The Adventurers Guild

by Phoenix Grey

  The defeat wasn't quite as smooth as he had anticipated. Desperately, the large crayfish pinched every which way with its claws, trying to land a hit. But Azure had done this dance before. He knew the best tactic was to remove the chelipeds from the crayfish's body, and so he did before finally delivering the killing blow.

  Defeated Level 7 Large Crayfish. 42XP rewarded.

  "Wow." Azure stared down at his open palm in wonder. It was completely clean, not a speck of dirt left behind. He had finally cast his first spell!

  Pride swelled in Azure's chest. It felt like he had just drunk ten energy drinks back to back. Azure couldn't help but jump in the air and whoop. You'd think he had just won some grand award, he was so damn happy.

  It took several moments for him to calm down. Countless questions ran through his mind about how magic in The Realm actually worked. He understood how to cast the spell and that the ability had come from a mix of somewhere deep within him and the ground beneath his feet, but he still didn't quite get the mechanics. To be honest, he had blasted the large crayfish with far more dirt than necessary. It would take a bit of practice to learn how to control exactly how much dirt he needed, but he was happy to know that the amount could be increased or decreased depending on his will, and that it didn't affect the amount of Mana he used.

  "Useful," he mused before kneeling to detail the crayfish.

  It was dirty business and hardly seemed worth it for only seven copper, but every little bit counted at this point. Hopefully, torches and whatever else he needed for fire wouldn't cost that much.

  Once he finished de-tailing the crayfish, Azure picked up his Starter Pole and cast his line into the water again. Three more casts and he pulled in another large crayfish. Following the same strategy, he dispatched of it quickly.

  Defeated Level 7 Large Crayfish. 42XP rewarded.

  As before, Azure turned his attention to detailing his kill before picking up his pole to cast again. Two casts later, it felt like his line had snagged. At first, he thought he had caught another crayfish, but there was no struggle besides him pulling against the weight on the other end of the line. For a few minutes, he considered cutting the line. Did fishing work the same in The Realm as it did in his world? He hadn't read anything in Enno's book about snagging.

  Giving his pole a few more cranks, he realized that he was making progress. Perhaps it was another treasure chest, Azure thought excitedly. When he finally hauled the catch ashore though, he was disappointed to see that he'd reeled in a blue algae-covered rock.

  You have received the following item:

  Lake Geode

  Quantity: 1/1

  Item Class: Uncommon

  Quality: Average

  Weight: 0.5 kg

  Uses: Geodes contain minerals and ores. Take it to a blacksmith to find out what's inside.

  Maybe the rock wasn't so worthless after all. Pleased with this discovery, Azure placed the geode in his bag and continued fishing.

  In three more casts, he finally caught a fish.

  You have received the following item:

  Perch

  Level: 1

  Item Class: Common

  Quality: Average

  Length: 14 cm

  Weight: 0.78 kg

  Uses: Cooking, Restores +1 HP if eaten

  Congratulations! The skill: Fishing has reached Level 2. Live the excitement of reeling in fish, treasures, monsters, and the occasional piece of trash. A man who knows how to fish will never go hungry. It will now cost you 1 less Stamina point to cast.

  Nice perk, Azure thought. Fishing was definitely a Stamina drain. Every little bit of saved Stamina would help him be able to fish longer.

  Three seemed to be the lucky number of the day. Again, Azure hooked something excessively heavy. Reeling it in was such a chore that he had to take a breather midway through. Fully expecting to haul in another geode, Azure was surprised when he saw the glint of steel below the water's surface.

  His mouth fell agape as he walked to the lake's edge and picked up the sword.

  You have received the following item:

  Bergen's Glaive

  Attack: +18-35

  Defense: +2

  Type: Two-Handed Weapon

  Durability: 21/40

  Item Class: Extremely Rare

  Quality: Legendary

  Weight: 2.0 kg

  Traits: -1 Agility, Improves chance of Critical Hit by 2%

  What in the hell was up with this lake today? It had a bounty of good shit. Azure pulled up his character sheet to see if his luck had increased exponentially or there was something else that was causing him to haul in such crazy awesome items.

