“Don’t worry master, this will be fun.” Elendria said, practically skipping beside me.

“You know you don’t have to call me master anymore, right?” I reminded her once again.

“It’s a sign of respect.” She said. “Because you have earned it. Not because of a petty demand by a petty person.”

“Alright, if it makes you feel better I guess I’ll get used to it eventually.” I said with a sigh. Carrigan chuckled at the byplay as he walked behind us, no doubt I would be hearing about it later. The town setup was somewhat impressive from what I had assumed they would be able to do without technology like I was used to. Boarded sidewalks kept us out of a packed dirt road, though I could tell there were drainage ditches along the side that were kept surprisingly clear of debris. The sidewalk should have been more than wide enough to fit four people, but for some reason the back of Elendria’s hand kept bumping into mine.

That part didn’t really bother me. I was probably the only person who had treated her as a person in a long time, and had orchestrated her freedom. Some bit of attachment was bound to happen. The issue was how I got butterflies in my stomach like some nervous teenager every time it happened. Or how I would get just a whiff of whatever soap she used on those rare occasions when we could actually bathe, and find myself longing for another.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Sean?” Danielle asked as she idly played with my tuft of chest hair.

“Yeah babe?” I answered, enjoying the light caresses of her fingertips. It was right on that edge of too much stimulation after everything we had done.

“I know we haven’t been together long, but I feel like this has the potential to go places.” She said, leveraging herself so that she was looking down at me just a bit. “You don’t have to say anything, just listen.”

“I’ll try hun, but that is a distracting view.” I said with a leery grin. I gently traced my fingertips up her spine, licking my lips as she shivered in delight.

“Maybe again in a bit.” She said, pulling up the sheet. I pouted a bit, but quit when I saw how serious she was.

“I’m listening.”

“Thank you.” She said, leaning in for a few kisses. “Now. I want this to be a serious thing, and we need to talk about it seriously. Are you as invested in this as I am?”

I thought about it for a bit. The last few weeks were a bit of a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change anything. “Hun. I’ve probably had more fun since I met you than I have in the previous five years. You get my sense of humor, you challenge my ideas, and most importantly you make me smile. Of course I want this to be serious.”

“That, and I have great tits, right?” She said with a grin, flashing me said tits.

“Oh yeah baby.” I said with a chuckle, reaching for them only to be denied by a sheet again.

“There’s something I need to warn you about then. If we are going to be serious.” She said, leaning in. “I know there are a lot of guys out there who want to play the field, occasionally bring in new team players. I want you to know I’m a very jealous girl. If you try any of that shit with me, I won’t just end it. I’ll cut it off so you never get to use it again, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” I said, thoroughly convinced she wasn’t joking. There was this glint in her eye that just told me. “I assure you, I’m perfectly happy with just you.”

“Good answer.” She said with a grin, dropping the sheet. “Come get your reward.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I knew I hadn’t cheated, or even thought about it, but some reactions are hardwired into a body. That doesn’t mean you can’t feel incredibly guilty whenever they occur. I had to admit, Elendria pushed a lot of my buttons. I was still determined to be faithful, and subtly keep her at arms-length. Especially after that night of drinking, when I woke up with her head on my chest. I had immediately thought it was Danielle, until reality came crashing back.

“Sean?” Elendria’s voice broke through my musings.

“Hmm? Sorry, got lost in thought there for a second.” I apologized.

“I asked what colors you had in mind for your house.”

“My house?” I asked, confused.

“You really weren’t paying attention.” Carrigan chuckled. “All people who reach tier two of their species are considered nobles. As such, they can assign themselves an emblem and house colors. Elendria here is convinced you are going to reach at least that, and I have to agree. Better to go ahead and plan for it now.”

“Exactly.” She said. “Plus we can save money. So, colors?”

“I dunno. I’ve always been partial to reds and blacks.” I said with a shrug, getting a gasp from Elendria.

“Oh no. No no no.” She shook her head as she ushered me in the door. “That just won’t do. You are far too pale for blacks, and the reds just wouldn’t look good with your eyes.” As we entered, a bell chimed above us and the shopkeeper looked up from his counter.

“Ah, welcome to Thelma’s Threads.” She said, coming around to look at us. “I’m Mary, owner and head seamstress.”

“Pleasure to meet you Mary. I’m Elendria, this is Carrigan, and your client today is Master O’Carrol.”

“I see.” She said, shaking hands and leaning in to study my clothes. “Rough work, but serviceable. Are we looking to upgrade?” She sounded rather hopeful, but I chose to let Elendria lead on this.

“Of course, though only a few outfits. We still have a bit of travel left to do, and it wouldn’t be right if we ruined some finer outfits on the road.”

