《Gem Caster》


 Chapter One

    1


    ***


    The flames flickered to and fro sending sparks towards my two outstretched hands. In the midst of a cold misty night, when the moon shone ominously and the dark blue sky laid still and where the rustle of trees harbored many things, things that could range from the winds gentle caress to a violent creature¡¯s growl, I sat on my buttocks, the even ground providing a firm if not somewhat passable cushion for my weary body. Such is the life of a wanderer like me who took the hard route of going alone, traveling this world in which fantasy exists in all forms and where magic is real.


    To be frank, I am not surprised that such possibilities exist since in the modern world magic is merely a skill of the hand, a time honored practice taking years to perfect and master, or the term they call ¡®sleight-of-hand¡¯. The other so-called ¡®magic tricks¡¯ are those that rely on illusions to deceive the audience and contraptions fitted with fail safes that ensure the unfortunate volunteers¡¯ safety.


    I shake my head, dismissing those thoughts swimming inside my head, focusing on the opaque darkness in front of me as if expecting a visitor. As if expecting for something to happen, anything to relieve my boredom.


    Boredom. A friend that always comes without delay. A friend that¡¯s eager to please. A friend that never asks for anything other than our spare time. A friend to sloth and an enemy to action.


    A slight movement catches my attention, turning my eyes towards the left side of the area, a place with a thick swath of trees rumored to be the home of Arch Wolves, five meter creatures with spiky dark gray skin, sharp black eyes and a snout slightly longer than your average wolf. It was also faster able to keep up with a horse-assisted carriage going at full speed. Even sprinters can be outrun by these beasts and only speed-boosting magic can help you outrun them.


    My heart rate soars and my pupil¡¯s dilate, waking me up from my relaxed stance, adrenaline coursing throughout my body as it tenses, ready to react at a moment¡¯s notice. I take the time to rise up from my sitting place while keeping my eyes on the unknown opponents coming towards me.


    An angry growl, increasing in intensity and volume, is what greeted me as the shuffling trees revealed their hidden tenants, seven Arch Wolves out for blood, their noses sniffing for any signs of living things aside from my presence.


    ¡°Sweet mangoes! Just my luck.¡±


    I summon my sword to my side, its long sharp blade glinting in the moonlight, gripping its handle as if my life depended on it. A firm grip to prevent it from slipping through my hands. A man¡¯s weapon can be his only ally if he is in a life or death situation after all.


    There¡¯s also my clothing, studded leather armor covering my white undershirt underneath, heavy leather boots, steel tassets protecting my thighs, steel vambraces on my arms, leather pants, a brown leather cloak reaching down my ankles with its hood hanging on my back and leather gloves. A mishmash of leather and steel that provided unpredictable results in combat.


    Steady breathing, absolute mental focus and the sword in my hands are the only tools I need to get out of this predicament. The fact that I¡¯m alone makes those same tools valuable, like a miner¡¯s pickaxe or a farmer¡¯s hoe.


    Seven gems were embedded on the blade¡¯s fuller, spaced evenly that you could distinguish them from one another.


    Each gem represented an ability or attribute that I could use to either boost my physical and combat ability or to assist me in actions impossible to execute without the use of magic nor an artifact and each was carved like a hexagon, emitting a faint light.


    Starting from the hilt of the sword and moving towards the fuller¡¯s end which occupied three-fourths of the blade were the following:


    Ruby. A dark red gem used to access fire and physical offensive boosting abilities.


    Sapphire. A dark blue gem used to access water and dexterity boosting abilities.


    Emerald. A dark green gem used to access earth and physical defensive boosting abilities.


    Topaz. A dark yellow gem used to access lighting and reaction speed boosting abilities.


    Amethyst. A dark violet gem used to access abilities that heightened mental focus and granted prediction-based abilities. It also allows me access to wind and gravity spells.


    Garnet. A dark orange gem used to access healing based abilities that could even restore lost limbs or arms without fail.


    Diamond. A white opaque gem used to access abilities that counter and reflect attacks and magical spells against my opponents. It also grants me the ability to cure any poison.


    A rectangular cross guard and smooth cylindrical grip with a spherical pommel rounded out the sword on my hand, all in dark grey that gave off the impression of an ordinary blade.


    One of the sword¡¯s special attributes was the fact that it can produce gems of perfect purity which is physically impossible but fetch prices in the hundreds of millions for even a small amount. I can only use its ability thrice a day though since I have yet to master its functions and I haven¡¯t used it to earn money.


