Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 6

For three years, Gwn'itt wandered aimlessly from town to town without the interference of Horeb's sons after losing Aleban. Even without their malice, Gwn'itt's grief had made concentrating on any one thing difficult, made enchanting anything next to impossible. Without focus, Gwn'itt's form constantly flickered between genders, which tended to alarm people and make matters worse. Gwn'itt eventually took to casting Seeming in order to maintain a single appearance long enough to earn at least enough coin so as not to starve to death. Four hostile brothers were all looking for either the male or female forms, both noteworthy to whoever saw them, so would take little notice of Gwn'itt's gender neutral Seeming, hopefully. At least Gwn'itt was in no danger from Shad-Kasseir, in a neutral state.

Three years after boarding that ship in Saltsmouth Bay, Gwn'itt set foot in the city of Cinderfell. Short of coin and weary of travel, Gwn'itt was alone and friendless, but not hopeful of changing that state anytime soon. The previous few years had taught hard lessons about the unwillingness of people to befriend someone whose appearance contrasted with their own as thoroughly as Gwn'itt's. Merely being able to find a safe place to sleep proved difficult in lands populated by Cinderfolk; the people were unusually mistrustful of strangers.

Eventually, in a tenement house near the wharf, Gwn'itt found someone desperate enough for coin to overlook Gwn'itt's alien appearance. The room wasn't much; Gwn'itt could see daylight through the walls in certain places and the entire room reeked of age and mildew. Gwn'itt was grateful to find a room to rent at all, despite the worn-down condition.

Gwn'itt ignored the shabby surroundings of the mildly questionable, rented room, ignored the growling of an empty stomach in favor of maintaining concentration on the spell being attempted. Enchanting items always took longer than seemed probable and this item needed to be completed as soon as possible. The item, a simple dagger, had been easy enough to obtain at a local armorer's shop. It would fetch a far higher price once Gwn'itt had imbued it with an enchantment designed to both prevent it from ever needing sharpening and to increase the efficiency of each cut. In the hands of a skilled wielder, the dagger would be as effective as a shortsword when used as a weapon, or in the hands of a tradesman, accomplish mundane tasks much faster.

The emptiness of Gwn'itt's purse and stomach both demanded that the dagger be finished soon. Even living an impossibly modest lifestyle, Gwn'itt still had to be able to buy food, at the very least. By the time Gwn'itt finished the dagger, it was late enough in the afternoon that shops were nearing the end their business day. Gwn'itt would need to hurry in order to earn any coin that day.

Eventually, the knife was fully enchanted. New to the city, it took time for Gwn'itt to safely navigate the streets. Gwn'itt had learned the hard way that, in this city, broad daylight did not make even the more well-traveled streets entirely safe. Unfortunately, the careful image and appearance that Gwn'itt put forth seemed to almost invite those who would take advantage of a stranger to try their luck.

Gwn'itt arrived at the closest, likely shop just as a matronly shopkeeper was beginning to tidy up the establishment. A pale, blue caste to her skin and silvery hair, along with a still-shapely figure and an airy grace hinted that she might be at least related to 'The Djinn's Daughter' for whom the shop was apparently named. She looked up as the opening door chimed an alert. Gwn'itt was relieved and reassured by the smile of welcome that graced her still-full lips.

"Welcome! You're just in time; I was about to close up. May I help you find something in particular?" The genuine smile on the woman's face was as unusual as it was welcome. Gwn'itt dared to approach.

Given that Gwn'itt's unusual appearance was maintained by a Seeming spell, the hungry young mage knew exactly what the woman saw. Bright orange hair contrasted starkly with dark bronze skin. Brown eyes overshot with flecks of red appeared to glitter in bright light. The Seeming displayed the way Gwn'itt's unremarkable robe had appeared when freshly purchased, rather than the threadbare state it actually possessed, draped over a shapeless figure reminiscent of prepubescence. It was a figure that contrasted greatly with the owner's carefully modulated voice. Gwn'itt's Seeming also displayed that flame-colored hair as bound back at the neck to fall in a neatly-braided queue to the middle of Gwn'itt's back, rather than the far longer length of ragged braid that was actually there. Of the spell, only Gwn'itt's actual voice and eyes were displayed for others to see. Gwn'itt wished there had been enough time and energy to have groomed that braid properly.