Liam raised a brow as he stared at Lyca. He wasn’t entirely sure what this wolf-folk man was talking about. Branding? Did he mean like a branding iron or did he mean it in terms of creating an identity for his crafted wares?
“I’m sorry, could you please explain what you mean by branding?” Liam questioned.
“Yes I can,” Lyca grinned. “We have a person here who will help create a symbol you can use to place on your crafted items. This way when you have businesses selling your products it will stand out from other Crafters’ wares.”
“So, it’s just to differentiate between crafters?” Liam inquired.
“Yes and No,” Lyca answered. “It does work to show that some products are made by the same person while others are made by another, but it also helps those who prefer a certain crafter’s items. Say for example, you have a certain item you have come to like, like a weapon or armor piece. It’s been reliable and has kept you safe during your adventures. You like it so much you try someone else’s crafted weapon or armor piece, and it doesn’t live up to the one you recently had.
“To make sure you don’t make the mistake of getting the one that you don’t like and get one made by the crafter you do, you just look for their branded symbol. If you’re curious as to what one looks like, here is mine.”
Lyca pulled a long sword in a tanned leather sheath out from his inventory and handed it to Liam. A picture of a Howling Wolf’s head on a shield with a sword placed behind the shield was resting along the edge of the sheath where the sword was sheathed.
“The Branding also comes with a name, so it makes it easier for people who are looking for specific items made by certain crafter to find. My brand name is the Howling Wolf’s Safeguard,” Lyca informed.
“That is interesting,” Liam stated as he handed the weapon back to Lyca.
“You should ask if you are only limited to one Branding. – Eri.”
Why? Liam asked as he started to look confused.
Lyca noticed the look on Liam’s face and asked, “Is everything alright?”
Liam turned his attention back to Lyca as he replied, “Huh? Oh, yeah. I just have a question about something.”
“What is your question?” Lyca asked.
“Am I only limited to one Branding or can I have multiple?” Liam inquired.
“It’s not recommended, but you are allowed to have as many as you’d like,” Lyca answered. “It becomes hard for some who have multiple brands to keep track of each one, but some people like to have different Brandings for each craft they do. Are you thinking about making a brand for each craft you do?”
Liam thought about it. What he said sounded about right. Trying to remember which Branding goes to which craft would be hard to do. Not only that, but trying to come up with a Branding for each craft would be a pain as well.
Why did you want to know if I could have more than one? Are you going to suggest I make one for each craft I do? Liam internally asked Eri.
“No. There’s a different reason as to why I wanted to know. I’ll tell you later, but for now try to think up two different Brandings. – Eri.”
Okay… Liam replied to Eri as he shook his head and answered Lyca, “No, I was just curious. I might make two, but I still need to think about it. How long does it normally take to get a Branding made?”
“It all depends on how many they are already making, how many you want, the design and the creating of it all. It could be anywhere from a day to a week if things are looking good. If there is a back order then two to three weeks,” Lyca stated. “You wont know until you talk to the one in charge.”
Liam nodded as he listened to Lyca. “Alright, thank you.”
“No problem,” Lyca started before looking at Elatrix. He then ordered, “Miss Elatrix, please take Mr. Liam into the next area and guide him to Milandra to have her get going on his Branding please.”
“As you wish Mr. Lyca,” Elatrix said as she bowed to him.
Liam stood up and turned to face her and watched as she opened the door and said, “If you would please follow me.”
Before Liam followed Elatrix, he turned to look at Lyca and said, “Thank you for your help.”
Lyca gave Liam a friendly smile as he replied, “It has been my pleasure.”
Liam turned back and followed Elatrix out of the room.
Once when Liam left and Elatrix closed the door, the smile on Lyca’s face disappeared. He stared at the door for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. His ears twitched as a hidden door suddenly opened.
Before the guest said anything, Lyca stated, “Tell me, do you have a plan to determine if your guess is accurate?”
“I currently do not,” the female replied as she approached the right side of Lyca.
“Then what evidence do you have to support your suspicions?” Lyca asked as he continued to stare at the door.
“That is something you don’t need to know,” the woman replied. “You have done your job, by getting him a C.I.D. Now we need to see what he has to showcase and see how it compares to theirs. If he makes something extraordinary then it will higher the chances…”
“He’s just a beginner Crafter. I highly doubt he will showcase anything worth noting,” Lyca interrupted.
