Melia the Magnificent

By the third day of traveling after they passed through the Screeching Hollows, the party made it to Mirage. It wasn’t their final destination, and honestly Melia didn’t plan to stop there originally; it was more that the timing was right to let their mounts rest, and she was beginning to appreciate the difference between a mount bred and leveled to be a high-ranked adventurer’s primary method of transportation versus a common animal anybody could find in a stable.

The further south they traveled, the hotter it got, slowing their travel time even more as they needed to take breaks in the middle of the day lest the animals (even Midna) get overwhelmed. Jessica’s ram in particular always had a mutinous look on his face…but Melia couldn’t tell if that was his natural expression or if the bear was really getting to him. She once tried asking if he wanted his long, bushy coat trimmed, but he was a ram…so naturally he didn’t understand. He merely bleated balefully at her as she displayed a pair of shears hopefully before waddling away.

Another couple of days would see them to their destination. Oasis was the largest settlement in U’lindala by a large margin, and no small part of that was due to the presence of the giant casino. Melia had to wonder…what was it with casinos in the middle of the desert? Was it because there was nothing else out there, so the land was cheap and people needed something to do, so why not gamble? Or maybe she was overthinking it and the only real “casino in the desert” was Vegas and everybody else was just copying, paying homage to, or making fun of The Strip. What happened in Vegas…did not always stay there.

But Mirage wasn’t the casino and it wasn’t Las Vegas. And yet [Sunrise] needed to wait a day to rest. Unlike the previous layover, the group didn’t decide to go hunting. Apparently, even the legendary patience and stamina of a [Paladin] had its limits, and Alastair just didn’t want to be a tank out in the heat. Melia couldn’t blame him. So that left the party in a somewhat new and novel scenario: for the first time in at least half of the party’s lives, they were the minorities. As the group traveled deeper and deeper into beastkin country, there would surely be a rise in -kin population. There was still a good representation of other races, mainly a few scattered dwarves and clumps of humans. The majority of people walking around had fuzzy ears poking out the top of their heads and wildly varying tails swishing around depending on the species. It was more than enough to create a huge grin on Melia’s face and plaster it there permanently.

Brandy, on the other hand, was slightly aggrieved.

Perhaps she may have thought that, upon leaving the human lands, she would no longer be recognized as the [Saint].

She was mostly correct.

However, the beastkin people churned out shrewd merchants like potatoes in a famine, and they could spot a mark a mile away. It didn’t matter that they didn’t recognize Eluna Brandywine on sight; she was an elf, specifically a high elf, which meant she was very tall. And pink. Not just because of her skin, either, as the sun was wrecking the poor girl like she’d gone 3 rounds with the heavyweight champion. Brandy could (and did) heal her sunburns at the end of the day, but she couldn’t do so while they were actively getting worse. Or, rather, she could, but it was like a constant DoT ticking down, getting reapplied by the sun the moment she healed herself. She put up a valiant effort at first, but when it came down to it…the sun had more mana than she did.

Or something.

So, Brandy was walking around, rocking this exotic-looking headstall shawl thing Melia whipped up for her using [Tailoring] and [Mooncloth], so she was drawing all the eyes. But at least she was cool, comfortable, and the [Mooncloth] shaded her skin just enough to keep it from getting burnt, even the exposed portions…which was pretty much just her fingers and face. And those ears. Those poor ears; there was nothing to be done with them.

Everywhere Brandy turned, somebody was trying to sell something to her.

The local merchants took one look at her obviously holy garb, determined she was either an elf [Priestess] of sorts (which was technically true), or somebody incredibly wealthy. Perhaps related to royalty. Maybe both…or all three, since those tended to go hand in hand.

She was amused the first time, when they initially set foot in Mirage and a group of 6 white-furred foxkin came hurrying up to her…attempting to sell her fancy oils and perfumes. She took the sales tactic in stride (going so far as to be slightly flattered), and she even bought a little bottle of fruity fragrance that, unironically, smelled like strawberries. It was cool, slightly sweet, and refreshing…and Jessica laughed her butt off the moment she found out.

The next time a group approached her, Brandy was more wary. By the 5th time, she was visibly over it and barked loudly at the shameless vendors to go peddle their wares somewhere else.

In terms Melia wasn’t sure she wanted to repeat.

“Cennie, is Ala Tapas always like this?” Ellesea asked.

