by M. Coulray
Huh. So I’d gained some Diplomacy experience talking with the head honchos. That was handy to know. I checked my Barrier Magic skill, but there was no such progress. Maybe only non-combat skills could level like that?
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. A blacksmith that swung his hammer all his life would gain a lot of skill at smithing, even if he never gained a single level from fighting. I grumbled to myself, because that was basically my original plan: to sit in town and make things to sell.
I moved on to the next prompt.
[Quest: Join the village of Goddess Watch]
The wise leaders of Goddess Watch have granted you the opportunity to prove yourself. You have one month (40 days) to earn a name and become an official member of the village.
Success: Four skill points to be spent in the skill that earns you your name.
Failure: Exile from the village of Goddess Watch. Permanent relationship level of Mistrust with all residents of Goddess Watch.
My first quest. I’d have to do some thinking about how to earn a name, because four skill points was a serious bump to any skill I had. I spent the rest of the walk through the village pondering what I could do to impress the villager elders.
“Here,” said Votess, pulling up short.
I stopped woolgathering long enough to take a good look around. Another large structure stood ahead of me, but this one was open, with only a roof connecting its supporting trees. Inside was a collection of long tables with bench seats. Less than a quarter of the seats were occupied, but every single villager was staring at me with their reptilian eyes.
“This is Scaleless, who has been granted a trial. In 40 days he will have earned a name, and joined us. Until then, treat him as nameless, and refer to him as Scaleless.” Her speech finished, Votess sat down on the flat wooden bench. I took up a spot beside her.
“Food will come,” she said, anticipating my question. Sure enough, a lizardman, or woman, appeared at my elbow. He set down a platter with a number of small cuts of meat.
“I do not know what the Scaleless eat,” said the lizardman with an apologetic tone. “I have brought a number of meats.”
I took a look at the bloody slices of flesh on the flat wooden platter, then turned to Votess. I kept my voice low and chose my words carefully. “I don’t eat raw meat, as my body has a hard time digesting it. Will it offend anyone here if I cook this fine selection of meats so that I can accept your hospitality?”
Votess stared at me, as did the server. “What does this involve?”
“It might be easier to demonstrate,” I said. Votess surprised me by looking to the server for permission. When he nodded, Votess nodded in turn.
I pulled out my cooking equipment, much to the surprise of the server. Votess, having already seen the trick of my inventory, didn’t even blink. While I set up the small magic stove and other implements, Votess was quietly explaining to the people that gathered around about my inventory system. Wide eyes and head nods indicated that it was definitely of interest.
“Okay. This,” I said, indicating my small magically-heated stove, “is a stove. It creates heat and lets me cook food into prepared dishes.”
I set a pan on the element and mentally commanded the heat to increase. Hisses of surprise surrounded me. I looked up to find that everyone in the eating room had gathered, and some were pushing around for position. Once things had settled, I continued.
As I cooked, I explained the processes and the additions I made. That said, I was only doing what the Cooking skill told me I could do with the limited ingredients. The kit itself held a replenishing supply of oils and basic spices, but I was essentially trying to make a meal with nothing but meat. Luckily, I had just such a recipe in my repertoire, and it was a food that granted a decent bonus for beginners, too.
“It smells strange,” said one lizardman. “Are you ruining the meat, Scaleless?”
“Not at all. In fact, once this is cooked, it will be beneficial to me or anyone else that eats it. This dish fills the stomach and grants increased Strength to anyone that consumes it.”
The server snorted out a noise of derision. “What you speak of is alchemy, Scaleless. Food is for hunger! Leave the elixirs and oils to the wise ones.”
I was starting to sweat, and not just from the warmth of the stove. The smell of the food was delicious, but what if it didn’t grant the bonus I expected? What if it only worked on me, and not the swamp folk? I finished cooking without any further explanation. Opening my big mouth might have gotten me into some trouble here.
Once the dish was finished, I checked it with my AR HUD.
[Mixed Meat Platter (servings: 2)]
Effects: +2 Strength for one hour. Removes the effects of any physical fatigue from exertion.
Everything looked good. An idea struck me.
“Who wants to try this dish?”
The lizard folk who had pressed so close to me suddenly started backing away. I repressed a grin at their sudden trepidation as I ladled half the meat back onto the platter, which I then held up in the air.
“Anyone? I promise it will at least be harmless.” I was waiting for Votess to step up to the plate, so to speak.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Votess who came forward, but the lizardman who had commented on the scent. “I am Reath, woodworker. I will eat your food and if it strengthens me, I will attest to it.”
With those words, Reath took the platter and delicately lifted the smallest piece of meat to his mouth. After a flick of his tongue, he popped the entire chunk of light pink meat into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
“What do you think?” My words were confident even if I wasn’t.
Reath bobbed his head. “It is strange, but not bad. There is little blood, though.” Reath immediately went back to eating. When he had finished, barely three minutes later, he stood up.
“How do you feel, Reath? Did the Scaleless speak the truth?” The server flickered his gaze between Reath and myself as he spoke.
