Vina canceled her stealth skill and stood up. She walked toward Pawld with her head down. Her guilt from breaking into his shop and stealing his wares was clear on her face and in her posture. As she neared him she tried to speak, “Pawld I’m sorry I…” she didn’t manage to finish her words. Pawld’s crossed arms became uncrossed as he quickly closed the distance between them. He scooped Vina up in a big hug and said, “Thank you for saving my niece. Milly would be dead without you.”
Vina was stunned. Then she laughed. She felt tears threatening to well up at experiencing Pawld’s appreciation. When he set her down, Vina could see his clothing was now bloodied. She looked down and saw her armor was completely stained with blood. Pawld didn’t seem to mind though and spoke again, “You saved my family from a tragedy. Then you wiped out those creatures that still lived.”
Vina sputtered, “But… but I stole from you.” She wiped at her eye as a tear started to gather. Her emotions had melded into a strange combination of pride and guilt.
Pawld smiled at her, “Whatever you had to do to kill those horrible creatures is acceptable to me. When you first came here, your spear made me think you might be an ally to the Six Eyed. I can see now you are not. You broke into my shop, but you used my work to bring safety to my family and this town. I forgive you if you need to hear it.”
Vina smiled, her guilt slowly fading. “I’m still sorry…”.
Pawld clapped her on the shoulder and said, “Look at you child! You’re dressed as a warrior, covered in blood, but barely a scratch on you. You’re an adventurer through and through.” Pawld gave her a contemplative look. After a moment he spoke again, “I will need to take that armor back. It was a project for a young noble of this town. You also won’t need that spear. I am making you a much better one.”
Vina removed her equipment and returned it to Pawld without a word.
He took the spear and light armor and headed into his shop. He wasn’t there for long before he returned. “For an adventurer such as yourself, the light armor of a noble won’t cut it. This was made for you.” Pawld laid out a different armor set on a table. Vina examined the armor with surprise.
Armor: Light Armor of the Kaliter (Hardened) Unique Durability 30/30 Required Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 16 Armor: 14 Bonus: Crushing and piercing damage reduced by 10% This light armor was created from the scales of a Kaliter. The armor has been hardened by a blacksmith and provides increased defense.
Vina was speechless. This armor was better than the one she had taken. She even had just enough attribute points to use it.
Pawld’s eyes shone in the firelight as his voice filled the silence, “It’s just a shame someone broke into my shop and stole that bandolier you’re wearing. My customer will just have to wait a few more days before I can make another.”
Vina looked up at Pawld, “You mean I can keep it?”
Pawld laughed, “Yes you can keep it. You’re going to need it if you are going to clear our bounty board.”
Vina chuckled at hearing Pawld’s laugh, “I guess I can do that.”
Pawld beamed with happiness, “Head back to your inn for now, Vina. Get some rest and come back tomorrow. I’ll have your new spear completed in the morning.”
~~~
Vina arrived back at her room completely exhausted. Her mind raced with the events of the evening. She sat down on the floor, trying to process everything that happened. In an effort to calm down, she pulled her lantern out and set it down on the ground beside her. The soft red glowing runes made the room feel warm even when the lantern was off. Vina enjoyed their company.
Vina opened the screen containing her skills, eager to see what skill options she had for Stealth and Spears. She opened Spears first.
Where would you like to spend your Spears skill point? Option 1: Spear Thrust: Spear thrust is an active skill allowing you to thrust the spear ahead of you 10% faster, dealing 10% more damage. Option 2: Spear Pierce: Spear pierce is an active skill that provides your spear with greater piercing potential. Armor struck with Pierce will suffer 50% more durability damage. Option 3: Spear Slash: Spear slash is an active skill allowing you to slash with the spear head. The Spear will do slashing damage, dealing 10% more damage and may cause a bleeding effect.
She was already thrusting with the spear to great effect, so she immediately dismissed that one. She really liked the idea of piercing, but so far she hadn’t had a need to break armor. Vina’s eyes shone when she saw her third option, slashing, had a bleed effect. The lantern seemed to agree with her and Vina selected Spear Slash. Beyond the runes’ approval, Vina was genuinely curious about slashing with her spear. All she had tried was thrusting quickly and the Spears skill seemed to support that technique with the attack speed improvement. She could have doubled down on thrusting, but she felt learning how to use the spear in different ways would give her more options.
Vina next considered her stealth skill. She had used it extensively this evening and it had leveled incredibly fast to reach level 5. Vina opened the Stealth skill options.
