Chapter 36: Late

Chapter 36: Late

“You’re taking on too much,” Beth said, patting the ground next to her. “I’m worried you’re going to wear yourself out trying to take care of everyone but yourself. That’s not your job.”

“I know but…” I began, taking the offered seat.

She placed a finger to my lips. “You’re young. Far too young for the burden you’re placing on yourself.”

“But I love it,” I continued, looking down at the ground because I couldn’t meet her eyes. “There’s a whole world out there that I didn’t know about.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “It’s just, I worry about you, you know.”

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, unsure of what to say.

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. “Just remember to come to me if you get in trouble.”

“I did pick up some more packages,” I said, reaching into my bag and taking out the last dollar. “This is for you guys. Make sure to get everyone something nice.”

She reached out for the dollar bill as though it were a snake. “Are you sure? That’s a lot of money.”

I grinned. “And there will be a lot more where it came from. Don’t tell anyone but we get a couple dollars for every delivery.”

Her mouth fell open for a long moment. “But that means we won’t have to do any of our other jobs. Heck, we won’t even have to work when we become adults if we keep doing this.”

“I know!” I said grinning at her. “See, this isn’t working too hard, and I’m going to learn how to do things that will both make our lives better and pay even more.”

At least I hoped it would. Beth seemed satisfied with her intervention, and she picked up a slice of beef off of my plate.

“This is my favorite,” she sighed, taking a bite before offering me the other half.

It wasn’t unusual for orphans to share food so I accepted the offering and marveled at how wonderful it tasted. Mishun had slow-roasted a fatty cut of beef in a thick au jus sauce. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be pot roast or stew but it was delicious nonetheless.

Beth yawned and stretched both arms above her head. “How about those packages? I stayed up waiting for you but I’m exhausted.”

I dug through the bag and took out all but the three of them which were too big for her to carry. She hoisted them in her arms and retreated toward the fire escape.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Oliver.”

I hung my legs over the edge of the roof while I ate, enjoying the food and watching a car drawn by a pair of horses pass by underneath. Hoover carriages were what they called them. Nobody could afford gas anymore.

While I ate, I also did a mental inventory of my commitments. First, there was Mishun and my deal to keep the orphanage stocked with food. It was a good deal all things considered. I didn’t have to do much work and Mishun fed my brothers and sister better than all but the richest normal person. The problem with that deal was the more commitments I took on, the more valuable my time would become. Eventually, I was going to have to find another solution.

Then there was my deal with Miss Spencer. I still needed to put some more work in for the modifications she made to my clothes. It was an added bonus that she was teaching me to sew. The nature of my skills meant I was going to have to learn everything the old-fashioned way. Hard work.

I’d also made a deal with Madam Hurst but all I had to do for her was Analyze items when she brought them to me to pay off the dragon relic that I’d accidentally claimed. Or had it claimed me? I hadn’t given it much thought.

The final commitment was the one I was most excited about. I made a deal with Mr. Yu to teach me Tinkering. It was the first job I’d taken intentionally. I knew it was what I wanted to do the moment I’d laid eyes on Mr. Penderblast’s Flibberjublet. Making something that didn’t exist before was right up my alley. Seeing the rows of stalls in the underground market was the thing that called to me the most. I saw myself one day owning one of those stalls, or maybe even one of the big shops built into the hard rock.

I needed to learn how to make stuff without Arcane Circles to do that. While I’d gotten the basics down for both cooking and sewing, I didn’t feel very proficient at either. Perhaps the dragon relic could help. I took it out again and turned it over in my hands. It didn’t feel very magical. When it wasn’t snapping at people, it looked like a plain carving of a dragon’s head, possibly to adorn a banister or fireplace. The light brown wood wasn’t even treated. Also in my bag was the book on Magical Storage Devices. I hadn’t paid it much mind since I made my bag in the first place. It had been so useful that I hadn’t thought twice about improving it.

Another thing I noticed was the Arcane Circle I’d imbued into the bag to preserve the food had started to fade. Analyze didn’t have to tell me that the effect was also probably wearing off as well. That was the limitation of rituals. They provided temporary solutions to genuine crafting techniques. Techniques I currently didn’t have.

I flipped through a few of the pages I’d already read, looking for the techniques I needed to learn to improve the design.

