Great Haven - sup

knock it off the table, shattering it. run out of the room in fear.

It's a pity that the book didn't get stopped before hitting the wall. If it was time magic, the book would have continued on its course when the spell ended, but if it was force magic, it would have clattered to the ground.

Also, I think Raoul will get the best results by not trying, and just actually moving to pick it up. He wasn't exactly trying to swing the pendulum or anything, it just kinda happened.

remember to stretch before lifting or you might pull something

Alright. There's no sense in not trying, you suppose. You pull on your shoulders and give yourself a good stretch.



Anything could happen, but you'll be damned if you break your back from straining.

Think real hard about lifting it

You suppose the real problem is, how do you even begin? A ward like this is made from solid mithral stone, the properties of which you can only guess at, aside from being very, very heavy. In fact, you're not quite sure how that scrawny looking hawren managed to get it in here. Maybe it has something to do with how you focus on it mentally? To be fair, that seems to be your only lead on the task.

Tentatively, you place your paws on the base of the blue stone, feeling the natural bumps and curves on your digits. It makes your fur stand on end. After a bit of feeling around, you manage to find a workable grip (as far as one exists on the clunky thing), and you take a breath as deep as your hiiri lungs can handle...



...And as you lift, to your surprise, you need to exert yourself for only a moment. Before your eyes, the ward rises up and off of the table in your very hands, balancing against the bridge of your nose if you lean back too far. You swear your fingers slip, but they stick to the surface like magnets.



It's buoyant. It's unreal. Between your shoulders and your spine, you don't feel a lick of pressure, not even on your feet or the ground beneath them. Completely weightless.



...Although, now that you think about it, you can't even feel ground under your feet at all.



...It takes you a bit to realize it, but you've had a bit of help. How the physics of this works, you think you'll never know.

The sound of Aloysius's voice interrupts the thoughts trying to fit themselves together in your head. "Yes, yes... your body appears to be incredibly conductive, Raoul. You're doing very well. Now... if the two of you would very gently set the ward back down, please?"

knock it off the table.

Instead, you do the first thing that comes naturally in wild, unfamiliar situations like this: you panic. The static grip discharging from your fingertips is released, and you all watch in horror as the ward tumbles downward...



...Well, downward at a leisurely pace. Maya manages to take several strides backwards before it even makes contact with the table.



The ward casually rips through the unfortunate furniture, sculpting it to the uncomfortable sounds of creaking and splintering wood.



As everyone stares, bits of the table fly out, and make graceful arcs in the air before settling on the ground.

The secretary is meanwhile screaming some words you didn't even know existed about how this room is becoming a nightmare.

>Apologise profusely. Ask how much a replacement table will be.

That was super cool, though.

>This is super weird and you have to get out of here. There's no way that hawren won't abuse your powers to make himself wealthy!

Aww Raoul stretching looks really cute!

>Apologise profusely.

You've really done it this time, haven't you? Just as the surreality of the situation became less of a focus, you turn your tail and scurry into the nearest and safest spot you can find, all while chanting "I'm sorry" over and over. Your hear his voice, and go silent, bracing yourself for the worst...



...but he's laughing. You expected him to be fuming. "Eeehehee, you silly thing! You've done a lot more good here for me than you've done bad! It's clear you're not feeling your best, though, so I'm not going to ask you to do much more. I think I have a fair diagnosis, either way."

Deline pipes up from the back of the room. "What is it?"

"Oh, firstly, you should know that curses don't exist, yes? So certainly, Raoul isn't cursed - I should even call him blessed, for having such a strong connection with the forces of magic." He turns to you, still hiding in Maya's scarf. "That would explain most of what you've told me, after all. Uncontrollable bursts of thunder? Inexplicable events causing mayhem in your home life? You should be working on how to control these things, and I think you'll find your luck turning around. Perhaps your friends can help you with some basic force magic, if you haven't learned as much already. You can have my word that Magdeline is a very powerful magic user!"

Powerful or not, Deline only seems intent on giving you weird looks.

Ask how much a replacement table will be.

You bring up the topic of payment, particularly for his table, and he quiets down a little bit. "...Ah, yes. Well, that sort of thing was going to happen eventually, so I don't expect you to pay one spice, for that. In fact, that whole experience has given me a few more ideas for experiments I could try for my line of work. And then, the Grand Athenaeum will be giving me enough grant money to buy hundreds upon hundreds of desks!"