A few merchants with a keen eye spotted the quality of her robes and tried to sell her jewelry. It was decent jewelry, for sure, but the moment Melia spotted it, she was overcome by curiosity, since she was a [Jeweler] herself. Needless to say, she had the best, most innocent intentions when she pulled out a few of her own examples to compare, and Jessica was once again reduced to a laughing mess as the offended merchants paled upon seeing a [Flawless Sky Diamond] and a [Relentless Earthstorm Diamond].

“Yes,” Y’cennia sighed. “There’s a reason Kellis is our god. Greed, ambition, mercantile dealings…matches the beastkin tribes pretty well, don’t you think?”

“You know, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you said it first, so now I don’t have to,” Jessica nodded. “For what it’s worth, Cennie, I’m glad we got stuck with you.”

The catgirl frowned, flicked her tail, and tilted her head. She seemed to be struggling with an internal thought but eventually came to a conclusion.

“I’m going to count that as a compliment.”

“Huh?” Jessica said, slightly taken aback. “Of course it was?”

“Forgive the idiot,” Alastair said magnanimously. “She talks so much sometimes she doesn’t listen to what she says.”

That set Jessica off, and while she did apologize to Y’cennia after rewinding and realizing how her words might sound, she spent the next little while trying to smack Al around. But a [Hunter]’s Strength stat wasn’t the highest, and Alastair had a lot of defense.

The upside to having so many merchants in the city was that Mirage had a plethora of amazing shops. If Melia were to think of this town in game terms, she’d put it as a mid-range, optional crafter town. Rather, a place that players needed to migrate to after they’d grinded their professions enough so that basic vendors in the main cities no longer sold the goods they needed to progress. If these people were NPCs, they’d sell additional, limited-quantity goods and higher-quality rare recipes that could either be used to make specialty items…or make them a target for savvy players who wanted to make a quick buck by buying them out and reselling their products on the auction house.

The best part, though, was that not all shops were “game” shops, as in, things that would only benefit a traveling player. Nor were they simply generic, cookie-cutter buildings with predictable layouts and bland settings. There were markets, stalls, little dug-out grotto-huts like mounds of hollowed-out stone; they sold cooked food, raw food, questionable food, things that probably shouldn’t be food but Melia could eat and digest anyway. Trade goods, home goods, specialty goods, used goods, new goods…

Just about everything Melia could hope or dream for in a city-sized bazaar.

Certain roads were dedicated to entire styles of shops, such as the exquisite “Diamond Exchange.”

Melia felt a little ripped off that it wasn’t a huge line of stalls showing off masterfully cut diamonds, but instead that was the name of the road. All the roads were named after a type of gem, such as Sapphire Alley, Emerald Court, and Ruby Road. Diamond was the largest (in both width and length), serving as the main boulevard that cut Mirage in half.

Ellesea dragged them into a greenhouse-like building with many exotic plants, simply because the architecture was so unique, but Y’cennia kept them there far past the point when everyone else had satisfied their curiosity. Seeing so many familiar sights in a comparable setting to the one she grew up in put Y’cennia into a very competitive mood. Almost like she needed to hit the streets, scope out the hidden deals in the most unassuming places, and really scrape the corners for any chance to get a leg up. It wasn’t until she started perusing the dried [Brittlebrush] that she realized nothing she’d ever find in these shops was anything close to what Melia had already provided her.

Still, the group made a game out of looking at interesting odds and ends, trying to guess their uses, and judging if the thing they were looking at was worth the cost. Most of the time, the answer was a solid…maybe.

Let it not be said that Melia failed to skew their perception of value considerably!

The final stop before they called it quits for the day was a rather impressive smithy with over a dozen [Apprentices] working numerous forges. Almost all of them were wolfkin, though the shop itself was run by a dwarf, and as was tradition when traveling, if one ever came across a dwarven smith, they simply had to stop and peruse the wares.

Again, it was…adequate. Melia had a few exotic weapons in her inventory that would put the man’s greatest achievements to shame, but she had the sense not to bring them out at this point. Instead, they marveled at the various shiny swords and sparkling shields, comparing how different races had special needs when it came to their various gear. The most interesting to Melia was a set of mail armor designed for somebody with a fluffy tail: the tail hole was protected with a rubberized gasket that prevented hair from catching in the nearby links. Melia could only imagine the pain and hassle getting tail hair caught in armor must be.

