Chapter 25

It was a quiet walk to the dining hall. No doubt, Silvia’s teammates were going through the events of the training room in their heads and were wondering how it could have gone differently. Unfortunately, I had expected this outcome and extraordinarily little doubt that it could have been solved any other way. I didn’t expect her to try and lash out with magic as she did but trying to pin the blame on me; I expected. I knew right away she had the ‘spoiled princess’ attitude and as such would find someone else to blame for her troubles. My party became the more well-known and successful party. I was the reason Darius and Cassandra got together. Therefore I was a threat to her and the easiest target to throw all the blame at.

We each grabbed a plate of food and made our way to a nearby table. We ate quietly for a moment or two before Dilbar decided to end the silence.

“Listen, sorry about Silvia,” he said between bites of food. “She has always been like that, but since we really didn’t have stiff competition from anyone in the Pact House, she has never blown her top like that. This was a first for all of us, but we never realized she would do something like that.”

I nodded and said, “I get it. At least it was now when our success or survival wasn’t depending on it. Still, I wish that this didn’t have to happen. It seems I am constantly attracting negative attention from those around me. I don’t expect it to end, either, as I am sure there are many in other Pact Houses who also view me as a threat to them.”

“So, who do you plan on taking with us into the challenge?” Darius asked, trying to shift the topic away from what had happened only a little while ago.

“Kat’ilth’ana,” I replied, garnering a shocked gasp from the Dryad. “She has multiple skills that could prove useful, depending on what the tactics need to be. So I think that this would prove the ideal situation. It would show I am not playing favorites between Amenthia and Entivala. Plus they can keep an eye on the Dragons for me.”

“He’s right,” Amenthia added, handing a piece of raw meat to the dragon on her shoulder. “Katie is a mix of Entivala’s spell casting and my melee ability. If we add in a long-range weapon, such as a crossbow, then she can provide more means of support.”

Katie looked at us with disbelief as she realized the trust, we were giving her. She knew the meaning behind my decision, and it made her smile.

“I will do my best to assist in any way I can, Pathios,” she said proudly. “I will not make you regret this choice. I promise.”

I nodded, “We need to look into getting you a ranged weapon and focus on building your skill with it. I think that it will need to hold a slightly higher priority than building your skills at potion making.”

I noticed that the ears of our new friends perked up at the news that Kat’ilth’ana was learning to make potions. I think that added another level of usefulness to our future group to their eyes.

“Once we get your new weapon, we will start down on the first floor so you can have an easier time getting used to it and work on building your aim and precision. As your skill progresses, we will find tougher challenges so that you are able to work on the fly and under the pressures of battle. We will talk with Brot’k and see if he knows a good place to find a weapon that will suit our needs. Then we will notify Tyr of our choice before heading out.”

We finished our meal and said our goodbyes to our newer friends. I made plans with Darius to meet in two days and go over the plans for training.

Once that was done, we left the dining hall to visit our old friend. We entered to find the shop relatively empty, though Brot’k, Cassandra and Fra’tilia were working at their respective tables. When he saw us, Brot’k put down the blade he was working on and came out to greet us.

“Ah, my friends, welcome,” he announced, giving each of us a handshake. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit today, and where did you get such beautiful creatures?”

“We are looking to get a ranged weapon for Kat’ilth’ana,” I replied. “She will need something smaller and more versatile than the bow that Amenthia uses. A crossbow was suggested as a weapon that could work within her skill set. As for our Dragons, they hatched from an egg we received as a drop from fighting a proto dragon. We didn’t expect it to hatch twins. Saphira is perched on Amenthia’s shoulder and Draco is perched on Entivala’s.”

He greeted each of the dragons with the same respect that he had shown us. Both dragons allowed him to do so, telling me that they appreciated how he was treating them.

“Most humanoids tend to treat youngling dragons as babies or pets.” Saphira explained. “Most don’t know any better, but it can irritate us. It is a rare treat to see someone realize what we are and treat us accordingly.”

“Hmm, well I don’t have very many ranged weapons in stock,” Brot’k explained, scratching his chin. “I have the basic items I stock for first timers and then whatever we make. There is someone you could see, though. A halfling over in the Hephaestus shops on the second floor named Gordwin. He is a wiz at making ranged weapons and should have a crossbow there that will work for you. Tell him I sent you and maybe he will cut you a deal for one.”

I thanked Brot’k for the info and spent a little time checking in with Cassandra and Fra’tilia. Both were delighted by the youngling dragons and fawned over them to the dragon’s dismay. Cassandra was happy for Katie being chosen to join the group for the Champion’s Challenge and hoped to travel with us soon. She was trying to spend some quality time with Darius, so they were doing short jaunts into the Dungeon to gather supplies for her work. Fra’tilia was hoping to get our new garments ready for next week. Entivala was excited to see how the new robes would feel and Fra’tilia was hoping to design some garments for Katie and me to wear in the formal parts of the Challenge.

We said our goodbyes and headed to our next stop. After a quick knock on the door, Tyr let us enter and we discussed the addition of Katie to the group.

“I am a bit surprised,” he said, scratching his chin. “Not too long ago she was trying to kill you and now you are choosing her to assist you in the Challenge?”

I nodded and replied, “Since Kat’ilth’ana returned to us and chose to remain bound to me, she has done much to prove her change of heart. She has earned my trust and I think this is the perfect opportunity to prove it once and for all.”

Tyr nodded, “If you feel that she can be trusted and will help you to complete the Challenge, then who am I to argue with you? Silvia is proving to be as willful as Kat’ilth’ana was when we first encountered her. I plan to speak with Darius and the other members of his party to get an idea of how long this has been going on.”

“Couldn’t you just access her bracer,” I asked, “as you did to see what really happened with my fight with Jonta?”

