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Chapter 112: Khajiit has Skill Stones if you have coin
🕑 Added 2023-03-18 02:19:03 +0000 UTCDrake sat up, a beam of light from the crack in his tent’s entrance alerting him to sunrise.
It had been the first time in weeks he had decided to sleep through the night, and it was well worth it. He finally felt refreshed, and considerably so.
Drake raised his arms, looking curiously at his replaced right arm for the umpteenth time a smile on his face as he flexed his fingers, not having to manipulate them any longer to do the gesture.
“Good to have you back Sarah,” Drake joked.
“Did you really name your right hand Sarah?” Natto said, rising from the adjacent bed, rubbing her eyes to remove her grogginess.
“Don't disrespect my ex-girlfriend like that. We may have broken up but she treated me very well I’ll have you know,” Drake continued sarcastically.
“I am assuming this is some kind of joke or reference. And I certainly feel like I do not wish to understand it,” Natto answered with her face going even.
“It certainly is,” Drake laughed, “But now to start the day! Lot’s to do, many people to beat the shit out of!”
“What about food?” Natto asked expectantly.
“Yes, food too. I got a lot of good stuff left over, and I have a feeling I can get a bunch of new stuff from Shigure’s camp today if I can get some people to trade with,” Drake said, feeling someone move outside his tent suddenly.
Raising his brow he got up and began to move to the front of the tent, Natto hopping onto his shoulder and merging with him once again, his hand moving the tent entrance as a flood of the morning sun bloomed into the room, momentarily blinding him.
Blinking a few times he saw the hulking figure of a familiar walking mountain as it waved at him, holding a meat skewer.
“Rise and shine bro, thought you would never wake up,” Bjorn grunted through a mouth full of boar meat.
“Why are you here so early in the morning? Don’t you have like Shigure camp things to do?” Drake said, scoffing.
“He certainly does, but I can not get him to stay and do them since you are here now,” a shorter black haired teen said from his side.
“Oh you’re here too? It’s just a party now, or should I say a trial? You aren’t going to try to kick me off your lawn now are you Shigure? And shouldn’t you be doing camp leader stuff too?” Drake said exacerbated.
Shigure coughed, but answered nonetheless.
“I am taking a day for recuperation. I also had some things to discuss with you,” he said in an even tone.
“Kid wants to fight again. He’s all twisted up about losing that hard bro,” Bjorn chuckled.
Drake smirked.
“Well he’s going to have to take a rain check. I have some things to do, namely breakfast before a certain someone stabs me.”
“Is food awake yet…?” a dazed voice called out, a hand moving to open a tent across from Drake’s.
Stepping out of the tent was a woman in a plain white T, with no pants, her hair a mess, and her cracked glasses slanted in a very weird way.
“Sherry…. What have we told you about walking around like that?” Drake said shaking his head, walking to the woman and pushing her back into her tent.
“You said it was hot… What about food?” she answered.
“True, but I also said to stop doing it. I can only take so much visual stimulation….” Drake mumbled before coughing, “I mean i said it’s unlady like. And dress up first and brush your hair okay? Then I’ll have food ready I promise…” Drake sighed.
Bjorn laughed loudly as Shigure turned his gaze downward as his face went crimson.
“You have some real quirky people in your group bro. Where did you pick them up? Also, like the new digs. Are they from the quest completion?” Bjorn asked.
Drake smiled, happy to be in Bjorn’s friendly and casual presence once again. The pressure of being a leader lifted as he felt the man’s unobligated friendship.
“It’s a long story, but the armor and stuff is kind of from it. Do subsequent quests prior to the big one count?” Drake asked, answering Bjorn’s question with another.
“Don’t worry we got a good 90 sum days left bro, I gots time. And suppose it does? Seems like you got a good haul from everything. Mr. Number One.” Bjorn jabbed, finishing off his skewer, “So what exactly are your plans? Anything I can tag along on, I’ve been pretty bored since the tutorial wide quest ended.”
