Chapter 12
Jay had woken up to Aiden knocking on his door and after some moving some items back and forth Jay had left his belongings locked in the bedroom with the exception of his keycard. They had gone to breakfast at the Guild dining room, which wasn't as glorious as it might sound. It was on par with a dingy bar, and not many people were there eating with them.
“I'm heading in to town after breakfast if you want to come with,” Aiden said while chewing some buttered toast.
Jay was still slathering butter on his toast as he replied, “Love to. Where do you want to go?”
“Have you gotten supplies for Wednesday yet?” Aiden asked, sitting back in his chair as he finished his breakfast.
Jay was still in the middle of eating when he answered, “I haven't even read the packet they gave me. I slept then you woke me up.”
Aiden nodded, holding in a burp. “You need papers, writing kit, a weapon, and a Dungeon Room figurine.”
“Ok,” Jay agreed, “I'm willing to get all that with two small problems. One, I've no idea what a Dungeon Room figurine is. Two, I'm broke.”
“A bath too.” Aiden added, grinning. “You could use one. So that's THREE problems really.”
“Ok,” Jay answered a little hotly, “but that doesn't fix my money situation. I need to fix that today.”
“How?” Aiden said, slowly tearing his napkin in to strips just to have something to do with his hands.
“I have a map. I need to make a copy and I think I can sell it.” Jay said.
“Oh. I don't think you'll get much for a map. Most things around here are already mapped out unless its a new dungeon that just popped up, which happens all the time around here. Are you good at Cartography?” Aiden asked all in a rush. If Jay was a good cartographer he could potentially make some money.
“No,” Jay said, “I don't think I am.”
Aiden looked at Jay puzzled.
“But I do think the map is one no one else has, a one of a kind sort of thing. I bet I could sell it to someone for a good price.” Jay said, wiping his mouth with a napkin before grabbing another bite.
“I know a place that sells and buys maps. Good ones.” Aiden stated. “Is yours a good one?”
“No,” Jay added, “But I bet they'll buy it anyway. I just need to make a copy first.”
Aiden was quiet at that before shrugging. Aiden just had a way of always seeming happy. Good news, bad news, didn't matter, he tried to put a positive spin on things. If Jay thought he could sell the map then Aiden just simply believed him. Aiden dove right in to another explanation as he gathered up all the torn strips of napkin strewn across the table.
“Also, Dungeon Room is a game. You have to charge up your playing piece first though by practicing or fighting with it on your person or in your pockets though so its better to get one before you begin with the Guild. Your piece learns from you and mimics your skills. You can get cheap ones but they won't look like you, don't work as well, and aren't very flashy. Its one of the few times spending the extra money is actually worth it. If you are going to play I mean.” Aiden added.
“Um. I'm not really looking to get in to another game right now?” Jay said hesitantly making it almost a question, picking something out from between his top front teeth and not looking at Aiden.
“Well if you want in to the Guild you will. The Guild uses Dungeon Room to teach how to behave and fight in a dungeon. Everyone else uses it for fun. Don't worry, it'll be helpful I promise.” Aiden said with a bright smile.
“Do I need dice or books too?” Jay asked, having played Dungeons And Dragons once or twice back on Earth.
“No,” Aiden replied confused, “why would you need dice? Why would you want to play dice and Dungeon Room at the same time? As for books we'll be getting plenty of books from our classes.”
“Forget it,” Jay said, waving him off before standing up and carrying his tray over to the trash. “Let's do this.”
The two left the dining room and headed to the library after stopping off in Jay's room for his map and drawing supplies. These were not to be confused with writing supplies which were not at all the same, something which Jay found out only after asking Aiden if he could just use his drawing supplies instead.
“Sure,” Aiden had said with a laugh, “if you want to look like you're writing with crayons.”
They had taken a seat at what looked like a large drafting table, a number of which were strewn about the large library building, which went up multiple levels just like all the other buildings in K'tharkle. It was quiet, like a library should be, and the two men spoke quietly without needing to be told.
Other tables of various types were strategically placed along the floor leaving plenty of room for students to conduct research, copy information, and study. The drafting table was perfect for copying maps and Jay got right to work, setting his map to one side while using his last piece of paper for a new map.
Aiden picked up some of the drawing supplies, “These are really awful you know. Is this a rat hair paintbrush??” he said, immediately dropping it.
Jay shrugged, “I don't care. I just need to sell the map, not use it.”
Aiden shook his head, taking the rest of the drawing kit away from Jay. “Wait here.” Aiden stowed the kit back in its little ratty bag and set it aside before going to speak with someone at the front desk.
