Micaela shook her head and said, “Nope,” Followed by an, “Ah ha, this bag,” as she held up a hot pink miner’s bag.
“No,” Penelope replied, shaking her head vehemently. “Absolutely no pink.”
“Aw,” Micaela pouted. “Your dad said the same thing. I suppose this one will work,” she said, holding up a similarly styled bag in dark blue.
“Much better,” Penelope said, accepting the bag.
“Got one,” Bell said, fluttering over, holding up a hot pink backpack.
“I love it!” Micaela shouted, grinning.
Penelope scoffed, fighting the grin that threaten to form on her face. “What’s next, mum?”
“Canteens,” Micaela replied.
“We start with a canteen,” Bell said, holding up the cheap 5 drink maximum canteen everyone started with.
Micaela smiled then said, “Oh, you are just so cute. But no, you don’t want that piece of junk. We’ll get you both a few High-Capacity Canteens that give 20-drinks per.”
“Why?” Penelope asked.
“First, the waters and juices are cheaper than potions. Second, and more importantly, you’re going to need to be able to replenish your SP or MP while you’re out in the field. Waters are the best way to do it,” Micaela explained, marching through the store followed closely by her daughter and Bell.
Micaela was surprised when someone else asked, “What about HP?”
Micaela looked to the source of the question, a
Another player,
“Absolutely essential,” Micaela said, leading the small crowd of beginning adventurers through Ned’s Sundry with practiced ease.
Another player from the back of the small crowd asked, “What about professions?”
“Ooh, that’s actually a tougher question,” Micaela said. “I think you should do what you want for professions. That said, you should be aware that something like Blacksmithing and being a Mage don’t necessarily complement each other. But I could be wrong. There are so many professions and advanced classes that maybe you’ll find some kind of Battlemage class that requires heavy armor and magic. You should speak with the town priestess about your class then decide what profession will be best for you, if you even want a profession.”
Micaela grabbed two of the maps from the case they were held in, giving them both a quick check before foisting one on to her daughter and the other on Bell. “One more thing about maps, always get your own. If you ever get separated from your party and find something cool, you’re going to want to be able to mark it on your map.”
The same player, a
“You earn your class,” Micaela answered. “If you want to know more about it, you should go see the town Priestess, Trinico. She’s an amazing resource.”
Yet another player, this one a
“Because I’ve done it already,” Micaela answered with a broad grin.
“Then why are you here?” Swift asked. “If you’re so high-leveled, why are you here now?”
“I’m here with my friends to form an Order,” Micaela answered proudly. “The Order House should be done in a few days. Once it’s done, I’ll start taking applications then.”
Swift looked surprised then asked, “What kind of Order?”
“An Order of Service,” Micaela replied. “It’s going to be epic!”
“And what’s that do?” Stoic asked.
“Quests, lots and lots of quests,” Micaela replied, grinning excitedly. “Service Orders specialize in serving the people. It gives the people of the province the chance to make requests of the Order. That way, you don’t need to rudely go up to the citizens and demand a quest. Instead, they can ask the Order for help and I can post the quest for members of the order to assist.”
“Seriously?” Swift asked, suddenly perking up and sounding far less condescending.
“Seriously,” Micaela answered. “Anyway, I’ve got a few more stops to make with my daughter and her friend.”
Micaela turned to the register where Ned appeared to have just finished helping someone. She easily slid into the spot and collected her daughter’s items and set them on the counter. “Hi Ned, it’s nice to see you again.”
Ned looked confused before saying, “I am sorry Miss, but I do not recall meeting you.”
“It’s me, Micaela Crushhammer. I know, I look different. I’m a Minotaur now. Olaf and I got to change after we saved a Goddess. It’s a long story. I’ll be sure to stop by and tell it to you later. For now, I need to purchase these things for my daughter. Oh, by the way, Ned, meet Penelope. Penelope, this is Ned.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Ned said reflexively to Penelope. Then he did a double take, and asked, “Micaela Crushhammer? Is that really you?”
“In the flesh,” Micaela replied, grinning. She was starting to enjoy the surprise her friends in Hurligville were showing every time she reintroduced herself.
“My, my,” Ned said. “You really have changed.”
“You bet,” Micaela said. “Now, about these items for my daughter. I need two High-Capacity Canteens filled with Stamina Water and two High-Capacity Canteens filled with Mana-Rich Water.”
Ned smiled and nodded. “I’ll grab those from the back. Just give me a minute.”
“Should I be getting the same?” Bell asked while Ned was busy in the back.
“For you, I would get three Mana-Rich and just one Stamina,” Micaela suggested. “Unless you plan to do something crazy and not use magic.”
“No,” Bell said instantly. “I’m all about the pew-pew,” she said with a tinkling giggle.
“Then shouldn’t I go with more Stamina than Mana?” Penelope asked.
“If you plan to go for more of a Stamina build, then yes,” Micaela answered. “I suppose I should have asked what you plan to do.”
“I want to do something different from you and dad,” Penelope answered. “Other than that, I have no idea.”
