by Kit Falbo
“Well, you complain about your character’s requirements. I picked a sorcerer enchanter, probably one of the least recommended classes in the game. I got my first choice of name though, Chess.”
Mel interrupts, “What! You’re famous.” He scrunches his brow together. “Or infamous, depending.”
“Uh?” I say confused.
“Some prick went on all the forums and said a player named Chess abused an exploit in the gaming house yesterday. Got like a thousand gold and a big achievement.”
“I didn’t abuse nothing, and it was only five hundred gold. That NPC chess player was legit good. I just barely managed to squeak through the last two wins.”
“So, it was you! Not that I think you cheated or anything.” He leans over me and types a link to one of the fan forums into the browser. “Here, look.”. The thread is now locked under the title of gaming exploit, but I can still see the old comments. The original poster is whiny, stating that some kid named Chess exploited some flaw in the chess master NPC program to win big. Someone else confirmed there was a match that had a huge pile of gold on the table. There was a crowd gathered near the end of me playing Gioachino. Don’t know why anyone would yell exploit. It isn’t like the NPC bugged in his play.
I don’t like how the post lists my character name. No one’s name shows up in the game unless they tell you and I haven’t been that social. Sure, Byron had introduced me to Able and Timmon. Could Gioachino have told this poster? I suppose I did introduce myself to Gioachino and someone could have overheard. The fact he also called me a kid rankles. Most kids were in school at that time.
After a while, players start to call bullshit on the OP who had posted under the name BigFd3al. Probably a throwaway because I check, and he hasn’t posted on or any other threads. Many of the posters had taken runs at the chess masters, and either got beat fast or managed to get the novice chess achievement before losing. After enough piling on, BigFd3al posts claiming that it must have been secretly patched up. At that point, the site mods locked the thread for turning toxic.
I look to Mel, “So people either think I’m an inadvertent cheat or really good at chess. Do you want to challenge me to a game?”
“No, I suck at it and know about your time in the park.” This surprises me a little because he’d never brought up my chess hustling before. He’d seen me try some online betting matches playing chess early on, but the crowd just wasn’t there.
I shrug off the post. Some people online are just dicks. “Like I was saying I picked a sorcerer enchanter. Aside from the base sorcerer spell, it’s not exactly an offensive powerhouse. I’m actually only level two.
“How? I just completed the training grounds, and I am level 4.”
“I kind of chose to skip the training grounds. Well, at least after grabbing the starting money and gear. Didn’t go there the whole first day, actually. I’ve been working on getting the smithing profession almost nonstop. I’m planning on crafting my way to success, though I’ve just discovered some professionals wanting to do the same thing. My plan is to see what information I can get from the other new players on the forums, looking for anything that can help. You know how stingy the company is about giving out info. Finding what you want in-game is a chore of its own.”
Mel nods, “Makes sense, I should get back to my own job.”
A lot of the new information on the forums is about fighting the low-level mobs and best tactics to use. Most of the quests are either unique or competitive with other players, though someone made a sticky list of quests that are either repeatable or open to everyone. Proving your worth seems to be a common one, like I had to do at the smithy to be able to work on my profession, but different tasks are given at different times.
I check to see what it would take to work at the enchanter’s shop. Maybe that would be a more fruitful profession to work on. Consensus is that they are total dicks, like the smiths of Lusania believe. Either asking for five special crafting materials or 200 gold to get in. Only one player completed it, and he made a bitter post about enchanting the starting bags. He ranted about how they’ll only teach you one spell, Create Pocket, and how you had to cast it eight times on a bag to make one of the starting bags. You only get to keep one in ten bags as payment, and that is the only payment they give you. They did have a special mana aura setup that lessened the cooldowns as well as providing mana, so you could hammer away at gaining experience. He’d quit once he reached 1000 profession xp and still hadn’t gained the profession.
There is a post about a player who had achieved the herbalist profession, picking his way through the forest while fighting creatures. He wrote that it takes 5000 xp to gain the first level of a profession and he got an achievement bonus. A day or two more and I can gain the smith one.
No new tricks for smithing blades, but I am able to find the basics for how to work shields, gauntlets, and other pieces of armor. You can also work on different styles of blades and weapons depending on different molds. Someone had spent time at shops checking out what they call the quality ladder: terrible, poor, decent, well/good, fine, excellent, and masterwork. He posted he thinks there is possibly a legendary ranking but hadn’t found one yet. The type and quality of metal affect the quality of the items as well as the tools used and profession rank.
I need more mana or mana regen to enchant better. I Look into options other than just raising my intelligence and wisdom since I know I will need to invest more into my primary stat. Mana potions are too expensive. There are a few subclasses that have spells that can help. There isn’t a price for hiring one. I guess I can ask Jasper to train in that. But if it is anything like Mel and his companion, it would cost money and limit what I can use Jasper for. There is an herb. It is cheap and happens to be one of the ingredients for making mana potions. You can chew it for some small benefit, but someone warns it tastes awful.
