by Dakota Krout
Joe looked at his account and was a little surprised. He had a full hundred gold more than expected! When he asked about it, the teller informed him it was due to his funds accruing interest. His account and the gold had been created before he started playing the game, so the big ‘ol pile of money had been sitting here growing larger by the day. Joe happily withdrew bank notes totaling fifty gold. They worked like checks, in that unless he signed them they had no monetary worth. Even if he was robbed, the game ensured that his money was secure. Of course, the notes wouldn’t work outside the city–if they ever found a town without a bank–so he also took out a few silver and copper as physical coins. Leaving the bank in a superb mood, Joe strolled toward the market.
The silver wire was simple to purchase from a smith, though he seemed to think that Joe was a jewelry maker of some kind, and tried to overcharge him by a huge amount. Having lived thriftily all his life, Joe talked the price down to a reasonable market value. When the smith came back a short time later, Joe found that he had another problem. He had no bag to hold items in! His coins were in a small pouch he had started with, but he needed to buy a backpack. The smith grunted and directed Joe to a general goods shop where he could find a storage container, promising to hold the wire until he returned.
This process was turning out to have far too many steps for his liking; he needed to get back to the library before the others came looking for him. Joe walked into the shop and was greeted by an ancient husk that may have been a woman at one point. “Welcome young lady! Are your parents around?”
Joe looked around the empty shop, but she seemed to be talking to him. “I… I’m neither young nor a lady.”
“Oh, sorry about that young man! My eyes aren’t as sharp as they once were, and you are painfully tiny for an adult man. You aren’t a gnome, are you?” She adjusted glasses that would have served better as soda bottles and squinted at him. “Haven’t seen gnomes around here for a few centuries.”
“No, just a thin human male.” Joe was starting to become flustered. “I’m here to-”
“Fix that poor robe?” the elderly lady interrupted. “Good thing too! It looks dejected, and it’s unraveling by the second!” She stood up and walked over, running her hands over the tattered clothing.
“Unraveling?” Joe looked at his robe. It had already saved him from certain death twice; he needed it to remain functional.
“Indeed! Undying robes, hmm? Haven’t seen the like in quite a while! You came to the right place; one mistake while fixing these and they turn into uninteresting robes. Hurry up now, hand them over. It’ll cost ten gold to fix these to perfect health, and I do mean health, not condition. Enchanted gear is alive, if only just barely.” The lady pulled his robe off with a surprising amount of force.
“I see. Please repair them as best as you can.” Joe’s words were mostly perfunctory, as the lady was already walking away. “While I am here, I was wondering if I could purchase a backpack?”
The lady didn’t answer for a few minutes, but came back after tending to the robes for a short while. “You can pick up the robes in a couple days. You were smart not to try and haggle; you can’t rush art, nor cheapen it. About that bag, you can look in the pile over there. I think it was that pile. It might be that one. Or…” She waved at a heap of various fabrics. Joe swallowed and moved toward what appeared to be a mound of everything in the store that was even remotely made of cloth. It took a few minutes, but he found a decent backpack and bought it.
“I don’t suppose you have something like a bag which is larger on the inside? Or reduces the weight of what is inside it?” Joe inquired hopefully. Bags of holding were staples in games, and he needed something similar if he wanted to carry much more than a few small trophies.
“Sure do; I have a few spacial rings. Not exactly a bag, but often better in my humble opinion. Now, sadly I can’t sell these to just anyone. They became restricted after smugglers started using them to bring drugs into areas populated by nobility. Now you can only get one if you are a merchant, have need of one for a legitimate reason, or if a merchant like myself personally vouches for you and is held accountable for your actions.” The old lady smiled a toothless grin at him. “Feel free to try and convince me, though. Been a while since a customer got… frisky.”
Joe shuddered and glanced around the shop, trying to look anywhere but at the lady giggling at his discomfiture. ‘Odds and Ends’ was the name of the place and also a good way to describe the shop. It was a disorganized mix of items, and if it were a little messier it could just as easily be called a landfill. “What if I were to… work for you? I could organize your entire shop and keep it that way perpetually.”
