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

by Gregg Horlock

  While I looked at the people around me, I realised something. Player names didn’t display here. It made sense, I guessed. Maybe that was why taverns were such a haven for criminals and bandits.

  While Brian found a table and Smoglar rushed over to buy some ale, I stood next to the bar and spoke to a trader. I had come to realise that traders in Re:Fuze were easily identified by the numerous bags they wore over their shoulders. Well that, and the fact that the word ‘trader’ usually hovered above their heads.

  It was strange to think that not so long ago, I had started in Blundow with nothing but a cloth shirt and some daggers. Now, my inventory bag was bulging with things that I needed to get rid of. After haggling with the merchant, I sold some of my inventory to him.

  Items Sold:

  Cloth Shirt

  Cloth Boots

  Dire boar Skin

  Bear Claws

  Bear Meat

  Bear Pelt

  Shaman Staff

  Shaman Robes

  The merchant offered me CR140 for the lot. After some consideration, I also decided to barter my fire-resistant gloves. My intelligence was high enough now that I rarely made mistakes when constructing bombs. They didn’t always look pretty, but at least they didn’t blow up on me.

  After this, the trader wanted to offer CR165. Using Animal Whisperer, my levelled-up version of Snake Tongue, I was able to drive the price to CR255. Not too shabby.

  Animal Whisperer skill increased by 20% (75% to level 3)

  While the din of the tavern rose around me, I accessed my character screen. There was a section with a CR icon. Selecting that, I was able to enter my parents’ bank account details and transfer some CR across to them. I decided on sending 200, and keeping 55 for myself to use in-game.

  Quest Updated: Pay off Your Parents’ Mortgage

  You’ve paid CR200 out of CR50000 toward your parents’ mortgage. It’s a drop in the ocean, but it’s a start.

  Joining my friends at their table, I saw that Smoglar had already drained one full glass of ale and was halfway down the second. His eyes had already taken a faraway look, and his cheeks blushed red. Brian nursed a pint of his own, sipping at the beer from time to time and then wiping moisture off his moustache.

  “You were gone a while,” said Smoglar. He drained most of his second glass dry and then burped.

  “I was sending some CR back home.”

  “Home? Where?” said Smoglar.

  “To my parents.”

  On hearing this, Smoglar turned away.

  “What’s wrong with him?” I asked, looking at Brian.

  The giant crossed his legs, knocking the side of the table in the process. The beer glasses rattled on the surface. Smoglar scooped his own glass up as if he was rescuing a kitten from a fire.

  “We don’t talk about the outside world here,” said Brian. “When you’re in Re:Fuze, you’re in. Whatever you’ve got outside can wait.”

  “So you just forget who you are while you’re here?”

  “This might surprise you, but I’m not really a giant in the real world, Janus. I’m a nobody. When I’m here, I’m something else.”

  “But your name is really Brian, isn’t it? Nobody would choose that in a fantasy game unless it was their real name.”

  The giant shook his head. “I’ve just always wanted to be called Brian, that’s all.”

  I glanced at the tables around me. The warriors near the door had wrapped up their game of cards and had moved onto something more dangerous. One of them placed his hand down on the surface of the table, while another drew a dagger.

  “Let’s see how much agility I’ve lost by drinking,” he said.

  Going slowly at first, he started stabbing the knife in the wood between the other warrior’s fingers. As his confidence grew he sped up until finally, his hands moved so fast that I struggled to keep track. One of his friends called out to him from across the bar.

  “Need another beer, Lleric?” he shouted.

  The man with the knife looked up for just a split second, but that was all it took. The warrior who was sat down cried out as the knife slid through his index finger and blood sprayed out onto the table.

  “Stop messing around, you lot,” called the tavern owner.

  The other tables were much quieter. The old man still read his book, focusing intently on the words as if he didn’t hear the noise around him. Over in the corner the hooded figure still sat at a table.

  Something about them unnerved me. I focussed on them and tried to use Appraiser of Everything. I went slowly at first, remembering what Smoglar had told me. If I wasn’t careful about it, people would sense what I was doing. I hoped that with the intelligence boost my new armour gave me, I would be okay.

  As I focused on their shadowy outline, stats began to form. Before they could complete, someone shoved into my shoulder. I turned to see that the warriors were all stood up now. The one with the cut finger held his hand up as blood dripped down onto his wrist.

  “You did that on purpose, Lleric,” he said, his words slurred.

  His friend put his hands in the air in a placating gesture. “We were playing a game. Calm down, will you? Have a healing potion and you’ll be fine.”

  The injured warrior drew his sword with his good hand. He was so drunk that he almost lost his balance.

  “I’ll show you fine,” he said.