Not a lot of anything else online interests me, though BigFd3al had really spread his post around most of the sites. I skim the responses. Most who comment think it is bullshit. A few latch onto the idea I had abused the system to beat the difficult NPC chess master and joined the outrage. Of that group, a minority states that if they find me, they will kill my character. Some suggest BigFd3al is Chess and is doing a twisted humble brag. Having my name out there for something other than making quality items annoys me. Not that I’ve sold any yet.
It starts to get late, so I return the laptop and head home. Grampa is waiting. He has some cold Chinese food on the table for me. “A little later than usual son.” He opens his arms for a hug. I go over and give him one.
“Stopped by the game shop. Research is the cornerstone for a good plan.”
He lets me go. “You sure this is something you want to do? The park, that’s guaranteed money. This is, well,…” He let his words fall silent. I know he isn’t happy about this choice. But he also feels guilty about my childhood, enough that I feel a little guilty leveraging his guilt to do this. “The boys at the park miss you, a few said you brought good luck. Others admitted having a young face brought more into the park to play and watch games. Officer Joseph was asking if you were feeling alright, though he may have just missed the baked goods or coffee you sometimes get him.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Just that you were doing teenage things and trying out a new game. Joseph actually said, good, that it means you are growing up. You sure you’ll be able to contribute from the game soon? I can spend more time calling out if I need too.”
I hate that type of work, and if he messes up, we might have to move again. I don’t want to tell him that it might take weeks to be where I need to be, or about the hiccup the professionals might cause. So, I don’t. “No, everything will be fine. A week or two and I’m sure I can start making money.” I may have to float on my saved winnings some. I’m uncomfortable with the possible lie, but maybe if I work hard, it won’t be.
Chapter Six -Chess
I stick another herb in
my mouth and nearly puke. You would think I would get used to the taste, but whatever system they are using to make me taste it in-game makes it equally awful each time. I gained my profession two days ago. It comes with a +1 Strength and Constitution achievement bonus, but Byron is having me get used to the new anvil and hammer before he lets me purchase better quality metal to make the sword I need to impress Laslow with. It is a quest to provide him ten well-crafted blades as a gift to the smithy to earn more privileges. Part of the profession knowledge shows me that it is more difficult to achieve using poor quality metal instead of the decent or good iron ones I will be able to buy after this quest is completed.
More than once I consider bringing out some of the crafting metal that Jasper had collected. I suspect Byron would dislike me trying to go around the requirements. Jasper says he’s still looking for the political information. I think there is some pride there in not asking me for more gold to buy it. Apparently, clarity and openness are not a cornerstone of the political process in Lusania.
I decide I want to gift the smithy ten enchanted blade’s even though it isn’t required as part of the quest. I have done more than ten total well-crafted blades but still feel like sticking to my plan. I’ve also leveled up my character to level three, gaining one more enchanter spell. It added a charged ability to an item but had to have a spellcaster recharge it after use. Not my favorite to use, but still could be useful. On the poor iron blades, it generally gave a counterattack, but with the increased cost of casting the new spell I would miss out on two of my early boosting spells.
One left, my body sweating, and my mana empty from enchanting it, I watch as the blade cools and I make a final strike before the completed notice displays. I smile at seeing the well-crafted status. I would have gone and high-fived Hephesty and Marvlin, but they had managed to get Byron’s recommendation to give to a smith closer to the edge of town. Or as they put it, where the action is. The professionals had tasked their companions with mining resources in the wild, taking turns so one would guard the other while they worked.
“Byron! I have my gift for you.” I add the blade to the nine other well-crafted but poor-quality enchanted blades. Byron is working so he doesn’t come over until he is finished at his task. I present him the ten blades with a grin on my face.
He inspects each one. He also looks over my shoulder to the non-enchanted blades I had made for practice while waiting for my mana to return, some of which managed to be well crafted. There are also the enchanted blades that didn’t end up making the cut and are just poor or decently crafted. “Chess, I was not impressed when I first saw you approaching me, still in the robes you received when you first came to our world. I had not heard good things about the men and women coming in to deal with the problems to the west, and I still don’t. But you work hard, don’t complain and try. Now you’ve gone and done more than I’ve asked. I can’t reward you with more than I’ve promised, but you do have my thanks.”
Quest, Prove your worth again, Complete. Rewards: 200 xp, access to more weapon and armor options and the ability to purchase decent and good quality iron. Bonus: Reputation improved with master smith Byron Woodwell.
It costs one silver to buy the amount of good iron needed for a weapon. There are eight different new weapon molds I can pick from at this point. Along with the molds are a few yet-to-be worked examples. I choose what looks like a katana. Not appropriate for the theme of the game, nor will it go with most common player builds, but it is kind of a gimme for anime fans. Mel had made me watch a few, as I was spending a lot of time at his shop. I ask Byron if he had any advice on working this one. He suggests adding a little horizontal force with the strikes, and I thank him.
Working on the single-edged blade, I can tell the metal moves easier with each strike. The hand motions to follow are also clearer. I think that as I advance, each blade will be more difficult, but apparently having the profession, the tools and the materials, makes everything easier for now. I chose not to add a charged enchantment on this blade just Strengthen and True Nature. As the blade cools, I look at the results and grin.
