Chapter 10
Well, that’s unexpected.
The armor fits me with barely any adjustments from the multiple buckles, but it’s the belt pouch that really catches my attention.
Traveler’s pouch, Quality: Excellent, Type: inventory
The traveler’s pouch is a pouch designed for those who travel while wanting to keep encumbrance to a minimum.
Slots: 16
Perception check successful
The pouch has been enchanted to double the number of slots
Not that it changes anything, but it’s nice to know I can succeed a check once in a while.
I’ll get back to that in a bit. Aaron wrote that his sword’s magical. I pull it from its scabbard at my hip.
Searcher’s Bite, Quality: Good, Type: Weapon, Enchanted
Searcher’s bite is a one handed-sword with little to mark it as more than a normal sword
Perception Check Failed
I swing it once, then hold it before me. The weight’s good. The leather for the hilt is comfortable. Aaron wrote it does more damage, and gets through some of the armor, so that’s good.
I sheath it. Grandmother will be able to tell me more about it… if I can show it to her. Dad’s not going to be happy about this.
I access the traveler’s pouch and my inventory opens at the same time. It’s sixteen slots, with my four next to it. Immediately, the firewood, tanned hides, fatwood and pitons catch my attention since there’s thirteen of each, which is the maximum a slot can use in an external inventory unless magic’s used to increase that. Each slot in my personal inventory can hold a hundred and sixty-eight, but I only have four of them. It’s one of the reason I want to invest points in my strength. The pouch is good, but it still limits how much I can carry.
There’s five coils of twenty meters of ropes, eleven grappling hooks, eight snares, a firestarter and a bedroll. There’s also four slots with food and two with animal hides, or at least, they were. They’re now identified as rotted, which means I want nothing to do with them.
I step away and drop that and the hides out of the inventory and I’m surprised at how little they stink. How long does it take for food to go beyond rotted? That frees five spots, giving me seven to work with.
I step to the skeleton, which is still in one piece, even if all that’s left are the bones. I crouch next to it.
“Sorry about that, Aaron.” I place a gloved hand on its sternum and think; access.
He only has sixteen inventory slots. I expected more. Aren’t all adventurers strong? Well, much stronger than I am? All he’d need is a strength of twenty-six for that, without taking into account strength training.
But our class doesn’t give us a strength bonus. What level would his skill need to be to have sixteen inventory slots? Thirty, forty? Okay. Maybe it makes sense. He was born after the system, so he can’t be much older than thirty.
He has over a hundred firewood in a slot. “Not a fan of the cold, I take it?” I transfer what’s in the pouch to that. We have indoor heating, courtesy of Base, at home. The twenty-eight empty vials I leave there for the moment. Glass is something that’s always useful, but I want to go through the rest first.
The pocket watch I pull out of the inventory and study
Time keeping Piece, Quality: Good, Type: Chronometer
A hand-held device using gears and kinetic motion to keep time. Must be wound or it will stop working.
Perception Check Failed
I wind the knob on top, and it ticks quietly. It’s brass, I think, mostly polished, with no markings or inscriptions. Even the glass front is unmarred. The worn spots are where I’m holding it, speaking of it being held often.
“You cared about this, didn’t you, Aaron?” I set it aside. I don’t need it, with Base keeping time, but if I have space, I want to bring it and return it to his family.
The binoculars are a no brainer, as is the metal container of thin oil, the rag that smells the same and the roll of tools. Those are to take care of the armor. I’m going to need to learn how to maintain it. Same with the whetstone; for the sword and knife. Unless the sword’s enchantment keeps it sharp. The ruined clothing stays there along with the water skins; those are made of leather and I don’t want to know what the water in them has turned into.
The pulleys are… seven of them means…. I look at the skeleton. “What are you doing with all of those?” Someone can make use of them if I have space.
The last item is a metal stick shaped to fit well in my fingers and with a point that makes me think of a pencil. The tip doesn’t leave a mark on my finger, but it’s dry. It looks nothing like Grandpa Louis’s fountain pen, but he and Dad have talked about how, back before the system, people could get pens that already had ink in them, but they couldn’t be refilled. This could be that, and it ran out.
One way to be sure. I focus on it.
Writing Stylus, Quality: Excellent, Type: Writing Implement
A stylus made of a metal that leaves marks on paper
Perception Check Failed
I didn’t know metal could be used to write with.
I do a count, that’s sixteen items.