Where would you like to spend your Stealth skill point? Option 1: While stealthed, all actions you take are 5% more successful. Option 2: While stealthed, you must be observed twice before you can be discovered Option 3: You can move 10% faster while stealthed
Vina considered her options for a long time. Every option here seemed amazing. She wondered what it meant for every action to be more successful. If she stealthed and ate some food, how would she be more successful? As she considered the second option, it seemed that in order to be discovered someone would have to physically look at her twice. This would vastly improve her ability to hide. Vina questioned how useful this was for her though. She had used her stealth skill mostly to fire her bow safely. Surely someone would know there was an archer when their buddy was hit by an arrow. Everyone would be looking around more than twice for her. She didn’t imagine she would need to stealthily open locked doors very often. Vina’s guilt over what she did to Pawld ultimately made her choose the third option. Stealthing slowed her down a lot. She imagined being able to move faster would allow her to avoid detection better as well as escape bad situations. She was really valuing her ability to move quickly.
Vina yawned and stretched. She picked up her lantern and gently set it on the table beside her bed. Vina climbed into the bed beside the lantern and smiled. “Good night.”
~~~
The next morning Vina woke up and was sore. Her back was aching where she had been hit by the Pilidar’s spear. She managed to find a mirror and saw a large bruise, but nothing more. When Vina’s eyes spotted her new armor lounging in one of her chairs, Vina opened her character sheet and decided to increase her attributes. She desperately wanted to try the armor on.
Strength 12: You can lift 55% of your body weight and weapons do 4% more damage You have 3 attribute points remaining.
After placing two points into strength, Vina immediately could feel a small difference. Her muscles felt harder and pumped up as if she had just done a workout. She had not developed massive muscles, but her arms and leg muscles just felt more dense to the touch. She really liked this new feeling of power. Vina raised her dexterity next.
Dexterity 16: Your body is 6% more likely to do exactly what you intend, you are 24% more likely to hit your target You have 1 attribute point remaining.
Just like that, Vina was back at a single attribute point. Every time she used her attributes, Vina felt good. Like really good. The feeling worried her slightly. It could easily become addictive if not for the long lull between level ups. She resisted the temptation to use that last attribute point just to prove to herself she was still in control.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Vina picked up her new armor and could better see it in the morning light. The armor had interlocking links of grayish scales. The largest and thickest scales covered her chest, shoulders, and neck, but they grew thinner toward her waist. They were arranged in a vertical overlapping pattern near where her ribs would be. She saw how the armorer had not sacrificed protection in the pursuit of flexibility. “What kind of creature did these come from?" she wondered to herself.
The scales shimmered when they caught the morning light, creating a sort of iridescent effect. Vina thought they were absolutely beautiful. The most impressive part for her were the gloves. The fingers were supremely flexible and somewhat thin, made of smaller scales that covered her fingers, but left the tips exposed. The back of the gloves had two larger than average and extremely hard square shaped scales in similar toughness to the ones on the chest piece.
Her forearms were also protected by those equally large scales, while the rest of her arm was protected by the moderately sized and flexible interlocking scales that also covered her waist. In a matching strategy, the armorer had created two large scales that protected the front and sides of her thighs and calves separately so the leg could still bend at the knee. When she put the scale armor on, she was impressed with how light it was. It covered her from head to toe, and fit her incredibly well. She marveled at how her movement wasn’t hindered at all.
Vina went downstairs in her new attire. She grabbed a bite to eat and noticed several eyes staring at her. She then headed to the Town Hall and turned in her bounty. The attendant seemed surprised to see her, but quickly handed over the 300 Randars after seeing the six ears she had. Then Vina returned to Pawld’s shop again.
Pawld was resting comfortably in a chair, talking with potential customers. When she arrived, Pawld eyed her consideringly. “You do that armor justice now okay?”
Vina nodded in affirmation, “It’s amazing isn’t it? How does it fit me so perfectly?”
Pawld smirked but didn’t answer. Instead he headed into the shop and came out with a six foot winged spear. The spear tip shined brightly in the morning light, so polished she could see a reflection. The shaft was made of a red wood she had never seen. The shaft had also been wrapped tightly with some kind of black material. “This is the spear you commissioned. The shaft is made from the heartwood of the Tatar tree. I wrapped the shaft in Harlat leathers to improve the grip. If there are any problems, return to me and I’ll fix them free of charge.”
Vina took the winged spear from Pawld with fascination. It was exactly six feet long and the spear tip had wide wings. The Harlat leathers, whatever those were, felt warm to the touch, almost as if it was still alive. The shaft had been shaped into an oval with the spear tip’s blade and wings being lined up with the top and bottom of the oval. Vina swung the spear around and it felt perfect for her. Maybe it was her strength, but the spear felt even lighter than the one she had looted in the tower. She used Examine on the spear.
Weapon: Adventurer’s Tatar Winged Spear Rare Durability 45/45 Damage 8-16 Required Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 16, Spears 5 Special effects: This spear does 10% increased damage to Creatures. Durability increased by 10.
Vina thanked Pawld profusely and offered to pay him. Pawld declined, however, citing his appreciation. Vina also offered to help around the shop and do any repairs he might need, but Pawld just gave her a deadpan look and said, “Bounty board.”
