After leaving the leather working building, Luke had tried to sell his remaining items to the three leftover shops, but they wanted nothing to do with them.
While the four shops in this concealed corner of the city were well-maintained, the cobblestone street was…less than stellar. At least the air quality remained passable.
He andered around the cul-de-sac after that. Iona had gotten into a deep conversation with the owner of the chain-mail blacksmith shop. The Beastmaster was there to speak with her and to reminisce on the 'good old days.' Luke pieced together that the shop owner was the sole supplier of Iona's gear until she reached tier 3.
Unlike the other shop heads, the chain mail gear specialized male elf was stuck at tier 2 in crafting. In no particular rush, he walked the circle, observing the sky. Boredom invited thoughts; he wished the best for Dejen. While a quality pair of leg gear would be fantastic, Luke cared more that the man could provide for his family properly.
The air settling in the city was chilly and wet, but to Luke, the temperature was preferable. The watchman, Kelic, continued to glare at Luke and to be fair, the gesture started to get on his nerves.
Way too many dick-heads in this city. He thought. Rather than leave it at that, he spoke to the agitated man.
"What, you lose your wife or sothing? Stop looking at that way."
Sliding back his chair, Kelic stood, his eyes grew into slits, "Iona's earned the right to speak to so plainly. You have not, greenhorn human."
Luke observed Kelic. The tora was tense, wound up, and trigger-happy to boot. His fingers fluttered in anticipation.
"I see what this is. Use any excuse to take your life problems out on . Maybe put a stuck-up newbie in his place, feel better about yourself. That sort of thing."
"Watch your tongue, boy. I didn't reach level 50 ten years ago for so fur-less brat like you to insult ."
Sighing, Luke said, "This entire conversation could've been avoided if you'd watched the door instead of trying to burn a hole into with your staring. You're a tier one; you know how sharp our senses are."
The two n refused to set aside their pride and let bygones be bygones. The tora's tail swished dangerously. Kelic kept his hand on his weapon but didn't use it.
"Beg for forgiveness, and I can let this go. You can start by putting your face in the dirt." Kelic pointed his index finger down toward the ground.
Luke rebuffed the provocation, thinking instead, He's looking for any excuse to start sothing with , but why? From the start, that man had a chip on his shoulder. Does he treat everyone this way, and I'm just the first to confront him about it?
The Reaver shook his head; no, that's stupid. Absolutely no way soone could be so petty.
"I won't ask again," Kelic said, feet pushing against the semi-paved walkway.
"I'd rather not get into a needless fight with you. Give the actual reason you've been glaring at constantly, or is that what you do to everyone who cos in? Amazed you still have a job if that's the case."
Kelic didn't respond. He brandished his dagger, widened his stance, and pushed his chest forward.
His instincts are there but rusty. Must've not stepped foot in a dungeon or been in real combat for years at this point.
Luke kept Xera back, who decided to blurt out at this exact mont, "Let at the cat, Luke. I will relish his blood, bathe in it, slice his organs, and crush his bones into powder. Let enjoy the feeling of hacking off his head!" Xera laughed, excited enough to be near maniacal.
Caught off guard, Kelic comnted, "A sentient weapon? Who is your backer? No way a new hunter like you could obtain that yourself." The tora showed faint signs of having second thoughts.
Ignoring the question, Luke beca worried for Xera instead; She's falling off the hinges. Did I do this? Have I pushed her too far? Or is she too fragile now that she's been in the world for a while?
Stepping up from angry to enraged, the slight from Luke ignoring him egged on the tora, Kelic readied to spring forth. The second before Kelic was to charge, Luke said, "If you want to keep your head, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Luke pointed to Iona, her bow fully drawn, aiming from the entrance of the chain-mail specialist store. Like he was dropped into an ice bath, the sight took all the wind out of Kelic's sails. Floundering, the Tora sat back in his chair and said, "Next ti you co here, don't ever speak a word to other than what you need to say at the entrance, got it?"
Perplexed and confounded at the open hostility, Luke beca influenced by Xera's radiating blood lust, imagining the tora's brains splattering against the blue tal nearby, but he constrained himself. The tora had walked right up to the point of no return but backed away in ti. Due to that decision, he would keep breathing.
