《All Trades Book 1: Master of None》 Prologue-The Cost of War Likely too quickly and with too little training for boys who¡¯ve never held a weapon before, much less seen any real combat. There I go thinking about my mother-in-law again. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. if ¡°hey¡¯re here.¡± 1-Initial Public Offering Seconds after selecting Login, I found myself floating in a void. Well, floating would be the wrong word. So would standing, I guess. I was just there. ¡°Hello, sir, and welcome to The Realms.¡± Oh, a disembodied voice was there too. It was also coming from all directions and shaking every molecule in my body. Well, it wasn¡¯t my body. It was my avatar in FIVR: Full Immersion Virtual Reality. In hindsight, other companies and games were really half-assing the Full Immersion part of that. Up till now, FIVR games just meant you could move your character with your body and see, hear, and sometimes even feel what your character felt. The last part required haptic feedback suits designed for it. Of course, this was just some light pressure or something when you got hit with a sword. The Realms were supposed to be the next level. Sending and receiving signals wirelessly to connect directly to your brain through special headsets. Apparently this level turned out to be the ¡°have a panic attack¡± level because that¡¯s exactly what I was doing. The voice apparently knew that I was full-on freaking out, because it suddenly made itself a body. Funnily enough, it was the body of an older Englishman in a very dignified suit. Well, as dignified as a suit can look floating in the vast nothingness we were presently in. Oh I hope I get to name him. There¡¯s no way I can NOT call him Alfred, right? I thought to myself. ¡°You do get to name me, sir. Alfred is perfectly suitable.¡± he managed to respond inside my head. AH! came the involuntary and entirely non-masculine response. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terribly sorry for alarming you, sir.¡± came the response from Alfred, clearly apologetic. ¡°I can hear surface level thoughts thanks to your connection to the system, so I felt it appropriate to respond. It is the ideal method of communication with me.¡± And you are? I asked, only freaking out slightly less than before. ¡°Your Guide, sir.¡± he responded, clarifying absolutely nothing at all. Great! How about you guide me somewhere other than this fucking place! ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Even as he spoke the void found shape and color at last. After a few moments of swirling and stretching, the visual nonsense settled into what I had to admit was a very cozy office. I was almost immediately put at ease as I took in the entire experience of the room. ¡°Now, sir, we shall create your character and begin your adventures in The Realms?¡± The Realms, designed and created solely by one Dr. Gary Hyzen. Dr. Hyzen claimed he¡¯d created a digital world players could live in with the help of specially designed VR helmets that created the aforementioned mental link that caused my previous panic attack. Like I said, putting the shit companies put out before this up against The Realms was like a kid¡¯s shitty baking soda volcano compared to a cold fusion reactor. This game was beyond what we knew. Of course, assholes who made a career out of theorizing about shit they didn¡¯t understand got on TV and got paid to say stupid shit like ¡°Can we even call this a game anymore?¡± Dr. Hyzen was, without a doubt, a genius. Unfortunately, no game company in the world would agree to publish it. It was TOO immersive. During Alpha, more than 50% of players who died in dungeons logged out at respawn, refusing to log back in. Beta Testing showed slightly better numbers thanks to a gradual implementation of senses, but it was still too high for the bean counters. Apparently full immersion and experiencing a game as if it were real are fantastic when you can feel the weight of the sword in your hand as you swing, hear the wind whipping by as you ride on a griffon, or feel the slow buildup of heat in your arms as you begin throwing fireballs. Turns out the average gamer thought all of that was cool as shit until they were on the receiving end of it. Dr. Hyzen responded by saying that players should gladly experience such things as they were the price for partaking in such innovation and those that refused showed a weakness of character. In layman¡¯s terms: Gamers should stop being such pansies and nut up so they could play this game. Dr. Hyzen was, without a doubt, an asshole. Thankfully for the good doctor¡¯s bottom line, his expertise went beyond the computer knowledge required for the development of the organic AI systems, sensory immersion, and world generation that went into the creation of The Realms. He was also a mathematical genius who was able to develop the most efficient, secure, and widely used cryptocurrency the world had ever seen. It was secure, absolutely uncrackable, and could be made traceable for legitimate business transactions or anonymous for more delicate purchases. Within a few years of introduction, it had become all but universal currency. Nearly every developed country on the planet had accepted it as a more stable alternative to a national currency. All stood to benefit as each lost the ability to manipulate currency values for their own gain, but also recognized that they were now protected from other countries doing the same. This infuriated Dr. Hyzen to no end considering the currency was a side project for him and his real love was always The Realm. Angry that the world had become enamored with what he considered the results of a ¡°trivial algorithm¡± he decided to bury the code adding to the blockchain of the currency inside the game. Essentially, this meant that there was a code in the game generating more of his cryptocurrency in a ¡°chain.