[Looking Up]
Krov’s shop was just as empty as the last time Tanya had visited it. It seemed that the woman’s only visitors since their last meeting had been the dust bunnies that had taken up residence on the shelves nearest the door.
The woman herself was leaned over the shop counter, one hand propping her face up as she snoozed softly. Tanya raised an eyebrow at the behavior, before clearing her throat loudly.
“Ah!” Krov’s eyes snapped open and her cheek slipped from her closed fist, causing her to nearly faceplant on the counter. She shot up, eyes wide and bleary, before they locked onto Tanya.
“Hello?” She called, before blinking as Tanya came into focus. Immediately, a wide, eager smile broke out on her face, and her entire continence shifted from excitement to borderline jubilation. “Its you! You’re back!”
“I am,” Tanya noted. “And you were sleeping. I assume business is slow as usual?”
Krov seemingly ignored her question, darting around the counter to stand before Tanya in clear excitement. Tanya noted that her fingers were stained with soot, or perhaps charcoal, with smudges leading up her hand towards her wrists and forearms. The woman didn’t seem to care about that or even notice it, as she reached out and grabbed Tanya by both shoulders in a move that made Tanya straighten with confusion and mild annoyance.
“Did you bring it? Please tell me you brought it,” She pleaded, her eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. Tanya was taken aback by her insistence and borderline manic nature, staring at her in shock.
It was then that Krov seemed to realize what she was doing. She looked down at her hands, up to Tanya’s unimpressed face, and took a huge step back. A blush quickly spread across her scarred face, and she wrung her hands together nervously, smearing soot all over herself.
“S-sorry about that. I’ve been thinking about that focus since you first brought it to me and I... honestly wasn’t sure you were ever going to come back, hehe,” she laughed nervously, looking properly contrite. “Sorry.”
Tanya rubbed the black stains off of her shoulder with a slow movement, staring at the woman with a raised brow. “Well I suppose if you’re sorry enough to apologize twice, I can forgive a bit of excitement on your part. Please don’t do that again.”
“Right, sorry,” Krov winced, before shaking her head. “A-Anyway, what can I do for you? I don’t suppose it has anything to do with that beautiful piece of magical engineering that’s been haunting my dreams and every waking moment of my life since you first showed it to me?”
Tanya eyed her. “You weren’t quite so enthusiastic about it when I first brought it in.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off,” Krov admitted shamelessly. “You have to understand, most people who come in here are carrying some family heirloom they think they can sell for cash or looking for something that would make a Level One fight like a Level Three. Half of them don’t know what they’re looking for and the other half get mad at me when I tell them what they are looking for doesn’t exist. You’re the first person in months to come my way with some actual business.”
Krov retrieved her stool from the back of the counter and hopped up on it, her feet swinging slightly as she leaned forward, her face bright and animated.
“And boy did you ever! I’ve had people bring me all sorts of things since I opened shop, but I’ve never seen anything like your focus.” She pressed a hand to her chest dramatically. “It’s probably the most interesting thing I’ve seen since I took up this profession.”
The Type 95 was a product of another world entirely, and as such, it made sense that someone like Krov, whose entire profession revolved around magical artifacts., would find it endlessly fascinating. Still, the woman’s enthusiasm was notable.
“I’m glad my equipment has provided you with some entertainment.”
“Entertainment is an understatement,” Krov laughed. “I’ve been so “entertained” that I’ve spent the past two months drawing up prototype sketches based on your focus’s design!" She perked up in obvious excitement. "Wanna see them?”
Tanya felt interest despite herself. A single examination shouldn’t have been enough to produce anything of substance, yet the woman said sketches, plural. The Type 95 was a product of technology and magical theory that simply didn’t exist in this world, and reverse-engineering it from a brief inspection should have been next to impossible. And yet...
“I suppose I have a few minutes,” Tanya said. “Show me what you’ve come up with.”
Krov’s face turned bright and she turned back to the counter. “One second!” she disappeared into the room just behind the counter, and beyond, Tanya could hear the sound of clattering and shuffled papers as the woman looked through her things. A moment later, Krov returned, carrying a leatherbound book that looked large enough to chronicle several lifetimes.
