Eternal Rest

Bones entered the tavern, greeted by a familiar tune. The place was bustling, and he navigated through the crowd to reach the back of the bar. Walking down the hall, he encountered the burly man standing at the entrance to the casino, who gave him a skeptical glance. Bones stopped beside him, a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Say… you wouldn't happen to be interested in becoming a golem? I'd even pay you!" Bones deadpanned. The man regarded him with a puzzled expression, questioning what he meant. Bones waved off the inquiry and proceeded into the casino.

The atmosphere inside was lively, filled with the sounds of various games. While Bones had observed these games before, he had never taken the plunge himself. Today, he decided to satisfy his curiosity.

Approaching the casino cashier, he exchanged a hundred gold into tokens, the currency used in the establishment. With a determined mindset, Bones tried his luck at the games. However, luck seemed to elude him as he gradually lost all his tokens. Undeterred, he returned to the cashier, exchanged another hundred gold, and continued his gambling endeavor.

Bones' streak of losses was interrupted half an hour later by a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Solin with a mischievous grin.

"Hey there! You doing alright?" Solin asked, eyeing the last token in Bones' hand.

"Hit me while I'm down, why don't you! Evening, Solin," Bones replied, his spirits slightly dampened by his losing streak.

"Bones, you know the house always wins! Come to the booth," Solin said, gesturing for Bones to follow him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bones muttered, placing a final bet and losing his last token. He followed Solin to the booth, ready for a change of pace.

"So, what's new?" Bones asked, noting Solin's eagerness to talk. The young man had a way of signaling when something good had happened.

"That obvious?" Solin chuckled. "Doesn't matter! I've finally advanced all of my skills!" He announced proudly. Bones attempted to whistle in admiration, but it came out as more of a wheeze. Nevertheless, Solin appreciated the sentiment.

"Your shop business doing ok? Oh yeah, have you heard about the frontlines?"

Bones spared Solin the details of his shop's success, simply confirming that things were going well. However, he was intrigued by the news of the frontlines. "Something happened? The prince went to the frontlines, right?"

"Oh, he went there alright! Rumors say he jumped into battle as soon as he got there and pushed the Aphitonian out of the mines within an hour! And check this…he engaged in a fight against the ascendant!" Solin exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

"Get out of here!" Bones exclaimed, genuinely surprised by the news. The idea of witnessing a battle between the prince and an ascendant was astonishing.

"And? They clashed?" Bones asked eagerly, wanting to hear more.

"Oh yeah! From what I hear, they've been fighting for three days now! The prince is trying to take back the fortress, but the ascendant wouldn't let him," Solin replied, his enthusiasm unabated.

"The prince is…quite impressive!" Bones admitted, acknowledging the prince's remarkable feats.

"What are you two talking about so passionately?" Silva asked, appearing out of nowhere and joining their conversation.

Both turned to him, and Solin shared the news about the war, while Bones greeted both Silva and Tivaara, who entered the booth right after. It had been some time since they all saw each other, and they had a lot of catching up to do.

While conversing, Bones felt his Soul Barrier quiver. The sensation startled him, causing him to stop talking. He looked at Silva, who was concentrating with a frown on his face. Silva sensed him staring and looked up.

"Hm? Everything alright, Bones?" Silva inquired.

Bones feigned like he didn't notice anything and replied, "Yes, why do you ask?"

Silva cocked his head, seeming skeptical. Without others noticing, he once more forced his skill onto Bones. The barrier shook once more, harder than before, but Bones endured the pain that ensued without giving anything away.

"Are you really sure you're alright?" Silva asked again, concern evident in his voice.

Bones sensed the disturbance clearly. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little under pressure," he replied, attempting to brush it off. "Must be the weather. I think I better head upstairs and meditate on it." With those words, Bones stood up, signaling his departure.

"Alright, take your time," Silva replied, watching Bones leave the table with a furrowed brow.

