by Aaron Oster
“A reward of an intimate nature, if I am not mistaken,” Gordon said, interceding into their conversation.
Shit!
“Ooohh! Let me hear the juicy details,” Emma exclaimed, pushing herself up against him and grinning as though she’d just won the lottery or something. “What’s she like? Is she pretty? What’s her name?”
Is this what it’s like to have a sister? Sam idly wondered as Emma pelted him with questions.
By the time they’d made it past the gate guards, Sam had caught Emma up on all the relevant details about Milly. Suffice it to say, that she was dying to meet the elf girl. Sam, on the other hand, thought that it would be a terrible idea and the last thing he’d want to do. He still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about Milly or if they would even have any sort of relationship, but he didn’t want to show up after missing the entire night, in the company of another woman.
He might be dense when it came to romance, but even he wasn’t that dumb!
“Oh alright, fine!” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll go shopping and meet you there when I’m done.”
“Thank you!” Sam exclaimed, blowing out a relieved breath.
“Better watch out when you’re going around the city,” she called out as she headed off in the direction of the blacksmith. “Those guildies are probably looking for you. Best avoid them until you can solve the mystery of the corrupt noble.”
Sam just rolled his eyes at the horrible pun, but waved her off all the same.
He already knew that he’d need to be careful around the city. He also knew that he still had to get his hands on that gnome before the day was out. That shit bag had already caused him enough trouble and he wasn’t about to let him be the cause of even more.
“Come on, Gordon. Let’s go visit Milly and get something to eat.”
“I thought you would never offer. I am quite famished after all of last night’s excitement. Do you think that The Classy had good bones?”
31
Milly was almost beside herself with relief when Sam walked in through the doors of the inn just ten minutes later. Apparently, she’d waited up all night, not even getting a single ounce of sleep. Sam was more than a little surprised when a hysterical elf girl launched herself at him as soon as he’d walked through the doors, bawling into his shoulder and telling him how worried she’d been.
Class Cee had come out of the kitchen and Sam had given him a helpless look over her shoulder, but the little purple gremlin had just shaken his head and walked away. It took him almost fifteen minutes to get her to calm down and another twenty to stop her from marching over to the guild hall once he’d told her what had happened.
“But they tortured you! You have to get them back!” she exclaimed, all traces of sadness gone and fire blazing in her eyes.
Sam had seen that look before, when a bandit had attempted to have his way with her. She’d nearly beaten him to death with her bare hands.
“And I will. But not right now,” Sam said, trying to placate her as best he could. “Right now, I’m more concerned about you. You need to get some sleep.”
He was right, of course. Though Milly still looked amazing as ever, her eyes were bloodshot and had heavy bags beneath them. It was made all the more noticeable due to them being so large, and Sam felt very guilty for having made her worry this much.
Milly looked as though she were about to argue, so Sam placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and lightly began pushing her toward the stairs.
“How about I help you up? You can get some rest, and I promise that I’ll be here when you get up.”
After a few seconds of resisting, Milly finally gave in and allowed him to escort her upstairs. Before she went into her room, she spun and kissed him. Hard. So hard that he tasted blood by the time she pulled away. She then gave him a wide smile and turned to head into her room.
Sam was a little breathless by the time she pulled away, but quickly used his Inspect skill on her before the door closed. His eyes widened when he saw that her current status was Blissful.
Could she really have enjoyed it that much? And could she, the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, actually be interested in him?
The more cynical part of his mind had an even harder time believing that a former prostitute would actually fall for anyone, let alone him.
You’ve got some serious self-esteem issues there, pal, Sam told himself as he walked back downstairs.
He reached the ground floor and had to look around for Gordon, as he wasn’t where he’d left him. Finally spotting the dog sitting near the kitchen, chewing on some kind of bone, Sam walked over. His stomach growled as he drew closer to the kitchen, and the scent of food flooded his senses. He didn’t even care if it was only stew. He was so hungry that he could eat a horse.
Okay, probably not a horse, but maybe a small pony.
A waiter approached him as he neared the kitchen to take his order - stew - and Sam took a seat near his companion.
“What do you think of Milly?” Sam asked after sitting in silence for a few minutes.
“I believe that we have already had this discussion before, but if you would like to take my advice on romance, then I would be happy to share.”
Gordon’s face took on an uncharacteristically somber look, which made Sam pay close attention.
“Inter-race romance, especially between humans and other races, rarely ends well for either party. Elves, in particular, are notoriously fickle, falling in and out of love at the drop of a hat. There is also the matter of you being destined for a life of adventure and danger, whereas she will most likely remain here.
“If you still want to pursue a relationship, then I will not interfere, but I would recommend that you think it over carefully.”
Sam nodded as the dog finished what he was saying and went back to chewing on his bone. He’d never had any luck in the romance department and now that this unbelievably attractive woman was throwing herself at him, he might just be reciprocating those feelings as a result.
By the time his bread, stew, and beer came out, Sam had such a bad headache that he was glad for the distraction.
All of this agonizing over a decision was seriously stressing him out.