  Name: Azure

  Race: Human

  Level: 9, 38% of the way to next level

  Health: 260 / 260

  Mana: 200 / 220 (240)

  Stamina: 143 / 260 (280)

  Vitality: 17

  Intelligence: 13 (2)

  Strength: 17 (2)

  Agility: 13

  Dexterity: 12

  Charisma: 10

  Luck: 12

  Skills: Archery Lvl 4; 43% of the way to next level

  Stealth Lvl 3; 60% of the way to next level

  Analyze Lvl 8; 96% of the way to next level

  Cooking Lvl 5; 52% of the way to next level

  Alchemy Lvl 3; 83% of the way to next level

  Foraging Lvl 7; 90% of the way to next level

  One-Handed Weapons Lvl 9; 8% of the way to next level

  Tracking Lvl 1; 80% of the way to next level

  Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 5; 0% of the way to next level

  Fishing Lvl 2; 5% of the way to next level

  Drinking Lvl 1; 70% of the way to next level

  Land Magic Lvl 1; 20% of the way to next level

  Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue, Elvish

  Adventurer Rank: E

  Nope. His luck hadn't increased beyond the points he'd invested in it. Azure just didn't understand why he had gotten lucky enough to pull such an incredible sword from the lake. Both Legendary quality and Extremely Rare, he was certain it would sell for a fortune. But did Azure really want to offload the Bergen's Glaive? While he wasn't a big fan of two-handed weapons, its stats trumped everything he'd acquired so far. Plus, it was absolutely gorgeous, the blade made of a silvery blue metal that Azure hadn't seen before. The varnished silver crossguard glistened in the sunlight, with the quillions bending and curling inward into an ornate spiral pattern like that of a snell's shell. A tapered tang ended at a perfectly round pommel. For having lived in the lake for however long, the sword was in pristine condition. Considering the limits of the weapons that he currently had equipped, Azure knew he wouldn't be able to force himself to part with the sword. This was going to be his new 'I mean business' dungeon blade.

  Gleefully, Azure strapped the Bergen's Glaive to his back, praying that he fished up another crayfish next so that he'd get the chance to try it out. He felt like Sir Nash Thornton in his knightly get-up, though his armor still left much to be desired. Now though, he looked like a true Adventurer.

  With a smile that wouldn't falter, Azure picked up his Starter Pole a final time. This would be his last catch of the day before he returned to Squall's End and went directly to the smithy, wanting to make it before Garion closed for the evening.

  As if knowing he was about to quit, it took seven casts before Azure's line began to vibrate. At four, he had thought about quitting. Dipping below one-hundred Stamina points not only made Azure feel weak, but it made him uncomfortable because it put him at risk.

  You have received the following item:

  Soggy Paper

  Uses: Junk

  Well, that was it. No monster. No fish. No awesome treasure. Maybe his luck had run out after all.

  Not feeling confident that someone wouldn't try to rob him for his sword, Azure stowed the Bergen's Glaive away in his Bag of Holding while he hurried back to Squall's End. Garion was locking up
as Azure approached, which made him quicken his pace.

  "Got time for one more customer?" he called from a good few yards away.

  The blacksmith visibly tensed at the sound of his voice. "Sorry, champ. Once the door is locked, there's no going back in for the night."

  "But I've got something cool to show you, and I need a geode cracked." The first part was supposed to be a bribe, but what Azure thought was cool, Garion might find mundane. Following it up with the promise of more work probably wasn't the best idea either.

  "Cool can wait until tomorrow. I've been at the forge all day. The only kind of cool I'm interested in is the fresh air." The blacksmith turned and inhaled deeply.

