- Location
- Pindorama
I feel like this thread has been turned into the Konosuba AST quest. Oh well.
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[Kono] Rihaku
Good enough for me.
[Suba] Reasonable but Strict
Well, our life is more valuable than the other two so I'd prefer some kind of clause about guarding us but I guess that would be a hard sell for the voters and Retinue members alike.
Good enough for me.
[Suba] Reasonable but Strict
Well, our life is more valuable than the other two so I'd prefer some kind of clause about guarding us but I guess that would be a hard sell for the voters and Retinue members alike.
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Overwrote ur AST vote I think
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
A hostile takeover in Rihaku's thread? It's more likely than you think! I should really tone down the frequency on these Subquest updates, I don't want to steal the spotlight from our lord and savior...
Here's a refinement of my previous post with a focus on all the magic systems we have:
Domain-type magics
This kind of magic almost always consists of single-word descriptions. Dominions are generally broad and conceptual.
We see it used in the Diagram:
And in the Rings.
Ring of Hunger to Hunger: Domains are Passion, War, life, and primary is blood.
Ring of Truth to Nameless/Gisnena: Domains are time, mind, artifice, and primary is truth.
Ring of Lore to Mourndiel the Twilight King: Domains are unknown. Lore?
Ring of Severity to Princess Antimony: Domains are unknown. Severity? Ice? Cold?
Ring of Majesty to Princess Aurelia: Domains are unknown. Majesty? Beauty? Grandeur?
Ring of Might: Nameless could have forged this but choose not to. Domains are unknown. Might? Overwhelming power? rulership?
The Tears of Winter seem to draw on this magic. Their Domains include: ice, cold, rulership, intellect, calculation, beauty, finesse, quickness, overwhelming power, the season of Winter, grandeur, truth, and purity.
EFB seems to imply truth is the most fundamental Domain, but who knows.
Mantle-type magics
Mantle type magics tend to have two words, one of them describing some physical feature of the world (earth, air, water, ect...) and the second being an adjective.
It may be that a Mantle is a collection of Domains; more on that later.
Some mantle's from EFB:
We've seen some mentions of Mantles in Simple Transaction as well. First is the Empyrean Mantle. Notice that like all Mantles it's associated with various physical features of the sky.
Previously we saw Augustine raise a tower of earth. Perhaps she drew on the power of the Primordial Earth?
"Whose domain is all magics entire" caught my eye. Is each Mantle responsible for a large collection of domains? Organizing Domains into Mantles makes sense though, because we've seen lots and lots of domains with many more implied, and because Mantles tend to be very conceptually broad ("All magics" "The sky and everything in it"), but only a handful of Mantles. Is the Logos a Mantle?
The tower is associated with the Empyrean Mantle, which has power over all magics. And right next door is the remains of the Builder known as The Arcanist, who is presumably also big on magic. So I'd be interested in the relationship between Builders and Mantles. It's probably not 1-to-1 because even the greatest Titans were still far weaker than the Builders. Most likely the Builders Built the Mantles without becoming them.
The Forebear's mantle is mentioned as well. There's no adjective and no physical features of the world mentioned, but then again I've speculated that the Forebear literally created everything in this universe so if anyone's mantle was going to break the rules it would be him. Perhaps the physical feature of his Mantle is the world itself and everything in it.
Remember how as the Titan's became Titans they became less human and more predictable? And also how fully embodiying their mantles permanently limited their power to being a mere fraction to that of Nameless? I would encourage posters to keep this in mind when we discuss the mental effects of taking OaF EFB's. The Forebear was absurdly powerful, vastly more power than we'll ever need in order to conquer these Realms, but in the end he failed. He died. We will have to become more than him if we want to succeed.
Here is what a Titan/Mantling actually is.
It seems that the Voyaging realm and EFB realm and so on were built on certain fundamental principles. Titans mimic these fundamental principles, which is called Mantleing, and as a result gain a great deal of power over the principles in question. "Reality Effect" it's called. It would be like if in our world you become "Physics" and so gained various "Reality Effects" like control over gravity and magnetism.
Also I think it's likely that the "Pillars of Creation" EFB will take us behind the scenes, so to speak, and give us a view into the fundamental physical principles that were used to create this realm.
We're told that this magic system is ancient, which makes sense if it's the magic the Builders used to build all reality. And given what happened in EFB it seems likely to me that the Builders never intended Mantle magic, or for that matter Immortal Ascension, to fall into the hands of anyone other than themselves or their close allies.
Dross-type magics
Findross (the real name may or may not be Ruhuk essence), Edeldross, and maybe Elixirdross.
It's possible that each 'dross is built from a number of Domains. See Edeldross: "This precursor component of findross embodies redemption, perfection, restoration and the renewal of cycles." It's possible that every 'dross magic is a collection of Domains mixed together into a physical substance, but I think we'll need more info to be sure.
We don't know much about Elven Naturalism so that may be Findross. Maybe not though, since Elven Artifice seems to draw on Essence which is something quite different.
The 'dross magics are meant to be used as a material to write Runes on, see Gisena's Ascension:
A great deal more has already been written about this so here's a recent post of mine on the topic.
Runes
The Praxis, at least in its classic form, uses runes. Given that this world has specific names for Cursebearers, and that at least one Armament carries around a Praxis library, I think it's reasonable to count the Praxis as being native to this world.
Findross, as already discussed, seems meant to be used as a medium to draw runes in.
Hunger's cloak draws runes whenever he summons stuff.
There are the EFB runes previously mentioned:
Are all these runes part of the same language? We were told that the Empyrean Signs magic Hunger does is comparable to Royal Praxis, is that because it literally uses Royal Praxis runes? Hunger and Gisena should compare notes.
Other Magics
Both the EFB and AST Realms seem to have quite a few lesser magics. Rubric magic, which was likely the new magic Spring was introducing to the world. The countless (thousands, millions?) of other magics the Fates introduced over the ages. The three magics offered at the beginning of this story to Hunger. The many other magics that have been mentioned.
We were told that the Ordinal Spiral is the fastest route to the heart of magic, and also that the spiral is slightly different in different worlds. Which implies both the existence of a heart of magic, and that each Realm/universe has a different heart. The Spiral also may have used Dominions, remember all those 1-word names for various stages. Now that we have the Ordinal Spiral I will be interested to see if/how it's different in this world, as well as what reaching that heart of magic reveals.
I'm looking forward to seeing what we find...
1150 words
Domain-type magics
This kind of magic almost always consists of single-word descriptions. Dominions are generally broad and conceptual.
We see it used in the Diagram:
And in the Rings.
Ring of Hunger to Hunger: Domains are Passion, War, life, and primary is blood.
Ring of Truth to Nameless/Gisnena: Domains are time, mind, artifice, and primary is truth.
Ring of Lore to Mourndiel the Twilight King: Domains are unknown. Lore?
Ring of Severity to Princess Antimony: Domains are unknown. Severity? Ice? Cold?
Ring of Majesty to Princess Aurelia: Domains are unknown. Majesty? Beauty? Grandeur?
Ring of Might: Nameless could have forged this but choose not to. Domains are unknown. Might? Overwhelming power? rulership?
The Tears of Winter seem to draw on this magic. Their Domains include: ice, cold, rulership, intellect, calculation, beauty, finesse, quickness, overwhelming power, the season of Winter, grandeur, truth, and purity.
EFB seems to imply truth is the most fundamental Domain, but who knows.
Mantle-type magics
Mantle type magics tend to have two words, one of them describing some physical feature of the world (earth, air, water, ect...) and the second being an adjective.
It may be that a Mantle is a collection of Domains; more on that later.