Once the group was satisfied with wandering through Mirage, they retreated to their inn. It was too early in the day for dinner (though Melia begged to differ), so they loafed around in the comfort of their rooms for a while while Y’cennia set to work continuing her [Alchemy]. It had been several days since she touched her sets, and she didn’t want to get rusty. Melia split her time between observing Y’cennia turn into an automation factory, cranking out countless iterations of the same potion, and cheering Ellesea on. It was time for [Flying Carpet] attempt 7.

Numbers 4 through 6 showed a regression in Ellesea’s skill. This was natural, and Melia tried to explain it in friendly terms to a very depressed Ellesea, but she was having difficulty seeing through the failures. Things like this happened every now and again, where something nebulous like “beginner’s luck” or that 1% chance where all the stars align and a single output from a recipe turned out far better than it had any right to. Her current failures were a more accurate representation of her skill than that rogue success, and Melia was afraid Ellesea would become despondent and give up.

She didn’t, though, and she persevered.

Even after attempt 7 turned into a pile of dust.

Melia could continue [Tailoring] the base as much as she wanted, no matter how many times Ellesea failed. Perhaps, after failure 500 or so, she might need to consider a different material for the base, or else Melia might need to visit her vault to restock, but for now, she had plenty. The attempts were solely predicated on Ellesea’s ability to cope. Melia patted the morose girl on the back, gave her an extra 3 bases, and moved back to Y’cennia.

“How’s it going?” Melia asked, waddling up to the table where the girl had set up her equipment. Y’cennia twisted her ears in Melia’s direction to show she acknowledged the question, but otherwise continued to focus on the set of vials in front of her. She measured, used a few skills, set the liquid through a distillation cycle, and eventually capped it off.

A very respectable [Potion of Heat Resistance].

Ever since entering the desert, everyone had been complaining about the heat. While a [Potion of Heat Resistance] was primarily meant to keep someone slightly alive in case of a fire attack, it also helped people survive hostile environments like deserts or volcanoes. It didn’t instantly cool a person off, but it took the edge off, like standing in the shade instead of under direct sunlight.

“Going well,” Y’cennia answered with a loose smile. “I’m really making progress with these potions.”

She picked up the vial, swished it around in a small circle and watched the sparkling blue liquid swirl around.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d say that while crafting cooling pots in U’lindala.”

“Didn’t you say you planned on returning home eventually?” Melia asked, tilting her head.

“Sure,” Y’cennia sighed. “But there’s a difference between saying so and actually doing it. Not to mention how fast it ended up happening. I didn’t think I’d see home for another 10 years, maybe 15.”

“Oh,” Melia said. She didn’t know how to feel about that. “Do you miss home? Your family?”

“Sometimes,” Y’cennia let out a frustrated chuckle. “I had a big family. It was chaotic, but…sometimes I miss it, I guess.”

“It’s okay not to,” Brandy said, walking in. “I know sometimes we put a lot of stress on tolerating family because they’re, you know, family, but we need to remember: they’re people. And if they don’t treat you like a person, there’s no reason to keep going back if they’re just a bunch of dicks.”

Melia froze. That…wasn’t something she ever considered before. She grew up in a very loving family, some might say the most loving family. It simply wouldn’t cross her mind that somebody she was blood-related to might have feelings for her other than love.

But…of course, she was an outlier. Her experience was very different from the norm, and she couldn’t color other people’s experiences with her own.

“Yeah,” Y’cennia grinned, nodding at the [Saint] as she sat down. “They’re alright. It was just…a first-come, first-served kind of household, you know? Or maybe that’s not quite right. More like, if you don’t fight for it, you won’t get it…no matter what it is.”

“Hm,” Brandy nodded. “Could be worse. Did you grow up in Oasis?”

“Technically?” Y’cennia shrugged. “There’s, like, a ton of tiny settlements tacked onto Oasis that started off separate but got absorbed as the city grew. I mean, not that I’d know it from experience; by the time I was born, we just called it the southeast quarter. And even then, it wasn’t the most southeast part of the city, and I wouldn’t call it a quarter either. More like a sliver? Sure, it had half a dozen neighborhoods and one solid merchant district, but it wasn’t like downtown or anything.”

“I feel you,” Brandy laughed. Even Melia could understand; back home, it was so much easier to say “I grew up in X megacity” than it was to explain the exact location in great detail.

“Sooo,” Melia continued, “Do you want to see them?”

“My family?” Y’cennia asked thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. Part of me really wants to. I’d love nothing more than to go back home and rub my class and my level in their faces. Prove to them without a shadow of a doubt that I had what it takes to become an [Alchemist].”

