The Ruby Magician

John pushed his way through the door, excited to leave the bustling crowd. "Finally. A magical shop!" He began to wonder around like a little boy in a toy store, wanting to see and grab anything that interested him. With each new magical item he spotted two more caught his eye, and he was bouncing around with glee like a puppy.

Tasha and Wyn were close behind, also happy to leave the ever-growing crowd but not nearly as ecstatic as John about the magic item shop.

"It's not like you'll be able to buy much with your measly 40 gold," Tasha said, teasing John.

Whether he heard her or not, he continued his amazement of the different magical items the shop held. They ranged from scrolls to weapons to armor and potions, all with a brief description and colored tag to show their magical strength. It reminded Wyn of the colored mushrooms in the cave, though it was much more pleasing to the eye in the neat categories of the shop. Nearly all of them were green or blue, and Wyn wondered if the more powerful purple items that Marcy and Cedric mentioned were guarded somewhere.

A man appeared from around a corner, wearing an apron and fine cloth gloves. "Welcome to The Silver Step!" He said, his voice loud and smooth. He was objectively attractive, Wyn admitted, and well groomed. His hair was styled, his clothes were neat and elegant, and he was wearing a bit of cologne.

Tasha gingerly walked up to him, drawn in by his charm. "I'm Tasha St. Clair," she said. "Your shop is lovely!"

The man gave a deep bow. "Thank you, my dear! Please, have a look around and let me know if anything catches your beautiful eye." He winked at her, then walked behind the glass counter at the end of the store. There were smaller, more detailed magical items that set underneath it.

"You're a St. Clair?!" John said, louder than he intended. "You never told me that!"

Tasha bent over to read a description of a pair of jeweled earrings. "I didn't think I needed to. What does it matter?"

"It doesn't," Wyn said. He shot John a look. "But it does help explain your reasonings for coming here a bit better. And it’s not often you find yourself in the presence of nobility."

"We can discuss all of that later," she replied. "Aren't we here for a specific reason? There are other places to want to see before the festival, too.”

"Yea, yea," John said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if you're carrying more than your reward from yesterday. Are you looking to stock our bags and belts, St. Clair?"

Tasha didn't even look away from the earrings before waving John off like a fly. He simply laughed at his own joke.

Wyn wondered how much wealth John had, too. His family may not have been nobility but they all climbed and gained some form of fortune. He likely knew of ways to secure items most didn’t, and he’d already showed a wealth of information that Wyn didn’t think most rookies possessed. Wyn wasn't going to be the one to start asking for handouts, though - he would earn his place here and incur no more debts. Especially from those he called friends.

Walking around the room, Wyn was quickly growing overwhelmed with the magic items, their glowing auras, and descriptions of what they did. It was too much for him to mentally process right now as he studied each one he came across. He honestly didn’t even know where to start. So, he settled at the counter where the charming man was patiently waiting with a smirking smile. Wyn felt a strange draw to him, though not a sinister one. The smell of cedar and smoke from the man’s cologne filled his nostrils, and it was pleasant.

"I'm Ardwyn Thatcher, but you can call me Wyn. I'm looking for some information or advice, among other things."

"Hello, Wyn Thatcher! I'm Benedict Greaves. What information or advice, among other things, are you looking for? That could be one in the same or two very different matters." He bent forward towards the glass and rested his chin on his right hand, never losing the smirk on his face.

Wyn was a bit thrown off, but decided to go with it. Something was definitely different about Benedict but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"Yes, well, first I would like to know about this," Wyn said, as he pulled the magical dagger from his backpack and gently placed it on the glass countertop. It shimmered blue, the magical aura visibly radiating when focusing on it. Magical items seemed to only give off their aura when viewed with intent, otherwise the entire shop would’ve been a glowing headache of brilliant colors. As Wyn already discovered.

Tasha and John joined him beside the counter to watch, hoping to hear more information themselves.

"Ahh," Benedict said. He took the dagger and inspected it. He grabbed a small eyeglass from behind the counter and set it down, similar to the two Wyn received last night with his rewards. "What floor did you find it on, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Floor two," Wyn said.

"On his introductory climb, no less!" John added.

