I hum the Skyrim main theme to myself, stuck in my head since I tried to find a name for my new Wyvern based flight form, as I sort out the goods I brought. Putting a spatial object within another increases mana use drastically, and might lead to odd effects, so I simply used the big bag to carry all the slightly smaller, but bigger-on-the-inside bags.

I make sure each bag still have their tags, small wooden rectangles I made using [Mana Crafting: Wood Shaping]. The tags have the approximate spatial enlargement ratio on the front, with simple instructions on the back. Well, I will explain the ‘rules’ to anyone who might wanna buy, but they are simple: Do not turn inside out(will break enchantment), do not put within other spatial objects(will drain enchantment, might break enchantment) and finally, do not machine wash(no idea what it’ll do).

In other words, just how not to break the fancy magical object, and also protection against legal action. Well, this ain’t the US, so people aren’t that rabid about suing people. I also have two larger wooden tablets with a list of services I offer, by name or very short description only. In addition to the goods and services. I mentally go over my plan and what I brought as I shift to the drider form.

The large form lets me use my upper body for demonstrating abilities (and not scare away people, hopefully), while also offering a large platform to put my wares. I need no shop, because I am the shop! If my method and form of arrival brought me some attention, my shift to drider form should bring me more. While my upper body is somewhat stumpy in this form, thanks to the long legs I am a full head taller than usually, and even then I’m taller than most others.

I move my personal bag to the front where it will be more accessible, the two pouches hanging on the right and right of it on my belt. In addition to the usual stuff, I have stored the non-spatial bag, as well as the spearhead (wrapped in silk) in it. I won’t take it out because I should avoid further, not-quite-illegal actions. The shaft is in its bag until I get ready.

I am wearing the white kilt and sleeveless shirt combo (which honestly doesn’t fit me, I really need to get more dye) with the new wyvern scale vest, to use my bare arms for demonstrations. Right, now to handle the wares. I hang the biggest bag right behind my upper body, with the others behind that. I ponder where to put the extra pouches for a moment, before summoning the wolf serpent puppet. Essentially an eastern dragon, and used as a rack, how dignified.

Right. I have to apply some magic to stop the bags from falling off, and to hover the ‘menu’ tablets over my legs. This should be good, so I retrieve the spear shaft from its bag, turning it with the crystal up. Voilá; it’s now a magic staff. This should be flashy enough, and also not too threatening(hopefully), and so I head to the main pedestrian zone.

Aside from a group of asian tourists who took photos of me, (Asian tourists seem to to love taking photos. Then again, that’s kinda the deal with tourism, no?) there aren’t that many people around the castle itself. Once I got to what could be considered a shopping district there were more people around, and I got quite a bit of attention.

No one try to talk to me or anything, but that’s fine. I stop at an area open enough to be seen from afar, and take out the remaining piece of silverpine wood. Hmm, what to make… I could make another bow. It’s not ideal for armor… Practice blade? I already have the aluminium ones, having finished the grip with part of the wood and a wrapping of silk.

Maybe something more artsy? Hmm. For materials, I have a few mana crystals, silk, anything I conjure, and of course the wood. Mmm let’s make a statue. Yeah, and if I give it a mana crystal for a core, maybe I can make a golem? What shape, though… Let’s go with vaguely humanoid, like those ball-joint puppets from arts class.

First, I split of a piece the size of my hand and wrist, which I give a shape similar to a ribcage, hollow in the middle with an opening in the front. Next, I make two simple legs in two pieces. The lower legs have a wide ‘foot’, and the upper legs end in a ball. I shape the upper part of the lower legs around the ball, forming a ball joint. I tweak it a bit until it has a mostly human range of motion.

The finished legs join the hovering chest piece, and I make a pair of ball-jointed arms, with the hands being little more than a stub in the rough shape of a four-fingered fist. Then I make a head with the shape of a cylindrical crusader helmet. Okay, I have all the pieces I need. I could turn it into a simple doll, but I want something more.

I doubt I can make a self-controlled golem at the first try, but I should be able to make one that you can control remotely. In fact, if I use [Mind Magic] and build in all required magic to control it, can I make anyone with magic control it…? First, the head needs a way to see. I break a small fragment off one of the mana crystals, inserting it into the head. I close the wood around it, leaving only the eye slits of the helmet open.

If I want to see through this head… How do I do it with the puppets? For now, let’s make the crystal detect the light level, and enchant it with [Mind Magic] and [Illusion Magic] to send what it sees to the user, no, to the core. I should make the core first, then. Another mana crystal becomes the core, barely jutting out of the middle of the chestpiece.

