"...And as y-you can see, the Dark Pine Resin envelops your weapon in f-flames for a few minutes."
I mentally cringed at the difficulty of pronouncing the words.
The more I spoke, the more I had to use what I hadn't yet mastered, but my first client's admiration for my products was worth the embarrassment.
Buldrokkas'tee, a Wendigo, a rare subrace, even rarer one of pure blood, and after a few seconds of pondering, I dared to ask if his skull was a helmet or a face, and to my surprise, it was indeed his face.
I'm glad he wasn't offended; in fact, it was a common question he was used to answering.
After delivering the medicine he desired, I made sure to present my products, especially those useful in combat, considering his warrior-like appearance.
Ancient Growth Balm and Vine Balm, which temporarily increase strength and dexterity respectively, Green Blossom Potion, which accelerates stamina recovery, and now the resins.
The first two interested my client, but he was skeptical of something so miraculous, with an instant effect and an affordable price.
I don't doubt that I sound like a con man trying to sell snake oil or something poisonous, so I gave a demonstration, using the consumables and showing their effects.
At that moment I got his attention and after answering several questions, I sold one of each of the mentioned items.
Buldrokkas'tee twirled the flaming trident in his hands, listening to the fire crackle as it left trails with each movement.
"Impressive, I can feel the heat, but the flames don't burn my hands, as you said. The integrity of the weapons isn't affected, right?"
"R-right, the resin's effects will only affect those who aren't holding the weapon, and you can apply it… A-as many times as you want without worrying about b-breaking it, except for blows you land on something or someone… I a-also have ones that apply lightning, bleeding, and poison effects if you wish."
"I'll take one of each, please."
My smile widened at that answer, and I organized the items. He paid the amount, put them in a bag at his waist, and turned to leave, but stopped halfway and asked me a question.
"Your accent is strange, as is your pronunciation. You're a foreigner, aren't you?"
His tone was careful and delicate, but I didn't believe his words wholeheartedly. It wouldn't be the first time someone feigned kindness towards me, and the local population made their opinion of me clear.
"Y-yes, I am, I hope that's n-not a problem."
I was polite, but there was a hint of threat in my voice. However, instead of returning the barb as I expected, the Wendigo sighed, speaking with a certain sadness in its voice.
"It seems you've already had to deal with the Sarkaz's animosity. I don't know how you ended up here of all places, but I hope you find something that brings you joy in the capital. There's always something good beneath so many problems, and if my words are of any use, I'm sorry for what the others did; they don't represent all of Kazdel."
Admittedly, this surprised me. I quickly lowered my furrowed brow and eyebrows to avoid looking foolish and sighed, taking something from under the counter and throwing it to the Wendigo, who examined the artifact with curiosity.
"What is this?"
"A lifegem, o-on the house, it possesses an Art that will g-gradually heal your wounds when crushed. Unfortunately… it's not the b-best I can do, I need more time and r-resources, however, you never know when it might save your life… Come back later and I'll have more p-powerful versions available."
"Thank you, I'll make good use of it."
"You're w-welcome… If possible, spread a g-good word about me to your friends, more c-customers are always welcome."
Buldrokkas'tee put the small, semi-transparent yellowish stone in his bag and with a final wave, left my shop and went on his way.
I put the money I got in a box and leaned against the counter, thinking about what happened. It wasn't so bad after all, I hope he comes back.
I was pulled from my thoughts by the door bell ringing again. I raised my head and saw some people entering and looking around hesitantly.
Strange, no one bothered to even go inside before Buldrokkas'tee. Was the Wendigo someone important? Anyway, I'm not going to complain about my luck.
"Welcome, how can I help you?"
-XXXXXX-
"Warfarin, wake up!"
"I'M AWAKE!"
The vampire jumped in surprise before returning to her original position, her eyes half-closed and her posture unsteady from sleep.
"Warfarin, either you get used to waking up during the day and sleeping at night, or at least try to sleep earlier, because I won't be able to train you if our schedules are incompatible. Besides, how do you expect to run a clinic if most of the patients are asleep? Unless you only want to treat nighttime emergencies?"
