Chapter 28 — Witches are Scary

After the clothes were put away and Grandma Fana went back down to see to the feast. Ria checked the letters. They were a pardon for her crime of unlicensed casting of the familiar bonding ritual, her provisional license to practice shamanic magic within the Vorshan Hills territory, and a notice of permission to enter the Vorshan manor. The permission notice was an interesting and generous gesture by Lord Vorshan.

Ria stuffed the letters in her now empty brown satchel and shrugged it on.

Ranger moved to get up, but Ria stopped him. “Sorry, buddy. Why don’t you stay here this time? People will be quicker to associate me with the ‘barbarian witch’ from last night if you come along.”

“Wrawr, rawr, roof…”

“It’s not your fault, Ranger. Just for today. I’ll take you with me tomorrow after the villagers have had a chance to calm down, okay?”

“Roof…”

“I’ll call you if I get in trouble.”

“Woof.”

That minor crisis resolved, Ria told Grandma Fana she was heading out and grabbed her magic cloak on her way to the first floor.

This time, Grandpa Orlan foiled her hasty exit.

"Ah, Ria, hang on," he called to her, then shouted to the back, "Oscar! Come to the front for a minute."

That's gonna cost ya, old man. Ria nabbed a tart from the basket and chomped. Mmm, not bad. Pretty good, actually.

When the bloody serial-killer Oscar stepped through the door at the back of the shop, Ria was glad that she had the pastry to hide her expression. Was that how she looked when she gutted animals? No, somehow it would be different. Looking up at the bald, blood-smeared, muscled, and apron-wearing young man was… something.

"'Sup, boss?" Oscar asked with a deep voice.

"How many times have I told you not to wear the apron to the front?" Grandpa Orlan sighed. "Anyway, this here is Ria. She's going to be living upstairs. Jarrel tells me she's got a fair amount of experience butchering, so if we get a busy day, you might be working with her at some point."

Oscar took one look at the fancy-dress-wearing shortie and didn't believe a word of it. "If you say so, boss. Anything else?"

Grandpa Orlan shook his head in defeat. "No… it's fine."

After Oscar left, Ria chuckled. "I think I like that guy. Brief and to the point. Anything else, gramps?"

"Oy, don't you start picking up his bad habits," Grandpa Orlan complained.

Ria stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine, fine. Get outta here."

"Yes, boss!" Ria saluted and left, laughing.

The leatherworking apprentice was outside loading a cart with leather and processed pelts. This time he did a different kind of double-take when he saw her, and she gave him the same friendly wave.

The bakery siblings were busy with customers when she went by, so she just waved this time.

Thinking that the general store was probably closer to one of the village’s gates, she decided to wander along the main road and see what was there.

She wore her cloak to protect her back in case someone got ‘witch’-crazy and tried to shoot her or stab her from behind, but she risked leaving her hood down so she could nod and smile at the people she passed by.

When she saw the sign for a weapons & armor shop, Ria was curious and went inside.

Ria doubted she would find anything more useful than her current weapons, but if she and Leon were going to the Adventurers Guild for training, then practice weapons and armor would be useful.

After a few minutes looking around, Ria approached the shopkeeper. Looking at the weapons and armor was fun, but she didn’t want to spend too much time there when she had other errands to run.

The shopkeeper was a teen around Leon’s age and was looking bored. He perked up a little when she approached.

“Good afternoon.”

“Hi, Miss. Did you need help finding something?”

“Yes, please. I’m looking for a practice weapon that would match this dagger,” Ria said and placed her magic dagger on the counter.

His eyes just about bugged out. “T-this! Ah, um, ehem. Would you prefer a blunt metal dagger or a weighted wooden one?”

The boy did an admirable job recovering. Ria gave him a nice smile. “I think a weighted wooden one would be fine unless there’s an advantage to using a metal one?”

“Durability and feel mainly, though getting hit by the metal one tends to cause more injuries. Of course, stabbing someone in the eye is gonna hurt either way,” the boy said with a wink.

Ria nodded sagely. “No doubt. May I test the feel for both?”

“Sure.” The boy hopped down from his stool and took her to the practice weapons, bringing her dagger along.

After comparing her dagger to the practice daggers, he handed her the best matches. The metal one did have a better feel, but the wood one was a lot cheaper.

“Hmm, I see what you mean. The wood one is good enough though. I’ll take that one,” Ria decided and paid him. She resheathed her magic dagger and placed the practice dagger in her satchel.

“Anything else?”

“I’ve mainly been using the dagger to gut and skin my kills. I wonder if I should get a proper knife for skinning and butchering?” Ria asked.

“Um… what?” The shop boy stared non-comprehending.

“A knife?” Ria tried again.

“Do you really kill things and cut their guts out?” The boy asked disbelievingly.

Ria tilted her head. “If you don’t, the meat becomes unusable. Isn’t that common sense?”

The boy let out a long sigh. “You’re messing with me, right? Don’t you have servants for that?”