Void bags can be further customized into unique compartments. To both contain and allow the void to pass through them, special material must be used inside the bag.

Known materials considered safe for use inside the void include:

1. Shadoweave

2. Korakel Root

3. Synth Webbing

4. Mana Strands

While bags containing additional components are known to exist, not much is known about them.

I made a mental note to look for the items the next time I visited the market. In the meantime, I wondered what techniques I’d need to apply each one to the bag.

Info: Incorporating Shadoweave involves sewing the severed hairs of a Shade given willingly into all facets of the bag.

Info: Korakel Roots are fibers of a fully mature Korakel Carrot and can be applied to the binding to expand the opening of the bag.

Info: Synth Webbing is the silken web of any species of Aranea Magica. Apply the webbing to pockets to make them watertight.

Info: Mana Strands are threads of mana collected into spools. It can be used to create a nearly indestructible fabric.

Your Research skill has increased: +1 (16)

I marveled at the information the Research skill provided. The best part was that it all seemed relatively easy to come by. How hard could it be to get a carrot? And I could make Mana Strands all on my own. At least I should be able to. The Aranea Magica sounded a little intimidating but maybe I could get Leslie to do some of her power leveling on them. Of course, I’d have to upgrade her armor first…somehow.

I was lost in thought when a tiny voice said my name. It took me a while and her repeating herself three more times before I saw her. Grace’s head looked up at me from the ground as though she were trying to climb through the roof.

“Grace? What? How are you doing that?” I asked, kneeling beside her and wondering if I should help her up.

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “You didn’t send me any food for dinner even though I called your name over and over again.”

“I didn’t hear you,” I replied, looking at the remnants of dinner on my plate. “I’ll have to go back downstairs. Seriously though, how are you doing that?”

Grace beamed at me. “The same way you do. I stuck my head where yours pops up every night. It’s simple.”

“But your shadow isn’t alive,” I argued. “Well, never mind. I suppose your way worked. Take your head back out and I’ll go fetch you some food.”

She did as instructed and I snuck back down to the kitchen. Since it was abandoned, I decided to eat with Grace there. She was far hungrier than I thought she’d be, eating three plates before she was satisfied.

“Is Mother feeding you?” I asked, only using the name Mother for Grace’s sake.

She ducked under the shadow, disappearing for a moment. I was just about to go after her when she popped up again holding a bag. “Do you think you can spare some extra food for Mother? She’s not eating at all.”

I gaped at her. “Where exactly do you plan to tell her you got it from?”

Grace waved her hands defensively. “I’ll just put it in the kitchen. I doubt she’ll question it. Please, Ollie. I know how you feel about her. Do it for me?”

She knew I couldn’t turn her down, so I made her another plate. “Okay. I’ll have more again in the morning.”

“Thanks,” she said, blowing me a kiss before retreating into the darkness.

I felt suddenly exhausted. Sam caught me as soon as I entered the room with a handful of copper coins. “We delivered everything. Those D ranked quests paid double. Are you sure these coins are worth anything?”

“You’d be surprised just how much,” I replied, stifling a yawn as I pulled the three larger packages out of my bag and handed them to Sam.

“Oh,” he said, staggering under the weight. “You shouldn’t have but I am glad you came home with them. It saves a lot of time not having to walk over there to get them. Is it just three today?”

“No. Beth has the rest.”

Sam continued talking to me but all I remember is curling up in bed and closing my eyes.

Congratulations, you have reached level 5

+100 HP

+100 Mana

+100 Stamina

Skill Unlocked: Mimic

As usual, I slept through the notifications, being far too sleepy to bother with strange messages etched into my eyelids. I only woke when Beth shook me. “Oliver, wake up.”

I yawned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Something was wrong. It was far too bright outside.

“What time is it?” I asked, bumping into Beth as I swung my legs off the bed.

“Nearly ten,” she announced, carefully balancing a plate of food she’d prepared for me.

I took the offered plate and gently lowered it into my shadow. Beth raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask the obvious question.

“I’ll explain later,” I said as I raced out the door.

“You’re late!” Mishun barked as she set plates in the window of her crowded restaurant.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked, pushing through the swinging door into the kitchen.

“Dishes!” She announced, pointing to the sink where plates were already stacked perilously high.

My shoulders sagged as I made my way over to do the grunt work. There would be no learning this morning.