Newly Summoned Demoness - Chapter 7 – Desperate Measures (Patreon)

Morning had ended and the light stones overhead had reached their maximum intensity as set by the city’s day and night cycle. The Noble’s District straddled the line between the Conclave District and Mercenary District, not too far from the City Guard’s fortress and the Artisan District. There weren’t any direct access ways from the poorer slums to it. A series of deep chasms acted as a moat, and the stone archways that lead over to the prestigious district were heavily guarded and watched.

Yolani took the path through the Conclave District to reach it, which meant she had to go across one of the more scenic bridges. The city’s massive underground river weaved its way below, and a cascade of several waterfalls kept the bridge under a constant barrage of cool mist. People had nicknamed the bridge the ‘Slip of Death’ because of just how dangerous that could be.

A city janitor was hard at work scrubbing the stones down to prevent anything slimy from growing on it, but she barely had the mind to pay heed to the uncared-for sections of the walkway. The guards took in her class and outfit and decided she had business in the district, so she didn’t have to stop and get a pass.

The district was highly vertical, forming an hourglass shape. Her destination, the Noble District’s ‘Artificer Row’, was on one of the lowest mid-levels.

In her opinion, giving any of the inhabitants of the district the title of ‘Artificer’ was a massive stretch. As soon as she had reached the first level, the ostentatious display of wealth and power was on full display in the form of expensive mage works and artifices shining a bright spotlight on the main path; presumably illuminating any who dared approach or seek to climb the noble’s personal fortress inside the city.

Care had been taken to hide the murder holes and barricades that would have turned any mob’s assault or attempt to storm up the district to murder their ‘betters’ would have been a massacre. It was a throwback to the city’s storied past and had little use in the current day and age. For sure the defenses were archaic, there would be enough people in any said mob with enough knowledge and expertise to level them quickly.

A single set of artificed cannons flinging fireball spelled shells using smoke powder would probably do the trick.

But the city’s opponents and strife mostly came from the outside now.

Yolani tugged her artifice jacket closed as a shiver ran down her spine. Would a mana shard shortage threaten that?

Her legs began to burn at her pace, and by the time she reached the fifth level of the spiraling district, she’d reached her destination. A small upward slanted street curved off the main promenade, flashy shop-signs and storefronts set out to lure wealthy gentry into their doors. There were very few people out and about as she crossed under the sign the proudly proclaimed that she’d entered the “Artifice Way.”

Yolani had no intention of being choosey on the shop and entered the first one. Intricate gold leaf adorned the door and display window, which hinted at rows and rows of plush velvet pillowed display cases offering a multitude of magical jewelry and other items. As soon as she crossed the threshold, there was certainly plenty of artifice on display for sale; she was sure that some of it had probably even been made in her own father’s shop, purchased for reselling by the merchant that ran the store.

Summoned by the bell at the door, the shop owner appeared, but she could see the disappointment cross his face when he saw she wasn’t a noblewoman.

“Do you have any many shards for sale?” Yolani asked quickly.

The man looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “A lord was in just an hour ago who bought out my entire stock.”

She thanked him and extracted herself from the shop quickly. That was not the kind of thing she had wanted to hear. As she stepped back into the street, panic washed over her as reality settled in—no mana shard meant no completion of their commissioned project on time, which would potentially lead to severe penalties. She wasn’t sure what would happen to their workshop, one that she and her father had invested everything into.

The project hadn’t been particularly hard, but she wanted to curse her dad for accepting something with so much risk. He should have let a larger shop like Ranolf’s handle it, and they could have just continued on making smaller gadgets and toys for the rich.

An impending sense of doom filled her as she tried shop after shop with the same results as the first. Halfway through the district, she unslotted her [Street Smarts] and [Artifice] in favor of [Crisis Management] and [Negotiation]. The effects were immediate, and her panic began to subside. She should have done that earlier, but there was no use in worrying about it.