For now.
"Fine, fine, you've scared oh so much, great lord Kelic. Now," Luke surged frost essence to his eyes, and he froze the area around him instantly, "keep glaring at like that with your eyes, and I'll cut them out. Keep your end, and I'll keep mine, unreasonable cat."
Cowed but not entirely tad, Kelic shoved his head to the side, no longer looking at Luke, "Get out of here. Don't co back after today either."
What is it with random people constantly giving a hard ti? Guess I shouldn't have let it get to that he was glaring at with thinly veiled hostility for my entire walk, but damn.
"No can do, I've got a crafting order to pick up tomorrow; your attitude won't get in the way of that. You acting like this toward has my patience at the bottom."
The tora opened his mouth, but Iona walked up next to Luke.
"The grumpy cat won't tell you, Luke. Let's say he looks at every combat type in disdain until they're stronger than him."
Looking at Iona in confusion, Luke said, "Unless level suppression is way worse than I thought, I am stronger than him." Putting his hands on his hips while scuffing his boots, Luke muttered, "You couldn't ask for a worse trait to have in what's effectively the greeter."
Kelic bristled and stewed, but with Iona right there, he kept to himself.
"Most aren't going to be able to notice your mastery with elentalization or your exaggerated stats, Luke. Perception isn't everyone's forte. Let's get out of here, but first, here." Iona handed Luke an emblem with four armor pieces engraved; it read: The Four Armorn.
Deducing the question Luke was about to form, Iona answered preemptively, "It's an emblem to show the old grouch over there for him to let you in. I didn't bother to show mine because I've co here enough to be recognized. That stickler will have to let you in, no matter his opinion of you."
Luke took the emblem and put it into the Inventory. The two left the cul-de-sac, and Luke half-complained to Iona as they walked toward the city center, closer to the silver-black tower, "Is it my face? Swear that so random always wants a piece of during every walk I take in this city."
Iona reared her head back and laughed slightly, "Might be part of it. Your resting expression isn't exactly inviting. Maybe Kelic felt challenged by you instinctively, on top of his bad habit."
The Beastmaster elbowed him in the side playfully, "What's next on Defier Luke's agenda?"
Leaving the botched interaction with Kelic behind him, Luke answered, "Should go et up with a far friendlier tora, Sarama, the owner of the Jolly Cat Inn I stayed at. Need to close out my stay."
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Iona crossed her arms, "Not too far from where we are now. Follow , I'll lead you through a back way shortcut that gets us away from all this traffic."
She gestured all around, with the bustling citizenry walking around them as they stopped, similar to how water goes around a rock in a river.
Agreeing that the morning rush of people slowed them down, Luke spoke, "After you, my trusty guide. You sure you don't have anything you need to do?"
Putting a finger up to her mouth, she looked up in thought, "I do, but I'm avoiding it today. Been too many dull errands lately, well, until you showed up, half the criminal world right behind you all the while."
Sympathizing with that particular mood, Luke followed Iona as they dived through back roads, alleys, and building partitions. During the short journey, he struck up a different vein of conversation with her, "Iona, you're a Beastmaster. I've wondered, does companion equipnt need to be repaired, and why does Sooty only gain one skill point per level while I gain two?"
Keeping her head forward while skillfully navigating Sylen's back ways, Iona said, "Most avian-type items don't need repair. Basically, any item that 'lds' with them, like the feathers or beads, is self-sustaining. If you got a set of bear armor, like Timber has, It'd be repaired as often as a normal chest piece would need to be."
"Bear's have armor? No wait, this ludicrous world drops bear armor? Must be all sorts of interesting loot I've never set eyes on." Luke comnted in amazent.
Scratching behind her ear, Iona continued, "Companion items are hard to get your hands on. Half the gear I've obtained for Lulu and Timber was through an auction, the other half through trading, only had the good fortune of one piece dropping for , that I've since replaced."
Luke kept silent about the two items he picked up for Sooty in the trial. He supposed death zones ca with disproportionate rewards. He refocused the conversation, "And the skill point difference between Sooty and I?"
