Chapter 50 (Patreon)

It was Seventhday—Nox’s favorite day of the week. It was too early to call it a ritual, but he and his friends met at the eighth-morning bell for breakfast. Initially, it was just Nox, Annabelle, Lillin, and Pudge. Caitlin and Alexander joined them after the assault. They were an excellent addition to the gatherings.

The female half of the Woodson siblings were quiet and only engaged in conversations if someone spoke to her first. Caitlin appeared content just listening to conversations, people-watching, and enjoying her breakfast. Meanwhile, Alexander was as lively as one would expect of a person who summoned squirrels. He was a funny young man and never failed to make the group laugh.

Alexander’s broad range of skills—trap disarming, lockpicking, scouting, information gathering, and entertaining—made him come across like a bard from old adventure novels. He didn’t have much to contribute on the battlefield, but Nox doubted anyone would care. Alexander’s energy alone made him a loveable presence.

Necromancy, the taboo surrounding it, and their traumatic past had made the Beaufort siblings wary of the world. They avoided large gatherings and kept to themselves. Nox expected the pair to reject the offer when he invited them to the Seventhday gatherings. They jumped at the offer.

Nox was no stranger to isolation. He felt guilty when he saw the signs and finally understood their loneliness. Michelle especially appeared desperate for human contact. Ernest wasn’t much of a conversationalist and seemed lost in his own world most of the time. The monster parts in him probably messed with his mind as well. One moment, the giant was laughing and joking with Alexander one moment. The next moment it looked like he was trying to contain rage or on the verge of tears. Nox guessed his condition made Ernest a poor conversationalist. His presence probably did little to alleviate Michelle’s loneliness.

Much to the group’s surprise, Michelle gravitated toward Caitlin. The two frequently spoke to one another in hushed voices. They asked each other about their lives and classes. The pair occasionally shared quiet laughter. Alexander said nothing, but Nox often caught the young man watching his sister with a big smile on his face.

Michelle loved her food and indulged in hefty quantities. She had a broad frame typical of Imperian countryside women but didn’t appear heavy or unhealthy. Nox guessed she made a point of exercising regularly to compensate for her primarily sedentary, indoor lifestyle.

In comparison, Ernest barely ate at all. He got a plate like everyone else and didn’t load it enough to satisfy Nox, let alone someone of his build. He mostly sat around, shuffling the food around his plate with a fork. Nox recalled large vats around the cot with pipes attached to them.  He wondered whether Michelle used them to feed her brother. It wouldn’t surprise Nox if Ernest had no stomach or anything close to a human digestive system. All the monster parts in his body probably needed varying mixtures of proteins, fats, and other minerals.

The Seventhday breakfast ended with Alexander leaving first. Even though it was everyone’s day off, Professor Wolfhammer expected his apprentice to report for training exercises. Apparently, it wasn’t as intensive as regular classes and more tailored to his specific spell set. Then Michelle and Caitlin left to look up something in the library.

“What’s your plan for the day?” Annabelle asked Nox as the rest of them worked on finishing their fruit and custard desserts.

“Shopping,” Nox answered. “I need to buy aether ink to finish my Shaping planet. None of the shops on campus sell the ingredients, so I’ll need to go out into the city. We might pick up some new clothes, too.”

“Mind if I tag along?” She hesitantly glanced at Lillin and Pudge. Annabelle’s fidgeting and hesitance felt out of place. She had grown comfortable enough around the trio to speak her mind. Yet she appeared nervous.

“Of course!” Nox smiled. “The more, the merrier. You know we love having you around.”

“Actually, if Annabelle is coming along, I’d rather go drinking,” Lillin said. She and Pudge shared a shy smile. “We were only coming along so you didn’t end up alone.”

“I can’t think of anything more dull to do today than ingredients shopping,” Pudge added. He turned to Lillin. “Should we find a nice beer garden? We can get the bards so drunk they can’t play a single note.”

“That sounds amazing to me.” Lillin nudged the shorter man.

It surprised Nox that Lillin’s true nature didn’t scare or repel the charismatic mage. Instead, whenever Nox was busy brewing or training with Annabelle, she spent all of her time with Pudge.

“You don’t mind if it's just the two of us, do you, Nox?” Annabelle asked.

“Of course not,” Nox answered. “Perhaps we can make a day of it. Let's shop, have some lunch, maybe visit the Banking Guild if we have the time. I’d like to take out some money to fund my adept alchemy license.”

Seventhday made the market ring extra busy. Farmers and artisans from neighboring villages and towns rode into the city and set up stalls. Citizens with side hustles also picked the day to conduct business. Anybody not busy with weekly family lunch gatherings walked the streets, visiting stalls and other shops in the ring.

Delvers also occupied a section of the market. Most sold materials they had gathered from rifts or dungeons. The items on offer ranged from beast hides, bones, and organs to metals, stones, and flora. Artisans looking to get good prices on ingredients for their projects haunted the area. The quality of the materials could have been better. Not all delvers had decent harvesting skills. They often suffered damage during fights and transit, losing integrity and essence density.

Yet Nox explored the section of the market, looking for delvers who specialized in material gathering. He specifically wanted to find delvers who explored the first three floors of the dungeon below the city. Nox’s sources claimed the university’s production department sent teams into the levels to collect alchemical reagents and artificing materials. Not all delvers were affiliated with the university. They frequented the dungeon to gain experience and nurture their mana systems. They supported themselves by harvesting and selling whatever they could find. Nox hoped to find such teams and make priority purchase contracts with them, so they offered their products to him first.

