Chapter 8: Identification Services

"Identify."

A ritual circle drawn from magical ink glows with arcane energy as Kathryne channels mana through it, infusing a glyph into a small rectangular block. Taking the block into her hands, Kathryne extends a small magnifying glass from the side, the lens glowing with divination magic.

Yesterday, Ermon had offered Kathryne a place to perform wizarding service and a bed, in exchange for a cut of her profits.

He expects her most requested service to be identification, so she went to go practice on a magical item the gnomes had on them.

Turns out that magical items are common to find in this world, but knowing what they do requires expertise, and a decently high Spellcraft skill bonus.

Kathryne looks down to the black cat just underneath her chin, quietly hugging a pair of leather gloves like a blanket. However, the arcane etchings inside of the glove's wrists betray their magical nature.

"Can I have those back?" Her slender fingers gently tug at the gloves' fingers, although the cat is reluctant to let them go.

Once the wizard finally manages to take the gloves, the cat stretches lazily on top of Kathryne's bosom before curling up into a ball of darkness.

Wolfgang had identified the creature to be a 'Vantacat', a magical beast infused with shadow magic. Their abilities included disappearing with invisibility, squeezing into anything their head can fit through, and charming people at will.

They also happen to be things that all cats can do.

Kathryne rests her cheek on her hand and listens to the cat purr. I'd like to make them my familiar, but they won't accept any of my names.

"Snuggles... Spoons... Socks..."

She waits for some sort of reaction from the names, yet the cat responds with nothing. eyes locked onto the glowing magic circle.

"You better choose something soon before I run out of nice cat names and start getting into the weird ones."

Kathryne uses Magic Hand to float the gloves into the ritual's effective area, hovering above the parchment as she peers through the magnifying glass and observes the interconnecting magic.

The magnifying glass is infused with the Identify spell, a more powerful version of the Detect Magic cantrip that gives the caster a +10 enhancement bonus to their Spellcraft skill when identifying magical items and their purpose.

Spellcraft is also a 'class skill' for wizards, and when combined with Kathryne's high intelligence gives her a base +10 to the skill.

Lastly, Kathryne takes in a deep breath, preparing to activate a skill known only to Diviners: Analysis.

The skills main utility in Wrathfinder was to forgo the roll in Intelligence based skill checks, replacing it with a constant 10 in times when there are no distractions.

So with the proper setup, I can easily achieve a Spellcraft check of 30!

"Analysis."

The pupil of Kathryne's ring opens wide, displaying a 10 in its black void. Information flickers in the wizard's mind, giving her a better sense of what she can see.

On the tips of the fingers were tiny divination runes, meant to analyze a touched mechanical item and imbue the wearer with instinctive knowledge. Pads located on the palms and wrists are meant to siphon minute amounts of mana from the wearer, charging a burst of Divination that would allow one to instantly analyze a device's purpose once per day, including diagnosing malfunctions.

However, the glyphs themselves are different than those from the Identify spell, making them unable to determine magical properties.

Once Kathryne had inspected the gloves to the best of her ability, a small window pops up in the corner of her vision.

Tinkerer's Gloves.
+5 competence bonus to Craft (Machine) and Knowledge (Engineering) checks to understand or Identify magical items.
Command Word: Ludowally.
Once per day, instantly analyze any one mechanical device and diagnose acute malfunctions.

As Kathryne starts to double check the item for any weirdness, she spots a messy sigil hidden in between one of the fingers, invisible to the naked eye. Squinting at it through her lens, she tries to rub it off to little avail.

This doesn't look like it's a part of the item's function. Can Identify get anything out of it?

Her Analysis begins to scan the sigil, before coming up with another window.

Conjuration (???) Sigil.
Insufficient knowledge.

"Guess I don't know enough about conjuration to guess it's subschool."

Most of the other items the gnomes gave her to identify were things they already had beforehand. However, these gloves were a part of a delivery made yesterday, along with a weird looking box.

Kathryne's train of thought is interrupted when a black nose starts to peek into view, the kitten's face warped by the concave lens.

She immediately gets distracted and spends a considerable amount of time inspecting the kitten and the messy Illusion sigils surrounding it with Analysis.

Name: Cat.
Species: Vantacat Cub.
Type: Tiny Magical Beast.
Alignment: Neutral.

"Do you wanna be a wizard too?"

"Mnyah."

Kathryne lowers her lens and puts her hands together, conjuring a small and crude wizard's hat from her palms with Presto. "Maybe you'll like a magic name?"

