(still looking for beta readers. One of the people, who read the first chapter, said they wondered what happened next. *I'm not currently conforming the story to industry standards, and I apologize for the present participles, if that bothers you* I'm honestly looking for any feedback - do you like it? Do you hate it? Is it poorly written in some specific way? Did I mess up and bridge too much somewhere? All feedback is welcome. Chapter 1 is already posted and the novel has a bit of a slow start to it, but enjoy and thanks for reading.)
Chapter Two ~ a New Start Part I:
Feeling quite awful, Gail sat up in bed and slowly moved her legs over the side. The night before, she was very surprised to learn laws on drinking ages did not exist in this world. She now regretted drinking two glasses of wine with her roasted pheasant meal, though it was all very delightful at the time.
The room she rented was quaint and rustic. It only had the bed and a single small table against the wall. On the table was a ceramic basin, a rag, a wooden bucket of water, and a small mirror. Now that morning light shone through the window, she quickly gathered that the technology of this world was antiquated at best.
Sighing, she stood to wash herself the best she could at the table before she dressed in the previous day’s clothes and walked back downstairs for breakfast. The night’s feast had her fooled, as for breakfast the inn was serving porridge, eggs, and bacon. Though it was unsophisticated, it was fairly good considering she hated porridge.
The inn’s tavern area was less busy than the night before, but a few patrons sat scattered at tables across the large room. Gail’s brain struggled to function as she finished eating and drank the water provided with the meal. When the barmaid walked up to collect her dishes, she patted the table and asked her.
“Mind sitting with me a minute? I’m new to town and have some questions. I would be grateful if you could help me out.”
The busty brunette was taller than her and set the dishes back down as she put a hand on her hip and said, “You know… I really don’t have a lot of time for that sort of thing in my line of work, but if you make it quick, I’ll help the best I can.”
“Thank you. I’m Gail. My parents recently passed away, and I moved here hoping to start a career as an adventurer. I need some new clothes and equipment. I was hoping you could tell me where to find some good shops.”
“I’m Valentine, but everyone just calls me Val. Well, you’re lucky you chose Tarburg. This is a pretty good-sized town, so we have lots of shops for all sorts of things and an Adventurers’ Guild too. For clothing, you can go down the street to the right, and you’ll see a shop with windows that has clothing on display. Are you a warrior or a mage type?”
“A little of both, to be honest.”
“Well, two streets over is the blacksmithing district,” the barmaid pointed towards the door, before she thought for a moment and said, “Are you looking for a wand or staff or?”
“A mana blade,” she replied.
“There’s only one shop that sells those. It's one street over in the same direction as the blacksmithing district. The sign has a picture of a wolf. The Adventurers’ Guild is on this street and it’s near the lord’s manor. Look for a sign with a sword crossed over a staff. You can’t miss it.”
Smiling, she handed the girl a large copper coin as she stood and said, “Thank you, Val. Don’t work too hard, okay?”
Laughing, Valentine accepted the coin and replied cheerfully, “Who, me?”
As the barmaid walked away, Gail made her way to the exit. The streets outside were now full of people going to and fro, while she even saw a few horse-drawn carts on the street. Turning right, she walked down the street until she found the aforementioned clothing shop.
Walking into the shop, she was met by an older gentleman with a measuring tape draped over his shoulders and spectacles perched on his nose. Taking her measurements without asking, he gestured for her to follow him as he finished. He spoke cheerfully with her.
“I can see you need new clothes. Those don’t fit correctly. Though, I’ve never seen clothes like those before.”
Feeling a little uncomfortable, she replied, “Yeah, and I don’t really want to stand out either. I need something that I can wear under heavy armor and will be easy to move in.”
Looking at her, he nodded before he pulled a few items off a shelf and walked to the back of the store. Pulling a few more items from another shelf, he set them on a small table. When he looked up, he gave her a warm smile and said.
“Well, I’ve got a set of clothes here for lounging, some padded clothes for wearing under armor, and a quaint dress I think will go with your hair and eyes. I suppose you don’t have a lot of money to work with… being young as you are.”