  As the warriors began pushing and shoving each other, the tavern owner ran over. He stupidly tried to put himself between the fighting men, and all he got for his efforts was a push to the floor. I watched as the warriors barged through the tavern door and took their argument outside.

  When I turned around, I saw that Brian and Smoglar were engrossed in the fight. The old man hadn’t stirred from the pages of his book. Over in the corner, where the hooded figure had been, the table was empty.

  I drained my drink and then looked at Brian. “That’s enough excitement for me,” I said. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling well. “I’m going to get some rest. Did you pay for our rooms?”

  Brian nodded. “The door locks are enchanted, so make sure you use yours. No sense getting robbed in the night.”

  I pushed my chair out and stood up. As I did, a message flashed on my screen.

  10HP lost

  Total: 115 / 125

  What was going on? I felt like I’d been punched, but nobody had touched me. A cramping pain shot through my stomach, and for a few seconds, I felt like I had fire coursing through my belly.

  10HP lost

  Total: 105 / 125

  Something was happening to me. I’d felt like this after drinking beer before, but that was usually after ten pints. I hadn’t become such a light weight that my ale tolerance had dropped to one pint and imbued me with magical premature hangovers.

  I looked down at my own stomach. I lifted up my armour to show my bare skin.

  “The stripper’s here,” said Smoglar, and drained another glass.

  I focussed on my skin. When another cramp hit me and 10 hit points drained, I kept my concentration and used my Appraiser skill on myself.

  You have been poisoned. Penalty: 1 HP loss per minute.

  Appraiser of Everything skill increased by 25% (50% to level 3)

  I looked down at my glass. Most of it was empty, but there were still some dregs in the bottom. Staring at the liquid closely, I saw that the colour was wrong. It was only a slight discolouration, and I wouldn’t have noticed had I not been looking for it.

  My vision started to blur. Colours faded and transformed, and images warped. I looked on as the faces around me stretched out into impossible shapes. The voices that reached me were deep and drawn-out, like a tape played in slow motion. I glanced at the people around me. My pulse started racing as I looked not at the tavern owner or the man with the book, but at the face of my father. Then I saw my brother, Thomas.

  I shook my head. It was the poison.

  A sudden darkness dropped over the tavern, and everything aro
und me was silent. I felt cold, though there was no obvious draft. It felt like I was in a void. Then a voice spoke to me.

  “You will learn your ability in the door-less room.”

  And then the tavern returned. The tavern owner stood at the door and watched the warriors outside, and the old man turned a page of his book. I took a deep breath and sat down. Brian and Smoglar stared at me.

  Quest received! – Find out your poisoner

  Someone has poisoned you in the Sick Boar tavern. Who was it, and why? Find out who wishes you dead. Yeah, I know it’s a long list, but just do it.

  Rewards:

  - You get to live

  - Exp 150

  Brian had already noticed that I wasn’t looking too perky, but he was surprised when I told him what happened. Smoglar listened to us talk, but his eyes were unfocused. Right now, a drunken dwarf was the last thing I needed.

  “It was the person with the hood over their face,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”

  “The one in the corner?” said Brian.

  “They left when the warriors started making all the noise. They must have slipped something in my drink.”

  “Let’s get you some fresh air,” said Brian. “The dwarf could use some too.”

  As we left the tavern, I was glad of the chilly wind. My skin felt as if it was burning. My throat was dry, but I didn’t want something to drink.

  10HP lost

  Total: 85/ 125

  At this rate, it wasn’t going to be long until my health bar drained completely. I took a health potion out of my bag and uncorked it.

  “That’s a quick fix,” said Brian, “But it won’t cure you. You need an antidote.”

  “Give me a second,” I said.

  I walked back into the tavern and went to the bar, where the travelling trader stood with a wine glass in his hand.

  “Do you have any poison antidotes?” I asked.

  He looked me up and down, and with a true merchant’s glint in his eye, he spoke. “I do, but it’s going to cost you CR50.”

  That was nearly all I had on me, but I didn’t have much of a choice. For a second I wondered if the merchant had poisoned me just so he could sell me an antidote, but it seemed like a lot of work for CR50.

  I grabbed the vial from him and opened it. The liquid inside was black and had brown specks floating in it. It smelled of fire and rot.

  Message from viewer: ‘Don’t worry, it’s an antidote.’

  I drank the antidote down and waited. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then I received a message.

  Antidote failed.

  10HP lost

  Total: 75/ 125

  I didn’t have time for this. I turned to face the rest of the tavern and raised my voice.

  “Are there any healers here?” I asked.

  Most people ignored me. One of the warriors, the only man who hadn’t gone outside to fight, shook his head. The old man with the book looked at me. He closed his book, stood up, and with deliberate movements he walked across the bar.