Jay watched in awe as a large seven foot muscled woman stepped out from behind the front desk. Adorned in shiny lacquered leather armor she absolutely towered over Aiden and looked like she could forcefully rearrange the building without the need for heavy equipment if she were so inclined. After a time Jay saw the woman hand Aiden a small bag who thanked the woman with a smile and a handshake, and then left her to return to Jay.
“What the hell was that??” Jay asked.
“Librarian.” Aiden answered simply. “You don't mess with The Guild librarians. Most of them are active duty.”
“What?” Jay asked, not sure what Aiden was talking about.
“They're active duty – they go on missions to retrieve rare books, return overdue books, and arrest criminals who have taken things from the library without returning them. They aren't just for show.” Aiden said as he handed over the small kit. “Here, its a loan so don't walk off with it unless you want Glenda coming after you.”
“Good gods no I don't want her coming after me! Her name is Glenda?” Jay asked. Jay had slipped in to the local custom of saying good gods instead of JESUS or MY GOD! He found himself using my gods almost exclusively now.
“Yes. She was very nice to talk with I thought, not at all what you'd expect from a librarian.” said Aiden, stuffing himself back in a chair to watch Jay work.
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“I think you have different librarians than the ones where I come from.” Jay said.
“Oh cool! Remind me to ask where you come from later.” Aiden said.
“I will, if I don't forget myself,” Jay said absentmindedly as he began to copy the map. Copying was much easier than starting from scratch, and his new drawing tools really helped him. He hadn't realized how much his tools had been holding him back. After an hour he stopped, getting up to stretch. Aiden had been reading a book which appeared to be a fictional account of some sort or another and stopped, putting a bookmark in before closing the book. “Done?”
“Halfway done,” Jay said, walking back and forth to stretch his legs a bit. Aiden groaned, “So another hour?” Jay nodded. Aiden went back to his book. Glenda looked over at them as they spoke but said nothing, glaring lightly. Jay went back to copying. He had finished with the room layouts and contents and now just needed to finish the call outs, which were blocks of text with a border around them that matched up with the room number, describing the contents. Enjoying having the better quality drawing supplies his second copy was coming along nicer than the first, but it was obviously made by a beginner. Jay was hoping the contents of the map would be more valuable than the map drawing itself.
An hour later Jay finished and was about to coat it in sand when he noticed this kit had two kinds of sand. One was normal sand, but the other one glittered, catching the light with movement. Jay used the normal sand on the map but used the glittering sand on the final boss room, making it stand out from the rest of the map. He did the same thing with the callouts, everything normal sand except the callouts for the final room, which got the glittering sand.
Jay packed everything away while the map dried and walked the kit back to Glenda. Placing the kit on the counter he said quietly, “I would like to return this? Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
Glenda nodded, her large frame seemed to tower over Jay even while she was seated. “Welcome.” she stated without embellishment.
Jay smiled and returned to Aiden and brushed off the map, the sand disappearing before it touched the ground, “Ok buddy, lets go.”
Aiden shut his book a little too loudly which earned him a glare from Glenda, “Crap, lets get the hell out of here,” he said as the two walked briskly out of the building. They stopped off at Jay's room to drop off his drawing supplies and then took the map case and two maps out for a walk in the city.
It was about mid-day and they had spent the morning cooped up in the library. Outside it was bright and sunny and as they walked the sights changed constantly, thankfully the smells did too. They walked for ten minutes silently, Jay trying to look at everything along both sides of the street as they went. They finally entered a nice brightly lit establishment with a stylized picture of a map and quill attached to the large front door. The store sat at the middle of the range when it came to expense, and the rich shopped alongside the lesser well off without comment.
They looked around a bit, the shelves packed with rolled up papers and map cases, some full, others not. A man at the front desk waved to them happily, “Welcome! I'm Jed, let me know if you need anything.” He was on the short side, maybe five feet with boots, and had a head covered in hair and beard with two bright eyes peeking out. He wore a red shirt, and what looked like an apron spotted with ink stains.
Jay explained he had a map and was looking to find a price for it. He was ushered in to the back along with Aiden, who he brought along for moral support as Jay still didn't understand how money worked here.
Setting out the case Jay took out his first copy and showed the man who immediately looked disappointed at its quality without looking at the contents, “Oh I'm sorry but the quality of this map just isn't appropriate for sale,” the man said, his eyes peering at Jay sadly. It was bad news but kindly delivered.
Aiden poked Jay in the side, “Show him the other one.”
Jay took back the first map and gave over his new copy drawn with the nicer drawing set.
“Better. Nice use of callouts and I like how you did some of the placements but its still..” he said as he noticed the last room, its callout glittering. His voice trailed off as his large furry eyebrows drew down in a look of focus. “Is this a Traveler's dungeon?” he finally asked, looking up at Jay with a serious expression.
“Yes.” Jay replied, not offering up anything else.