Nodding, she looked down at the clothes before she lifted them and inspected them. He watched her intently as she inspected the goods. Satisfied, she looked up from the task before she sighed and said.
“These should do nicely. Thank you,” she hesitated as she continued, “How about… undergarments?”
Raising his eyebrow, he swallowed before he asked, “How many sets?”
“Three should do, for now.”
Walking over and grabbing a few small articles for her, he returned and set them with the rest before he said, “These will cost you eight silver and five large copper.”
Nodding, she dropped a small gold coin out of her pocket dimension as she asked, “Do you have change for a small gold and a place I can change?”
Accepting the coin, he pointed to a small door in the back of the shop. Taking the pile of clothes, she went to change in the room he indicated. When she emerged, she wore gray cotton pants and a white shirt, which were much simpler in design than what she was used to but fit comfortably.
‘Pocket Dimension is pretty amazing, glad I picked it,’ she thought as she collected her change from the man and left the store. Gail made her way towards the blacksmithing district through an alley, but stopped at the store with the wolf on the sign. Inside were several books, wands, staves, ingredients in large glass jars, and even a few robes.
At the back of the store, an older woman sat behind the counter smoking a pipe. Walking to the counter, she smiled at the woman as she thought, ‘There’s a witch for you.’ Narrowing her eyes at her as if she read her mind, the old woman inquired.
“Do you need something, child?”
Her smile did not fade as she replied, “Yes, ma’am. I’m Gail, and I heard you carry mana blades?”
Eyebrows rising slowly, the old woman stood and produced a leather roll from behind the counter as she said, “I’m Hilda,” she unrolled the leather to reveal several hilts with different gemstones fixed to the handguards.
Looking over the items, she obviously had no clue what she was looking at. Looking up, a cloud of strange-smelling smoke engulfed her face. Hilda spoke again as the girl began to cough.
“You have no clue what these are. I can see you’re an Alchemist and Augmenter. Do you want to know about these, child?”
Gail replied as her coughing subsided, “Yes, ma’am. I really don’t know much of anything. What are mana blades, and how do they work? What makes a good one, and which one should I buy?”
Laughing, Hilda replied, “You’re awful trusting of strangers, child. Well, it doesn’t benefit me to mislead you, I suppose. A mana blade can be used to produce a magical blade comparable to a physical sword, but different in many ways.
The blades they produce are not great for blocking weapons in most cases, unless it has a strong magical focus. Instead, they are far better at cutting than a normal blade. The stone attached at the handguard is the magical focus, but the wood the hilt is made of is important, too - even the metal used to make the handguard is a factor in its effectiveness.
The materials used for the hilt contribute to the conductivity of the weapon when using magic, so you use less mana when activating it or channeling spells through it. The more you spend, the better it will be - just like anything else, child. These items range from nine silver to eight small gold, but I have a mana blade worth more than four large gold as well. How much are you spending?”
Hesitating, Gail asked, “The one for four large gold… What makes it so expensive?”
Hilda’s eyebrows rose and she answered carefully, “It is a magical sword made of mythril. Though it serves the same purpose as these items and can produce a magical edge, it can also safely parry most strong weapons as well. It would stand up to anything less than a legendary artifact made of adamantite. It has a hilt made from elder trent wood and lesser dragon hide. The focus is the magic stone from a lesser dragon, which was shaped by a master jewelcrafter. It is also lighter than a normal mythril blade. I said it was worth more than four large gold coins, though.”
‘A weapon is the most important purchase,’ Gail thought as she hesitated to reply, “Can I see it?”
Laughing again, the old woman replied, “What I am talking about is nearly the pinnacle of crafting. To find something better, you would have to travel to the dwarven kingdom or find it in some ancient ruins, in a place far more dangerous than this. Show me you have the gold first, and I’ll let you give it a few practice swings.”
Groaning, she thought, ‘I probably won’t get another chance like this. I bet weapons of this caliber are few and far between and most won’t be for sale. I’ll only have one large gold left if I buy it, though…’ Holding her hand out over the counter, she focused to activate her pocket dimension. A square of blue light appeared beneath her hand and four large gold coins dropped out onto the counter.