Some mantle's from EFB:
We've seen some mentions of Mantles in Simple Transaction as well. First is the Empyrean Mantle. Notice that like all Mantles it's associated with various physical features of the sky.
Previously we saw Augustine raise a tower of earth. Perhaps she drew on the power of the Primordial Earth?
"Whose domain is all magics entire" caught my eye. Is each Mantle responsible for a large collection of domains? Organizing Domains into Mantles makes sense though, because we've seen lots and lots of domains with many more implied, and because Mantles tend to be very conceptually broad ("All magics" "The sky and everything in it"), but only a handful of Mantles. Is the Logos a Mantle?
The tower is associated with the Empyrean Mantle, which has power over all magics. And right next door is the remains of the Builder known as The Arcanist, who is presumably also big on magic. So I'd be interested in the relationship between Builders and Mantles. It's probably not 1-to-1 because even the greatest Titans were still far weaker than the Builders. Most likely the Builders Built the Mantles without becoming them.
The Forebear's mantle is mentioned as well. There's no adjective and no physical features of the world mentioned, but then again I've speculated that the Forebear literally created everything in this universe so if anyone's mantle was going to break the rules it would be him. Perhaps the physical feature of his Mantle is the world itself and everything in it.
Remember how as the Titan's became Titans they became less human and more predictable? And also how fully embodiying their mantles permanently limited their power to being a mere fraction to that of Nameless? I would encourage posters to keep this in mind when we discuss the mental effects of taking OaF EFB's. The Forebear was absurdly powerful, vastly more power than we'll ever need in order to conquer these Realms, but in the end he failed. He died. We will have to become more than him if we want to succeed.
Here is what a Titan/Mantling actually is.
It seems that the Voyaging realm and EFB realm and so on were built on certain fundamental principles. Titans mimic these fundamental principles, which is called Mantleing, and as a result gain a great deal of power over the principles in question. "Reality Effect" it's called. It would be like if in our world you become "Physics" and so gained various "Reality Effects" like control over gravity and magnetism.
Also I think it's likely that the "Pillars of Creation" EFB will take us behind the scenes, so to speak, and give us a view into the fundamental physical principles that were used to create this realm.
We're told that this magic system is ancient, which makes sense if it's the magic the Builders used to build all reality. And given what happened in EFB it seems likely to me that the Builders never intended Mantle magic, or for that matter Immortal Ascension, to fall into the hands of anyone other than themselves or their close allies.
Dross-type magics
Findross (the real name may or may not be Ruhuk essence), Edeldross, and maybe Elixirdross.
It's possible that each 'dross is built from a number of Domains. See Edeldross: "This precursor component of findross embodies redemption, perfection, restoration and the renewal of cycles." It's possible that every 'dross magic is a collection of Domains mixed together into a physical substance, but I think we'll need more info to be sure.
We don't know much about Elven Naturalism so that may be Findross. Maybe not though, since Elven Artifice seems to draw on Essence which is something quite different.
The 'dross magics are meant to be used as a material to write Runes on, see Gisena's Ascension:
A great deal more has already been written about this so here's a recent post of mine on the topic.
Runes
The Praxis, at least in its classic form, uses runes. Given that this world has specific names for Cursebearers, and that at least one Armament carries around a Praxis library, I think it's reasonable to count the Praxis as being native to this world.
Findross, as already discussed, seems meant to be used as a medium to draw runes in.
Hunger's cloak draws runes whenever he summons stuff.
There are the EFB runes previously mentioned:
Are all these runes part of the same language? We were told that the Empyrean Signs magic Hunger does is comparable to Royal Praxis, is that because it literally uses Royal Praxis runes? Hunger and Gisena should compare notes.
Other Magics
Both the EFB and AST Realms seem to have quite a few lesser magics. Rubric magic, which was likely the new magic Spring was introducing to the world. The countless (thousands, millions?) of other magics the Fates introduced over the ages. The three magics offered at the beginning of this story to Hunger. The many other magics that have been mentioned.
We were told that the Ordinal Spiral is the fastest route to the heart of magic, and also that the spiral is slightly different in different worlds. Which implies both the existence of a heart of magic, and that each Realm/universe has a different heart. The Spiral also may have used Dominions, remember all those 1-word names for various stages. Now that we have the Ordinal Spiral I will be interested to see if/how it's different in this world, as well as what reaching that heart of magic reveals.
I'm looking forward to seeing what we find...
1150 words
All birds in the thread deserve respect. Peace gives me time to train.
[Kono] Rihaku
[Suba] Reasonable but strict
Also, I think I'll finish the circle on the Ordinal Analysis Series. Letrizia hit me with some inspiration, and I've got some bb-code to learn in order to present this without destroying a reader's eyes. That said, there's a big one on the way.
Then, there's the boys. One bird might approve of what I have in store.
[Kono] Rihaku
[Suba] Reasonable but strict
Also, I think I'll finish the circle on the Ordinal Analysis Series. Letrizia hit me with some inspiration, and I've got some bb-code to learn in order to present this without destroying a reader's eyes. That said, there's a big one on the way.
Then, there's the boys. One bird might approve of what I have in store.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Turning in to? This is what it's been for ages now. Just with bad threadmarking, because it's really not what SV is designed for..
Thank you! Coming up with cool Tinker specialties has been a hobby of mine for a while. Probably took over from imagining cool robot/power armor/general tech ideas, now that I think about it.
I mean, offing Siberian is probably at least as likely as offing Jack to trigger Bonesaw Vengeant...
An interesting long-term approach, but remember that the immediate term is more urgent...
Incidentally, do you have research suggestions for enlarging my Devildoor supply?
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Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
You'd better be giving Versch an ordinal build! Protect his smile!
Also, if you want help with BB code I'm happy to take a look either here or on discord
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
Curious what an Armament's War-form looks like. And can they wield the Perishing Blade? Would it be Armament-sized?
Hunger should try carving Praxis runes into Findross.
...
The Praxis works by carving runes.
By default, such runes are carved into "the firmament".
We already know that when it comes to runic magic both the rune itself and the substance the rune is being carved into are important; "The (runic) language was the sculptor, and findross the marble."
The Foremost knew about the Praxis, see Versch's Praxis library. We know that the Praxis is one of the best, most powerful magics out there, meaning that if it was at all possible for them to use the Praxis they should. Maybe all of the runes we've seen are derived from the Praxis. Call those runes the Noble Praxis or maybe Common Praxis. Forms of the Praxis so basic that initiating into using them is relatively easy and requires no permission from the Accursed.
Findross was likely intentionally developed by the Foremost as a more powerful and suitable marble in which to carve Praxis runes. Carving things into the "firmament" is all very well and good, but there are always higher ISH tiers. Why carve your runes into the firmament when you can carve them into the realm of forms? Why carve your runes into the realm of forms when you can carve them into something even more fundamental? Carving the firmament is really, really hard, so carve into findross (or elixirdross?) instead.
...
The Praxis works by carving runes.
By default, such runes are carved into "the firmament".
We already know that when it comes to runic magic both the rune itself and the substance the rune is being carved into are important; "The (runic) language was the sculptor, and findross the marble."
The Foremost knew about the Praxis, see Versch's Praxis library. We know that the Praxis is one of the best, most powerful magics out there, meaning that if it was at all possible for them to use the Praxis they should. Maybe all of the runes we've seen are derived from the Praxis. Call those runes the Noble Praxis or maybe Common Praxis. Forms of the Praxis so basic that initiating into using them is relatively easy and requires no permission from the Accursed.