As Bones made his exit, Tivaara leaned in, her curiosity evident in her whispered question to Silva. "What was that all about?"

Silva's expression remained somber, but he offered no immediate response.

After Solin departed, Tivaara turned back to Silva, pressing for answers once more. Silva sighed heavily before responding, hinting at a more urgent matter concerning Bones. Tivaara pressed for clarification, and Silva reluctantly disclosed that he had encountered a soul barrier when attempting to delve into Bones's thoughts discreetly.

"Do you think he noticed? Is he aware?" Tivaara inquired.

"I can't say for sure, but he at least suspects something. The barrier is new. He might have taken up a second class with abilities related to souls," Silva said, his expression twisted. "I won't be taking any chances. I'll deal with our guest sooner than expected."

Once Bones was in his room, a sense of dread washed over him. "That bastard has been poking around my soul for God knows how long! I need to find out what he did just now."

It would be too suspicious if he were to leave right away after the moment with Silva, but he didn’t plan to prolong his stay. "In two days! I'll leave the day after tomorrow!"

The next morning, Bones descended the stairs and felt as though all eyes were on him. They usually were, but today that feeling intensified, as if there were an extra set of eyes watching his every move, just waiting for him to make a run for it! Bones felt paranoia, perhaps for the first time since becoming Bones. He couldn't be blamed."

Last night, when Silva touched the barrier, for a brief moment Bones felt what his experimental subjects from his previous life felt when he was meddling with their souls, bending and shaping them in an attempt to take control.

Bones scanned the room and spotted Solin already having breakfast. Silva and Tivaara were nowhere in sight. He walked over and greeted Solin before taking a seat next to him.

"Feeling better? What was that all about last night?" Solin asked.

"Hm? Ah, yes, all better now. No idea what happened. Anyway, where are Silva and Tivaara?"

Solin raised an eyebrow but didn't press any further.

"Right... they're not here. Silva, as usual, returned to the Underground, probably preparing for the festival. And Tivaara... well, you know how she is by now." Bones nodded, everything seeming to be business as usual. "You up for a round after breakfast? I bet my golem could sweep the ground with you!" Bones smirked.

Solin paused for a moment, then grinned. "You're on!"

In the back of the Tavern, in the courtyard, Solin was lightly stretching while facing Bones and Skully. "I've already seen what your golem can do, and I admit, it's capable! For a golem, that is!"

"Hmph. You'll see that what you previously saw wasn't everything!"

The match began with movement techniques, and the contrast between the two was evident. Solin's movements were faster and more refined, always a step ahead. Despite this, Solin was surprised to see Bones keeping up with him. As they exchanged blows, testing each other, Bones seized an opportunity to start a conversation.

"So, the date of the festival is nearing... What's your role in whatever Silva was planning, if you don't mind me asking?" Bones inquired, genuinely interested, as he hadn't seen Solin involved much beyond his own activities.

"Gathering intelligence. If you want to join in, you should ask Silva! I'm sure he could use an extra hand."

"No, no, that's quite alright. I think I'll enjoy the festivities from the sidelines!" Bones replied, dodging an attack while directing Skully to flank Solin. "What's the plan for the festival, anyway?"

"Sorry, Bones! You should ask Silva about that one too! I don't know the exact details, but whatever the plan is, it involves mana bombs!" Solin replied. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "Silva's been hiring local thugs. Whatever he has planned requires many hands and many distractions—or so he says."

Bones nodded. "And what happens after the festival?"

Solin backed away and stopped, his breathing steady and undisturbed by the combat. "I see what you're trying to do, Bones. I don't know what happened between you and Silva yesterday, but like I mentioned before, I owe Silva, and I plan to repay my debt."

They stood five meters apart, staring at each other. Skully stood by Bones, shifting from combat to a default stance.

"I guess we're done?" Solin asked, sheathing his daggers.

