The fourth week mark has passed and the priest came to see the results.
“Oh my, in Freya’s name! This amount of books! My eyes aren’t deceiving me? This is outstanding! I can now see why Kauwl recommended you. Let me have a look… Eh? Well, this is surprising? You didn’t copy each of the books here, but rather multiple copies of a book?”
“Yea, that is the case, I’m sorry for not telling you but I assumed this was the best course of action which would benefit the church most. You said there were many other churches that were not fortunate to have their own library. I figured that copying more of the same book would allow them to have each of their own in this vast continent, instead of moving the books around which seems to be taxing. Didn’t you say that you would have to amass priests here to teleport them? This way it will be less demanding and you won’t have to recall the priests every time another church needed the books.”
“Hmm… I see. I’m glad you took those into accounts. But this way we won’t be able to send the other books you haven’t copied. These results weren’t what we expected.”
“If you aren’t in a hurry I could copy the rest of the books, although in a slower pace. I’d like to explore the terrains outside the walls, I haven’t had the opportunity so far.”
“Yes… I see your point. We’ll take up on your offer, and we’re also grateful for the contribution you have done. Whenever you have the free time, just step in. The church will welcome you with open arms. Since you suggested that, I’ll make sure that you, a scribe, can resupply at any church of Freya for scrolls and ink. This way you wouldn’t need to worry about the supplies whenever you are copying the books.”
*Di-di-di-ding!*
Quest Window[Completed]Assisting the Church II
Rewards: Free ink refill and max 5 scrolls per visit.
You have leveled up!
Quest WindowAssisting the Church III
The church appreciates your efforts, but more books needs to be copied. They are requiring at least 4 copies of each work. There is no time limit.
Difficulty: E
Rewards: Unknown
Quest Requirements:
Assisting the Church II
Reputation with Freya Church has risen by 50
Kris was amazed. Although the reward was quite different than what he imagined, his worry over the potential expenses was over. Throughout the weeks he has seen how much ink he used, copying the text. He knew that the materials he used didn’t come cheap, and there was no question he would not be able to afford those outside church. Would Kris still receive this reward if he had cleared all books?
Initially Kris had planned to have all the books copied once, but he had the idea of trying copying same books that gave him a stat. He didn’t get one after a book but he had to try a few more of the same, just to make sure he didn’t miss the bonus. Kris did this a several times more to the others, and it remained the same. He could only get a stat bonus once per book. Once concluded, he realized that he made a mess of amount of copies. Some books had four copies while the others only had one, thus he went back from the beginning and redid them again until they had the same amount and went on from there. To his relief his Pen Mastery still leveled up, albeit at a slower pace, it was not a complete waste of effort.
“I’m pleased of your words, but I don’t have the money to buy a small container to store the ink.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. You may bring that inkwell you have been using the past weeks. No one else has been here writing until you came. I’m sure the church won’t have use for it for a long while.”
You have acquired Inkwell.
Kris thanked the priest and went out. It was middle of the day and he was in no hurry. Kris had already told the instructor beforehand that yesterday was his last visit. And the most important moment had yet to come. He walked straight towards the mage guild, looking for Kauwl. Even though deep within his heart Kris knew that the class was not impressive as all the standard ones, he was curious of what the scribe class was capable of. It was added for a reason, like all the crafting and artistic professions he has seen, offering their services on the streets.
The mage guild was crowded as usual. Kris had hoped that it would be less populated as he was embarrassed if the others found out his class due to Kauwl’s slip of tongue, however that was quite unlikely as Kauwl seems to be considerate for each of his pupil. Walking in, reporting to Kris master, Kauwl drew him into his personal office. That action itself was out of the ordinary, as Kauwl has never done this to anyone else. Closing the door, making sure that none of his students saw that, he turned to Kris.
“I heard the news and the result of your writings, Kris. I don’t know if it’s due to I haven’t had a scribe apprentice in many, many years but I haven’t been this excited, if ever! Congratulation! You are now qualified to become a true scribe!”
You have changed from Scribe Apprentice to Scribe!
“Kris, at some point I thought these items would be forgotten and collect dusts, but then you appeared. It’s only fair that I pass on the items, they have been neglected far too long. Here, take them. They may not rival others profession but they have served me and my masters well, and will continue do so to you.”
You have acquired Quill Pen
You have acquired Hardened Blackwood Staff
You have acquired Portable Frame Kit
True to his words, the items Kris got didn’t seem special to any outsiders. The staff was plain, no decoration at all as the other wizards’ staffs which usually have carved artistic form on one end, displaying the power of the wielder. But what made the blackwood staff different was that it was plain straight. It wasn’t bent or curved of any description, even though it was worn-out through years’ usages, easily seen by all commoner’s eyes.