“Ah, perfect. I think I can be of service, if you’ll follow me.” She tugged on my sleeve, walking me back to a section that was packed with different colors of shirts that were of the same make as my own. “Colors?”

“We were debating earlier, and hadn’t quite come up with an answer.” Elendria explained. “His suggestion was black and red.” She said with a bit of disgust.

“Oh no, we can’t have that, not with your complexion.” Mary shook her head. “Hmmm.” She stared at me for a bit, finger on her chin. “Those eyes. Hazel can be a tricky color, but I think I have it. Brown pants with green tunics, and gold trim for the fancy stuff. That’ll bring out the color.”

Mary turned and started digging through a few shirts, while Elendria looked me up and down. “Ah, here we are!” Mary cried, turning back and holding up a dark green shirt.

“I like it.” Elendria nodded. “Plus it will help us if we need to blend in on the road sometime.”

“I’m fine with the colors-“ I started.

“Of course you are dear. Try the shirt on, so I can see what alterations I have to make.” Mary interrupted, pulling out a few more shirts and a stick of chalk. I caught her and Elendria both eyeing me as I swapped shirts, just before she came back up to inspect. “Hmmm, a bit baggy. Try this one.” She ordered, and I swapped shirts. This one was a bit snug, and by the time I had it down to my stomach parts of it looked painted on.

“Mmmmm.” I saw a flash of a smile cross Mary’s face, before she frowned. “Too tight. Take it off, I know what I need. Put your original shirt back on. Now, these pants.” She handed me the pants, and started making some marks that I had no idea about. She seemed to flow around me, pinching the pants here and there before she was suddenly in front of me again. She gave the waist a tug, and seemed satisfied.

“JEN!” She suddenly screeched, making all of us flinch. There was a clatter from the back, and a panicked looking teenage girl came rushing into the front.

“Yes Miss Mary?”

“I need four pairs of pants with these alterations, give them to Lauren. It doesn’t need to be fancy stitched, just sturdy. You take and make four of the forest green shirts. Go with the M 2 shirt, but only M 1 sleeves.”

“Four brown pants matching these alterations. Four forest green shirts, M 2 with the M 1 sleeve. Coming right up!” She said, taking the pants and disappearing in a flash.

“YOU HAVE AN HOUR!” Mary called back before turning to face us with a smile. “Sorry about that, better to get the girls started now so that we can have everything ready when you need it. Now, have you thought of your device?”

“Not really.” I said, shaking my head.

“Not a problem, we can do a simple geometric gold pattern on the sleeves and collar then for your fancier shirts. How does this one look?” She said, leading us to a different area. The shirt she took looked almost silken, and the sleeves had an odd triangular design.

“Oh you were right, the gold trim does make his eyes look better!” Elendria said, smiling at the look.

“Can I see the shirt for a second?” I asked.

“Don’t try it on. I don’t care with the lower quality fabrics, but you’ve got enough road grime on you that you’ll need a shower before I’ll let you try on the nicer stuff.” Mary warned.

“That’s fine, I just want to feel it.” I said, running a hand lightly over the cloth. Yep. It was a close approximation to silk. “Are you sure I’ll be able to afford this? You never asked-“

“We’ll be fine.” Elendria assured me. “Even if we got two sets of these, with a pair of those brown leather boots to match it wouldn’t come to above five gold.”

“I beg your pardon, but ‘those boots’ you just pointed out are three gold on their own. All told, it would be twelve gold.”

“Oh dear, this just won’t do.” Elendria shook her head. “Sure these are quality outfits, but even with the three gold for the boots the shirts and pants aren’t worth more than two gold apiece. And I’ll be damned before I pay three gold for four lower quality outfits.”

“You’ve a better eye than I thought, I’ll give you that girlie.” Mary said with a smile. “But you are forgetting about the gold trim. That’s fifty silver per shirt.”

“A fair price.” Elendria nodded. “But I’ll not pay 50 silver for mass produced outfits crafted by apprentices. Eight gold and ten silver.”

“Ten gold.” Mary countered, holding up a finger at Elendria’s widening eyes. “That’ll get you all the clothes for your master there, and I’ll throw in this.” She turned, and headed back to her counter. Reaching underneath, she pulled out an ornate bolt of green cloth with oak leaves embroidered in silver and connected by golden branches. “A dress to match, with a lovely elven motif.”

“You have a deal.” Elendria said with a smile.

“Wonderful. If you’ll return in an hour, I’ll have everything ready.” Mary said.

“Don’t you need to take Elendria’s measurements?” Carrigan asked the question on my mind.