Benedict broadened his smirk into a genuine smile. It was as magnetic as the rest of him. "Now that is interesting! You must be the rookie that climbed to the second floor yesterday. My, my, I've already heard of you."

"I think everyone has by now," Tasha said. She mirrored Benedict, placing her chin in her hands on the counter across from him.

"That's me," Wyn said awkwardly. He wasn't used to that much attention and didn’t know what else to say. "But I don't use a dagger. I primarily use a spear. Well, I do use a dagger, but only as a backup. And I don't even know if the magic in it would be useful to me." Wyn stammered a bit. He was caught off guard and oddly nervous. He felt strangely comfortable, though, which only added to his overall confusion.

"Hmm." Benedict took the dagger and held it up. "It wouldn't be practical to have a useful, magical backup weapon if your primary weapon is mundane. No, obviously the best option is to have all of your weapons and armor magical - but that will come in time, won't it?"

Both John and Tasha absentmindedly nodded yes.

"With that being the case," Benedict continued, "you have several options."

"I do?" Wyn asked.

"Why, of course! And I'm here to tell you about them. It's our duty to help our brave Climbers, after all!”

The three rookies smiled and looked at each other, eager to know more.

Benedict cleared his throat quietly. "First, if you want to identify the dagger, a few options follow. One option, is you then keep it and use it, which wouldn't be a bad idea if it's useful to you, but admittedly not recommended. Another option, is you could trade it at the guild's trading house to another Climber for a different weapon or item. Or, the last option, is to use a shop like mine to trade or sell it."

Wyn nodded, mentally noting his growing list of options. “Okay, and why wouldn’t I want to identify it?”

"Ahh, that's a good question! If you choose not to identify it but still want to get rid of it, it's more of a gamble for either the seller or buyer. The magical properties could be useful or not, and there is quite a range of possible properties to be found."

"Which isn’t quite as helpful for a lower quality magical item and new Climbers, but can be a larger risk or reward for a higher quality one," John added.

Benedict smiled. "Precisely. For a blue item, though, I wouldn't recommend it. Especially not at this stage of your climbing career."

"I'm inclined to agree," Wyn said.

Benedict laughed. It was hearty, warm, and infectious. “Excellent! Most Climbers who trade without identifying are well established and like the thrill of gambling items rather than coins. They like to… live a little.” He winked again.

Wyn’s cheeks flushed. He felt like he was under a spell.

Maybe he was?

“So I don’t want to do that, then.” He reached back into his backpack and pulled out one of the identifying glasses he received as a reward.

“No, no,” Benedict said, “don’t use yours. This one is on the house.” He took his glass and gave it to Wyn. “Though you need to be the one to identify it. For your first time, and all.”

“I can’t wait until my first time,” Tasha said. She stared right at Benedict.

“I’d be so honored,” the shop keeper replied.

Wyn’s cheeks flushed with heat, and he did his best to ignore them, if it was even possible. John furrowed his eyebrows, confused. He caught on far too late.

Wyn took the eye glass and inspected it. Tiny runes lined the outer metal rim, and the glass was perfectly clear without flaw. It was gold where his two were silver, and he wondered what the difference between them was.

Not wanting to delay, he held it up to his eye, looking directly at the dagger. The magical sight revealed a completely different weapon. The blade was a darker metal and slightly curved like a hunting knife, while the handle was a mixture of grey and blue. Faintly glowing runes lined the hilt up to the short cross guard and gave off a small crackle of energy. There was a small topaz set in the bottom of the hilt, and as he kept looking at it he heard Tasha and John go “woah” at the same time.

He took the eyeglass away and the dagger maintained its new appearance, transformed after being truly seen and identified.

“That’s incredible,” John said.

“Look at your parchment for the effects,” Benedict said, smiling. “This is always the best part, when new Climbers identify magical items for the first time.” He picked up the dagger carefully, holding it like a jeweler would handle a precious item.

Wyn quickly pulled out his parchment and read the one labeled ITEMS. There, completely by the tower’s magic, appeared a new paragraph. Wyn read it out loud for everyone to hear.

Stunning Dagger: this dagger is imbued with a topaz, helping give it the magical property of lightning. When struck by this dagger, the being has a small chance to become stunned, paralyzed by the lightning magic imbued within. The light but durable metal improves the wielder’s agility by a small amount.