And then there was the quill pen Kris first set his eyes on. The added grip on the pen made it easier to use, compared to his own where he was struggling to fit fingers around his thin feather. He believed he was close to a writer’s cramp. Lastly, a frame kit which seems to be made of the same wood as the staff he had gotten. It wasn’t entirely true to its title ‘portable’. Its frame was slightly smaller than a paper size and there were two of them, where one of them had a metal net attached, closely resembling a tight wire mesh. The frames couldn’t be taken apart, not to mention all the tools that came with it were enough to fit in a small chest, which was included in the ‘kit’ as well.
“Why are you giving these to me? Aren’t these your prized possessions? Why don’t you need them anymore?”
“Kris, under the absence of my master who is long gone, I’ve strayed away from the scribe’s path. I went back to being a mage, the fact being I wasn’t able to utilize the power of a scribe. You’re asking me why did I think it had something special? You see, my master was well-acquainted with warriors, knights, other mages and wizards, and all the professions you could think of. A mere scribe wouldn’t be that respected by others, unless he had a power they acknowledged. My master wouldn’t let me in his secret, and encouraged me that if I was willing, I would find it on my own. I’ll remind you that I searched every corner of the world of my master’s tales, works, anything known about him. There was nothing, and those who travelled with him had reached such heights that I wasn’t able to meet them even though I was master’s disciple. However, they did send me a message, that if I was that desperate, I should be able to meet them in person as a scribe. I realized by then that it was a test, something I had to attain to get the answers.”
“What was it? Did you achieve what you wanted?”
“Sadly, no… I thought I had the answer to it. Surely you noticed that you became a scribe through the mage guild? It would be seen impossible, unless they were related to the magic profession. I immediately thought of the spell scrolls and attempted to write one. It yielded no results, it was as any other piece of paper. I’ve tried different ways but soon I was seen as a maniac. It’d be foolish to try create a spell scroll with a pen when there was already a functioning method, channeling a spell into the scroll was the way of the magicians. While it certainly works, it’s an incredibly time-consuming method, and it isn’t entirely foolproof either. Some accidents happens and the process has to be restarted. This is what I’m doing now. I gave up the scribe profession after numerous of tries. People that knew of my master are long dead. The questions remains unanswered. What was my master capable of? What was the power? What was I lacking? I’m getting old and I’m afraid I’ll never know the answer.”
Kauwl was lost in deep thoughts, perhaps reminiscing his past, searching for details he might have missed after all these years. Silence filled the room and Kris who heard such long monologue, was startled when a window came up.
*Ding!*
Quest WindowThe Search of Scribe’s Secrets
Old man Kauwl has given up the path of a Scribe after much struggles. Unveil the secrets of that class to Kauwl before he dies.
Reward: Varying
Difficulty: F
Quest Requirement:
Scribe class, asking Kauwl’s background
Kris quietly accepted the quest and quietly bid his farewell, as he didn’t want to disturb Kauwl’s deep thoughts. It didn’t go unnoticed when Kris left the room. To others surprise, they all thought Kris completed a special mage apprentice quest when they saw him carrying out a chest. They all became determined in reading and mediating. Little did they know that was old-fashioned writing which they grew up to dislike.
On the path to the pub Kris frequently visited, he reflected on Kauwl’s words. It totally made sense, but the truth is harsh. All Kris could think of was writing a spellscroll as well, if he wanted to be of any use in combat or making money, but that has already been tested by Kauwl with no results. However knowing that Kauwl was capable of switching back to mage class reassured him in case he also failed to find out scribe’s secrets. Meeting up with Cecil at the counter, he addressed his purpose of visit.
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard of it, adventurers always embark on their journey after four weeks. It’s a shame that you will no longer be working with us, we have enjoyed your silent company. Would it change your mind if we gave you a discount for your meals from now on?”
“I hardly gotten any pay from you guys, I wouldn’t be able to afford your cheapest meal.”
“You never negotiated your payout.”
“…”
“Well, don’t just stand there, go out and hunt some monsters. Money ain’t coming towards you, and you certainly won’t function on an empty stomach. As soon you’re done come back, dinner will be waiting for you.”
Cecil smiled with that statement and pushed him out of the pub. She was certain Kris was already a key customer and handled him roughly. Kris didn’t mind her actions, over the weeks he has seen her demanding side. The food they made wasn’t extraordinary, you’d find the taste in every other shop. The key factor lies within Cecil’s rough treatment with cute subtlety. She knew how to reveal her angry charms and when to stop, making customers craving for more, and she enjoyed the attention. Visual stimulation and verbal abuse, along with their food on plates.
