by Pirateaba
“Hey, you.”
Boom. His smile fades a fraction.
“I’m well. How are you…Ryoka?”
“Fine, thanks. How’s it going?”
Now comes the pause of uncertainty.
“You do remember my name, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Fall, right?”
Hah! That flummoxed him. But Garia frowns at me. And I realize—perhaps it’s not best to enter jerk-mode the instant I come back. Oops.
“She’s just having fun, right Ryoka?”
Garia elbows me in the stomach. Oof. I forgot she was that strong.
“I’m sure Ryoka remembers me.”
Fals pats Garia on the shoulder, and she blushes. I sigh.
“Of course. Fals. I’m surprised you lot are happy to see me, though.”
He shrugs.
“Why? That business with Magnolia was ages ago, and besides, you are our fastest Runner. One of the best, too! We could use you here, now more than ever.”
Okay, if he wants to be buddy-buddy, I won’t stop him. I give Fals one of those half-smiles with more teeth than smile.
“Really? Business is good?”
He made a face.
“Business—our business—is slow, thanks to winter coming so quickly. Right now all the roads are frozen over so carts and wagons are going slow rather than break their horse’s legs. Until they get sharp shod, no one’s getting anything delivered fast.”
Sharp shod? What the hell is that? Must be some way to travel on ice.
“Sounds like it’s good for Runners.”
“You’d think so, but us City Runners are having a hard time in the snow as well. We’re overloaded with requests and no one wants to be outside for too long.”
Garia nods and shivers. Her attire—and Fals’ is different. They’ve got wool and warm clothes on, which I envy. Me? I need to buy warmer gear asap.
“Sounds like I arrived just in time.”
“It’s good to have you back, Ryoka.”
I smile at Garia. And then I lose that smile when I realize she doesn’t know about the Horns of Hammerad. Fals notices that, and changes the subject. He’s…considerate. Huh.
“Well now that you’re back, how many requests would you like to take on?”
“How many do you have?”
Garia elbows me again. Ow! That was a joke. But maybe she thought I was being sarcastic. I eye Garia’s elbow and decide to stop joking around.
“I’m looking for the highest paying jobs. Fast deliveries, adventurers in the field—”
“Dangerous requests.”
“Pretty much.”
“Well, there’s never that many requests for us Runners. Adventurers don’t like us—”
They don’t like most Runners, and for good reason. Don’t say it out loud though, Ryoka.
“—But there are some long-distance contracts I think no one will fight you over. You’re best-suited for them, anyways. Plus, there’s always good coin to be made now that a Courier is heading this way.”
“A Courier?”
That is big news. I’ve heard of the special Runners who go long-distance. One of them was supposed to take the High Passes request. Fals nods at me and lowers his voice.
“Word is, there’s a special request that’s highest-priority. It’s coming all the way from First Landing and a Courier’s delivering it.”
“Who’s word?”
He smiles at me and shrugs imperceptibly at the receptionist’s desk. Of course. Fals would know, since he gets along well with the staff. I suppose he’s sharing the information with me and Garia because…?
Well, a Courier, huh? But what was the place he mentioned?
“I’m not familiar with the place. Where’s First Landing?”
Now Fals and Garia both frown at me. Damn. I’ve made a mistake. He raises an eyebrow.
“The largest city on this side of the continent? The port city?”
“Right. First Landing. Of course.”
I should have read a book on local cities, but no one’s writing almanacs or travelers guides for this continent, or at least none that I’ve found. Play it off. I shrug casually as if I’ve forgotten.
“I wonder how much they’re getting paid.”
“More than we make in a month, I’ll bet.”
Fals makes a face and Garia looks dispirited. But that’s how it goes, right? The Gold-rank adventurers get rich and famous and everyone else below them gets screwed over in the adventuring world, according to Ceria. It’s like that everywhere, both here and in my world. Erin’s and my world.
“If you’re looking for requests, I can show you a few high-priority ones.”
“Not really tempted at the moment. I need to rest. I’ve been running all day and I’ve got blisters.”
I show them both my poor feet. Garia looks appalled and Fals just looks interested. He’s seen worse feet, I’m sure.
“Painful. How’d you get those?”
“Boots.”
“You wear boots?”
Garia giggled at me. It sounds odd, coming from her. Girlish. Which makes sense. She is a girl, I just…didn’t expect it from her. I scowl at her.
“It was either that or frostbite. I wasn’t sure if healing potions could heal frostbite.”
“They can’t. Not well, anyways. But if you need better shoes…”
“I’ll go buy some afterwards. For now, I need some stuff from the guild.”