“Here, take a look” Krov said, clearing a space on the counter and opening the notebook to its latter pages. Tanya noted how careful she was not to wrinkle the paper, handling it was the reverence most would reserve for holy artifacts. “These are the ones I’m most proud of.”
Tanya leaned over the book, her eyes scanning the first sketch with genuine curiosity, and paused as she was met with an incredibly detailed drawing of her Computation Orb, or at least something similar. The internal structure had been mapped out with surprising accuracy, with lines and notations indicating the flow of magical energy through various channels. Though she was no engineer, there were elements that Tanya recognized immediately, and she was left surprised at their accuracy.
“You drew this from memory?” Tanya asked, somewhat stupefied.
“I had to do something with all these ideas that popped into my head,” Krov said, though there was a hint of pride in her voice.
“Are you planning to sell these?” Tanya’s tone was broaching but careful.
Krov let out a bark of laughter “Sell what? The drawings? I don’t have the money to start actually building anything, and even if I did, there’s no guarantee any of it would work. No smith or artificer worth their salt would pay the price I’d put up anyway. Not without a working product.”
Tanya’s eyes lingered on the sketches, her mind taking in this new information and running with it. Krov was more talented than she had assumed. It astounded her that the woman was able to produce sketches this complex from a single inspection of the Type 95.
Tanya’s mind raced with the possibilities. Magical theory in this world was far behind that in the Empire when it came to the more physical aspects of the craft. If Krov could be brought up to speed on the finer points of magical computation theory, there was no telling what she might be capable of producing. And if those productions bore Tanya’s name—or rather, her investment—there was equally no telling how lucrative such an arrangement might become.
Tanya had been searching for an alternate source of income from the Dungeon, and it seemed one might have just landed at her feet. It was a stretch, certainly, but all great businesses had to start somewhere, and she had seen greater things come from more humble beginnings. Krov had talent; she just needed capital and a product worth selling.
But first thing’s first.
Tanya reached into her cloak and pulled out the bundle containing her Type 95, setting it on the counter in front of her. Krov’s eyes immediately locked onto it, her eyes widening and her proud smile twitching into one of hopeful intrigue.
“I’d like to resume our earlier discussion,” Tanya said. “You mentioned before that you could repair this.”
Krov’s hands hovered over the bundle, her fingers twitching with barely contained eagerness. She looked up at Tanya, her eyes wide and pleading. “May I?”
Tanya nodded. “Just be careful.”
“Of course, of course,” Krov murmured, already reaching for the cloth. Her fingers worked at the wrappings with a delicacy that belied her earlier enthusiasm, unfolding each layer as if she were peeling back the petals of a flower. When the final fold fell away, the Type 95 sat exposed on the counter, its surface catching what little light filtered through the dusty windows.
Krov’s breath caught in her throat. “Just as beautiful as when I last laid eyes on it,” she breathed, lifting it with careful hands.
Tanya watched as Krov turned it over slowly, her eyes tracing the etched lines and channels that ran across its surface. Her fingers danced across the metal, swept over the cracked jewel.
“Give me a few minutes with it,” Krov said distractedly, her attention already fully absorbed by the device in her hands. “And I’ll tell you exactly what it needs.”
Tanya nodded again, settling back on her heels as Krov moved to her workbench. The woman produced a loupe from somewhere among her cluttered tools and fitted it over her eye, leaning in close to examine the orb’s interior through the gaps in its casing. She hummed to herself as she worked, her hips swaying as she got lost in her own little world.
While the woman worked, Tanya took the opportunity to study the rest of the sketches in the leatherbound book, flipping through the pages with idle curiosity. Some of the designs were rough, half-finished or scribbled over, while others were more refined, annotated with notes and terms that Tanya didn’t have the knowledge to discern.
If I could find a way to monetize this, tanya mused, I might not need to step foot in the Dungeon again.
The thought was a pretty one, but quite far away should she decide to actually pursue it. That being said, Tanya was nothing if not ambitious, and she did love having a tangible goal to work towards.
Krov returned after perhaps fifteen minutes of working. She settled at the counter, carefully placing the Type 95 just in front of Tanya. Her expression was neutral, and Tanya braced herself.
