Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 63 She Does Excellent Work.

“Hey Celeste?” Isaac said as he leaned against the bar.

“Yes hun?” Celeste replied as she polished a glass.

“I ordered a new sword and we are going to have Lenna’s touched up.” He explained. “Once the swords are ready, then what? Where do I send them to get enchanted? How do I send them?”

“Ah so you didn’t just order one from the general store then?” Celeste replied. Isaac just stared blankly for a moment. Celeste chuckled. “Yes it’s that easy.”

Isaac sighed and rested his hand on his chin. “Well, it’s fine. One of the swords is better quality than they would have anyway.”

“Well, right next to the Adventurers’ Guild there is a little building without a sign on it. Only the rich folk know where the courier’s office is in any given city.” Celeste told him and set the glass down. “Bring the sword in a box with three hundred gold packed in there along with it.”

“That sounds like it’s waiting to get stolen.” Isaac replied.

Celeste smiled. “That’s why you are going to pay two hundred gold to ship it there and back.”

Isaac blinked a few times. “I knew travel was dangerous but two hundred gold? How far am I sending it?” He asked incredulously.

“You are sending it to the Altia Academy of Magic and Artificery in the capital of Altia, Altesia.” Celeste explained and Isaac rolled his eyes at the name of the capital. “I know, their naming scheme is awful.”

Isaac chuckled. “At least I know I’m not the only one who thinks that. Who names a place Charles III? At least Ben’s End rolls off the tongue.”

Celeste just smiled at him before continuing. “The academy will enchant it for a small fee of only fifty gold. The other two hundred and fifty that you are sending with it are to cover the costs of enchanting it in the first place. That is, of course, assuming you only want the blade sharpened and hardened with magic. Any of the crazy things cost way more.”

“Maybe in the future I can think about a sword that floats around and stabs people without me having to lift a finger but there is no way I have the gold for something as outlandish as that.” Isaac replied. Celeste just stared at him blankly for a moment. “Wait, that’s real?” Isaac asked.

“Yes. Floating swords are common for noble swordsmen. Especially those that can’t cast magic normally.” Celeste explained.

Isaac beamed. “That sounds so cool.”

After giving Isaac a moment to imagine getting into a sword duel with himself Celeste broke him out of his thoughts. “Now that you know how to get things enchanted, are you going to do something about that armor that looks ready to fall into pieces?”

Isaac looked down at his armor. Most of it had held up nicely but the area where the repair was done was deteriorating especially badly. The armor was covered in nicks and gashes from many near misses and glancing blows. He really did have a talent for deflection. “Maybe in a few weeks when I can afford it.” He said with a frown.

Celeste shook her head and looked at Lenna. “You just going to let him make a bad decision like that?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“If he got hit at all, I would press the issue.” Lenna replied. “If he doesn’t want to be hit he won’t be. I have faith in him.”

Celeste smiled and shook her head. “Ah youth.” She said with a contented sigh. “Don’t go fighting anything worse than spiders with that gear you hear me?”

“Yes mam.” Isaac replied. “I’ve only actually been hit a few times and the armor barely helped if it even helped at all. The glancing blows could have been avoided if I was faster, which lowering my weight should do… I’ll need magical armor.

“Good lad.” Celeste replied. “Now, you two here for dinner? I don’t think I’ve ever had patrons eat as much as you two.”

Isaac chuckled and Lenna looked down at her feet for a moment in embarrassment. A moment that fortunately Isaac hadn’t noticed. “Yes.” Lenna and Isaac said in unison.

The next two days went by as the days prior had; breakfast, hunting, lunch, sparring and reading. Isaac had diversified his literature from magic theory to the book Lenna had been reading after she finished it and had found another to replace it. Lenna had raised an eyebrow but decided not to comment.

The day Isaac picked up his swords from Stan they were ambushed by a messenger as they left Stan’s Smithy. “Ehlow mista?” A young boy, maybe around ten, said to Isaac. “You ‘ord Wexler?” He stared at Isaac’s silver eyes in the street light that seemed to shine the same color as the glowing stones.

