Something-or-Anothers: Tales of the Confused Adventure's Shenanigans

"I mean.. I guess one of my girlfriends made me play that game where you hop over stuff and get coins on her phone. But you're right, It's all so overwhelming. I still am having a hard time grasping it. But it's not... unreal." Sage told Sanz, she smiled as she mimicked playing on a mobile phone. Sage remembered she had more fun playing the game when the girl was watching then when she was playing it by herself. She admittedly didn't really know much else about video games and she owned a flip-phone. So it was not like she was very smart with devices anyway.

Sage and Sanz found an empty table to sit at. It was more like a very large wooden picknick table with shared seating. It reminded Sage a bit of their high school cafeteria but more wood than plastic. Actually, a German restaurant seemed more like a better comparison to what the eatery looked like.

Sage had noticed the same thing Sanz did, but in an effort to make sure they were talking about the same thing, she leaned over the table to look at Sanz's card.

Just as she did a young lady came up and handed two thick papers, "Here is our menu, feel free to order." She told them.

"Yes!" Sage said, taking the menu and sitting back down. She looked over the menu, excited for something just to stuff her face with. She squinted at the menu a moment later, "Beef Stew. Fired Lizard Legs..? Dire wolf steak. Special: Dragon Egg Omelet. What the fuck kind of eatery is this?!" Sage asked, looking at the lady.

The Bar Maid smiled at Sage, "A lot of the food we serve here is killed and sold to us by adventures. Any meat is good meat. So often times our menu can change daily depending on the catch the day before."
 
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Not unreal.
That seemed a very apt description of their current situation. Unbelievable, yet one couldn't help but believe.

Sanz's train of thought was cut short by the waitress who approached. His thoughts mirrored Sage's own when he looked down at the menu... and was quickly replaced by some more alarming thoughts.
Dragon eggs... meant there logically had to be dragons. If traditional fantasy creatures like dragons were in this world, then how many other such creatures were present? And how dangerous would such creatures be?

Rumbling from Sanz's abdomen forced him to ignore those thoughts for now. His first instinct was honestly to tell her that she should just grab the biggest meal on the menu... but then he noticed the pricetag. Between himself and Sage, they had three gold to pay for this meal, a room for the night, and... any equipment they needed for adventurers.

God that was such a weird thought. Actually going on an adventure.

Regardless, they couldn't afford to blow all their money here.
"I'll just... take whatever's cheapest, thank you."
 
Sage heard Sanz stomach rumble a bit and Sage herself couldn't help but feel the unbelievable pit in her stomach from hunger. She was so hungry as well. Looking at the option prices again, Sage realized that a lot of it was expensive. Now, Sage didn't know how the currency worked here... but she had an unbelievable talent for being fruigal. Looking at the menu, she could guess the cheapest item was the beef stew. Coming at 5 copper a bowl. Plus two waters, 2 copper each. That was a total of 14 copper for both her and Sanz.

"Two Beef Stews and two waters please," Sage said to the Bar Maid.

"Alright, that will be 1 silver and 4 copper." The woman said brightly.

Sage did the math in her head quickly. Its a 1 by 10 scale. She didn't want to assume gold came after silver or vise-versa. Sage smiled and handed over the gold piece, "Ah, sorry, this is all we have." She told her, handing her the single gold piece.

"Not a problem, I'll bring you your change right back." She said.

When she left, Sage looked at Sanz, "I think they use a 10 for 1 system. 10 copper is 1 silver and 10 silver is 1 gold. So she should be bringing us back 8 silver and 6 copper pieces. Assuming that gold is the next step from silver. I wouldn't know if there was anything above or bellow." Sage told Sanz what she figured out. Though... she might have just made herself look like an idiot instead.
 
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At Sage's discovery, Sanz gave a small sigh of relief. He had been worried after spending the guild fees that gold was the only currency available. This gave them slightly more breathing room as far as spending was concerned, at least for basic necessities, but they'd definitely need to check on what regular prices were.
"No, that makes a degree of sense. Which thankfully means we have a little more to spend than I initially thought. I'm still worried about equipment though... if we are actually going to do the whole adventuring thing."
Sanz paused as a couple of individuals walked by and had a double-take at himself and Sage.
"... should probably also invest in some new clothes if we don't want to draw needless attention."

