It took him around half an hour, but he eventually spotted it. The store was a large, multi-story stone building. It was made of gray and purple stone that shimmered as if it were concealed behind haze.
A big sign hanging above the doors identified the building as the Blackmist Store. It wasn't the most creative name, but it certainly got the point across. Damien pulled the door open and stepped inside.
The strong scent of vanilla and cardamom and a cool breeze buffeted Damien. He scrunched his nose and closed the door behind him. The store was full of rows upon rows of shelves, all laden with goods of every sort.
In some ways, it reminded him of the library, if the library was full of anything other than books. He wasn't the only one in the store, either. Several other students milled about the shelves.
Well? Do you see the herbs?
"I'm looking," Henry grumbled. "Keep walking around the store. There are more than a few slightly magical items in here. It's hard to tell the difference between the medicinal herbs and a random useless toy with a dash of Ether in it."
Damien shrugged and started down one of the aisles.
The shelves had everything from bags to candles. A quick sniff informed Damien the candles were indeed the source of the powerful smell in the building.
The other students were so scattered it was hard to tell if any part of the store was particularly better than the other. However, after a few minutes of aimless wandering, Henry ordered Damien to stop.
"Over there," Henry said. "Along the shelves at the back wall."
Damien glanced up. At the far corner of the shop, just above the counter, were several rows of shelves covered with glass bottles sealed with corks. Each of the bottles had the leaves of plants he didn't recognize within them.
He made his way over to the counter, where a huge, bearded man in clothing much too tight for him looked at his hands. His muscles were so defined Damien could practically see them through his shirt. The man glanced up and gave Damien a small nod.
"Can I help you?" the man asked. His voice didn't fit his body at all. It was meek and timid, like someone had taught a mouse common and instructed it to speak for the shopkeeper.
"Ah, I think so," Damien stammered. He nodded up at the rows of medicinal herbs. "I'd like to buy some of those."
"Of course," the man said, standing up and setting aside a half-finished scarf made of shimmering gossamer threads.
It seemed to glimmer and dance in the light. Damien tore his gaze away from it as the man raised an eyebrow.
"Which one do you want?" the shopkeeper asked.
Uh…shit. Henry?
"Figure out what you can afford," his companion said.
Right.
"I'm trying to see what's in my budget," Damien said.
"What would five gold get me? And what do they do?"
The man stroked his rather large beard, then pulled three vials down from the shelf. He set them on the counter before Damien. The first vial had a single, rust-colored leaf within it. The other two were both green, although one of them had thinner leaves with slight tinges of purple running through them.
"These are all under five gold," the man said. "The brown leaf is from a Rejuvenation plant. It'll help your injuries heal faster. The one in the middle, with the purple veins, is a low-level cultivation aid. I'm not sure what plant it comes from, though. The final one is a low mid-level cultivation aid. They go for five silver, one gold, and three gold respectively."
Damien grimaced. They were expensive. Really expensive. The shopkeeper noticed his expression and giggled. Not laughed. Giggled.
"If you have credits, the price is much more reasonable.
I just assumed you didn't since you weren't sure what the plants did yet. You must be new as you'd learn about medicinal plants in your first year."
"I am," Damien admitted. "And the dean mentioned something about credits when she was giving us the tour, but they slipped my mind. How can I get them?"
"Complete quests," the shopkeep replied with a jovial smile. "People leave requests on the message board in the center of town. You can also get quests from your instructor or the Treasure Pavilion. Harder quests give more credits. You can get most things for gold, but credits are way cheaper."
"I see," Damien said. "Thank you. I appreciate your help."
Henry, do I get any of these? I don't know what they do.
"Get the one gold herb," Henry instructed. "It'll be good for learning how to use them."
"Could I get the low-level cultivation aid?" Damien asked, pulling out his gold coin.
The shopkeeper nodded and put the other two vials back on the shelf. He took Damien's coin and handed him the vial. Damien put it into his travel bag and thanked the large man before heading out of the store.
