As far as Azalea could tell, the inside of the mine looked like nothing more than a branching network of dark, narrow tunnels. By the light of the outside, they could make out torches hanging on the walls. They’d been extinguished, either by time or the goblins, she couldn’t tell. Either way, it was very dark inside, and they couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead and behind at all times.
“We really didn’t think to buy torches before we set out for a mine?” Riley asked with a snort of laughter. “Oh, this game is going to go so well for us.”
It took them the better part of an hour to clear out the rest of the mines, which stretched further than expected. They found the goblin that had run inside, now back with a team of four. They made quick work of the group now that they understood the combat system, though Riley and Oscar still struggled slightly with trying to use realistic moves in combat. It was clear that, unlike Caius, they didn’t have any experience using their actual bodies to fight. Azalea, meanwhile, felt a fierce sense of pride as she finally managed to hit one of the goblins with a mana bolt. It didn’t seem to do that much damage, but she still jumped with glee at the small victory.
“Nicely done,” Riley said, offering her a grin as Caius finished the goblin she’d struck.
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s tricky to aim that, you know. It takes a few seconds to fire, and they’re always moving around.”
“Still,” Oscar put in, “You seem comfortable using magic.”
“I’m not really that into melee combat. Magic is cool, and it lets me keep my distance.”
“If that’s the case,” Oscar said, frowning thoughtfully. “Could I have your other dagger?”
Riley snorted. “You can barely fight with the one, and now you want two?”
“Well, it’s true that I don’t know how to fight in real life like Caius does. But I like dual dagger builds in souls-likes, and I’ve got thousands of hours of experience. I’ve memorized the moves, even if I’ve never done them myself.”
That spawned a new question. It was Caius who asked it first. “Would moves like that even work?”
Oscar shrugged. “There’s gotta be some overlap, right? Worth a shot, at least.”
Azalea shrugged, then unclipped the blade in its sheath, handing it over. Oscar attached it to his hip. She had to admit, he looked a bit more like a rogue with two weapons. He glanced around the party as if to ask for opinions, and they nodded their approval. Satisfied, he led the way out of the mine.
----------------------------------------
Old Man Sumbat was suitably impressed with their achievement. “Well done, adventurers! You have done an invaluable service for our village today, and we cannot thank you enough! Please, accept these contact coins, as well as a small reward from me. It is the least I can do.”
He passed out four bronze coins to each of them, then held out small pouches. The pouches were empty but designed to be attached easily to their belts. Azalea looked over her contact coin with some confusion. “Why is it bronze? Wasn’t yours silver?”
“Platinum, actually,” Sumbat replied with a smile, retrieving his coin to show them. “The color of your coin reflects you standing in the region. Platinum is the second-highest standing, while Bronze is neutral.”
“So there’s a fame and infamy system,” Riley said, glancing down at his coin. “That’s cool. So you said this will also help us display our information?”
“That’s correct! You can look at your status at any time by holding the coin in your hand and looking down at it!”
Azalea did just that, and, sure enough, a window of text appeared in front of her eyes.
[Azalea]
[No Title]
Affiliation & Standing
Alignment:
Guild Name:
Guild Rank:
Centralia Standing: Neutral
Northumberland Standing: Neutral
Easterly Standing: Neutral
Southington Standing: Neutral
Westeria Standing: Neutral
Inventory & Property
Personal Inventory:
Hand Slot: Simple WandHand Slot: Belt Slot: Small Pouch
* Empty Slot
* Empty Slot
Belt Slot: Back Slot: Small Rucksack
* Empty Slot
* Empty Slot
* Empty Slot
* Empty Slot
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Property: None
Yemon: 60
Combat Skills
Stats
* Strength - E Rank
* Agility - E Rank
* Endurance - E Rank
* Intelligence - E Rank
* Charisma - E Rank
Weapon Skills:
* Sword Sword - E Rank
* Simple Wand - E Rank
Magic Spells:
E Rank Spells
* Magic Bolt (Base Element)
D Rank SpellsC Rank SpellsB Rank SpellsA Rank SpellsS Rank Spells
Life Skills
Gathering Skills:
* Fishing - E Rank
* Hunting - E Rank
* Farming - E Rank
* Mining - E Rank
* Lumbering - E Rank
Refining Skills:
* Smelting - E Rank
* Purifying - E Rank
* Carpentry - E Rank
* Weaving - E Rank
* Paper Production - E Rank
Crafting Skills:
* Blacksmithing - E Rank
* Woodworking - E Rank
* Tailoring - E Rank
* Alchemy - E Rank
* Cooking - E Rank
* Spellcrafting - E Rank
* Runesmithing
* Spell Page Crafting
* Enchanting
Miscellaneous Skills:
* Construction - E Rank
* Trade - E Rank
“I’m not sure why I thought it would be a simpler design,” Riley said. “This is actually fairly comprehensive. This Yemon is money, then?”