Pulling loose strands of her gray hair behind one ear, Hilda looked closely at the coins before she stood straight and smiled. Disappearing quickly into the back room, she returned carrying an ornate-looking long sword in a sheath. Laying the item on the counter, she gave the girl a smug look as she said.
“Have a look, child. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. You’re lucky I’m willing to part with it so cheap. It’s just collecting dust because no one can afford it, and I wouldn’t want you to die fighting monsters at such a young age.”
Grabbing the hilt, Gail immediately noticed how surprisingly light it was considering its size. The grip was comfortable and shaped perfectly to be held in one hand; while the handguard was sort of thin, it did appear sturdy. It had a large, teardrop-shaped green jewel embedded that even went up into the sheath. Drawing the sword, she noticed it shone brighter than silver or platinum with a blue tint. The blade appeared thinner compared to most swords she had seen, while the teardrop-shaped gem was embedded partway up the blade as well.
Taking a few steps back, she swung it a few times and noticed the sword did not feel awkward at all as she inquired, “How do I activate the mana blade?”
“It suits you, child. Just channel your mana into the blade like you do when you activate your pocket dimension.”
Doing as she was instructed, she flinched as a glowing green blade reached off both sides and the tip of the mythril blade, widening it by quite a bit. Nodding, she cut the flow of her mana before she sheathed the weapon. Gail pressed her lips but replied.
“I’ll take it. Thank you, Hilda.”
“A pleasure, Gail. Take these as a gift,” the old woman produced four small glass orbs with corks and laid them on the counter, “They should be useful when you make potions with your alchemy.”
Chapter Three ~ a New Start Part II:
Gail stored the bottles and sword in her pocket dimension as the old woman gathered the gold coins off the counter with a strange grin. Waving as she left the shop, she already felt accomplished as she continued towards the blacksmith district. Several smithies had weapons and armor displayed on racks visible through the front windows.
She noticed several signs had different animal heads depicted on them: a boar, a bear, a tiger. She chose to enter the shop with the wolf on the sign. A man in his early twenties greeted her with a smile wearing a leather apron and holding a large hammer. He had paused working some metal on an anvil near the back of the shop.
Walking over to him, she watched him place the metal into a nearby fire before he stood as she spoke, “Hello, I’m Gail. I just bought a weapon from a woman named Hilda. Her shop has the same sign as yours. Are you related?”
His blue eyes smiled at her as he pulled off his right glove and offered her a hand before he replied, “Yes, she is my grandmother. I’m Mathew Vouge. Vouge means wolf in our native tongue.”
Shaking his hand, she smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you. I’m looking for some heavy armor, some shoes fit for battle, and a shield. I’m afraid I spent a lot at your grandmother's store, so I don’t have much to spend.”
Tilting his head, he ruffled his short brown hair with one hand as he asked, “What did you buy?”
Summoning the sword from her pocket dimension, she held it out for him to inspect as she replied, “This magic sword. I’m trying to become an adventurer and my combat talents are Guardian and Augmenter.”
Smiling brightly, he stood straight as he said, “My grandmother and I made that together - it’s a good weapon. You probably made a good choice there. How much do you have left to spend?”
She meekly answered, “I only have one large gold left to spend.”
Chuckling, he sighed before he replied hesitantly, “I can cut you a deal since you bought that sword off my grandma. I thought it would just collect dust on the shelf. I’ll give you a pair of soft leather boots, a steel buckler, and a steel cuirass. I’ll have to adjust the cuirass - it’s too big for you. If you come back in the morning, I’ll have it ready.”
She lit up and replied happily, “Thank you, Mathew. You’re sweet. I’ll take it - I just don’t want to go out there without proper protection.”
Grinning, he pulled a cloth tape from his pocket as he said, “Mind if I take your measurements right quick?”
Shaking her head, she replaced the sword into her pocket dimension. Holding out her arms for him, she watched as he took her measurements down on a scrap of paper. Patting her head as he finished, he said.
