Even Evil Entails Equipment

[Viola Darkstalker]

So many people… so many innocent lives… the beating of their hearts was like a throbbing inside her skull, and each step she took only made the frustration inside her grow stronger and stronger. They were all so close, but touching even one would spell her death. After all, one blind woman against an entire city? Two years ago, she would have wretched at the sight of her current self. She was the terror of every world smart enough to know good and evil. The Reaper of Cities was a fitting name given to her brutality and ruthless efficiency when she decided to go on a rampage and her rampages had been happening quite often from two years ago to a year and a half ago. Entire cities were wiped from the map when she decided to pass through, and, given the technology of her last victim world, she could massacre at least three cities a day and still have time to relax in the blood-soaked barren streets before hitting a fourth.

But that was neither here nor now, and even trying to kill one person would spell instant death unless it looked like an accident. It was infuriating. It was unbearable. It was the only thing that reminded her of who she used to be. Even now on the Bazaar streets people shied clear of her, but only because she was one of the disabled and nobody wanted to hurt someone less fortunate than themselves. They would all die horribly when she could see again. Yes, she would seal off the city, then she would start with the strongest and work her way to the weakest. It was just so delectable to see the terror in someone’s eyes when they knew you passed over them simply because they were too weak.

Before that time came, however, she would have to grow much stronger. If her earlier memories served her properly, she needed shields or barriers of some sort if she was planning on surviving battles anytime soon. Her first few “real” fights had been disastrous all those years ago, nearly dying at least five times. This time around, she wasn’t going to make the same mistakes. But what to buy? She had some gold on her, and someone had been kind enough to drop a trio of one-hundred gold coupons for use at the bazaar into her collection cup, so a shopping trip was in order. A few questions to random people pointed her to an exotic accessory shop. A few more questions actually got her to said shop. Oh how she would revel in destruction when her eyes were finally unveiled.

The door was sturdy enough, but that could only be expected. When the beauty walked through the door, steel-tipped black oak staff clicking along the ground before her with a blindfold covering her eyes, she could only imagine the reaction the shopkeeper would have on his or her face. Oh how she would enjoy freezing that expression for all eternity, but that would not get her what she wanted. Her staff found the counter, and a shy smile lit up her lovely face.

“I’m looking for a unique accessory, well, two, actually. They should be a matching pair. As you can clearly see, I am blind, and many people would wish to take advantage of me and my situation. I’m sure you know the type. What I need is something that doesn’t appear to be anything but can protect me when I need it. A matching pair of bangles, worked of silver perhaps, so they could each hold a shield enchantment easily? If possible, I’d like the shield enchantments to cover only what a small buckler would protect centered on the bangle. I have noticed that smaller, more concentrated shields are generally more resilient than whole-body shields of similar strengths. I will spend up to five-hundred gold on these; what materials could I get and how strong would the shields be at what prices?”

[Moonlit Raven]

The day so far had been long and slow, wearing away at Elena's nerves until she found herself snapping at her apprentices. Unwilling to abuse the trust the fosterlings had in her she sent them out into the city with Illianiel for a treat. The sound of the door closing and the tap of a metal tipped staff was a welcomed distraction from the inventory books she studied, and occasionally wrote in.

Glancing up she studied the woman as she listened to the request.

"I should warn you that a enchantment is expensive. The silver bracelets would be 20 gold each. If you want to avoid someone trying to take them from you, I would recommend you keep them free of any designs." Elena found her gaze fixed on the woman's unusual hair color, she wondered if it was natural or if it was a dye of some type that had been applied.

"I carry three levels of most spells. For a spell of deflection, like you are asking for, a lv 0 is 150 gold. A lv 0 can stop as much force as you would receive in a good push. Lv1 is 300 gold, it blocks the force of a kick. Lv 2 is 450 gold, it blocks the force equal to the impact of a crossbow bolt." Elena mentally ran the schematics of the enchantment and the applied it to the bangles. After a moment she nodded to herself.

"It's a good thing that you are looking for a smaller area of coverage. Given the items you are requesting enchanted they would produce a small field. If you were looking for more coverage I would have had to recommend a larger sized item."

