112: Pure Seric (Patreon)

NOTE: Special extra chapter of the week for the $10 tier! The $10 tier is now 27 chapters ahead of RR. The backlog will continue to expand each week until we're 35 chapters ahead.
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“Name?” asked the Brotherhood Executor.

Vir had been dreading this moment. To register in Tia’s party, he’d need to provide his Brotherhood name—Apramor.

He should have told Tia in advance. That would have been the smart thing to do. And yet, he found himself unable, fully realizing the pointlessness of hiding it until the last moment.

“Apramor,” he said, earning him an appraising glance from Tia and Vason. Haymi was thankfully still resting in the room, but that just meant Vir would have to confront her about it later.

“Never felt like Param suited you, anyway,” Tia said with a grin.

Vir smiled sheepishly. “Sorry…” he said. His chest burned with shame.

Vason clapped his shoulder. “So, Apramor, then? That’ll take some getting used to. A name’s a powerful thing. Don’t blame you at all for using an alias.”

That they forgave him so easily only made his chest burn hotter.

But Vir’s apology wasn’t for lying about Param being his name… it was for lying about Apramor being his name. He still wasn’t willing to risk exposing his true name. As Vason just said, it was a powerful thing. While he doubted Hiranya had the resources to send pursuers after him, one could never be too safe.

“Very well,” the Executor said. “Acolyte Apramor is now registered as part of Spear’s Edge. Leader Tia—Shadow, Vason—Acolyte, and Haymi—Acolyte.”

Vir was surprised to learn Tia’s rank. Shadow was a decently high rank within the Brotherhood, and not one that came easily.

“Welcome aboard, Apramor,” Tia said, squeezing his shoulder. “We’re gonna need you.”

She wasn’t kidding about that. The contract Tia had described sounded nearly as dangerous as taking down the Narapazu.

South of Avi lay the vast Aranya Forest. Recently, a monster had made it its den—a being that the locals referred to as the Lord of the Forest.

Nobody knew what it looked like, or even how dangerous it was, but wildlife had been going missing at an alarming rate, and so the Brotherhood was commissioned to put an end to it. Vir didn’t enjoy venturing into the unknown blind, and he’d never have considered undertaking such a contract by himself. He couldn’t have, even if he wanted to. Such contracts would only have been assigned to parties, or High Shadows working individually.

But he wasn’t alone. He now had a party and mejai support. Rather than feel anxious, he was even looking forward to it.

Vason, Tia, and Vir ambled to the courtyard, where a large bulletin board had been erected. Soon, it would display the results of the mining operation and the rewards doled out.

Rewards will be issued per confirmed kill, as follows:

Prana Beasts ranking Balar 1-5: 10 coppers and 5 Brotherhood Karma

Ash Beasts ranking Balar 6-50: 3 silvers and 50 Brotherhood Karma

Ash Beasts ranking 51-100: 7 silvers and 100 Brotherhood Karma

Ash Beasts ranking 101-150: 15 silvers and 300 Brotherhood Karma

Ash Beasts ranking 151-200: 30 silvers and 700 Brotherhood Karma

Ash Beasts ranking 201 and above will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Such rewards would normally be divulged in secret, but the mining company wanted to recognize the efforts of those who had taken part, so it had been announced beforehand that the results would be public. Any mercs who didn’t like that always had the option not to participate.

The crowd of forty mercenaries gathered around, each vying for the best spot.

“I mean, I doubt anyone could’ve beaten us, right?” Vason said. “That Narapazu was the strongest monster down there.”

Vir wondered about that. Depending on how much importance the mining company placed on that beast, they could very well be overtaken by mercenaries who took down numerous weaker beasts.

That said, ‘weaker’ was relative. All Ash Beasts were formidable foes, so Vir doubted anyone had accrued too many valuable kills. Even so, his heart beat faster and faster as the Executor walked up to the bulletin board and unfurled oversized sheets of parchment with the names, starting with the lowest positions first.

Unfamiliar names revealed themselves, one after another, and with each entry, Vir’s hopes rose. The halfway point passed, and still neither his name nor Spear’s Edge appeared.

Vir’s heart beat faster and faster. The number three position was announced, then the number two.

And yet, neither name showed up. Something was wrong.

Then, finally, the first position was revealed. The one who had accomplished the most, who’d earned 45 silvers and 1200 Brotherhood Karma… was Spear’s Edge.

Tia yelped and clasped arms with Vason, but then immediately realized Vir’s name was missing.

