[Promising Returns]
Tanya returned to Krov's shop the following morning, eager to both update the woman and have her take a glance at the Computation Orb in case of any damage. Even mass produced orbs required routine maintenance every week or so to keep things running smoothly, and after that impromptu stress test last night, it would be prudent to catch any issues in their infancy.
Tanya was pleasantly surprised to find the woman both present and fully awake as she strode through the door. Krov was hunched over a hook with a pencil in hand, marking tight scribbles on the pages spread before her. She seemed intently focused, only sparing a brief glance toward Tanya before looking back down at her page.
Tanya at first thought she was being ignored, but was quickly proven wrong as Krov jotted down something in the margins of the page she was writing on and then closed the book before regarding her with a wide, excited smile.
“Sorry, sorry! I was taking care of some business stuff." She shuddered, seeming especially giddy. "I have business now, can you believe it!? Even cleaned up this dusty shop a little bit to prepare for the foot traffic.”
Tanya noted the shop did look a tad cleaner. The shelves had been dusted and there weren't as many half-finished projects hanging around. Krov herself also seemed to have cleaned up a bit, though her fingers were still stained and she had raccoon eyes from soot staining her goggles.
“Good decision. It's probably best not to assault every potential customer with a handbag's worth of dust when they step through the door.”
Krov grinned. “Well, I've got you to thank for most of the foot traffic anyway. All anyone's come here for is to see if they can't get their hands on that beautiful focus.”
Tanya raised a brow in surprise. “Word's spread quickly, then?”
“It sure has! I imagine it's thanks to all the zipping around you've been doing. I'm not sure if you realize it, but most people around here can't fly without wings.” Krov laughed, gingerly taking the book and placing it underneath the counter. “I've had twenty people come by today asking for a focus just like yours.”
Twenty wasn't very many, especially for a shop in the middle of Babel. Krov shrugged when she said as much. “I was lucky to get twenty in a week before you showed up. I'm taking it as a good sign.”
How in the world did this woman stay in business for any real stretch of time? Tanya wondered. Krov's services weren't cheap, but Tanya doubted the woman's profit margins were wide enough to warrant sleeping on the job rather than active advertising to get as many boots in the door as possible.
Stepping up, Tanya placed a small notebook on Krov's counter. “Here are the results of my experiment yesterday, alongside the entries I recorded in regards to the Era 1's capabilities.”
Krov picked the book up and quickly thumbed through it, careful not to smudge the pages. “Hmm... Not too sure about that name but this is some good work! And even better news! Once people hear about chantless casting, I'm gonna have a line to the bottom of this whole tower!”
And Tanya would have the capital that came with her initial investment. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction, before schooling her face as Krov set the notebook aside and regarded her with her full attention. She reached up and lifted her orb, setting it on the table
“While in here, I'd also like to ask you to look it over. I put it through its laces yesterday, so now is as good a time as any to see what my little stress test managed to accomplish.”
Krov nodded, scooping it up with a smile. “Good thinking. Let's see what kind of beating you have my baby.”
She gestured for Tanya to follow her as she strode to the workbench behind the counter. She used the tools there to lock it in place, before pulling down her goggles and retrieving a pair of instruments from the back of the bench
With a bit of finagling, she popped the face off and gave a look inside, swaying her hips as she worked. “Ooh, you really did put it through some work, huh?”
Tanya stepped forward. “Is it damaged?”
“Hmm... No, not really.” Krov tapped something inside the housing with a thin pick, and a group of tiny gears spun into motion before settling again. “There's some minor wear on the secondary relay here, but that's well within expectation for anything above mundane use. Nothing a quick calibration won't fix.”
“Good to hear.” Tanya leaned against the counter, watching as Krov worked.
“So,” the woman began as she manipulated her tools. “I went ahead and ordered the materials for the first batch of focuses.”
“Already?”
“Judging by the amount of people asking around for them, it seemed appropriate,” Krov nodded. “Almost cleaned me out, though. It costs a pretty penny to get bulk materials delivered from the Middle Floors, so I'm gonna be eating like a pauper for a few days unless I can drum up a bit of extra business, haha!”