¡± That chain was tied directly to the in-game currency. Welcome to the New Gold Standard, am I right? When he announced that he¡¯d spent his considerable wealth on self-publishing this game and that the creation of new units were intrinsically a part of it, the global market nearly crashed. That¡¯s right -he nearly brought the world into another Great Depression so people would play his fucking game. Dr. Hyzen was, without a doubt, the biggest asshole on Earth. While he could have likely single-handedly ended world hunger (or at least put a considerable dent in it) he decided to use it to make people play his fucking video game? Although, realizing that the game presented an opportunity for me to provide for myself and my family quickly quelled the righteous indignation swelling inside me. My family had never been wealthy. In fact we were always hovering right above poor. The desperation caused by never having quite enough money to get by comfortably, combined with my impulsive nature and flexible moral fiber, eventually led me to doing some work on the side that was, well, less than legal. Oh, and of course I got caught. Well, technically I wasn¡¯t caught so much as confessed. Plea deals are devilishly enticing. It didn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s no background check during character creation (I hope). And it wasn¡¯t like I was devoting myself to philanthropic endeavors. Without the opportunity to attend college and a criminal record that guaranteed I would never be able to get a decent paying job on my own. The Realm offered a way to change all of that, once I borrowed a significant amount of money from a loan shark I knew from my more unsavory days.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oops. ¡°First things first, sir.¡± he began. ¡°You must decide on a race for your character. As you can see from the list before you, all ¡®classic¡¯ races are represented, as well as a few less traditional ones.¡± Sure enough, Humans, Elves of all kinds, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes, and Orcs were all there, as well as a few I didn¡¯t see as often, like Cat-people, Lizard people, and some type of Fairy. Further down were all manner of half breed creatures mixing and matching the various races in as many ways as made sense (No lizard/cat people, for better or worse). Gnome was tempting, but I didn¡¯t know if I wanted to be stuck as one long term. I don¡¯t think I could go from six-foot plus in real life to, well, that. All the other races showed some sort of bonuses to vision, resistances, skills, and things of that nature. What benefit do Humans get? I asked, wondering how humans would keep up with some of these bonuses. ¡°Yes, sir. Humans receive a third Major Trait during character creation, whereas other races receive only two.¡± came Alfred¡¯s response. What exactly are traits, then? I asked. Traits could be different things in different games, so I wanted to make sure I knew what they were here. ¡°Traits are special characteristics that permanently boost your character in some way. They can affect stats, skills, and even core mechanics of how characters function.¡± he explained. ¡°They are broken up into Major, Medium, and Minor, based on the magnitude of the change, with Major providing the largest changes.¡± Oh I definitely like that. Human it is. I emphatically confirmed. ¡°Very good, sir. Now let us select your class from one of the base classes available.¡± Alfred continued. ¡°Please keep in mind that these are only your base class, but there are multiple specializations called Jobs available as you play. Whereas your class is a general guideline for growth and abilities, Jobs are concentrations in specific fighting styles, crafts, schools of magic, et cetera.¡± With that, the four classes appeared in a list before me. Fighter-+3 STR/+2VIT/+1 END Weapon and Defensive skills do not count towards maximum skill levels Mage-+3 INT/+2 WILL/+1 AGI Increased mana growth and regeneration and increased learn speed for spells Priest-+3 WILL/+2 INT/+1 VIT Access to special spells and specializations via their selected patron deity Rogue-+3 AGI/+2 INT/+1 END Learn and improve skills at an increased rate Alfred, what exactly do the stats mean in this game? I asked. Sometimes, I wished there was some sort of standard regarding game stats. ¡°Allow me to show you, sir.¡± he replied as a screen appeared in my vision displaying Stats and definitions. Strength- Affects max. lift weight, carry weight, and damage for STR-based weapons Agility-Affects movement, speed, dodge, parry, and damage for AGI-based weapons Vitality- Affects Hit Points and resistance to certain types of damage Intellect-Affects Mana Points, Spell Damage, Maximum Skill Levels, and Maximum Spell Levels Willpower-Affects Mana Point regeneration, resistance to certain magics, and increases effectiveness of Priest spells Endurance-Affects Stamina Points and regeneration of Stamina and Health Well, the Rogue has me sold with the skill learning speed, honestly. I really want to pick up as many ways to get gold as I can. Mage would be cool, but they¡¯re always weak at lower levels, take a fair amount of effort to be effective, and I need to start making money ASAP. Rogue it is, Alfred. ¡°Very well, sir. In addition to the listed attribute growth,¡± he went on to explain, ¡°you will also receive five bonus attribute points per level as a human. You receive your first five at level two. Non-Humans have less freedom in these stats as two to three are pre-determined. ¡°Our next step is is selecting your Traits.¡± he continued. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, these are permanent changes to your character. You will receive an additional trait of your choosing during this section.