every year the sprites would play tricks on him until they got bored. We had to lock him up in the house to keep him safe.\u201d<\/p>\n She looks at me and blushes.<\/p>\n \u201cNot that I think you\u2019re like a dog<\/em>, Ryoka. I just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Great. The Frost Faeries are interested in the one girl with Asian heritage, and probably also because I can see or hear them. Wonderful.<\/p>\n I look back at the window. The faeries are still there, rubbing their butts on the windowpanes and freezing the glass solid. They\u2019ve been a pain in my ass the entire run here, and I bet they\u2019re planning on dumping snow on me the instant I walk outside.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t listen to me, or even acknowledge my presence anymore, except as a target. Funny. I lost a lot of hair to those little freaks until I started shouting at them, but all they wanted was the attention. Not that I tried that hard to talk to them; I was hoping they\u2019d leave.<\/p>\n No such luck. They\u2019ve been following me for the last day. Apparently I\u2019m amusing to them.<\/p>\n Little bastards.<\/p>\n \u201cDid they bother you while you were running, Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could say that. Once they got bored of dropping snow on my head and started attacking travelers on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n The fairies \u2013 or perhaps faeries depending on how you wanted to think of them \u2013 were chaos and mischief unleashed. They didn\u2019t seem too antagonistic, but they caused trouble wherever they went.<\/p>\n Cart wheels broke, horses spooked and threw off their riders, and snowballs flew down like heat-seeking missiles on the hapless people going up and down the road. It was pretty amazing to see, in its own way. Less fun when the damn bugs tried to tag me, though.<\/p>\n \u201cSnow Sprites.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals shook his head and made a face. For once I\u2019m right there with him. Is there any way I could get rid of them?<\/p>\n My knowledge of old fables and legends is rusty, but I can remember quite a lot. Trick memory. And I do remember stories about faeries. Not the cute ones from Peter Pan \u2013 although Tinkerbell was always a bit of a demon \u2013 but the really horrible ones about faeries spiriting children away and killing peasants.<\/p>\n What was it? Cold iron \u2013 horseshoes nailed over the doorways. And flowers. I remember stories about people hanging garlands around the necks of infants to keep them from being stolen.<\/p>\n Well, I don\u2019t have any damn horseshoes, but it might be worth buying some. I also don\u2019t need to worry about kids, but I\u2019d better stay away from suspicious mounds* from now on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *Those would be fairy mounds \u2013 mysterious hills of grass that supposedly lead to the land of the fae. I\u2019m not sure about whether or not that legend\u2019s true, but if faeries exist, I\u2019d better not leave anything to chance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still. Faeries. They might be just as\u2026well, frankly, just as horrible and annoying as the myths make them out to be, but there\u2019s something about them. They\u2019re faeries.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like looking at one of those Drakes or Gnolls. Those\u2026people just scare the hell out of me if I\u2019m honest. I don\u2019t know how Erin can talk to them so easily. Even that Krshia looked like a bear with a longbow, and she wasn\u2019t even the biggest Gnoll I saw.<\/p>\n And the Antinium are horrifying. I hate bugs. Always have, and these ones carry swords.<\/p>\n God. When I think of how lucky I was to arrive in a human city, it makes me wonder how Erin survived at all. If I saw a Drake first, I\u2019d run for my life and never look back.<\/p>\n But faeries. Faeries are different. They\u2019re magic. They\u2019re \u2013 from our world.<\/p>\n If you can believe faeries are real, you could believe dragons exist too. You could believe\u2026that you could be a wizard. That you could be a hero or learn to fly.<\/p>\n And they\u2019re beautiful. Wondrous, enchanting\u2026if they weren\u2019t such a pain in my ass, literally, I might actually like them.<\/p>\n How else could I get rid of the faeries, or at least deter them? Magic? I know only one spell, and that\u2019s [Light]. It takes a lot out of me just to cast that, as well.<\/p>\n I need to learn more magic. Probably from Ceria or Pisces, but I need to finish my business here first. So.<\/p>\n Garia\u2019s still watching the Frost Faeries warily. She can\u2019t see them like I can, or hear them laughing and plotting to attack a cow, but she still sees something. I cough, and she looks at me.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you need help getting rid of them, Ryoka? I know some old tricks. A horseshoe or something made of iron helps deter them, although they\u2019ll throw things at you from far away if you do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll get bored. But there is one thing I would like to know. Where is Lady Magnolia at right now? Still in her house in Celum?\u201d<\/p>\n Fals eyes me oddly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to take any requests away from you. I just need to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s not that.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals shakes his head. He looks rueful.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you know? Lady Magnolia always travels north for the winter. She was only here for a few months in her holdings. But she\u2019s gone back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026What?