Drake pursed his lips, but quickly took him up on his offer.
“Actually yeah, and that also includes little angst filled super teen here. Do you guys trade for stones? I need some food and possibly some rare stones to fill out some peoples skill trees before I go out again. And I’m also looking for a person, or well people maybe,” Drake answered.
Shigure’s mouth opened to argue but quickly closed as he took in a deep breathe.
“We do trade, but that is only within the camp, so you will have to have Sir Bear or I do it for you. And what type of people may I ask? We do not do that type of thing here,” Shigure answered, his eyes moving to Sherry’s tent.
“Bro please. I don’t need to pay, and I don’t shit where I eat, so I’ve never touched Sherry. If you like her I could tell you how to get to her heart, I’m sure it’s really hard to figure out but i’ll tell you the secret,” Drake leaned in and whispered, “It’s her stomach.”
Bjorn chuckled lightly at their exchanged, his face nearly a permanent smile since Drake arrived.
“So who are you looking for then? Can’t imagine you need anyone in particular for your group, seeing how many members you have now. You have your regular old Uta as well with that mustache guy,” Bjorn said.
“Oh, Theo?” Drake said.
“You called my Lord?” Theodore said, winking into existence.
“Yeah. How ya been Theo? Looks like you’ve picked up some new tricks.”
“This one has been splendid Sir, Bear. Thou has been in good health as well it seems? Thine armor is quite splendid, tis a quest reward?” Theodore asked.
Bjorn slapped his chest hitting the black matted armor.
“Not exactly, grabbed this off one of the Goblin Generals. This baby though?” he said pointing to a purple inlaid ring somehow fitting around his thick sausage like finger on his right hand, “This I got from the tutorial wide quest reward. A real sweet piece to add to my fighting style.”
Drake raised a brow in curiosity.
“Hmmm….Why do I have a feeling that your item is better than the one I got?” Drake voiced, staring at the item.
“Just how it goes bro,” Bjorn laughed.
Drake sighed, knowing Bjorn was completely right, sometimes you just got the short end of the stick.
“Anyway…. I’m looking for basically anyone with formal martial arts training or military training. Also I’d like to trade or help out here if I can with the extra skill stones that I have,” Drake explained, looking over to Shigure.
The teen thought over what Drake wanted for a moment, obviously thinking of several people.
“What are you going to offer in return for these people? And what do you need them for? If you wish to spar we have plenty of people that would like to give you a piece of their mind, myself included,” Shigure said, his hand moving slowly to his sword.
“Look, I know you probably want to reclaim your honor or something, but I just want to learn proper fighting. Like most people I was just a normal guy before the tutorial and I have a lot of gaps in my fighting knowledge. As for what I can give? How about some of this,” Drake said, beginning to empty a fraction of the gear and stones he had accumulated over the past weeks he had been fighting.
Shigure’s eyes went from pretentious to surprise, then to outward shock.
“I knew you had killed many from the final count on the tutorial quest, but this is absurd….” Shigure muttered.
“And there is more where that comes from. Now about those stones I need and those people I want to see?” Drake asked, a smug smile inching its way over his face.
Shigure nodded.
“I have a few people I will ask, but it will be their decision. If you have any alcohol that would be good,”
“Alcohol? Can’t say I’ve come across any… Do you guys have booze?” Drake asked looking over to Bjorn.
Bjorn shook his head.
“I wish I had some. There is one guy in the camp that was a brewer before the tutorial and somehow got a class for it, but he won’t share it with anyone. Damn shame too, I could use a good whiskey…”
“Why would I need the slick and loose for?” Drake asked, turning back to Shigure.
“We have a very… particular person who enjoys alcohol. We have had to stop them several times from strangling the brewer for refusing to sell him it. He is an ample fighter but refuses to do much without receiving the substance,” Shigure sighed, “If we had him fighting regularly we would have been able to do much more during the quest…”
That's interesting. You know anything about making booze Natto? Drake thought.
