“I can purchase them using money on the adventurers tag?” Noone asked incredulously. He looked back and forth between Alaviv and the smithing-merchant they were dealing with.

Noone recalled Alaviv saying something like this back at the adventurer’s guild when they were receiving payments for the heads and weapons, but his thoughts had been elsewhere at the time.

“Right.” Alaviv said. “At least, in the common countries you can. The guild and the common realm have a very tightly woven relationship, working independently but symbiotically with each other for the good of the realm. You can have money attached to your identity through the guild, and as long as you are purchasing from a store in the common realms, that store will just bill the guild with your ID and the guild will handle the payments. This saves adventurers from needing to carry large amounts of money with them at a time. This is especially helpful for those who don’t have a pouch of holding or similar.” He gave Noone a deep look.

After Noone had forked over several silver tokens for dinner, Alaviv had worked to try and convince Noone to buy a pouch of holding. When Alaviv explained how they worked, Noone was immediately interested.

“These pouches contain space magic - and depending on their quality they can add or remove any number of items of various sizes and weights. This is how I was able to transport the weapons and heads.” Alaviv had told Noone.

However, after browsing all the stores they could, the only ones being sold in such a small town were of such low quality – according to the gnome – that they weren’t even worth the cloth they were made from.

After listening to Al rant about the deteriorating craftsmanship of the newest generation, Noone finally gave up on the idea of buying one. Instead he looked around until he found a weapons shop.

Despite Creekview being small, they had much better luck finding enchanted weapons than they did spatial pouches. Although after scanning them with his divine sense, Noone was able to tell that the weapons were of basically the same quality as the one’s in the bandit’s armory.

He did not bother checking the weapons quality or weight. The only thing Noone noticed was their price. Each weapon was ranged somewhere between 10 and 15 gold a piece.

“I am at about 90% capacity right now… Each low-level enchantment fills me up by eight percent… I should only need two to breakthrough from level 5 into level 6…. But then how many to break through from level 6 to level 7? And… will they become less useful as I get stronger?” Numerous thoughts were quickly processed by Noone.

Eventually he could only sigh and bought four weapons for 60 gold much to the joy of the merchant. After paying with his adventurers ID, Noone quickly calculated that he should have close to 90 gold with the guild, and another hundred in coins from what Alaviv and clayton had given him. He asked Alaviv to hold onto the weapons until they could get to an inn for the night.

Just thinking about possibilities wasn’t going to get Noone anywhere, so after giving his thanks to the merchant who couldn’t have been happier to finally be bought out of the enchanted-weapons he had bought years ago, Noone and Alaviv left together for an inn.

“Good evening,” A rough voiced shouted over a cacophony of yelling and music. Alaviv and Noone casually stepped into a guild-owned adventurers inn, drawing the attention of several people as they did.

They easily approached the man behind bar without problem. He was older and had a well-worn look to him. His skin was rough and tan the way that happened after a lifetime of living in the sun.

Some of the people in the room had seen Noone and the gnome earlier that day in the guild, however they quickly realized by the reaction of the staff and managers that these two were obviously some high-ranking individuals.

Others who had not laid eyes on Noone yet found it hard to take their gazes from him.

Not only was Noone a towering chiseled statue of a man, but his weapon and energy were equally sharp. A few began to gossip, curious as to what kind of being this Noone was, and whether the glowing lines on his body were magic, or some kind of tattoo.

Noone ignored these adventurers, not unused to the stares he attracted and paid for a room for himself and Alaviv.

“Here you are. A room for one night. Would you like us to wake you in the morning?” The man asked, handing a pile of towels to a younger female who was prepared to show them to their rooms.

“No, thank you.” Noone spoke casually before being led by the younger girl who walked with a casual pep in her step.

After turning down a heated bath and food, Alaviv and Noone were finally alone.

Noone looked around curiously. It was an incredibly simple space, but charming. There was a single desk. Two beds, with respective nightstands. And otherwise a couple chairs for an adventurer’s party to be able to sit everyone comfortably. As far as Noone was concerned, it was more than enough.

