Chapter 9 - Preparations

Frowning slightly, I had to shoulder aside the momentary lapse in which I allowed myself the luxury of admiring what might be the beginning of the fall from grace of a true, honest-to-god saint like Zephyr. It was bound to happen, eventually - nothing stays pure in this world. I also had something of a time bomb named Jae’thun ticking over my head, with 10 days left and counting.

As soon as we arrived back at Zephyr’s little shack, I sent its owner off on an urgent errant.

“Such an ambitious bounty will not be yielded with alacrity or ease, Lord Seth. Such are the whims of Mother Nature as she-” Murmured Zephyr.

I waved him off. “That’s not a problem. Just gather as much as you can within a day. Be back by tomorrow.”

Zephyr’s brow furrowed as he nodded, then headed out. I rubbed my palms together as I sat down and took out the precious book I had received as a quest reward. Finally, all my hardships for choosing the Scholar class would pay off. My hands veritably shook as I opened its cover, which read “Umeji Clan Secret Skills”. It sounded very promising indeed.

“What the.. what is this gibberish?”

*BLEEP*

You are unable to perform the desired action!Your intelligence is too low to comprehend the elaborate textRequired Intelligence:25

I nearly tore the book in half. Or would have done so, if my hands had the strength. I immediately recalled that I had 10 points I could distribute since I had leveled up. But given my current Intelligence, I would not be able to read the book even if I put all 10 points into Intelligence. Besides, I had become seriously concerned about the crippling lack of strength and agility my current body had. I had been considering whether it would be worth investing a few points into my physical stats until I could at least defend myself.

“But then, why did I choose a scholar in the first place? What would be the point of being a brawny scholar? No, I must decipher what this book says.”

Nodding to myself, I called up my status window and placed all my points into Intelligence. It definitely had to pay off. I had gambled everything into this, and I would not give up halfway. No, I had to see it through.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to wait with my arms crossed. I needed to become level 3, and experience would not just walk in the door.

“Umm.. excuse me.”

I looked up to see one of the street urchins I’d seen running around everywhere in this place. His clothes were ragged and I could see more grime than skin on him, but his eyes were clear and focused.

“Yeah? What do you want kid?” I muttered.

“A scary-looking man with a big scar across his face asked me to deliver this to you and to tell you that he would be back after the hunt.”

Hunting. Jae’thun had wandered off by himself without a word, just a respectful grunt and a nod towards me after I’d won the quest rewards from the three brothers. Maybe he thought I would be able to take care of myself after all - or at least manage not to get myself killed before our duel in 10 days.

I had sorely wished I could accompany him as I saw Jae’thun hefting his spear, but ultimately I’d decided against it. While hunting was always an excellent way to gain experience and loot, I was a level 2 Scholar - not the most ideal class for fighting or hunting. I was also injured, and would likely not be able to do much without Jae’thun’s assistance. Which he would provide - maybe - but hell if I would ask.

So while my broken arm mended itself, I had to avail myself of what I could for now. I had already gained a level in little less than an hour. Perhaps I could find some more quests to complete..

“Umm.. Mister?”

I looked down to see the urchin holding out the small package wrapped in cloth Jae’thun had left for me. When I opened it, my eyes widened. It was my book! I remembered now! Tarik’s men had examined it but mysteriously tossed it next to me before I passed out. Why would they..?

No matter. I had it now. I stopped to admire its exquisite craftmanship. It was a hefty volume, and the cover was of the finest leather, soft and supple to the touch yet firm enough to protect the precious pages within. Elegant, flowing script of some arcane language had been embossed in gold across it.

How this book had gotten inside my pocket was a complete mystery to me. I distinctly remembered placing a rock there while I was in the caves for my soul forging. Maybe the gift Selendra had alluded to was this? If so, it must be a tome of great power! I paused with one hand on the cover to look at the kid in front of me. His eyes were staring at the book with unchecked curiousity.

“Hey kid. Do you like books?”

The kid nodded to me, “My grandad used to read to me from the tales of our ancient hunters.”

“Well, this is nothing like that. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this book is one of a kind. It is not from this world!”

The child’s eyes widened, and I grinned as I saw the wonder light up his gaze.

“Fufu, I will let you take a peek just because I’m in a good mood today. It’s your lucky day kid.”

The urchin nodded empathically. I breathed deeply, then opened the book to the first page. And stared. Flipped to the next page. Stared. Next page.

“What in the..”

I frantically combed through the entire book.

“Umm.. mister, your book is broken.”

I scowled darkly at the kid before returning my gaze to the book in my hands. The pages were of the finest paper, pristine white and completely empty. There was nothing. All the pages were blank.

“What is this!?”

The kid sniggered in my direction. “I think you got the wrong book mister.”

