Zilo and Aria enjoyed their walk around the city while Leo made his way back to the bar. Maldrek had finally returned and was talking with Cruxis.
"Leo, perfect timing! It seems that I have need of you to help gather some materials."
"Later, just had a date, and... I guess it went as expected, but I'm going to be turning in early." Responded the perplexed magus.
By the time Zilo arrived back at the bar with Aria the regulars had begun clearing out, so the two of them helped Cruxis clean up before heading off to bed.
The next morning Zilo walked back down stairs to see Jin and Leo sitting at the bar and talking with Maldrek behind the bar. Maldrek addressed them with,
"So that's the idea. Zilo, feel like being useful?"
"What you got for me, buddy?"
Zilo walks over to join Jin and Leo in front of the bar. Maldrek says, "A new job got posted saving orphans and May thought it would be hysterical to forge an acceptance by me. So I need to go save an orphan and I need you three to gather these items."
Maldrek gives Zilo a list of items to hang onto.
"If you get me these then I can craft Cruxis' new blade as well as... something I've been theorizing. Take all the time you need, as it may take a while."
"Sounds alright to me." Says the bard pocketing the list and standing with the other two. The three walk out and Zilo takes out the list, beginning to read it off:
"A Hearthstone, a Bead of Force, the antennae of an Ice Devil, a tooth of a Lich, poison that could kill a man, a fan that was fanned precisely eight times by a pure maiden, a rock touched by Alchemical Acid, a piece of copper struck by lightning, an off center tuning fork, a flask of Holy Water blessed by Arete, the last thoughts of a dead man, and some Magicbane Bandersnatch sweat."
Zilo puts the list back as Jin and Leo shake their heads. Jin chimes in with, "There is no way we can get all of those."
Leo looks back at the bar and says, "And he expects us to get all of it!? Impossible."
Zilo smiles back at them and says, "I think it will be fun."
Zilo knew a nearby instrument store that they could find a tuning fork at, then with Jin's strength bending it to be off center was easy. After scouring some local alchemy stores they also managed to find the acid to melt a rock, as well as a Hearthstone. The rest of the list was much more difficult to come by and the three of them needed to get creative to find them.
Zilo looks over to Jin and says, "Well, we may as well start at the top ones, hows about a Bead of Force."
"Sounds good to me." Responds Jin. Both then in unison turn to Leo and ask, "What's a Bead of Force?"
Leo shakes his head and responds, "It's a bead that can act as an exploding orb when you chuck it, then the orb remains for a bit as empty space of force. Maybe a shop that sells magic items would have one."
The three wander for a little while with Leo and Zilo casting Detect Magic as they went. After searching for an hour they found a section of the city they had yet to visit lit up like a torch. The area looked to have a tall tower overlooking the town section, and the citizens look to be dressed similarly to Maldrek in robes and with books.
"This is a magic district if I've ever seen one." Remarks Jin. Leo flags down a robed woman and she points the three toward a shop that might have a Bead of Force. They walk into the shop to see a wrinkled old man.
In a shrill and painful voice, the kind of voice that, given long enough could bleed the ears, the man speaks,
"HELLO THERE! HOW CAN I HELP YOU!?"
Leo, Jin and Zilo cover their ears in pain, still able to hear the piercing voice through their palms. Once it ends Zilo takes off his hands and says, "Um we were looking for a particular magic item."
"AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE SONNY!?"
Leo breaths heavy in pain before looking back up and saying, "A Bead of Force and please for the sake of the Gods, just point it out if you have it.
"HMMMMM!? BEAD OF FORCE YOU SAY!? I REMEMBER SEEING ONE BEFORE! BUT WHERE WAS IT!?"
Zilo and Leo fall to the ground in pain. Jin holds his ears, still standing, but as he does he mumbles, "No trial has been as taxing as thy. I commend what twisted being thought to test me so, but I will stand firm."
"AH YES! THERE IT WAS! HERE YOU GO!"
The old man drops the bead into Jin's hand, and Jin looks at him confused.
"Do you not require compensation?"
Zilo scampers to the monk's foot and shouts, "JIN NO!"
"NO YOU MAY TAKE, IT IN RETURN FOR HAVING A PLEASANT CONVERSATION WITH ME! IT IS SO RARE THAT I GET TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLE!"
Leo stands and says, "Can't imagine why." Jin turns to Leo, confused then looks back to the old man.
"It's probably because your voice sounds like the the death wail of a bat who is being forced to watch it's child mate with a canary even though it has made it clear that it will not be raising any half bird-bat-babies."
The room goes quiet at that, the shop keep looking as though he has never been told is voice was irksome. Zilo snatches the bead from Jin, and points his friend out the door, saying, "Have a pleasant day then."
"YOU TOO!"
With the last squeal of the man the three return to the magic section. As Jin and Zilo fall to the ground rubbing their ears, Leo snatches the list from Zilo. He double checks the list, saying,
"Let's take a break and figure out what we can settle quickly, the Holy Water of Arete should be cake since we have a paladin of Arete. Right?"
Jin sits up and gives a thumbs up. Zilo then rises and says, "We also have the pure maiden, so if we pick up a fan Aria can just use it eight times."
Leo's eyebrows scrunch and he turns to Zilo.
"She's still pure!?"
Zilo nods, "Yup, never been with a man."
Leo shakes his head and pats Zilo on the shoulder as the bard stands. Leo says, "I'm sorry buddy."
"What?"
There is an awkward silence as Leo realizes what he just said.
"Soooorrry that as nice as that is, we are still missing the tooth of a Lich, they aren't exactly easy to come across."
Zilo smiles, and waves off the previous statement by saying, "Actually, I met a lich, and became his successor once."
Jin and Leo both take a step back from Zilo who shrugs and says, "Ancient history, but In any case we should head for the dwarven kingdom to the northeast, that's where the Lich was."
Leo takes out his book and after skimming through it he exclaims, "I shockingly have very few dwarves, let's do it. Which spell shall I use to sneak on a ship?" Leo lifts up his spellbook, but Zilo lowers it and smiles.
"Leo, allow me. Now that we aren't fugitives, I'll show you why it is good to have a bard."
A few hours later Zilo is on the deck of a ship, violin blazing with Jin flipping and dancing with the members of the crew. Leo taps along with the music eating an apple as he stares off into the horizon as the ship makes it way off the river into the open sea.
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