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

by Gregg Horlock

She gulped, and then nodded. When she spoke, her voice wavered a little. “When I saw you in the tavern, I thought you’d come to find me. So I cursed a vial of mana potion and put it in your drink while you weren’t looking. It was just self-defence.”

  “Screw that,” I said. “I know that everything you do is in your own self-interests, but you’ve always been the aggressor, you cow. Remove the poison.”

  “Heal me, and I’ll give you the CR for an antidote,” she said.

  She was trying to trick me again. She’d done that twice already. I was never going to pretend to be the smartest person in the world, but I wouldn’t fall for something a third time.

  “Nice try, but it can only be removed by the caster. Potions won’t do a thing. You know that as well as I do.”

  “I’ve been through a lot, Janus,” said Reebus. “More than you could ever know.”

  “I don’t care. Remove the poison.”

  “Promise that you’ll heal me.”

  I knew that promises didn’t mean a thing to Reebus, so I felt no obligation to give my own any more thought. “Remove the poison, and I’ll think about it.”

  Reebus shut her eyes. A yellow glow grew above her head and illuminated the muddy walls of the mound. It cast a flicker over Smoglar and Brian’s faces, and I saw that they looked at the mage with a mixture of curiosity and contempt.

  The glow became a cloud. Then, with a flick of her hand, she sent it over to me. I felt it wash over me and warm my skin. The cramps in my stomach lessened and my head cleared, until finally, I felt fine.

  Poison removed.

  “It’s done,” she said. “Now heal me.”

  Brian and Smoglar looked at me and waited for me to act. When I stared at the mage, all her treachery filled my thoughts and flooded my veins with anger. She was a symbol of everything I had hated about myself; a walking embodiment of my earlier stupidity and weakness.

  I wasn’t that person anymore. I wouldn’t allow myself to be; I had too much to accomplish. I knew that no matter how much I helped her, she’d turn on me again and again.

  I walked over to the mage. She looked up at me and smiled, but I knew that it was false.

  “A health potion should do it,” she said.

  I reached into my inventory. My vials of health potion clinked as I sorted through my bag but instead of grabbing them, I took out my dagger. Reebus opened her mouth wide in shock, and I heard Brian say something behind me, but I was too angry to recognise the words.

  I could have healed her. Even if not, I could have just walked away. The problem was that I knew that no matter where I went, Reebus would somehow end up following me. Words didn’t mean a thing in her mind, and the idea of trust was wasted on her. If I left her now, I knew that I’d go to sleep one night and never wake up. She’d either sneak into my room and kill me herself, or she’d pay someone to do it.

  I had to end this. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. She had brought this on herself, and she’d brought it on me, too. She’d changed me. She’d forced me into this.

  Without giving her chance to speak, I gripped my dagger and plunged it into Reebus’ heart. She screamed as the blade pierced her robes and split into her flesh, and the last inch of her health bar drained. She made a choking sound and then fell back. I pulled my blade out and saw her blood spread across the metal.

  Chaos point gained (Total: 32)

  Reebus’ body started to flicker. Her arms and legs faded and turned to mist, and a red flash filled my vision as she evaporated into the air. Brian and Smoglar spoke behind me, but I didn’t listen. I focussed on the new message on my screen.

  Message from viewer: ‘Good for you. She deserved it.’

  She did deserve it; that was the truth. I knew that I couldn’t have helped her because it would have taken just minutes for her to double-cross me again. Re:Fuze was a place that didn’t forgive mistakes, and I couldn’t afford to make any more of them.

  Quest Completed: Find out Who Poisoned You

  Reward: 150 EXP

  Quest Completed: Get Revenge on Reebus

  With two quests completed I felt the pressure on me lift somewhat, but I didn’t feel satisfied. Instead, I just felt cold.

  “You’re going down a dark road, Janus,” said Brian.

  “She deserved it.”

  “What people deserve and what you should do about it are two different things.”

  Smoglar walked over to me and patted me on the back. “Forget that. You’re becoming my kind of person, tinker.”

  Badge Gained: Player Killer

  You’ve killed a fellow human. Congratulations!

  I walked over to the spot where Reebus had died. Her body was gone now, and only a bloodstain in the mud and her scattered loot gave any sign that she’d ever been there. I kneeled down on the ground and looked through the items she had left behind.

  Items Received:

  Scroll of Bless

  Scroll of Fireball

  It felt callous to sort through her things minutes after I had killed her, but nobody survived in Re:Fuze by being polite. I could sense that Brian was disappointed in me, but that didn’t matter. If I didn’t grow stronger I would never destroy the Old Serpent’s Sting or kill Herelius. Strength didn’t just mean how many attack points you had. There was another kind of strength; one of the mind. One which allowed you to do the things that weaker players couldn’t.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  As I stood up, something on the ground caught my eye. I had missed it when I first looked through Reebus’ loot because it was covered in mud. Picking it up, I saw that it was a scrap of paper. In the corner of it, someone had addressed it to Reebus.