Unfortunately, the endeavor proved fruitless. Other independent and student alchemists had the same idea as him. Nox found familiar faces from the production department talking to delvers and closely analyzing their wares. Gold won the favor, and he didn’t have enough to tempt any of them. However, Nox listed notable parties who primarily had high-quality materials on display. They appeared experienced and had an idea of what the local artisans needed.

Annabelle had grown talkative over the past month. Sometimes, she kept a conversation going without Nox’s input. He didn’t mind. She never spoke nonsense or wasted time on pointless topics. Nox also enjoyed the sound of her voice and often encouraged topics she enjoyed. Much to his surprise, Annabelle barely said anything as they explored the city.

First, they visited Nox’s favorite general stores, reagent merchants, and apothecaries. His friends called him paranoid, but Nox hated buying all the ingredients for a brew from the same merchant. He preferred spreading them around so merchants and artisans with no qualms against bribery would struggle to figure out his recipes. The guilds protected Nox from registered recipe threats, but that didn’t mean products still in development were safe.

During the walk between shops, Nox sensed Annabelle wanted to broach a particular subject. She would start a conversation in a nervous tone, but then a stall or storefront would catch her interest, and she'd talk about the products on display. He didn't push her. There was no telling whether it was a familial issue or she had given a romantic relationship some thought. Aristocracy came with a long list of challenges.

In the meantime, Nox found the necessary ingredients for aether ink. He bought extra since there was no guarantee planet formation would succeed on the first attempt. The purchase set him back ten gold. It didn't sting as much since the week had ended with a gross profit of two-hundred gold coins. He also purchased materials for a couple of brews necessary for his adept license. The party hoped to delve within the fortnight—assuming Nox completed his Shaping Planet and Kris returned his badge. So, Nox focused on concoctions that would help them in a rift or dungeon.

The duo ran into a group of noble women close to lunchtime. Nox had seen them around and knew they were in the same social circle as Annabelle. They primarily belonged to the war mage department or spread their curriculum across all schools in the university.

The women ignored Nox at first, only speaking to his companion about the latest campus gossip. When one of them brought up the cosmetics Annabelle had recommended, she brought Nox into the conversation, naming him as the creator. The women changed their tone. He won compliments for his work. Flirtatious arm squeezes, and an invitation to a soiree followed. Ultimately, Annabelle had to drag Nox out of their clutches, lying about a client meeting.

"You're going to be the most eligible bachelor on campus in a couple of semesters," Annabelle said. "You're charming and know how to speak to people as equals regardless of social standing. The cosmetics are going to make you rich and famous. The entire continent might know Noxian Brews' name if you can successfully develop the contraceptives. Lillin will have to chase away eager suitors with a stick. If I were a betting woman, I'd wager my investment on it."

"Suitors? Marriage? I don't know if I'd be a good husband to someone of their social standing." Nox laughed. "Delving is a dangerous life, and I'd spend my time traveling too much. If I were to entangle with someone, they'd need to understand my priorities. Ideally, I'd want to end up with someone in the same line of work—delving or arcane artisanry."

"Then why would you want to be with me? I'm of the same social standing as them."

"But you understand what it is to be a delver. You're not spending a thousand gold of your family's money yearly to expand your social circle, throw soirees, or expand your family’s business. You're a delver and understand our purpose. It makes you different from them, Annabelle."

Silence resumed as they explored stalls, general stores, and more reagent merchants. Nox also visited beauty boutiques to check their performance. It delighted him to learn most of them had sales on the same type of products Noxian Brews sold. Despite the discounted price, their wares were still more expensive and probably inferior.

"I came out with you today because I wanted to ask you for a favor," Annabelle said after almost an hour of no conversation. "But I don't want you to think it means I'm propositioning you or that I've made a decision regarding—" She paused. The young woman appeared nervous again. Then she steeled herself and continued. "—regarding us. I still think you and me getting together is a bad idea."

Nox watched her expectantly as she struggled to get her words out. "You got me curious, Annabelle. Don't stop now."

"My father has found a couple of marriage prospects for me and wants me to consider them seriously," she finally said. "I lied to him. I told Father that you asked me to marry you after we made our first round of profits. And I said yes."

Nox stared at Annabelle for what felt like an eternity as he tried to get his mind around the revelation. "Well. I can honestly say that I didn't see this turn of events coming. So what now?” He grinned, playfully nudging her. “Do we need to get married?"

"Don't be silly!" Annabelle smacked his arm. "I'm just buying time. He will play along for a bit before he orders me to end things and then pushes me into marrying someone for the house's sake. Perhaps one of his friends' sons will take the Oakheart name and take over the house when Father is gone."

"So where do I come into all of this?" Nox asked.

"He's in the city. I hoped you'd come to dinner with me and play the happy couple, so he leaves me alone for now. I'm not ready to end up under someone else's thumb so soon after getting free of Victor and Roque." Annabelle failed to conceal her disgust as she spoke the latter name. "Father will probably behave like an ass. But it's just a couple of hours. If you'd like afterward—"

"You don't have to offer anything in exchange, Annabelle." Nox took her hand as he interrupted her. The young woman's cheeks reddened as he dropped to one knee. "Yes, beautiful maiden. I will fake marry you so we can make a fool of your father."

"Stop it!" She hissed, pulling him up. Annabelle’s sudden burst of strength surprised Nox and almost pulled him off balance. She blushed even more, eyes darting all over the place as he kissed the back of her hand. "You're going to need new clothes for dinner."

"What's wrong with the clothes I own?"

"They're ugly and twenty years out of fashion. Don't worry. Your fake future wife will dress you."

Annabelle kept a hold of Nox's hand as she dragged him towards the clothing boutiques frequented by the aristocracy.