“I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I’m trying to find info on this Baron Yinnia guy. Where did Gratia go?” I asked as I spun around the gallery. The dwarven woman had decided to tag along with me while I walked to the various art galleries in the city. I hadn’t known where else to begin my search, so I figured that asking about the Yinnia family at the places that knew about antiques would get me a good lead. It had kind of worked, since I now knew that Baron Yinnia was the guy I needed to talk to. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the man was part of the noble council that ruled over Arnicoal, and he didn’t really let anyone look at his collection.
“She went outside. I think,” Allurie said as she pulled me out of the door to the gallery, and into the busy midday streets of Arnicoal.
The swell and life of the city continued to surprise me every time I stepped outside. I couldn’t believe the graphics engine that was powering Ohlavar Quest. As Allurie and I walked across the street, there were dozens of unique Arnicoal citizens walking by us. Cutno had been mostly human, and while Arnicoal still seemed to be represented by mostly humans, there were a lot more elves, dwarves, gnomes, fenia, and even half-orcs. I even saw one tall minotaur walking down a distant street. Each of the NPCs wore unique clothes, walked in a unique manner, and spoke with a unique voice. The only thing they shared were a proximity to me, and the Arnicoal Citizen tag that my UI put over their head.
“Did you find out anything?” Gratia elbowed me lightly in my stomach. The movement brought me out of my daydream-ish study of the crowds, and I looked down to my friend.
“He’s rich, and doesn’t show off his collection. I think I’m going to have a hard time convincing him to see me. Let alone sell the artifact to me.” I shrugged.
“I can imagine. I didn’t think this was a good idea. How much gold do you even have?”
“Twenty-three hundred and a bit of silver, but only a few gold and the silver on me,” I said as I patted my pocket. Early this morning, Artus had walked with me to some of the local gem dealers, magic shops, and horse traders. I sold all the gems that we’d collected in the spider dungeon, the Wand of Wine, and the two horses that I’d taken from the Cutno guards. The wand had hurt the most to sell, since I kind of wanted to keep it, but Artus had managed to negotiate the price up to an even grand of gold, and my fenia friend had only asked for a hundred gold of my total haul to replace the revenue he had expected from the sale of his spices in Cutno.
“I’m no expert in ancient magical relics, but me thinks that two thousand gold isn’t going to matter much to a guy that calls himself baron. But I’ve got other good news for you.” The dwarf winked at me.
“Oh? Figure out where you want to put your shop?” I asked.
“Naw. That is good news for me. Ha!” She pointed up the hill behind me and I turned to look where she gestured. “See that cream colored mansion hanging on the hillside there? The one with the copper roof and the hazelnut colored trim?”
“Yeah,” I said after I found the large home she was point to. It was probably a few miles away on the slope under the glass style castle. The mansion I looked at stuck out even amongst the other fine homes on the slope. It was by far the largest, and the metal roof had an interesting spiral shape.
“That’s Barron Yinnia’s fancy-shmancy house,” she said with a grunt.
“Maybe he’ll let me in if I ask nice.”
“Naw. He won’t, but if you know where he lives, you could just steal the relic from him.”
“Hmmm. I guess I could do that.” I hadn’t thought about playing a thief type character in this game, but the idea of learning all the sneaking and lock picking stuff sounded fun. Of course, my background was around fighting, so it would probably save me time if I just stuck with my core skill set. Maybe I could acquire abilities that would help me burglarize homes easier?
“Would take me some time to learn how to sneak into someone’s home. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m more of a ‘smash through things’ kind of guy.”
“Ha! That you are! And ya like to do it naked. You could hire someone. I’m sure there are all sorts of those types in this city.”
“Hmmm,” I pondered her words as I looked at the mansion. I had kind of assumed that all of these relics would be at the bottom of a deadly dungeon that I would just have to fight through. I didn’t even know if the man had the relic, so it would be foolish to pay someone to steal it from him.
Maybe I should look for another relic instead?
But I had no other leads. Gratia’s loremaster had only known about the two he told me of. He had given me info about a few collectors in Arnicoal, and some sages here that might know more. I guess I could go talk to those people, but it seemed like a step away from my goal.
“Maybe you could hire some just to go see if this baron has the relics, then you could hire the same burglar to go back and steal it again.” Gratia laughed as she spoke, and I grinned at her.
“Maybe I can get myself invited to a party or something. I could dress in some nice clothes, and pretend I am some sort of other noble. Then we could talk about relics and I could convince him to show me his collection.” I rubbed my fingers along my jaw and felt the stubble of beard there. I was going to have to shave tomorrow before I jumped back into the game.
“That sounds like a whole bunch of maybes. Leo, I have strong feelings about our friendship, but you speak like a country bumpkin, and you’ve got more muscles than brains. I think you’d be better off asking this baron if he’s got use of a bodyguard, then you can steal the thing when he isn’t looking.”
“That’s a good idea also. I think I would like to see if I can trade for it first.” I said. “This thing with Lord Halafast is making me cautious about making more enemies.”
