by Edward Brody
At the thought of Dr. Winston, I remember that Gerard still didn’t know that I was a Reborn—at least I didn’t think so. I wasn’t sure if Aaron or one of the others had mentioned it to him, but I figured he would’ve said something by now if he knew. If he didn’t know, that meant that he was the only member of Unity that had no knowledge that Aaron, Ozzy, and I all weren’t typical humans like him.
I told myself that I’d tell him eventually, when it felt right, or if he found out about the fact earlier, I’d deal with it then.
“Oh, by the way,” Gerard said suddenly. He reached under the counter and pulled out a thin, leather-bound book. “I keep the shop’s trade log down here if you ever want to take a look.”
“Trade log?” I asked. I stood up, and Gerard handed me the book when I approached.
You’ve received: Trade Log. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg. A record of trading activities for a particular location.
Notice! You have received your first trading log! Trade logs are records of trade activity for locations that you own or manage. You may link trade logs to your personal manifest by holding them and willing them to your manifest screen. Also note that once linked, your personal manifest will only show a vague representation of the trade conducted at any given location. To see exacts, you must read the physical log book. Warning: Trade logs are only as accurate as the bookkeeper!
I had to read the notice that appeared in front of me twice to make sure I understood exactly what I needed to do, but after the second read-through, I got it.
I flipped open the log book and saw that Gerard had recorded a lot of transactions, but they were mostly inconsistent and vague.
Twisted Staff—Sold, 60 Gold.
3 Low Tier Daggers—Sold, 65 Gold.
2 Weapons, One Potion—Sold, 120 Gold.
1 Blank Runestone—Bought, 100 Gold.
“I put as much detail as possible,” Gerard said. “But when the store is busy, I just write a quick summary when I get a chance.”
I smiled. “This is good.”
I closed my eyes and tried to will the log to link with my manifest screen.
Please define a name for this location before linking your trade log.
Define? I wondered. Okay… I cleared my voice and said out loud, “This is the Edgewood Village General Goods Store.”
“Of course, it is,” Gerard said. “What are you talking about?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
I closed my eyes again and made another attempt at linking the log.
Your manifest has been linked to the trade log at Edgewood Village- General Goods Store!
I sat the book down and immediately tried to will my manifest screen to appear.
I didn’t have time to go through all the transactions in the physical log book, but the 300+ gold showing on the manifest screen was in line with my expectations of what the store was making. It seemed like a fair system—I’d have to look at the physical book to figure out exactly what was going on, but I could pull up my manifest menu at any time to get a vague idea what kind of progress we were making on trade.
Seeing the stats made me eager to get another shop up and running. A specialty shop? A restaurant? The possibilities seemed endless.
“Thanks for letting me know,” I said.
Gerard smiled. “You’re the guildmaster.”
That brought a grin to my face. “I am, aren’t I?”
There was a sudden knock on the door, and both Gerard and I reflexively swung our head towards the sound. Knowing that the store was still open, no one from the guild would have knocked before coming in, especially during a rainstorm, and I was pretty sure that most of the dark elves knew we were open late as well.
Gerard turned towards me, and I shrugged. He walked from behind the store counter and pushed open the door.
“Yes? May I help you?” Gerard asked.
“Is this a shop or something?” a young male’s voice asked from outside.
Gerard waved his hand and pivoted to his side. “Indeed, it is. Come inside and have a look.”
“Thanks!” the guy said jovially. He entered the store wearing a pair of brown cloth capri pants, a white ruffled shirt, and a pointy pair of cloth shoes, all soaked with water. His hair was a mess of wet brown curls, and attached to the hip of his slender frame was a dagger. He looked like some sort of soggy Peter Pan. “Hope you don’t mind, I’m dripping everywhere.”
“No worries,” Gerard said kindly. “We’ll clean things up after you leave.”
The man nodded and turned his eyes towards all the items that were laid out for sale. “So freakin’ dope!” the guy cooed. “A merchant in the middle of nowhere! I saw a sign from the road in the Freelands but wasn’t sure what was out here.”
His remark grabbed my attention, but I tried to not act overly interested. Unless he was an NPC that had been talking to a naughty, slang-teaching Reborn—like Aaron—then the guy was probably a Reborn himself.
Name: unknown
Race: human
Level: 3
Health/Mana/Stamina: 110/100/110
Status: unknown
Reborn or NPC, he was still the first non-elf customer to our shop and had even traveled through the rainstorm. I was interested to see if he would buy anything, and he’d also made a good point about the shop; we needed a sign to hang on the side of the building, so people would know exactly which building was open for business and less likely to disturb our other homes.
I picked up another runestone and started lightly rubbing my chisel against it, trying to make myself look busy but not actually trying to create another rune. The man seemed to pay me no attention.
“Oh, this is nice!” the guy said as he lifted a short sword that was leaning against a wall near the counter. “I could use this, but 30 gold is a stretch. Can you take 15 gold for this?”
Gerard smiled and shook his head at the offer. “There’s very little markup here. If I accepted 15 for the sword, we’d lose on the deal.”