<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s in a large city far north of here. Invrisil, the city of adventurers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so I\u2019ll go there.\u201d<\/p>\n Again, the look Fals gives me tells me I\u2019ve made another mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s three hundred miles north of here. Even if you started now, I doubt you\u2019d make it before the rest of the land is coated in ice.\u201d<\/p>\n What? Wat? What?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThree hundred miles?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got to be joking. But no, no, the looks I\u2019m getting from Garia tell me that Fals is not<\/em> joking. Three hundred\u2026I saw a map in one of the books I read, but I didn\u2019t see the scale on it. Three hundred miles? Is this place really that big? And more importantly\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019d she get there in a week\u2019s time? By horse?\u201d<\/p>\n How far can you travel by horse in a day? No\u2014since it\u2019s her, how far can you travel by coach in a day?<\/p>\n \u201cShe travelled in a carriage. One of the fancy magical ones that the wealthy use. It can travel that distance in a day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA magic coach?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the powerful ones. It doesn\u2019t need horses; it creates them out of magic. Extremely quick, but I hear they have to replace mana stones or recharge the magic quite often. It\u2019s not something that\u2019ll ever replace us Runners.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not my real concern, although it is fascinating. Garia turns to Fals as he and she begin to talk about the competitive nature of running.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t people on horses take our jobs? They\u2019re faster, unless we get good skills. A horse can beat a low-level Runner any day of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n Fals smiles at Garia and shakes his head.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil a Goblin spooks you out of the saddle, or your horse attracts a monster looking for a meal. Some Runners use them, but unless you\u2019re a good rider and you want to spend half the time running next to the horse and waiting for it to rest, you might as well not bother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Of course. I should have known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should you? It\u2019s a good question, right Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n Fals grins at me, and I nod absently. Three hundred miles. I could make that journey. I\u2019d have to buy supplies, or plan a route that allows me to stop in cities, but I could do it. It\u2019s just\u2014<\/p>\n Damn. I won\u2019t be able to keep my promise to Erin. I said I\u2019d be back in a week and there\u2019s no way I\u2019d make it there and back in that time.<\/p>\n Magnolia has more than one estate? Well of course she does. She\u2019s rich. That only leaves my second option, and that one\u2019s a hundred times more dangerous. I need to think things over.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry if that ruined your plans, Ryoka. We\u2019re not too happy about it either, mind you. That\u2019s a lot of good coin we\u2019ll not see for another year.\u201d<\/p>\n I look at Fals. He\u2019s not such a bad guy. I still don\u2019t quite like him, but at least I can hold a conversation. Because I\u2019m changed? Because I met Erin, perhaps. Because I need<\/em> to be at least at peace with most of the Runners to help Ceria and Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I\u2019ll hold off on that for the moment. I need to sleep. One last question for you, Fals. First Landing\u2014that\u2019s the north-most city, right? How far away is that?\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugs and delivers the final bombshell of the day.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst Landing is over three thousand miles north of here. Three thousand\u2026three thousand and eight hundred miles? Closer to four thousand than not.\u201d<\/p>\n My mind goes blank. Four thousand miles? Double that for the length of the continent. No\u2014Celum isn\u2019t even halfway down and the southern section is bigger than the north. How big is\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to visit that city someday. Perhaps when I have a few years to spare and coin saved up I\u2019ll make the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia says something then, but I don\u2019t hear it. For a second, the scope of this world blows me away. The length. The distance involved. It\u2019s\u2026well it\u2019s unimaginable. Because I know something about geography. I know how long South America is, for instance. And to imagine this\u2014<\/p>\n I started laughing. Fals and Garia break off and stare at me. I laugh, and laugh out loud, ignoring the looks from the other Runners. When I finish, there\u2019s only silence. Even the faeries are staring.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe laughs like an evil thing, doesn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Tis the sound of a coven of witches and Hekate herself!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I don\u2019t have an evil laugh. But I pat Fals on the shoulder anyways, to reassure him.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks. I needed that.