&&&&& REAL SPACE &&&&&&

James made his way to the warehouse, taking more care than usual. When he arrived, he spent almost an hour observing the place before entering. Extra face changes and clothing swaps ensured he was not being followed.

Once inside, he was met by George, who had the dubious name of Guard Two. Although he knew the passphrase, James asked to meet with Sasha and George told him that Sasha was away on other business. James did the exchange but was on edge the entire time. Even Rocko could not draw him away from his feeling of paranoia.

James moved through town and picked up a few more bundles of clothes. He was planning on leaving most of these in his room since he would need the space for the Dungeon, but he wanted to replace several of the more obvious pieces he wore now. He also used his Gather Information to see what he could find out about the Piraiba Barbels. No one knew what that was, but when he mentioned a fish-headed person, that seemed to trigger the memory of a few people. The fish-headed person was seen in the market the day before. Instead of digging for information, James pretended to be one of the many gossipers, and he was able to find out that the Piraiba Barbels had visited three shops in the area before leaving.

The first shop was a weapon smith. The same dwarven weapon smith that James had encountered earlier. James switched to the face he used when he was dealing with the Dwarf before and was able to start a conversation quickly using the excuse that he was following up on their earlier discussion. The Dwarf was not very forthcoming with information, but James was able to use Mind Scan to find out that the Piraiba Barbels was looking for a trident.

The second shop was that of an Alchemist. This Alchemist was not one James had encountered before or knew anything about. James knew who were the top five Alchemists in the city, and this guy was not one of them. The Alchemist was as tight-lipped as the Dwarf and said nothing about the Piraiba Barbels entering his shop or what he was after. James had to use Mind Scan again but the information he got back didn't make sense. The Piraiba Barbels was searching for cheap Potions of Water Breathing.

James explored the third shop, which was more of a general store. It was busy and had a steady customer flow, making it difficult for James to talk to the clerks or the owner. There were several employees in the shop, so it was hard for James to speak with them alone. Finally, things quieted down a bit, and James got the help of a young female clerk who was happy to help him pick up some cooking herbs. His inquiries about the Piraiba Barbels got some exciting looks, but no one could answer what he bought. All they knew was that he browsed and then left. When James asked where he browsed, the clerk showed him. It was a section of different coloured wool, string and yarn. Picking up the bundle of red yarn, James couldn't help but notice it was the same colour as the Weapon Tassel. Thanking the clerk, he headed back out.

Once he was safely away, he changed his appearance again and went back to the same shop. Sitting across from the shop, he was able to watch it from a small cafe. It was possible that others may have been doing the same thing as he was, or the people who killed the Piraiba Barbels would follow up on any inquiries into the creature's actions. James was sure, but he had a few hours to kill and figured he would watch.

James and Rocko discussed their plans for the upcoming Dungeon during the wait. Rocko knew there would be scorpions and scarabs because it was in a desert but suspected there would be Undead. James figured Undead would mean mummies. That led to a discussion of what a mummy was and different movies which featured mummies as the villain. Rocko had never heard of a mummy and doubted their existence.

James and Onyx arrived at the caves after lunch. The sisters had set up a picnic with a blanket and several plates of food for everyone. Before coming in the open, James scouted the area and had Onyx scout a wider perimeter. Neither of them found any spies.

"Who's your friend?" Connie asked.

James smiled at everyone as he approached, "This is Onyx. Onyx, these are my friends."

"Join us. Have you had lunch yet?" Connie asked.

James shook his head, "I haven't, no."

Onyx stopped about three paces away and lay down in the grass.

Barbara handed James a plate with some cheese, meat and bread. It looked like the fixings for a sandwich. "We found something you might find useful," Barbara stated.

"All of us could find it useful," Doris countered.

"Yes, but we agreed James should get it." Connie admonished her.

"No, you agreed James should get it. I think I should get it," Doris corrected her.

"I have pretty much everything I need. Other than Enchanted armour, I am pretty well set," James offered, trying to appease Doris. This just caused Doris to scowl and Barbara to laugh.

Reaching behind her, Connie pulled out an Iron Winged Helm with a fixed Faceplate. It was rather nice given that it was an older style with a fixed faceplate and large eye holes. It reminded James of the Iron Winged Helm he found in the Dungeon with the Skeletons.

Name: Iron Winged Helm with Fixed Faceplate Quality: Fair Rarity: Uncommon Armour Rating: 11 Durability: 35/35 Special: Worn - Head, Enchanted - +5 to AR

James nodded in appreciation for the Helm, "Very nice, thank you."

It was hard not to notice Doris' scowl, so James took off his Steel Nasal Helm and handed it to her, "Here. It is not Enchanted, but it is still pretty good."

Doris looked at it like a dead rat, "Wonderful."

Roland leaned over to her and stage whispered, "It is at least three Armour Rating higher than what you currently have." She looked at Roland skeptically, but he only nodded.

With that, Doris smiled and plopped it on her head, "There, now I look like a sexier version of James."

Onyx wagged her tail and barked once. "See, even your dog agrees," Doris crowed.

James scowled, "My dog has a name." but Doris only shrugged as she bit into her sandwich.

James let the issue go and turned to Connie about the Weapon Tassel, but he wanted her to use her Identify Spell, but didn't like doing it in front of everyone. Still, there was no time like the present.

He held out the Weapon Tassel and asked, "Connie, any chance you can try to Identify this? I didn't get much when I tried."

Connie nodded and continued to chew her food while she turned it over in her hands.

"Looks like a Weapon Tassel," Roland offered.

James nodded, "It is. The colour seems important as it appears in the item's name. But I couldn't determine what it does or how it works."