There was no way.. had they switched the book while I’d been unconscious? No, Jae’thun did not strike me as the kind of man to stoop to stealing books from destitute scholars. The urchin? No, the surprise in his face had been real. So what was the big deal with an empty book? A cypher of some sort? Chemically hidden ink? Different lighting?

I grumbled under my breath. I didn’t have time to waste on this garbage. I stowed the book away and returned to the business of slaying gods. Well, I’d make do with one fat robber-become-merchant named Tarik.

“Hey kid, you look like a bright one. Do you want to earn a few coins?”

The kid’s eyes lit up again and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Do you know who Tarik is?”

Another nod, with a scrunching up of the nose in distaste this time. I could sympathize.

I pulled out a handful of copper pieces and handed them to him. “I want you to follow him from a distance. Tell me what he does and who he talks to. If you return tomorrow and you have some good information, I will give you twice as much.”

The kind beamed at me and ran off with the coins.

Then I moved to a nearby table where I’d seen some shears, and turned my attention to the bolts of cloth.

“Right. Time to get working..”

I grasped the first bolt, turned it sideways, and started to cut an even swath down the middle. I was making field dressings. My movements were deft and practiced as I handled the material. When you got into as many scraps as I do, you learn a thing or two about mending broken bones and dressing up wounds. It was tricky with only one good hand, but I’d had to deal with worse in my life.

At first, my hands didn’t want to follow the instructions my brain was issuing, but the task grew gradually easier, until I was veritably tearing through bale after bale of cloth. A couple hours later..

*TIRRING*

Congratulations! You have learned a new skill!Bandage Making - You are able to dress wounds in order to remove various status effects and boost your natural HP recovery rateSkill Level:Beginner (1/100)

*TIRRING*

Congratulations! You have learned a new recipe!Crude Bandage - A roughly cut strip of cloth that may be tied about a wound to prevent further blood loss. Not the most efficient, but it will do in a pinch.Effect:Treats minor blood loss, boosts HP regeneration by a small factor.

And so, my second night in Aeterna was spent making bandages. Small steps..

[c]***[/c]

I was able to catch a couple hours of sleep before Zephyr walked in with two huge bundles of weeds in his arms. The smell that filled up the room made my eyes water, but Zephyr seemed impervious.

“Ugh. I thought the splint on my arm was bad, but this is even worse!”

Zephyr smiled affably at me. “Well, the smell does intensify after they are treated in order to bring out their maximum healing properties.”

“You mean it gets even worse?”

“Oh, indubitably so, Lord Seth. Why, if I do not badly misrecall, there are records of some aboriginal tribes using it as a weapon.”

“I can see why. Never mind that, how long will it take to treat these plants to make them into the same salve I’ve got on?”

Zephyr’s answer, as always, was as immediate as it was accurate. “Seventy three stalks which would take 6 hours in eight batches, producing approximately..”

I waved off the rest. “That’s fine, that’s fine. Let’s get started.”

Zephyr’s brow furrowed slightly as he took in the mountains of bandages lying behind me.

“I was bored,” I quipped.

At my partner’s raised eyebrow, I shrugged. “This is the best idea I could come up with in short notice. The Ae’sur tribes are mostly a nomadic people who live for the hunt, right?”

Zephyr nodded.

“I spoke to Jae’thun earlier, and my impression was that once if you’re wounded out there, you’re on your own until you get back to the village and request the services of the tribal witch doctor. It seems the services are in high demand.”

“They are indeed,” Zephyr agreed.

“This is why the services are priced accordingly. Well, one of the things that surprised me was how effective your salve was Zephyr. I could hardly feel any pain, and after examining my wound yesterday, I could see it was well on its way to being healed. Now, imagine you’re a hunter and you are on the trail. You are wounded but so is your prey. Would you rather come limping back as a failure to lick your wounds, or pay slightly more to heal yourself on the spot and continue the hunt until you run your prey down?”

“The latter option does sound infinitely more appealing, Lord Seth.”

“That’s right. So we’re going into the medical supply business. Your bales of cloth are of surprisingly good quality - botched dye job aside, of course. They’re absorbent and sturdy while allowing the air to flow. That’s pretty ideal for a bandage. If we add in a small package of salve, plus a demonstration here by yours truly.. I think we might be able to eke out a tidy profit from your failed investment, Zephyr.”

Zephyr was nodding along with me. “A most astute business plan, Lord Seth. Many Ae’Sur tribes consider herb gathering to be beneath them, besides which the healing poultice I produced is a little known recipe from the Church of Arabelle. I shall get started on producing the salve immediately.”

“Oh, I couldn’t let you do all the hard work yourself. I will help you.”

“That is unnecessary, as you are still wounde..”

“Oh, I insist,” I cut him off firmly.

