by Phoenix Grey
For some reason, he was embarrassed by his answer, having certainly not earned the sword in any heroic fashion. "I fished it up from Roselake."
The blacksmith's eyes widened. "Well, I'll be. You don't say. Maybe your luck is greater than a twelve after all."
"Maybe." Azure shrugged.
"It's got to be. That's a mighty fine sword. It was custom made here at this very forge when I was an apprentice. I remember Bergen bringing in the materials and barking at my master. He even skimped on the price. Not able to pay the full amount, he claimed he would come back after a quest or two. In good faith, my master accepted. That bastard started traveling to other towns just to get his armor and weapons serviced. I was never happier to hear that he had disappeared, assumed dead, and I'm glad to see that steel in better hands." Garion nodded down at the sword.
Better hands. That must mean he likes me, Azure thought with a sense of pride. It was important to him to be in good standing with the merchants around Squall's End. Even more so to be respected by them.
"I'll do my best to make good use of it," he said with a smile.
"Well, if you can't, I'll gladly buy it back from you for a fair price," the blacksmith offered.
Unable to stop the sliver of greed from slipping through, Azure asked, "What would you consider a fair price?"
Garion chuckled. "Well, considering that my master never got fully paid for forging it in the first place, I'd be willing to go up to three gold and five silver."
That hardly seemed worth it for a Legendary item. Azure thought about saying as much but refrained. The sword wasn't for sale anyway, no matter if the price was ten times that.
"Thanks for your time, Garion. Sorry I tried to keep you yesterday. I was just so excited to find out about the geode," Azure told him instead.
"Eh, don't worry about it." He waved Azure's apology away. "Just know from now on that if the door is locked, business is over for the day. I'm sure you feel the same way after you turn in a quest at The Adventurers Guild. No one likes to work late."
That was true, both now and in his old life.
With his business concluded, Azure decided to take his leave. It was going to be a long journey to the Crypt of the Mystic King, and daylight was wasting.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE REALM – Day 62
The walk was long, boring, and blessedly uneventful. Azure kept to the main road, reading the signs to various villages and small towns when the road forked this and that way as he went. Knowing he would likely eventually see most of these places was exhilarating. In truth, Azure loved exploring, but there was no time for it now. He needed to finish this quest and get back to Hawking's so he could continue his lessons. The next spell he definitely wanted to learn was Grease.
Azure had just left the main road when it began getting dark. He refused to be taken unaware by nighttime creatures again, stopping early to make camp. Starting a fire was easy now that he had oil and a flint. Briefly, he wondered why he had even bothered buying the bolt of linen cloth. If he wasn't going to walk at night, then there was no point in making a torch. Money wasted, he thought, then reconsidered when he realized that he would likely use the materials later.
As the sun set, Azure settled down and ate one of the sardines he had leftover from his Adventurers Guild Prerequisite Quest. It was a meager meal, and he had half a mind to eat another before he stopped himself.
Damn, I've gotten spoiled staying at the inn.
Three square meals a day, if he'd been available for them. Mind you, they were mostly all the same. Eggs and bacon or flavorless porridge for breakfast. Usually some type of stew for lunch and dinner served with a piece of bread to sop up the juices. The cooks at Squall's End didn't seem to differentiate between the two meals, but their portion sizes were generous enough. Although the inn wouldn't be winning any Michelin Stars, Azure rarely left the place wanting more.
Even after eating the sardine, his stomach gurgled greedily. “Simmer down.” He patted his wanton belly. “You can survive a day or two on less than usual.”
As darkness fell, the forest came alive with sounds. Azure crept closer to the fire and drew the Bergen's Glaive, laying it beside him. After being attacked by bats both in the lesser demon's dungeon and on the open road, he had grown familiar with their screeches and the flapping of their wings. Near the fire though, nothing seemed brave enough to approach.
Perhaps it was because he was so close to the crypt, but Azure was almost positive he heard ghostly wails as well. There was something off about this area. Something he didn't like. Something that kept him awake all night long despite the fact that he never suffered an attack.
Breaking down camp the next morning was a slog, as was trekking the remainder of the way to the crypt, though he was able to do some foraging along the way.
You have harvested: Fireweed Uses: Alchemy component
You have harvested: Wild Onion Uses: Alchemy component, Restores +5 HP if eaten
You have harvested: Blue Mushroom Uses: Alchemy component, Restores +10 MP if eaten
It blew Azure's mind that Wild Onions gave him more of an HP boost than fish. Then again, herbs were used for Alchemy and fish was used for...nourishment. Nope, still didn't make sense to him.
Now that he could cast spells, the Blue Mushrooms he gathered would be of more use since they gave +10 MP. It was a pretty decent amount of recovery.
Congratulations! The skill: Foraging has reached Level 8. Plants collected through foraging have a variety of uses. You can sell them, consume them, or use them to create potions through alchemy.