Aileen contributed to the pub’s popularity too. She was incredibly beautiful, not one of the ordinary woman you would see among all the players. Covered in sweat, her hair shone like a gold surrounded by a thin layer of droplets absorbing the light, amplifying her radiance even further. Once in a while, she would pop out at the door to the hall, waving Cecil to her. People would wait for that moment to catch a glimpse of her. Combined with Cecil personality, the pub had deadly grasps of its customers.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“I’ll be back”, was the Kris’s answer.
***
With Kris anticipation to take his first step outside walls, he didn’t pay any attention to the scenery until he passed the gate. Vast views of farmlands were in sight. It was quite populated by players taking quests by farmers, who had troubles with rabbits damaging their fields. Kris would join them, but he had check a few things first before that. Only recently did Kris finally check how to open his status windows, and he hadn’t bothered with it until now. He wished to go through the information at his pace, at a quiet place with breezing air.
He went a fair distance from the Fort Odin before trees in the area became dense. It still wasn’t easy because of the quality of his shoes but his feet’s skin was quite hardened, and the road was much smoother than the town’s stone paved road. Going further out away from road, Kris found a tree with its root visible, sticking out and formed like a chair. There were rabbits in the field, but they weren’t aggressive so he paid them no mind. Thinking that it was good place to quietly check his achievements, he went on and sat there.
“Character window! Status window! Skill window!”
Character WindowCharacter nameKrisAlignmentNeutralLevel2ProfessionScribeTitleNoneFame0Health140Mana468Strength17Agility11Vitality14Endurance1Wisdom26 (+20)Intelligence19 (+20)Stamina50Fighting Spirit1Luck1Leadership1Charisma1Art8Attack2-4Defense2 (-1% Dmg)Unallocated points5Magic ResistanceFire10%Water10%Earth10%Wind10%Holy10%Dark10%
Status Window+20 Intelligence
+20 Wisdom
+20% Mana
+25% effect on Scrolls
+25% duration on Scrolls
Restricted to Staffs/Wands
Unable to wear Medium/Heavy ArmorReputationFreya50
Skill WindowPen MasteryBeginner Level 9Exp: 84%Writing Speed is increased by +90%
Ink consumed is decreased by -22.5%CopyBeginner Level 7Exp: 56%Allows user’s hand to copy what user readsStaff MasteryBeginner Level 2Exp: 71%Damage is increased by +20%
Attack speed is increased by +6%CookingBeginner Level 4Exp: 47%Allows user to cook basic recipes
It took awhile but Kris finally got to it, opening windows for the first time. It surprised him that it was this simple, a voice command. He should have known because of his impression at the account creation.
He saw that his level was still at level 2, but his stats showed a different case. It wasn’t too unexpected though, as his old played games performed in a similar way, and that he had seen the stat increase throughout the weeks. Kris had yet to learn a spell so he welcomed any buffs he could acquire, making the early leveling a cakewalk. Still, his close combat capabilities were still about the same as a normal mage who didn’t put anything on strength stat. He decided to check the staff he had gotten.
Hardened Blackwood Staff
Durability: (84/100)
Damage: 4~14
Its origin unknown to craftsmen. What matters is their sturdiness and reliability to not burn.
Equip:
+4 Defense
Fire Immune
Stamina consumption is decreased by 20%
Requirements:
Scribe class only.
“A fire immune wooden staff? What was Kauwl talking about? Such item is given at class change? Calm down, calm down… Maybe such effects are much more common here, but… That has to be at rare level to my knowledge. Why would a scribe receive such staff instead of a mage? At least that would make more sense.”
Kris also appreciated the no level or stat requirements. Those were actually a rarity, even though the stats given were not on the impressive side. Still, they were on another level of what one would normally get at the early stages of their adventures.
Back at looking at the windows, Kris dwelled on how the scribe’s speciality could help him level up. He got a bunch of stat increase on intelligence and wisdom provided by the class, not to mention effectiveness by using scrolls. To his knowledge, these weren’t easy to get, nor should they be on the cheap side either. In other words, he played an expensive class unless he befriended a magician who was willing to slave away at magic scroll creation for his use. Not going to happen.
Kris reflected back on Kauwl’s speech of the master. They were respected but not famous. Lived through many adventures, yet there were no books or scrolls of their own tales. Kris had nothing to investigate, even Kauwl was clueless of where to find anything related to the master when this much time has passed. He stopped thinking about it, after he concluded there’s nothing to gain when he doesn’t even know where to start from.
The number of skills he currently had were few and only the staff mastery aided his combat prowess, which he had to force himself to learn. Although its level was low, Kris disregarded that fact and looked forward to hunting monsters, he needed to do something exciting after all the work. During the weeks, he mentally prepared himself at the training hall, fantasizing how he defeated each of the enemy. It had gotten past the point that he would do anything to taste a fight, only continuously hitting the dolls would hold him back.
