by Phoenix Grey
To Azure's dismay, he wasn't the only person with the idea of foraging for easy money. All of the fields within close proximity to Squall's End seemed to be picked clean of sellable resources. Three hours of searching only netted him seven components which hardly seemed worth the effort. He did manage to level his Foraging skill, though.
Congratulations! The skill: Foraging has reached Level 7. Plants collected through foraging have a variety of uses. You can sell them, consume them, or use them to create potions through alchemy.
Azure sold his foraged alchemy components to a merchant close to the inn and then retired for the evening, desperately needing to recover his Stamina. Equally important was his need to assign his characteristic points and level a skill. Bringing up his character sheet, Azure looked for where improvement was needed, though he already knew where he would be placing his characteristic points.
Name: Azure
Race: Human
Level: 8, 4% of the way to next level
Health: 115 / 220
Mana: 210 / 210
Stamina: 48 / 220
Vitality: 14
Intelligence: 13
Strength: 14
Agility: 13
Dexterity: 12
Charisma: 10
Luck: 12
Skills: Archery Lvl 3; 80% of the way to next level
Stealth Lvl 3; 60% of the way to next level
Analyze Lvl 7; 53% of the way to next level
Cooking Lvl 5; 52% of the way to next level
Alchemy Lvl 3; 83% of the way to next level
Foraging Lvl 7; 0% of the way to next level
One-Handed Weapons Lvl 6; 10% of the way to next level
Tracking Lvl 1; 80% of the way to next level
Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 5; 0% of the way to next level
Fishing Lvl 1; 10% of the way to next level
Drinking Lvl 1; 10% of the way to next level
Languages: Common Tongue, Sprite, Goblin-Tongue
Adventurer Rank: E
Not being able to afford Potions of Minor Stamina and seeming to constantly run into situations where his Stamina was being depleted to nothing, Azure decided to put all three of his characteristic points into Strength. It might have been a dumb move, but he was just fed up.
Choosing which skill to level was a bit tougher. He was tempted to level up his Two-Handed Weapons skill, but he hadn't really enjoyed using the halberd, and he doubted that he'd feel more positively about any of the other two-handed weapons available in The Realm, though some of them looked super cool. Azure still remembered the big-ass longsword strapped to the Asshole Knight's back. It had been intimidating as hell. But he liked having his other hand free to dual wield or carry a shield.
With that thought in mind, the choice was obvious. Azure spent his skill leveling ability on his One-Handed Weapons skill.
Congratulations! The skill: One-Handed Weapons has reached Level 7. This skill enables you to use all manner of one-handed weapons to defeat enemies. What you do with your other hand is up to you.
Satisfied with his choices, Azure bedded down for the night. Though there was still plenty to worry about, his last thoughts were of Malina and her sweet smile.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE REALM – Day 50
Going to bed early had paid off. With his Stamina fully recovered, Azure was ready to face the day and whatever it might throw at him. His only concern was...where in the hell was Lonnell? The guy had been missing for days? Had he been kidnapped? Killed? Perhaps The Adventurers Guild would know, not that asking Mel would be a pleasant task. Still, Azure was really beginning to worry, and he would suffer the clerk's disdainful personality to find out what had happened to his friend.
With any luck, Lonnell had just dropped off his first quest and immediately took another one. He had seemed especially desperate to save up money. Whatever the case, he was missing out on what he'd paid for for the room. Which brought up another thought. If Lonnell wasn't staying in the room, did that mean he was going to skip out on next week's rent? If that ended up being the case, then Azure was screwed. He definitely wouldn't be able to afford an entire week's rent on his own. What would he do if that happened?
Trying not to think about it, Azure made his way to the place marked on his map where Valerio should be waiting for him. It was a small residence in the right-hand corner of Squall's End. Azure knocked on the door twice, and a voice inside called for him to wait. Only a few short minutes later, a man appeared to greet him.
Azure's smile faltered for a moment as he laid eyes on the squat human. He wasn't the same type of short as Bronna and her kin, but bowed with age, his back forming a severe arch that had him relying on a cane to keep standing. Valerio had to be pushing eighty. A long white beard hung from his neck, growing thinner at the end. Bushy white eyebrows sat over eyes so blind that they were nearly as white as milk. Several wisps of eyebrow hair fell into them. It irritated Azure and made him want to brush them away, but apparently, the old man couldn't feel them.
A fluffy gray dog pushed past Valerio's legs to get outside, its tail wagging.
“Max, you get back here!” Valerio called to the dog in a raspy voice even though Max was only about two feet away from him sniffing Azure's shoes.
The dog lifted its head, its too long fur bouncing over big brown eyes. Its tongue lolled out before it pushed past Valerio once more to go back inside the house.
“Good morning, sir,” Azure began. “I hope I didn't wake you. My name is Azure, and I'm from The Adventurers Guild, here to help you with your quest.” Ugh. He sounded like a solicitor. Was this what his life in The Realm had come to?
