Unwritten Rules: A LitRPG Novel (Genesis Online Book 1)

by Adam Horne

  Galahad saluted them both then walked into the building on the left.

  “Do you think he’ll loosen up a bit when we get to know him?” asked Kelath.

  “No idea,” said Througar as they entered the training ground. “Some of the role-players I’ve met are really serious about staying in character.”

  Kelath didn’t understand the appeal, but who was he to judge if Galahad was enjoying the game. Througar stopped to talk to a trainer and Kelath approached the shady man they’d noticed from the street. He put his hand over his coin purse as he drew closer.

  The man responded to his movement with a smirk. “What’s your name?”

  “That’s none of your business,” said Kelath.

  “Come in from Millville I see. How’s old Plinth doing?” He laughed and threw the door open. “The rogue trainers are inside. You can ask any of the idle ones if there is a specific skill you want to learn.”

  “Thanks.”

  Kelath walked into the building, and the door shut behind him. The interior was dark compared to the bright sunlight of the training ground, and his eyes needed time to adjust. A number of trainers here showed adventurers the basics of how to use their skills. One trainer used a set of lockpicks to open practice locks then commented on the progress of two students as they also attempted to open them. People jumped between several wooden pillars and blocks arrayed in the middle of the room and tried to keep their balance. Other players threw knives or struck vital spots on straw men to improve their sneak attacks.

  Despite all the activities going on in the room, the thing that caught Kelath’s eye the most was two people talking in the corner to his immediate left. Chairs had been set up there for players to sit while waiting for a specific trainer. A female human listened to a speech given by a male elf wearing a white tabard with a red crown. He pulled a parchment from his backpack and held it out to her. She reached to take the contract from him but stopped when Kelath stormed over.

  “Don’t sign that,” said Kelath.

  The woman looked at him in confusion. “Why not?”

  “There’s a clause in there that says new members have to pay money to the guild out of what they receive when they kill monsters.”

  “Really?” She took the contract and scanned it.

  “It’s a very small amount,” said the member of Noblesse Oblige after shooting an angry look at Kelath. “Only ten percent, and we use that money to help our less fortunate guild mates.”

  “How? By killing players who won’t join you and blocking them from completing quests?” Kelath turned his attention back to the woman without waiting for a reply. “Every new player who joins them has to pay 200 gold to the guild before they advance to a higher rank. You can’t leave the guild or delete your character as long as you owe them money.”

  She regarded the recruiter with suspicion. “Is that true?”

  Before he could answer, Kelath said, “Yeah, look towards the bottom of the contract.”

  She continued reading, and when she got to the end of the page, her eyes grew wide. She shoved the parchment back at the man and said, “No way. I’m not joining your guild.”

  He grabbed it out of her hand and pointed a finger in Kelath’s face. “You should mind your own business. This isn’t over.” He stomped his way to the front door, slamming it behind him as he left.

  “Thank you,” said the woman when the recruiter had gone. “He made it sound like they were a big family, everyone helping each other. I’m glad you showed up when you did. It would have sucked owing someone that much money.”

  “Don’t mention it,” said Kelath. “They duped my friend into joining and attacked me for asking questions. I’ve had a few run-ins with Noblesse Oblige since I started playing. Be careful around them.”

  She thanked him again, and he walked off in search of an available trainer. The two players learning how to pick locks left, and the man who had been teaching them became free. Kelath approached his workstation.

  “Greetings. Come to learn from me have you?” The man held up a pair of picks. “The skills I can teach you will really open doors.”

  Kelath groaned at the bad pun. “Perhaps a little later. I was actually hoping to meet the alchemist trainer.”

  The man looked him over, his eyes growing wide at the flasks hanging in the pouches on Kelath’s belt. “Well I’ll be…the rumors were true. We heard stories from up Millville way, but nobody believed them. Follow me. I’ll show you to Reek.”

  “Reek?” asked Kelath, but the man had already turned and wandered away.

  The trainer led him to the far, right corner of the building where a trapdoor was set into the floor. He lifted it and propped it against the wall. A set of stairs led down to a dimly lit stone tunnel.

  “Follow the corridor to the end, last door on the left. If you get lost, follow your nose.” The man laughed to himself as he returned to his seat.

  Kelath peered uncertainly into the dark hallway below.

  Chapter 11

  Deciding there couldn’t be anything bad waiting for him since the basement was part of the training hall, Kelath walked tentatively down the stairs. The corridor ran the length of the building with a single torch lit in the middle of the hall. Doors were set at intervals on the left side, all closed so he couldn’t tell what was behind them. He approached the door at the end and knocked.

  “It’s open,” said a voice on the other side.

  Kelath pushed on the door and was about to ask if this was the alchemy laboratory when the color of the walls in the room shifted and he stumbled to the side. A number of status effects appeared on the display, all related to vapors that swirled past him through the open door. He wondered if they were what had caused his guide upstairs to make such a fuss about the smell and whether someone with a neural interface could sense them.

