Second Skin- Fractures

by M Damon Baker

  Dreya Dae

  Human Female

  Level - 1

  350/1200

  Health 120/120 Aura 280/280 Endurance 120/120

  Class – Warden – Warden gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects

  Specialization –

  Mastery –

  STR - 12

  CON - 12

  DEX - 14

  INT - 12

  WIS - 12

  CHA - 16

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. 1%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. 1%

  Spells

  Skills

  Bow - 12%

  Critical Hit - 8%

  Armor – 1%

  Medium Armor – 1%

  Perception - 7%

  Environmental - 9%

  Identify Enemy - 4%

  Subterfuge - 3%

  Stealth - 4%

  That was a potentially powerful class perk right there near the top of my sheet. I was going to have to look for more nature-based Skills and Abilities any time I had the option. Fortunately, I hadn’t missed out making my choices this time, since none of my options had an obvious natural effect.

  I also noted that my Skills had advanced a lot. And one thing was very clear—the Skills I used in combat advanced much more rapidly than out of combat skills. This wasn’t really surprising, it was a typical aspect of most RPGs. There was one thing that seriously bothered me though. Based on what he had told me before, Zander might not want to answer, but I had to ask anyway.

  “Zander?”

  “Yes, dear?”

  Oh, it’s ‘dear’ now is it? Despite how much it irked me, I let his comment slide this time since I needed to pick his brain a little.

  “You may not want to answer this, but don’t we gain Attribute points when we level?”

  He chuckled softly before answering me.

  “Yes, we do. Just not for level one. Level zero is like a tutorial or maybe a trial if you prefer. We will gain Attributes at each level after one though.”

  “That’s disappointing,” I replied dejectedly. “But if that’s the case, then I’m done here. We can get moving whenever you’re ready.”

  5

  Zander was finished with his notifications as well, so we wasted no time in setting off on the road towards the town that we knew lay ahead. Although we remained alert the rest of the way, wary of the potential for another group of goblins or other enemies, we encountered no threats. We both breathed a sigh of relief when the town finally came into view.

  It didn’t look like much, which was to say it looked exactly like a typical starter town in any RPG. As we got closer, I could make out a large building that I assumed was the town’s inn. It was taller than the rest, a full three stories where none of the other structures rose above two. Several shops could also be seen lining the lone central street. The signs on the shopfronts became clearer as we approached, with shingles for the leather goods, and two general merchandise shops being most prominent among them.

  Normally, a town like this would become my temporary base of operations while I worked at leveling and gearing up my character. Since I would be rerolling as soon as I could, I obviously wouldn’t be doing any of that. However, I had been well-rewarded for embracing my time stuck here as a tutorial, so I decided to keep doing what I would normally do and try to learn as much as possible. I thought that the insights I was gaining would really pay off when I finally rolled my real avatar.

  While making our way into town, Zander and I agreed that our first order of business would be to sell off all our loot and then gear up as best we could.

  While we had each gained some better armor and weapons, there was still much room for improvement. In addition, we had no maps, potions, or survival gear. Not even a single day’s rations between us. In our current state, we were woefully unprepared for any prolonged adventures. We entered the closest of the two general merchants with great anticipation but were soon sorely disappointed.

  The shop looked like some hoarder’s cluttered garage. There was no apparent organization to the items, and random piles of various objects were strewn about haphazardly. The shopkeeper, a greasy-looking older man, barely acknowledged us as we entered, sparing us only a quick, disinterested glance. I was certainly not getting a good vibe from this place, and one look at Zander told me he was feeling the same way. After a quick circuit through the disheveled store, we made a hasty exit.

  “That was... not what I expected,” I said to Zander.

  “No, it wasn’t for me either,” he replied.

  “Maybe the other one will be a little less of a pigsty.”

  “We can only hope.”

  The second general store was just across the street, and at least from the outside, it showed a little more promise. The first shop we entered had a shoddy, chipped, and faded sign with the words ‘General Goods,’ barely legible in front of it. In stark contrast, the other store had a bright, colorful sign that looked freshly painted and read ‘Marli’s Trading Post’ in crisp, clear lettering.

  “That looks like a good sign,” I remarked.

  “Bad pun,” Zander retorted.

  Damn. He had me dead to rights there. I said the only thing I could think of in my defense.

  “Jerk.”

  Zander simply smiled, knowing he had won the exchange, and I resolved to make him pay for that later.

  As soon as we walked into the store, the shopkeeper greeted us.

  “Hello and welcome to Marli’s! What can I do for you today?”

  She was a petite woman. Perhaps just a few inches over four feet tall. Judging her by human standards, I would have guessed her age at around 55, but she was clearly not human. I didn’t know all the races in Second Skin, but she reminded me of a halfling, if slightly taller. Her features were slight and delicate, but not quite like what you would associate with elves, and her body was of a thinner frame than a typical human. Yeah, definitely must be some sort of halfling, I thought.

  Ding!

  Ha! Apparently, I got it on the first try. Yet another notification for me to look at later.