“Oh, goodie!” Valerio jumped in excitement the best his old bones would allow. “Let me get my coat, and I'll be right out.” He hobbled away from the door, leaving Azure standing in the street for a few moments before he returned.
The three made their way to the coast at a snail's pace thanks to Valerio's limited mobility. Conversation was light, mostly because Azure didn't feel like talking. He listened to Valerio go on and on about Max. Apparently, the old man had purchased him from a traveling merchant making all sorts of claims that Max was some wonder-beast, trained for both leading the blind and to sniff out treasure. In truth, the dog didn't look like anything special, and Azure voiced his skepticism. Thankfully, Valerio agreed with him. So far, he said that the mutt seemed nothing but addle-brained, barely even following his commands. That's why he had submitted the quest in the first place.
Azure sighed inwardly at the thought of the dog being a dud. If Max couldn't sniff out treasure, that meant Azure would waste an entire day for just the originally agreed upon compensation, a Quest Point (which was useless to him right now), and 50% of nothing. That would be bad. Perhaps if they spent an hour with no luck, Azure could convince Valerio to wrap the quest up early so that he could turn it in and take on another one.
They finally made it to the beach, and Max immediately took off toward the water, diving into the oncoming waves like he was the happiest dog in the world. Valerio tried to call him back to no avail. Azure let a smirk make it to his face as he watched the dog play in the water, but it quickly went away when Valerio scoffed and asked him to fetch Max.
The next ten minutes were spent with Azure chasing the dog, which by no means wanted to be caught. Thankfully, Max finally gave pause to sniff at something in the sand. When Azure saw the dog start to dig, he held his breath with hope. Maybe Max hadn't been such a waste of money after all.
“What's going on?” Valerio asked, his head moving from left to right searching for them.
“Looks like he found something,” Azure informed him with enthusiasm that quickly dissipated when the dog pulled a large clam from the hole.
“What is it?” The old man jumped excitedly.
Max dropped the clam and went back to playing in the water. Azure bent to pick it up, dusting it off before bringing it back to Valerio and handing it over. “It's just a cla
m.”
“Nice find, Max!” Valerio said to the dog, though he wasn't even looking in the right direction.
Is it? In truth, Azure knew nothing of the value of the item. “What are they used for?” he asked instead.
The old man jutted his head back as if Azure was stupid. “You cook with them, of course.”
Probably not much in the way of monetary value, he thought unhappily. Even worse, now that the dog had found something that made Valerio happy, Azure was likely stuck on the beach for at least another hour. Secretly, he hoped it was all that Max would find.
Thankfully, Valerio didn't expect Azure to rope Max in again, not that he'd been successful at it the first time around. As they slowly made their way along the coastline, Azure noticed that the dog seemed to have a pattern down. He'd play in the water for a while, then sniff at the shore, dig up some shell or sand dollar or starfish, and then head back into the waves for more fun. Every time he found something, Valerio squealed with glee. Azure inwardly sighed from the realization that he was stuck wasting his day for little pay. At least, he'd have enough to cover his portion of the rent after this.
A crab emerged from the waves, making a beeline for Max where he was digging. The dog turned to face it, his head popping up from the hole. He gave the crab a nervous look and started barking. This was entertainment for Azure.
“What's going on?” Valerio asked, a look of concern on his face.
“It's a crab. Apparently, it wants to duel Max,” Azure informed him with a smirk.
“Kill it quickly!” the old man said in a panic.
“Why?” Azure arched an eyebrow.
“That's what I'm paying you for, to protect my dog!” For the first time, anger seeped into Valerio's voice.
Apparently, the crab was a bigger threat than Azure knew. Not wanting to get chastised again, he drew his Crude Goblin Sword and dispatched of the creature with one downward stroke to its hard carapace. It crunched beneath the weight of his blade, which immediately made Azure hungry.
Defeated Level 1 Small Crab. 7XP rewarded.
“Did you kill it?” Valerio looked around aimlessly.
“It's dead.” Azure picked the crab up by one of its claws.
“Hand it over.” The old man gestured for the crab's lifeless body.
Azure did as he was told, and was surprised when Valerio stuck the entire thing in his bag. Shrugging it off, they went on with their business. Max continued to dig, and Azure protected him from the random crabs that would wonder ashore to attack the dog.
Max Analyzed as blue to Azure, as did the crabs. He could only assume that the dog was getting attacked because they were the same level. Valerio Analyzed as orange, which was probably why the crabs paid him no mind.
They were about two hours into treasure hunting when the dog finally found something interesting. At first, Azure thought that Max had come up empty-handed. He had done it a few times already, started digging a hole only to produce nothing. But this time, he dropped a small red gem at Azure's feet.
A thread of greed raced through him, and he briefly thought of lying to the old man about the find. Valerio was blind anyway, so what did it really matter if Azure swindled him.
Azure held the gem up to the light of the sun.
You have received the following item:
Small Uncut Ruby
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Jewelry Crafting
“What is it?” Valerio asked excitedly.
