Chương 35: Boonstones

"Jane Blackwater, seeking medical attention for Baron Davidson." Paige gestured to Tim, who looked surprisingly baron-like and sat in a fancy carriage, balancing on a cane.

"What is your relation to the baron?" the guard asked, as he took notes on his scroll.

"Advisor and secretary of his estate's affairs," she replied, in the fake noble accent Aaron had become accustomed to hearing her switch to.

"And the boy?" he said, pointing to Aaron, who blamed the dark car on the guards' misjudgement of his age. Paige looked at Aaron and smirked, just out of view of the guard.

"Staff," she said, "just an errand boy." Aaron waved at the guard, playing along. He was torn between being offended and finding it humorous. The guard looked at his scroll and scribbled down some notes. He walked off to another guard and discussed something briefly before returning. Aaron tried not to fidget too much or look nervous. Paige seemed confident, so he trusted it would work if he kept his mouth shut.

"My apologies, sir. The town was not aware of your arrival, so your escort had not been arranged. I would be happy to call the guard to take you to your lodgings."

"No need," she said dismissively. Paige was quick and snappy, Tim didn't have the opportunity to speak, but this worked in his favour. He came across as an important gentleman. Too important to speak to lowly guards, in fact.

"We are familiar with the area and happy to proceed on our own. We wanted to keep our arrival private and would appreciate it if you shared the discretion. Paige tossed the guard a silver coin. The man's eyes lit up as he stuffed it into his coat pocket.

"Very well, good day to you." The guard gestured to the men who were standing by the gate. Aaron couldn't see from the cart, but he heard loud creaking as they opened. The gate must have been huge and heavy as it seemed to drag on for at least ten heartbeats. They must have been heavily reinforced and difficult to open. Reasonable, given the border with the scar. The carriage whirred as it rolled into the town. Smells of fresh pastries and meats filled the car. Aaron hadn't realised how hungry he was until then.

He had been surviving on the dry starchy rations for a few days and salivated at the thought of freshly cooked food. They'd stocked up on nice food in the last town but hadn't had the chance to stop and eat yet. Probably for the best, as they would need it for when they arrived at the farm. After some time, the carriage stopped. Giddeon's miserable, wrinkled face appeared as he swung the door open. He didn't stop to speak to them before grumbling off.

The setting sun shone painfully into their eyes, making it difficult to see. As his eyes adjusted, Aaron saw they were stopped outside a barn on the outer edge of the town. There was a small cottage next to them on a modest plot of land. The soil formed parallel ridges where it had been recently tilled. It didn't look large enough to be of commercial value. More likely, it was owned by a family which they used it to support themselves.

Looking back towards the west, there was a large town sitting behind a tall, cobbled wall. It ran for as far as the eye could see in either direction, bordering the scar. On top of a hill in the north was a large manor house, presumably where the lord of the area resided. It was difficult to believe that there was nobility and social classes outside of the city. And even more difficult to imagine how much work it took to construct the wall. Perhaps magic was involved.

Tim was barely able to climb out of the car without holding onto Aaron for support. He was still clutching his chest, like he did back in the city on his worst days.

"Are you okay, Tim?" Aaron said.

"I'll be fine, I just need some rest," he replied. He patted his fingers on Aaron's shoulder where his hand was resting for support.

"The scar will do that to you," Giddeon said as he rustled around in the carriage's cargo hold.

"Some people are susceptible to the corruption, like a disease. Our mana protects us, but even the strongest-spirited mages have fallen to its rot. He'll be okay in a few days."

"You knew it would do this to him?" Aaron hissed. Tim put his hand on Aaron's shoulder.

"It's fine, Aaron. This was the best way to the farm for everyone. There were risks no matter which way we went." Giddeon ignored them and continued to search through the cargo. The area was perfect for Tim to rest and far enough away from the town so Aaron and Paige could continue to practise. They may as well make use of the time if Tim needed to rest. There was no point in bringing him to the farm in poor shape. They had no idea what to expect when they arrived and needed to be prepared for anything.

"We will hold up here for a few days until Tim recovers. Keep a low profile, we have no idea if the wanted posters have spread east of the scar yet," Giddeon said.

