System Change

Chapter 33: The Next Day

Derek opened his eyes and looked around the small room. He stood up and stretched, letting out a deep breath in the process. He checked the system for the time. They should be awake. Might as well go get this meeting business over with early. With that, Derek opened the door and headed to the bar.

Bart was wiping the bar down with a rag, and there was a young woman setting the tables and moving the chairs into their positions. Derek walked over to Bart. Bart looked up. “You wouldn’t by any chance have coffee would you?” Derek asked.

Bart looked at him questioningly. “Coffee? Never heard of it.” He answered.

“Damn, figures. You got any boiling water?” Derek asked.

“Of course.” Bart walked to the back and brought back a steaming kettle-like pot. He sat it on a cloth on top of the bar.

Derek let out a sigh. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” He muttered. Then, he brought out a small pan and a coffee canister from his bracelet. He poured the water into the pan and scooped some coffee grains into it. He immediately covered the pot with a lid. He had made coffee many times like this while camping back on Earth. It was not the best or cleanest way to make coffee, but it got the job done.

While he was doing all of this, Bart was staring at him with confusion in his eyes. Derek laughed. “Got a couple cups?” He asked. Bart nodded and walked to the back again, bringing out what looked like a bigger version of a teacup.

While waiting, Derek decided to ask Bart a couple of questions. “So, what are people saying about me?”

Bart looked up from the pot. “Mostly nice things. I think I’m the first local that’s met ya. It’s mostly the villagers you brought in that talk about ya. How you saved them and brought them here.”

I guess Leon or the others haven’t said anything about the Void Beast yet. I guess that’s good. “The only person I really saved was Leon. I think Marshall would have ended up besting the wolf that attacked them, and they probably could have made it here without much danger.” Derek explained.

“Did you really give a little girl a bunch of high-level hides?” Bart asked.

“I mean, I gave her hides, but they aren’t really high level. The highest was around 70.”

“Ha. Level 70 and not a high level.” Bart scoffed. “A level 70 could become a silver ranked adventurer at the Adventurer’s Guild in the city. We’ll be lucky to get a couple level 70s for this dungeon problem in the forest.”

“Oh? You know about the dungeon?” Derek was surprised. He had thought that Rayna and the others would keep quiet about it until they knew for sure.

“I know about it. And few others outside of Chief Rayna and Richard know about it, including you. That’s all, though. I guess you could consider me an elder of this place.” Bart answered.

Well, if some level 70s go to the dungeon, I guess there will be fewer adventurers in this Adventurer’s Guild. Derek checked the pot. “Look like it’s ready.” He took a ladle out of his bracelet and filled the two cups. “I guess this is your first cup of coffee. I like it black, but a lot of people prefer it with sugar and milk.” Derek explained to Bart.

“Not much of a sweets person myself.” Bart answered and picked up the cup. He took a sip and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes and nodded. “Now that’s some good stuff. Better than any tea I’ve had.”

“Yup, I’ve never been a big fan of hot tea. Unfortunately, I only have a couple cans left.” Derek shook his head. “I wish I had some seeds to grow the plants. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a long time before I go back home.” Derek muttered the last part.

“Where’s home?” Bart must have heard Derek.

Derek shook his head. “Where indeed?” He said.

Derek finished his cup of coffee and poured another. He drank the second cup quickly. “You have something to pour the rest in?” He motioned to the pot.

“You can just put the rest in the kettle. I’ll have Sam clean it out later. You sure ya wanna leave the rest?” Bart asked.

“Yup, enjoy. I got to get to the chief’s. Tell her where the dungeon is.” Derek answered. He figured that since Bart knew about what they had discussed last month, there was no need to keep quiet about the dungeon.

“Oh, you found it?” Bart finished pouring the coffee out.

Derek took his pot and ladle back. “Yup, it’s probably going to be a pain in the ass for the city to maintain.” He stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll probably be back tonight. Maybe I’ll try some of your finest alcohol.”

Bart grunted. “I got ale, and there ain’t nothing fine about it, but you’re free to try it.” Bart said as Derek walked out the door.

***

Derek walked to the same residence where he had met with Rayna and the others before. He had waited a while at the bar with Bart just to give them some extra time. He walked to the door and knocked.

After a few seconds, the door was pulled open. It was Richard. “Ah, Derek, welcome. Come in.” He spoke. As the two walked, he continued. “Thomas will not stop talking about getting three skill points from that Award. He told me you had him invest in Meditation and Identify?”

