World Sphere - 66 - The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

Chapter 66: The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

I watched as Gareth blocked Lana’s escape like a guard dog sniffing out secrets. Sammie stepped in between them like a shield, her face steely with protective resolve. Gareth raised both hands like he was the wronged party. “Hey now, no need for violence!” he said with a grin that only made Sammie narrow her eyes further.

Seeing his opening blocked, Gareth shifted tactics immediately going to plan B: involve Storme. He started pointing at me like a snitch in a schoolyard. Sammie didn’t even glance back. I couldn’t help it and laughed. Gareth noticed my mirth and took that as an invitation to stroll over and escape Sammie’s glower.

He threw an arm around my shoulder, flashing a winning smile at Sammie and Lana. “Stormy! Seriously—who is that mountain of muscle? She wouldn’t even give me her name. Is this my surprise birthday gift? Because I love it.”

I peeled his arm off me like it was a wet towel. “I already have a team leader, Gareth.”

He gasped, clutching his chest with mock betrayal. “Stormy! Say it ain't so! After all we’ve been through? You going to toss me out like stale bread?”

“I mean, we already agreed you were going to be a waiter at the restaurant,” I said thoughtfully.

Gareth staggered as if wounded. “I’ll work for free! Just let me on the delve team.”

I made a show of considering it. I could pawn off my friend for the day on Gimble and see how good he was at managing surprises. “Alright. If you can convince the team leader, you’re in. His name’s Gimble. Sammie, Lana, and Remy are headed to meet him at the Guild Hall.”

His eyes lit up like a kid. He grabbed me in a real hug this time. Then he spun, scanning the crowd on the skyship deck. “Which one is Remy? Is that her?” He pointed at a woman in a flowing blue silk top and tight canvas pants. “Definitely your type, Stormy.”

Before I could correct him, he was off, swaggering across the deck. Sammie sidled up to me with a skeptical squint. “That man is your friend?”

“My best friend, actually,” I said, slightly embarassed, still watching Gareth make a beeline for the mystery woman. “He’s younger than me. Don’t let the clown act fool you, he’s probably one of the top one hundred fighters on the islands and our mentor says he will be the best in another five years. He is also a flirt of mythic proportions.” As if to prove my point, the woman he approached slapped him hard enough to turn heads. I chuckled. “He’s been getting even bolder lately.”

Now Gareth was scanning the rest of the passengers, giving them a wide smile they were not reciprocating. He veered toward a woman in athletic gear next. Lana peeked from behind Sammie like a wary squirrel. “What is he doing?”

“He thinks Remy is a girl,” I said. “And probably assumed I hired another pretty face to match you two.”

Sammie blushed. Lana turned deeper red and ducked further behind Sammie’s broad frame to hide from Gareth’s eyes. Two failed interactions later, Lana whispered, “We should probably warn Aelyn about him.”

That made me laugh again. “No need. Aelyn already knows Gareth.”

Sammie’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait—really?”

“Yeah. Gareth’s the one who freed her. We’re still trying to find a way to remove her servitude mark,” I said seriously.

Sammie’s expression softened instantly. “Aelyn told us about how she got her mark. Do you really think you can get it removed?”

I nodded as we all watched Gareth’s antics. “I’m hoping once our dungeon team is trained and ready, we can head down to the lowlands. Someone down there will know how to remove it.”

Both girls nodded approvingly. They clearly liked Aelyn from their time together. Then Lana added, “Remy actually went below deck. He said something about talking with the ship’s bursar.”

We all laughed as Gareth, now out of obvious female targets, turned reluctantly toward a group of young men. He gave me a pleading look, and I responded with a thumbs-up.

By the time we landed, Remy had rejoined us, and Gareth, unperturbed by his failure, immediately started peppering him with questions. As we filed into the warehouse entrance of the restaurant, Gareth and Remy trailed behind in animated conversation.

