Chapter 100: Hearthkeeper

Chapter 100: Hearthkeeper

“A loan?” the woman asked, her brow furrowing as she tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll sell this to you for 80 gold,” Arwin said. “It’ll need some modification to fit you, but that shouldn’t be too hard. In exchange, you come back to me after you’ve made some gold and pay me another 40 gold, to a total of 120.”

“How do you know I’ll come back?”

“The armor will be good enough that you won’t want to risk not being able to buy more from me in the future if you steal it.” Arwin shrugged. “You’ll come back.”

“What if she gets killed in the dungeon?” Reya asked.

“Then I made a poor investment.”

The woman studied Arwin’s hooded features for a moment, then looked up at the armor. Her hand ran along the severe damage to her own armor and she bit her lower lip. “I – can you throw a sword in as well?”

“It’ll cost extra,” Arwin said after a moment of thought. “I’ll do a sword for 80, so you’ll have to bring back 120.”

“Could you go lower?”

“No,” Arwin said. “My work will pay for itself. That’s my only offer.”

There’s a reason I’m giving this offer to you instead of some random adventurer, but not one that would make me risk any more than what I’m already doing. Nobody picks up that many scars on their armor without having at least some level of fighting ability. It doesn’t look like the missing arm is a fresh wound, so this girl is more than able to handle herself.

A second passed. Arwin raised an eyebrow, sending a pointed glance over the woman’s shoulder to the remainder of the crowd. He had other people that would buy from him if she wouldn’t.

“Deal,” the woman said, hand clenching at her side. “How soon can you get me the weapon and armor?”

“Today, if you follow us back to my smithy,” Arwin said. “Otherwise, tomorrow.”

“Today,” the woman said. “Today works. I’m Olive.”

“Ifrit,” Arwin said, putting a hand on his chest. He nodded over to Reya. Her face was covered, but he could still see the annoyance in her posture. “And she’s Reya.”

Olive inclined her head. She pulled a gold and a few silver coins out of her pouch before handing the rest of it to Arwin. “That’s 80.”

And that puts us at 200 gold to work with. Fantastic.

“Thank you,” Arwin said.

Reya took the pouch from Olive and it, like the other pouch, disappeared into her clothes. The crowd, realizing that the last item had sold, dissipated quickly. Arwin stepped down from the cart.

“We’ve got a few stops to make before we head back,” Arwin said. “You’re welcome to head out yourself if you want to. We can meet you there.”

“That works for me,” Olive said. “What’s the location?”

“Tavern at the haunted street,” Arwin said.

Olive stared at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It was free.”

A small grin flickered across Olive’s lips. “Good point. Okay. I’ll be there in... three hours?”

I can’t wait.

She summoned her class forth, looking at it for what must have been the tenth time that day.

Name: Lillia

Class: Hearthkeeper (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 3)

Skills:

[Hearthmade] - When food is made and consumed within the walls of your Hearth, it will possess mild restorative and curative properties.

[Hearthmother] - The Hearth must obey your command. It will come alive at your command and seek to execute any orders you give it. All those who enter your Hearth of their own volition are similarly beholden to you until they leave its walls. This ability's effects are reduced the greater your target's tier is than yours.

[Gentle Repose] - Those who sleep for at least 6 hours within your Hearth will awake more refreshed and energetic than before. This boon will last until the dawn of the next night and can stack up to 10 times.

Titles:

[Shadowtouched] – Consuming the Heart of Shadow has granted you permanent affinity to the dark. Darkness endlessly follows your footsteps. You have also gained control over shadows. Their strength scales with your Tier.

[Demon Mother] – Your service to Demonkind has repaid you with dedicated servants that follow in your wake. The strength and number of servants that you can call upon scale with your tier.

[Hungry Idiot] - You tried to eat a rancid object and genuinely believed that it would taste good without having any form of negative mental affects active. Your uniquely idiotic palate has been enhanced to be able to discover ways to draw good flavor out in anything consumable, so long as you can suffer the consequences of eating it.

[Hearthkeeper] – An enormous burst of energy has permanently infused you with magic, but not without cost. You must choose a location to become your Hearth. In order to survive, all those who arrive at your Hearth seeking food or lodging must be given it at a fair price. Maintaining the happiness of your customers will give you temporary boons; failing to do so will result in curses.

Current Inhabitants: 4

Average Satisfaction: 75%

Boons:

[Greater Shadow] - Your shadows magic is significantly empowered and can form solid objects.

Curses:

Achievements:

[Giantsbane] – Awarded for slaying a monster over ten times your height. Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.

She dismissed the Mesh. There weren’t any curses yet. That was a good thing. The Mesh had given her a warning early on into claiming the tavern, but she hadn’t gotten anything from it since.

The average satisfaction meter had been quite stressful. 75% wasn’t bad, but everyone staying in the inn right now was a friend. They were more lenient. When others arrived, the number would drop sharply – which meant that sitting at 75% was nowhere near high enough. She needed to make the inn better.

But that would come. For now, curses were a more immediate threat. It didn’t look like they would become a major problem this week, but every passing day where she didn’t find a way to get more inhabitants and people visiting the tavern meant a step closer to doom.

The boon was invaluable already. Without it, we probably would have gotten killed while fighting the Crystalline Bonehemoth. If I lose it or get a curse that makes it harder for me to fight, we could be in a lot of trouble. I can’t afford that.

Not for the first time, Lillia wondered just what Arwin’s class had given him. She could have asked him directly, but for some reason, she hadn’t quite been able to yet. The thought of the former Hero sent a flicker of emotion through her mind. Her cheeks heated.

I can’t believe he sat next to me while I was sleeping and I didn’t even realize. What am I, a little girl? I hope I didn’t say anything too embarrassing. I don’t think he would have told me, even if I did. He’s too damn polite.

Lillia shook her head, then brushed her hair back behind her ears. It was a good thing that nobody else was around, because she was pretty sure her cheeks were red enough to light up the darkness.