“That maybe be true, but from what I heard you say while looking at his Alchemy levels, his doesn’t match what normal beginner crafters would look like right after the Tutorial Area,” the woman stated. “Not only that, but who knows how they are when it comes to crafting. If he is anything like them, then there is a chance he wont follow the rules those pompous controlling crafters have implemented on up and coming crafters.”
Lyca let out an irritated sigh. “That can help, but you got the information I gave you about his two mentors right? One is all about the rules, but the other doesn’t really care for them. If he has made stuff that don’t follow Crafter protocol then it could be because of her influence.”
“You are right about that, but we both know that he could have been lying about who his mentors are. We have seen it before,” the woman argued.
“Don’t remind me. That whole fiasco almost caused us to lose not just many new crafters, but our standings with merchants and the nobles,” Lyca stated as he rubbed the sides of his temples. “If by chance he is what you think he is, then what?”
“Then we find a way to isolate him from any potential merchants and go from there,” the woman responded.
“I take it you’ll handle any issues that happen then?” Lyca questioned.
The woman placed a hand on Lyca’s shoulder as she said with a calm and reassuring tone, “Rest assured. My lord has taken all precautions and will deal with any who make issues.”
Lyca shook his head. He wasn’t sure about this. He loved his job and loved meeting new and hardworking crafters, especially those who had a future in it. Their enthusiasm is what brought new life and discoveries to the crafting world.
However, lately many people haven’t been wanting to sign up and learn to craft or do new crafts. The reason for that is because the nobles and their political agendas. They just loved to horde the best crafters and their works making sure they don’t craft for anyone else. And if those successful crafters refused then they would find ways to make sure they would never craft again.
He tried his best to stop this and tried to make sure those who refused any nobles would be safe and still had a future. It was still a constant fight to this day since the nobles keep finding new ways to cause issues.
The lord this woman spoke about though was an enigma. He never participated in the games the nobles played to get the best crafters, so it came to a surprise when this woman appeared and asked for when this man was going to showcase. He would have loved to decline giving any information, but he was someone even he couldn’t go against. All he could do was hope for the best that nothing horrible would happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Liam followed Elatrix out of the room, she guided him to the door closest to them. Two muscular Lion-folk men wearing professional black suits with a white shirt under the jacket stood on each side of the door. Liam wasn’t sure how they were able to wear the jackets with how big their muscles looked, but he was quite impressed with the two.
“To be able to get to the next area there is a protocol you must follow,” Elatrix started to explain as she stopped and pointed at the receptionist desk. “First, you would get in line and speak to one of the receptionists. They will ask what your business will be. It could be anywhere from looking for new tools, getting supplies, looking to showcase your new items to spread your work out more. Anything. They will inform you where everything is located, if there is an event going on, if the merchants are in, etc.”
Liam nodded as he watched her point to the door next to them.
“After you’re done there, you will come to this door and show them your C.I.D. to show proof you have access to the resources we have here,” Elatrix continued. “Go ahead and show them your C.I.D.”
Liam pulled out his C.I.D. from his inventory and showed it to the two men.
The two stoic looking Lion-folk glanced at the card, shifted their eyes to Liam, then nodded.
“After they grant you access you walk through,” Elatrix informed as the doors opened and she walked through.
Liam followed suit and came to a stop after the door closed behind him.
He was amazed at what was in front of him as loud chatter from people, sounds of hammers hitting ingots, sparks from contraptions, and other noises screamed inside his ears. Smells from food, fires, alchemy projects, and many others he couldn’t pinpoint slammed his nose causing him to feel slightly overwhelmed.
The area was wide and spread out. There were two floors that Liam could see. The bottom floor in his sight held several different Blacksmithing stores, smithies, stores full of smelted and processed ingots, and Construction Crafting stores. He also saw several different tailoring shops scattered about here and there.
Liam looked up to see a second story visible from where he stood. He was able to pick out signs for Alchemy stores, herbal supply stores, Rune Crafting, Enchanting, and even a few Liam didn’t recognize.
What Liam was looking at was equivalent to a two story Mall, except it was for crafters. The more he stared at the wonder in front of him the more excited he started to feel.
Elatrix watched with amusement as several different emotions washed over Liam’s face. She waited until Liam turned his attention back to her and heard him ask, “This place looks so much bigger on the inside than the outside. How?”
Elatrix smiled as she replied with a wink, “That’s a secret. One you might figure out on your own, depending on the crafts you focus on.”
Liam frowned. He didn’t want to wait. He wanted to know now.
“If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to Milandra who you can speak to about your Branding,” Elatrix informed as she turned around and started walking.
