---Objects Analyzed---

Gryphon Talon

Gryphon Feather

Gryphon Beak

Gryphon Bone

Hide (Gryphon)

Xander once more began following Thripus after they had stripped some parts from the gryphon. The ranger still seemed confident in his direction, and soon, they came across another trail, which began to appear more well kempt the further they walked.

“We ought to be able to reach town before the end of the day, long as we keep this pace up. Let me know if you need a break; my endurance is probably higher than yours from the extra levels.”

Xander was glad to hear that he’d be finding some semblance of shelter by the day’s end. “I think I’ll be okay. I’m fine right now. One of my skills, uhm, what’s it called, ah right. [Eternal March] gives me increased endurance. Says it scales with level as well. That’s good right?”

“Yes. It’s not uncommon for skills that passively increase an attribute or something like that to scale with level, unless they provide a large one-time bonus. I’ve a few of my own, [Track], for example, increases in power with every level in [Ranger] I gain.”

“I see. And what exactly is endurance, in terms of a status window? Is it just how long you can do physical exercise, or does it make you more resistant to being hit by something, too?”

“It’s both, for the most part. Not so much ‘resisting’ something, though. A sharp knife will cut someone with a high toughness as well as someone with low toughness. But it allows you to push further and last longer through an injury, and that can make a big difference. A lower leveled person might lose a limb and die from shock or very quickly from blood loss if they don’t stem it. A higher leveled person or someone who gains a lot of toughness from class skills could lose an arm and keep on going. Of course, they’d eventually need to tourniquet it and or get some healing, but it wouldn’t put them immediately out of action.”

“Wow. Pretty hand to have, then. Are there other attributes than just endurance?”

“Of course, there’s dexterity, willpower, intelligence, a whole host of them. Some classes get really specific. I’ve heard of [Bards] that get [Finger Dexterity], not just dexterity. A class can change a lot of aspects of someone, though it’s not often shown outwardly, with the exception of strength generally showing more muscle than before.”

“Huh, okay. I guess that makes sense. Someone who’s more flexible or smarter isn’t really going to look any different that someone who isn’t.”

“Right, but don’t conflate intelligence with intelligence. The attribute allows you to process and retain information better, but it doesn’t necessarily make you smart. I’ve met some pretty dumb mages before.”

“Oh.” Xander pondered these recent revelations. He was glad to be getting toughness from his [Soldier] class, but he did wish he could get some source of intelligence. Better recall was a dream for someone like him who tended to be forgetful sometimes. Maybe [Artificer] would grant him some at some point. It would be better than something like [Finger Dexterity].

The two walked in silence for another few hours, stopping for a short lunch around noon, or at least as close to noon as Xander could tell. He doubted he’d set his watch perfectly. Hopefully there would be a clock somewhere in town, and hopefully they used a 24 hour day. They’d broken out of the woods right around the time they’d decided to break for lunch and the landscape was idyllic. Rolling hills that looked like the perfect place for pastures covered the horizon. Unfortunately, Xander couldn’t see a town yet.

Another hour in, though, and Xander was pleased to finally see some buildings. They were scattered and didn’t much seem to look like a town, but it was still a sight for sore eyes. “Is that the town?”

“Not quite,” responded Thripus. “Klimp is over the next hill. What you’re seeing now are farm houses and barns. And no, I don’t know why it’s called ‘Klimp,’ so don’t bother asking.”

“I take it that question gets asked a lot?”

“Unfortunately. It’s not a large town, but it’s a decent enough size. It’s on the main road to the capital, so it sees enough traffic to sustain business, and the food and animals grown here flow out through the same roads. Which means you’re in luck as a [Godsmarked]. There’s a small mercenary’s guild office in town, who I’m sure would love to take in a fledgling [Soldier], and if that’s not for you, then you might be able to apprentice with the town’s [Tinker]. You’re a bit old for an apprenticeship, but I’m sure an exception could be made due to your circumstances. For your help with the gryphon, you’re welcome to stay in my home until you make other arrangements. It’s a bit small, but sleeping on the floor inside is better than an alleyway at least. I’ll also make sure you get a good price on those parts, should you choose to sell them.”

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“I think I will. I’m not sure exactly what I’d do with them right now, and I don’t have any kind of money that would be accepted here.”

“Fair enough, you’ll probably be able to net yourself enough to stay at the nicer inn for a week, or one of the cheaper ones for two or three. Won’t leave you much for buying things, but meals will be included. By that point I figure you’ll have settled on something to start working towards.”

“What does working with the mercenary’s guild look like? I’ve just been dropped into a brand-new world and I don’t know anything about anywhere, so I’m not sure an apprenticeship is quite where I want to go.”