Should I use this immediately?
"No. Wait until tonight," Henry said. "Most medicinal herbs take a while to work, and you need to be focused on them to ensure they work correctly. Just hold onto it for now."
In that case, there's still a good bit of time before Delph's class. Where do you think we should go?
"The library."
Okay, other than the library.
Henry let out a dramatic sigh. "Maybe the Treasure Pavilion? I doubt there's anything particularly interesting in there, but maybe you can get a look at what quests we can do."
That was as good a suggestion as any, so Damien set off to find the Treasure Pavilion.
No more than a few minutes after he left the store, Damien took a detour. He spotted an unoccupied bench nestled within a nest of greenery and made a beeline toward it, flopping down with a relieved groan. He stretched out as much as he could, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head at the sense of relief.
"You look like a cat in heat," Henry said.
Go pound an anthill. Wait, why do you even know what that looks like? Is that seriously something you spent time observing?
Henry didn't respond immediately.
"No," he said, but the joking tone was gone from his voice. "I didn't. But others did."
Others? The other Void creatures?
"Yes. Most of us were mostly interested in humans, but there were a few that enjoyed watching the wildlife as well."
So, you knew them well? You shared information with them after all.
Damien spoke carefully, keeping his thoughts as empty as he could.
"There aren't—weren't—many of us in the Void to begin with," Henry replied. "It was hard not to know them."
Damien's eyes lit up. Henry grimaced within him.
Damien's thoughts had shifted when he'd spoken, and the companion knew he had caught his mistake.
So, then you must recognize the other Void creatures on the Mortal Plane.
"I do," Henry said after a long pause. "I know what you're thinking, boy. Knowing them won't stop them. We might be colleagues within the Void but, on the Mortal Plane, all bets are off. We're all working toward the one goal – or supposed to be."
I still don't understand why you're fighting if you're working to blow up the Mortal Plane. In fact, you keep saying you want to destroy the world, but the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. You learn your magic from humans. In fact, it doesn't seem like you do anything other than watch us. What's the point of destroying your only passion?
Henry didn't respond. Damien's eyebrows furrowed.
You aren't telling me something, Henry. I don't understand what the point of hiding this is. If you aren't actually trying to destroy the world, then why not just say that? By the Planes, I might even want to help you if your goals don't involve the demise of humanity.
"Stop. No more questions," Henry said, his voice firm. "I liked it better when you were meek."
Too bad. Are you going to explain or not?
"No. I will not," Henry said, his tone firm. "There are reasons I have not revealed my true intentions. You are not ready for this. There are forces at play far beyond your comprehension."
Like you?
"Nothing like me. You do not understand the slightest bit of what you are getting into."
And that's your fault. We're stuck together, Henry. I'm getting into this whether I want to or not. Don't I deserve the truth?
"The truth is dangerous. Just knowing something can be enough to bring its attention to you."
I'm already in danger. What's a little more?
"Enough, Damien," Henry said, angrily. "Do not press me."
Damien pursed his lips. He sat up straight, then paused.
You used my name.
"What of it?"
You've never done that before, or if you have, it hasn't been often. Is that you being sincere, or just another manipulation tactic?
Henry let out a defeated sigh.
"Damien, I promise you on all my power, this is far more dangerous than anything you can imagine. I'm not just protecting you, I'm protecting myself."
Hmm. And you're sure I'm not already involved? I'm going to go out on a limb, Henry. The time for lies is over.
I've discovered someone interfered with my summoning.
Something messed with my rune circle while I wasn't watching.
"Wait, what?" Henry asked, shocked. "What do you mean?"
That's all your getting until you start sharing some of your own secrets. We're stuck together, Henry. If I die, you go back to the Void, and this is all for naught. Time to make a decision. I've already made mine.
Damien stood. He cracked his neck and yawned, shifting his weight from foot to foot to try to get the blood flowing in them again.