Liam followed her. He looked around at the stores and grew excited as they walked.
He saw several different types of Beast-kins talking. Some showed off their skills in the smithies they passed as they worked on well crafted and amazing weapon and armor pieces.
He saw a few talking with their hands moving around like they were in a heated argument. He used his hearing to listen in on what they were doing and found out one was trying to haggle prices.
One Tailoring store had clothing pieces that ranged from casual to high end outings to adventuring and crafting. Seeing the elegant works reminded him he needed to buy some new casual clothing as well as some for when he crafted so he wasn’t using the same clothes over and over.
“Here we are,” Elatrix announced, bringing Liam out of his excitement.
Liam turned to look at the store she had brought him to.
It was a plain looking store compared to the others he had seen. There was clear glass windows from the top of his hip up above a little bit above his head to give people a clear look into the store. Resting on podiums and stands were vast designs of pictures with words. Each one was just as impressive as the last.
Liam looked at the sign hanging above the door. It was a banner with the words saying, Milandra’s Fantastic Branding.
“That’s a pretty simple store name,” Liam commented as he stared at it.
“I think simple is better than overcomplicated ones,” a voice suddenly said. The voice sounded feminine with a slight high pitch to the tone, but at the same time it sounded a little weathered.
Liam looked forward, but didn’t see anything. He looked to his left then his right, but still couldn’t find the owner of the voice.
A coughing sound brought Liam’s attention to look down. Standing in front of him was a short older looking woman with greyish white hair. She had wrinkles that rested along her cheeks. A pair of giant goggles rested on her ocean blue eyes. The size and prescription of the lenses magnified her eyes giving them a giant doe eyed look. She wore a navy blue shirt, grey pants, and a white apron. What really caught Liam’s attention was the fluffy tail that stood up and rounded into a ball at the tip right behind her head.
“What’s the matter boy? Never seen a Squirrel-folk Beast-kin before?” the older woman questioned with a slight amusement on her face.
Liam shook his head as he answered, “No ma’am I haven’t. I haven’t had the chance to see all the Beast-kin races there are. Everything is still new to me.”
“Oh? Are we a new arrival?” the woman asked as she looked him up and down.
“Yes. I arrived yesterday,” Liam replied. He tried to keep his focus on her eyes, but kept getting distracted by her fluffy tail that moved left to right, right behind her head.
The older woman gave him a smile as she noticed this and teased, “I know my tail looks pretty fluffy, and it is trust me…but only one person has the right to touch it. I could make an exception for you, but I don’t think you can handle my feisty side litte kitty cat.” She then made a motion with her right hand like she was clawing the air while making a horrible impression of a cat meowing.
Liam let out a laugh, but then stopped. This short old squirrel-folk had just said kitty cat. Confused he looked at Elatrix. Before he could ask if she was talking to her. The older woman laughed while saying, “I’m not talking to her boy. I’m talking to you.”
Liam’s eyes widened as he asked, “How did you know?”
The older woman lifted two fingers as she replied, “Two give aways. One was the way you walked. You have the grace of a Cat-folk in your steps.”
Liam tilted his head a bit. He never thought that the way he walked was like that. He wasn’t sure when that had started. “What’s the second?”
“The second was when you turned your head left and right to look for me. I was able to see how your eyes looked from the gap between your sunglasses. From this angle, plus how close I can look with these goggles on it would be an insult for me not to catch them.”
“Huh, well played Miss…,” Liam started to say until he realized he never got her name.
“Milandra. You can call me Milly though,” Milly winked.
“It is nice to meet you Milly. I am Liam,” Liam greeted as he smiled down at the woman.
“You have good manners. I like that,” Milly stated as she reached into her inventory and pulled something out. “Good kids like you deserve a treat.” She then reached her hand up and opened it to reveal something that looked exactly like a pistachio nut still in its shell.
“Thank you,” Liam said as he grabbed the object.
“It’s called a Pitasho Nut. I guess it resembles something called a Pistachio nut from some strange world, but this one is different. Each nut has a different flavor hidden within. You never know what kind of flavor it will be until you open it. Go ahead and see what you got,” Milly insisted as she watched Liam with a warm smile.
“Okay,” Liam answered as he placed his thumbnail between the line and tried prying it.
It took him a couple of seconds to open and when he did a sweet familiar scent escaped and ran up his nose. He looked down to see a small red nut resting inside the shell.