“It’s been a while since I have slept in a proper bed.” Noone thought to himself. Meanwhile the small gnome had no hesitation to throwing himself through the air and onto the nearest mattress. His meager weight not even causing the bed to shake in the slightest.

Noone sighed and began removing his gear and laying it on the desk.

“Alaviv,” Noone spoke evenly.

“Mmm?” Alaviv groaned as he sat up on the bed, joints making small popping noises in the process. “Let me tell you Noone, getting old aint easy. Especially not for a wizard.” He rubbed his palms with his fingers, staving off some kind of chronic aching.

Noone chuckled at this before taking a seat on the floor, legs crossed.

“Alaviv. Can I trust you?”

The gnome stopped rubbing his hands together, freezing in place. He took a long look at Noone – staring into his eyes. Finally, the gnome looked away, thinking about his words.

“Mm. Yes… and no.” He said cryptically. Noone simply waited for the gnome to continue.

“You can trust me not to betray you, Noone. As you know, my only goal here was to meet you and figure out whether you were a pawn of the diviner. Apart from that, I only have some curiosity for you and your power. Now that we have informed you of the hand that pulls the strings… there’s nothing else we can do except keep an eye on the threads of fate and try to stop whatever this diviner is planning.” The gnome spoke casually.

“But you can’t trust me with your life. And don’t ever think I will protect you in the face of danger.” The gnome’s eyes hardened, as he shot a harsh gaze directly to Noone. The moment they made eye contact, Noone suddenly felt a stifling pressure. His entire body became heavy and his breathing became hard. When he looked at Alaviv, he wasn’t seeing an old and frail little gnome, instead Alaviv was showing Noone the depth of his power. Noone felt like he was standing naked in the middle of a storm.

“I have lived a very long life.” The gnome continued to speak, his voice oddly calm despite the torrent of energy suddenly whipping Noone’s hardened flesh. “I have seen countless people die, and I have seen just as many born. Although I wouldn’t kill you myself, I also will not stop the heavens from playing out. My only goal is to end the diviner’s life.” Goosebumps formed on Noone’s skin as he listened. The notes of unbridled rage sounded in the gnome’s speech. Noone vaguely noticed red threads appearing from nowhere around Alaviv, but he couldn’t muster up any strength to absorb them in the face of the gnome’s gaze.

“Don’t ever get the wrong idea Noone. You can’t rely on me, or anyone but yourself. I am not here to babysit you, or sabotage you. I am merely observing out of curiosity. But don’t think I will step in to protect you.”

Finally, the glow of magic which had been forming in Alaviv’s eyes disappeared and his gaze softened slightly. Laying back onto the bed with a subtle cough.

Noone sat completely still, staring into space as his own thoughts coursed through him.

Despite what Alaviv had just done, Noone had no ill feelings against the old gnome. During the whole exchange Noone had gone stiff with fright, but not of the gnome. Instead he had become overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the power which coursed through the gnome’s body and soul.

Noone’s heart beat with strength, rhythmically, waking Noone from the endless thoughts.

“What awesome power.” Noone couldn’t help but think.

He began to consider the gnome’s words carefully.

After about half an hour, Noone breathed a sigh. “Alaviv. Can you remove the weapons from your bag?”

Without even sitting up, the gnome casually waved his hand and the four enchanted weapons Noone had bought clanked against the floor in a pile in front of him.

“Thank you.” Noone began to separate them by hand, putting some space between each. “You know… if you had just said yes, I would have probably never trusted you.” Noone spoke casually as he prepared his mind to absorb the energy from the weapons. “That would have been much more conspicuous than the answer you gave. At least now, I can know what to expect from you.”

Without saying it, Noone couldn’t help but respect the gnome for being so candid. He had no problem telling Noone he wouldn’t even try to protect him, and Noone did not want the gnome to take responsibility over him either. It seemed they had come to an agreement.

“I am going to cultivate.” Noone spoke casually. “Please don’t disturb me till morning.” With that, Noone’s eyes closed and his breathing became steady. He focused his divine sense and prepared to break through.

Unknown to Noone, when Alaviv heard these words a small innocent smile spread on his lips.