\u201d<\/p>\n I leave Fals behind, bemused. My business in the Guild is done and I\u2019m too tired to run any further. I need to plan out my next step. Read that rulebook\u2014think about magic and faeries and how to get to Magnolia. Learn more about this world.<\/p>\n Yes, that\u2019s the real goal. I\u2019ve been too withdrawn, too focused on petty things. My excuse is that I had my leg broken, and my life pretty much revolved around that for a while. But now\u2026<\/p>\n Four thousand miles to First Landing. Over double that for the length of this continent. One among five.<\/p>\n Too big. Too vast for me to even imagine. That\u2019s the world I\u2019ve found myself in. For a while I thought it was too small, the people too petty. But that\u2019s because I\u2019m like one of those people who never venture more than a few miles outside of their city, or never leave their state.<\/p>\n I have not yet even begun to understand the scope of this world.<\/p>\n And that is good.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI thought this world was too much like\u2026a place I came from.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s how I explained my creepy laughter to Garia after we left the Guild. I mean, creepy according to her. And not really creepy\u2014I\u2019m sure she was exaggerating when she said that.<\/p>\n Unsettling, perhaps. Dramatic\u2014yes. But I don\u2019t have evil-laughter. No matter what those damn faeries say.<\/p>\n They\u2019re overhead now, or racing through the streets, bothering other people. Not Garia and me. She\u2019s got a horseshoe on her which seems to be working, or else the faeries have finally lost interest in me. Either one works, and it gives us more time to think.<\/p>\n \u201cI just forgot how large this continent is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s a good thing?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia looks blank, and I struggle to explain. How can I, without telling her of my world?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just that it means there\u2019s still parts of the world not yet explored. Places around her where no one\u2019s ever stepped foot. A land this vast has secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s as if I told her the world was round. Or\u2026is it flat over here? Never mind. Garia\u2019s used to a world that isn\u2019t mapped out with satellites and Google cars, but I\u2019m not. The idea that there\u2019s something to explore, something to find<\/em> that\u2019s completely new is what burns through my veins.<\/p>\n \u201cBut do you really need money that bad, Ryoka? I thought\u2014well, you said you had quite a bit saved up from that delivery you did in the High Passes.\u201d<\/p>\n The delivery. Right.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014need more money. There are things I have to do. And for that I\u2019d need better jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n She shrugs her broad shoulders. If Garia had been born in my world, she could have been the first female boxer to claim a title in the men\u2019s division.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, running is a steady job, but I don\u2019t know that you\u2019ll earn a lot quickly. Not unless you\u2019re a Courier, and Fals said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n Apparently even I\u2019m slow compared to a Courier. I wonder what she\u2019s like? Or he. Or it? If one\u2019s coming down this way, I\u2019ll try to measure myself against them.<\/p>\n First things first.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a few more advantages that might help, but I\u2019m not sure who to go to. Do you know this city well?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty well. And I\u2019d be happy to help.\u201d<\/p>\n Garia grins at me, again proving that she\u2019s a good person who doesn\u2019t deserve a friend like me. If we are friends. Are we?<\/p>\n I reach behind me and open my Runner\u2019s pack with one hand. Ever since I got it back from Rags, I\u2019ve been extra-careful with the potion I received as payment. It shines orange and pink, glowing with both colors in the grey sky.<\/p>\n \u201cI need someone who can identify this potion. Know any [Alchemists] or mages around here?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia stares at the potion in my hands, entranced.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2014? Um, yes! I know someone who could help. She\u2019s a friend of mine. This way!\u201d<\/p>\n She leads me down a street, and then another, until we come to a smaller side-street off the main path. I don\u2019t know Celum that well at all; just the way to Magnolia\u2019s house and a few inns and the Runner\u2019s Guild. But Garia was a Street Runner here before she became a City Runner.<\/p>\n The shop she brings me to has a small position next to two other shops. It has a nice fa\u00e7ade, belongs to a decently-wealthy district\u2026and it has boarded up windows and plywood in the display area instead of glass.<\/p>\n I look up at the sign over the shop.<\/p>\n Stitchworks. Potions, tonics, herbs.<\/em><\/p>\n Well, we\u2019re in the right place. Garia seems nervous, though. She takes a deep breath, and pushes open the door.<\/p>\n \u201cOctavia? Um, are you in?\u201d<\/p>\n It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the darker room from the snowy bright city outside. The room I\u2019m in\u2014<\/p>\n Is definitely an [Alchemist]\u2019s workshop. Definitely.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see. Herbs hanging from beams? Check. Potions on one wall? Check. Parchment, quills, some kind of desk for mixing potions? Check. Glass blown into squiggly shapes? Check.