Chapter 27
Jay awoke to the sound of banging on his door. He rubbed his eyes wearily as he let Aiden in. “Still sleeping I see!” Aiden said cheerfully as he opened a window shade to let some light in to the sitting room.
Jay groaned and went and got dressed. Aiden had woken Jay early enough that the two had time to catch a bath and took a soak at the bath house. Jay emerged smelling like grass and rain after using the soap M'redith had bought him. Aiden emerged smelling vaguely of whatever scented soap the bath house had available at the time. That time it was lilacs.
Aiden frowned, “Why'd it have to be lilacs? M'redith always smells like sandalwood, you always smell like grass and rain – I need to buy some scented soap so I have a scent of my own.”
Jay grinned, “Kind of putting a lot of thought in to that aren't you? I smell like grass and rain because M'redith likes it. She smells like sandalwood because it smells great on her. Until you get a girlfriend does it matter what scent you have as long as it's clean and you don't mind it?”
“No!” Aiden insisted, “I'm not going to always be the odd one out. You two smell like a dry gold coin while I smell like a wet copper coin.”
Jay smiled in understanding. “Why don't we visit the soaper after I stop off at the bank today? Maybe we can find you something?”
Aiden smiled at that. “Soaper?”
“Yes. Soaper. Someone who makes soap. Its where I got my soap from. Why? Do you have another word for it?” Jay asked as he became uncertain with his word choice.
“Soap maker?” Aiden said with one eyebrow raised.
Jay pursed his lips for a moment. “Let's have M'redith decide.”
It was sunny outside and the two enjoyed the pleasant warmth as they walked across a grassy field to reach the dining area.
When they got to breakfast the room was quiet as they took their trays of cinnamon french toast with hash browns and a cup of fruit and sat down next to M'redith who looked at the two in surprise.
“I thought you'd at least let him sleep in a bit.” M'redith commented as the two men started eating. “So what are we up to today? I used yesterday to do all my errands so I'd have today free to spend time with you.”
Jay's eyes narrowed as he tried to parse whether she meant 'you' as in just Jay or 'you' as in plural – Jay and Aiden. It didn't really matter since they were planning on going in to the city as a group but Jay felt like it may have been the first one. Still, he had told Aiden he'd go in to the city with him today and wasn't about to back out now.
“Well,” Jay said, “I need to go to the bank and I'd like us to stop off at the Soaper to see about getting Aiden some soap. He's expressed an interest.” he finished with a smile.
“Soaper? Really? How about savonnier?” M'redith replied looking at him like he was an uncultured monster.
Jay shrugged. “You guys call it whatever you want. Aiden needs better smelling soap.”
Unable to decide what to call the people who made the soap they dropped the topic and instead finished their meals in silence. Afterwards Aiden brought their trays up to the counter.
“Oh I forgot, I still need to go through my experience points notifications. Maybe we should do that before heading off in to the city?” Jay remarked while rubbing his forehead. “Sometimes I feel like I have too many things to keep track of. I also need to pay for my room, board, and tuition for the next few months. How long does it go for anyway?”
M'redith grinned. “Three months if you don't screw anything up. If you fail a section you're either dropped or you have to be held back a class and do it over. Neither one is a good option. Better to study hard and get things right the first time.”
Jay nodded, “Ok, my first month was covered but I've no idea what two extra months will cost.”
She leaned back in her chair. “It's expensive, prohibitively so actually, which is why so many people have to save up or take donations or win a contest to even get in. Or be sponsored, that works as well.”
Jay sighed, “The money system here confuses me, I'll be honest. Food costs single to double digit copper. Silvers are used for more expensive items like soaps, perfumes, clothing, etc. And gold coins are used for truly expensive items, like magical items, housing, horses, really expensive items. I get all of that.”
M'redith watched him with a lopsided smile but didn't speak.
“I guess I just can't ever predict what a good price for an item is.” Jay finally concluded.
