Rise of the Devourer

Book 3: Chapter 2 — Gear Upgrades

Noah walked around the city, making his way across North Heartillia with Aurelia and Snow by his side. No matter how often he strolled through the streets, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit at home with how the city was structured, like a strange mix between a modern city and something out of medieval fantasy.

The three of them were looking for shops that would sell ability tomes alongside gear for paths with more magical inclinations. They had come across many that fit the description, but none seemed to be up to Aurelia's standards, and fewer still had tomes that suited Snow's path very well.

The girl herself also drew quite a bit of attention. Her horns had always drawn the eye, but now, with the magical tattoos running up her face and across them, she made for a striking image.

When Aurelia had first asked for ability tomes for the summoner or tamer category of paths, one shopkeeper had assumed that Snow was just one of her summons, which had been hilarious to watch as the misunderstanding unfolded, with Aurelia getting mad on Snow's behalf, while Snow herself tried to placate Aurelia and apologize for some reason.

"What about that one?" Aurelia said, walking up to one of the stores with ability tomes set behind a glass display, protected with a powerful spell. "This place looks like it might have some good tomes," she said, glancing back at Noah.

Noah shrugged, not knowing any better to distinguish this particular one from any of the previous ones they had gone to. He let Aurelia decide as she pleased.

Looking at the words on the shop, Noah couldn't help but wonder if his ability would allow him to teleport inside and put stuff in his dimensional pocket. With a very gentle nudge, he tried to test the hypothesis but did not go all the way. He stopped himself from activating his ability and simply walked through the entrance behind Aurelia and Snow.

A young Celestian girl — rather, likely middle-aged, considering what he had come to learn about how Celestians aged and exactlyhow old Lord Krios's wife was — walked up to them. "Hello, welcome to the Astral Emporium. How can I help you today?"

"We're looking for ability tomes for a tamer or similar paths. Do you have any rare or epic grade ones available?" Aurelia asked, placing her hand on Snow's shoulder. "It's for her, and if I can be a bit more specific, I'm hoping to get an ability tome of spirits, channeling, binding, or any that would be similar to those."

The woman looked at Snow, her eyes shining blue for a moment, likely from some sort of ability that she was using to gain a bit more information. "I think we have what you're looking for. Please wait a few moments, and I will bring the ability tomes out," the woman said, turning around as she walked to one of the doors leading to the back chamber.

"Man, this place sure has so many options for ability tomes. Would have been nice if I could just walk into a store and buy some," Noah said, picking up one of the tomes on display, a rare grade one called 'Tome of Beast Speak'. It was nothing that he would have picked up for himself, but it was still nice to have had access to these. He suspected he could use one to adjust or change his abilities, even now.

"Well, Heartillia is a city with a lot of Celestians, and given how they pretty much control the entire market for ability tomes, it's not a terribly big surprise that the city would have more options than other places," Aurelia replied.

"I know, just lamenting for nothing. I like the abilities I have, can't complain at all," Noah replied.

"Good. You better not, you have really powerful abilities, so I don't want to hear it," Aurelia said.

Noah grinned in reply, putting down the ability tome in his hand. The Celestian woman walked out from the back chamber, her hand hovering over the counter. The ability tomes manifested with a blue light as the three of them walked closer to take a look.

Noah used Inspect on the tomes.

[Tome of Binding (Epic)]

[Tome of Arcane Infusion (Epic)]

[Tome of Spirit Communion (Epic)]

Aurelia frowned, flipping open the tomes and going through them one after the other, inspecting them for something. A moment later, she looked back at Snow. "Which one do you like the most?" Aurelia asked.

"I'm not sure. This one, maybe?" Snow said, pointing to the Tome of Spirit Communion.

“Looks good,” Aurelia said. "What about the second one? You can pick two, I think. You should wait if you want more than two right now. It will be best to not decide before you have a better grasp on your abilities and what they might be building up to," Aurelia said.

Snow nodded, looking at the options, before she pointed at the tome of material binding. "What was this woman, I think. Shadow likes this one," Snow said.