He’d believed everything Gordon had told him. It made sense, after all. He was from another world and would probably be returning there if he ever managed to defeat the Overlord. Getting involved with the people of this world would only make it that much more difficult when he did have to leave.
Sam shoved all those thoughts aside, forcing his mind to concentrate on one thing. His food. After polishing off the admittedly delicious meal in record time, Sam rose slowly from his seat and held his hand out to Gordon.
“Can I get my money back from you?” he asked. A moment later, the Spatial Wallet dropped into his hand and he grinned.
Quickly using Inspect, he checked how much money he currently had.
ITEM FOUND!
Name: Spatial Wallet Durability: 200/200
Rarity: Enchanted Quality: Enhanced This pouch can be used to hold all of your coins and jewels. Beware of placing anything else inside, as it will not come back out.
Contents: 154 Copper, 98 Silver, 18 Gold, 33 Colored Iron Disks, 1 Uncut Jade
Sam stared, wide eyed at the description of the wallet’s contents.
No, it can’t be true…
He quickly stuck his hand into the wallet and removed one of the glittering electrum coins, using Inspect.
ITEM FOUND!
Name: Colored Iron Disk Durability: 10/10
Rarity: Common Quality: Basic This is an iron disk painted to resemble an electrum coin.
“Fuck!” Sam yelled, startling a passing waiter so badly that he almost dropped the tray he’d been carrying.
He ignored the man’s angry glare, staring at the worthless piece of iron with a dumb expression on his face.
This couldn’t be happening. Hadn’t his previous day been shitty enough?
; “What has you so wound up?” Gordon asked, giving him a questioning look.
“That merchant fleeced me!” he said, now feeling his despair turning to red, hot anger. “Come on. We’re going to fuck that guy up, and get my Legendary gear back!” Sam said, already heading for the door.
He was stopped by Quentin, the concierge, at the door.
“I am afraid that you cannot leave, without first paying for your meal,” he said, holding up a hand.
“Yeah, yeah. How much?” Sam asked, reaching into his wallet to fetch a silver coin.
“20 silver for the stew, 5 for the beer, and 7 for the bread. Another 2 sliver for the waiter, and a 10 sliver cover charge. Altogether, that will come out to 44 silver.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Sam practically exploded. “44 silver for a bowl of stew? Are you out of your mind?”
“Sir! I must ask you to please calm down. Otherwise, I will be forced to call the city guard. If you cannot pay for your meal, then I am sure we can have you work it off. Say, three months doing dishes? That should about cover the expense of your meal.” Quentin smirked, stroking his chin and looking very pleased with himself.
Sam was so wound up over the merchant stealing from him, that he didn’t even think to question why the man was charging him so much, or think to talk to the inn’s owner. All he could think about was that Quentin was mocking him.
“Then again,” Quentin continued. “Washing dishes may be too much for such a simple-minded peasant. Perhaps you could clean the chamber pots, and sweep the floors? That seems like a job you would be good at.”
Sam felt his rage growing as the man continued to speak and he just couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly dug into his purse and retrieved the coins, then proceeded to throw them in the man’s face.
“I’ll be back, you piece of shit. And when I am, you’ll pay for this. Mark my words!” His voice had lowered to a near whisper by the end. Then, without a backward glance, he stormed from the inn, emerging onto the crowded street.
Sam was so beside himself with anger that it took him a few moments to remember where the Armorer’s shop had been. Once he did, he stalked off in that direction, hands clenched into fists at his side.
“Sam, may I ask what you intend to do?” Gordon asked. He’d been silent through the entire spat with Quentin earlier and Sam had to wonder why he hadn’t helped.
“That piece of shit cheated me out of 33 electrum. I’m going to get what’s owed to me! Come to think of it, why the hell didn’t you recognize the fakes?” Sam exclaimed.
Gordon shrugged.
“I never got a good look at the coins and you never asked me to identify them for you. I thought that you’d confirmed that they were indeed real before we left.”
Sam then distinctly remembered the man asking him to count the coins to make sure that they were all there. That little bastard had played one of the oldest tricks in the book, a classic misdirect. He’d asked him to count them, thereby subconsciously making him assume that he was an honest merchant and not even thinking to check if they were legit or not. Sam was beginning to think that his Mind Over Body skill didn’t actually do anything. So far, he’d been mind jacked by an elf, almost had a panic attack, and he’d been robbed twice. And both robberies had occurred when he’d already been at the Intermediate level of the skill.
Gritting his teeth once more, Sam sped up his pace, only slowing once the shop came into view.
Finally.
Sam burst in through the front door and began immediately screaming.
“You fucking bastard! Think you can steal from me and get away with it?”
He came to an abrupt halt as he found himself on the pointy end of no less than five spears.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
It took Sam a few moments to register the group of men, all dressed in guard uniforms, crowded before the counter. The green skinned armorer stood behind his counter, not looking in the least bit concerned at Sam’s sudden intrusion.
“I’m here because that bastard stole 33 electrum from me!” Sam yelled, gesturing wildly at the man behind the counter.
