Victor of Tucson

“So,” Victor said as Dar’s coach pulled away, sending his stomach sinking as it lurched into the sky, “Edeya seems happy.”

“She is! Thanks, Victor, for not mentioning the risks of the ritual. I’ll let her warm up to the idea and put a little distance between us and what I did before I give her those details.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Victor smiled and leaned back, enjoying the comfortable ride; like Dar’s other coach, this one had plenty of room for him at his normal stature. “So you need a new hammer?”

“My current favorite requires a good deal more strength than I can muster. Oh! Speaking of equipment, though, I got you something.” She produced a small, flat, circular stone and handed it over. Victor took it, feeling a slight warmth and a tiny tingle of Energy. It felt good.

“What’s this?”

“I met a girl by the path to the lower-level dungeons. She claimed to have a luck affinity and sold these stones for extra money. “Do you think it’s real? I already gave one to Edeya and Darren.”

“There's definitely something in here.” Victor narrowed his eyes. “Luck, huh? Is that a spirit affinity?”

“You’re asking me?” Lam laughed but nodded and added, “She said it was. I liked the way it felt, and I think mine already brought me some luck. I was rubbing it when I asked Dar to help me.”

Victor chuckled. “Well, thanks, Lam. I won’t turn down a bit of luck.” He tucked the little stone into a pocket. “How about I give you a spell to study? From what I’ve been able to figure out, it’s a courage affinity’s version of Berserk. I don’t use it much, so I only have it at the basic level, but I bet it gets better and better as you improve it.”

Lam leaned close and gripped his wrist in her much smaller hands. “That would be amazing!”

Victor smiled and produced a sheet of paper and one of the magical quills he’d picked up while browsing curio shops. “I have this pattern memorized and could probably draw it blindfolded.” As he began to trace the lines, he continued, “It’s called Heroic Heart. The basic level of the spell will give you immunity to fear effects and make it hard for anyone to affect your mind with spells that might confuse or even control you. Your will is important, of course, but the spell gives you a massive boost to any resistance you put up.”

“That sounds incredible!”

“Yeah, this is the basic pattern I used to create most of my most potent spells; I just try it with different affinities as I gain them. My first was Berserk, then I gained my inspiration affinity and learned to weave that with rage to create courage-attuned Energy. That’s how I figured this one out.”

“So, mixing other spirit affinities can create a different one?”

“Yep! It’s not just mixing, though.” Victor finished the pattern with a flourish. He had to admit that his higher dexterity and intelligence were really starting to show in his control of the pen; his lines were straight, his curves perfectly formed, and his artistic flair matched what he imagined in his mind. He’d added shading and contours without even thinking about it. He handed the sheet to Lam. “When you combine different spirit Energies, you have to use the right weave, which takes some guidance to learn the first few times. I’ll help you, but first, we need to find a second affinity for you.”

Lam took the pattern almost reverently, and her eyes widened as she studied it. “This is so different from the other spell patterns I’ve learned. It resonates with me somehow!”

“It’s meant to use the Energy in your Core, which is now a reflection of your spirit. I bet that’s a lot different than learning spells for generic Energy.” Lam only nodded, her eyes glued on the pattern. “I have a few other spells I should teach you before you go getting into fights. When we get back to the house, I’ll write ‘em out for you, okay?”

Lam nodded, blinking her eyes and laughing, looking away from him. “I’ve been so stupidly emotional ever since the ritual. Thank you, Victor.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. If you think you’re emotional now, wait until I show you what cultivating is all about as a Spirit Caster.” Victor chuckled ruefully. “Be thankful your first affinity isn’t rage.” He left it at that, and Lam was too engrossed in the spell pattern to dig further into his meaning, so Victor sat back and enjoyed the rest of the short ride into the city.

Their first stop was the Sojourn Auction Hall, something he’d heard Cam and Sora talking about during their initial, meandering trip through the ruins toward the stairs of the competitive dungeon. When they arrived and the coachman opened the door, Victor looked at him and asked, “Mister Qwor, should we find another ride back to the lake house?”

“No, sir. My latest instructions are to serve as your coachman until Lord Dar instructs me otherwise. I’ll remain in the vicinity. If I’m forced to move the coach while I wait, simply tap your signet ring three times, and I’ll locate you.”