“I have good news, bad news, and okay news,” Krov said, drumming her fingers against the counter in a nervous pattern. “Which would you like first?”
Tanya considered for a moment. “Good news.”
“I can fix it,” Krov said, her voice carrying a note of pride. “The damage to the internal channels is significant, but it’s not beyond repair. The crystalline structure can be mended, and the conduits that route magical energy through the device can be re-established with some careful work.”
Tanya nodded slowly, though she had expected as much given the woman’s earlier confidence. “And the bad news?”
Krov winced, her fingers stilling against the counter. “It’s going to cost you. Double what I quoted you before, possibly more.”
Tanya’s expression flattened. “Double?”
“Maybe more,” Krov repeated, holding up her hands in a placating gesture as Tanya’s eyes narrowed. “Look, I know it’s not ideal. It’s my fault: I misjudged the quality of materials. Like I already told you, the kind of crystal I’d need to replace the jewel isn’t something you can just pick up at the market. I’d have to commission it from a specialist, and that’s going to be a quote all on its own assuming they can even do it. Add to that the time and precision required to actually perform the repairs without damaging anything else, and...”
She trailed off with a shrug. Tanya’s jaw tightened, but she remained calm. This was not a life or death situation as it was with her debt, even though it was certainly less than ideal.
“I see,” she said, her tone carefully neutral. “And the okay news?”
Krov’s face split into a grin, her earlier hesitation melting away as she leaned forward on the counter. “I might be able to make you a new one in the meantime.”
Tanya blinked. “Excuse me?”
“It won’t be as complicated as the one you’ve got right here,” she tapped the Type 95 with one finger. “but it would do pretty much the same thing, if a bit more inefficiently. You’ve seen the sketches yourself.”
She flipped to a specific page of her book. “This one, specifically. It’s based on the same foundational theory as your focus, but streamlined. Fewer channels, simpler construction, and most importantly, no cracked jewel to worry about.”
Tanya stared at the sketch, then at Krov, then back at the sketch again. “And the cost?”
“I’m willing to do it for thirty thousand Valis,” Krov said simply. She held her hand up, forestalling Tanya’s reaction. “But you’ll have to leave the old one here so I can take it apart and get a proper look at it. I can only glean so much about it without actually getting my hands on its bits, and I’ll might need to cannibalize the more useful parts that I can’t make myself.”
Tanya stared at the woman for a long moment, mulling over the offer. Her gaze slid to the Type 95, sitting on the counter, broken and utterly useless in its current state.
But did that mean she was willing to risk it in its entirety just for the chance of having it repaired?
It was useful, but how much good is it doing me like this? Tanya asked herself. The answer was ostensibly “not much at all”
She looked up at Krov, who was watching her intently. She seemed calm on the surface, but Tanya easily saw through the facade to the barely-contained eagerness held underneath. The woman’s eyes kept drifting back to the Type 95 as if drawn there by a greater power, her fingers twitching against the counter with clear desire to reach out and take it again.
“Only thirty thousand Valis,” Tanya said slowly. “And you would need to disassemble my current focus to complete the work.”
“Only for a little bit!” Krov assured rather quickly. “I’ll keep all the pieces safe and catalogued properly so you don’t have to worry about something going missing. If you’d like, you can think of it like a deposit, of sorts.”
Tanya hummed. “A deposit that you’ll be studying at your leisure.”
Krov had the grace to look slightly abashed. “Well, yes. But only to ensure the new design works as intended! I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could pull it off. I’ve been studying magical focuses for longer than you’ve been alive, missy. I know what I’m doing.”
Tanya held up a hand to forestall the woman’s increasingly defensive rambling. “I’m not questioning your competence. You’ve shown me more than enough to dissuade me of any notions like that. I’m more concerned about what you might do with the knowledge you manage to glean from my personal property.”
Krov seemed a bit confused. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Once our business concludes, I assume you intend to use your newfound knowledge to turn this establishment into something more lively, yes?” Tanya gestured to the empty shop around them. “If you manage to duplicate my focus, it’d only make sense to peddle the novel idea to adventurers seeking a novel way to focus their magic.”