When their food arrived, Sanz alternated between tearing into the bowl in front of him and investigating the guild card. He had managed to discern that all the red-colored items were related to weapons. Swords, Spears, Axes, Scythes, fists... He paused for a moment. Next to each item was a small insignia, almost begging to be pressed. And he did so. For a brief moment his card flashed red, before text appeared.

You have now unlocked the "fists" skill. Your skill with unarmed attacks and gauntlets is increased.

You have learned the "Haymaker" ability

The lines only lasted for about a minute before fading, but internally Sanz felt something. He clenched his fist and felt--power? It was almost like there was some kind of heat inside him, waiting to be released.
Down on the guild card, there was also a red "1" next to the fists--he guessed he should call it a skill at this point--and the white number at the top was now a 4 instead of a 5.
"Sage... have you looked through the items on this card at all?"
 
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Food. The life force. Water too! The woman who brought them seemed like a blessing. And just as Sage thought, she brought back exactly as she thought 8 silver and 6 copper. When Sage was right and she managed to figure how currency worked relatively well. Luckily she was really frugal as a person and knew how to save money. Sage, after all, had lived most of her life in poverty.

While Sanz was eating and exploring the card, Sage had been eating and exploring the people. A lot of people gave them looked, she was sure mostly for their clothing. Sage noted all the difference of equipment that everyone carried. Some carried swords and other carried staves. There were a few people who already stood out to Sage. Such as a pair of siblings, one of them cute and owning a little.. lizard? Sage wasn't sure.

Sage looked around more and saw a few additional people she thought were really cute. A small red-headed boy with freckles. She saw an even shorter man who looked a bit angry at the world, but he also carried himself a differently from the stronger warriors.

Sage could already see who were friends and who were acquaintances. She listened in to a lot of the conversations around them.

"Yeah the gold coin on that quest is amazing. It was easy too."

"Hey, thanks for waiting! I recovered a bit so we can go out again."

"Did you hear about what the Silver Wolves did the other day?"

"There apparently is a new spiders nest in the abandoned farm. SO gross!"

There was so much going on and Sage was having a hard time understanding it. Quest? Recovered? Silver Wolves? Spiders Nest? All of those keywords were obviously in a different context then Sage was used to.

Finally, almost finishing her food, Sage had overheard where they could go get equipment and also that staying at the guild was the cheapest option. She also was pretty sure the girl with the blue lizard was a helpful person, so she debated about approaching her.

Sanz finally caught her attention, "Hm? What? No, sorrry. Was kind of daydreaming. Have you seen how many cute girls and guys are around?" She asked with a grin.
 
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Sanz couldn't help but groan a little bit at Sage's comment. Once he had food and was mostly over the initial shock, it was right back to his one-track way of thinking apparently.
"No, I haven't. I've been a little more preoccupied with how exactly to go about doing what Vudall said. As we are now it's probably impossible--so I was wondering why he suggested we come here. And... as crazy as this sounds--I think this card can... give us power? I think that's the best way of putting it."
Sanz set aside his empty bowl before looking Sage in the eyes
"I don't suppose you managed to learn anything while ogling did you?"
 
"Whoa, really?" Sage said, looking back at the card amazed. She flipped it back and forth again. She half expected it to do something amazing. What that was, she wasn't quite sure yet. She didn't have the imagination for that. However, restaurant etiquette popped in her mind and she stacked her and Sanz bowls for easier takeaway.

Sage was startled a bit when Sanz looked at her dead on in her eyes. Sage smirked, bringing the guild card close enough to her lips. Since Sanz was her only ally here, she supposed she shouldn't play too dumb with him. Though, she couldn't help but want to.. tease him.

"Well Sanzy, I suppose I did.. overhear a few things." Sage hummed, "There is a cheaper place in town to get supplies then what the guild sells. And the guild really doesn't sell a lot. Just junk or what other adventures are selling. Kind of like eBay. But as far as places to stay and eat, here is the best as new guild members. Not a permanent residence though. Also I think that girl over there--" Sage tilted her head to a woman talking to a taller man who looked a lot like her. On the table, eating a small scrap of meat, was a tiny blue dragon.

"I've heard quite a few people ask her questions. She seemed pretty nice... if not a little gullible." Sage said the last part more under her breath.
 