Even if it didn’t result in an immediate improvement, it definitely helped her determination to go through every shop in the row. And [Negotiation] meant that she was treated at least a little better, even if the effects were incredibly subtle because she’d never leveled the skill much. It was still only Rank D.

Near the end of the line of artifice shops, she found one that was tucked away in a corner, partially hidden by the neighboring shop’s outer décor. Despite the secluded nature of the shop, she found that there was already another patron inside, browsing the shop’s displays. She hurried slightly and the skinny shopkeeper raised an eyebrow at her as she reached the shop’s counter. “Can I help you, miss?”

“I’m looking for a mana shard, at least medium density. Current charge isn’t an issue.” Yolani replied quickly.

He looked at her and grunted before nodding. “I have one,” he admitted. “But they’ve been selling quickly the last few days. I’m not sure when another batch will get in.”

Yolani’s eyes lit up instantly. “Can I examine it? I’m interested.”

He nodded politely, then went to the shop’s back wall and opened a built-in wall safe that was secured by a spell ward. She only had one slot cooldown free for the rest of the day but immediately swapped out [Crisis Management] for [Advanced Identify].

The shopkeeper returned carrying a small, felt lined container. Opening it revealed a medium-sized mana shard nestled atop the soft fabric. “It won’t be cheap,” he warned.

“May I examine it, please?” Yolani asked. He nodded, and she reached forward to examine the stone.

She had not brought her Artifice lens, but [Advanced Identify] meant they weren’t needed. She could clearly see the flow lines running through the stone as she peered at it closely, and as she examined its entire surface, she found no abnormalities or fractures.

[Mana Shard (Condensed)]

[Rarity: Rare]

[Density: Medium]

[Power: 985/1026]

A sigh escaped her lips as she ran her fingers over the polished crystal. It was actually a nicer specimen than the one at the auction. It was a quarter of the size and had a better storage capacity.

“I’ll take it.” She declared without hesitation, causing the shopkeeper to raise an eyebrow at her quick decision.

“The price is two large golds,” he said coolly while watching Yolani’s reaction closely.

Her [Negotiation] skill began to tingle across the back of her neck, urging her to haggle and get the price down, and not give away just how desperate she was for the stone. Wasn’t that the entire point of her slotting the skill, anyway? To help her negotiate?

Something bit at her, though, telling her not to listen. To get the transaction over as quickly as possible and make it back home safely.

“That’s a lot, but this suits my needs perfectly. I’ll take it.” Yolani answered quickly. She pulled out twenty of her small golds and placed them on the counter for him to count before quickly stashing the mana shard into her pouch. The shopkeeper looked annoyed at how fast she’d hidden away his merchandise, but that disappeared when he finished counting and confirming the authenticity of her gold.

“I’m surprised you didn’t haggle,” the man murmured thoughtfully.

Yolani smiled weakly at him. “I really need this stone.”

He placed the coins in the box and then walked them back to the safe while looking over his shoulder at her. “The Auction House has them much cheaper.”

“There was some problem with their supply today. My father needs the shard to complete a project before the next one.” She answered honestly. “I don’t think this one was just the last one in your shop. It might have been the last one in the entire row.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I should have charged you double then.”

The shop’s bell rang as the other patron left quietly, then the shopkeeper brought her a small slip holding the details of the transaction along with the shop’s seal.

Yolani wasn’t sure why she was suddenly being so honest. “I would have paid it.”

The man grunted and gave her the slip. “A deal’s a deal. But you should be careful on your way home. If what you say is true, there’s likely to be trouble.”

His words mirrored her earlier thoughts, and she thanked him again and headed out. There was no quick shortcut out of the Noble District that was public and she needed to go all the way back down the spiral and then through the Conclave District and back to the Artisan District. Heeding the shopkeeper’s advice, she did not dawdle.

Halfway back down, she started to feel stupid for feeling so harried.

Halfway back down, a figure emerged from a narrow alleyway ahead, blocking her path—a soldier adorned with unfamiliar livery, but clearly an armsman for some noble house. His attention was focused on her, and she skidded to a stop and turned like a startled rabbit.