Unbound

The bell above the door chimed as Felix left the tailor's shop, proud owner of a brand new suit of clothes. Gone were the ratty pants and stained tunic, and in its place were a pair of black cloth pants, looser than his leather ones. His new tunic was a dark blue-grey and fit across his broad shoulders more comfortably than any clothes since his arrival. Plain, sure, but both were far more sturdy due to the pair of enchantments woven into them.

Name: Khellish Tunic

Type: Tunic (enchanted)

Lore: Made in the Khellish style, popularized by the Marquis of Varnais, it is a common tunic stitched with a fine hand.

Self-Repair I - By absorbing ambient Mana, minor holes and tears in this object will repair themselves over time.

Self-Cleaning I - By absorbing ambient Mana, stains and dirt are repelled from this garment.

Name: Khellish Trousers

Type: Trouser (enchanted)

Lore: Made in the Khellish style, popularized by the Marquis of Varnais, these are simple trousers stitched with a fine hand.

Self-Repair I - By absorbing ambient Mana, minor holes and tears in this object will repair themselves over time.

Self-Cleaning I - By absorbing ambient Mana, stains and dirt are repelled from this garment.

He'd tossed the old clothes away, though they were more like smelly rags at that point. The dark brown canvas jacket he'd stolen from the pirates, however, he kept. Felix liked the style. The tailor had repaired it for a few silver.

Finally. Now I don't have to worry about ruining everything I own. He smiled as he hopped down the tailor's stoop, a pleasant spring in his step. I wonder if I can learn this enchanting thing. It's so useful.

The tailor had been a spry old man named Bartrand, a Human well into his eighties yet as energetic as anyone. His deft hands had made his new tunic and pants in minutes, probably utilizing some Skill in the process. Two bolts of cloth turned into clothes, like magic. Though it cost him a total of ten gold crowns, he'd ordered another two sets in addition to the first.

Felix walked down the road, enjoying the unbroken cobbles beneath his feet. Bartrand's shop was on the nicer side of the Dust Quarter, closer to the Wall Quarter than the Drum Tank. According to Jacinda, the blacksmith was perhaps three or four blocks away.

The afternoon was hot, but a nice breeze stirred his hair and help dispersed it a little. A few trees sprung out of the cobbles in the median or edges, overgrown and splitting the road with their roots. Weeds and grasses poked through the spaces in the road as well as nature made its efforts to reclaim the place. It was still summer, as far as he could tell, though he hadn't run into a break down on the seasons here on the Continent yet.

Maybe they'll be a book about it at the Elder Crown? He was excited about the prospect of learning. He had always loved school, and now he had a perfect memory. The only library in the city, according to his innkeeper, was in the Guild's tower, the Eyrie at the center of town. Wanted for sneaking into the city, Felix figured it would be foolish to go to the Guild at this point. Jacinda had pointed out a bookstore he could visit instead. The Elder Crown was located further into the Wall Quarter, past the blacksmith's naturally, so he would visit there last.

Best for last, I hope. He really wanted to figure out this reading thing. In his chest he felt a small tug of annoyance at the thought. He smiled. It's okay Pit. I'll be back soon.

The two of them had to remain split for the moment. Felix's errands would take him far longer than a half hour, and he didn't see the need to exhaust himself mentally at this point. So Pit was still holed up in their room. Felix had left Jacinda with the instructions that no one was to disturb his room while he was gone, and the Half-Elf had been almost offended. Apparently she ran a tight ship at the Drum Tank.

So now Felix and Pit were reduced to sending vague messages at one another, the limit of Etheric Concordance at this distance. Faint emotional impressions on Felix's end, at least. Pit seemed to get more out of their communication than he did, somehow. Either way, Felix made sure to keep talking to his Companion, as he hoped to level the Concordance as much as possible. It was his only Legendary Skill, after all. And it was paying dividends already.

Etheric Concordance is level 27!

If it was true that he was learning new Skills more slowly, he had to focus on what he had. Though to be honest, Felix took everything the Maw said with a grain of salt. It had proven itself insane back in Shelim, and he hadn't yet seen evidence to the contrary. No, better to investigate this all himself and keep the monster locked up within his Bastion.

Felix quickened his steps. The smithy was nearby and he was eager to see it. As great as his Armored Skin Skill had proven, he still wasn't keen on being bashed and slashed all the time.

The last block to the smithy was filled with a bevy of food carts and small vendors strung out along the thoroughfare. Various meats on skewers were popular, as well as meat and vegetables wrapped in some sort of flatbread. The smells were equally strange and enticing, peppery seasonings and citrus-like aromas wafting on the breeze. It was clearly a busy street, and it thronged with folks of many Races. Mostly Humans, but plenty of Dwarves, Halflings, Half-Orcs and Goblins passed him by, many dressed as laborers. There was even a white-haired Gnome performing magic tricks for a group of children.