Micaela nodded. “I understand. So, for now, I would go two and two. You can always sell one of them back to Ned later.”
Penelope nodded her agreement.
“Here you are,” Ned said a moment later, setting the four canteens on the counter next to the map and mining bag. “All together, that will be 62-Gold, 8-Silver.”
Micaela paid, not happy to pay so much but it was a one-time thing . . . or at least she hoped it was.
Bell purchased her items and joined Micaela and Penelope outside the sundry store a few minutes later.
“Where to next?” Bell asked.
“Clothes,” Micaela replied, leading the way down the street to the one place she trusted . . . the only place she knew of in town honestly. ‘Taylor’s Tailors’ was just as Micaela remembered it, bored looking teen behind the counter included.
“Hello, you must be Angus, I’ve heard so much about you,” Micaela greeted the boy. “Is your mom around?”
“Yeah, hang on,” Angus replied, lazily walking to the door that led into the back of the shop. “Mom! Customers!”
It took barely a minute for Mrs. Taylor to emerge from the back of the shop, firm glare on her son. “You do not need to yell,” she chided the boy.
“Whatever,” Angus said, lazily retaking his seat at the register.
“How can I help you folks?” Mrs. Taylor asked.
“I need some decent clothes for my daughter. I assume her
friend is going to want to purchase some as well,” Micaela answered, motioning to the two girls.
“Wonderful,” Mrs. Taylor beamed. “Are we looking for dresses or some nice britches and a lovely blouse?”
Bell zipped forward excitedly. “I would love a nice dress, something slimming and less . . . puffy.”
Mrs. Taylor nodded, “I understand. Many of you adventurer Fairies ask for the same thing. Do you have a color preference and a quality of material?”
“Silk or satin and . . . let’s try green, brown, maybe a burnt orange. I’m looking for earthy tones,” Bell answered.
“I have a few that might suit you,” Mrs. Taylor replied, returning to the back of the shop.
In the end, Bell bought five different dresses from Mrs. Taylor.
“And now for you,” Mrs. Taylor said, turning to Penelope. “Have you had any thoughts about what you want?”
“Black trousers, something tougher if you’ve got it, and a nice blouse,” Penelope replied.
“I know just the thing. All of you adventurers seem to prefer these,” Mrs. Taylor said, going into the back and returning with a single box. She set it on the counter and opened the top to reveal a simple pair of jeans.
“Perfect,” Penelope said.
“And for the blouse, any preference?” Mrs. Taylor asked.
“Dark blue,” Penelope said.
“Frills?” Mrs. Taylor asked.
“No frills,” Penelope replied. “Simple is perfectly fine. This is for under my armor or whatever I end up wearing for adventuring.”
Mrs. Taylor smiled. It took just a minute to go into the back and return with a couple of boxes, each one holding a blue shirt in a different shade.
Penelope took a navy-blue shirt and a light blue, almost white shirt.
Again, Micaela paid, after requesting a second pair of pants.
“Now where?” Penelope asked, looking much more comfortable in her new shirt and pants.
“Trinico,” Micaela answered with an excited cheer. She couldn’t wait to see her friend.
The Temple was just as Micaela remembered it to be, though considerably less busy than the last time she was there. There were still players around, some were praying at various altars, either Priests or Paladins. There were a few players waiting in line to see Trinico at the pulpit as well, two were level 1 and one was level 2.
“Now we get in line,” Micaela said, excitedly queuing up with the other players.
“Mum, why are you queuing up? You’ve already got your class,” Penelope asked.
“Because I want to say hello to my friend,” Micaela answered as if it was obvious.
“Maybe you can do that after we talk to her?” Penelope asked.
Micaela blushed, though it was barely visible through her fur. “Right, good point. Why don’t you two go ahead of me?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Bell said with a giggle and a flutter of excited wings. Penelope was just behind her and just as excited.
Micaela finally stepped in behind her daughter to wait her turn.
“Welcome, welcome,” Trinico greeted Bell with a kind smile and wave for the Fairy to join her. “How might I be of assistance?”
“Hi, I’m Lady Bell but you can call me Bell. I was told I should see you for class recommendations. All I really know is that I want to use powerful magic and have awesome adventures,” Bell gushed excitedly.
Trinico smiled and nodded. “That is wonderful. The World Tree always needs more of the magically inclined to push back the forces of Chaos. Do you know what kind of magic you would like to use? And by this, I mean, do you wish to use attack spells? Cast Illusions to trap and confuse your enemies? Or do you wish to be able to provide healing to your friends and allies to ensure their survival?”
Bell responded, “Hmm, I’m not much on the healing thing. But I never really considered Illusions. What do they do? I mean, how do I use them to fight? They can’t be used to kill or anything, right?”
“No, Illusions are meant to distract or trap enemies. I believe I have heard other adventurers refer to it as crowd control,” Trinico replied. “And from what I have gathered, it is something adventuring parties have a high appreciation for.”
“Ooh, that sounds good,” Bell said. “But then how do I kill the monsters and stuff? I won’t always have a party to help me.”
Penelope coughed behind her.