She seemed to sense Tanya's incredulous look and turned, waving her hand dismissively. “Don't worry about me. If we can drum up this kind of interest with you just flying around, we'll be making a hundred times that amount before the month is out. I won't even have to do that much of a markup.”
Tanya picked up on the unsaid notion that she absolutely intended to, and couldn't argue with the woman's logic. Still...
“Just make sure you don't overextend before the revenue starts coming in. I'd hate to see you starve before we turn a profit.”
Krov waved her off again, though her grin dimmed slightly. “I'll be fine. I've been poor before.”
I was more concerned for my investment, Tanya thought privately, before saying aloud, “There is one more thing I'd like to run by you personally.”
“Oh?”
Tanya produced a single bullet and set it on the workbench. Krov picked it up, turning it over in her palm and eying the etching of the shell. “What is it?”
“A bullet I use for spellcasting. Now that I have a workable focus, I imagine I'll be using them more often and would like to requisition new ones.” Tanya crossed her arms. “I read that guns are a rarity here, but surely there is someone who works with such things in Orario, right?”
Krov looked uncertain, rolling the bullet between thick fingers. “If we were in another city, I'd tell you to check the corner, but here in Orario, any adventurer worth his salt would tell you that guns are worthless against monsters. That said... I might know someone who can help you. I'll see if he's available for a project.”
“I'd appreciate it,” Tanya said, though inwardly she was a bit disappointed that her assumption was correct. In a world where men and women roamed around with skin as hard as diamonds, firearms technology her no reason to evolve beyond flashy hand-cannons.
“Mmh.” Krov set her tools down and stretched her arms above her head, her spine popping audibly. “He tends to leave the city a lot so it might take a day or to for me to track him down. I'll let you know when I find him ”
“That's more than fine.”
Krov reassembled the Era 1 with a few clicks and held it out to Tanya. “There we go! Good as new. Come back when I've got the first batch of sellers ready and you can have your pick. Assuming we don't sell out in the first hour.”
“I'll be sure to.”
Her business concluded, Tanya bid farewell to Krov and left the shop. She had one more thing to attend to while she was here so she figured she might as well get to it.
An hour or so later, Tanya's coin pouch was a tad lighter and she was holding a heavily wrapped bundle in one hand. The doors to the Hostess spun open to a noisy interior, and Tanya turned as someone called her name.
“Tanya, get over here!”
Dorian waved his arm, squeezed into a booth with Licia, Artus, and, surprisingly, Rann. The Pallum was red-faced and clearly inebriated judging by the dopey smile on his face. Raising a brow, Tanya made her way over.
“I didn't realize we were having a get-together,” she said as she slipped into the booth beside Licia, leaning her package against the seat. “What's the occasion?”
“Rann wanted to get drunk,” Licia sighed, taking a sip of water. “No other reason.”
While Dorian laughed and Rann giggled, Artus leaned over the table, glancing at the package Tanya had toted in. “Hey Tanya, is that…”
“My new sword,” Tanya nodded, lifting the wrapped package as eyes turned her way.
“Ooh, let's see it!” Rann leaned across the table as much as his diminutive stature would allow, reaching toward the bundle with grasping hands. Tanya held it well out of his reach, regarding the Pallum with an unamused expression.
“You will not be holding it. I'm not entirely sure I trust you not to cut your own hands off with it.” Tanya unwrapped the bundle, revealing a sheathed saber much the same design as her current one. This one was clearly of better make, however, and an appreciative whistle came from Dorian's direction.
“That's a nice sword.” He looked over the careful stitching along the hardened leather scabbard and the black and silver wrapped handle. He reached towards it, withdrawing his hand slightly to look at Tanya, “May I?”
Since he didn't seem about to tip over in his seat, Tanya nodded, letting the larger man take the weapon from her. He held it gingerly as the hilt was much too small for his large hands thanks to the crescent guard made to protect Tanya's fingers. He unsheathed the blade, admiring the temper and delicate curve meant for slashing open monsters. Running a finger along the blade, he whistled again.
“This thing must have cost a pretty penny,” he said, holding it out of reach of Rann who was reaching for it like a child with a bottle. “Where'd you get it?”
“The same place I bought my last one, believe it or not.” Tanya took a sip of ale that had been placed before when she wasn't paying attention. “Your options tend to open up a bit when you have expendable income.”