M'redith shrugged, “That's normal on Eden. We don't have global prices, just local. Unless you had a Barter ability or skill or something like that then you're really just guessing until you're a more experienced shopper. It will come with time, but it will never be quite like what you were used to on Earth I don't think.”
Aiden arrived back at the table just as she finished speaking. “What did I miss?”
“Two more errands. Pay tuition, and assign XP points.” Jay said.
“Well tuition is easy. Lets head to the main office.” Aiden said after a moment's thought. The three walked back outside and across a grassy field. After a long walk across a cobblestone path they arrived at the front gate and entered the main office which dominated the packed dirt courtyard.
There was only one person at the front desk as it was a Sunday. Jay went up by himself while his two friends sat on a bench and talked among themselves.
The woman at the front desk was about five feet tall, average for a human female on Eden. She wore a comfortable looking yellow sun dress and a multitude of silver hoop bracelets that jingled when she moved. She sounded like a human wind chime and Jay found the sound rather pleasant.
She could not tell Jay what room, board, and tuition cost per month as that was apparently a secret. All he could do was pay the amount they had decided he should pay. It was an odd system and allowed The Guild to charge whoever whatever they wanted and reminded Jay of the American healthcare system. Jay was charged one gold for the next two months.
As he had stated before to M'redith he was unsure if that was a good deal or not but thanked the woman anyway as he and his friends left.
They left The Guild grounds and flagged down a passing cart in the city and took a ride to the bank. Jay deposited his two remaining gold and they headed out to buy soap.
The soap store was not the same one they had previously visited. This store was meant for men and was staffed by two women who went from customer to customer and helped them select the right soap. The shop was divided in to two rooms and each room's walls were lined with shelves, each filled with stacks of bars of soap as well as various other manly grooming products.
The scents were a heady mix of all the products the store offered and it all came together to form a complicated but not unpleasant smell.
They were about to look at a display of yellow colored soaps with black flecks in it when they were intercepted by one of the two women who worked there.
“Well hello there! I'm Aisha,” said a tiny 4'7” woman with long black hair tied in to a braid that hung down her back. She looked right at Aiden as she spoke and M'redith and Jay shared a look as they noticed Aisha's more than professional interest in Aiden.
“Can I help you find anything?” she asked Aiden directly.
Aiden grinned, “Yes! I'm tired of smelling like whatever the bath house has available. I want to find something I really like.”
Jay and M'redith watched as the two flirted with each other and Aisha basically guided Aiden in to picking a soap with her favorite scent which was an odd mix of vanilla and peppermint. Jay hadn't smelled quite that mixture before but thought it was nice.
M'redith took a sniff before shrugging and holding on to Jay's arm and casually sniffing him. “I like yours better.” she said softly so only Jay could hear.
Jay grinned, pleased with the attention.
Aiden paid for a box of four soaps all scented alike. Aisha reached over and gently squeezed Aiden's upper arm as she thanked him for visiting. She hoped he'd come back soon. She looked straight in to his eyes as she spoke.
The group left and flagged down a cart to head for lunch. Jay and M'redith teased Aiden over his new friend as he opened up his package of soaps so he could smell one. A small rectangular card fell out of the package and dropped on to the coach floor.
“Ooooooo!” teased M'redith as she snatched it up. “A calling card! Somebody likes you!” she teased.
Aiden snatched the card away from her and smiled. “It has her name and address. She drew a little heart on the back too.”
“Huh.” Jay said. He hadn't thought about it but on Earth when you wanted to date you got the other person's phone number. There were no phones on Eden. Name and address were probably the best non-magical way of getting in touch with someone here.
They arrived at an unassuming looking restaurant that was on the far outskirts of the city and was located right on the shore of a medium sized lake. M'redith had apparently made reservations yesterday for them for today and they were immediately taken back to a private room that opened out on to a deck on the water. It was beautiful.
“Wow.” Jay said. “Great looking place M'redith.”
She smiled in thanks. “The food is great too. I thought we could use the privacy to hang out together but now that we are going to work on your XP notifications this spot should be perfect and private.”