"If people want to be healed so badly, then they should come when I'm available! I'm the best healer in Kazdel and…"
Her eyes closed and the vampire slumped forward with an exhausted face, but I caught her by the shoulder and shook her, waking her up again.
I poured a stamina regeneration potion into her mouth as soon as it opened. The effect was immediate; her eyes widened and a big smile spread across her face.
"What is this?! I feel great!"
"This is one of my products, Green Blossom Potion, a leafy flower-like weed that temporarily increases the speed of energy recovery. It was avoided due to its bitter taste, but as soon as its effects became known, it was harvested almost to extinction by merchants. Now, only exceptionally rare wild specimens of this plant remain, something I intend to change."
"Hmph, typical, but considering the effects, it doesn't surprise me that this happened."
"It's useful, certainly, but before you ask, no, I won't give you any more to stay awake day and night. Lack of sleep and excessive potions will harm your health. If you want to stay awake during the day, you'll have to learn for yourself."
She crossed her arms and clicked her tongue, but nodded, allowing me to continue.
"But leaving that aside, let's begin your training. Did you bring the Reduvias?"
Warfarin made a quick gesture and the daggers slid out of her sleeve and soon met in her grip.
Judging by her face, she expected some praise; I, on the other hand, wondered how she managed to do it without cutting herself, considering that Reduvia was a crude and twisted weapon.
"Very well, to begin with, you must remember that those daggers spilled more blood than usual during your fight against the vampires, right? That's something difficult to explain; if you hit someone strong enough with any weapon, that person will bleed, right? However, there are certain weapons capable of wounding in a way that no other can. You could even say they are bloodthirsty weapons, which after a few successive blows, are capable of overcoming the resistance of their opponents and doing what you saw during the combat. This is known as blood loss, a blow that causes a serious wound and spills rivers of blood. Do you understand so far?"
"Yes… Weapons with some kind of special effect are more common than it seems. However, most only exist in legends; I've never seen anything like Reduvia. And the blood blades? I tried using my Arts, but I couldn't achieve anything similar."
"That's because you don't channel your Arts into the weapon to achieve the desired result. Now, how do I explain that?"
I considered how I should proceed, but the difficulty lay in adapting my explanation to the world I'm in rather than the difficulty of teaching someone else.
"Let's put it this way: Reduvia possesses an art forged into her construction called Ash of War, specifically the Reduvia Blood Blade. Self-explanatory, right? Ashes of War are specific combat techniques that can be applied to weapons. Some are more common and can be swapped like armor pieces, strengthening your attack, defense, or delivering a powerful blow. Others cannot be swapped as they are an integral part of the weapon, which is the case with your daggers. However, using a Ash will affect the durability of your weapon, so be careful. However, just as people from different kingdoms have the same idea when inventing something, there are certain pieces of equipment with so-called Weapon Arts, which cannot be swapped but have a similar effect to Ash of War. However, while you cannot apply a Weapon Art to a piece of equipment with a Ash of War, you can do the opposite, giving two abilities to a weapon. Although similar, the difference between them prevents a piece of equipment from becoming overloaded with power and self-destructing."
"I… I've never heard of anything like it."
"The world is a big place, there's a lot you and I don't know."
"Okay, so how do I use the Ash?"
"That's the interesting part, you need to feel the Ash on the weapon and your body will move as if it knows what to do. Basically, follow your instinct."
"That doesn't help much, isn't there some kind of book or technique?"
"If it exists, then I never found it. I'm self-taught, I had to figure things out in practice, and having your life in danger is a great teacher."
I removed Rogier's Rapier from my bag and pointed it at Warfarin's face, making her eyes widen in fear.
"WAIT, SHOULDN'T WE, I DON'T KNOW… MEDITATE OR SOMETHING?!"
She stepped back, raising her hands defensively. I, on the other hand, grinned from ear to ear, delivering a feint to her feet, making her jump.
"Don't worry, I'm not a harsh teacher. I was a beginner once, so I'll go easy on you. Now assume your fighting stance."
The vampire did as I asked, opening her legs, crouching slightly as she bent over, holding Reduvia in an inverted position.