Victor looked down at his ring and frowned. “It can do that?”

“Oh yes. Three taps for your coach, two to summon a servant in the house. It has other functions, but I’m sure Lord Dar has given you those details.”

“Not exactly.” Victor shrugged, adding it to the list of things to write to Dar about that evening. He nodded to the driver, then turned, joining Lam near the steps leading up to the auction house. “Quite a building.” She only nodded, staring up at the massive, blue-crystal rectangular edifice that soared into the sky before them. The crystalline walls were dark blue at the base, in the shadows of the other towers of Sojourn, but grew progressively lighter as they gained altitude and were exposed to more and more light. Near the top, high in the sky, the building blended with the sky to become almost invisible.

“Incredible,” Lam said, finally gathering herself and looking to Victor to lead the way.

“Right. I’m not sure how this place works. Like, I wonder if there’s always an auction going on or if there’s some kind of listing. Let’s go in and check things out.”

Quite a crowd walked by at the street level, and a constant stream of people climbed the steps to and from the building. Victor had also noticed entrances in the clouds on the crystalline walkways of the elite. “Popular place,” he remarked, nodding to Lam and starting up. When they entered the open archways in the crystal walls, the ambient temperature dropped a few degrees, and the lighting reflected the blue of the structure. It wasn’t a deep, off-putting color but a calming tint that fell on the pale gray marble floors.

Beings of gas and light operated hundreds of kiosks in the big, open hall. They were members of the same alien species Victor had seen in other official capacities around the city. He’d heard Dar mention their species name when they’d had to go to the “inquest” after his dungeon run, but Victor had already filed it away somewhere too difficult to retrieve. He picked a kiosk without a queue and approached, smiling toward the floating, pulsing ball of yellow light.

“Greetings, Sojourner. I am V-eleven. Are you here to access the auction listings?” The creature spoke directly into his mind, or so it seemed, but Lam’s body language indicated she’d heard the voice, too.

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“I’d like to learn more about it. Is it difficult to put something up for sale? When are the auctions held?”

“Ah, my apologies,” the smooth, genderless voice replied. “When I saw the signet of Ranish Dar upon your finger, I assumed you were more familiar with Sojourn. This auction house is, essentially, a large, never-ending silent auction. You can access the items listed for sale using a menu on your city tablet. I’ll gladly take any items you’d like to list on the auction and store them in this building. I’m sorry to say that we cannot list items that aren’t in the custody of the Sojourn Auction House.”

“Oh, that’s even better than I’d hoped.” Victor looked at Lam, raising an eyebrow, wanting to ensure she’d heard everything the helpful being had said. She nodded.

V-eleven pulsed, and Victor felt as though it exuded pleasure at his words. “If you would like, I’m happy to help you search through the listings. Is there anything you’re interested in finding?”

“Yeah, we have a few things. Can we start with this?” Victor fished his Cloak of Sojourn out of his storage ring and set it on the counter. “It’s really nice, and I like it, but I’ve never been a guy to wear a cape or a cloak, and, honestly, I never get cold. I was hoping to sell or trade it for some pants in the set.”

“Direct trades aren’t offered through the auction house. However, we can list this item. Similar items have an average list-to-sale time of four days, rounded up. I can see nine different ‘pant’ variations of items for this set. Would you like me to elaborate?”

“Are the pants different?”

“There are seven cloth variations and two leather. My database indicates that materials, regardless of their starting variety, can be altered by purchasing set upgrades at the Sojourn City Stone.”

Lam helped Victor move things along, “What are the prices?”

V-eleven pulsed and said, “The cloth variations range in price from 15,000 Energy beads to 27,000. The leather variations are 20,000 and 24,000.”

“What about this cloak? How much can I expect?”

“Seven others are listed for an average price of 18,000 beads.”

Victor nodded. If he’d known there were so many set pieces in the auction house, he wouldn’t have bothered Sora for the cloak. He shrugged and said, “List it for me, will you? Put it up for 17,000. Also, I’ll buy the leather pants for 20k.” Almost before he finished his sentence, the cloak disappeared, clearly snatched away to some dimensional container, perhaps the building itself.