“There must have been some mistake—” she began, but was cut off by the Executor, who projected his voice via a utility orb.

“You have all performed well. But there is one among you I wish to call out. One who rose above the call of duty. As you may have heard, the lowest level of the mine contains an ancient Imperium hallway. Within it lurked a very special and rare Ash Beast. A Narapazu.”

Whispers of confusion sounded out among the crowd.

“It is likely few of you have heard of it. Even in the Ashen Realm, it is said to be rare. We know not what it was doing at the bottom of that mine, but we certainly intend to find out.”

“Acolyte Apramor not only assisted Spear’s Edge in taking it down, but according to them, felled the beast nearly single-handedly.”

The whispers grew louder.

“Furthermore, he brought the injured mejai of Spear’s Edge up to the surface, just in time to save her life. For his contributions, the contractor has issued a reward of 54 silvers. But to honor his valiant acts, the Brotherhood awards a further twenty silvers and 1500 karma to Acolyte Apramor.”

Seventy-four silvers!? It was Vir’s largest haul ever. Maybe I can even afford a seric weapon now!

Tia began clapping, and others soon followed suit. Soon, the entire courtyard was filled with the sound of claps and cheers.

“I…” Unused to being the center of attention, Vir found himself overwhelmed. The recognition moved him more than he’d ever expected. “Tia, why? All of you contributed to taking down the Narapazu, and Haymi even delivered the finishing blow.”

“That beast was already on its way to the grave. Haymi’s blow just brought it a few moments quicker. Honestly, Apramor, without you, we’d have been forced to retreat… or worse. You deserve every bit of that recognition. Besides, you saved Haymi’s life. We’re not even close to equal.”

“T-thanks,” Vir replied, finding himself unable to look Tia in the eye.

When the cheers finally died, the Executor continued.

“The contract claimed the lives of ten Brotherhood mercenaries. They will be remembered.” He paused for a moment of silence before continuing. “Each of you has emerged stronger than before. Continue to proudly serve the organization.”

With those parting words, the veiled Executor left, and the crowd began to disperse.

“Well, now that we’re all rich, what do you say we get drunk at a good bar?” Vason said with a grin that stretched across his entire face.

“Without Haymi? That seems rather rude, don’t you think? I have a better idea,” Tia replied, smiling impishly. “All that coin must be weighing you down, eh Apramor? How about we go lighten your pockets on some new gear?”

— —

“So, first off, we gotta get you some armor. And uh, I hope you’re not too attached to that iron katar?” Tia said, appraising Vir.

“Not at all,” he replied. The soft iron had given him a lot of trouble in the mine, as he’d had to baby it to prevent it from breaking or chipping. The sooner he upgraded, the better.

They stood within the largest arms market in Avi, and large was the word for it. The building stood four stories tall, and every inch was filled with weapons and armor. They started at mundane iron and low-grade steel on the ground floor, and became progressively more expensive the higher up one went.

Of course, they stood on the fourth floor. Vir’s wealth now amounted to seventy-five silvers—the most he had ever owned. He walked into the store feeling like a Sawai.

Yet by the time he ascended to the fourth floor, he felt like a pauper. Vir wondered whether it was just him or if fate was playing a game. The more money he earned, the more expensive items became.

Take the Brigandine cuirass, for example. Mundane varieties sold for ten silvers, and even the most highly crafted ones went for only twenty.

But the cuirasses engraved with magical conduits? Those were in another league entirely. The brigs boasting a single orb slot started at thirty silvers, and the ones that had two went for forty-five.

And those were regular steel cuirasses. Vir didn’t even want to look at the prices of the seric ones. Those were priced in seric coins, not silvers.

Even the slotted seric katars they had gone for a hundred silvers—or one seric coin. Suddenly, Vir found himself a pauper once again.

“So, I think for now, we’ll want a cuirass and a katar,” said Tia, perusing the wares as if she were looking over vegetables at a market, and not exquisite gear.

“Tia,” Vir said in a low voice, ensuring to keep the store attendant out of earshot. “This is a little embarrassing for me, but… can we look at some of the stuff on the lower floors? I don’t really need gear this good.”

Rather, he couldn’t afford it, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to admit that.

Tia frowned. “I’m sorry, Apramor, but that’s not going to work for me. If you’re gonna be in our party, we need you to equip magic gear. Trust me, once you use this stuff, you’ll never want to go back.”

