Beyond Average Prequel [DiceRPG]

012. Gold Gained and Gold Spent



EXP GAINED
1X ALTEN (200) = 200
SUB TOTAL
200
OTHERWORLDER BONUS (+200) = 400
EXP TOTAL
150 + 400
CURRENT EXP
550
Level up available!

Adam sat down onto a hay bale nearby. His heart was still racing like a drum within his chest, his body hot with the stress of it all. He was panting for air, trying to gather himself for the moment when James popped over. He took a swig of his water skin and then raised his brows at the youngster. 

“Whoa,” James said. “You’re strong.”

Adam cleared his throat as he felt his cheeks go peach. “I’m alright,” he said, deflecting the attention with his Britishness. “Thanks for looking after my cloak.” Adam reached down to his pouch and then pulled out a single silver piece for James, handing it over as he retrieved his cloak. 

CURRENCY
9 Gold
20 Silver
21 Copper

Adam brought the red cloak over his shoulders and wrapped it around himself like a protective blanket as he continued to rest. 

“Good fight,” Paul said as he approached Adam, throwing a look over to see the heavily armoured champion with the unconscious lad.

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so one sided.”

“I got lucky,” Adam supposed and then shrugged his shoulders. 

“Luck is also the skill of an adventurer and it seems like you have it in droves.”

“Usually I’m not so lucky,” Adam said, shrugging again. He recalled how he had died and had been reincarnated. He supposed that he was quite lucky since he had been reincarnated, or whatever one would call what happened to him. 

Perhaps he was lucky after all…

“Well try and keep your luck with you, you’ll need it in this line of work.” Paul chuckled. 

“If I had the choice I’d be hoping for luck everyday.”

“At least you’ve made a bit of coin,” Paul said with a smile. 

“Oh,” Adam replied. That was right! Adam’s eyes fell to White-Tooth, who was currently laughing with his group. 

“Good on you,” Peron said as he appeared ahead of Adam. “How are you only copper rank?”

“I’ve only just joined,” Adam replied simply. “I haven’t had the chance to earn my name.”

It was then that a form stumbled out of the guild. It was Jurot, who looked as though he was half awoken yet. 

“It’s not finished is it?!” Jurot exclaimed aloud, not realising his voice was going to be so boisterous.

“You’re too late,” Peron called out. “You missed the show.” He laughed as he left.

Jurot slapped his face and then stumbled his way over to Adam. “I drank too much last night at the thought of the fight, as is the custom of my people but…”

Adam smiled.

“Usually my father would stop me from going too far into the drink,” Jurot explained.

Adam laughed. “Sorry, I turned in rather early in order to prepare for the fight.”

“It is no matter,” Jurot said as he looked at Alten and the champion limping away. “I see you have won! I knew you would.” 

“I have,” Adam said with a nod of his head. He was rather glad that Jurot had been rooting for him. “A lot of coin too, speaking of which…”

It was then White-Tooth appeared. A grin was painted on his face, not as though he had just lost the pricey sum of fifty gold.

“You aren’t so bad, knife-ears!” White-Tooth exclaimed and then threw out a fist. 

Adam furrowed his brows and then reached over, fisting White-Tooth. “Thanks green-ears.”

“You’re just a copper rank?”

“That’s right.”

“How long have you been adventuring?”

“It’s my fifth day,” Adam said as he tried to recall. “Well, fourth day since I hadn’t much time to adventure the first day I joined.”

“You’re solo?”

“Mostly,” Adam said as he nodded his head to Jurot. “I’ve teamed up with Jurot here, he’s a man of the Iyr.”

“Iyr? You’re one of those?” White-Tooth raised his brow. 

Jurot puffed out his chest. “I am! I am Jurot of the Iyr,” he said with a nod of his head.

“I heard you don’t get drunk in the Iyr,” White-Tooth said.

“We don’t.”

“Didn’t you just say you got too drunk last night?” Adam asked.

“I said I had drank too much, not that I was too drunk,” Jurot said as though that made any sense at all. “Besides, I am not in the Iyr, I am in Red Oak.”

Adam nodded his head, leaving it at that. 

“Well, you’ve earned your coin,” White-Tooth said as he threw the half-elf a nod. “If you want to join a party, let us know when you’re Bronze rank, we might be willing to take you aboard.” White-Tooth looked over to Jurot and nodded. “Same goes for you as well, man of the Iyr.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Adam nodded. He wasn’t sure if he’d take the offer, White-Tooth seemed far more pleasant now, but that didn’t mean he was actually a decent guy to hang around. 

With that the crowd began to disperse, some adventurers coming to shower Adam with praise. He withdrew slightly as his face turned completely peachy, the attention had been too much for him, and soon he matched with his heavy cloak. 

Eventually he returned to the guild. The stress of the situation had been too much for him to go out and adventurer, plus he was tapped out of his abilities. 

