The Adventurers Guild
Page 5
As predicted, stabbing the crabs with the dagger was a real pain in the ass. The blade wasn't as heavy, so Azure had to put more weight into his attacks. Also, the attack power of the weapon was less, so he ended up having to stab each crab twice instead of just once. Azure made a mental note to buy a new sword once he got back into town, even if it ended up being a cheapie.
The last item of interest wasn't found until the sun was beginning to set. After digging another hole, Max trotted over and dropped a ring at Azure's feet. It had a gold band and a milky-blue gem in the shape of a crescent.
You have received the following items:
Lunar Ring
Defense: +20
Intelligence: +2
Durability: 12/15
Item Class: Rare
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Wow! Very nice.
Another tendril of greed snaked through Azure as he thought about keeping the ring. Given its great stats, surely this was a high-value item. He'd already done one good deed and one bad deed today. Would pocketing the ring give him more bad luck?
As now seemed customary, the old man asked, “What is it?”
The phrase had played on repeat so many times that Azure now cringed whenever Valerio said it. It reminded him of standing too close to an NPC in one of the games he used to play where they would repeat the same line over and over again every few seconds. Most of the time, he would just move away if he got too annoyed, but that wasn't exactly an option now.
"It's a ring," he confessed with an inward sigh. Damn that angel on his shoulder for winning this one.
"A ring?" The old man's head jutted back as if he was surprised by the news. "Let me see."
Azure handed the ring over, and Valerio held it up to his face as if he were looking at it. Then he grunted and placed it in his bag.
They moved on.
The torrent of crabs attacking Max seemed almost endless, acting as more of an annoyance than anything else. Each time Azure killed one, Valerio placed the body in his bag.
"We should head back," Azure said when it started getting late.
"Is the sun down yet?" Valerio tilted his head to look up at the sky.
"Just about." Azure gazed up with him, making a visor with his hand to block out the harmful rays.
"Let me know when it's down, and we'll head back." The old man continued down the shoreline.
Azure paused for a moment before jogging after him, not that he had far to go. “You wouldn't happen to know what kind of monsters come out at night?” The memory of nearly being killed by the Bats and Shadowling was still fresh.
"Naga. But there's no need to worry about that. We'll be gone before they surface."
Not if we don't start heading back like...ten minutes ago, Azure thought as he cast a glance in the direction of Squall's End.
Valerio held his hand up to curb Azure's concern. “Worry not, young Adventurer. I have Teleportation Prisms.”
Was that supposed to mean something to him? Azure knew what teleportation was. It was common in most of the games he'd played before. He could only assume that whatever Valerio was talking about would get them back to Squall's End quickly.
Deciding to trust the old man, they continued on until it was almost too dark to see. When Azure began to lose track of Max, he told Valerio that it was definitely time for them to go.
The old man stepped up close to him, pulling two small prisms from his bag. They appeared to be made of glass, clear with faintly-glowing fibers running through them every which way. One was purple, and the other was green. Valerio handed the green one to Azure, and a notification popped up.
You have received the following item:
Teleportation Prism
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Rare
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Teleports user from one location to another. You must have two Teleportation Prisms of the same type for this to work.
Azure marveled at the item. With an Item Class of Rare, there was no doubt that the Teleportation Prism was worth a lot. He had half a mind to tell Valerio he would just walk the rest of the way if the old man would let him keep the prism. Though, judging by the description of the item, it might have less value if he only had the one.
"Are you ready to go?" Valerio asked him.
Azure hesitated, not wanting to sound stupid. “How do we use these?”
"You simply crush it in your palm, and it will teleport you back to my place."
"What about Max?" He looked over at the dog still sniffing around the beach.
"Max is soulbound, so he will automatically teleport with me."
At least that meant Azure wasn't going to have to chase the hyper beast down.
"All right. I think I'm ready."
He waited for Valerio to go first. There was a cracking sound as the old man crushed the Teleportation Prism in his palm. Purple sparks rose from his hand, and then Valerio began to distort. It was as if the prism was sucking him into it. His body contorted and swirled and then disappeared. Only a sparkling of purple dust was left behind. Oddly, Max had just straight up vanished. No theatrics.
Azure inhaled deeply. While Valerio hadn't cried out in pain, it looked like teleporting wouldn't be comfortable. He couldn't imagine how he would feel when his body began to swirl in on itself. Maybe he should have asked the old man about that―if it hurt―but he honestly had had no idea what to expect.
"Okay, Azure, you've got this," he gave himself a quick pep talk.
For some reason, the thought of using the prism filled him with irrational fear. If anything, Azure should be thrilled to have his hands on this type of magic. It seemed powerful and super cool.