  “We were hoping to sell some goods, possibly get a couple of items identified, and then maybe purchase some equipment,” Zander answered.

  I knew my Charisma Attribute was higher than Zander’s, so it would have probably been better for me to do the bargaining, but we hadn’t planned this out, and he had beaten me to the punch. Oh well, I figured I should just roll with it rather than take over and make it seem like we didn’t have our act together.

  “Well,” Marli replied, “why don’t we see what you’ve got to sell first and then go from there?’

  I was sure this would give her some advantage over us in the negotiations ahead, but it wasn’t like we had much choice anyway. Zander simply replied in the affirmative, and we both began placing the items we wanted to sell on the counter before us.

  “Hmm, well, you’ve certainly gathered an... interesting collection of items here,” Marli remarked. “Most of this, as you surely are aware, has very little value, so I can’t pay you very much for it if I am to make any profit at all.”

  “I can offer you three coppers for the robes, and the same again for the staff. The long sword is somewhat serviceable, so I can give you a silver Mark for that. This bow is nearly worthless; I’ll be doing you a favor by giving you two coppers for it.”

  “As for these daggers and short swords,” she continued, “they are almost junk as far as I’m concerned. I could make you an offer, but you’d only be insulted. Your best bet is to cart them over to Georl, the blacksmith, and see what he thinks they are worth as fodder for his forge.”

  Ouch. That was harsh. But I also had the impression that she was being fair with us. After all, most of the stuff she was willing to buy was our own low-quality start
er gear. It should have come as no surprise that it had little worth.

  “Thank you, Marli. If you would kindly take these items, we will do just that,” Zander managed not to crumble while accepting Marli’s stark assessment.

  We decided to find out how much we could get for the crude weapons before looking over Marli’s stock in search of any upgrades for ourselves. While Marli handed Zander the coins, I quickly gathered the daggers and short swords and tossed them in my backpack. Marli may not have cheated us; in fact, I was sure her offer was reasonable, but I wanted to try and swing the odds in our favor as much as possible when we bargained with the blacksmith.

  The blacksmith was back across the street from Marli’s, and as we made our way over, I informed Zander of my plan.

  “Listen,” I said, “Let me do the talking this time. I have an idea, okay?”

  Zander’s eyebrows rose in amusement. “Going to try and use your feminine charms, are you?”

  Indeed, I was intending to try and do just that. But was that a hint of jealousy I detected there? I decided it was time for some payback.

  “Well, Zander,” I mocked, “your ‘charms’ gained us a paltry one silver and eight coppers back there. I figured I couldn’t do any worse.”

  Take that, smartass.

  Zander’s only reply was a muffled ‘Harrumph,’ as his ego didn’t seem to take the bruising too well.

  The blacksmith’s shop was set apart from the other buildings in town. While most were close together, a few even sharing a common wall, the smithy had at least fifteen feet between it and its neighboring structures. With the heat generated by the forge in the back, the need for such distance was no great mystery. While there was no sign out front, there really was no need for one. If the mere location wasn’t enough, the incessant ringing of hammers and associated sounds gave it away more clearly than any painted piece of pine possibly could. For added effect though, an old, cracked anvil sat on the wide porch that led into the shop itself.

  When we entered the door and walked into the shop, I was shocked to see a monster behind the counter. Was there a raid going on? Had we interrupted a robbery? The burly, green-skinned creature who had surely just slain the shopkeeper stood there boldly, as if he owned the place. I had almost cleared my blade before he spoke and stunned me for a second time.

  “Hello, I’m Georl. What can I do for you today?

  Oh shit! I had almost attacked an NPC in town. That would have been just great. Guards trying to kill me, most likely a bounty on my head—ooh yeah, great job.

  “Oh, yes, umm, yes, well Marli told us we should see you about selling some weapons we picked up,” I fumbled in response.

  “Real smooth,” Zander whispered just loud enough for me to hear, having seen the whole scenario as it played out.

  Asshole.

  Recovering from my near faux pas, I approached the counter and began removing the swords and daggers from my pack, glancing at the blacksmith as I deposited each upon the counter. When I had finished, I placed my hands on the smooth wood of the counter and leaned forward, inclining my upper body just slightly towards the blacksmith.

  “Marli sent us over. She couldn’t buy these, but she said you were a fine blacksmith and could make really good weapons out of them. Is that true?

  I didn’t have much practice in using those ‘feminine charms’ Zander had mentioned, but I certainly had a lot of experience having them used against me. I was going to give it my best shot at a little bit of turn-about.

  Ding!

  I assumed that meant that I had succeeded.

  “Well now, I don’t know about any of that,” Georl preened. “But let’s have a look-see”

  Georl made a show of carefully examining each and every crappy blade we had brought him. I made a point of making eye contact and occasionally leaning in just a bit closer when he took a moment to comment on a particular blade’s merit. Zander simply kept to himself the whole time, but I could hear him muttering under his breath frequently, obviously irritated with my display.

  Serves you right, jerk, I thought.

