Chapter 216: It Gets Worse

Once upon a time, William Oh went to a wedding and emerged the sole survivor.

• Alex Jaidayal, level 52 Crystal Farmer

The market was small and tired, especially compared to Akul and Bakton Keep. There was none of the energy of hawkers and elbow-nudging crunch of excited Climbers looking to buy their next Kit.

Instead it was mostly rough men sitting on crates and consuming their drug of choice while waiting for their merchant to arrive and pick up the goods.

Less of a market and more of a loading bay.

Still, there was fun to be had.

For one, despite the grungy streets, wafting smoke and tinge of poison, there was beauty just underneath. Literally in this case. Every time someone walked, they exposed tiny patches of the crystal road beneath, creating new glittering surfaces for a moment before the sludge of the street crowded back in.

Above, the central column of crystal that served as the anchor for the island collected and reflected starlight down at them, giving the grungy dockworkers a ghostly, luminescent feel.

“What’s that?” Will asked, pointing at the barrels full of crystal bone.

“Giant’s bone,” the merchant grunted as he lifted another barrel and set in his wagon.

“Whazzit do?” Will asked.

The merchant, sensing a potential sale, and possibly needing a break, stopped loading and addressed Will directly, taking off his wool hat to wipe a sheen of sweat from his forehead.

“Tell you what, you load the barrels and I’ll tell you what I know for as long as you keep going.”

“Deal,” Will said, lifting a barrel with Phantom Hand and loading it as he turned to face the merchant.

The man whistled.

“Telekinesis, huh? Handy around these parts.”

“The bones, old man.” Will replied, loading another barrel.

“Alright, alright.” Despite saying that the merchant spent three barrels lighting a pipe and getting it started.

“So giant’s bone is a product of the 11^th floor. You see the miasma flickers in it?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s essentially randomized Abilities in there, all pressed up against each other and eager to get out. One might create heat, the other might create motion, or water. or bugs or a bad smell. You put Charge into all of that at the same time, you get an explosion. I don’t know the specifics, but a professional crafter can identify and tease apart helpful effects, like just motion, or just water. They do that, slap it into a sturdy frame and you’ve got a no-slot relic with a simple effect. A portable stove, flying saddle, endless decanter. That sort of thing. Those are damn valuable, by the way.

“So how many Relics can you get out of a bone?”

“Depends on the skill of the crafter and the size of the bone, I suppose, but it ranges anywhere from zero to three. Usually zero.”

“Better to trade in bulk, then.” Will mused.

“Aye, this whole shipment is going to one crafter down in Akul.”

“Any laws about prospecting for some myself?”

“Not really. There’s thousands of islands floating around out there, moving around relatively to us, so I’m sure there’s a few untapped places. If you bring it back, it’s yours to do with as you please. This stuff came from one of the Lord’s resource nodes, which you gotta pay to use, but it’s miles safer and easier.”

Oh, I can lease the resource node. Then I don’t have to actually tax the output. Way simpler. Then again, having a trickle of resources in the form of tax was nice, too. Which one would be better, money or resources? Probably money, because my Stronghold doesn’t have the right infrastructure to produce anything outstanding with flash glass and anchorite.

Akul had the craftsmen and the materials to make the really cool stuff. Will turned his mind back to the bone stored in Phantom Hand.

So the giant bone isn’t a state secret or anything, just a modestly valuable resource, Will mused as Phantom Hand finished loading barrels.

“You wanna buy some, then, kid?” the merchant asked.

“Why, do you have more you haven’t sold?” Will asked.

“My contract specified a range of quantities, and I haven’t made the official receipt yet, sooo…” He gestured to about twelve barrels.

“You can make me a better offer on these.”

“I’m flattered,” Will said, consulting his map where he’d marked the island with the giant bones. “But I’ll get my own if I want it.”

And I do want it. Most people saw it as a way to create a handful of useful effects out of several tons of bone.

Will saw it as a tremendous opportunity to expand his Miasmatic Structure vocabulary using fragments of miasmatic structures that had been frozen in place.

Most miasmatic structures dissolved rapidly outside of the Ability that they were a part of.

Will had used Uru Drake Eye to watch hundreds of Conflagrations cast by Nukers, from Mason to normal visitors. They were especially difficult to study because the miasma was contained inside a bright glowing ball that exploded in a fraction of a second, scattering the miasmatic structure to bits.

The only thing Will could use to study Miasma was his actual eyes, and the glare from Conflagration made it impossible to see what was inside it.

But…if he found a miasmatic structure with an effect like Conflagration frozen in the giant’s bone, then he might be able to piece it together himself.

Not a bad idea.

“Well, suit yourself. Appreciate the help,” The merchant clapped Will on the shoulder and climbed up into his wagon, setting his hand on a control rod before the wagon simply flew up into the sky.

“Huh,” Will grunted, craning his neck to stare up at the dwindling wagon that vanished into the night sky.

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“Will, over here!” Brianna called Will towards a stall. That was a generous term, given that the stall owner didn’t bother presenting his goods and simply scattered a few Relics on the table while leaving the rest unsorted in the barrel.

“Taking these down to Akul?” Will asked the man as he arrived beside Brianna.

“Un. Move the whole thing down once the wedding is over and the port unclogs.” The man grunted before doing a double-take. “You two got money? You look like a couple pencil-pushers that just got bussed up here. I can’t trade in ‘time on your indentured servitude.’”

“We got cash,” Will replied, flashing a ten-piece.

“Mmm.” The merchant grunted, giving them his undivided attention.

“What are you looking for?”

“Got any sacrifices that deal with the manipulation of Miasma or Terrain?” Will asked.

“I’m always looking for Relics for a Warrior archetype with low Focus to ward against Charm archetypes.” Brianna answered.

“Nuker and Warrior?” he asked, pointing between the two of them.

“Scout, actually…It’s a weird Build.” Will said.

“’Long as your money’s good,” the merchant said with a dismissive wave as he pulled out a basket of amulets and circlets and handed them to Brianna to pore through.

“Terrain manipulation, huh? So you twisted a Scout archetype to function like an earth mage?” The merchant asked.

“Yeah, pretty close.”

“A’ight.” The merchant pulled out another basket and plucked a few rings and sacrifices from a few of the barrels around him before handing it to will to scour through.

Will plucked a gold and emerald ring out, and studied it.

Iron Earthworks

+8 Resistance

+4 Focus

Stone and Earth created or manipulated by the user is reinforced. Scales with Resistance.

If It said ‘terrain’, I probably would buy it, Will thought, moving on to the next.