Roland nodded and took another bite, not offering anymore. A few moments later, Connie's eyes almost fell out of her head as she ogled the item.

"By the Seven Hells, James! You have any idea what this is?" she exclaimed.

James smiled, "Nope, that is why I am asking you."

Connie looked at the Weapon Tassel again and laid it on the picnic cloth. "It is a Red Weapon Tassel, Ultra Rare. I can tell it has three different Enchantments, but I can't tell what they are."

"Wow," Doris muttered. "That has to be worth thousands. Tens of thousands."

James frowned, "It is worth at least a man's life."

"A little melodramatic, don't you think, James." Rocko chided him.

James told them how he found the Tassel. He described the creature and the other items he found on him. None of them knew the Race, could identify the writing on the paper or recognized the coins.

"Do you think this creature was killed for the Weapon Tassel?" Roland asked.

Doris was the first to respond, "Ya. I don't doubt that in the least."

Roland nodded, "I know if I showed up with that hanging from my blade, I would be challenged for it in seconds. That item is worn by Generals, Princes and the extremely powerful."

"So I should sell it?" James asked, concerned.

"Gods, no!" Barbara answered.

"No, James, but I wouldn't display it unless you were in a Dungeon or other private place," Connie added.

Doris agreed, "Don't wear it where other people can see it. Otherwise, you would be hunted."

James thought about it for a few moments, "I have my sword, which is Very Rare. Why is that not as much a magnet for thieves?"

Rocko answered at the same time as Connie, "Ultra Rare is about a hundred times rarer than Very Rare." Connie said something similar.

"Also, your sword is usable only by someone of your Race and with your Powers and requires a specific skill to use," Rocko explained.

James nodded, "So, don't wear it around town." Reaching into his satchel, James pulled out the potions. "Here, I got these for you." James handed out two Uncommon Potions of Bonus Experience (50%) and a Rare Potion of Bonus Experience (100%) to each of the sisters. He also gave two of the Uncommon Potions of Mana to Connie.

"I figure if we are going into the Dungeon, these should help get the biggest benefit from the Dungeon. Using the Rare Potion before the final boss fight and when we leave the Dungeon should give you a large bonus." James explained.

"Wow. That is very," Doris paused, then whispered, "generous."

Reaching into this backpack of Holding, James pulled out a large sack of Alchemical items. "I had a friend made these for me yesterday." These he handed them to Barbara, "I figured you would get the most use of them since you are the only one who doesn't have an area attack."

"Wait, I don't have any area attack Spells?" Doris chimed in.

Barbara handed Doris a Firebomb, "How good is your aim?"

"Not great, but with these, it doesn't have to be." Doris smiled and tucked the Firebomb into her belt.

Connie leaned forward and tapped James on the arm to get his attention, "We should probably update you on our acquired Spells."

"Me first," Barbara bounced.

"You didn't get a Spell, silly!" Doris stated.

"It's like a Spell," Barbara pouted.

Doris shook her head, "No, it's not."

"It uses Mana like a Spell," Barbara defended.

"Just because a bear using Mana to shit in the woods doesn't make it a Spell," Doris explained.

"I don't think bears use mana to shit in the woods," Connie interjected.

"Not the point. The point is, her ability is not a Spell," Doris stated.

"Now that we have the important stuff out of the way care to explain what ability you got that uses Mana, but isn't a Spell?" James asked Barbara.

Barbara nodded and smiled, "I spend mana and aim at the target's foot. If I hit, the arrow pins the foot to the ground for ten seconds."

Doris shook her head, but James saw her smile.

"What about you, Doris. I am sure Nerissa gave you some great gifts," James inquired.

"I was granted access to a Spell called Divine Light for my ninth level. Not only does it help those who can not see in the dark, but it blinds the Undead, Fiends and other creatures of pure Evil." Doris then winked at James, "You should be okay, right? I wouldn't want to blind you by accident."

James smiled back, "I should be fine. My pure Evilness is tightly contained."

Connie chuckled as Doris continued, "For my second Tier, I got something that I am looking forward to using on a worthy opponent. Pillar of Sacred Fire is not a big pillar, but it does a lot of damage, and it does even more damage to Undead."

"Do you think your god is telling you to be prepared to fight the Undead?" James asked.

"Probably," Doris answered with a shrug.

"My turn," Connie clapped her hands. Onyx barked once in excitement. "The Spell I got for level 9 was not that great, but I am sure we will find a use for it. It is called Wall of Ice and creates a small wall of ice. It works better than Barrier to stop arrows, but you can't see through it or move through it."

"That could be great for preventing someone from flanking us or chasing us," James encouraged her. Roland nodded slightly but otherwise kept quiet.

"The second Spell is a tier two version of a Spell I already have. It is an Improved Physical Shield. The lesser version only blocks one attack and stops it completely if it is less than 50 damage. This version blocks a set amount of damage before disappearing. It blocks up to 100 damage," she explained.

"That's a nice improvement," James agreed.

Connie nodded, "I also had the Scroll I got from you, which was a Tier 2 Spell called Flame Bolt. We founds two Scrolls, Detect Illusion and Mage Armour. That Spell is awesome. It lasts for 10 minutes per level and gives me a base of 10 AR. And then I bought a Spell called Lightning Bolt."

James was impressed, "Wow. That's great."

"If everyone is caught up and finished eating, we should be off," Roland suggested as he stood up.

"Works for me," James agreed, heading for the caves.

"Why the caves?" Roland asked.

"Privacy. It is the reason I didn't take anyone with me earlier. I don't want everyone knowing what I can do." James explained.

"Really?" Rocko asked, "A little late for that, don't you think?"