There's an awkward pause, before the secretary decides to close things off. "...But before he can buy a new desk, Aloysius and I will need to buy food. So that will be 3800 spice for the session."



You're not quite sure if that helped or not.

At least you can ask Deline or Maya what they think while you're on your way to the arms market.

>Shop for extra​ arms
>Ask for recommendations on lodging, end up in a boarding house with quirky landlady and memorable clientele just waiting to be turned into a sitcom. Or Maya's house whichever is more convenient.

Maya seems to know where to go. You made a mental list in your head earlier of things to buy. You thought of weapons, extra clothes... perhaps training on some sort of trade skill that could allow you to find a job. Though, you're not sure if you want to start investing years of training into something you're probably too small for, and right now, and in this city. But, it wouldn't be unwise to invest in a bank account. You tell Maya of your plans.

She says, "It might be a bit difficult to find someone who makes weapons your size, but Arioch is the largest city in the world; there's bound to be someone."

Deline interjects, "I would be surprised if you did; Hiiri have a vastly different body type from the rest of the six races, so anyone making swords or bucklers that small would have to be quite eccentric... If not more eccentric than Aloysius was."

"Raoul, how much money do you have now?"

You recount the coins in your bag. After the first time, and after counting Aloysius's payment, you're pretty sure you're getting faster at counting by units of 500. You have those, plus the four 50 spice coins you received in change. After after a short while, you declare, "There's still just about 8,700 spice in here."

"A good weapon your size will eat up more than half of that," Deline adds, "and you still need to think about paying for a place to stay. That is, unless you're okay with sleeping on the streets."

Before you can say that you probably would be, Maya offers a solution: "I wouldn't mind if he simply stayed with me. As long as he wanted, even! I have enough money to support him at this point."

There's a brief pause. You don't know what to say; you suppose you can never get used to such generosity.

Eventually, the conversation turns to how maya prefers not to have a weapon, and then to the versatility of her magic skills. Maya and Deline both agree that force magic makes a fine substitution for a weapon, but it can still be quite exhausting when switching to other magics, like the school of healing. Deline says she needs to be working on her skills with the school of power, since it makes the light shows in her line of work much more impressive; Maya says she never really saw the appeal of using power magic, though. Too dangerous, she says; force is much more useful. Though she wonders if there is anything worth looking into the school of space. Nobody really uses it for anything other than storage. Deline complains that her bag is too clumsy to carry around, and that she should probably invest in a saddlebag like yours or Maya's. She wished she had invested in spacebending thread early on, like Maya did - it's just too expensive to be practical now. Maya does say it made saving for her move a lot easier. Then everybody stops talking, and there's silence.



Before you know it, a corner is turned, and then the usual stalls on the sides of the road multiply into a full-blown marketplace. It never occurred to you just how busy places like this could be under the daylight. Maya turns to the nearest vendor to ask about hiir-sized weapons and armor, and she's told there's a shop down the way that has a small selection... but then, there's so much stuff around, you could start looking almost anywhere. The question is, what do you really need?

>Pants would be nice

> Maya: Try and find something cute for Raoul, like a cute little hat (maybe a turquoise robin hood hat to match his scarf?)
> Deline: Suggest a much more practical use for the spice

>Pants would be nice

Some kind of defensive garments would be a priority, you think, but you're not sure if pants would be well suited for your body type. Being a Hiir, your legs are short and your hips are quite... round. Your limbs would get tangled up in the cloth too easily. Perhaps you would have better luck with...



A tunic? At the bare minimum, it gets the job done. Touring some of the stalls, you manage to find this one, and it doesn't look too bad... and it even has a matching hat for you to buy separately. Beyond being protective and upping your Defenses from all sources, the seller also claims it to have ward-like properties - meaning if someone particularly nasty were to try using offensive magic against you, most of it would be absorbed by the suit. So that means it would add a nice Will bonus as well. ...It sounds nice, but you also have doubts that it would be useful to you; Who would try using magic against someone small and fast enough to outrun it to begin with?

>Buy a tiny buckler shield

You also manage to find someone who sells hiir-sized bucklers. It's pretty lightweight, so there are no complaints there... it should give you a moderate Defense boost. The curious thing about it is, there appears to be a small button on the inside... and when you press it...



