"Hey." Said a younger man I hadn't seen before. "Emily wants to talk to you in her office."
"Me or her?" Lioran asked around his mouthfuls of eggs and sausage.
"Both of you."
I watched him leave. He had a cute butt, not as cute as Korah's. I wonder where he works in here?
"Who dat?" I asked Lioran who was busy shoving the rest of breakfast in his face. He responded with a shrug. I cleaned up my things and joined Lioran by the door to the back once he returned their plates.
The week hadn't been all that productive. Lioran ended up in the infirmary with Filth Fever not too long after we got back from killing and selling the Dire Rats. I spent a couple of the days he was out training for the Weapon Finesse feat. The first feat from the Guild cost a single Silver and the more I understood, the more I realized that was an amazingly good deal. Theoretically I should be a fighter now. I then ended up in bed next to Lioran with the same sickness. Damn rats. Lioran had tried to wait, but ran out of money and ended up going into the sewers alone. He hadn't really come out hurt though and even managed to catch a Dire Rat for sale to the Arena. He waxed on for a while about a bat. I think it was supposed to be funny, but I was missing much of the story. I had the awkward experience of sharing a room with Eric. He had been stabbed.
Lioran knocked on Emily's door and walked in at the sound of her voice. She wasn't alone. Sitting in one corner was a thin blonde girl with her head down, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
Emily was staring at a piece of paper when she spoke in Port Common. "Injung, you likely qualify for Copper Rank. Would you like to test out now, or wait for Lioran?" Her eyes shifted from the paper to me. Emily didn't speak the best Port Common, but I think I understood what she was asking. I could go up in Guild Rank, which would allow me to take quests. Or I could wait for Lioran to catch up and we could rank up together. That begged a question though.
"If I go up in Rank, I can still go with him until he does too, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah." So this was more about whether or not we wanted to do things together or not and less about if I wanted to move on and abandon Lioran. I looked at the other horned person in the room. "I up Rank. Okay?"
He gave me his usual goofy smile. "Awesome."
There was absolutely no logical reason not to go up in Rank now. "Yes."
"Great, we'll take care of that after one other thing." Emily gestured to the blonde girl. "This is Liam. He just joined. However he's a Sorcerer, which technically makes him Copper Rank, but he has absolutely no experience. Would you be willing to take him with you, at least for a few days?"
"Sure." Lioran said almost instantly. He then winced and turned to me. "That's okay right?"
I looked at Emily for a translation into something I could understand. "Yes." I said once I knew what the hells she was asking us. The last guy had left a sour taste in the mouth, but this girl, or guy apparently, clearly didn’t have the attitude problem Eric had.
"Do you know your bloodline?" Lioran asked.
The boy clutched at the hem of his shirt, head bowed even lower as if he was ashamed. "Infernal." He squeaked.
Lioran nodded sagely. I had to look at Emily. "Wut Sorcerer?"
"A person with innate magical abilities that came from some influence in their ancestors."
Ah, I knew a kid like that. "Hell Touched." I stated in understanding.
"No." Emily contradicted. "A Hell Touched is a person whose physical appearance is a consequence of a similar ancestral issue. A Tiefling."
I stared at her. "Dat Akumajin."
She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and tilted her head.
"Can I ask what you're talking about?" Lioran asked, having heard several words that made sense, and a lot more that didn't.
"They're talking about me." The boy squeaked. "It's Port Common."
"Anyway, this is Liam. Liam this is Lioran and, Injung." The slight catch in Emily's introductions told me she was still rewriting my name in her head. I really was certain if I found the whole Jak thing funny or annoying.
"Nice to meet you." Said Lioran. He was always pleasant and his goofy smile was sometimes almost infectious.
The boy looked up for the first time. I had originally thought he was a girl, if I hadn't been told otherwise, I'd have still thought he was a girl. His skin was very fair and his face was slender with sharp, fine features. His eyes were blue. Saying that all Sawtooth Islanders had blonde hair and blue eyes was like saying all Anorians had black hair and dark brown eyes. It wasn't true, but it was true enough that it became a stereotype. My black hair wasn't anything special other than Lioran's braid work. Liam's hair was long and golden and meticulously cared for. My eyes were a dull brown. His were deep piercing ice blue with nearly unfathomable depths. They were gorgeous things. If they were gems, I'd have to pay thousands just for the privilege of looking at them.
"I, I'd prefer to be called Lee. Please?" He said, not squeaking this time.
"Sure thing." Said Lioran. He looked at Emily. "Do you want us to leave?"
"Yes."
Well that was abrupt.
