Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 18

Ser Abelard held out an expectant hand.

"Right." Severance placed the pouch in the artisan's palm. Then he watched as Ser Abelard undid the complicated knot in a matter of moments. It was like he tugged at it in two places, and the entire thing fell apart.

Tipping the pouch upside down, Ser Abelard shook two small gems out into the palm of his other hand. They gleamed, catching the light and shining as if lit from within. To his surprise, Severance recognized them as Ell's Tears.

His mind flew back to the moment he'd brought one back to Olen. The clan administrator had made an offhand comment about getting another one. As it turned out, he had. Severance felt amazed. And impressed. He'd thought the man was just mentioning it casually, but as it turned out, Olen had done exactly what he'd said. And within a matter of days, too.

"Hmm," Ser Abelard eyed the two gems for a moment, poking at them with a fat finger. "Clear, with no visible defects. Wonderful, they'll do the job!"

For what? Severance watched as the merchant set the two Ell's Tears in a wooden bowl on one of the tables. This table barely had any free space. Clutter covered nearly every available surface.

"Hold this for a moment." Ser Abelard held something out. Severance instinctively reached out, and found himself holding a perfect sphere. It looked like it was made of solid glass, clear, heavy, and smooth.

As he looked down into the orb, he thought he saw something swirl inside. A wisp of cloud, maybe. He looked closer, but saw nothing else. Maybe it was just a shadow.

"All right, let's see that." Before Severance could react, the artisan plucked the orb from his hand. Ser Abelard closed his fingers around it, then paused, a thoughtful looking crossing over his face.

"A bit of a storm, hm?" Ser Abelard winked cryptically, which threw Severance even more off guard. "Don't you worry, lad. I know just what to do with these. You can tell Olen I'll have it finished in three days."

"Have what finished? What are you making?"

A chuckle was all he got for an answer. With a solid clap of Ser Abelard's hands, the wall panels rolled back up into the roof, allowing daylight to stream back into the shop. "Off you go, lad. I've got work to do!"

And now the guy was back to full volume. Wincing, Severance sighed internally and left the shop.

Quest Completed: Deliver package to Ser Abelard

The System notification flickered before him, lingering for a moment before fading away. Severance scratched at his jaw. He didn't even know what the point of this quest was. For all he knew, Olen was just getting him to run his errands.

He wandered through the market, curiously glancing at the different shops. There were all kind of things being sold, from weapons to clothing, and toys to food. Judging by the attire of the shoppers, Severance guessed that a good portion of them were Elionans. Unlike players who mostly wore armor or extravagant robes, the natives of Eliona tended to go for simple and plain.

He noticed a lone Valkyrie at the toy booth, holding a small doll that had been carefully carved out of wood. She was smiling faintly as she turned it over, fingertips brushing against its wooden hair. It felt strange to see a Valkyrie wearing such a gentle expression. He wondered if she was getting the toy for her child.

He stopped, a thought striking him like lightning.

Not once had he seen a child in Two Bridges. Or Ascendance. In fact, the only children he'd seen, apart from Taycie and Mirren, had been at the orphanage. And that little brat Jorgie. When he thought about it, there really wasn't a lot of kids in Eliona. Maybe that was just how the game was made, but it still struck him as a little odd.