Believing he had checked everything he needed to know about himself, he closed the windows and rose up facing the outside wall. It was quite the majestic view from the distance, wheat fields wavering furiously, caused by many players within them, hunting the bunnies. That itself also looked weird. Sometimes the head of the players would stick out from the surface of the wheat field, wandering around, just like seeing an alligator preying on a new target.
Kris amused himself at that thought. Did the guards also share his point of view? Trying to imagine that he was on top of the wall, he saw more visible thick round figures, buzzing around in honey colored field. It evolved into bees working and maintaining a beehive. Kris snickered, he felt bad for the people who got viewed in that way by the wall guards. In fact, he got embarrassed by it, imagining himself among those who worked in the field. He couldn’t bear it, being seen by others doing that, even though he didn’t know any of them, nor did anyone know Kris.
Not wanting to be viewed the same way by the guards and travellers in the distance, he turned his back to the fort, thinking that there should be other low level monsters to hunt. There couldn’t just be bunnies for newcomers. A decent mix of monsters of similar levels should be there to spice up the variety, making grinding less tedious. At least that was the case when he last played. He couldn’t fathom the gaming industry to derive away from that philosophy.
Immediately, not far away from him, Kris saw a stray wolf sprinting closer. It’s rare for a wolf to come to the farmland area because of the populated hunters, but since Kris was at the edge of it and had his back to the wolf for a long while, it couldn’t resist its temptation to take down an unaware prey.
In panic, Kris fumbled into his stance. The wolf was just as real as any other animal picture book, or documentary he had seen. Its glaring eyes pierced through Kris, noticing his inexperience, it increased its speed further and jumped towards Kris with open jaws. Kris directed his staff to the wolf’s head, just like any other human being startled and protecting themselves against an unknown object coming towards them. The wolf turned its head to avoid being hit by the staff’s tip, and bit the staff from sideways, attempting to pull it away from Kris.
It had a hard time doing so since Kris had learned how to hold a staff and avoid it gliding with each stab to the doll. Not only that, its sudden bite onto the staff also hurted its jaws. It was unlike any other piece of wood it had experienced. Seeing that it was futile, the wolf let it go and backed a bit, observing where else it could attack from.
Doing so allowed Kris to take a quick small breather, however that didn’t relax his muscles one bit. While attempting to fix his current stance, he unconsciously came to that the wolf was wary of his staff, positioned himself in such way that it allowed him to quickly swing with staff’s sides. It was also risky since it might not have enough force to cause wolf to stagger.
In that moment the wolf saw the inviting chance while Kris tried to reposition himself. It quickly ran toward to the side of Kris, lowering its profile. Unprepared, Kris thrusted at it instead despite of what he had prepared. The wolf did a sudden turn which caused Kris to miss his attack and jumped for the neck. In reflex Kris only had to slightly move his arm to cover the area the wolf aimed for.
It bit the upper arm and tried dragged Kris down to the ground with the help of its weight. Although Kris had prepared for the incoming pain, it didn’t hurt as much as he had thought. It was manageable but not for long if it were to keep at it. He held on to the staff, mounted on the ground. He couldn’t let the wolf gain its advantage by pulling him to the same level as the wolf.
They were in a stalemate for awhile, neither abandoning their will to yield to the other force. Someone had to make the first move, and it would be Kris. Those who moved first always gained the element of surprise were his thoughts, although did it apply to animals who were driven by their instincts?
Kris gathered his power and attempted to hit the wolf’s body with the staff’s tip a couple of times. It wasn’t strong enough to cause the wolf lessen its bite power but it growled with each hit. Inspired by the wolf’s noises, he continued it further. However with each attempted hit toward the wolf, it found a momentum to exploit to drag Kris down, and succeeded. But even then, it didn’t let go of Kris arm. It was as it realized it locked staff’s movement, and would regret if it let go once. Repositioning itself to block Kris arms movements, the wolf began to pull him away from the edge of farmland, for other wolves to feast with, and welcome the wolf into any pack it encountered.
Kris grew desperate by this wolf’s action. He tried to switch staff to his other free arm and began to hit wolf’s upper body. It completely did not have any effect, the wolf wasn’t even fazed by the action after the first hit. Due to the staff’s length, one arm wasn’t enough to produce enough power. He tried tripping the wolf’s legs but it avoided it elegantly each time. He also tried rising up with force but the wolf swiftly crunched its teeths, shaking his arm. To Kris, it felt like the bones were on verge of breaking, the way the teeth grinded on his bones. Each every new attempt, Kris lost his hope and began screaming for help, but it was too far away from the road and farmland to be heard.
Notebook's DoodlesNEXT CHAPTER
Thanks to FireAsh for proofreading.
Thanks to Limilicious for juggling ideas.
Man, those tables was time-consuming @.@;