"Surprised you don't know already. Then again, the file does say you were a ferus. You poor clueless boy, you." Iona ca out the alleyway into the main road. "Put simply, companion classes already have plenty of advantages other types can't compete with. The draw back being, you'll need to invest more to keep Sooty's skills up to date, whether that be through beast crystals, or extra training with her."
They stopped in front of the Jolly Cat Inn. Luke said, "Hold that thought. I'll go settle my room with Sarama real quick."
He wandered inside the Inn and spotted Sarama imdiately; he called out to her, "Sarama, I've found a more permanent place to stay. Anything else you need from to close out the room?" Luke extracted a silver from the Inventory, "This should settle what I owe you."
Samara raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly, "Skin and bones, that will do. You had a fancy courier co in here looking for you early this morning. But as you stayed out last night, he said he'd leave the package at the Fasa House. Anything you need from your room before you go?"
Luke tapped his finger on the counter between him and Samara; he remained standing despite the guest stools beside him, "Positive I left nothing too important behind, rather get going. Thanks for everything, Samara. If I need a room again, I'll know where to go."
Samara put on a smile, "Need a late breakfast before you go?" She asked.
"I'm not hungry in the slightest. Be sure to recomnd this place to others who need a room. Until next ti." Luke turned around and left the Inn.
Coming out, Luke halted himself before bumping into Iona. He took in so air and said, "Got one more thing to check off on the list, was supposed to get a package here, but they left it at the Fasa house. That's where we're off to next."
Iona swished her hair over her shoulders, annoyed at the building wind, "We'll keep to the city center, then go down the west as we reach Miel Street. Enjoy the scenery. While the wealthy in this city cause issues, the buildings they live in can be quite srizing."
Luke held little interest in architecture. While they moved to the next destination, he brought up the subject of companions again, preparing himself to help Sooty, "You ntioned beast crystals as a way to help keep Sooty up to date?"
Iona stretched, putting an arm behind her upper back with another going straight up, "That's right, the higher you go, unless you're willing to train her skills to go up the hard way constantly, they will beco necessary. Mind you, you definitely should subject both yourself and her to training, but a mix between the two is often considered the best way overall."
Luke stepped onto a crystal-lined sideway; the restaurants around beca far more upscale, one serving sothing called 'Jorare al du font,' which looked like fancy soup with eyeballs and foreign vegetables. The raint of the townspeople in the western quadrant shot up in quality. Every other person wore a piece of vain jewelry or two.
Then again, Luke had two rings and a neckpiece equipped, although not out of vanity, so he kept his mouth shut on the subject. Iona pinched his arm, "What was that for?" Luke asked.
"To get you to stop being distracted when soone is teaching you," Iona said, her head half turned to him, chin up.
"Good point, you were saying?" Luke scratched a cheek in embarrassnt.
Crossing her arms, Iona said, "I'll assu you heard nothing past my first response. Beast Talent Crystals never drop below upper tier 1, sowhere around level 40 monsters if I rember correctly. They're not a rare drop, but also are seen more than uncommon items, an odd duck in between."
"They help Sooty sohow?" Luke cared more for how it could assist Sooty than about extraneous details.
Continuing down Miel Street, Luke began to recognize where he was. The journey wouldn't be much longer to the higher-class rchants' quarter. Iona scanned the road every so often. She answered, "Ten of them will combine to grant a companion a skill point, their main use. They're not cheap, but due to the relative rarity of companion class types, it'll be bearable once you make more gold."
Coming off a corner onto another street called Wenly, Luke scouted out and saw the familiar gated community of the wealthy traders in the western quadrant. He said, "You make it sound as if they have more than one use. Any other one I should care about for Sooty?"
"Admirable for you to prioritize your companion as much as you do. It'll pay off, as for the other main use we care about, if you combine one thousand of them, you can unlock another passive ability for a companion." Glancing at Luke when she confird Luke paid attention, she added, "Unlike us, companions have no skill book drops for them. Unless you're comfortable with Sooty staying stagnant ability-wise for the rest of her life, you'll have to scrounge up Beast Crystals for her."