"Not you." Emily said as I got up.
I spent the next half hour in a machine of some sort. It was clear why the others had to leave as I was told to strip down to my small clothes and stand in a large boxy structure with a bunch of sharp crystals pointed at me like it was some sort of torture device. Emily was on the other side, whatever magic that was working was only happening on the other side. There was an open window so the occupant could see and presumably talk to the operator. But I was short. The top of Emily's head bobbed around as she wrote down the codes that the machine gave her. This was weird.
Once that was finished I spent another half hour watching Emily use several reference books to convert the codes the machine gave her to something understandable. Once done, she let out a long sigh, shook out her wrist, turned the paper around, and started explaining my character sheet.
Name: Injung Aoki.
Age: 16.
"I sixteen ka?"
Emily froze. The question must have caught her off guard. "The machine seems to think so. Is that incorrect?"
I had to think about that for a solid minute. I had spent a lot of time on a ship in various climates. My seasonal perception of time had gotten thoroughly screwed over. It was entirely possible I had missed a birthday. "I not know."
"Do you remember what year you were born?"
"Summer End of Fourteen year of Tsubane, our most high Ro-kon."
Emily's dumbfounded expression was kind of adorable. I had to work hard to not laugh.
"I…" She dragged out. "Will see about converting that to something I understand." She made a note and returned the character sheet.
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Race: Oni-kai.
"I hope I wrote that in correctly. The machine gave us an unknown."
I shrugged.
Magical Aptitude: 6 of 10.
Level: 2, Fighter 1, Warrior 1.
Statistics.
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 8
"Wut average?"
"About thirteen. That varies depending on how you define average. Some say ten, but you won't find anyone with straight tens." Emily explained.
"Strent low? Ka-ri-si-ma much low?"
"Yes, but you have amazing Wisdom."
"How dat help?"
"You will see when we reach your skills."
Hit Points: 24.
"Wut hit points?"
Emily paused and took a deep slow breath. I think I was asking too many questions. That said, I needed to know and she was the advisor who was supposed to advise me.
"Hit Points are a numerical value put on your overall ability to take stress. Basically how much abuse you can take before you black out, or die. They go up every level."
That made no fucking sence. It was like life was some type of complicated game. Still, I'm pretty sure the numbers on the sheet are just an attempt to quantify reality.
Armor Class: 12
Flat Footed: 10.
"That's a base on how likely you are to get injured when attacked. I don't actually know why it's called Armor Class, it assumes you are aware of an incoming attack. Flat Foot is when you are not aware of an attack or are less capable of moving out of the way." Emily explained before I asked.
Fortitude: 6.
Reflex: 3.
Will: 4.
"Fortitude is your natural physical resistace. Reflex is your ability to quickly react. Will is your mental resistance."
Base Attack Bonus: 2.
"This is your general bonus when you make attacks." She must have anticipated my question because she quickly continued. "It represents your knowledge on how to attack. Your Warrior Class training drastically affected it."
Combat Manunver Bonus: 2.
Combat Manuver Defence: 15.
"This is your bonus for various actions like grappling, pushing, pinning, excetera. Defence is your resistance against such things."
Feats:
Open Racial Feat.
Open Level 1 Feat.
Level 1 Fighter Combat Feat: Weapon Finesse.
"So here." Emily pointed to the list of feats. "Apparently your Race gives you a feat slot that you haven't filled. That's normal. Our machine doesn't know if your Race is different from a Human, but I assume you can fill this with any you qualify for. Everyone gets a Level 1 feat slot. That's a general slot and can be filled with anything you can qualify for. You did your Weapon Finesse training earlier this week, that's what probably kicked you into Fighter from Warrior. If you obtain another Combat feat, it will likely kick your other level of Warrior into Fighter. Good job on getting your second level to Warrior by the way."
"Do da Class give me Bonus, or do da bonus give me Class?" I asked.
Emily sighed. "I don’t know. While I know a decent amount about copper level classes, I never really got into the…" She paused, her face making several expressions as she realized she didn't know the word she wanted to use. We were conversing in Port Common, which she had stated before wasn't her best. "Ah, knowing the thoughts of??? Ah." She clearly hit another word she didn't know while defining a word she didn't know. I wonder if that's the same face I make.
"Do not worry about it."
"Thank you. Okay skills. Here's the full list, but I'll only go over what you have Ranks in. A Rank is just a representation of how much work you put into a skill. It gets a bonuses from your Statistics. For an example, your Sailor Proffession gets a good bonus from your Wisdom. Then there are class bonuses. Your skills gets a bonus when a Class you have…" She paused at another unknown word. "Works well with that skill."