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Sanz growled a little bit at the sudden nickname. He had never been in the habit of making friends, much less someone like Sage, so nicknames were not a thing that had ever really come up. Especially something cutesy like Sanzy. He chose to ignore it for now--if it continued there would be talk.

His gaze followed Sage's over to the young woman in question, eyeing her carefully.
"Well that's good information to have as far as equipment and lodging goes anyway..."
His voice was kept low, not wanting to bring attention to himself while watching. The young woman did seem very knowledgeable as Sage said... and also more than a little gullible as Sage had suggested. The other man seemed less-so, a fact that became all the more apparent when he locked eyes with him. A span of only a few seconds seemed to stretch out into several minutes before Sanz turned his head away to look back at Sage. That glare was from someone protecting something... likely the young woman, maybe they were related?
"It would be good to know more about where exactly we are--but I'd also like to see if we can find one of the guild trainers that was mentioned to us."
 
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"Guild trainers. Uh, yeah, I didn't hear anything about that." Sage said, "How about we get out sleeping situation sorted out first?" Sage suggested, "Then, let's find the trainers and then take a look at the shop?" Sage half asked Sanz. She took a long drink of her water, finishing it off and giving a soft sigh. What a mess everything was. Sage kind of wanted to just go to bed.
 
"Um, the guildmarm at the front specifically said that if we had questions we could talk to one of the guild trainers. Were you not listening?"
Sanz shook his head. Whether or not Sage had been listening to the Guildmarm was of little importance now. The plan Sage gave was a sound one for now.
"Nevermind. Let's go ahead then. I'm hoping a night's stay isn't too expensive, or we're going to be working odd-jobs just to keep a roof over our heads."
Sanz spared one glance back over at the girl's partner, but didn't let his eyes linger too long lest they lock eyes again.
"Any idea where to go? Or was that left out of what you overheard?"
 
Sage was listening, sort of. Once she explained about the guild card, Sage had been lost in a moment of amazement. She guessed she should look at the guild card, but probably later tonight. Sage gave a small shrug, "Yeah, the same people who run the restaurant." Sage told Sanz before walking over to one of the ladies. Sanz heard Sage say a quick few flirty words and then asked about a room to stay in with her partner.

"Oh, we have rooms for teams. So its discounted and you each get a bed. We don't provide a bath. It's 3 silver a week. It goes up to 6 silvers a week when you've been here for a month." She told Sage, "That way we can encourage adventures to look for more permanent housing." She explained.

That was a dumb system in Sages head, but it meant they had a couple weeks of stay with food if they reserve the other gold for equipment. They had to find money fast and get out. This wasn't going to last them long.

Sage sighed, "We'll take the 2 bed group then." Sage said, digging out the silver coin and handed it to the woman.

"Alright, I'll be right back with the key." The barmaid said before walking behind the counter.
 
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While Sage was busy finagling a room from the guild, Sanz was doing math in his head. The fact that the guild entry fee had been measured in gold, while everything else had so far been measured mostly in silver or copper, had given him pause. Assuming the cheapest meal normally cost around what they had just eaten, and they ate a bare minimum of two meals a day, combine that with the weekly fee for the room--they were looking at roughly 24 silver a week just for basic living expenses (3 silver a day for food, 7 days in a week, 3 extra silver for the room). That didn't account for any equipment they needed to purchase, any kind of travel expenses, or whatever else they would need. Sanz made a mental note to check what kinds of pay Adventurers received for their work--After speaking with the guild trainer... and maybe seeing if they could figure out anything about this demon lord they were supposed to kill. It seemed every time he turned around, there were more questions to ask.

For a brief moment, he wondered if there was some kind of bartering or mercantile skill that might help the situation... wait was there? Sanz took another look at his guild card, this time checking the other-colored items. Green was the color of currency in his world so... maybe that was a place to start.
--------------------
Bluff
Cooking
Herbology
Mining
Beastmaster
Alchemy
-----------------------
This was by far the most populated section on the guild card--and it appeared to cover everything not directly related to combat. Despite that, he couldn't find anything that looked directly related to currency.

"We're going to have to be very careful with our money when we buy equipment. I don't suppose you managed to overhear what pay is like for adventurers?"
Sanz gave a sideways comment to Sage while they waited. With their current funds, even if they didn't buy any equipment, they could last 2 weeks.
 