Tyr shook his head, “Without cause, no, I cannot. Unfortunately, her actions in the training room aren’t enough reason to access it. That is why I wish to talk to her companions. I believe that they would be able to point me towards others that may have been on the receiving end of her ire. That may give me the just cause to do so. Even if I want to just get it over with, I still have to follow the rules of the Council. Their word is law and their thoughts on this matter are quite clear. Given the recent actions of various members of my Pact House, I may bring a motion to them to allow Pact leaders to act on their own to make this kind of judgement call in the future.”

“Hmm.” I muttered, confused by this a bit. “I always thought that you would have had free rein to run your house as you saw fit. You’re the Norse god of Justice. I would think you would be trusted to do things in an appropriate manner.”

“There are those who would abuse such a power, as well,” Tyr replied. “There have to be blanket rules for all or there could be belief of favoritism towards certain Houses.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I guess that makes sense, but then, what means are there to keep bad things from happening within a Pact House?”

“For centuries, there has been an honor system that has worked for generations,” he explained. “Though we don’t know how long ago this seed of darkness was planted, we have only seen the effects of its cancerous growth recently. You have been instrumental in bringing it to the forefront for the Pact Houses and more importantly the Council. I will advise them of the change of members within the registered group and the reason. Rest assured all will be in place in time for the Challenge.”

That reminded me of another issue, “What of Velya? Have you been able to figure out what she needed my boxers for and why it had to be the used ones?”

“Yes and no,” Tyr said with an irritated sigh. “She has admitted that she had collected them to use for her own personal pleasure. It seemed to be a result of the training that all candidates go through. Apparently, she became addicted to the sexual aspects and has been using them to assist her. However, we have been unable to find any of the others that had been taken. Given that there is genetic material on them that is tied to you, we worry that they may have gotten into the wrong hands. Since her outburst when she was caught showed that she could be part of the underground movement trying to change things in the Dungeons and on Eden, there is a growing concern of risk to you.

We thanked him for his input and help in regard to the matter. With that out of the way, he was interested in interacting with the dragons before we left. Both reacted differently to him as they had with any of the others. Though they were strong. now. and would become astoundingly powerful beasts in the future, they recognized someone who was capable of far more. We wished him well and left to head towards the travel tubes.

It took us about a half an hour to find the Hephaestus shop and another fifteen minutes to locate the section that Brot’k’s friend worked in. As we searched, we drew a lot of attention due to the dragons that were traveling with us. When we arrived, both Saphira and Draco moved to perch on my shoulders. We found him sitting at a table behind the counter, tinkering with something that I couldn’t fully make out.

“Excuse me,” I said softly, hoping not to startle him, “I am looking for someone named Gordwin?”

The halfling turned to look at us from his seat. He had goggles on with little attachments of various lenses that probably allowed him to increase and decrease magnification as needed.

“Hello there,” he said with a soft raspy voice. “I am indeed Gordwin Ashfoot. What can I do for you lovely people today?”

I looked over at Katie, wondering if she would want to take the lead, but she merely blushed and gave me a nod.

“We were sent here by our friend Brot’k to get my friend Kat’ilth’ana, here, a ranged weapon,” I answered. “She is trying to broaden her skills and abilities. She normally fights with blades and casts magic, but she was hoping to round out her skills with some ranged ability. Given her abilities and the need to switch how she is attacking quickly, we were hoping to find something along the lines of a crossbow, instead of a typical bow.”

He nodded, “I see. She wants to be able to give a ranged attack and possibly be able to cast magic, or quickly switch to her blades. That is a unique proposition, though I may have just the item you would wish. I warn you, it is still in the experimental stages, but it should prove most useful to you.”

He turned back to his table and set his tools down as well as his goggles. He hopped down from the table and went to a section of shelves out of our eyesight. We heard a bit of shuffling around and, a few moments later, returned with a small chest. He placed the chest onto the counter in front of us and pulled up a small platform for him to stand on. He opened the chest and pulled out a small hand crossbow. The handle was very much a pistol shape, made of a deep, rich colored wood. The grip was wrapped in leather adding some comfort to the grip. The top was typical of a crossbow design. The front was made to the design of a recurved bow, made of the same wood as the grip. The bowstring was typical of them as well, though I wondered if the Arachni Queen’s spider silk would create a more powerful bowstring. There seemed to be a metal piece through which the string fed, with a loop at the back. The bottom of the piece seemed to be sitting in a track that ran from the front of the weapon to the back.

“This is my auto loading, hand crossbow,” Gordwin explained, pulling a small piece out of the box. “Place the bolt box into the bottom of the crossbow,” he said, placing it into an opening at the bottom of the weapon with an audible click. “Once the bolt box is secured, place your finger into the loop and draw back the bowstring.” He drew it back and we watched as it locked into place at the back of the weapon and a bolt emerged from the box. “Should you choose to not fire, pull on it again and slowly return the string to its loose position.” He demonstrated and, indeed, the bolt receded into the box. “I have been working to try and find a way to have it draw itself to allow the user to not have to manually draw it each time but have not been successful yet. I am certain with time and money I could do it, but it has been difficult to find funding. Hephaestus doesn’t seem interested in my particular method of invention and will not assist me in this endeavor.”

“It is impressive, indeed,” I said, ecstatic at the find we had just made. “How much would an item like this cost us?”

His eyes widened in shock, “Oh my, you want to purchase this! Umm, I am not totally sure. Twenty thousand gold would cover the weapon and five of the bolt boxes.”

“How about fifty thousand?” I asked, shocking him further. “I want you to make another one and use the rest to funding your research. If you come up with refined versions of this weapon, we will upgrade to them. They will be used in the Champion’s Challenge, so you could find yourself making more sales in the future.”