  Inside the room, a man in a leather apron stood next to a stove with glass vials, flasks, and rubber tubing spread out on the workbench in front of him. His gaze was focused on liquid in an alembic, and he waved a hand for Kelath to enter without turning around to see who his visitor was. He looked to be older, with thinning hair and a white beard. A pot belly made the leather apron he wore stick out several inches over his midsection. He squinted down through a pair of spectacles at notes written in a book spread out on the table in front of the lab equipment.

  Kelath stepped inside and shut the door. “Are you the alchemist trainer?”

  “Yes, I teach alchemy,” said the man, still without looking up. He took a piece of toast that was almost totally black from on top of the stove and bit into it. Apparently the fact it was burnt didn’t bother him, as he took several more bites. “All the recipes I teach are on a list around here somewhere. Look for the sheet of paper.”

  “I don’t want to learn alchemy. I want to become an alchemist.”

  The old man tensed after Kelath spoke. His head swiveled around so he was looking over his shoulder, and his mouth hung open in surprise. “Did you say you want to be an alchemist?”

  “Yes. I was told you could teach me.”

  The man stood from his hunched position over the workbench and stared at Kelath. “You’ve made poison before?”

  “Yes, although it’s half gone.”

  Kelath pulled the tin of poison he’d made with Plinth’s help and held it out. The man took the container, unscrewed the lid, placed the piece of toast back on the stove, and scraped a sample onto a ceramic plate. He sniffed the poison then held it under the light of a torch. He nodded and mumbled something to himself before closing the tin and handing it back.

  “The color is a little off. I would guess the poison is weaker than usual, but it should still work.”

  “That was my first attempt at making poison.”

  The man pointed at Kelath’s belt pouch. “Can I see the bomb you made?”

  “Of course.”

  Kelath lifted one of the flasks out of his bag and handed it over. Again the man held the item
near the light to examine it. He pulled the cork from the top, smelled the contents, and took a small sip. His breath came out as wisps of frost for a few seconds. When he was satisfied, he pounded the cork back in place with the palm of his hand and returned the flask.

  “Not bad.” He held his hand out. “I’m Richard Banks, the alchemist trainer.”

  Kelath shook his hand. “I’m Kelath. Why did the man upstairs call you Reek?”

  Richard’s brows came down and his face darkened at the mention of the nickname. “I made the mistake of telling him to call me Rick. He thought I said Reek, and after that, it’s all anyone has called me. It’s not a name I prefer.”

  “Okay, I’ll stick with Richard then. Can you teach me to be an alchemist?”

  “Yes, you appear to have the aptitude. You should realize there will be tradeoffs for giving up the rogue class.”

  “Like what?”

  “For one thing, you won’t be able to perform sneak attacks. Your main weapons will be poisons and bombs, and they can’t be targeted precisely enough for that. In exchange, your alchemical attacks will become more potent.”

  “A friend warned me about that before, but the extra damage would be nice. Is there no way to keep the sneak attack skill?”

  “Unfortunately, no. As an alchemist, you will want to attack as swiftly as possible anyway so there are more opportunities for your poison to take effect. For you, a small cut on your opponent’s skin will be as deadly as stabbing him in the lungs or kidney. Why waste all that time lining up the perfect shot when a slash to the arm is just as effective?”

  “I guess that makes sense. What are the benefits for switching to alchemist?”

  “Your bombs and poisons will do more damage, and their status effects will last longer. As you gain experience, you can learn how to target your bombs precisely to damage your enemies but leave your friends unharmed when they happen to be inside the effect. You’ll also be able to throw healing elixirs like bombs to affect all your allies.”

  Kelath thought it over. He didn’t like losing the extra damage from sneak attacks, but what he received in return sounded useful, especially when they encountered groups of enemies. He decided to try it out. “So what should I do to become an alchemist?”

  “You must set aside whatever you were pursuing before and focus on the skills of an alchemist. They are light weapons, thrown weapons, medium armor, bombs, and poison. Is that what you would like to do?”

  “Yes.”

  Your class has changed to Alchemist.

  To switch to another class, you must visit a class trainer.

  Kelath looked around, expecting some special effects. When it was clear nothing else would happen, he asked, “Is that all?”

  “That’s it. You’re an alchemist now.”

  “I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t there be fireworks or music playing, something like that?”

  Richard gave him a funny look. “Great, my first apprentice in twenty years, and he’s a narcissist.”

  “What? No…” Kelath sighed in frustration. “I don’t think I deserve anything like that. I just didn’t expect adopting a new class to be so…anticlimactic. I assumed a big change like that would be accompanied by some kind of acknowledgement.”

  Richard’s brow wrinkled in thought. He searched through the supplies on his shelf and took down two jars. “Hold out your hand.”

  He sprinkled a bit of red powder from the first jar onto Kelath’s hand. He took a pinch of another substance from the second jar and threw it on top of the first ingredient. As soon as they touched, fire began to sputter in his hand, throwing out green smoke. The reaction burned him, lowering his health until he shook the minerals loose from his hand.

  “Congratulations, you are now an alchemist!” announced Richard. “Satisfied?”

  “It hurt me!”

