Chương 52: Chapter 49: Connecting

Aaron yawned, rubbing his eyes and extricating himself from End, as he'd slept with the wrapped blade. Now that he knew of Halisn's view on it, he was incredibly worried about anyone trying to steal it and run away- even if he wasn't sure how close the next town was.

'Truthfully, I should get a map and maybe figure out if it's even feasible for a single person to make the journey on their own. I… kinda wanna see what's out there.' First, he had to actually explore his own room though. Looking around, he studied the place he slept, which he hadn't been able to before he fell asleep. It was incredibly nice, and for the price of what was essentially two and a half good meals, it was much better than anything he could've gotten back in Savannah.

Incredibly spacious, he had a table and four chairs, a couch, two windows, two beds each with their own nightstand, two big wardrobes (Though empty) and a little standing fold-out wall that he could use to section off a space for privacy, likely for changing. The clothes he currently wore were baggy, and had to be tied tightly around his waist, but overall, breezy and comfortable.

It also had the effect of making him seem like a local, rather than a foreigner, so he was tempted to use the new tactic Bwurzix taught him to disguise himself- but he wasn't nearly good enough, and he thought it would be better if he used it suddenly to make himself seem more mundane, rather than over time. That way, he could use it at a moment's notice and give off a very "Regular" feeling to make it harder for others to recognize him. Rummaging through his backpack, he found his Imprint clock, candle, and bowl.

The others he could figure out later, but the clock was where he turned his attention to right now. Just as he expected, the black semisphere in the middle was a bright blue now, matching the sky. With his thoughts more coherent now, he studied the supposed clock, finding notches around the edge- thirty of them to be exact. About a third of the notches were dark, while the rest were blue, and a small arrow was slowly rotating around it, moving from one to the next.

Currently, he was about halfway past the fifth blue notch. In other words, he had about fifteen or so hours until darkness, more than enough time to get his things done with some left over. The "Clock" being about double the diameter of a pocketwatch, it was a bit clunky to put in his pocket, so he instead placed it in his backpack, and instead pulled up the pouch of money Utrisnic had left with him.

Pouring it over the table, he was finally able to study the coins up close, finding them a bit different than some people expected. For one, they weren't just pitch-black as ebon opal was. Within the first coin he lifted up, a tiny swirling light moved about within, and as he shook it, he could see it glitter like a snowglobe. They were very pretty, but other than the light within, there weren't any defining characteristics of them. On the table, he noticed three kinds- each with varying glows.

The first, the one in his hand, was the smallest, then it doubled in brightness, and the last kind was shining like a kaleidoscopic glowstick, a shimmering light peeking through the surface, as if he were seeing the sun from underwater. It was obvious that they were the three main coinages Utrisnic had spoken of: dim, luminate, radiant. He was honestly surprised to see any radiant coins within, as that felt like a significant amount, but there were only two anyway.

Counting them out, he had two radiant coins, twelve luminate, and eleven dim. If he considered a sit-down meal in America to be twenty bucks, and two dim were worth one meal, that meant a dim was about ten dollars, a luminate was fifty, and a radiant was worth two hundred and fifty dollars. If he was right, that meant he had around $1, 210 on hand, a significant quantity, and a night at the inn was about fifty bucks.

'And Utrisnic could just give this away? I wonder how much my Imprint items were… probably somewhere in the Radiant range.' Rather than put them all in his bag again, he plopped End down on the table, and sent a command through it to use the last notable trait on the blade: its storage. The handwraps relaxed, pulling away and hovering in the air as the handle opened, allowing Aaron to study how it'd changed.

Instantly, he realized that it was slightly larger than it should be- not by much, perhaps an inch deeper, but it still made him smile as it was confirmed that this part of the Memorabilia had been improved. Such a revelation also reinforced what Utrisnic said about magic items as well. Burgeoning Memorabilia were just particularly good mundane items, while Memorabilia stepped into the supernatural, to the point where it was like the items themselves had Imprints.

He wondered if that was possible too, and recalled how Utrisnic said some people thought a combination of Memorabilia and Imprints would result in a Demigod, so he knew there was something weird there, as that seemed like a bit of a… over estimation. Taking the coins, he put his radiant and eight luminate inside it, leaving him four luminate and eleven dim on hand to use at any time- about three hundred U. S. dollars. The town didn't seem like one with pickpockets, but it was better safe than sorry.

Bag secured, End attached, and coins in hand, he finally moved out of his room, heading down to grab some breakfast before he made his way to Ketzi. Onward Evermore surprised him when it spoke up, and at first he assumed it was going to ask to be free, but surprisingly had something else to say. Still difficult to interpret its words, he thought it said something about wanting more of the "Delicious" emotion, and hoping to see… something today.

Curious about whatever could distract it from its fight to escape, he of course said"What emotion? When did this happen?" It mentioned last night, and Aaron got the distinct feeling of hot-blooded confusion, making him turn beat red.

"Lust?" he asked in disbelief, realizing it was talking about the taurin with four breasts. It denied, but said close, sending back more peaceful emotions- nothing so rowdy.

