“Thanks Master Longstride. Do you have any more quests for me?”
The druid leaned back in his chair and looked toward the ceiling, “I have nothing I think you can handle at your current level. Try back when you’ve gotten stronger. Until then. Check around town. There should be more people who could use help.”
A thought occurred to Atlas, “Is it possible to learn other magical spells that aren’t specifically class related?”
Longstride sighed, “It’s possible but expensive. You can only do it through magical scrolls. Some spells are impossible to transcribe. Most of those are class specific. There are some useful spells you could learn. Things as simple as lighting a campfire or purifying water are examples of those.”
“Thanks! I’ll keep an eye out for them.”
“They don’t come cheap, so expect to pay a hefty amount for them if you find one. Speaking of,” he said as he eyed Atlas up and down, “invest some of your recent money in new gear. Your small knife isn’t a well-suited weapon for your class. Keep an eye out for a usable staff and some leather. If all else fails, make some of your own leather.”
“I would but the skills are far too expensive to learn one now. I’ll have to wait to stock up on money to train a trade skill.”
“Who told you that?” Longstride asked.
“I saw the cost of training Alchemy at Zaina’s.”
The druid chuckled, “Every class has specific trade skills you’re allowed to learn for free. It’d be damnably difficult to make a living and survive without skills early on. The options for a druid are Leatherworking and Woodworking. Keep in mind, only the first one is free. After that, you must pay for the second at the normal rate.”
Atlas’ eyes lit up at that. If I can learn a skill, that’ll help me make money even faster. If I take Leatherworking, I’ll also have a use for the hides I have and be able to make myself armor. I haven’t checked prices, but I’m sure armor is expensive for someone in my financial situation.
“Another great detail to know. It’d be nice if you gave us this information from the start,” Atlas grumbled.
“You Reborn are always a handful. We are naturally born with this basic knowledge. Good luck in your travels and return when ready for more training,” Master Longstride told him with one last wave.
Atlas turned and walked for the door. As he stepped outside, the cool breeze hit his skin, and he felt invigorated. His mind spun as he thought about all the little things he needed to do.
Need to find more quests.
Need to learn Leatherworking.
Need to make more money.
Need to find more gear.
All the thoughts built, one upon another, until a message popped up on his screen.
You have 1 new message forwarded from your phone.
They tied my phone into this game too? I guess I would still need to get messages while logged in.
A mailbox style screen appeared in his view. The subject and sender of the message made him audibly groan.
Not Kathryn, surely they don’t need me to pick up another shift.
She marked the message with a red urgent flag and, dreading what he’d find, he opened it.
Atlas,
Quentin got sick and can’t make it in to work today. I need you to cover his shift. You’re all the reserve pool we have right now. Everyone else is out of town at a conference. Shift starts at 7PM.
“Son of a…” Atlas huffed.
Can’t even enjoy a game without work calling me back in. He pictured the time in his mind and the external clock appeared. It said it was 7AM in the actual world.
I guess now is as good a time as any to log off. I don’t have a lot of time left in here anyway before I’m forced to log off.
With the decision made, he turned and headed directly for the inn. No point in delaying the choice. If he tried to procrastinate, he was sure he’d end up being forced out of the game at an inopportune spot.
The tall building grew in size as he approached. It was easily the largest building in town and stood three stories tall. They made the building of a sturdy wood Atlas couldn’t identify. The handle twisted smoothly and silently as he opened the door.
A clean and welcoming entertaining area greeted him. Tables decorated the room and a small stage took up the back corner. Directly ahead of him, an enormous staircase rose to the upper levels. The bar looked well stocked and bottles of all shapes and sizes covered the wooden display. The cleanliness of the place astonished him. Atlas could swear this place was as clean as one of their trauma rooms.
An elf in an apron stood behind the bar, dutifully shining a pewter looking mug with a rag.
“Greetings. Can I help you with anything?” The innkeeper asked.
“I’m looking for a room.”
“Have plenty available. Any preference?”
“Not really. Just need somewhere to rest for a couple days.”
The innkeeper gave a quizzical look, but Atlas approached and waited for his key. The man shuffled around items under the bar until his hand rose, holding a metal key about the size of Atlas’ middle finger. When he reached out and touched it, the innkeeper smiled.
“Ah, that makes more sense. You’re a Reborn. I guess you’ll be traveling to your world for a few days?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“No worries. You’re perfectly safe in your room. As long as you lock it before you go to sleep, no one can disturb the room while you’re gone.”
That’s a relief. It would suck to log back in and find someone killed me while I was gone.
“Thanks. I’ll see you in a few days.” Atlas said.
Atlas clutched the key in his hand and headed for the stairs. He gripped it tightly and felt raised sections of the metal against his palm. An inspection showed it had the number 304 on it.
Trudging up the stairs, he headed for the third
