Ceras looked again at the adventure that was sitting in a group; he noticed that one side of the room was full of well-dressed young people with expensive weapons and seemed to have expensive food in front of them. The other side was filled with young people with a range of clothing, that indicated that they had not spent lots of money on buying it or it was homemade. This group of people had more effective weapons that were cheaper and look rough and well used. The two groups of people did not generally seem to mix, but every now and then there would be some interaction between them show contempt for each other.
Rhef said in her usual blunt manner, as she walked to the poorly dressed group, "Well I guess this is the group we belong in," and sat down on a large table with empty spaces but had other people talking to each other.
As the team of adventures sat down a woman, who was also sitting at the table smiled and said to the new adventures," You're new here, have you just had the blessing from the goddess?"
Rinaldo said in reply to the pretty woman that may have been a few years older than him, "Yes we just started this week, and we have been in a group going on a quest."
The woman introduced herself and some of the others on the table, "I'm Lomanelyn, and this is our team, we have been an adventure for about a year now."
Rinaldo introduced everybody and told them what class they were, and afterward, Lomanelyn said, "It good that you have a healer and a wizard in your group as it really does help. Symania you better watch out as the richer adventures will be trying to tempt you away when they find out that you're a healer."
Rhef said in a blunt tone of voice, "There seems to be some distance between the two groups of people. What their problem with us?"
Lomanelyn said as she glanced at the well-dressed group of people, "Well the simple answer is money against tradition. As you know it traditional to start the adventuring with nothing to your name except with items that made by your family, but that lot are from rich families that ignore the old traditions and send them on the adventuring fully equip. This enables them to do higher level adventuring and earn more money, getting better weapons and other equipment. They've got a high option of themselves because of this, but again no personal levels and come to rely upon their equipment as they are useless without it.
"While on the other side, us, have to struggle for equipment and money, but it causes us to develop levels in the classes, but it's often a painful process with some people suffering from too many death and resurrection causing them to go crazy.
"So general the two groups just about tolerate each other, as for different reason both of the groups feel superior to the other group."
As she finished talking a severing woman came over to the new adventures and said, "It half a copper for the stew of the day and some bread. Do you want that?"
Everybody nodded in acceptance of the offer and passed over the money for the meal. The music carried on as the with some well know folk song that every now and then everybody would sing along to. Ceras noticed that Symania had a good singing voice and was confident when she sang.
As the food came to the large table full of people it was placed in wooden bowls in front of them with metal spoons, everybody started to eat their mystery stew which seems to be full of meat and some kind of pulses in a gravy that was slightly spicy. Ceras enjoyed his first few mouths fills, as it was his first real meal since he had left home. During the meal, the well-dressed richer youths kept looking at Symania in her healer robes, and eventual one of the boorish men came over and lent over the table where Symania was eating.
As he touched her shoulder to get her attention, he said in a loud voice, as if commanding a dog, "Healer why not come over to our table and eat with us and we can talk about teaming up."
Symania looked shy, just shook her head and went back to eating, as the man said in the same annoying tone, "Why do you want to stay with these lot when you can be with the best adventures in the city?"
Symania now stopped eating and flushed red showing her discomfort, as Rhef said to the man by her friend, "Listen, idiot, the lady indicated that she did not want to, so if you go back to your friends and leave us along."
The man flushed red and said to Rhef, "Who asked for your opinion."
All the member of the table, including the people who were not in Symania team, stood up in a threating manner as if on cue and started to finger their weapon looking at the boorish man as he backed off and went back to his friends that look annoyed, with what had happened. Everybody sat down as the music started up, and the noise of the room grew louder.
Rhef went next to Symania and hugged her friend, and the two talked for a while, as they discussed what had just happened.
Ceras said to Lomanelyn, "What level have you got to in the last year?"
She smiled and showed her hand with a knight's symbol on it with three full dots and the fourth dot partially filled and said, "Working toward level four in the knight class."
Ceras looked curious and said, showing his hand, with it one full dot and the second partially filled, "In the last week we have completed level one and started on the next level. At this rate, it would seem that we would be level five before the end of the year."
Lomanelyn looked shocked for a second and said, "Have you been doing quests above your level?"
Ceras said to the woman who was looking at him intently, "Today, when we were still level 1 with, did a level four quest, and was even attacked by a level seven monster."
Lomanelyn looked slightly more shock than before and said, "It sound like your party is taking a lot of risks, have any of you been injured so far?"
Rhef laughed and said, "I forgotten how may time my brother Rinaldo has needed to be healed by Symania on one of the quests."