"These two. Please," Aurelia replied.

The celestian woman nodded, grabbing two of the tomes, before the third one vanished. "That will cost two D-grade crystals, or twenty-three E-grade mana crystals."

Aurelia nodded, completing the transaction with her adventuring plate.

“What happened to the crystals you got?” Noah asked, looking at Snow.

“I have them. Since she doesn’t have her own plate, she decided to give them to me for safekeeping,” Aurelia said.

The celestian woman handed the two tomes to Aurelia, who then gave them to Snow. "Feel free to use them right away," she said.

Snow looked at Aurelia, nodding before glancing down at the ability tomes in her hand, taking a deep breath. She sent a pulse of mana as the tome itself turned into a bright light, before being absorbed. A second later, I saw the abilities pop up in my vision.

[Ink Binding (Basic/Epic) - lvl 1]

Become capable of binding spirits and creatures with your ink, capturing them onto a surface. A bound spirit can then be released at will with a command it must follow.

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[Spirit Channeling (Basic/Epic) - lvl 1]

Become capable of channeling a portion of the ability of your spirits, enhancing and altering your physique and spirit to draw upon their strengths.

Part of the perk from having her in my party I guess?

As Snow went about using the ability tomes, Aurelia looked at the celestian woman. "Would you have any accessories and gear for a tamer path as well?" she asked.

"Of course, just one second,” the woman said. Walking around the chamber, she picked out a few items, one after the other, before they appeared at once on the counter in front of us.

Noah began to go through the items, using inspect to check them out.

[Runic Brush of Binding (Rare)]

A finely crafted brush made with bristles that resonate with arcane energy. Perfect for inscribing runes on various surfaces and even in the air, this brush enhances the precision and potency of each rune drawn.

[Bracelet of Veiled Essence (Rare)]

A bracelet crafted with mystic crystal and inscribed with runes, serves as a shield against identification spells. When worn, it conceals the wearer's magical and physical signature, making them undetectable to prying eyes.

[Cloak of Aversion (Epic)]

A cloak woven with threads of astral energy, providing protection and camouflage with a passive ability to make anyone looking at you unable to tell how you look. Hiding the wearer’s aura and making them easily forgettable.

[Elixir of Elemental Affinity (Rare)]

A mystical potion that temporarily grants the user an affinity to a specific element of choice. Upon consumption, the user can harness and manipulate the chosen element, enhancing their combat or magical abilities aligned with that element.

Noah looked through all the items. “All of these look quite good,” he said, glancing at Snow. “Do you like anything?”

Snow frowned as she looked at the options, before picking up two items. “The brush and the cloak,” she said.

“I’ll be taking the bracelet,” Noah added, picking up the bracelet, to check it once more. Given how often people had tried to look at his script, additional security wouldn’t hurt.

“I’ll take the elixir then, seems helpful,” Aurelia added.

The shopkeeper smiled, and for some reason I felt like she’d intentionally brought out the exact assortment of items that she did.

“Is there anything else that you would like?” the woman asked.

“Right, yes. Can you inspect and upgrade the rank of weapons here?” Aurelia asked.

“Yes, we can. But unfortunately not immediately. You can leave the weapons you’d like to get upgraded and we can get it inspected and completed before the suns set,” the woman said.

Aurelia took off her gauntlets, putting them on the counter. The shopkeeper gently picked it up, using a spell as a detailed description about her gauntlets appeared.

“Can I see?” Noah asked, and a moment later, Aurelia shared the description with him.

[Pyreclash Gauntlets (Epic, Rank E)]

[Weapon Skill: Blazing Fury]

[Durability: 73%]

Forged from volcanic steel and imbued with flame gemstones, the Pyreclash Gauntlets embody the fusion of masterful smithing and fire magic. Lightweight yet durable, they resonate with the power of fire, storing thermal energy within their core gemstones. These gauntlets are not just for defense; they hide a surprise - retractable chain blades, sleek and sharp, ready to extend for combat at a moment's notice.