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"No, sorry. Sounds like it's by job, rather than a flat pay." Sage told Sanz with a shrug, "Anyway, we have the room settled for now, so lets go find this person you really want to find." Sage said with a grin. Hopefully, the guild trainer doesn't cost actual money. She'd rather get equipment before she actually started to spend money on tutorials.
 
Sanz made a bit of a face. If they were payed on a job-by-job basis, then the pay likely would be based on the job itself. What kind of jobs would then need to take in order to get 20+ silver? He had a sinking feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

It took asking a couple of people, but Sanz managed to find a guild trainer on the second floor. The room he was furnished with many rugs and tapestries, and was also rather small. Just enough for a few people. But it was not the enclosure itself that caught Sanz's eye. The guild trainer... well he wasn't human, at least not completely. His well-built physique and tan skin were complimented by a pair of black cat ears and tail, as well as a pair of yellow eyes that more closely resembled a feline's than a human's. Sanz had to blink a couple of times, and for once was completely unsure how to start the conversation.
"You wished to speak with me, Kit?"
Sanz was shaken out of his reverie by a deep voice, belonging to the man in question.
"Um... yes. Sorry, I--"
"Have never seen a beast-kin in person before?"
"... In a word: yes."

Beast-kin. So that answered his question on the whole human front. What other kinds of sapient people existed in this world? A question for another time.
"We asked around, and apparently you're the guy for questions about guild cards?"
The cat-man gave a smile, and stood up straight on the cushion he'd adopted for a chair.
"Why yes, I have been a member of the Adventurers' Guild for decades. Any questions you have regarding skills, there uses, what skills work well together, anything!"

"Um..."
Sanz pulled the card back out of his pocket, looked at both the front and back, then finally let out a sigh before just holding it up
"You mind starting with the very basic stuff? Like how we use this and what it does exactly?"
The guild trainer raised an eyebrow at the question.
"You had no idea as to the function of the guild card? Then why did you become adventurers?"
Sanz waved his hand in a dismissive manner at the statement
"A... god told us to. Long story."
"...Apparently. Very well, take a seat you two. This will take some time."


"To put it simply, your guild card is a representation of yourself. It shows the potential you have to grow, as well as what you have learned. Everything you could want or need to do as an adventurer is represented on that card. I imagine you've already looked at some of the items on there."

"Each item on that card is what we adventurers refer to as a skill. The scope of what each skill does varies greatly, but the one consistency between all of them is their levels. Each skill will have its own individual level, and the higher that level is, the better you will be at tasks that use it. As for how to increase your skills' levels, that requires experience."

"When you first received your guild card, there should have been a large white number at the top. That represents your potential to grow. As long as you have potential remaining, you can either improve your already-known skills or learn new ones. The complication comes with the type of potential you have."

"You see, the white potential that you start with is universal. It can be used on any skill. But as I suspect you noticed, skills are divided into 4 categories. There are the weapon skills coded in red, magic skills coded in blue, armor skills coded in orange, and utility skills coded in green. Whenever you solve tasks using a particular type of skill, you will gain potential--but only for skills of the same category. As an example: if you practiced with a sword, you would earn red potential that could be spent on other red skills. Do you two understand so far?"

Sanz paused for a moment, then flipped his card over.
"I think so... with two caveats. The first is can we gain more... you called it universal potential, and if so, how? And also... I spent some potential in the fist skill... and when I did I learned some kind of ability?"

The trainer smiled before continuing.
"Well, to your first question: yes. Whenever you overcome a massive obstacle, often a monster of great power, you will earn universal potential. As for your abilities--they are the most prominent display of your skills. Any man skilled with a blade can cut down a bandit or two, but only a great one can split diamond. They are, in essence, the greatest expression of your skills. Do be careful when using them though, as abilities tire you out far more quickly than any other activity."


"Now, can I answer anything else for you two young adventurers?"
Sanz couldn't stop himself from flipping the card back and forth in front of him, somewhat in awe. This single sheet of paper had that kind of power? By doing what amounted to pressing buttons you could just give yourself knowledge that would normally take years back home! He looked over at Sage when he was finally able to pull his eyes away. His brain was having... difficulty processing all this.
"Sage? Do you have anything you'd like to ask?"
 
