Chương 41: Back to Elmspire

It's a good thing I increased our equipment before we left the bandit outpost. We take a different path back to Elmspire, a more direct route thanks to our internal maps that let us set out in a straight line back to the city. We're traveling for maybe another two hours when we get attacked. Greater Lynxith. Uncommon Advanced monster, level 10. HP 500/500. They come out of nowhere, one pouncing each of us. The pouncing does knock me down, but it only does 13 damage.

I've recast my Shell, so that doesn't bother me nearly as much as being knocked down. I roll back to my feet and drawn an arrow, nocking it and firing it with a single movement, not even thinking that I should have just used Rapid Shot and ended the thing with a single volley. As it is, I do 161 damage, then draw my scimitar. It bleeds a little, but not enough to kill it.

The greater lynxith claws at me, and I use Stinging Defense, letting it deal 57 damage to itself every time it claws at me, and then dealing another 88 damage with my scimitar when I riposte and hit it back. Stinging defense is great; even when it wouldn't hit me at all, it still takes the damage. I end up finishing with mine before either of the girls, which is a first, I think. I turn to help Gigi, moving to flank the greater lynxith, and I note the difference between this one and the regular kind.

Its fur is a bit smoother, the coloring less mottled. It's brown, making it all but disappear among the trees. It seems to have longer claws, perfect for climbing, and a tail that more that balances it out, allowing it to stalk among the trees with impunity. This is clearly an ambush predator, and it wasn't ready for us to turn the ambush back around on it. We strip the pelts, and once again I find that the monster is big enough that we can get two pelts from each one.

That's enough for me to finish that quest, at least. We're going to have a lot to turn in when we get back to Elmspire. The first thing we do when we get back to the city is, of course, to turn in those quests. I get my hundred hunter renown, and the steel tag that goes with it. One hundred points of renown isn't really enough to buy anything but arrows and a few bows that are less good than the ones I already have, so I don't spend any points just yet.

The thirteen thousand experience gets me a lot closer to leveling. And leaves me with a decision to be made at the adventurer's guild. I don't have to turn in my quest. If I do, I'm going to level up. But if I don't, I can save it for if something happens to me. It's worth fifteen thousand experience. That's enough to put me back at level 12 from a base of zero. Do I want to keep that quest in my back pocket so that I can quickly level back up should the worst happen?

Or do I want to get the extra level now and hope that doesn't happen? It doesn't take me long to decide to turn in the quest, but I consider keeping it my back pocket just in case. Maybe I'll do that with another quest. For now, I want the level. I want to put two points into agility, one point into vigor, five into presence, and one into willpower. That puts my hit points over a thousand for the first time at 1040, my MP at 780, and my stamina at 858.

Now I just need roughly another thirty eight thousand experience points to get to level twenty seven. No problem at the rate I'm going. I have to wonder though, are we high level? Are we higher than most of our kind? Maybe it's time we meet a few of them and find out. We decide to split up in order to sell our wares. I want to go back to Glacrow, but Gigi wants to find a more dedicated armorer so she can get better armor and weapons.

Glacrow is more of a general goods kind of guy, which is part of why I want to go see him again. I want to get some general materials to help improve things, and I think he's the one to see to get those things. El, on the other hand, wants to find the best price she can, and is willing to go to multiple sources to get it. So I go to Glacrow all by myself.

"You are back!" he says when he sees me. It's good to be remembered.

"Glacrow recalls your last visit very fondly, and is glad to see you come back. Do you have more goods for Glacrow to buy, or more coin to spend on his various goods?"

"Both," I say. I set my bag on the table, and notice that carrying it with everything inside it has increased my strength to 26. Not complaining about that. My stats are pretty unbalanced in favor of agility, and it's nice to get a little bit more strength that will help me with my sword. Unless I can get a sword that relies on agility. If I can do that, I'll be pumping even more points into agility. It would be essentially my only combat stat at that point.

