“The craftsmanship is quite lovely on this staff.” Deirdre said, running her hands down the rod. “You said it was called the Shrink staff? What effect does it have?” She asked the merchant.
Now that Seliph was old enough to not be in constant need of his mother, Deirdre found herself with a lot more free time. As such, she’d been taking trips to the market just outside of Agusty Castle. One of her favorite places to shop was a stall that often had assortments of rare magical staves.
“Yes, it’s quite a rare item. When used, this staff will shrink its target in size.”
“Amazing.” Deirdre breathed as she placed the Shrink staff back on the table. She was quite skilled in using magic from staves, and had grown to enjoy collecting them as a hobby. Already her collection had grown to the point where she wasn’t able to take all of them into battle. Despite that, Deirdre knew that she had to have this Shrink staff. She had staves that could silence a mage, or put an enemy to sleep, but one that could shrink somebody was something even she hadn’t heard of.
“How much does this cost?” Deirdre asked.
“This one is 20,000 gold.” The merchant said. “Expensive, but as I said, it is quite a rare item.”
Deirdre’s eyes were cast downwards at hearing the price. She had spent quite a bit of her gold on buying a Sleep staff that Quan had found during the battle a few months ago, and didn’t have enough for such an expensive item like this.
“I see. I don’t have the gold on me, but if you would please hold it for me, I’ll be back to purchase it tomorrow.”
Deirdre opened the door to her room to see Sigurd sitting at the desk, reading over a packet of letters Seliph lay next to him, asleep in his crib. “Ah, Deirdre. How was your trip to the market?” He asked, his face brightening as he saw her enter the room.
“It was wonderful Lord Sigurd,” she said, walking over to his desk and putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh really? How much is it going to cost me this time?” He asked with a smirk on his face, which only widened upon feeling his wife’s hand retract.
“Lord Sigurd, you don’t need to tease.” She paused before continuing. “The merchant has a new staff I’ve never seen before. It’s called Shrink, and it can shrink people in size. It costs 20,000 gold, but I only have 5,000. Can you lend me 15,000 of yours so I can buy it?”
“20,000 gold? Hmm, that is quite a lot.” Sigurd said, pushing his chair back from his desk.
“You can’t afford a mere 15,000 gold? What do you think your sister would say when she hears that the great Lord Sigurd couldn’t afford to buy his wife a gift?” Deirdre moved to sit down on Sigurd’s lap as she spoke.
“Yes, I can see how that would be a problem. I suppose I have no choice then.”
“Thank you Lord Sigurd. I knew you’d see reason.” Deirdre rested her head on his chest. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too. If I use it on myself, you’ll get to hold me in the palm of your hand.”
“Here you are, 20,000 gold.” Deirdre smiled as she handed out the small fortune to the merchant.
“Thank you Lady Deirdre. I’m always happy to have your business. Now, if you’ll allow me to explain how to use it.”
The merchant handed the staff to Deirdre as he explained. To her surprise, it seemed to work quite differently from the staves she was used to. Able to be used many times, reverse its own effect, alter the potency of its effect, it was like it didn’t abide by the traditional rules of magic.
Deirdre kept the merchant’s instructions in her head as she walked back from the marketplace to Agusty Castle. It was far more versatile than she had imagined. The only thing left to do with it was try out its effects.
She opened the door to her room again to a familiar sight, Sigurd once again reading his letters on the state of affairs. Seliph wasn’t anywhere to be seen; he was being taken care of by his aunt and uncle today. Sigurd looked up at his wife as she entered, then his gaze fell to the rod in her hands.
“This is your new toy, I take it?” Sigurd asked as he rose from his seat.
“Lord Sigurd, you’re so mean, I’ve told you these aren’t toys.” She pouted at his words. “But yes, this is it. The Shrink staff.”
“I can see why you were so enthralled by it. It has a rather beautiful design. A perfect gift for you.” Sigurd said, taking his wife’s hand with one of his own, and her staff with his other. “Well, shall we see its effect? We should make sure that it works as we expect it to.”
“Yes, I’ve been eager to use it since I bought it. But I’m not sure what I should use it for.” Deirdre pondered.
“I can think of one use for it, Deirdre. You did promise I would be able to hold you in my hand.”
“Lord Sigurd!” Deirdre blushed at his words. “I will shrink myself for you, but don’t you think I should try it out first?”
“It was a very expensive staff. If you decide not to go through with it, then I wouldn’t get my money’s worth out of it.” Sigurd stepped even closer. Even before she used the staff on herself, Sigurd was already much taller than his wife. Deirdre could only imagine how it would feel if she were to use it on herself.
“Very well. I’ll use it to shrink myself. If you don’t want to shrink alongside me, I suggest you stand back..”
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
