Chapter Thirty-Seven — Let me Level With You
I hummed as I picked berries as quickly as I could, plucking them off the branches and placing them on a cloth I had spread out on the mossy ground. When I had collected a whole bunch I knotted up the cloth into a sort of baggy and tied a neat bow at the top.CloudberriesThese berries grow on tough bushes that are quite common across most marshy areas and bogs. They are a delicacy in certain northern territories. Hard to cultivate in an artificial environment. They require a few specific temperature ranges and a precise acidity level in the ground to grow. The bushes will often create foggy clouds around them that might disguise their presence.The berries are edible by most humanoids and are quite tasty if fresh. They don’t keep for long. The berry’s juice has a very weak lightening effect that makes the eater weigh less. This can be heightened with a few alchemical processes. It’s also one of the main ingredients in cloud tinctures and smokescreen vials.The only thing better than yummy berries were magic yummy berries.I hopped on the spot a few times but didn’t feel any lighter. Maybe it took some time for the magic to settle in? Whatever. I was happy for the snack already.Bending down, I picked up my baggy of berries, then gave the bush a pat. “Thank you,” I said.Congratulations! Through repeated actions your Gardening skill has improved and is now eligible for rank up!Rank D is a free rank“Oh, sweet!” I said.Bing Bong! Congratulations, your Cinnamon Bun class has reached level 6!Health + 5Resilience +5You have gained: One Class PointYou have unlocked: One Class Skill Slot... Eh?I ran back to camp to find everyone sitting around the campfire, all of them looking to be in a good mood. Milread was skinning a rabbit while Noemi stirred a pot full of something that smelled scrumptious.“Guys!” I said as I ran over, then paused to pant and catch my breath. “Guys, I levelled up!”The three of them paused, then Severin nodded. “Congratulations.”“No,” I said. “I mean, I just levelled up, like that. I didn’t kill anything.”“That’s great?” Milread said. She sounded a bit confused. Which was good because I was very confused.“I just got a rank up in my gardening skill, for picking some berries. Um, I found some cloudberries, by the way. And then I got a level up. How?”Severin and Milread looked at each other while Noemi kept stirring the pot. “That’s how levels work,” Milread said.“But every level I got so far was from combat with stuff,” I said.She perked one eyebrow at that. “That’s unusual for a non-combat class. Most of the time you’ll level up from doing things in line with your class. I’m a Sword Sweeper. I get levels from fighting and practicing with a sword. But if I were a Baker I’d get levels from baking.”Severin shook his head. “You could get levels from baking wiz your current class as well. It would just take an order of magnitude more work zen usual. You said you received a rank up, Broccoli?” he asked.“With Gardening, yeah,” I said.“Well, zere you go. Zat pushed you past ze experience you needed to level. Didn’t anyone teach you zis before?”“No,” I said. “I thought that I would need to fight for every level.” I found a spot to sit down next to the fire and placed the berries close to Noemi. Then I handed her a little bundle of fresh parsley that I had gathered earlier. My book didn’t have much on it other than its use as a cooking spice, which was enough for me.Noemi hummed as she sniffed the herbs then tossed a sprig or two into the stew. The berry bag she opened and then re-tied. I supposed that berries didn’t fit in with the current lunch.I shook my head and refocused. The surprise at levelling had robbed me of the chance to bask in the glow of levelling up. The pleasant tingles were still coursing through me, but they were faint now.So, I could level up from things outside of combat. Did that mean that I could just sit back, find some cleaning work and maybe tend to a small garden and just live a happy, quiet life? I did want that. A nice little house with a pretty garden full of flowers. Two kids and a loving husband and a big dog and a couple of cats.That had been my dream once. But now, in this world, my sights had changed a little. The thought didn’t appeal as much as it had just a few weeks ago.Now I wanted... I didn’t know. Not yet.Well, I did want an airship.A big one.With a garden on it. And a house. And a little park area for my dog and my cat and my two kids. My husband and I could both rock tricorns.Friends first, new dreams second.Lunch passed in no time at all. Noemi gave us all a big portion of meaty stew and some hardtack that became a lot more palatable once dipped in the hot greasy juices, and then Milread passed around a skin with what I thought was juice at first but discovered, with much sputtering, was actually strong wine.And then we were off again, the wagon loaded back up and bumping off while everyone took turns nibbling at a quickly dwindling supply of cloudberries.“These are worth a fortune back home,” Milread said as she stuffed a handful of berries into her mouth. “There’s this whole thing about being as thin and light as you can be. I love my sister harpies, but by the world can some of them ever be vain.”“Are non-harpies allowed in harpy lands?” I asked. It was a bit off-topic, but I was really curious. If the best airships were harpy-made (according to Milread the harpy, there might be some bias there, just like how I believed that the best maple syrup was from home), then it made sense to learn all about them as soon as I could.