The man sat the sword to the side and started looking at other items, picking up daggers, rubbing his finger across a piece of armor.
“If you have anything to sell, we can work out a trade deal with you as well,” Gerard commented.
The guy looked back to Gerard and smiled but didn’t say anything.
I continued scratching my chisel against the runestone as our customer browsed, and both Gerard and I tried to keep our attention off the man, lest we make him feel too uncomfortable. But, the man started giving off an uneasy vibe the longer he stayed in the shop.
The stranger lifted my closed crate of belongings that was sitting on the floor.
“Sorry,” I said in his direction. “Only the stuff in open crates are for sale. The stuff in that one are my personal belongings.”
“Oh, sorry,” he replied in a disappointed voice, letting the lid drop.
I really needed to move my crate over to the bigger building and get a lock for it.
I went back to scratching the runestone, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man flick his wrist against his hip in an unusual manner. It was very subtle, and if my head had been turned even a centimeter more than it was, I wouldn’t have noticed it.
The man shimmied over to where our potions were shelved, and that’s when I noticed the flap of his leather carrying bag had been opened.
Is this level 3 guy going to try to steal something in such close proximity to us? I wondered.
My thoughts were confirmed when the man lifted one of the potions in his hand and simultaneously bumped another off the shelf with his knuckle, allowing it to fall quietly into his open bag. He sat the potion in his hand down and started moving over to the daggers as if nothing happened.
I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “I saw that…”
The man turned to me and fluttered his eyelashes. “Pardon?”
“I saw you put the health potion in your bag, budd
y. You can’t just come in here and steal like that.”
The man creased his brow and tilted his head like he was perplexed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I—” The man suddenly ran towards the counter, grabbed the short sword that he had looked at when he first came in the shop, and bolted out the door.”
“Hey! Stop!” Gerard yelled as I scurried to my feet and rushed after the man.
I pushed the door open hard and could see the man dashing through the rain in the direction of the Freelands. Given that he was only level three, I was certain I had more stamina than him, and I was still wearing a pair of +5% run speed boots that I looted in Knuckle Bay. It was unlikely that he’d be able to outrun me.
“Fuckin’ thief!” I yelled as I darted out of the shop, and nearly fell when my feet slipped in a puddle of mud.
A low whizzing sound caught my ears and then the thump of an arrow smashing into the man. He lost his footing, and I could see a shaft sticking out of the center of his back as he fell face forward. Before his body had hit the mud, two more arrows struck him on either side, definitely killing him if the first one hadn’t.
I stopped running and blinked the water out of my eyes as I continued forward at a slow pace.
“We got him,” Shal said as he rushed up to me. The other two guards came out of their posts and started pulling their arrows out of the dead man’s body.
The attack on the thief was unexpected, but I wasn’t sure why. I mean—that’s what usually happened in games when people got caught stealing; shop owners and their guards attacked. But somewhere inside, I felt a little regret over the man’s death. He was only level 3 and the items he had tried to steal weren’t particularly valuable.
“Good job, guys,” Gerard said loudly as he walked up beside me. He tilted his chin at each elf and then turned to me. “These elven guards are spectacular, aren’t they?”
I wrinkled my nose and nodded as I made my way directly above the fallen man. His clothes were soaked in blood, and a pool of watery red was forming below him. “Yeah, our guards are great…”
I had half the urge to tell the guards not to kill on-sight unless something more drastic like an attack happened, as killing a petty thief seemed extreme. But, then I remembered that I had to put my Earthly ideas aside. If I had been caught stealing in a shop somewhere, I’m sure the security would’ve killed—or at least tried to kill—me too.
“Want us to loot his gear?” Shal asked.
Thunder boomed loudly above us.
“Take the sword and health potion back to the shop, but leave everything else here,” I said.
“Leave everything?” Gerard questioned, rubbing the pouring water out of his eyes.
“We should at least move him further into the woods. Wolves or other animals will take care of the body,” one of the dark elves said.
“No, just leave everything here,” I reiterated. “I suspect he’s a Reborn. Since he’s only level three, let’s leave his stuff here in case he comes back. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.”
“A Reborn?” Gerard asked and huffed loudly. “Where do you get that idea?”
I ignored Gerard’s question and turned to Shal. “If the body doesn’t disappear after two hours, move it into the woods. If he’s not back in a day to claim his stuff, then take it in to the shop.”
Shal nodded.
I twisted my head to Gerard and started walking back towards the shop. “I’m going to grab my crate. Meet me in our new building, will ya?”
Gerard threw me a questioning glance. He was clearly still waiting on an answer to his Reborn question. But then he just shrugged and nodded, perhaps anxious to get out of the rain, before hurrying off in the opposite direction.
I ran inside, grabbed my crate, and locked up the shop. Though I had already explained to Gerard that he’d have the shop house to himself, as guildmaster, I still held on to my copy of the key.
I carried the crate from the shop and into the bigger building, and once inside, I dropped it on the floor and scooted it to the far wall.
“Gerard said someone tried to steal from the shop?” Keysia queried.