Vina chuckled and took her leave. She headed directly to the bounty board per Pawld’s wishes. If she was being honest with herself, Vina was unsure if she wanted an adventurer’s life. She just desperately wanted to find her adoptive mother and her sisters. She beat herself up for still not unsealing Priya’s note. Nonetheless, she knew this was the best way to make a living for herself as well as keep progressing her strength.
Vina examined the papers on the bounty board. There were just too many to count. She saw a request to find some kind of medicine, find a lost husband, and many more. The one that immediately piqued her interest was one written by Jan. She pulled it from the board and it read:
Bounty: Recover and Return Fake Aspects of Trina to Jan Reward: 200 Randars
Vina picked up the bounty from the board. She saw a few eyes follow her movements and she was unsure what was going on. She looked down at herself and remembered she was wearing armor. “Is this strange to the people?”, she wondered. Vina did admit she looked better equipped than some of the guards. However, they were quite large compared to her, their muscles were massive. She estimated they had to have over 30 strength to get arms that large.
Vina was headed to Trina’s Refuge anyway today to get the bandage removed from her hand. She had healed faster than she anticipated and she hoped Jan would approve of her progress. When she arrived, Jan was actually waiting for her outside. “Hello Vina. I saw you accepted my bounty. I am excited to see what you can find.”
Vina greeted Jan in return and said, “Actually I already completed your bounty.”
Jan suddenly appeared flustered and he ushered her inside, “I’m sorry. There are people here who would kill for a fake Aspect of Trina. What did you find?”
Vina pulled out the ring she had looted from the Six Eyed Pilidar and held it out to Jan. Jan examined the ring for a minute without touching it. “Ah. An aspect of health. This one will greatly increase your health pool.” He seemed to think for a moment before speaking. “I placed that bounty on the board as a more symbolic task than an actual one. If you give that ring to me, you’ll get your two hundred Randar. If you keep it, you can use it. If you destroy it yourself, Trina will reward you. I rescind my bounty and I give you a choice. Keep it or destroy it.”
Vina blinked in surprise as the quest marker that pointed to Jan vanished from her vision and a window appeared in her view.
New Personal Quest: Keep it or Destroy it. Jan has given you an opportunity to figure out where you stand.
Vina paused as she considered, “I just got a new personal quest.”
Jan nodded solemnly, “I thought you might. Trina wants to see what path you will choose.”
Vina looked at the ring she held between her fingers. She touched the stone with her other hand as she considered. To her surprise, Jan flinched and then gasped.
“What?” Vina said, looking around.
“You touched it and nothing happened…” Jan trailed off in confusion.
Visibly confused, Vina held the ring precariously, “Was something supposed to happen?”
Jan placed a steadying hand on the wall beside himself, “When someone touches an aspect, they become bonded to it. After that, the aspect attaches itself to the person. That didn’t happen to you. Did you even have a screen appear?”
Vina shook her head, “Maybe it is defective? It is a fake after all.”
Jan looked considerately at the ring and then at her, “I’ve never heard of that happening. I’m wondering if it has something to do with the fact you are a traveler from another world. Maybe you simply can’t bond with aspects.”
Vina was unsure how she felt about that. She may have traveled from another world, but Priya said she was born into this one before being sent to Earth. She should be a native born Palitern… uhm.. ian. Has traveling through those portals somehow damaged her? Did she even want to bond with an Aspect of Trina? “I don’t even know if I want an aspect. I might as well destroy it. How do I do that?”, she asked.
Jan nodded in approval, “The basic fake aspects are brittle. The better fakes are more durable. True aspects cannot be broken, but this one here could break from a long drop.”
Without hesitation, Vina placed the ring on the ground and stomped on it hard. She felt something pop under her boot.
Quest Completed: Keep it or Destroy it. You have chosen to destroy the fake aspect of health. You have been awarded 500 experience points for completing a quest.
“It gave me 500 experience points.” Vina said contemplatively. This was a massive amount of free experience points she received without risk. Could she do this quest repeatedly? As if to answer her, a new quest appeared in her vision.
New Personal Quest: Destroy the Fakes. Progress 1/5
“Ah. Trina is encouraging your path of self improvement.” Jan said, still smiling. “Now, let’s look at that hand.” Jan gently took her hand and examined her once more. When he removed the bandage, Vina was surprised to see a large pink scar covering her entire knuckles. The wound had healed completely, but the scar tissue was extensive.
Jan considered her hand, “It appears you have completely healed. Faster than expected too. In a mere day, you have healed over entirely. Have you been using anything to recover?”
Vina shrugged, “Only some of the foraged foods I have. I’ve been keeping the healing buff on permanently since I injured my hand.”
Jan nodded, seemingly deep in thought. “Very well. You may remove the bandage, but keep an eye on it. If anything changes, return immediately.” Jan suddenly gave her a firm look, “I think you made the right choice, Vina. Although you are new here, you have already helped us. You have all the markings of a great adventurer. Thank you for helping fix our broken world.”
Vina had no idea what to say, but she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.