¡± As the new menu appeared, my eyes were assaulted with an impressive list of Traits and their descriptions. Some of these were insane! Everything from unique abilities gained only through the trait to various changes to your class or race. Even some affecting skill and stat growth. Alfred, can you filter these for me? I asked of my new digital friend. Looking at all of them at once was just too much. ¡°Yes, sir. However you wish.¡± Great. To start, just show me the traits that affect skill growth. Without another word from Alfred, a lot of the traits disappeared. Most of what remained increased learn speed in certain fields, but it was all a bit specific. Things like ¡°Increase learning speed for weapon skills¡± or ¡°Start the game with X skills at Level 5.¡± These were some pretty pedestrian options. I wanted something bigger. That¡¯s when I saw Master of None. Master of None: Double Effective Intellect for Skills (Double Skill Level Limit), but Half Effective Intellect for Spells (Half Spell Level Limit. Includes Schools of Magic) Now this was interesting. I could pick up all sorts of skills like this! Nothing like diversifying the old portfolio, eh? OK, then I want Master of None as my first Trait. ¡°Very good, sir. What shall you take second?¡± Is there a trait that boosts my Intellect? ¡°Yes, sir. Superior Intellect grants an additional three points of Intellect per Class level.¡± OK that¡¯s perfect for my second trait. No clue where the third one should go. I admitted. While the first two ¡°Sir, if I may suggest something. There is a trait called Smarter Not Harder that will negate MP increases from Intellect, but grant 2.5 SP per Intellect instead. As you have stated you have no interest in magic and are already increasing your Intellect gains, this would be a very good fit for your build.¡± Wow that does sound perfect, Alfred! OK, that¡¯s my last trait, right? What¡¯s next? ¡°Next, let us find you a good starting location. Based on your starting character, I would recommend the border city Gnometheran. It sits inside Gnomish country near the border with Human lands.¡± Well, Gnomes would be able to teach me some interesting skills I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m sure I could make money selling Gnomish inventions I build once I get to Human settlements. Sounds good, Alfred. You¡¯re the guide. I said. ¡°Very good, sir. Now, what name shall you take in The Realms?¡° Alfred asked, his question catching me off guard. I always struggled with this part in the past, always wanting a good ¡°fantasy¡± name that fit the world and hated the guys that always had ¡°420¡± or ¡°xtreme¡± somewhere in their name, especially on RP servers, but this was different. This wasn¡¯t just a game or a role-play. This game would become my job. It could become my life. Not to mention, it was a way out of the shithole of a life my family and I had lived. I wanted something I¡¯d be able to live with and go by. I looked back over my character sheet and made my decision the instant my eyes landed on the Master of None trait. It was cheesy and I loved it. You can call me Jack. Jack Alltrades.
Name Jack Alltrades
Class Rogue
Level 1
MP100SP148
Strength 11
Agility 13
Vitality 10
Intellect 15
Willpower 10
Endurance 11
2-Stock Options Wait, how am I not naked? I never picked any gear. ¡°I can answer that, sir.¡± Oh yeah, he¡¯s here. ¡°That I am, sir.¡± So, where did the threads come from, Alfred? ¡°System assigned starting gear for a Rogue, sir.¡± ¡°Now, we do need to select your starting weaponry.¡± Why wasn¡¯t this part of Creation? Why wait till now? ¡°To allow players the opportunity to test weapons for themselves in the actual game world.¡±¡°Each weapons feels different, so it was decided that each player should try any weapon or weapons that may interest them before they choose their preferred style.¡± So our beginning selection determines what weapons we can use later? ¡°Yes and no.¡±Your initial selection determines your primary weapon skill. You can earn more primary weapon skills later, but you are required to use a trainer to receive them and they may also be restricted by class and other factors.¡± Secondary Weapon skills can be learned as well to augment your combat abilities, but the methods through which you gain those are not the same as other skills. For example, as a Rogue starting in the kingdom of the Gnomes, you receive Trick Weapons and Gadgets as bonus secondary weapon categories.¡± Interesting, but not important right now I assume. Let¡¯s get started. Longsword x2 Short Sword x2 Dagger x2 Longsword + Dagger Rapier + Main Gauche right. Alfred, how do NPCs interact with you? ¡°No one can see or hear me except you, sir.¡± Additionally, no one can physically interact with me and vice versa. Also, no one can see your side of our interactions. It is happening, as you might say, in your head.¡± ¡° I know Gnomes are friendly, but I really didn¡¯t expect such a warm welcome considering I¡¯m a human AND a rogue. ¡°Rogue does not equate to thief or criminal in this world, sir. And as for his question, I¡¯d suggest looking for someone you can begin your training with.¡± Rogue 1 Objective: Find the Rogue Mentor and request training. Reward: 50 XP, Secondary Weapon Accept: Yes/No If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Yes. ¡° Explosions? What the hell. Alfred? ¡°Gnomes are notorious Tinkerers and Artificers, sir. There¡¯s likely a designated area for the Gnomes to test new inventions safely.¡± Tinkerers and Artificers? Interesting. ¡° Oh shit. This isn¡¯t starting well. No Charisma score to leverage so this is all up to me. ¡°Pardon the intrusion, sir, but might I suggest an apologetic approachElves of The Realms tend to be unappreciative of Human efforts to be charming. They prefer directness.¡± Thanks for the help, Alfred. I definitely would have misspoken in that situation. Although in the future it¡¯s probably best to let me learn the hard way. ¡°Very well, sir.¡± I bet she can smell fear, too. Probably a special trait for female Elves. . ¡° Alfred, what did she mean Adventurers? ¡°In-game lore refers to players as Adventurers. Unfortunately, I cannot give much more information than that regarding World Lore as you have not uncovered more of it yourself.