The kitten lets her place the hat on their head, absentmindedly pawing at the magic circle.

"I don't think this world has the Arthurian legends, but what do you think about 'Morgana'? Or 'Merlin'?"

The kittens ears suddenly perk up, turning towards Kathryne and trotting closer.

The wizard gasps, scooping up the cat into her arms. "Merlin? You like Merlin?"

"Mnyah!"

Kathryne smiles brightly, gently scratching the kittens head. "Then it's time to try the familiar spell!"

She leans in to try and kiss the cat, only for him to push against her face with all of his might.

"Mneoooow!"

"C'mon! Lemme kiss you! It's part of the ritual!"

"Mneoooooooow!"

*****

Wolfgang sits quietly in the corner of the store, gnawing on a large burrito and reading her journal of alchemical formulae.

Nearby, Errick messes with a metallic cube sitting on the counter, one of the deliveries that the store had received. Lines of light spread across its surface with a flat knob poking out the top.

Static gurgles from the speakers embedded in the edges as Errick slowly spins the knob, turning the white noise into music.

"Remember to save the channel I listen to." Wolfgang hums, flipping the page.

"No."

Wolfgang's eyes slowly look up, her pupils turning into cat like slits.

The gnome smiles smugly and holds up his middle finger to her.

The wolf woman takes in a deep breath through her nose, before grabbing the nearby trash bin.

"Wait..."

Without a word, Wolfgang stands up and begins walking ominously towards Errick, cracking the knuckles of her free hand.

"Ey, wait wait! I was kidding! I'm kidding!"

Wolfgang grabs Errick by the collar, ready to stuff him into the trash bin when her ear suddenly flickers. Suddenly, she drops the gnome, giving him the evil eye before swiftly returning to her chair.

Kathryne steps out of a door in the hallway, struggling to carry a box in one hand and Wolfgang's greatsword in the other, wrapped in her cloak. With the wizard's presence, Errick returns his attention to the radio, pretending that he wasn't about to be stuffed into a bin.

"Okay!" The wizard huffs as she places everything on the counter next to Errick. "I've identified everything, and included descriptions in the box.

"Nice. Gramp's should be happy." Errick turns off the radio and hops off of the counter. "Can you pass me the box? I'm going to put it away in his room."

Kathryne nods, handing the box over to the gnome, who taunts the wolf woman a final time before disappearing from view.

"As for youuu..." Kathryne unwraps Wolfgang's greatsword. "You wanted to know if your sword and cloak were magic, right?"

"Hm."

The slayer tries not to let her excitement show, although Kathryne could see Wolfgang's stub wagging in anticipation.

"Your greatsword has the Huntsman enchantment, and considering what your job is, I'd say it's a pretty good effect to have!"

Wolfgang takes the sword in her hands, looking it over. "What does it do?"

Suddenly, her sapphire ring begins to project a screen, detailing the weapon's statistics.

+1 Huntsman Greatsword.
 +1 bonus to Survival checks to track creatures.
Deal +1d6 damage to creatures tracked in the past day.

Wolfgang reads the description,  "It will help me track? Good. And the cloak?"

"The cloak is a little cooler!" Kathryne turns back to grab the cloak. "It gives the wearer a resistance bonus to all saves as long as you're wearing it, plus something extra that you might like!"

Taking the fur into her hands, Wolfgang's ring projects another window.

Wolf Fangs Cloak.
+1 resistance bonus to Reflex, Fortitude, and Will saving throws.
Five times per day, the wearer's teeth grows rapidly, granting them a bite attack. If the wearer already has a bite attack, its damage dice is increased by one size.
Command word: Bitafang.

"Hm." Wolfgang runs her fingers over the fur. "Fitting."

"Oh? How so?"

"I harvested this pelt from the Wolf of Morberg, and infused my sword with his bones. He said his fangs were too big to close his jaw, so I ripped it off."

"... Oh." Kathryne shivers at the thought, watching Wolfgang project her character sheet in front of her, numbers going up as she equips her items.

Wolfgang squints at the numbers, then unclasps her cloak like at the beginning of the fight.

The numbers immediately go back down.

"... Do you... do you always drop your cloak in a fight?"

"Only when I need to use my greatsword."

Kathryne thinks as Wolfgang picks up her cloak, sitting down nearby. "Can't you turn off your greatsword and carry it around your belt?"

Wolfgang shakes her head, wrapping her greatsword in the cloak and placing it against the nearby wall. "I broke my weapon as a part of an oath, and helps to identify us as slayers. That, and our deformations-"

Wolfgang's nose suddenly twitches, as if detecting a foreign scent. Her hand quickly snatches the burrito away from the table, staring at a piece of meat floating in the air.