After they sat down a woman dressed in white and wearing a white apron came to take their orders. They got a pitcher of strawberry lemonade and a plate of fried chicken served with ten dipping sauces, each different from the last. They were warned that the tenth dipping sauce was extremely spicy.
Extremely.
They all steered clear of the tenth dipping sauce.
As Jay ate he leaned over to M'redith. “If I'm right, and I pretty sure I am, you're going to want to take notes on this.”
M'redith grinned. She had an obsession with Class Choices and thought that if she could just gather enough information she could find the pattern in who was awarded what. Being permitted to help Jay pick his next Class Choice was a better gift for M'redith than flowers or chocolates and she became visibly excited when Jay indicated there was a good possibility he would level up.
The three finished their food and M'redith took out her notebook from a side satchel she had been wearing around the city. “Ok, shoot.”
Jay first brought up his current experience points total. XP he thought to himself. A bright blue dialog box appeared in front of him.
Adventurer (1) – 500/1000
“Ok, I'm at 500 out of 1000.” he said.
M'redith looked pleased. “Ooo, that's a good start. Not everyone needs the same amount of XP to earn a level. 1000 is a low amount.”
Jay pursed his lips, “Lower is better right? That way it takes me less points to level, makes it easier for me than some other people with a higher number.”
Aiden nodded. “I lucked out. Mine is 1000 as well to reach level 2.”
Next Jay opened up a notification that had been there for a long time.
You have completed a quest! Find the Meaning Behind the Teal Triangles: you have discovered that the two teal triangles are a symbol of Gaia, a maker's mark, and frequently identifies things which Gaia had a hand in creating, either in part or in whole. You have been awarded 100xp!
“Up to 600. That's a good start.” M'redith said as she licked some dip off of her plate using one delicate finger.
“The next three are pretty much all the same and are from the individual quests I got in the dungeon.” Jay said.
“I still think that is incredible. I hope we get to run a quest together someday.” Aiden said with excitement. “I'd love to be able to say I did one.”
Jay nodded, “I'm sure we will. We need to finish basic training first.” He then read his next three notifications out loud.
You have completed a quest! Ratman: You have been awarded 100xp!
You have completed a quest! Who is the Weakest Link?: You have been awarded 100xp!
You have completed a quest! Manrat!: You have been awarded 100xp!
Jay read out his new XP total.
Adventurer (1) – 900/1000
“I'll definitely level today. I still have two more notifications to go!” Jay exclaimed. He hadn't thought he'd level but after looking at all of his notifications he couldn't figure out why he'd thought that way originally. Continuing he read out the next notifications.
Congratulations! You have completed all of the quests in the Ratman! Series and have been awarded 1000xp!
Congratulations! You have completed the dungeon Rat's Redoubt and have been awarded 500xp!
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Adventurer (2) – 1400/2000
Jay grinned “I hit level 2!”
Aiden and M'redith both happily congratulated him but it was obvious that M'redith was dying to learn what Jay's Class Choices were. She didn't ask but the way she couldn't sit still and kept fidgeting gave her away.
Jay didn't make her wait any longer and dove right in. “And here are my level 2 Class Choices!”
As a level 2 Adventurer you have been awarded a Class Choice. Please choose from the following selections:
1. Treasure Sense (uncommon) – You may detect treasure within a 12' radius – this extends in all directions from the user. The treasure must be hidden from view and not easily reachable. A locked treasure chest out in the open and easily viewable might not trigger this ability but a gold piece buried in the dirt definitely would.
2. Pathfinder (common) – When presented with multiple paths you will be given aid in determining which path leads to your intended destination. Upgrades in rarity will allow this ability to present other information as well including the presence of enemies, traps, and even treasure.
3. Bibliophile's Cartography (rare) – You are able to magically create skillfully drawn maps of your surroundings as you move without the need to draw it yourself. This ability will magically create the map so long as it is drawn in to a Mighty Book which must be held open while the map is drawn. The map will contain all hidden locations, traps, monsters, paths, and loot that the user of this ability locates. This ability does not allow the user to create mundane maps nor does it impart the ability to create stand alone maps.
