Follow along with the audio file!
Mathgar had just realized that his Health and Stamina were pretty low, which didn't really surprise him. He just finished beating the crap out of rocks for the last few hours. He needed to find some way to restore himself to full health (since he didn't exactly have potions at level 1). In the middle of his thought, the innkeeper tapped him on the shoulder, in an attempt to get his attention.
"We still have not rewarded you for saving our town of Khurt. How can we repay your great kindness?"
Hmm, this is a tough choice, thought Mathgar. He hasn't really been playing RR for long, and he has already completed a "quest", if it was even one. He thought it might be good for later if he got fame now.
"Fame. I wish to be known across Versailles." Mathgar resounded. His voice still sounded really ethereal. He liked it, and wondered if he could reciprocate it in real life.
He had played enough games to know that side quests do not offer a huge reward, but Mathgar enjoyed the fame. It might bring him cheaper prices in the area, more quests, so on. He turned around to see the town that he "saved" (because for some reason, he didn't notice that there was a town beyond the field of statues), and the clouds broke, and revealed a bright, colorful little village. He needed to have a look around, before doing anything else.
But, something came to mind. He turned to the cloaked figure. "Was this my purpose? To free this village?"
The man in the cloak replied, mysteriously, "All will be revealed in time, but for now, well done. I will keep an eye on you, and guide you to your destiny." He then disappeared behind the message window.
"The weirdest things to start with." Mathgar checked these new items out.
Wow, Mathgar thought. I just got high-tier loot, but, man, does it have a tall order for the requirements...
He decided to put his stats into INT and WIS for now, seeing as how the spellbook has such a huge requirement for that, bringing them both to 12. Monster stats, here I come, he chuckled to himself. Now, back to the task at hand. He needed to find a job in town to get some cash.
He went to the blacksmith first, since, in real life, Matthew was extremely interested in getting a part-time job over the summer as a blacksmith's apprentice at the renaissance fair. He saw the stocky, bearded man at the forge, hammering away at what looked like an axe.
"Excuse me, are you taking any apprentices?" Mathgar asked politely.
His hammer slammed down as his looked up at Mathgar. "OH, YA'RE THE MAN WHO FREED US! OF COURSE YA CAN BE ME APPRENTICE!" the smith roared. Mathgar had to cover his ears. The smith saw this.
"Oh, sorry, still testing out the ol' vocal chords. Still working like a champ. HAHA!!" He calmed down after this. "Sorry, I haven't introduced meself. I am the blacksmith, Yvondurth, THE MIGHTY!! If ya want, I can take ya on as me apprentice."
"Yes, I accept!" Mathgar cheered, his voice carrying farther than he wanted.
"GREAT! ENTHUSIASM, I LOVE IT! LET'S GET STARTED, SHALL WE?" Yvondurth bellowed.
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The two worked for hours on end, heating, hammering, cooling, hammering, and so on. He learned a lot about how the heating element has big importance on the metal, such as if it is heated in coals, wood, so on. Yvondurth explained that the slag can be reduced by using a medium, such as sand. Mathgar's ears were ringing constantly, from the metal hammering, and Yvondurth's "inside" voice.
After 2 hours of instructions, he got a message:
The health bonus was the best part, at the moment. He was maybe at 145 HP right now, since he burned through a lot of it earlier, punching statues. Hopefully, finding somewhere to restore his health wouldn't be a problem.
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