...A force field pops up and surrounds you, and begins to roll freely around you like a ball. The seller claims that it's indestructible. Not only does that sound too good to be true, but it feels very claustrophobic to be trapped in a sphere like someone's pet. Your Agility would be noticeably reduced in this state.

> Maybe a blade of a highly conductive metal

After browsing through armor, you decide to look at the available weaponry. It turns out that the shop that Maya asked about earlier only had one real weapon your size - a rapier. It's fine iron-based metal, which would prove useful for practicing magic (should you try to do so), and it gives you quite a bit of reach... but as a weapon, you can only really see it as being truly useful in combat with other Hiir. Against any other race... it's basically a glorified needle. Still, something is better than nothing, and it should raise your Attack. You'll need to practice with it no matter what you do.

>Buy a GUN

And finally... the three of you manage to find a vendor that sells firearms. This one is designed to be held in one hand by a Rozo, but you can hold it in two just fine, if it's a little cumbersome. All firearms that you've seen in your lifetime generate their own bullets with force magic, though those only travel for a few meters before disappearing into thin air. They have quite the knockback... at least, the one your old clan had did. It was much bigger than this, and never really left the den. With your spacebending bag, you could carry this just about everywhere, and it would be invaluable defense against anyone or anything who meant you harm.

The biggest issue, you suppose, is the price. You have 8,700 spice.

The tunic costs 2000 spice, and 3800 with the ward upgrade.
The buckler is 500 alone, but with the bubble, it costs 5000, ten times the original price.
The rapier will fetch 3550 spice.
...And last but not least, the rozo pistol, a cannon in your hands, will drain you of almost all your money - a whopping 7500 spice.

Maya also suggests it would be a good idea to look at some potions as well - they hover around 1000 spice per bottle, but you haven't really looked at them in detail. Depending on their effects, they could cost less, or much, much more than that.

Oh, and the hat was 200 spice, if you wanted to grab that.

Of course, you don't want to be too hasty in these sorts of decisions; it would be wise to keep some money in a savings account, where it could gain interest, and you could always do a little more browsing...

Get that tunic and hat cuz it looks great on you

I agree that hat and tunic are a must, but, not so sure about the warding effect. Not a fan of the bubble, and the cost doesn't seem worth it. Guns are fine, but let's do some saving first before we get one.

So what potions are there? Anything for making a quick escape?

Let's get the hat and tunic with ward upgrade, it might help by absorbing any stray magical effects he accidentally generates. Also some kind of healing potion would be all around useful.

Hat and the upgraded tunic, then check out what potions are on offer.

Also try to save at least 2000 or so spice for that bank account!

Hat and ward tunic because fuck yes. (4000 spice)
Buckler without bubble (4500 spice)
That leaves us with a nice 4200 spice.
Look at potion selection also, maybe find a temporary magic enhancer concotion? Or a potent salve for more serious wounds? Or maybe even... a love potion? Nah, you don't care about that sort of thing.
Keep at least 2000 spice as a rainy day fund.

As a side not, this adventure probably has my favourite art style of them all. The characters are compelling and the backgrounds feel alive and vibrant. This adventure as a whole is criminally underrated.

Also Raoul is fucking cute in that hat and tunic oh my god.

This adventure is literally one of my favourite things on this forum.
Also, you need that hat and tunic. You just do.

ask if the bubble can be tested by dropping a really heavy thing on it.

Feeling skeptical, you ask the bubble vendor to demonstrate the indestructibility of his product. There's no real way to turn it on without wielding it, so... your turn it on, trapping yourself within it as per design. The vendor begins to lift up a large crate, preparing to drop it on top of you.

Maya quickly comes to stop this nonsense. "Noooo, please, that won't be necessary, thank you very much! Y'know, that's actually a very bad idea if it does happen to break." Slightly offended, the vendor puts his crate back down, and you unbubble, preferring not to think of the possible outcomes of that scenario.

So what potions are there?

Deciding to browse around a little more, you have a look at the potion stall. These flasks are huge! You think you could make two or three servings for yourself just from these alone. You eye a few of them...

There's a potion of haste, which should make you run very, very fast. They say it's a relatively new recipe, and it's in high demand. A potion of invisibility would be useful for escapes, but they're somewhat expensive compared to the rest. Healing potions seem common and quite cheap, though you have doubt that you'll need one of those with Maya around - after all, hypothermia doesn't sound all that easy an ailment to cure with magic, and she fixed you up pretty well. She must have felt pretty fatigued after using that much magic... or perhaps she used some kind of restorative. It turns out that these sorts of rejuvenating potions are quite cheap and readily made, but come in smaller servings. Unlike the rest, you think you could only get one good charge out of these.