  “Consider that a free lesson. For an alchemist, you should always appreciate when things go smoothly. You’ll understand that better the first time you singe your eyebrows off.” He raised an eyebrow then returned the two jars to the shelf.

  “Crazy old man,” Kelath whispered low enough so he wouldn’t hear. “Anyway, are there any other skills you can teach me?”

  “I could teach you how to make a stronger poison, but unfortunately, I don’t have the ingredients at hand.”

  “Can I get them for you? I saw an alchemical supply shop as I was walking through town.”

  “I’ve already checked here in town, and my usual suppliers are completely out of giant spider venom. You would need to hunt down the creatures and retrieve some yourself.”

  Quest Discovered: Collecting Supplies

  Richard “Reek” Banks needs venom from giant spiders. He has offered to teach you to make a new poison if you restock his supplies. Bring him samples from at least six spiders.

  Rewards: experience, a poison recipe.

  Kelath accepted the quest and asked, “Where can I find these spiders?”

  “The closest place is inside the woods across the river. Guard patrols have pushed the spiders deeper into the forest, making it harder to find them. If you uncover their nest, you’ll find more than enough to collect a flask full of venom.” He looked over Kelath from head to toe, then turned back to his work. “They could be a tough fight for you. I would suggest taking friends.”

  Feeling like he’d been dismissed, Kelath retreated to the corridor and shut the door behind himself. He climbed the stairs and dropped the trapdoor into place, figuring they must keep it closed to prevent smells coming up from the laboratory. The man at the lock picking station was alone, so Kelath joined him.

  “Learned some alchemy, did you?” asked the man.

  “I did. I was hoping to practice picking locks too.”

  “The basic lesson is 20 silver.”

  Kelath counted out the coins and handed them over. The trainer gave him a set of picks and a lock with the number ‘1’ etched on the back. He explained how to put torque on the mechanism with one hand then rake the pick over the pins on the inside. In order to manipulate the tools in the game, he had to move his hands in the real world. Because he was only wearing the haptic glove on his right hand, he had to control one of the picks using the joystick in his left. The tools moved at odd angles and clicked together frequently because he could barely maintain the pressure needed on the joystick with his weak hand. The trainer watched and gave feedback, thankfully not growing impatient like people sometimes did when he was taking a long time to do something in the real world. After several minutes of struggle, the lock finally popped open.

  “I did it!”

  “Your technique could use some work,” said the trainer, “but that will come with practice. The second lock has one more pin than the first. Give it a try.”

  Getting a feel for what was going on inside the lock was much harder this time. The haptic glove put pressure on his hand so he could feel things inside the game, but its range of movement wasn’t the best. He couldn’t feel the fine manipulations very well, and it took him nearly ten minutes to open the second lock. The trainer went quiet halfway through and watched his work with a frown. When Kelath did manage to crack it open, he let out a sigh of relief.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d get it,” said the trainer. “This is the last one. No more pins than the second lock, but this one is much higher quality. Good luck.”

  Practicing on the first two locks had given him confidence that he could crack this new one open too. His hands were steadier, especially the left one. He didn’t fumble the tools as often or lose his focus. Occasionally he knocked the picks together and lost some of the progress he’d made, but overall he did much better. It still took another ten minutes for him to slide the final pin in place and open the lock.

  Congratulations! Your Lock Picking skill has increased to 1.

  “Nice work,” said the trainer, a smile on his face.

  “I’m starting to get the hang of using the picks.”

  “
All it takes is practice. You’ll be a master in no time. You can keep the tools you’ve been using as part of the fee for training. They’re not the best, but they’ll get the job done.”

  Kelath thanked him and moved away. It had been over a half hour since he left Througar, who had probably finished training in half the time. He sent a tell to find out where Througar was.

  “Hey, man,” said Kelath. “I’m done now. What you up to?”

  “Galahad and I went to check the auction house. We’re in the bank, depositing our money. We’ll come meet you.”

  “I’ll wait in front of the training ground.”

  Kelath exited the building and looked around. Players ran in every direction, some entering the training center and some leaving. The shady character still leaned against the wall by the door, talking to anyone who asked him a question. When the player he was currently helping left, he regarded Kelath.

  “So I hear you’re an alchemist now. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” said Kelath. “I trained with Reek…I mean Richard.”

  The man chuckled. “You can call him Reek. He’s gone by that for so long, I’m surprised he remembers his real name.”

  “I don’t want to get on his bad side. He seems to be the only one that can train me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’s a bit absentminded. He probably won’t remember you the next time you come to train.” The man peered behind Kelath then stood up straight. “Those friends of yours?”

  “Some people were supposed to meet me here,” Kelath said as he turned around.

  Standing at the edge of the training ground were three members of Noblesse Oblige. Itrix stood in front, Brill and the recruiter Kelath had argued with earlier slightly behind him. Itrix came forward to stand at the bottom of the small set of stairs leading up to where Kelath still stood by the entrance. His two lackeys spread out behind him.

  “He’s the one I was telling you about,” said the recruiter, his finger pointing at Kelath’s chest.

  “You’ve been busy,” said Itrix. “Killing my people and disrupting my attempts to attract new members.”