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.“Of course,” Milread said. “Unless you’re a Sylph. Not that there are any laws against being a twinkly little faerie, it’s just, well, they don’t get the warmest welcome.”I looked at Severin, the question obvious in my eyes. He sighed. “Ze Sylphs and ze Harpies have been at each ozer’s throats for two generations now. Zey compete over land and territory and dungeons. It’s quite a spectacle.”“What about Deepmarsh, do they have enemies?” I asked.“The Trenten people,” Severin said with a growing scowl. “Zey pushed into our territory some time ago before zey were repelled. Ze tensions between us and zem have been strong ever since.”“Oh no,” I said. I didn’t want to get caught up in some big war. “I hope that things get mended.”Severin snorted. “Don’t concern yourself over it. Your time would be better spent practicing your magic.”“That’s not a bad idea,” I said. “I have an open skill slot now. I could get something magic related to fill it!”I got back to forming magical blobs of cleaning magic in my hand then watching them deform and break apart when my control slipped. It was a bit of a pain in the butt, but I figured I was going to get the hang of it one day.Time moved on, seconds counted by the steady clip-clop of Missy’s hooves across the road. We crossed a couple of forks in the path and then we rode past first a hut, then a couple of little cottages, and finally little farmsteads along the sides of the roads.There were big areas cleared of trees and with planks running over the ground where rice was growing and some spots that looked drier with barley stalks waving in the wind. We even crossed a few fenced off areas with big cows and bulls. Then an entire field filled with cockroaches the size of greyhounds (the dogs) and beetles the size of greyhounds (the buses).There were big muddy pillars with a few grenoil in overalls and strawhats walking around them with shovels. They were patting the sides of the pillars while another group were tapping a spigot into the side of one of the muddy towers.A termite farm.“Oh, eww,” I said before snapping my attention back to working on my magic. If I didn’t think about where the food I was going to eat came from then it couldn’t hurt me.When I next looked up, it was to see that the sky was starting to turn orange. There were plenty of lights on the horizon though, both from Port Royal above and from a tiny village that was coming up ahead.“Bottom’s Rest,” Milread said, probably for my benefit since I was the only one that had never been to Port Royal before. “That’s where we’re stopping for the night. If you guys want to split, this is the place. I’m only heading up the mountain in the morning. Missy needs a rest before trying that climb.”“Zen I think it’s where we’ll part ways,” Severin said. “It was an enjoyable ride.”“Hmm,” Noemi said.I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess it was. A tiny adventure. Um, Severin, I never did cast fireball, but you taught me a bunch, do you... well.”“Keep your silver,” Severin said. “You’ll need it more zan I will, I have no doubt.”“Thank you!” I said. “If we ever meet again, I’ll be sure to show you how good I’ve become at magic, alright?”He croaked in what I thought was delight. “We shall see.”Missy pulled the wagon up to the large wooden gates of the little village and got in line behind a few farmers and a single fancier carriage. Each vehicle was inspected in turn, but it was a quick affair, more of a formality than anything.Milread pulled out some documents that showed that she was a courier and the guards, after looking at it for a while, let us pass without trouble.Bottoms Rest was a small village, maybe twice the size of Threewells but with a lot more shops and a bigger inn. That’s where Milread led the wagon with Noemi’s help and stopped before the stone building. “This is it,” the harpy said.I hesitated a little before jumping off the wagon and looking around. The town was fairly quiet, though there was a murmur of conversation from within the inn. It made sense, what with the sun just about to set.I spun around when Milread tapped me on the shoulder. “You be safe, alright, kid?” she asked.Smiling, I stepped up to the taller harpy woman and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for the ride,” I said.She squawked in protest and shoved me off with a ruffle of feathers. “None of that, brat. I’m not the hugging sort. Go try with Severin. We’ll see us when our paths next cross, world willing.”I smiled to keep the melancholy away and found Severin climbing out the back of the wagon. He was in the perfect position to hug as he came down. “Bye Severin,” I said. “You were a great teacher.”To my surprise he returned the hug with a good pat on the back. “Of course I was. Anyone would be a good teacher to someone so poorly educated as you.” He laughed. “If you’re heading up, zen you’ll want to follow me a little more. I’m taking ze carts up.”“Oh,” I said. I didn't know that there were carts leading to the top, but it made sense.Then it was time to say bye to Noemi.“Hey,” I said. “Um. I’m sorry if I came on a little strong. I just wanted to be friends. But I’m glad we got to meet anyway.”“Sometimes people don’t want friends,” she said.“Isn’t that when you need a friend the most?” I asked. I gave her a quick hug, then backed away. “I hope we meet again someday,” I said.Then it was time to be off. I had an entire city to explore!