Luke wanted to respond but noticed they were nearly upon the private community; he shelved his thoughts for now.
They stopped in front of the gate guards, and one politely greeted Iona, "Defier Iona, pleasure as always for your patronage. Have you co searching for items for your companions again?"
Iona shook her head, "Not this ti. Instead, I'm keeping Defier Luke out of trouble for the day," she pointed over to Luke with her thumb.
All four guards at the checkpoint stiffened at the na drop. While pointing at Luke, the sa one who greeted Iona earlier, he said, "He's the newly initiated Defier? I apologize for my lack of greeting, Defier Luke." He hastily nodded in respect.
Luke waved it off, "You guys were plenty fair to the first ti I ca through here; don't sweat it." Luke spoke again as an afterthought, "Plus, extra titles make my skin crawl at tis. Better than Lord, at least."
Each sentry returned to their post, and the gate swung open slowly for their entry. The two Defiers stepped inside. While Luke still gaped like a country bumpkin at the opulence in every corner, Iona remained unaffected.
Reminded of his last visit, Luke zipped his lips and feasted on the visual stimulation around him. He picked out over ten buildings, each adorned with precious tals, crystal, flora scents, and magically powered signs demanding signs.
Occasional whispers sprung into Luke's hearing. Dampening his enthusiasm for the area.
"An uncultured peasant. Why would the guards let such a type in here?" The snobby voice sounded similar to the typical female elf.
Her traveling companion pointed out, "That's Defier Iona next to the 'uncultured peasant' you're talking about. Best to keep your thoughts to yourself this ti, Quinn."
Shock crept into the woman's voice, "Oh my, the best Beastmaster in the city? Seems I ought to include a man's company before I speak."
Several such interactions mixed into Luke's ascended senses. While admittedly, most people, wealthy or not, minded their own business, so folks clearly had little better to do than comnt on anything new.
Clearing his head, Luke ca to the Fasa House. A human woman attendant with red hair and green eyes approached Iona first, ignoring him, "Defier Iona, how delightful to see you today. How may the Fasa group serve you?"
When Luke tried to speak, the woman subtly displayed annoyance. Luke's eye twitched, but he kept to himself. He should've gone off to bother another attendant.
Witnessing Luke's stone expression crack at the difference in treatnt multiple tis today, Iona laughed out loud. She wiped her eyes afterward, "Jane, you've started off on the wrong foot with the newest Defier in Sylen. I feel sorry for you." Thrusting her chin out toward Luke in a quick motion, she said, "He's the one here for business, not . I'll be a freeloader today, I'm afraid." A smile hung on Iona's face.
Jane turned around slowly to Luke. The woman bowed in apology. The smile on her face appeared to be forced, a bit of fear colored her expression.
Before she spoke, Luke said, "Don't bother, the lady from last ti treated better. Go enjoy your ti here with Iona. I'm rely a peasant boy or an annoyance, right?" He spoke in a monotone, "I would like another attendant, please."
A human woman attendant with black hair and high cheekbones imdiately ca to Luke, "Lord Luke, a pleasure to see you again. I am Maria, the attendant who helped to serve you on your last visit."
"I rember you. While being called Lord is a bit much, far better than being ignored outright, can you bring to the sa place as last ti, Maria? I'm here to pick up a package and possibly sell so items."
Maria genuflected toward the entrance into the Fasa House building, "It would be no trouble at all, sir Luke." Straightening her posture, she said, "Please, co this way."
Luke entered the building, and Iona followed shortly after patting Jane on the shoulder in reassurance. As she left with Luke, Iona said, "You're fine. He's not the type to hold a grudge over minor mistakes. An ornery tora lowered his mood before, and the gate guards ignored him at first for , just as you did. Third ti's the charm."
The attendant stood there worrying; expressions of struggle morphed across her face multiple tis.
A competitive tora woman attendant whispered behind her, "Rember our motto, Jane, we are to be of assistance and serve, not to judge. Clothes may make the man, but they don't make out their importance."
Jane's shoulders slumped.
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