Findross was likely intentionally developed by the Foremost as a more powerful and suitable marble in which to carve Praxis runes. Carving things into the "firmament" is all very well and good, but there are always higher ISH tiers. Why carve your runes into the firmament when you can carve them into the realm of forms? Why carve your runes into the realm of forms when you can carve them into something even more fundamental? Carving the firmament is really, really hard, so carve into findross (or elixirdross?) instead.
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Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Rihaku mentioned that we've got a mechanism to generate findross through Edeldross. Could carving Praxis runes into Edeldross be the mechanism for such? Considering the Praxis is based on something realer than reality itself.
Yeah. We got praxis before we got Edeldross so that could be the case.
The praxis is all about acting on a deeper, more conceptual level. Hunger can send himself half-way to the realm of forms with the refinement of movement praxis rune, or part of that rune, so it seems likely he can send a bunch of edeldross instead of himself. Would that momentary exposure to a deeper reality be enough to permanently transform it? Or is there something else he has to do as well?
...
There was lots of speculation in the thread previously about Edeldross, Findross, and their use in creating the Realm of Myth.
The runes are azure because praxis runes are always azure as a result of existing at some higher level of reality. They are golden because they are carved in Findross, which is gold. The translucent substance was speculate to be Edeldross; I'm still iffy on this last bit but it's certainly possible. It could also be Elixirdross or something.
...
The foremost-written praxis instruction book in versch taught Hunger a praxis casting style that creates glowing blue runes. Many things the foremost built (so far just versch and the walls of myth) incorporate glowing blue (and gold) runes. Praxis is one of the most powerful magics, there's no reason to use a lesser runic magic if you have access to the praxis (which the Foremost did). The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that basically 100% of any runes we see on things the Foremost built are either praxis runes or derived from praxis runes.
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- Location
- Europe
We see it here with Seram as well and the Accurseds eyes (IIRC), Blue is clearly his favorite color.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
I just don't have any short-term ideas, honestly. "Become more real" isn't a problem I think Worm is equipped to help you with quickly, and I don't know what if any other resources the SI has to draw on.
As for how to improve Devildoor reserves, hm...I'm pretty awful at figuring out the 'this element is powered by your [blank]' part of Surgecrafting. I guess, given the whole balancing act between augmentation and avoiding value drift, and the fact that it can tap into the Lucifer side of 'devil', maybe it's powered by your pride?
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Indeed, Worm doesn't even seem to acknowledge conceptual metaphysics. However, I have a tool that does - and I don't understand it super well.
A lot of the trouble is that we have no idea how normal Element reserves are handled - Hunger had little enough that he ran out during the Rotbeast fight, but regular Elementalists are able to knock down buildings at low levels and scale considerably larger as they go on.
*goes back and checks the initial description*
Ah. It's very much a Shōnen Battle Energy.
...And Devildoor's core might well be "the knowledge of good and evil".
Well, I have some idea of where this might be going, at least!
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
The release of this episode of Konomena has been delayed by the writing of 0.66 of a chapter of Gabrielos Gaiden. Unfortunately, my friend needed to go to sleep before we could finish it.
This episode is also sponsored by Raid: Shadow Legends.
...But don't tell them that, I want to keep it a surprise so they'll have to pay me for the endorsement they didn't ask for. Fu-fu-fu, I am an evil genius.
If you ever feel like I post Konomena updates too often, please remember that Kurenai tried to put Itachi under a genjutsu. And a genjutsu of that level does not work on Itachi motherfucking Uchiha.
Also, I've decided that, since more than a couple of people (Bard as the foremost example,) have posted actual full-length reactions to Konomena, I might as well distribute shiny points and omake rewards like Rihaku often does.This puts me one step closer to assimilating him while he is sleeping, but don't tell him that.
Imagine the meta-loops this might cause... Omake for a subquest, to give the protagonist of the subquest additional power so he can survive, so the subquest drags on and gives more long-term Arete to the main quest. What a devious scheme, and I didn't even come up with it on purpose!
Whatever.
Here's the chapter. Also, the plan proposed by Rihaku won.
Wordcount: ~4005
...But don't tell them that, I want to keep it a surprise so they'll have to pay me for the endorsement they didn't ask for. Fu-fu-fu, I am an evil genius.
If you ever feel like I post Konomena updates too often, please remember that Kurenai tried to put Itachi under a genjutsu. And a genjutsu of that level does not work on Itachi motherfucking Uchiha.
Also, I've decided that, since more than a couple of people (Bard as the foremost example,) have posted actual full-length reactions to Konomena, I might as well distribute shiny points and omake rewards like Rihaku often does.
Imagine the meta-loops this might cause... Omake for a subquest, to give the protagonist of the subquest additional power so he can survive, so the subquest drags on and gives more long-term Arete to the main quest. What a devious scheme, and I didn't even come up with it on purpose!
Whatever.
Here's the chapter. Also, the plan proposed by Rihaku won.
Rihaku-42342 said:
A Calculated Infraction
Wiz's Magic Shop wasn't anything too special at a first glance.
It was a small location with a tiny glass storefront on one of the more desolate streets, surrounded by hulking boutiques, convenience stores, alchemists, and a florist shop. Some of them were nearly the size of a baby supermarket, and in comparison, Wiz's Shop was a single chamber with neatly stocked shelves and a counter.
In fact, as Kazuma looked at it, he understood it wasn't a proper store to begin with. It appeared that Wiz converted the ground floor of her own house into it, close to the actual outskirts of the market district.
Most citizens would pass by it without a second thought, but Kazuma drew in a breath and dove right in.
The doorbell chimed as he stepped into the shop and cast a look around.
As before, the shelves were stocked to the brim with mystical objects and esoterica that Kazuma was barely able to categorize. There were voodoo dolls, crystal balls, a ring with a crimson sigil that appeared to emit pure dread and sent goosebumps down his neck, and somehow, for some inane reason, there was a yellow rubber ducky locked in a display case with the label, 'Warning: Volatile.'
"Hello!" Wiz greeted from behind the counter, smiling brightly as Kazuma entered. The, heartened, sunny expression on her unnaturally pale face made it clear that Kazuma's return made her day, if not her entire week. "You came back, sir!"
Once again, the same as yesterday, Kazuma noticed that Wiz radiated a dangerous vibe to his spirit. He couldn't put a finger on it, or as to why, but it felt as if Kazuma was facing a predator while he was a mere rabbit.
His first thought was that she poisoned the customers who came over to visit and then dragged them away and butchered them in the basement, but surely that wasn't the case. If it were, the town guard would've noticed the avalanche of missing person's reports tied to the location, and Wiz didn't appear to have any outstanding problems with the law. It would be completely ludicrous for her to be a serial killer. It was an inane, baseless thought that Kazuma dismissed as soon as it appeared.
There was surely a rational explanation for this, such as Wiz being a retired adventurer. He noticed that experienced adventurers possessed a certain, palpable aura to them. Maybe she employed an object from her own shop to foster a dangerous aura for self-protection. Kazuma wasn't sure how crime rates compared between worlds, but surely it would've been useful when coming back home at night. It didn't make sense for Wiz specifically, though, since she appeared to live in her shop, but either of his latter theories was better than his first assumption.
In the end, Kazuma decided to err on the side of caution and check the tea for poison but otherwise disregarded the sensations as irrelevant.
"I'm Kazuma," he introduced himself blandly, after that initial moment of thought. "Sorry for running away like that, yesterday."
"No, no!" Wiz raised both hands towards him in a propitiatory motion. "My customers do that often, it's alright."
...
Okay then.
Kazuma coughed into his hand, then offered a weak smile. "So... tea?"