  “What does it say?” said Smoglar.

  I wiped the mud off the paper and read the words.

  “Quest received,” I read. “Kill Janus the Tinker. Reward: Entry to the Serpent guild.”

  Chapter Eleven

  We left Smuggler’s Mound and set our sights on the town of Iskarg. Brian said we would find information on the Greyes’ homeland in the Grand Library there. With the forest behind us, we followed a cobbled path that was laid over a grass plain. The stones were weathered and didn’t look like they’d been tended to in years. To our left was a giant knoll that swept up into a curve so that it looked like a grassy tidal wave.

  None of us spoke for a while, and I occupied myself by checking my stats. I was just 25 Exp away from level 13 now, a milestone which, back in Blundow, I didn’t think I’d hit. My Chaos points had risen to 32, which put me closer to the reputation status of ‘Nasty Git’ than I wanted to be. With just 3 Guardian points acting as a counter-balance, it would have looked to some people like I wasn’t such a good guy.

  Since killing Reebus, my number of viewers had increased from 1 to 4. It seemed that word of the mages’ murder had spread, and 3 more people had tuned into my feed. The sad fact of the world, I realised, was that people wanted to see blood.

  “I’m sorry, Janus,” said Brian, who left a gap between us as we walked, “but I have to say this. I don’t like what you did back there.”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” I said.

  “There’s always a choice. The only thing that matters is that you make the one that feels right. That wasn’t you, Janus. You’re not a murderer.”

  Smoglar grunted. “Anyone’s a murderer given the right circumstances, aren’t they, Brian?”

  He gave his giant friend a knowing look, and Brian glanced down at the ground.

  Somewhere beyond us was the sound of rushing water. It must have been a waterfall, but I couldn’t see it. The daylight started to dim, and the sun faded beyond the cresting hills.

  “Hold up,” said Smoglar, pausing. “We’re not alone.”

  In the distance, there was a shape. I equipped a screw bomb in one hand and a dagger in the other. Likewise, Brian held a dagger of his own, and Smoglar cradled his axe. We walked cautiously across the plains until the figure came into view.

/>   It was a man spread out on the grass. He wore a purple robe with red stitching running through it. A brown leather bag was beside him, but the way it crumpled showed that it was almost empty.

  “I’ve heard of this trick before,” I said. “Someone lies on the floor and pretends to be injured. When you get closer, you find that it’s an ambush, and suddenly you have arrows flying at your arse.”

  We held back a while. Brian hummed his tune while we waited. I had heard it so many times now that I could have repeated it if I chose to.

  “Next shop we see, I’m buying you a book of songs,” I said.

  “Please, no,” said Smoglar. “Spare us.”

  An hour later the man ahead of us still hadn’t moved, and there was no ambush in sight. I guessed that an ambush would never be in sight, really. That was the whole point of an ambush. But the man was obviously injured, and I was aware that if anyone saw us, it would look like we were just watching a helpless man die. I really didn’t need more Chaos points.

  When we approached him, I saw that the man looked much worse than I’d thought. His skin was greyer than the blade of an old axe, and red veins stuck out in his cheeks. Blood was smeared over his chin, and a green mist rose around him.

  “Hold on,” I said, lifting my hand in the air to stop my friends. “Give me a second.”

  We needed to be careful about this. I looked at the man and used my Appraiser skill on him, studying every contour of his body until his stats displayed.

  Feidan Graves – Healer Level 22

  Guild: None

  HP: 15 / 326

  *Plagued*

  Appraiser of Everything increased by 25% (25% to next level)

  He was in a bad way, and judging by the foul-smelling mist hovering over him, he wasn’t going to last long. He looked at me and opened his mouth, but nothing came out but raspy breaths.

  I took a healing potion out of my bag and opened the vial. A sweet smell filled the air, and when I lifted it to Feidan’s lips the aroma alone seemed to perk him up. I tipped the liquid into his mouth, and his health bar recovered. He didn’t look great, but with an effort he was able to sit up.

  Smoglar looked around as if he still expected an ambush to come and for raiders to stand up in the grass and rush toward us. Nothing moved save for the grass stalks that swayed in the breeze.

  “Taking a nap?” he said, looking at Feidan.

  The healer wiped the blood away from his chin. “Thank you,” he said, nodding at me.

  “What happened?”

  “A plague rat bit me. I was a few miles from here, in Margar Dungeon.”

  “What were you doing there?” asked Brian.

  “My pal, Lennux, and I were clearing it out. Apparently, there’s something in there that has a forty percent chance of dropping rare loot. Things were going well, when we heard something. It sounded like running water at first, but then I looked at the tunnel behind me and I saw rats running at us.

  “We weren’t worried, though. I’m handy with a spear, and Lennux could cut through steel with his broadsword. But then one of the rats bit me and gave me the plague.”

