First of all I delivered all the letters; it took me less than thirty minutes. Once I handed the last letter something that I had been waiting for a long time eventually happened:
Congratulations!
You’ve got a new level!
Your current level: 2
Points available for distributing: 5
Achievement!
You’ve got a first-rank achievement ‘Higher and higher!’
You can see your achievements in your character’s settings.
Your award for the achievement: +0.5% to the critical hit chance.
Current bonus level: +0.5%
The achievement bonus impressed me much but it didn’t make my day – plus half a percent would be almost insensible. But it’s just a first-rank achievement; let’s see what will happen once I achieve the next. First of all I closed the data page for beginners that had popped up in front of my eyes. That stage was clear for me. Then I entered my attributes and sighing distributed all five points with my heart broken. As a result I got the following:
Your character’s basic attributes:
Strength – 6
Intelligence – 1
Agility – 5
Stamina – 7
Wisdom – 1
I invested almost all points into agility. I was fine with my stamina so far. As for the strength I add just one point deliberately. I would be able to kill the same rats by two hits not by three as I used to do. It would save both my time and my health. Although due to the agility increase I had better chance to dodge, plus I managed to increase the critical hit chance a bit.
I might have decided wisely and distributed the points properly but still I had a feeling that something was wrong – hate that oddity of mine. I’m always dissatisfied by this or that and I always doubt everything.
Besides, it was time to think about what to become, to determine the future way of your character development. I knew one thing for sure – I was not going to become a ranger-archer. I was fed up with the late Crashshot.
So, thinking about that important subject I wandered to the leather-dresser’s workshop. A tight leather jacket caught my eye at once. It was hanging in plain view. Brown color, double row of polished copper buttons, a high collar and spacious pockets – it’s a dream come true not a mere jacket. But the price made me wince – fifteen silver coins. It must be one gold but for five coins.
- Welcome, sir… - a hefty man dressed in a leather apron over a grey shirt almost started his welcoming speech but glancing at my untrustworthy look suddenly changed his mood – What do you want, good man?
- Here is an order for you – I answered and after delving in my bosom handed the leather-dresser a sheet of paper carelessly – An honorable Chris asked me to…
- Yup, I know him – the leather-dresser interrupted me and threw a couple of coppers to me casually. – Take it for your service.
No doubt, I eagerly caught the coins. Two coppers…
- Thank you very much, sir – I said through my teeth with a forced smile – Can I help you somehow?
- Nope – said the leather-dresser sharply to finish our conversation.
Congratulations!
The quest ‘Deliver an order to the leather-dresser’ is completed!
Award: two copper coins and 40 experience points!
Well, at least I’ve got experience. As for the coins, they could have been more generous.
Leaving the leather-dresser’s workshop I stopped frozen to the spot striving to decide where to steer my bare feet. Definitely not to the rats – Dart Vader must be still there and I won’t have a chance to hunt there well. The quests finished so fast and I absolutely couldn’t imagine where to find new ones…
- Sirrah, hey, sirrah boy, come hither!
Turning around I saw an old man dressed in a robe standing on the opposite side of the street and intensely waving his hand at me. ‘Local’. I had never met him before.
Approaching him, I showed the well-known half-bow and looked at him with a questioning smile.
- Sirrah, ain’t I right that you’re a messenger? Well, that you’re sent wherever with letters and parcels? I want you to deliver one packet…
‘Hey, gramps, mind your word, otherwise, I won’t respect your great age…’
- Erm… - I hesitated.
- No? Oh, that’s a pity… I’ll have to deliver it on my own. I didn’t want to bother my old joints in vain but nothing doing… - muttering the old man closed his robe flaps, turned his back on me and trotted short towards the gate.
- Oh, sorry! – I woke from a stupor and screamed loudly. – You’re right, you’re right, sir! Yup, I am sent, I’m sent! I’m sent by everybody everywhere! And you can send me! Oh damn! I mean – yes, I’m a messenger!
- Well, good news! – the old man got delighted. – I saw you out from the window why not to know if you’re a messenger or not, I thought, you really look like… Wait… are you really a messenger? Ain’t you just making a fool of a miserable old man?
- You can ask the leather-dresser to prove. I’ve just handed him an order sheet from the honorable Chris. And before that I’ve delivered two more letters. Don’t worry, sir… sorry, I don’t know your name, sir.
- My name is Polunie – answered the old man, he seemed to calm down and then was estimating my look by glaring at me. – Well, you don’t look like a hedge-born tramp. Your clothes are clean, you look neat and tidy… but why ain’t you wearing any shoes? Messengers don’t walk barefoot…
- Shall I deliver your letter to a far-away destination? – I lost my enthusiasm. He could send me to another city or some village but I couldn’t leave the Cradle. In that case it would be nice if the time of his quest was unlimited. The letter could travel with me in my rucksack until I got to the required destination.
- Nope, it’s not far away. Just two streets from here – Polunie calmed me down and then got strict at once – That’s why I can give you five coppers maximum. Don’t ask for more! It’s not a sack of potatoes, just an itty-bitty packet. Do you agree?
