by Aaron Oster
“Just Sam,” Sam said, shaking the man’s proffered hand.
He wasn’t about to go spreading his last name around.
“I’ll be right back with your supplies. Take a look at my wares while you wait. Let me know if something catches your interest.”
Sam nodded, and the man disappeared into an opening behind the counter.
“What do you think?” he asked Gordon, squatting down and pointing to a sheathed dagger lying just inside the display case.
“I think that it would be more prudent if you would purchase a weapon that helped you with your chosen class. If I am not mistaken, you are going to become a Mage when you reach level 10. As such, your best course of action would be to save your money until we reach the city. There you will likely find a staff or casting orb that is more suited for you.”
“I already have a caster’s weapon, though,” he replied, pulling the Basic Wand from his bag and waving it before Gordon’s eyes.
That was a mistake, as Gordon’s head shot forward, and Sam just barely pulled his hand back in time.
“What the fuuuu…dge, dog? I told you no!” he yelled, quickly tucking the wand back in his bag.
“You do not dangle a bloody haunch of meat before a starving bear,” Gordon replied, completely unapologetic.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure about this, but I think you have a serious problem when it comes to sticks.”
“I could say the same about you and that vulgar mouth of yours,” Gordon shot back.
Sam’s fingers twitched and he had to exert a massive amount of willpower not to strangle the dog sitting placidly before him. Thankfully, Mage chose that moment to emerge from the back room and placed the items on the counter.
“Here you are,” he said in a cheery voice, as Sam rose to examine the items.
ITEMS FOUND!
Name: Basic Stew Ration X10
Durability: 5/5
Rarity: Common Quality: Basic A basic, dry stew ration, simply add hot water!
Name: Steel Canteen Durability: 30/30
Rarity: Common Quality: Sturdy Name: Braided Rope Durability: 25/25
Rarity: Common Quality: Good Length: 50 Ft
Oh, come on! Even the trail rations were stew?!
Sam had to make a conceded effort not to scream.
“Would you happen to have any trail rations, other than stew?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone friendly.
“Why would we have that?” Mage asked, giving him a very odd look.
Because it makes no fucking sense, that’s why!
“Never mind,” he said, blowing out a breath. “How much do I owe you?”
“The trail rations are 20 copper a piece, the canteen is 2 silver and the rope is 8.”
Eight silver for a rope?
Sam debated telling the man to go fly a kite, when he remembered that haggling was a thing in fantasy worlds. Though he could never figure out why.
Imagine going in to order a burger, then telling the guy at the cash register that you’ll only be paying half price.
“How about I give you 10 copper for the stew, 1 silver for the canteen, and 4 for the rope?” Sam asked, leaning casually on the counter.
Mage stared at him incredulously for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing.
“That’s a good one,” he said, giving him a wink. “Tell ya what, I’ll give you a special deal. I’ll charge ye 20 copper for the stew, 2 silver for the canteen and 8 for the rope.”
Sam blinked in confusion.
“But that’s the same price you quoted me earlier.”
“Of course it is! Who the hell walks into someone’s place of business, then begins telling them what they’re going to pay for their goods?” Mage asked, the smile now slipping from his face.
Apparently, he’d been wrong and haggling wasn’t a thing.
“Idiots, that’s who!” Sam quickly replied with a forced laugh.
There was a bit of an awkward moment when Sam realized that most of his money was in the Spatial Wallet, which was currently tucked into the waistband of his pants. Then he shrugged and stuck his hand under his shirt to fetch the money from the wallet.
The man didn’t even blink as Sam handed over the money, taking the proffered coins and making them vanish.
“Is there anything else I can get for ya?”
Sam was about to shake his head, when he noticed Gordon, staring at him out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes, actually,” he said, giving the dog the finger behind his back. “Can have a look at that dagger?”
Mage nodded, removing the dagger from behind the glass display and handing it over. It was heavier than he’d expected it to be, and he hefted it for a few moments before pulling it from its sheath.
ITEM FOUND!
Name: Iron Dagger Durability: 28/28
Rarity: Common Quality: Basic Damage: +4-6 (Slashing)
Sam’s excitement ebbed when he saw that and he handed the dagger back to the man.
“Do you maybe have something a little… better?” he asked, “maybe something magical?”
Mage tapped at his chin for a moment, thinking.
“Can ye be a bit more specific? I do have a few magic items, but it would help if I knew what ye were looking for.”
“I’m a caster, so items that helped with that would be good.”
The man got a thoughtful expression on his face, then nodded. He left through the door behind the counter and emerged a few moments later, clutching a few items. Laying them out on the counter, he carefully arranged them for Sam to view.
“This is everything I have that ye might find useful. Please keep in mind that they will be more expensive, due to their rarity.”
Sam nodded.
It only made sense. Better loot demanded a higher price.
There were a total of 4 items, and he took the time to use Inspect on each of them.
ITEMS FOUND!
Name: Ring of Wisdom Durability: 84/88
Rarity: Rare Quality: Enhanced Effect: +4 to Wisdom Attribute Name: Wand of Sundering Durability: 70/70
Rarity: Enchanted Quality: Enhanced Damage: +35-41 (+40% chance to cause bleeding over time effect for additional +7-13 damage).