“I understand that, it’s just…”

Tia smiled at him. “I know, it’s expensive. But you don’t need to worry about any of that. Just pick out the gear you like, and we’ll figure it out. Okay?” she said with a wink.

So she’s planning on bargaining hard, then? But even with steep discounts, Vir doubted he could afford both a cuirass and a katar.

In the end, he settled on a simple steel cuirass with two magical slots—Tia insisted one simply wasn’t enough. Even if Haymi only powered a single orb at a time, having the option to switch from Slashing Protection to Piercing Protection could very well determine the outcome of a battle. Or so she said.

The cuirass retailed for forty-three silvers.

The katar was a more agonizing decision. He’d never even laid eyes on a seric katar before. The weapon locked inside the glass case was more a work of art than a weapon—though its blade was as devastating as it was beautiful.

No matter how much he forced himself to consider the mundane steel katars, his eyes kept drifting back to that seric one.

“How much for this one?” he asked the attendant at length.

“An exquisite item, isn’t it?” the impeccably dressed man said. “Pure Seric steel, and a magical slot to boot. Capable of accepting orbs up to B grade. This piece is on sale for 120 silvers.”

Vir blanched. Over a seric coin for that blade. There was simply no way.

“We’re interested in both the cuirass and this blade,” said Tia before Vir could respond.

“Tia!” Vir hissed. “I can’t afford that.”

“No worries! Just watch,” Tia said, winking.

“Give us your best offer,” she said.

“Milady, I’m happy to negotiate on pieces on lower floors, but the items you see here are all exquisite. I’m afraid there’s little room for—!?

Tia did… something, but Vir wasn’t quite sure what. She’d reached into a pocket and flashed an item at the attendant, but by the time he noticed, the item was already back in her pouch.

“You said your name was…”

“Tia,” she replied with a sly grin. “Just Tia.”

“Tia…” the man’s eyes went wide for the briefest instant before he regained his composure. “Of course, of course.”

From that moment on, his mannerisms changed entirely. He kept bowing his head and averting eye contact.

That’s the second time this has happened, Vir thought, regarding his party leader. First, when they’d first arrived at Avi, Tia had been taken away by someone who very clearly looked Sawai. That man had treated her with deference.

It all but confirmed that Tia was secretly a Sawai of some sort. And if Vir was right, a high ranking one.

“Miss Tia, for you, we could do a hundred silvers for both the cuirass and the katar combined. Would that be acceptable?”

Vir thought he’d heard incorrectly. A hundred silvers? That was still an incredible amount, but considering the katar and the cuirass together would’ve cost 163 silvers, that was an incredible discount. And with practically no haggling, too.

“Ninety. Surely, you recognize the benefits of making this sale.”

The man fell silent.

Alright, then. “Ninety-five, but throw in that set of steel chakris on the wall over there.”

While Vir had replaced his chakrams in Zorin with good steel ones, he’d never regained his chakris, and he’d missed them dearly.

Tia winked at him. He’d mentioned this only once to her, back when they’d first met.

To think she remembered…

“Done,” the man said instantly.

Before Vir could object, the deal had been settled. There was just one problem.

Vir immediately pulled the freckled blonde aside. “Tia, I can’t afford this! I’m sorry. I’ve only got seventy-five silvers to my name!” Admitting the amount made him flush with embarrassment.

Tia gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Remember I said that we weren’t even? That I still owed you for saving Haymi? The katar and the cuirass are on me.”

“What!? No!” Vir responded. He’d die of shame if he allowed Tia to pay for his gear. “No way. I can’t let you do that, Tia.”

The girl sighed. “I figured you’d resist. But c’mon, do you really want to start a scene? Look at how that gentleman’s looking at us.”

Sure enough, the attendant was looking at their conversation with rapt attention. The man tried to disguise it, but Vir noticed his subtle glances.

“That’s… that’s underhanded, Tia,” he whispered.

“Uh, huh. Why do you think I waited until now to tell you?” she replied, beaming.

“At least allow me to give you everything I have.”

“And leave you broke? That’s hardly fair. Look… if you want to pay for the cuirass, I won’t stop you. But I’m paying for the katar. And I’d like it if you allowed me to pay for it all.”

Vir paused for a moment. To refuse her offer was foolish; he knew that. But if he accepted, they wouldn’t be equal—he’d owe her. A great deal, in fact. She might not see it that way, but Vir would.

“Fine,” he said at length. “I’ll pay for the cuirass, then.”

Tia’s grin widened. “Excellent. I just knew you’d listen to reason.”