Standard attacks will also electrify the target with small sparks to a minimal degree.

Paralyze chance: very rare

Agility boost: small

Lightning element

Benedict whistled. “That’s mighty impressive! And two very useful effects, too. I can imagine there would be many Climbers who would appreciate having this as a weapon.”

“Don’t you think that would be useful, Wyn?” Tasha asked. She was inspecting the sheath, twirling it in her hands. It was identical to the dagger’s hilt as a perfect match.

Wyn stared at the dagger in shock. His first thought was thinking back to the second floor. Would its effects have changed anything? It was an impressive weapon but he doubted it would have made much difference.

Still, he couldn’t have asked for a better effect and rarity on his first voyage into the tower, but he knew it wasn’t what he needed at the moment.

“I do,” Wyn said, “but I think a spear would be more useful for me right now. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Benedict asked. He laughed again, short but sweet, and sat the knife down. “This is a fine item and a valuable trade! I don’t have an endless amount of items here but I do have many different kinds, with more in the storeroom. There’s bound to be something to help you.”

Wyn thought for a moment. “How about two weapons of slightly lesser value?”

Benedict clapped his hands and rubbed them together, startling the Climbers. “Ahh, you’re thinking like a true Climber now! I love it!” The scent of his cologne hit their noses again, aromatic and charming like magic. “I would trade two green items for it - good ones, too!”

“Thank you,” Wyn said. “Having two weapons for us instead of me having one really powerful one would be better.”

“Wyn,” Tasha said, “you don’t need to do that. This is yours! We’ll all find our own items in the tower eventually.”

“I agree,” John said. “And I already sent a letter to my family asking for a new sword!”

“You did?” Wyn asked.

“When I was in the infirmary I had some extra time on my hands. I explained the situation and even had the Tower Master sign it. They’ll understand. It might not be as good as the sword I had before but it’ll be just fine, so don’t worry about me!”

Wyn let out a satisfied sigh. “It’s settled, then. How about a spear and a staff?”

“No, Wyn,” Tasha said. She put the sheath back on the counter while Benedict hurriedly stepped away. “I don’t need a magical staff right now. Spells are plenty for me.”

“I don’t think you understand. Either of you.” Wyn looked at both of his teammates in the eyes, emphasizing his point. “The second floor was not easy. I’m thankful that both Marcy and Cedric came after me or I would’ve died in there. We need any useful resource we have, and sharing our capabilities is the best way to succeed.”

“He’s right, you know,” Benedict said, holding both a spear and a staff. “What truly makes a rookie Climber become a veteran is how well they work with their team. A rookie group who works well together and communicates efficiently will be more effective than a stronger veteran group who doesn’t.”

Tasha let out an annoyed, relenting sigh. “Fine, fine, you win. What’s a good staff for a Diamond Magician?”

Benedict looked at the staff he was holding, opened his mouth like he was going to speak, and then paused. “Wyn, what is your class?”

Wyn hesitated but didn’t want to shy away from his class. He needed to own it if he was going to change other’s minds. “I’m a Ruby Magician.”

Benedict gave a pitied smile that he quickly shook away. He then left with both weapons in hand, and returned quickly with two others.

“I believe these will be to your liking,” Benedict said.

Wyn noticed the spear first, and it was a beautiful weapon. The spearhead was longer than usual and more curved on one side, and there was a small feather that was attached with thin leather straps just under the blade. It still had a similar height and appearance like a spear, but resembled more of a small glaive from the curved blade than the traditional spears he was used to fighting with.

The wooden staff he held in his other hand was nearly orange in color like young cedar, and the top was a large rounded knot that nearly formed a complete circle. It didn’t look natural at all, but rather like it was magically shaped in a coil at its end. Runes were clearly etched on the upper half of the staff and throughout the circular top.

“Oh, those look impressive,” John said. He was wide eyed and smiling, eager to hear more about them.

Benedict handed the staff to Tasha and the spear to Wyn. “They certainly are, young man. Tasha St. Clair, that is a Sunstaff. It can cast the spell Cure three times a day, and by speaking a keyword it will light up brighter than a torch. In other words, it casts the spell Torchlight on command as often as you’d like.”