Bell looked back to her friend. “What? You could die and leave me on my own. What would I do then?”
Penelope shrugged sheepishly.
“A very good point,” Trinico said. “I have heard of some that will use illusions to get close to stab their enemy in surprise. Others will shoot them from a distance with spells or arrows. However, with your affinities for both Nature and Water magic, I would consider using poisons.”
“Poison magic?” Bell asked.
“That is one option. You could also create alchemy poisons,” Trinico suggested.
“Nope, no Alchemy for this Fairy,” Bell said strongly. “If I’m going the magic route then I want to learn ‘Enchanting’ and . . . something else. I suppose I could keep my Herbalism and Mortaring to sell the products but if I can find something more interesting, I will happily replace it.”
Trinico didn’t frown or get upset by the Fairy’s flat refusal, she just smiled, “In that case, I would suggest you pay a visit to Malcolm, the Mage’s Guild representative. He will be able to provide you with any starting spells you might want to try out. Perhaps, you will find that following the path of the Mage is for you. He will have a good assortment of attack spells of all the elements.”
Bell didn’t look overly pleased with the consultation, but she couldn’t complain much. Learning to cast Illusions might be a nice subclass of magic. If crowd control was sought after, then being able to do some of it might not be the worst thing. “Thank you for your time, I’ll head over to Malcolm’s next.”
“I am sorry I could not be of greater assistance in finding a path you would wish to follow,” Trinico replied.
“I’ll have a seat and wait on you over there,” Bell said, looking to Penelope and pointing to the pews.
“Okay,” Penelope replied.
“Welcome, young Minotaur,” Trinico addressed Penelope. “How might I assist you today?”
“Hello, I’m Penelope. Penelope Crushhammer,” she said, introducing herself.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Ms. Crushhammer. I am good friends with two others who bear the Crushhammer name. Are they of any relation?” Trinico asked.
“My mum and dad,” Penelope replied, turning slightly, and pointing at Micaela. “I’m sure mum will tell you all about it but her and dad helped a Goddess and were given the option to become Minotauri. They took the offer. Anyway, as their daughter, I was given the choice to become a Minotaur Maiden.”
“How wonderful!” Trinico exclaimed. “I am very much looking forward to catching up with your mother. But now is your time. How may I assist you?”
“I am looking for some class advice,” Penelope replied.
“I see, and do you have anything in mind?” Trinico asked. “Anything you would like to become?”
“I have no idea. I just know that I don’t want to be a Shaman or an Artillery,” Penelope said.
Suddenly there was a heaviness in the room and Trinico stilled.
An otherworldly voice spoke, filling the temple and startling the few players. “I think I may have an option for you,” a female voice said, before the air shimmered and a lithe woman with the head of a cow appeared, long black tendrils of hair framed her face and hung down her back while short horns jutted forward from just above her temples.
“Pasi,” Micaela cheered excitedly, moving up next to her daughter, embracing the Goddess in a hug. “It’s so good to see you again. How are you? How is being a Goddess? Are you and the Goddess Aphrodite still getting along?”
The Goddess Pasiphae was somewhat caught off guard by the hug and the quest
ions. “Nice to see you as well,” she replied, unsure of what to do next.
Micaela broke the hug and stepped back. “Well, it looks like being a Goddess suits you.”
“It does, thank you,” the Goddess Pasiphae said, finally getting some semblance of control back. Then more seriously, she said, “Micaela Crushhammer, please mind your manners. I am a Goddess, not a mortal. I will overlook your behavior as I am still in your debt. Hopefully, what I am going to offer your daughter will help to repay that debt.”
“Oh, right, sorry, Goddess Pasiphae,” Micaela quickly corrected, bowing her head in respect.
“All is well, Micaela Crushhammer,” the Goddess Pasiphae said with a kind smile. She shifted her gaze over to Penelope. “Penelope Crushhammer, Minotaur Maiden and child of my people. I would offer you a boon. I would ask that you become my first Paladin.”
Micaela was about to explode. She was so excited for her daughter. She wanted to burst out and said ‘of course, she accepts’ but held her tongue. This was something her daughter would need to decide for herself.
Penelope looked surprised, her eyes focusing on something in front of her that no one else could see. “What . . . what would I need to do? I mean, as your Paladin, what would you ask of me? Am I supposed to convert people to your followers?”
The Goddess Pasiphae laughed. “Oh my, that would be wonderful to watch. But no. I am the Goddess of the Minotauri. They are all that I need to follow me. That is not to say I will not have the occasional task for you to perform, your class quests. Beyond that, be righteous and just when dealing with my children. If they misbehave, I expect you to ensure they are properly punished according to our ways.”
“And what are ‘our ways’?” Penelope asked.
“Alas, my time is short. You will learn more about our ways in time if you accept my offer,” Pasiphae said, her form already starting to fade.
Penelope looked to Micaela for help.
“This is something you need to decide for yourself,” Micaela said.
“Forget that,” Bell chimed in. “Do it. I bet there is something awesome for being the first Paladin of a Goddess.”
World Tree Online: The Order of Epic Grinders: 4th Dive Page 8