He checked his abilities as a thought crossed his mind.

TOUGH SPIRIT
Recharges after a simple rest.

ONWARD SOAR
Recharges after a simple break.

SAMURAI SPIRIT
Recharges after a full rest.

Oh. 

If he wanted to, he could just take a quick nap and then head out to quest. He threw a look over to Jurot. 

“Hey Jurot,” Adam said. “Are you up to finish a quest?”

“A quest? Do you not want to celebrate?”

“Celebrate what?”

“You have won a duel!” Jurot shouted.

“Yeah, but, that’s done now. I didn’t really care about it. I just want to go out and quest.”

“Take a break and celebrate. You have managed to win a duel and so you deserve a celebration. I will pay for your drinks.”

Adam laughed. He supposed Jurot did have a point. He would have all the time in the world to explore, and though being higher rank would help him in his explorations, he didn’t need to rush it. 

“Alright, fine. I hope your coin purse is heavy,” Adam joked as he entered the guild with the barbarian. 

They drank and ate, Jurot ordering the pair some stew. It was pricey, as the meals in the guild seemed to be. Adam wondered if perhaps he should have gone to Khan’s inn instead. He should probably go and pay them a visit, he could even have an extra meal there without being shamed for eating too much. The thought of it brought him great excitement.

How naughty.

As he was eating the food, a delicious array of porridge, toast and what was a white cheese that was rock hard and yet melted against the warmth of the bread, some of the adventurers came to praise him and acknowledge him for his duel. They offered a similar deal to White-Tooth, recruiting him if he ever turned Bronze.

Then Paul approached. 

“Your winnings,” he said with a nod of his head and placed down a small tray with the coins.  

Oh! That was right!

CURRENCY
5 Platinum
29 Gold
20 Silver
21 Copper
3x Obsidian Disks (10G each)

“Are you planning on adventuring today?” Paul asked.

“Not today.”

“Alright, tomorrow morning we’ll need to have a chat.”

“Okay?” Adam asked with a raised brow, his heart thumping once more. “Am I in trouble?” He wondered what he could have done that would warrant a chat. 

Paul chewed on the question. “No, but you could be.” Paul smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t think you will be. As long as…” Paul narrowed his eyes and then with that, he was gone.

PERCEPTION
D20 (16) - WISE (1) = 15
SUCCESS!

 He heard the man chuckle quietly to himself as he left.

He wasn’t sure if Paul was actually kidding, so he threw a look to Jurot, who was currently chowing down on the toast, pieces of stringy cheese stretched between the toast and his teeth.

“Am I in trouble?” Adam asked. “What did I do?”

“He said he doesn’t think you will be,” Jurot replied. “If that is so, then there is no need to worry.”

“What happens if he is angry though?”

“There is no need to worry of such a matter.” Jurot continued to eat his food. “That is a matter for tomorrow, and we are men of today.”

Adam picked at his own, eventually finishing it after a long while all the while Jurot kept buying drinks, though Adam drank the singular mug of ale, mulling over the matter with Paul and the duel’s events.  

A thought crossed his mind.

Alten seemed to be quite a pridely fellow. Would this, a public shaming, come back and bite him in the butt?

He continued to wonder as he finished his ale as Jurot lay there, snoozing away on the table. It had been about an hour, but it seemed as though Jurot did not have the most restful sleep.

Adam had no idea what to do now. He wasn’t drunk, but he was feeling a little tipsy. Adventuring probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

TOUGH SPIRIT 
(1/1)

ONWARD SOAR 
(1/1)

Though he supposed he could if he wanted to…

He thought against it. He had already told Paul he wasn’t going to adventure, and he wasn’t sure if that maybe had something to do with what he wanted to talk about tomorrow morning.

Adam stood, and with his pouch burning with almost a hundred gold, he made his way outside, but only a few steps away as the sound of the rhythmic pounding of enchanted hammer working on steel filled his ears, like a gentle melody calling for him.  

“Morning,” Adam said as Thundersmith looked up to meet his gaze.

“Morning,” Thundersmith replied as he pulled away from shaping his work. “Ya had a fight?”

“Yeah, I had a duel.”

“A duel?” Thundersmith’s wispy eyebrows pulled upward. “Ya won?”

“I did.”

Thundersmith nodded with his head. “What can ah help ya with?”

“I was just wondering… how much does a dwarven made sword cost?”

“Aye, ya looking ta buy?”

“That’s right,” Adam said with a nod. He had a heavy purse and did not want to walk around with it. “A dwarven made sword might suit me better than what I have.”

“A pricey investment.” Thundersmith’s brows raised again. “Can ya afford it?”

“Depends how much it’ll run.”

“A longsword ya say,” Thundersmith said as he rubbed his beard. “A hundred gold’ll do ya good.”

“A hundred gold it is.”

“When do ya need it?”

“Uh…” Adam shrugged. “When are you able to make it?”