All in all, Azure was able to gather five Fireweed, nine Wild Onions, and ten Blue Mushrooms. It was clear by how plentiful resources were in this area that it was scarcely traveled. With that thought, Azure had half a mind to spend the rest of the day foraging once he cleared the poison puddles.
It took a few hours to reach the area marked on his map. As Azure began to approach, he noticed a change in the forest. The foliage began to grow sparser, and there was a strangely pungent scent in the air, like decaying cut wet grass. Even before Azure broke into the clearing where the crypt was located, he came across his first puddle of poison.
True to the nature of video game mechanics, it was slime green and spread across a good several feet, blocking the game trail he'd been traveling down. As if to prove that it wasn't safe to cross, there was the corpse of a hare that had managed to hop two-thirds of the way through it before keeling over. Its expression was locked in a mix of pain and disgust. Partly, Azure felt sorry for the creature. The other part of him thought it should have known better. This was Darwinism at work.
“Well, better get to it,” he told himself, rolling up his imaginary sleeves to start the job.
Azure clenched his fist and closed his eyes, fascinated by the feeling of Mana flowing through him. Unlike with fighting the large crayfish, he had time to concentrate on channeling his energy. When Azure opened his hand, he did his best to send a steady spray of dirt out, covering the poison as accurately as possible. The flow wasn't as forced this time, and the duration of the spell seemed to last longer. He liked the precision of it.
After completely covering the puddle, Azure tested the effectiveness of his spell by carefully placing his foot over where the green ooze had been. The ground seemed sturdy, though it was evident by the shape of it that this was not a natural occurrence. Should an enemy pass by, they'd likely know that magic was afoot. That would be a good thing to keep in mind if he ever did have to cast the spell in enemy territory.
With the current threat abated, Azure cautiously traversed the covered puddle and continued on his way. Once past it, the forest seemed to open up into a new landscape. This place was clearly ancient. A stone temple of sorts stood, though that word is used lightly. Corroded by time, a good portion of it was crumbling. The entrance was barely accessible thanks to the structure having caved, and it was pitch black inside. Vines climbed up the side of it, and the
stone steps leading to it had been cracked by grass and other greenery forcing its way through.
Elise had been right. For whatever reason, there were a bunch of poison puddles surrounding the area. Judging by how non-strategically they were placed, Azure could only assume that the poison was bubbling up from the crypt itself.
There were eight puddles in total, not including the one he had just covered. While the quest had only been for Azure to get rid of five, most likely meaning the ones directly blocking the path and those around it, he decided to take care of them all. Doing so consumed about two hours and drained his Mana down to 60 points. Unlike from losing a lot of Stamina or Health though, Azure didn't feel weak or depleted at all.
Congratulations! The skill: Land Magic has reached Level 2. This skill allows you to harness the power of rocks, dirt, and the native flora and trees to aid you in battle. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more spells of the same magic type.
Curious about what would happen if he drained all of his Mana, Azure cast Dirty Move in a random direction, knowing that he wouldn't gain any experience points from it without a valid target. He did this until his Mana fell to zero. Even with his Mana entirely depleted, he didn't feel any different. For the sake of experimentation, Azure waited for his cooldown period to pass and then tried again. This time, he didn't feel the Mana welling up inside of him to bring the spell to fruition. He was just empty. Normal. There was nothing to draw from.
Azure hummed in interest, reaching into his Bag of Holding for two Blue Mushrooms. While he was no longer in need of Mana, since his task was complete, it made him uncomfortable to be completely drained. The mushrooms tasted like a mix of button mushrooms and blueberries, savory and bitter with a sweet finish. They weren't horrible, but he couldn't imagine ever wanting to make a snack out of them.
Since there was still a good amount of daylight left, Azure took a different path through the forest back toward Hawking's to forage some more, managing to collect eleven more Fireweed and Wild Onions respectively, and one more Blue Mushroom.
You have harvested: Fireweed Uses: Alchemy component
You have harvested: Wild Onion Uses: Alchemy component, Restores +5 HP if eaten
You have harvested: Blue Mushroom Uses: Alchemy component, Restores +10 MP if eaten
Now that he actually had a use for the fungus, The Realm didn't seem to want to provide it. That was annoying considering that it was what he was hoping to find the most of. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE REALM – Day 64
“Your puddle problem is no more!” Azure announced when he arrived for his appointment with Elise two days later. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt like a Depends infomercial.
“Excellent.” She took the quest sheet and stamped the word 'Complete' on it.
Congratulations! Magic School Quest: Clear a Path has been completed.
Those poison puddles were no match for your Dirty Move spell. The expeditioners no longer have to fear traversing the area around the Crypt of the Mystic King. You have earned 135XP.
At least he had earned some XP from the quest, Azure thought happily. It had been a good morning so far. Breakfast at the inn had been exceptionally tasty. The weather was good. And he was about to learn his next spell.