He took a deep breath, but every time he closed his palm and began to apply pressure to the prism, he stopped himself. It wasn't until Azure heard a disturbance in the water that he felt the urge to get on with it. His eyes darted in the direction that the sound had come from. Something was making its way ashore. A humanoid torso that slithered up onto the sand. Analyzing the figure showed that it was a higher level than Azure. He crushed the Teleportation Prism in his palm with no further hesitation.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE REALM – Day 50
For as much as he had feared the agony of his body twisting into an unnatural position, teleporting felt like nothing at all. Azure simply blinked out of existence for a second and then opened his eyes to find himself inside of Valerio's house. He patted himself down to make sure he hadn't lost any body parts along the way, exhaling a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding.
Valerio laughed a few feet away. Though he couldn't see Azure, he must have sensed his relief. “First time teleporting, I presume. You must not have been at adventuring for very long.”
"You're only my third quest from The Adventurers Guild," Azure confessed.
"I figured out you weren't very experienced when you didn't know to attack the crabs."
Azure's eyes wandered past Valerio, and for the first time, he took in his surroundings. The old man must be wealthy, because this was as close to a modern domicile that Azure had seen since meeting Enno Berkeley, the renowned angler from his prerequisite quest with The Adventurers Guild. Ornate furniture circled the room—plush chairs and polished tables with various trinkets atop them. Shelves lined the walls, filled with treasures. Azure's mouth dropped open in awe looking at it all.
"Ah, and now that is the sound of someone who is impressed," Valerio said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to linger. It's rare that I let anyone come in here. You can surely understand."
He definitely could. This place was like a treasure vault. If Azure were a villain, robbing Valerio would be at the top of his list of priorities. Still, he was sad that he wouldn't be able to take a gander at the museum of artifacts, expensive weapons, and priceless gems. No wonder the old man had wanted a treasure sniffing dog. Collecting things appeared to be
his life's work.
"Well, I guess I'll be off then." Azure glanced back as he walked toward the door, trying to take it all in while he could. "Is it safe to assume that you'll turn in my half of the loot to The Adventurers Guild so that I can pick it up tomorrow?"
"It is." Valerio nodded.
"Excellent. I'll look forward to collecting." His eyes fell to Max who was wagging his tail, still looking like there wasn't a brain in his head. "You got a good deal on that dog. How much did he cost?"
"You don't even want to know," the cheer dropped from Valerio's voice. "It will probably take a few months for me to earn the coin back that I spent on him."
"Damn. That's one expensive dog." And he wasn't even purebred. "What would you have done if he hadn't been able to sniff out treasure?"
"I still would have kept him. I'm getting old and needed a companion anyway."
Azure would have hunted the guy down who had sold the dog to him and gotten his money back. From the way Valerio was making it sound, Max had cost him the equivalent of several thousand dollars.
"Well, have a good night." Azure waved over his shoulder as he left, not remembering that Valerio couldn't see him until the door was already shut.
He sighed, taking in a breath of the town's pungent air. Sometimes, he was used to the smell of piss and squalor. Other times, it got to him. Being near the ocean all day seemed to have revitalized his sense of smell. The scent of Squall's End was particularly unpleasant tonight.
Exhausted from his day spent on the beach, Azure made his way back to the inn, hoping that Lonnell would be there. No luck. The room was empty as usual.
Azure settled on the bed and closed his eyes, looking forward to getting to The Adventurers Guild early in the morning to see what loot he had acquired from his treasure hunting quest with Valerio. Fantasizing about all of the riches kept Azure from getting a night of restful sleep.
He made it to The Adventurers Guild the next morning before it had even opened, managing to be the second person in line. Sauntering up to the E counter when it was his turn, Azure slapped down the quest, looking at Mel with a grin.
"You sure seem chipper today," the clerk told him, clearly not reflecting his good mood.
"I'm hoping that this one will pay off."
"Hm. Let's see what you got here." Mel slid the paper over and gave it a look. Then he stamped the word 'Complete' on it and went to the back to retrieve Azure's reward.
Congratulations! Quest: A Treasure Sniffing Dog has been completed.
It turns out that Valerio didn't get swindled after all. Max is, in fact, a legit treasure sniffing dog. Valerio will reap the rewards of his purchase for years to come and wants to show you his gratitude. You have earned 4 silver, 5 copper, 1 Quest Point, and 120XP.
Mel picked a box up and set it on the counter before pushing it over toward Azure.
Azure looked inside, and his eyes bulged. “That is a lot of stuff. I don't think I have enough inventory slots.” He would have felt panic if not for seeing the ring at the bottom of the box. The ruby wasn't there, but that no longer mattered. Valerio had treated him fairly.
“You have hands, don't you?” Mel gave him an annoyed look.
"I'm going to have to sort through this." Azure pulled the box closer, organizing the items as quickly as possible in hopes that he wouldn't draw too much of the clerk's ire. There were already four people lined up behind him. The longer he took to go through the box, the longer they'd all have to wait, and the more pissed off that everyone would be.
