Ch. 80 The City of Zan

Gabriel, Gala, and Acorn were walking along the path through the woods that lead to the village. It had been almost 2 hours since they left, so they would be arriving at the village soon. The group had gathered up to bid them farewell that morning and Gabriel had handed out the Raven Pendants he had, had made. He had asked Serah for some thin leather straps after getting information out of the prisoner the night before and spent an hour before bed making them the right sizes for everyone. Everyone had immediately put them on and admired them once they received them, making Gabriel happy with his investment. This way if any of them changed in some crazy mutation, they would still be able to find each other. Reminiscing on their happy faces was making Gabriel anxious to kill Lord Irizan and return home. He wanted to make this quest a quick one.

Arriving at the gates and saying their normal hellos to the guards, the trio made their way to the Smithy. Gabriel intended to have Smithy Jones identify the rings and necklaces he had looted long ago today. He wasn't sure if Smithy Jones was adept enough in appraisal to identify them all, but whatever he couldn't identify he could keep as payment.

"Smithy! You here!?" Walking into the forge, Gabriel didn't see Smithy so he called I to the back for him.

"I'm upstairs, give me a minute." Gabriel waited at the counter before the large block of a man fumbled down the stairs pulling on his apron and boots as he went. Finally arriving before Gabriel he gave a toothy grin before holding his hand out. "What are you getting me into this time? Am I making or fixing?"

"Actually, could you identify all these for me?" Gabriel handed the pouch of rings and necklaces to Smithy, who immediately dumped them on to the counter. Sorting the like out, Smithy made a few piles. Taking out a notebook, Smithy Jones began to flip pages while looking at each piece of jewelry and making little notes on one of the pages. It took Smithy nearly an hour to identify the 26 items, but he had created labels for each piece while he was identifying them. Once he finished he began putting the labels on each piece before taking a ring and a necklace.

"I'm charging you these 2 items if that's alright. The necklace is a miniature Magic Funneling Path inscribed on a gem, it allows a miniscule amount of Magic to flow into you at all times. The ring is a 3 square meter Backpack spell inscribed into a gem. They're both only worth about 800 silver combined, typically I charge 30 silver per item, so I'd actually be making a little more than normal, if that's okay?" Smithy Jones surprised the hell out of Gabriel when he hit him with the puppy dog eyes. Gabriel laughed and waved him off.

"Consider it a tip for always being so good to me. I may want to sell some of these, I'll go through them quickly." Gabriel began to inspect the jewelry, first looking at the tag before taking in it's look.

1m Backpack Ring - Stone - Low

1m Backpack Ring - Stone - Low

1m Backpack Ring - Stone - Low

1m Backpack Ring - Stone - Low

1m Backpack Ring - Stone - Low

5m Backpack Ring - Emerald - Mid

Ring of Health - Garnet - Low

Ring of Health - Garnet - Low

Ring of Health - Garnet - Low

Ring of Magic Gathering - Pearl - Low

Ring of Magic Gathering - Obsidian - Mid

Ring of Fireball - Garnet - Low

Ring of Frost - Lapis Lazuli - Low

Ring of Frost - Lapis Lazuli - Low

Ring of Wind Blade - Emerald - Low

Ring of Wind Blade - Emerald - Low

Ring of Wind Blade - Emerald - Low

Ring of Wind Blade - Emerald - Low

Ring of Earth Manipulation - Stone - Low

Ring of Intelligence - Blood Crystal - ???

Unknown Ring - Blood Crystal - ???

Necklace of Speed - Emerald - Mid

8m Backpack Necklace - Obsidian - Mid

Unknown Necklace - Blood Crystal - ???

(Nice, only one of each didn't get identified and they're both the ones I thought were most unique. I'll keep those, 3 of the small Backpack rings, the big backpack ring, the Ring of Intelligence, the Ring of Calm, the Ring of Gathering mid grade, and I'll keep all the necklaces. So, that leaves 13 rings to sell.) Taking the rings he intended to keep and storing them, Gabriel pushed the remainder toward Smithy. "What are these worth to you?"

"More than I've got. Between these 13 rings, you've got about 50 gold, I can give you 35 for them, but that'll leave me broke."

"Done, and I'll throw in some fresh version we just caught a few days back so you'll have something to eat in the meantime. Of course, I'll have to have a commission for free at some point in the future."

"Commission for free? Shoot, from now on you bring me everything and I won't charge you a dime in commission fees. Well, unless you have a massive order, can't work for free forever." Handing Gabriel the 35 gold, Smithy seemed to be in a great mood. He thought he made out like a bandit, two rings that would be very beneficial to himself, and 13 for sale purposes. If he could managed to sell all the rings, he'd end up with 25 gold in profit. He lied to Gabriel when giving out the prices for the rings, they were worth far more than he had said, but he really needed them as they would help boost his business.

Gabriel threw a 5lb hunk of meat of the counter and took the gold. Leaving quickly, he gave a wave in thanks as the door slammed behind him.

"He lied."

'Yes, why did he lie to you Gabriel?'

"It's of no concern. These rings have been sitting at home collecting dust for a long time, now they've served a purpose. Smithy has been very good to me, allowing him to make a decent profit doesn't bother me 1 bit. It could've taken me over a week to find a buyer for all those rings, yes, I would've made far more gold, but the time wasted isn't worth it." Gabriel explained to his companions that he didn't really view it as a bad thing as he knew that Smithy Jones Forge and Lady Ara's old Apothecary we're always struggling to stay profitable. Letting the lie sit, Gabriel could help his friend and make them feel indebted to him at the same time by playing dumb. "Here."