I should make the core ready to control the other parts, and now that I think about it, it should be the sole component with a mind enchant. Everything else can just tie into it, so for now let's make this the ‘brain’ of the golem, with ‘connection points’ for the five other pieces’ enchantments. And a few extra, just in case. Oh, and let’s try to have it make the user feel that they control it.

I channel a little bit of mana into the crystal, and as I had hoped I get a feeling of… something. It’s very indistinct, but it’s something. Next up, let’s attach the arms and legs. I use a bit more wood to create a sort of waist, attaching the legs to it with more ball joints. I then attach the waist to the chest, this time limiting the movement range so that it primarily rotates around the vertical axis.

I make some simple Force enchants to move the legs and rotate the waist, and connect them to the core. Another test, and this time I can move the legs. It’s a bit confusing, but I can make is move as if walking after only a little bit of experimentation, possibly due to my experience with various forms. For the first ones I had to use quite a bit of time to simply walk or otherwise move around.

I attach shoulders to the chest, connecting the arms with ball joints, then enchant them the same way, and test it. It works. Finally, I make a connection point for the head and attach it. Like the waist, movement is restricted to mostly turning left and right. Right, it needs to sense light with two eyes, and send that to the core.

After a few tries I end up splitting the head’s crystal into two much smaller pieces for the eyes. Connecting up the eyes and neck, I have a fully controllable small wooden golem. It’s a bit jerky at times thanks to the friction in the joints, and the transmitted vision is kinda dark and only black and white, but it works.

“There, finished.” I put it on a quickly conjured plate, and with a small strand of mana, take control of it. Seeing through its eyes, I lean to one side and lift the opposite foot, which I move forwards. I set it down, but when I start the second step, it falls over. I get up with increasingly smooth motion, and this time manage several steps before stopping myself just before I fall.

“Does that thing move on its own?” Someone ask. I turn to them, taking a moment to find them in the small circle that has formed around me, but someone answers before me. “No, he’s controlling it with magic.”

I think I’ve seen the person who answered before, but can’t remember where so I just ignore it, instead expanding on his answer. “Yes, I controlled it, but I made it in such a way that anyone who can use magic can control it. Or, I tried to, anyway. It’s a bit hard, and I have experience controlling various bodies.” I motion to the levitating wolf serpent, and then to my lower body, or at least what you can see under the bags. I turn to the man who apparently have some magical abilities. “Do you want to try?”

“Can I?” In response, I nod. “Just send a bit of mana into the core. As for controlling it, you should have some idea of how, if you can sense the mana there.

He does as instructed, but have to try several tries before even managing to do a single step. “This is so cool! How did you shape the wood? Is that a special ability?”

“Nah, it’s a sub-ability of [Mana Crafting] called ‘Wood Shaping’. You’re doing good by the way. I have spent most of the time since the Upheaval in a non-human form, and the golem is tricky to control.”

“Hey, is the bags made of genuine silk?” A woman asks. My plan worked: Grab attention, make someone say something, and reply like a normal person to ‘burst open the floodgates,’ so to speak. That said, I turn to her, with a squint.

“Yeah, it’s real. But, genuine silk? How do you… non-genuine silk? I make the stuff.” I point over my shoulder with my thumb. “Though, some of it is manasilk, which is magical.”

“You make it?!?” She exclaims.

“I could demonstrate, if you want me to.”

Given how she looks horrified, I assume that’s a no. “I don’t know what you’re imagining, but it just sorta comes out of the spinnerets.”

“Are the bags really bigger on the inside?” Yet another person speaks up. “Yes. You can check the pouches on my wolf serpent.” I answer, moving the puppet to the person in question. Another person also tries, at the same time.

Both seem awed at this, and I have to send the puppet around. “So,” I clap my hands together. “You wanna buy-” I say with the best deadpan NPC expression I can manage. “-or trade?”

The topic of price is inevitably brought up, to which I honestly reply that I have no good price, but that I at least want payment for the time and effort put into it, as well as the materials. Of course, I omit the fact that that making each bag is pretty fast, and that I can make all materials for only the cost of food.

In the end I agree to sell one of the smaller bags for around the price of a brand(™) bag, and someone else wants the biggest, and will pay twice that. That’s a significant amount of money, though, so the actual transaction will happen elsewhere, preferably electronically. The bags will be given at that time. Not that I’m allowed to sell anything here without a permit anyway. And if anyone asks, this is just advertising.

I give them, and anyone else who is interested, my website, as well as contact details. I also make sure to explain that I can custom make the bags, be that with colors or extra enchantments like waterproofing. I also draw attention to my tablet with a list of services I can offer, in case that’s more to people’s taste.

“What’s this ‘one-time permanent transformation’ thing?”

I turn to the speaker, “Ahh, you see…”