“I’m gonna bet my left tit that the man won’t sell his relic to you, no matter how much money you’ve got. So I say ya just steal it.” Gratia shrugged and then pointed to the end of the street. “The next gallery is down this street another mile or so. Wanna grab lunch after we visit them?”
“Alright,” I grunted and then walked with Allurie after the shorter woman.
Every step in Arnicoal seemed to ease my frustration, and I soon carried my usual smile on my face. I could sit on one of the park walls, or in one of the many restaurants, and watch the flow of fantasy traffic all day long. It could practically be a game in itself; or maybe not a game since there was no objective, but people watching here was definitely entertainment. I just couldn’t get over how complicated the city felt. Even my sense of smell delighted me, and I found myself breathing deeply. Each inhale brought a small taste of the nearby ocean, the complicated perfumes that the crowd wore, the fragrance of the food stalls we approached, and the slight bitterness of horse shit. While the latter wasn’t exactly pleasurable, its addition into the mix of scents made Arincoal more lifelike than some of the cities in the real world.
Damn. I loved this game, and I knew the rest of the world would as well.
“Oh Leo, can we go on some adventures?” Allurie grabbed my left arm and kind of snuggled up into me as we walked.
“We are on an adventure. It’s called finding lunch.”
“Huh. That is silly, why would they need a guild for finding lunch?” she asked as she pointed across the street.
I followed her gesture and saw a large two story building a few hundred feet down one of the roads we were about to pass. I only caught part of the sign as I walked, and the words made me halt my stroll.
“Hey Gratia, hold up a second.”
“What?” The short woman asked as she turned to me.
“That building. It says Adventurers Guild. Do you know what it is?”
“Ahhh Leo, I may not be the smartest dwarf in all of Ohlavar, but I’m still a dwarf, so I’m much smarter than a human. Guilds are groups of like individuals with the same sort of profession. They get together to take trade, exchange ideas, and maybe market each other. Adventurers are idiots that risk their lives for gold,
fame, or magical items.” Her voice sounded like she was explaining something to a three year old child.
“Gratia, I know what a guild is, and what adventurers are.” I sighed and shook my head.
“Do ya now? Then why’d ya ask? Ha!”
“I just wanted to make sure that it was what I think it was. Will I be able to find quests in there? Or other adventurers looking for party members?”
“Leo, you know I’ve got a fondness for ya, but your questions are sometimes… how should I say it… not smart? How am I supposed to know what goes on inside of a place like that? This is my first time ever being in a surface city.”
“Oh got it. Yeah, I guess that wasn’t a good question.” I pulled Allurie off of my arm and gestured to Gratia. “I’m going to go take a look inside and talk to some people. Can I meet you all in a bit?”
“Aye. That is fine. Look for the first restaurant with double style doors on the left up here,” Gratia said as she nodded down the street.
“Okay, what is it called?”
“I don’t know, Leo. I’m just going to walk down the street and find the first restaurant with double doors, then I’m going to go inside and eat.” Gratia gave me her usual grin.
“Got it. If I don’t catch up with you, I’ll meet you back at Artus’ home later. Okay?”
“Aye. Let’s go elf, we’ve got work to do.”
“Work? I love work! But I want to stay with Leo,” Allurie pouted.
“Ya work for me now. In my soon to be built gallery and workshop. I need you to come help me eat and inspect the competition. We’ll meet with Leo later.”
“Okay,” Allurie said with a frown, and then she waved at me before following Gratia down the street.
I walked down the adjacent street and toward the door of the Adventurers Guild building. Or was it a hall? It did look large, and I guessed that there was a meeting or feasting area in the back of the place. I felt my excitement grow in my chest as I drew nearer, and visions of joining a party of NPC adventurers sprang into my imagination.
“Hey, hey, hey. Where ya going?” A half-orc asked as he exited the door. The man was big, maybe as tall as my friend Jax, but he was also wide and muscular like Garf was. The man’s skin was a light shade of green, and he had his long black hair tied back in a samurai looking pony tail. I kind of expected half-orcs to just walk around in bloody armor, and carry a two headed battle axe, but this man was just wearing simple dark brown clothing and a dark gray cloak.
“I was going to go inside and—”
“Dear friend, are you a member?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. He was actually handsome, despite the three inch fangs extending out of his lower jaw. The man must have weighed two hundred and forty pounds, and the bare parts of his forearms were loaded with thick muscle. He would have been all sorts of intimidating if he wasn’t wearing a sincere looking smile.
“Ahh no. I didn’t realize that—”
“Well, you have to join. Fee is two gold.” He shrugged his massive shoulders and I could see a comically small short sword sheathed on his belt.
“Okay. That isn’t a problem,” I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the two gold pieces.
“Thank you, thank you, sir….?” He kind of paused and raised a black haired eyebrow.
“No sir, Leo is my name.”
“Ahhh, Leo. It is a good name. Suitable for a mighty adventurer. Please come inside. Let me get the door for you, dear friend.” The half-orc pulled open the door with a smooth motion of his arm and then gestured for me to enter with a sweeping movement of his other arm. “You’ll find the job board on the right wall. You can order a meal at the bar on the end. Please feel welcome.”
“Thank you. That is quite nice,” I said as I returned his smile and stepped past him.
