Soulweaver 39: Basecrest (Patreon)

I didn’t know how long I slept, but considering how refreshed I felt, I guessed I’d finally gotten my long-awaited twelve hours. Actually, maybe even more, judging by the bright sun shining through the window, blinding me.

I rolled over and found that Aerion’s bed was empty.

Shit.

My stomach lurched and I bolted upright, banging my head against the loft-style sloped roof. 

My eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on a big bag sitting on her bed, along with all the swords we’d brought with us.

I let out a breath. She wasn’t gone. She’d just left the room for a bit.

Actually, that was a good thing. With a yawn, I got up and stretched, then looked at my sorry clothes. My jeans had a few too many tears to be fashionable, and my shirt wasn’t much better off, either.

It also reeked. As much as I wanted to regain my stats, I dreaded wearing those disgusting things.

I had just pulled my pants on when Aerion returned to the room, holding a bundle to her chest. She’d returned to her younger boy form—it was such a transformation that despite being accustomed to seeing her like this, I did a double take.

She tossed the bundle over, which I just barely caught, finding it to be a set of clothes.

“I can’t believe you actually put those on,” she said, giving me a judging look.

“Yeah. You and me both.”

“Besides, even if they were decent, you can’t wear those around town. You might’ve fooled me, but you’ll be outed before long wearing those. I suspect there isn’t anything in this world that looks even remotely similar.”

“Good point,” I replied. “You bought these for me?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I opened a tab,” Aerion said. “I won’t charge interest, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Oh, ah, no. Just… Thanks. You didn’t have to do that. That was… thoughtful.”

Aerion shrugged. “I just don’t want to be seen walking around with someone wearing such bizarre clothing.”

“Fair,” I said. “What about my shoes, though?” I asked.

Aerion looked at my sneakers that were by the door. “Should be fine. The color is a bit odd, but with as dirty as they are, nobody will pay them any mind.”

I made a mental note not to ever clean those things. 

“Mind stepping out so I can change into these, then?” I asked. “I’ll be right out.”

I was also shirtless, and suddenly found myself feeling a little embarrassed. I was a bit sensitive about my shape, though I had definitely lost a few pounds thanks to the Trial.

“We should discuss our plan, first,” Aerion said, making no move to leave.

“Uh, can you at least turn around, then?”

She obliged, talking while I changed.

“Our highest priority right now is money,” Aerion said. “I had to dip into the last of my reserves just to afford this inn for another night. We’ll be kicked out tomorrow if we can’t pay.”

“Well, the most obvious thing would be to sell off those Soul Crystals and the weapons we brought back,” I said, eyeing the assortment of weapons lying before me.

“Selling even one Soul Crystal should see to our living expenses for a month or more,” Aerion said. “Even so, they are easily carried and hidden. I would rather sell off the weapons.”

“Same,” I replied.

I really wanted to save the weapons for Initialization—especially now that I had so much excess capacity. I was sitting 121/170 , but if it was a choice between getting rid of those or the Soul Crystal, I’d choose the gear, any day. Not just because of the point Aerion had made, but because I had a feeling these baubles weren’t as useless as people thought. 

For one, Aerion had mentioned they could be used in crafting, though she didn’t know how, exactly, having never even seen one before. I had some research to do.

“We should sell two, I think,” Aerion said. “One of mine and one of yours.”

“Sounds fair,” I said, having just put my shirt on. My pants were faded brown and a bit baggy—like a one-size fits all. It had a belt string that I cinched tight, and the shirt was thick, almost like a sweater. Perfect for staying warm in the pleasantly cool weather.

I took a look at the poleaxe, gilded longsword, and the mace, and immediately chose the longsword. 

While well-made and functional, it was clearly meant more for show than actual usage. I didn’t know if cosmetics made any difference when Initializing, but regardless, it was the most valuable of the bunch. 

The poleaxe had no adornments, so it’d likely fetch far less, and it was a useful weapon, too. Long, with a pike on the end, an ax blade, and a hammer. It was practically three weapons in one.

The mace also lacked any inlays or design work, but was well made. It’d serve me well.

“Alright, I think I’ll go with the sword… Uh, Aerion? What are you doing?”

Aerion was on her knees, feeling the wooden floorboards. She slid her fingernails into the gap between the boards and pulled.

“Pretty sure they’ll make us pay if we break their floors.”

“We have to hide the other weapons,” Aerion said, straining to lift the weathered board. “Or else, we may very well return to find them stolen.”

“Oh. Not an issue,” I said, putting a foot on the board Aerion was trying to rip out. “I’ve got a solution for that.”

Aerion looked up and was about to clarify when I opened my inventory.

While these systems worked slightly differently depending on the game, they all fulfilled the same basic purpose—the ability to store large amounts of stuff and retrieve them at will.

Some allowed you to retrieve anything from a massive—sometimes infinite—space with just a thought. Mine wasn’t quite that nice.

A rift opened in midair in front of me and slightly to my right, where I’d asked it to. It was a foot wide and a foot tall, but inside was a white space about four feet deep. It looked almost identical to the place Aerion and I had received our rewards from the Trial.

Aerion’s eyes bulged, and she took a step back. 

“Is this part of your Blessing, too?” she asked, staring at the rift.

“Sure is,” I said, stuffing the two Soul Crystals, the mace, and the ornate longsword inside. “Got it when my Blessing reached Emergence. Think I’ll get something every time I rank up.”

“Ah, right. You’re at Emergence already…” Aerion said with undisguised jealousy.