    Also, each gem has a limit as to how many times I¡¯m able to use said abilities, and the limit grows with time and practice.


    Upon seeing my armed stance, the Arch Wolves growls turn into enraged snarls, their jaws snapping at me like piranha¡¯s jaws eager to devour their trapped prey and bloodshot eyes concealing their bloodlust.


    Before they made their move I struck first, sparks of lighting enveloping my body as I felt myself become lighter and faster.


    My vision narrows due to my increase in speed, cutting down the wolf in the middle in order to disrupt their pack formation, its entire body disintegrating into silver particles of dust. I struck the three other wolves on my left, piercing through their fur like crossbow bolts punching through thick plate mail at close range.


    The remaining three wolves made their move after, albeit a bit too late since I killed them from behind, not giving them enough time to attack.


    Like the first wolf, they all disintegrated into silver particles, not leaving the remains of even a single corpse.


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    Just as they appeared, the sparks surrounding me disappear, the topaz gem¡¯s dark yellow color turning into a lighter shade of yellow denoting the cost of using an ability.


    ¡°So much for preserving its powers. I could¡¯ve cut them down normally although somebody would eventually notice the unnatural state of their deaths if I went through with it.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take much effort on my part to fight against those wolves thanks to the gem¡¯s ability but I decided to continue my journey, the moon still glowing in the dark.


    I use my blade to put out the fire in my makeshift camping place, the flames disappearing in a flash of dark red light.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to go. The next town is only four kilometers away.¡±


    ***


    The early morning light brought with it the chirping of birds as I traveled the weathered dirt road leading to the town of Astoria.


    Said road was surrounded by sparse amounts of trees and a few gazing sheep located in a flat rolling grassland, and a wide river nearby providing a watering hole for animals.


    Light blue clouds on the horizon gave me a sense of calm although I was on alert for any signs of opposition. You can never be too sure about your environment until you realize that you¡¯re trapped with your back against the wall.


    I didn¡¯t encounter anybody else along the road save for the sight of a few grazing cows chewing their food in blissful ignorance.


    It was only when I was a few hundred meters from the town then I saw two orcs clad in leather skirts, leather arm bands and leather greaves, fighting against a woman, their axes straining against her twin steel daggers.


    By the looks of it, she was down on her knees, straining against the combined might of their physical power.


    With their muscular builds and brute strength, it was no surprise that their axes would deal massive amounts of damage and exert great amounts of pressure to anybody foolish enough to parry their attacks like the woman was doing right now. She had a slender build and was dressed in a body fitting leather armor with straps located on the sides of her waist and on her shoulders, iron greaves on her arms, leather pads on her legs, white trousers, leather boots, and a light brown cloak that went down to her knees.


    Her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail and had hazel eyes that reminded me of someone I knew from my childhood.


    Based on her frame she was someone who trained for speed and agility, a bad match-up against an opponent with lots of physical power to spare.


    I summoned my blade to my hand and, without hesitation dashed towards her direction, taking care to not use my gemstone abilities.


    The orcs didn¡¯t sense my appearance until I was in melee range and cut both of them down in a single downward slash, streaks of blue light flowing out of their eye sockets and mouth, their eyes now devoid of life.


    Their corpses fall to the ground like a sack full of potatoes, their axes splitting the grass near them.


    She, on the other hand, landed on her butt, my sudden assault also taking her by surprise. Her eyes widened in astonishment and fear as if she saw something impossible.


    ¡°W-what was that?¡±


    ¡°That was my sword.¡±


    ¡°B-but no sword could do what it did against the orcs!¡±


    Indeed, if it was any other sword, then they would leave physical marks as a sign of damage.


    However, my sword was different and is in a league of its own, possessing powers that are out of this world.


    ¡°Anyway, what matters is that you¡¯re alive, right? That should be enough to ease your anxiety.¡±


    Letting out a sigh of relief she pushes herself up and takes a look at me, scrutinizing for any sign of abnormalities.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you?¡±


    I nod in response, dismissing the sword from my hand which disappears in particles of light.


    She notices this action and opens her mouth to comment but decided against it.


    ¡°I¡¯m traveling to the town of Astoria to look for employment.¡±


    ¡°Employment? Then you¡¯re an adventurer then?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, although I haven¡¯t registered yet for any of the guilds.¡±


    ¡°Odd. You should be registered to a guild before you can take jobs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here for, yes?¡±


    Shrugging, she conceals her daggers underneath her cloak. The only signs of damage she had was the slight tears on her leather armor and pads, and not much else.


