Tinker, Tailor, Giant, Dwarf ( LitRPG Series): Difficulty:Legendary Book 2

by Gregg Horlock

  Dire Boar – Level 13

  HP: 750 / 750

  Strength: Bloodlust

  Weakness: Projectiles

  Appraiser of Men increased by 25% (50% to next level)

  If the Dire Boar’s weakness was projectiles, then we needed an archer. For some reason, although they were thrown, bombs weren’t classed as projectiles. We had to use something else. I could have thrown my dagger at it, but it would have been as much good as tossing a handful of mud. I opened my inventory.

  Cloth Shirt x1

  Cloth Boots x1

  Leather Armour x1

  Sharpened Dagger x1

  Mushrooms x15

  ** Rare Item [unidentified] x1

  Fire Resistant Gloves x1

  Bomb Casings x20

  Bombs [standard] x3

  Gunpowder x20

  Fuse x20

  Screws x15

  Back in Dry Gulch, Smoglar had asked me to hold onto some screws for him whilst his inventory was full. The dwarf had planned on utilising them to create iron armour, but I realised that the screws would have a better use. The boar roared at us again, and I knew that I needed to work quickly.

  I closed my eyes. I opened a bomb casing and poured gunpowder into it, but this time I held some back. I tipped 3 screws into the space that was left, and then I crossed my fingers as I closed the casing. It would all rest on this, and it had to work. I had a theory, but theories didn’t always go the way you planned.

  As the casing closed, the bomb held firm. This was going to work! I inserted a fuse. I looked at Brian and saw that he was smiling at me.

  “Keep going,” he said.

  As the Dire Boar snorted and then charged at us, I lit the fuse. The flames sparkled down it, and just as it reached the casing, I threw the bomb into the path of the animal. It exploded, but it wasn’t just gunpowder this time. The screws flew out and dug deep into the boar’s hide. It reared back and then grunted in pain. I watched with a smile as its HP dropped below halfway.

  The boar recovered from its injury and ran at me, battering my stomach with its head. I felt my breath get sucked out of me, and I doubled over in pain as my HP bar dropped.

  “Come here little pig,” said Brian, moving away. “I smell bacon.”

  As the giant drew the beast away from me I assembled another screw bomb. With the fuse lit and the bomb ready to throw, I shouted at Brian.

  “Stand back,” I said.

  “We’re in a party,” answered Brian, dodging the charge of the boar. “Your bombs won’t hurt me. Throw it.”

  I took a deep breath, steadied my aim, and then launched it. The bomb exploded underneath the Dire Boar. The animal squealed in agony and then fell on the floor, its health bar empty.

  Level Up to level 9!

  Exp to next level: 128

  Bomb Maker perk increased by 25% (50% to level 2)

  There are few things more satisfying than seeing a plan work, and I could tell by Brian’s grin that he was happy with my progress. This was big, I knew. Making bombs was one thing, but if I could infuse them with other materials, then the possibilities were endless. I hesitated to admit it even to myself, but I was starting to like being a Tinker.

  With the smell of burnt meat lingering in the air, I spent my 2 stats points, increasing my intelligence to 9 and my charisma to 8. With each improvement in intelligence, I knew my focus would get better. In turn, this would make my hands steadier when I assembled bombs.

  Brian picked up the Dire Bore meat. He tossed the skin to me. When the animal corpse evaporated, he looked at me. His expression was grim.

  “We better go. There might be more of them.”

  “I’ve got plenty of screws,” I said.

  “It was a good idea, Janus. It was a lesson I was hoping you’d learn. But the Dire Boar shouldn’t have been here. We’re not too far away from the newbie village, and the monsters here shouldn’t be so tough. Things are changing, I think. Let’s get back to Dry Gulch.”

  As we walked back toward the town, I was glad to leave the marsh behind me. My feet were soaked from standing in the wet mud, and I felt a chill across my chest. Brian walked beside me but didn’t seem in the mood to talk.

  Rather than try to tease conversation from him, I decided it was time to take stock of my goals. Since entering the game there were a few things I wanted to do, and it was time to get organised about it.

  The first thing that came to mind was the most impossible of all my goals. This was a quest for revenge, but one that was way beyond me at this point. I needed to kill Herelius Rouge, the high-level leader of the Serpent guild. On my first playthrough, instead of spawning in the newbie village I had mistakenly spawned in the far reaches of the map. There, I had stumbled upon Herelius and his friends in a cave. The warrior, over a hundred levels above me, had murdered me on sight.

  Quest Received – Kill Herelius Rouge.

  Reward: Quests generated by the player do not carry rewards. Besides, revenge is its own reward.

  This was good. If I could make my own quests then it would be easier to keep track of them, which was handy since I was adding new goals to my playthrough every day. This quest was a lofty one, though, and it would be a long time before I was strong enough to complete it.

  My other goals were slightly more attainable, but still tough. First, I needed to earn enough CR to pay off my parents’ mortgage. They had saved up their hard-earned CR to buy me a login to the game, and I needed to repay them.