"Love?" he posed, more confused now. Again, it denied, and said the emotion was more of a… want. Something with no discernable goal, more than any solidly descriptive result. Like a daydream of standing in the middle of a wheat field at sunset.

"That's very vivid imagery. Was I actually feeling all that when I saw that taurin?" he asked, and his Primary affirmed. It wasn't much, but the Imprint found the emotion so delicious, unique, and power-efficient that it had to bring it up again. Ruminating over why that might be, Aaron greeted the front desk worker, the same man who'd given him the key, who told him he could go to the attached bar for something to eat.

Aaron hadn't really tasted the stew, as he'd all but inhaled it, but he was pretty sure what he'd eaten last night was good, so he looked forward to his first meal that wasn't a flower, and that he could savor. Walking into the bar, he could see a few drinking already, while others ate their meals quietly; generally, the place was quiet, only a handful of people scattered about as the morning rush had already ended.

Nobody there to seat him, he waved at the barman, who smiled and nodded, gesturing with his hand to the rest of the room, as if offering for him to sit anywhere. He went for a booth near the corner, but couldn't find a menu of any sort. He was pretty sure he'd heard once that places like this in "Ye olden days" just served the same thing for everyone, which he was willing to try. Only a minute later, the same human woman he'd seen the day before stepped, smiling at him.

"Hello there! In all the confusion, I don't believe I introduced myself yesterday. My name is Yisti, could I get you anything? We still have some leftovers from breakfast that we can reheat, but it won't be quite as good fresh." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Of course, I don't mind at all, what do you have on hand?" It seemed that the translation aspect of his current level of Corruption struggled a bit, as he heard a somewhat confusing jumble. If not for his experience with speaking to Bwurzix, he might've not been able to keep up.

"Right now we have brisket (strips of a stringy meat, not greasy), bread (filled with grains), and cheese curds (small chunks of a unique fermented milk. Bitter.)""That sounds good," he said easily, ignoring the odd way of speaking.

"Okay! Beer, water, coffee (Bitter caffein drink), sweet tea (sweetened caffein drink)?"

"Tea, please."

"You got it!" she said, and soon, she was off. Sitting quietly for a minute, he rubbed at his eyes, yawning away the last of his weariness. Only a minute or two later, Yisti was back with two plates of food, and two different drinks- one of tea, and one of coffee. Setting his meal in front of him, Aaron got a look at the meal made from creatures likely not of Earth. The thought made him remember that eating aliens was actually toxic normally, and he asked "Hey, how do humans and taurin eat the same thing?"

The waitress giggled, "They don't, silly, we make two kinds of meals, one for each." He sighed in relief, as he'd been worried he was missing something about it.

"Sorry, thank you for clarifying."

"Not at all, I'm happy to! I'll leave you to your meal, if you need anything else, feel free to wave the barman down."

"Got it." When she walked away, he dug in, trying the bread first as it was the only thing he even remotely recognized the coloration of. The meat was a bright pink, despite steaming with heat, and the "Cheese" was blue. Not blue cheese, like, entirely cyan. even the tea was milk-white. Taking a bite of the dark brown roll, he was happy to find the outside was flakey, with a fluffy inside- though was surprised when he felt something crunch within it.

Chewing it, he found it was some kind of pumpernickel, with an oat inside. He sipped on the "Tea," finding it mildly sweet, with a floral undertone. The meat cut apart like turkey bacon, but tasted closer to beef, and the curds were soft, tart, and a bit spicy. Overall, a refreshing meal, and he was shocked by just how much variety a place like this had.

Looking at the half-finished cup of coffee, he saw that it was a mossy green and, when he was offered to try it, found that it tasted like bitter lettuce- not even the slightest coffee-taste.

'I think I'll stick to the tea.' He noticed some people eyeing him- and more specifically his sword- but was left unbothered, even as he walked out, heading towards Ketzi. * Seeing the sign on the door, he found another flaw of Corruption: He couldn't read. He was pretty sure it said closed, as he thought it was the one that Aliata had flipped it to after they walked in, but other than vocal words, Aaron wasn't able to understand it. Shrugging, he tried the door and, seeing it was unlocked, walked in.

The bell over the door rang, and from the back, he heard Ketzi shout "We're closed!"

"Ketzi, come study my Memorabilia before I change my mind," he said with faux exasperation, despite knowing he was already set in his decision. He just wanted Ketzi to know who it was, and that Aaron wasn't here to mock him. The man stormed out from the back, glaring at Aaron, though not with as much intensity as it was originally.

"And why would you let me do that?" Aaron sighed, "I think we got off on the wrong foot, Ketzi. I've never met a taurin, I shouldn't have pushed you like I did, and I also didn't understand the seriousness of Memorabilia. But, you rushed to get my feather onto that anvil without proper precautions because you were afraid Utrisnic was going to step in and stop you, which is your fault.

I understand your burning curiosity and the desire to see what a Mushki feather Memorabilia would be, but you have to know better than me what would have happened when you'd failed. I didn't just save your life, I saved your name. Aaron chewed his lip for a second, looking off to the side at the racks of weapons, if only to avert his gaze.

