“Checking out?” the innkeeper asked.
Justin nodded. “I’m wondering where I might get some basic gear. A coin purse, a map, a pack...”
“You’ll want to go down to the market square,” the innkeeper said. “There are plenty of shops that sell those sorts of things. You might also try the general store at the edge of town.”
“Thanks,” Justin said.
“One more thing,” the innkeeper said. “If you want your breakfast, I can get you a bit of bread and meat before you head out the door.” She gave him a warm smile. “Wait right here.”
Justin nodded, wondering what could’ve inspired this change of heart. Maybe that one point of charisma had made all the difference.
She came back with a baguette laden with meat and cheese. It would be perfect to eat on the road.
“Appreciate it,” he said.
“In return, just point any new customers to the Drunken Pixie,” she said. “I have the feeling you might go far. Good day.”
Justin nodded and headed out the door. He was already out on the street before realizing he hadn’t even asked where the market square or general store was.
He walked and ate, and the market was easy enough to find, just a street over from the inn. Dozens of shops and stalls lined the central square, along with the towering cathedral, quite lofty for a town of this size, with the same phoenix Justin had spied on Alistair’s armor. It must be the Church of Light. Well over a hundred people were gathered here, buying, selling, haggling. The air was misty and cool.
As the innkeeper said, there were vendors selling many goods, from food to clothing to weapons.
He spotted a store that looked promising and headed inside. A friendly-looking woman greeted him with wavy brown hair.
“Welcome, traveler,” she said. “What can I do for you today?”
“I need some basic gear. A coin purse, a map, and a pack, for starters.”
“You’ve come to the right place. We have everything you need.”
She led him to a section of the store that was filled with backpacks, pouches, and other travel gear. Justin selected a sturdy pack and a small pouch to hold his coins. Despite its size, the shopkeeper assured him that it was enchanted to hold more than it seemed. He picked out a map that was also enchanted to fill in details as he discovered new areas, and a few supplies, such as a pocketknife, flint and steel, a pot, canteen, and some basic foodstuffs, on the storekeeper’s recommendation. After that, there was little left to spend.
“Is there anything else you need?” the woman asked, after Justin had handed over five silvers and got forty coppers back, in a twenty-five copper piece and three fives. As he stowed them in his new coin purse, he was sure they wouldn’t fit, but to his amazement, there was more than enough room, as the shopkeeper had said.
“A bit of information, perhaps,” Justin said. “If you have the time.”
“Well, it’s been a slow morning, so ask away.”
“What can you tell me about the Socialite class?”
She frowned. “Well, I’ve heard of it, but I’ve met no one who has it. It’s one of the Basic Charisma classes, of course. Everyone knows that. I think you’ll find some in the big cities. Most of us with Charisma Cores learn something that’s a bit more useful, if we have the means.” She gave a sudden smile. “As for Socialites, we don’t have much need for that around here. Like any other Basic Class, the Socialite class can be adopted on one’s twentieth name day.”
Twentieth name day. So, a person wasn’t allowed to pick a class until they turned twenty.
She looked at him a bit curiously. “Are you a Socialite, dear? If so, you’re far from the courts of Belmora.”
“Belmora? Where’s that?”
She watched him strangely. “That’s the capital of Aranthia. Quite far from here, but you can make it in a couple of weeks by walking the Silver Road heading south from Mistwatch. Before that, though, you’ll come to Silverton, about fifty miles away. Not the biggest city by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s lots of work there in the mines. It’s definitely someplace all the young ones want to get off to. If you’re aiming for something bigger, well, as I said, Belmora on the Golden Gulf is what you want.” She gave a playful smile. “Are you running from something, lad? Or chasing a girl?”
Justin smiled easily, the instinct seeming to come naturally. “Why? You interested?”
She gave a good-natured laugh. “Well, I do like ‘em a bit on the heavy side, but you could do with a good shave.” She smiled. “You aren’t entirely unhandsome, though.”
“That’s a green light if I’ve ever heard one.”
The woman smiled, and with a start, he realized he was flirting. And she was actually enjoying it. He couldn’t remember the last time this had happened, if ever.
She touched his arm. “You’re too funny, dear. Too young for me, I’m afraid.”
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“What do you mean? You don’t look a day over thirty.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Oh, stop. I am spoken for, after all. Is there anything else I can help you with, young master?”
He smiled graciously. “No, ma’am. Have a pleasant day.”
As he walked out of the store, he pondered the conversation. Such flirtations were not his normal character, so had to wonder if it had to wonder if his class that was causing him to act this way. It was almost like an instinct.
2 XP gained! Your experience stands at 2/200.
Well, that was unexpected. He opened his character sheet, and to his shock, saw that the experience requirement for level 2 was a full two hundred points, far more than single point required to get to Level 1.
Well, he would get there. One day.
Out in the market square again, he retrieved his enchanted map and gave it a good look. It seemed to be highly detailed up to twenty miles, but after that, things became more nebulous, listing only major landmarks and settlements. Silverton was fifty miles away and was barely contained on the edge of the map. There was no sign of Belmora, so clearly, this was a local map. As he examined the map, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
To his surprise, he could zoom in on the map and get a better sense of details, though it didn’t reveal everything. He found Mistwatch, which was in the center of a place called the Wildwood Forest, in a country called Aranthia. The road to Silverton went south, over a range of hills called the Umber Range, with Silverton set in a pass within it. As the shopkeeper had said, it was about fifty miles. Fifty-two, to be exact.