“Oh, looks like you found a strawberry flavored one. Good job,” Milly stated with some excitement. She then placed her hand up next to her mouth and leaned closer to Liam while whispering in almost a conspiracy-like tone, “Don’t tell anyone else this, but those are my favorite ones.”
Liam nodded with a small chuckle as he replied with the same volume, “Your secret is safe with me.”
Milly chuckled a bit enjoying the fact that Liam was playing along with her antics.
Elatrix, shaking her head as she watched the two, let out a cough.
Milly looked at her and said teasingly, “I’m glad there are some youngsters who like to goof around and have a sense of humor. It makes life better when I have to deal with the stick up their bums ones.”
Elatrix was about to comment on what Milly had said, but was interrupted as Milly added, “Enough of that. You’re here for a Branding aren’t you. Step into my shop and we’ll see what we can get you.”
“Sounds good to me,” Liam said as he followed the old squirrely woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours had passed while Liam was in Milly’s shop. He had a lot of questions and she had a lot to show him. She showed him the many designs she had made in the past.
During his time with the short Squirrel-folk woman, Liam had discovered that Branding was actually part of a craft. It was part of the Visual Art Craft. Its not as popular as the types of crafts he had seen back in the Tutorial Area as well as during his walk to the store, but there were still some who enjoyed it.
The Visual Art craft had other things besides Branding. However, since Laim was horrible at drawing, he figured he’d leave that to the ones who were better at it than him. There was one thing about Visual Arts Craft that he did find interesting and that was many who were in the craft were from the Runeborn race. Apparently there was a section called Tattooing. The Runeborn combined both this section of the craft with Rune Crafting to mark their bodies with more Runes.
Milly wouldn’t give me anymore details than that so he didn’t press. He did think about his cousin and how she had a couple members who were Runeborns. Next time he saw them he would have to ask more.
After looking at the many different artworks Liam was able to get a couple ideas he wanted to try. He talked to Milly about them and she said she would come up with some examples for him to choose from. She told him to come back another day and she would have something for him to see.
As soon as he and Elatrix left the store, she started walking while muttering to herself.
“Where are we going now?” Liam asked.
“We took too much time in there,” Elatrix commented. “I have never seen her act so friendly to anyone before.”
“Really?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, she’s usually a lot harder to deal with. For a woman her age, she acts more like a kid,” Elatrix stated.
“I think she was just lonely and was hoping someone would play along with her games,” Liam said. “At least, that’s what it seemed like to me.”
“I, for one, absolutely loved that woman. Did you see her place that ink bubble in Elatrix’s pocket without her knowing? – Eri.”
Wait that was her? I never saw her get that close. When did she do that? Liam asked trying to hold in his laughter.
“It was around the time Elatrix was grumbling about how long you both were taking. I think she had Illusion magic that allowed her to get away with it. It was worth it to see the look on that woman’s face when she reached in to her pocket and came out with an ink covered hand. *Chuckles* - Eri.”
It was pretty funny. Liam agreed. He then asked Elatrix, “You didn’t answer my question. Where are we going now?”
Elatrix turned her head as she kept walking. “We’re heading to the spot you will be showcasing your crafted items.”
“Oh? Does that require us to be in a rush?” Liam asked as he tried to keep pace with her.
“It does when there’s a schedule to follow,” Elatrix said. “There is more than just you who is showcasing and if we’re late then it puts others behind. You might not be too worried but many of these crafters who are showcasing today have been waiting to show off their works for a while.”
“Ah I see,” Liam said as he looked around.
They were walking away from all the stores and were making their way to a new area with stalls spread out. Each stall had a cloth over the front, hiding whatever was behind. Liam could see random people standing by the stalls or walking behind them.
He was also able to see people were gathered outside the area. They were separated into small groups. A long rope was barring them from walking over to the stalls. One of the groups had people wearing fancy and expensive looking clothes, making him believe some really wealthy people were here too.
“What’s up with the wealthy people?” Liam asked as they walked over to the side and headed towards a stall in the back.
“Those wealthy looking people are people who work for nobles or are nobles. Whenever we have new crafters showcase their items there is usually a big crowd that gathers to see them,” Elatrix replied. “A lot of the important people on the island as well from the Arkadian Kingdom show up to see. If you catch any of their eyes then there’s a chance a wealthy client will want to scout you.”
“Really?” Liam replied.
“What?” Elatrix said as she suddenly stopped and looked at him.
Before Liam could respond, an annoying voice suddenly yelled out, “Are you the reason we’re all still waiting?”
