Dakkon stared at her blankly. “I take it you mean to say: me, wielding my dagger on your behalf?” Dakkon suggested.
Lina smirked again. “If that’s how it’s got to be.”
“That’s how it would have to be,” said Dakkon. “And what exactly am I being offered to help you out?”
“Beyond your desire to repay my kindness on the road?” Lina prodded. “When we succeed in retrieving what I’ve lost, then I’ll refuse Gullen’s commission.”
“So, I help you, or I die?” asked Dakkon. “Some choice.”
“No,” said Lina, who sighed with the reticence of a tutor whose lesson should have already been learned. “You help me and I don’t kill you. Gullen wants you dead and he’s willing to pay handsomely.”
“You know, the ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ sales pitch isn’t a very good persuasive tactic. Can’t you get that giant who carts you around to help?” Dakkon asked.
“He will,” she said. “What you fail to understand is how much money I’d be turning down. I don’t like turning down easy money.”
The certainty of his demise in her tone didn’t sit well with Dakkon, but he knew she was right. The ball of flaming death she’d used so casually on the road was of a completely different power level. He didn’t stand a chance against strength like that. Not yet.
Dakkon considered his predicament. He definitely didn’t want the fire goddess incarnate out for his hide. While he thought, he remembered that Lina had easily pointed out his new wrist wraps in her ambush-like introduction. How could she know that they spray water?
“How did you know about my Dousebinders?” he asked.
Lina smiled knowingly. An air of mild to moderate condescension seemed to radiate from her, naturally. “Magical items are how I make my living, Dakkon,” she said. “Water producing items are a common mainstay of this world’s military campaigns. Being able to water men and horses alike is an incredible boon on marches. Though, I’m afraid an item such as that is likely ill-suited to a melee class such as yourself.”
It was Dakkon’s turn to smile knowingly. He raised his hand and formed a spear of ice—spending more mana than was necessary to ensure it came out looking impressive. “They seem to have some use,” he said.
“Oh, my,” Lina remarked with dancing eyes. “Yes, I think you may be of use to me after all.”
Dakkon hadn’t needed to show off his trick with the wraps. Perhaps the sorceress had even been trying to bait him into revealing information about himself with her words. He didn’t care. He hated the feeling of being looked down upon by someone while they asked him to aid them. It reminded him of his old supervisor.
“Well, what do you say?” asked Lina.
“I’d be… willing?” he paused, “… to help if you’ll share some information on your trade,” Dakkon said after some consideration. “I’ll be frank. I need money and I want power. If you’ve got the funds to comfortably turn down one of Gullen’s offers, then it seems to me that you’ve got both. Teach me about finding and selling magic items.” Dakkon fixed determined eyes upon the sorceress.
“Fine,” she said promptly, with no deliberation. “We shall need something to talk about on the way. Why not relics?”
C
HAPTER 27:
S
IDE
Q
UEST
Dakkon and Lina met up with Merri, the hulking man who pulled Lina’s cart, as he gathered provisions and some crafting supplies. Apparently, despite the ridiculously thick size of his fingers, he was a practicing craftsman and preferred the more delicate trades that Chronicle had to offer over combat.
Since they would be on the road, Dakkon fetched his horse, Nightshade, who was happy to be reunited with his rider. The horse had clearly grown a sense of contempt for the strict care provided by the monastic stables. When leaving the establishment, Nightshade expressed his disdain for being left behind by chomping at the stable hands. Dakkon felt bad for his horse, and he would have felt bad for the monks who ran the temple had they offered him a lower price for their services.
When Nightshade saw the sorceress again he stopped dead in his tracks, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. The insane display of strength the horse witnessed firsthand would leave its impression on any who saw it, animals were no exception. Dakkon patted his horse’s neck in a reassuring manner. After Nightshade realized that they weren’t in any danger, the proud beast managed to stand as tall as usual.
Merri pulled Lina alongside Dakkon and Nightshade. Thermomancer and flame mage expended their mana reserves to about half full, refilled them, then expended their reserves again to train as they traveled and conversed. Merri, however, was a man of few words.
“I can see you’re eager,” Lina said to Dakkon. “I’ll start the explanation by giving you some perspective. You won’t have any success alone. Relic hunting requires a great number of eyes, ears, and keen minds. Magic items must be learned of, tracked down, recovered, then sold efficiently. Most players stumble through the game and only acquire magical gear when they’re bound to trip over it. Good hunters seek out magical items actively by scouring old tomes, pursuing cryptic quest lines, and keeping our eyes open and our ears to the ground. If you want to be a successful relic hunter, then first and foremost you’ll need a team.”
Dakkon had managed to find some friends whom he assumed were worthy of his trust. He wouldn’t mind splitting bounties with them.
“Would you like to join our successful relic-hunting troop?” Lina asked.
The invitation was unexpected. It seemed out of character, and caught Dakkon off-guard. He did need the money, though. Why not? He could learn the tricks of the trade first-hand. “Well—” he started, but was cut off.
“Well you can’t!” Lina snapped. “The point I’m trying to drive home here is that you’ll need a reliable, trustworthy team. If we just invited anyone then the system wouldn’t work.”
“Great,” thought Dakkon wryly. His already thin desire to help the cocky sorceress waned further.
“I get it,” said Dakkon. “Enough about your exclusive club. Tell me about the work itself.”
“That’s really the important part,” said Lina, further driving the point that teamwork was paramount in her trade. “Knowing what’s worth what is pretty simple after just a little research—unless you find something exceptional.”
That caught Dakkon’s interest. “Exceptional? Like what?”
Lina smirked in a calculated, maddening way. “A unique and powerful artifact; a relic, that is, an item touched or created by the divines; or something integral to a major quest.”
Dakkon’s dagger fell into the second category—maybe even the first. “What if something falls into all three categories?” Dakkon asked.
Lina considered this for a few, silent moments. “It would be unlikely to increase the value by any significant margin—but that’s assuming the buyers require it only for one of those three qualities. Everything is relative. Read the situation and price the item accordingly.” She sighed. “Also, it would be ideal to have someone both competent and trustworthy to sell the acquired items full time.” The last bit sounded like it may have been a recent source of frustration.
“How much money should I expect from selling a god-touched item?” Dakkon asked.
“That’s…” Lina’s face scrunched up as though she were really considering the matter, then her face relaxed at once before glaring at Dakkon indignantly. “That’s really putting the cart before the horse. What makes you think you can even locate a relic—let alone acquire it?”