Though small by most standards, Lorvath swarmed with people, with most of it centered on a market in the main square. A clock tower watched over the area and its dozens of stalls. Merchants ran most of the stalls, showing off food and tools from all around the Tyne region. Shiyo went off to find a spot to sell their treasures, leaving Benedict to roam.

  Wandering through the market, past every haggler wanting a piece of merchandise, and then across a bridge spanning a canal. Further roaming brought him to a park at the base of a hill, overlooked by a white stone tower. From there, he had a clear view to the east. A green dome, vague through the haze of distance, almost beyond the horizon, caught his eye.

  “Back already?” Benedict asked when he heard footsteps behind him.

  “Didn’t take long to find a willing buyer. My guess is most of our haul was extremely valuable.” Shiyo held out a pouch almost overflowing with coin. “Your share.”

  “I thought we were splitting by half.”

  “We did.”

  Benedict whistled as he placed the pouch into his coffer, then stared out to the tree again. “What is that?”

  “The tree in the distance? That’s Noctim.”

  “I thought Noctim was a city.”

  “It is. Originally, everyone lived in the tree’s canopy, walking on branches as big as a road. A settlement spread along the ground, and it became what it is today.”

  “I genuinely can’t wait to see it now.”

  “Still a couple days’ worth of travel. We’ll need to prepare.”

  Benedict stared at the tree in the distance. “And we will do so.”

  A scream grabbed all of Benedict’s attention. Above him, someone plummeted fast right toward him. Instinctively, he threw his arms out to catch her. Cotton surrounded his face as she slammed into him, making breathing difficult, and her weight and momentum carried them both to the ground.

  When the cotton pulled away from Benedict’s face, he found a pair of breasts above him. He cast his eyes further up, where a young woman stared at him, brown hair framing a delicate, pretty face that turned redder by the moment. Benedict braced himself for a slap. That’s what always happened, right?

  She gasped and stumbled backward. “I am so sorry! Are you all right?”

  “I’ve never seen a woman fall out of the sky like that,” Shiyo said. “Most men would appreciate that.”

  “You can have a thought without expressing it, Shiyo,” Benedict groaned as he stood. He offered a hand to the young woman. “For all that is holy, don’t listen to her.”

  “I can imagine she’s right, though,” she said as she grabbed Benedict’s outstretched hand.

  Benedict pulled her to her feet. “It’s not the most awkward meeting I’ve had, I’ll admit. I’m Benedict, miss.”

  “Celica Freya Einshalt, at your service,” she said with a bow. “I guess explanations are in order. Come. I’ll buy you a drink as a thank you, and we can talk more.”

  The word “drink” in Phynel generally brought thoughts of raucous taverns and strong liquor. Celica had something different in mind. She took them to a place that was more a small stall than its own building, with the only seating underneath umbrellas in front of it. Celica insisted that Benedict and Shiyo find a table while she ordered. It didn’t take long for either task to be completed.

  “You both likely have questions for me, yes?” Celica said after they were all settled.

  “The most pertinent of which is: what were you doing?” Shiyo asked.

  “I guess that’s fair. I’m part of the Tyne Artificers’ Guild, you see, and I was testing my newest tool.”

  Benedict sipped his drink. The taste was pleasant, like coffee but without the usual bitterness. “Testing by jumping off a tower?”

  Celica averted her gaze. “Is there a better way?”

  “What kind of tool would require that?”

  “Look at this.” An eager glint appeared in Celica’s eyes as she drew out a long rod with a cylindrical head. With the flick of a switch, energy sprouted from the head and formed into a pair of short wings. “It’s not as controllable as I’d like, honestly.”

  “Explains a lot,” Shiyo said.

  “You’re making a magic glider?” Benedict asked.

  “Exactly!” Celica shouted. “Imagine you are being chased by monsters you can’t defeat, and you come to a cliff. They’re closing in from all sides except one, so you do the only thing you can: jump! In midair, you draw out one of these and glide to safety while the monsters rage at you from above in impotence.”

  “And you decided to test it yourself?”

  “No adventurer wants to risk it for me, even though I have consistently created tools of the highest quality.”

  Benedict pondered the wealth he had recently acquired. If this girl’s tools were any good, they could be useful. The glider alone recalled multiple adventure games that used “climb to a high place and jump off with a glider” as a method of travel. It tended to be faster than walking in-game and likely would be in reality, too.

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  “Where is your shop?” Benedict asked.

  Celica’s eyes shimmered with excitement. “I am so glad you asked. It’s three blocks down, tucked into a nice little corner. I specialize in magical tools myself, and with my guild—”

  “We may visit later,” Shiyo said. “Lorvath is but a brief stop on our journey, though.”

  “Journey? What’s your destination?”

  “Noctim,” Benedict said.

  Celica looked between them. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Noctim is currently closed to visitors.”

  “Why?” Shiyo asked.

  “No one is sure. All we know is the Lord of the City declared it two weeks ago. No one here has received a message from the city since, and every caravan is turned away at the gate.

  Shiyo stared at the table. “No lord would do such a thing unless there was danger at hand.”

  “Maybe someone at a tavern can pass on a few rumors,” Benedict said.

  Celica pointed down a side street. “One of the larger taverns is down there. The name on the door is ‘Polished Fidget.’ You can’t miss it.”

  Shiyo stood and thanked Celica for the talk. “Let’s go.”

  “If nothing else, I’ll be by your shop later,” Benedict whispered before he followed Shiyo.

  “I would appreciate that,” Celica said with a smile.

  When Celica said the Polished Fidget was a large tavern, she had understated. Benedict had seen lecture halls with less space than the Polished Fidget, and it had two upper floors with more space, all of them visible from the center of the ground floor. Otherwise, it was similar to the others Benedict had seen, including having a jobs board.

