At the base of the stairs, the priestess waited for me with her familiar smile. The cloaked men flanking her rested their hands on the pommels of their swords. I raised my hands placatingly and stopped a few steps from the bottom.

“There’s no need for a show of force priestess. You can find all the silver I owe with the Merchants guild again. My contract hasn’t changed, I'm still on the Sea Cow under Captain Duncan.”

“Of course, I checked on your finances when you arrived.” She dismissed my concerns.

“These men are here because it’s clear that you’re about to do something stupid and or reckless.”

“...What?” I was caught off guard by the sudden accusation.

“No one suddenly buys all the abilities they can get their hands on unless they are preparing for an extended adventure. Most people who join the guild never progress past their professional skills. Only a few can truly be called adventurers. It’s common policy to support true adventurers, they’re our best customers after all.”

The two cloaked men raised their fists to their hearts in a salute.

“May the Earth Mother bless you with fortune on your quest” The priestess intoned before leaning in to give me a peck on the cheek. My face burned where her lips touched but I didn’t think that was a magical effect. I was only saved from my confusion when a prompt appeared.

---

You have received a minor blessing

+2 luck for 30 days

---

“Thanks” I said lamely, my face flushing to a deeper shade of red.

“You can thank me by returning with skill points and treasure.” The priestess replied patting me on the cheek a little harder than was necessary.

“Don’t die” She added in an afterthought as she turned away and the men faded out of sight.

I quickly activated my Eye for Detail and spotted a pair of dim yellow smudges following the priestess back to her desk. Dust, fingerprints and a single droplet of blood drew my attention much more insistently but it looked like the ability would be a good way to spot sneaky sneakers just like I hoped.

When I stepped outside, I tried out my Weather Eye. It was confusing and overwhelming at first. It looked like someone had airdropped several metric tonnes of pollen over the city. The golden particles churned slowly through the plaza. they swept around in ever-changing whorls and eddies. It wasn’t until I took a broader view that I understood what I was seeing. Massive columns of hot air soared into the growing clouds, pulling in fresh, cool air from the sea at the same time. I was watching weather patterns in action. I got a sense that the big fluffy clouds wouldn't turn into anything more sinister for a while. I also noticed that I could easily read signage from clear across the plaza as if I had a set of binoculars built into my eyes now. It was beautiful and mesmerizing. I let the distracting ability lapse and got back to business.

I made it back to Earnest’s shop just as he was finishing up with my order. He made a thin copper band inlaid with a repeating rune in silver.

“It’s not as elegant as I’d like, but if you ask for a rush order, you’re going to get a rush job.” Earnest explained as he showed me how the band could be bent around and once the trailing ends made contact, the runic scripts will connect and activate. All it does is absorb raw fire essence. With no controls or outlets the band would likely burn up after a single use but anything it’s wrapped around will chill rapidly. I was hoping TV wasn’t lying about colder metals being more brittle. I was pretty sure navy seals used liquid nitrogen to break through chain-link fences… pretty sure.

For his part, Finch had turned my Sea Lion quills into viable weapons. The pair of seven inch long daggers with a toxic green glint to them were nice, but the thirty poisoned crossbow bolts were even better. Who needed good aim when a scratch would leave someone bedridden? Finch even handed over a drawstring pouch with some left-over poisonous dust from processing the quills. Barnaby came in just as I was leaving. I caught the sour look on his face before he wiped it clean with the ease of a lifelong salesman.

“Patrick! What brings you in today? Are you here to make more purchases?” Despite his skills, it was clear that he was on edge, a little desperate even.

“Hello Mr. Barnaby, I was just concluding my business actually.”

Barnaby scanned the items laid out and shook his head.

“Really Mr Finch, what do you think you are doing? This gentleman is clearly planning something dangerous. How could you send him away without any means of protection? Wait here a moment Sir.”

Barnaby disappeared into the store. After some muttering and clattering Mr. Finch went to go and help him. They came back with a shield piled high with thick leathers. An amulet shone from the top of the pile.

“Here we are.” Barnaby said as he placed the items on the workbench. “One sturdy shield to keep arrows and beasties at bay. One slightly used set of light armor to deter whatever gets past the shield without slowing you down too much. Last but most importantly, An amulet of minor warding. This little beauty will project a small but effective arcane shield if you feed mana into it. We can attach it to the shield for no extra charge. It’s a must-have item for any magic duel. The whole lot can be yours for just 30 Silver!”

I hadn’t really considered shields because most of the guards were armed with whips. Shields wouldn’t be super effective but there was no denying the psychological edge they could provide if push comes to shove. Armor was definitely a good idea but I had assumed there would be a problem.

“Won’t armor interfere with casting spells?”

Barnaby looked at me like I had grown a second head.

“Where did you hear rubbish like that? Mages don’t usually have the strength to deal with heavy armor but only idiots would head into trouble wearing nothing but robes.”