“Perpetually? That’s a good one, youngster! I guarantee I can turn anything into a cluttered mess.” She thought a moment. “How about a bet? If you can make it happen, that would work for me. I’ll admit business has been slow; not too many people feel like sorting through bins in order to find what they’re looking for. Lazy bums. If you can’t do it, you work here for free for a week.”
“Deal!” Joe was quick to accept the bargain, though privately he thought that the term ‘lazy’ should perhaps be directed at the shop owner who didn’t bother to organize the goods in the first place. He bought a bag and a few jars from her, then stepped outside. Hurrying back to the smith, he collected the silver wire and ordered the same amount for pickup tomorrow. He also bought a skinning knife and asked where he could find monster Cores.
The smith laughed in his face. “Cores? You better hope you’ve got deep pockets, lad. You can try the alchemist, mercenaries, or the mage’s college.” He was still laughing to himself as Joe walked away.
Joe decided that the alchemist was the person to talk to first. He walked into the shop and had to cover his mouth to keep from being sick. The potent chemicals–along with his better-than-average sense of smell–made him feel ill instantly.
“Can I help you? You gonna be sick? If so, step outside please.” A man who appeared to be Joe’s age stepped into the main room, looking only mildly concerned about Joe’s health.
“I’m fine.” Joe coughed, trying to clear his airways. He started to breathe through his mouth in order to give his nose a rest. “I am looking for monster Cores. I need two low-grade Cores for a project I’m working on.”
“Two? You sure are ambitious. I can get them for you, but they will cost thirty gold each.” The man spoke in a soft monotone, as if he were trying not to wake up a small child.
Joe almost choked at the insane price quoted. That was the equivalent of three hundred dollars apiece! “Is there any way to get them a bit… cheaper?”
“Yes.”
“Oh? How?”
“By going elsewhere.”
“Oh.” Joe tried again, “If I can get them cheaper elsewhere, why do you sell them at higher prices?”
The young man smiled gently. “You can get them from mercenaries for as low as twenty-five, if you don't mind waiting a few weeks. You will need to bribe them if you want to ensure you get your order in a timely manner, as well. From the college, you can get them as low as twenty gold but only if you are a student and have a professor-approved project you are working on. Here you are paying for the stone as well as convenience.”
“Understood. Why are they so expensive?” Joe sighed and pulled out bank notes totaling thirty gold. He would need to visit the bank again.
“You are about to find out.” The alchemist handed Joe a glittering gem, and when it landed in his palm, a notification appeared.
Low-grade monster Core found! Would you like to convert this into experience points? Current worth: Five hundred experience points.
“F-five hundred points?” Joe gasped at the gem in his hand. “This is a low-grade?”
“Yup. The most efficient way to become powerful that has ever been found.” The alchemist sighed and looked at the stone longingly. “Of course, there are a ton of uses for them. Spells, enchantments, potions… yo
u name it. Almost all jobs require them, to some degree. Hence, expensive and hard to acquire.”
“Thank you for selling to me.” Joe looked longingly at the Core one more time and stuffed it into his bag. “I’ll be back for the other one tomorrow, I seem to be short on funds.” The alchemist nodded and returned to work while Joe walked out.
Core, wire, and mana were all set. Now, all Joe needed was a zombie brain. He walked over to the guild tavern, only to be met with concern. Tiona walked up to him threateningly, “I couldn’t find you at the library. What happened? Where did you go?”
“I needed to do a bit of shopping for a quest.” Joe looked around at a few people who were bleeding and groaning.
“You need to learn how to listen, Joe. You’d think that being in the army would have beat that into you. Hurry up and get to healing.” Tiona gestured angrily at the injured guild mates. Joe walked around and healed everyone that needed it, surprisingly getting a notification at the end.