“Well, the process isn’t very complicated, and it should not be terribly taxing on your constitution. Very well, Lord Seth. Thank you for your kind assistance.”

“Oh, we’re in this together.. partner.” I replied jovially. Besides, I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to learn a new skill pass me by. “So, tell me more about this plant? Where do you find it? How do you gather it? Oh, the preparation process as well..”

*TIRRING*

Congratulations! You have learned a new skill!Herbalism - You are able to forage and utilize various plants and herbs for medicinal purposes.Skill Level:Beginner (1/100)

*TIRRING*

Congratulations! You have learned a new recipe!Stink Salve - Named after its smell, you will never quite forget it once you catch a whiff. Surprisingly effective when applied directly to wounds, it boosts HP regeneration and improves healing.Skill Level:Beginner (1/100)

By midday, the salve was prepared, and it became a huge hit. The smell could have been better, but not having to return to the village for minor wounds was incredibly advantageous. After seeing its effects on my own wound, soon there was a line of customers eagerly waiting to get their hands on their own stink kit. Their name, not mine. Judging from the appearance of most of my customers, their sense of smell had probably shorted out from their own stench in any case.

This was further boosted by what I’ve come to call the “Zephyr Effect”. That very same innocence and endless faith my partner possessed imbued him with an aura of honesty that was very hard to resist. Thus, when he truthfully advertised the healing properties of our product, it became a most effective advertising tool.

While Zephyr took care of the bulk of the sales, I kept my eye out for the outliers, for the opportunities lying about.

“You there. You look like you’ve had a good expedition. How about we help each other out? I could get you some extra discount on a full stack of my product if you could tell me about the area..”

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you shall win a 100 battles out of 100. Information was priceless, and since most hunters here had recently returned, not only was the information fresh, they would also be less reticent to share it since they would not be going back out until they spent all their money.

“So, desert rabbits are roving about just west of the village? Good profit from their hides? I see.. continue..”

“Wild dogs packs are rampaging through the east fields? Not worth the hassle?”

“A seldom visited oasis near the sand lizard mating grounds? So, where exactly is this..”

By the end of the day, we had sold near one fifth of our inventory. That yielded a small fortune of 3 gold. Zephyr could pay the costs of this trip just on those funds alone!

We split the money - with Zephyr generously deciding to give me half the proceeds. I decided I could definitely see the charm in this guy.

Towards the end of the day, the grimy little urchin I’d sent off on my little covert mission came back with news.

“So, he’s been talking to the caravan masters. Looks like he is planning on heading out to the greater markets to auction off Sol and Reaver. Hmm. Good, looks like I may have a little more time.”

It was time to put that pain in the ass mutt - Reaver - to good use.

The next day I conferred with Zephyr, and he obediently went to the central square market in the village to rent a stall for our goods. Meanwhile, I acquired a dozen or so empty clay urns, filled them with water and sent them to Zephyr. Business was brisk as usual at our stall, but I was careful not to draw any eyes to me. Zephyr attracted plenty of attention, and drew huge crowds with our miraculous salve, so it wasn’t hard.

Now came the tricky part of my plan - bringing down Tarik.

First of all, I used some of my funds to purchase a few necessary goods. I finally got out of my robes, and into something more comfortable. I found some light clothes from a second hand goods store. The clothes didn’t concern me much, but I did pay extra for the shoes. In life as a soldier, you come to realize the value of a good pair of boots.

Then I stopped by a weapons stall that had been recommended to me by Jae’thun. I don’t care how ugly he looks, an experienced warrior lives and dies by the tools he uses. I couldn’t afford anything near as good as that deadly spear he always carried by his side, but I asked for a skilled weaponsmith.

“What do you want?” was the inauspicious greeting I received upon entering, more of a grunt than anything else.

It was a humble looking shop with a worn old sign that read, “Agnos’”, hidden between many bigger and more colorful buildings. However, one glance at the wall where the goods were exhibited told me I’d come to the right place. There were none of the flashier or more elaborately decorated weapons I’d seen in the other shops near this one. In fact, the shop right across from this one proudly displayed some obscenities that looked more like a bad fashion accessory than an instrument of death. Not so with this shop. The weapons were plain and well-crafted, with practicality in mind rather than decor.

One particular set of knife and sword caught my eye. It was a polished pair of weapons with a well-maintained edge, one more of a utilitarian choice while the sword practically screamed murder. I could see they’d seen some use, but it didn’t take away from the overall quality of the weapons.

“May I?” I asked, with my hands hovering near the hilt of the sword.

The shopkeeper, whom I assumed to be Agnos, raised an eyebrow at my choice, then grunted his assent. “Good choice, maybe you know what you’re about.”