“Well, that can vary quite a lot depending on your skillset. Some people can hire themselves out as bodyguards, others take contracts to kill rare or dangerous creatures, some take to spying or scouting, it really depends on your class and your personal niche. For you, I’d say you’d probably either be working with a group taking kill contracts due to your [Soldier] class, or possibly as a supporting member for exploration contracts with your [Artificer] class. Having a combat class along with [Artificer] would make you appealing for that line of work; it’s an extra guarantee that you’d be able to look after yourself a bit better should you need to.”

“Hmm. I like the idea of exploring a lot more than just solely killing things. Do I need to provide… credentials or anything? I don’t exactly have any paperwork.”

“Your status as a [Godsmarked] will be enough proof for your lack of paperwork right now. They can help you get registered as a citizen of the Kingdom of Dardin, as well as the registration required to become a member of the guild. It’s fairly straightforward. Mostly just an examination of your status window. I’m a member myself, and it didn’t take long at all to register. Just have to pop back in every now and then and let them update your record. They’re actually how I got this contract for the bear. Farmers pooled funds to put it in with the mercenary’s guild. Might be able to wrangle some extra hazard pay out of it since there was a gryphon involved.”

“Oh. Okay. I mean, that makes sense when I think about it. It’s easy to prove something if it’s on your status window. Wait, can status windows be faked?”

“Not by any conventional way that I know of. I’ve heard of an [Illusionist] that was creating an illusion of a status sheet instead of his own, but someone with a skill saw through it. The fines were pretty harsh from what I heard. Nobody wants someone going around with a fake status. Wouldn’t recommend trying it.”

“Not planning to. Mine’s pretty sparse anyways, not much to hide. What kind of stuff is available around town? I assume there’s a smith, of course. What about a… chemist? Alchemist, I guess?”

“Oh yeah, there’s an alchemy shop, a tanner and leatherworker, all the basic stuff. Now, if you want anything particularly fancy you’d have to have to contract a merchant to bring it out to you or go to a larger town itself. But we make do fairly well. There’s enough traffic that comes through that you can generally find what you want off of a trader passing by to somewhere else.”

As they crested the next rise, Xander was finally able to see Klimp. Buildings lined what looked to be a well-used road, and there were two watch towers, one on either end of the town that he presumed helped the town watch over the road itself. It wasn’t particularly impressive, but it was certainly not a disappointment either. “I’m just glad to have found a town in the first place. I could have wandered in a different direction in the woods and gotten lost.”

“Here’s what I suggest when we get into town. First, we offload these gryphon parts before the shopkeepers close up, then we get you registered at the guild. After that, I can recommend a decent inn you can sleep in until you take your first contract, if that’s the direction you decide to go.”

The process of selling the gryphon parts was relatively simple; Thripus already seemed to know what they should sell for, and after some back and forth settled for what Xander assumed was only slightly less. The agreed upon half was then given to Xander, who squirreled it away in his inventory space for now. Filling his cargo pockets with coins didn’t seem the smartest idea, and he didn’t have a coin purse. Once the two were done selling the various gryphon bits, they began to move to another part of town. They had to cross the road to do so, and Xander noted a few wagons, not all of which were pulled by horses or oxen. Mixed in with the horses, donkeys, and oxen that would have traditionally pulled a cart on Earth, there was a scaled, hexapedal creature. Xander gawked at the first one before realizing that Thripus hadn’t stopped and trotted to keep up. This world has some weird looking shit.

Thripus lead him to the mercenary’s guild next, just as he’d promised. It was a simple, but sturdy looking brick building. Inside, there was a long counter with several stools, but only one attendant, and the walls were filled with boards upon which various sheets of paper, scrolls, and even some leather scraps were nailed up. The attendant waved at Thripus as he entered.

“Thripus! Got that bear sorted out?”

“Oh aye, more than sorted. Bear’d been killed by a gryphon, which I and my friend here managed to take down.” Thripus tossed the beak of the gryphon, which still had some dried blood on it, onto the counter. “Speaking of, I’ve got a new member for you to get signed up. Found him in the woods. He’s a [Godsmarked].”

“A [Godsmarked], you say? Well, well, we don’t get many of those around here. Can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure of inducting one of the marked into the guild.” The attendant turned to Xander and held out her hand, “My name is Dorly, and I’m please to meet you.”

Xander tentatively took her hand and shook it, hoping this was the correct course of action. “Xander. Nice to meet you too.”

“I’ll leave you here with Dorly, once I collect my payment, of course. She can tell you how to get to the Talon’s Mark – that’s the inn I’d recommend by the way. You can find me at the bar there for a while after you’re done, I’d expect, and I’ll gladly vouch to the owner for you.” At the mention of payment, Dorly collected a small purse from behind the counter and placed it in front of Thripus. “Thank you kindly, Dorly. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a drink after tromping through the woods. I’ll see you at Talon’s, Xander.” At that, Thripus made an about face, and exited the building.