"I've been thinking it over, and Utrisnic's ruling was fairer than I first assumed. You tried to use my two most prized possessions as training tools, and nearly destroyed them in the process. I think I'm owed a little bit of compensation, and three Imprint items seem fair to me, considering how many you have. So… I won't be paying you back." But," he said, and finally looked at Ketzi, the man's expression unreadable.

"That doesn't mean our relationship has to sour. I'm not sure how many brightsmiths there are in Halisn, but Aliata seemed to think that you're one of quality. So… how about this: you teach me more about brightsmithing, and I teach you about everything I discovered while making my Memorabilia, especially concerning mushki feathers."

It might've seemed random for Aaron to suddenly learn to smith- brightsmith, specifically- but during the time making the Memorabilia, he found that not only did he have a lot of fun, he was almost positive that Ketzi wouldn't have been able to do it better than him. Aaron knew his items better than anyone, while Ketzi was fully disconnected from them.

He wanted to upgrade End further, but he couldn't rely on a desperate, intuitive process next time, as he'd barely succeeded this time, and he could only imagine it would get more difficult. Their staredown was broken when Ketzi sighed, his shoulders drooping.

"You're… right. I wasn't considering you properly, and you've saved me twice… then, I tried fighting against your rightful reimbursement. If you're really offering… then sure, I'd love to take you on as an apprentice. It's clear you have a knack for it, and it'd be a shame to strangle the career of our newest brightsmith, especially considering what the elders will want from you." Aaron took on a puzzled expression, "The elders? What will they want?"

Ketzi smiled warily at him, "Kid, you're the only person in the entire town to have successfully upgraded a mushki feather. They're going to throw all the money they can at you to do it again, because you're the only one with the experience to say you can at all without breaking the town's most prized Burgeoning Memorabilia. * Ketzi brought him down into the dark room once more, an awkward tension between them as they remembered the events of the night before.

Despite Ketzi saying that the room wasn't long for the world without repairs, he didn't hesitate to reactivate it again, silencing the ambiance. On the anvil again, the two studied the structure he'd made half-asleep and deep within a meditative trance after Onward Evermore took over. It was, frankly, a crude work of art. Not done with overmuch dexterity, the points where Aaron had merged the two wasn't gradient at all.

The previously independent structures were visible, plus the sections that Aaron had perfectly merged them. While not pretty, though, it was stable, and stacking. Looking at it now, Aaron wasn't completely sure how he'd done something as incredible as this, because it was clear that he'd gone deep into their histories, understanding both intimately, and joining them in his hands. There were points in the structure that were clunky, but smooth.

Others that had a kind of built-in emotional response, telling him where he'd flinched as the Memorabilia's resistance hurt him It was, very clearly, an inexpertly crafted work of art, blood, sweat, and tears visible all throughout the sword, giving it a jagged and desperate feeling. This was no elegantly crafted decorative blade, but a furious weapon of war that cared for nothing but functionality.

"It's beautiful…" Ketzi murmured, and Aaron saw tears forming in his eyes.

"Really?" Aaron asked skeptically, looking it over. He laughed bitterly, "Oh, don't get me wrong, its structure is inexpert and dissonant in places, but that makes it all the better. It's more real than anything I could've done. It's clear you put an uneven amount of strength in certain places, but it doesn't come off as lopsided- it's efficient. You know the blade far better than I do, and you knew exactly where to redirect power to make it stronger.

It might've lost some of its fluffier or showier functions, but its better for doing so.

"Not only that… it obviously reeks of your signature and energy. If someone takes it, they'll be hard-pressed to make it do anything. While there might be some way to take it from you, this blade is yours above all else." Aaron blushed at the compliments, but said "How? I barely even understood what I was doing or how to brightsmith, just going by feel. How did I do so well?" The man chuckled, " All brightsmiths go by feel- that's the hardest part.

Some have a knack for it, that proper instinct, others don't, and there's nothing you can do to cultivate the talent if you weren't born with it. But we aren't here only to talk about how well you did, so let me explain everything I see to you, and what it means. Let me teach you how to read the stories within, and who knows, maybe if I explain it to you, it'll help me understand the work."

They worked for the next few hours, and when they stopped for lunch, Ketzi sighed when he realized Aaron would be taking End with him as he still didn't trust the smith enough, but he also understood. Going back to his inn, now at one of the rushes, he got his meal, sitting down to eat and enjoy the atmosphere. Mid way through his plate of several… like, a tamale, but with a softer, edible husk… he looked up, and realized someone was sitting across from him. He blinked.

An absolutely ancient woman in gray robes, a scar over her face, and a single eye, stared at him. With more wrinkles on her forehead than Aaron had years in his life, Aaron felt like a stiff sharp elbow might break her, but at the same time… he hadn't seen her walk up, or sit down. He was reminded of Bwurzix's ability to disguise itself, and wondered if she used the same tactic.

"Hello?" He said uneasily, and she smiled at him"Please, finish your meal, I just wanted to be sure I didn't miss you" her crackling voice resounded in perfect English, and he froze.