Chapter 15: Ch. 15: The Reckless Savior

Kate was considering what else to ask about when she heard the seat up front creak. She glanced up just in time to see Yasu turning his head quickly away from her. She felt a little embarrassed, even if the men could only hear her side of the conversation. It must be odd for them to hear her talking about their customs. She'd have to be careful not to let slip any remarks that could be misconstrued as derogatory. She decided to steer the conversation into safer waters.

“How about you explain the monetary system here, Io?”

“Heck, I can do that.” Sethi turned so he was sitting sideways on the bench, rummaging in his pocket. “I think it might be easier to show you, and it seems you don't have any buds on you.”

“Buds?”

It's what they call their coins, Io explained, rising up to observe the lesson.

“Oh!” Suddenly the little Buds: 0 alert in the corner of her inventory made sense.

Sethi drew out a tiny leather bag and dumped its contents into his palm, spreading them around with a long finger. Kate rose up on her knees to see better, clinging to the side of the cart for balance. She was surprised to see not the glint of gold, but some kind of dull red metal instead. The coins were also square rather than circular, and each one had a hole punched in it.

“What is that made of? You don't have gold here?”

Sethi laughed. “I don't have any on me. The few gold coins we have are kept locked up for big purchases for the homestead. Like if we need a new tarras. I won't be needing gold on this trip. First off, some of what we need can be bartered for with our supplies. That's more useful to us out here anyway. These are roses, the more common currency.” He pointed to the smallest of them, only a little bigger than her thumbnail, roughly dime-sized. “Here, take it.”

She picked it up, careful not to drop it. Despite its size, it was heavier than it looked. Engraved on one side was a leaf-like pattern. On the other was what she instinctively recognized as the Giltarian symbol for the number 2. It was her first time seeing something written in the local language, and it was nice to know she would be able to read it as well as speak it.

Sethi pointed. “That's two roses. This slightly bigger one is five.” The five had looping vines instead of leaves on one side. “This one with the stars on it is fifteen, and the biggest one here with the roses is the fifty.”

She picked up the fifty. It was larger than a quarter. “Why do they all have a hole in the middle?”

“Most people string them together, usually like with like. A string of twos roses, another string of fives, and so on. Makes them easier to store and sort, and sometimes when people go shopping in town, they'll wear what they need on a necklace or bracelet under their clothes. Seems an easy way to get robbed to me. Children sent on errands usually carry the buds that way so they don't lose them.”

Kate returned the square coin. “So what comes after buds like this? Do you have paper currency?”

“Paper?” Sethi gave her an incredulous look. “What use is paper? Won't it just get torn or lost easier?”

“Well it's not literally made of paper any more... Never mind.”

“After roses come silver buds. I don't have any of those on me. One silver is equal to a hundred roses. One gold is equal to five silvers. I suppose you'll probably have the chance to earn silver and gold buds in your role as a Hero for dangerous jobs. Especially once you start clearing out those nests.”

“Nests?”

“Your Guardian can explain that to you later.” Sethi dumped the buds back into his little bag and stowed it away in a pocket. “Most common folk rarely have a need for much gold or silver, but I hear the equipment you Heroes need tends to get pricey in the cities.”

This one will explain nests later when it becomes relevant; after you find a party. Given the current system in place, the Heroes are already calling these 'dungeons'.

Ah. That made sense. Nests of dangerous monsters that she would be expected to help clear? Definitely dungeons.

“I don't suppose there were any buds in my missing Beginner's Bag?”

A few, Io admitted regretfully. This one has put in a request for a replacement bag, but there is some contention over that, seeing as you have already been gifted a weapon and a powerful artifact.

“You mean my ring? The one I still haven't had proof of that it even works?” She lifted her hand to stare at the black stone. In the sunlight, she could finally make out the symbol carved on it, if she squinted: a rose with long thorns. “Are roses important to Giltarians or something?”