I start pulling out suits of armor, weapons from bandits, and even the panther bodies that we dressed and put in there for the meat.

"Glacrow does not buy foods," he tells me sadly as I bring out the last.

"But he will direct you to one of the inns that is likely to purchase that meat from you for a good price when we are done with our interaction. Don't worry, Glacrow won't steer you wrong." I smile at him, for some reason trusting that he will point me to the best possible place to sell whatever goods he himself doesn't want to buy. I'm guessing Glacrow has a pretty high charisma.

Looking at the huge pile of arms and armor that I have for him, Glacrow starts counting on his fingers, flashing them faster than I can follow as he figures out what everything is worth. I know that I won't get nearly as much for the equipment as it would cost to buy the equipment new, but I also know that it won't do much good just sitting in my bag making it heavy. I need money far more than I need this equipment.

"What is it you are looking for in exchange for all these wonderful items?" Glacrow asks.

"What is your heart's desire?"

"I need something that does more damage," I say. I gesture to my scimitar.

"This is nice and all, but it's very limited in what it can do." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"And you want a weapon more worthy of your talents. Glacrow understands. Worthiness is a rare trait in a weapon, and you want one that will last you some time. You are going out hunting for larger game, and you want to be able to deal the kind of damage that will make that larger game less of a danger to you and your companions, yes?"

"Yes, exactly." Glacrow reaches under his counter and pulls out a sword nestled in a sheath. The sword is shaped like a leaf, and as he draws it I can almost see how sharp it is. It seems to cut through the very air as he waves it around. It's nestled well in his hand, and I see that the blade curves just slightly, the added weight of the blade making it perfect for chopping. It extends forward like a regular blade for about four inches before the blade both curves and widens into the leaf shape.

I take a close look at it. Elven Blade. Very rare weapon 23/30. Damage: 106-112, +10% attack speed.

"This is a special blade, worthy of the wielder," Glacrow says, setting it down on the counter.

"It will fit perfectly in your hand, and will keep enemies in terror at your prowess. These are the blades of the elven army, and are rare to be seen in the hands of adventurers. Glacrow could trade this blade for all that you've brought him, plus a mere twenty gold coins on top of that." I let out a whistle.

"Any chance you can do better than that?" I ask him.

"Any discount at all? I could probably buy something else if you gave me a bit of a discount."

"Buying more items is the best way to Glacrow's heart, and definitely makes him willing to give you a discount!" he says.

"And Glacrow has the perfect addition for the blade. It is not enough for you to deal damage. You must also stay safe. And Glacrow has something to help keep you safe." He reaches under the same counter and this time pulls up what looks like a huge leaf. It's maybe eight inches long and five inches wide, and seems to be made of a light silvery metal. I see that there are straps on the back of it, and I think I know what it is. Leaf buckler. Rare shield 17/20. +8 armor. Does not impede bow use.

"This will make you even more formidable, yes? And for the low price, the two items together, of fifty gold on top of what you are trading to Glacrow." That puts the shield at thirty gold. That's definitely worth it. But I still want to save money if I can. I still want to use the money that I have to but another ability or spell. The price he's asking will wipe out my gold, leaving me with just the one platinum to buy abilities and spells. I don't know how much those cost, so I want to save as much as possible.

"Would you take twenty five for both?" I ask. Glacrow smiles and shakes his head sadly.

"Glacrow is afraid that is not possible. But he can see that you drive a hard bargain, and want a bargain in return. You did say that you wanted to buy as much as possible from Glacrow, and that you wanted a discount, so Glacrow will give you one. He will sell you the sword and shield both for forty five gold on top of what you have already traded to Glacrow. This gives you some spending money still in your pocket, and makes us both happy. What do you say? Do we have a deal?" I can't help it.

I know that's the best deal I'm going to get. My haggling increases by one, and I shake his offered hand.