Wiz's pleasant smile eroded to reveal panic. The shopkeeper slapped the top of her head, pressing her hair down in shock. "Oh no! Of course, tea! I invited you for tea! I forgot! Forgive my air-headedness, sir! I'll get right to it!" She ran off into another room, leaving the store itself unattended. Kazuma balked for a moment, unsure what to say or do in this situation.
With nothing better that he could do, Kazuma decided to make himself at home and sat down in one of the nearby chairs next to the window.
He glanced at a clock to make sure there was an adequate amount of time left before dinner, and committed to the idea of not letting this tea conversation drag on for longer than half an hour, as it'd take him some time in order to go back to their hotel room. They'd be eating the dragon meat he bought together as a trio, as well as some vegetables that Subaru went out to procure. Kazuma didn't know why he wanted to buy dragon meat yesterday, but apparently, it was rich in life-force.
Kazuma also intended to broach the subject of his Retinue power; one of the Remittances that the Accursed granted him.
A minute later, Wiz came out from the back. She was running through the shop with a metal tray of smoking cups, a sugar bowl, and other implements. Attentive and self-aware, Kazuma stood up and raised a hand in an arresting motion. "Stop!"
The shopkeeper arrested her dogtrot in surprise.
Kazuma stepped away from the table and pointed at it, then snapped his fingers commandingly. He made sure to lace his voice with an imperious air that brokered no argument, "Set the tea down, then sit down yourself. Slowly." His eyes narrowed, cautious to snap back in an evasive motion at the slightest twitch.
He looked at the shopkeeper, who looked surprised at this level of improbable caution.
She gulped a little, before she acquiesced to his directions exactly as he ordered. Her hands trembled as she carefully set down the tray with their tea and tea paraphernalia, then she carefully and steadily sat down in the chair opposite to the one he'd been in previously.
At the conclusion of her tasks, Wiz looked up at him with a clouded expression as if casually but somewhat worriedly wondering if he was an official inspector here to make sure her OSHA was up to standard.
That morning, the Affliction of Misfortune flared in a constant number of improbable accidents and showed him what it was capable of. Against logic and normalcy, he slipped on a tile, slipped on toothpaste, and then fell into a bathtub due to a set of events it set up before he even started waking up. The bed snapped in half, the stairs risked doing the same. Later, as he came back into the city, he bumped his head when a man carrying a ladder suddenly turned in another direction; the bastard didn't even show any concern for him due to the Brand of the Wretched. The Affliction kept pouring on in a number of increasingly frustrating incidents, and Kazuma wasn't about to let it have a practical freebie.
He would not let his guard down.
His eyes scanned the room perilously. There were no protruding spiked objects, no banana peels, no slippery surfaces. The main source of danger was the tea itself. The solution would be to drink slowly to avoid scalding his tongue and producing a domino effect where he coughed and spilled the tea over his pants and to ensure the clumsy shopkeeper didn't somehow cause an accident.
Being pessimistic, he assumed both would happen unless he intervened, and might happen even if he did.
Kazuma finally approached the seat opposite of Wiz, then commanded, "You will request permission before picking up the teacup and taking a sip."
"Y-Yes, sir," Wiz answered in clear obeisance.
It felt weird to give commands to a woman that was at least a couple years his senior, and even weirder when she accepted it without question. Kazuma felt deeply uncomfortable.
Kazuma sat down, then said, "I'm sorry, but I'm cursed with exceptionally bad luck. I'm reasonably concerned that if we don't consume tea carefully, I might get it spilled all over me."
"I think Kazuma-san is being superstitious! That's not how the Luck statistic works." Wiz giggled and shuffled in her seat, at which point there was a loud crack of wood, as one of the chair legs sunk into the floor at a weak structural point. One of the floorboards snapped upward as a lever, smashing into the bottom of the table with supernatural force at the exact spot needed to make it fall over. The table started to turn on its side, tea spilling in a waterfall, but Kazuma's pupils tightened with a godlike reflex.
With mental direction, he created a wide vantablack plane in front of himself, its edges a still white outline, then used his arms to press on both of its sides to constrict it into an ellipse in the creation of a long shield. Rather than spilling on top of him, all of the tea went into the utility pocket, alongside all of the items that were on the table.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That was my fault! I broke the floor and it almost made the tea spill on you! I should have believed you!" Wiz cried, both hands clutching the top of her head in shock and fear. She calmed down when Kazuma dismissed the utility pocket and showed himself to be unharmed and unmolested by any offending liquids.
Wiz looked down at the spot where a plank was now missing. The one that came out was snapped in half next to the empty spot. "Oh, dear... I broke the floor..."
Kazuma would've offered to pay for it, but he couldn't afford the debt. He already paid back the hotel for their destroyed bedding - getting some rueful glances from the manager who clearly misconstrued the reason as to why the bed was broken, as well as Kazuma's relationship with the goddess - and the meat grocer for the slab of dragon brisket.
The boy sighed loudly. "Hold on, I'll fix it." He reached out with a hand and cast Mold Earth to make the stone foundation of the building rise out minimally, filling in the space of the loose plank. In order to make sure the entire building didn't collapse in on itself, he filled in the gaps with some loose sand and earth he collected outside of Axel into his utility pocket. "There we go."
"Thank you, Kazuma-san." Wiz smiled at him pleasantly.
Before she could frown or remark on her mistake again, Kazuma set the table upright. He reached out and aimed the palm of his hand towards the top, then opened an anchored pocket from it, depositing the tray with all of the items. He opened a couple, smaller pockets over the cups and sugar bowl, and filled them back up with streams of liquid and white cubes.
Wiz looked astonished, although not to the degree of wide-eyed amazement. "A-Amazing, is this spatial magic of some kind?"
"I guess," Kazuma dismissed. He picked up his teacup and sipped calmly, then said, "You can sip it. But use both hands to hold the teacup and support your elbows on the table."
To make sure the table didn't collapse from an unexpected structural flaw, possibly introduced when the plank impacted the underside, Kazuma looked under the table and checked the legs. Although he was confident it was fine, he cast Freeze on each table leg with a moderate output, causing ice to tether them to the ground like a solid glue.
Kazuma resurfaced above the table. Wiz was calmly taking a delightful sip of her tea. Without there being anything he could really think of to break the proverbial ice, he decided to start drinking his own tea at a less sedate pace.
Halfway through his cup, Kazuma finally said, "So, did you call me to talk about anything specific, or for the company?"
"O-oh, um, I suppose the latter." Wiz chuckled to herself, but Kazuma sensed a degree of sadness in that sound. "It gets lonely in here sometimes. Just me and these shelves..."
He didn't feel this much concern for another person in a long time. The aura of danger that Wiz had around her added to the feeling and reinforced it. Kazuma set down his teacup on its ceramic plate and looked Wiz in the eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine!" the shopkeeper assured him with a chirp. Changing the subject, Wiz pointed around the room, "Do you see anything you like, Kazuma-san?"
While she was looking out at the shelves, Kazuma's gaze fell a little beneath her collarbone.
Yes, two of them.
He looked back up before she could notice, then looked at a single object which appeared to be a primitive fishing rod. To be precise, it was a long shaft of wood, a sturdy fishing line tied to the end, terminating in a simple metal hook. "What's that do?"
"Oh, I bought that from a woman in a purple dress!" Wiz said excitedly, smiling from ear to ear. "She remarked that her husband was going to abandon his hobby to focus more on training his protégé, so she decided to sell the fishing rod to me. Its hook is enchanted, so it always draws in the biggest fish!"
"Like what?" Kazuma asked curiously.
The shopkeeper's smile collapsed into a face of nervous realization. "W-Well... like sharks, or... krakens, or..."
