They soon came to the hastily renovated card shop. Densmeer wasn’t teeming with people, which made this place feel absolutely jam packed. This one didn’t have any inconspicuous or discreet places where you could show your cards, but a large hall with people shouting at one another for what they had and what they wanted. It seemed, bizarrely, like those movie scenes of Wall Street. These people had gold and foil cards instead of bits of paper, and were shouting about Order abilities this and Fire abilities that, spells here and enchantments there.

The building might have been another tavern before, or a team of wizards might have just put it up since the portal came into being. It seemed a bit newish compared with the other buildings.

“You’ll be looking for Wild aspect cards, won’tcha miss?” one seller screamed at her. Kyessy grabbed him by his face shoved the man backwards into several other sellers and customers.

“Could we manage an iota of decorum, lads?” another said. This was a smooth talking orcish man of nearly seven feet, with incongruous lace and frills on his blue satin jacket. It wasn’t the right color for his gray green skin, or his menacing yellow eyes, but the cuffs on it were massive. “Please, call me Ignatious Featherbottom. What would the lady be interested in?”

“Ignatious?” she asked.

“Featherbottom?” Corbin couldn’t help himself.

“Ah, the lady has a Familiar card from beyond the portal. I would be willing to give the lady three rares for the card, if she liked, or a mythic. I believe I’ve gotten a hold of something that might interest someone of your profession.”

How did he know… oh. There were no ravens on this side of the portal.

She gave Corbin a flat look he couldn’t quite make out. “Unfortunately the Familiar is not for sale.”

Oh, this was joking Kyesiara. He was surprised to find this one existed, and wasn’t sure he liked having her around or not.

“What are we looking to buy?” Ignatious Featherbottom asked, and spread his hands out over his table, which held nothing.

“Cards?” she ventured, then gave Corbin a very pointed glance.

“I don’t know what that look’s for,” he cawed. “You need my help in securing the type of cards that will suit you best, and keep you from getting swindled. I think this guy’s from my side of the portal. Ignatius Featherbottom is the worst name I’ve ever hard.”

“I can make up my own mind about what to buy,” she told him. “And besides, you can communicate with me at a distance, remember?”

“Ugh, fine.” He didn’t like being sidelined. At least with Prissy he knew he knew more than she did, and she definitely had to rely on him for… basically everything. That Spectral Blade though… it was honestly a godsend that kept them from getting squashed over and over.

“Get a manifest weapon if you can manage it,” he told her. “Something with life drain would be amazing, but I doubt he’s got anything like that.” And tried Survey again.

He failed, gritted his beak, and tried over.

Nothing.

Inspect gave him nothing of value either, just a whole bunch of cards and people and items he didn’t really want information on. It was information overload. He banished window after window.

Below, Kyessy asked him about spells a Ranger could take on, or Wild aspect cards. She produced one of the Paladin cards they’d picked up off the Shardmage’s loot pile to trade.

“That magistrate, Findell…” Corbin mused. “Guy said it was a troupe of bandits that were messing things up. He didn’t say how he knew, and we didn’t think to ask.”

Survey. Nothing. Inspect, a lot of individual things that were quite unhelpful.

She selected a common Skin to Bark spell that would give her the ability to impersonate a dead tree, or give her an armor bonus at the cost of Agility.

“Doesn’t seem worth it,” he said.

“Yes, well, it’s cheap and gets some Wild Aspect bonuses, whatever those mean. You hush up and keep those eyes peeled,” she responded, and put it back. Ignatious Featherbottom wasn’t pleased.

The next one seemed a lot more promising: Rare, for one. For a couple of MP, her arrows would sprout a number of spiny vines.

“Entangling Razor Vine,” she said.

“That one’s good,” he muttered, and Surveyed again. Nothing… again.

As soon as the transaction completed, he brought it up and looked at the icon in his menu. For 5 MP, he’d be able to use this on any pecking action. He could combo this with Unerring Aim to wrap up targets in vines. Nice.

“You need something with fire. We can do a lot more damage if they’re wrapped in flaming vines. Oh wait, we have that fire blast thing…”

“Eyes… open,” she commanded, but he noted with satisfaction that she immediately asked for something that could light fires in a hurry. Sadly none of them would work with her Wild Aspect, but Ignatious knew a guy who made an enchanted quiver that produced fire arrows. It wasn’t cheap, but it seemed worth it.

Another failed Survey attempted and several more distracting Inspect attempts later, his Luck finally kicked in again.

You’ve succeeded a Luck (Kismet) check! Your failure has turned into an opportunity!

This was the exact same moment that a person stepped up behind Kyessy, bumped into her, and Corbin caught the glint of a dagger as it left her back. This ended up being a critical strike, and some other Scoundrel power was involved, because her HP dropped precipitously in just one hit.

“No!” he leapt off his perch in the rafters and threw out a Terrifying Aura, which caused everyone around to moan out in horror.

Everyone except the assassin. Geez, what was this guy’s level anyhow?

Now that he had the target in his sights, Inspect told him… nothing useful.

Gnomish Scoundrel

Level unknown

354/354 HP

You should really work on these Perception skills, huh?

“You think!” he shouted.

Corbin swooped in and pecked both Unerring Aim and Entangling Razor Vine, then smashed into this creep for 16 damage, with 8 damage to himself. An instant later vines the diameter of his entire raven body sprouted from the man’s back and began shredding his clothes. They wrapped around his arms, but he’d hit too high up. He hit Entangling Razor Vine again, but this time went after the man’s leg, scoring only 4 damage. Still, a cascade of prompts went by, signaling that the vines had dealt 1 and 2 damage over and over again in rapid succession. Also that the man had been afflicted with Bound, and had penalties for using weapons. A second later, he gained another Immobilized. This one brought the attacker’s speed to zero and lowered his Agility.

The vines continued to squeeze and cut, even though the little gnomish was furiously cutting the ones around each arm. A second later, he began sawing at the vines now binding his legs.

Ignatious Featherbottom came to the rescue here, and opened a palm filled with bluish light in a spinning runic circle, like something straight out of an MMORPG. This blasted the gnomish to the ground, allowing Corbin to peck at him again and wrap him up in more squeezing, cutting vines.

“You got any healing abilities?” he asked Featherbottom.

“You make a lot of noise for a crow,” Featherbottom replied.

“This again!” he shouted. “Ugh! Just understand me, you dolt!” He then got Mimicry going, and pleaded for some healing.