The painter was well into his fourth panel. Gareth and Remy stood transfixed, both clearly mesmerized by the image of a sultry succubus on her throne. I scanned the other new additions, letting them salivate. One in particular caught my eye: a black dragon with shimmering red eyes, a female warrior astride its back clad in shiny plate armor, her black hair streaming in the wind as she raised a sword skyward.

Another panel featured an ogre mid-battle against an indistinct adventurer. At the ogre’s feet, a chest lay smashed open, gold and silver coins scattered in the dirt. The current work-in-progress depicted a pack of harpies circling above a mutilated cow, gore smeared across their talons and feathers. Each wore a silver coin on a chain around its neck. I approached the artist and complimented his work. He nodded, not pausing his brushwork, and told me Isla was upstairs on the third floor with the stone mage.

“Sammie, why don’t you take Gareth, Remy, and Lana to see Gimble?” I suggested. “I doubt you'll find the talk about building materials thrilling. The apartments are still under construction, but I’d guess three or four more weeks before you can move in.” It took some effort to pull Gareth and Remy away from the succubus panel, but eventually, they relented. I headed upstairs.

The second floor’s walls were up, and I walked through a few rooms. The stone mage had done an excellent job. The walls were smooth, and the bathroom nooks were ready for plumbing. On the third floor, I found the mage still hard at work.

We exchanged a few words. He told me Isla was on the roof, speaking with the arborist. I asked about plumbing, specifically stone toilets, sinks, and showers. He confirmed that was next on his list, after the structure was complete and reinforced per the plans.

I climbed the ladder to the roof as the stairs hadn’t been added yet. Isla stood talking with an older man and a younger boy. She waved excitedly as I approached.

“Storme! Did you see how far along we are?” she asked, practically bouncing. “Did you check out the warehouse? Most of the furniture has already arrived!”

She gestured respectively to the older man. “This is Barrow Winters, an expert arborist. We were discussing options for the roof. And this,” she added, nodding toward the younger boy, “is his apprentice.”

I shook the old man’s hand. His white hair and deeply lined face gave hints at his advanced age. “You’re young,” he said, almost accusingly. “Isla mentioned you wanted rooftop gardens. I told her it’s possible, but you’ll need a serious water supply. Aegis City doesn’t receive much rainfall most of the year.”

“Not an issue,” I replied. “We’re installing rooftop tanks with condenser runes to harvest moisture from the air.”

His eyebrows climbed. “Ah, she said you were an enchanter,” he said, nodding with newfound respect.

Barrow launched into suggestions after confirming I would be capable of maintaining the gardens. “You’ll want a solid perimeter wall at least five feet in height to shield the plants from the wind. Most crops should be planted near that barrier, although I know a few hardier varieties that can be planted in the center. If you’re interested, I even know a few dungeon-tree species, but for those, we’ll need deep raised beds for their roots...”

The conversation stretched for hours, with his apprentice scribbling notes the entire time. My primary goal was fresh produce and herbs to support the restaurant. We settled on a layout—fruit bushes, perimeter trees, and the rest devoted to gardens and walking paths. The central paths were kept clear for an emergency skyship landing. Isla waited patiently while I asked questions and formulated the rooftop gardens.

Finished with the arborist, we descended to the third floor, while she updated me. “The stairs to the roof should be formed this week,” she said happily. “And the stone mage is planning to reinforce the hangar with arches so the roof can support a skyship landing.” She hesitated. “But... I’ll need more funds.”

“Of course, you will,” I mumbled. We walked to where my room would be. A window opening had been framed. “I want a floor-to-ceiling window here,” I said after viewing the space. The window would face the plaza and look up at the skyship docks. “How much more do you need?” I asked reluctantly.

She pulled a parchment from her pocket that had an itemized list. It was detailed. “I figured you would want as close an estimate as possible,” Isla said. “Here’s everything: construction, furniture, security, appliances... twenty-six line items in total.”

I skimmed the list for several minutes. “Do you have receipts for what you have already completed?” I said non-seriously.

Without missing a beat, Isla replied, “Yes.Though my latest numbers are off by 2 gold and 19 silver. I’ll reimburse the difference if I can’t track it down.” That honesty caught me off guard.