  Next, I had to find my brother. Thomas had entered the game a few years ago, and neither my parents nor I had heard from him since. In truth, I didn’t know if he was even still playing. The thing was, if he had died in-game, then I was sure he’d have come back home.

  Next, I needed to learn my 3rd ability. I already had Snake Tongue and Appraiser of Men, which left me with 1 remaining ability slot, and I had to fill it with something good. Moving on from that, I also had to master the Tinker class. It wasn’t the most combat driven class, but it had potential. If I was to kill Herelius, I had to learn how to master what I had been given.

  This left just one more goal – to get revenge on Reebus. She was a mage who I had met in Blundow, and she had tricked and betrayed me more times than I liked to admit. The truth was that I had been stupid back in the newbie village, but the important thing was that I had learned from it.

  With my quests decided, I watched as they were entered into my log.

  Quest Added: Earn Enough CR to Pay Off Your Parents’ Mortgage

  Quest Added: Find Your Brother

  Quest Added: Learn Your 3rd Ability

  Quest Added: Master the Tinker Class

  Quest Added: Get Revenge on Reebus

  A long road lay ahead of me, but I was filled with energy. I knew that I would only get one chance in the game, and I would make sure that I made the most of it.

  Brian and I walked on in silence, leaving the mist of the marshes behind us. Gradually the town of Dry Gulch loomed into view, and I saw smoke drift from the chimney of the tavern. A man led a horse by the reigns and walked away from the town gates, before joining a path that led to the world map.

  As we got nearer, I saw that a crowd of people had gathered in the centre of the town. We walked closer still, and I noticed that some of the people were pointing. They looked angry, and it seemed like they were shouting at someone, though I couldn’t see who.

  “For God’s sake Smoglar,” said Brian, picking up his pace.

  The giant took long strides across the field until he reached the town gates. By the time I joined him, I saw what had annoyed him.

  NPCs stood in a circle in the centre of the town. They held weapons in their hands, and their faces were red with anger. In the centre of them was Smoglar. He clutched his axe and looked ready to fight.

  Chapter Three

  Dry Gulch was once a fertile farm town called Strathgarth. During the Nine Month Summer, the town suffered a drought. Try as they might the farmers could n
ot save their crops, and most were forced to leave. Some stubborn families stayed on, but within a year all were dead.

  With the Nine Month Summer gone, a man named Gerug Gulch stumbled upon the deserted town and decided to take it as a settlement of his own. Despite his efforts, he was not able to get anything to grow in the dry fields, and thus he named the town after himself.

  Through smart trading and making deals with other towns, Gulch was able to buy enough food for the settlement to survive. Some say the town will flourish in the long-foretold Ten Year Spring, but others believe that it will merely wither and die.

  Dismissing the message, I looked ahead of me and saw Smoglar stood in the centre of the town with a furious mob surrounding him. I hadn’t talked with many of the NPCs here yet, but I recognised the owner of the tavern.

  Smoglar’s anvil was next to him, but his materials and tools were scattered on the floor. The dwarf held his axe tightly in his hand and looked around, giving a stern glare at any NPC who dared meet his gaze. I had seen this look on Smoglar’s face before, and it was one I recognised all too well; he was ready for a fight.

  Brian broke through the lines of the mob until he stood next to Smoglar. He stared at the tavern owner.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  A man stepped forward. He had two bags slung around his neck, and a coin purse on his belt.

  “He came to me to buy copper, then said I was overcharging him. He tried to barter me down, but when I refused, he pulled his axe. Next thing I know the dwarf’s threatening to fight us all.”

  “We don’t need this in Dry Gulch,” shouted the tavern owner. “We’re a peaceful town, but we won’t let you walk all over us.”

  A few NPCs nodded in ascent. I could tell from their faces that they were ready to fight for each other if it came to that. I knew that I was also prepared to battle. After everything Brian and Smoglar had done for me, I’d fight until the end for them.

  I focussed on the men and women surrounding us. Two of them stood out as the strongest.

  Renor Yates – Tavern Owner, Level 5

  HP: 105 / 105

  Tristan Greene – Merchant, Level 4

  HP: 123 / 123

  Appraiser of Men increased by 25% (25% to Level 2)

  As I scanned the crowd I saw that most of them were at a similar level. One on one, even I could take them in a melee fight. The problem was that there were at least twenty of them, and that loaded the odds in their favour.

  Smoglar looked around him and huffed. I could tell by his stance that he was getting ready to strike. My friend carried a lot of anger in him, and I knew that I had to save him from himself. I took a step forward until I faced the townsfolk.

  I focussed on the Renor, the tavern owner. He was a lanky man with brown hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore a blue chequered shirt stained with beer, and his biceps were thick from years of carrying barrels.

  “Let’s all forget about this,” I said. “It’s a misunderstanding, nothing more. I’m sure you don’t want the streets of your town to be stained with blood.”

  “We’ve come through a lot of hard times here,” said Renor. “And we won’t let some angry dwarf cause damage.”

