Pete Harrison approached the picnic site and saw that the girl was quickly and habitually packing her things into a bag. He wanted to help her, but she waved him off with a quiet voice,
"Stay and wait. And I don't want your little scamp to eat my stuff!"
The summoner was not offended. The kitten on his shoulder snarled indignantly.
Shine put the last thing in the bag and looked carefully at the grass. It's all right, it's safe to go back to Ark. She slung the sack over her shoulder and was ready to go home. The girl touched the guild ring. It was a universal portal. She could get into the city at any moment.
"Follow me. Behave yourself!"
And the girl stepped into a patch of light that was different from the emergency portal. It wasn't a low pillar of light, it was a blur at her feet. It shimmered in shades of dark green. Shine stepped into the spot and disappeared. Pete walked over and bravely took a step toward the new experience.
He found himself in an unpleasant place. It was a small room with stone walls that rose to the sky. Pete thought he was trapped in a high chimney of stone. Then the thought of a strange confinement chamber visited him. The exit from the room was in the shape of a small passageway. This passage was blocked by a metal lattice. The adventurer was already standing near the exit. She reached out her hand with the ring and touched one stone of the wall. The lattice began to rise. The sight pleased the summoner and he hurried quickly away from this strange place. He stepped out of the unpleasant room and saw that they had entered a city street. There was a clang of metal behind him and the grating went back into place, blocking access to the tower of return.
Shine was waiting for him outside. She made a strange impression. The slender beauty stood with a calm face. The large sack on her shoulder looked ridiculous and unnecessary.
She greeted the young man with a prepared speech,
"Today you buried more than ten thousand gold coins in the ground. The dagger on your belt is worth seven hundred. You need to get on with your life. You need to take care of your pet. But you're burying money in the ground. Are you ready to kill people?"
She was silent, waiting for an answer. Pete responded quickly,
"No."
"Are you ready to kill beasts?" she asked a new question.
He sighed and admitted,
"I'm willing to defend my life. But I'm not sure of my success."
"You have no place on the frontier. You're not ready for guild assignments. I am disappointed. I am not satisfied with a weak partner. Take a fee for your services. As we agreed, there are a hundred coins in the bag. You've already had your nature lunch."
She held out the leather bag to him. The young man took the money. He didn't like the end of the conversation and didn't mind. She was right and entitled to her point of view.
Shine pointed to the side,
"The summoner's guild is that way. You'll find your way. It's not far."
The girl walked quickly away. Pete looked after her. The acquaintance ended unpleasantly. The summoner walked down the street. He didn't think much of her words, various interesting new things caught his attention. He smiled and looked at the brightly colored signs. It was just like the story of the City of Sword and Magic. There were all sorts of images on the signs: armor and weapons, mugs of drink and open books, articles of clothing, and strange artifacts. The townspeople were friendly and did not attempt to call him to order. Some shook their heads disapprovingly when they saw his strange and dirty costume. Pete immediately understood and realized his flaw. The attack of the Plas mages had left marks on his suit. His jeans had muddy stains on them. The light-colored jacket looked just as unpleasant.
A sign depicting two crossed large needles against his shirt caught the young man's attention. A clothing store! Pete wanted a change of clothes and walked in.
He saw many mannequins along the walls. A pleasant female voice greeted him,
"Welcome to my store. I see that I can be of service to the young adventurer. Trouble on a mission?"
The summoner turned toward the mistress and smiled at the woman,
"We were attacked by mages from Plas. My clothes have fallen into disrepair. Can I buy something inexpensive to hide my filthy suit?"
The woman saw the oddity in the visitor's suit.
"You're new in town. Have you recently gotten into the Ark? And still dressed in the clothes of a wanderer. Young man, take the master's advice. Change your jacket! It looks ridiculous and lacks comfort. Don't people in your world know what a hood is?"
Pete had already noticed this detail. The upper part of the suit of the townspeople had hoods. The manner of wearing a hood seemed amusing to him. The tops of most hoods were decorated with elaborate embroidery and had various small figures at the tip. When the hood did not cover the head, it was thrown over the shoulder. The tip of the hood dangled to one side of the chest. Pete saw that the hoods acted as special identifying marks. With his jacket without the hood, he looked like a slacker and a loner.