Ah, her dress was causing the problem. “What’s your name?”

“… Harris.”

“Hi, Harris. I’m Ria, an apprentice hunter, living with the butchers by the stream,” Ria said and curtsied.

He shook his head. “There’s no way that’s true.”

The curtsy was apparently too much. He didn’t believe her at all.

“Hmm… what to do… ah!” Ria took her blood-stained cleaning cloth out. “Here. I use this to clean my dagger.”

“I-is that blood?” He took a step back and was looking a bit scared.

Ria rolled her eyes and put the cloth away. “What else would I clean off my dagger? Harris, ignore the dress. Would a spoiled rich girl have sun-bronzed skin like this?”

Hesitantly, he shook his head. “You’re really an apprentice hunter? But why would a girl…?”

“Let’s just say the reason is complicated, but being able to eat is important, you know?” Ria told him wryly.

“I guess…,” he said and glanced at her coin sack.

“So, knives?” Ria pressed.

“…over this way.”

He took her to a section with lots of different kinds of knives.

She was totally lost. “Any recommendations?”

“Folded steel is more expensive but holds an edge better. The grip is probably the most important consideration with your hand size.”

“Ah, good point.” She nodded then got a good idea. “How about one that has a leg sheath, or one with a boot sheath?”

Harris gave her a dubious look. “We do have those here, and here, but they are more expensive and… you don’t usually need to hide your weapons from animals.”

“Heh. Well, a bunch of guys your age tried to rob me earlier, so…”

His face paled.

Ria checked the grips on a few and decided between the ones she liked best. Her choice was a matched pair of blackened blades that didn’t reflect light and had black leather sheaths.

“Uh… you’re that witch, aren’t you?”

Oh, dear.

“Harris… asking a witch if she’s a witch… isn’t that kinda dumb?” Ria asked. “I mean, you know I have a magic dagger, and we’re in a section full of knives.”

His eyes went from her dagger to the dark-grey knife in her hand, and he looked like he was seconds from bolting. The heck? He was bigger than her. Was she really that scary?

Ria sighed. “How much for the knives?”

”W-what do you mean?”

“I’m buying the knives. How much?”

“2 silver coins… you’re not going to kill me?” he asked, confused.

Ria tilted her head. “If I did that, how would I finish my shopping? Besides, I would get blood on my new dress, and it would be a pain to explain to the guards.”

He stared at her. Really, this guy. It was a joke, obviously.

“Oh, right. The coins.” Ria fished out two silver coins, and Harris mechanically received them. She promptly strapped on the boot sheath and turned around so she could hike up her skirt and belt the leg sheath thigh-height overtop her undergarments. The leg sheath was designed for the knife to be drawn downward with a strap keeping the knife from falling out. She was quite pleased.

Straightening her skirts, Ria continued, “Okay, that should do it for weapons. Next, I need some rugged clothes, and I was wondering about armor?”

Harris was still staring at her.

“Um, Harris? Really, I was just messing with you. I’m just a normal rich girl. Can you help me out?”

Harris looked unsure but answered, “We have quilted jackets and pants. Would that be okay? We don’t really have any women’s armor in your size.”

“The quilted clothing sounds perfect.” Ria looked down at her chest, and her shoulders sagged. “Boy’s armor is probably fine.”

He had a bit of an indescribable expression on his face, but he did properly lead her over to the armors. To Ria’s surprise, most of what was on display had skirts anyway, so what was the problem?

The quilted leather coats weren’t that different from what her dad made for the village hunters and militia. They were expensive though. She could probably make her own for a fraction of the price, but sturdy quilting was a pain to make. There was no way that Ria wanted to stitch 30 layers of fabric together.

A teen-sized coat would give her more room to grow… but even some of the boy-sized coats were probably large on her, and mobility would be an issue if the coat was too bulky.

“Oh, this one is nice,” Ria said, taking a padded leather coat off a hook.

Woah, heavy!

The leather outer layer had been dyed or oiled to a dark brown. Black lacings joined the detachable arms and adjusted the tightness of the chest. The collar could be worn up or down, and the skirt had decorative lacings. All of the lacing was grommeted and the joins were layered with flaps of leather tucked underneath. Some protection was lost in the joints, but the design allowed increased mobility.

The chest lacings solved a problem for her, well… a future problem. And the armor’s appearance was nice enough to wear as a coat in the winter.

“Can this stop a crossbow bolt?” Ria asked.

Harris shook his head. “Doubt it. With a metal cuirass, it might, but we don’t have any in your size. A blacksmith could make you one.”

Her cloak really was amazing.

“How much for this and the matching pants?”

He blinked and hesitated. “1 gold.”

“You’re kidding,” Ria breathed out in surprise.

Harris shook his head vigorously to deny it.

At that price, she’d better verify the fit. Getting a fun idea, she handed the coat to Harris. Then, holding her arms out to either side, and with her best proper spoiled rich girl impression, she said, “Dress me.”