- Yes, I agree, dear Polunie! – I answered without thinking and took a small stringed textile packet and five clinking coins from the old man. An info about the acquired quest popped up, I knew from it that to take that task it was required to complete minimum three similar delivery quests before. Ok. That’s why the old man called me. As for shoes he was right – I had to buy some.
On my way to the herbalist curiosity overwhelmed me. I couldn’t resist it and opened the packet, thanks god, it was easy to untie the string as it wasn’t sealed. There was a shabby book named ‘Elementary Herbology and Potion-making’. And it determined my decision. If the book had been a mere love story or a fairy-tale book – there were lots of them in Valdira and you could read any of them if you wished – I would have delivered the packet to the destination pronto. But the book had a practical value. That’s why I decided to get delayed to read it from cover to cover. Thanks god it consisted of about thirty pages – it was called elementary for a reason. Such a book could be found in any book-shop and it wasn’t very expensive – it cost about two silver coins.
I chose a nice place to get comfortable under a shade tree and immerged into reading. Half an hour passed when I finished the book. As an award I got two skills, intelligence increase and a summary of some medical herbs that I could recognize among other herbs and collect them.
Your intelligence has increased by 1 point.
You’ve acquired a skill ‘To brew some small recovery potion’
You’ve acquired a skill ‘To brew some small mana potion’
Now you know what a plant ‘Plantain’ is like.
Now you know what a plant ‘Camomile’ is like.
Now you know what a plant ‘Peppermint’ is like.
Now you know what a plant ‘Hypericum’ is like.
Small potions can recover twenty life or mana points each that’s enough on basic levels. But there is not much use of these skills
, even if I find the necessary herbs, I’ll need special tools and consumables to brew elixirs. It’s hard, expensive and monotonous as well to become an alchemist. So I read the book just because it was free for me. Besides, it’s always nice to get an additional intelligence point.
And a humble achievement ‘Reader’ adding +0.5% to my reading rate.
I wrapped the book neatly and brought it to the right address where I got a small recovery potion as thanks from an old herbalist. I didn’t buy anything from the old lady keeping my miserable coins safe. There was only one quest left incomplete. And I went straight to the famous barn to fill in this gap. It’s time to take up developing my character. Surprisingly I didn’t meet Dort Viderrr there. That’s for the better. There were some other gamers but they were behaving reasonably hitting their own mobs only and after gaining ten tails each they escaped to check in the quest. Everybody hurries to leave the Cradle and immerge into the real world of Valdira. Everybody except for me.
The rats’ nest was at my full disposal. I wasn’t going to leave it soon. I got armed with an oak stick and got down to business.
The war between me and rats didn’t end until the evening. It started phlegmatically and carefully – I took a break once I killed a rat and recovered my health by bread and water. But after leveling up, I contributed the gained points into the strength and agility that led to a significant increase of hit strength and speed. So I decided to move the battlefield inside the barn. I had to take a break once or twice. At first the rats managed to bite me to the critical life level, so I had to lie on the beam and chew stale bread. Then the stick split and I wound it by the piece of rope that used to be Dart Vader’s belt. Apart from the points gained due to upleveling I achieved the stamina and strength increase thanks to continuous battle – I tried not to relax for a minute and really did my best.
Your strength has increased by 1 point.
Your stamina has increased by 1 point.
I unexpectedly passed to a new level and again I contributed all the gained points into my strength and agility. My character achieved level four. Last time I left the Cradle on level two.
While distributing the points I kept Gosha’s advice in mind and the following logic – there are no guilds in the Cradle, consequently a gamer can’t choose a class and master any combat skills. There are also no shops selling attacking and defending spell scrolls. So I came to the conclusion that the basics here were sheer strength, agility and stamina. Due to the absence of spells intelligence and wisdom were totally useless. And it would be stupid to waste my precious points on them. The Cradle is intended for one thing – to give beginners some time to assimilate into the game and to go two levels up. Even money is not critical since it’s free to enter basic guilds, the first tuition fee is token. If a gamer is a mage, then once he enters a guild and chooses one of departments, he gets one of three attacking spells free. If he wants to enter one more department, he doesn’t get any spells free. And he’ll have to pay a full price for other scrolls. But it’s true for the city, there are no guilds in the Cradle.
The evening came and I allowed myself to take a break. Until it got absolutely dark, I broke dry boughs off trees standing nearby as many as I could, raked some dry grass – with a surplus to have enough for several hours. Using my tinder-box I set fire to a wisp of dry grass and made a fire in front of the opened barn door. The lit site was enough to continue further combat activities. I decided to keep two candle-ends that I had. But I had to fight hanging a thick and heavy tree branch instead of my oak stick that had broken down and I had sent her pieces into the fire.
I continued the eradication of rats with new efforts. Rats inhabiting the barn were level two, I was level four. It took me incredibly much time to gain experience points. But nevertheless I achieved my aim – I did raise to level five and to crown it all, I got +1 to the stamina as the curtain fell.
I didn’t have to put out the fire – it went out itself without feeding. I took a heavier sack on my back and walked far from the dangerous place. I chose a small spot covered with dry leaves to sleep. It was at the city wall and effectively protected from all the sides by high and thick bushes. Once I got defended from all the sides by branches, the system hanged out a message:
Disguise +10
Achievement!