Fals spread his hands.
“I’m cooling down from a long delivery from Remendia. Need any help?”
“Thanks.”
He and I step to one side to let a snow-pelted Runner stagger in. She starts telling the other Runners about the Snow Sprites in the area as Garia follows us towards the receptionist’s desk.
“The first thing I need is a copy of the Guild’s rules. Do you have a book or something?”
Fals frowns.
“I think we do, but if you need to know something you can always ask the desk or me. Is something wrong?”
“I just need a copy of the rules. I’m not in trouble.”
But my tenuous plan hinges on something I remember one of the receptionists telling me when I first registered with the Guild. Fals shrugs and talks to the receptionist.
This one’s a young woman, perky, smiling at Fals and fake-smiling at me.
“Well, we do have a book, but it’s expensive. I’d have to charge you fifteen silver for it—”
She blinks as I slap down a gold piece on the counter.
“I’ll take it. Do you have enough to give me change?”
I actually have enough silver coins to pay for it, but I might as well exchange a few of the gold coins Teriarch gave me. Plus, she’s annoying.
As she fumbles for the coins Garia elbows me again. This time I glare at her, and she glares back. What? I’m being nice. Nice for me, that is.
“How are you doing, Garia?”
“I’m fine. The snow was sure something, wasn’t it? I saw the Frost Faeries on one of my runs. I nearly got covered in snow before I got to the city.”
“Mm. The faeries.”
Curse them. Those little monsters probably enjoyed harassing Garia. They’re like little bullies, only apparently practically invisible to everyone but Erin and me. I nod at Fals as he breaks away from the counter and tosses me a thin book.
“Thanks.”
“If you bring it back, we’ll reimburse you. But I hope it’s useful to you.”
I hope so too. But on to my next point of business. I move away from the counter with both Runners.
“Do you know where I can buy any artifacts?”
Artefacts? I’ve always thought the British way of spelling things was cooler. Fals shrugs and point back to the counter, where the receptionist is busy dealing with the half-frozen Runner.
“Artifacts? If you need magic, we do have some magical items on sale.”
“I’ve seen them.”
Crap they are, too. Runners around
here don’t worry about monsters that much, so what the guild and shops mainly provide are healing potions, and one-time spells in the form of scrolls, bags*, and wands.
*Yes, bags. Don’t ask me why. I guess some things just store better in bag form. They’re some kind of tangling spell. You toss it at people and vines come out. A classic?
“I’m looking for more utility. Or something that can recharge itself so I don’t keep using up my supply.”
Fals frowns and strokes at his clean-shaven chin.
“That’s expensive.”
“But there is a market?”
“Not here—but with enough gold, you can get someone to deliver it. Pay a Runner.”
He grins and I have to as well. This social thing isn’t exactly easy, but at least it’s not as much of a chore as I thought it would be.
“Okay, let’s assume a proper artifact that renews itself is worth two hundred gold?”
I look at Fals. He shakes his head.
“Okay, four hundred. Six hundred? Eight hundred?”
“Probably around eight hundred gold for something cheap. But I can’t just give you a set number, Ryoka. The spell and object makes it an entire range of prices.”
Holy economics, Batman*. What’s up with that price range?
*Yeah, I thought that. I watched the old Batman show when I was a kid. Sue me.
Then again, given how much adventurers can make – I think Ceria told me once that an average contract can pay several gold coins per contract even without the bounty on monsters – it makes sense.
Healing potions? A gold coin or two. It goes up with potency. Spell books? Several hundred gold coins to thousands for the really strong stuff. Enchanted weapons fall in between, while ordinary armor is cheap by comparison.
One-time spells aren’t cheap, but you can buy some if you’re a seasoned adventurer with coin to throw around. Ceria’s robes cost her nearly a hundred and twenty gold coins – something she had to save up for years to buy. But they didn’t break or tear even after she nearly died in the Ruins. They’re about the only thing she did keep, but she told me her wand was half as expensive as that. It was just a focusing agent with some magic she had to constantly renew.
But self-sustaining magic? Let’s say…a ring of fireballs or something? One cast per day? That’s probably the kind of artifact they were hoping to find in Skinner’s lair. It would cost…one thousand two hundred gold pieces?
“How about a ring that shoots fireballs? Once a day?”
“I’d bet that would cost at least three thousand gold pieces. Probably four, and that’s if you don’t have to deal with some merchant from overseas.”
Garia’s jaw drops. She looks at Fals and me and shakes her head.
“Really? I had no idea they cost that much. I looked at a tripvine bag for protection, you know, but even that was out of my price range.”