"This is my friend's house. They have done me a favour moving into the town for a few days so we can stay away. Treat it with respect." Few words were exchanged after that. Everyone was shattered and worked their way into the house. Aaron gave Tim and Paige the bedrooms to rest in whilst he stayed in his bedroll on the floor. It was definitely an upgrade from camping outside, so he didn't mind.

Aaron worked his way down the road into the town. It took a while, but it felt good to stretch his legs after being cramped in the coach. There was no corruption in sight. The wall must have done a good job of holding the creatures back. There were rows of fields full of vegetables and pastures full of livestock next to the road into the town. It had the hallmarks of a thriving community. The town was much busier in the centre.

Aaron got the impression that most people lived out on the farms and travelled in for trade, rather than living in the middle. This was clear from the number of push wagons filled with produce and by how busy the market at the heart of the town was. Aaron had two goals today: search out a healer to help Tim recover and check out the local supply of Boonstones. The other three were at the house preparing and portioning the rations and had sent Aaron with a small list of herbs to stock up on.

If he spent a little extra time perusing, no one would be the wiser. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The market was much larger than the first settlement. Rather than a single square of street vendors, there was an entire street of shops, each with its own colourful sign at the top. Wagons, watches, cloaks, boots, fruit, meat. Anything you could imagine was here. It was like being back in the centre of the city. The shops were roughly grouped into categories.

He had passed all of the food shops first and then the clothing stores. It made sense. You didn't really want to shop for a nice pair of boots and walk out to the smell of a fishmonger. The magic district was quieter than the rest of the market. Fewer people were wandering the streets, the shops looked more refined and well kept, and guards were patrolling around the area. Aaron stopped at a shop with a picture of a necklace on top.

There was a blue pendant painted on a wooden board with blue ribbons flying out of it and the word 'Boonstones'. A guard was standing outside. He was well dressed in a fine tunic and polished brown boots. He didn't wear armour, but looked well built and had some scarring on his face. He might have been an off-duty soldier working for some extra coins.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" The short shopkeeper greeted Aaron, but he couldn't help but notice him glance over to the guard as if to call him closer.

"Hi," Aaron said. He cleared his throat and put on his best noble accent.

"I am looking for a card with light powers.

"Of course, I think you'll find we have quite the selection. Always wise to be prepared in these dark times, if I don't say so myself!" The man came out from behind the bar, he walked with a limp. His left foot was turned out by a few degrees more than it should and made his steps look more like a waddle. He wore a smart tunic and a bright purple waistcoat. His hair was short and black. It was neat as if it had been recently cut. Aaron followed the man to the second room at the back of the shop.

The guard loomed close behind. This room was smaller than the first. There were several wooden cabinets around the edge of the room, about waist height. The shopkeeper used a key from around his neck to open one of them. The top folded out towards them, exposing a selection of white stones.

"We have three commons and one uncommon today. You're lucky to arrive when you did. They never stay long before being sold. I have been pestering the enchanter's guild for months for one of these." He carefully pulled out the uncommon stone, using a square of felt to cushion it and showed it to Aaron. It felt powerful. Aaron could feel the mana flowing through it as if it had a spirit of its own.

"I see you're already acquainted with the mystic arts. Quite wonderful, isn't it?" Aaron set his face back to neutral. He didn't think he made his fascination obvious, but he had an awful poker face, as Tim loved to tell him frequently.

"Yes, it feels powerful. What does it do?" He asked.

"This stone allows the caster to illuminate an object of their choosing, leaving a mark of light for a minute!" The shopkeeper said enthusiastically.

"Oh wow," Aaron said, trying his best to sound impressed. It sounded useful to light up a room, but probably wouldn't be enough to burn holes in a Mana Hound. He remembered what Paige told him about Boonstones. They allowed you to cast spells from other classes but were weaker than soul magic. The trick was finding synergy with your own magic.

"Not to your tastes?" The shopkeeper asked. We have plenty more, I'm sure we can find something suitable.

"No, I think it will do fine," Aaron said. He could use it on a sword or a stick to create light to help ward off corrupted in a pinch. Perhaps he could level it up like his other skills and make it more powerful.

"How much does it cost?"

"This one comes at the bargain price of ten gold! You won't find better in the town!" He said convincingly. Although Aaron didn't trust his authenticity. Ten gold was over a year's wages. But it made sense given how useful light magic was. He wasn't sure what it took to enchant a Boonstone, but given the prices, it must not be easy. Aaron pulled a bag of coins out of his pocket and rustled around in it. He had spent most of his money preparing for the remove curse ritual back in the city.