“I want to learn Grease next,” he told Elise before she had a chance to offer him his choices.
She smiled at him, pulling out the scroll and handing it over.
You have received the following item:
Spell Scroll: Grease
Quantity: 1/1
Weight: 0 kg
Mana Cost: 10
Range: 40 feet
Cool Down: Three Minutes
Magic Class: Land
Uses: Creates an oily surface 6 feet in radius.
"Let's get to it," he urged her along, standing in preparation to go outside.
"You seem to be in a hurry today," she mused.
"In a hurry to learn more magic." Azure beamed at his teacher.
They went outside to the same place where Azure had learned Dirty Move. The process was identical to before. Elise had Azure kneel to set the scroll on the ground and press his palm against it. The essence of the land flowed through him, and he said the words needed to cement the spell into his soul. When he was finished, a notification appeared.
Congratulations! You have learned the land spell: Grease. This spell does more than just create a barrier between you and your enemies. It can also be used on door hinges, to help start a fire, and to make machinery run more smoothly.
Several minutes later, they were back inside Elise's office, and Azure was watching her sort through her stack of quests while he thought about the notification. He hadn't considered using the spell for anything other than what he'd already seen in combat. It was interesting to know that it could serve other purposes.
“Ah, here we go.” Elise took a paper from the stack and slid it over to him.
Magic School Quest: A Well-Oiled Machine
Hawking's has a contract with the gnomes of Oxbell. Known as famous tinkerers, the school is supplying grease to them in exchange for meeting their mechanical needs as they arise. Travel to Oxbell and fill five barrels.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Success: Fill five barrels
Failure: Cancel quest
Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?
'Yes,' Azure thought, sending the notification away. When he checked his World Map for the location, he gasped. “This place has to be over a thousand miles away.” The marker was at the very bottom of his map.
“It is a distance,” Elise agreed. “You can either go on foot or buy Teleportation Prisms from the school store and use those to fast travel.”
“How much do Teleportation Prisms cost?” he asked, knowing they likely wouldn't be cheap.
“Seven gold each, and you'll need two to get there and back.”
“Fourteen gold!” Azure thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.
“That's actually cheap,” the dwarf informed him. “It would typically take four Teleportation Prisms for round-trip travel, but since this is a magic school quest, we provide two prisms free of charge.”
How generous, Azure wanted to say out of sarcasm, but he bit his tongue, instead deciding to delve into the math of the situation. It would take him about a month and a half to travel one way. He'd earned far more than fourteen gold in way less time than that. After crunching the numbers, it made more sense for him to quest or fish for the Teleportation Prisms.
"All right," he said with a sigh. "It looks like I'm not going to be completing this quest anytime soon."
"That's fine." Elise was totally unsympathetic to his plight. "We send students that way all the time, so it's not like there's any urgency. You can make the trip at your leisure."
As Azure left Hawking's, he couldn't help but wonder if he would have been assigned an easier quest if he'd chosen to learn Woodflesh first instead of Grease. Whatever the case, it would be a while before he'd learn the answer to that.
Once more diverting to Roselake, Azure attempted to spend the rest of the day fishing. He'd had excellent luck with it so far, so it seemed more time efficient than taking on a quest from The Adventurers Guild. But after only two hours and two catches, he ran out of bait. His first catch was a piece of trash, and the other was a fish. No monsters to test his new spell on or rare items to earn him good coin.
You have received the following item:
Smallmouth Bass
Level: 2
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Length: 38.1 cm
Weight: 0.72 kg
Uses: Cooking, Restores +2 HP if eaten
Disappointed, Azure took his catch and returned to Squall's End. It was probably for the best. His Starter Pole's durability was getting low, so even if he hadn't run out of bait, he might not have been able to fish
all afternoon before he would have needed to bring it in for repair.
Finding the fishmonger, Azure traded in the Smallmouth Bass for six copper, which hardly seemed fair since it was a Level 2 fish. He fell into a deficit when he spent six silver for six Boxes of Basic Bait. Then Azure ended up parting with two more silver to have Garion repair his Starter Pole. Wasn't he supposed to be making money, not spending it? Just this one shopping trip for fishing supplies had rendered him almost one gold poorer. Hopefully, he could make it back soon.
After the stress of the day's events, Azure desperately needed a drink. While he hated the idea of spending even more money, he couldn't resist dropping two copper at the tavern for a beer.
You have received the following item:
Pint of Beer
Quantity: 1/1
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 1.0 kg
Uses: Makes your worries feel less harrowing.
Effects: Increases strength by 3% for one hour
Decreases attack of all weapons and magic by 20% for one hour
Decreases Agility, Dexterity, Charisma, and Luck by 3 point for one hour
But one beer proved not to be enough, turned into two beers, turned into three. The last thing he remembered was stumbling up to his room.
Azure awoke the next morning with a splitting headache and a blinking light in the corner of his peripheral vision. Focusing on it brought up a notification.