Kazuma interjected, "I think I heard enough. How about that one?"
"Oh." Wiz's eyes filled with a look of abject admiration of the item in question. "That's the Flute of Fae Advice. Playing it attracts a great number of fairies that whisper good advice."
Kazuma started to understand the nature of this shop. As if clicking in brilliant realization, he suddenly connected the clues and, in an inspired deduction, realized the full truth. Wiz's clumsiness and airheadedness, the low income of the store, the behaviors of the customers... All of it made sense, now.
He decided to ask, in order to receive a confirmation to his theory. "What are the fairies like?"
"Well..." Wiz took a moment to consider the question, then started to speak, losing confidence in her own product the longer she did, "They're playful, a-and... they prank the user relentlessly, call him names sometimes... they, well, u-um..."
"Bully you," Kazuma finished.
"Y-yes, in a way, I suppose..." The shopkeeper stopped there, looking down in the abject realization that her wares sucked and no one wanted to buy them.
Kazuma sighed deeply. His theory was confirmed - the reason the customers ran away was that the products here were excellent on the exterior but each one held some kind of caveat that ranged from deadly to humiliating or otherwise undesirable, and the reason for that was because Wiz was utterly incapable of performing any kind of quality control on the products she ordered. From a certain perspective, she was as incompetent as Aqua, but her incompetence took on a different skill tree.
Well, if Aqua ever died and he needed a new person for the Geas of Incompetence, he supposed that he'd at least know where to go.
"Well, keep going," Kazuma encouraged with a warm smile. "I'm sure eventually we'll find a product that won't be lethal to someone with my luck." Because even if the objects held caveats, like their own minor curses, Kazuma had already learned that curses can be mitigated, or sidestepped entirely. There would be objects whose use far outweighed the demerits, or even the rare item with no demerits to begin with. He'd find those and purchase them, helping both himself and the shopkeeper at the same time.
---
As a minor footnote, here's the items that Kazuma received from Wiz at no cost:
*Self-Playing Lute: When a string is plucked, this lute begins to play itself and floats after the user. Unfortunately, there is no way to make it stop other than dismantlement.
*Ring of Echoing Force: This ring produces a blunt force effect equivalent to a weak handgun discharge. Twice that amount is transferred into the user's ring-finger as recoil.
*Spider Whistle: When blown, this whistle agitates and draws in every arachnid within a kilometer's range.
*Spoon of Oatmeal: This spoon transmutes any substance that enters its bowl into a filling if bland slop that contains mostly oats and tiny vegetables.
Select at least one item that Kazuma bought from Wiz's Magic Shop. You have 40,000 Eris to spend after paying off your debts. Fortunately, Wiz's prices are surprisingly low.
[ ] Amplified Matchsticks - A box of matchsticks that burns fifty times as bright. Unfortunately, they burn faster by that same amount, unfailingly scorching the user's fingers each time and only producing light for a split-second. Cost: 1,000 Eris.
[ ] Nuka-Cola Fiero: How did this get here?... Instantly quenches thirst upon consumption and heals slight damage, appends 5 Rads, grants short-term resistance to fire and lava. Its spicy taste means it shouldn't be consumed without anything else, such as water, on hand. Cost: 2,000 Eris.
[ ] An Elder Scroll - This scroll (which reeks of mothballs,) has inscribed on its pages, the wisdom of a Moth Sage. Upon reading it, the user can detect moths and mothlike organisms at a distance of up to six kilometers for a couple of minutes. The purpose of this relic is unknown, but presumably involved hunting moths. Does not work on butterflies. Cost: 2,500 Eris.
[ ] White-Bone Crossbow: A crossbow made from ivory, and sixteen bolts from sharpened ribs. Wiz claims that it has the power to instantly destroy any skeletal undead... if you manage not to miss the bones, of course. Otherwise, it's a very middling crossbow. Cost: 8,500 Eris.
[ ] Flexible Sword - This is an excellent, sharpened blade from a mithril-adamantite alloy. Unfortunately, its enchantment means that whenever force in excess of 20 PSI is applied to the blade, it gains a consistency similar to rubbery taffy, capable of being stretched out but losing its solid rigidity. The blade resets back after eight seconds from when force stops being applied. Cost: 9,500 Eris
[ ] Holy Shield - This shield has been made using an experimental method, granting it the 'holy' attribute. As such, the user may treat it as a holy relic for purposes when that would apply. Unfortunately, in order to grant this attribute, the experimental method involved making one-centimeter-diameter holes on the shield's surface. It's swiss cheese. Cost: 10,000 Eris.
[ ] Fishing Rod of Hunger - A mysterious stick with a length of fishing wire attached to the end. Wiz claims that its hook is enchanted with the very essence of 'Hunger,' which acts as unfailing bait for all types of fish, especially big catches... such as sharks, megalodons, krakens, sea serpents, underwater eldritch abominations, etc. Cost: 18,000 Eris.
[ ] Ring of Rebellion - A dark blue metal ring with a zircon asscher-cut in the middle. It raises all of the user's statistics, granting a +10, including statistics not mentioned on the character sheet. In exchange, however, caps Luck at no higher than -100. Cost: 30,000 Eris.
In addition, before dinner starts, Kazuma can do a number of minor actions that consume no more than two hours. Choose a single action, or two actions but both actions suffer a 50% decrease in overall effectiveness unless both actions have the same color, in which case the decrease is only by 25%. If an option has both colors in it, treat it as having (obviously) both colors.
[ ] Hang Out - Kazuma stumbles onto a sizable group of fellow miscreants as he's walking around. They go to a bar and drink some while talking to each other. +reputation with Dust, +reputation with Local Male Adventurers, Discover ???, unlock Rein Chelka as a potential ally, but not teammate.
[ ] Relax and Focus - Kazuma sits down on a park bench near one of the larger city streets and takes some time to calm himself down, consider his life, and think about the events of the last couple of days. -stress, +Willpower, Kazuma will feel significantly more motivated to slay the Demon King and succeed as a Cursebearer.
[ ] Productive Work - Kazuma decides to spend some amount of his spare time on physical training. He changes into his tracksuit and starts doing push-ups, endurance training, and general calisthenics. ++physical statistics, Kazuma gains an improved Work Ethic when he realizes that exercise actually feels good when your body can take it.
[ ] Training Drills - The local Adventurer's Guild is allegedly running generalized combat drills for newbie adventurers. Explanations about the dangers of the wild, monster species, combat spars, and more. It sounds useful. +physical statistics, +experience as an adventurer, +monster lore, +demon king lore.
[ ] Meditate On Life - Kazuma decides to broaden his spiritual reserves as much as possible, sitting down and trying to remember some of the healthy meditation exercises his brother nattered him about once. +Magical Power, +Wits, +reputation with Satou Hitomu if you ever see him again.
[ ] Look for Tutor - Kazuma looks for a more experienced, higher-level Arch Wizard who can teach him useful spells. If he fails to find anyone, he'll post an announcement on the notice board about it. Increases the chances of meeting and gaining a tutor, and therefore, gaining access to more complicated, involved, and esoteric spellwork.
[ ] Look for Party Members - Kazuma looks around for new party members to join his party, or if he fails to find anyone, he posts an announcement about it on the notice board, Increases the chances of meeting new, provisional members sharply.
For thread participation deemed as exceptional, pick two bonus rewards.
[ ] Power Injection - Every member of Retinue including Kazuma receives an infusion of 750 EXP as an automated boon of Progression, leveling up all of them up significantly. In addition, Kazuma specifically receives an additional 2 SP on his next level-up.