Krov’s face turned guilty, and Tanya knew instantly that she had the woman pegged. “That’s—I mean, I-I was going to ask you—”
“I’m not against the idea,” Tanya cut through the woman’s nervous rambling. “I’d even be willing to help you, but I would like to be properly compensated for my role in this, I’m sure you understand?”
Krov’s expression shifted from guilt to surprise, and then settled on hope. “You want to help me?”
“I said as much, didn’t I?” Tanya replied. “You clearly have talent and a passion for your craft that ensures quality would never be an issue. If you had something to get boots through your doors, I’m sure you could be quite successful. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of that?”
Krov stared at her for a long moment, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “I... I don’t know what to say.”
“You could start by telling me whether this is something you actually want,” Tanya said. “I’ve no interest in partnering with someone who’s only half-committed to the endeavor.”
“Are you kidding?” Krov asked “This is everything I’ve wanted since I opened this shop! To actually make something, something that could change the way people think about magical focuses—of course I want it!”
Tanya nodded, satisfied. “Good. Then we have the foundations of an understanding, at least.”
Krov was practically vibrating in place, her hands gripping the edge of the counter as if to steady herself. “I’ll have to speak to Lady Hephaestus because you’re not a member of our Familia, but I know she’ll say yes!”
Tanya felt a flicker of irritation at the notion of asking a higher power for permission to enact a beneficial business deal, but managed to quash her initial reaction in favor of a measured nod. “That’s perfectly fine. We can resume this chat at a later date.
“In the meantime,” Tanya continued, “I’ll take your deal. Thirty thousand Valis for a new focus, and you may disassemble my current one to facilitate the work.”
Krov’s face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds. “Really? You mean it?”
“I don’t tend to say things I don’t mean,” Tanya replied, though she allowed a small smile at the woman’s enthusiasm. “However, I do have a few conditions. First, I will be returning for regular updates on your progress. Second, any notes or observations you make regarding my focus are to be kept strictly confidential until we’ve formalized our partnership. And third—”
She held up a finger, fixing Krov with a firm look.
“—if at any point I decide I want my original focus back in one piece, you will reassemble it to the best of your ability and return it to me. Regardless of whether you’ve completed the new one.”
Krov nodded rapidly, her hands already reaching for the Type 95 before she caught herself. “Of course! Absolutely! You have my word on all three counts!”
“Good.” Tanya reached into her pouch and began counting out the payment. Thirty thousand Valis was no small sum, but it was well within her means now that her debt had been absolved. The money from her dungeon dives had been accumulating steadily, and with no outstanding obligations to drain her funds, she could afford this investment. Because it was an investment.
She placed the stack of coins on the counter, and Krov barely took the moment to count it before turning to the machine that held her true interest.
“I’ll need a few weeks,” Krov said, her voice slightly breathless. “Maybe more, depending on how the initial work goes. I’ll need to study it and source the materials.”
“I understand,” Tanya said. “Take whatever time you need. I’d rather have a working product than a rushed one.”
Krov nodded, her earlier nervousness replaced by a fierce determination that Tanya found rather refreshing. The woman’s hands practically trembled as she lifted the Type 95 from the counter, cradling it against her chest like a precious treasure.
“I won’t let you down,” she said, her voice firm despite the excitement bubbling beneath the surface. “You’ll get your focus, and it’ll be the best work I’ve ever done.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Tanya replied. “I’ll be back in say, three days? That should be enough time for you to speak with your goddess and have an actual quote ready, yes?”
“Easily!” Krov was already moving toward her workbench, her attention fully captured by the device in her hands. Tanya watched as the woman settled onto her stool, producing a set of delicate tools from somewhere among the clutter, and within moments, she was lost to the world.
Tanya allowed herself a small smile as she turned to leave. The shop’s door chimed as she stepped out into Babel, but she barely heard it as she turned her thoughts inward.
It was a risky investment she had just made. If Krov couldn’t produce something of quality or somehow managed to break the Type 95 even further, then she would be well and truly screwed.
It was a calculated risk, but Tanya had taken far greater risks with far less potential payoff. At the very least, she would have a working focus again. At best, she might have just secured herself a very lucrative business venture.
Things were finally looking up.