The First World Sphere

Chapter 140: The Prince’s Favor

I didn’t know how long I would have to wait for the Prince to move or decide. We had almost an entire day before the aether crystals would be charged to make the run to Skyholme. The Guildmaster seemed certain that the Prince was interested in the Skyholme Islands by his reactions.

I asked Leda and Talia, “Can you go into the city and see if our pirate cargo would sell better here or in Skyholme.”

Leda laughed, “You should get a commodity index for the city. Or one from the Adventurer’s Guild if you are going to be a trader, Storme.”

I didn’t know something like that existed. “Is there one for each city?”

Leda stopped laughing, “I don’t know. The Adventurer’s Guild commodity index only lists goods that are in high demand in each city. It is like a merchant’s quest for profit but is costly and updated weekly. Loriel was excited about it anyway when she was looking at the needs of Sadian cities.”

I was not surprised that Loriel was already a few steps ahead. She had probably been holding certain goods for months in preparation for open trade. “Get the commodity index from the Adventurer’s Guild.” I paused, “You can also get three sets of maps and get them made into sheets. One set for the Maelstrom and two sets for the Sky Wraith.” Leda’s eyes went wide in excitement.

The Adventurer’s maps had two sides to them. Each side showed the same regions, but one was a travel map with cities, roads, and notes. The other side was focused on terrain and dangers. Cilia wanted to have one set on one wall and the other on the other in the bridge to save time. The cost was prohibitive—until now. “Take Sammie and Bleiz with you for protection. I will give him the gold.”

Half an hour later, they were headed to the Adventurer’s Guild. I went to the trade district to see how my enchanted blades would sell here in Malaise. The city was clean and had a variety of smells, both pleasant and foul, as I walked. Although mostly humans graced the streets, over a dozen different races also walked freely. Maybe one day, Skyholme will have the same diversity. The trade district ran in a long arcing thoroughfare around the central part of the city near the expansive docks. It started with an open market with hundreds of individual stalls and turned into open shops fronts and then further into building housing the higher-end and luxury shops.

I did stop and quickly purchased some sweets from a candy shop for Freya. I guess it would be okay if she rotted her teeth since I could grow her new ones. The first weapons dealer did not buy or sell enchanted weapons, but he directed me to a shop that did. All his non-artificed weapons were of excellent quality and made by master weaponsmiths. I purchased a dozen swords and six various daggers for a little over a thousand gold. I planned to study the master smiths works to maybe improve my own metal shaping skills.

The artificed weapon shop seemed to be trying too hard to sell its weapons. Each weapon had its own locked display case and a lengthy description of who forged the item and the runic enchantments. The shop was large, with over a hundred display cases on multiple floors. It seemed popular as well since men and women were browsing. A few salesmen were shadowing the more finely dressed patrons, hoping for a sale.

The first case I came to had a dozen arrows of impact. An elf enchanter made them from the city of Cullinbar. The description was mostly detailing how difficult the enchanting work was on such a small area. Only the metal heads could inscribed. The spell effect was not even that impressive. It just increased the mass of the arrow threefold on impact, allowing deeper penetration. They were also single-use, as the small aether gem would be destroyed on impact. They also wanted twelve hundred gold for the set, which was ridiculous. I was certain I could make one of these arrows in about an hour, and double the effectiveness of the runes. The material cost would also be less than gold, and that cost was mostly the sacrificial aether crystal. The wooden arrow shafts were the most impressive part of the item. A black wood with crisscrossing growth rings. A mage must have shaped the wood.

I wandered, and the next object that caught my eye and gave me pause to read was a massive sword over seven feet in length. Its description said it was a dungeon reward from the Ethereal Depths Dungeon in Coulton. Coulton was a city in another Principality. The sword was beautiful and impressive, but the runic workings made me chuckle. The sword was enchanted to help you understand the motivations of the one struck by it. It sounded almost. If you were already fighting your opponent, then you knew enough of their motivations.

One of the salesmen was standing next to me, “I see you have discovered one of the more interesting pieces in our collection.”

“Not much use in battle due to its size and the nature of the enchantment. It is quite pretty, though. I am here to sell, not purchase, though.” I said with a smile.

The salesmen looked me up and down and grimaced noticeably. I lacked the fancy clothes and age to be a serious seller in his opinion. I suppose I did not look the part since I stored everything in my dimensional space. “Follow me,” he said reluctantly.