You don't have to answer now. You can think on it. But think carefully. Read my thoughts, Henry. I'm dead serious about this.
The companion didn't respond, and Damien was fine with that. It meant Henry was actually thinking about his words.
The conversation had taken enough time for Damien's legs to recover just enough for him to stand on them again, so he set back off toward the Treasure Pavilion. Luckily, the dean had pointed it out, and Damien remembered what it looked like.
The building in question resembled the library, with similar beautiful carvings adorning its exterior. It was slightly smaller than the aforementioned building and positively teeming with dangerous-looking people.
Damien approached the entrance, which was flanked by two large men carrying spears. He didn't know what the point of a spear was when they had magic, but the scowls on their faces didn't seem very welcoming of questions.
"Ah…can I go in?" Damien asked.
"Name?" the first man asked.
"Damien."
"Full name."
"Damien Vale," Damien said. "First Year."
"Noted. You may enter. Don't cause any trouble or you'll be banned." the man said with a nod before waving him in.
Damien stepped past them, doing his best to not crane his neck to look at the glistening spear points. He pushed the stone doors of the Treasure Pavilion open and stepped inside.
It was beautiful. The walls were covered with gold murals, and the ground was made of shimmering blue tiles.
To his left was a large obsidian board with dozens of slips of paper hanging from hooks on it. There were several guards on the other side of the room, flanking another closed door. Overlooking it all was a large desk at the far side of the room. A short woman with graying hair perched on a stool, shuffling through some papers. She sat before a large door made of what looked to be solid gold. It was covered with so many runes it almost looked blurry.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked, adjusting the large pair of spectacles on her face and glancing up at Damien.
"I'm just looking around," Damien said, scratching the back of his head with a grin. "I'm a new student and—" "Ah! Interested in what goodies you can win, eh?" the woman hopped out of her chair and gestured for Damien to follow her as she approached the door flanked by the two guards at the right of the room.
"No, actually. I wanted to look at the ques—" "It's quite alright. All the new ones always want to look at the rewards you can get," the woman said. "You can call me Auntie. I run the Pavilion. Before you ask, the gold door behind me holds the really good rewards. This door has the normal rewards you'll have a chance of earning within your first year."
Damien got the feeling that arguing with the energetic woman would lead absolutely nowhere. He couldn't deny he was curious to see what the Treasure Pavilion had to offer, so he followed her.
"You can stay for a bit, but don't touch or take anything," Auntie warned. "I'll know, and you'll regret it."
Damien nodded meekly as she pushed the door open and gestured for him to step inside. Not wanting to offend her, Damien walked in, and she pulled the door shut behind him. It shut with a gentle click.
He spun, slowly turning the handle until he heard the click again. Satisfied he hadn't been locked in, Damien glanced around the room.
The room was significantly larger than he'd expected. It was chock full of pedestals holding items in glass cases.
Weapons and armor littered the ground and walls. It was like he'd walked into a hoarder's nest.
"Wow," Damien whispered, peering at a sword nearly twice his height. It shimmered with a dull yellow aura. A small paper tag hung from its hilt with the number five hundred written on it in curly handwriting.
Damien stepped through the room, moving carefully to avoid accidentally touching something on the ground. He doubted they'd actually have a problem if he nudged something by mistake, but he wasn't about to find out.
As he squeezed between two pillars, Damien froze. A dark-haired girl sat in front of one of the pillars, one of her hands pressed against the glass. There was a greenish black dagger resting inside the case. A plaque inscribed on the pillar likely identified what the item was, but the girl blocked it.
Is that Sylph?
Henry didn't respond. Damien decided it was best not to bother him. He walked up to the girl, stepping over an oversized breastplate and past a spear lying on the ground.
The closer he got, the more confident he was that the girl was Sylph.
"Sylph?"