“Silly, us girls have an eye for these things. Don’t worry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for half payment up front.”

“Of course.” Elendria said, stacking five gold coins on the counter. “We’ll be back in one hour.”

Still slightly confused as to what happened in there, I shrugged and followed Carrigan out. I’ll just chalk it up to female magic, and call it a day. “So, what are we doing for an hour?” Carrigan asked.

“Mind if we stop by that lock shop?” I asked, pointing to a sign with a key and a lock.

“Fine by me.” Carrigan shrugged.

“Let’s go.” Elendria said, nudging my shoulder as she passed. I shook my head as I followed her, studiously ignoring Carrigan’s smile.

“Greetings!” A small wisp of a girl said as we entered. “Welcome to the Lock Shop. Are you looking to buy a lock, or needing a key made for one?”

“Do you mind if I browse a bit? I want to make sure you have the right type of lock before I ask a few questions about it.”

“Sure thing! If you have questions though, I’ll have to get my papa.”

“That’s fine.” I said with a nod, moving around the store slowly. I was fairly surprised at the layout. Not only were things grouped by lock type, but there was a disassembled lock for each type set up as a display in each area. Some were simple, with only one tumbler holding the lock shut. Even simpler than that was a lock that had a small hole through the cylinder. At the opposite end was a plate with a notch for a screwdriver. Push and turn the plate, and two prongs that came off different ends of the plate removed themselves from the cylinder and allowed it to spin. Interesting, but far too simple for what I was looking for.

“Tanya says yer looking for a specific lock?” I turned to see a gnome standing behind the counter, and headed over.

“Just some questions about a fairly advanced lock my brother came across.” I lied through my teeth. “We don’t have a proper locksmith, and our blacksmith is flummoxed. He doesn’t want to cut through the lock either, in case they destroy what’s inside somehow.”

“Oh? Sounds like a right conundrum then. And you’re in the entirely wrong section of the store, those are just simple locks there. What can you tell me about the lock?”

“We know of at least four tumblers, but even lifting them all the way up doesn’t let the cylinder spin. The tumblers won’t even clear the cylinder.”

“I know just the thing! Follow me.” The gnome’s eyes lit up at my description, and we headed to the counter next to a back door where Tanya was sticking her head in. “Tanya, you should come over here. I haven’t let you play with these locks just yet, but I think you’re about ready.”

“REALLY?!” She rocketed away from the door and was bouncing next to the grinning gnome who winked at me.

“Now pay attention dear, this is one of the most advanced locks we have.” She nodded her head vigorously, and if they could have her eyes would have popped out of her head she was staring at the lock so hard.

“What we have here is the top of the line when it comes to locks, the Shear Point Tumbler. Four to ten pins, but as you can see each pin is made from two different sized pieces. The trick to the lock is the shear point in the pins. What you have to do, is manage to line up that break point in the pin with the cylinder.” As we watched, he inserted a key into the display lock. Sure enough, each of the four pins lifted to a different height, but the cylinder still turned.

“I get it. With the less sophisticated locks, if you could completely lift the pin out of the cylinder, that’s all you would need to defeat the lock.”

“Exactly. This way, you physically can’t lift the pin out of the cylinder. A well designed lock will also make it so that lifting the tumbler the maximum amount won’t line everything up. It’s about as unpickable as you can get without resorting to magical protections.”

“That sounds exactly like what we are dealing with.” I said with a smile. Figures the Adventurer’s guild would have something like this protecting their cash box. “Would you mind if I tried something on your display lock?”

“What are you wanting to do?” He asked, instantly suspicious.

“I want to try and pick the lock with magic. Without looking at the tumblers.” I answered with a smile.

“Oh? This sounds like fun.” He said with a grin, and Tanya giggled. “Just to make sure you aren’t cheating, would you mind putting this cloak over your head?”

“Not a problem.” I said, taking the cloak and turning so my back was against the counter. “If you’ll remove the key?” I asked as I draped the cloak over my head.

“One second. Swapping some of the pins.” He said, grunting a bit with the effort. “Alright, that’ll about do it.” He said after a few minutes, and I smiled. I had a feeling he was going to make this a wonderful challenge.

I started with mana exploration, making sure to limit myself to what I could figure out by sending mana in through the keyhole. “If you have mage sight or an equivalent, feel free to watch what I’m doing.” I said. Feeling my way through the cylinder, I smiled. Instead of four pins, it now had ten.

“Increasing it to ten right off the bat? How rude.” I chuckled. This was going to be slightly taxing, but I should be able to handle it. I started with the back pin, but instead of lifting up both parts of the pin, I simply lifted the top half and sent it all the way up. Then did it for all the remaining pins.