Sparks shot from the Gnome's hands, delighting the younger watchers. Their cheers brought smiles to their parents and minders, who stood nearby. Felix laughed himself as a transparent serpent materialized from the sparks, flying above the kids in a complicated pattern. It burst into a cascade of glittering stars that rained down on the audience, much to their uncomplicated joy. A number of those children were not Human, though their wide eyes and big smiles were just as infectious.

Perhaps he'd been conditioned by popular media, but seeing the more monstrous people being accepted as normal was at first a little jarring to Felix. Less so after his experiences at the Drum Tank, but it was still a little odd to see green skin and fangs on the people around him. Ultimately, however, Felix shrugged it off. This was a new world, and it came with a new normal. Far as he could tell, the "monstrous" Races weren't excessively prone to dick behavior. And certainly not the kids. Indeed, that distinction seemed to apply more to the Humans.

"What do we have here?"

Case in point.

The voice wasn't much louder than the rabble, but it seemed to cut through it like a knife. Ahead, a group of four Humans moved through a thinning crowd directly toward the Gnome magician. Parents in the audiences quickly snatched up their children and fled. Felix saw the Gnome blanch and fall backward, his green and purple robes tangling in his feet.

"Mehren. H-how nice of you to visit--"

The man in the lead snorted and tossed his head of tawny hair. He and his associates were dressed in boiled leather armor and were strapped with weapons. Mehren himself had a short sword at one hip and a mace at his other. Felix frowned at the interaction, and at the rapidly dwindling street traffic.

"Nice enough to pay me the money you owe, sorcerer?" Mehren snarled, hand on his mace.

The Gnome paled further, if that were possible, his ruddy skin turning as white as his hair. Barely four feet tall, the elderly creature was clearly terrified as the four Humans hemmed him in. He raised his hands, palms out.

"I d-don't know what you mean, Mehren. I paid your boss in full last week."

Mehren laughed, and his cronies followed suit. "Sure ya did, sorcerer. But you ain't paid me."

Ah, classic shakedown. Felix walked forward, skirting the edge of the group as he Eyed them. Four Humans, all level 26 except this Mehren who is level 29. First Temper, every one. Felix chewed his lip as he drew closer. I should just let this go. There's no need to get involved.

"Please, don't call me that," the Gnome winced, still on the ground. "I'm not a--"

"A what? A Sorcerer?" Mehren's voice was louder than ever, and his mouth split into a feral grin. "Ya seem scared. Why's that? Don't want the Inquisition's attention in yer lil magic show?"

The thug kicked the flimsy stand the Gnome had been performing behind, and it collapsed in with a creaking crack of splintering wood.

"Last thing ya want is the Inquisition in yer business, Thangle." Mehren loomed over the prone magician and pulled free his flanged mace. "Give me my money, or else we can go have a nice talk with em."

Shit. Calling the Inquisition attention to this part of town wasn't something Felix wanted to happen. He had noticed they weren't as omnipresent there as they were in the Wall Quarter. He sighed. I should walk away. Right?

"I-I don't have it, Mehren! I swear! I'm barely able to stay afloat here!" Thangle the Gnome crab walked backwards until he hit the tilted remains of his stand. "I've got nothing!"

"You always got something, Thangle. But maybe you need encouraging?" Mehren brought down his mace with brutal efficiency.

Relentless Charge!

The mace stopped midair and Mehren grunted in surprise. A hand was wrapped around the flanged head of his weapon, cradling the steel blades like they were nothing.

"Who're you?" Mehren snarled at Felix.

"Doesn't matter. Why don't you walk away, friend?"

"Ain't no friend of yours, kid." Mehren sneered and tried to yank his mace back from Felix's grip. It didn't budge. "Hey! Let go!"

"Fine."

Mehren was still pulling when Felix relaxed his grip and ended up falling on his ass. A snicker passed through the crowd, quickly stifled, but the thug went nearly purple with rage. He gestured to his cronies. "What are you all doing! Get him!"

The smallest came for him first; they were fast, specialized in Agility it seemed. They brandished daggers in a deadly whirl of acrobatics, forcing Felix to bob and weave through their attacks. "Come now Javyn. Is that the best you have?"

The enforcer blinked at Felix in surprise at hearing his name. "Do I know you?"

"No," Felix smiled before striking Javyn on each of his forearms. The enforcer cried out and dropped his daggers, then a solid kick sent Javyn flying. "I just figured that would distract you."

Felix's Perception and Blind Fighting flared, telling him that another was coming from his left. He quickly spun to the right. A sword cut through the air a moment later, whistling past his newly repaired jacket sleeve.