I looked up to see Keysia leaned up against one the walls with a food ration in her hand. Ozzy was nearby, entertaining himself by trying to balance his sword on his hand, and Jax was crouched down, using a stick to move large chunks of burning wood around in the fireplace. I was surprised that Aaron was sitting in the building too, his back against the wall, reading a book.
“Tried…” I affirmed.
Jax looked back from the fireplace. “We didn’t hear a thing in here with all the thunder and rain outside.”
“There wasn’t much to hear,” I said. “A few quick arrows from the elves took him down.” I cleared my voice loudly. “Body is outside, but I expect it will be gone in a couple of hours. I think he was a Reborn.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on me.
“Another Reborn?” Aaron queried.
“Another Reborn?” Gerard asked. He was standing near the center of the room, looking totally out of place without a counter in front of him. “What is all this funny talk?”
I smiled. “I told you to come in here, because I figured you should know that we’re Reborns.” I looked at the others out of the corner of my eyes. “Well, except Jax and Keysia.”
Gerard furrowed his brow. “You’re joking with me, right?” He chuckled loudly. “Reborns?”
I scratched the back of my soaking head. “We’re not much different than you, I guess. But if we’re killed, we return to the world in a couple hours.”
“I know what a Reborn is,” Gerard said. “But there’s no such thing as Reborns. The tablet in Highcastle speaks of a day that—“
“A day that Reborns will walk in Eden’s Gate and dragons will breath fire once again or something like that?” Ozzy interrupted. “I heard about that.”
“Yeah,” Gerard confirmed, “but that’s just a legend.”
“It’s true,” Aaron said pointedly.
“I’ve seen both Gunnar and Aaron return after death,” Jax added with a nod.
“Gunnar was back within a few hours of being killed by…” Keysia looked down in shame and swallowed. “After being killed by another dark elf.”
Gerard smirked and put the tips of his fingers up to his chin. “As crazy as it sounds, I don’t suppose you have any reason to lie to me.” He took a deep breath and dropped his hands. “But I guess it doesn’t matter. Reborn or not, let’s hope none of us die.”
“Right,” I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. “I just thought you should know who’s who.”
Gerard smiled. “Thank you for that, Gunnar.” He looked towards the door. “I should go take care of the shop before someone shows up.”
“Alright,” I said. “You know where to find us.”
There was another loud boom overhead, and a streak of lightning flashed through the windows. It was unlikely we’d have any more customers that night.
Gerard scanned the group and nodded to each of us. “Jax, Keysia…” He cleared his throat. “Reborns.” He chuckled again before turning and walking out the door. I suspected he still didn’t believe us, but I felt good knowing that he knew the truth. There was still a lingering guilt inside me that he had no idea that I was responsible for ruining his shop in Linden and I didn’t want to lie to him anymore.
I walked over to my crate and sat down beside it. “Lonely in your home?” I asked Aaron.
Aaron shrugged and held the inside of his book out to me. “I’m not going to craft anything outside in the rain, and I’ll ruin my bachelor pad if I do anything too intense inside. Figured I’d come spend time with the guildies while I study my schematics.”
I tilted my head towards the crate. “Can you get a lock and key made for this?”
Aaron bobbed his head. “Yeah, first thing in the morning or as soon as the rain clears.”
“I trust you guys and all, but I’d
like the added protection in case another thief comes around.”
There was another loud thunderclap that sounded like it was right beside us, so loud that Keysia jumped.
Ozzy let the sword in his hand fall and dropped on the floor with a clank. “This storm is ridiculous. I want to get out there and do something.”
“Tell me about it,” I said.
Another thing about Eden’s Gate was that rain actually mattered. Any time I had played another game, rain was mostly just a visual effect, or at the most, would make steep slopes a little more slippery to climb. Rarely, did it have any substantial effect. But in Eden’s Gate, I had already realized how terrible it was walking around with your armor soaked. Wet boots and heavy, stinky armor was enough to keep most people inside, but there was also the limited visibility, risk of slipping on your sword, rusting your weapons and armor, and other things to worry about. With the rain pouring down as hard as it was, I was also pretty sure my fire would be weakened or maybe even fizzle if I tried to cast it.
“When are you going to see your sweetheart again?” Aaron asked. “Out of sight, out of mind. She’ll forget about you, man.”
I snorted and reached for the lid of my chest. There were scrolls, spellbooks, a treasure map, and various other items I had looted since entering Eden’s Gate. I reached for the runestone that Adeelee gave me last time I saw her.
You’ve Received: A Marked Runestone. Location: Unknown. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.1 kg
I held the runestone out in my hand. “As soon as I reach level 10 in arcane, I’ll pay her a visit.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Keysia glance up at me a few times as she nibbled on her food ration. Her face was blank, and she looked lost in thought.
“What level are you now?” Ozzy asked.
“Seven.”
“Not too long to go,” Aaron said. “You might be able to grind that out in a day or two if you work hard.”
I nodded. “I’m going to try.” I leaned my head back up against the wall and turned to Jax. “When should we make our first move on the Dark Hand?”