¡± So what you can tell me is limited? That¡¯s unfortunate. ¡°Yes sir, and I do apologize for the inconvenience. Allowing Guides to tell Players everything about the lore would discourage them from discovering this information for themselves.¡± Fair enough. Looks like El is calming down. Thanks, Alfred. My guide nodded in response and I returned my attention to El. ¡°So, you¡¯re probably wondering why exactly an Elf is providing training in a Gnomish village. The answer is easy: If you want someone to be good, have them trained by someone who¡¯s great.¡± she said, answering my unasked question. ¡°Glad to see I¡¯m training under someone with a firm grasp on humility.¡± I responded with a smirk. Not sure if sarcasm exists in medieval fantasy settings. If it doesn¡¯t I honestly don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll survive this adventure. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry I can teach you plenty of humility if you plan on keeping the smart-ass comments up like that.¡± she fired back with a wink. ¡°Assuming you¡¯re planning on losing the attitude, we can get started training. First, take a look at the weapons on the table over here and see if something catches your eye.¡± Update! Rogue 1 Choose your Secondary Weapon Wow these are some weird ass weapons. As I approached the table I noticed a nervous looking Gnome watching me from a short ways away. Hope it¡¯s poor social skills and not murderous intent. The killer ¡°little person¡± trope is a bit played out. Deciding to hope he wasn¡¯t a Murderous Mini Man, I slowly began looking over the table in front of me as I focused on each individual weapon until it¡¯s information appeared in my vision. Most sounded overly complex, entirely situational, or just downright weird. Mancatcher? What the hell is that? Looking down at the weapon the name belonged to brought my attention to what looked to me like pole with a spiky corset on the end that opened and closed somehow. I really thought it would be more self-explanatory. ¡°Well, sir, the name does adequately explain the device¡¯s expected function.¡± Alfred deadpanned. Is that British sass, Alfred? It¡¯s so dry it¡¯s hard to tell... Alfred continued unfazed ¡°Unfortunately, proficiency with this weapon is not automatic as it does not fall under your bonus for starting in the Gnomish region.¡± And why the hell not? It¡¯s on the table isn¡¯t it? ¡°That is correct, sir. However, it is a weapon that relies on the leverage and weight of the wielder, which makes it a very poor choice for Gnomes.¡± Oh that is a fantastic mental image. Thank you for that. Before he could respond, the shy ¡°Not-a-Nasty-Gnome¡± approached. What is it about this guy that lends itself to alliteration? ¡°E-excuse me, sir. I noticed you don¡¯t use a umm... shield based style. If I may, I would suggest the A-arm Crossbow.¡± I gave the Gnome a bit of a blank stare before my Guide pointed his super useful ¡°invisible to all but me¡± hand to point to what looked kind of like a crossbow, but with no normal trigger and a series of leather straps underneath. One dumb question avoided. Picking it up and studying it gave me very little in the way of how to use it. On cue, a block of text popped up thanks to Alfred. I probably would have been angry about the pictures he decided to include, but honestly they were so helpful I didn¡¯t even care if he was being condescending. ¡°Interesting concept, but why this over anything else? Damage seems low, too.¡± I could see the Gnome lose what little steam he convinced himself he had. His determination almost wavered, but he took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. ¡°From the scabbards on your b-back, you¡¯re focusing on a two weapon fighting style, yes?¡± he said, finally finding the gumption to continue his spiel. ¡°The Arm C-crossbow provides you ranged capabilities without having to drop or sheath a weapon. As far as stats go, the n-noob model is pretty mediocre but it will help you start ranking up the skill.¡± He took another deep breath and I had a feeling he was getting to the real reason he wanted to talk. ¡°And if you can help me get my Artificer class, I can make you a much better one.¡± Getting buddy-buddy with a player focused on crafting? This could go places. ¡°Alright bud, you got yourself a deal! The name is Jack. Jack Alltrades. What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Nikola Nelson, but you can call me Nik.¡± 3-Training ¡°I suppose I should have mentioned that I¡¯m in the middle of my beginner quests.¡± I pointed out as Nik and I walked towards El. The Arm Crossbow felt heavy on my arm and I was worried it might be a hindrance in combat. Alfred had assured me I would adapt in time and even said it would make a fantastic choice to go with my chosen style. ¡°F-f-ine with me. I may have to fight some m-mobs for my quests so I¡¯d feel better if you had some more skills and XP anyway.¡± he replied. I was wondering if the stutter was nerves or a tic IRL that translated into the game. Either way it seemed rude to ask. ¡°Well, interesting choice, Jack!¡± El exclaimed as she looked at my new weapon. ¡°And you made a friend? Hello Nik. I¡¯m disappointed you declined my training.¡± ¡°Sorry, El, but direct combat isn¡¯t for me and only other Gnomes can teach the skills for my gadgets.¡± Nik responded. Weird. He seems less nervous when talking to NPCs ¡°That seems to be the case, sir. While I cannot reveal another Adventurer¡¯s vitals, his body language is remarkably different when talking to NPCs such as El.¡± That¡¯s what I thought, but maybe not something I should bring up to someone I just met. ¡°Well, this means I finished your first task, right?¡± I asked my trainer. ¡°Very true, and how clever of you to realize it was only your first!