    It seems that she¡¯s an experienced adventurer if she was able to make it this far.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for employment then I¡¯ll help you since you killed them for me.¡±


    ¡°Where you in a quest before I came?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I was just here for the experience.¡±


    ¡°Experience? Like improving your abilities and such?¡±


    ¡°Precisely! It seems that you know at least a little about adventuring. Aside from taking jobs we also increase our abilities by training, a win-win situation for us. Unlike those with professions, we are also free to decide when and where to travel without restrictions. It¡¯s pretty cool when you think about it.¡±


    Interesting. Looks like this place is similar to the RPG¡¯s I¡¯ve played back in my own world although there¡¯s an element of realism added to it.


    We spent the rest of the journey talking, ignoring the fact that she forgot to introduce herself to me. It didn¡¯t bother me though since I wasn¡¯t interested in having a companion fighting by my side.


    Once we¡¯re in sight of the entrance, I saw a group of adventurers walking out from the west side of the gate, a wooden bridge connecting the western side and the next field due to the river flowing underneath it. They were armed with swords, axes and bows, some dressed in leather armor while some wore chain mail. The town itself was surrounded by a wooden wall, with two fully armored guards standing in attention near the entrance.


    She went to an abrupt stop, turned towards my direction and spread her arms towards the fortified town in front of me.


    ¡°Before I forget, my name¡¯s Karen Pierce. Nice to meet you, and this is Astoria, my hometown.¡±


    ***

 Chapter Two

    2


    ***


    It was an organized place with a single intersection at the middle of the town and roads splitting towards the north, south, east, and west ends and all four directions being connected together at the outer corners of the town protected by its walls.


    Memorizing the map did pay off although I felt guilty for throwing it since I didn''t need it anymore. I just hope the Goddess ignores it.


    Buildings made of hard stone with reinforced thatched roof tops dominated the city and cobblestone streets provided faster means of transportation. The lamp posts located near the corners provided light through magic combustion at night, taking in the air from the atmosphere and converting it into flames that provided illumination for walkers.


    Some of the buildings had chimneys rising from their rooftops, dull gray smoke being exhumed as a result of activity.


    An increasing amount of people passed by us, likely from the town center where most of the activity happened.


    ¡°So this is Astoria huh? There¡¯s a lot of people in here.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This town is situated somewhere in the middle of the Green Storm area which is also dotted with towns such as these.¡±


    So I¡¯m in the Green Storm area eh? Unlike the other six who were sent here along with me, I arrived a hundred kilometers from the capital city of Uru which meant that I could do whatever I want without being observed by anybody.


    That, and the fact that I can make a name for myself without the need of the Kingdom¡¯s patronage just makes it all the more necessary for me to go alone.


    Besides, the noisy atmosphere is a welcome change from the ominous silence I get when camping in an unknown forest by myself.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s the guild?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to the west of the town, near the jeweler¡¯s.¡±


    If I remember correctly, the name of the jewelers is ¡°Greedy Bastards and Fat Aristocrats Jewelry Shop.¡± A fitting name for a place known for scamming its rich patrons of fake jewels and poor man¡¯s gold studded paraphernalia.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s situated near a place where aristocrats and rich people visit. Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­how should I say this¡­a part of my town¡¯s history, I guess?¡±


    Intriguing. Just another question from a list that¡¯s starting to grow from the time I first met the Goddess and my six other ¡®companions.¡¯


    We continued to walk further, me taking notice of the increasing number of people as we traveled deeper into the town depths.


    ***


    As we approached the center, I noticed the town bustling with activity, the hawkers selling their wares to passerbys, and merchants showing off their wares spread beside them laid in wide rectangular carpets that kept the dust motes at bay. Awnings provided protection from the sun¡¯s ever shining rays, the bastard cocky enough to cause skin allergies to those who have sensitive skin.


    In fact, you couldn¡¯t tell it was a busy town from the outside since the town itself looked like a quiet place to visit¡­


    ¡°Selling white cheeses, fifty gold apiece!¡±


    ¡°Health potions and mana potions only yours for a hundred gold!¡±


    ¡°Fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the Evergreen¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Exotic goods and delicacies right here, from spices to carpets to porcelains. Luxury at a cost!¡±


    ¡­although the prohibitive prices from these merchants are way too much for most people.


    Sigh. Overcharging at its finest. Ripping people off since time immemorial.