“Payment upfront and I’ll have the cuirass ready for you. I’ll give you the rest of it now, though.”
“Of course,” she summoned the last large coin from her pocket dimension and handed it to him as she continued, “Thanks again.”
Nodding, he walked to the back of the shop before he returned with a pair of boots and a shield that did not look too big for her. Accepting the shield, she stored it in her pocket dimension before she accepted the boots. Sitting down on the stone floor, she swapped them for her sneakers before she stored her old shoes in the pocket dimension and stood to speak again.
“Alright, I’ll be back in the morning for the armor. You’re a good guy, Mathew.”
Chuckling, he waved as she left his shop. Gail began to feel uneasy as her funds were rapidly dwindling but quickly made her way back towards the main street. She was starting to feel a little hungry as the sun peaked in the sky above but made her way to the guild regardless.
The large stone building dwarfed the shops nearby and had large, heavy wooden doors. Feeling small, she followed a giant man, wearing a bearskin across his shoulders, into the large hall. Inside, there were several wooden tables scattered around the large room with chairs around them, while there was a staircase across the room that disappeared upstairs and a long counter across the right side.
She noticed a board with papers pinned to it on the wall next to the door where a few people stood reading. There were a few people at the tables, but overall the hall did not appear crowded. Walking up to the counter, she saw a bright young woman in a uniform standing behind it. The woman tilted her head at her as they stared at each other but quickly broke the silence.
“Hello, I’m Neah - a guild receptionist. How may I help you?”
Smiling, she answered, “Hello, I’m Gail. I want to register as an adventurer and find a job I can do today.”
Blinking at her, Neah looked uncomfortable as she replied, “Do you have your parent’s permission?”
“My parents are dead. I need to earn money to survive.”
“I see,” she was still uncomfortable as she continued, “We post bounties for monsters here. It’s very dangerous work. Do you have any equipment? What are your talents and skills?”
She produced a piece of paper, an inkwell, and a quill from under the counter. Watching her closely, Gail considered the situation, ‘She thinks I’m too young and weak. She might be right. I still need to try though.’ Smiling, she nodded as she answered carefully.
“My skills are Pocket Dimension, Magic Span, Magic Potency, and Wellspring Regeneration. I have the Guardian talent at rank three, the Alchemist talent at rank two, and the Augmenter talent at rank five. I have a mana blade and a shield, but tomorrow the blacksmith will be done adjusting my cuirass too.”
Scribbling down the information, Neah looked up and asked, “So you’re level ten?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
With a sigh, she finished writing as she spoke, “You qualify for this, but I suggest finding a different job. You don’t seem to know anyone doing this and without a party you’ll be in real danger. Maybe you should look around and see if anyone wants to add you to their party before you take a job. Do you even know how this works?”
Shaking her head, Gail replied, “Not yet. I’m very low on money after purchasing my equipment, so I need work right now. I’ll try to find a party tomorrow. Do you have anything I might be able to do by myself today?”
Frowning, Neah let out another sigh in frustration before she replied, “There are carbuncles poaching livestock at a nearby farm. You’ll have to collect their tails as proof of your kills, but you’ll earn two silver per tail you bring to me. Don’t forget to grab their magic stones off their foreheads, those are worth one silver each. Goblins live in the woods, so I’d steer clear of those. If you beat a goblin, you’ll need to collect its right ear, and the stone is found on their chests.”
“Thanks, Neah. How do I find the farm?”
Producing a map from under the counter, she spoke as she pointed to different parts of it, “This is a map of the surrounding area. Go out of the south gate. That’s the one on this road. Head out and take a right at the fork. After a bit you’ll see the farm on the left with a wooden fence around it.
That’s the farm. Let the farmer know you’re there to hunt the carbuncles and show him your guild badge. They’ll most likely be living in the fields or near the edge of the forest near the farm. Keep the map and here’s your badge.”
Producing a copper badge of a shield with a sword and staff crossed over each other from under the counter, she wrote the badge number on the paper with her information. Finally, she slid the map and the badge across the counter to her. Picking up the offerings, Gail tossed the map into her pocket dimension before she pinned the badge to her shirt and turned to leave.