<\/p>\n A single lamp provides light for the room. It\u2019s not your average lamp either; this one I recognize. It\u2019s a safety lamp, the kind used in coal mines or in places where fire is a danger, like here. Glass walls contained a bright flame as the lamp illuminated the shop, the shimmering potions\u2014<\/p>\n And the young woman carefully studying the glowing blue potion at one of the tables. She looks up as Garia and I enter, and smiles at us.<\/p>\n \u201cGaria! And you\u2019ve brought a friend? Welcome! Come in and get out of the cold!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] beckons us into the shop, putting the potion carefully on one of the shelves. And she\u2019s a surprise to me as well, although she shouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n She has dark skin\u2014darker than any I\u2019ve seen this far. Her black hair is braided and pulled into a ponytail. She looks like a young woman that I\u2019d see down any street in America \u2013 or at least any street not in a white suburb, but here\u2014<\/p>\n Most people I\u2019ve seen around here had light skin. This place is probably close to Europe, which might be why. Geographically, it made sense. The sun isn\u2019t too harsh here, so probably only the two continents of Baleros and Chandrar would have people with darker skins.<\/p>\n Plus, globalization is not a thing in this world, especially if it\u2019s so damn big.<\/p>\n The important question was: did it matter? In this world, humans weren\u2019t alone. So how did that shift attitudes about race?<\/p>\n I look sideways at Garia and realize she\u2019s looking at me<\/em> to see if I react to her friend\u2019s appearance. Well, fuck. Whoever said humanity would band together if ever confronted by a new species was clearly mistaken.<\/p>\n Garia clears her throat as Octavia comes out from behind her counter to greet me. The [Alchemist] certainly doesn\u2019t look like the person I imagined her to be.<\/p>\n Not her skin. I mean her age, and her physique. She\u2019s no bodybuilder, but she\u2019s got clearly-defined muscles and she dresses in comfortable, sleeveless shirts and long, loose pants. Something\u2019s up with one of her arms. She has\u2026stitches going all down her right arm, and the threads coming loose.<\/p>\n Garia clears her throat and smiles at the dark-skinned woman.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Octavia. This is Ryoka Griffin. She\u2019s a friend, a City Runner like me. She needs an [Alchemist], and I thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka Griffin? I\u2019m Octavia. It\u2019s great to meet you; I can see we\u2019re going to be very useful to one another!\u201d<\/p>\n She takes my hand and gives me a solid handshake. I blink. This Octavia is all-go from the start, which I don\u2019t necessarily hate. Fine, time to do the same.<\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you. You\u2019re an [Alchemist]?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe youngest in the city, but one of the best! You want cheap potions made with quality ingredients, come here and nowhere else. Everyone else will rip you Runners off, but I\u2019ll give you the best deals so you keep coming back!\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026Yep. She\u2019s a business person, alright. It feels like I\u2019m being attacked by the salesperson of the year at a shop.<\/p>\n \u201cHere. Take a look at this.\u201d<\/p>\n The shopkeeper swings back behind her counter and brings out the blue potion she was studying earlier. Before I can so much as speak, she presses it into my hands.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a stamina potion I\u2019ve been working on. It\u2019s a newer product than the old recipes you see on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n I stare down at it. It\u2019s deep blue, the color of azure and flecked with hints of yellow within.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s blue.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia flicks her fingers impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cPotions can be any color, as I\u2019m sure you know. I\u2019m trying to standardize the colors so adventurers don\u2019t have to worry about using a mana potion instead of a healing one but color is irrelevant here. I can always dye the potion later, but take a sip!\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure I want to, but Octavia is staring at me. I shoot a look at Garia and she looks uncertain.<\/p>\n But hell, I\u2019m pretty sure this Octavia\u2019s not going to poison me, so I take a sip. The potion tastes\u2014<\/p>\n Well it tastes like someone scraped regurgitated corn mash onto my tongue and flavored it with prunes. Rotten prunes. I nearly gag, but swallow the terrible stuff.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s like I swallowed Red Bull if Red Bull were ten times stronger and contained actual magic rather than caffeine and sugar. My tired body, sore from running for so long in the cold, heats up, and I feel every fiber in me surging with energy.<\/p>\n Holy crap. I feel like I could run another forty miles with this stuff! Octavia grins and takes the bottle from me.<\/p>\n \u201cGood, isn\u2019t it? I\u2019ve added to the formula, replacing larvae extract with\u2014well, it doesn\u2019t matter. The point is that these new potions are only slightly more expensive, but they\u2019ve got a bigger kick to them!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly effective.\u201d<\/p>\n And useful! That\u2019s a potion I\u2019d buy, and Octavia seems determined to make the sale right here and now.