"You've got a deal," I say. Glacrow smiles, gesturing to the sword and shield on the table. I put my rangers blade in my bag. Maybe I'll be able to trade it later, maybe I'll end up wanting it as a backup. The girls each have backups of their weapons; maybe I want a backup of mine. The meat doesn't sell all that well. Which is not to say that it doesn't sell, just that it isn't very valuable. I get twenty four silver for all the panther carcasses that I hauled back to the city.

It's enough that I could make a living just hunting, but it's nowhere near as profitable as adventuring. Finally, I head deeper into Elmspire, looking for a spell shop. I know there's one in the mage guild, but I haven't done enough quests for them to be able to access it, and I don't have enough magic to really be able to join the mages guild, I don't think. I'm still among the roots of the great tree when I find a spell shop.

It's a book store, not surprisingly, and it has books on spell casting in general as well as individual spells. I'm guessing that reading the general books will improve my spellcraft, which is already at 18, and those books are relatively cheap, only costing fifty silver a piece. But it's the regular spells that I really want, so I look at those first. They're separated by rarity. Common spells seem to go for 5 gold a piece. Uncommon for 25. Rare for 100. Very rare for 250. So those are out of my price range.

"You're an adventurer, yes?" the store clerk asks, looking me up and down.

"Seems like you spend a lot of time out in the wilderness. Sounds like a dirty existence. You should take this spell, Refresh." She pulls a book off the shelf and sets it down on the counter.

"What's it do?"

"It's like bathing," she says.

"It cleans your body and your clothes of all accrued dirt. Not any use in combat, but a nice thing to have at the end of the day so that you can sleep feeling clean, right?"

"That does sound appealing," I say. I notice that she took it from the common shelf. Definitely worth five gold.

"What do you have that will help in combat, though?"

"Offensive or defensive?" she asks.

"Offensive," I say. I need something that deals a lot of damage, or something that deals area of effect damage.

"AoE, if you have it."

"I have the three storm spells: fire, ice, and lightning. Those are area of effect and do a fair amount of damage. But they are flashy, and you seem more like the type who prefers stealth. If I may ask, what is your budget?"

"I have one platinum and five gold," I tell her.

"Also a hundred and fifty silver, if that matters." She nods, pursing her green lips and tapping a finger against them.

"Something subtle but deadly. Not just battle field control, but something more. Ah," she says. She pulls a book off the rare shelf.

"This will be perfect," she says.

"It's called Mab's Rage. It deals damage to all those outside your party at a constant basis, in an area surrounding you. It allows you to stay hidden while the spell takes out your opponents, or at least weakens them severely." That does sound perfect. I buy the two spells and one of the books on spell casting, leaving me poorer than I've ever been since coming to this world. I try to haggle with her, but she says that the prices are set and she does not negotiate. So I guess I failed in my haggle.

But I do get another rank of it, so that's good. I thank her for the spells and then go to the inn where I sold the panther meat and get a table for myself. I'm meeting the girls in a few hours, but I have time to sit and read, to at least learn the two spells. Refresh. Common spell 1/5. MP cost: 25. Casting time: 60 seconds. Cooldown: 30 minutes. Excise all dirt and accumulated grime as if you have just bathed. Effects clothing and carried equipment. Mab's Rage. Rare spell 1/20. MP cost: 500.

Casting time: 1 second. Duration: 1 minutes. Cooldown: 2 hours. Deal Willpower damage per second in an radius of your Awareness in feet. Those within the area are slowed by 10%. Does not harm party members. Reading the book on spell casting doesn't destroy it, which is nice. Means I can give it to El and Gigi and maybe help their spellcraft as well. For me, it adds five levels to my spellcraft, bringing it all the way up to 23. That means my magical dart now does 25 points of damage.

Which isn't much, but I have to remember the whole thing about it automatically hitting. Sometimes the fire bolt doesn't hit, wasting the spell. It's not nearly enough to make it a worthwhile exchange, but maybe Magical Dart will become useful at some point in the future. In the meantime, it's nice to have such a high spellcraft ability.