And then, you see a love potion. You were interested at first, but it looks awfully sleazy on closer inspection. That bottle must have been used over half a dozen times... and even on this use, It's so old and musty looking, that you're not entirely sure the contents are still completely liquid. The wax seal is probably broken. You have a hard time believing that anyone would be desperate enough to buy that thing, but then again... it's up for sale for a reason.

You make note of the prices of each of these potions. They all have three hiir-sized servings in them, and you could easily store them in your bag, which Maya took again while you were changing in and out of that tunic.



You turn to maya to see if you can get your bag back, but before you can say anything, Deline pushes her aside. You hear her say something about wanting to talk "in private," but as they walk away, their voices are quickly drowned out in the crowd.

You have 8700 Spice.
Tunic - 2000 Sp
Ward tunic - 3800 Sp
Buckler - 500 Sp
Bubble buckler - 5000 Sp
Rapier - 3550 Sp
Pistol - 7500 Sp
Hat - 200 Sp

Potion of Haste - 1100 Sp
Potion of Invisibility - 1800 Sp
Potion of Healing - 800 Sp
Potion of Rejuvination - 500 Sp
Potion of Love - 1500 Sp

Your current plan is to buy the ward tunic and the hat (of course), while putting aside 2000 for a bank account. This would leave you with 2700 Sp to do anything else with. You think you'll finalize your budget plan when Maya gives you back your bag, again.

SpoilerShow

As a side not, this adventure probably has my favourite art style of them all. The characters are compelling and the backgrounds feel alive and vibrant. This adventure as a whole is criminally underrated.

Also Raoul is fucking cute in that hat and tunic oh my god.

This adventure is literally one of my favourite things on this forum.

Reading comments like these really makes me happy. Thanks a lot c':

>Grab the potions of haste and healing. Getting in and out of places quickly is always good, and Maya might not be around all the time.

> Normal buckler, 2 rejuvination potions and one haste. That leaves 100 spice.

You mull it over for a bit, doing the arithmetic with pebbles on the ground - you feel like you have a pretty good handle on working with larger numbers now. If you take the haste potion, the health potion, and a single rejuvenation potion, you should have 2300 spice left... which is a decent amount to go to the bank, you think. Now, if only Maya would come back with your money.



...Huh. They sure are taking a long time, and you can't see them anywhere nearby. People are starting to stare at you. You really want to get that tunic... but you're a patient Hiir, and that can wait for Maya to come back. She has the saddle bag you grew up with, so she's bound to come give it back to you.

...Right?

>Climb on top of something tall so you're out of sight. People staring make you nervous!

> Encounter mild to moderate racism, and an eccentric stall owner trying to force a deal.

Just focus very hard on your math.

For just a while longer, you wait. You figure you can practice counting. You just wish the rocks had more variance; it's hard to remember which ones represent hundreds, and you're less than confident in knowing which one is bigger. At least you're being consistent.



Suddenly, a feather prods at your back,interrupting your thoughts and nearly sending you thirty feet into the air. "Hey, buddy." It's the potion stall owner, no doubt unamused by your loitering. "Are you going to buy something, or just sit there playing with rocks all day? If you understand, my other customers don't appreciate the likes of you being around."

>Climb on top of something tall so you're out of sight.

Despite the circumstances of your inability to pay, you decide it's time to make yourself scarce, and zip up the nearest climbable object, which in your experience would usually lead you to a rooftop or something where you could hide. Instead, it leads you to the center of attention; the faces turned toward you are growing in number, and you can hear them mumbling amongst themselves.

Thankfully, there are only a handful of people around this particular area, and they look more confused than anything else - but you aren't taking any chances, especially since some of the voices you hear are quite angry. Unfortunately, you still don't see Maya or Deline anywhere nearby; this is getting worrisome.

Though... the more you think about it, something here doesn't quite add up. You only see about three to four faces in front of you, but you hear maybe half a dozen voices. And only see two people are talking.

What's more, they sound like they're coming from behind you... but your back is to a wall.

Get down on that platform with the jug on it and listen in; if you sit there it looks a bit more like a place a hiir would hang out.