A black shadow manifests on top of the plate as Merlin hurriedly gnaws on what he managed to bite off.

"Ah!" Kathryne gasps as Merlin hops onto Wolfgang's leg, meowing loudly as he tries to scale her pants. "I just fed you!"

While the wizard gently removes her familiar's claws from the slayer, the front door opens with a ringing bell.

Kathryne straightens up with her familiar in her arms. "Welcome!"

"It's just me." An elderly gnome closes the door behind him, holding a few items in his arms. Stepping closer to the wizard, he holds out a map, with an address circled. "I found a job for you."

"Ms. Trentini has a pawn shop, and she wants you to take a look at some new merchandise. You'll get paid when you come back."

"Okay, I'll go grab my things real quick!"

While Kathryne retreats to retrieve her things, Ermon hands a few papers to Wolfgang. "There's not a big guard presence here, so there's plenty of pest control and petty thievery to be had. A few missing pets too, if you're desperate."

Wolfgang sighs, quickly stuffing the rest of her burrito into her mouth and looking over the bounties. "Thanks."

After a moment, the wizard returns to the front. "I'll be heading out, then!"

"Actually, before you go..." Ermon steps behind the counter, reaching into an unknown place. "I have something I'd like you to wear."

*****

Kathryne takes in the sights of the market square, strolling through the bustling city street. Tall buildings enclose the area, stalls and shops embedded into their sides. Merchants call out to the crowds, a few functioning neon signs blinking above their heads.

In the center of the square, a circular tavern is alive with the chatter of crowds. Among them, Kathryne spots two siblings looking over an outdoor menu. However, they brazenly wear some sort of light armor, with knife-like ears pointing out of their hair.

Are those elves? Or maybe, they're half gnomes like me? They look pretty slender, though, and their ears are pointed much higher than mine.

A cold wind interrupts the wizard's train of though, stuffing her hands into the pockets of the green windbreaker Ermon lent her. On the back was a logo of the store, a wrench crossed with a gun, and while the front wouldn't close properly when Kathryne tried it on, its pockets had plenty of space.

Kathryne sits down on a crate near a trio of performing bards, opening her map and trying to reorient herself. The streets here are kind of shaped like a flower. Lots of side routes looping back around to the center.

She slips the map back into her handysack before pulling her windbreaker open, peering into one of her inner pockets. She could barely see Merlin's shadowy form curled up within.

"Doing okay in there?"

"Mrrrr..." Merlin purrs in response, curling up tighter when he feels her finger lightly patting his head.

Standing up, Kathryne tips the bards and takes a pamphlet, reading the information inside. Some sort of festival is happening next week? Sounds nice!

Tucking the pamphlet into her pocket, the wizard ventures into a side street and approaches a store front. The windows show off jewelry and tokens of wondrous designs, along with a few vials of glowing liquid. A neon sign flickers above the entrance, plainly stating: Trentini's Pawn Shop.

As long as the name works, I guess. Kathryne thinks, wiping her feet on the welcome mat and stepping inside, listening to the bell jingle above her.

The smell of smoke lingers in the air as Kathryne looks around the store. On the walls hang weapons and shields, both hard-light and steel, while trinkets and items are protected by glass casings. Near the center pillar, a full set of armor watches over the shop, hands resting on a greataxe.

Behind the glass counter, an older woman looks up from the book, small glasses resting on her curved nose. Her fingers hold an electronic cigarette, the smoke matching her motley grey hair as the tip glows with heat. When she spots Kathryne, her eyes flash an expression of obvious contempt before returning to her book.

"Can I help you?"

"Ms Trentini? Mr. Deepfront sent me to identify some things for you."

The woman looks back up in surprise, removing her spectacles as she inspects Kathryne. "You are the wizard? You?"

Trentini sniffs, her talon like fingers closing her book. "You do not look like wizard."

"Ehm... What does a wizard usually look like?" Kathryne asks.

"Big hats, big cloaks, robes..." Trentini's hands flutter expressively as she talks, turning away and searching her shelves. "But at least you are not harlot with tiny dress."

Kathryne stays quiet while the hawkish woman places a box on the counter, stamped with 'Ede's Delivery Service'.

The same service Ermon used. Looks like it might be popular.

"My son is enchanter at Kual. He sends me merchandise for shop. You make sure his rings work. And this-" Trentini hefts an axe and ornate belt onto the counter, as well as another box. "This is from adventurers. Find out everything. How long will it take?"