[Viola Darkstalker]

Oh, how things were so much easier when she could simply walk in and take what she wanted without fear of repercussion. As it stood, the only way she could get anything in this light blasted world was waving money around under merchant noses. This woman was no different, even if she could provide exactly what the violet-haired woman was after. Oh how she longed for her sight. Keeping her prized, almost trademarked locks immaculate was such a chore when she couldn’t see.

“Three strengths of enchantment, is it? Perhaps I could forego a matching pair for now…stopping crossbow bolts sounds much better for my personal health than stopping a push or a kick.”

She certainly had enough gold for it, and liberating corpses of their worldly possessions would easily bring her enough for a matching accessory soon enough. Blood money was still money, and gold taken from those who would no longer need it spent as well as money earned through legal means. She smiled at the scenarios that played through her mind where unsuspecting fools attacked a defenseless woman and found out why she dared to walk alone at night. She had to be careful to keep her smile in check; there was a great difference between admiring the prospect of a new way to protect oneself and the ecstasy of slaying those who would wish her harm in cold blood.

“Yes, the level two enchantment does indeed sound best, but it would not do to have such a work of spellcraft on something entirely bland. While I may be blind, I was not always stricken with this curse. I do have a discerning eye, and unless I am sleeping, trying to remove something as treasured as this will be would be rather difficult for all but a veteran cutpurse. If you insist that I keep it simple, however, I will trust your judgment. My only request is for a silver-worked spider on the side where the shield activates, four legs angled to the front and four to the back. The rest may be as simple as you wish to make it. I believe that the thirty gold pieces left from the initial cost of the bracelet and the enchanting spell should be more than enough to cover the extra cost of the metallurgy.”

She could do this… being so nice and pleasant was simply means to an end. Means to an end. If this woman’s workmanship was anything like what she proclaimed, she could very well find a repeat customer. If not, well, many shopkeepers had found out personally how hard it was to do business with more holes through their body than they had flesh. For some reason, however, she was beginning to trust this woman. Perhaps the blindness was making her soft, but Viola was actually doubting her desire to kill the shopkeeper. Too strange.

[Moonlit Raven]

A spider Interesting design she wants. Elena's thought briefly turned to the large silk cocoon resting in the ground in the corner by her. She smiled slightly and pulled a sheet of paper and a charcoal stick towards her. Quickly, she sketched out a basic design for her blacksmith to work with and made a few side notes for herself on the details to be etched in.

"If you'll give me two days I can have the bracelet ready for you. You can pay for the item when it is ready."

[Viola Darkstalker]

“Two days then.”

Two days wasn’t all that long to wait; after all, she didn’t really have any immediate need for her new piece of equipment. Smiling to the friendly shopkeeper, the violet-clad woman turned around and found the door on the second attempt. A muttered curse was the only sign that it wasn’t intentional. Once she exited the shop, the near-deafening noise of the bazaar streets assaulted her increasingly sensitive ears. It was only two days. She could wait that long. Why couldn’t these people just learn how to shut UP!

As she stormed to her room at the inn, the usual bubble of open space that normally surrounded her as she walked down the road was slightly larger. Even the stupidest of peasants could tell she was angry, and the adage “Hell hath no fury” may as well have been written all over her. She could have made demons back down with her temper. At least she remembered to close the door to the shop before storming off. It wouldn’t do to have the woman see her like this. No, it wouldn’t do at all.

~*~

Two days had never passed so slowly in Viola’s entire life. As time dragged on, she grew more irritable, and as her tempers flared, time slowed even farther. The entire second day before she figured her accessory would be ready was spent in her room for fear that, should she leave, she’d kill everyone that brushed up against her. It wouldn’t do to slaughter indiscriminately just yet. The strongarms would have her hide in an instant as well. Curse this light-blasted land. Everything was so much easier when the city watch was as much a problem as the vileness they were supposed to be reigning in. Why can’t the Blood Moon show its face around this world? Oh what fun we would have together.

