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Vol1 Chapter5
Deal with a Tinker.
Don would never admit it but he was enjoying himself while dancing. Though it wasn’t so much the dancing itself as what he was doing while dancing. Six goblin raiders attempted to ambush him on a remote road to the south. Goblin raiders averaged level 70 and with Don’s heightened stats they were no match for his damage. He knew as much and took the time to practice the battle dances he learned. Dance of the Brave and Dance of the fighter were pointless when not in a party so he was trying out the Dance of Death. He tried to fill himself with the impression he was the god of death come to end the lives of those before him. He tried to match his movements to the feeling, his hard movements became smoother, his strikes slower, moving in small circles. Don wasn’t sure if he was doing it right but he felt intimidating.
After cleaving the head off the last one in a horrific display Don noticed he was no longer alone on the road.
An old gnome sitting on a large horse drawn cart was enjoying the show. When Don approached the road, the gnome said, "Wonderful, that was a most impressive display." The gnome was short, just over three and a half feet tall, with a red beard and pointed ears beneath an over sized straw hat.
Don decided he might as well start a conversation. "What do you have in there? That's a strange looking cart."
The gnome said, "Ahh, these are my wares. I'm something of a traveling peddler. I go to isolated towns that have no good stores and sell and trade and repair."
"Repair? Are you a blacksmith or a merchant?"
The gnome chuckled, "A little of both I'd say. And a little more."
Don looked at the sides of the cart, now that he could see it clearly he noticed that it had various drawers that were likely compartments. Don guessed the whole thing was like a giant Swiss army knife. He said, "Can I see?"
The gnome looked closely at Don and said, "Where are you heading? You don't look like a thief but I'd prefer to know before showing my stock to someone who won't buy anything."
Don didn't want to say why he was going to Mt. Ketsdale, so he said, "I'm heading for the Veneir mountain range."
The gnome looked slightly surprised and said, "Truly? I have business there as well."
Now it was Don's turn to be surprised. Mt. Ketsdale was the highest peak of the Veneir mountains but it was also several months distance away. To be so far and meet someone with the same destination was beyond coincidence.
The gnome spoke, "I have a proposition for you. If you escort me there, I'll give you something from my cart, and maybe a skill or two for your troubles."
Don waited a moment for a quest chart to pop up, but it never did. This person wasn't an NPC.
"Aren't you a User? I thought only NPCs could teach skills."
The gnome shook his head. "Well that depends on two things, the difficulty of the skill and the mastery of the teacher. Simple skills like drawing can be taught or learned easily. Difficult skills can only be taught if the teacher has a the required level of mastery for the skill. And of course the student cannot learn the skill themselves if they don't meet the stat requirement."
Don said to this, "If you have even one skill at a high enough mastery to teach it then you must be a much higher level than I am. Why would you need me as an escort?"
The gnome looked happy that Don's reasoning skills were high. He said, "It is true I am a higher level than you. My level is a little over 250. But I cannot fight. Gnomes do not fight, we run and hide. I am skilled in arcane magic but my only combat spells are illusion. I noticed how those goblins could not turn their heads away from you during the fight. Such a skill combined with my illusion magic would almost guarantee the safety of my cart along the journey."
Don thought for a moment, but the answer was simple. The gnome had asked for help, and a real man wouldn't refuse. "Alright. My name is Don, its a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello Don, my name is Bob."
Bob stood up on his wagon seat and pulled a secret lever on the cart. Suddenly all the slots fell open revealing dozens of compartments and at least a hundred objects. Each side was like a different section of a department store. Cloth and sewing implements in one part, rope and survival gear in another. There were swords, shields, armors of various types, leathers, and whetstones. Simple but necessary things that were scarce in some parts.
The only thing that caught Don's eye was some leather with a unique pattern. After thinking for a moment Don said, "Can you teach me the tailoring skill?" Don didn't consider sewing a manly skill, but it was a step to independence, and that was the manly path. Since he could wear only leather or cloth armor it would benefit him to be able to sew his own in the long run.
Bob blinked for a moment then said, "Well, that's a tricky one. Yes, I can teach tailoring, but you need to meet one of the requirements. Do you have the handicraft skill? If you reach level 3 of handicraft you can learn tailoring."
"No, how do I learn the handicraft skill?"
Bob grimaced, "Well, I can't teach that one.. One of the ways to get it is to reach level 8 of tailoring though..."
"So you need handicraft to learn tailoring but you need tailoring to learn handicraft?"
"Technically. But there are other ways to learn both. If you meet any one of the requirement you will be able to learn the skill, after that I can teach you."
Don sighed, "So I can't learn it then?"
"You can, the simplest requirement to meet is to simply learn to sew. When you can make something decent I can teach you the skill." Bob went to cloth section and opened up an bottom cabinet revealing a large pile of folded cloth. He took it out as well as some thread, scissors and needles and gave them to Don. "Practice sewing for now. It will take a month in the real world to get their so you have some time."
