Tutorial Day 2

I didn’t instantly go take stock of the rest of the shelves and instead returned to the foyer and the guards it held. Approaching one of them got me a look of disdain, which spoke pretty loudly. It was clear that the guards didn’t think too highly of Crafters.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and asked, “I’m new here. Are the things on the shelves for us to use freely?”

“As long as you’re wearing that blue robe, and pay the fees, then yes,” the Guard said, his voice strangely mocking. I knew he was attempting to be disparaging and my brain worked overtime to find the hidden meanings, if there was more than one.

I could only find one. “Meaning that the robe can be taken away?”

The second guard gave a hint of a smile, which screamed the answer even though the other guard only shrugged. Instead of responding, I thanked them for answering my question and walked away.

As I left, I heard the second smiling guard whisper, “It’s always so satisfying to throw them out!”

Now I only had one further question and since there were more guards at the bottom of the half set of stairs from the entryway, I approached them. “If I choose to go Gather materials on a mission, will I lose my Alchemist Robes?”

They blinked at me, seeming confused by the question. They even looked at each other, not seeming to be confident in giving me an answer. Eventually one of the two took the lead and stumbled over his first words, “Ummm, well no. Alchemists only lose their designation if they’re in debt with the Tribe after each thirty-day cycle.”

“Do they have to pay back that debt?” I asked, thinking I was understanding what the function of this place was. Not only would I have to pay for Food and my stay, which I’d learned from Fong–but also any ingredients I used in Alchemy.

“Of course!” The guard answered, much more sure of this answer.

“Thank you,” I said and then continued, “Where can I find Tribe members going out on missions?”

“Just before the District Exit is for our Tribe exclusively. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there, you can enter the Square and find a random group.”

Again, the way the guard said ‘random’ set alarm bells off in my head. Either Maelstrom looked down on Tribe members joining others, or joining random groups was dangerous. Regardless, I wasn’t going to be making that mistake. Nodding to the men, I returned to my room and changed into the black Lycra-like clothing, hoping it was what marked Gatherers. It was pleasantly tight on the arms and chest, while the pants were still somewhat baggy and cool.

I did wonder how they would feel once the sun hit them, but also put on my old Mining Gear over them, just to have some protection if Monsters attacked—which should also serve to keep a great deal of the punishment from the multiple suns off the black attire.

After I was changed, I left the Alchemist Building, which I had yet to discover a name for. Outside, I walked back up the main street of the District back toward the Square. My mind was abuzz with thoughts as my body fully finished waking up after breakfast.

It was quite clear to me that the goods in that building belonged to the Tribe. Each one had a price, and as such, using them would incur that cost onto the Alchemist. If the Alchemist succeeded in making something of value, then it likely belonged to the Tribe as well.

In that quasi-ownership, I wasn’t yet sure of a few things.

Amongst those was if the Tribe paid the Alchemist in credit for usable products, if those prices were a fair wage, or if the Tribe charged Alchemists and other Crafters for the provided food I’d partaken in. Fong had made it clear that I would be charged for the room, but not how much.

No matter the answer to those questions the result was still the same. It was better to go find my own supply of resources. At least until Smegma returned, or if the Demon truly was unable to be in the Tutorial--until I learned more.

The good news for me, was that as far as Gathering went, I had the ability to perform multiple roles—which hopefully would mean I could find a group.

Between one block and the next, I was into the ‘poor’ area of the District, which invoked further considerations. Were these people the ones who thought like me? The ones who chose to go it on their own without the Tribe’s ‘full support’?

Or were they just unfavorable Professions? Low Skill levels? UnSkilled Crafters? Some of the people exiting the wooden houses were also Combat Hunters, which gave me some hope. It was likely just cheaper to live out here. Maybe you wouldn’t get breakfast, the strange magic shower, and constant guards, but you also wouldn’t end up in debt to Maelstrom.

A thought I’d just had brought me up short. Why the ‘unnecessary’ Guards? Surely if you couldn’t harm others… then I realized. It was to settle disputes and prevent theft! Nodding to myself I continued my walk. I’d try to find out more from the group I joined. There was still the question of how the members of Maelstrom felt about the Tribe.

When I got to the entrance, I quickly discovered a complication. Many of the people that had been exiting houses simply walked directly to a group and then waited. There was no shouting of what groups would need. No, this was like a series of well-oiled machines that had been running efficiently from eight-to-five for years.

Even as I watched, groups collected final members and left. I wondered how many Maelstrom groups had already started their days. Swallowing the nervousness I felt, I rushed to speak to the nearest group.

“Do you need a Gatherer by any chance?” I hurried to say.

The members looked at me, taking in my Mining gear and shook their heads in near unison. Thinking they might have assumed I could only Mine, due to the gear, I added, “I can collect Herbs, Skin and Butcher as well.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

A few of the individuals perked up a bit, at that but a man sitting near the middle sighed wearily. “Everyone here can Skin and Butcher kid. It’s not a hard Skill to pick up. Do you actually have a Skill that will help you Gather Herbs and maintain their freshness?”

“Well, I do have a Skill that will direct me to some extent up to high-F-rank, and I also have a Skill that will store them in a frozen state.”

The lie about the Necklace of Holding was a bit spur of the moment, but I realized in a cold sweat that claiming to have a Bag of Holding might make me a target of thievery, same tribe or not. Not to mention the Mammoth Bear’s insinuation that people might just kill me for Points. The leader scratched his beard and looked at a few other Gatherers that sat in a group of four inside the circle of eight Hunters.

They looked back at him with distaste clearly written on their faces. The man shook his head and answered, “Sorry kid, we have all the Gatherers we need.”