Liam raised a brow as he stared at Lyca. He wasn’t entirely sure what this wolf-folk man was talking about. Branding? Did he mean like a branding iron or did he mean it in terms of creating an identity for his crafted wares?
“I’m sorry, could you please explain what you mean by branding?” Liam questioned.
“Yes I can,” Lyca grinned. “We have a person here who will help create a symbol you can use to place on your crafted items. This way when you have businesses selling your products it will stand out from other Crafters’ wares.”
“So, it’s just to differentiate between crafters?” Liam inquired.
“Yes and No,” Lyca answered. “It does work to show that some products are made by the same person while others are made by another, but it also helps those who prefer a certain crafter’s items. Say for example, you have a certain item you have come to like, like a weapon or armor piece. It’s been reliable and has kept you safe during your adventures. You like it so much you try someone else’s crafted weapon or armor piece, and it doesn’t live up to the one you recently had.
“To make sure you don’t make the mistake of getting the one that you don’t like and get one made by the crafter you do, you just look for their branded symbol. If you’re curious as to what one looks like, here is mine.”
Lyca pulled a long sword in a tanned leather sheath out from his inventory and handed it to Liam. A picture of a Howling Wolf’s head on a shield with a sword placed behind the shield was resting along the edge of the sheath where the sword was sheathed.
“The Branding also comes with a name, so it makes it easier for people who are looking for specific items made by certain crafter to find. My brand name is the Howling Wolf’s Safeguard,” Lyca informed.
“That is interesting,” Liam stated as he handed the weapon back to Lyca.
“You should ask if you are only limited to one Branding. – Eri.”
Why? Liam asked as he started to look confused.
Lyca noticed the look on Liam’s face and asked, “Is everything alright?”
Liam turned his attention back to Lyca as he replied, “Huh? Oh, yeah. I just have a question about something.”
“What is your question?” Lyca asked.
“Am I only limited to one Branding or can I have multiple?” Liam inquired.
“It’s not recommended, but you are allowed to have as many as you’d like,” Lyca answered. “It becomes hard for some who have multiple brands to keep track of each one, but some people like to have different Brandings for each craft they do. Are you thinking about making a brand for each craft you do?”
Liam thought about it. What he said sounded about right. Trying to remember which Branding goes to which craft would be hard to do. Not only that, but trying to come up with a Branding for each craft would be a pain as well.
Why did you want to know if I could have more than one? Are you going to suggest I make one for each craft I do? Liam internally asked Eri.
“No. There’s a different reason as to why I wanted to know. I’ll tell you later, but for now try to think up two different Brandings. – Eri.”
Okay… Liam replied to Eri as he shook his head and answered Lyca, “No, I was just curious. I might make two, but I still need to think about it. How long does it normally take to get a Branding made?”
“It all depends on how many they are already making, how many you want, the design and the creating of it all. It could be anywhere from a day to a week if things are looking good. If there is a back order then two to three weeks,” Lyca stated. “You wont know until you talk to the one in charge.”
Liam nodded as he listened to Lyca. “Alright, thank you.”
“No problem,” Lyca started before looking at Elatrix. He then ordered, “Miss Elatrix, please take Mr. Liam into the next area and guide him to Milandra to have her get going on his Branding please.”
“As you wish Mr. Lyca,” Elatrix said as she bowed to him.
Liam stood up and turned to face her and watched as she opened the door and said, “If you would please follow me.”
Before Liam followed Elatrix, he turned to look at Lyca and said, “Thank you for your help.”
Lyca gave Liam a friendly smile as he replied, “It has been my pleasure.”
Liam turned back and followed Elatrix out of the room.
Once when Liam left and Elatrix closed the door, the smile on Lyca’s face disappeared. He stared at the door for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. His ears twitched as a hidden door suddenly opened.
Before the guest said anything, Lyca stated, “Tell me, do you have a plan to determine if your guess is accurate?”
“I currently do not,” the female replied as she approached the right side of Lyca.
“Then what evidence do you have to support your suspicions?” Lyca asked as he continued to stare at the door.
“That is something you don’t need to know,” the woman replied. “You have done your job, by getting him a C.I.D. Now we need to see what he has to showcase and see how it compares to theirs. If he makes something extraordinary then it will higher the chances…”
“He’s just a beginner Crafter. I highly doubt he will showcase anything worth noting,” Lyca interrupted.