"We wear clothes with hoods. Young people like hooded jackets. But I got into Ark all of a sudden and in these clothes. Can I buy a cloak or a mantle? I have a hundred gold coins!"
The woman frowned and shook her head.
"I can offer a cloak with a hood for one hundred and thirty-four gold coins."
"But I only have a hundred coins," the young man admitted.
The woman showed no desire to bargain and the tone of her voice became stern,
"Young mage, I gave you the most modest price. You said you were attacked by the Plas scum. You stand before me alive. If you have won, where is your money? I'm willing to accept your weapons for value, and I'm willing to offer a fair exchange."
Pete frowned. He didn't want to part with the dagger. But there was a clear thought in his mind that he was being offered a good deal. He has no desire to use such a weapon. He is not prepared to get dirty in blood. Swordsmanship is for people of a special disposition. He is a mage! He is a summoner. Why does he need a dagger? And the main advantage is that he will make a good impression on a useful person.
"You have offered an excellent solution! I am willing to trade my trophy for a new suit. Look at this weapon."
He pulled out a dagger and placed it in the palm of his left hand. The woman approached and smiled,
"I don't know anything about weapons. I have a gunsmith I know and he will buy this dagger. I'm willing to talk about the sum of five hundred gold coins."
"It's worth seven hundred. My partner wanted to buy it for seven hundred gold coins."
"I am not your partner. You haven't become my customer yet and you don't have a discount. Young wanderer you will do well if you change your closet completely. New pants and a hooded jacket will beautify you in a dignified way. I even have a pair of shoes and boots to choose from. Great stuff from my brother. You'll get three pieces of the closet in exchange for this dagger and scabbard."
The young man did not haggle. He didn't know how to bargain and wanted to change his clothes. The woman took the weapon and helped him with his clothing choices. Pete purchased new pants, shoes, and a jacket. He purposely chose clothes in dark green colors.
"For a newcomer to the Adventurer's Guild, I recommend this silver pendant in the shape of crossed daggers. It would make a great hood ornament and be a nice decoration to the outward appearance."
"I'm a summoner," Pete admitted.
The woman froze with her hand outstretched. She looked at the visitor with interest,
"For the summoner, I can offer the standard selection. There are bells and a set of pendants. I'm not insisting, I'm showing interest. Who is your pet?"
At that moment, dracat poked his head out of his jacket sleeve and meowed softly.
"Kitty cat! That's wonderful! I'll get the pendant now," she walked away to the jewelry counter.
When the woman returned she showed the summoner a small figurine in the shape of a cat's head. The figurine was black. Pete took it in his hand and realized that the figure was made of wood. It was light and beautiful. Between the cat's ears, there was a clasp of black metal. The young man admitted honestly,
"I like this thing. It won't get lost, is it a secure clasp?"
"Young summoner, it is the work of my uncle! The master of the Belsase family is a guarantee and a century's worth of famous and popular merchandise!"
She pointed her finger at the embroidery that adorned the jacket. The light green threads stood out neatly against the dark background of the green fabric. The letter B was embroidered on the right side of the chest.
Pete did not resist and allowed the woman to reinforce the figure on the tip of the hood. The new suit was comfortable and the young man liked it. He got a rope and she secured a roll in which he rolled up his old clothes.
After the transaction, the woman gave her name. Monna Belsase invited the summoner to become a regular customer of her store. Pete agreed to visit her when he needed to change and refresh his closet.
On the street, he came out a completely different person. The fashion of the city appealed to him in an unexpectedly comfortable and practical detail. When Pete threw the hood over his left chest his pet immediately moved to his shoulder and hid under the fabric. He walked down the street at a steady pace. At one point he recognized the street and realized he knew the route. This was the road he had walked with the girl who had accompanied him to the summoner's guild.
Pete Harrison had no suspicion that at this moment he was being pursued by the vampire girl he had known the day before.
The vampires of Ark have made their move.