Lomanelyn nodded and said, "Well, it will help having a healer on the team, but it does sound like you're taking a lot of risks. The most team only do the quest at the level they are in, so it's slower growth in level, but your team seems to be taking the risker path-way for quick level growth."
Ceras sat there silently and wondered if his blessing from the wisp was enabling their group to gain more experiences in a shorter period of time, but he kept silent about this.
Rinaldo said in a happy voice, "I for one do not mind the extra danger for better growth in levels and more money, as we seem to be doing OK so far."
The rest of the team nodded in agreement with his sentiment, but the other on the table just shook their head, and Lomanelyn said, "You'll learn after a few too many deaths and when the memories are causing you trouble."
The rest of the night was spent general talking to adventure about the benefits of the different quest, with Rhef leading the discussion as she seems to be planning the next quest for the team.
At some point in the evening Ceras he something that really gains his interest as Lomanelyn said, "This town is small, if there was a dungeon here like in some of the cities them there would be a lot more adventures."
Ceras said to her in an inquisitive manner, "What so good about dungeons?"
Lomanelyn said as if she was lecturing somebody, "Well there're full of a monster on a different level, allowing the city to earn a lot of money and resource from them. Most adventures, when they finished with the lower levels, go to a dungeon to work up the higher levels. That's about all I know about them."
As Ceras team of adventures was walking back to the house they were staying in, Ceras said to Rhef, "You seem to be planning our next adventure, will you be looking into the dungeon in the future as it seems to be one of the best ways of gain levels quickly."
Rhef nodded in agreement and said, "Dungeon does seem to be the way forward when we have some money to travel.”
Chapter 9 A Challenge Duel
Ceras was looking at the woman behind the guild center who had just accepted sixty-four earth troll crystal and was handing over twenty-five silver and sixty copper coins to each of the team members. The last four day had been full of hard batt
les for the adventures in killing earth troll, as Rhef had suggested that it would be a quick way of gaining some significant money and experience point. She managed to convince everybody once she mentioned the money as all of them were eyeing new weapon and training to improve.
Rinaldo and the other on the team except Symania had been seriously injured at one time or another but been healed quickly by the dutiful healer that everybody was looking after as if she was pure gold. During the hunt for the earth trolls, they had two more encounters with rock trolls, which led again to a difficult battle, but was rewarded by more crystals and metal nuggets.
Grikius, who was forever investigating how to make more money, said to the guild woman, “We also have three rock troll crystal are they worth anything?”
The woman smiled and said, “Your team is doing really well, as most people don’t take the earth troll quest for the reason of being attacked by rock troll that are at higher levels. You'll get on silver per rock troll crystal and half the quest point for a gathering three rock troll for a level six quest.”
Rhef quickly handed over the rock troll crystals over the counter, and everybody shared the money that returns. Ceras thought about what level he was at the moment and saw the following:
XP 4 of 14 too level 5 Wizard
Ten stat point to place into character sheet
Everybody in the team looked happy as they all said, “We're level four already!” and danced around with excitement. When Ceras finished celebrating with the rest of the team he placed the stat where he wanted them and them check his character sheet:
Character Name:
Ceras
1st Class
Wizard
Character Total Level*
4
Major
Strength
Fortitude
Agility
Number
46
46
46
Major
Intelligence
Charisma
Knowledge
Number
30
1
14
Minor
HP
MP
Stamina
Carry Limit
Number
166
168
240
102
Regen Sec
4.6
7
5.6
N/A
Rinaldo said to the group in a happy voice, "I don't know about your lot, but I need to get a better weapon with all the money."
Grikius said excitedly, "We've got all the troll's teeth which I've heard to make really good weapon especially if you want them to be heavy. Let's go to a blacksmith and see what he can do."
Rhef said as she started to walk away with Symania, "We lady will see you later as we need some clothing and other stuff. Rinaldo gets some of the metal made into arrowheads for me please."
With that, the two girls walked out of the guild talking to each other and sometimes laughing happily. Grikius said, "Let got to the craft worker area of the town, and see what they can do with all this metal we have."
They were walking out of the guild they were directed through the markets towards the eastern edge of the town. Ceras noticed that as they entered the craft area of the town, there were small workshops facing out into the streets where you could see woodworker, blacksmith, jewelers, and all manner of craft working on items. Ceras saw many of the masters of the craft directing some of the apprentice levels in their work. He remembered that his father had been keen that during the five years of adventuring that all the children take up a useful craft so they could be productive on the farm. The area was full of noises and people moving around busy working away as Grikius led them to a large blacksmith shop.
As young apprentice blacksmith was working by the forge, taking out hot metal and shaping it into what looked to be a small dagger. When he had finished shaping it, he put it back in the forge heating it until it was red hot them removed it, hanging it upside down. At that point he noticed the three boys looking at him, put the dagger onto brick and put down the tong he had been using to hold the hot dagger.