If I don’t want the extra hides, I don’t have to worry about leaving anything behind. That can be used by someone back home. I’m keeping the firestarter. The rope? I don’t need it to leave anymore, but we can also use that.grappling hooks? Pitons? The bedroll? I can carry that one to use tonight and leave it here.
The bedroll it is.
And of course, I was so focussed on the pouch; I forgot I have a slot left in my own inventory. I could free two in the pouch by putting the hides there, but it’s not like I need more space right now.
At least now I don’t have to leave the bedroll behind.
I look at the skeleton as I stand. “I’m going to send someone to bury you when I get home.” There were things people did for the dead before the system, along with burying them. Some people say there used to be a god, and that’s why they had to perform the ceremonies. A few of them claim he’s still around. There’s the occasional argument by the bars when some force them to explain how that works with the system around.
Grandpa Louis never believed in that, and Dad… Dad says that if there was a god, Mom would still be alive. I miss her, but the only ‘higher power’ I know of is the system. And I know better than think it cares about us one way or another.
“That’s for… everything, I guess.” I go to the stairs and pause. Nothing in my inventory adds weight, but the armor and sword? The stairs don’t look any sturdier from down here, but the wall next to them is nice and flat.
Okay, so how does this work?
Momentum, ranks: 1
So long as you are running and maintain 2 points of contact on a surface, you can continue to move even if the surface is not horizontal. Maximum angle from horizontal where the ability can be used: 135 Degrees.
Cost: 10 Stamina per second
Two points of contact. That’d be my feet. At ten stamina per second, that twenty-one if I was fully rested, but I have plenty to make it up there.
The running part… Well, won’t know without trying.
I back away, then all the way to the rail. I glance at Aaron. “With the grappling hooks, I’m guessing you have no advice to offer on how to make sure this works.” I take off.
I put a foot on the wall, then reflexively put a hand because I can’t shake the feeling I’m going to fall if I don’t hold on. My other foot is on the wall and I pause, stunned that they’re sticking there.
Then I slid on the floor and lose my balance.
I laugh as my stamina bar fades away with the sliver this cost me.
“It’s going to work better if I keep moving, right Aaron?”
Up I go, and back to the rail.
“Okay, no stopping this time.”
I’m off. I reach the wall, put my foot on it and again my hand goes for the wall. My other foot is on the wall and I keep moving. I’ll be amazed this is letting me run up a wall once I’m on the other floor.
With a curse, I’m tumbling as my foot catches on my ankle. I turn and my back hits the metal stairs. My health flashes, but I can’t seen the loss, so it’s insignificant. The stairs didn’t break, so looks like they can support my weight after all.
I stand, stretch and don’t feel and soreness, and it’s back to the railing.
“No.” I look at Aaron. “I’m going to get this.” I take a few breaths, and off I go.
Foot on the wall, hand there too, because I still feel like I’m going to fall without it, not that it helped the previous time. Don’t pay attention to the fact I’m sticking to the wall, pay attention to my foot, raising it higher, over my other ankle and on the wall. Don’t get distracted and do it again, and again and again and—crash on the floor when the wall runs out.
I roll on my back laughing and fist pump. “Take that, Rich!”
Then I notice I’m not in the dark again.
Frowning, I stand. This is a little brighter than the chemical light, and more sun-like, instead of green, and my shadow shifts, but more than just me mimicking my motions. I turn to see where the light comes from, and my shadow stays behind me.
“What, the…” what’s in front of me that’s staying in front of me? The front of the armor. I touch it to feel if there’s something… before I can work out what I might feel that creates light, my shadow shifts as my hands move.
As my right hand moves.
I look at the glove and there’s nothing there that looks different from the left one. I wave my hand before me and the shadow responds.
I focus on the close. Maybe it’s—
Leather Glove, Quality: Good, Type: Armor, hand
A well-made piece of leather armor
Perception Check Failed
If this was magical, it would say, just like the sword, so how is it…. I take the glove off and expose the ring. I’d transferred everything it was wearing directly without thinking about it. There was nothing that conflicted, since armor goes over clothing, and I don’t wear a ring, so I didn’t think about that either.
Ring of Illumination, Quality: Normal, Type: Jewelry, Enchanted
A plain ring enchanted to create a bubble of soft light in a 1.5 meter radius
Perception Check Failed
That’s going to be useful to move about and find a place to sleep for the rest of the night.
I retrace my steps to the first intersection and… I have no idea which direction I came from. The only advantage is to going back that way is that I know where there’s a crack in the ceiling with a wall that goes right up to it.
Now, I’m going to have to find another one.
I yawn.
But first, I need to sleep.