Aiden looked a little embarrassed, “Jay,” he hissed, “you didn't say it was a Traveler's dungeon, those aren't worth anything!”
Jed, unlike Jay, WAS a good cartographer, and knew more than a few things about maps. What Jay had brought to him was a decent copy of a horribly drawn map but with thoughtful call outs and fairly exact placement of traps. It was however a map of a Traveler dungeon, which weren't worth anything.
Except for the fact that Jay's map had a huge callout for the final room, complete with boss info, puzzle mechanics, and loot rewards. That changed things significantly, and if Jay had known more about what he was doing he would have made a lot of money. As it was he would make a small fortune, thankfully Jed was an honest sort and wasn't looking to take advantage of anyone. He sold enough that he didn't need to.
“The map is useless to a normal person,” Jed started slowly, still reading the map, “it is of low quality, but legible with only a few exceptions. Its value would be very minor were it not for this last room. There are many who are interested in what Traveler dungeons actually do and would love to see what you have here, even if it is poorly done.”
Jed almost muttered under his breath as he left the map on a table and reached for a stone behind him, blue in color and about the size of a banana. He waved it over the map slowly, its color fading lightly in a few spots but staying at least partially lit the entire time, especially when he waved it over the last room. He moved it back to spots he had already passed a few times before seeming satisified.
Putting the stone away he turned back to Jay and Aiden. “I can give you three gold for this. If you find more I'd be interested in seeing them as well.” Jed didn't ask any other questions even though Jay could see he had to visibly hold himself back. He wanted to know how Jay got this information but it would be exceptionally rude to ask, rude to the point of wrecking whatever deal he hoped to make here.
Jay looked over at Aiden who said “Deal!” before Jay could even ask him about it. Jed looked over at Jay to make sure since it was his map. Jay shrugged and nodded as he didn't know enough to decide if it were a good deal on his own. Jed left the opened map where it was on the table, leading Jay and Aiden back out front where he counted out three gold and handed it to Jay. Jay held the gold with a puzzled look on his face. It was then that he realized his pants had no pockets.
Jed watched Jay closely, following the byplay of him trying to figure out where to put the gold. “I figured as much.” Jed said before going in back and returning with a small used looking pouch. It attached to Jay's belt with a loop. “Take it, its not worth much and you need it.”
“Thank you!” Jay said happily.
Jed was happier though, and it was obvious by his expression that he had made out well on the deal. “You're welcome. Hope to be seeing you again sometime.”
The two thanked Jed again and headed back out on to the city streets, the noise hitting them like a wall as they closed the door behind them. Jay could smell what he thought must be livestock nearby.
“Well that went great, you made out better than I thought you would. I won't ask but I want to.” Aiden said looking at Jay out of the corner of his eye.
“Its not like its a big secret,” Jay said as he gave Aiden a brief explanation of where he was from, how he got the map, and what he needed to do – get a specific Traveler's Upgrade from who knows where. Jay guessed a dungeon but didn't know which.
“Well that's a lot to take in. And you're right, you don't have to keep being a Traveler secret. Its not like they were gods or sought after. They were just from a different place.” Aiden said after they had both been quiet for a time, walking along various streets until Aiden stopped them at a specific spot.
They stood in front of a wooden cart with the side open, which was full of paper bags stuffed with something.
“Fried chicken,” Aiden said.
It was at that moment Jay realized just how hungry he was. Jay offered to pay but Aiden waved him off. “You really think he has change for a gold?”
Aiden covered the cost for the two of them, telling Jay it was much less than a silver for both while handing him a bag of fried chicken. The two walked to a nearby table set up along the cart and dug in. Neither had thought to bring a drink. They finished their bags and then both headed out down the street to buy a local beer, which they drank quickly before heading out again.
They stopped off at a bank where Jay got an account and stored his gold, finding the exchange rate to be 100 copper to a silver, 100 silver to a gold. Judging by the cost of food Jay had a decent amount and withdrew 50 silver to keep on him.
After that they picked up some writing supplies which Jay bought along with a nice zippered leather case for a silver. A few more copper got him a binder with some paper for note taking. They stopped off at another store after a long walk closer to the edge of the city where Jay manage to find a very nice cross-body bag which would fit everything quite nicely without looking bulky.
“Its almost time for dinner, we should head back to get food.” Aiden suggested.
Jay's stomach agreed with Aiden even though Jay wanted to go buy some new clothes and a figurine. His stomach won and the two headed back to The Guild. They sat with a few people whose names Jay immediately forgot. They talked about what they had all been doing that day, what classes they were in, what teachers were hard and which ones were fair. One heard Jay mention getting a Figurine and gave him and Aiden directions to a place she knew of that wasn't too expensive. Jay thanked her for the tip and the two headed back out in to the city to do some more shopping. Next stop, Figurine shopping.