  "I'll see you tomorrow, then." He waved at Garion before walking away, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

  Not surprisingly, all of the shops were closing for the night. One merchant was kind enough to take pause, gracious to have a customer, even if it was at the last minute. When Azure asked the man for torches, he was given a queer look in return.

  "Ye can't buy ready-made torches, boy," the merchant informed him. "Ey can sell ya the stuff ta make em', though. Ey sell scraps a linen cloth fer one silver, and bolts a linen fer four silver. One bolt a linen cloth will make ya about ten torches.

  "Ey sell flint fer one silver, five copper. Ye can find tinder lying around just about anywhere, or ye can buy it from me fer tha same price. Ey also sell small bottles a oil fer five copper."

  Azure took a few minutes to think, trying to speed through the process so as not to make the merchant wait any longer than necessary.

  “I'll take a bolt of linen cloth, a flint, and a small bottle of oil,” he decided finally, bemoaning having to part with six silver for the supplies. While he was at it, Azure went ahead and sold his spoils from fishing—everything except for the sword and geode, which earned him back one silver and nine copper.

  After taking his leave, Azure headed to the tavern for people watching. He only had to Analyze three before he received the notification:

  Congratulations! The skill: Analyze has reached Level 9. This skill allows you to see how dangerous a foe is in relation to your own level. Use this skill frequently to avoid getting yourself killed.

  Despite not making it to Garion in time, it had been a good day. Azure had managed to level two skills, cast his first spell, and fished a Legendary sword from the lake. Things didn't get much better than that.

  Perhaps he could level one more skill, Azure thought as he returned to his room and pulled out his mortar and pestle, then laid out all of the ingredients he needed to create Potions of Minor Healing. He had been right. After crafting five potions, he was rewarded with another notification.

  Congratulations! The skill: Alchemy has reached Level 4. There are many uses for potions. Hone this skill to heal yourself in battle and thwart your enemies!

  Azure hummed to himself as he spent the next several hours smashing herbs and filling vials until his hands hurt from the effort. Then he laid down in bed, excited to see what he'd find inside the geode the following day.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  THE REALM – Day 62

  "Now, let's see about this geode," Garion said to him, sounding refreshed.

  Azure took the geode out of his Bag of Holding and handed it over. The blacksmith felt the weight of it but didn't show any indication that the rock was anything special.

  "Are you looking to sell it or do you want me to break it?" he asked.

  "I really don't know anything about geodes," Azure confessed. "Is what's inside more valuable than the geode itself?"

  "That's the ten thousand gold question."

  Ten thousand gold translated into one million dollars in currency in Azure's world. Apparently, the saying transferred over.

  "What's my luck on what you'll find inside?" He nodded down at the geode.

  "What's your luck?" Garion smirked at him.

  The run around was quickly becoming tedious.

  "I suppose I should start by asking how much its worth as is."

  "There are a small handful of different types of geodes in The Realm. This is one of the better ones," he explained. "I'll give you one gold for it as is. If you want me to break it open to see if you get something better from it, it will cost you two silver and five copper.

  Azure sucked in a breath. If the geode was worth that much as a whole, there could potentially be something much more valuable inside. Still, cracking the thing open wasn't exactly cheap.

  "What are my odds of getting something more valuable than the geode as a whole?"

  "What's your luck?" Garion asked him once more.

  "Twelve."

  The blacksmith scratched his chin. "That's not very good," he mumbled before shaking the thought away. "Best case scenario, in this particular geode, you'll find a piece of elf bone, which is worth two gold and one silver. Worst case scenario, it ends up being completely empty."

  "Completely empty!" Azure's mouth fell agape. "What are the odds of that?"

  "One in six," he replied matter-of-factly.

  "One in six!" Azure was beginning to feel like a parrot.

  Those were some shitty odds.

  "It's a bit like gambling, these geodes are." Garion tossed the rock into the air a few inches and caught it. "So what will it be, champ? Do you want me to break it or sell it as is?"