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then, I\u2019ll put you down for a batch of stamina potions. You can leave me a down payment now and pay the rest on completion.\u201d<\/p>\n She whips out a piece of paper and finds an inkpot and starts dipping the quill impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cThese new potions are twice as effective as the ones on the market. For you, I wouldn\u2019t charge much. Let\u2019s say a gold piece and eight silver pieces for each one? That comes to\u2026sixteen gold and sixteen silver for a batch of twelve, but I\u2019ll give you a discount and make it an even fourteen. How does that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia glances at me as she scribbles on the piece of paper. I try not to smile. She\u2019s pushy. Garia looks like she\u2019s swallowed her tongue as she glances at me. Did she get suckered into buying a bunch of pricy potions? Of course she did.<\/p>\n Fortunately, I know how to deal with pushy people. Hell, the people my dad worked for are all like the worst kind of used-car salesmen. You have to know how to deal with people like that. With care, tact, diplomacy\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia blinks, but I don\u2019t. The best way to deal with someone like this is to shut them down hard. She turns to me, holding out the paper with figures scribbled down on it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be any trouble. I\u2019ll just write your name down here. Ryoka Griffin, was it? How about you get back to me on\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said, no.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh come now. You\u2019ve tasted my potion. I can make it more palatable if that\u2019s what you\u2019re worried about. This is an investment! You can\u2019t just turn your back on this. Stick with me and I\u2019ll offer you a discount on future potions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia pushes the paper in my face and I lose my patience. I push her arm up. Not too hard, but enough to make her realize I can keep going until she dislocates something. She blinks\u2014<\/p>\n Her arm falls off.<\/p>\n It just\u2026unravels. The black stitches I saw along her armpit come loose, and her arm drops from Octavia\u2019s body onto the ground. I\u2019m stunned for a second, but Octavia moves faster.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, darn it. I should have double-knotted the stitches. Hold this for a second, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n She shoves the paper and quill into my hands as she bends down to pick up the severed arm. I stared at her, open-mouthed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Ryoka, really!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n Garia comes over to me, sidling around the messy tables as Octavia picks up her arm. She points at Octavia and the thing which is not truly an arm in her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s one of the String People.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia looks up, concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you haven\u2019t met one of us before? I\u2019m sorry, it must come as a surprise. But don\u2019t worry\u2014as you can see, I\u2019m made of fabric. Losing my arm didn\u2019t hurt a bit!\u201d<\/p>\n She holds out the arm towards me.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t help it. I jerk back reflexively, but the arm touches my fingers before I can pull away.\u00a0 The sensation is\u2014<\/p>\n Odd. The arm is odd. It\u2019s just\u2026cotton. I can feel the cotton skin below my fingertips, just like normal fabric. And inside is\u2026more cotton. It\u2019s so clearly cotton.<\/p>\n But the detail! Someone has taken the time to create the inside of the human body in fabric form, albeit with a few liberties. Not every muscle is in the arm, but there are red sinews that look like pieces of colored yarn, yellow bone in the form of delicately woven stuffed cotton, and even red stitched into the interior of the arm to make it look like there\u2019s blood inside.<\/p>\n I stare at the arm, and touch it gingerly. It\u2019s just cotton. Plain cotton. Octavia grins.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see? Nothing special. But give me two seconds and\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n She pushes the arm against her shoulder. It\u2019s amazing, but for a second I can see into<\/em> her body from the missing socket. There\u2019s bone and flesh woven into Octavia\u2019s frame. Garia shudders and looks away until Octavia begins threading that black stitching back together, literally sewing her arm into place.<\/p>\n \u201cHold on. It\u2019s always hard to get the back stitches in right.\u201d<\/p>\n And then the arm is suddenly flesh again, or close enough. It turns from mere fabric into what looks like skin, so seamlessly that only the black stitching around her shoulder stands out.<\/p>\n Octavia claps her hands together, a fleshy sound so real<\/em> that I nearly jump. She grins at me and flexes her arm. The muscles ripple under the skin exactly like normal flesh.<\/p>\n \u201cGood as new, you see? It\u2019s inconvenient when the stitching gets loose, but I don\u2019t have to worry about that most of the time. Plus, being fabric means I can adjust my body however I like. For instance, I bulked myself up a bit. Added a few more muscles so I could lift everything properly. It slows me down, but\u2014hey!\u201d<\/p>\n She takes the parchment and quill back from me. I\u2019d completely forgotten I was holding it.