(Day4)

I awoke to the sun just rising over the trees the sky a mix of orange and gold. The soft lapping of the water as we drifted down stream was one of the most peaceful awakenings I could imagine. I made coffee using my stainless cup and a fire stone. Once the water was steaming, I added the dried coffee the creamer and the sugar. Jimmy and I shared the cup and began to discuss the day.

As we sat contemplating the misty river, the tall grass and the sprinkling of trees, we discussed the plans for today.

“Okay Joe, the first stop is Plainsford, the village is just as boring as it sounds, but it’s the first stop where we can get something to eat and take you to a healer.” Said Jimmy.

“My hand is looking much better today, but I do need to get some healing supplies in case I get hurt again. At least some bandages. Would you be willing to trade some bronze knuts for more of my coins? I assume you’re going to sell them in the next big city, right? It might behoove me to have some inconspicuous money for my purchases before that.”

Jimmy shook his blond hair out of his eyes and looked at me seriously. “I’ve got a bronze crown and 5 bronze knuts to my name. I have a little more, but it’s farm money, not mine. That’d be 6 of your coins by weight, but I really do think I can get more. If they are just like the ones, you gave me, what about 4 of your coins for mine? Oh, and you have to buy lunch here and dinner in Pekaton. I’ll be broke till I can sell your coins in Pekaton, but that leaves room for us both to profit on the deal.”

“What does a meal cost?”

Jimmy smiled and said, “A copper knut or two here, a little bit more in the big city. “

I grinned at Jimmy and stuck out my hand, “it’s a deal”.

After another quiet piece, Jimmy got up to pole us back into the current and I asked, “Is there any place in Plainsford to sell monsters? I killed a few and don’t know what to do with them. A couple huge spiders and palmetto bug.”

Jimmy looked back to me “What kind of Cores did you get?”

I sat up straight feeling my face wrinkle up in confusion, “What are cores?”

Jimmy laughed, “Gods, you are new as a shiny copper knut, where did you come from a mountain monastery? You know nothing of the world.” He continued to pole long slow strokes shaking his head and smiling.

I smiled back at him and said “Something like that. I literally know nothing of the world you haven’t told me”

“Okay, when you kill a beast or monster, the main loot you get is the Core. It’s like a glowing jewel. You have to cut it out of the beast. It’s usually in the head or the heart. Sometime the meat is worth something, so check a butcher. Also show them to the healer or and apothecary or alchemist. Sometimes parts have value for them too, usually they’ll buy them to resell to others who can use ‘em. Goto the butcher after the others, obviously.”

I pulled the palmetto bug parts out of my inventory and spread them on a corner of the raft. I cut open the head and sure enough there was a brown gem inside, about the size of a quarter.

[Minor Earth Monster Core] is how it showed up on ID.

Jimmy looked at me in surprise, “Where did you hide those? Are you a Mage?”

I put the roach parts back in my inventory, and said “No, but I hope to be one soon. That’s a trick I get because of my god. It’s like an invisible backpack, that only I can use. It’s not exactly like that but it’s close enough, watch” I pulled out one of the mid-sized spiders, and cut out its core, it was just like the other but green.

[Minor Nature Monster Core]

Jimmy spoke up “A nature core, is also sometimes called a Body core. Nature is a tier higher than the Earth core, more valuable. Mages can absorb them to get mana, or use them to fuel magical creations. You could sell these to a mage or the same places I mentioned for body parts. You’d probably get more going directly to a mage if you can.”

“What about Heroic Mages? Same deal?”

Wrinkling his face up in slight confusion, “In theory, except those are pretty rare. I’ve never met one, but the stories say they can use cores too”.

“How do they use one?” I asked.

At this Jimmy brightened, “Most just crush it in their fists or under their feet. Morgan Bright blade would crush it under his nose and inhale the smoke that comes out, at least according to the tales. If the Core type matches your magic type you get more mana, if not it takes a while to convert, and you get far less. The Tiers are 1st through 4th, they also have names, but the numbers are used most from lowest to highest it’s Elemental, Mystical, Spiritual, and Principle tiers.”