V-eleven pulsed again and said, “I’ve listed the cloak with a 20,000-bead buyout and a one-month auction period with a minimum bid of 10,000 beads. If that’s not acceptable, I can change those terms.”

Victor thought about that, having never really dealt with an auction house of any kind. It sounded like anyone could bid as little as 10,000 beads, and if no one else bid, they’d get the item in a month. However, if anyone bid 20,000 beads, they’d get the item immediately, just as he would for the pants. “Is someone likely to get it for the minimum bid?”

“Minimum bids for such items have a sub-one-percent chance of success on items in the Sojourn City set.”

“Okay, I’m fine with those terms.”

V-eleven pulsed several times, then said, “I’m sorry, but unless you’d like to open a credit account with the auction house, I’ll need to collect payment for the pants before taking them off the listing.”

“No problem.” Victor dug around in his bag, frowning at his dwindling hoard of Energy beads, and pulled out a large sack of them.

“May I?” the pulsing light asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Victor watched as the sack shrank in on itself, the proper number of beads pulled away by some magic. A couple of seconds later, a pair of fine, supple, chocolate-colored leather pants appeared on the counter. Victor collected the remainder of his beads and the pants, sending them into storage. “Thanks. I have a few more things to shop for, but talk to my friend here first. This is Lam, and I believe she’s in the market for a warhammer.”

He listened while V-eleven helped Lam narrow down the thousands of options, settling on a hammer that could be wielded one-handed by someone of her current strength while also providing two magical combat bonuses—reverberating impacts and a paired ring that allowed her to recall it, if thrown, at the expense of Energy from her Core. Victor liked that idea and wondered if there was any way to add such functionality to Lifedrinker. He almost felt like he should be able to talk to her about it and, as he’d been doing a lot lately, added it to his list of things to do. Lam also purchased a sturdy round shield, and it was Victor’s turn again.

He spent more time than he wanted to, if he were honest, trying to find spell books or just single spell patterns for Edeya and Darren. There were a lot of possibilities, but spell patterns weren’t so blithely traded away, it seemed, and there were a lot of restrictions on some of the cheaper ones—exacting affinity requirements, Class prerequisites, attribute prerequisites, and even disclaimers of potential harm if used “incorrectly.”

In the end, Victor decided to try to buy some well-known, stable offensive spells for each of them. He almost bought a Lightning Strike spell for Darren but stopped when he considered the sheer foolishness of spending nearly 40,000 Energy beads on a spell that Valla could probably teach him. So, he asked for any chaos-attuned spells, and that’s when he had a much more difficult decision to make: only one chaos-attuned spell was on the entire auction house and it was selling for 95,000 Energy beads.

“Fractured Reality?” he asked, frowning.

V-eleven pulsed rapidly and said, “The listing describes the spell as ‘causing distortions and illusions that disorient and confuse enemies in a targeted area.’ It’s listed as rare.”

“I’ll buy it,” Lam offered. Victor opened his mouth to argue, but Lam pressed, “No, really. I’m going to be spending time in dungeons with him, and I can afford it. Let me get this one. You buy one for Edeya.”

Victor thought about it and nodded. He didn’t know how much money Lam had squirreled away, but he knew it was probably more than he did. “Okay, cool. In that case, V-eleven, I’ll buy the Frozen Aura spell you told me about.” It was a spell that would persist as long as Edeya fed it Energy and was supposed to slow enemies she engaged in melee range, at least at the “basic” level; it might become even more effective if she could rank it up. He handed over another 33,000 beads, and Lam paid for Darren’s spell.

“Where now, Victor?” she asked as they stepped away from the kiosk.

“We’re near the building that houses the System Stone. Let’s go there next; I want to check out what I can do with this armor set I’ve got.” She nodded, and Victor led the way. When they passed by the coach, he let Mister Qwor know where they were going, and the driver said he’d be waiting outside.

Victor enjoyed watching Lam’s reaction walking around downtown, especially when they stepped into the hall where he’d claimed his prize from the dungeon. Her mouth fell agape, and she marveled at Sojourn’s enormous, massively upgraded System Stone. “Imagine the millions of beads they’ve put into that!” Her neck craned back as she sought the highest point of the stone with her eyes.