“Well.. crap.” said Aiden after a moment. “That is one tough choice.”
M'redith didn't even pause as she wrote as fast as she could. “This is ridiculous. Normally you'd be offered common options with an uncommon thrown in for flavor. Instead you have three really great options regardless of rarity. Having a wealth of good abilities to pick from isn't exactly a common occurrence.”
“Ok,” said Jay, “so what are your thoughts?”
M'redith finished writing and tapped her writing utensil against her lips in a slow rhythm. “I.. don't know. You can't go wrong here. They're all good, even great.”
Aiden shrugged, “I don't know if I agree. I think Treasure Sense is the clear winner. I mean Pathfinder is nice and could be amazing once its rarity is upgraded a bit. Bibliophile's Cartography has great synergy with his Mighty Book but does he really need to make maps?”
Jay had originally intended to work towards learning map making as a stream of income. However Bibliophile's Cartography didn't make stand alone maps he could sell. It only let him make a map in his Mighty Book.
He could still sell access to his Mighty Book's maps and charge people to copy maps out of it, but that seriously limited who he could sell to.
M'redith nodded, “Treasure Sense is a literal money maker. Great points about the other abilities too. With Treasure Sense he'd be even more of a loot pinata. Groups that accepted him would get the possibility of a loot rarity increase while at the same time be able to hunt down any hidden loot in a dungeon. Its a good combination.”
Aiden nodded, “And you're only level 2. None of your abilities so far are level capped. Your abilities' descriptions seem to read as if they work regardless of the dungeon difficulty. Once people higher up in the Guild besides Walter discovers that I bet higher level Guild groups will want you for a run or two. Add in your ability to trigger quests and that those quests can reward titles, well that is just icing on the cake.”
“You're the only person I ever met who can't fight for crap and yet groups might still argue over who gets to take you in.” Aiden said with a chuckle while scratching his head.
Jay grinned. “Well I feel like we've come to a consensus. Before I choose though are you sure this is the way to go M'redith? I'm sure some people just pick the highest rarity abilities and go with those.”
M'redith shook her head. “Most people only have common and uncommon abilities to choose from so its not a common issue. As for you I'm as certain about your Class Choice as I can be. Its still your choice though. Pick what makes you happy. We don't have to live with your Choice – you do.”
Aiden smiled in agreement, “Any of these choices would be amazing.”
Jay shrugged and picked Treasure Sense. He just felt drawn to it and he loved the idea of finding treasure just from walking around. He made a mental note to test the ability out later.
A waitress entered and cleared the table off. “What now?” M'redith asked as she stretched out in her chair and extending her arms over her head.
Aiden was staring out over the lake and seemed to be thinking. “I just wanted to smell nice. I'm done shopping.”
Jay and M'redith laughed. “Ok then,” she said, “how about you Jay?”
Jay shook his head. “I'm almost out of notifications, I have two left for status points.”
M'redith looked at him seriously. “Why are you holding on to them? Spend them!”
Aiden nodded in agreement and Jay asked, “How though? I don't want to spend them wrong.”
“Ah.” she replied. “Well you'll need to raise all of your status scores to 20. Everyone seems to call them something different but I'm talking about your strength score, your dexterity score, that sort of thing. That's the first step.”
She continued as she leaned back in her chair. “When you reach level 20 you stop leveling until you get all of your scores to 20. Only then can you progress to level 21. You don't lose any xp in the meantime – you just don't advance any further.”
“Oh, then its not a big deal where I put my points really.” Jay said to which the other two agreed.
Jay read out his status:
Name: Jay
Titles: Prophet of Gaia, Exterminator
Classes: Adventurer (2)
Health: 120
Mana: 120
STR: 2
DEX: 1
INT: 2
WIS: 1
CHR: 3
Boons:
Core Abilities:
Traveler's User Interface
Quest Journal
Identify / Inventory
Skills:
n/a
He then put a point in to dexterity and a point in to wisdom. He didn't like seeing scores of 1 on his character sheet. He thought 'status' and a short version came up.