“It's a good blade. Well-balanced, and the steel's been folded properly—none of that cheap single-pour nonsense you see in the lower stalls.” He held it up, squinting down the length of the edge. “Straight grain, too. Whoever made this knew what they were doing.”
He sheathed the blade and passed it to Tanya who took it and placed it well out of reach of Rann. “I didn't peg you for a metallurgist.”
“I've been around weapons long enough to know a good one when I hold it.” Dorian flexed his remaining hand. “You learn to appreciate the things that keep you alive.”
“Speaking of which,” Licia cut in, leaning forward with her elbows on the table, “Dorian has news.”
“Oh?” Tanya looked at the man, who straightened up, smiling proudly.
“I finally found a Familia willing to take me in,” he announced, patting himself on the chest. “By this time tomorrow, you'll be looking at the newest member of the Ganesha Familia.”
Rann let out a noise that might have been a laugh or might have been a hiccup. “Ha! You gotta live in a god's junk. I bet it freaking smells in there with all of those guys cooped up in one place. Way too many people in one familia, how does anyone make any money?”
While Dorian deflated and Artus and Licia tried their best to corral Rann before he made even more of a scene with his drunken impression of the god, Tanya mentally tabbed through what she knew of the familia. It was the largest in Orario, boasting a rather impressive number of first class adventurers. It was also in charge of a great deal of the city's security and handled other jobs besides delving into the dungeon. For a former adventurer with one arm and a sense of pride, it was a sensible place to find work.
“It's a good choice,” She finally said. “If you have to choose a Familia, it makes sense to put your experience to use where it won't get anyone killed.”
Dorian blinked at the blunt assessment, but quickly recovered with a grin. “Well, when you put it like that...”
“No, she's right,” Licia said, a teasing lilt creeping into her voice as she leaned back in her seat. “Dorian the mighty frontliner, reduced to patrolling the streets and wrestling drunks who get too rowdy. Very glamorous.”
“Okay, now you're just being mean.” Dorian laughed, clearly taking no offence to his friend's rib. He lifted his tankard, looking down into it, and a bit of melancholy entered his voice. “Though, I'd consider myself lucky if I got a position with that much action. I imagine I'll be put on gate duty or something, checking papers for merchants and all that.”
“There's something to be said about an honest job like that. Society runs on the workers you rarely see, after all,” Tanya reassured. “If the strongest adventurer in Orario up and disappeared one day, I doubt anyone would notice for a fortnight unless someone caused a stink. If all the gate guards decided to take an impromptu vacation at the same time, then we'd have a problem.”
Dorian smiled. “I guess you might have a point there. Everyone's important, huh?”
“Well, most people,” Tanya amended, turning half an eye on Rann who seemed moments away from falling asleep after his little show had failed to catch on. “Some could do with a shift in priorities.”
The group laughed, jolting the Pallum back to wakefulness. As the evening wore on, the tavern grew more crowded, and the noise level rose to match. More adventurers filtered in, and conversations bled into one another like watercolors on wet paper. It was against this backdrop of growing noise that Tanya perked up, glancing toward a table where a group of adventurers had begun a heated discussion.
“—saying, nobody knows who they are,” a balding adventurer was saying “Just popped up out of nowhere. Already got three Level Twos and they haven't even been around for more than a couple of weeks.”
“Bullshit” his companion scoffed, but leaned forward despite himself. “Who's their god?”
“I ain't got a clue, man. I hear Wredd is thinking of coming out of retirement and joining them, though. Apparently whoever gave him that pitch was real good.”
“Really? Man, that's crazy. I thought he was done for good after he lost his eye.”
It's rather impressive that new familia are cropping up at all in this city, Tanya noted as she tuned the conversation out. Orario was dominated by dozens of gods with familia large and small that focused on everything from entertainment to prostitution, yet it seemed that success could still be found for some adventurous newcomers.
Her mind turned to Hestia, who, for all her apparent charm, didn't seem all too successful in growing her own familia. Perhaps she was lacking something that this new god had, or perhaps the adventurers were getting fat on lies and promises that one couldn't keep.
Well, whatever the reason, I wish them all the best, Tanya thought sarcastically, before turning her attention back to the table as Licia said something to her.