She turns red and falls silent, as if she thinks Fals and I will judge her. It’s true, he and I could probably afford one or two, but I’m not that kind of person. And he’s not either, at least, I don’t think so. But Persua is, so I suppose in the past…
I’m glad she isn’t here. I still owe her a shattered leg bone, and she still has it out for me if I’m any judge. But magic.
“That’s an expensive ring.”
“Well, it’s more like adventuring gear. It would be nice for a Runner, but we don’t need that kind of weaponry, at least, not unless we’re doing Courier jobs. Why, are you hoping to become one?”
“It’s something to think about.”
Garia stares at me, as if I’ve announced I want to become a Gold-rank adventurer. Which is pretty much what a Courier is, right?
“So you’re saying anything worth having is at least a few thousand gold coins, right?”
“I’d have to imagine so. There’s a lot of limited-use magic for less, but if you want something you can rely on, you’d have to be rich.”
Okay, let’s see. That would make any kind of real magical artifact pretty much the equivalent of a supercar or…or a fighter jet from my world. The only difference here is that some people carry around the equivalent value of a nuke in their pockets. With probably the same effect.
Gazi wore armor that didn’t even take a scratch when she got hit. Her sword cut through everything but Relc’s skin easily. I wonder how much her equipment was worth? Or that teleportation scroll?
“Ryoka.”
Fals draws me out of my musing. He’s looking at me seriously, and so is Garia.
“What?”
“You really want to become a Courier? I don’t know what went on down in Liscor, but I’ve heard rumors. Undead attacks?”
“I missed that. But a Courier’s the dream, right? If it pays better, I’ll become one.”
“Right.”
Fals stops and glances at Garia for some reason. She looks uncertain as well. Which means they want to say something and they’re not sure how I’ll take it. I stare at Fals.
“Say it.”
“Ryoka. If you never level up, you’ll never become a Courier.”
Fals says it straight to my face, meeting my eyes directly. He gestures at Garia.
“Garia told me, and the rumors are spreading. You’re one of our best Runners, Ryoka. But this is a dangerous job even for Street Runners. City Runners risk their lives, and a lot of us retire each year. But Couriers are different. You’re the fastest Runner in the local Guilds, but you’re nowhere near fast enough to become one of them, Ryoka. In a year or two, even Garia will be able to outrun you.”
–-
I blink at Fals. I can’t have heard him right. Garia, outrun me? She’s got terrible form. She’s slow, even if she is strong, and her body’s not build for the kind of running I can do. She’s…
She’s got the [Runner] class. She’s Level 11, or at least she was when she first met me. And I guess if she keeps leveling she’ll get faster?
That makes sense, but I can’t imagine Garia ever beating me in a footrace. But Fals is serious, so I try to respond without biting his head off.
“It’s time for me to think bigger. Bigger and better.”
“I appreciate that, but you’ve never seen a Courier, have you? They can cover distances in hours where it would take you and I days.”
“Huh. Well…I don’t have a class.”
It’s liberating to say, although it makes Garia stare at me as if I have half a head. But Fals just frowns at me.
“Do you have…any reason for that?”
“Personal preference. And I’m not about to change.”
He shakes his head at me, uncomprehending.
“Well, I’ll be the first to admit that you can beat me in a race even without levels. All of my skills are geared towards sensing danger and preserving stamina, anyways. I don’t have any movement skills, but I was lucky. Mine have kept me alive so far.”
He gestures at the requests board across the room.
“Look, Ryoka. If you wanted to become a Courier, you’d either need to run like the wind…or complete enough requests to guard yourself even against bandit attacks and assassins and so on. Taking on dangerous requests like that job with the Horns of Hammerad and the one to the High Passes is a good start.”
“Good. But is there any way for me to make a name for myself?”
Money. Earn money. Eighty gold pieces for Erin’s refrigerated cupboards? She and I will need a lot more, and if my two stupid ideas don’t work, I need a fallback plan. Running is honest work.
“Most of the City Runners do a short run from city-to-city around here. From Celers to Remendia, Ocres, Celum, and even down to Esthelm, but almost never to Liscor.”
“But the best Runners travel across the continent.”
I nearly said ‘real’ Runners, but bit my tongue just in time. I’ve never run that far, and Garia is a Runner too, in her own way.
Fals nods.
“It’s about trade and the nobility. And the ruins, too, I suppose.
All of the really powerful nobles and the Five Families live closer to the north. And a lot of the really important adventuring areas are north too, so there’s more business there. And the trade happens at our port cities, so…”