  Another hard decision. On the one hand, if he broke the geode and something expensive happened to be inside, he'd be that much closer to affording next month's rent. But on the other hand, if there was nothing inside, he would hate himself for having pissed one gold into the wind on chance.

  Azure scrubbed his hand across his forehead, having a difficult time making up his mind. "What would you do?"

  Garion laughed. "Me? I'm a gambling man. I'd break it open. You have a fifty percent chance of making one gold or better even after my fee."

  Why hadn't the blacksmith just told him that from the beginning?

  "Fuck, I hate this," Azure mumbled under his breath. "Break it open. I'm probably going to regret it, but whatever." He irritably dug into his Bag of Holding for the coin to pay Garion.

  "As you wish." A smile spread the blacksmith's lips as he carried the geode away to a table.

  Azure held his breath as he watched Garion pick up a hammer and start tapping at the geode. Seconds later, he heard it crack. Pieces of the geode crumbled away out of his view.

  "Well?" he asked impatiently.

  "Would you like a drum roll?" the blacksmith teased.

  Azure's expression told the man that he did not find the waiting game very fun.

  Garion picked up the pieces of the broken geode and walked them back over to Azure. "Hold out your hand," he said, still clearly amused at his customer's suspense and dread. When Azure did as he was told, the blacksmith dropped the pieces into his outstretched hand. "You broke even, kid."

  You have received the following item:

  Air Stone

  Quantity: 1/1

  Item Class: Common

  Quality: Average

  Weight: 0.1 kg

  Uses: Jewelry Crafting

  He looked down at the pale blue pieces of crystal. Somehow, the geode had grown incredibly light just from being broken.

  "By broke even, do you mean that I made nothing after your fee?" Azure asked, fearing the answer.

  "No." Garion shook his head as he dug into the bag at his hip and extracted several coins before offering them to Azure.

  Tension bled from Azure's body as he counted out the one gold, two silver, and five copper coins. Somehow, he hadn't gotten screwed over in geode roulette.

  "Well, that's a relief," he said as he handed the broken geode over to the blacksmith, pleased with the outcome. "Now I have something else to show you, but this isn't for sale." Azure pulled the Bergen's Glaive from his Bag of Holding.

  As soon as the sword was halfway out of his bag, Garion gasped. "My Gods, I never thought I'd see this again. Where did
you get it?"

  Foreboding filled Azure at the thought of losing the sword. He definitely had not expected the blacksmith to have such a strong reaction to it. It seemed as though the man knew the owner, which meant that Azure was likely about to be presented with a quest to return it. Silently, he cursed himself for having been naive enough to want to show the sword to the one man in town who had probably seen every blade that had come and gone from Squall's End.

  "You know this sword?" Azure choked over his own words. Of course, Garion knew. That was a given.

  The blacksmith took the sword from him, looking it up and down as he tutted. "Damnable Bergen Townend. He was a great Adventurer here in Squall's End some twenty years ago and also one of the most arrogant bastards you could ever meet." He ran his hand across the blade. "Hasn't lost its edge after all this time. I'm surprised, knowing how hard he was on his swords. But maybe it's because this was his last before he died."

  Again, Azure felt a flood of relief. Maybe he'd be able to keep the sword after all.

  "How did he die?" he asked.

  "Bergen had only three things he loved. Killing, women, and fishing. The problem was that the guy had so many enemies that he never took his armor off whether he be fishing or fucking. Word has it that he took a rowboat out into the middle of Roselake. No one ever found the body. I'd imagine they wouldn't with it being weighed down by all of that armor. There'd be no chance that it would wash ashore unless it had decayed enough to slip through the armor, and by then, who would know the difference between him and a thousand other skeletons." A soft huff of amusement passed through his lips. "Whatever the case, it's your sword now." Much to Azure's reassurance, Garion handed the sword back over to him. "Where'd you find it?"