"For now. I still can't catch up to you!" Bones admitted, feeling defeated. Solin sized him up, then shook his head. "You do this a lot, you know?"

"What?" Bones asked.

"This! Comparing us and feeling inadequate. You've made tremendous progress since you came here a few months ago. You have this slightly hunched posture and always look down, avoiding eye contact. Do you know I've only seen you once without your hood on in all this time? Even during our matches, it never comes off!"

"Solin, where are you goi—"

"I can't even make you take your hood off. You might be falling behind me, but not by much. It's infuriating!"

Bones didn't know what to say, so he remained silent. For a moment, they both stood there quietly.

"Just be careful around Silva, Solin. Later…" Bones broke the silence first and left the courtyard.

Solin stayed for a while, then unsheathed his weapons and continued practicing.

Bones headed toward the central area of the city, where the shops and auction house were located.

“I wanted to finally start working with an alchemy set, but it doesn't seem like I'll have the time anytime soon. Once I leave, I'll head to Stonefalls and consult with Darsumi on what to do next. While Silva knows about the shop, he doesn't know the exact location, and I've never spoken about the dwarves. They should be safe if Silva decides to come after me… he wouldn't go that far, would he?”

Bones made a few stops on the way to the auction house. He still had a child-like curiosity toward anything new and shiny, and the shops were filled with new stuff! While he could spend the whole day browsing, he was pressed for time. He bought a few adventurer necessities he might need someday, an overly decorated pen to write with, and arm guards for Skully because they looked nice—a decision he regretted the moment he left the shop.

“Why did I buy the arm guards? I literally have an armorsmith who could craft better ones…”

“I should check out the spears on sale. The one Skully uses still holds, but not for long. I should've bought him a more durable spear. The one he's using now doesn't even have an enchantment! Am I being cheap?”

Bones looked up, snapping out of his wandering thoughts, and realized he was on an unfamiliar street. He turned around and retraced his steps. It wasn't the first time he had wandered somewhere while deep in thought. Bones stopped a few times on his way back and was even refused entry into one of the shops!

He stopped at a building with a guard stationed at the front and approached. The man he thought was a guard was actually a silver-rank adventurer working for the establishment. When he saw Bones approaching, he stepped up, greeted him, and politely asked him to pull down his hood and remove his mask.

Bones was surprised; this was the first time he had been asked to do so. After the man explained himself, Bones politely excused himself, turned around, and left.

“Huh… Well, that limits me greatly!”

It's customary for establishments trading in rare and valuable goods to require proof of identity as a security measure against unknown clientele and potential dangers. Bones didn't plan to rob any stores anytime soon, but it did limit his shopping spree.

The auction house, while requiring an ID card, didn't ask for anything else, and Bones spent most of the day browsing and trading items. He sold the few pieces he didn't leave with the dwarves, like hairy spider leggings and an ant headpiece that someone actually bought. Bones acquired a few books, used alchemy tools, and ingredients for mana potion making that he would have paid a lot more for in an alchemy shop.

The recipe for a low-quality mana potion was simple and didn't require an actual alchemist. Just a set of tools and carefully following the instructions. Powdered mana crystal was used as the solute, and an extract of blue orchid flower as the solvent, in a process of diluting to create a dilute solution. The end result was a liquid mana potion that exponentially increased mana regeneration when consumed. Overuse could lead to mana poisoning, which Bones had no issue with. The same recipe had an increased effect when made by an alchemist. Health potions were something else entirely, and Bones didn't bother to learn the recipe.

He was reluctant to buy a new spear for Skully, as he could request Hem to make one, even though he wasn't a blacksmith. Hem could bend and shape metal to an extent, which would be enough to make a spearhead. The problem was... “enchantments, huh?”

Bones knew the enchanter in Stonefalls, but the man could only inscribe a few enchantments, and none were combat-oriented. In the end, Bones bought a spear with medium durability and a minor sharpness enchantment.