“That maybe be true, but from what I heard you say while looking at his Alchemy levels, his doesn’t match what normal beginner crafters would look like right after the Tutorial Area,” the woman stated. “Not only that, but who knows how they are when it comes to crafting. If he is anything like them, then there is a chance he wont follow the rules those pompous controlling crafters have implemented on up and coming crafters.”
Lyca let out an irritated sigh. “That can help, but you got the information I gave you about his two mentors right? One is all about the rules, but the other doesn’t really care for them. If he has made stuff that don’t follow Crafter protocol then it could be because of her influence.”
“You are right about that, but we both know that he could have been lying about who his mentors are. We have seen it before,” the woman argued.
“Don’t remind me. That whole fiasco almost caused us to lose not just many new crafters, but our standings with merchants and the nobles,” Lyca stated as he rubbed the sides of his temples. “If by chance he is what you think he is, then what?”
“Then we find a way to isolate him from any potential merchants and go from there,” the woman responded.
“I take it you’ll handle any issues that happen then?” Lyca questioned.
The woman placed a hand on Lyca’s shoulder as she said with a calm and reassuring tone, “Rest assured. My lord has taken all precautions and will deal with any who make issues.”
Lyca shook his head. He wasn’t sure about this. He loved his job and loved meeting new and hardworking crafters, especially those who had a future in it. Their enthusiasm is what brought new life and discoveries to the crafting world.
However, lately many people haven’t been wanting to sign up and learn to craft or do new crafts. The reason for that is because the nobles and their political agendas. They just loved to horde the best crafters and their works making sure they don’t craft for anyone else. And if those successful crafters refused then they would find ways to make sure they would never craft again.
He tried his best to stop this and tried to make sure those who refused any nobles would be safe and still had a future. It was still a constant fight to this day since the nobles keep finding new ways to cause issues.
The lord this woman spoke about though was an enigma. He never participated in the games the nobles played to get the best crafters, so it came to a surprise when this woman appeared and asked for when this man was going to showcase. He would have loved to decline giving any information, but he was someone even he couldn’t go against. All he could do was hope for the best that nothing horrible would happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Liam followed Elatrix out of the room, she guided him to the door closest to them. Two muscular Lion-folk men wearing professional black suits with a white shirt under the jacket stood on each side of the door. Liam wasn’t sure how they were able to wear the jackets with how big their muscles looked, but he was quite impressed with the two.
“To be able to get to the next area there is a protocol you must follow,” Elatrix started to explain as she stopped and pointed at the receptionist desk. “First, you would get in line and speak to one of the receptionists. They will ask what your business will be. It could be anywhere from looking for new tools, getting supplies, looking to showcase your new items to spread your work out more. Anything. They will inform you where everything is located, if there is an event going on, if the merchants are in, etc.”
Liam nodded as he watched her point to the door next to them.
“After you’re done there, you will come to this door and show them your C.I.D. to show proof you have access to the resources we have here,” Elatrix continued. “Go ahead and show them your C.I.D.”
Liam pulled out his C.I.D. from his inventory and showed it to the two men.
The two stoic looking Lion-folk glanced at the card, shifted their eyes to Liam, then nodded.
“After they grant you access you walk through,” Elatrix informed as the doors opened and she walked through.
Liam followed suit and came to a stop after the door closed behind him.
He was amazed at what was in front of him as loud chatter from people, sounds of hammers hitting ingots, sparks from contraptions, and other noises screamed inside his ears. Smells from food, fires, alchemy projects, and many others he couldn’t pinpoint slammed his nose causing him to feel slightly overwhelmed.
The area was wide and spread out. There were two floors that Liam could see. The bottom floor in his sight held several different Blacksmithing stores, smithies, stores full of smelted and processed ingots, and Construction Crafting stores. He also saw several different tailoring shops scattered about here and there.
Liam looked up to see a second story visible from where he stood. He was able to pick out signs for Alchemy stores, herbal supply stores, Rune Crafting, Enchanting, and even a few Liam didn’t recognize.
What Liam was looking at was equivalent to a two story Mall, except it was for crafters. The more he stared at the wonder in front of him the more excited he started to feel.
Elatrix watched with amusement as several different emotions washed over Liam’s face. She waited until Liam turned his attention back to her and heard him ask, “This place looks so much bigger on the inside than the outside. How?”
Elatrix smiled as she replied with a wink, “That’s a secret. One you might figure out on your own, depending on the crafts you focus on.”
Liam frowned. He didn’t want to wait. He wanted to know now.
“If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to Milandra who you can speak to about your Branding,” Elatrix informed as she turned around and started walking.