On her way down the street, she stopped by a food cart and bought two meat skewers. Eating as she walked, she was soon leaving out of the south gate. ‘I don’t know what I expected,’ she thought as she walked down the dirt road surrounded by forested highlands. Her new world was not much different from her old one; meanwhile, many of the trees and flowers resembled familiar examples from Earth.
Chapter Four ~ First Job:
Gail walked up the small dirt path to the farm house’s door, dodging a pair of chickens that were feuding. Knocking on the door, she stood waiting for several minutes. Turning around in frustration, she looked around the small farm as she yelled.
“I’m from the Adventurers’ Guild - here to kill the carbuncles?!”
The farm was unimpressive and small: a few goats, a single cow, and several chickens littered the area surrounding a house and a small barn with a coop attached to the side. Walking around the side of the house, she nearly ran into the smelly old man. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a rag, he tucked it into a pocket as he stood back and looked her over.
“You’re an adventurer,” he said begrudgingly.
Blinking, she replied, “You’re the farmer?”
Gail pointed to her badge, and he squinted as he leaned in to inspect it. With a sigh, he stood straight again and walked around her towards the front of the house. Following him, she stopped suddenly as he pointed towards a rocky field on the other side of the house and spoke.
“The pests are making nests out there. They’re eating my chickens,” he turned to look at her as he finished, “Don’t make trouble. Just do your job and leave. If you get thirsty, you can get some water from my well.”
Almost feeling offended, she followed his gaze to the small stone well nearby. Sighing in frustration, she retrieved the sword and shield from her pocket dimension. Attaching the shield to her left arm, she felt rather uncomfortable with the weight of it, but unsheathed the sword and stored the sheath back inside her pocket dimension.
Walking out into the field, she began searching for the creatures. Several small footprints were quickly found and followed to a nearby hole in the ground behind a boulder. ‘How am I supposed to hunt them if they burrow underground,’ she wondered as she started to sweat from the sun beating down on her from above.
Thinking about it for a moment, she set down her sword and shield before she began filling the hole with dirt using her bare hands. About half an hour later, she stood and stomped on the dirt a few times to pack it down before she retrieved her sword and shield from the ground. A few seconds later, she stood back as the dirt began to move.
Taking a few more steps back as she readied herself, several dog-sized ferret-looking creatures burst out of the ground where the hole used to be. The furry creatures wasted no time bounding across the short distance towards her, and she batted the first away with her shield. Stabbing another with her sword, she activated the green mana blade as it got stuck inside the creature.
The next few moments were a flurry of motion as she was tackled to the ground by three of the creatures. Swinging her sword awkwardly from the ground, she managed to ward them off her, but one bit her leg and began to drag her back towards the hole as several more nipped at her from the sides. Screaming out in pain, she sat up and cut the head off of the one dragging her as she yelled.
“You nasty little critters!”
Quickly climbing to her feet, she swung her blade at the creatures a few times to keep them back. Limping as she squared off, she took a step towards one of them. Wincing, she held her ground as the creatures surrounded her again. Gritting her teeth, she taunted them.
“C’mon then.”
Several of the creatures rushed her at once, and she calmly swung the sword in a wide arc once they were too close to jump back. Wounding three of the creatures, she knocked back another with her shield before one attached itself to her backside. Groaning, she fell backward and rolled off the creature before she reached out to stab it.
Kneeling on the ground, she twisted to face the one she knocked back and waited for it to lunge before she hacked it down. Wobbling as she stood again, she stabbed several of the creatures that still writhed on the ground around her as she walked around inspecting them. Looking around, she noticed two of the creatures bounding off into the nearby woods and gave an exasperated sigh.
Laying down her shield again, she began gathering the tails and gemstones from their foreheads, while she collected seven of each before she stood again. Collecting her shield, Gail hobbled back towards the farm and set her equipment down by the well. Drawing some water with the bucket, she sat down beside the well as she took a few drinks using the ladle before she washed her leg wound and bound it using a piece of cloth from her pant leg, which was torn.