She jumped up and spun, accidentally clipping the pedestal with her elbow. It tipped, and Damien leapt forward, reaching over Sylph's shoulder, and grabbing it before it could fall.
"That was close," Damien said, letting out a relieved sigh. He glanced down and became aware he stood mere inches away from Sylph. He cleared his throat and stepped back, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Damien said.
"I should have heard you coming. I was distracted," Sylph said. Her eyes were red, but Damien didn't comment on it. She glanced back at the pillar, hiding her expression from him. "Thank you for grabbing the pedestal. It would have been really bad if I knocked it over."
"It was kind of my fault you almost knocked it over in the first place," Damien said. "Did you find something interesting?"
"I guess," Sylph said. "It's expensive. I glanced at the quests on the board when I came in, and most of them only give between ten and a hundred points."
She stepped to the side carefully, allowing Damien slip past her and peer at the plaque under the dagger. He almost choked. It was three thousand points. The plaque called it a cultivation focus, but it gave no further context.
"What's a cultivation focus?" Damien asked. "And why is it so expensive?"
"It helps people with low talent cultivate better," Sylph said, glancing away from him. "They're effective for improving your base abilities if they're low, but they aren't very useful if you've already got high magical strength or energy."
"Oh," Damien said. "I'm sorry. I've intruded, haven't I?"
Sylph shrugged. "It's nothing Delph didn't say. He's right. All the training in the world won't make up for my ridiculously low magical strength and energy."
"Your control is really high, though, isn't it?" Damien asked.
"It is," Sylph said, rolling her eyes. "Please, don't give me a speech about how a little power applied in the right spot is just as effective as more power applied incorrectly. I already know it. But that can only get you so far. At some point, my tiny amount of power just isn't going to cut it."
"So, you need this dagger?" Damien asked.
"Any cultivation focus would help, but there's not even a guarantee it would help me," Sylph said, shrugging. "It's a chance, though. That's better than nothing. I was hoping my horrible magical energy would be improved if I could get my core to evolve."
"Well, I guess we'll have to go on a lot of quests, then," Damien said, frowning. "We're not going to get it in time for the ranking fights, though."
"We?" Sylph asked, looking up at him.
"Well, yeah. Delph said we were going to be put on a team, and I don't think you're going to get anywhere doing quests on your own," Damien said. "Hence, we."
"You're only required to do a few quests, if I'm not mistaken," Sylph said. "They allow you to take on jobs on your own after those, and those have less restrictions."
Damien shrugged. "Are you saying you don't want me to come? I suspect quests will be a great way to practice my magic, and that's something I'll need to do a lot of."
Sylph watched Damien for a few moments. Then a hint of a smile flickered across her face, and she gave him a slight nod.
"You're making it unfairly difficult to resent you. I'd be happy to have company, but you're welcome to change your mind later."
"Resent me? Why?"
Sylph rolled her eyes. "You took to magic like a fish to water. You've clearly never trained a day in your life, but your magical energy is unbelievably high, and your power seems strong as well. If anyone other than you asked me that, I'd think they were fishing for compliments."
"Oh," Damien said. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"I know," Sylph said, sighing. "That's the problem. You'll have to forgive me. You've been nothing but kind, and I'm acting rudely. My emotions have gotten the better of me."
"It's okay," Damien said. "We all have those days."
His wise words sounded a lot less sage with the knowledge he'd had a mental breakdown the previous day, but Sylph didn't know that. Probably.
"Let's go before we knock something over for real," Sylph suggested. "Unless there was something you wanted to look at?"
"Not really," Damien said, shaking his head. "I actually got pressured into coming in here. The woman at the desk, Auntie, kind of ignored me when I said I wanted to look at the quest board."
"Strange," Sylph said as the two of them made their way back toward the door. "She didn't do that with me."
Damien just shrugged. They reached the door, and Sylph opened it. The guards and Auntie didn't even glance at them as they stepped out of the room. They evidently had some magical means to ensure that nothing was moved or stolen from the room.