Jin wouldn't admit it, but she was definitely trying to delay the inevitable. Even though Hadia was able to remove her arm and it looked fully intact, she couldn't bring herself to trust magical void barriers. She refused to ponder if that was somehow tied to how Basima was murdered because of one—most likely—and instead tried to focus on anything else she could do before sacrificing an arm to the sadistic gods that put them in here.

"Looks like we got a Map rune for this floor," Hadia announced after checking out her bracelet. "It only shows the treasure room right now, but I think it'll automatically map out places we visit from here on out."

"It's nice we got that so early," Karam noted, using his nose to press the rune on his left—and only—arm. "Usually they don't come till about halfway up the floors, but that probably means we'll need the functionality for the next floor's challenge."

"Speaking of," Jin interjected as she went ahead and pressed the rune that would give them a hint for the next floor, "let's see what might be in store for us."

The rune began to glow with a bright magenta light, and a brilliant blue illusory screen appeared in front of it, similar to the bracelet displays, and Jin read aloud as Alim came up to read it himself over her shoulder.

"He who gathers last gathers least.

Where envy walks barefoot, only the bold will eat.

When no sunshine warms the roots,

Steal what they steal, or starve beside them."

Jin tilted her head slightly before needing to brush the loose strands of her black hair out of her face and signed while asking out loud, "So you said it doesn't ever lie at all—just misleads sometimes. I guess it's pretty safe to assume it'll be darker, then, without any sunshine?"

"Probably," Alim signed back. "No idea what the stealing portion might mean, but it might be a good idea to buy some kind of magic light source."

"You thinking a glowstone pack or a lullog? Maybe some cinderstones or something fancier?" Hadia asked, already messing with one of the shop screens in an alcove between hand signs.

"I have no idea what any of those are," Jin said with a hint of annoyance, but she also knew it was probably better to leave it to the locals to better strategize what they might need.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the shop would show the name of an item but not its full description or purpose. This wasn't a huge deal for the others who grew up watching past Seasons and learning about all these different staple items, but for Jin, it was a best guess on what some of these things were. Some of the magic items, though, were also a guess for the others, too, like Liraz's new robes. While she knew the name and that it would be considered chest armor, she didn't know the stats until Jin told her.

"Glowstones are small orbs that glow with a bit of mana poured into them," Karam began quietly explaining for Jin as Alim moved closer to discuss with Hadia about the best options. "You can feed them with your own mana or with Mana Bits. You can even change their color with Shards, which we'll probably start finding more often with the next floor being Crystal Caste."

"Shards?"

"Compressed magic is probably the best way to think about Shards," he continued, moving back towards his own alcove to skim through the shop options. "So, like, Fire Shards or Blood Shards. They can form naturally in areas with more focused ambient magic types, but they can also manifest spontaneously from the Aether like monsters do, or monsters will often drop them as loot. They're mostly used as ritual and enchantment ingredients."

"Like our new Familiar rituals," Liraz said, startling Jin with her soft voice that she rarely used.

"Oh right," Jin replied, perking up at the reminder. "I think Alim mentioned we can get our ingredients for those for free, yeah?"

Liraz nodded, then tapped on Jin's bracelet as she said, "Just think about the ability cost as you touch the Money rune. You get one set for unlocking it." She pointed towards the wall and added, "Then the floor shops will give you another set each time."

"What stops me from just coming back here for more?"

"These rooms become inaccessible again once we leave," Karam answered. "We can go back to the first floor if we want, but there will be a different portal that takes us to the next floor and bypasses these rooms."

"Boo," Jin pouted, not wanting to admit that it made sense when she had totally wanted to exploit it. She did as she was told, though, and pressed the rune while thinking about the cost of summoning her new Familiar. Just like the Knowledge Tome had been, it felt weird remembering something she had never taken the time to learn as she contemplated the hundred Corrosion Shards and an equal number of Covenant Shards she needed, along with another hundred Crystal Mana Bits… yikes, Familiars were expensive.

A bag appeared at Jin's feet, and she bent down to look inside the simple canvas satchel filled with thumb-sized, roughly diamond-shaped crystals of gold and neon green coloring, along with the milky white Bits.

"I think we should get the glowstone pack for ten points, then get Alim and Karam the Knowledge Tomes they need," Hadia said, coming up behind her.

"Sounds good," Jin replied with a nod. "They should have points left over if there's more they want than that, right?"

"I think I want these gloves," Karam said from nearby, pointing at a display. "Based on the name, I think they will help boost my healing power, and then I'll be out of points."

Jin moved closer to look at what he was pointing out and saw the name, "Gloves of Mending Touch," and nodded as she said, "Makes sense and won't really be dependent on the next biome at all. I would like to get you some more protective gear soon, though."

"I'd like to get another item as well," Alim wrote in the air for them to read. "I have a feeling I'll be… what was the word you used? A tank?"

Jin nodded again. "Yeah. You got some magic shields and armor though from your Class Ability, right?"

"Yes, which helps a lot. I'm thinking about getting a necklace that helps me keep enemies taunted on me. If they're focused on me, that lets you and Hadia kill them faster. My [Mark of the Aggressor] helps, and technically I think the pain factor of my [Mana Sear] will behave like a taunt without actually being one, but I'd like to have something more constant for groups."

"How much would that be? Do you have enough points?"

"I'm five short, but it's probably my best option right now."

"It's okay, I can cover that little bit," Jin replied. Turning to Hadia, she asked, "Did you find the weapon and tome you wanted?"

"Yeah, but I'm nineteen points short for both," Hadia admitted with a huff.