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Sage was in as much awe as Sanze was over the fact this man was... a cat. Sage loved cat. At least, she liked them a lot more then she liked Dogs. Which was a lot. She looked at her card as the cat man explains to them how to worked and what benefits it gave them.

Sage crossed her arms, "Yeah, I got Two. One: I already know how to cook. I worked as a chief for years before I took up this adventure gig." Sage told the cat creature, "Why do I have to put skill in cooking?" Sage asked.

She shifted and put a hand on her hip and held up a finger, "Two: How much is skill and how much is equipment? Like, if someone had a high sword skill but I have a better sword, who wins?"
 
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The trainer paused for a minute, and one hand went to his stubbled chin in thought.
"Your question is difficult young man, as even the guild doesn't have the full answer. Guild cards were created by an ancient magic of the gods, Eons ago. It takes your experiences and turns them into power. Best we can tell, when one first becomes an adventurer, the card takes all your past experiences and trials, then turns them into raw potential. You may remember how to do previous activities, but you will find them difficult to perform. You've probably heard the tale of a knight who became an adventurer and refused to learn any weapon skills."

"As for your second question, normally the gear you have will correlate with your skill. But in general, a higher skill will serve you better than more powerful weapons. There are exceptions to this, such as the tale of Arturius and his blade Excalibur, but they are very rare."
The trainer looked between Sage and Sanz for a minute before continuing.
"If you will pardon me for a minute, the two of you don't seem well-prepared for this venture. Being an adventurer is not an easy life."
Sanz let out a sigh in response
"We'll fix that. It's not an option."

The trainer gave a smile before leaning back against one of his many tapestries.
"I do hope so. I grow tired of seeing young adventurers run off and get themselves killed. Do you have any further questions?"
Sanz stood up as if to leave--before one last thing hit his mind.
"Is there another way to learn skills? Beyond gaining this potential and spending it?"

"Very few. Often, someone who is already versed in the skill may offer to teach its basics in exchange for some service. There are also ancient tomes, scattered around the world, that can impart knowledge upon the reader. We simply call these 'very special books'. But otherwise, you must rely on your own trial to improve."

"I see. Thank you."
Sanz offered a hand to Sage so the young man could get to his feet.
"We should probably get going, unless Sage has any more questions."
 
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Sage nodded her head, taking Sanz's hand and getting up, patting nonexistent dust off her. She GUESSED that made sense. In the end, it sounded like giving up all her past experience for this magic would benefit her more in the future. Like she'll grow farm more experienced. Still, it kind of pissed her off that she knew how to cook and now she didn't. What utter-- wait...

"I'm sorry, what were those books called again?" Sage said, as if she didn't hear the guild trainer right.
 
Sanz had been choosing to ignore that particular tidbit of information. Mostly because if he tried to nitpick everything right now, he was fairly certain he and Sage would never get anywhere.

The guild trainer blinked his eyes a couple of times at the question. He seemed surprised by it.
"They are called Very Special Books. I'm sorry if I glossed over that earlier."
He spoke in the same tone one might use when simply describing the names of farm animals. Apparently no one thought of the name as odd. Sanz shook his head and put a hand on Sage's shoulder.
"Let's... just continue."
It wasn't worth losing daylight over.
 
Sage covered her mouth and when Sanz put a hand on her shoulder, he could tell she was shaking. However, a good look at her he could tell she was trying not to laugh, "O-oh ok. Thanks for your help." Sage said, getting her laughing under control. "Before we go, is there any skills we can learn from you? You know... adventure starter pack?" Sage said with a grin. She thought it was more like a simple transfer of points. Not a days worth of hard work.
 
Sanz let out a slight groan at Sage, though he kept his mouth shut. Yes, the name was stupid. But there were more important things to worry about.
The trainer gave Sage a smile, but slowly shook his head.
"It is possible that I could train you in a number of skills--but it would take at least a day of dedicated teaching to learn even one skill. And I must remain available for other young adventurers."
As if to hammer the point home, a pair of individuals came up the stairs. They appeared to be a brother and sister, and didn't look any older than 15 or 16.
"Come on Sage. We should go look at equipment costs."
Sanz's eyes followed the young adventurers for a minute before continuing on. There was a part of him wondering just how common adventurers their age were. The man forced himself to turn away and head back downstairs.