NOVEL FROG Chapter 19 - Kallion: See you at dinner!
“That concludes our report.” Simon finishes with a curt nod, as all of us turn expectantly towards the Guild Master.
The shortfolk woman rubs her head thoughtfully, her matte brown hair falling into her face as she is muttering to herself but loud enough for us to overhear.
“A Dungeon with the ability to produce light clearly indicates Illusion Affinity. But the monsters make no sense for that, unless the wooden exterior is an illusion to mask their true nature… Could it be dual? Why now of all times, goddess?”
She turns towards a writing desk in the corner and waves a hand at it lazily, upon which a feather begins floating of its own and dips into an inkwell, before unleashing itself upon a disorganized stack of scrolls that begin sorting themselves at the same time.
“I will record your report. I also have some questions for further clarification. First of all, was there anything unusual about the goblins you faced, any markings or unusual skills being displayed? Secondly, could you show me the mask that you acquired? I might be able to infer the dungeon's affinity from that, which will make planning around it easier for everyone involved.”
While Simon obliged and started producing the mask from his pack, Allea went into a detailed explanation of the goblins' appearance, behavior, and even smell. The Guild Master took it in stride and made sure her enchanted writing feather recorded it all.
When Simon finished searching for the mask, she got up and maneuvered around the desk to receive it from him. While walking, a ripple of essence washed over the room and the woman’s height doubled mid stride, making her the same height as Astrid, and she received the mask with a nod towards the now smaller Simon.
I knew from past conversations that the woman was a capable transmutation-aligned caster but such a casual display of power was shocking nevertheless, even knowing that one of their old adventuring teams most successful strategies involved turning Astrid’s Father into a hulking behemoth with size alteration magic and then layering buff skills.
…It also explained how their relationship could work despite a size difference of roughly 3 meters…
While my brain went on a tangent, the woman, ever the professional, had finished inspecting the mask, and handed it back nodding.
“As I expected the Dungeon is most likely a dual Affinity, Transmutation and probably Illusion, though it could have an Elemental Affinity for Fire to produce a similar effect. I would like you all to guide a survey team to the dungeon in a few days, if that is agreeable? We will need to evaluate essence levels and plan an outpost layout. While I worry about organizing all that, you should probably get that loot appraised by your old man and see about getting some equipment for yourself now that you have your specialist skills. Congratulations on that, by the way.”
Nodding along, we followed the woman out of her office, where she bid us farewell with a large grin, a hug for Astrid and the words: “And I am expecting you all at dinner tonight. We are going to be celebrating my daughter's first step into the world of Adventuring!”
Making our way out of the guild I ruminate on the shadow I saw crossing the woman's face when we left. Something was worrying her, certainly, but clearly she didn't want to bother us with it.
Without more information, however, I couldn't guess as to what exactly was going on, so I resolved to drop the matter, for now. When we had some privacy I should bring it up with my party, see if they have any insights.
For now, I quietly follow along to our next stop, every Adventurer's best friend, the magic item shop. We had collected our reward for the goblin request at the front desk while leaving, and while meager, we were going to spend it on some equipment as recommended. We also needed the mask appraised, and both could be done at the same time, conveniently.
And so we arrive in front of a large storefront, with magically illuminated letters proudly displaying "Silver's Item Store - Service that's worth more than gold! Buying, Selling, Appraisal, Repairs!"
I snort at the sign as we enter, the slogan different every time. A waft of smells greets us upon entry, boiled leather and polished metal, strange incense and herbs to name a few, though there are enchantments in place throughout the building keeping them from overwhelming our sense of smell. Allea visibly shudders anyways, her keen senses proving a hindrance in this instance.
Simon walks up to the bald heavyset man manning the counter and greets him with a curt: "Hello father."
The older human looks up at Simon wearily before scoffing.
"Welcome back, son. So the monsters didn't eat you yet?"
"As you can see I'm right as rain. I… I took the skill."
The hesitation in Simon's voice was not lost on us, but overshadowed by his father's bone-weary sigh.
"So I have feared… just… promise me you won't end up like your mother, ok? I could not bear to lose you, too…"
The pain in the man's voice was cutting, albeit expected.
Simon simply nods and seriously intones: "I promise, father."
"That's the best I'm gonna get, isn't it? All right then. So, was there anything else you needed?"
"We would like to have something appraised, please. And also to buy some things now that we have specialist skills to build around."
A wry smile came upon the Shopkeep and a professional demeanor quickly replaced the deep sadness the man exuded but moments ago.
"All right then. Appraisal's gonna have to wait till tomorrow, I'm afraid, Miria took the rest of the day off. But talk me through your needs and I'll see what we got. Let's get you kitted out!"