[ ] Shining Resolve - Aqua's readiness to apply further mitigation to Kazuma's curses is sped up by 10%. Improve the effects of Incompetence - Dutybound by 20% for a week, by 10% for a month.
[ ] Advanced Tutorial - Kazuma can learn one spell that either Aqua or Subaru knows at the price of purchasing a Basic Spell. Select one of the following: Heal, Sacred Dispel, Blessing, Shamak, El Shamak, Ul Shamak, Al Shamak, Murak (decreases the effects of gravity on user.)
[ ] Red Dawn - Kazuma, through natural prowess, unlocks Unstructured Magic. This domain of power is the versatile translation of mana directly into supernatural effects, increasing the caster's effect diversity pool by an order of magnitude. However, Unstructured Magic is notoriously inefficient and unreliable and therefore is only useful for minor applications or in a pinch.
[ ] Fortune's Celerity - A month of progress to restoring Fortune's Smile is filled instantly. Kazuma regains +25 Luck as a result of his Essential Nature asserting itself slightly more over the Affliction of Misfortune.
Wiz's Magic Shop wasn't anything too special at a first glance.
It was a small location with a tiny glass storefront on one of the more desolate streets, surrounded by hulking boutiques, convenience stores, alchemists, and a florist shop. Some of them were nearly the size of a baby supermarket, and in comparison, Wiz's Shop was a single chamber with neatly stocked shelves and a counter.
In fact, as Kazuma looked at it, he understood it wasn't a proper store to begin with. It appeared that Wiz converted the ground floor of her own house into it, close to the actual outskirts of the market district.
Most citizens would pass by it without a second thought, but Kazuma drew in a breath and dove right in.
The doorbell chimed as he stepped into the shop and cast a look around.
As before, the shelves were stocked to the brim with mystical objects and esoterica that Kazuma was barely able to categorize. There were voodoo dolls, crystal balls, a ring with a crimson sigil that appeared to emit pure dread and sent goosebumps down his neck, and somehow, for some inane reason, there was a yellow rubber ducky locked in a display case with the label, 'Warning: Volatile.'
"Hello!" Wiz greeted from behind the counter, smiling brightly as Kazuma entered. The, heartened, sunny expression on her unnaturally pale face made it clear that Kazuma's return made her day, if not her entire week. "You came back, sir!"
Once again, the same as yesterday, Kazuma noticed that Wiz radiated a dangerous vibe to his spirit. He couldn't put a finger on it, or as to why, but it felt as if Kazuma was facing a predator while he was a mere rabbit.
His first thought was that she poisoned the customers who came over to visit and then dragged them away and butchered them in the basement, but surely that wasn't the case. If it were, the town guard would've noticed the avalanche of missing person's reports tied to the location, and Wiz didn't appear to have any outstanding problems with the law. It would be completely ludicrous for her to be a serial killer. It was an inane, baseless thought that Kazuma dismissed as soon as it appeared.
There was surely a rational explanation for this, such as Wiz being a retired adventurer. He noticed that experienced adventurers possessed a certain, palpable aura to them. Maybe she employed an object from her own shop to foster a dangerous aura for self-protection. Kazuma wasn't sure how crime rates compared between worlds, but surely it would've been useful when coming back home at night. It didn't make sense for Wiz specifically, though, since she appeared to live in her shop, but either of his latter theories was better than his first assumption.
In the end, Kazuma decided to err on the side of caution and check the tea for poison but otherwise disregarded the sensations as irrelevant.
"I'm Kazuma," he introduced himself blandly, after that initial moment of thought. "Sorry for running away like that, yesterday."
"No, no!" Wiz raised both hands towards him in a propitiatory motion. "My customers do that often, it's alright."
...
Okay then.
Kazuma coughed into his hand, then offered a weak smile. "So... tea?"
Wiz's pleasant smile eroded to reveal panic. The shopkeeper slapped the top of her head, pressing her hair down in shock. "Oh no! Of course, tea! I invited you for tea! I forgot! Forgive my air-headedness, sir! I'll get right to it!" She ran off into another room, leaving the store itself unattended. Kazuma balked for a moment, unsure what to say or do in this situation.
With nothing better that he could do, Kazuma decided to make himself at home and sat down in one of the nearby chairs next to the window.
He glanced at a clock to make sure there was an adequate amount of time left before dinner, and committed to the idea of not letting this tea conversation drag on for longer than half an hour, as it'd take him some time in order to go back to their hotel room. They'd be eating the dragon meat he bought together as a trio, as well as some vegetables that Subaru went out to procure. Kazuma didn't know why he wanted to buy dragon meat yesterday, but apparently, it was rich in life-force.
Kazuma also intended to broach the subject of his Retinue power; one of the Remittances that the Accursed granted him.
A minute later, Wiz came out from the back. She was running through the shop with a metal tray of smoking cups, a sugar bowl, and other implements. Attentive and self-aware, Kazuma stood up and raised a hand in an arresting motion. "Stop!"
The shopkeeper arrested her dogtrot in surprise.
Kazuma stepped away from the table and pointed at it, then snapped his fingers commandingly. He made sure to lace his voice with an imperious air that brokered no argument, "Set the tea down, then sit down yourself. Slowly." His eyes narrowed, cautious to snap back in an evasive motion at the slightest twitch.
He looked at the shopkeeper, who looked surprised at this level of improbable caution.
She gulped a little, before she acquiesced to his directions exactly as he ordered. Her hands trembled as she carefully set down the tray with their tea and tea paraphernalia, then she carefully and steadily sat down in the chair opposite to the one he'd been in previously.
At the conclusion of her tasks, Wiz looked up at him with a clouded expression as if casually but somewhat worriedly wondering if he was an official inspector here to make sure her OSHA was up to standard.
That morning, the Affliction of Misfortune flared in a constant number of improbable accidents and showed him what it was capable of. Against logic and normalcy, he slipped on a tile, slipped on toothpaste, and then fell into a bathtub due to a set of events it set up before he even started waking up. The bed snapped in half, the stairs risked doing the same. Later, as he came back into the city, he bumped his head when a man carrying a ladder suddenly turned in another direction; the bastard didn't even show any concern for him due to the Brand of the Wretched. The Affliction kept pouring on in a number of increasingly frustrating incidents, and Kazuma wasn't about to let it have a practical freebie.
He would not let his guard down.
His eyes scanned the room perilously. There were no protruding spiked objects, no banana peels, no slippery surfaces. The main source of danger was the tea itself. The solution would be to drink slowly to avoid scalding his tongue and producing a domino effect where he coughed and spilled the tea over his pants and to ensure the clumsy shopkeeper didn't somehow cause an accident.
Being pessimistic, he assumed both would happen unless he intervened, and might happen even if he did.
Kazuma finally approached the seat opposite of Wiz, then commanded, "You will request permission before picking up the teacup and taking a sip."
"Y-Yes, sir," Wiz answered in clear obeisance.
It felt weird to give commands to a woman that was at least a couple years his senior, and even weirder when she accepted it without question. Kazuma felt deeply uncomfortable.
Kazuma sat down, then said, "I'm sorry, but I'm cursed with exceptionally bad luck. I'm reasonably concerned that if we don't consume tea carefully, I might get it spilled all over me."
"I think Kazuma-san is being superstitious! That's not how the Luck statistic works." Wiz giggled and shuffled in her seat, at which point there was a loud crack of wood, as one of the chair legs sunk into the floor at a weak structural point. One of the floorboards snapped upward as a lever, smashing into the bottom of the table with supernatural force at the exact spot needed to make it fall over. The table started to turn on its side, tea spilling in a waterfall, but Kazuma's pupils tightened with a godlike reflex.