"The people of Kazdel seem to prefer long range and large, heavy weapons, probably due to their strength, agility, and stamina, so you'll have to be quicker because of the short reach of your daggers, below-average strength, and inexperience. I'll use a dagger eventually, but for now, treat me like a normal mercenary."
"There's nothing normal about you!"
Despite her complaints, Warfarin closed the distance at high speed like a black, white, red blur. However, she wasn't fast enough. With a swing, I parried the first blow and the second that followed, throwing her weapons away.
I saw her mouth open and her eyes widen in surprise, but I didn't end my attack. I spun the rapier in my hand and struck her legs with the flat part, making her stumble and fall face-first to the ground.
"Again!"
"You call that going easy?!" Warfarin stood up, spitting out the dirt and grass from the outskirts of the capital.
"Of course, but I can use my Arts if you wish."
That was more than enough to send her running to retrieve her weapons and try again.
This time I was the first to act, stepping forward while delivering a low swing. Warfarin stepped back, assuming a defensive stance, but that didn't help her escape what came next.
I dragged the tip of the rapier across the ground, throwing dirt and sand in her face. As she screamed from being blinded, I struck her stomach with the pommel of my weapon, causing her to gag and fall to her knees.
When her eyes opened, all she saw was the magical steel tip inches from her face.
"Again!"
"Did you have to hit me so hard?!"
"Your enemies won't always play fair, so you must be prepared for anything. There's a limit to honor; don't be a monster, but don't let your foolishness stop you from winning. And you're the best healer in Kazdel, aren't you? I barely touched you, so use your Arts to heal yourself."
"I'll suck all your blood as compensation!"
"Ha, good luck with that!"
She stood up with trembling legs, preparing for combat again, and then our training continued for the rest of the day.
-XXXXXX-
I passed by Warfarin's room, hearing her snoring. At least she'll sleep tonight.
After a stop in the bathroom for a quick bath, I returned to my room, dressed in more casual clothes before sitting down at my desk, returning to my new project, dissecting and understanding the enchantments of my magic rings.
Sheets upon sheets of theories and diagrams covered the table, and my failed designs, rings that looked like a mass of molten metal, rested in a trash can beside me.
If I could somehow decipher the enchantments of my rings, I could forge more to sell or create modified versions. Warfarin called this reverse engineering, though I used the term Arts during my explanation.
The Ash Knuckle Ring, which once belonged to Rhoy the Explorer, was the focus of my efforts due to its effect of making the wearer resistant to petrification.
If I succeeded, the uninfected wearing the ring would become more resistant to infection, and those already infected would have their Oripathy suppressed, giving them more time to live until a cure was found or their natural death arrived.
Hours passed, and I couldn't help but feel a certain joy in my heart at what I was doing, not only for the good my item would bring, but for the process behind it. I rarely had time to understand what I always carried with me; the sorcerer within me longed to unravel this mystery.
Suddenly, I heard a sound I was already accustomed to, the Banshee's whistle, but it was getting closer and closer until I heard the sound of something landing on the roof.
I immediately stood up and walked towards my window, hearing the footsteps on the roof going in the same direction.
Opening the window and looking up, I realized the whistle had stopped, as a woman dressed in black with a dark veil hiding her face was staring at me from the edge of the roof.
"Hello."
She didn't answer immediately, tilting her head in confusion before replying.
"Hello."
"What are you doing on my roof? It's late, I'm trying to rest, and it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone at this hour."
"Forgive me for disturbing you, but I'm merely fulfilling my duty announcing death. And don't worry, I know how to take care of myself; the guards of the capital are far from capturing me. Now, if you'll allow me a question, sir…"
"Alden."
"Sir Alden, has any relative of yours died recently?"
"I believe not, as I have no known relatives."
The Banshee murmured something, and her subtle movements indicated confusion. Then she left without another word, but I heard her whisper something.
"He smells of death…"
I watched as the woman in black disappeared into the night, closing the window and curtains afterward, returning to my place, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't concentrate again.
Did she know what I was?
END OF CHAPTER