Chapter 55: Quests
Maltida smiled, folding her arms. "I’d like to invite you to join the Enchanted Item Shop."
Raven blinked. "The what now?"
"It’s a club," Maltida explained smoothly, "but also a functioning business. We opened a large shop downtown. Throughout the week, our members enchant random objects—trinkets, tools, sometimes even weapons—and bring them in to trade."
She gestured with a slight wave of her hand, as if painting the image in the air. "We often receive merchandise from merchants, scavengers, or adventurers. They find odd items out in the wild and bring them to us. We analyze, identify enchantments, and if it’s worth anything, we fix it up and sell it for profit. All proceeds are split among our members."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "How’s that supposed to help me in the long run? I’m a Layman. You seriously want someone like me in your club?"
Maltida tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "Well, the longer you stay with us, the more familiar you’ll become with enchanting spells. You might even begin to understand the intricacies of magic—runes, glyphs, channeling."
She leaned in slightly. "Who knows? One day, someone might bring in an artifact—an amulet, a staff, a ring—that grants magic to its wielder. You could be the one to find it."
That caught Raven’s attention. Her fingers twitched slightly, and I could see the gears turning in her head.
But then she shook it off. "That’s a good offer, but I promised Archer—"
"Don’t bother," I cut in, stepping forward. "You should join them, Raven. This is an opportunity for you to find what you’re looking for."
She turned to me, surprise flickering in her eyes. "You really think so?"
I nodded. "If there’s even a chance you could unlock your magic through this, it’s worth trying. Besides, it’s not like we won’t see each other. We’re still in the same academy."