  When he stood in front of me I realised he was even taller than he’d looked. He smelled of nutmeg and cinnamon. I saw that the pockets of his robe were filled with herbs and mushrooms.

  “What’s wrong?” he said. His voice was rough.

  “Someone’s poisoned me. I tried an antidote, but it didn’t work.”

  The healer put his hand on my face and spread his fingers wide. Up close, his hand smelled strongly of spices. He closed his hand and breathed in, then held the air in his lungs for a minute. After a while, I started to feel stupid, and I thought about moving away.

  Finally, he opened his eyes and moved his hand away from my face.

  “You’ve got a curse,” he said. “It’s a type of poison, but only the caster can remove it. Potions aren’t going to be much good to you.”

  The tavern owner leaned over the counter and spoke to me. “I saw someone studying a poison scroll,” he said. “I didn’t think much of it at first. People read their scrolls here all the time.”

  “Who was it?” I asked.

  “I don’t ask names. I just serve drinks.”

  I sighed. Whoever this person was, I needed to find them, but right now I was out of leads.

  “If it helps you at all, I saw them walking east when they left here. Probably headed to Smuggler’s Mound. That’s where all the cheapskates go when they don’t want to pay for a bed.”

  Chapter Ten

  We walked away from the tavern and into a forest close by. The trees there were thin and their branches were crooked, and pinecones littered the floor. Every so often we came across the skins of dead foxes and grubrats. Their bodies had evaporated, which meant that they had been killed some time ago.

  The poison drained HP points from me as we travelled, and every so often I ate a mushroom to keep my bar steady. It wasn’t a long-term solution, but I had healing potions with me too. When the shrooms ran out, I’d use those. I didn’t want to use a potion unless I really had to.

  We came to a mound that rose up in the middle of the forest. No trees grew around it. There was nothing to mark it as unusual at first glance. Looking closer, I saw that there was a hole dug into the side and reinforced with wood.

  “Looks like we’ve found Smuggler’s Mound,” said Smoglar.

  Centuries ago, the land was a republic ruled by King Erezbite. The king outlawed the sale of alcohol, angering the majority of his subjects. Those found consuming ale were punished by a year in the cells, and for those brewing it the punishment was much worse.

  Deprived of their favourite pastime, some citizens took to brewing and selling their own ales. To avoid detection, they dug hideaways into mounds spread across the land. It is said that those with Chaos points will find luck and fortune in Smuggler’s mounds. For those on the Guardian path the mounds are nothing but grubby holes.

  The forest had been dark enough, but inside, the mound was so dim that I could hardly see my friends. Brian had to duck down so that he didn’t hit his head on the low roof. Although he didn’t complain, I knew that in his mind he’d be muttering about how the world was so inaccessible for giants.

  The mound wasn’t large, and it wasn’t long until we left the narrow opening and stepped into an oval-shaped cave. When we reached it, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

  There, lying on the floor with dead creatures around her, was a mage I knew all too well. I looked at the player tag above her head.

  Reebus – Mage – Level 11

  Anger filled my chest. I thought about everything the mage had done to me in Blundow. When I was just a newbie and I was trying to level up, the mage had stalked me through the woods and stolen my kills. Later, I had helped her defeat a Goblin King on the understanding that we’d share the loot. Instead, the mage took it all and then ran away.

  I had been too trusting back then. In my own naïve way I thought that the newbie village would be a place where people helped each other. After all, we all started as level 0 players, and we needed all the assistance we could get. I hadn’t counted on the fact that some people were treacherous no matter their level. Well, I wouldn’t make the same mistake this time.

  Reebus was on the ground. Her robe was stained with blood, and the not-yet-evaporated corpses around her were signs of a battle not long finished.

  “Thank God,” said Reebus, looking at us. Then it seemed to dawn on her who I was, and the grateful look on her face vanished. “Janus. You look different. Your face, it’s…darker somehow. Twisted.”

  Brian whispered in my ear. “It’s the Chaos points we picked up in Dry Gulch.”

  “Pleased to see me?” I said, glaring at the mage.

  “Okay, look,” she said. “I know you’re annoyed with me, Janus. But now’s not the time. Look at my health bar. I’m one blow away from dying, and I used my last potion fighting Cave Trolls.”

  “Why would I care about that?”

  She struggled to sit up. When she looked at me, I saw that scratche
s covered her face. “Help me, and I’ll help you.”

  “You don’t look like you’re in a position to offer much help, lass,” said Smoglar.

  Brian stepped forward. He scraped his head on the roof, and flecks of mud fell to the floor. “I remember you. You were in Blundow the same time as us, weren’t you?”

  I fought back the fury that was rising inside me. I needed to keep a clear head, but it was hard. I wasn’t a hateful person, but this mage brought out the worst in me.

  “You poisoned me, didn’t you?” I said.