“I feel stronger!” Reath slapped the floor with his tail. “I am no longer tired!” He stared hungrily at the remaining food in the pan.
“Ah, eating more won’t add to the effect, only reset the duration.” My words made Reath’s tail droop slightly in disappointment.
“Then I will not waste this time,” he said. Reath left the eating area, his steps energetic.
I made a quick decision. “Does anyone else want to try this?”
Several clawed hands shot forward, but Votess pushed them all away. “Scaleless must eat as well. Perhaps tomorrow he will… cook… for you.” With her words, the other swamp folk returned to their meals, some grumbling audibly.
As I ate, Votess did the same. She devoured her meat raw and in chunks. Her mouth wasn’t designed for chewing, and every bite she took seemed predatory. I felt downright dainty in comparison. Once she finished, she leaned forward and watched me eat.
“So this is the cooking you spoke of to the wise ones.”
It wasn’t really a question, but I treated it as one anyway. “Yes, it is. I can make several dishes, as well as experiment with other ingredients. I cannot cure wounds or restore magic power with food, but many other factors of performance can be augmented.” I was starting to get my hopes up. Maybe this was how I could earn a name!
Votess considered my words. “It is too bad that this is new to Goddess Watch. If this cooking is as powerful as you say, it would surely earn you a name, but who can grant you a name when there is no named practitioner?”
If I understood correctly, Votess was telling me that while cooking was a worthy skill, I couldn’t earn my name with it because I was the first person to use it in the village. “So if I earn a name and then teach people to cook, I could grant them names?”
Votess bobbed her head. “Yes, if that is the trade you wish to pursue. It would be novel, because by necessity you must earn your name in a field we know, and then you would practice an entirely new field. Thes
e are odd times!” She sounded excited by the prospect, but my heart sank a little.
Somehow I’d known it wouldn’t be that easy.
11
Intermission
Silent and invisible, an observation nexus hovered over Goddess Watch. It relayed everything it heard and saw to a room deep in the Plus Ultra Realis R&D building. The man with the bland face watched with satisfaction as Daniel Descouteaux endured his first day as an Aelterna resident. He didn’t betray any emotion.
“He’s survived his first day,” said the man’s assistant, unnecessarily.
The man sighed. “I can see that,” he said.
Another figure, a little more familiar with the man observing Daniel, coughed quietly. “Shall we give him some time to settle in?”
The expressionless man said nothing for some time, simply watching Daniel eat and ask questions of the lizard NPC he’d befriended. Soon, the idea of an NPC would become completely irrelevant.
“Sir?” It was the assistant again. The man with the bland face decided that this was the last day of this particular assistant’s employment.
“Give him the night. In the morning, arrange for a player group to accidentally screw up a teleport and appear outside the village. Let’s see what he’s made of.”
The aide, who once again knew better than to argue, nodded once. The man watching Daniel didn’t notice. His eyes never left the screen showing Daniel’s location.
Once his aide and assistant left, he allowed himself a smile. Phase Two could start anytime now.
12
My first night at Goddess Watch was rough. I spent it tossing and turning in my bedroll, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. I didn’t succeed entirely, but I managed not to cry at least. The one saving grace was that something kept the bugs off me when Physical Barrier dropped. I figured out that it was the ghost lights. I’d never been so happy for a bug lamp in my life.
Beside me in her bed, Votess lay still as death. If she heard my restlessness, she didn’t show it, and mercifully, she didn’t ask if I was all right. I couldn’t have taken that. I was barely holding it together as it was.
The one thing that took my mind off my misery, oddly enough, was Votess. She was taking good care of me, and I was thankful for it. But she wasn’t real, was she? She was an NPC, a construction of Aelterna, a non-player character, of which there were millions in the game. But she certainly wasn’t a flat character. Her responses to me were natural and free. She felt… real.
Most of all, she felt like a potential friend. At the very least, she was a better friend than Liara, who had dumped me from the sky here. Back in the hospital, I’d given up on the idea of friends, and in the game I hadn’t really thought about it much. Now that I was balls deep in it, I decided that friends were good to have, and if she’d let me, I’d gladly take Votess as my first companion.
I had tried to access the messaging system to talk to Liara, but I didn’t seem to be connected to it. Probably for the best, because what I had to say to her wasn’t fit for print. There were a lot of words that started with B and F and C that were running through my mind. My fists clenched uselessly and I gritted my teeth. She had never let on that this was how things would be!
I shook my head. It was getting late and internally ranting about my lot in life wasn’t helping me in any way. I focused instead on what I could do to complete the quest I’d been given in the time I had been granted by Krees and Telix. I decided that tomorrow I would talk to Votess about seeing the alchemists of the village.
Thinking that kind of happier thought, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning came with a hard poke in the ribs from Votess. “It is past sunrise, Scaleless. Do all your kind sleep so much?”
I groggily got out of my bedroll and tried to shake the sleep from my head. “I’m awake. Where can I wash up?” The look on Votess’ face told me everything I needed to know. “Never mind.”