I followed the middle-aged man to the back room, which had shelves and shelves of weapons not good enough to make it into a case. “Master Baine!” He yelled. An older man came scurrying from behind the shelves covered in dust.

He coughed a little, “Yes?”

“This young man is here for an appraisal to sell. I will leave him with you,” he indicated me and left.

Master Blaine studied me momentarily and then said with a smile, “What do you have? I hope it is interesting.” The old man at least seemed friendly. I moved to an open table and produced one of my generic longswords from my dimensional space. Master Blaine put on a monocle I was sure was magical to inspect the sword. It just had the durability and sharpness runes, nothing fancy.

He studied the sword for a very long time before putting it down. He seemed disappointed. “It is just a simple long sword. One would think an infant dungeon forged it with simplistic runes and a lack of artistry. But it clearly a mage with a powerful metal-shaping spell. Fair work but boring.”

His words stung me a little. “Why do you say it is simplistic?”

The old man shook his head, “There is no personality to the artificed weapon. That is what makes a weapon truly unique. Dungeons pour their soul into creating a weapon. The runes might be the same but have their own flair!” He said excitedly. He went to the back, pulled two books, and returned.

“Here, look at this boy.” He opened each book to a page. “The runic pattern on the left is from one of our city’s most renowned artificers. On the right is the same runes from an artifact found in our local dungeon.”

I studied what the runes did first. It was a small flaming rune. It could be used to create a cooktop, fire, or light a cigar. Then, I compared the runes. The master artificer was efficient, and the lines looked perfect. It was excellent work. The dungeon runes were more difficult to see the patterns and path of the runes. It wasn’t more complex, just had—personality. I traced and studied them while the old man beamed proudly. I had to agree; with my knowledge, the runes of the dungeon had their own beauty beyond function.

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“I see that, you see it too!! So many don’t!” He exclaimed. “Did you know each dungeon draws runes uniquely!? I have studied the nearest twenty-two dungeons, and I can tell you where an artifact originated by studying the runes.” We spent hours going through his books as he pointed out examples. I started to get an idea of how I wanted my own runes to look in the future. I wanted to be more than a printing press of artifacts.

I thanked Master Blaine for his time, and he purchased the long sword for twelve hundred gold. Probably less than I should get in this city, but I appreciated his lesson and turning my artificing into artwork? Yes. I returned to the Maelstrom and took care of the cats. I used the comm stones to check in with Bleiz, and they were just waiting for all the maps to be sealed in the hard, clear resin.

I had decided we would wait till the aether crystals were completely recharged and then leave whether the Prince contacted me or not. I took a quick walk to the Adventurer’s Hall and made sure the message had been sent to Skyholme. Guildmaster Merit confirmed the Guild Hall in Skyholme had received the message and passed it along to the appropriate authorities. At least they could prepare.

When I returned to the Maelstrom, Leda was excitedly putting up her new maps. I took the two other stacks, the Sky Wraith with Cilia. “Cilia, I think I am going to have you fly the Sky Wraith back to Skyholme. We are going to keep the ships together in case we run into problems.”

“Did you purchase another aether core crystal?” She inquired.

“No, the old dual cores will be installed on the Sky Wraith when we get to Skyholme. The two powerful cores resonate, and both will go into the Maelstrom. As long as we are not fighting or using invisibility, it should have unlimited run time. No more landing to recharge the crystals.” I explained.

“The Sky Wraith is going to be stationed at the Black Spire, then? Seems a waste for such an amazing ship. Everyone was talking about the Sky Wraith when I was in the Adventurer’s Hall purchasing the maps with Leda. It is an extremely well-known pirate vessel. The Guildmaster did destroy the bounty postings for it, but still, it is the talk of the Guild Hall,” Cilia explained.

“All the more important to keep it hidden in Skyholme so the Black Mauraders do not try and retake it,” I noted. Cilia seemed to agree with me. I returned to my cabin on the Maelstrom to get some rest. The cats curled up with me. I did my mental exercises and then fell asleep.

I was woken by Bleiz knocking, setting off my alarm spell, “Storme, a representative of the Prince, is here to talk with you.”

I dressed in more formal attire to meet the Prince again. Outside the Maelstrom were two dozen guards and a women in a formal dress. She bowed her head. I guessed the Prince had selected her for her beauty. She was not at the meal. “I am Princess Amelia, daughter to the Prince of Marstom.”

“It is a pleasure. What can I do for you and the Prince?” I asked, returning a small bow.

“The Prince has requested that you delay your departure. He wishes to send a trade expedition to Skyholme to see if your Islands offer opportunities,” she said with a regal smile.

