Draith
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Chapter 118 - Home Made Storage
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 14:00:11 +0000 UTCWe had a bit of a crowd the next morning, for the opening of the safe. Banya and Bevel were there, of course. After all the work we'd put in the day before, combined with the lack of deadly traps, I had no reason to turn them away.
Calbern, Tamrie and Tresla were there as well, all standing back. Tamrie and Tresla were taking turns making more and more ludicrous guesses about what we’d find inside. I’d stopped listening after the jewel plated octopus-golem Tamrie had suggested.
Even Inertia had expressed interest. Unfortunately, if she’d been there, no one else would’ve fit.
I'd considered inviting Xoth but, according to Tamrie, he was dealing with some incident between his daughter and Egerta. Something involving a broken sword and even more broken pride. It also involved Selvi somehow, though Tamrie hadn't known how she’d been roped in yet.
Banya was explaining her idea on how to bypass the only portion of the trap that seemed to be still functioning. It was a pretty elegant solution, since it only took a single pair of runes that could be added and removed at any time, letting the trap continue working if the chunk of stone the runes were inscribed in was removed.
I'd taken the safe and design into Memory Palace the night before, and I was pretty sure her idea would work. At least for getting past the trap. Unfortunately…
"That would be perfect, if we only needed to get past the traps. Realized last night that we still need to use the key for the safe’s storage," I said, nodding in approval of her design. "Pretty sure I've got it figured. Turns out its only a tier one storage item and… uh, if the key works, it should bypass the traps."
"Oh," Banya said, deflating slightly.
"I thought your idea was really smart," Bevel said, taking Banya's hand and patting it.
"Thank you," Banya replied, giving Bevel a weak smile.
I stepped towards the safe, kneeling down. "Really should've just done this first," I mumbled. Not that the day before had been a waste. We all had a much better idea of how to design or disarm the traps in the future, plus we’d had fun. Nor had any of us thought about the fact the safe was only a tier 1 storage item.
It made sense if Balthum had made it himself. Which I suspected he had. Best way to keep something a secret is if no one else knows and all that.
With a tug of my mana, I used Spellkey to produce the key I'd deciphered in Memory Palace the night before.
I felt the space within the safe respond. I was glad I'd loaded up Kallum's spells, because there was no convenient access. The safe felt rather clutzed together, like whoever had built it had only the crudest of understandings on how to build dimensional storage, which I took as further evidence Balthum had made it himself.
Was pretty sure I could make a better storage item myself. And a spatial storage safe seemed like an excellent place to start.
The contents consisted of four items, which I pulled out one at a time.
First was a grimoire. It was a tome of grey, with green accents along the edges.
“That’s boring,” Tresla said with a musical laugh. “You’ve got too many books already.”
“It’s not just a book,” Bevel said, pulling the grimoire down to look closer. “It’s a grimoire. Is it his?” The last question was directed at me, Bevel looking up for a moment.
“The notes are clearly written in Balthum's hand,” I said. “Though it seems he’s mostly complaining about why these spells aren't worth adding to his 'real' grimoire.”
Considering it had three separate fourth Order spells within, I couldn't help but wonder what his 'real' grimoire contained.
After flipping through it, and ensured there wasn’t anything too dangerous, I allowed Bevel to take it. She and Banya both studied it, already talking about what sort of changes they’d need to do to implement a sound dampening effect they’d found, similar to Hush, except with more triggers.
While they did that, I drew out the second item. It was a set of robes, much like the ones Althon had worn back when we'd been in the City on the Water. Very functional. And with a sophisticated enchantment that meant they were self-cleaning, self-repairing and size-adjusting.
Unfortunately, one look at Calbern with his raised eyebrow, and I knew I shouldn’t wear them. While well made, they were too simple. They were a rather pleasant blue though, so maybe Tamrie would like them. Copying the runework would be useful for my own robes too.
For the moment, I put the robes in my storage ring and moved on to the third item, which was a small table. When I pulled it out, it barely even came up to my knee.
“Aw, it’s so cute,” Tresla said, stepping forward to run her hand along the engraved edge. It had a sort of nature motif, all vines and leaves.
“It’d look splendid in your bedroom, master Perth,” Calbern said, inclining his head slightly.
“Might be a bit awkward to use if I keep it there,” I said, holding my hand up. The second I’d pulled it out, it had started to draw in the limited ambient mana in the air. The pull was strong enough I could feel it tugging on my aura. After a few seconds, the pull abated, and the table simply sat there. “Though I’m not sure what it does yet.”