The bottom line of the list she gave me to complete the project: 41 platinum, 88 gold. I pulled 7 platinum from my dimensional storage and handed it to her. “When do you need the rest?” I asked her as she turned the shiny platinum coins over in her hand.

“I’ll need another 15 platinum by the next seventh day,” she said with a smile. “I was going to ask Wynna tomorrow. If we fall short, I’ll lose the build teams, and it will delay everything. But at our current pace, we will finish in three weeks.” Three weeks? I couldn’t believe the efficiency of the mages. Her excitement was contagious, but I was already thinking ahead. I’d need to prepare Wynna for the full 35 platinum.

“You were incredible yesterday, by the way,” Isla added. “Loriel bet that you would lose to Tessa and looked so smug about it. I won two gold coins from her.”

“Did Loriel know about Tessa’s ability?” I inquired. If she did know she could have warned me. But then again, we were not friends or even allies.

Isla was nodding. “You mean that injury thing? Yeah. She mentioned something about you punching yourself in the face when you fought her.”

“And she didn’t warn me?” I said accusingly to see Isla’s reaction.

Isla didn’t know how to respond, not wanting Loriel to appear the villain. “I think... she didn’t know about the matchups. Tessa was supposed to fight first,” she offered, unsure.

“Make sure she doesn’t try landing her skyship on my building,” I grumbled and headed downstairs. Hopefully my anger would filter back to Loriel and she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

I still planned to buy a new spellbook before returning to Hen’s Hollow. I pretended to storm off, not really angry. Isla caught up quickly. “Want to grab something to eat?”

I hesitated for a moment before agreeing. We found a small spot near the spellbook shop in the upper city. Isla chattered endlessly but my mind was elsewhere. The warehouse was a cover for building a skyship and I was starting to formulate how I would accomplish this goal without attracting too much attention.

Isla was talking about the importance of Aegis City to the Triumvirate and how my investment was brilliant. My thoughts drifted to my spell collection. I planned to learn thermostatic aura next, a tier 3 spell. I also needed a more efficient healing spell. It needed to be something that could repair bones but wouldn’t take weeks to master like the tier 4 ranged healing spell.

That was the problem with learning low tier spells, the higher tier spells took up more space on your matrix but were vastly more efficient. The general consensus among mages was a tier higher spell was equivalent to seven evolutions of the lower tier spell. However that really depended on how well the mage choose their evolutions.

Isla tapped my arm, snapping me back. “So... do you think I could rent one of the rooms?” Her hopeful smile gave away the purpose of this meal. She had been building up to this all day.

“I’m not sure I’ll need your services much longer—” I began.

“Oh, but you will!” she cut in quickly. “I’ve been studying skyship construction. I could help!”

I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of background do you have in skyship construction?”

She hesitated. “I took a class at the academy... and we had a field trip to the naval yards.” My expression said it all. She slouched in her chair, disappointed.

I sipped my ale, not wanting to see the distress on the young woman. “We’ll see. If you stick to this budget and the warehouse turns out right, we’ll talk.” Her smile returned, though smaller.

If I was going to retain her services for the long term, I needed to keep her busy. “If the restaurant opens in three weeks, I’ll need staff. Start researching standard salaries for cooks and waitstaff. I don’t know what the going rate is in Aegis City.” I stood, leaving enough silver to cover both meals. “Thanks for lunch, Isla.”

I walked out alone, confident in my abilities if I was accosted. With aether shield and lightning reflexes, I felt ready for anything.

Kali’s Spells and Cantrips was leagues above Margold’s tiny shop in Solaris. I stepped inside, heading toward the back, but was intercepted by a woman with salt-and-pepper hair.

“Sir, may I show you to a desk?” she asked, polite but firm. She explained the process from my confusion. “An attendant will supply you with a directory of our stock and bring you any refreshments you require. You can peruse up to two books at once.”

I was not sure if this was to prevent theft, or prevent mages from studying books and trying to learn a spell without purchasing it, but I nodded and took a seat.