The water-clock in the common room chimed out its hourly toll, and just as the one of the serving girls was getting ready to knock on the door of their “special” patron’s room, the door opened. A slight yelp sounded from the maid’s throat as she scampered away, thankful that she didn’t have a tray of food in her hands. Viola had at least this much of the inn memorized, so she didn’t bother with her walking staff until she reached the ever-changing common room. All who laid eyes on her were puzzled; what did she have to be so happy about?

She briskly walked back to the accessorer’s shop, metallic clicks sounding rapidly as she searched the land with her extended “eyes”. Counting the steps, she approximated the distance and asked one passerby if she was near the shop she was looking for. Seeing how there were no other shops quite like the one she described nearby, she entered the moderate establishment on the first try, much to her delight, and closed the door once more behind her. A light jingle from the rings on her staff announced her presence should the shopkeeper not be at her post shortly before she spoke.

“Is it ready yet? I am quite anxious to ‘see’ the final product.”

[Moonlit Raven]

Elena looked up from the delicate work she was adding the last touch too, for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. She held up the unique bracelet and studied it. Elena was well pleased that the bracelet looked realistically like a large spider. She double checked the tiny hinges that allowed the clawed legs to open or to close and interlock around the wrist.

A jingle of metal caught her attention, her hand stilled in tracing the light grooves carved into the spider's back. Elena hissed and yanked her fingers away from the tiny razor sharp edges. She stuck the wounded finger in her mouth for a moment.

"Your bracelet is ready. I hope you'll find it acceptable." Elena set the spider bracelet down on the edge of the counter with a light thump.

"Becareful of the top of the body, I had the details carved into it and I left the edges of it sharp. It could probably inflect minor wounds in a person dumb enough to grab it or if you hit someone with the back of your hand."

[Viola Darkstalker]

A hiss was the last thing Viola was expecting after announcing her presence in the shop, but the pain that caused the hiss was music to her ears. Even if she hadn’t been the cause of it, suffering was always enjoyable. Walking closer to the counter, she gently ran her right hand along the countertop until she bumped into the newly-finished piece of art. Delicate fingers danced across the bracelet, slowly finding the hinges and clasps. It was almost an afterthought that brought her hand to her purse and dumped a good deal of coins out.

“Count out the price… I will trust your judgment for this… masterpiece.”

Honest awe was clearly visible in her voice, and she didn’t bother hiding it. It was perfect in every way. Light touches against the back of the silver bracelet confirmed what the shopkeeper said about how sharp it was. That would certainly deter any thieves that had a keen eye for jewelry, and then there was the problem of how securely it fit around her wrist and the method of removing it. It felt so perfect… so beautiful.

There was little warning after the violet-haired woman took two steps backward before a spike blacker than pitch literally appeared out of thin air. Trained hands that had never quite forgotten how to wield their favored weapon brought the dark pike around and into the protective zone of the enchantment. When the spike stopped a rather small distance from its target of her wrist, her smile only grew.

“So perfect.” The spike vanished into a wrinkle in space, leaving the satiated woman empty-handed. She walked back to the counter to pick up her change and staff, smiling that knowing smile of one who had just been given the greatest gift they could have asked for. “When I accumulate enough gold to purchase the sister to this, you will certainly see me again. It is no exaggeration when I say that you are the first enchantress that has impressed me so.”

[Moonlit Raven]

Elena smiled pleased at the tone of the woman's voice as she praised the bracelet. Elena quickly pulled out the 470 coins and set them aside in a small box. She looked up and traced the lines of the silver spider setting on the woman's wrist, memorizing it for when she came in for a matching bracelet later.

Elena pulled the string, to close the purse. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the sudden appearance of the spike and the woman's effortless block. Once the spike disappeared Elena raised a brow and lowered the clawed hand she had raised with out thinking to help the woman.

Vaguely, she wondered if giving anyone enchanted items was a good idea. In the back of her mind a dark honey coated voice purred out the fact that it just made the world more interesting and the woman in the shop would be one fun to play with someday.

"I'll be waiting then." Elena said handing the woman her coin pouch.




Transaction complete. Viola Darkstalker loses 470 gold and gains 100 EXP for good IC interactions.