“Yeah, thanks to the dragon fight. What about you?”

“Foundation - 5,” she said, looking away.

“Makes sense. You did only recently get your Blessing, after all. “Actually, didn’t you say you received a Blessing of Lightning from Dominion? You gotta tell me more about that.”

“Sure. Afterward,” Aerion said, eyeing my spatial storage.

“Want to stick your shortswords in there?” I asked.

Aerion hesitated, eyes glancing between the space and me.

“I’m not gonna hold your stuff hostage, Aerion,” I said, resisting the urge to shake my head.

“Alright,” she said, inserting both of her shortswords inside. She kept her dagger sheathed on her hip belt.

“What will you do about that?” she asked, pointing to the poleaxe.

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to carry it for now. You think people will mind?”

Aerion gave me a small grin, though I wasn’t sure why.

— — 

I found out after I’d put my cuirass and gauntlets back on and went down the stairs. Aerion’s ears got a few glances—come to think of it, I hadn’t seen another elf yet—but it was me that attracted the most attention by far.

For a moment, I wondered if I had bed hair, but no. It was the poleaxe.

The looks only continued the moment we stepped out into the street. They’d first look at me, then Aerion, then back to me. Not even the lanky giants or the occasional elf I spotted got such attention.

After a few minutes of this, Aerion finally said something. 

“People carry swords and daggers in cities,” Aerion said, giving me an awkward smile as she patted the hilt of her dagger. “Even bodyguards rarely use them. They’re weapons of war, after all.”

Well, that made sense. The weapon was seven feet tall, heavy, and looked menacing, even from afar. Not exactly built for subtlety and convenience.

“And with your armor, people think you’re my bodyguard. Then they see that I’m an elf, and they start fantasizing. Maybe they think I’m a highborn from Order’s territory.”

“Oh,” I said. “That’s way less embarrassing, then.”

“Well, no, it is. Because you see, no warrior only wears a cuirass and gauntlets. Especially without a helmet. Especially not over common clothing. You look ridiculous, if I’m honest.”

“Well excuse me for not fitting in,” I said, suddenly feeling far more self-conscious. 

To distract myself, I took in my surroundings. The two-and-three story buildings were packed wall to all, with gabled roofs and that signature whitewashed medieval construction. Wattle and daub, it was called, if I remembered right.

The main difference was, of course, that pitch-black inverted pyramid that loomed above the city in the distance. It was as tall as a skyscraper, and its shape cast an enormous shadow, making it look like it was about to come crashing down at any time.

It was honestly more than a little freaky, and I didn’t know how people just went about their business ignoring such an absurd thing. It made me wonder what else about this world didn’t fit the traditional medieval fantasy mold I was used to.

“It’s fine,” Aerion said with a small chuckle. “You look ridiculous, not suspicious.”

“Well, that’s nice.”

Aerion gestured to the street. “We’re currently in one of Basecrest’s inner districts. The city rings the Trial, so everything is quite spread out. It makes travel somewhat cumbersome.”

“I can see that,” I said, glancing up again at the inverted pyramid. “I’m guessing you know of a good place to sell our stuff?” I asked.

“We’re heading there now,” Aerion replied, weaving through traffic effortlessly. I wasn’t nearly as agile, and did my best to keep up without offending too many people.

Luckily, the ones I did took one look at my weapon and armor and promptly shut up.

Another fifteen minutes of navigating the streets brought us to an arms dealer located in the industrial side of town. Blacksmith hammers pounded  in the distance, and while there wasn’t as much traffic here, it was alive with the energy of industry. 

The store itself was outside a large two-story building, and from the smoke and noise, I assumed it was some sort of forge or foundry.

A selection of wares had been laid out on a table, from weapons to armor of all designs.

Aerion guided me into an alley near the store, where I opened my inventory and retrieved the shortsword and longsword we wanted to sell.

“You’re sure these guys won’t try to rip us off, right?” I asked, handing Aerion her weapon.

“Lots of places would, and this place will certainly try. So it’s a good thing you have me here to haggle for you. Keep quiet and let me do the talking. Just stand there and try to look intimidating.”

“I can do intimidating,” I said, before looking down at my attire. “Well, I can at least look grumpy.”

Aerion laughed. “You do that.”

— — 

The bargaining went a lot faster than I’d expected. I’d expected a gruff-looking bearded man to show up, hurling insults and calling the stuff we’d brought trash. 

It was actually a somewhat well-dressed woman, and she took a long moment to inspect the blades, giving them a few practice swings, before setting them down and starting the negotiation process.

She offered a price, Aerion countered, citing the fine workmanship and exquisite balance. The lady countered with a price in between, and they eventually settled on ten silver coins for the longsword and five for the shortsword.

The lady took the swords into the building and returned moments later with a bag full of our money, and our transaction was done.

“How much does stuff cost around here, anyway?” I asked as I stored the coins into my inventory. Aerion seemed to have grown a bit more comfortable at the idea of me storing our valuables safely away.

“Our inn costs five coppers a night, though as much as I’d love to educate you about our currency, I’d rather a nicer locale, wouldn’t you agree?”

I looked at the alley. It wasn’t dingy, per se, but it did look like the kind of place you’d expect to get mugged. 

“Fair enough. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. How about we get something to eat? You can educate me about this world, and then we can plan out where we go from here. Deal?”

Aerion nodded. “Deal.”

We left the alley looking forward to some hot, tasty food.

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