Liam followed her. He looked around at the stores and grew excited as they walked.
He saw several different types of Beast-kins talking. Some showed off their skills in the smithies they passed as they worked on well crafted and amazing weapon and armor pieces.
He saw a few talking with their hands moving around like they were in a heated argument. He used his hearing to listen in on what they were doing and found out one was trying to haggle prices.
One Tailoring store had clothing pieces that ranged from casual to high end outings to adventuring and crafting. Seeing the elegant works reminded him he needed to buy some new casual clothing as well as some for when he crafted so he wasn’t using the same clothes over and over.
“Here we are,” Elatrix announced, bringing Liam out of his excitement.
Liam turned to look at the store she had brought him to.
It was a plain looking store compared to the others he had seen. There was clear glass windows from the top of his hip up above a little bit above his head to give people a clear look into the store. Resting on podiums and stands were vast designs of pictures with words. Each one was just as impressive as the last.
Liam looked at the sign hanging above the door. It was a banner with the words saying, Milandra’s Fantastic Branding.
“That’s a pretty simple store name,” Liam commented as he stared at it.
“I think simple is better than overcomplicated ones,” a voice suddenly said. The voice sounded feminine with a slight high pitch to the tone, but at the same time it sounded a little weathered.
Liam looked forward, but didn’t see anything. He looked to his left then his right, but still couldn’t find the owner of the voice.
A coughing sound brought Liam’s attention to look down. Standing in front of him was a short older looking woman with greyish white hair. She had wrinkles that rested along her cheeks. A pair of giant goggles rested on her ocean blue eyes. The size and prescription of the lenses magnified her eyes giving them a giant doe eyed look. She wore a navy blue shirt, grey pants, and a white apron. What really caught Liam’s attention was the fluffy tail that stood up and rounded into a ball at the tip right behind her head.
“What’s the matter boy? Never seen a Squirrel-folk Beast-kin before?” the older woman questioned with a slight amusement on her face.
Liam shook his head as he answered, “No ma’am I haven’t. I haven’t had the chance to see all the Beast-kin races there are. Everything is still new to me.”
“Oh? Are we a new arrival?” the woman asked as she looked him up and down.
“Yes. I arrived yesterday,” Liam replied. He tried to keep his focus on her eyes, but kept getting distracted by her fluffy tail that moved left to right, right behind her head.
The older woman gave him a smile as she noticed this and teased, “I know my tail looks pretty fluffy, and it is trust me…but only one person has the right to touch it. I could make an exception for you, but I don’t think you can handle my feisty side litte kitty cat.” She then made a motion with her right hand like she was clawing the air while making a horrible impression of a cat meowing.
Liam let out a laugh, but then stopped. This short old squirrel-folk had just said kitty cat. Confused he looked at Elatrix. Before he could ask if she was talking to her. The older woman laughed while saying, “I’m not talking to her boy. I’m talking to you.”
Liam’s eyes widened as he asked, “How did you know?”
The older woman lifted two fingers as she replied, “Two give aways. One was the way you walked. You have the grace of a Cat-folk in your steps.”
Liam tilted his head a bit. He never thought that the way he walked was like that. He wasn’t sure when that had started. “What’s the second?”
“The second was when you turned your head left and right to look for me. I was able to see how your eyes looked from the gap between your sunglasses. From this angle, plus how close I can look with these goggles on it would be an insult for me not to catch them.”
“Huh, well played Miss…,” Liam started to say until he realized he never got her name.
“Milandra. You can call me Milly though,” Milly winked.
“It is nice to meet you Milly. I am Liam,” Liam greeted as he smiled down at the woman.
“You have good manners. I like that,” Milly stated as she reached into her inventory and pulled something out. “Good kids like you deserve a treat.” She then reached her hand up and opened it to reveal something that looked exactly like a pistachio nut still in its shell.
“Thank you,” Liam said as he grabbed the object.
“It’s called a Pitasho Nut. I guess it resembles something called a Pistachio nut from some strange world, but this one is different. Each nut has a different flavor hidden within. You never know what kind of flavor it will be until you open it. Go ahead and see what you got,” Milly insisted as she watched Liam with a warm smile.
“Okay,” Liam answered as he placed his thumbnail between the line and tried prying it.
It took him a couple of seconds to open and when he did a sweet familiar scent escaped and ran up his nose. He looked down to see a small red nut resting inside the shell.
