With the house emptied, the two were ready to leave behind their childhood home. The place that held equal amounts of happy and upsetting memories. Cara carried the Torba's while Finnick carried the chest his mother had left to him. It had reached midday before they even realized and it was time for them to go.
Finnick closed his eyes and focused on the apartment above the forge. Cora's hand cradled gently in his as he imagined the two beds in their room Galick gave them. Only a few seconds passed as they traveled the distance to the very place Finnick just imagined. Finnick placed the chest next to his bed and Cora dropped the Torba's next to it.
"Did you want to go with me to get the rest of what we need?" Finnick asked his sister. The brunette was quick to agree and they abandoned their room. They moved quickly through the apartment and out the back door of the forge.
On the opposite end of the street was their destination. It was a short but wide building. The wood it was made of had long since turned grey. However, Gizmo's was the only place for one-stop shopping. The store had almost anything one could want or need in stock.
The siblings entered the decrepit building through the saloon-style doors. The inside was not much better than the outside. There were rows of shelves taller than Cora filled with various goods. Finnick sent the girl off to shop while he headed toward the back of the shop.
Mr. Kulus was not hard to find as he rarely left his shop. The blond man was nothing short of disgusting. His hair was greasy enough to fry an egg on and had muddy brown eyes. The man had pale scale-like skin that was always sweaty and a long crooked nose. Yet, that was not what bothered Finnick about the man. It was the fact that Shetter had been friends with him. Shetter had invited the man to join him when he beat Finnick.
Both men stared each other down as Finnick strutted up to the counter the foul man sat behind. Without a single word, Finnick placed the first item he wanted to sell on the counter: his mother's wand. It was worn and slightly frayed. Finnick knew that even in its condition the man could fix it up and sell it.
Mr. Kulus helped himself and picked the wand up from the counter. He used an elongated monocle to look over the magical instrument. Finnick knew that the human would try to lowball him. It didn't bother Finn as he was just as interested in screwing the blond man over.
"It is pretty worn down and even frayed in some places. What class are the wand and yourself?" Mr. Kulus asked knowingly as he eyed the boy. Wands only got into that condition when someone of higher power than the wand tried to use it. Nobody in town other than Cora and Galick knew of his Magical rank.
"I have not checked since I was fifteen but it was Magus then. As for the wand, it was my mother's. It should at least be at Sage level." Finnick explained and the blond sat there in shock.
Magic was not something easily mastered, especially at such a young age. Yet, the boy in front of Mr. Kulus had gotten to the Magus rank at age fifteen? It was unheard of for one so young to reach that level. It was then he remembered what some of the villagers called him: A benevolent monster. It all made sense if someone had found out his rank.
"Alright, please use the wand to summon a short-term spirit then." Mr. Kulus ordered; Finnick bristled but did as requested. With the old wand in hand, he chanted the correct spell with ease. Mere seconds passed before a small blue blob formed in front of Finnick. The blue liquid gathered and slowly formed a water spirit.
"A water spirit of this caliber should be adequate," Finnick said and the palm-sized spirit rushed over to the young magic user. She smiled as she grabbed onto Finnick's finger. Her small head tilted, silently asking what she had been summoned for.
"Hello small one, would you be so kind as to watch over my sister for a bit. She has wandered off in the store and I want to make sure she is safe." Finnick asked the spirit telepathically and it jumped into action. The small she-spirit was absolutely smitten with the boy for being so kind and polite. It was not common to ask a favor of the spirits instead of being ordered. Such was the life of a spirit.
"Yes… that was enough. I will give you three silver for that wand. Nothing more or I won't be able to make it back." Mr. Kulus offered and Finnick thought it over. He was sure that he could make more for the wand elsewhere. However, he wanted to be rid of any extra baggage.
"If you include a fair discount for a new wand then you have a deal. I will also be needing a new wrist wand holster." Finnick bargained with the business sense he gained at the forge's shop. Years of working in the forge had taught him many things.
It was obvious that the human wanted to argue about it. Unfortunately for him, another person entered the store and the man merely nodded his agreement. Without another word, the overweight Mr. Kulus waddled into the shop's storage room. It took over five minutes but he returned with seven boxes of opposing themes. He lined them up on the counter and Finnick looked them all over carefully.
On the left were four long, thin boxes. The first was simple, white with green flowers delicately carved into the lid. The second box was stained red with a glossy varnish. The third was pure white ivory without a single imperfection. The last, and most intriguing to Finnick, was beautiful but thicker than the others. Black floral black vines enslaved a red, glossy, and jewel-like box. Small red roses, with the same ruby-like qualities, littered the metal vines. Even though the last one seemed to call out to Finnick, he was a big believer in saving the best for last.
On the right were three more boxes but, each of them looked the same. They were made of boring brown wood with no stain or varnish. They were shorter than the wand boxes. However, they were thicker and wider to accommodate the wand holsters.
"What levels are they at?" Finnick asked as he gestured to the wands. The greasy blond sighed and opened each of the wand boxes, except for the last one.
"I can only tell you that these three are at least druid level." Mr. Kulus responded as he eyed the last box.