Walking to the edge of the shop, he said to the staring boys, "What can I do for you?"
Grikius smiled and said, "We have some metal from troll's teeth that we were wondering if you could make anything out of."
The boy looked impressed and said, "Not me but the master will be able to do something with it. I'll go and get him for you as he is working in the back of the shop."
The heavily muscular boy walked to the back of the shop and soon came out with a large middle-aged man who was smiling and said in a deep-toned voice, "You've got some troll teeth metal my apprentice say."
Rinaldo put the bag down with about fifty kilograms of metal, onto the thick wood, but the battered table in front of the blacksmith shop. The master blacksmith looked pleased and said, "Most of the idiot adventures around here have no clue how good the metal from the teeth is for making heavy weapons, so it's really good you boy have this. So, what do you want me to make for you?"
Rinaldo was the first one to talk and said as he shuffled on his feet in excitement, "I'll like a heavy mace, that has some serious damage potential and some arrowheads for my sister."
Grikius said that he wanted a heavy mace too. Ceras cleared his throat and said, to a large blacksmith, "Could you, strength my staff, with the metal giving it a greater hitting power?"
He handed over the mace, and the blacksmith examined it and said with a nod, "That would be easy, and you would still have a lot left. So, if I can have the rest of the metal that will be my payment for the new weapons."
Grikius took over the conversation in the manner when he bargained with people and worked out the detail of the weapon they would be getting and how may arrowheads for Rhef. By the time he had finished, he and the blacksmith were both happy with the deal.
"Give me four days to complete the work, and then you can collect the weapon them," he said to the boys as the blacksmith was taking the metal.
Ceras turned away from the other at the blacksmith shop to go to the guild library he said, "I'll see you later as I'm off to learn to study some new spells in the guild."
Grikius and Rinaldo walked off together, into the craft district to explore, to find out if there were any other weapons, they could afford that would be useful, while Ceras ran back to the guild to start studying.
When Ceras arrived in the slightly musty smelling library, he went straight for the index box and looked through the old magical preserved index card, for healing spell that he could use during combat. He found several promising books, took them down from the shelves with a ladder, blow the dust off them and started to browse them for a healing spell; that he could use in combat. After a while of reading all he could, from the book, in the quiet and comfortable library, he found the perfect spell for him at this level.
It could be used to pre-charged a magical energy storage device, storing the healing spell to be released at any time. Smiling to himself with excitement and pulling out his own magical spell book, he set out to study the spell as he copied the magical inscription into his own spellbook.
As the day passed in study and contemplation the sunlight shining into the library move across the room as the time passed. Every now and then the librarian would look over at him amazed at his concentration, as the large young man, who looked less like a wizard of anybody she knew, studied with a determined look until he got up with a happy look on his face.
Putting the old book back into the shelves with the other leather bond magical books, that seemed to leak slight amount of magical energy; Ceras left the library in search of magical supplies for the healing spell.
Exiting the guild into the market within the plaza it was still full of people and stall of people buying or selling items, as seller shouted their deal for everybody to hear. Ceras eyes scanned the market for anything that would be of use
for him and just before he was about to leave his elevated potion on the guild entrances steps, he saw the boorish well-dressed man who had harassed Symania the night they went for a meal together.
As Ceras was standing on the top of the guild entrance steps, he was easy to see, so Ceras sighed as the boorish man spotted him and pointed Ceras out to his friends. The group hurried over to the guild as if they wanted to prevent Ceras from leaving, and when they arrived at the step, they did block his way, as they all stood in a hemispherical circle.
The boorish man walked out of the crowd of grinning people and, walking to just in front of Ceras and put his face as close to Ceras he could so Ceras could feel his hot, smelly breath. Ceras nearly laughed as this resulted in the man looking up with his head back, trying to intimate the tall Ceras that was blurting with muscles.
The man said, in a derisive tone of voice, as if he was spitting it out, "You're one of the poor scums in that healer's team. Well, I'm here to teach you a lesson about manners, boy."
The rest of the crowd of well-dressed adventures laughed at that point, as the boorish man continued to say, "You're, going to have to fight for your life, today boy. I challenge you to a duel right here and right now."
The crowd of brats cheered in answer to that, as some of them started to mark out a circle with chalk in front of the guild house for the combat challenged. The boorish man who was wearing chain mail armor over a blue expensive looking cloak with a sword in a jeweled scabbard by his side, with rings on his fingers and amulets around his neck; back off into the circle and pulled his sword out of its scabbard.
Origins Page 8
