Jack entered the spell scroll shop wearing his new, secondhand, valet uniform. He’d changed in a nearby alleyway. The same old shopkeeper stood behind the counter and looked up as the door chime rang. For once, the shop was empty of customers.

  “Good morning, young man,” the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile. “I pray you’ve brought more [Chronos Sphere] scrolls… we’ve run out again, and we have another rush order to fill for a dozen of them,” he added, shaking his head. “So much lost profit with the army requiring Apprentice Scribes.”

  Jack returned the smile. “Sure have.” He emptied his pack of spell scrolls onto the counter.

  The old man adjusted his silver-framed glasses and examined the scrolls, sorting them into several neat piles. “Excellent work again. Hard to believe these are the product of a new Apprentice Scribe.” He peered at Jack over the top of his glasses and smiled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think these came from a Journeyman. Or even an experienced Expert Scribe.” His tone was light and playful. “Maybe even one talented enough to work at the Royal Library.” He grinned.

  Jack’s mouth fell open. Does he know something? How could he? He scrambled for a reply but came up blank.

  The shopkeeper chuckled. “You might want to work on your disguise, Jack.” He pointed to a lock of hair poking out from under Jack’s hat. “Changing your hairstyle or throwing on a hat doesn’t change your face, son.”

  Jack froze and considered his planned escape route. No, I haven’t done anything wrong… Still, he wasn’t sure what to say.

  The old man’s tone softened. “If your father wishes to sell scrolls anonymously, there’s no need for all this effort.” He tapped the side of his nose and leaned in closer. “At Harker and Barker, discretion is a cornerstone of doing business with Expert Scribes like your father. He’s not the only one who sells scrolls on the side.” He nodded in understanding. “With a new baby in the house, and your mother not working at the restaurant, you can never have enough coin.”

  Jack let out a silent breath of relief. That explains it, he thought. But how does he know who my father is? Or me? Or mom? Playing along, Jack said, “I’m glad to hear that.” Then, with a nervous smile, he added, “My, erm… master would be quite embarrassed if you mentioned this to him.”

  He hoped the hint would be enough to dissuade the shopkeeper from ever bringing it up in conversation with his father. If questioned, Jack could always claim the old man had made an assumption he never corrected.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Of course, of course. You were never here, Jack.” The shopkeeper chuckled. “I would’ve said something sooner, but the shop’s usually too busy.” He gestured at Jack’s makeshift valet uniform. “While I do appreciate the theatrics, there’s no need for all this in future.”

  Jack flushed. “Thank you. It’s been a bit inconvenient.” He sighed. And costly. Damn. I no longer need this uniform.

  “Think nothing of it, Jack,” the old man said. “We’re very grateful for the [Chronos Sphere] scrolls. We have regular orders from half a dozen noble houses. We can never get enough of them. Please tell your fath…”

  He was cut off by the shop’s door chime as a small group of adventurers entered. Without missing a beat, he corrected himself. “Please tell your young master,” he said with a wink, “that we value his business and look forward to more of his excellent work.”

  Jack gave a polite nod and a smile.

  The shopkeeper returned to counting. “Now, where was I…” He glanced at the scrolls Jack had brought in. “That’s eight [Chronos Sphere], two [Fireball], and two [Frost Breath] unimbued spell scrolls. For a total of 66 silvers.” He gathered the scrolls, placing them beneath the counter, and handed Jack the coins.

  Jack added the coin to his purse and thanked the old man. Still not enough for decent armour. He had just over 1 gold and 70 silver now, but quality armour would cost several gold at least. He could buy something basic, but it made more sense to save up and invest in better quality gear. His current plans were to train at the Adventurers Guild, and he didn’t need armour to train in one of the safest buildings in the city. The looted rogue’s arm guards would be enough to protect his arms from the bowstring.

  Still, the close calls with the goblin and the rat-faced rogue played through his mind again. I should at least buy a [Chronos Sphere], a [Fireball], and a [Frost Breath] scroll for emergencies. He browsed the displays and selected an imbued [Fireball] and a [Frost Breath] scroll, handing over 13 silver and 50 coppers.

  “Is it possible to reserve an imbued [Chronos Sphere] scroll?” he asked the shopkeeper. Although he’d just delivered eight [Chronos Sphere] scrolls, they were unimbued, useless until an Apprentice Time Mage infused them with magic.

  “Of course. Just the one?” the shopkeeper asked.

  Jack nodded.

  “That’ll be 18 silver and 90 coppers,” the old man said, smiling as he accepted the payment. “It will be ready first thing in the morning. Is there anything else?”

  Jack shook his head while paying. “No, thank you.”

  After changing back into his normal clothes, he headed towards a temple with over a gold in coin and his pack stuffed with the valet uniform he no longer needed. What am I going to do with it? he thought as he made his way to the nearest temple dedicated to Hermes, the God of travel, trade, thieves, and scribes. Maybe it will come in handy someday.

  A few minutes later, Jack took a deep breath as he looked upon the same temple where he’d chosen his scribe class a lifetime ago. “Time to choose a new class.”