“To some,” Sethi said before Io could answer. “They're sacred to the goddess Ifriida, so people who worship her like to wear rose patterns and the like. That ring must be a gift from her.”

Kate stored that information away for later. Did she owe a goddess a thank you? “And why are the coins rose-based?”

Sethi opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he saw Io begin bobbing importantly.

Among other things, Ifriida is also considered the goddess of wealth. It was she who gave inspiration for a set currency that was good throughout Giltar. Hundreds of years ago, you might use one currency in one city and a different one fifty miles away. This is much more efficient.

“I see. Thanks, Sethi.”

“Any time.”

She sat back down, twisting the ring on her finger absently. “So I need to do quests or jobs to get these buds, right?”

Correct. You will get paid for finishing quests. You may also keep any treasure or loot you find during your quests, most especially in dungeons.

“Are you going to tell me monsters drop gold like in games?”

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Normally, no, of course not. But it's different for Heroes; the gods reward the culling of monsters.

“So any items or buds that drop from monsters aren't things they happen to be carrying around, they're dropped there by the gods?” Her mouth quirked. “Sounds more plausible than 'I guess this goblin was on its way to the market'. I'm assuming I haven't gotten any from the monsters we've been killing because Gren was doing all the heavy lifting.”

Because you at least participated, this one expected you would get at least a few buds, Io admitted. But perhaps because this isn't a starting area...? Hm. This one is unsure. Perhaps you are right. This one will inquire about it later.

“Speaking of which, how am I supposed to level without a party? I don't think I'm going to be picking up any jobs on the way to Yelkston unless they're harmless fetch quests, but I need to find some way to try and play catch-up. I don't want to finally find the other Heroes and be some level three nobody that they'll have to carry.”

You will find a party, Io said confidently. Once they know what you can do, this one thinks there will be Heroes willing to take you under their wing. Your ability to heal without mana is your biggest selling point. Giltarians may be wary of it, but do not be afraid to brag about it in order to gain a party's acceptance.

“Right.” There was a nudge at her mind. “Crap, I forgot about that.”

What is it?

“I think I got some sort of notification earlier, but I keep forgetting to open it.” She focused on the nudge, and an alert window popped up immediately.

Reputation earned!

+10 to Reputation

You nearly reached past your limits to save Hal Peltin with a dangerous spell,

earning the gratitude of the entire Peltin clan. While in Peltin territory,

Charisma is increased by 2.

New title unlocked: Reckless Savior

Equip? Y/N

Special Achievement earned!

You survived two days in Giltar as a Support class without

the help of any other Heroes despite being thrown into battle

multiple times. +1 to Constitution.

New title unlocked: I Lived, Bitch

Equip? Y/N

Kate laughed. “Whichever god makes up the titles seems to have a sense of humor. If I equip a title, does it show up next to my name for other Heroes to admire?”

Yes. Though you can only display one at a time.

“Rad.” She equipped the first title. The second one amused her more, but the first seemed like it would possibly make her look like a more enticing Support to other Heroes. “I guess you can explain reputation and achievements next.”

“Sorry, it's too weird hearing you have a conversation with yourself,” Yasu suddenly blurted. “Take a break from your education for a bit, Kate. Sethi, give us a story.”

“Oh, fine,” Sethi said, though he didn't sound like he needed much encouraging. “Which one will it be?”

“Tell us about the time your boy tried to have an adventure in the woods last year and nearly got himself eaten by a pack of rabbits.”

“That sounds horrible,” Kate protested, but both brothers were laughing.

“No, tragedy was avoided thanks to Granny Yala being a cantankerous old broad. Here's what happened...”

They spent the next hour or two regaling her with humorous stories, then insisted hearing some of her own. She tried to tell them stories of her own life, and though they were confused by several references, they seemed to find them fascinating.

“You were being educated? I almost feel bad you got sent here,” Sethi mourned. “A good education is expensive and nothing to take for granted. I hope you're able to get back and finish your classes.”

