Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 171 - 171 - Gearing up

The upstairs of the guildhall are quite busy too for a change. But up here it's mostly adventurers not in a hurry to get ready for the day. There are those intending to sleep in at the dorm. Others are up and about heading to the bath or coming from there, but not in a hurry. Most of the latter look like they haven't gotten nearly enough sleep.

I ignore them all for the better part, except that I take care not to bump into anyone on my way to the library at the end of the hallway. I unlock the door, slip inside and lock it back up right behind me just in case. I really want to remain undisturbed.

After looking around briefly my first action is to focus on the light spell and a spot above the reading desk by the window. The sun doesn't provide enough light on its own yet for comfortable reading. By now that spell comes easy to me and as some of my Mana drains away the desired orb of light springs into existence, bathing the room in its radiance.

My [Light] spell progresses a little too as a result. It's so incredibly close to the next level up now. I'm tempted to cast it again right away, but that really would be wasteful. Instead I step to the bookshelf to search for the right book.

Wielimir's illustrated guide to the frontier's wildlife won't do me any good this time around, as most mushrooms aren't exactly wildlife or monsters. Instead I search through the books until I fond one on plants and herbs. Mushrooms aren't exactly plants either, but more often than not they are clustered together as far as books like this one are concerned.

At least the book has a separate chapter on mushroom instead of mixing them with all the other herbs alchemists might need. It's been clearly written by someone who knew what they were writing about. The illustrations are a surprise though. They are nothing like the ones in Wielimir's book. These aren't illustrations at all in fact. They are highly stylized illuminations.

I better not expect any plants to look exactly like their depictions here. At the same time though, I'm pretty certain that the emphasized parts in these pictures will be the dead giveaway if I'm to encounter them in the wild. But it's not some delicate herb I'm looking for anyway. The pictures of the mushrooms look like they are much closer to the originals.

Finding the right mushroom isn't quite as easy as I had hoped. Not because of the pictures or anything like that. The real tricky part is, that the book is old. And so is the lettering and the grammar used. I can't help but frown as I do my best to decipher everything. Troublesome as it may be, I do find the mushrooms called Black Caps.

It's actually the illuminated picture that helps me out there. It's rather distinctive, with silver and gold used to showcase the glow emitted supposedly by the underside of these curious mushrooms. The cap's topside seems to be really a deep black. The rest looks more like a normal mushroom.

Deciphering the descriptive text with all the helpful information regarding finding those is the hard part. I run my fingers through my hair while I do. That my [Syld] language skill improves a little from just this is rather telling. It seems they are easy enough to spot during daytime, as they grow in dense patches but they are even easier to find during nighttime because of their glow. Individual specimen should be about finger long and not too large otherwise either. I'll be able to gather plenty without burdening myself down. That is pretty much as I have been hoping.

What really has me scratching my head is the rest of the commentary to these. They are apparently not poisonous, but not exactly a delicacy either with a taste that reminds of shoe leather. Did the author really know how shoe leather tastes? It seems they only grow in areas that have seen some necromancy happen and their main use is in alchemical concoctions related to this particular school of magic too.

I shake my head again. Well, unless the client needs these mushrooms to unleash a plague of zombies on the frontier lands it's not really my business. No, actually that's wrong. It very much would be my business. This is the kind of quest I need to keep an eye on. I just hope that the adventurers' guild keeps an eye on clients who submit request like this one already. They would be the one in the best position to do so anyway. Maybe I should mention it to Jerzy on my way out, just in case?

Yes, might just do that. For now though I commit everything the book can tell me about these Black Caps to memory. Deciphering it has been too hard to now lightly forget anything. And besides, I can feel my [Gather Information] skill improve a little. It's so close to the next level up, it almost hurts. Well, I'm sure the next opportunity to give the skill a workout will present itself sooner or later.

For now I close the book with a sigh and put it back on the shelf with the others. I eye the magical light I created, but that will remain in place for another few hours. I doubt that's a problem though. Satisfied with the results of my research I leave the library behind, properly locking it back up as I get going, just as has been asked of me.

Afterwards I return the key downstairs and head off back out into the city. I'm not yet done preparing for this trip. I intend to life at least partially off the land out there, foraging for food again whenever I can, but I still want to get some provisions, something that will last, anyway. It's better to be prepared. And I want to get a cloth sack, something simple, for the mushrooms I have to gather too. I'll dry them as I go, but I still don't want them to just roll around my pack until it's time to hand them in anyway.