I rubbed my chin “Do tiers indicate Power levels or what?”

Jimmy made a wiggle waggle ‘sort of’ gesture with his hand, “More rarity than power level, but the rarer the tier, and the magic types within a tier, the less people know about it. So, the harder it is for people to counter your magic, at least according to the stories. Like I said, I’ve only ever met a couple minor mages, A couple healers like in Plainsford, and a nature mage who works the farm circuit boosting crop yields, killing pest infestations, stuff like that.”

“What happens if a non mage crushes one of them?”

“It’s wasted”

“How much are they worth?” I asked, tumbling the earth core in my hand.

“Minor Earth ones are probably worth a fistful of knuts, The nature one maybe a bronze crown? Not a lot for mages and heroes, but a lot for us farmers. The tougher monsters drop bigger cores, which get expensive quickly.”

“Well In for a knut, in for a crown” and I crushed the earth core in my right hand. I was hoping it might activate something. My rings vibrated on my fingers for a sec, but I didn’t get any magic, or mana. All I got was.

’, reported>

Brushing the dust off my hands, I stood and said, “Crap, well it was worth a shot”

Jimmy looked at me incredulously, “Why did you waste it like that, you said you weren’t a mage.”

I replied “I’m not, I was supposed to be one, but I’m only 2/3rds of the way there, I was hoping adding mana might bump me over the top. I have both gifted mage and gifted maker, but the book to make me a mage was stolen. So, I’m willing to blow a few bronze Knuts, on the off chance it’ll activate my magic somehow. I’m going to ask the healer about it too, when I pick up some supplies.”

“But it’s the only one you had!” jimmy said looking away sadly shaking his head.

“Jimmy I like you, If I tell you something, will you keep it hush hush? Tell no one?”

“Sure Joe, I like you too. I’ll keep it secret”

“That magical backpack of mine is way bigger than you’d think, I have a couple dozen spiders in there, not just the one I showed you. A dozen that size, Plus one huge one, that I don’t trust pulling out on this raft, it’d slid off and sink.”

Jimmy froze in place staring at me for 3 or 4 seconds, before continuing “That’s freaking amazing. You said you got this for worshiping your god? How do I sign up? All we get is ‘bountiful harvests'. If every harvest is the same how do you even tell if they are bountiful? Boring-ful harvests is more like it."

“Yeah, and he’s recruiting, who do you worship?”

“My family worships the god of harvests, but I’m not exactly devoted.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked back at him “I don’t know if it’ll work, but if you seriously want to change to worship my god, we can try”.

“He’s not like an evil god, or like god of slimey bugs in your dreams or something, is he?”

“Nah, he’s the god of the Elder people, but all his people left or died or something, so he’s starting over.”

Jimmy stared at me again, I don’t think this conversation was good for his head, then he asked in his voice high and somewhat squeaky. “Garabal? God of the Eldar, God of the most powerful magical beings of myth and legend, you are pulling my leg, right? Garabal First and foremost, of the fallen gods?”

“I dunno about all of that, but yeah, Garabal, God of the elder humans, sometimes called the Eldar. I’m not a priest or anything, just a worshiper. But I’m willing to give it a shot if you are up for it.”

His voice still high, jimmy said, “Man, Hell yeah, that sounds super cool. Do we have to go on like a quest or something?”

I shrugged my shoulders and said “Honestly, I’ve never even tried before, I’m just guessing here.”

I had Jimmy get on his knees, put his hands in mine and said “Great god Garabal, this man Jimmy wants to become your worshiper, Jimmy if you agree to become Garabals worshiper say I do”.

Jimmy looked up and me, swallowed and said “I DO!”

My rings buzzed again and I got another error message

Damn my hide, an actual useful error message.

“Sorry Jimmy, looks like we have to do it at a shrine or altar. If we found an abandoned or old Garabal shrine I could convert it, but I haven’t seen one since before the Palmetto bugs.”

Jimmy stood up dusting his knees off “Uh Joe, we’ve passed like 5 of them since you got on the Raft.”

