Vigil's Valor: 34 - Relics and Rarities

Relics and Rarities was a stuffy store that smelled like sandalwood and old leather. The walls were dark mahogany, the floors hard wood covered in sprawling, drab gray rugs. A crystal chandelier dangled in the center of the room, suspended from a rectangular coffered ceiling, while bronze wall sconces held Essence fueled lamps. Towering bookcases held a wide array of gilt-edged books and narrow display tables had been arranged to showcase a selection of carefully placed trinkets.

There were broaches and coins, moth eaten gloves and even an old wooden comb.

The vast majority of the items were the ordinary, everyday things that sat on top of dressers or filled a junk drawer, but one and all radiated a faint aura of power. I picked up a large brassy war medal, suspended on a strip of green fabric that looked like it had come off a soldier’s formal dress uniform. On the front was a picture of an eagle in profile with its wings spread wide, and the words Honor the Living ran around the outside edge.

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Miksa’s Courage

Token Type: Armor Inset, Blessed

Rarity: Master

This medal was awarded to Miksa ‘Ol’ Gimlet Eye’ Domonkos, Under-Commander of the Kelkadian Whispering Blades, for exemplary acts of courage while repulsing the Westgarde Rebellion during the battle of Hightop Hill. Ol’ Gimlet Eye carried the medal with him in every engagement going forward and never lost a battle. In time, the medal became more than a mere token of good luck and was blessed by Voch, the Aspect of Valor.

Effect 1: Increase the effects of Matchless Endurance by 10% while this item is equipped.

Effect 2: A divine aura of fearlessness radiates from this Arcanum Token, stirring conviction and courage in the hearts of friendly forces who see it.

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Holy shit, all of these items were Arcanum Tokens.

And that wasn’t all the shop had either. A large glass fronted case ran along the back wall and inside were crystal bowls filled with various Affinity Scales and Transformation Tokens. I wandered over, the medal still clutched in my hand.

“That’s quite a find you have there,” came a whispery soft voice. A mousey man, with stick thin arms and spidery fingers slipped behind the glass counter. He wore flowing, voluminous robes that looked far too big for his slight frame and had a set of odd mechanical spectacles with several colored lenses perched on top of his head at a rakish angle. He wasn’t branded, but I could feel Essence and Arcana burning through him all the same. He might not have been a Vigil, but he wasn’t your average shopkeep, either.

“Believe it or not,” he said, “but I served for a short while with Miska. This was after the battle of Hightop Hill, of course. Very few of the Whispering Blades survived that particular encounter other than Miska, unfortunately. I’m Bakos Barna, Magi of the White Light, and the proprietor of this humble little emporium of curiosities.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I replied with a nod. “I’m—”

“Boyd Knight,” he finished before I could even get my name out, “Inkarnate of Raguel.” He offered me a fidgety grin. “Everyone in the Citadel knows who you are by now. You’ve become quite famous, I’m afraid. It’s not every day that a warrior from another world shows up on our proverbial doorstep.” He tittered, sounding more than a little crazy. “Why, it’s not even every century that it happens. Quite a spectacle indeed. One can’t help but wonder why now, especially considering the terrible turmoil we find ourselves in. But listen to me”—he waved his hands through the air—“prattling on about politics when you’re just trying to do a little shopping. How can I help you?”

“I don’t mind at all,” I replied setting the medal down on the countertop. “I’m still new to all this, so I greatly appreciate how helpful everyone has been... For the most part,” I amended, thinking of Kerra hauling me through a blizzard in the middle of the night. “I’m looking to pick up a few things that might help give me an edge.”

“Then you have come to the right place, indeed,” Bakos replied, nearly bouncing on his toes in excitement. “At Relics and Rarities we specialize in small edges. Cumulative advantages, I call them. You see, my friend, no one trinket, no one Arcanum Token, no one Affinity Scale is likely to tip the battle in your favor. They are small things taken by themselves. A slight boost to disease resistance here, a minor increase to piercing damage there, but when combined? Combined, such small benefits can morph into the difference between life and death, oh yes.