You’ve got a first rank achievement – ‘Hide’!
You can see your achievements in your character’s settings.
Your award for the achievement: +1% to disguise in the natural environment.
Current bonus level: +1
Heh… an aura of nostalgia…
So many times I hid the same way in bushes, wood wilderness and even in tree crowns…
I tucked the sack under my head, put the stick which was clapped out against rats’ backs and my preparations for sleep were over. There was only one thing left for that day – to distribute points gained for level five. Without thinking for a long time I divided them between my stamina and agility. Then stared at the result:
Your character’s basic attributes:
Strength – 13
Intelligence – 2
Agility – 11
Stamina – 11
Wisdom – 1
Life: 93/170 Mana: 20/20
I definitely had the most fruitful day in the Cradle ever. So it was high time to live at least several hours in real life. If I could trust the timer, I had spent eighteen hours in the game. I should have some rest…
Exit
Chapter 6
The Cradle. Day Four. Trailing the Secret.
It would be understatement to say that the leather-dresser was surprised. Actually he was stunned when I discharged a heap of grey rat hides in front of his rolling eyes. Seventy-two items. Exactly. The leather-dresser didn’t stay in a stupor for long. In a moment he started bargaining furiously to drive down the price as low as he could. I was digging my heels in as long as I could but finally I agreed to decrease my price from the asking price of one hundred coppers to seventy-two. In total I got a copper per a hide. Apprentices that ran up drew the hides away into the tannery quickly. I said good-bye to the happy master and without wasting time walked straight to the Cradle center where a Frol the Money-box’s shop was situated. There was a lot of rat meat and the same amount of rat tails in the rucksack that I was planning to give to the miller as a proof of my success, but I didn’t have an idea where to push off the meat. If I can’t get rid of the meat, I’ll make a fire and cook rat chops.
Time was running out for me – if today or maybe tomorrow a girl gamer appears in the Cradle, we’ll have a lot of urgent deals. If I want to sort out the strange story told by Vlasilena, I should act without any delay. I should visit the shop to buy a more reliable and penetrating weapon as well – I got sick and tired of swinging dry branches and sticks. And it would be nice to buy some shoes too. But how shall I approach Frol the Money-box with my questions? He doesn’t know me and he won’t feel like having a heart-to-heart talk with a stranger. A small shop was located at the crossroads of two main roads in the Cradle in a small two-storey grey-stoned building. There was a bright sign hanging above the entrance. It was welcoming visitors to come in and estimate the quality. So I did it entering the shop at the jingle of the door-bell.
All the inside space was occupied by three rough counters thrown together standing in the U-form. Cheap goods were overwhelming the counters. Such a mini downscale convenience store. Any beginner-gamer who grubbed some coppers could buy weapon, clothes and food there. A yawning half-orc – a guard – dressed in a quilted jacket and baggy pants was standing at the entrance. There was a huge sword hanging at his waist that I glanced with jealousy at. The shop-keeper was standing behind the central counter folding his arms on his bulging belly and talking to a green-haired girl-gamer who was trying to choose between a staff and a broadbrim. Oh women, women… I wonder why did she need such a hat – very beautiful but absolutely useless. It was clear for me that she should buy the st
aff besides its bottom part was iron-reinforced. But no way, the hat was so beautiful, wasn’t it!
Taking advantage of the fact that the shop-keeper was busy I decided to look around. And first of all I got stuck to the counter with a poor range of weapon to offer. Several staffs, a couple of daggers made from nasty iron, something like short clubs with an iron pad on the thicker end, gloves from coarse leather, two thin bundles of nasty arrows. More serious and more expensive weapon – a one-handed sword in a black leather sheath, an axe and, certainly, a bow hugging an empty sheath – was hanging on the wall behind the counter. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention a round wooden shield that looked like a lid of a barrel available there. Not many… I had made my choice quite fast. Definitely a staff. The most sensible and rather cheap alternative. The bottom sharp end was iron-reinforced, its durable wooden shaft was trimmed smoothly and split-free. My skill of handling crushing weapon like a club, a cudgel, a staff was equal to two points thanks to a long rat advancement. Besides, I liked the idea that after hitting by such a weapon your enemy was thrown back and you had enough time for the next swing. I wouldn’t dare to claim that a staff was the best weapon since I had background mainly in small arms. That’s so called notorious niche specialization. But on the basic level I’d prefer a staff to daggers, for example. I didn’t fancy in-close fighting.
- Can I help you, sir? – sang tenderly the shop-keeper sailing up to me; he had already shown out the previous client.
- Yeah, do, please – I nodded gracefully –That staff is rather good, isn’t it?
- Yup, it’s a great alternative for an experienced traveler – Frol agreed with me without a delay. – It’s durable, long enough and light. On your way it will become a reliable support and help to straggle against enemies. And it doesn’t cost a fortune – just two silver coins.
Two silver coins or forty copper coins… darn well! It’s almost half of all my cash.
- Can I have a closer look at this staff? – I asked with hesitation.
(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan Page 8