“Yes. Why?” Isaac asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“Gots a message for ya.” The boy said and handed him a piece of paper that was folded in half. The boy’s brown hair had a fair amount of red stone dust in it and his face was dirty. His clothes were plain and in disrepair. Isaac couldn’t tell if the boy was just poor or if he was homeless. Lenna noticed the way the boy seemed to be looking for a coin purse on Isaac and she figured the latter.

Isaac opened the paper and read it aloud so Lenna didn’t have to take her eyes off their surroundings. “Your attire is completed Lord Wexler and Lady … “ He trailed off at her last name before just deciding to skip it and continue. “Please come and have it fitted at your earliest convenience. Signed Jessica Silverstrand.”

“Fitting can take a while.” Lenna told Isaac and then nodded at the boy. “I believe he is waiting for a tip.”

The boy’s eyes widened at the deep, smooth, and distinctly feminine voice that came from the battleworn armor in front of him. “It’s custom to pay upon delivery.” The boy replied, accentuating many of the harder syllables.

Isaac smiled and reached behind the boy’s ear quicker than he could react then yanking his hand back with a gold coin held between his thumb and index finger. “Here. Don’t lose it.” Isaac said and the boy took the coin with eyes so wide they looked like they would stay that way.

“Th-thank ya mista.” The boy whispered. Isaac patted him on the head and nodded towards the Silverstrand Seamstress.

Lenna and Isaac left the bewildered boy there in the street as he bit into the coin to make sure it was real. “You think a gold was a bit much? I couldn’t tell if it was the magic trick or the coin that shocked him the most.” Isaac asked Lenna when they were out of earshot.

“Probably both.” Lenna replied.

Isaac smiled. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with over paying from time to time.”

Inside the Silverstrand Seamstress Isaac and Lenna had been barred from seeing each other’s outfits. “No, no, no. It would ruin the surprise. Make a big reveal to each other before you leave to see Sera. I promise it’ll be much better that way.” Jessica had assured them.

“I don’t like not knowing if he is safe.” Lenna had protested.

Jessica shook her head. “By all that is holy girl, do you follow him into the bath?”

Lenna’s face reddened, or rather turned from a violet hue to more of a red wine color. “No.” She replied after a moment.

Jessica put the back of her hand on her forehead. “I can tell you’ve thought about it.” Lenna’s face reddened even more. “He’ll just be in the next room, it’s not like I’m taking him to the capital or something. Sit and wait.” She commanded and pointed to a chair resting against the wall just outside the dressing room.

Isaac had been listening to the encounter from said dressing room as he changed into his new outfit. The more their discussion went on the wider the grin on his face became.

—

Three whole hours later the pair left the seamstress with four boxes. Two had clothes and the other two had shoes. Jessica had instructed Lenna to find something silver, preferably with an amethyst, to wear as an accessory. Isaac noted it as something he would look for later. Lenna wouldn’t. As far as she was concerned all their money was his and she wasn’t going to try to spend that money on jewelry. Especially of the non magical variety.

Back at their room Isaac pulled the boxes out of his Inventory that he had stashed them in when no one was looking. He stacked them in the closet and sat on the bed with a content sigh. “Those looked expensive.” Lenna commented as she sat down on the chair and took off her helmet.

“I don’t even want to know how much that cost. Not until getting more is an option anyway.” Isaac replied. “It’s actually really comfortable.”

“Indeed.” Lenna said and started the long process of taking off her armor. “She does excellent work.”

“When we have more money to throw around, I’m definitely filling my half of the closet with clothes from her. I’ve always just thought of clothes as something to keep me warm and cover myself but I could get used to dressing like that.” Isaac went on.

“I…” Lenna’s voice trailed off as she looked for the right way to say what she was thinking. “Not being in armor frightens me.”

“One day it won’t.” Isaac assured her. “I promise.”

She gave him a weak smile. “If I didn’t know any better,” She let the silence hang for a moment. “I wouldn’t believe you.”