“I would be able to tell you roughly how to make rice wine, but unfortunately there is no substance here able to replace rice. You are alone in this endeavor this time,” Natto said regretfully.
“I’ll ask about it with everyone later, see if we can’t work something out. Now let's get to eating some food,” Drake said, a head popping out of Sherry’s tent.
“Food?!” she shouted, her hair still having a comb in the tangled mess.
“Yes food, Bottomless Pit Number Two,” Drake sighed, moving past her tent, with Bjorn, Theodore and SHigure in tow.
“Who’s number one?” Shigure asked.
Drake gave Bjorn and Theodore a look, both chuckling.
“Oh you know if you know,” Drake said.
—-------
Drake went from tent to tent, waking up his group for breakfast. Surprisingly most were already awake or hadn’t slept.
Almost all of them had formed the habit from having to stay awake regardless. The endless and random attacks at any time from the goblins over the two weeks had engrained it in them.
“What’s for breakfast? Can we help?” Claire asked, her hair tied to the side of her head in a single side ponytail.
“Is it something new? Stew has been getting a little old..” Chelsea said, her double ponytails tied in front of her in a braid as she leaned over the table Drake had pulled out.
“This time I’m going to try something a little extra,” he said smiling, “I had Hudson make a bit of tinfoil equivalent, so we can make a few cool things now with a bit of slow cooking!” Drake said excitedly.
He began taking out a few ingredients, some white powder that looked like flour, a bit of yellow mix that would replace the yeast as far as he knew from Natto’s explanation. And some eggs that had purple shells that he had looted from one of the Goblin General’s bags.
Quickly mixing and kneading the mixture he plopped 20 evenly split pieces of dough to the side letting them rise.
“Now for the protein,” Drake said, taking out the last of the boar that he had stocked.
Bjorn looked on expectantly, as Shigure looked on in disbelief.
“Is he actually cooking?” Shigure asked whispering to Bjorn.
“Damn straight. Mans might be shit at a bunch of things, but he’s a wonder at cooking,” Bjorn answered.
Drake gave a sarcastic scoff from the table as he sliced the boar into large roast chunks, placing each into a separate pan that stood on top of several firepits.
“That’s some big talk coming from someone who came in seconddddd” Drake said, elongating the word.
Bjorn chuckled, “I’m still the highest level here bro. And don’t forget who lost last time,” he smiled back.
Drake deflated remembering the events after Bjorn had left right after their fight.
“Ugh don’t remind me… I’ll have to tell you about what happened while I had your little debuff,” Drake said, flash searing the pieces of boar meat.
Bjorn winced slightly.
“Oof, yeah sorry about that… Did something bad happen?” he asked, looking at Drake work the pans.
“Oh nothing. You know, people getting tortured, meeting a mortal enemy. Nothing I couldn’t handle with a little spit and elbow grease,” Drake smirked back, taking the now seared pieces of meat off the pans.
Drake then took out pieces of makeshift foil, as he extinguished one of the fires, using his earth magic to move the coals out enough to stay warm but not lit, then placing the roasts into the foils with some deer fat, and whatever veggies he could manage, tightly bundling them together in the wrapped foil.
He then placed the bundles into the coals, erecting a cover of earth above them.
Taking another firepit and doing the same, he then wrapped the fresh dough in foil and placed them inside as well.
Wiping the non-existent sweat from his brow, he turned over to Shigure and the rest of the group looking on eagerly.
“Ok we have about an hour till the bread and meat is done, so how about a little sparring session? It’s why you came along right, Shigure?”
Shigure jerked at the mention of a spar, but his pride wouldn’t let him back down.
“I-if it is what you wish for, I shall abide. Experience is a growing warrior’s most treasured ally,” he said shakily.
“Good! Then let's get to it!”
Both the men moved to a clearing beyond the tent’s as everyone but Sherry looked on.
At the sound to start both instantly moved into action. But Drake was not trying to be flashy this time around and quickly KO’d Shigure, knocking him unconscious.
“Jacqueline! Clean up aisle two!” Drake shouted.