¡± she said with her now signature evil smirk. Quest Complete: Rogue 1 Received: 50 XP, Arm Crossbow, Beginner My XP bar briefly appeared in my vision showing I was half way to level 2. Not bad. Quest Received: Rogue 2 Recommended Level: 1 Objective: Train with El Reward: New Combat Skills Accept: Yes/No Yes! I eagerly accepted the new quest with a smile on my face. And this will get me to level 2! ¡°Oh, someone thinks this will be fun.¡± El said with a sinister grin. Without warning, El was attacking with the pommel of her sword right to my temple! -5 HP OUCH! ¡°What the hell?¡± I managed to get out while holding the side of my head. ¡°Don¡¯t swear at me, human! You didn¡¯t even try to avoid or interrupt the attack! Your head hurts because of you.¡± she said without the anger I¡¯d expect from her words. Almost like speaking to a child who did something stupid that you expected them to do, but you¡¯re still disappointed by. Well, I certainly felt like an idiot. ¡°So that¡¯s how you teach me? Hitting me first?¡± I asked, still aching from the hit. Her sinister grin came back. ¡°Of course. Now that you¡¯ve been hit and injured, I¡¯m absolutely certain you will do what you can to avoid the experience in the future!¡± Well, she certainly had a point. ¡°OK, what do I need to learn first?¡± I asked, noticing her smile became less sinister and more genuine. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with the worst option.¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Why the worst first?¡± I asked, genuinely confused. ¡°So when we finish on the best, you¡¯ll fully understand why it¡¯s the best!¡± she gave me an almost cheesy grin. Painful though they were, her methods made sense in a sort of sadistic way. ¡°First, blocking.¡± she instructed. ¡°Hold your sword out like this for a horizontal attack from outside. And bend at the elbow a little. You want it to have some give.¡± I did as instructed and she attacked with her blade. -3 HP -2 SP Wait. Only 40% damage reduction AND I lost stamina? I did not care for that result. ¡°That¡¯s correct, sir.¡± Alfred explained. ¡°Blocking with a weapon will reduce damage taken, but the damage you avoided will come out of your stamina. Blocking with a shield provides further reduction at a better ratio depending on the shield.¡± Right. Blocking is worst. Got it. I said. El¡¯s logic made sense now. ¡°Not a bad block, but since you aren¡¯t geared towards blocking it¡¯s going to be inefficient. Try with two swords now.¡± El said, interrupting the aside between Alfred and I. -1 HP -3 SP Better ratio, but still awful. ¡°OK, now I see why you said it was the worst option. No blocking for me.¡± I said as I shook the soreness out of my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t completely discard it. It¡¯s not the best option in almost literally any instance, but sometimes it¡¯s your only option.¡± I really couldn¡¯t think of a situation where I would want to go through this. ¡°Well, what¡¯s the next option?¡± I really hoped it was a solid improvement. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Parrying, of course! Similar concept, except instead of absorbing the force with your weapon, you¡¯re going to use it to redirect my attack.¡± she said before immediately launching into another assault. After a few failed attempts and some slight cuts, I finally managed a successful Parry. -7 SP While I certainly appreciated not taking damage, the stamina drain was fairly intense relatively speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I¡¯m a big fan of that technique, either.¡± I said as I watched my SP gauge slowly refill. ¡°Let me guess, too much stamina drain even though you don¡¯t take damage? That¡¯s because you¡¯re using the wrong weapon for it. Still not your ideal defense.¡± she stated, matter-of-factly. I decided to take the cue ¡°And what, exactly, is my ideal defense?¡± I said, taking the bait. The sinister grin came back. Uh-oh. ¡°That¡¯s easy. Don¡¯t get hit!¡± After probably fifteen minutes of getting smacked with a sword (interrupted by several rest/healing breaks) I picked up my first skill! New Skill! Light Armor Level 1 Too smart to charge in naked, but too lazy to wear real armor? Try wearing the skin of something tougher! Like a cow! Now that I say it like that, you sort of sound like a crazy person¡­ +1% Defense -1% Stamina Consumption(Movement Only) What does that mean, Alfred? ¡°It reduces stamina usage when running or climbing, but not attacking, defending, or dodging.¡± Oh, good to know! About 5 minutes later, I finally managed to avoid an attack without leaving myself even more open for the follow up. -4 SP ¡°Yes!¡± I said with a fist pump. I see now why she said this was best. No damage and less SP than a parry! ¡°Good job! Now attack.¡± I frowned at that. ¡°Exactly how am I supposed to do that?¡± I asked. It seemed impossible considering I was barely able to avoid her attacks, much less launch my own. She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯ve been watching me attack you with a short sword for half an hour and you haven¡¯t picked up anything?¡± Well she had a point. I thought for a moment about her movements and how she held her sword and started doing my best to emulate it. Not a single attack landed. ¡°Not bad. You won¡¯t hit me like that, but you¡¯re doing well. Now try with the other sword one after the other. The off-hand will feel awkward at first, but do your best to follow a similar motion.¡± she stated as if speaking to a small child trying to learn to write. She basically said You¡¯re going to suck at this so try not to suck too bad. On that, she was definitely right. My main hand missed by inches, but it felt like my off-hand missed by miles. ¡°It¡¯s normal. Unfortunately dual-wielding is a very awkward style in the beginning, but maybe you¡¯ll luck out and find something easier to hit for practice.