  When Georl finished his very thorough review, he gave me his verdict.

  “As a smart lady like yourself knows well, these blades are not what you might call high-quality.”

  I gave him a crestfallen look, hoping it would soften the blow to come.

  “Now, now,” he said, reading my disappointment. “It’s not as bad as all that.”

  “While the blades are poorly crafted, whoever made them tried to compensate for their lack of skill with an abundance of metal. As a poor smith will often do.”

  I sensed an opening and leaned in just a little bit closer.

  “Yes, I can reforge these blades into something much better,” he bragged. “In fact, I think I could easily get three good blades from every two of these, all while improving the base metal in the process.”

  “Oh, that makes me so happy!” I exclaimed.

  Was that too much? I wondered. Apparently not.

  “Yes, my lady,” Georl resumed proudly. “Since I stand to make a decent profit with only the application of my skill, I can easily pay you fairly for these blades. What say you to two silver bits for each dagger and three silver bits per short sword?”

  Silver? Did I really hear him say silver?

  “Georl,” I said, favoring him with his name as I leaned in close. “If you could pay me that I would be so grateful!”

  The green skin of his cheeks actually got a little bit darker as I toyed with him. Damn, this ‘feminine charm’ shit was pretty awesome. It had always been quite obvious when those ‘charms’ were being used on someone else, but they were almost impossible to resist when you were the target.

  We quickly settled our business. Georl took the blades and passed me a handful of coins, and I made a point of thanking him repeatedly before we were out the door and on our way back to Marli’s. But before we left, Georl told me I might want to come back in a few days to see what he had made from our blades, promising me another good deal. And while Georl was exceedingly friendly with me, he pretty much ignored Zander.

  “Well, that was embarrassing,” Zander groaned once we were out of earshot.

  Jealous much, compadre? I thought before replying.

  “You’re just upset because I got us silver for our loot and you only got us a few measly coppers.”

  For emphasis, I opened my hand, still clutching the silver that Georl had forked over and thrust the coins in front of him.

  “Pfft,” Zander huffed.

  As I looked down at the shiny coins in my hand, I became concerned. There were only 10 coins. Six larger silver ones, roughly the same size as the silver coins we had looted from the caster, and four smaller ones, thinner, and about half the diameter of the others.

  “Zander?” I began the familiar refrain.

  “What?” He barked sharply.

  “We should have gotten over thirty silver for those blades but there’s only ten, and they’re different sizes.”

  Zander sighed loudly and then once more unleashed Zander-geek upon my ignorant soul.

  “Copper coins come in only one size and are simply known as ‘coppers.’ Silver and gold coins come in two different sizes. The smaller for both are called ‘bits.’ The larger silvers are ‘Marks,’ while the larger golds are called ‘Talons.’ The thirty-four silver bits he quoted you equal the six Marks, four Bits you received.

  “Everything converts up in units of five. Five coppers equal one silver bit. Five silver bits equal a Mark. Five Marks are one gold bit, and five gold bits get you one Talon.”

  Zander could be a little annoying at times, but he was also damn useful, as he had just reminded me.

  “Thank you, Zander. That’s really good to know. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  I thought it couldn’t hurt to butter him up a little.

  “Well, yes. You’re welcome,” He paused before reluctantly adding. “You did get us a better deal
than I expected back there.”

  Ha! Gotcha!

  I knew that must have hurt for him to admit, so I didn’t press the issue.

  We returned to Marli’s store, and she was still behind the counter in the same spot as when we had left. Although we had only been gone a short while, she still greeted us enthusiastically.

  “Welcome back! Did Georl treat you well?”

  “We got a fair price,” Zander replied flatly. Although I had clearly gotten the better deal with Georl, Zander had insisted that he bargain once again with Marli. His excuse was that he clearly needed more practice at bartering, since I was already, as he put it, ‘a natural.’ I saw no reason to argue with him over it. Besides, I figured Marli would probably not be nearly as susceptible to my form of ‘negotiation’ as poor Georl had been.

  “If I recall correctly, you were looking for a few supplies and had some items in need of identification. Which would you like to handle first?”

  Zander reached into his pack and pulled forth the mystery ring and pouch, placing them on the counter.

  “Let’s start with figuring out what these are, if you would.”

  Marli barely glanced at the pouch before making her pronouncement.

  “This is a quality version of the standard coin pouch. It will become soul-bound to its owner upon taking possession. From then on it cannot be lost, stolen, or even opened by another, until it’s owner either gives it away freely or dies.”

  She took a moment to look up at us meaningfully. We had the pouch but didn’t even know what it was. Clearly, it had not been given to us freely. That left only one option for our acquisition of it.

  “As an additional benefit, unlike the common coin pouches, this one has an unlimited capacity and will reduce the weight of carried coins to nearly zero.”

  Wow, that would be sweet. With the severe handicaps inflicted by the Encumbrance stat, every weight reduction would help. Plus, with it being soul-bound, the elimination of loss or theft would be quite the relief.