Requirements: LV 18 Blood-Mage Name: Spell Scroll Durability: 8/10
Rarity: Enchanted Quality: Good Contents: Mana Cloak Spell Effect: Create a cloak of mana defending you from physical attacks for 5 seconds Name: Siren’s Call Durability: 5/5
Rarity: Enchanted Quality: Good Effect: When blown, will put the sleep debuff on one target (single use)
Now that was more like it.
Sam wanted it all, but he knew that it was probably out of his price range. The Wand of Sundering wouldn’t even be useful to him unless he decided to pick the Blood-Mage sub-class when he reached level 18. The wand sounded awesome and he was very tempted to see what it was worth.
“How much is the wand?” he asked.
Mage smiled at him, giving him a knowing look.
“The wand is a very rare and powerful weapon. The price is 15 platinum.”
One hundred and fifty gold? That’s the equivalent of 15,000 dollars back on Earth! This guy is nuts!
“Alright then, how about the other three?” he asked, motioning to the scroll, ring, and what looked like an ivory horn.
“The horn is one use, so it’s worth significantly less than the other two. The price on that is 50 silver. The ring is 2 gold, and the scroll is 3 gold and 45 silver.”
Sam winced at that price, and turned to Gordon for his opinion.
“I would recommend buying the scroll and ring. The Siren’s Call, while interesting, is not so uncommon an item that you cannot find it elsewhere, and for a better price.”
Mage jumped, eyeing Gordon nervously.
“That dog is trained, right? I don’t want him messing up my shop.”
Gordon just rolled his eyes, then rose and padded out the door.
“I will await your comp
any outside,” he said, nose stuck up in the air.
Oh boy.
“I’ll take the ring and the scroll,” Sam said after debating for another minute and removing the money from his wallet.
Mage happily took the money, making it disappear as well. Sam sadly checked his wallet, noting that he was now down to 4 gold, 4 silver, and 98 copper. It was then that he remembered the Uncut Jade sitting in there as well.
“How much would you give me for this?” he asked, pulling the stone out and handing it over.
Mage took it from him, then pulled a small eyeglass from under the counter and studied it carefully. After a few moments, he removed the eyeglass and handed the stone back to Sam, shaking his head.
“I can’t buy that from you,” he said with a sigh.
“Why not?” Sam asked, giving the man a confused look.
“Can’t afford it.”
“I thought Jade is only a semi-precious stone,” Sam replied, tucking it away in the pouch once again.
“It is, and it isn’t,” Mage replied. When Sam raised an eyebrow, he was quick to elaborate.
“Jade is a funny stone. Ye can get one that is practically worthless, or you can have one that is worth a fortune. I cannot give ye an exact appraisal on that stone, as my Inspect skill isn’t at the Master level, but I can give you an estimate of what I believe it’s worth.”
Sam leaned forward a bit as Mage lowered his voice.
“I think that for the right buyer, you can fetch between 2 and 3 electrum for it.”
He nodded at the stunned expression on Sam’s face.
“I would recommend you go to a jeweler or a wealthy family in the city of Shtut. You’ll probably find a buyer for it there.”
Sam nodded dumbly, trying to do the math in his head.
If what the man said was true, then the small, green stone in his Spatial Wallet was worth two to three hundred gold. How the hell could a small green rock be worth that much?
Seconds later a new message flashed before his eyes.
+1 Luck
Obviously!
“Thank you for your honesty,” Sam said, clearing his throat.
“Not a problem. Now, is there anything else I can get ye?”
“No, that’ll be all,” he replied, gathering up all his items and fitting them into his bag; all except the ring, which he slid onto a forefinger. He noticed, with some relief, that the stew ration only took up one slot in his bag. It would have sucked to fill his entire bag with stew.
“Thanks for your business. Come back anytime.”
Sam nodded to the man, then left, mind still whirling at his good fortune.
He was gonna be rich!
11
He emerged from the store to see that Gordon had indeed been waiting for him.
“Did you find all of the items you were hoping for?” he asked, standing up and following Sam, as he headed back to the main road.
“Yeah, for the most part,” Sam replied, mind still on the jade stone in his pocket.
I wonder what kind of gear I could buy with 300 gold…
“Sam, are you even listening?”
Sam was snapped from his wandering thoughts and realized that Gordon had been speaking for a good minute.
“Sorry, I wasn’t listening. What did you say?” he asked, turning his attention back to the dog.
“I was just suggesting that we head out into the surrounding wilderness to give you a little boost. You’ll need to increase your level, and the levels of your abilities and skills, if you want to stay alive.”
“Yeah, that’s actually a good idea,” he replied.
Staying alive was definitely on his to-do list.
“Before we go, though,” Sam asked, pulling the Spell Scroll from his back. “How do I use this?”
“Just open it up and the spell will be automatically learned.”
Lazy-ass Overlord.
Sam did as he was instructed and unrolled the aged and cracking paper. As it opened, his eyes grew wider and wider. When it was fully unrolled, he was staring in such disbelief, that his eyebrows were nearly touching his hairline.