¡± she said with a wink. With that, my next notifications appeared. Quest Complete! Rogue 2 Received: 50 XP, Short Swords, Dual-Wielding, Block, Parry, Dodge New Skill! Short Swords Level 1 Not quite a long sword, but not quite a dagger. Some tend to consider these a nice balance between damage and speed, while others consider them to be the pinnacle of weapon mediocrity. +1% Chance to Hit/+1% Damage per level New Skill! Dual-Wielding Level 1 Some prefer a balanced weapon and a shield for defense. Some forgo the shield to carry an even bigger weapon. You decided the more the merrier! +1% Off-Hand Chance to Hit/+1% Attack Speed per level New Skill! Block Level 1 No one likes to get hit, especially you! That¡¯s why you stick whatever you¡¯re holding in between you and the weapon coming for you. +1% Chance to Block/ -1% Stamina Drain per level New Skill! Parry Level 1 It¡¯s like attacking, but you¡¯re hitting their weapon instead of them. In fact, why bother with the people? Just let the swords fight each other! +1% Chance to Parry per level New Skill! Dodge Level 1 You are a true genius of battle! You¡¯ve discovered that long hidden truth: not getting hit by your enemy is, in fact, better than getting hit! -Stamina Depleted:.5% LEVEL UP! You have reached Level 2 You are awarded the following: +3 Agility +5 Intellect +1 Endurance +5 Free Attribute Points Woo! ¡°Now keep in mind, you¡¯re going to learn tons of new skills just by trying to do whatever it is you¡¯re trying to learn. EXCEPT primary weapon skills. You¡¯re going to need a trainer for that. And I swear to the gods I will cry if you find someone else to train you in a weapon I can teach.¡± El explained with a wink. Somehow, I still didn¡¯t think crying would be the real end result. Alright, finally got my first Level Up points. Alfred, any suggestions? I asked, unsure of what route to take. ¡°Well, sir, your Intellect should grow quite well on its own based on your class and Traits. You also have a significant boost to Agility. I would suggest Strength and Constitution for now. This provides a boost to damage AND survivability that will serve you well early on. Additionally, higher end equipment will have certain minimum requirements to equip effectively.¡± he explained. Fair enough. Let¡¯s go with three Strength and two Vitality. I decided, adding the points and ending up somewhat disappointed I didn¡¯t see bigger immediate gains. I guess it was to be somewhat expected after just a single level of stat gains. The boost to Stamina was more substantial considering I gained an increase in SP from two stats that increase every level. ¡°Well, guess you¡¯re itching to try these new skills out, yeah?¡± El broke me out of my min-max reverie Rogue 3 Objective: Raise Short Swords skill to 5, Dual-Wielding skill to 5, and at least one defense skill to 5 Bonus Objective: Raise all defense skills to 5 Reward: 100 XP, Class Weapon (??? for Bonus Objective) Accept: Yes/No Yes. wouldn¡¯t Turn on Auto-Accept for quests? (You can turn this feature off or modify which quests to accept later) Yes/No YES! Alright, let¡¯s get you some nerd powers and find me a place to kill shit!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Nik said in alarm. ¡°N-n-nerd powers?¡± 4-Social W-well, I have to gather some materials for practicing my craft.¡± Nik said as he listed his quest requirements. ¡°I¡¯ve been told there are a few places to find the types of wood I need, there¡¯s a f-flower that grows in the forest used as a catalyst, but there¡¯s only one place to get i-iron. My mentor said there¡¯s a mine, but wouldn¡¯t tell me where it is. He said I couldn¡¯t handle it by myself.¡± Nik told me, looking at his feet for the last bit. I really need to help him with his confidence. Well, you¡¯ve got me now, man. Let¡¯s go talk to your teacher. Where is he?¡± Mayor¡¯s house.¡± He lives with the mayor?¡± He is Well, let¡¯s go talk to the mayor!¡± I said with a grin and walked off. Nik struggled with what to say before realizing I was leaving him behind, so he sprinted to catch up. Nik! How are you my boy? Oh, and I see you brought a companion!¡± the Gnome much everything Poppil, this is my new friend Jack. He¡¯s agreed to help me with my Artificer quest!¡± Nik said, rather proudly. Poor guy must not make lots of friends. Hello, Poppil. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Nik said something about a mine? If I had to guess, it has a monster problem that needs cleared up. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t want Nik to go alone, right?¡± why So, what individually-weak-but-dangerous-in-large-numbers type of monster are we expecting?¡± That earned me a big, toothy grin. Kobolds, my boy! Place is overrun with them! We haven¡¯t been able to mine proper in years! If you¡¯d...thin the herd, so to speak, I¡¯d greatly appreciate it. Usually clearing out the first level of the mine buys us some time to be able to go in and mine for a bit before they have enough numbers to take it back.¡± Quest Updated: Rogue 3 Mayor Poppil has asked you to protect the Adventurer Nik while he gathers materials for crafting. Kobolds sound like good target practice, too! Clear the top floor for Poppil for an extra reward! Would you actually do that? We were all under the impression that you Adventurer folks might do a small favor or two before moving on to a bigger city! To answer your question, though, if you could Hidden Quest Discovered: Miner Threat Objective: Clear all Kobolds and Claim the Mine! Reward: Gnometheran Iron Mine, The Respect of the Gnomes, More Complicated Tax Forms Note: As a Hidden Quest, you cannot accept or refuse. Not completing the Quest will not have a directly negative impact on your character. Alfred, did my eyes turn into dollar signs just now? No, sir.¡± Did I tap my fingertips together menacingly? No, sir.