“Did your family not want you to become one?” Brandy asked. “Did you not meet their standards?”

“Oh, nobody else in my family is an [Alchemist],” Y’cennia laughed. “And it’s not like they look down on [Alchemists] at all. It’s just that, if you think about Oasis, what comes to mind? Besides the casino. We’re talking classes and major exports.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I could separate the casino from the town,” Melia said honestly. Y’cenna grinned helplessly and shrugged.

“You know what? That’s fair. But I’ll answer my own question. [Jewelcrafters] and [Alchemists]. That’s what Oasis is known for. Sure, we’ve got masters in all the trades, but if there could ever be a claim for the birthplace of a profession, Oasis would have to claim those.”

Melia nodded along. She could see that. In the game, the designers had put special care into making U’lindala feel very Arabian, and that translated into flashy, glittery, mystical things. Such as jewels and potions. Oasis was also the home of the Jewelcrafting and Alchemy guilds, so perhaps Y’cennia was right.

“So maybe we’ll swing by?” Melia suggested. “If it’s on the way and it’s not too much of a bother.”

Y’cennia looked hesitant at first, but in the end she agreed. Not because she was pressured into it, but Melia could tell that savage, prideful streak the catgirl had (but mostly kept hidden) was begging to be set free. Melia made a mental note to schedule an impromptu family visit.

​

[Sunrise] rested through the middle of the day and decided it would be wiser to travel at night. Normally, if this were the original crew on their own, even with the presence of an U’lindala native among their ranks, they wouldn’t even consider it. But with Melia and the [Retainers], the risk was minimal. They had enough light (magical and mundane) so that the animals could see, and in a classic desert twist, it was much colder than the day, to the point where people began pulling on sweaters and jackets. Another change, one Melia wouldn’t call a benefit or a detraction, was the difference in active monsters. It turned out that [Land Sharks] and [Sand Worms] were much more active in the daytime, so the risk of getting eaten by a jumpscare was greatly decreased.

Instead…they had to worry about [Wrath Owls], [Giant Scorpions], and [Crazed Cacti]. There weren’t as many [Aziz] this far south, now that the landscape had transitioned from rocky high desert into full-blown dunes of sand, but occasionally they’d pass a flock of sleeping [Wild Striders]. Amusingly, Y’cennia’s mount perked up when passing one, and Melia could tell it took a fancy to a rather fetching pink [Strider]. Y’cennia panicked, afraid the mount might ignore her orders and go galavanting in the herd.

Fortunately, it did not, though Jessica claimed she would have paid good money to see it.

However…if she had been whisked away on a magical journey to flock with the birds, Y’cennia wouldn’t have been at a total loss. Even one mount down, the group could have continued to press on, simply by moving the catgirl onto somebody else’s mount.

But that wasn’t an option they needed to consider tonight!

Ellesea had not been idle in her waking moments back at Mirage, and she was making great strides in her [Flying Carpet] attempts. She was on to number 12 now, and while she hadn’t managed to create a fully functioning [Flying Carpet], it wasn’t for a lack of understanding. Truth be told, at least two of those attempts could have turned into real items, but they would have been 1 or 2 stars at best, and she wasn’t willing to settle for that. Not after Melia had beaten it into her that she had all the time, resources, and support in the world to create a perfect rug. The group paused for “lunch” on top of a sandy dune under the midnight moon, and Ellesea decided to give a real attempt another go.

The group sat down on spread-out blankets, which were, amusingly, the two failed rugs that hadn’t turned to dust but couldn’t be called a real [Flying Carpet]. Melia provided sandwiches; while not [Nostalgia’s Embrace], these [Cucumber Sandwiches], with thin slices of crisp cucumbers and a hearty slathering of cream cheese, were a delight. Of course, something closely resembling finger food for teatime needed to be paired with a good chamomile tea. And, because Melia was a meat eater at heart (and form) that wouldn’t be satisfied by greens alone, she also served up a simple offering of this world’s equivalent of French bread, lathered in butter, and piled high with thick cuts of ham. The group enjoyed the cool, calming atmosphere, content to eat their food, watching Ellesea work.

