Chapter 37

  Aided by the delicious goodness of a Pep Step, our travels to the outskirts of Silver Springs went relatively smoothly. As we neared the city, one of the nine to hold a Keeper in it, needed to level up my gauntlet, the path we followed began to trace along a massive river, the ‘spring’, according to Guy, that fed the city from the mountains I’d descended from. Within, true to name, the spring was silver, the sands beneath the water’s surface rich with flecks of gold and silver and greys and flashes of other colors as well. Gemstones, worn smooth from time beneath the water, discarded and ignored as if they weren’t precious materials.

  Considering what I was learning about the economy of Mutopia, I wasn’t all that surprised. Why try to fish out gems, when you could just take on a few Mun and make quick, easy money?

  Speaking of… I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Shimmer-ish as we neared the city. The water beside which we walked was filled with the shiny fish. A part of me wanted to spend more time there, looking for the Gem Bettle Aaron had used, as well as to try and find any other Mun’s that might call the watery portion of this area home. However, considering my Mun were all dangerously close to level 20. I figured it wasn’t worth the risk. For now, I just needed to be happy with my new, shiny, level 14 fish.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a way for me to check out the information on my Muns, would you?” I asked Guy as I pocketed the crystal, walking back up the grassy shore, careful not to slip on the slick vegetation. He’d been kind enough to wait for me, while I used my Gembra Foal and Gearow to take it down. My Gearow was so close to level 18, at which point I knew it would evolve into a Graven, thanks to the information I’d picked up from Ember.

  “Their levels and health?” Guy asked with a raised eyebrow, “don’t you already know how to do that?”

  “I do,” I said with a shake of my head. “But, like, their descriptions? Back at Cogni, I was able to use the Mun Center Crystal to Inspect my Muns and get a detailed description about them.”

  “Oh,” he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a crystal. His eyes gleaming, he held it out to me. “What you’re looking for is a Mun-ocle.”

  “A… what?” I asked, with trepidation, as I touched the crystal. Sure enough, above it, came the groan worthy name.

  “A Mun-ocle,” Guy answered cheerily, “it allows you to see more information about Muns though it does have limited range, and provides much more information on Mun you’ve got in your position, compared to wild Muns.”

  He closed his fist around the crystal, and shook a finger at me, clicking his tongue while still smiling. “I can sell you one, of course, if you’re interested.”

  “How much?” I asked, wondering just how much I’d be willing to spend to sate my curiosity. We were so close to Silver Springs, it would only take another hour or two of walking till according to the map we’d be at our destination. But, then again, even though the name was cringe worthy, having the ability to inspect my Muns whenever I wanted, without needing to find a Mun Center… could be nice. Especially once I was stronger and spending more time out and about catching and training and evolving my Muns, which was still my ultimate goal for my time in Mutopia.

  “Normally, these go for 500 Muney.” He said, making me flinch. Five hundred dollars, for what? A glorified encyclopedia? Not even, since he said it works best on Muns I’d already captures. “But, I’ll extend your discount from last night, and drop the price down to, let’s say, 300 Muney?”

  That… was still a lot. And I was loathe to instantly part with that much in a single go. However… hadn’t I just last night dropped 110 Muney on two Tamer’s Treats? And, considering I’d made 2700 Muney yesterday, if ever there was a time to splurge a little, it was now. Especially with the discount he was offering me. It would be fiscally irresponsible, actually, to not make the trade here and now.

  “Alright,” I said, holding my left hand out to him. “It’s a deal.”

  Guy grinned and handed me the crystal with his right hand, while our left hands shook. I felt the prompt in my mind, saw the offered sale, and mentally accepted it. A second later, I saw my Muney drop, the three-hundred Muney transferring magically to Guy as my gauntlet warmed for a slight moment. And then, I felt ownership of the Mun-ocle tingle across my mind, and knew it was now mine to use.

  “And how am I supposed to use this?” I asked, moving the crystal to my left hand as I looked at it. Just like every other crystal in Mutopia… it was rather nondescript, save for the magical name floating above it, courtesy of the gauntlet’s magical link to my mind… which I tried not to overthink about.

  “Same as everything else,” Guy said with a shrug. With that oh so helpful advice, I mentally selected the Mun-ocle. Instantly, a new connection tugged into my mind, as the crystal turned to liquid and floated into my gauntlet, seeping into every ounce of it until it seemed as if the gauntlet had absorbed it. And then, in my mind, a prompt.

  New Magical Clothing Item Available. Utilize Mun-ocle? Y?/N?

  I couldn’t help but feel my eyebrows raise in surprise. “There’s magical clothing in this world?” I asked, dumbstruck.

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  “Uh,” Guy looked at me, his expression telling me that he found it really hard to believe we were having this conversation. “What did you think a Tamer’s Gauntlet was, if not magical clothing?” He chuckled to himself, “seriously, the old man from Cogni really sent you out without any basic understanding of the world didn’t he.” He laughed and shook his head, “Sasha really doesn’t have a reason to cause the town any harm. The only thing that old man set you up for, was failure and humiliation.”

  I felt my face redden as my anger began to wake. I didn’t appreciate being made fun of. Especially not when it wasn’t even for something I’d done. It would seem, mister ‘get out of the village as quick as possible to go save the world’ had failed to do much of anything for me.