¡± Good. Also, call me paranoid but ¡°directly negative¡± seems ominous. And one more thing...tax forms? That merely means that this won¡¯t effect Main Quests, Side Quests, or faction relationships, sir. It can however cause one to lose access to additional Hidden Quests or rewards. Regarding forms, I should first remind you there is no revenue service within the realms. Secondly, the system seems to be ¡°lightening up,¡± as it were. It can tweak interfaces and notifications based on player personality and choices. I can request it be toned down if you wish.¡± How can you request that the- You know what, never mind. And no, it¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s trying to be funny, it could use the practice. Quest Updated: Rogue 3 Additional Objective: Reach Level 5 Note: Maybe you could use the practice.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. OK, I deserved that I suppose. Yes you did, sir.¡± Sounds like it¡¯s mutually beneficial to clean the whole thing out and take back the mine. How do you know they won¡¯t simply resp...come back?¡± Oops. I figurefeel Well, lad, as long as it isn¡¯t a proper dungeon, once they¡¯re gone, they¡¯re gone. Only a dungeon can refill itself with monsters if they¡¯re completely wiped out.¡± Good to know. Alright then. If you¡¯d be so kind as to mark the mine location on a map or something, we¡¯ll be on our way!¡± Wait. Alfred, how much gold do I have? None, sir.¡± Well...fuck. ¡°normal ¡° ¡° beginning ¡°think know Got him. ¡° very closely Well, 3 pickaxes for 5g. If I clear the mine, I pay you the 10g you discount me. If we choose not to, we¡¯ll return the pickaxes back to you. We also need rations and we can buy twelve for another 5g. That, we pay you back another 10g for no matter what. You¡¯ll miss out on 17g today, but when we return you¡¯ll get a minimum 10g plus pickaxes you can resell for 15g. So, in three days you¡¯ll have made at least 8g more than if you¡¯d sold these to anyone else.¡± I did my best to maintain eye contact so that I came across as trustworthy, but I really New Skill! Bluff Level 1 I guess you aren¡¯t technically lying by saying you may or may not do something. Not that there¡¯s a skill called Lying. Don¡¯t you feel a little bad, though? +1% Chance to keep someone from calling your bluff Note: There is no charisma stat in The Realms. Social skills like Bluff combine with your own conversational talents and situational factors to determine your success or failure! New Skill! Haggle Level 1 Convincing a merchant to sell you goods at a fraction of the cost so that he would make more money? That¡¯s borderline miraculous! +1-10% Selling Price -1-10% Buying Cost Note: There is no charisma stat in The Realms. Social skills like Haggle combine with your own conversational talents and situational factors to determine your success or failure! Wait a minute. Why does a gnomish town have full size horses? There¡¯s no way they can ride them, right? You are correct in that they cannot ride them, sir. However, smaller horses would have great difficulties pulling many of the heavy shipments and devices the gnomes are often required to move.¡± Fair enough, I suppose. Skill Increase! Bluff Level 2 You can¡¯t help it can you? ¡°Oh this person sells things. Better tell lies! +2% Chance to keep someone from calling your bluff Whew, that is a bit of a predicament. What do you boys need it for anyway?¡± he believed we were broke, but didn¡¯t trust Well, sir, we¡¯re hoping to clear the mine out in a couple of days and would like to have the wagon to bring back our spoils and maybe some ingots.¡± Mention of the mine brought that hopeful look to his eyes that I¡¯d seen before since I got the Hidden Quest. At this point, even if the mine wasn¡¯t about to turn into my cash cow I¡¯d probably still help. Well, son, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do it for that long for that cheap.¡± he responded with disappointment. Well, if that¡¯s how he responds, he clearly wants Skill Increase! Haggle Level 2 Oh, now you¡¯ve convinced the stable master to do more work for less money? You should write a book on this... +2-12% Selling Price -2-12% Buying Cost 5-Learning Gnomes are surprisingly quick when moving on an open road, sir. That said, it only adds about 50% travel time in spite of the fact he¡¯s roughly half your height.¡± Forty-five minutes, eh? Plenty of time to go ahead and clear the air. It says they had a better life than me. needing Nik slowly shook his head at me, clearly unsure of where I was going. ¡°It¡¯s short for confidence man. Basically, a con man builds up your confidence in what he¡¯s trying to sell you, whether it¡¯s a product, service, or his crazy sounding plan. The modern equivalent would be social engineering.¡± I paused for a beat to make sure it didn¡¯t look like I lost him so far. ¡°What I did used the same concept, but not to take your money for your own benefit. I knew my plans would work and would benefit both of us, but we¡¯ve only just met. That means if I laid out my plans and asked you to have faith in me, a reasonable person would just say no and we¡¯d both miss out on the opportunity to invest in our future. was Nik thought about this and I guess decided it was a good enough answer for him. ¡°I-if you mean what you said about n-not trying to screw me over then I¡¯ll trust you. It would be nice to have some f-friends.¡± he said without being able to hold eye contact. I knew then that his stuttering was more nerves and shyness than anything. I smiled in response. your confidence!¡± *** The gnomes told us before we left town that it would be fastest and safest to follow the road, so we did. Normally I¡¯d want to start grinding XP as soon as possible, but getting to know Nik was more important. As Alfred predicted, it took around 45 minutes to reach the marker on the road letting us know to branch off the main path and head towards the mine. Alright, Nik, so what can you do during combat?¡± Nik straightened his back a bit trying to look proud. ¡°I have basic proficiency with a crossbow and I have a few small grenades and traps I made in the first few steps of the Artificer quest chain.