Skill increased: Lay on hands (Novice II). As ‘Lay on hands’ is a variant of ‘Heal’, the skill 'Heal' also gains experience as this one does.
Skill increased: Heal (Novice II).
Joe was filled with a nimbus of silver light, and a euphoria not unlike leveling washed over him. He wasn’t washed or healed, but his mind felt refreshed. Tiona watched him and grinned faintly as she remembered the feel of increasing your skills. “Alright, I forgive you. Just be glad no one died when they were expecting help.”
“Sorry, T.” Joe grinned at her a bit nervously. “Would you do me a favor?”
“Don’t try and give me nicknames. What do you want?” Tiona’s voice contained a warning growl.
“I need two undamaged heads from the zombits.” Joe held up his hands as she started to protest. “I’d go do it myself, but I doubt you want me to go out while the guilds are fighting. I need them for quests.”
Tiona perked up when she heard the word ‘quest’. “Are these quests where multiple people can be rewarded, or…?”
Joe shook his head. “They are preliminary profession quests. So unless you want to be a scholar, I don’t-”
“Hard pass.” Tiona shuddered with great exaggeration. “You owe me one, but I’ll go get your zombie heads. Wait here, and don’t go wandering off again or I will beat you with a rotten rabbit!”
It took almost twenty minutes, but she came back with two heads that were dripping fluids. Tossing them to Joe, she commented, “Harder to keep intact than they should be.”
“I just need the brain intact,” Joe mentioned offhandedly as he pulled out his new skinning knife. His health suddenly took a hit. “Ow! It bit me!”
“Still technically undead. Also, the brains? How are you planning to store them?” Tiona seemed interested in the process and came closer to watch.
“I have a couple jars.” Joe healed himself and pulled out the glass containers, setting them to the side.
“Should put them in water or something. A preservative if you want them to last for any length of time.” Tiona’s words brought Joe up short, and he cracked his knuckles as he rethought his class choice once again. Ritual magic took forever to prepare.
“Could you ask the kitchen if they have any oil I could buy?” Tiona came back a few minutes later and filled the jars with unused olive oil. Joe looked at the cloudy fluid, then, in a fit of inspiration, he cast cleanse. The magic swept through the oil, pulling out small particles which had mixed into the oil, such as dust. “Didn’t think that would work. Neat!”
Joe cracked open the skulls as gently as possible, treating the brain like a barely-boiled egg. The brains *plopped* into the oil, sinking about halfway before floating. “Alright, all done!”
“What are you doing on my table?” The barkeep was suddenly looming over them and looking at the mess of fur, rotten meat, and fluids that were on the previously clean table.
Joe and Tiona had to clean and scrub the table or risk losing reputation for their guild. The entire time, Joe looked apologetic while Tiona glared at him ferociously. He had a feeling that he was going to regret having her help him. When they were done, Joe informed her that he would be going to the Odds and Ends shop, then back to the library; just in case the guild needed to find him in a hurry.
Almost running away from the tavern and the wrathful Tiona, Joe quickly entered the shop and began looking around for a good place to carve the symbol that was needed for the ritual. After looking at a few possible locations, he decided that the carving would have to be either on a shelf or the floor. Determining that it was unlikely that the floor would move, he pushed a shelf out of the way and started cutting into the wood.
Luckily, the symbol was fairly basic, just a star bounded by a double circle. His lack of dexterity started to come into play, and he cut himself three times, also ruining the symbol again and again. When he was finally able to make a passable version after the third try, he wiped his brow and walked across the store a few times to judge how much wire he would need to provide.
Thanks to the perks of his class, he should be able to get away with putting in half as much silver as the ritual required. Joe piled all of the wire, the Core, and the brain onto the carving. Since this was a simple ritual, he needed no chanting or complicated movements–only an influx of mana was required. He touched the place on the outer circle which the book called the ‘activation sequence’ and tried to begin the ritual. Mana poured out of him when he got the activation correct, a feeling similar to bleeding heavily. Joe began to feel tired, then drained, finally exhausted. Three-quarters of his total mana pool was required, and he had never needed to use so much at a time before. He was panting heavily and almost ready to drop, but the ritual seemed to have worked! This was confirmed a moment later as the components vanished, leaving behind a jar of oil and a much depleted Core.