  “No need to get angry,” Guy said, obviously noticing my change in demanor,” just, seriously took me by surprise. But yes, Taylor, magical clothing exists in this world. You can utilize a single set for each major body part, such as feet, legs, a belt, arms, and so forth.” He pointed at my gauntlet, and then the satchel on my thigh. “Everyone utilizes a Tamer’s Gauntlet on their nondominant hand,” he said, “as well as a magical bag, though the location varies there based on preference.”

  “If you focus on your gauntlet, and then focus on yourself, it should show you a representation of the magical items you’re currently utilizing, as well as any special perks you may be getting from them. Some clothes, such as Boots of Wandering, act as a permanent Pep Step without the need of, well, the drink itself. There’s also clothing that makes it easier to hide from Mun, clothing that will keep you warm and comfortable no matter the weather, and so forth.” He shrugged, “does your world not have magical clothing?”

  “My world doesn’t have magic,” I countered, as I mentally did as he’d instructed. Sure enough, a little caricature of a human body appeared in my vision, reminding me of the various Action RPGs I’d played that allowed you to equip gear to different body parts and so forth. Sure enough, the left hand was greyed out, with the Tamer’s Gauntlet placed in it. Beside my eyes was another slot, that now held the Mun-Ocles. And then, on my left thigh, the magical bag I’d already grown so fond of. Interesting.

  “Your world continues to make me sad,” Guy said with a shake of his head. “Any ways, if you have any other questions, no matter how foolish they may seem, please ask. Traveling Guys, after all, are information specialists, and it seems you are in dire need of just that.”

  “Thanks Guy,” I answered, dismissing the information filling my mind as I turned back to the whole reason I'd started this task. I wanted to see just what the world had to say about my new Shimmer-Ish. I activated my Mun-ocles, and felt a warmth flow up my left arm, my neck, and then wrap around my ear. A split second later, a monocle shimmered to life, over just my left eye. I pulled the Shimmer-Ish crystal back out, and this time, more pages opened. It was just like the Inspect Muns tab from the Mun Center, and I flipped to the information I’d been curious about.

  Shimmer-Ish – Shiny Fish – The Shimmer-Ish is, for all intents and purposes, just a shiny fish. Having been born in the silver enriched waters near Silver Springs, Shimmer-ish developed bodies with nearly completely reflective surfaces, allowing them to blind predators and entrance prey. Because of their reflective properties, Shimmer-Ish scales are often used for personal mirrors, as well as dazzling jewelry. Given their reflective personality… Shimmer-Ish are known to have a variety of different evolutionary paths.

  With a mental thought, I closed out of the information, and willed the Mun-ocle off my face. Then, turned to my traveling companion, a new thought in my mind, as I glanced from him, back to the water, within which dozens of Shimmer-Ish swam.

  “How many different evolutions are there for Shimmer-Ish?” I asked, innocently. “And, how exactly can you get them to evolve differently?”

  “As far as I know,” Guy began, “five different evolutions for the Shimmer-ish, though there are a few other rumored ones out there,” he nodded towards me, “kind of like your Cogberus. People know about its possibility, but how to get it,” he shrugged, “lost to time.”

  “So, if I were to try and get all the different Shimmer-Ish evolutions, that you know of, I’d need to acquire four more?” I was walking back towards the water’s edge, even as I finished my question. Not only was I intent on snagging the bare minimum of five, so I could evolve them and see what they became, but now that I knew I could read their stats… I was even more eager to make my Gearow evolve.

  “That would be correct,” Guy answered with a knowing smile. “As for how to evolve them, it has to do with the types of Muns you have them fight alongside, till they hit level 30.”

  I paused for a split second. Level 30, huh? That would require a lot of grinding later on if I was trying for one of each evolution. Still, that was a problem for future me to sort. Present me was just tasked with shooting four more fish in a barrel, so to speak. And my Gembra Foal was more than happy to oblige in that instance, while my Gearow promptly began swooping down and trying to, with mixed results, lift the metallic fish from the water like a swooping eagle. Only downside, of course, was that it was a tiny little Gearow, the size of what, a small chicken, while each Shimmer-Ish was no doubt large enough to make a full-grown salmon jealous.

  “Good enough for now,” I said with a laugh. At the very least, I was about to acquire four more Muns. And, on top of that, a Graven. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to spend a few more minutes fishing, before we continue on our way.”

  Guy said nothing, but offered me a warm smile, that made his moustache crinkle upwards, tickling either side of his kind eyes. Was it a look of pride? Of amusement? Or something else? I wasn’t certain, but it didn’t really matter either. After all, what mattered most right now, was snagging my prey. Especially, I thought, as my eyes widened as I noticed a flash of color that was most certainly not silver.. that one.

  My Cogberus was summoned, the target in question much to important to leave to my Gearow and Gembra Foal. After all, it was definitely moving quicker than the other Shimmer-ish, and in a deeper portion of the ‘Spring’, which had to be closer to six feet in depth, at least, at its center.

  “You see that boy?” I asked my Cogberus as it joined, pointing into the water, even as my gauntlet’s magic pulled up the prompt I was looking for. “Go fetch.”

  All three heads barked in excitement, as the level 20 Cogberus leapt into the water, the auto-battle feature telling me he had a 100% chance of winning the battle against the Mun, which I guess was too far away to identify, since it had ??? over its head. When it came to the unknown, especially Mun of the potentially Muney making abnormal types, I was definitely not in the business of gambling.