The entire page was literally covered in wavy lines, one row after the next.
Extremely lazy-ass Overlord, Sam amended.
There was a flash of light and the scroll crumbled to dust in his hands. Then a new screen popped into view.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have gained a new ability!
Mana Cloak: Create a cloak of mana defending you from physical attacks Level: Novice 1 (0%) Effect: All physical attacks nullified Duration: 5 Seconds Cost: 25 MP
Cast Time: 1 Second Cooldown: 2 Minutes
“Sick!” Sam exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.
Full immunity from physical attacks for 5 whole seconds. That was awesome!
The biggest weakness with his chosen path was that whenever he faced someone who fought using melee attacks, he would be at their mercy unless he had someone else to take the hits for him. Now, he’d be able to get off about 2-3 spells in the time he was protected.
“Are you not well?”
Sam looked down to see Gordon giving him a concerned look.
“What?”
“You said, and I quote ‘sick.’ Am I to understand that you are not feeling well?”
“It’s just an expression, dude,” Sam said, rolling his eyes.
“What have I told you about addressing me properly?” Gordon said in a very dangerous tone.
“None of that noise, dog,” he replied, waving Gordon’s annoyance away. “Don’t think that I’ve forgotten about you using my full name back at the siren’s lair.”
“I did that to save your life!” Gordon exclaimed, outrage stamped clearly on his doggy face.
How the hell was he so…? Nope, he said he wouldn’t go there anymore.
“Yeah, but you probably could have done that by just attacking her. Using my full name seemed a bit intentional on your part.”
He noted with some satisfaction that Gordon broke eye contact then, turning his head to stare at the road leading out of town.
“I will allow it this time,” he finally said, and Sam was forced to bite his tongue to prevent a string of curses at the dog’s arrogance.
He’ll allow it?!
Sam counted to ten in his head, taking deep, calming breaths. By the time he was done, the urge to beat Gordon to death had somewhat abated, but only just.
“Alright, I’m ready to go now,” he said, glad to hear that not so much as a hint of his annoyance leaked out.
“Very well, then. Follow me.”
With that, Gordon padded down the main road, Sam following closely behind. They passed a few more townsfolk, and this time they seemed to be a whole lot more friendly. A few of them even waved as he passed, and Sam had to wonder if completing the Mayor’s quest had something to do with it.
He found himself wondering if these people were like the NPC’s in video games, or if were they just as real as he was.
“Hey, Gordon. The people in this world, are they real?” he asked, not really sure how to correctly phrase the question.
“Why, yes. The people in this world are quite real.”
“So this world existed before the Overlord decided to drag us all here?”
“Indeed. Somerset has a very long history, and has been in creation for many years.”
So, they’re real people after all.
“There’s something that I never fully understood. How old is this Overlord exactly? You said he was like a god here or something.”
“The Overlord is God. Not a god. He created this world thousands of years ago and it continues to thrive, only due to his divine wisdom.”
“And I have to kill him,” Sam said in a flat voice.
“Precisely.”
“Don’t you see anything wrong with that?”
“Not at all.”
“How will this world keep on functioning if the Overlord is dead? Come to think of i
t, how the hell will I get home?”
“I am sorry, but I cannot answer that question for you.”
“Ahhh!” Sam screamed, feeling his frustration mounting.
He decided against talking to Gordon after that. Instead, he walked silently until they were well outside the town limits.
“So, where’s the best place to find stuff to fight?” he asked, stopping on the path and looking to his furry companion.
Trees now lined both sides of the road, and Gordon turned off of it, heading into the forest. Sam shrugged to himself and followed, walking swiftly behind him. As they walked deeper into the woods, the light began gradually fading as the tree cover overhead thickened. Before long, it became gloomy and he started stumbling over exposed tree roots, banging his calves against sharp rocks.
“Can you tell me where we’re going?” Sam asked when he whacked his knee painfully against the trunk of a tree.
“We are headed to a dungeon.”
“Are you serious? A dungeon?”
“But of course. There is a dungeon around here that the two of us can take on together. It will be challenging, but I believe that in the end we will be victorious.”
“And you didn’t think it was important to mention this beforehand?” he asked, quickly pulling up his map to see if there was any dungeon marked there. There wasn’t.
“Where exactly is this dungeon, and what kind of creatures will we be fighting?”
“The dungeon is just up ahead. As for the types of creatures we will be facing, I am not entirely certain. The dungeon is tailored for those between levels 3 to 7, so you fit well inside the level limit.”
“Aren’t dungeons normally challenged by a five-person team? And how am I supposed to heal myself if I get injured? It’s one thing to fight a single opponent and then have time to recover, but fighting a whole bunch without a way to heal is just plain dumb.”
“Not to worry. Dungeons provide ample rewards for those that deserve them, and healing items will be supplied after a sufficient number of enemies are defeated. Ah, here we are.”
Sam looked up to see a massive tree towering hundreds of feet above his head. Its roots spread outward in a massive tangle, and it split down the center at its base, revealing a yawning black mouth.