“Skyholme is going to come under attack soon. I do not think it would be wise to send trade ships at the moment,” I said diplomatically.

“The Price is preparing to send Captain Volantis and Captain Kurric with a trade ship. They command two of our fastest warships,” she said, as her blonde hair stirred up in the wind.

“And you want me to escort them back?” I winced, remembering how slow Volantis’ ship was.

“We did not want our arrival to appear threatening. Having one of their famed Adventurers escort us to the docks should alleviate their fears.” The Princess delivered the reasoning.

“I could arrive first and tell them you are coming?” I offered. She frowned, and it made her face look pouty.

“The Adventurer’s Guild Hall already warned your people. You should not need to rush back. Also, since I am traveling, my father wants to make sure I am safe. He is posting an escort request in the Guild Hall now. Guildmaster Merit has been advised to hold it and post it when you stop in to see him,” her white smile returned like the matter had been decided.

“Okay, I will visit the Guildmaster Merit, and we can leave immediately.” I was doing the math in my head…7 days…maybe eight if they did not need to land. This was a disaster.

“Also,” the Princess added, “I wish to be quartered on your ship, the Sky Wraith.”

I smirked, “That is fine. I am flying this one,” I pointed at the Maelstrom behind. “Cilia will be piloting the Sky Wraith.”

She narrowed her eyes briefly, then smiled, “We will have the request altered for this skyship then. I wish to be quartered on your ship.”

Was I being set up by her father? At first, I thought maybe this was a ploy to take the Sky Wraith by force, but this seemed like the Prince was trying to set me up with his daughter. “Will your two captains help fight the pirates when they attack?”

“That is the plan. My father is calling in four war mages to add to their crews. He hopes our cooperation with your island’s defense could open more lucrative opportunities,” she said with a big smile. I guessed this was definitely a setup—a seven-day date. “I have three attendants and two guards,” she looked up at the small Maelstrom.

“You can take one attendant and your two guards,” I responded firmly.

“Agreed,” I was surprised when she did not argue. Maybe I could have moved her retinue to the Sky Wraith if she had. “We should be able to depart tomorrow.”

She left me kind of stunned, and I was surprised when Beliz spoke from my right, “Seems like you are moving up in the Sphere High Mage, escorting Princesses.”

“Not funny, Bleiz. How come I have the feeling I was tricked into this? This is going to add six days, maybe more, to our return trip. It is not a good thing,” I said seriously.

“If their warships are truly going to help fight, then it is a good thing, Strome. Their crews are experienced even if their ships are a bit slow,” Bleiz advised me.

“Clear out your cabin,” I said with a smirk. Bleiz shrugged, not concerned. “Tell Leda, Sammie, Lana, and Pakkam they are going to be on the Maelstrom. Yourself as well, Bleiz. Make up some beds in the cargo hold for her two guards.”

“What do you want to do with the boy?” Bleiz asked.

“What, boy?” I said, confused.

“The one you captured on the Sky Wraith. We killed everyone but him. Pakkam has been watching him, but after we landed in Malaise, all the freed prisoners of the pirates left, and now just the boy remains,” Bleiz said with a toothy grin, seeing I forgot something.

“I will talk to him. If we turned him over as a pirate, they would probably kill him. Maybe we just let him go,” Bleiz frowned at my words. The boy was not even seven. It did not feel right to let him be killed.

Bleiz was less reluctant, “If you let him free, he may run back to the pirates and give them information on you and your fighting style.”

“What do you suggest I do with him then?” I asked my Wolfsguard friend.

Bleiz did not take long, “Put him to work in the orchards at the Black Spire under the watch of the Wolfsguard. They will reform him.”

I considered the compromise, “Fine. I am off to see the Guldmaster for the job posting I am not allowed to refuse from the Prince.”

Gulidmaster Merit had a shit-eating grin on his face when he presented me with the job offer. They had already changed the ship the Princess was to be ‘escorted’ on to the Maelstrom. The terms were quite generous, considering that was the direction we were going to be headed in anyway.

I was to be paid 3,500 gold prior to departure once the accommodations were deemed suitable. I would receive another 3,500 gold after the Princess was introduced to the rulers of Skyholme for opening trade negotiations. I learned Princess Amelia was his 3rd daughter and the only one not married. She was twenty Sphere years old (twenty-three in Earth years). She was also an accomplished diplomat, according to Guildmaster Merit. Of this, I had no doubt.

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