“As do I,” Yasu interrupted. “But it seems further stories will have to wait. The sun will be down in a couple of hours.”

Kate was startled to see that it had indeed started to get darker. It felt later than it probably was with the slowly fading light hidden by the treetops. She felt a strange suspicion. "Io, how long is a day in Giltar? I mean, how many hours?"

Roughly eighteen, though eight of those are technically night. This one believes that is a bit shorter than your own back in your world.

"Uh, yeah. A bit." No wonder everyone seemed to get up at dawn. They had to get everything done in ten hours. For some reason finding out the days were so much shorter made Giltar feel more alien than almost anything else she'd encountered, and she shuddered.

Due to the shorter days, you will notice that there are only two main meals: breakfast and supper. Though it's not unusual to have a small snack somewhere in between.

"This place is so weird," Kate muttered weakly.

“There's a spot not far ahead where we'll stop,” Yasu said over his shoulder. “We'll camp out here so we're protected by the wards for the night, that way we can do most of our travel during daylight tomorrow. It'll take almost two days on the main road to reach Ganstown.”

“So we'll have to camp on the road at least a night? Is that safe?”

Sethi shrugged. “Not as safe as here. But Yasu and I will take turns keeping watch. We'll try to find other travelers to camp with. Safety in numbers. Don't worry, we'll keep quiet about your class.”

About twenty minutes later Yasu pulled Bea to a stop. “Everyone off,” he sang.

“We're just going to camp here in the middle of the path?”

Sethi hopped down and came around to give her a hand out of the cart. She had to grab the hem of her skirt with her free hand and hike it up past her ankles to get down without tripping, making her briefly feel as if she'd been thrown into a Jane Austen novel. She now saw that Sethi's gesture was as helpful as it was gentlemanly. She already missed jeans. “No one will be out here but us,” Sethi said. “And this way we have the wards on either side to keep the creatures away.”

“This part's specifically for stops,” Yasu said, getting down to unhitch Bea. “See how the path's a little wider?” He nodded towards what was obviously the remains of an old campfire right up against one of the warding stones. “Sethi, take your stick and go fetch us some firewood, would you?”

Sethi reached under the seat and pulled out a simple wooden spear. “Right. Won't be long. Kate, if you grab that big bag there you'll find some supplies for tonight.” Humming quietly, Sethi stepped off the safety of the path and began doing a sweep of the area, searching the woods for kindling.

The bag he'd indicated was like a large duffle bag, nearly as long as she was. Kate wrestled it out of the cart and winced when it hit the ground with a thump. Hoping it wasn't full of anything breakable, she hauled it a few feet away and untied the drawstring. She pulled out three thick rolled blankets and spread them out on the ground, then retrieved a small battered cauldron and something wrapped in white cloth that smelled like dried meat.

Sethi returned with the firewood a few minutes later and showed Kate how to start a fire. Yasu took a small knife from his belt and busied himself cutting the strips of dried meat into slivers and dumping them in the pot with what were close enough to onions and potatoes for Kate to mentally label them as such. He uncorked one of several skin canteens and dumped water into the pot before hanging it over the fire on a thick stick Sethi had propped up with two other forked branches.

As they sat by the fire in the falling gloom, Sethi told more amusing stories. When the simple soup was finished, they ate it all between the three of them, passing around a thin flask of cold herbal tea to wash it down.

When they banked the fire and settled down to sleep, they insisted Kate take the blanket in the middle, the safest spot.

“We're all right here, but you should always claim the safest spot,” Yasu said seriously. “I feel I should warn you now, while creatures likely won't be a big threat so close to a main road, there have been rumors of bandits hitting travelers there. We're not close enough to a Hero town to discourage them.”

Kate nodded, trying not to look as nervous as that news made her feel. As she rolled herself up in her blanket, she wondered just how dangerous traveling would be once she parted ways with the brothers.

Once we reach the road, I'm sleeping with my gauntlet on, she told herself. No matter how uncomfortable it is.