That was pretty great news but If I bought all this gear I wouldn’t have enough money left over to get all the provisions I thought I’d need. The easiest way for the guards to win was for them to just sit on the supplies and let us starve after the revolt started. I wanted to take away that advantage. I bought three simple wooden round shields and a leather breastplate for around fifteen silvers. The armor looked like something a roman legionnaire might wear. No frills, all function. A thick and scarred vest with reinforced straps running over each shoulder.

Barnaby thanked me for the business and practically begged me to return soon. Come to think of it, I had never seen anyone else so much as look at their shop and the first time I walked in Barnaby was worried about their funds. I felt pretty bad when I told them they likely wouldn’t see me again. I had made my choice though. These two should be fine, at least compared to Bodrin.

After that, I followed my nose to a bakery and took all the fresh bread they would sell. In the undercity, I skipped buying up rum and instead focused on turning over every food-cart I could find, shaking them out for every last morsel. It wasn’t the healthiest fare, but I hoped it would last a few weeks. At least I wouldn't be stuck with hard-tack.

After cleaning out an open-air market crammed with temporary stalls, I put my back to a stained wall and took a minute to scan the crowd. I was inconspicuous enough in my sailor's garb but the unrestrained purchases had gained some unwelcome attention. A quick activation of my Eye for Detail revealed a new tail. Sustained eye contact was enough to let him know he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was. He slinked off like the rest, with one notable exception. I had managed to pick up a more competent tail at some point. It was hard to pick out from the background glow of the grime that caked nearly every surface in the undercity. In the end, I had to look for places where that background glow dimmed. It was easiest to spot when the thief was moving but a little guesswork brought my attention to the shadowy patch lurking a few stalls down. I should be safe enough in the crowd for now so I turned my attention to one last review of my plans.

Step one, infiltrate the slave colony. Exposing myself as the smuggler might get me arrested and sent to the island but that was too risky. Unless I could gather solid intel on how to get sent out there it was just as likely that I would end up in a dungeon or a public execution. If that fell through I could possibly use diving skills to make my way onto the island unnoticed. The water was cold, but not so cold that I would get hypothermia if I waited for nightfall before climbing onto land. If I ripped up my roughspun clothes I’d look just like another slave on casual inspection. I imagine security is focused on keeping the slaves working. The ocean and chains were enough to keep them from running and who would expect someone to sneak onto the island? The worst part about step one was that I would have to leave my contract with only one voyage left to complete. I’d just have to find a way to pay off the fine before returning to any big city and cross my fingers that such a minor infraction wouldn’t attract serious bounty hunters.

Step two, contact Bodrin. It will depend on how tight security is but I can give the knives to him and someone else he thinks is trustworthy. My new Misdirection skill could get the guard's attention for long enough for Bodrin to sneak up on him, especially once I take off his chains. If we can get through that without raising an alarm we’ll take the tower quietly and barricade the door. There should be plenty of building materials around to get that done. If not, we’ll have to resort to a bum-rush. The shields, knives, crossbows, magic, and surprise should give us an advantage but I’d rather not put the scrawny slaves up against the guards directly.

It would be much better if I could just trap the guards in their own barracks. The best-case scenario would be if we could find a skilled crossbowman among the slaves. Three unskilled people could simply reload the crossbows, allowing a single marksman to keep the guards pinned. Then we could just wait for the next shipment of building materials. The slaves can approach to unload the cargo like usual and once we’re on board we should be able to take the ship without too much trouble. We don’t even have to kill too many people, we can just leave them on the island as we sail away!

It’s pretty hard to track a ship and if we get a couple days head start we should be able to make it to one of the many kingdoms rivaling the Empire. They won’t exactly welcome us as heroes but I don’t think they will respect the Empire’s laws either. Then, I’ll have to play it by ear.

Okay, so summing everything up: There’s the infiltration, followed by either securing the tower or entering combat and eventually running away. I’m pretty set for all of that now. I might want some manacles to help me blend in if I have to sneak onto the island but I’ve got my weapons, armor, plans, and spells. I ticked them off on my fingers but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was forgetting something important… Potions! This was a fantasy world, wasn’t it? It should have potions and no raid leader worth his salt ever started a fight without buckets and buckets of healing potion. Come to think of it, poisoners were supposed to carry antidotes too weren't they?

I popped another Eye for Detail and spotted the smudge lingering in the same spot as before. I let my eyes slide over the place where my watcher stood. I figured it was better not to challenge the more skilled thieves directly but I’d need to do something about him before I left the safety of the crowds. I ambled through the market, perusing the jumbled wares as I went. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but when I passed a stall selling ale I purchased a cup.

I raised the clay mug to my lips as I scanned the crowd with “Eye for Detail” once again. When I spotted the smudge sidling up to a stall only ten feet away I wound up and hurled the mug straight at my pursuer. Nearby shoppers were startled at the sudden move and the ale salesman squawked angrily. The tone changed dramatically when the mug broke on thin air, spilling its contents on a suddenly revealed stalker. All the merchants were immediately furious as they descended on the man with accusations and blunt instruments. I quickly took the chance to disappear.