This time I was my turn to stare at jimmy. “Really? I didn’t see them. If there is another before Plainsford, I’m game if you are. If we can stop at all of the abandoned-ish ones, I can get rewards for converting them too.”

“Most of the small shrines along the river are abandoned or neglected. I don’t remember any to Garabal specifically, but we can hit one and see.”

An hour down the river, Jimmy pointed out the small almost hidden shrine and polled us over to it. It’s no wonder I didn’t see it. It was waist high, like a small doghouse, but only 2 feet deep. There was a block of stone and some faded ribbons in it. it was over grown and the wood was old and grey. The Symbol at the peak, was a shield with a foot.

I reached in through the weeds and touched the stone assuming it was an altar.

[This shrine was abandoned by Lugh, God of Travelers upon his death]

[As a Disciple of Garabal, do you with to rededicate this altar to Garabal, the Elder God?]

I thought YES really hard

[All Hail, the God, Garabal the Elder God, has claimed this abandoned shrine!]

There was a shimmering of air around the shrine. A necklace showed up on the shrine, and the shield at the peak of the roof changed to Gars black shield with a grey tower. The wood on the shrine was fresh and new and the vines all slid off like it was greased.

I reached in and picked up the necklace, it was a leather cord with a pewter Shield with a tower on it hanging from the cord. I picked it up and tried to ID.

My rings buzzed again and showed up.

That was a good ID, I got plenty of info along with the name. I put the leather cord around my neck, and told Jimmy to put his hand on the altar.

“God Garabal, this man jimmy wants to convert, Jimmy if you want to convert say “I do”.

Jimmy was quieter this time, seeing the shrine change had made him become very still and serious.

Jimmy said “I do”. A moment later he said “I see two shields, one with the Sheaf of Wheat, and one with the Grey Tower”.

I told Jimmy “Reach out and touch the one with the Grey tower.”

Everything shimmered again and I got a popup.

[James Walsh wishes to convert to Garabal, do you accept?]

“Jimmy me to you, are you sure about this, I think this is your last chance to back out”

“Nah, I want to do it Joe.”

I thought Yes at the popup and it was replaced by another.

[Convert James Walsh’s Race from Human to Elder Human (this is not a required for conversion)?]

“Hey Jimmy, do you want to change your race to Eldar, it looks like it’s an option here. It’s not required.”

Jimmy turned his face towards me glowing “Are you Kidding? Eldar live over thousand years, Of course I want to become Eldar!”

I thought “yes” at the popup again.

This time Jimmy shimmered, and another necklace just like the first showed up on the altar.

My rings buzzed again and showed up

I handed the necklace to Jimmy, who put it on, straightening a bit as he put it around his neck.

I had jimmy stand up and then said “Okay, let’s try this out” I picked up a rock and handed it to him. “Think the word Inventory really hard.”

“A thing with bunch of squares showed up, what do I do”

“Think about the rock going to the top left square”

The rock disappeared from Jimmy’s hand. “Whoa, that’s amazing!”. The rock appeared and disappeared a few times. Jimmy’s face was shining like a happy baby.

I used my ID ability on Jimmy

showed up.

Jimmy turned to me and asked “How much does it hold?”.

I replied “Mine is unlimited, I don’t know about yours. I may be paranoid, but usually I try to hid the fact I have it if I can. That palmetto bug was too big to just pull it out of my pocket, and I trusted you. I have no idea if inventories are common or not, so I’m being careful. I’d hate for a smuggler to kidnap me and make me his mule bitch.”

Jimmy’s smile dimmed a few hundred watts. “I hadn’t thought of that. Stuff magically appearing in the hero’s hand is really common in the tales. I don’t know if mages have it too, or just Heroes. It’s a pretty minor magic in the tales, it only really happens when it adds drama.”

“I guess that’s another thing we need to ask the Healer in Plainsford, eh Jimmy?”

Jimmy nodded and ran back to the raft. We began to float downstream, but this time Jimmy kept polling the whole time. As we floated down the river, I harvested the rest of the Monster cores from all but the biggest spider.