Sumbat nodded in confirmation. “Indeed it is. Marcine in his wisdom has made our money an immaterial thing. It cannot be stolen!”
“Well, unless you die,” Caius corrected. “Then you’d lose ten percent of it. Still, it is nice that we don’t have to worry about losing it. Well, thank you for explaining all that, Chief Sumbat. Does this village have a market of some kind?”
“Just a small one, on the end of the high street by the tavern you arrived at. They don’t sell much, but they can supply you with starting materials and equipment.”
“Well, thanks again for the help.” Caius turned to the others. “Should we go see what we can pick up with our money?”
The village chief hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that the village shop only carried the basic materials. From what Azalea could see, he sold simple tools. Pickaxes, hatchets, farming implements, and spare bits of metal, the uses of which she couldn’t discern.
“Welcome to my store!” The merchant said, bobbing his head in greeting. “What can I help you find today?”
“Do you have anything in the way of weapons or armor?” Oscar asked. “Something that might be a little better than what we have?”
“I’m afraid not,” the man admitted, looking a little guilty. “But I’d be happy to pay you for the extra weapons you have. The Chief told us about the deed you did for our village, and I’d like to be the first to offer you a fair price.”
They regarded the small collection of junky weapons they’d collected from the goblins. They weren’t against the idea of getting rid of them, as they didn’t stack and were just taking up space in their limited inventories. “You can use these? I didn’t think anyone would be interested in buying them.”
“Sure!” The merchant exclaimed happily. “I can break them down for their basic materials, and those are always useful.”
A small window of text appeared in front of Azalea’s eyes at the remark. It was a simple line. Characters with a Crafting skill of B or higher could dismantle items to regain some of the materials used. Surprised but impressed, she fished out the two clubs and nasty dagger she was holding. “Sure, I’ll sell to you. I’m also interested in picking up some tools. I need one of those axes and pickaxes. Oh, and a hoe too, please.”
“Double that on the pick and hatchet for me as well,” Caius said. When Azalea looked at him in some confusion, he shrugged. “I know you’re gonna want to build a house and whatnot, and I’d like to help. Plus, that pickaxe will come in handy if we find another mine.”
“Are you interested in any skinning knives or cleavers?” The merchant asked, producing the items requested and setting them on the counter of his booth. “If you have one of those tools, most monsters won’t despawn. Those base materials can be very useful.”
“Oh, I’ll take one of each,” Oscar said. “I plan to do some hunting. That would be helpful.”
Riley nodded his agreement, also asking for a pickaxe and hatchet. The merchant beamed with pleasure at the business. “Excellent! Tell you what. I’ll put thirty-five yemon in for the weapons, so you’ll only have to pay an extra twenty. This hunting bow is twenty as well if you also want that.”
He glanced hopefully at Oscar, who agreed at once. “I’ll cover the bow myself. Should we split the rest?”
They nodded, and their balances each dropped by five yemen. The merchant transferred everything over. “Wonderful! You’re doing me a huge favor, my stock was starting to overflow!”
Azalea smiled, clipping the hatchet to her belt. The pickaxe and hoe she put in her rucksack. Oscar slipped his new hunting bow over one shoulder, attaching the small quiver of arrows that came with it to his belt.
“I’m not sure about you guys,” Riley said, giving Caius and Azalea a hesitant look, “but I think we’re making a pretty damn good team so far. If you wanna keep sticking together, I think our next best move is probably either to find the nearest city or get some land of our own.”
Azalea perked up at that. Ever since skimming through the handbook, she’d been looking forward to trying out the land ownership portion of the game. But she also wasn’t playing on her own. “What do you think, Caius?”
He shrugged diffidently, probably still thinking this wouldn’t be a long-term game for him. “I’m alright with it. Always good to have friends in a game like this.”
“Sweet,” Riley said, hitching his rucksack a little higher. “I’d like to pick up a few fighting tricks from you, Caius, and Oscar and I don’t mind pitching in on work.”
“It’s a deal, then,” Caius agreed. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can all get up to together.”