“Oooh look papa! He’s splitting the tumblers without lining up the shear points!” Tanya cried, clapping her hands.

“I see that. A most impressive feat.” He said. Soon enough I had all ten pins lifted, and was slowly turning the cylinder. Once it had cleared enough to hold the pins, I let them drop and concentrated on the cylinder only.

“Well?” I asked with a smile, as I pulled off the cloak and handed it back.

“I’ve never seen such intricate mana manipulations. Would you mind telling me the skills you used?”

“Thinking about picking them up yourself?” I asked with a chuckle. “Two fairly simple ones. Mana exploration and telekinesis. That’s it.”

“I get it!” Tanya was bouncing again. “You used the mana explordation thingy to feel what’s inside the lock, like what papa always has me practicing with my picks! Then you used the other one to lift the tumblers and turn the cylinder!”

“That’s exactly right!” I said with a smile. “I can see why he picked you as his apprentice.”

“Well, now this leaves me with a conundrum. How am I going to defeat you from lifting portions of the pins?”

“Hey papa, could we use what Andy brought over the other day?” Tanya asked.

“Hmmm? The magnets?”

“Yeah! Those stick to metal real good. What if we made a pin out of one. I bet his telly thingy skill couldn’t pull them apart!”

“Depending on how strong the magnet is, she could be right.” I said with a grin. “Plus adding a bit of force to the pins is only going to throw off those people trying to use picks. Who knows, perhaps the next big thing in locks will be the Tanya Magnetic Shear Point Tumbler.” I smiled at the girl, whose eyes grew as big as saucers.

“Could. Could we name the lock after me?” She asked breathlessly.

“Well, it was your idea. I’ll let you work out how to get everything set up.” The gnome said.

“If I may? Two little tips.” I said. “Don’t heat and don’t hammer your magnets. Too much heat and too much hammering and they won’t work as well. See if you can use magic to shape them.”

“But I don’t. There’s nobody here that can use magic like that.” Tanya said.

“Well, then we’ll just have to figure something out.” The locksmith said. “He said hammering. He didn’t say we couldn’t cut and file the thing by hand.”

“Really? Could that work?” She turned to me.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Just take it slow, and make sure you are keeping a stream of water on your saw and file so it doesn’t heat up too much. That should be just fine oof!” I was interrupted by Tanya launching herself over the counter and latching on to my neck in a deceptively strong hug.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Just you wait, soon you’ll see locks named after me!” She promised.

“I’m looking forward to it. So long as you aren’t sad if I find a way to pick your new lock.”

“Then I’ll just design a better lock again! I’m gonna be the greatest ever! After poppa teaches me everything he knows first.”

“I’ll just bet that you will be.” I said with a smile. Holding a hand out to the gnome, I said, “Thank you for all your help. My brother will send his thanks as well, when I finally open up that chest he found.”

“Was nothing.” He said with a smile, shaking my hand. “If you ever come around here again, look us up. Hopefully we’ll have a prototype lock for you to test.”

“Will do.” With a nod, I gently disentangled myself from the little girl and headed out the door. “You guys ready to pick up our clothes?”

“That was adorable.” Elendria said. “You do realize that you made that little girl’s day, right?”

“Like the locksmith said, it was nothing.” I waved her off. “But we should hurry, I’m sure that Chris and the others are wanting my help with the loading of supplies.”

“Good point.” Carrigan chuckled. “You were looking a bit weak with the telekinesis back there. Ten tumblers gave you trouble? I’m going to impose on Chris, making sure that you are using telekinesis in the loading process. No reason you can’t get a bit of training in.”

“You bastard.” I groaned. “I’ll find a way to pay you back for this.”

“I’m sure you will. Until then, I’ll try not to gloat.” He chuckled. Luckily for me Mary had all our clothes finished, and I was able to spend the rest of the afternoon helping the cooks with the loading. I thought that I would break lesser telekinesis through to the next level by using it to supplement my pitiful strength attribute, but that wasn’t the way forward. It wasn’t until I had to weave multiple tendrils together to make a stronger one that I finally got the upgrade I was looking for. Skill upgraded, caravan set, we all trundled off to the public bath house to get clean before we ate a fantastic stew provided by a local inn. Bribis was too paranoid to leave the wagons alone, so we still ended up sleeping outside, but I was happy. Getting clean in a heated bath house is a lot easier than getting clean in frigid spring water, and I was finally as clean as I had been back home. My thoughts drifted off to my girls once again as I drifted off to sleep.

Skill upgraded!

Lesser telekinesis (10/10) -> Telekinesis (20/50)