* * *
Joe woke the next day and came out of the inn to find the small fence around his scribble writing to be even more elaborate and careful. Joe sighed as he looked at the entire setup, and finally decided to take action. He stepped over the small fence and rubbed out the writing on the ground completely, clearing it out. He then pulled up the small fence sections carefully and set them to the side. While he was in the process, Garnedell came out of the inn and stopped in shock. Joe didn’t notice but when he turned and saw his shocked dismay, Joe confronted him.
“What’s wrong, kid? It’s just writing… there’s nothing special about it! It’s not magic… there is no such thing as mag… well… never mind!”
Joe found himself sputtering to an end as he remember the magical resistances listed in his status. But then Joe began to feel a bit confused. Where is the magic, anyway. I haven’t seen anything to show that! Is there magic? Joe’s mind wandered over the idea of magic with some distraction before he was brought sharply back to the present when he suddenly heard a wailing cry and turned towards it, startled. He watched, shocked, as the merchant’s wife came out of her home and began wailing while looking at the destroyed scribbling on the roadway. Joe blinked with some consternation, but then shrugged. They’ll get over it by the next day.
He had to call Garnedell several times but finally got him to follow and left the wailing woman behind. Garnedell continued his duties well, but was distinctly cagey, a sense of restraint in all his interactions with Joe. Joe didn’t really notice until around lunch time, then began to quickly notice his changed personality. Joe chose to watch for some time, but when he finally finished the hunt for the day and made it back to the road, he decided to interrogate the boy on what was happening.
“What’s up, kid? Uh... Unhappy why?”
Joe reinforced the question with some mime and body language, and the boy simply stared at him, even seeming to be a bit fearful. Joe spent the rest of the way home, trying to get the boy to open up, but received nothing except to seem to make the kid more afraid. Joe’s frustration began to seep through, and it wasn’t till they got back to the village that Joe was able to drop the whole thing, simply because there seemed to be a much bigger problem: the entire village seemed to be in a panic!
People were running around the streets while women were screaming or crying in fear. The men were angry and shouting, while the kids crouched under mother’s skirts. Joe raced forward, fearful there had been another attack, but when he came into sight, the people all ran towards him and began bowing towards him or babbling incessantly. Joe stared back and forth between all the people, confused by what he was seeing and completely uncertain of what they wanted of him. It wasn’t until the blacksmith came forward and directed him towards the destroyed scribbles on the roadway that Joe realized what had them bothered.
“Seriously? Really? You guys are worried about random writing on a road! Man… what…”
Joe sighed in angry frustration, but then stared at the people who seemed to be genuinely afraid. He considered his options, but was really confused why they were talking to him, until he realized that they wanted him to fix it. They wanted the scribbles back. Joe sighed once again, but now in resignation and threw his head back before looking around at all the people. He stared at them for some time before just throwing his hands up and accepted his fate.
“Fine! Fine… I’ll fix it! But I’m NOT blocking the main road again!”
Joe looked around considering his options before he finally came to an idea. He marched down to the mercantile and looked through the merchant’s wares before he found a suitable, rather largish, piece of cloth. It was mainly flat, and Joe had no idea what its function was, but it would suffice. He found what looked like some paint brushes and took one, as well as a bit of paint. He spent a bit of the afternoon redoing his ridiculous stat listing and then painted it on the board before he took it out front of the small village at the entrance. Forming a stake from an available tree branch, he used the stake as a pole and hung his stats on the board overlooking the town’s entrance. For almost the entire time, people followed him around throughout the process, and when he was done, he turned to look towards the crowd.
“There. Are you happy? You got your precious scribbles back! All is safe in the world!”
Despite the sarcastic comments, Joe made sure to layer his language with a friendly tone and confidence which actually did a bit of a number on him as he struggled to keep his tone friendly and light despite the mocking contents. I hope this satisfies everyone, ‘cause I’m really really not in the mood anymore! Despite his unseen verbal scorn, when the people saw his sign, nicer and more prominently displayed, the people cheered with a fervor that surprised him. He was taken aback for a bit, but then waved and smiled at everyone before escaping into the inn. I have GOT to get away from this! He hid in his room for some time, and was joined shortly by Garnedell.
When the boy came in, he seemed his old self, although with a bit more awe in his voice, and Joe dropped his head to his bed as he realized what had caused the boy to be reticent in the woods. All for a list of numbers? Why can’t people recognize they’re just numbers. Is it so unusual? Not trusting to have the whole scene quieted for a while, Joe hid in his room a bit longer and took the time to take notes for the day, writing down the stats he had gained from his new job.
Status
Current Job
Available Jobs
Current Skills
Available Skills
Log
Joe McConnell
Magical Resistances
Status
Physical Resistances
HP
5.00
Physical:
MP
5.00
Piercing
0.00
Attack
5.00
Crushing
0.00
Defense
5.00
Slashing
0.00
Magic
5.00
Magic Defense
5.00
Strength
5.00
Dexterity
10.00
Agility
5.00
Trapper
5
IQ
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
10.00
Wisdom
5.00
Learning
5.00
Luck
1.25
Trapper didn’t do much, just like the other jobs, but it did give him a good boost to his IQ, a satisfactory outcome, as well as a boost to the rare luck stat. After he finished his notes, he crept down the stairs carefully, and was relieved to find the dining area empty, and even the street outside. Joe sighed with some relief, then told Garnedell he was going to the priest once again. The boy nodded eagerly, then pointed towards the knoll they liked to practice on, and Joe agreed to meet him there. I think that’s what he’s saying, right? It would be almost sunset by then, but they might be able to get a decent workout in before needing to take his bath.
Joe ran the whole way to the priest, needing to make up time from the whole road writing scribble fiasco. A quick exchange with a rather sober priest had Joe now a fisherman. Joe then quickly returned to the village and to where Garnedell was overlooking the lake. Things seemed to be returning to the norm, and Joe was able to finish out the evening without any more surprises. Joe fell asleep to the view of his current boosted stats.
Status
Current Job
Available Jobs
Current Skills
Available Skills
Log
Joe McConnell
Magical Resistances
Status
Physical Resistances
Wind
1.75
HP
7.5 (138)
Physical:
Water
1.50
MP
7.5 (100)
Piercing
0.5 (48)
Ice
1.38
Attack
7.5 (181)
Crushing
0 (132)
Defense
7.5 (158)
Slashing
1.125 (39)
Magic
7.5 (100)
Magic Defense
7.5 (100)
Strength
10 (148)
Dexterity
9 (112)
Agility
9 (133)
IQ
9.25 (132)
Wisdom
9.25 (105)
Learning
7.50
Luck
0.38