“Ah can get ta work on it today, it’ll be finished three days in the noon.”

“Great. Can I pay now?”

“Ah’ll take half upfront and half when am done.”

“Could I pay for it all now? I’d rather have the peace of mind that I’ve paid you for your work, if it would please you.”

The dwarf nodded his head. “Aye, ya can do that.”

“Would you mind if I paid in gems?”

Thundersmith’s eyes lit up. “Aye, ah dunnae mind, boy.”

CURRENCY
9 Gold

20 Silver
21 Copper

“Follow meh,” Thundersmith said as he entered his store. 

Adam followed him in, blasted with the same smells as before. The coal, the scent of effort, and the metals. 

“Hand meh yer blade.” Thundersmith reached out with his thick, pudgy, working hands. Adam handed his blade over without complaint as Thundersmith inspected his sword. He waddled off and then grabbed onto another sword and then handed that over. “Swing it.”

Adam began to swing it around, letting Thundersmith watch. Thundersmith continued to stare as Adam continued to swing before he finally nodded. 

“That’ll be that. What do you want it to look like?”

That was not a question Adam had expected for some reason. Adam’s mind flashed with a great many ideas before he shook his head. “Actually… would you mind if I came later with a sketch of it? I’ll need to think on that.”

“Alright, but ah won’t be finished until later.”

“That’s fine by me, as long as it doesn’t ruin any other work you’ll be doing.”

“If another comes by ah’ll have ta work on their work first.”

“That’s alright by me,” Adam said with a nod of his head. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow morning or so with a sketch.”

The dwarf nodded and then Adam left. He needed to buy some paper and a pen or something of the sort. He wondered if there was chalk or anything.

He made his way back to the guild and walked up to the desk where Emma was currently working. She raised her brows. 

“Hey Emma, sorry to bother you, but do you know where I could get some paper and a…” Adam thought about it. When were pencils invented? “Quill?” 

“In the centre of town you should be able to find a merchant of a kind that could sell you such a thing.”

“Oh, right…” Adam said awkwardly. “Thank you for that, I should go and do that.” 

Emma just nodded her head. He felt so stupid about that since it seemed so obvious.

So he was gone to find a merchant who would sell him such a thing. 

INVESTIGATION
D20 (4) + SMART (4) + TRAINED (3) = 11
SUCCESS!

He had managed to find a merchant, a man of bronze skin and copper hair. He was a thin man with short black hair atop his head that was wispy like air, with heavy robes that seemed to form a block around him.

“Morning, I’d like to ask how much is the ink pot and a quill, as well as some parchment?”

“Of course, of course,” the merchant said with his thick accent. “Would you like a set?”

“Sure, how much would that be?”

“Ten gold for the set,” the merchant said as he revealed a pen, a small vial of ink, and two pieces of parchment. 

Adam sucked in some air through his teeth. 

‘Damn it.’

 He had enough money for it, but he wanted to keep some on hand. He hadn’t remembered that it was quite a pricey affair. 

“Uh,” Adam said awkwardly, “I’ll have to come back another day. How long will you be here?”

“A week and I will be gone,” the merchant said with a smile on his face.

“Oh. Well, that’s fine then. I’ll be back in a few days to order.”

“I will keep it on hand for you then.” The merchant bowed his head.

Adam sighed as he rubbed his head. He could see the merchant had far more wears, noting a piece of chalk. “How much is the piece of chalk?”

“A copper piece.”

“Oh.”

CURRENCY
9 Gold
20 Silver
20 Copper

He paid and asked for the merchant’s name. Bozar, he had said, and with that he returned back to the guild and then thought about what he wanted his blade to look like. He sketched on his sack. 

SKETCHING
D20 (10) - QUICK (1) = 9
FAILURE!

Well… that looked like a rabbit vomiting all over a giant glob of poop. 

He decided instead to just daydream about it, he’d give Thundersmith a rough idea of what he wanted his sword to look like.

He spent the entire day just doing that, wasting it away in his thoughts. He was rather sad he couldn’t draw well, but then he recalled a matter.

Level up available!

So he went to bed.

LEVEL UP

A mass of text appeared ahead of him. He looked through Wizard and his eyes fell to a subclass he could gain at this level.

Fate Weaver.

Well damn. That sounded cool.

He checked out what he would receive. Two spells, of course, but also…

OMEN

As he read the description he smiled to himself. 

EXP reduced by 500.
50 EXP remaining.
GAINED: WIZARD (2)
SUBCLASS UNLOCKED!
FATE WEAVER

He would pick the spells in the morning, but for now, he’d finish levelling and sleeping in peace, for the morning could not come too quickly.

 

Announcement

Phew! Finally a chapter that's under 3000 words!

Next chapter is going to be pretty hype!

Should I draw the sword idea I have in mind for Adam? I'm not the best artist, but I've drawn a few swords before...

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