I nodded my thanks while I carefully picked up the sword. It was much heavier than it looked, but I had expected that. By now, I’d come to terms - more or less - with my own limitations. I could barely sprint for 100 feet before running out of breath, and lifting more than 100 lbs seemed beyond me.

Sharp DaggerType:Edged WeaponDamage:4 - 6Bonus:May be used as a thrown weaponDurability:40/40Quality:CA well-crafted dagger that has seen some use, but still retains an edge. The blade is a little worn, but well maintained.

Requirements: Level 1. Strength 6.

Well-Balanced SwordType:Edged WeaponDamage:8-10Bonus:-Durability:50/50Quality:CCareful crafting has yielded a high quality blade that distributes its weight evenly to make handling that much easier.

Requirements: Level 1. Strength 8.

Though it taxed my arms greatly, I lightly spun the sword around - being very careful not to drop it. It was difficult because I could feel what little strength I had in my grip quickly leaving me, but I kept it up. That was enough for me to see it had excellent balance and weight distribution.

“I’m impressed. Pity they’re secondhand goods.”

The shop owner grunted. “Served their master well.”

“You made these?”

“As everything else within these walls.”

I quickly evaluated the man, then I decided against haggling. This was a man who valued his craft more than he did his customers.

“Yet they found their way back to you.”

“Yes, well. The previous owner got in beyond his head. Only thing they found of him were those weapons and some bones. They found my mark on them and knew I’d pay to get them back.”

“How much do you want for these?”

“1 gold for the dagger. 2 for the sword.” came the flat reply.

My eyes widened slightly at the outrageous price. Well, you get what you pay for.

“Done.” I could read the surprise in his eyes. He hadn’t expected that.

“I can see they’re well worth it, even if your competitor across the street says otherwise.”

“Eh? Haman’s been running off his mouth again?”

“Fat guy across the street wearing more jewelry than his wife? Yeah, he told me I was wasting my time coming here. Said you’d charge a newcomer an arm and a leg just for lousy second pickings off the street.”

“Why that damn bastard.. fine. You can have them both for 2 gold. Lets see what Haman’s got to say about that.”

“No, I couldn’t take advantage of you. How about this? I will pay you 2 and a half gold if you can help me with a particular problem.”

“Hmm. What’s that?”

After I explained the situation, he grunted. “That could be worked out. Wait a moment.”

He went to the back of the shop, and came back with a small bag that clunked slightly, as well as two sheaths.

“What you asked me for,” He said, handing me the bag. “And you will need these for the swords. On the house. It is not often people appreciate the finer art of weapon smithing.”

“The tools make the man, and I’m about to make a killing.”

Agnus chuckled ruefully. “With that grip, I hope it is you that makes the killing and not the other way around.”

I glanced sideways at him. “Can’t fool those eyes, eh?”

“Your posture is a little unorthodox, but your center of gravity is off. It’s as though you’ve been sick for a long time?”

“Something like that,” I grunted. Then my face lit up. “Truth to tell, I was infirm for a long time but there were better days when I lived and died by my sword. Say, I could use some help in getting back into shape.”

Agnus looked at me dubiously. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t see many sword users here, but I can tell you did your share of sword fighting back in your days. I didn’t miss the look in your eyes when I was trying out your sword. How about it? I can get back into shape and you can remember those bygone days.”

“There are plenty of younger ones who could..”

“Yeah, fops who will buy the abominations sold at the shop across from you. No, I would speak to you blade to blade.”

Agnus squinted at me. Then after a moment, he nodded slowly. “Fine, I could see the merit in that. But first you need to recover your endurance and strength. The way you are now, I wouldn’t even break out a sweat. Come back then.”

*Ttirring*

You have received a quest: “Honing the Blade”

Honing the Blade Difficulty: FDescription:

A sharp edge imbued with the right purpose will reach great heights. You have the opportunity to walk down the road of the swordsman.Goals:

Raise your STR to 20

Raise your STAMINA to 15

Agnus, the swordsmith, has agreed to help you hone your skills with the sword if you return when you have fulfilled his requirementsRequirements:

STR 20

STAMINA 15

Quest Rewards:

200 xp

Sword Proficiency

I nodded. “Thank you. I will be back. I’m Seth.”

“Agnus.”

Without any further words, I walked out. Excellent! I’d found a trainer. I had wondered when I’d seen so many swords at this shop when most hunters in the village favored spears and javelins. I had followed my instincts and it had paid off. I didn’t expect much since I was still a Scholar, but perhaps something could be salvaged here. First, I needed to train myself up.

“Alright, time to jog back with weights,” I murmured while hefting both my new blades. I couldn’t wait to try them out.

All the preparations were complete, and I was burning to inflict some payback on Tarik.

Whoever said vengeance is best served cold was wrong.

Dead wrong, and I would drown the world in flames to prove it.