Skills:
Climb: 5.
Geography: 3.
Perception: 9.
Profession (Sailor): 9.
Sence Motive: 5.
Survival: 5.
Swim: 4.
"Hmm. A lot of that looks connected to sailing. Did you enjoy being a sailor?"
"Yes." I answered.
"Why join the guild?"
"Ahh." I in no way was going to tell her that I was a wanted pirate in a large number of countries. Even if it was only by circumstance. "Lack of option."
Emily nodded. That was the reason half the people in the Guild were there. People like Lioran were the weirdos. "That pretty much concludes what your sheet says. Filling out your feats should be your main focus. I'll build you a list of suggestions and prices. Did you still want to go with Rogue?"
I wasn't really sure anymore. "I do not know. I should get armor."
"I'll find some feat options that should work. Paperwork for your new Guild Rank should be done by tomorrow morning. Congratulations on making Copper."
"How sheet that is mine compare to average?"
"Compared to what average?" Emily asked, implying the question was far more complicated than I was thinking. "Compared to the average person? You are healthier, more deadly in combat, and can shrug off more things, both mentally and physically. I'm a Level 2 Commoner. I can beat you at doing paperwork. Compared to say, Lioran? He's better with that sword than you would be, mostly because he's got the strength to wield it. Liam would be more likely to talk a person into something, but he doesn't have the personality for it. The average Adventurer would destroy you in a fight. You are below average, but time and work will fix that."
That explanation didn't really answer my question so much as suggest I was asking the wrong thing. Not sure what the right question is though. I nodded. "Are we done?"
"I think so. I'll get you a feat list by tomorrow. Try not to get hurt in the sewers today."
***
"Lee here, can do two, first level spells a day. Charm Person makes a person think they are your friend." Lioran winced at that even as he said it. Lee for his part was staring at his lap. "And grease. That makes a slippery area. The stories imply it is flammable, ah, it can be set on fire."
I acknowledged that I understood. He was talking slow and trying not to use complicated words.
"He also has four cantrips, small spells. Ghost sound, makes a noise. Resistance, helps with that damn Filth Fever. Doesn't last long though. Daze, makes a human similar creature, ah, do nothing for a moment. And Jolt, an electrical attack he can shoot at things."
I nodded along, missing only a few things that shouldn't matter too much.
"He can also make things afraid by touching them. Somehow?"
"How Sorcerer not same Wizard?"
"How is Sorcerer different from a Wizard?" Lioran clarified, probably so I could pick up on the difference. "Sorcerer is natural. They have magic. They are better at what they do. Wizards are learned. They are more flexible. Ah, have more spells."
I nodded. I got it and Lioran gave me that goofy grin. As far as I understood, Lee was going to be near useless. The Grease spell might help if we had to deal with a swarm of rats again. And the Resistance spell might help us resist that damnable Filth Fever, but mostly he would be holding the torch. He also didn't look like he had the right mindset to be an Adventurer. The boy was still staring at his lap.
"We go now?"
Lioran looked at Lee and shrugged. "Have to. We need even more money now."
End of Chapter
Lioran Financial Survival.
Sewers alone
1 dire rat.
Initiative:
Dire Rat: 20
Lioran: 9
Dire Rat Bites at Lioran. 9. Miss.
Lioran attempts to grapple Dire Rate.
Dire Rate AoO. 5. Miss.
Lioran CMB DC12. 12.
Dire Rat is Grappled.
Initiative:
Dire Rat: 18
Lioran: 6
Dire Rat attempts to break free. DC 16. 8. Fails.
Lioran attempts to maintain the grapple and pin Dire Rat. DC 12. 20.
Dire Rat is Pinned.
Dire Rat attempts to escape. DC 16. 14. Fail.
Lioran ties up Dire Rat.
// Holy shit.
Does Lioran get out of the sewers without another encounter? No.
Is he attacked by a Dire Rat? No.
A Rat Swarm? No.
A Goblin Dog? No.
A Goblin? No
Is he attacked by a monster? Yes.
Random Encounter Table Created. 9. Bat, Flying Fox.
Bat Bites Lioran. 14. 1 Damage.
Lioran: “Ah! What the?”
Initiative:
Bat: 17
Lioran: 13
Bat Bites Lioran. 12. 2 Damage.
Lioran Swings at Bat. 23. 4 Damage.
Bat Morale Save DC10. 6.
Bat attempts to fly away.
Lioran AoO vs Bat. 19. 10 Damage.
// Lioran: “What the hells? Oh great, now… I’m Batman”