Ch 2 Trying It Out

In my car is where I jerked back to myself. I don’t feel like a compress sitting in my head anymore. I laugh its absurd, why did I decide to be a crafter when I could become a healer and make enough money through cancer treatments to retire. Shit. This is what I get when I can't remember the base rules. Don’t fuck with the white mage. Thankfully I’m in the parking lot of my apartment and not a moving vehicle. I glance at the mirror. My grey eyes look the same, short brown hair needs a cut. I glance down. Polo and slacks. Why did I dress up again? Right had an interview, trying to get a better job than fast food. Well, I supposed the System came at a good time. I'll hold onto slinging sandwiches for now. I run through a short mental list. It’s vastly easier to visualize a list in my head now, not scrambling for a thought. I supposed organized thought is showing itself already. Do the windows show up now? “Status”

Name

Level

Arthur Turner

0

Wow, overwhelming, shit my name and level is all I get I suppose since I haven’t done anything yet. Maybe, “Skills” I call.

Skill

Level

Enchant

1

Create Incomprehensible Language

1

Organized Thoughts

1

Inventory

1

Optimal Repose

1

Teleport

1

Heal-Self

1

Okay they show up, and I have points in them, I supposed that’s because I bought a level in them? Maybe I should try “store” nothing. “System store” window.

May only access System Store at appropriate terminal

Helpful, not. What counts as appropriate terminal? My computer? It was worth a chance. I climb from my little junker and climb to the second story. I glance at the new footprint on my door. Looks like the neighbor kids got mad about something again, wish they’d stop kicking at my door though. After letting myself in I glance around. Not much space in one bed but all bills paid in the suburbs of Dallas are pretty decent. I step onto my deck turning on my computer, the chair squeaks a loose nut. I scrolled to a news site. Said the most 500 populace places, right? Where is that in the world? Lots of India, China, some Russia, like I thought, Tokyo number 1. didn’t realize Mexico City is that huge, wow. Ok, where's the nearest dungeon. I burst into laughter, on the list of 500 numbered 405 lies Dallas, TX. I seriously lucked out. I flip to a local news site and see if I can figure out where the new dungeon exists, maybe I can see what's up before it gets locked down.

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Wait no. First, I need to enchant something. Need a money maker while I dawdle. I flip through a box of costume jewelry my ex never took with her. All metal and glass pieces should work well enough. Now what should my first piece be? What's something that would benefit me and everyone else? Wait, should I try it on paper first? Can I even enchant paper? Or does that count at spell scroll? I grab a notebook and pull a sheet out, have a pencil here somewhere. How should I make this work? Pattern it? Doodle? Wait, do I have a ruler? Make something geometric? That could work, since it mostly is going to be a written language I don’t need to worry about how spelling and grammar works. But I am making a new language, ok first thing think of something to enchant then make a word for it, no not a word a pictograph, hieroglyph.

I start thinking of things I do every day that could be automated? Cook? Shower? Laundry? As I fiddle with the gold-colored ring I think, which would fit a child? That’s it, I need a way to make sure everything is the right size. So, a way to resize, refit, auto size? Auto size, I decided. A way to auto decide everything for each individual. What if I sell a ring with another enchantment? Would they both work, or would it keep auto sizing? Should I try auto sizing on paper and apply it to the ring? That should work. I start doodling with the ruler a basic box to contain everything. Wishing for calligraphy pens I start in a corner and pull near center. Now make a line back to the top. Ok now a line near connects to bottom going to the side. And one from there to the very bottom. And copy to the other side. Missing something. I put a circle in the middle. I focus on shape and sizes and things being close but not confining. Make clothes that are loose enough to move easily, tight enough to not drape. A ring that is loose enough to slide over a knuckle, but tight enough to stay. A hat that’s loose enough to pull down, but tight enough to hold your hair up.

My doodle stares at me. Not sure what to think about it but I hope it works. I took the sheet of paper and the cheap ring. The ring I slip over my pinky as far as it will go. I lay on the ring and thought of it lying flush to the base of my finger snug past my knuckle. Nothing happens for a moment. The ring slowly starts to seemingly melt apart, expanding on itself. I slide it past my knuckle to the base of my finger and it melts back together. A perfect fit, not sure I will ever be able to get it off now, well that’s a problem for another time. At least it's plain metal and is nothing gaudy. The paper dissolves in my hand, and nothing falls, it just disappears to thin air. “I should have asked more questions” I tell myself I should be getting more organized. I turn back to my computer googling to see if anyone has found a terminal for the store. Seems people are already going into the dungeon.

Found a post “Goblins run amok! Solo Adventurer runs loose!” seems like something a Texan would do. I started to read it.

“I tell you what happened! I found the dungeon! Right where CVS used to be. Well, more to where the parking lot was. It looks like a stone archway going into a tiny hillside! I only went into the first room, but it was a goblin, I swear it! Small, green, and angry, holding a club! I had my shotgun, but it didn’t fire! So, I clubbed the goblin over the head and tried to run, but a window popped up saying I was rewarded 10 credits! From a single goblin. I looked at the next room and there were two of them. I didn’t think I could get them both, so I left.”

Helpful, the Dallas dungeon is goblins and at least one room is doable for a base human. I searched around some more. My phone alarm went off. I have to be at work in an hour. It usually takes me about thirty minutes to drive there. I think I’ll call in today, I doubt many will show up to get a sandwich and we barely have people ordering to go, can’t specify that way. Dialing the store phone just gets me a busy signal, so I text Lucas I need off. If he checks it in the next hour, I'll get yelled at but if not, he’ll leave me alone. Not sure why but if you're not there by your shift he assumes you're not coming period. Useful but confusing. I rarely take a day off, seeing as I have no vacation as I work only 38 hours a week. And I need to feed myself. Getting accident subs has made me through many a week.

I glance at the ring, thinking what else can I use. Searching for the terminal isn't going well. Maybe it needs more people? Maybe it's next to the dungeon? Who knows yet.

Grabbing a new sheet and tearing it into smaller bits I start with my square. What do I do regularly. I think to myself, dishes, shower, laundry all need cleaning. So how to make something clean? I scribble a circle in the lower half thinking of washing motions with a sponge, going back and forth of scrubbing my hands through my hair. How soap is foaming in the bottom of a washer.

Another doodle stares at me. Seems like it works. Just have to test it. I quickly grab my ketchup packets from a drawer. Squirting one onto a dirty shirt I lay the cleaning paper onto the shirt, again nothing seems to happen for a moment. Then all the dirt and grime seem to be evaporating from the shirt. Less than a minute later I'm holding the cleanest thing in my apartment. This isn't just clean but pristine.

I can't think of any other ideas, so I make a new pristine and lay it on my hand. Hoping this works like I think it does. After a moment my skin felt like an air blower dried it out. And clean, let's not forget that. But not just my hand. But all over. I rube my face. My hand comes away with dust that evaporates as I watch. Well, this I could get used to, but when has my skin ever been so soft? Maybe I should take a nap. Test out the new skill. Why am I so suddenly exhausted?