Gabriel handed the 5m Backpack Ring to Gala and adjusted the 8m Backpack Necklace for Acorn. Putting on the Ring of Intelligence and the Necklace of Speed, Gabriel immediately felt some differences. His brain was able to be used more efficiently, making it easier for him to jump from one thought to the next without losing track of what he was doing. The Necklace of Speed didn't seem to have any major effects as of yet, but Gabriel thought it would be useful when he was flying or running.

"Let's grab some food and get out of here." Hitting up the food stall near the gate as always, Gabriel cleared out the stall for 3 Gold, handing some of the meat skewers to Gala and storing the rest. Acorn was out of luck as there wasn't any non meat dishes at the stall, so Gabriel handed him a few berries to eat. "We follow this road to the North and we'll have to pass by one more village before we reach the city of that Lord. Stay sharp, watch for any enemies."

Gabriel had planned to stop and see Emmie, but decided against it as she may try to come with him. He didn't want to be responsible for her, so it was better if she didn't know what was going on. They could make the walk to the city by night fall as long as they maintained a good pace. (I'll upgrade those stats now and check everything else out.)

'Host: Gabriel

Species: Human/True Shadow Raven

Realm: Bander - Normal

Stats: Available Points: 50

Agility: 36

Endurance: 25

Strength: 20

Intelligence: 30

Magic: 40

Abilities:

Leaf on the Wind, Collector of Information, Language Mimic, Extreme Comprehension, Shadow Hide, Shadow Throw, Shadow Travel, Shadow Sword, Shadow Feather, Shadow Clothing, Body Transformation, Magic Heart, Magic Star

Skills:

Wind Manipulation - Alterix - 44%

Water Manipulation - Mastered - 30%

Earth Manipulation - Alterix - 9%

Light Manipulation - Alterix - 81%

Shadow Blade - Alterix - 71%

Shadow Claw - Mastered - Mutate?

Cloud Vision - Mastered - Mutate?

Shadow Cannon - Mastered - Mutate?

Repair Body - Mastered - 2%

Backpack - Adept

Illusory Space - Beginner

Telekinesis - Beginner'

(Some small increases in mastery, good. I need some more intelligence and magic for sure. We'll put 10 in Magic and 15 into Intelligence. Bring Agility up to 40 then split the rest between Strength and Endurance.)

'Stats: Available Points: 0

Agility: 40

Endurance: 36

Strength: 30

Intelligence: 45

Magic: 50'

(Good, now I should be able to fight much better and take more damage. Plus, I'll be able to learn things even easier and cast spells more effectively.) As the group continued on their walk, Gabriel took out his Blank Magic Cubes and started working on carving some Paths. He planned to make a few more Illusion Stones for temporary cover if they got into a bad situation and he wanted to see if he could use his new Miniature Carving ability to make an Illumination Path Stone combined with a miniature Magic Funneling Path to have a light that never goes out. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it gave him something to pass the time with.

Between Rorish and the village of Bernos, there was only dense Forest with a long winding stone block path. It was an uneven and uneventful walk for the trio, but Acorn seemed to be enjoying the leisure time napping on Gabriel's Black Straw Hat. Gala seems to be lost in thought while walking as she mumbled a few inaudible words occasionally, luckily no one was on the road or they'd think they were a couple of crazies. Coming through the Forest they found themselves in a huge clearing with a small village set up. The walls weren't as nice as Rorish, but they would help to protect them at least from smaller creatures.

Not wanting to stir up any trouble, Gabriel opted to bypass the town, following the road that ran around the walls before continuing to Zan City. They were still several hours walk from their destination, but Gabriel figured it would be better to arrive at night than during the day. He wasn't sure if they were Wanted or not, as he had killed quite a few soldiers of their kingdom, even if it was their own fault. Once they got back within the bounds of the Forest, they went back to doing what they had been. Gabriel finished his Illumination Stones and was working on his invention, while Acorn snored quietly on his hat. Gala was now making small movements with her feet while keeping pace with Gabriel, it almost looked like a dance move, but he was sure it was for her fighting pattern.

Night had fallen as they spotted lights ahead in the path. It almost seemed as if it was still daylight from how brightly lit the path looked just a half kilometer ahead of them. They quickened their pace before Gabriel checked the area and altered his Shadow Clothing to resemble the robes of a Mage. Gala would be fine in the armor she was wearing that Serah had managed to finish up just before they left. It was mostly leather with metal plates affixed in it on the forearms, shins, thighs, and it also had a breastplate. Polished with a dark colored dye until it sparkles in any light, it gave Gala the feel of an experienced Rogue capable a killing anyone without being seen.

As the lights reflected off of Gala's armor, Gabriel was woken from his stupor and looked up at the lanterns with Illumination Stones in them. They seemed oddly similar to the few torches he still had along his wall and in the watch towers. For some reason, Gabriel felt like they had taken this idea from him, even though he had no actual proof he still felt as if they had stolen from him. It brought up an irrational anger in Gabriel, and now he really wanted to see this city. They continued on and before long came out of the Forest to see huge buildings popping up behind an enormous wall. The wall must've been at least 20m tall, which made the buildings that were still visible seem to be miracles as they were the tallest buildings any of the 3 had ever seen in their life.