    ¡°The town¡¯s busy at this time of the year so expect a lot of people to visit.¡±


    ¡°What, is there some special event going on at the moment?¡±


    ¡°None really but only an overabundance of merchants eager to rip people off for an easy profit. It¡¯s the month of Tzurath after all and it leads to wages for everyone who has work. Except us.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It¡¯s quite obvious as to why adventurers aren¡¯t paid for their services except when they finish quests or do some trading by themselves. They¡¯re freelancers and have free reign over what they wish to do with their lives either by selling, robbing or raiding anything that has the word money displayed on it.


    They could also go on Epic Quests where the rewards are massive but have a zero percent chance of surviving.


    Yep. Zero. Zilch. Unfortunate right? Not if you¡¯re me¡­or other protagonists really.


    At least the Goddess who sent us here was quite helpful although for some strange reason she was eyeing me with a look of pride.


    Pride for what, I don¡¯t even know. However, all I can say is that the other six were a rambunctious bunch of teenagers, your clich¨¦ ¡®teenagers-are-bought-into-another-world-to-fight for-[blank]-kingdom-by-being-granted-[insert power or ability or trait or etc¡­]-by-an-omnipotent being-who-either-has-lots-of-time-in-their-hands-or-who-just-wants-to-have-some-form-of entertainment.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway, I came here to visit my home since my parents are dead.¡±


    ¡°Then you have my condolences for what it¡¯s worth.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright. You have nothing to do with it but¡­¡±


    She was now murmuring to herself, catching snippets of words such as ¡®murder¡¯, ¡®castration¡¯, ¡®guillotine¡¯, and a host of other colorful words that I dare not repeat.


    And thus our walk continued, with poor me listening to her growing number of colorful vocabularies which was ignored by the people around us.


    Did I mention that she was uttering these words in increasing intensity as if she was a witch eager to curse and hex an unfortunate victim?


    ***


    Near one of the corners, where it lead to the western part of the town, we passed by a group of adventurers equipped with magical items. Upon closer inspection I realized that one of their members was one of those who came with us to this new world.


    A girl seventeen years of age with medium length dark red hair that went down her shoulders with a seven-petal flower hairpin on the front and bright green eyes armed with an old wooden staff slung on her back, a leather cloak with its hood pulled down, leather gloves worn on both her hands, a brown buttoned shirt paired with brown leather shorts and sandals.


    She was the type of girl you could see on the street on the way to the store, a common sight in a mass of thousands. No particular features stood out except for her curious nature which gave her the air of a person eager to explore and discover what the world has to offer.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at that girl for a while now. Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°You could say that I do, but more as strangers rather than acquaintances.¡±


    ¡°She looks so ordinary. Is she a magic user? Magic users are on high demand among adventurer groups like the group she¡¯s in currently.¡±


    ¡°You can tell that they¡¯re strong?¡±


    ¡°A little, it¡¯s possible by sensing their auras that flare up whenever they pass by you, getting an accurate gauge of their strength.¡±


    Hmm, she came all the way from the capital city to visit here? I hope she won¡¯t recognize my face.


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    We parted ways near one of the corners, her going to visit her parents and me going to the adventurer¡¯s guild to register myself.


    As I passed by one of the streets someone appeared in front of me.


    ¡°Hey mate, got any gemz?¡±


    A person whose appearance was concealed by a long black coat approached me from the side, his grating voice making me face his direction. On the other hand, Karen my companion went to another direction, separating us from each other, leaving me alone to stroll among the masses of people around me.


    ¡°If ya got any, mind if ya sell them to me?¡±


    ¡°How much are you offering?¡±


    ¡°Low-grade about one thousand apiece. Mid-grade ten thousand apiece. High-grade hundred thousand apiece. If ya got diamonds then its five hundred thousand apiece for mid-grade, one million apiece for high-grade and fifty thousand apiece for low-grade.¡±


    Hmm, sounds like a deal to me although I was shocked by the selling prices offered to me.


    On the other hand, my other self tells me that I¡¯m being scammed for no reason other than the urge for money.


    ¡°For real? Are you a certified gem merchant?¡±


    ¡°You can say that, although the client I work for is¡­someone who doesn¡¯t like being seen in public.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡±


    Ah, an illegal dealer then huh. Someone who deals with clients outside the jurisdiction of the law. If that¡¯s the case then I can only assume that there are other groups similar to real-life mafias and yakuza¡¯s in my world.


