Chapter 313 - One Warning

Chris

"How are you liking my City? I don't know how it compares to the others you've been to, but I'm quite proud of what we've accomplished." I said and meant it. It was something I didn't think about often, but it was hard not to step back and look at what we'd built.

This all used to be forest and wilderness before.

"It's quite... rugged, but that is to be expected. I see you are striving to change that, so I applaud you," Vulwin said.

The rugged comment wasn't unexpected. I couldn't imagine what the cities were like where he had come from. Calling Frostheim 'rugged' by comparison didn't really surprise me.

"I've come for a few reasons, but I should start by asking if everything's square between us? Jonathan says he's linked your building and has extended Merchant Terminals to you." I said.

"Yes, yes, everything and more." Vulwin said happily, "Business has been booming, as I've heard a few of you say."

"I'm glad to hear that. You've been a great help so far for us as well. You don't know how annoying it is to be left in the dark about so much stuff." I said ruefully.

"You're right, I can't imagine. I grew up with it and can't even fathom exploring it for the first time." Vulwin said, "But that's for another time. What can I do for you? Have you come for Knowledge, Skills, or Treasure?"

"A bit of all three, really." I said, "All our attempts to enchant the Spatial Enlargement Rune have failed, and I've come to see if you know a reason for why?"

"Ah, Space Magic. Very finicky and very dangerous. I assume you're starting with a bag or pouch." Vulwin asked, and I nodded, "In that case, can I ask what type of leather you're using?"

"Nothing's worked so far, so we're still using scraps to practice. Once we get it right, we'll probably use the strongest we have available. Somehow, having the leather break seems like a bad idea." I said.

"A bad idea indeed, but there's your problem. You're trying to enchant a leather unsuited for Spatial magic, nor is it suited to containing it. While I don't know how close you've come, if you don't use the right leather, it will always fail." The Merchant said.

I thought that might be the problem after learning more about Metals, but hoped it wasn't so. We didn't have any leather that came from beasts with Space magic. Hell, I wasn't even sure where to find one.

"Well, shit. I feared that may be the case. You wouldn't happen to have such leather, would you?" I asked, already fearing the price.

"That I do!" Vulwin said excitedly, "Spatial Rings, too, if you ever earn enough to purchase one."

A screen appeared in front of me due to one of the Merchant's Skills and I saw the descriptions of the Leather in front of me. They weren't cheap.

"Yes, it's rather expensive, but that's to be expected. Everyone wants a Spatially expanded pack, and there are not infinite beasts to create them. Over half the price of the packs is just because of the leather involved." Vulwin explained, even though I tried to hide my grimace.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything cheaper, would you?" I asked.

"As I said before, there are two options for what you are aiming for. Using a leather that is favorable for Spatial Magic, or using a leather strong enough to contain it instead. The second option won't result in as big a space, and it's much harder to successfully enchant, but it's still an option." He said.

The list in front of me shifted to a different leather, and the price dropped considerably. It was from an assortment of D-rank beasts that were known for having thick hides. Seeing one of them be a Rhino was a bit sad, but I had to remember they weren't endangered anymore. Not to the wider universe.

The Leather was expensive, but not nearly as bad as the previous list. It was something we could afford, at least. I purchased some and was glad that Vulwin had them in stock. If he'd had to teleport them here, I was not going to be able to afford it.

Hopefully, this works. After giving myself a break from failing the enchantment so many times, I came back to it with a renewed vigor. That vigor did nothing for my success rate.

Hence, my trip here. I was sick of failing and finally sought a solution. Continuing to bang my head against the wall trying to puzzle it out myself wasn't working.

"Anything else?" Vulwin asked hopefully.

"I was wondering if you had any books on Mental Defense?" I asked. It was a bit out of the blue, but I kept remembering the tutorial lately. We probably had more books on Mental Magic and what it was capable of than any other Magic, but it didn't really feel like enough.

"Which kind? Are you aiming to fortify the Mind against physical pain or defend against a Mentalist?" Vulwin asked.

"The second," I said, trying to keep the heat out of my voice.

"Are you fearing an attack by one?" Vulwin asked, "I doubt there's a Mentalist on this Planet that can breach your Mind."

I knew why he was saying that, but didn't fully agree. A person had a natural defense against Mental Magic that other Magics didn't have to overcome. To breach someone's Mind, you had to punch through a person's natural defenses, even if they didn't have a skill for it.

It was the reason it took so long for the 'Mindbreaker' to turn certain people into thralls. Their will was strong enough to fight him off. He eventually wore them down through attrition, rather than brute strength.

"I have no love for Mentalists." I said firmly, "I'd rather be prepared than caught with my pants down."

"Alright, alright," Vulwin said, catching onto my distaste, "I can get it..."

"I sense a but coming."

"Only if you want the best. The Faction that has the best Mental Defenses isn't usually keen to sell them. You're lucky you're still at a low Rank, which makes it easier to get, but even still, they will want certain assurances." The way Vulwin said it made me uncomfortable. They wanted assurances just to buy their information?