Ritual ‘Little sister’s cleaning service’ created! Area of effect, radius of forty feet. Components used, silver wire, low-grade monster Core (49.9%), poorly preserved zombie rabbit brain. Once active, this ritual will last three years. The poorly preserved brain has added two years to the ritual’s length. Due to the brain coming from a weak [zombie rabbit] with poor processing ability, organization will proceed at speed [slow]. Activate now? Yes / No
So using better quality materials than needed would make the ritual more potent? Good to know. Joe selected ‘yes’, and the ritual circle brightened for a moment before fading. He put the oil back in his bag and grabbed the Core. He smiled as the bright gem offered him experience points, then put it in his bag as well. Turning around, he walked to the counter and smiled at the ancient lady. “That should do it! Your shop is being organized as we speak.”
“When will it be fully organized?” the lady questioned with a sweet smile.
“Most likely tomorrow?” Joe ducked as a pair of boots flew over his head. The ritual was working!
“Then come back for your reward tomorrow!” She cackled at his disgruntled look. “Anything else, young’un?”
“Yeah, do you have any ornamental bookends?” Joe purchased two sets of wooden bookends, hoping they would go unnoticed in a library. He left her shop and walked over to the alchemist’s laboratory.
The calm-faced alchemist looked up as Joe walked in, raising a brow at his return. “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow. Come for another Core already? Goodness me. You must be making money hand over fist.”
“No, but I like that you think highly of me. I was wondering if you had any preserved zombie brains? I’m not too concerned with what they are from, but the more intelligent they were, the better.” Joe tried to hide his exhaustion behind a smile. His mana was returning quickly thanks to his wisdom, but he was still feeling the physical effects of the ritual draining his mana so quickly.
“Zombie brains? That is a rare order…” The alchemist tapped his book a couple times. He hesitated before speaking. “I suppose I have two items that may suit your needs, but… one of them is held as a controlled subs
tance. That would be the human zombie brain. If a human were to get the contamination in their blood, their race would change to a zombie. This could be bad, as we are in a highly populated city. Not great for business if your customers are trying to eat you, I hope you understand. The other brain is from a bear, and you can walk out with it as long as you agree not to feed it to any bears. Is that acceptable?”
The alchemist spoke in a calm monotone, but his words and nonchalance toward a plague of zombies made him seem more than a little deranged. Joe looked at the alchemist in a new light. “What would I need to do to use the human brain?”
“So you are planning to use it for something, hmm? I have heard that your guild is at war with another. Are you trying to plant this somewhere to wipe them out?” There was now a wide smile growing on his face. “Start a zombie outbreak in their guild house, have the guard wipe them out and make them hated by the city, to the point they need to disband?” He was breathing heavily and his cheeks were flushed.
Joe was now a bit concerned for his safety. “I… need it for a spell? To complete a quest?”
“Oh. No plotting? No dark deeds done at midnight?” The alchemist’s face returned to its neutral state. “Well, I’m sorry to say that it is a restricted item. The brain can’t leave my shop.”
“That’s fine!” Joe’s voice broke; this man was really throwing off his expectations and making him uncomfortable. “If I can use it here, can I buy it?”
“Fifty silver. My name is Jake, by the way. Thanks for asking.” Jake the alchemist seemed to find pleasure in seeing Joe’s face flush.
“I… I need to make some preparations.” Joe pulled out one of the bookends and started the process of cutting a symbol into it. His first two tries failed, but the star in a double circle slowly took shape on the third set. When it was finished, Joe wiped the blood from his sliced fingers, piled the half-used Core and silver wire onto the ritual circle before looking expectantly at Jake.