  The brand of clientele using the Polished Fidget was the typical adventurer. They sat at their tables with pints of drink and plates piled high with the most filling of food. Benedict walked one way, and Shiyo the other. All they needed to do was go to every group where conversation might be welcome. Surely, someone would know something.

  After speaking to every patron in the building, Benedict had learned much about Lorvath. Lady Mila had a sordid affair with a bartender, a merchant, or a squire. The Artificers’ Guild planned to brainwash the entire city to buy their strange machines so they could make enormous profits. The Polished Fidget’s direct competitor at the Dancing Dangle diluted its drinks to keep profits high, which is why the Polished Fidget was better. Multiple drunker patrons had also threatened him with grievous bodily harm just for showing his face at a table.

  What he hadn’t learned was anything related to Noctim and its current plight. Each time he brought it up, the answer was a combination of shrugs, puzzled faces, and deflection. Defeated, he found a vacant table and collapsed into a chair.

  “Any luck at all?” Shiyo asked, taking a seat next to him.

  “Nothing whatsoever,” Benedict said. “You?”

  “The rumor mill in this town runs extremely well. If only it ran the way we needed.”

  A server stopped by their table and asked for an order.

  Benedict stopped her from leaving. “I have a question, Miss, have you heard anything to do with Noctim since it was closed off?”

  “I’m afraid I haven’t, sir,” she said.

  “Thank you, anyway.”

  “The only intriguing rumor lately is that there’s a treasure somewhere in the swamp south of the city. Multiple adventurers have tried to find it, and none have had any luck.”

  Shiyo shrugged. “We’re stuck here for the moment, why not take a look?”

  “I’m game,” Benedict said.

  Preparation needed, they first stopped by Celica’s shop. Inside, it wasn’t much different from a typical weapon shop. Most of the merchandise hung on the walls via various racks, with only a few boxes on the floor. The latter held various rods, distinguishable from each other by the shapes on the heads. What she had placed on the walls was much more interesting.

  The device that first drew Benedict’s eyes was a cylinder with a taper on one end and a handle at the other. Next was a simple crossbow with a small box attached to the side of its stock. A coffer, perhaps? Then there was a cross-shaped tool with lines inlaid into its surface and a gem at the center sitting next to what he could only describe as a small cannon.

  “What is all this for?” Benedict wondered aloud.

  “All tools for adventurers!” Celica said. “I spoke to as many as I could find, listening for what they might need, and spent long hours working on designs and formulas with the goal of giving them exactly that. Take a look at any you like.”

  Benedict grabbed one cylinder and scrutinized it. A small, rounded weight protruded an inch from its tip. Just before the taper was a small, extended metal pip. The handle held three triggers: one at the index finger, one on the top for the thumb, and one near the pinky.

  Celica clapped her hands together and smiled. “That is a grapple. It uses magic to shoot a weight forward like a crossbow bolt, where it latches onto something solid. A simple click of a trigger launches the grapple, and from there you can draw yourself up or release the spell. Try it on my target board.”

  She pointed to a large section of wood at the back with a target circle painted onto it. Benedict held the device at arm’s length and centered the pip on the target. He clicked the trigger with his index finger, and nothing happened. When he tried the thumb trigger, a pop came from the tip as the weight shot forward. The moment it hit the wood, magic flashed around it, forming into a claw that latched onto the surface. Benedict tried the index trigger again and found himself pulled forward with far greater force than he expected. His feet lifted off the ground, and he landed flat on his face. A click of the pinky trigger released the magic, and the weight fell to the floor.

  “What do you think?” Celica asked.

  “I may need practice,” Benedict groaned.

  “I’ll give you an explanation for anything you want, and you can test most of my tools out right here.”

  “Most?” Shiyo asked.

  “Some tools in here make fire. We can’t demonstrate those inside the store for obvious reasons.”

  “That seems reasonable.”

  Benedict’s mind ran through every situation he might find a grapple useful, and the answer was “most of them.” Surely he had the coin for one.

  Celica grabbed a crossbow off the wall. “This is one of my most ingenious designs. A simple device draws the string back in less than half the time your average person can. As a bonus, when the string nocks properly, the device automatically draws a bolt out of the specially designed pocket.”

  She demonstrated the technology, which worked as advertised, and launched a bolt into the wood. She repeated the process three times to prove the point.

  “What do you think?” she asked, brandishing the weapon.

  “You’re a very impressive artificer,” Shiyo said.

  Benedict nodded his agreement. “I certainly wasn’t expecting this when we came here.”

  “You two are too kind!” Celica said.

  “Seems adventurers would be jumping to test these tools…”

  Shiyo rubbed her chin. “I admit to being curious about the capabilities shown by your tools. May we test some out?”

  “Do you have a special place in mind better than inside the shop?” Celica asked.

  “There are rumors about a valuable treasure in the swamp,” Benedict said.

  “Wait!” Celica grabbed Shiyo’s hands. “Let me come with you! I can see everything firsthand for once!”

  “Uh—,”

  “I’ll pay you, of course! How does a hundred aur each sound?”

  “That’s actually tempting,” Benedict said before he could think.

  “Then it’s a deal!” Celica shouted.

  Shiyo stood frozen. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing for you. We don’t know what’s there.”

  “I’ll need some time to prepare. May we head out in the morning? Pick your tools, and I’ll bring them with me, I promise!”

  Celica placed a pair of order forms on the desk, then bolted through the door behind her, smiling and laughing. It closed behind her, and Shiyo glared at Benedict.

  “What?” Benedict asked.

  The stare hardened further. “A pretty girl gets eager and you fall all over yourself to impress her?”

  Benedict stayed silent and picked his tools. For a hundred aur each plus the treasure itself, Shiyo could deal with it. Besides, Celica was really cute.