The green floral one had a wand that had a green handle and the rest was white. It was simple and clean yet it seemed Feminine to the boy. Finnick looked to the next box, the red-tinted box held a matching wand. Attached to its handle was a leather woven luck charm. Though it was closer to what he would like, it didn't hold his interest. The last box was quite abnormal. The clean and crisp box held a wand that was anything but. That one held a wand that was most peculiar. From the handle to the tip, it looked similar to a lightning strike as it bent in a zig-zag form. Finnick physically cringed at that one as he reached out his hand for the one that had first grabbed his attention.
"What is this last one?" Finnick asked and the man looked down at the red box with obvious annoyance. He had failed to sell that wand on more than one occasion. Hell, the man could not even get it open.
"Ah, that box is quite the mystery. The only thing known about what's inside is what the seller told me. It is supposed to be a wand of the highest quality. I have tried to sell it, open it, and I am at my wit's end! If I don't sell it now, I am going to send it to the academy." the human grumbled as he raked a hand through his hair. Finnick perked up with an idea as he nodded along with the man's rant. It must have driven the greedy man crazy to not be able to open nor sell it.
"Sir, I have a bit of a wager for you if you are interested," Finnick said and the blond sat up straight. The human had more than one flaw, but his biggest was his willingness to bet anything.
"And what, pray tell, is your wager?" the man asked with a sparkle in his muddied green eyes.
"If I am able to get this open, I will buy it from you for one silver. Then you will owe me only two silver. If I am unable to open it, I will buy this one and the cheery wood wand for four silver." Finnick explained and the man rubbed his chin between his thick fingers. Mr. Kulus didn't believe the runt could open the box one bit. So, the greedy pig wanted to up the stakes.
"How about, if you are able to open that box, I will give it to you for free. Along with the wand brace and the second wand for two silver. And if you don't get the box open, you will pay five times that amount." Mr. Kulus countered and Finnick smiled wickedly. He had no doubt that he could open the box. To Finnick, it felt like it was meant to be his.
"Let's seal it." Finnick agreed and stuck his hand out to the human. The blond clasped Finnick's hand in his and the boy chanted the oath sealer spell. It made it impossible to cheat or renege on the agreement that had been set forth.
Once the spell had been cast, Finnick released Mr. Kulus. He wiped his hand on his pants before he got to work on the mesmerizing box. His excited red eyes danced across the surface of the box. The more he studied it, the more he understood it needed magic to open. There were no keyholes or seams to pull it open. So, without needing any more prompting, he called forth his magic. An invisible force poured from his hand and slowly coated the box. Finnick was not disappointed, the box had its own life force. It was barely there but, obviously alive.
Finnick was unsure how to proceed at first. He had never tried this before but, he reached out even further with his power. Finnick attempted to keep his magic calm, non-threatening, but he showed no weakness. He coaxed the being of the box to trust him with true and kind words that flowed through his magic.
It took longer than he expected but, an hour later the vines began to move. Slowly, the metal tendrils moved away from the top of the box. Finnick sent thankful words through the magic he had wrapped around the box and the vines finally revealed the top of the box. It was beautiful, resembling a giant ruby in the shape of a box. On the top of the box was a wonderfully detailed engraved dragon with metal-plated scales covering its body. Carefully, Finnick removed the lid to the box. Both men gasped at the contents.
"By the gods…" Mr. Kulus as Finnick opened the box to reveal the most amazing wand he had ever seen. It was not made of wood like most of the others. No, It was made of the blackest obsidian that had been carved to resemble dragon scales. The handle resembled the ruby-like box with silver vines that curled around it. Where the handle met the rest of the wand was an amazing diamond that changed color every few seconds.
Finnick stared at the extravagant wand with wonder. From the very pits of his soul, he felt like the wand was meant for him. However, that was not all that was in the box. Inside were dozens of the small ruby roses, just like the ones that had decorated the box. Alongside the roses were violet flowers in the shape of their name. Small white diamonds that were shaped like baby's breath.
Finnick didn't get much time to think about it as he noticed Mr. Kulus about to dive his gross fingers into the beautiful jewels. Finnick swatted the man's hand away with a glare aimed at the blond. However, the human glared back with an evil glint in his eyes.
"A deal is a deal, old man," Finnick said as he closed the box with the wand inside. Somehow, he knew it would open for him later. It was then that Cora walked over with a pink leather Torba bag.
"Stop right there! That thing is full to the brim with Jewels? Not just any jewels, they are Nurli! You expect too much if you think I will let you leave here with it. "the greedy Mr. Kulus questioned as he stood from his seat. A finger being jabbed toward the box with each word.
"Those are just a fable! A bedtime story meant for children." Cordidella said and Finnick wanted to nod along. However, something inside of him knew the human was right.
"Well, then that box must be a fable as it is filled with them." the blond sneered and Finnick glared at him.
"You know as well as I that I cast an oath sealer spell. You agreed that if I got it open, I could take these for two silver." Finn argued as he held up his winnings. Mr. Kulus turned red as he glared at the young man.
"I said that you could have the wands and the holster. I said nothing about the box and its contents." the human yelled but Finnick shook his head in annoyance.
"Keep the last silver as payment for my sister's bag. We will be leaving now. If you try to stop us, the spell will activate." Finnick spat as he took Cora's hand and led the brunette toward the exit.
"LOOK OUT." a water-logged voice called out with worry. Suddenly, blue covered the sibling's vision as the water spirit shielded them with her body. Seconds later, several throwing knives flew into the liquid.