The shop reeked of incense and something I couldn't quite identify—maybe sulfur? I'd been coming here for a week now, learning the basics of staff-making from the strangest teacher in Orario.
The magic crystal shattered in my hands. Again.
"You foolish child!" The old woman slammed her palm on the counter, "It's the fifth crystal you broke! Do I have to strangle you to death to stop you?!"
"Why is everyone so eager to kill me?!" I replied, rubbing my ears that rang from her shout. "Besides, I'm just a newbie, shouldn't it be obvious I am not going to get it right on the first try?"
She took a deep breath. "You are right. …But I am still surprised you came to me to learn staff making, and with this strange idea at that."
"I mean, I don't know anyone else who can help me with it. Though I'll also need Tsubaki's help to complete this."
"The Cyclops brat? I guess so. I have no experience with making this type of item. But are you sure you want to create something this amazing, not to mention expensive thing only to give it as a gift?"
"Yes, didn't I already tell you so?" I raised an eyebrow. "I would have no use for it anyway. …And you haven't told Riveria anything, right?"
The old lady scoffed, "What do you take me for, brat? I am a woman of my word. We had a deal until you keep your end of the deal, I will keep mine."
"Yes, yes, don't worry, I will get you some high-quality crystals as per the deal."
She grinned, showing her teeth. "He-he-he. Now that's what I like to hear. Anyway, our lesson is complete for today, so get out before you destroy more of these beautiful magic crystals."
I glanced at the clock above the shelf—the one next to jars filled with various insects—and saw it was nearly noon. Two hours of experimenting with nothing to show for it. Time to call it.
"See you tomorrow, Granny." I closed the gate to her underground shop, climbed the stairs back to street level, and emerged into the alley.
"Now what to do, with all the free time…" I was debating what to do next when I spotted a hooded figure with a long skirt walking into an alley that goes into the slum. With that getup, a normal person might think of them as a normal girl trying to sell flowers.
I recognized that walk immediately, even with the hood and long skirt.
And so I followed after her, and when I was about to call her out, she took another turn. I sped up, and just when I turned, A gleaming blade flashed through the air, stopping just inches from my throat.
"Eh?" The hooded figure pulled back, sword lowering immediately. "Arin? What are you doing here?"
I met those wide open sky blue eyes, and smiled, "Hey, Ryuu. I just saw you in this…unique getup. And got curious."
Ryuu let out a sigh as she replied, "Please, next call out to me first. I almost hurt you."
"Nay, I am plenty sure you were going to stop at the last moment." I looked over her outfit, "So? What's the occasion?"
"Nothing much. I'm on my way to do some investigation."
"Investigation?" I questioned, and Ryuu started explaining everything. The more I heard, the more I scowled.
"So, in short, a guy wagered his daughter as a bet for some gambling, and now he and the girl's mother come to Astraea for help."
"Yes, and now I was on my way to that gambling place."
"Hmmm…" I stroked my chin.
"Is something the matter?" Ryuu questioned.
"Yes, I think you need more than just a hood to hide your identity better, especially your hair color." Right now, while the hood significantly covers her features, her piercing sky-blue eyes and some locks of blonde hair spilling out reveal enough for her to be identified as The Gale Wind. "And I have the perfect thing for it." I pulled out a magic item I'd just finished.
"Earrings?" Ryuu asked, looking at the two small earrings on my palm. They were made with a simple and plain design with a blue magic stone.
"Yup." I put on one of the earrings and activated the magic item.
Shortly after Ryuu let out a gasp, "A-Arin you hair and eyes…they changed."
I looked at the window of an abandoned house, and just as Ryuu said, my hair had changed to a silver color, with blue eyes similar to Ryuu's eyes. I turned back to look at Ryuu again as I asked. "How do I look?"
She stared at me for several long seconds before reaching out. Her fingers brushed through my silver hair, as if confirming it was real.
"It suits you," she said quietly. Pink touched her cheeks. "Quite well, actually."
Her hand lingered a moment longer before she pulled away, tucking a strand of her own blonde hair behind her ear.
"Really? Thank you." I smiled back and offered her the remaining earring. "Here, you try it too. You need to tap the blue magic stone to activate and deactivate it."
Ryuu nodded and held the earring in her palm, observing it from all angles before she put it on as well. Tapping the blue magic stone. Soon her blonde hair turned pure black, like obsidian, similar to my own, and her eyes turned golden. Ryuu observed her own appearance in the window, standing beside me.
"It looks really natural," she commented.
"Right? Now we can better hide our identity."
Ryuu turned to face me, "Wait, does that mean you are coming with me? There is no reward, you know?" She asked.
"It's fine. I am pretty sure those thugs would have enough to cover for that."
Ryuu frowned, "Arin, our objective isn't to loot them."
"And when did I say we are looting them. We will win it fair and square. Now lets go." I turned back and started walking, wearing my own hood up.
Ryuu runs after me, "How did you know we'd be gambling?"
I pointed at the big pouch in her hand, the coins making a jingling sound with every step. "I think it's a good method to get the needed information by using violence, after all its not the answer to every question," I said, with conviction, ignoring Ryuu's sharp gaze on my back.
We walked through the narrow alleys, taking several turns, and descended the stairs. I pushed open the barely-hanging door. Smoke hit me first—cheap tobacco mixed with something acrid.
The den was exactly what I'd expected: packed tables, loud voices, the sharp smell of spilled ale.
Inside, I could see a bony, Chienthrope, a provocatively dressed amazon who brushed off the advances with a smile, and various other demi-humans, their voice booming as they gulped down ale after ale. A smoky odor wafted in the air, as if something was burning.
A group of men in armor, who seemed to be regular, were drinking and making a pass at every woman by. I didn't know whether they were adventurers or not, but they were a troublemaker, no doubt. The place was a den of pure iniquity.
All the eyes were on us the moment we entered. Ryuu and I cut through the interior with practiced ease. Attracting suspicious gazes, we stopped in front of a table with a mound of gold coins and cards spread across, where several men were gambling.
"New faces… something you want from us, Boy and Miss Elf?"
The one who spoke was a large man with a sword at his waist. A sleazy grin spread across his face as he examined Ryuu's attractive features and distinctly pointed ears peeking out of the hood. Demi-human men and women surrounded him. With subordinates on each side, he was clearly the one in charge.
"Does the name Anna Kreiz mean anything to you?" The guy who was eyeing Ryuu till now turned to face me.
"What, you her friends or something?" The man's grin widened as if he had found a new plaything. His underling moved to the door to block our exit. That girl's a jewel, you know. No one would believe she was just some random city girl, just looking at her. I want to give her a go, too, ha-ha-ha!"
"I like you to tell me where she is now," I asked again.
"Oh, I see, I see…And you were expecting that information for free, I suppose." At this point, everyone in the bar was watching Ryuu and me laughing and grinning scornfully. Finally, the man was hauled from his slouched chair into a proper sitting position.
"So, either of you knows how to play cards?" He asked as he drew a card from his deck on the table. "Since you are both here. You must be pretty confident in your strength, right? I am not fond of brute force, though, so I thought we could play a game. I bet the information you're both after. You could bet money, maybe even put yourself up if you don't have enough to cover the wager."
Hmm… maybe I should take back my words. Sometimes violence is the only answer. I thought, but retained a poker face on the outside, taking our silence as intimidation, he prattled on.
"That's how this started after all. That poor excuse of a father bet his only daughter, played a game, and ended up handing her over to us.
"All right." Placing a bag full of gold coins on the table, she sat down in the chair across from the burly man. Split seconds later, an uproar broke out around us. The adventurers cheered for the spectacle that was about to begin.