With mental direction, he created a wide vantablack plane in front of himself, its edges a still white outline, then used his arms to press on both of its sides to constrict it into an ellipse in the creation of a long shield. Rather than spilling on top of him, all of the tea went into the utility pocket, alongside all of the items that were on the table.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That was my fault! I broke the floor and it almost made the tea spill on you! I should have believed you!" Wiz cried, both hands clutching the top of her head in shock and fear. She calmed down when Kazuma dismissed the utility pocket and showed himself to be unharmed and unmolested by any offending liquids.
Wiz looked down at the spot where a plank was now missing. The one that came out was snapped in half next to the empty spot. "Oh, dear... I broke the floor..."
Kazuma would've offered to pay for it, but he couldn't afford the debt. He already paid back the hotel for their destroyed bedding - getting some rueful glances from the manager who clearly misconstrued the reason as to why the bed was broken, as well as Kazuma's relationship with the goddess - and the meat grocer for the slab of dragon brisket.
The boy sighed loudly. "Hold on, I'll fix it." He reached out with a hand and cast Mold Earth to make the stone foundation of the building rise out minimally, filling in the space of the loose plank. In order to make sure the entire building didn't collapse in on itself, he filled in the gaps with some loose sand and earth he collected outside of Axel into his utility pocket. "There we go."
"Thank you, Kazuma-san." Wiz smiled at him pleasantly.
Before she could frown or remark on her mistake again, Kazuma set the table upright. He reached out and aimed the palm of his hand towards the top, then opened an anchored pocket from it, depositing the tray with all of the items. He opened a couple, smaller pockets over the cups and sugar bowl, and filled them back up with streams of liquid and white cubes.
Wiz looked astonished, although not to the degree of wide-eyed amazement. "A-Amazing, is this spatial magic of some kind?"
"I guess," Kazuma dismissed. He picked up his teacup and sipped calmly, then said, "You can sip it. But use both hands to hold the teacup and support your elbows on the table."
To make sure the table didn't collapse from an unexpected structural flaw, possibly introduced when the plank impacted the underside, Kazuma looked under the table and checked the legs. Although he was confident it was fine, he cast Freeze on each table leg with a moderate output, causing ice to tether them to the ground like a solid glue.
Kazuma resurfaced above the table. Wiz was calmly taking a delightful sip of her tea. Without there being anything he could really think of to break the proverbial ice, he decided to start drinking his own tea at a less sedate pace.
Halfway through his cup, Kazuma finally said, "So, did you call me to talk about anything specific, or for the company?"
"O-oh, um, I suppose the latter." Wiz chuckled to herself, but Kazuma sensed a degree of sadness in that sound. "It gets lonely in here sometimes. Just me and these shelves..."
He didn't feel this much concern for another person in a long time. The aura of danger that Wiz had around her added to the feeling and reinforced it. Kazuma set down his teacup on its ceramic plate and looked Wiz in the eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine!" the shopkeeper assured him with a chirp. Changing the subject, Wiz pointed around the room, "Do you see anything you like, Kazuma-san?"
While she was looking out at the shelves, Kazuma's gaze fell a little beneath her collarbone.
Yes, two of them.
He looked back up before she could notice, then looked at a single object which appeared to be a primitive fishing rod. To be precise, it was a long shaft of wood, a sturdy fishing line tied to the end, terminating in a simple metal hook. "What's that do?"
"Oh, I bought that from a woman in a purple dress!" Wiz said excitedly, smiling from ear to ear. "She remarked that her husband was going to abandon his hobby to focus more on training his protégé, so she decided to sell the fishing rod to me. Its hook is enchanted, so it always draws in the biggest fish!"
"Like what?" Kazuma asked curiously.
The shopkeeper's smile collapsed into a face of nervous realization. "W-Well... like sharks, or... krakens, or..."
Kazuma interjected, "I think I heard enough. How about that one?"
"Oh." Wiz's eyes filled with a look of abject admiration of the item in question. "That's the Flute of Fae Advice. Playing it attracts a great number of fairies that whisper good advice."
Kazuma started to understand the nature of this shop. As if clicking in brilliant realization, he suddenly connected the clues and, in an inspired deduction, realized the full truth. Wiz's clumsiness and airheadedness, the low income of the store, the behaviors of the customers... All of it made sense, now.
He decided to ask, in order to receive a confirmation to his theory. "What are the fairies like?"
"Well..." Wiz took a moment to consider the question, then started to speak, losing confidence in her own product the longer she did, "They're playful, a-and... they prank the user relentlessly, call him names sometimes... they, well, u-um..."
"Bully you," Kazuma finished.
"Y-yes, in a way, I suppose..." The shopkeeper stopped there, looking down in the abject realization that her wares sucked and no one wanted to buy them.
Kazuma sighed deeply. His theory was confirmed - the reason the customers ran away was that the products here were excellent on the exterior but each one held some kind of caveat that ranged from deadly to humiliating or otherwise undesirable, and the reason for that was because Wiz was utterly incapable of performing any kind of quality control on the products she ordered. From a certain perspective, she was as incompetent as Aqua, but her incompetence took on a different skill tree.
Well, if Aqua ever died and he needed a new person for the Geas of Incompetence, he supposed that he'd at least know where to go.
"Well, keep going," Kazuma encouraged with a warm smile. "I'm sure eventually we'll find a product that won't be lethal to someone with my luck." Because even if the objects held caveats, like their own minor curses, Kazuma had already learned that curses can be mitigated, or sidestepped entirely. There would be objects whose use far outweighed the demerits, or even the rare item with no demerits to begin with. He'd find those and purchase them, helping both himself and the shopkeeper at the same time.
---
As a minor footnote, here's the items that Kazuma received from Wiz at no cost:
*Self-Playing Lute: When a string is plucked, this lute begins to play itself and floats after the user. Unfortunately, there is no way to make it stop other than dismantlement.
*Ring of Echoing Force: This ring produces a blunt force effect equivalent to a weak handgun discharge. Twice that amount is transferred into the user's ring-finger as recoil.
*Spider Whistle: When blown, this whistle agitates and draws in every arachnid within a kilometer's range.
*Spoon of Oatmeal: This spoon transmutes any substance that enters its bowl into a filling if bland slop that contains mostly oats and tiny vegetables.
Select at least one item that Kazuma bought from Wiz's Magic Shop. You have 40,000 Eris to spend after paying off your debts. Fortunately, Wiz's prices are surprisingly low.
[ ] Amplified Matchsticks - A box of matchsticks that burns fifty times as bright. Unfortunately, they burn faster by that same amount, unfailingly scorching the user's fingers each time and only producing light for a split-second. Cost: 1,000 Eris.
[ ] Nuka-Cola Fiero: How did this get here?... Instantly quenches thirst upon consumption and heals slight damage, appends 5 Rads, grants short-term resistance to fire and lava. Its spicy taste means it shouldn't be consumed without anything else, such as water, on hand. Cost: 2,000 Eris.
[ ] An Elder Scroll - This scroll (which reeks of mothballs,) has inscribed on its pages, the wisdom of a Moth Sage. Upon reading it, the user can detect moths and mothlike organisms at a distance of up to six kilometers for a couple of minutes. The purpose of this relic is unknown, but presumably involved hunting moths. Does not work on butterflies. Cost: 2,500 Eris.
[ ] White-Bone Crossbow: A crossbow made from ivory, and sixteen bolts from sharpened ribs. Wiz claims that it has the power to instantly destroy any skeletal undead... if you manage not to miss the bones, of course. Otherwise, it's a very middling crossbow. Cost: 8,500 Eris.