It is time to go see Laslow again.
I’m greeted by the eerie chime. From the door, I can see the Artificer in the loft-like workshop above the rear of the store’s main floor. He looks up from the shirt he is stitching together. “Better than the robe, but you could have at least cleaned up first.” I look down at my dusty smith’s leathers then back and see a trail of ashy footprints into his shop.
I try to give him a goofy smile. “Sorry.”
A wave of magic hits me. I stumble a step back, but it’s not me it’s pulling at. Dirt, ash, and dust cleave away from my body. A dirty, grimy ghost; an outline of me being pushed out the door, peeling away the footsteps that I had tread in as well until it is all poof out the door.
“Minor inconveniences,” Laslow says. “Have you got it?”
He doesn’t move, so I take this as an invitation. As I head up the stairs, I pull out the sword. I present it to him with both hands. “Here.”
He takes it and I get the Quest Complete notification.
Laslow inspects the blade, much like Byron would. “I prefer fabric and thread, but I suppose it’s a bloody world you Touched are going into. A plain simple killing tool. But we can fix that, at least the plain part. I assume you brought decorations?”
I nod. I had Jasper bring me several crafting items he had stored away. I pull out the sheet of razor viper hide and several different raw gems. Never did want to go to a jeweler to have them cut. Also, a small spotted shell called a noss shell.
He touches each of them briefly. “Good. We can work with these.” He sets the sword on a side table and motions for me to join him at his current project, a half-sewn shirt. He rummages through a box of items and pulls out a braid of silver hair that he lays on the top of the shirt’s shoulder. “Here, put your hands over mine. You’ll need to concentrate and feel this.” There is a warm vibration where his hands are and a soft blue glow. I watch as the hair adheres to the shirt.
“If you think you got this, I want you to try one.”
A prompt pops up.
You have learned the Artificer spell Meld. This spell allows you to adhere Crafting components onto items. Restrictions. Profession: Artificer.
He hands me another braid of hair. I do my best to line it up on the same spot on the other shoulder. It only takes a small amount of mana. The hair seeps into the shirt where it touches. I get a +3xp notification pop up in a brighter pink than enchantment xp. “What happens if you use an empowered material.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Your item becomes more powerful. The enchanters are obsessed with that. They don’t appreciate the aesthetic and only see the power there.”
“How would I know if an item is powered?”
“You’d have to find a skilled enchanter you can trust to tell you. Maybe a Touched. I wouldn’t trust any of the local ones not to knock you out and take all you have if you bring them something they want. You better just trust your own strengths. Show me what you got.”
I think the razor viper hide will make a cool handle for the blade I brought. Seems not to be so slick as to cause the blade to slip out of someone’s hand. The piece is too big, both too wide and too long. Folding it up made bulky patches. I see if I can use my hands to tear it.
Laslow just puts his hand on mine, stopping me. “You’re forgetting to use common sense.” He pulls out a fine small knife, wickedly curved almost to a U. He quickly cuts the hide to a square perfect for the handle of the blade. “You don’t need to swallow the melon in one bite. Though you still have to be careful about possibly making the material unusable. It is also possible to add more than an item can handle.”
“How can I tell?”
He taps the center of my head. “Look carefully and use this.”
I get a notification.
New skill: Crafting awareness.
Both pieces of hide still list as a crafting
material when I look at them. Looking at the blade, it has a new part to the description. Three slots available.
I wrap the handle with the razor skin. Perfect fit. I remember Mervlin working and our experiment. I need this to be more than just decorative. I try to use my will to combine Meld and True Nature together. A glow emanates from my hand as I grip the material to the hilt. Two chimes of +3xp rise up.
Laslow looks at me with a slight curve to his lips, “Seems like you won’t even need one of those enchanters ever. Milo’s never did tell me his secret. It’s because you’re a sorcerer, right? He’s the only sorcerer enchanter in their guild, and even he stays away from the others.”
“Yes, I can empower materials. Though I would be hard pressed to even cast another meld right now with how much energy that took.”
He pulls out two purplish vials of mana potion. “Show me.”
I drink, careful to brace myself, half expecting it to have the awful taste of the herb I’ve been chewing. Instead, it’s slightly minty, and I can feel my body get a little warmer. I pull out one of the raw gems.
He sighs, “Here, you can have my spare.” He hands me another copy of the small hooked blade.
Item acquired: Artificers blade.
I take it and move to cut one side, I expect resistance but get none. Cutting the stone is like slicing paper. Not wanting to mess up anything too bad, I end up making a cuboid by simply taking all the rough sides off. The gem slivers lost all crafting status. The end result is a simple red heart gem, as opposed to the raw one it was before. I set this one into the middle of the cross guard, hold it there, and I cast meld again with Laslow’s hands on top of mine. The enchantment fails, and I only use a little bit of mana. Laslow is disappointed. I don’t know if I just failed at casting it or I can’t empower an already empowered item. It has a new trait relating to the gem. I guess it is the fact it already had power. “We’ll try again.”