    ¡°Why the secrecy if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°Well, we gem dealers are vulnerable due to the large amounts of money we bring in order to pay for gems that our clients will sell us.¡±


    ¡°Do you choose or just ask any random stranger walking along on the street?¡±


    ¡°We do the latter although gem dealers who have been in this trade for a long time have developed a network of clients from which they could buy gems at a much higher price than normal.¡±


    ¡°Much higher price than normal? I thought prices go down if there¡¯s an abundance of gems?¡±


    Law of Supply and Demand dictates that the more of a product in abundance then the cheaper the price for the said product. Don¡¯t ask me why, I just learned it from some random books I¡¯ve read in my spare time.


    ¡°Not exactly since gem trading is a very lucrative business for both us and our customers. For one, the amounts we pay in exchange for their gemz are offset by the shares we get once they¡¯re process into jewelry which fetch large prices in the luxury market and sell for millions in the black market.¡±


    Figures. People would kill just to have the rarest gems or ¡®gemz¡¯ as he put it, in their pockets. Even in this world greediness still exists but hey, it could be much worse than my government¡¯s inept ability to deal with problems back at home right?


    ¡°I see, then why are you offering only specific prices for diamonds but not for the other¡­gemz?¡±


    Does he really need to attach a z to the gem word or is it just some stupid quirk to make characters more ¡®unique¡¯ when compared against others?


    ¡°Uh¡­standard protocol for newbies like me. You know, like a test or something?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    It seems he¡¯s not that aware of what his rank actually entails, not that I have any right to tell him what to expect. I don¡¯t believe his excuse either but I ignored it in favor of the potential buyer in front of me.


    ¡°Alright, I accept your offer. Wait here, I¡¯ll look for it.¡±


    Unknown to anybody else I already started creating five mid-grade rubies and one high-grade diamond using my sword¡¯s ability to produce gems thrice a day. In the back of my mind I saw the inscribed diamond on my sword turn into a dark white color and the inscribed ruby turning into a lighter color of red.


    Rifling underneath the pockets of my leather pants, I heard the slight clinking sound of said gems and pulled out all of them to the surprise of the man in the cloak with the grating voice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An unnatural silence descended on both of us, the realization that he, a recently hired gem dealer got lucky in asking his very first customer if he had any gems for sale.


    ¡°¡­deal?¡±


    ¡°¡­deal.¡±


    And thus we both made our first transaction, me netting a profit of one million and fifty-thousand gold in exchange for the gems in my hands, the dealer giving me five large sacks filled with said money.


    ¡°Uh¡­pleasure doing business with¡­you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention¡­it?¡±


    Awkward. Really awkward. So awkward in fact that I decided to just mutter a quick ¡®thank you¡¯ before he vanished into thin air as if by magic.


    ¡°Next time I deal with these weirdos, I¡¯ll just avoid them like the plague.¡±


    Nope. Not going to happen anytime soon if my suspicions are correct especially when it comes to these fantasy scenarios. A gold pouch tide firmly on my belt appeared out of nowhere, denoting the money I have on my person.


    "I should hunt for robbers later and use them as live practice for my sword since I can''t use magic."


    ***


    Finally making my way towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, I noticed a few faces who also stood in front of the building with its worn-out concrete walls, rickety windows, a chipped stone roof, and some of its windows sporting large spidery cracks across its surface showing decades of wear. It had two floors and the rambunctious voices inside could be from here, a mix of boisterous laughter and incessant barbs between members.


    The light inside only provided shadows too dark to be deciphered by my sharp eyes, and decided to just lean on the wall near the door, bidding my time until the guild master noticed our presence.


    Nearby, the jeweler¡¯s store beside the adventurer¡¯s guild was sealed shut, its wooden doors barred by a sturdy oak plank and its windows closed by wooden shutters. Like the rest of the buildings in town, it was also made of concrete but with red brick mixed into it. Its roof was of pure white stone with not much wear and tear to be seen, and had a huge signboard mounted on top of it. Unlike the luxury shops in my world, the store didn¡¯t see the need to display its wares, a peculiar reason that I want to find out when I have enough time.


    As I kept glancing around my surroundings, a female voice called out to me, snapping me out of my trance. The people near me ignored her as if she was never there, a side-effect of the power that the Goddess gave her to fight the armies of darkness.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that guy who came along with us yesterday!¡±


    I turn to the source of the voice, perk my eyebrows in response, and just shrugged, not surprised that the same person I avoided awhile back would be the same person I would encounter while waiting for the ruckus inside to die down.


    ¡°So, why are you here by yourself then?¡±


    ¡°I just felt like it.¡±


    Sigh. Guess it¡¯s another round of dialogues for me then. Darmit!


    ***