Close one. I am not going back the tailors after this. He needed to end the fight quickly, but he couldn't bring himself to kill these men even if they were jerks. He wasn't judge and jury, and definitely not executioner. So that took his spells off the table, leaving his Unarmed Mastery. It'll be enough. I think.

Felix stepped quickly, moving through the two remaining thugs with ease. It was like they were fighting on a delay, each move they made telegraphed and too slow by half to touch him. It was a heady feeling. How much higher are my stats compared to theirs?

He struck, once, twice, three times and all of Mehren's enforcers went down. Two of them had broken legs, and the other had two broken arms. It was brutal but the best solution he could think of; Felix was worried a full strength punch would have killed them.

Quiet dominated the street, save for the cries and moans of his opponents. The crowd had fled, but not all too far. Felix could see them hiding around corners and in open doorways. Watching. He turned toward Mehren, who held his sword up to Thangle's throat.

"I don't know who you are, but you'll regret it. No one crosses the Blades!" He pressed the sword a little tighter against the Gnome's skin, drawing a rivulet of blood. "If you run now I'll promise you'll die quick. If not..."

Mehren's arm flexed, but instead of slicing the Gnome's throat it flew outward toward Felix. It was faster than it had any right to be, and likely a Skill of some sort. It blurred toward him.

Reign of Vellus!

Azure lightning exploded from Felix's body and collided with the spinning short sword, quickly and brutally smashing it into the cobbles.

"Wha--"

Relentless Charge!

Felix struck Mehren in the gut, throwing his entire body into the brick building behind them. He hit with an unpleasant *thud* and was still.

You have defeated Mehren, Javyn, Poul, and Jasim!

You have gained XP!

"Shit. That was harder than I intended." He forgot about the inertia from his Charge, added on top of his increased weight and density. He looked down at the Gnome. "Sorry. You ok?"

The Gnome flapped his mouth like a fish as he stared at Felix. The faintest of wheezes were coming from him, but nothing close to words. Felix reached down and helped him to his feet. The elder Gnome wheezed in a huge breath, and started a hacking cough. Felix took a measured step back from him until he'd finished.

"You alright?" He asked again, worried at the amount of purple in the Gnome's face. He Eyed him and felt a familiar resistance. He didn't push, letting the magician keep his secrets.

Name: Thadeus Thangle

Race: Gnome

Level: 33

HP: ???/???

SP: ???/???

MP: ???/???

Lore: Gnomes are small, generally nimble, and are typically predisposed to the magical arts.

Strength: ???

Weakness: ???

"Yes yes. I'm fine," he croaked before blinking at looking at Felix again. "You saved my life, young man! Thank you! Thank you thank you!"

Felix felt the back of his neck heat up and prickle as he noticed a few scattered people began to applaud. More folk than he'd originally noticed had stuck around at the edges of the conflict, including several children. Felix smiled tightly and nodded at them before turning back to the mage. "If you're good, then I'll be uh, I'll be going."

"Young man! Wait!"

Felix turned to see the diminutive magician shove the various objects and doodads on his collapsed stand into a pack he'd pulled from...somewhere. "You cannot leave without a boon! For the savior of Thadeus Thangle, a boon is necessary!"

Felix smiled and waved his hand, ready to decline...when he spied a book the Gnome was wrangling into his pack. The cover was decorated with an excess of floral embossing, but around the edges of it were a series of symbols he found extremely familiar. Sigils!

"Do you know magic? What am I saying, of course you do." Felix stepped closer and lowered his voice, aware of the eyes on them. "I'm looking to learn, if you're willing to teach."

"Like Mana Skills?" Thangle tilted his head before resuming his normal tone. "But of course! I know my fair share, though mostly in the realm of Illusion. Not a very popular realm of the arts." He looked around himself, noticing the limp and groaning forms of his assailants. He flashed Felix a grin behind his wispy white beard.

"Hm. If you come see me at my home, I could offer you some lessons, if you like. It would be the least I could do for my savior!"

Felix agreed and suddenly found himself in the possession of a small pasteboard card, embossed with various squiggles. "Ah, this is, ah great. Could you give me directions? I'm new to the city."

"Of course! Seek the Deathly Rooster, and find upon it a hallowed hall. Within will be your prize!" Thangle snapped his fingers and a poof of purple smoke rose up in place around him. Felix backed up a step in alarm, and as it cleared he found no trace of the Gnome.

What was--?

Felix's head swiveled until his Perception caught on something. Approximately fifteen feet away he saw a small form in purple and green dash around a corner. Felix laughed, a little confused.

This city is full of strange old men.

Seeing that the would-be bandits were slowly rousing (including Mehren) and the crowd was filling in once more, Felix quickened his steps. He had places to be.