This drew Bevel’s attention away from the grimoire for a moment, until she realized it was just a table, then she went back to talking excitedly with Banya.
It took a few minutes of studying its enchantments to realize it was a portable preservation table, similar to the ones in the enchanting workshop. Which wouldn’t be notable if not for the ‘portable’ part. The enchantment was incredibly sophisticated. I suspected that if I wanted to replicate the effect, I’d need to build a nearly perfect copy of the table too.
A real prize for preserving volatile essence components. Despite the windfall of components we'd recovered from the awakened wyvern, the best parts had been lost before we'd even set camp for the night, such as the eyes. The table would've allowed me to save at least one of them. And if I could copy its effects, maybe we could send others out with them.
It did seem like a higher tier enchantment though, so I was doubtful I was at that point.
The fourth and final item in the dimensional safe was…
I had to pull it out to be sure.
"That is a rather interesting contraption, master Perth," Calbern said as I set the bicycle down beside me. It wasn't exactly like it would've been on Earth. The 'chain' was made of much heavier links, and there was only a single gear, which was locked to the wheel, with no slippage for reverse. Nor were there brakes. But the design was otherwise a perfect BMX trick bike.
I'd had one for getting to and from school, back when I'd still gone. It had been a source of a lot of good memories. Then one of the old man's friends had backed into it and the bike rack it'd been locked up at.
They'd just laughed while I'd pulled it out and took it into the shop. I'd pulled and pried and attempted to bang it back into shape.
Doing so had been a mistake. He'd had me in the shop before, but something about me working on my bike instead of just giving up on it had enraged him. He'd beaten me for it.
Never did understand why.
Hadn't been more than a few days after that he'd pulled me out of school to work in the shop.
"Perry?" Tamrie asked, touching my arm. That was when I realized everyone in the room was looking at me.
"Nothing," I lied, clearing my throat. "It's just…" my gaze shifted to Banya, then Bevel, and finally Tamrie and I felt… guilty. Each of them had had it so much worse than I ever did. "Just reminded me of something, is all. From a long time ago."
Tamrie nodded, though she didn't step away.
"Hmm, what do you suppose it's for?" Calbern asked as he kneeled down next to it, pushing on the pedal, causing the wheel to spin and the bike to lurch forward slightly. "A tool of some sort?"
I almost told them exactly what it was. And where I knew it from. Except… where had Balthum even gotten it? I really did need to talk to Esbee.
"Looks kinda like Fang, doesn't it?" Banya asked, stepping over. "Only other place I've seen two wheels like that."
"An excellent observation, miss Banya," Calbern said, climbing over the crossbar to perch atop the bike. His knees stuck out to the side, the seat far too low for him.
I chuckled at the sight as Bevel poked at one of the tires, which didn't flex at all. "Bad tires," she said, shaking her head. "Better than those metal ones though."
"Inertia has improved those, actually," Tresla said, stepping over to poke at the tire beside Bevel. "Some sort of mesh that deforms. She is rather excited about its potential uses. Almost broke her wing off testing it." The last was said with a gentle shake of her head and a loving yet exasperated tone.
"That's everything," I said as Calbern stepped on a pedal and sent the bike lurching forward. The room was already crowded, and it certainly didn't have room for Calbern to be riding inside it.
If anyone else had been on it, I was certain they would've crashed already. Calbern managed to pop a wheelie and spin the bike around, bringing it back down facing the stairs. Then he stood up, both feet on the pedals as he slowly moved it forward and back. "I do believe I'm getting the hang of it," he said, before hopping it sideways a half-step. "A proper test drive is in order."
Then he shot forward, his legs pumping on the pedals as he disappeared down the stairs.
I just… watched him go. Probably could've stopped him. Probably should've.
But I was too busy laughing.
Then Bevel shot out of the room, chasing after him, screaming about wanting a turn, and I just laughed harder.
Packing up the table, and grimoire, I disabled the enchantments leading into the safe, causing it to silently implode. The physical safe still remained, but the extradimensional contents would’ve been destroyed if I hadn’t retrieved them first. When I went to pull it out of the wall, fully intending to reuse all the materials for creating my own, I discovered one more treasure hidden inside.
A golden locket. Not enchanted, though it was well made.
It would've been completely inaccessible while the dimensional safe existed.
Inside the locket was a picture of a young woman with brunette hair and emerald eyes not unlike Perth's father. On the opposite side was a simple inscription.
To my dearest heart, Arthe.
Never forget the love we share,
Sadhe.
That was…
Who the heck were Arthe and Sadhe? And why had Balthum had a locket with their names in his most secret hiding spot?