On command, the gauntlets release their stored energy in a spectacular burst of flames, which can be directed as a focused stream or an explosive radial blaze. Enchantments protect the wearer from the heat, making them perfect for warriors who command fire in battle. Glowing runic engravings signal when the gauntlets are charged, ready to unleash their volcanic fury, combining the raw power of flames with the lethal grace of hidden blades.

“Interesting, that’s a lot more detail than I normally get to see,” Noah said.

“We have certain spells and abilities that allow us to obtain more information from items,” the shopkeeper said.

“Oh? Care to share?” Noah said, leaning in.

The woman laughed. “I’m afraid that’s a trade secret.”

Aurelia glanced at Noah. “I’m getting my gauntlets upgraded, what about you Noah? You want to get your spear looked at?”

“The inspection is free if you also get it serviced with us,” the shopkeeper added helpfully.

“Alright, sure. But umm… be careful with the spear,” he said, taking out the spear. He expected to see the shopkeeper be horrified, but her expression remained even. “Ah, crimson rot. That is… difficult and rare. I’m afraid we won’t be able to work on it, unless you can remove the rot.”

Noah sent a pulse to Tony as the symbiote rushed into the spear, covering it in a thin layer, turning the entire weapon pitch black, before diverting away the crimson rot. “It should be good now,” Noah said, handing the weapon to the woman.

Putting it on the counter in front of her, she used her spell, as the description appeared in front of Noah’s eyes.

[Spear of Crimson End (Growth, Rank E)]

[Weapon Skill: ???]

[Durability: 38%]

[Progress to next rank: 27.8%]

A relic from the time when the Scarlet Valkyries, followers of the old goddess Raelinah, waged a relentless war against the primordial god, The Crimson Heart. Once a symbol of valor and resistance in this epic battle, the spear has since been overtaken by the very blight it fought against, its essence intertwined with the Crimson Rot.

This weapon, which once gleamed in the hands of a Scarlet Valkyrie, now pulses with a corrupt power. It inflicts the Rot-II status, a manifestation of the desolate landscape scarred by the eternal conflict. The spirit of the Valkyrie that once wielded it remains within, lending the weapon its ability to grow and evolve beyond its current form. Now morphed even further with void essence, a deep hunger lurks within the weapon.

“This is… quite the weapon. I’m afraid we cannot rank it up as it’s a growth aspect weapon,” the woman said.

“I see. By the way, why does it have question marks in the weapon skill?” Noah asked.

“Perhaps the weapon skill hasn’t been awakened. That would be the most likely explanation with a relic of this type. Usually they have some requirement or trial to unlock these things,” the shopkeeper replied.

“That makes sense. Is it normal to have such low durability though?” Noah asked.

“No, this weapon… it’s in very poor condition. The spirit within it is keeping it intact, but the length of time it has survived has taken its toll. I… am not sure if we can repair it completely, but we can try. But it will be expensive, given the special nature. At least 3 C-grade mana crystals,” the woman said.

Noah thought over, before shrugging. It wasn’t like he had much else to spend his money on.

The woman nodded, before carefully putting his spear down. One by one, the three of them paid for their items, Snow grabbing her cloak and putting it on, and even though she didn’t cover her face, the cloak somehow made her descriptions harder to nail down.

Noah put on his bracelet, feeling it activate.

“Hey, what do you see when you use Identify on me?” Noah asked Aurelia.

“Just three questions, nothing else,” Aurelia replied. “It’s very obvious that you’re hiding your astral script. Higher grade items can show a fake one, but just know that none of these things are infallible. The guild can easily circumvent them. Which is why we had so much trouble when the adventurers who’d turned traitor had gone under the radar,” Aurelia said.

“Yeah, I know. I just need it to be there for general purposes. Kinda like a lock. You won’t stop someone with the right tools, but you can make their job harder and make yourself look less appealing,” Noah said.

Aurelia nodded, turning to Snow as a smile covered her face. “Alright, with this taken care of. Let’s get some real shopping done, and buy you some clothes!”

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