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Chapter 100: Hearthkeeper

“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?”

“That should be good,” Arwin said. He nodded to the armor. “Go ahead and bring that with you. You already paid. Try it out and figure out what needs to be modified, and I’ll take care of it for you when you show up.”

Olive picked it up, the look in her eyes intensifying before she took control of her emotions again and nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

She headed into the crowd and quickly disappeared from view. Reya prodded Arwin in the side.

“What was that about? She catch your eye or something?”

“What? No.” He kept himself from scoffing. There was nothing wrong with Olive. He had no reason to be rude.

She just isn’t anywhere near as –

Arwin caught his thoughts and crushed them mercilessly before he could finish them. Reya noticed the look on his expression and bumped her shoulder into his with a smirk. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Arwin said through a cough. “You saw her armor, didn’t you?”

“It was fucked.”

“That’s one way to put it. She’s a warrior. She knows what she’s doing – getting her to start shopping with me is a good investment. Even if we don’t get the money right now, it’ll be good in the long run.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Reya grunted and scratched at the bottom of her neck. “I never really thought about it like that. I guess I could see how that would work. You’re basically just making sure she keeps shopping with you when she gets stronger?”

“Yeah. The risk is that she never does, but she had the look of someone that knows how to handle herself,” Arwin said. “If I’m wrong, we’re down around a hundred gold. Not a huge deal when I can make another piece of equipment with just a few hours of effort.”

“I guess,” Reya allowed. “So we’re getting supplies now?”

“Yes. I need a few things. Some more Brightsteel, a barrel of oil for the smithy, bricks, mortar. Think you can help get everything while I lug the cart around behind you?”

“Sure thing. Anything else?”

“That for now. We’ll add anything else in if we see it. Maybe some ingredients for Lillia?”

Reya gave him a mock salute and hopped down from the cart. Arwin activated [Scourge] and lifted it, lumbering after her as she headed into the crowd.

***

Lillia sighed. The tavern was empty, and she’d never felt lonelier. Rodrick and Anna were out getting dinner. Arwin was with Reya trying to make them some money. And she was sitting around in the dark and waiting for something to happen.

It had been bad after she’d lost her party in the fights against the Adventurer’s Guild, but at least she’d had the war to throw herself into. Something like this shouldn’t have mattered. It was childish to even be bothered by it.

It’s just a few hours. I don’t see how I’m feeling like this when everyone will be back so soon. What’s wrong with me?

Lillia ran a hand through her hair and heaved a sigh. Her emotions stubbornly rejected her attempts at logic. It wasn’t like she was about to break down. She just… didn’t want to be alone anymore.

I guess the Mesh knew that when it gave me my class. There’s no way I’ll ever admit that to anyone, though. I think I’d die of shame if they found out I’d literally gotten a class for a cheesy reason like that.

She stepped out from behind the counter and paced back and forth across the main room of the tavern. Her mind placed tables by her side as she walked, populating them with laughing adventurers and smiling couples.

Lanterns materialized on the walls in her mind’s eye. Their light danced across imps clad in maid outfits that worked their way between feasting men and women to deliver their meals. A grin pulled at the corners of Lillia’s lips.

The vision fell away, and darkness returned once more. She came to a stop at the doorway, a tiny smile still present. It wouldn’t be long, now. The tavern would be alive one day soon.

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.