To Rebuild a Mageocracy

Five

^^ Parthia Arcata ^^

— Arcata, Dungeon Merchant's Guild Hall —

As Dusked kissed the horizon, I nodded to the Bartender that Aric had returned with when he'd brought back the materials I'd requested, and in much greater quantities than I'd expected; apparently I hadn't realized how cheap the things I was asking for, other than the Crystals, which he had a direct supplier for and could get a great deal for. As the new bartender took control of the freshly repaired bar, (one very subdued wizard had sheepishly repaired the entire building yet again, leaving behind another fifty gold as an apology before leaving in a far more reasonable manner,) I called Aric from his table in the corner to follow me into the office on the second story, the room that was actually his office, as of today, and made my way up the stairs, sending a cursory glance over the room to be sure of everything being clean and copacetic, then stepped into the office and awaited my Thief subordinate which checking my notifications.

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Gained: 400 G from Dungeon Merchant!
Gained: 17 Tier 5 Crystals from Dungeon Merchant!
Total Money: 556 G, 199 S, 320 C, 1287 B!
Total Mana: 17 Tier 5 Crystals, 6 Tier Four Crystals, 3 Tier Two Crystals.
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"Damn, that old man really did spend a shit-ton of money and crystals..."

"That 'old man' was Grand Sage Hothien, the Emperor's Uncle and the only Tier Seven Mage on the planet that isn't beholden to a Deity. He's your Great-Uncle, as well, I suppose, what with the Emperor being your grandfather. How much did he spend?" Aric was somehow seated behind me, despite my not noticing the door opening, his feet kicked up onto the desk.

"400 Gold and 17 Tier Five Mana Crystals. He cleaned out my library, I think... I hope he read the contract, and doesn't try to teach them to anyone without paying for them... well, whatever. Anywho: you have a weapon and armor set of choice, right? Give them to me, I'll have the dungeon merchant upgrade them."

His eyes widened behind his mask, taken aback by the command. "Pardon?"

"You're my chief subordinate, I can't have you dying like a child in an alley; I'm enchanting your armor and weapon, and having the Dungeon Merchant upgrade them. So give them to me, and I'll get them back to you before Dawn."

"Can I... get a new set first? These are pretty old, if you're offering a free enchantment, I'll get you the best ones I can possibly afford!"

"That's fair, sure, just get back to me before sunrise, and leave behind your old ones; even if they're old, I can use them as a material for the enchantment, considering they fit you already. Any material you bring me will be used to strengthen the current material, repairing and enhancing it. Don't bother with a full set, just get a better material; that'll stretch your budget a bit further." I shrugged and pushed his boots off the desk, wiping the dirty spot they'd left behind stubbornly. "And no dirty boots on the desk, this thing is a pain in the ass to clean, and you're not the only one who uses it!"

He pounced up from the chair gracefully, removing his soft black leather armor with ease and placing it on the desk, -even his boots,- with a saucy grin. "Sure thing boss, I'll be back before Dawn! Oh, and can I borrow 50 Gold?"

"Sure, if you pay me back 60 before the week is out." I swallowed the grumble about his dirty boots on the desk and tossed him a sack with exactly fifty gold pieces within it, pulled from the warehouse with a simple flick of the wrist. I was getting good at hiding the spells, after a full day of practice with it, I thought.