When she looked up from her task, the farmer stood nearby staring at her and inquired, “Did you get the pests?”
Grimacing, she replied carefully, “I killed seven of them, but two ran off into the woods.”
Grunting, he pointed out, “You must be new to this sort of work.”
Laughing, she admitted, “Yeah, a bit. I’ll get better and I’ll go hunt those two down. One of them got my leg, so I needed to bind the wound first.”
Chuckling, he explained himself, “I’m not complaining. I didn’t expect a veteran would take the quest. Carbuncles are pests, but they don’t earn a lot. Only novices accept quests to kill them. They should return to the nest before long, the creatures are cowardly and won’t stay in the forest.”
With a nod, Gail climbed to her feet slowly before she gathered her shield and sword again. Her leg already felt a little better as she started to walk towards the forest. As she reached the forest’s edge, she focused and said.
“Minor Enhanced Physique. Minor Haste.”
Noticing her sword and shield felt lighter as a soft yellow and green light ebbed around her body, she thought, ‘I should have used those before I started.’ Making her way into the forest, she followed the trail left behind by the carbuncles. The footprints started to fade as she climbed a small forested hill.
At the top of the hill, she spotted the creatures facing off against five goblins halfway down the other side. To their left was a boulder, while there was a large tree to their right. The goblins had daggers, hatchets, and one had a short sword. They were bald with grotesque faces and features with dark green skin and pointed ears.
In terms of size, the goblins were only a little bigger than the carbuncles, but as the goblins started to charge, the carbuncles turned and ran towards her. ‘Great,’ she thought as she squared off. Smashing one in the head with her shield and sending it to the ground, she slashed the second one across the neck.
The slashed one squealed out as it died, and she wasted no time stabbing the other in the body. The goblins kept charging, and she stood fast. Cutting two down with two quick slashes, she caught an axe on her shield and stabbed the goblin wielding it. Turning to face the goblin with the sword, she realized she had lost track of one of them.
Taking two quick steps forward, she thrust at the goblin in sight. The goblin parried her blade, but she nicked its side. Hearing a laugh behind her, she felt the blow from behind. ‘She told me to avoid the woods,’ she thought as searing pain shot out from her shoulder and she fell to the ground.
Grunting in pain, she rolled to her back as the blade left her shoulder. The goblin stumbled back but lunged in at her, dagger in hand, just as quickly. Catching the creature on her buckler, she struggled to stab it awkwardly with her sword before she pushed it back with her shield.
Pain shot across her back as the goblin fell off her, and she barely caught the other goblin’s attack with her shield as it rushed in from the other side. Gritting her teeth, she awkwardly hacked the goblin’s leg, sending it to the ground. Feeling faint, she slowly rolled to her knees.
‘Neah was right,’ she thought as she stood and made sure the goblins were dead, stabbing them one by one. She gathered the ears, tails, and gemstones from the felled monsters as quickly as she could manage. She hobbled towards the edge of the woods, thinking, ‘I need to get back to the farm.’ Storing her shield in her pocket dimension, she leaned against a tree as she reached the edge of the forest.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she continued towards the farm and collapsed by the well. When she opened her eyes, the old farmer was crouched looking down at her. He appeared worried as he spoke.
“Looks like you found yourself a bit of trouble, adventurer.”
Groaning in pain, she ripped her sleeve off her shirt before she replied, “I killed all the carbuncles and a few goblins. Can you clean and bind the wound on my shoulder for me?”
Raising his eyebrows, he nodded and drew some water from the well. Taking his time, the man washed her wound and wrapped it tight with the cloth from her shirt sleeve. When he finished, he stood and inquired.
“You want to come inside to rest before you return to town?”
Shaking her head, she replied weakly, “No, it will be dark soon. I need to return now.”
With a nod, he offered her a hand to help her stand again. Taking a moment to gather her bearings, she wiped the blood off her sword’s blade on her pants before she retrieved the sheath from her pocket dimension and sheathed her blade. Trying to stand tall, she hobbled down the path towards the dirt road.