Talismans. A derivative of skillstrips that produced a far weaker effect, but due to the low load on them, had an infinite lifespan. As a rule of thumb, talismans were the cheapest to procure, since the only skills that could be imbued on them were skills that improved or weakened certain stats of their target. Furthermore, only one skillstrip could be imbued at any given moment, but for talismans, it was possible to make thirty of them with a single skill.

Claud, whose wallet was depleted after going on a spending spree not too long ago, was currently holding on to a solid stack of talismans, thumbing through them to check their numbers.

“Are these talismans really all that useful? Their effects are so weak, I don’t even know what to think about them,” Lily griped. “Using even one gold to buy up their entire stock is nothing short of a waste.”

“We don’t know when we’ll arrive at Licencia, so standard skillstrips are no good,” Claud replied. “Besides, you can use the whole stack together to create an effect rivalling a skillstrip.”

“Really?” Lily asked.

“I’m not pulling your leg here.” Claud took out a batch of Aura-boosting talismans. “These talismans are Aura-boosting talismans, designed to enhance one’s seeming might. However, the original skill they came from was actually Intimidation; anyone who uses that skill would have an overwhelming presence. If you stack these talismans together, you get that effect.”

Lily eyed the talismans in his hand. “You only have ten of them, though.”

“Yeah, well, these ones are defective,” Claud replied darkly. “One of these talismans turn your presence into that of a tri-folder. Walking into a forest with them on is a death sentence through and through.”

“Why did you buy it, then?”

“Look, I didn’t take it out just for you to ask me questions I don’t want to answer,” Claud replied. “Anyway, if you tear open all ten at once, you’d turn into a walking zone of fear and dread.”

“That’s useful, right?”

“Well, if you don’t want to make friends, then it is,” Claud replied. “Anyway, it’s just a trade secret. Talismans, when used together, can actually replicate the original skill. Granted, they only work on skills that boost or weaken a particular aspect or ability, but it’s nice to have skillstrips that don’t expire at times.”

Unfortunately, his skills weren’t the kinds that could be boiled down into more mundane bits. Presence Nullification would be weakened, which took away the main point. The others…well, they just didn’t work. Flight, Binding Order, Cleanse and Absolute One were all skills that did something, rather than enhancing a certain aspect of their target.

He’d tried it before, and the end result was lots of Presence Weakening talismans to sell. They were quite popular with thieves, from what he knew, but they couldn’t be sold for much. Good control and awareness could do the same, and more.

Of course, one more reason was that it was impossible to tear thirty pieces of paper within a few seconds. Otherwise, Claud would have been walking around with stacks of Presence Weakening talismans in his pockets, since they didn’t have a use-by date.

“So, for what reason did you buy so many Protection from Projectiles talismans?” Lily asked.

“Well, when used in sufficient numbers, the Deflector skill activates,” Claud replied. “It’s a skill that’s very effective against projectile weapons like arrows and throwing knives. Makes projectiles miss you entirely.”

“And why arrows and throwing knives specifically?”

“It’s a lot harder to guard against arrows and sharp projectiles, compared to a sword-wielding bunch of fellows,” Claud replied. “Sneak attacks are the hardest to deal with in my book. Swords? Yeah, nothing that dangerous.”

“For some reason, I get the feeling that you’re looking down on me,” Lily replied.

“Don’t think too hard about it.” Claud gave her a playful wink, and then checked through the next stack of talismans. The ones here were known as Hardening talismans, which made one’s skin stronger. Using thirty of them would result in the Ironflesh skill, which was quite self-explanatory.

All in all, the master thief had procured lots of defensive talismans, all to coordinate with his defensive artefacts. He would give some to Lily right before they entered Licencia, in case a small army of enemies decided to shower them with sharp gifts of love and subordination.

“We still can’t quite hit the road yet, though,” Claud replied. “Damn that snake. If I ever see it, I’ll give it a—”

The town bell rang at this moment, interrupting his words. Startled, he looked around the place as a frantic clanging penetrated the relative silence of Nachtville.

“What’s going on?”

Soldiers, each of them gripping a spear and a shield, were dashing past them, into the direction of Nachtville’s eastern gate. Moments later, mercenaries burst out of the inns and taverns of the little town, weapons all drawn.

“That Tri-Head Snake has been spotted! Don’t let it get away!”

“It only has one head left! Kill it and we’ll be rich!”

All kinds of shouts and roars filled the city as the mercenaries charged over to the city gate, hot on the soldiers’ heels. The fervent atmosphere was incredibly contagious, and Claud found himself on the verge of following the others. Before he could move, however, a chill spread out from his trousers, and the ardent blaze in his heart extinguished.

That presence…Crown?

His trousers twitched at that thought, a movement that cleared up the fog in his mind. A lethargic feeling had settled down in his head at some point in time, something that Crown’s sudden movement had dispersed.

Shaking his head, he stretched out his right hand and placed it on Lily’s shoulder. Cleanse activated a moment later, causing a look of befuddlement to float onto her face, and like him, she had to clear her head slightly.

“Wow. They’re quite high-spirited, aren’t they?” Lily asked.

“Either that,” Claud replied, his eyes narrowed at the odd phenomenon, “or a skill to rile everyone up was used. We weren’t all that affected, given our proximity, but still…”

Lily frowned. “That’s possible too, isn’t it? In that case, have they actually thought through their next actions? Or are they just charging for the sake of doing so?”

“Good question,” Claud replied, his mind drifting back to the little box. “Fortunately, I was wearing some artefacts that protected the mind.”

That was a lie, of course. Such things were were fairly rare — Claud had done his research on resisting mental skills ever since he received Area Compulsion skillstrips; but this was the first time he’d directly felt such skills being used on him.

Whatever skill that had been used on those mercenaries was clearly a potent one. Simply by being on the periphery of the excitement, Claud had already considered the thought of joining in to be natural. If skills that affected the mind were actually this subtle…

Claud trembled. He couldn’t help but think about a conversation he’d shared with Dia a while ago. A conversation regarding the existence of sub-folders, and their conspicuous absence within the common folk. Were the common folk also affected by a similar skill?

He didn’t know.

Nor did he dare to think about that. He was too small, too weak. If something this huge was forced upon the people of Grandis, the Emperor probably knew.

It was possible that the Emperor had to approve of it too.

“Let’s go to the east gate,” said Claud.

“What?” Lily stared at him. “Are you alright? Is that skill working on you?”

“No, it isn’t.” Claud narrowed his eyes. “But I’m worried about something. Let me ask you: who will benefit the most if the mercenaries in this town overestimated themselves and died to kill a three-headed snake that was just passing by?”

“The person behind those recent murders!” Lily narrowed her eyes. “Maybe…the person who used that skill earlier?”

Claud nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. Besides, vanillas against a tri-folder monster…it’s going to be a massacre. We might be able to do something if we’re there.”

“You’re right,” said Lily. “And it’s not like we’re the only folders out there either, right? We might not even need to step up. Still…I didn’t expect you to have a heroic side too.”

“Everyone’s a hero until their life is threatened,” Claud replied. “I’m no exception. If things go bad, I’m probably going to make a break for it. Just a word of warning.”

“You’d probably try to bring me along, though. There’s no need to warn me, is there?” Lily asked. “After all, you did help Dia when she was attacked last time.”

“She didn’t know that I was helping her until the whole thing blew over,” Claud replied. “If you refuse to run, what can I do? Knock you out and carry you to a safe place? Point is, if I have instructions, you should follow them no matter what.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Really? Well, whatever.” Claud rolled his eyes. “In that case, let’s go see what’s exactly happening at the eastern gate, shall we?”