He had managed to grab a few coins in the rush out of the city, but he only had one gold and a few silvers to his name. And spending it all on a stone was probably not a good idea. He needed some coin left in case of emergency. He didn't want to be entirely reliant on Giddeon. But he was also fascinated by these Boonstones. He needed to know how they worked and how his Necromancy would interact with them. This might be a way to learn Spirit Healing again, or defend himself from the corrupted.

"Are any of these less than one gold?" He asked The shopkeeper just frowned and closed the cabinet. The guard was standing noticeably closer to him as if expecting him to try to steal something.

"Yes, we have some basic common stones at the front for that price, but nothing that can summon light. They are in high demand with the recent breaches." His voice was noticeably less enthusiastic, as if suddenly realising Aaron wasn't as rich as he'd suspected. Whatever act he was pulling to try to sell the high-ticket items had now been dropped.

"What is it you are looking for? A means to defend yourself?"

"Yes," Aaron replied.

"Hmm," the man said as he walked back into the front section of the shop and pulled out a scroll.

"Here is all of the current inventory of common stones. Anything to do with fire, healing, or anything that gives you more strength is out of your budget." The shopkeeper practically threw the scroll into Aaron's hands and walked off behind the counter and continued to polish the collection. Aaron wasn't impressed with the list. One stone was clearly elemental magic and allowed the caster to create bubbles on the surface of a body of water.

Another spell in the Altheon class sped up the growth of crops by ten percent. Fantastic for farmers, but useless for self-defence. A couple of seer spells caught Aaron's eye. Eyes of the beast allowed him to see through an animal's eyes, and spirit sense allowed him to detect nearby souls and it hinted at their power. On one hand, spirit sense could give him a warning of any powerful casters coming after him, giving him time to escape.

On the other hand, eyes of the beast might help him connect with his raised corpses, if it even worked that way. Perhaps if he could see through their eyes, he would be able to learn to control them better. If it didn't work on his corpses, he could use it on birds above to scout ahead. It could show any patrolling bandits or areas of corruption.

"How much are these two?" Aaron asked. The shopkeeper paused his polishing and looked at the two stones marked on the scroll.

"You're a bit scrawny to get into security work, aren't you?"

"I'm a healer, what do you mean?" Aaron replied, confused by the remark.

"It's usually bodyguards who come in here looking for soul detection stones. They can give you a warning if a powerful mage is nearby. You can make a lot of money working for nobility around here with a power like this, even a common one." Aaron's ears pricked up a little, but he tried to hide his enthusiasm. Money might help him get hold of a means to defend himself, but he would never stay here long enough to make the most of it.

"What about eyes of the beast?" He asked. The short man not so subtly looked Aaron up and down, as if trying to suss out his wealth.

"This one is usually bought by nobles for their daughters so they can play with their dogs. A stupid idea if you ask me as they usually end up seeing them sniff each other's butts at best. Humping each other at worst. I'll let it go for eighty silver. It's useful for its inherent mana, and that's about it." Talking to animals sounded useless to the average person, but when you have the ability to control undead, and have a semi-undead crow hanging around, communicating well becomes a higher priority.

And he needed to experience how magic worked out of the city. It was a steep price, but it could help him learn about how Necromancy interacts with other schools of magic. Understanding this could be key to unlocking synergies in the future.

"How about fifty?" Aaron asked The shopkeeper grumbled. It wasn't clear whether he was offended by the offer, or couldn't be bothered to counter it.

"Sixty," and I'll throw in a chain. The chain was probably worthless, but Aaron didn't mind too much. If it helped him how he thought, sixty was a good deal.

"Alright, sixty it is." Aaron left with the Boonstone around his neck, unsure whether to keep it as a trinket or permanently infuse it into his soul. He was planning on asking Paige when they practised again tonight.

"Well, well, well!" Paige's voice called out mockingly. Aaron looked at her sheepishly. He had hoped they would leave him to shop on his own, but should have suspected Giddeon didn't trust him. Not that there was anything wrong with looking at Boonstones. He looked all around for wanted posters before moving into more crowded places.

"We need to talk. Your bird has been following us."