“Observe.” He pulled out a half-dollar sized scale with a silvery sheen. “These are Mist Affinity Scales, harvested from a Juvenile Mistling Adder. When consumed they allow you to become incorporeal for a short while. In such a form, no weapon forged by man can harm you, though neither can you harm others—mist is an ethereal thing after all. But combine it with this…”

He scurried away and plucked an odd spider brooch from a nearby shelf. “Why, you can trigger an active effect once per day that allows you to exhale a potent toxic mist. But if you are mist when you trigger the active effect, a curious thing happens… Your whole being will become a toxic cloud, capable of choking the very life from your foes. Enough small things, applied consistently, can result in extraordinary changes. And there are many such combinations for those willing to experiment…” He cackled and drummed his hands against the counter in glee.

Clearly, this guy had done a little too much experimenting and was as mad as the hatter, but honestly? This was exactly my kind of crazy. I’d had a buddy back from Kentucky, a guy named Nick Mattill, who’d spent too much time making homemade shine in a bathtub in the backwoods. He wasn’t working with a full toolbox, but despite that the man could fix anything. The crazy ol’ son of a bitch had built a combination all-terrain lawn mower/golf cart with a sound system that could rival an AC/DC concert and it had a built-in beer cooler just for shits and giggles.

Bakos Barna was giving off strong Nick Mattill vibes and I was here for it.

“And what if I’m looking for something with a bit more of a substantial edge—like say a Legacy Scroll or two? A little bird told me your fine establishment would be my best shot at finding one.”

“Expensive tastes, the Inkarnate has,” Bakos replied. “Rare and dangerous.”

“I was told they could be hard to come by,” I said with a shrug, “if you don’t have any in stock, I understand.”

“No, no, no I didn’t say that.” He reached a spidery hand into the neck of his robes and pulled out a fat brass key, suspended from a silver chain. He scampered over to a cabinet behind him and unlocked it, revealing a shelf with four ornate leather scrolls, which sat in a neat line like Marines awaiting inspection. “Unfortunately, even if you have the coin for these, I’m afraid they will do you little good.”

Bakos faltered and leaned in close, eyes shifting left and right as though he were searching for potential eavesdroppers. “Absorbing the direct Soul Knowledge of the Dead is a dangerous gamble for someone of your level. Pushing beyond your limits is a good way to break things that not even magic can repair.” He licked his lips and tapped at his temple. “The minimum attribute restrictions are too high for anyone under a Master Class and even most Master Vigils are unable to handle many of these, not without Mind Vault in place to insulate you from the fallout.”

“Fair enough,” I said, knowing full well that I had more going on in the Stats department than most. I might’ve been an Adept on paper, but only because I’d been sacrificing all the Essence I could get my hands on. “But let’s say, hypothetically, that I’m a man who likes to live dangerously and has disposable income to burn. What do you have?”

“Oh, I like the cut of your jib,” he said, nodding vigorously. “Yes, yes I do. A man who likes to live dangerously. Why would I expect anything less from an Inkarnate?” he muttered to himself. “Well, for such a hypothetical Vigil, I have Legacy Scrolls for Crippling Strike, one for Empathetic Healer, another for Dream Thief, and—most potent and rare of all—a General Weapon Mastery Tome.”

I ran through the list and instantly eliminated Empathetic Healer. I had absolutely no intentions of playing the part of combat medic and Empathetic Healer was a nightmare of a skill, which was why I’d avoided it so far. It was cheapest Healing Spell available at only five Ward Points, but there was a reason for that: in order to heal someone else, you had to absorb their affliction, taking their wounds into your own body. In essence, it was a health swap ability and I wasn’t enough of a masochist to go in for that kind of thing.

Crippling Strike sounded promising, the General Weapon tome was too intriguing to pass up, and I wasn’t completely ready to rule out Dream Thief, even though I’d never used the skill before.

“How much for Crippling Strike, Weapon Mastery, and Dream Thief?” I asked, rubbing one hand along the counter.

“Very expensive tastes indeed,” the man said, appraising me with fresh eyes. “Thirty gold for Crippling Strike, forty for Dream Thief, and fifty for the General Weapon Mastery Tome.”

Screw me sideways. Those prices were even more outrageous than the custom armor I’d picked up from Pascow. I should’ve figured Legacy Scrolls wouldn’t come cheap, after all they couldn’t be readily produced like armor, but damn, I could get a starter house in Kentucky for that amount.

“Why is the General Weapon Mastery Tome so steep?” I asked. “I thought those were the most common around, since every Vigil specializes in a Weapon Mastery.”