"That's fine, I've got plenty to cover the little difference for everyone."

Liraz then tugged on the hem of Jin's shirt and shyly signed while looking at the floor, her hat brim hiding her face. "Can I borrow five points for a meditation tome?"

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Jin's entire stance softened slightly as she let a small smile slip past to reassure the younger girl. "Yeah, of course. I promised Pax to help you out, and I definitely owe him a lot already."

The girl smiled back, and Jin turned to look at the treasure shop's display that Karam still had opened and said, "Go ahead and buy your stuff. I'll transfer twenty-nine points to Liraz, who can transfer the little bit to Alim and Hadia for their items. Can you show me the glowstones we need to get, then I'll figure out something else for me, too."

Karam smiled and nodded, pressing on the display and reading off the items he wanted, letting Jin touch them to read their stats off for them.

Item: Necklace of Challenging Howl

A necklace of Shadowfang teeth that remember how to howl.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Accessory, neck.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

Increases the effects of Taunts cast by the wearer. Once a day, the wearer can inflict [Challenging Howl] on all nearby enemies. Challenging Howl (taunt, magical, covenant): Attacking any target other than the source of this Bane greatly decreases maximum stamina for a long duration.

Item: Complete Anatomy of Humans from Mundane to Obsidian

A magical tome detailing the foundational knowledge of anatomical make-up for Humans and their ascensions.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Consumable, Knowledge Tome.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effect: Imparts knowledge of typical and some atypical anatomical compositions of Humans.

After transferring the points to Liraz and so on, Alim got his items next, also letting Jin inform them all about their capabilities.

Item: Gloves of Mending Touch

Gloves stitched from the petals of a Lifebloom Lily.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Apparel, gloves.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

Repairs damage over time. Adjusts to fit the wearer. Increases the effects of Life abilities cast by the wearer. For a low amount of mana, the wearer can cast [Patient Mending] on touch. Patient Mending (magical, life, stacking): Slightly increases health regeneration.

Item: Magic of Erythros 2: Rituals

A magical tome detailing the Crystal Caste patterns, theories, and techniques of the Magic of Erythros, encompassing rituals of the world.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Consumable, Knowledge Tome.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effect: Imparts Crystal Caste ritual patterns, theories, and techniques from throughout Erythros' history.

When Hadia went, she gave a sigh and admitted the weapon wasn't exactly what she was hoping for.

Item: Hammer of the Heartstopper

Made from the hammer of a devoted worker that was seeking the favor of her true love by working tirelessly for 20 years to build him a palace; then betrayed when he cast her aside when done. Enraged and beseeching the gods for vengeance, Cat blessed the hammer, allowing her to beat him into submission and devotion until his heart exploded.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Weapon, hammer.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

Increased physical damage. Applies [Drop Dead Gorgeous] on hit. Drop Dead Gorgeous (magical, death, covenant, illusion, stacking) : Increases the appeal and favorability toward the source of this Bane. Has a minor chance to explode the target's heart when inflicted.

Item: Dual Smashing of the Barbarian

A magical tome detailing the techniques of dual-wielding blunt weapons.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Consumable, Knowledge Tome.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effect: Imparts knowledge of blunt one-handed weapon dual-wielding combat techniques.

"It's not terrible," Jin said, trying to reassure her. She then focused on the illusory screen of the shop, thinking of the hint and what might suit her best. Her powerset was shaping her into an obvious mobility attacker; her new Class didn't make her think that would change ever, so she needed to lean into that. To that end, she pulled up the list of Boot options.

Points Available to Spend: 178

Available Crystal Caste Boots for 70 points:

Snolf Paws Heels of the Surefooted Leaf Steppers Sivatherium Hooves Sand-alls Smooth-step Slippers Boundary Bound Boots

"Some of these don't even feel like a hint to know what they might be. What's a 'Snolf'?" Jin asked with a raised brow and a few Whisper signs.

"A large white-furred canine with two tails," Alim replied with more air-text.

Jin paused for a long moment before flatly asking, "Like a snowy wolf?"

He gave a crooked grin and quickly signed, "I didn't name them."

She sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "So, which do you think I should get?"

"Probably the most generic sounding ones, honestly," Alim wrote out with a slightly furrowed brow. "We don't want to get something too biome specific, like the Snolf Paws or the Sand-alls would probably be, based on the names. I'd vote for either the Surefooted, Smooth-step, or Boundary ones."

"Boundary sometimes refers to teleportation," Karam offered up. "Like crossing from one place to another, or maybe even wall walking to get past boundaries."

"I guess either one would be nice to have, no matter what might be waiting on the next floor," Jin admitted and selected that option. At her feet, a pair of golden soft leather boots that would probably go partway up her calves appeared for her.

Item: Boundary Bound Boots

Boots stitched from the hide of a Golden Shifter.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Apparel, boots.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

Repairs damage over time. Adjusts to fit the wearer. Increases the effects of Covenant and Movement abilities cast by the wearer. For a low amount of mana per second, the wearer can walk on water or other quickly shifting surfaces.

"Well, I don't have many Covenant abilities like Alim has, but the Movement and water walking will probably be nice," Jin admitted to everyone as she sat down to slip the boots on.

Hadia gave her a sly grin and gestured towards the solid black hole in the wall and said, "Just one more thing for you to do, then we'll get the new Familiars summoned before heading out of here."

With a loud groan that elicited a few chuckles from the others, Jin managed to drag herself back up to standing, and walked over to shove her arm with the bracelet on in the damn hole of doom.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.