A large tome was carefully laid before me. A pitcher of water and a glass were placed beside it. The smiling young woman offered to fetch food from the tavern if I wanted a menu. I suppose they were not worried about customers getting the books dirty since a quick casting of the cleanliness spell could resolve any mess. I declined and opened the index.

I went straight to healing spells. I was here for lesser restoration, a tier 3 spell that returned someone to their optimal physical state. It could repair nearly anything, though slowly, and the aether cost scaled with damage. I requested the oldest copy—older spellbooks often had handwritten notes and were more valuable to mages than newer copies.

While waiting, I skimmed other healing sphere spells that caught me eye. Bottomless stamina was basically magical fat-burning, useful but risky. Paralyze required touch and was too limited in combat. When the lesser restoration book arrived, I found the margins filled with annotations in a language I didn’t recognize. I asked the attendant for a copy with notes in the common tongue. She nodded and left.

Turning to lightning spells, I found Eye of the Storm, a tier 5 beast of a spell. It created a 100-foot zone of random lightning strikes that spared the caster and, with evolutions, would avoid designated allies. It cost 2,500 gold, which was far too steep of a cost for me today.

Another spell caught my eye: Lightning Wall, tier 4. It created a 144-square-foot wall, 5 feet thick—ideal for funneling or trapping enemies. It had practical applications, but would cost four spell slots on my aether matrix.

The new lesser restoration book arrived with cleaner, more legible notes. “I’ll take this,” I said, then requested the paralyze spellbook for curiosity’s sake. It was underwhelming as I paged through it. It was touch-based with a very short duration, with extended effects only after evolutions. It was also overpriced at 400 gold. I had the attendant return it.

I turned to spells in the illusion sphere. I wanted to get something for Lana. I still had the tier 2 illusionary companion spell, but it was a waste for her to imprint. Her tier 4 affinity with illusion magic meant she learned illusion spells at two tiers lower. That meant she could learn a tier 4 illusion spell, and it would only take two slots on her aether matrix instead of eight. A tier 3 illusion spell would take one slot instead of four. So I was looking for tier 3 and 4 spells for her to learn after the dimensional closet spell.

The only tier 3 illusion spell was phantom mount. This just created a personal mount for the caster. It was limited in how much it could carry and its speed. Not terribly useful. Both of the tier 4 spells seemed like good options. Phantom fighter created an apparition that fought on behalf of the caster. It dissipated when it took a certain amount of damage, but evolutions could make it stronger, faster, and hardier. This could be a very effective spell for Lana. It would cost eight aether units to cast, and she only had 23 currently. That meant she would only be able to cast the spell if her aether pool was full.

I looked at the other tier 4 spell, greater invisibility. This spell created a globe of invisibility centered on the caster. Useful for a group trying to sneak around. The phantom fighter spell was 800 gold, and the greater invisibility spell was 750 gold. I checked my current platinum coin balance in my space. I had 19 platinum and 40 large gold. I needed to start making more coins and not practicing my lightning reflexes spell every night.

I asked for both spell books in turn because I couldn’t decide. I actually would have liked to learn the phantom fighter spell myself, but I wasn’t going to commit eight slots on my aether matrix to that tier 4 spell. Maybe there was something similar for summoning a lightning elemental? After reviewing both spell books, I chose the greater invisibility spell. Since she already knew the invisibility spell, it should be easier for her to learn this one. The notes from the previous owner were also quite useful.

I purchased both spellbooks for 1,090 gold. I gave my attendant a large gold tip for all her help. Tipping was not common in Skyholme culture, but it was practiced sparingly. I think I might have overtipped because the two other female attendants were clearly jealous.

I slipped both books into my dimensional storage and left the shop. I would have to talk with Selina about getting me specific spells from the capital. I could also ask Callem to contact Sebastian. The fallout from the Sadian attack should have settled and some normalcy should have returned.

I looked both ways on the thoroughfare and decided to check on how Gimble and Gareth were getting along. I smiled to myself. I would also give Lana her spellbook.

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