  Smoglar settled down on the grass. “So where’s your buddy now?” he said.

  Feidan coughed, and his health dropped a fraction. At this rate, we were going to have to keep him topped up with potions or he’d die.

  “High-tailed it back to Iskarg,” he said, with a bitter look on his face. “Took my healing potions and CR and then left me to die.”

  I studied his face. His eyes were blue but the whites were bloodshot. His black hair was tied back into a ponytail. He had a look of intelligence about him.

  “You’re a healer, aren’t you?” I said.

  He nodded.

  “Well, physician, heal thyself.”

  He looked at me, confused. Maybe I was wrong about the intelligence.

  “What?”

  “Can’t you just heal yourself?”

  Brian spoke behind me. Feidan craned his neck to look up at the giant, but even the small movement seemed to cause him pain.

  “There are no spells or potions for the plague,” said Brian. “You need to brew an antidote from diseased rat meat. Only problem is, none of us has the alchemy skill.”

  “I have it,” said Feidan, his voice straining. “But I’m not in a position to go collect the meat. You have to help me.”

  I thought about it. Iskarg wasn’t far away, but we were losing light. It was dangerous to carry the Old Serpent’s Sting with me. With every passing second, I knew the chance of us running into PKers increased. If a group of Serpents happened to come across us, the dagger could find its way back to Herelius.

  Still, deep down I knew that I couldn’t just leave him. The pain he bore was marked on his face, and nobody else was likely to stumble across him before he died. Even if they did, Re:Fuze was a world so hostile that any players were more likely to kill him than help him.

  “I’ll pay you,” said Feidan.

  “I thought your mate stole your CR?” said Smoglar, glaring at the healer.

  “I have some in the bank in Iskarg. I have other stuff, too. Weapons, armour. Things I can’t use, but they have value.”

  “What do you think, guys?” I said, looking at my friends.

  Brian had a soft look in his eyes. “It’s your call, Janus. But I think we should help.”

  “Okay,” I said, nodding at the healer. “Where’s the dungeon?”

  Quest Received: Cure Feidan’s Plague

  You have encountered a healer who doesn’t look too perky. He needs rat meat, and he needs it now. Go to Margar Dungeon and kill some diseased rats.

  Reward:

  175 Exp

  CR500

  Items [Unknown]

  ***

  Margar Dungeon was once a dwarven mine where Rexglum Hairwie and his clan dug for diamonds. After the mine was depleted of precious minerals, Rexglum left his dungeon home and moved to Iskarg.

  Angry that their leader had shunned them to join a higher society, the clan used their last diamonds to pay a Nightshade assassin to murder him. Days later, Rexglum was found dead on the marble floor of his Iskarg home, with a diamond the size of a fist lodged in his throat.

  The Hairwie clan left Margar and moved east. In the dwarves' absence, rats took the dungeon as their lair and multiplied, gorging themselves on the slenderworms and grubs in the soil.

  We found the dungeon not too far away from Feidan. We left him with four vials of healing potion so that his health wouldn’t drain while we were away, and then we set out to cure his plague. The dungeon entrance was cut into the lower section of a limestone cliff, and no attempt had been made to hide it. We stopped for a few minutes before entering.

  “We need a plan,” I said.

  Smoglar leaned on his axe. “The rats are going to be a problem. If they carry the plague, then we run the risk of catching it if we take a bite on the rump.”

  “That’s where Brian and I come in,” I said. “A few screw bombs should be enough to take them out in groups. As long as we get a little warning before they attack, we’ll be ready.”

  Smoglar nodded. “Rats often warn you before they come for you. They’re such gentlemen.”

  Brian crossed his arms. “As long as you don’t jabber on while we’re inside, we’ll be able to hear them. Just be careful. With diseased creatures, there’s usually quite a low chance you’ll catch what they’re carrying. Typically, it’s 1 in 50.”

  “Those odds aren’t bad.”

  “They’re not, but there’s no telling if the bite that infects you will be the fiftieth or the first. Just watch yourself.”

  The dungeon smelled of damp and mud. The roof and walls still showed hints of the old dwarven structure, with stone pillars holding up parts of the ceiling. Lanterns were fastened to the walls, but most had burnt out long ago.

  As we walked through earthy-smelling tunnels, I heard my footsteps echo around me. Try as he might, Brian wasn’t able to hi
de the thunderous booms of his own boots, and I knew that before long the rats would hear us.

  Sure enough, it was only minutes before we heard the telling scuttles of tiny feet, and a group of grey rats poked their noses around the corner. I held a screw bomb, lit the fuse and tossed it. As the bomb exploded, the rats squealed in agony.

  5 Exp Gained (20 exp until level 13)

  5 Exp Gained (15 exp until level 13)

  5 Exp Gained (10 exp until level 13)

  5 Exp Gained (5 exp until level 13)