"Which Faction is this? Are they large?" I asked.

"I'd say. Large enough to be one of the major players. Who do you think has the Best Mental Defenses in the Universe?" Vulwin asked with a smile. The elf had a proclivity to play around.

"I don't know, the Dragons?" Dragons seemed like a good guess. They were known to be the masters of magic. That claim was widely disputed, but it was still said often enough.

"Their scales are naturally Magic Resistant, and that includes Mental magic. They also have a Draconic Will that even some of the best Mentalists would fail to penetrate." Vulwin shook his head, "No, not the Dragons."

I stared. I wasn't playing a guessing game with him. I indulged once, and that was enough.

Vulwin caved, "Liches. Ancient Liches are wielders of the strongest mental defense magic in the Universe. They fear it more than any other, and it forces them to stay ahead."

"The Undead." I was surprised. I knew they were real, we'd read about them, but it was still hard sometimes to internalize that fact. It still felt like zombies and the like were fiction, when they were very real. Even though I'd seen an honest to god Necromancer at work during the Gathering.

"Yes, the Undead." Vulwin nodded, "They will want assurances that you do not sell anything they give you to the Holy Pantheon or those in league with them. That includes the Faction of Light. Even though what they're giving you is trivial and everyone knows the Holy Pantheon already has it, it's the principle of the matter with them."

Vulwin was talking about the Undead Faction so... casually. I would have thought that such a Faction was more despised than he was making it out to seem.

"You seem... friendly with them." I probed.

"Oh, I have no love for Death Magic, but we do a lot of Trade with the Undead. You'd be surprised how many take up homes on uninhabitable Arctic Worlds. They have no need for most of the resources and gladly trade them to us." Vulwin said. "I, personally, find it appalling, but the Frost Rose Emporium maintains a relationship with them."

"You seem to speak from experience." The way he talked about Death Magic was similar to how I felt about Mental Magic.

"The buildup of Death Magic is a constant threat where I'm from. It was why I was surprised that you bury the dead here. If you were any further North, I would have cautioned you against it. If the body cannot decay, the Death Magic will build up and cause problems. Our History with fighting the Undead is long and extensive, similar to most who come from lands of Ice and Snow."

That was a lot of information to take in. It made sense, in a way, that if the Earth were frozen, corpses would remain undecomposed. I hadn't thought that it would cause them to become undead, though.

We would have to check the Hill. Having any of my Family come back as zombies was... unacceptable.

"Is it something you can get? And how will they extract those assurances?" I doubted they would take me at my word, and I wasn't about to sign anything with the Undead.

"Our Emporium has some leeway with them, so it shouldn't be an issue. But, and let me stress this, if you break that trust, we will excommunicate you."

Talking with Vulwin was so natural, I sometimes forgot Translation Magic was in play, but there were times it stood out. The choice of the word excommunicate felt like one of those times.

"I understand. I swear to not sell it to anyone from the Holy Pantheon or those in league with them." I said sincerely. I didn't give a shit about their internal politics. The Undead were unnatural, and I wouldn't let any of my citizens be raised after death, but as long as they stayed away, I didn't care.

"See that you do." He said.

The price of such knowledge was a hefty sum, nearly double the Spatial leather he showed me earlier. There were a few other odds and ins that I bought, but I left the Emporium a lot less wealthy than I went in.

The two months of delving since our return was wiped out swiftly and utterly. Even with the new floors giving a lot more coin, I nearly didn't have enough.

Based on the taxes we pulled in from him, that was a common occurrence.

Sophia was waiting for me at the doors of the Keep when I returned and that was never a good sign. If she was waiting here, that meant it couldn't wait.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hal's Order has found Scouts nearing the Crystal Mine. They appear to be from Lakeshore, but that could be a misdirection. There's also been increased activity from Fort Hope in the area as well." She reported.

Mother Fucker. Can't anything go right for once.

I took a deep breath and stopped my anger from transferring to my aura. It had become a bad habit of mine.

"Are they just looking, or are they probing our defenses for an attack?" I asked.

"He doesn't know. Since the Mine is in Ashton's land, his Scouts drive them off before they can get close."

"Any word from Ashton?"

"No, but the number of clashes between the two has been increasing."

My face contorted. Those assholes didn't even fight in the test, yet their looking to expand now? Taking advantage of our losses while they could. Oh, it got my blood going.

"Send a messenger to Lakeshore." I said. We'd tried to reach out a few times before but were turned away. "Tell them, in no uncertain terms, if they continue this course of action, they will regret it."

Sophia nodded, and I felt her breathing speed up. Maybe I'm not concealing it as well as I thought.

"Who should we send? If they kill..." She dropped off.

I hadn't even thought of that. If they were so uncivilized as to kill the messenger?

"I'll raze their City to the ground." It was a fact.

They would get one warning.

Then... then I would have someone to take my anger out on.