“More like billions, I’m pretty sure.” The hall was busier than when he’d come there with Dar. Hundreds of people milled about and moved to and fro, and lines of citizens led up to each side of the stone, waiting for their turn. Victor led the way up to the shortest queue on the far side of the stone, and they waited for their opportunity to interact with it.

They made small talk about spirit Cores, Energy weaves, spell patterns, and how Victor had learned what he knew. He found it sort of cathartic to talk about Gorz and Old Mother. He spent half an hour or more talking about the old Shadeni and how she’d reminded Victor of his own grandmother. When he finally got around to mentioning Khul Bach, though, he felt a surge of guilt and hastily changed the subject; he didn’t want to think about how annoyed the sleeping Degh spirit would be when he finally got around to filling him in on everything that had happened in Sojourn.

When it was his turn to approach the stone at last, Lam accompanied him up to the dark surface with its hundreds of drifting golden runes. He navigated a simplified menu offered to the public until he came to a section titled EXCLUSIVE, SYSTEM-GRANTED EQUIPMENT SETS. He selected the option and found five options:

1. IRON-RANKED, FIVE-PIECE ARMOR SET

2. IRON-RANKED, TWO-PIECE WEAPON AND ARMOR SET

3. IRON-RANKED, THREE-PIECE ARMOR SET

4. IRON-RANKED, THREE-PIECE JEWELRY SET

5. LUSTROUS SET

“Huh,” Victor said, a little surprised that there were several different sets. Only one option said “five-piece,” so he figured that was the one. He selected it, and a prompt appeared:

Please remove the set piece items from storage and place them before the stone.

Victor did as prompted, pulling out the helmet, belt, gauntlet, boots, and pants and setting them on the smooth marble floor next to the stone. Another System message appeared on the weird, floating display that, apparently, only he could see:

This five-piece armor set can be upgraded with Energy-rich materials and enchantments prior to choosing set bonuses. If you wish to do so, place the materials before the stone.

Victor thought about it for a moment, then dug through his rings until he found the “legendary-tier, magma-attunement gem” and the “master-artisan-grade hide of a lava king” he’d won during the conquest of the Untamed Marches. He set the heavy, incredibly dense, red, smoldering gem on the ground beside the thick roll of supple, deep crimson, mottled leather. Another message appeared:

Analyzing.

“Can it use those treasures?” Lam asked, finally unable to maintain her silent observation.

Victor grinned at her. “I’m about to find out.” He watched the word pulse for several seconds, and then another message appeared:

Lava King Hide is of sufficient Energy density and size to imbue all five items as follows:

Helm of Sojourn: Infused with the resilience of the Lava King: Immunity to fire damage, enhanced density, and rapid damage regeneration.

Belt of Sojourn: Infused with the volatile Energy of the Lava King: Once-daily activation to boost the wearer’s agility and dexterity. Partially infused with the resilience of the Lava King: Immunity to fire damage and rapid damage regeneration.

Gauntlet of Sojourn: Infused with the resilience of the Lava King: Immunity to fire damage, enhanced density, and rapid damage regeneration.

Boots of Sojourn: Infused with the swiftness of the Lava King: Permanent movement speed boost to the wearer. Partially infused with the resilience of the Lava King: Immunity to fire damage and rapid damage regeneration.

Greaves of Sojourn: Infused with the stability of the Lava King: Enhanced stability and balance for the wearer, regardless of terrain. Partially infused with the resilience of the Lava King: Immunity to fire damage and rapid damage regeneration.

Magma Attunement Gem is of sufficient Energy density to imbue one of two items. Please make a choice:

1. Helm of Sojourn: Flame Control – Channel Energy of any type into this helmet to gain the ability to manipulate and control any existing flames.
2. Gauntlet of Sojourn: Magma Lash – Channel Energy of any type into this gauntlet to create a whip of stable magma, usable as a melee weapon capable of extending to strike even distant enemies.

Once you have made your decision, these items will be imbued, and then you may select and purchase the Sojourn set bonuses.

“Holy shit,” Victor laughed. “I’m about to get some massive upgrades, Lam, but let me run some options by you. I could use a second opinion.”