  “He’s just drunk,” I said. Where had that come from?

  “I didn’t see him drink.”

  It must have been my Snake Tongue skill prompting me. Carrying on the lie, I answered him.

  “He’s got a private stash. He needs to have a drink every day to forget how ugly he is.”

  I looked at Smoglar and gave him a grin, but the dwarf didn’t share my good humour.

  Renor looked at the merchant next to him. He seemed unsure.

  “Let’s put down our weapons and walk away,” I said. “Let Smoglar sleep it off, and the next time you see him he’ll give you a hug and a kiss.”

  Renor paused and thought about it. He lowered his wooden club and then huffed. “Fine, but he’s barred from my tavern.”

  As the crowd dispersed and left us alone in the centre, I felt Smoglar glaring at me. It didn’t matter. I was prepared to fight for him if I had to, but this way I had saved us all a beating. None of us were scared of the NPCs, but there’s nothing clever about starting a pointless fight.

  Snake Tongue increased by 25% (50% to level 2)

  Knowing that the crisis was averted until the next time Smoglar got annoyed, I decided I needed to make good use of my time in Dry Gulch. It was a small town with a tavern, a potion shop, and an indoor market where passing traders set up stalls for a day or two. On the boundaries of the town were houses with stone walls and thatched roofs.

  I had no interest in houses or markets. Instead, I walked to the potion shop and then entered an alleyway next to it. I followed the cramped passage until I came to a building that I had seen the morning before. It was tucked out of view, almost as if its owner wanted it to be kept a secret. A sign outside it read ‘Dry Gulch Library.’

  In the passage, slumped against a wall, was a man. Judging by his clothes he seemed to be a beggar. He stared at me as I approached.

  “Spare some CR?” he said.

  I reached into my inventory and handed a coin. Leaving him behind, I walked into the library, chose a few books and then settled down at a desk. The smell of old paper was in the air, and some of the books looked so worn that they could fall apart in my hands. Across the room and beyond the rows of shelves the librarian sat behind a desk, though he didn’t pay any attention to me.

  The book selection was as limited as could be expected in such a small library, but they had some material I was interested in. I was painfully aware of how stupid I had been in entering the game world so unprepared. I knew that I should have studied game manuals, but the first time I had entered Re:Fuze we didn’t have enough CR to buy net credits. My second entry into the game had been unexpected, so I hadn’t had time to revise.

  I thought back to how I had acted in Blundow. We had all been newbies there, but I had been one of the greenest of them all. Some of the things I had done were idiotic, and I resolved that I wouldn’t make so many blunders ever again. I was going to read up as much as I could about the game world, and especially about being a Tinker.

  The book in front of me was titled ‘Tinkering Around.’ It began with a history of the Tinker class and an explanation of bomb creation. I skipped ahead until I found a passage that interested me. This one was called ‘Tinkering with the Elements.’ I leaned forward in my chair and read it.

  When Haggar’s undead army rose in Black Chapel, the once great archer city was soon overrun by murderous corpses. The Grand Archer, QuickThorne, drafted in everybody he could think of to help combat the undead. He called upon famous warriors and powerful mages, but nothing worked.

  And then Lastor Bombraid arrived. He was dressed in simple clothes and had nothing with him but a brown sack. Humbly, he told QuickThorne that he could solve the city’s problem. QuickThorne was sceptical, but he didn’t have much choice.

  Lastor created a bomb big enough to destroy the city. Then, instead of filling it with gunpowder, he packed merely a quarter of it with explosives. He then reached into his sack and pulled out a crumpled scroll and read from it. QuickThorne, versed in the magic of the light, knew that Lastor was reading from a Bless scroll.

  Lastor completed his bomb and then detonated it in the middle of the city. There were only enough explosives to cause a small amount of damage. The bless spell intertwined with the powder and killed most of the undead, driving them back to their graves.

  Infusing my bombs with screws had worked against the Dire Boar, and it had given me an idea of other bombs that I could make. This book confirmed it, and I realised that you could combine almost anything with a bomb if you had enough expertise. It didn’t just mean destructive things, either. If I mixed a healing potion with gunpowder and exploded it near my party, I was pretty sure it would heal everyone.

  I sat back and smiled. No class was truly weak, I realised. All wea
kness came from the person playing it.

  Bomb Making Perk increased by 25% (25% to level 2)

  As good as the feeling of improvement was, I didn’t enjoy it for long. Something in the passage caught my eye, and I read it again.

  And then Lastor Bombraid arrived. He was dressed in simple clothes and had nothing with him but a brown sack. He told QuickThorne that he could solve the city’s problem. QuickThorne was sceptical, but he didn’t have much choice.

  So who was Lastor Bombraid? I turned back to the beginning of the book and found a chapter on Tinker lore. As I read through it, I discovered that Lastor Bombraid was an Epic Tinker, and had reached the highest level possible in the class. He had travelled the world in a zeppelin of his own making, solving problems with his unique skills. Then, without warning, he had disappeared. Lastor had been gone for over 20 years, and nobody had heard from him since.