Nodding, I moved on. I could tell he would likely have taken me, if it was his decision alone. My guess was that there was a contract of sorts between the Gatherers and Hunters—like it was back on Earth. So, disrupting that would take negotiations that he wasn’t willing to deal with.

Four more groups had similar responses and another five groups left before I could even get to them. Finally, I was left with three groups remaining in the Square. Two of which were large and looked like every other group that had already left or denied me. The final group had four members in what would be a stretch to call serviceable armor.

I had a feeling where I would end up, but stubbornly I approached the two larger groups and was denied. The group of four was my final option, and I sighed. One of the reasons I hadn’t approached them yet, was the distinct lack of other Gatherers standing or sitting with them.

It didn’t bode well. Nor did their attire and age. They were likely the same age as me, and even I could admit that I had no business leading a group. There was a decision to make, and with a few deep breaths, I made it.

Going back to the Alchemist Building and wasting resources would simply dig me into a hole. As would eating ‘free food’ and staying there. The rejections wouldn’t change from one day to the next either.

“Husk, I wish Smegma was here,” I grumbled under my breath. I knew that with him this wouldn’t have even become a problem. I likely could have created a Pill with his help and the equipment available or maybe even a Potion…

That thought showed me just how much I relied on the Demon, and that made up my mind. If I wanted to be a Hunter, I needed to take a risk. I walked up to the final group. The only good news was that they were far less threatening in looks than most of the others.

One of them smiled at my approach and stepped forward to meet me. With an excited voice he said, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to arrive at the same conclusion we all did. I’m London, what’s your name?”

The young man had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and stood a whole foot shorter than me. However, where I was tall and slim, London was stocky. The shield and sword he carried looked like they’d seen a lot of use too. He even held out his hand to shake.

I grasped it and answered, “Brodie, I’m a Gatherer—I can—”

“We heard you with the other groups,” a soft voice interjected. “We could really use your services if you’d be willing.”

My gaze found the speaker, and I was somewhat surprised to see a young lady with two fencing swords on her hip. I knew that style of blade had a name, but couldn’t recall it. London took pity on me and said, “She doesn’t speak to just anyone, so she must already like something about you. This is Sarah.”

Sarah was the only one of the group that was shorter than London. Her features were definitely feminine when standing this close, but since she wore a leather hood and tight fitting armor, it hadn’t been immediately apparent that she was a woman. Of her facial features, I could only see a small nose that was almost unpointed and light eyes that could have been green or blue.

“What do you guys usually do?” I asked, not wanting to commit to a group that entered Dungeons in this place. Not without understanding what that even meant.

“We’ve been going out and killing Monsters,” another member of the group said. His tone was anything but excited, especially when compared to London’s. “You can tell by our gear how well that’s going!”

The speaker was a tall man with a long sword resting on his metal-plated shoulder. His straw colored hair was what I would normally describe as a bird’s nest, and his face was freckled to such a high degree that one could almost call it a tan—if it hadn’t been broken up by patches of pale white. His eyes, like London's, were brown.

“This is Gavin. Don’t pay his tone much mind. He just wants to buy plate armor and can’t afford it,” London explained, his voice still exuberant. “However, if we finally have a Gatherer, that could change.”

“Not if he’s useless!” The final member of the group whispered a bit too loudly to be called under their breath.

The last member was also a woman. But where Sarah was small and lithe, this woman was tall and stocky. However, she was the only one not wearing a sword or any visible weapon. She had dark black hair and wore an expression that made her seem to be smelling dog shit right under her nose. Her deep chocolate brown eyes didn’t meet mine—telling me that she hadn’t meant the comment to be confrontational.

“I can’t guarantee anything, since I just arrived,” I admitted. “I was pretty good back on Earth, but that might just mean I’m the worst Gatherer in the Tutorial for all I know. Still, I’ll be better than nothing.”

“This is Jacky. She thinks of herself as a realist,” London explained, and then in a low whisper he added, “Most of the time people just call her a rude-witch.”

I held my face neutral at the joke, even as Jacky’s eyes came up to glare at London. “I don’t have to hear what you say to know you just called me a name!”

London broke into laughter, while simultaneously shrugging at Jacky. “Then maybe learn to actually mutter under your breath. Or stop ‘keeping it real’.”

Jacky scrunched up her nose but let the retort go unchallenged. London smiled and then turned to me, “You game to give us a shot? We’d gladly give you a sixty-forty split.”

“Eighty-twenty,” I retorted, having been around Smegma enough to know that haggling was a necessity, when you didn’t know the actual value you had.

“Come on!” Jacky complained. “Sixty-forty was a deal. Those big groups do fifty-fifty at best.”

London held up a hand. “We’ll go seventy-thirty, but Equipment repairs come out of your cut. Deal?”

“Uhhh,” I motioned at their current gear. “That seems a bit unfair.”

London smiled. “Deal or no deal?”

“I’ll pay for repairs, within reason,” I answered. “By ‘within reason’, I mean if it exceeds ten percent, then the rest is on you, and not for anything that happened before I joined.”

“Fine!” London answered, his voice filled with false sadness even as he winked and held out his hand.

Jacky’s face soured further, which I hadn’t thought possible, but the other three nodded. Sarah even went as far as to crack a half smile.

I didn’t shake right away and instead asked, “Where do you usually Hunt?”

London’s smile came back and he pointed in a vague direction. “We don’t go out of sight of Tutorial Town. You know, the classic Bunny Hunters.”

I laughed, knowing he was meaning it as a joke. It was a classic RPG trope that you usually had to hunt small creatures such as Bunnies to gain power early in a game.

Let’s hope hunting Bunnies around Tutorial Town didn’t require Holy Hand Grenades…