Tasha gasped. “That’s perfect! I used Torchlight a lot and now I can focus on something else!” She held the staff and ran her fingers along it, feeling every inch of its magic.

“Excellent! It doesn’t add to your magical abilities like some weapons, but I’d encourage you to find armor or accessories to fulfill that role. At least for now.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Tasha said. “I’ll do just that.”

“I have no doubt,” Benedict said. “And for the spear - its name is Windcutter. It’s magically imbued with the Wind element and is lighter than a regular spear. Personally I think it’s more like a small glaive, like how a short sword is to a long sword, but I’ll let you be the judge of how to use it. You seem more than capable. But it’s real perk is the smaller, talon-shaped blade on the bottom.”

Wyn twirled it around and inspected the butt end. Instead of a blunted shaft there was a small hooked blade, just a few inches long but curved like a claw. Runes sat above it in markings Wyn didn’t recognize. Granted he didn’t recognize most runes, but they were formed with harsh edges of squares and triangles rather than the more familiar layered circles he’d seen so far.

“What do these runes do?”

“You have a good eye, Magician! They cast the spell Wingbeat. It’s not a common spell, only found on the Sorcerer’s list. But it releases a sharp wave of air that cuts in a wide range over a distance of about 20 feet. It’s used directly from the talon and twice a day.”

Wyn spun it around in his hands a bit. Benedict had a brief look of shock for his shop but tried to contain himself. Wyn was well trained, and the spear felt natural in his hands despite the foreign appearance. He was right, too, as it was light and easily maneuverable but felt strong and firm.

“These are both great,” Wyn said. “Thank you, Benedict.”

“You are more than welcome! So it’s a deal, then?“

“I believe so. These should serve us well.”

Benedict clapped his hands together. “Then I hope my helpful suggestions will convince you to become regulars here! If you have other magical items you may always consult me. And, as a thank you, here is a small gift.” Benedict reached behind the counter and pulled out a small pouch. It was a light brown leather and looked similar to a coin purse, but magical runes were easily seen on the bag’s opening.

“What is it?” John asked. He held his hands out, practically begging for it.

“It’s a magical pouch that is common for Climbers.” Benedict handed the pouch to John. “It holds much more than it appears. Around the size of a large backpack in the convenience of a coin purse.”

“I knew it! I tried to convince my parents to bring one but they refused, saying I needed to gain my items when I was an actual Climber. This would be very helpful, Benedict. Thank you.” John immediately began to strap it to his belt.

“Can we keep these here and pick them up before we climb again?” Wyn asked.

“Of course. You shouldn’t go to the festival carrying these, after all. You need hands to drink and flirt!”

Tasha giggled and John stepped back towards the door.

“We should go to the tailor’s shop next!” Tasha said.

“Girls and their clothes,” John muttered.

Tasha shot him a look. They began to walk out, saying their goodbyes and thanks to Benedict.

“You guys go ahead,” Wyn said. “I want to ask Benedict something real quick.”

“We’ll be right next door,” Tasha said. “Come on, John. We need to find some matching clothes for us to wear if we’re going to be a team!”

John gave Wyn a look of fear and walked out with the bouncing Tasha.

“I need a favor,” Wyn said.

Benedict’s eyes seem to sparkle as he lowered his voice. “Oh, favors. I like those.”

Wyn pulled out his magical hunk of wood he received on the first floor. He gingerly placed it on the counter.

“My, my, you are full of surprises,” Benedict said. “Another magic item. What are you interested in?”

“I’m not looking to trade. I’m looking for it to be crafted. Can you do that? Or know someone reliable who could?”

“I can. For a fee, of course. It’s pretty straightforward to create something from a green rarity item. This doesn’t have to be a favor either, though you owing me sounds much more fun.”

Wyn scratched the back of his head. He honestly felt embarrassed. He wasn’t sure what Benedict’s talents were, but now that he knew he could also craft items he was sure he’d be visiting him again.

I have to ask, though. Is this for you or someone on your team?”

“Someone else. It’s for one of the veterans that helped me yesterday. I want to give a gift as a thank you to both of them, but only have an idea for one for now.”

“That’s very kind of you. What are you wanting?”

Wyn smiled. “Arrows.”