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see you\u2019re a discerning customer. Okay, we\u2019ll hold off on the stamina potions order until we\u2019ve gotten to know each other better. But if you need a healing potion, mana potion, tonic for an ailment or anything else, come to me! Building connections is a basic skill for Runners, and as I level I\u2019ll be sure to make you a priority customer. How about that?\u201d<\/p>\n She just doesn\u2019t quit.<\/em> I blink at her, and shake my head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not looking for a potion at the moment. If I am\u2014I\u2019m here to get an appraisal.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia instantly brightens.<\/p>\n \u201cWell why didn\u2019t you say so? I can identify almost any potion by sight alone. Give me just a few moments and I\u2019ll have the location, brewer, and efficacy of your potion locked down. I can even\u2014dead gods, what is that?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia breaks off, speechless for once, as she catches sight of the potion I\u2019ve tucked into my belt. She\u2019s past Garia and has the potion out in her hands before I can blink.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n She ignores me as she holds the shimmering orange and pink potion up to the light.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere<\/em> did you get this?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She ignores me as she paces around, and then swiftly moves to one of the tables full of alchemy equipment. She places the potion over an odd stone set in a box\u2014and taps the thing. The stone sparks, and suddenly a blue flames bursts into life under the potion.<\/p>\n Is she trying to heat the potion? What will that do?<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia peers into the potion as, suddenly, the pink streamers of color thicken and darken to red and the orange fluid begins to glow even brighter. Garia gasps as the light from the potion begins to illuminate the shop. Octavia doesn\u2019t even look back at us as she murmurs out loud.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful. Whoever blended this used the highest-quality ingredients and heated the mixture perfectly. I can\u2019t think of an [Alchemist] around here who could do that. Did it come from up north?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s a potion I received. I wanted to know exactly what it does. It\u2019s supposed to make me faster\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a potion of haste, or perhaps even a higher-level version.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia pulls the potion off the stand and the colors begin shifting back to normal. She gestures at it, so excited that I begin to get a sense for how much Teriarch paid me for that delivery.<\/p>\n \u201cThis potion\u2014I haven\u2019t seen anything so potent in my life! You could sell it for\u2014I\u2019ve got to study it! Who made it? Was it found in some ruins? How much do you want for it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not for sale. I just wanted to see how much it was worth and what it would do\u2014I wanted to talk to an [Alchemist] about potions, not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia isn\u2019t listening. She\u2019s already looking around, muttering about empty flasks and equipment. I reach for the potion and she turns back to me, a broad smile on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, you give me a sample of that potion and I\u2019ll answer any question you want. I\u2019ll even throw in a potion or two of my own, free of charge!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n I reach for the potion, but Octavia takes a step back. She\u2019s holding the potion like it\u2019s the elixir of life.<\/p>\n \u201cI could get you an excellent price for this on the market. Give me a bit to show around and I\u2019ll have a figure for you by the end of the day. You\u2019re looking at a hundred\u2014no, at least two hundred gold coins at least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I want my potion back.\u201d<\/p>\n She doesn\u2019t want to give it to me. Garia opens her mouth, and Octavia\u2019s instantly next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cYour friend Garia bought some wonderful healing potions off me just last month! Tell you what, I\u2019ll give you a 20\u2014no, a 40% discount on potions at my shop and I\u2019ll throw in a batch of samples as well for a bit of your potion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the potion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about twenty gold? I\u2019ll give you that and the stamina potion for a sample. I\u2019ll even toss in a few tonics I\u2019ve made \u2013 highly saleable! Just give me five minutes an tiny bit of it to copy and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the potion or I\u2019ll hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I had at least eight blisters by the time I ran through the gates of Celum, nearly two days later. I blame myself, really. Running in ill-fitting boots is about the stupidest thing you can do to your feet\u2014aside from running barefoot in the snow, that is. Yep. That\u2019s me. Ryoka Griffin, not-so-barefoot Runner. You\u2019d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693082,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693131],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-1505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-2","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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