Since this was Ellesea’s next “official” attempt, she decided to use one of Melia’s upgraded bases. While technically, any base Melia made would qualify as the carpet’s form according to the recipe, not all of them were created equal. As Melia continued to add more and more embellishments, they started growing increasingly fancy. And while the one she made with a built-in cupholder was done as a joke, which Brandy appreciated and made the others muse excitedly over, it wasn’t the one Ellesea chose to go with. Instead, she went with a carpet that had a sizable pillow attached to it. Though perhaps “attached” was doing a lot of heavy lifting in this scenario…thanks to magic, the pillow, which was a U-shaped monstrosity that offered back support and armrests, was able to stick onto the rug like a magnet and wouldn’t budge despite not being physically connected.

This wasn’t the first pillow Melia had added to the carpet, but it was the one Ellesea liked best, so she was really hoping this attempt worked out.

Ellesea started at one of the tassel crystals hanging from a corner. As she found out, the gems Melia used were excellent conductors of mana and could hold her fluctuating input steady even when she flared it too much or let it fall dangerously low. It acted as a battery and regulator, so it built up a reserve of mana as she started tracing the Sacred Geometry.

Melia watched along with bated breath, just as excited now as she had been the first time Ellesea had made an attempt, with the same level of energy as the [Arcanist]’s first success. Melia couldn’t do anything to assist the girl mid-craft, so all she could do was cheer her on. She bounced on her toes, leaning forward eagerly as Ellesea slowly crawled over the carpet. She muttered the names of glyphs and runes under her breath as Ellesea silently imbued them. Slowly, like watching a glass being slowly filled with water, the carpet began to glow. From the tips of the tassels, snaking through the woven paths, the carpet’s mana glowed a brilliant blue. Twice, Ellesea nearly failed; her mana hiccuped as her focus deteriorated, and the whole carpet glowed with an intense, white light. But she held on! The carpet stabilized, and after a long, tense moment, Ellesea lifted her hand off the rug, slumping back, exhausted.

The carpet…did not vanish.

The whole crew, Melia included, cast [Inspect].

​

[Flying Carpet]

​

Level: 750

Rarity: Epic

Quality: 5 Stars

Made By: Ellesea Barnes

​

On use: achieve flight.

​

A whole new world….

​

The small, desolate section of desert erupted. Melia cheered, Alastair and Y’cennia offered their heartfelt congratulations, and Jessica shouted her lungs out. Ellesea, exhausted and too tired to move, slumped over. Layalee materialized behind her and caught her before she could hit the ground, propping her up into a proper seated position.

“Hey, put her on the pillow,” Brandy called. If the girl was already on the carpet, why not stick her in the driver’s seat? It had to be more comfortable than leaning against a buff maid or a lumpy pack. Layalee did so, and Ellesea barely had the presence of mind to thank her as she continued to stare out into nowhere.

“I gained proficiency in [Enchanting],” she said breathily. “Not the class itself, but my Spellbook has added tooltips explaining the basics of [Enchanting]. I…can use this. I might even be able to bolster some of my spells. But…guys…I did it. I made a [Flying Carpet]! I made an enchantment!”

“You did it!” Melia cheered, clapping excitedly. “I knew you could!”

“Ain’t gonna front,” Jessica whistled. “I thought you were gonna fail. No way someone like us makes a freakin’ real [Flying Carpet]! Way to go!”

“Gee, thanks,” Ellesea grinned. “I was going to offer to take you on a flight, but I guess you don’t trust my skill enough to hold us in the air?”

“Now wait a minute,” Jessica immediately backpedaled. “I didn’t say anything like that.”

“You know,” Y’cennia said thoughtfully, “Did you remember to include an auto-shutoff? Or is it going to float away again if you fall off?”

“I take back taking it back,” Jessica grinned. “Elsie, sort your shit out.”

“It’s not going to float away,” Melia laughed. “This time, we put in all the safeties! It won’t even continue to drain power from a rider if it’s already fully charged!”

Ellesea glanced down at the thing she was sitting on and Jessica slowly backed away.

“That’s…a thing?” Jessica asked nervously. “Okay, maybe you’re right. We should do a few tests before hitching a ride. I don’t have a huge mana pool to draw from and I don’t want to be drained.”

Ellesea sighed, leaned back on the comforting pillow that molded around her like memory foam. She was obviously tired, but she was also proud. As she should be. Melia might have done the majority of the legwork, but in the end, it all came down to whether or not Ellesea could perform. And she had. Spectacularly. From here on out, the only reason she’d ever need to ride a normal mount again was if she wanted to.

Melia spared a glance at the oblivious horse, content to munch from a bag attached to its face.

She got the distinct impression that the horse wouldn’t be seeing much riding time until they got to Oasis.

¹

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