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Chapter Thirty-Eight — Port Royal
I had two choices on how to reach Port Royal. Three, really. I could walk all the way up the switchback path, I could pay three copper to ride in a carriage pulled by a team of oxen with other passengers and some cargo, or I could pay a silver, the equivalent of half a day’s work for a normal person, to ride in a cable car that travelled up some towers and all the way up to the city proper.I pressed my face against the glass off the cable car to take in as much of Port Royal as I could while I approached. The city was built on three large plateaus, each one ending at a sheer cliff face with a small wall all around it.The city itself was a sea of red roofs sprinkled with the occasional bronze or blue or green. Off to the East were a series of five big towers that stuck out of the mountain side and cast long shadows across the port. And, barely visible on the west side, was the actual port. It overlooked a large chasm, bridges spanning the gap with ropes dangling down to the airships docked below.That was going to be the third place I would visit. First Juliette’s husband’s inn, then the Exploration Guild’s headquarters, then the airship docks so that I could gawk at all the pretty flying ships.The cable car stopped with a clunk and the young grenoil manning the controls opened the door and doffed his big floppy hat. “We’ve arrived, ladies and gents,” he said.I was one of the first off, backpack bouncing behind me as I landed on the cable car’s platform. We had stopped above a little staging area next to the main gates. There looked to be places where lines of people would wait during the day to be let into the city, but-late as it was getting-those were all empty and only a few guards stood around attentively waiting for the next person to climb the hill.“Thanks for the ride!” I called over my shoulder as I skipped over to the huge gates.“Hello ma’am,” the nearest guard said. “First time in Port Royal?”“It is!” I said.He nodded his helmeted head. “Welcome to Port Royal. I’m going to Inspect you and your items, after which, if you’re not carrying anything suspect, you’ll be allowed to enter. Do you understand?”“I do,” I said.His eyes glowed in the depths of his helmet and they twitched to my backpack, then up and down my body. I felt like I had just been x-rayed or something and had to resist the urge to cross my arms over my chest.“You’re good to go. Welcome to Port Royal.”Smiling, I passed first the guards, then the gates, before coming to a stop.The area right after the entrance was an open plaza. A little fountain standing in the middle of a square lined with shops and homes, not one of them less than two stories tall. Lanterns hung on poles alongside the streets, giving everything a cheery golden glow.People of all sorts walked around or chatted. Some were packing up stalls with blue cloth roofs while others sat next to the fountain and enjoyed the evening air. Most, I noticed right away, were grenoil, but there were a few harpies and some sylphs and even a couple of humans.I grinned as I started walking deeper into the city. That’s when the scent hit me. Or rather, the stench. There had to be an open sewer somewhere because the place smelled like poop.It still wasn't as bad as a rotting Dunwich abomination, though.Someone laughed from behind me and I turned to see a guard that was a good foot shorter than me standing next to one by the gates. “Always fun to see country folk take in the Port Royal air,” he said.“Does it always smell so... like this?” I asked.He nodded. “It’s the steam vents, mostly. Smells worse in the Scumway, not that you look the sort to go venturing down there. I’m told it’s the sulphur in the ground or some such.”“Right,” I said. “Um, I need to get to the inn by the east gate. Do you know where that is?”“East gate? That’s to the East.” He pointed to his right and down one of the roads. “That way, then you take a right onto Tripping Lane and up to Central. That cuts through the city West to East. Can’t miss the gate from there.”“That way, Tripping Lane, Central. Got it!” I said. “Why’s it called Tripping Lane?”The guard shrugged. “Heard the earth mage who made the road was off his rocker on Mattergrove wine. The entire road was bumpy and every step on the side paths was different to the next. Some noble tripped and broke his nose. They’ve fixed it after that, no worries.”“Okay, neat! Thank you guard person!” I waved over my shoulder as I started towards the inn. The roads were very tight, much more so than anything back home. It was obvious that they hadn’t planned around cars and the like. But I could see lines criss crossing above and even the occasional cable car whizzing by so maybe they didn’t need to worry about that.The cable cars weren’t the only unexpected thing. There were pipes all over. Some gurgling with water, others smoking as hot steam rattled through them. The few people out and about who had stopped to chat had to scream over the constant clanking of pipes and the occasional shrill whistle.The houses, and I only guessed that because plenty of them had clothes out to hang and candlelight flickering within, were all pressed together with hardly any room between them, it made navigating the steep road like walking through a narrow chasm.I did enjoy the architecture though. The homes all had stone walls on their first floors and everything above that was covered in wooden planks. The roofs had shiny red tiles that gleamed in the orange light of the evening and more than one home was freshly painted in blues and yellows and turquoise.I almost missed Tripping Lane because of how my head was on a swivel to take in as much as I could. The road was, disappointingly, pretty normal, though there were a few pubs with some rowdy customers at both ends.