STR: 2
DEX: 2
INT: 2
WIS: 2
CHR: 3
Jay thought that was much better. “Are my scores low?” he asked.
“For a regular person on Eden? No. Regular folk start at 1 and go as high as 3. Your charisma is pretty high. You have a class though and although people with classes start between 1 and 3 they receive one point to distribute however they like every level.” Aiden replied.
“Its more than just that though. Only those with a class can use an upgrade stone to improve their stats.” M'redith interjected.
Aiden slapped his head, “Right, and those get expensive quick. +1 to a stat only costs one upgrade stone until you hit 20 in a score. Then it costs 2 upgrade stones for each +1. Level 30 costs 3 upgrade stones and so on.”
Jay burped and M'redith made a disgusted face. “Excuse me,” Jay said, embarrassed. “Just sort of slipped out.”
The group paid their bill and walked out of the restaurant and instead of returning to The Guild spent some time walking along the lake's shore. Their shoes occasionally slid sideways on the wet pebbled ground and M'redith grabbed on to Jay for balance but didn't let go after she regained it. Aiden grinned at the two.
There were others out and about and it seemed as if it were a popular pastime for people to walk along the shore, some taking off their shoes and wading in up to their knees. The people all wore brightly colored shirts but earth colored pants, shorts, and other coverings.
The three had to stop as there was a bit of a commotion in front of them. Two young parents stood next to a toddler and attempted to console her. The child had wispy blonde hair and was crying. In between sobs she begged her parents to find her 'Zuzu.'
They were about to walk around them and continue down the shore when Jay decided on a whim to wave. “Hi there!”
The father was barely five feet tall, his wife slightly shorter, and Jay towered over them. “I'm Jay, these are my friends, M'redith and Aiden.”
The parents appeared confused but politely introduced themselves as Cen and Lisa. The little one had stopped crying and was now sniffling and wiping her nose while looking at the new arrivals with wide tear filled eyes.
“Lost something?” Jay asked while Aiden and M'redith looked at Jay and tried to figure out why they had stopped.
The mother clearly still upset nodded, “Our little girl Gwen lost her toy. Her favorite toy. Its a small metal turtle and the shell lifts up and can store little odds and ends.”
The father added, “She takes it everywhere! But when we let her go in to the water she dropped it and it's, well, it's gone. It was specially made for her by her grandfather, a jeweler, and I doubt its replaceable.”
Jay nodded and turned from the mother to the father. “Is the item itself valuable?”
The expressions on the parents' faces both fell as they misunderstood Jay's question. “I'm sorry but I don't think so? The eyes were gems but I don't know if they were glass or something semi-precious. We don't have money to pay you to find it though, I'm sorry.” Cen remarked with a sad face.
People who had a Class seldom had time to help out the 'little people' and would almost always charge for any services they rendered. It was the easiest way to keep them from being swarmed by people demanding they do such and such just because they technically could.
Jay shook his head, “That isn't what I meant. You might be in luck. I just leveled up and received a new ability to find treasure. I don't even know how it works yet but I think the item has to be valuable. That's why I asked. I'd like to try and help you find it if that's ok?”
The mother looked hopeful but the father shook his head. “Zuzu is a treasure for Gwen but I don't know if I would call it one.”
“Let's try anyway. We've nothing to lose but a little bit of our time, right?” Jay didn't wait for an answer and took off his boots and socks and rolled up his pants to his knees. M'redith watched him with a sly smile while Aiden made fun of his 'chicken legs.'
The child perked up at that and began clapping while yelling “CHICKEN LEGS!” over and over. The mother looked over at Aiden with a weary look on her face but said nothing.
Cen guided Jay to the area where he thought the item may have been lost. “We think she dropped it around here. Or within ten feet anyway.”
Jay sucked in one lip, “That should do. Why don't you and everyone else step back a bit and I'll give this a try.”
Jay closed his eyes and.. that was it. He had no idea how to make the ability work. He stood there for a moment before opening his eyes and slowly walking in a spiral pattern.