"Wow, thankyou."
"Don't mention it." Bob closed the drawers and pulled another lever causing all the shelves to fold and lock back into the place making it look like a normal wagon again. He walked up the small step ladder back the seat of the driver's seat of the wagon and said, "Well hop on next to me. You can begin with learning how to cut the right size."
Don spent the next four hours pricking his fingers and wasting cloth. The game system didn't recognize anything he made as clothing, when he used identify on a shirt the system referred to is as 'sewn cloth.' Bob helped with instructions on some of the finer points of sewing. He showed Don several different types of stitching which Don spent an hour a piece practicing.
Long before he made anything close to progress the wagon had arrived at a small village. Bob pulled out a strange flute with two pipes split at the mouth piece. As the wagon slowly trotted through the town Bob started playing it. The sound was quiet but somehow it traveled throughout the village, alerting everyone of Bob's presence.
Don looked at as he played it and said, "You're a bard too?"
Bob smiled and said, "No, this is more of a hobby. This music won't give any buffs, though I did make a modification to this that lets the sound travel. If it's good enough for ice cream trucks its good enough for me."
Don thought Bob's comparing this music to the annoyance of the ice cream truck was a dis-service to himself. Bob's playing was superb, his fingers were moving so fast Don swore he heard three distinct patterns in the song that changed and flowed into each other at once. Now Don had never considered playing music manly but he did appreciate the abilities of others to create something beautiful.
Bob played his double flute for about ten minutes. When he finished the people who had gathered applauded him. Bob pulled the lever opening his cart's contents. He then calmly said, "Wine and cheese, cloth and iron, sword and staff. I have many wares to sell. Should anyone have something they need repaired just ask. If you have things you wish to sell I can pay."
Bob got up on top of his wagon and watched the people look through his wares. Don got off as well and looked around. A woman suddenly came up to Don and said, "How much for a bottle of the Belkey Wine?" Don looked uncertain, then he turned to see Bob on the roof smirking at him. Bob let the moment of akwardness hang for two seconds before saying, "For you mam, that will be 12 silver a bottle. If you take four of them I can lower it to 40 silver total."
The woman seemed thrilled, "Oh, yes please. I'll take four." She took out a coin purse and handed it to Don who in turn handed it to Bob. Without even counting it he said, "pleasure doing business mam."
Six more times a woman walked up to Don asking questions about the wares. usually simple questions about cheap wares. Don got the distinct impression the women didn't care about what they were buying, as long as they were buying it from Don.
Don noticed that Bob wasn't just selling. He was also trading and buying from others. Several people brought out stores of materials they had collected over the years and Bob bought all the best of it he could fit in his wagon. When people had stopped buying and selling Don figured the wagon was just as heavy now as when they arrived, though Bob still received more money than he spent.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
After people were done purchasing came a line of people who were there with broken goods. Bob fixed each item to brand new. After which he told Don that they would stay there for a day while he fixed other things that couldn't be brought to him. Don used the time to practice sewing until he was ready to log out.
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After coming home the next day from work, Don looked through the internet on various sewing techniques and how sewing machines worked. He was trying to familiarize himself with each aspect of sewing, which stitches were best for what materials, where the stitches need to strongest, and the proper way to tie the thread after finishing the piece.
Don logged back in to see that Bob was waiting at the edge of town playing his double flute. Don hopped on and the wagon was off. Don was about to take out the sewing materials when Bob said, "Leave practicing till after these hills. If there's an ambush it'll be there."
Don waited in tense silence as they rode over the hill outside of town. When the hills were behind them Bob took a sigh of relief and Don got out the needle to try what he learned on the internet. As he was practicing Bob said, "If you have troubles with girls, why did you choose that appearance?"
Don slipped and pricked the skin between his fingers. "Well, it was kind of an accident."
Don explained the details behind the Lunar elf and his rushed meeting with his sister. As well as the charm and charisma factor behind being a Blade dancer.
Bob laughed his little butt off. "So you wanted a manly class? I guess you don't want to learn magic then."
"Not really. I got enough on my plate. Gonna focus on strength and agility."
Bob nodded, "Yea, I learned the skill Arcane magic mastery at the mage guild when my intellect reached 300. I was thinking of teaching it but you obviously won't meet the requirements before we part."
Don was surprised Bob was already thinking of what other skill he could teach him. Don said, "Tailoring is enough. You've already allowed me to use your materials which I know isn't cheap."
Bob said, "Don't think this is one sided. You given me someone to talk to on this trip into the wilderness. And don't worry about the cost of the cloth. I'm not doing this to become rich."
Don said, "Yea, I hope you weren't expecting me to make you a lot of money."