“Yes, yes,” he said energetically, “but also no. This beauty is different.” He waggled a finger at the brilliant cobalt blue scroll in the middle. “Most Weapon Mastery Tomes can only be applied to a specific skill—bladed, blunt, ranged, or unarmed—but the Scroll of Twin Shadows is an augmentative skill, which is applied directly to the Soul Bound Weapon Boon. If you dare to glimpse at what is contained within, you will be able to conjure a twin, shadow version of your Soul Bound Weapon. Dual wield a blade or a mace or even conjure a two repeating crossbows if you have the skill for it.”

Color me interested with a box of camo green crayons. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that, even if it was going to break the bank.

“It’s a very irregular skill,” he continued. “I’ve been holding onto it for just the right person to come along. Perhaps you?” He hunched forward and licked his lips. “I will say, that for a Vigil of Justice, it is well worth the price of admission, though few can afford it.”

“What about the others?” I asked idly, even though I was pretty well decided on the Scroll of Twin Shadows.

“A man who wants to know all of his options, I can appreciate that.” He straightened and waved at a scroll, covered in golden silk. “The Scroll of Replenishing Soul augments Crippling Strike—as you block your enemy’s meridians you also drain a portion of their power, refilling your Arcana pool in the process. Also an excellent choice for a Vigil of Justice and a powerful tool in the right hands. And then there is this.” He gestured grandly at a velvety black scroll. “The Scroll of Night Whispers.

“Quite a curious and unconventional choice for a Vigil such as yourself, but to each their own, I say.” He hunched forward and dropped his voice. “It is impossible for even a powerful Vigil to read the mind of a man. To know when he lies and when he speaks the truth? Yes, certainly. But to discern the true thoughts of another?” He grimaced and shook his head. “No. Not while they are waking, at any rate. The mind is resilient and senses the intrusion of another. But in our dreams? Well, in our dreams, our minds are laid bare, rendered defenseless and vulnerable.

“Dream Thief on its own allows a Vigil to reach out through the Etheric and into the mind of others. Allows them to glimpse unvarnished thoughts and memories. To steal powerful secrets others would keep hidden. The Scroll of Night Whispers allows a Dream Thief to do just to opposite. Instead of stealing glimpses of thought, a skilled Dream Thief can leave false memories behind, implant subconscious suggestions—even against those with high Insight who are normally immune to tricks of the mind.”

Huh, this was like Honeyed Words on steroids.

“Is there any way to protect yourself from something like that?” I asked. The thought that someone could potentially be rooting around inside my noggin’ was deeply disturbing.

“With high enough Insight, you will naturally become Immune to such tricks, but for those who worry about the prying eyes of Warlocks or others with ill-intentions, Mind Vault can further insulate you.”

“Good to know,” I said and meant it. As interesting as the other scrolls sounded, I couldn’t pass up the chance to snag the Scroll of Twin Shadows. A relic that would bind to my Boon instead of one of my skills, also meant I’d have greater opportunity in the future to pick up other Legacy Abilities. At fifty gold, it was extremely pricey, but after my dealings with Pascow, I knew that I had advantages most other Vigils didn’t. I pulled out a leather pouch filled with refined Pure Affinity Scales.

A lot of them. And thanks to Arcane Transmuter, I had four Master Class Scales and two Sage Class Scales.

I spilled them out across the counter and watched as Bakos gasped and his eyes bulged.

“But how?” he asked, then chuckled. “Never mind. You are a very curious Vigil indeed.” He rifled through the Pure Affinity Scales, plucking out three Master Scales, two Sage Scales, and five Adept Scales. “This should cover the cost and at fifty gold worth of Pure Affinity Scales, I’ll throw in the Arcana Token for good measure.” He tapped at the war medal on the counter. “I didn’t know the man overly well, but I have a feeling Miksa would’ve wanted someone like you to have it.

“One other word of warning, my new friend,” he said while handing over the cobalt scroll. “Although it is clear you are a man who likes to live dangerously and gamble boldly, heed well the minimum attribute requirements on that scroll and only activate it in a location where you feel… safe. The pain will be intense and absorbing such knowledge will likely render you unconscious for several hours or more.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I replied.

“You are most welcome,” he said bobbing his head in a short bow. “It was genuinely my pleasure.”

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