“Feel anything?” Aiden shouted from the shoreline.
Jay stilled his mind and tried to mentally 'feel' the ground around him as he walked.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
“I think I got something,” Jay said. “I'm getting goosebumps, on my neck and upper arms.” Jay reached down slowly and used his hands to dig around his feet. After a few moments he pulled up a circular object and swished it around in the water a few moments to wash off the sediment.
“Well it works,” he said while holding up a silver coin.
“Are you kidding me right now? Free money!” Aiden said with a laugh.
“I'm going to keep looking,” he said after tucking the coin in to a pocket.
Things progressed like that for almost ten minutes until Jay felt an almost uncomfortable wave of goosebumps. “Ok, no longer enjoying the goosebumps. These are too strong to feel comfortable.”
Jay again carefully reached down and gently cleared off the layer of sand and rocks around his feet. There was more material here than his first spot and it took him a few moments to finally touch something with his fingers that was definitely metallic.
“Got something here but it's wedged in too tight to pull out. I'm going to clear some more rocks.” Jay said. He was a little out of breath from the digging but was happy to be helping out.
Gwen clapped as her mother held her back from running in to the water. The father had his hands balled up in to fists out of nervousness. If Jay did not find Zuzu then all hope was lost and the next few weeks would be full of nights with a toddler crying and begging for the return of Zuzu.”
Jay couldn't get a good grip and finally realized he was standing on top of part of the rock he had been attempting to move. “Sorry. Had a moment of stupidity there. Aiden can you give me a hand?”
Aiden took his shoes and socks off but didn't bother to roll up his pants and just splashed right in after Jay. The two men squatted down and together strained to lift a rather large river rock and drop it two feet to the left.
Jay's goosebumps were firing off almost painfully at this point and Jay quickly reached down and gently pulled out the item. Swirling it around in the water first to clean it Jay grabbed something from his pocket, placing the item inside. He cupped his hands to hide the item and walked to shore. Kneeling down before Gwen he opened his hands in front of her.
“Here's Zuzu.” Jay said.
The child screamed almost causing Jay to drop it before Gwen snatched it from him and clutched it to her chest in tears. “Mommy!” she yelled turning to her mother and burying her head in her skirt.
“I'm right here honey you don't have to yell,” Lisa gently corrected her but with a wide smile as she hugged her husband while stroking the little girl's hair.
“Thank the gods.” Cen said.
Jay grabbed his things and decided to walk barefoot until he dried off. Aiden didn't care and used his socks to dry himself off before putting them and his boots back on.
“I'm sorry but I wasn't lying before when I said we can't pay you.” Lisa said apologetically. Cen looked worried.
“Nothing to worry about, seriously,” Jay insisted, making sure both parents looked at him and saw his sincerity. “You did me a favor. Now I know more about how my ability works, that has to be worth something, right?”
Cen nodded but didn't quite agree. People with a Class usually didn't do anything for free.
Jay offered one arm to M'redith which she took with a triumphant look on her face and waved to the couple and child. “You guys have a great day, go do something fun to relax and take your minds off of all of this.” he said with a wave as he walked off with his friends.
The parents watched Jay and his friends walk off in to the distance as they moved around the lake's shore. Gwen was banging her turtle in to a rock making a rhythmic clinking sound.
“Can Mommy see Zuzu for a second please? I want to check and make sure he's alright.” Lisa said neutrally while holding a hand out to her daughter.
Cen watched as Gwen handed over her most treasured possession. Her eyes were wide and her face serious. She had just gotten Zuzu back but maybe it would be a good idea to have Mommy take a look at him. Mommy knew how to fix things. She would take good care of Zuzu Gwen thought.
Gwen used one tiny hand to gently place the turtle in to Lisa's waiting hand.
Standing up Lisa unlatched and opened the turtle's metal shell. Inside was the silver coin Jay had found in the lake.
Cen looked on with wide eyes. With proper budgeting one silver would feed their family for months with money left over.
“Who was that man?” Lisa asked in wonder.