He gave her a look of such disbelief that Ria couldn’t help doubling over laughing.

“You should… have seen… your face!” Ria gasped out.

Harris still had no idea what was going on.

“Oh, come on! That was funny,” Ria protested.

“If you say so…,” Harris said, noncommittally.

Ria huffed at him. “Just hold it open for me to shimmy into then.”

Leaving her belts, satchel, and cloak on the floor, she did just that, trying to find the armholes with her hands and then finally wiggling into the coat—with some helpful tugging by a chuckling Harris allowing her head to finally pop out.

“That was kinda funny,” he admitted.

“See? I’m just a normal girl. What were you afraid of anyway?” Ria asked.

Harris gave her an odd look. “Don’t witches charm boys and eat them to steal their youth?”

“Isn’t that just made-up stories for scaring children?” Ria countered.

Harris shrugged. “Dunno. You tell me.”

“I don’t know any real witches. I’m just a peasant girl from Revant who happened into some magical talent and made a farm dog into my familiar,” Ria admitted.

“You didn’t make any dark pacts?” Harris asked, suspicious.

Ria shook her head. “Nope. I found an old beginner’s magic book and studied really hard.”

“But making a familiar is ritual magic,” Harris accused.

“I’m not from Crysellia. Lord Vorshan gave me a pardon and a license to practice shamanic magic. They are in my bag,” Ria rebutted.

Harris glanced at her pile of stuff on the floor. “You didn’t charm the lord?”

“Not at all. He was really nice and is going to help me with my magic studies. I was really surprised,” Ria said and did her best wide-eyed innocent little girl act.

“Really? But what about your money,” Harris asked with narrowed eyes.

Ria looked down and ran her hand over the expensive coat. “My parents’ life savings. I brought the coins with me when Jarrel and I fled through the highlands to safety after our village was attacked.”

“Jarrel? Is he the scary barbarian warrior you entered the city with?”

Ria laughed. “He’s a hunter from here—the butcher’s son. He was living in my village.”

“Harris, I’m back! How’d it go?” a man’s voice called from the front of the store.

“Over here, dad!” Harris called back, looking relieved.

Ria turned to see a trim and well-groomed man appear from behind a display with a large sack slung over his shoulder.

“Hahaha! These swords are going to sell really well with everyone in a panic over witches and barbarians,” the man said excitedly.

“Um, dad…,” Harris weakly began.

“Ooh, so you’re helping out this little lady? That armor looks really good on you, miss,” the man patted his son on the back. “Great job, son!”

“She hasn’t bought it yet, dad,” Harris protested.

Ria smiled wryly.

“Oh. Well, how about I show you how it’s done?” the man laughed out. “Hello miss, I’m Farrel, the owner of this shop.”

“Ria of Shadewood,” Ria returned the greeting and curtsied.

“Oh-hoh! It’s a pleasure to have such a proper and refined lady visit our shop. I’m not surprised to see you interested in that particular coat. The craftsmen involved put exceptional effort into making a coat suitable for noble personages who have to endure weapons training and who want to protect themselves from knaves, all without sacrificing the need to appear stylish,” Farrel pitched excitedly.

Ria nodded. “Yes, it is quite well designed. But, I’m worried that the price might be a bit much.”

Farrel got the quoted price from his son and launched into another pitch, “Ah, my son was already giving you a discount. You see, that coat comes with matched pants and is worth at least 1 gold and 2 silver. But, for a pretty lady like yourself, I’ll sell it for 9 silver.”

“Hmm… if it was 8 silver, I wouldn’t hesitate…,” Ria hedged.

Farrel made a show of struggling with her offer and finally countered with, “It would be painful for me to let it go at that price, but I think I could agree to 8 silver and 5 copper.”

Ria felt the leather and tested her range of movement. “Okay. I’ll buy it.”

A sigh of relief escaped from Farrel before he caught himself and gave her a brilliant smile. “Trust me, you won’t regret it. That there is the best leather coat to be had in the village.”

Yes, indeed it probably was, at least for her size anyway, and she just saved 1 silver and 5 copper. Ria smiled as she handed over the gold coin, “If you could provide change please.”

“Congrats on the sale, dad. I learned a lot and will do better next time.”

Ria gave Harris a wink, and he rolled his eyes. At least Harris wasn’t acting scared of her anymore, and maybe he would help clear up some of the crazy rumors going around.

With Mr. Farrel’s help, a stylish padded leather fencing helmet was found for her that just happened to cost 1 silver 5 copper. Heh.

Unfortunately, the coat was way too hot to wear with her dress until the weather cooled more, so she had Mr. Farrel help her out of it, which went way easier than expected—maybe because he was tall.

With no way to fit the padded armor in her satchel, Ria ended up paying Harris a copper coin to deliver it to her house. He seemed to be happy enough to get out of working for a while and get paid while doing it, so that worked out fine.