You have received the following items:
Crab
Quantity: 20/20
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Cooking. Cannot be eaten raw.
Cowrie
Quantity: 2/2
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Loot. Sell for coin.
Pearl
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Uncommon
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Jewelry Crafting
Sand Dollar
Quantity: 3/3
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Loot. Sell for coin.
Scallop
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Cooking, Restores +2 HP if eaten
Whelk
Quantity: 5/5
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Loot. Sell for coin.
Starfish
Quantity: 2/2
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Loot. Sell for coin.
Oyster
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Uses: Cooking, Restores +5 HP if eaten, Increases Charisma by +2 for ten minutes
Lunar Ring
Defense: +20
Intelligence: +2
Durability: 12/15
Item Class: Rare
Quality: Average
Weight: 0 kg
Azure wanted to be in awe of all of the stuff, but he didn't have time. As quickly as he could, he slipped the ring onto his finger. Then he placed the Crabs, Whelks, and Sand Dollars into his bag, conceding to carry everything else. By the time he was done, Mel was already pushing quest sheets toward him.
“I think I'm going to hold off for now,” he told the clerk, hoping that he'd earn enough from the items to take a small break and explore other income making opportunities outside of The Adventurers Guild such as fishing and foraging.
Mel gave him a strange look. “Are you sure? You know you're going to have to get back in line if you come back.”
“I'm sure.” Azure took his loot and left the E line, heading for the door.
If there was one thing he now knew, it was that he desperately needed a bag with more inventory slots. The bag Azure had on him currently only had twelve slots, three of which had been available before the quest, and he had received nine items. Thoughts of the Bag of Holding flashed through his mind again, but he wasn't about to drop that much money on a bag when he still wanted to go to magic school.
Azure glanced at Malina's cart as he stepped out of The Adventurers Guild. She smiled at him in greeting, and he did the same back, feeling a bit guilty that he wasn't going to be doing business with her today. It would be easier for him to offload the items somewhere that he could also make a purchase.
He looked around for a merchant that had a variety of bags on display. Azure poured his items out on top of the cart, everything but the ring, and the merchant began sorting through them. The sum earned from his haul was three gold, two silver, and six copper.
For the first time in a while, Azure felt wealthy. All of his stress over barely having enough money to pay his share of the rent faded at that moment. Even if Lonnell didn't come back, he'd be able to afford to get by for another week.
Thank you, Valerio Smyth!
"How much is this worth?" Azure asked as he pulled the Lunar Ring from his finger. He didn't really have any intentions of selling it and was mostly just curious.
The man picked the ring up and held it to the light, turning it before placing it back on top of his cart. “Five gold.”
Hot damn! If he sold the Lunar Ring, he'd even be able to afford his first class at magic school. Azure felt his stomach ball with tension at the thought of parting with such a valuable item. It gave him some really good stat boosts. If he weren't in constant danger from his adventuring, there would be no question about selling the ring. But somehow, he felt like he needed it.
Pushing back his greed, Azure looked to the merchant's wares. “What kin
d of bags do you have for sale?”
As with everything in The Realm, nothing was cheap. The next bag up from what Azure was carrying cost eight gold. Upgrading wasn't going to happen unless Azure sold the Lunar Ring. And while he was tempted, the bag wasn't a necessity, just a want.
Instead, he tried to clear out as much from his inventory as he could"things that weren't immediately necessary to him. Azure tossed the List of Courses from Hawking's. He sold The Tale of Enzio Huxley for one copper (the same amount he had paid for it) and the eight Giant Wasp Wings that he had forgotten to sell to Malina the day before for six copper a piece, which brought in an extra four silver and eight copper. That cleared up half of his inventory slots and made him feel better about not leaving with the bag.
Azure left the merchant and went to seek out the blacksmith. He had his own shop against the left wall of Squall's End. The sound of a hammer clinking as it pounded hot metal could be heard from outside, and there was a sign hanging from a post that had an anvil on it.
Azure entered to the smell of fire and steel. Several blades hung on the walls, no doubt ready to be sold. A few were ornate with expertly crafted pommels, but most were plain. He hoped that meant they'd be in his price range, but you never knew with these kinds of things. Shields of various forms and metal leaned against another wall, and there were pieces of armor strewn across a table to the far right of the building.
"Hi there," Azure said, drawing the blacksmith's attention.
The man stood and wiped his brow. His bald head was heavily beaded with sweat. It rolled down his cheeks into his orange mutton chops. Ice blue eyes looked up at Azure, firm at first with concentration but then softening when the man realized he had a customer. At his full height, the blacksmith was close to seven feet tall. He was thick with muscle, his soot-covered biceps bulging from working the forge all day. The sleeveless vest he wore showed off the definition gained from his profession. It also showed the scars from cuts and burns he'd received along the way.