This seems pretty valuable. I could keep it for myself, and he'd be none the wiser. He bought himself a goldmine when he acquired Max, and he doesn't need the money like I do. Besides, no one is looking. It would be easy enough for me to pocket the ruby and say that the dog dug a dud again.
But Azure knew that was wrong, and he'd feel really fucking low if he robbed an old man. With a sigh, he passed the gem over. “It's a Small Uncut Ruby.”
His stomach sunk as the gem left his hand. There was no way the two of them could split it, so all Azure could hope was that Max would find another one or that Valerio would split the monetary value of the ruby with him. This was supposed to be a 50/50 deal, after all. He should at least be happy about that. The ruby alone had probably made it worth him taking on this quest.
The day progressed, and no other items of interest were found until shortly after noon. Max dug a hole and then abandoned it to go play in the ocean. Again, Azure had thought it was a dud until he looked inside of the hole and found a green bottle with a piece of rolled up parchment inside.
“What is it?” Valerio asked again. He said it so much that Azure was getting sick of it. It seemed like an automatic response every time the old man heard the dog's paws scratching in the sand.
“I don't know,” Azure confessed as he pulled the parchment out of the bottle and unrolled it. As soon as his eyes scanned across the paper, a notification popped up.
Quest: A Fate Worse Than Death
Cultists have taken up residence in Grayreach. Children are disappearing in the middle of the night with no explanation. The people are afraid. Come to Grayreach and investigate the disappearances.
Difficulty: Easy
Success: Meet up with Udele Stanley
Failure: Die
Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?
Azure brushed the notification away to read the rest of the note.
To whoever finds this letter,
My name is Udele Stanley, and I fear that there are foul deeds afoot in Grayreach. There are strange sounds coming from the cemetery at night and several children and law officials have gone missing. One of the children was my younger sister, Devondra. I have seen shady people lurking about; I'm almost certain that they're Cultists. Everyone is too scared to investigate, but I'm not. The only problem is that I'm not a fighter.
Our village is too poor to pay someone to come look into this threat, so I'm hoping that this message will make it into the hands of a charitable hero. Please come to Grayreach and help me solve this mystery. Many lives depend on it.
Sincerely,
Udele Stanley
"It's a quest," Azure told Valerio, surprised that he had found one like this.
"A quest? Oh bah." For the first time, the old man didn't sound happy. "You can have it." He waved the bottle away. "These old bones haven't quested in years, and they're not about to start back up now."
"Thanks," Azure replied, though it sounded more like a question than gratitude.
He brought up his World Map to see where Grayreach was, but apparently, a marker wouldn't display unless he accepted the quest. This particular quest promised no compensation. Unfortunately, Azure wasn't in a spot where he could afford to be a 'charitable hero.' For now, Grayreach would have to wait. Perhaps this would be a good way to test what would happen if a quest expired. From how the letter made it sound, if he didn't come to their aid, the people of Grayreach would eventually be completely wiped out by these Cultists.
You should put the quest back in the bottle and throw it back into the ocean, the angel on Azure's shoulder chimed in. That would be the right thing to do. Maybe another Adventurer with more money and free time will pick it up later. The people of Grayreach will be saved, and everyone will have a happy ending. But Azure had done his moral deed for the day by not lying to Valerio about the Small Uncut Ruby. And he really was curious to see what would happen to an urgent-sounding regular quest if he held onto it for a while. The bottle had been buried, so that probably meant that a lot of time had passed already.
Feeling a bit like an asshole, Azure pocketed the quest. Maybe if he somehow fell into riches and the quest hadn't expired, he'd make the trek to Grayreach.
As if the universe was punishing him for keeping the quest when he knew he couldn't immediately fulfill it, about an hour later, after Azure had stuck one of the crabs, he heard a snap followed by the notification:
Yo
ur Crude Goblin Sword has broken and is no longer useable.
Sure enough, the blade had snapped off right at the hilt, rendering the weapon useless. As soon as Azure noticed that, the sword crumbled into dust.
"Oh, what the hell?" he cursed.
"What happened?" Valerio asked, ambling up to him.
"My damn sword broke." Azure scowled.
"Ah. That's too bad. It's important to get your weapons repaired before their durability runs out; otherwise, you lose them entirely." He sounded sympathetic. "I do hope you have something else on you that you can use to fend off the crabs."
Usually, some over the counter medicated shampoo and a good shave will do it, Azure thought comedically, though a smirk never reached his face as his mind went back to the misfortune of his situation.
“I still have a dagger,” he informed Valerio, though he wasn't happy about having to use it. It would take more effort to bend and stab the crabs.
Just to be sure he wasn't being an idiot and about to lose yet another weapon, Azure brought up the item details for his dagger to check its durability.
Starter Dagger
Attack: +1-4
Type: One-Handed Weapon
Durability: 15/20
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0.4 kg
Good. It would be a while before he would need to repair it. Hopefully, by that time, he'd have something better to replace the Starter Dagger with.