After a quick rinse with some clean water that Votess brought to me, there was nothing left to delay my morning. Outside, lizard folk were engaged in the activities of daily life, and they showed their interest in me quite openly. Votess engaged them before they could get too close, explaining my situation.
Reath, who I had met the other night, wasn’t so easily deterred from speaking to me. After a quick dance back and forth with Votess, he managed to slip past her and stand before me. I wasn’t sure how to greet him, but he spared me the embarrassment.
“I am Reath, Woodworker.”
“I am Scaleless, uh, without a profession just now.” It amazed me how embarrassed I was to say that. I’d been in their village less than a day and I already felt like I wasn’t up to their standards.
“That’s why I want to talk to you, Scaleless. I have a plan for you.”
“And his food, Reath?” Votess spoke with a sarcastic tone.
Reath was shameless. “Yes, your food as well. You are too valuable to the village to lose, so I offer this proposal. You accept a position under me as woodworker, and I will vouch for you at the Naming. But I will not ask you to craft wood with me! Instead you will, what is the word, cook.”
One look at Votess told me what she thought of that idea, but she didn’t outright say anything. I considered what I knew of the lizard folk and decided to take a risk. “Votess, would this be permissible?”
She looked down at me. “It would not be unprecedented. Some are Named and change professions later. Especially for you, I think the wise ones would allow this, if your cooking is valuable to the village.”
Something in her tone told me that there was more to her answer than what she said. “But you wouldn’t like it.”
She twisted her head on her neck in a negating movement. “I would not. It would cheapen your name and possibly my own. But I am prepared to abide by the final decision of the wise ones.”
I turned back to Reath. “Thank you for the offer. I will keep it in mind, but I wish to earn my own name.” A prompt appeared and I quickly brought it up.
[Diplomacy skill increased to level 3.]
Lizardman specific benefit: identify gender on sight.
I’d guessed that Votess wouldn’t mind me asking about the possibility, and also that the lizard folk might follow the letter of the law but they still valued the spirit of it. Apparently my guess was correct, and the world was rewarding me for it.
Reath’s head bobbed. “I understand. But please remember my words if the time draws near. Thank you, Scaleless.” With that, he turned and left, his tail swishing behind him on the wooden walkway.
Votess looked slightly perturbed. “Your cooking has impressed Reath. It is rare that something new appears in Goddess Watch. Perhaps we could—”
Every ghost light around us suddenly flared bright blue. A droning hum emanated from them. I could barely hear it, but apparently it was important. Votess cut off her words and dashed back towards her home. I followed, not knowing what else to do.
Before I got there, she had already exited with her spear. She almost ran me down as I stumbled and reversed direction. “What’s going on?”
She didn’t stop to answer, just shouted over her shoulder. “Invaders. Scaleless outside the walls. Arm yourself!”
I started to run behind her. I had strapped my knife on, but it was already rusted to the point of near-uselessness.
[Steel Dagger]
ATK: 2 (base 2, +1 from skill Knife Fighting, -1 from poor condition)
DEF: 0 (base 0)
Durability: 5/25
Quality: Normal
Special: Untreated wounds may cause Disease: Tetanus
I almost laughed at the last line. So my rusty knife could cause tetanus now! I put it back in the sheath and chased after Votess.
Behind us, the lizard folk were mostly retreating to their homes. A few, who I assumed were warriors or guards, were heading towards the same direction as we were, but when we reached the wall, there were fewer than ten of us. We we
re at the gate that I’d entered in yesterday. I climbed the rough steps to the walkway that surrounded the inner palisade wall.
Glancing over, I saw the mists and the swamp, but it took me a moment to realize what else I saw. The guards at the gate were down. They lay on their bellies, their brown and green scales camouflaging them somewhat against the moss and plants of the swamp. Dark blood drained form one of them, and the other appeared to be partially burned. Neither moved.
Votess hissed a wordless curse. “Scaleless attackers. There have been none in many years.”
The guard beside her nodded. “I was here when they arrived. Blue light flew from the swamp, striking Ket, and her brother Lin was felled when a stick appeared in his eye.”
“An arrow,” I said automatically.
The guard looked at me. “I am Tole, guard. What do you know?”
“I am Scaleless. The stick is called an arrow, and it is a weapon that has excellent range and accuracy. We should be careful.”
Already I was thinking of myself as part of the village.
As if my words were prophetic, the guard Tole grunted in pain. An arrow with white fletching appeared in her chest, and she went down to a low crouch before falling sideways. I ducked down beside her, the rest of the lizard folk ducking as well.
The arrow was deep in her chest, but to my surprise, Tole wasn’t incapacitated. Her eyes rolled in pain, but she was reaching for the arrow. I realized immediately her intent and shook my head.
“What would you have me do, Scaleless?” Her words were quick and her eyes focused on me. I tried to ignore the blood bubbling at her lips.
Common sense told me to check to see if it had gone all the way through her chest. If it had, then we could snap off the head and then withdraw it. However, I’d forgotten something: the heavily armoured scales that covered the lizard folk’s backs. The arrow hadn’t penetrated through her.