“Oh, looks like you found a strawberry flavored one. Good job,” Milly stated with some excitement. She then placed her hand up next to her mouth and leaned closer to Liam while whispering in almost a conspiracy-like tone, “Don’t tell anyone else this, but those are my favorite ones.”
Liam nodded with a small chuckle as he replied with the same volume, “Your secret is safe with me.”
Milly chuckled a bit enjoying the fact that Liam was playing along with her antics.
Elatrix, shaking her head as she watched the two, let out a cough.
Milly looked at her and said teasingly, “I’m glad there are some youngsters who like to goof around and have a sense of humor. It makes life better when I have to deal with the stick up their bums ones.”
Elatrix was about to comment on what Milly had said, but was interrupted as Milly added, “Enough of that. You’re here for a Branding aren’t you. Step into my shop and we’ll see what we can get you.”
“Sounds good to me,” Liam said as he followed the old squirrely woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours had passed while Liam was in Milly’s shop. He had a lot of questions and she had a lot to show him. She showed him the many designs she had made in the past.
During his time with the short Squirrel-folk woman, Liam had discovered that Branding was actually part of a craft. It was part of the Visual Art Craft. Its not as popular as the types of crafts he had seen back in the Tutorial Area as well as during his walk to the store, but there were still some who enjoyed it.
The Visual Art craft had other things besides Branding. However, since Laim was horrible at drawing, he figured he’d leave that to the ones who were better at it than him. There was one thing about Visual Arts Craft that he did find interesting and that was many who were in the craft were from the Runeborn race. Apparently there was a section called Tattooing. The Runeborn combined both this section of the craft with Rune Crafting to mark their bodies with more Runes.
Milly wouldn’t give me anymore details than that so he didn’t press. He did think about his cousin and how she had a couple members who were Runeborns. Next time he saw them he would have to ask more.
After looking at the many different artworks Liam was able to get a couple ideas he wanted to try. He talked to Milly about them and she said she would come up with some examples for him to choose from. She told him to come back another day and she would have something for him to see.
As soon as he and Elatrix left the store, she started walking while muttering to herself.
“Where are we going now?” Liam asked.
“We took too much time in there,” Elatrix commented. “I have never seen her act so friendly to anyone before.”
“Really?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, she’s usually a lot harder to deal with. For a woman her age, she acts more like a kid,” Elatrix stated.
“I think she was just lonely and was hoping someone would play along with her games,” Liam said. “At least, that’s what it seemed like to me.”
“I, for one, absolutely loved that woman. Did you see her place that ink bubble in Elatrix’s pocket without her knowing? – Eri.”
Wait that was her? I never saw her get that close. When did she do that? Liam asked trying to hold in his laughter.
“It was around the time Elatrix was grumbling about how long you both were taking. I think she had Illusion magic that allowed her to get away with it. It was worth it to see the look on that woman’s face when she reached in to her pocket and came out with an ink covered hand. *Chuckles* - Eri.”
It was pretty funny. Liam agreed. He then asked Elatrix, “You didn’t answer my question. Where are we going now?”
Elatrix turned her head as she kept walking. “We’re heading to the spot you will be showcasing your crafted items.”
“Oh? Does that require us to be in a rush?” Liam asked as he tried to keep pace with her.
“It does when there’s a schedule to follow,” Elatrix said. “There is more than just you who is showcasing and if we’re late then it puts others behind. You might not be too worried but many of these crafters who are showcasing today have been waiting to show off their works for a while.”
“Ah I see,” Liam said as he looked around.
They were walking away from all the stores and were making their way to a new area with stalls spread out. Each stall had a cloth over the front, hiding whatever was behind. Liam could see random people standing by the stalls or walking behind them.
He was also able to see people were gathered outside the area. They were separated into small groups. A long rope was barring them from walking over to the stalls. One of the groups had people wearing fancy and expensive looking clothes, making him believe some really wealthy people were here too.
“What’s up with the wealthy people?” Liam asked as they walked over to the side and headed towards a stall in the back.
“Those wealthy looking people are people who work for nobles or are nobles. Whenever we have new crafters showcase their items there is usually a big crowd that gathers to see them,” Elatrix replied. “A lot of the important people on the island as well from the Arkadian Kingdom show up to see. If you catch any of their eyes then there’s a chance a wealthy client will want to scout you.”
“Really?” Liam replied.
“What?” Elatrix said as she suddenly stopped and looked at him.
Before Liam could respond, an annoying voice suddenly yelled out, “Are you the reason we’re all still waiting?”