He briefly examined other points of the map, but found there wasn’t much information, just some cities, forests, hills, and mountains.
“Interesting,” he said.
He looked around, not sure what to do with himself. A sudden sense of loneliness and homesickness overcame him. He thought about his old life, how he had taken everything for granted there. He kicked himself for making such a mess of things.
And now he was stuck here. Completely lost and overwhelmed.
He needed a goal. But what? Level up as high as he could go? Too boring. Every RPG was about that. Yawn.
Here, he could make his own life, his own destiny.
He took out a few coppers from his pocket, staring at them for a moment. He had a charisma-based class. Maybe he should try to make some money. Start a business.
Then again, he wasn’t a Merchant, and wouldn’t get bonuses for owning a store or anything like that. Literally all he could do was schmooze with people.
Could it get any worse?
Justin decided to head to an inn—a different one than before—to get some information. It seemed to be the thing to do in most games.
But as Justin walked down a random street, he couldn’t help but notice how deserted it was. Skulking in the alley between two shabby buildings were two youths. They were both tall and thin, with greasy hair and scruffy clothes that looked as if they hadn’t been washed in weeks. Their eyes flickered over to him, and they exchanged a few quick words Justin couldn’t quite catch.
Justin headed for the open door of a nearby inn, but the two youths stepped out in front of him, blocking his path. One of them, a tall boy with a pockmarked face, snarled at him.
“Hey there, Tiny. If you’re lost, the pig pens are back on the farms over yonder.”
Justin tensed up. He was all too aware that he had nothing but the pocketknife he’d just bought to defend himself. He could see the glint of greed in their eyes, and he knew they were after his newly purchased possessions. How long had they been tailing him?
Justin smiled as a line serendipitously came to him. “Lost? Just thought I’d take the scenic route and admire the local ambiance. But you two are really bringing down the local property value.”
The second boy, shorter and skinnier, laughed. “Some sort of wise guy, eh? We saw you at the market square. You’ve got some silver on you, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry, I’m fresh out of silver, but I have a pocketful of sarcasm, if that interests you.”
The boys didn’t seem interested in his witty banter. “Hand over the silver, and we’ll let you go,” the taller one said, brandishing a rusty knife. “Otherwise, things are going to get ugly.”
Justin realized there was only one way out, since handing over his goods was the last thing he wanted to do. He would use his Poison Barb ability to inflict maximum emotional damage. And his barb would have to be so good that it would render the first boy speechless, allowing it to immediately go off cooldown and use it on the second boy.
Maybe that’d give him enough of an opening to escape into the inn.
Thankfully, the act of him leveling up had refreshed its cooldown.
Justin looked at the two boys up and down, feigning boredom. He felt a surge of energy, as if he was tapping into some deep well of mystical power. Somehow, the Poison Barb ability allowed him to read his opponents like a book, to know exactly what to say to hit them where it hurt the most. He perceived that the tall boy was self-conscious about his ragged appearance, while the shorter one was shamed by being bossed around by the older one.
With his heightened insight, he crafted a perfect barb for the situation.
“Ah, two scrawny weeds have sprouted from the cracked pavement.” He eyed the taller youth. “And what is that? Unwashed hair? And are those garments you’re wearing, or merely rags that have been scavenged from a garbage heap? I can smell the stench of your unwashed body from here, and truly, your presence is an offense to my eyes. I would not be surprised if they became infected by your foul visage.”
The taller boy’s eyes widened, and he seemed unsure for a moment. But after a few seconds, he scowled, and the shorter one couldn’t help but chuckle nervously.
Poison Barb refreshed.
“You’re going to regret that, you little—” the tall boy said, suddenly coming to his senses.
But before he could finish, Justin struck. “Oh, I’m quaking in my boots! Do you want to know what really scares me, though? The thought of being stuck with your repulsive appearance for even a few more seconds. It’s like you’re trying to make me physically ill. I doubt even a rat would come near you for fear of catching something. You look like you crawled out of the sewer!”
Again, the boys watched him, flummoxed.
Poison Barb refreshed.
As Justin took another step forward, with confidence he didn’t know he possessed, he turned his attention to the shorter boy. “And you,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “you’re just the tagalong, aren’t you? Can’t even come up with an insult of your own. Just do what your master tells you. How pitiful!”
The shorter boy flinched, his eyes darting nervously between Justin and his partner in crime.
Poison Barb refreshed.
Justin continued his barb chain. “You’re nothing but a scared little mouse. But don’t worry, I’m sure your big, tough friend here will protect you!”
By now, Justin had caused such a scene that something of a crowd had gathered. The taller boy took a quick look around and breathed a curse.
“Come on!”
He bounded down the alley, the shorter boy clipping at his heels.
Poison Barb refreshed.
Justin watched him go with a smirk, feeling a surge of satisfaction.
20 XP gained! Your experience stands at 22/200.
Justin shook his head. With the would-be attackers gone, whatever instinct had possessed him vanished, leaving his hands shaking.
He ducked into a nearby inn, hoping the two boys wouldn’t follow him into such an establishment.