¡± OK, he¡¯s ranged support. Alfred, are there parties in this game? Yes, sir. As is typical in role-playing games, you will share experience and be able to track party member¡¯s positions and Level, Class, and HP/MP/SP status. To create a party, simply think about creating a party and adding someone to it.¡± Party Created You have invited Nik to join your party! Nik has accepted! New Skill! Leadership Level 1 You admitted to lying to him and he chose you as his leader? Have you considered a career in politics? Party members receive half damage when struck by other member¡¯s attacks. Note:Increasing this skill adds new bonuses instead of increasing a set bonus. Party Members 2/5 Name: Nik Class: Rogue Level: 4 HP: 100/100 MP: 450/450 SP: 140/140 Whoa, you¡¯re a couple of levels higher than me already? Guess that quest chain gave solid XP for something where you never had to leave town. And 450 MP? Someone is stacking Intellect!¡± Nik gave a proud grin at that as we started making our may towards the mine entrance. ¡°It¡¯s required for certain crafting skills. Things like grenades require me to pump mana into them to stabilize them. My trainers said later I can use it to create magical weapons and eventually even make gadgets that aren¡¯t physically possible without magic.¡± Interesting. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it please warn me before you through any grenades at what I''m fighting.¡± Nik thinks on this and agrees with a nod, although he does seem nervous now that I''ve mentioned grenades. ¡°If you can, try to pull with that crossbow mounted on your arm. It won¡¯t do as much damage as mine, but it¡¯s a good opener for someone who is going to rely on melee anyway.¡± he adds on. Oh, I almost forgot about this thing! ¡°Good call. Now stay here, I think we¡¯re getting close to the entrance.¡± We quickly found a good spot for Nik to fire from cover and I started sneaking my way towards the entrance. Yes, sir. Do try to minimize your silhouette as well. A standing human silhouette is not a shape that naturally occurs in nature, typically, so it is easy to spot.¡± Oops. I¡¯m really starting to wonder if I can pull off this whole Rogue thing in a game like this when I get the notification. New Skill! Stealth Level 1 Fun fact! You learned this skill because they COULD see you right now, but they don¡¯t. Yet. I¡¯m not sure which is worse: Hiding from your past or hiding from creatures as pathetic as kobolds 1% harder to spot when hiding Note: This skill is affected by environmental factors (light levels, walking surface, etc.) and the perception abilities of your enemies OK we really need to talk about these notifications, Alfred. Kobold takes 10 Sneak Attack (x2) damage! Kobold defeated! You earn 10 XP! Skill Increase! Stealth Level 2 You managed to hide long enough to kill the least dangerous monster in this world! Fantastic! Clearly you have become death incarnate... 2% harder to spot when hiding Note:This skill is affected by environmental factors (light levels, walking surface, etc.) and the perception abilities of your enemies Skill Increase! Gadgets & Trick Weapons Level 2 Well you might not be smart enough to make them, but you¡¯re sure as hell able to use them with a passing level of competence! +2% Damage & -2% Chance of Device Failure mean Kobold takes 5 damage! Well, I guess that¡¯s a start. Both swords out, I charge in to meet my foe. Skill Increase! Dodge Level 2 WOW these things are bad at this. Especially if YOU are making it look easy. +2% Chance to Dodge I see now what El meant about training from the best to make someone great! This thing moves slooooow compared to her. Half of its attacks I can just sidestep with minimal effort. It¡¯s coming after me with what I can now see is a fairly well made iron spear, and it is not very good with it at all. After a few easily dodged sidesteps, I decide to end it. The kobold goes for another one of its incredibly telegraphed thrust attacksand it seems like a perfect opening. Using my off-hand sword, I push the spear to my left as I step to the right. With the techniques El taught me, combined with some slight intuition granted by the skill itself, I¡¯m able to change the trajectory of the attack without reducing the momentum.The same momentum that carries the kobold forward just a few extra, fatal steps that allow me safely into its guard.That¡¯s the problem with spears: let the enemy get too close and suddenly it¡¯s an over-sized, unwieldy club. With no way for the kobold to block my follow-up, my main-hand sword easily takes his head and ends the fight. Kobold takes 5 damage! Kobold defeated! You earn 10 XP! Skill Increase! Parry Level 2 Don¡¯t get cocky! These were the rookies of the worst combatants you could possibly find. -1%Stamina Depleted Skill Increase! Dual Wielding Level 2 Good job managing to use both weapons in tandem to defend AND attack. Even though you were against a completely untrained opponent that was caught off-guard! +2% Chance to Hit(Off-Hand)/+2% Attack speed Skill Increase! Short Swords Level 2 It¡¯s almost like this wastooeasy...Hope this doesn¡¯t lull you into a false sense of security! +2%Chance to Hit/+2% Damage was Well, shit. All Trades Book 1 Coming to KU! Hey guys! I finally had to get around to deleting chapters because All Trades Book 1 Master of None is coming to KU On July 1st! You should be able to pre-order it in a couple of days if that''s your thing. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Also, I''m going to start relying on Patreon more for posting chapters for book two. I will get around to posting the drafts on here probably, but it''s going to be faster on Patreon. Tentatively looking at 1 chapter a week for the lowest tier, 2 a week for the next, and access to my other stories on the tier after. Let me know what you guys think and thanks for everything!