[ ] Flexible Sword - This is an excellent, sharpened blade from a mithril-adamantite alloy. Unfortunately, its enchantment means that whenever force in excess of 20 PSI is applied to the blade, it gains a consistency similar to rubbery taffy, capable of being stretched out but losing its solid rigidity. The blade resets back after eight seconds from when force stops being applied. Cost: 9,500 Eris
[ ] Holy Shield - This shield has been made using an experimental method, granting it the 'holy' attribute. As such, the user may treat it as a holy relic for purposes when that would apply. Unfortunately, in order to grant this attribute, the experimental method involved making one-centimeter-diameter holes on the shield's surface. It's swiss cheese. Cost: 10,000 Eris.
[ ] Fishing Rod of Hunger - A mysterious stick with a length of fishing wire attached to the end. Wiz claims that its hook is enchanted with the very essence of 'Hunger,' which acts as unfailing bait for all types of fish, especially big catches... such as sharks, megalodons, krakens, sea serpents, underwater eldritch abominations, etc. Cost: 18,000 Eris.
[ ] Ring of Rebellion - A dark blue metal ring with a zircon asscher-cut in the middle. It raises all of the user's statistics, granting a +10, including statistics not mentioned on the character sheet. In exchange, however, caps Luck at no higher than -100. Cost: 30,000 Eris.
In addition, before dinner starts, Kazuma can do a number of minor actions that consume no more than two hours. Choose a single action, or two actions but both actions suffer a 50% decrease in overall effectiveness unless both actions have the same color, in which case the decrease is only by 25%. If an option has both colors in it, treat it as having (obviously) both colors.
[ ] Hang Out - Kazuma stumbles onto a sizable group of fellow miscreants as he's walking around. They go to a bar and drink some while talking to each other. +reputation with Dust, +reputation with Local Male Adventurers, Discover ???, unlock Rein Chelka as a potential ally, but not teammate.
[ ] Relax and Focus - Kazuma sits down on a park bench near one of the larger city streets and takes some time to calm himself down, consider his life, and think about the events of the last couple of days. -stress, +Willpower, Kazuma will feel significantly more motivated to slay the Demon King and succeed as a Cursebearer.
[ ] Productive Work - Kazuma decides to spend some amount of his spare time on physical training. He changes into his tracksuit and starts doing push-ups, endurance training, and general calisthenics. ++physical statistics, Kazuma gains an improved Work Ethic when he realizes that exercise actually feels good when your body can take it.
[ ] Training Drills - The local Adventurer's Guild is allegedly running generalized combat drills for newbie adventurers. Explanations about the dangers of the wild, monster species, combat spars, and more. It sounds useful. +physical statistics, +experience as an adventurer, +monster lore, +demon king lore.
[ ] Meditate On Life - Kazuma decides to broaden his spiritual reserves as much as possible, sitting down and trying to remember some of the healthy meditation exercises his brother nattered him about once. +Magical Power, +Wits, +reputation with Satou Hitomu if you ever see him again.
[ ] Look for Tutor - Kazuma looks for a more experienced, higher-level Arch Wizard who can teach him useful spells. If he fails to find anyone, he'll post an announcement on the notice board about it. Increases the chances of meeting and gaining a tutor, and therefore, gaining access to more complicated, involved, and esoteric spellwork.
[ ] Look for Party Members - Kazuma looks around for new party members to join his party, or if he fails to find anyone, he posts an announcement about it on the notice board, Increases the chances of meeting new, provisional members sharply.
For thread participation deemed as exceptional, pick two bonus rewards.
[ ] Power Injection - Every member of Retinue including Kazuma receives an infusion of 750 EXP as an automated boon of Progression, leveling up all of them up significantly. In addition, Kazuma specifically receives an additional 2 SP on his next level-up.
[ ] Shining Resolve - Aqua's readiness to apply further mitigation to Kazuma's curses is sped up by 10%. Improve the effects of Incompetence - Dutybound by 20% for a week, by 10% for a month.
[ ] Advanced Tutorial - Kazuma can learn one spell that either Aqua or Subaru knows at the price of purchasing a Basic Spell. Select one of the following: Heal, Sacred Dispel, Blessing, Shamak, El Shamak, Ul Shamak, Al Shamak, Murak (decreases the effects of gravity on user.)
[ ] Red Dawn - Kazuma, through natural prowess, unlocks Unstructured Magic. This domain of power is the versatile translation of mana directly into supernatural effects, increasing the caster's effect diversity pool by an order of magnitude. However, Unstructured Magic is notoriously inefficient and unreliable and therefore is only useful for minor applications or in a pinch.
[ ] Fortune's Celerity - A month of progress to restoring Fortune's Smile is filled instantly. Kazuma regains +25 Luck as a result of his Essential Nature asserting itself slightly more over the Affliction of Misfortune.
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- Location
- US
Oh, Unstructured Magic. That sounds like it could be really neat for utility, considering you could use it to transform mana into a vast variety of supernatural effects, albeit at a cost-up. Overall, I'd call it Utility++ or something like that.
(I was there in the Discord, @Birdsie, but do you mind saying it here for the thread too btw?)
Outside of that, I definitely see the merit of Power Injection, but Shining Resolve's 20% boost for Dutybound for a week is really genuinely good as well. Good thing that we can pick two.
(I was there in the Discord, @Birdsie, but do you mind saying it here for the thread too btw?)
Outside of that, I definitely see the merit of Power Injection, but Shining Resolve's 20% boost for Dutybound for a week is really genuinely good as well. Good thing that we can pick two.
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- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
I think Relax and Focus is the clear winner here? Willpower is the godstat, and we don't need immediate power.
The question is whether to take it by itself, with Hang Out, or with Meditate.
The question is whether to take it by itself, with Hang Out, or with Meditate.
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Is this as good a casting focus for Aqua as the staff Kazuma could have gone into debt for was?
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Productive work is competitive with it, not for the stats, but because "increased work ethic" may be more focused and thus more valuable than a more generalized +willpower.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
No. Although the fact that it counts as a holy relic means it's most suitable in the hands of Aqua out of everyone in your party, it's still unsuitable in the hands of Aqua. It'd be best offered to a Crusader or Fighter, and it's near-useless as a spell focus but if you invest into Enchanting enough, you might be able to improve its potential for one.
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Oh, this made it in! Neat!
Pity the vampire sword and the loud invisibility cloak didn't, but this is good.
In other words, it's a very decent situational melee weapon. Countermeasure for liches and dracoliches! Worth buying, I think - the only question is whether it's worth buying now.
...On consideration, I suspect the cost of being flat broke is considerably lower than the cost of needing a way to kill a dracolich and not having one. Misfortune absolutely would make sure the crossbow vanishes if Kazuma decides to come back when he has more money.
As for the time use, I'm not sure. I think it's between Relax and Focus, and Productive Work.
Actually, what the heck. It's not quite as efficient, but it gets both resolve boosters.
Finally, the bonuses. Red Dawn is obvious - Progression should mean it eventually reaches 'on-the-spot optimized spell creation' - but I'm not certain about the other one. Power Injection is an obvious default. Advanced Tutorial offers some very good utility effects - I think Heal is probably the best choice, although there might also be some good interaction between Charity and Al Shamak. (Oh, and Murak+Charity Jets is a quick way to get flight.) The other options are possibly useful as Favor generators.
I think I'm going to go for Power Injection. Tutorial unlocks some new growth trees, and some immediate personal power boosts, but- Nevermind, I'm being dumb. No backup healer is asking for trouble.
[K] Ring of Rebellion
[K] White-Bone Crossbow
[K] Relax and Focus
[K] Productive Work
[K] Red Dawn
[K] Advanced Tutorial