The city guard let out a snort of laughter and the other guards soon chimed in.
“Sirus, steal? I think you’ve got the wrong person there, pal. He’s the most honest merchant in the entire city. Well, he and his sister, of course,” the man added.
“Who the fuck cares what you think he is? I sold that bastard a full set of Legendary gear yesterday and he gave him a bag full of iron disks instead of the electrum he was supposed to give me!” Sam pulled a fistful of the iron disks and threw them on the ground.
“I really have no idea what he’s on about,” Sirus said with a shrug. “The man is clearly not well. Perhaps you would be so kind as to escort him out for me, Captain?”
Sam felt his rage grow as the man behind the counter winked at him. All the guards were facing him, so they, of course, didn’t see him do it. But it had the intended effect of making Sam even angrier.
“How about you come with us, sir?” the captain said, as he saw Sam’s face growing redder.
“Just turn around and look at him! That smug bastard is mocking me!”
“Sir! Please calm down or we will be forced to remove you from this shop by force!” the Captain said, now raising his voice as well.
Sam raised a hand then, already beginning to glow with the power of his new Mage Bolt spell.
He would reduce these people to piles of ash, then he would take what was his. He’d had enough of people walking all over him.
There was a light tinkling sound from behind him as the door opened and Sam suddenly felt a blinding pain crash into the back of his skull. He stumbled, already falling to the ground as his concentration slipped, and he lost control of the spell. Looking up from his position on the ground, Sam felt his eyes widen in shock as he beheld none other than Aoife, the dwarf woman who had robbed him the previous evening, clutching a thick wooden cudgel in one of her hands.
Sam shoved the welcoming blackness of unconsciousness away and forced himself back to his feet, despite the blinding pain in his head.
“You! What the fuck are you doing here, you thief?”
Aoife’s eyes went wide, then she let out a loud shriek and ran past him to cower behind the guards.
“I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me! I didn’t mean to hit you, mister!” she blubbered, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
One of the guards turned to console the woman, while the rest turned their hostile glares on Sam.
Sam, for his part, was staring in incomprehension as a dozen disparate pieces of information tried to fit themselves in place.
What the hell’s going on?
“It’s one thing to accuse Sirus, but quite another to accuse a sweet, innocent girl like Aoife. She’s never hurt so much as a fly!” the guard Captain yelled, face going as red as Sam’s.
“Now, you can either leave on your own, or we can beat you senseless and throw you in prison. Take your pick!”
“Never hurt so much as a fly?!” Sam returned. “You literally just saw her club me in the back of the head! Not to mention that she robbed me blind and has my fucking pack slung over her shoulder right now! And you bastards aren’t doing a thing about it!”
Apparently, that was too much for the city guards. With a collective roar, they charged, and Sam reacted in an instant. His Mana Cloak flared around him as a group of spears connected with it, bouncing harmlessly off. Then he raised his hand and cast his new Mage Bolt spell. A couple of seconds later, there was a bright blue flash, and a loud sizzling sound as a bolt of branching blue lightning crackled through the interior of the shop.
Damage notifications began flooding in, and Sam noted with some satisfaction that almost all the guards had gone down with a small lightning sign above their HP bars. All except for the Captain, who’d somehow managed to keep his feet.
Shit.
The Captain’s hand shot
down to his belt, retrieving a slim wooden stick, and he snapped it between his thumb and forefinger. An instant later, a loud, wailing siren began echoing all around the shop.
The Captain grinned, then collapsed onto one knee, coughing loudly as Aoife squatted down next to him, offering her support.
How the hell did she avoid being stunned?
“The guards will be coming for you now, you bastard! How dare you hurt these good people?” she exclaimed, glaring at him. Sam could tell it was all an act.
Even now, he could see the smug satisfaction in her eyes and the way Sirus was grinning at him from behind the cover of his counter. Sam was tempted to continue blasting the shop apart, when the door suddenly flew open and Emma came sprinting in, followed closely by Gordon.
“Where the hell have you been?” Sam yelled at the dog.
“As soon as I had a hunch of how this scenario would play out, I ran to fetch Emma.”
“Why?”
“Sam, you need to come with me. Now!” Emma said, snatching his hand up in hers, eyes hard as steel.
“But that smug merchant cheated me out of a shit-ton of money, and his little sister over there was the one who clubbed me in the back of my head and stole all my stuff after I saved her life!”
Emma’s eyes flicked over the group of unconscious guards and onto the two siblings who were now both standing behind the counter, ready to duck down at the first sign of an attack. Then, her striking green eyes turned back to him.
“I know that they cheated you, but I saw a group of at least thirty guards headed here on my way over, all of them level 7 to 10. We can’t take that many, so we’ll have to leave and regroup.”
Sam’s fists clenched, as he looked between Emma and the two conspirators, both of whom winked and twiddled their fingers at him, before he finally nodded and allowed her to drag him to the shop’s exit.
Just before the door closed, Sam caught sight of something that made his eyes widen. A small, red-faced gnome emerged from the back room and glared at him with hatred.
32