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Food I buy at a stall on a market outside the wall. Some hard bread and some hard cheese, as usual. Both should keep well enough for the next few days and supplement whatever I can scrounge up in the wilds. The two pennies I have to spend on these things hurt a little though, considering the quest's pay isn't exactly stellar.

My next stop is another shop I'm familiar with, the Flea and Flotsam near the upstream waterfront. There I get the cloth bag, second hand, clean and patched up in one spot but otherwise in good condition. That's another two pennies gone, but at least I'll be able to use that thing for a while if I'm careful. Considering the price is already pretty low I don't have any room to haggle either, but since I already get it for cheap that's alright. I'm really starting to like shopping second hand.

I use the cloth bag to store my travel rations for the time being. Why not after all. I'm pretty much ready to head out now, except, I resolved to have words with Jerzy at the tavern about this particular quest and the implications regarding the client who issued it. Thus that is my next stop, at the other end of town at the downstream water front. I'm really getting to know the place with my feet today. I might have to look into investing into a second pair of boots eventually. Right now mine are still good, but eventually, if I keep walking a lot, they might start to show some wear.

My thoughts actually darken a little as I think of this expense. That one will be a major one for sure. Good boots are not something you can buy second hand. They have to be fitted properly. And that is the exact point where I almost trip over my own feet as I only barely do not miss my next step.

I feel so stupid right now. I don't need custom fitted boots! I can fit my feet to just about any boots I buy! Even made first experiments with my shape changing skill a while ago regarding such partial changes. And, well, it's not like anyone knows in great detail what my feet look like. Not even Sylwia or Matylda should have gotten more than a cursory glance at the bathhouse. A small change should go unnoticed, right?

My thoughts are still circling around the possibilities by the time I walk back into the familiar tavern by the waterfront. My gaze wanders to Jerzy's usual table, but to my surprise it's not Jerzy I find sitting there anymore. Instead it's Wiktor who is sitting there, nursing a mug beer. He doesn't look too thrilled to be here.

I slink over to the man and sit down across from him. When the serving girl, still the same as earlier today, approaches I shake my head.

"I won't be long. In fact I'm almost gone again already."

The girl takes the comment with a shrug. Wiktor on the other hand raises an eyebrow.

"And here I had hopes you would stay a while and make this part of the job a little more bearable. You sure you don't want a beer?"

I shake my head.

"Had one just a little earlier. Can't get drunk off my ass right before I head out on a quest for the adventurers' guild. That's what I wanted to share anyway. I mean that quest. Mushroom picking. Sounds easy enough, right? Except it calls for Black Caps, which are almost only ever used for necromantic rituals and alchemicals. I have no clue how well the other guild keeps tabs on people requesting something like that, thus I thought I'd mention it here. Just in case it's something that needs some more looking into. Anyway, I'll be out for a few days. Three. Maybe four. Probably. I'll need to do some hiking to get where these might be growing."

That makes him perk up a little. He sits up a little straighter too, his mug all but forgotten all of a sudden.

"Black Caps? Can't say I have ever heard of those. I guess they are no good for cooking?"

I snort.

"Not unless you want to cook something up that can wake the dead."

Now he laughs out loud.

"Alright. I'm no expert, but I'll walk with someone who knows someone. You know how it goes. We'll look into it. Not all necromancy is worth worrying over, or even just illegal. If something needs to be done though, we'll find out."

After glancing down at his beer, almost as if he only now realizes that the mug is still there, he takes a sip. And before I can finish getting up he stops me dead in my tracks, halfway of my stool, with his next comment.

"On a totally unrelated note. You looked distracted when you came in. Might have even blushed a little. That wasn't about the mushroom thing, or was it?"

I actually sputter now, blushing again at the suggestion alone and the memories this sudden change in topic brings back.

"What? No!"

He laughs again, his bad mood from earlier now all but gone.

"Well, take care out there! Don't get picked off by mushrooms while you are out mushroom picking."

I roll my eyes and finish getting up before I answer.

"If I come shambling back as a mushroom zombie you'll be one of the first I'll inform of that change of circumstances."

He recoils in mock horror.

"Please don't! Mushroom zombies always she so much stuff everywhere! Cleaning up after them is such a chore."

I snort again, but decide to play along a little longer.

"Unless you happen to be Ediva Glimmersong. For her it would be a blast."

By now there are some chuckles from other nearby tables too. Lighthearted banter like this has its fans it seems. Wiktor certainly is not even trying to hold in the laughs anymore. I leave with one last wave and some more parting words.

"Do try not to burn down the city while I'm gone!"