Derek smiled. “Of course, those are two of the most crucial General Skills one can get. I’m sure Leon told you about my Meditation skill, right?”

They reached the table, where Rayna was already sitting. “Please, have a seat.” Rayna spoke. The two sat.

Richard continued their conversation. “He did. It’s still hard to believe that a skill can upgrade, at least I’ve never heard of it. I’m sure some of the nobles have, but nobles have a way of keeping secrets.” He spat the last part out.

“Oh, that’s the same tone Thomas has when he talks about nobles.” Derek smiled. He saw Richard's eyes widen. “Don’t worry. I told Thomas when we met, I am not a noble.” He watched Richard let out a breath. “But yes, my Meditation skill can recover my health, mana, and stamina in minutes. If one is serious about surviving as an adventurer, using Meditation and Identify every chance you get is a must.”

Derek stopped, then continued. “In fact, yesterday was the first time I’ve slept in months. Get Meditation high enough and it leaves you more refreshed than a good night’s sleep. As for Identify.” He looked at Rayna. “I’m sure you know that if the skill is high enough, it will block others from using it on you.” Rayna’s face contorted a bit. “Yeah, I know the look people get when they use the skill and it doesn’t work.” Derek smiled. “You probably know, but people are more of a danger than any beast. Having Identify leveled can help keep the trash from trying something.”

Derek watched as both of them put on a sad expression. “I’m guessing neither of you thought Meditation was worth the point?” He asked.

Rayna nodded. “Yes. Now I wonder if it will still be worth getting it.”

“Sure it will, just use it every chance you get. Losing all your senses is disturbing at the beginning, but you start getting them back as it levels. Just have someone nearby to break you out of the trance when needed.” Derek explained.

“Now, is this it? Should I begin?” He asked.

Richard answered. “Leon should be here soon. Let’s wait for him.”

Derek nodded, then decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a while. “Rayna, why are you not at a higher level? You’re what, level 31? There are tons of level 25 or so creatures around the outside of the forest right now. I don’t know what class you have, whether it’s common or epic, but anyway you look at it, you could have gotten like 5 levels easy in the month I was gone. From what I know, you could get a level just by killing 20 or so monsters at that level.” Derek was judging this based on the kills he had gotten in Leon’s village.

Rayna was silent, she looked like she was in deep thought. Finally, she answered. “My class is Tempest Blade. It is a rare class, so it takes quite a bit longer to level than others. Until recently, the creatures at the edge of the forest would barely even give me experience if I killed them. My blade has seen better days too.” She motioned to a broken sword in the corner of the room. “The swords made in the village don’t last long against higher leveled creatures, especially when I channel the wind through them. Trust me, I do want to try to level, but I am the chief of the village, and the information you brought has left me wanting for time.” She said.

“I don’t know. You can’t really do anything about it. You have to wait for that guy to deliver the message in the city. You might as well go level, nothing under level 30 should be much of a challenge.” Derek paused. “You said wind? So you can use magic?”

“Uh, yes?” She said quizzically.

Derek pulled a sword out of his bracelet. He had kept an arsenal with him at all times. Mostly coming from the invaders he had slain. If the weapon looked good, he would take it. In fact, the reason his bracelet was always nearing full capacity was because of all the weapons he had. He even had a couple spare glaives, though not nearly as good as his custom one.

The sword was not as good as his glaive or many of his daggers, but it was made out of the same black-steel as his glaive, which meant that it was durable enough to channel magic through without damage. Derek spoke. “I’m planning on doing a little training with Thomas for the next couple days. This is yours if you come train with us. Your skill will be very important to me.”

Rayna finally picked her jaw up off the ground. She reached and gripped the hilt of the sword. “Really, just come train with you and I can have it?” She asked.

“Yup, it’s yours. Also, if you have any spare skill points, you should buy Meditation. You'll need it for training.” He said mysteriously. Seeing her eyes still on the sword, he spoke again. “You can go ahead and take it.” He gestured for her to take the sword. “And, you will probably benefit from this training too.”

She hurriedly picked up the sword and ran to the corner where she took the sheath from her old sword. The new sword fit almost perfectly. She strapped it to her waist and answered Derek. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

About that time, the front door opened and closed. Soon, Leon walked into the room. Richard spoke. “Alright, let’s get this meeting started.”