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Central was much wider than any of the other roads I’d been on, with a patch of greenery down the middle and enough space that the people walking about had plenty of room around them. I shifted to the middle of the road, looked both ways, then started heading eastward and towards a large gate some hundred meters away. All the buildings along the street were either shops with big windows showing off their goods or very pretty homes with little fences and tiny gardens out front.A low rumble from above had me craning my neck up and then gasping as an airship flew past so close that I could make out the individual planks of its hull. Brackish, blue-grey smoke poured out of a pair of engines in two nacelles at its sides as the ship veered around in the air and aimed towards the docks.“This place is awesome,” I muttered.The East Gate was manned, just like the front gate, and I could see that the homes and businesses on its other side were far nicer than those I had passed so far, with actual lots around them and lamps that weren’t quite so far apart.“Hello ma’am,” one of the guards at the gate said. “Do you have business on the East side?”“I think so,” I said. “I’m looking for an inn. The owner is called Julien. I have a letter for him.”“Courier's guild?” he asked.I shook my head. “Exploration, but not yet, I’m just delivering the letter for a friend.”He looked me up and down, then fixated on Orange who had poked her head out of my bandoleer to look around.“Right, go on in,” he said. “Third building to your right, you can’t miss it.”“Thank you!” I said as I shot past him and skipped along the road until I came to the front of a building that couldn’t be anything but an inn. It had a huge front, with three stories topped by a steep bronze-coloured roof with a couple of chimneys poking out the top. A glance through the checkered windows revealed a bunch of people sitting at round tables and finishing up their evening meals.A sign hung over the door. Rock Inn and Roll Inn.I walked in with a snort at the name only to be assaulted by a barrage of fresh scents. I had forgotten how bad Port Royal smelled over the course of my short walk. The Inn, in complete contrast to it, smelled heavenly. There had to be some magic keeping the nasty smells away.“May I help you?” a young grenoil girl asked as she watched me just breathe in through my nose to commit the smells to memory.I shook myself to refocus and fired a small burst of cleaning magic at my clothes. I wanted them to smell like the inn, not the sewers outside. “Yes, yes you can!” I said. “I’m looking for Julien.”“Julien? He’s at ze counter,” she said as she half-turned to point.There were two grenoil behind the bar, one was far too young, and too female, to be Juliette’s husband. The other was a big fat frog, the biggest I had ever seen, with a blindingly white apron around his tummy that was straining under his girth and a smile so huge it could have swallowed me whole.He was talking to a customer that looked to be on his way out, picking a hat off of a rack built into the end of the bar to hand it over to the client who left with a wave over his shoulder.I stepped aside to let the man pass, then walked over to the bar. “Hello, sir,” I said as I moved over to the bar. “May I sit?”He blinked big froggy eyes at me and gestured. “Sit away! Zere’s always a free seat at my bar!”I plopped myself down, removed my hat, and with a deft flick, completely missed the hat rack on the corner and sent my hat flying down a hall that, I suspect, led to the washrooms.“Oh no!”Ding! For doing a Special Action in line with your Class, you have unlocked the skill: Cute!I froze.No. No! Cute wasn’t a skill, and I wasn’t cute. I was attractive and pretty but not cute.“Are you okay lass?” Julien asked.“I-I ah, ah, I... shucks,” I said. I could freak out about it later. Instead, I pulled out Julien’s letter and handed it over to him. “This is for you.”He looked at the letter, then his eyes widened and his smile grew tenfold as he saw the seal atop it. “From my dearest Juliette!”“Yeah, she, she wanted me to deliver that to you,” I said. I absently pulled a silver coin from one of the pouches of my bandoleer and set it on the counter. “If you have a moment, I’d like a meal too. I need to... to drown my sorrows in delicious food.”“Ah, keep your coin girl. Juliette would have my head if I treated someone who did a favour for her wrong,” he said before popping the seal and unfolding the letter. He moved back and cackled as he read, a sound that had a few of his staff shivering in what I suspected was horror. “She called me an oaf!” he said with glee.My eyes met those of the barmaid and she shook her head. “I’ll get you some supper,” she said.I nodded and then let my head thunk onto the counter. Cute. Cute. I wanted Fireball. Or... or literally anything else.Ding! Two of your current skills are eligible for Merging: Cute, Friendmaking.“Merging?” I asked Mister Menu, a kernel of hope flickering to life in my chest.Merging skills will reset merged skill to the lowest rank. All skill and general points will be refunded. You may pick which slot the new skill will occupy as long as there is an available slot and the new skill matches class requirements.That sounded... brilliant! I liked Friendmaking, it had potential, but Cute didn’t, and it would mean maybe freeing up another skill slot for something better down the line!There was literally no way for this to go wrong!Do you wish to Merge Cute and Friendmaking to unlock the Seduction skill?
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