“It is a pleasure. I’ll be right out here if you need me, or you can speak with the organizer inside.” The orc gave me another smile, and then closed the door behind me.
The inside of the building looked like a standard fantasy game tavern. On the left side was a large fireplace and there were about twenty small round tables, an array of stout wood chairs, and a large cork bulletin board on the right. A lantern hung by a hook near the bulletin board, and I saw that the cork was filled with slips of paper.
There were four rugged dwarf warriors sitting at a table nearest the fire, and they lifted their heads from their whispered conversation to study me. I returned their gaze and nodded, then they resumed to their conversation.
I walked over to the bulletin board and looked through the postings. Most of them had the “Looking for Group Member” heading on the top, but a few had “Looking for Work” written instead. I flipped through a dozen of the postings and let out a sigh. The notices were mentioning three different dungeons, and I didn’t know where any of them were. They were all also looking for healers or “Protectors”. I didn’t mind playing a healer in this game, but I didn’t know any healing abilities, and I knew I could slide into a warrior type role easily. I also couldn’t tell which of the groups or dungeons were appropriate for my level. It seemed as if I wasn’t really a low level type, but I also hadn’t been able to defeat the beholders in the underdark.
“Can I help you?” a dark voice asked from behind me, and I turned around to see an older human male. He reminded me a bit of Zarra’s VP of Operations, Casper. Only this guy had long hair, and there was a brutal scar over half of his face.
“I’m new in town, just looking for work.” I gestured to the board.
“Where are you from? I don’t recognize your accent,” the man asked as he squinted at me a bit. The eye with the cut over it was a milky white, and I guessed that it didn’t work.
“From far away. I’m afraid I don’t really know how to find the right group, or where these dungeons are. Can you tell me what to look for?”
“Sure. I can help you. What is your name?”
“Leo,” I replied.
“Well met, Leo. I’m Switt, the manager of this local guild.” The man made a small bow and I returned the movement.
“Are there many adventurer guild buildings like this throughout the city?” I asked.
“Yes. There are four actually. The managers meet every few days to see if any of our job postings could get filled cross location, but we tend to operate independently.”
“Can I post my own job on the board?” I asked the gray haired man.
“Sure, what kind of party do you want to join? It looks like you have a sword, but I don’t see any armor on your body.” Switt’s one working eye looked down to my boots.
“Well, can I post any job? I’m looking to join a group for adventuring, but I also have a job that needs to be done that… might not be something that most would have the… ummm talent for. Know what I mean?” I didn’t exactly know how to tell him that I was looking for someone that would be okay robbing one of the most powerful men in the city.
“Ahhh.” The older man made a quick nod. “I’m understanding. There are places where such jobs can be posted; however, this isn’t the place. We are licensed by the city and I have some limited authority to mediate disputes. I do know of some places you could inquire for other types of work.”
“Ahhh thank you. I uhh, would still like to talk to you about joining a group.” I smiled at the man and pointed back to his board.
“Of course, I’m not judging. Between you and me, I’ve had my days of slitting throats and dealing death. Those days are behind me now, and I’ve come to believe in the Light. I just want to help people find their own way.” Switt nodded his head and then stepped next to me beside the board.
“It seems that most are looking for a healer,” I commented.
“Yes. They are in high demand, but just here in Arnicoal. I’ve been to other cities where they are more common.”
“Is it hard to learn these healing abilities? I’m good with a sword, but I would learn to heal if it meant that I could find a group.”
“That is pa
rt of the reason that healing types are so hard to find. There aren’t many here, so there aren’t many trainers. You can learn the abilities at some training facilities, but even if you have aptitude, you’ll spend a few months learning a skill. There are books for sale, but those will cost you a lump of gold.”
“How much do you think it would cost?” I asked.
“I haven’t looked at the prices recently, but I’d guess about eight hundred for the simplest of abilities.”
“Damn,” I sighed.
“Could be less, you’d have to go inquire. I can give you their addresses. I know of eight Light trainers in the city.” The man shrugged.
“The Light magic is used for healing?” I asked.
“Yes. Ha. I feel as though you are very new to this adventuring.”
“I am.” I shared his laugh and shrugged.
“Light mixed with Body are abilities that will heal others. Light mixed with Mind will protect others from damage. Those are much trickier abilities to use because one must predict incoming damage before it happens. Most parties prefer to work with a healer, but my wife was a protector and the only thing better than getting healed from damage, is not getting hurt in the first place. She was quite skilled, and we would often make it through adventures without even a scratch.
“Wow. That does sound fun. You mention ‘was’? Is she retired from adventuring also? Does she work with you here?” I asked.
“No. We bit off more than we could chew one day.” The old man sighed. “I was the only one in my group to return. I did a few more adventures after that, but I already had all the money I could ever need. I decided to retire, and thought about helping others. It was what she would have wanted. Now I take care of this place.” He raised his arms to the ceiling and smiled at me. The man didn’t seem particularly upset about his dead wife, and I guessed that her passing must have happened many years ago.
“That is very nice of you. You are really helping me. Can I ask some more questions?”
Lion's Quest: Dual Wield: A LitRPG Saga Page 11