Bob looked confused for a second before he realized what Don meant. Then he said, "No, not teaching you sewing, I mean I didn't become a traveling merchant to become rich."
"Then why do it?"
"Curiosity about the world and all the things in it. I enjoy figuring out how things work. But before figuring out how something works you have to find it. That is why I travel. I'm looking for unique items so I can figure out how they work."
Don wasn't sure what Bob meant. If you ask how a spell works, magic is usually the acceptable answer, what more could their be? Don asked, "What kind of items are you talking about?"
"Hmm, it's difficult to explain." Bob smacked the wooden wall behind where he sat and the spot opened up revealing a secret compartment. Without even looking Bob put his hand in there and took out a metal ball the size of an orange that seemed to be made up of layers of over lapping metal, like a flower before opening. He handed it to Don and said, "What do you think this is?"
Don inspected it for a moment before saying, "identify."
Failed to Identify Object.
"I can't identify it."
Bob smiled and pointed at a large rock they were passing. He moved his hands in a strange way and muttered, "Orstros Ber Totalidos Septim Rok."
A magic circle appeared in front of his hand and a second later the rock split in half down the middle. Bob said, "A useful spell for getting debris out of the way if it is blocking the road. Now see that rock over there? Squeeze the sphere lightly and point the tip at that rock."
Don did so, the sphere opened up like a blossom's petals revealing a clear crystal in the center that started glowing. Don pointed it at the rock just as a magic circle appeared in front of it and a second later the rock split in half.
The sphere closed up and Bob said, "You can only use it once every few hours I'm afraid. But it's not bad considering I made it myself."
Don realized what had happened. He turned to Bob and said, "You're an Artificer?" An artificer is basically a magic scientist. Someone who replicates magic using technology. Although it is known that almost all artificers are gnomes, Don never thought he would meet one.
Bob said, "I am a sub-class of artificer, specifically a Tinker. I learn how things work and use that understanding to fix or replicate it. Artificers specialize in magic replication. Tinkers can replicate magic, but specialize in machinations. I built this cart myself, every compartment and secret in it is mine."
Just as he finished explaining the horses started getting restless. Bob said, “Something’s coming.”
Don jumped off and took out his swords. Behind the trees came a group of twenty goblin raiders. This valley had a goblin town a few miles away and their raiders were a plenty. The sun was out but it was near setting, there was no point using Light of the Heaven when the strongest light source was weak.
Bob started moving his hands around like he was grasping the air and shaping it. Then he mumbled something and the air around the wagon shimmered and moved. The wagon vanished behind a curtain of air. Don could hear the horse moving the cart and the see the shimmer move over the road, Don’s job was to distract them long enough for the cart to get away. Of course he would do his best to kill them all.
Don already had the attention of the goblins. First he would draw their attention, then limit their attack, then slowly kill them. The goblins slowly approached and surrounded Don, five of the charged at his back, then four to his front. In a span of four seconds Don killed three of them while the other six passed through with a cut a piece.
Skill level up: Cross Body Counter
Chance of successful parry increased by 3%
Damage from countering increased by 5%
Since leaving the city Don had practiced that skill relentlessly and it had just reached level 5. The goblins were in confusion about what happened, Don used it to duck down and slice a few knee-caps before moving away. The second wave approached. “Fiery Dance!”
Fifteen minutes later Don caught up to Bob’s wagon. And without a word hopped onto the seat.
Bob said, “That worked out pretty well.”
Don said, “So you’re just going to leave me each time?”
“Not so much leave you as get away from the danger. If you die I will wait at whatever town is the closest. For example if you died there I would have to turn around and wait at the last town.”
Don didn’t hold leaving him behind against the gnome, it was practical to prioritize the safety of his cart over Don’s well being. However, “How did you manage up till now without fighting?”
Bob nodded that it was a good point, he said, “When my illusion magic isn’t enough to get away on my own, I have to use one of my home made artifacts. Throw something loud and distracting away then run off in the cover of my spell. But doing so is so wasteful. I can’t go back to retrieve it. That’s the difference you’ll be making. You distract, then come back on your own.”
Bob seemed quite please with the deal. Don realized that between giving up one item and some cloth, Bob was still probably doing better than he was when he threw away various artifacts he probably could sell for quite a sum. Don felt a little better about the nature of the deal.
Bob said, “Now, before we were interrupted there was something I wanted to ask. Would you like to help me sell my merchandise?”
Don froze up for a moment before saying, “What?”
Bob chuckled, then continued, “Well, as long as you continue to attract the ladies, why not make use of it? I'll show you the prices of all my wares and teach you how to haggle."
It was a good deal for Don, besides getting use to talk to women it would also give him valuable insight into bartering for goods, an excellent skill for any would-be adventurer. Besides, he needed some way to pay for the cloth he would be wasting.
"Ok, Deal." Don and Bob shook hands and rode off over the horizon.
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