Kathryne steps forward, taking a look at all the contents. "This shouldn't take me more than two hours."

"Mm. Use other room. First on the left."

Kathryne quietly nods, moving to pick up the items when Trentini suddenly drapes a skinny arm over the boxes.

"How well did you do in your wizard schools? Are you smart?"

"... Ehm... I'd like to think so."

Trentini frowns at Kathryne once again, before lifting up her arm. "Go. I expect quality."

Kathryne nervously chuckles as she takes the items and walks towards the back. "I will do my best?"

What is that about?

Stepping into the designated room, Kathryne finds a small study table along with a strange lamp. She places the box to one side and pulls out her magical tools before sitting down.

Finding the desk to be at an awkward height, the wizard stands back up and lays out a piece of parchment and her spellbook. She pencils in the proper sigils and traces them with magical ink, before infusing the ink with mana.

Her next hour is spent identifying Trentini's magical items, describing their effects to the best of her ability in an informative report. Luckily, most of the enchantments were easily deduced with the aid of Analysis, although she notices something strange.

The same Conjuration sigil she saw on Ermon's gloves were present in Trentini's son's jewelry, but not the axe or the belt.

That's pretty weird. Did Trentini's son leave this? Then that would mean that he enchanted Ermon's gloves too.

Kathryne sits back in the chair, lightly massaging her shoulders in thought. Maybe it's a branding thing? Like how blacksmiths leave markings on their weapons to let people know who made it.

"But why Conjuration?"

Her eyes wander to a nearby clock, watching the time slowly tick away. She had finished earlier than expected. "I'm getting kind of hungry. Maybe I should grab something on the way back."

"Do you want anything? Maybe I can get you a tiny sandwich?" Kathryne opens her windbreaker, only to find her familiar missing. "Merlin?"

She dips her fingers into all her pockets before standing up and looking around. "Merlin? Pspspspsps!"

She spots the door to the room being slightly ajar, open enough for a kitten to slip through. Peeking her head outside, she spots Merlin loafing around next to Ms Trentini, listening to her talk aloud as her hand dances through the air.

"-and I tell him, 'Leave, and take your whore with you!' And what does he do?"

"Mnya?"

"He takes all of Anjelito's money and runs back to Ardenne, oh!"

"Mwooow."

It looks like they're having fun. I should probably double check everything.

Kathryne quietly returns to the study and picks up her report, refining the grammer and structure and including the Conjuration sigil as a footnote.

Gathering all the magical items, Kathryne returns to the front of the store where Trentini is busy showing the cat a few photos. "This one is Anjelito, and this one is Roberto-"

The woman's eyes glance up to Kathryne as she places the items on the counter, quickly gathering her pictures. "You are finished? You know everything there is about these items?"

The wizard nods and slides a small stack of papers to Trentini. "Here's a report for everything. The axe is a little strange, though. You have to end every sentence with 'ribbit' in order to activate it's poison ability."

Trentini raises an eyebrow as she takes the stack into her hand, quickly scanning through it.

"Do you have any questions?"

"... No. No questions, you may go."

Kathryne gives the shopkeeper a light bow before taking the kitten into her arms and stepping outside before Trentini could change her mind, coming back out into the chilly open air.

"That wasn't too bad. Did you have fun talking with Ms Trentini?"

"Mnyah."

"That's good." Kathryne lets the kitten back into her pocket and opens her map, beginning her stroll towards the second location.

With this wizarding job, I should have a decent foundation after a month or two. While I'm here, I should focus on gathering knowledge about this world.

Maybe I should start with whatever the 'Merging' Sam mentioned was. The wilds seem pretty dangerous too, so I should find ways to level up and learn more spells.

Kathryne brings up her character sheet, staring at her two levels in wizard. I don't see an experience bar, though.

Crap, do I level up by milestones? How do I know if I'm close to leveling up?

The wizard lightly taps the side of her ring, provoking the eye in the center to look at her.

"Hey, how do I level up?"

Overcome challenges.

"Okayyy. Is there a specific challenge I need to overcome? Do I have to find quests or kill monsters?"

Overcome challenges. Experience growth.

Kathryne frowns at the vagueness her ring is displaying. "How many challenges do I need to level up?"

That is up to you.

She sighs, putting her ringed hand in her pocket. "Thanks, I suppose. Guess I should look around for challenges."

Kathryne thinks of the encounter with the gremlins, especially on how poorly she handled herself in combat.

"Oof, yeah. That's probably a good start."