Maps and Dark Alleys

The sun was low on the horizon when Pete left The Blood Tooth. It was an excellent place to hang out and meet town folks. After Marian left, Pete stayed indoors, drinking all day. He enjoyed the love and attention of Nottingham. Word had traveled fast: a rookie archer had hit three bullseyes in the Champion Trials.

Everyone wanted to buy Rob Huntington a drink. No matter how much liquor the boy consumed, he did not pass out. An advantage of the PERFECT GENE attribute was that it brought high tolerance to substances.

The Sheriff and his entourage had also left for the day's work. Pete stayed long enough to make several dozen friends. In the end, he retired after asking for directions to the local cartography shop.

'It's time to learn some geography,' he thought, walking out of the alehouse, feeling slightly buzzed.

Pete's clothes were soiled with spilled food and ale. He felt a cold coming on and shivered. The air was getting stale and chilly.

[ Perfect Attire Level 1 ]

[ Equipped Heavy Tunic x1 ]

[ Equipped Heavy Breeches x1 ]

A set of clean clothes, more suited to the weather, appeared on him on their own accord.

'Wow! Now that's more like it! So… It seems I never have to worry about purchasing clothes. I can only wonder what other surprises my legendary hero attributes will bring. Especially after I level them up.'

The Bloody Tooth was situated behind the town center. Pete took a sharp left, following the barkeep's directions. He finally reached his destination in ten minutes.

A sign said in bold, 'IDRISI'S MAPS'. The establishment was sandwiched between a shoe store and a library.

The doorbell tinkled as Pete entered the modest shop. It was a dimly lit room with charts, portraits, and maps hanging from the walls. The shelves were filled with rolls and parchments.

A man's head bobbed up from under the desk. "Welcome to Idrisi's maps! How can I help?" the man's bearded face said in a Sicily accent. He was dusting an antique showpiece.

"Hello, I am Rob. I would like a map of Nottingham and its surrounding areas, please."

The old man stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I can provide you with a map of the town. But surely, you know that most of the neighborhood remains unexplored. Adventurers do not risk venturing too far from the main roads."

Pete bit his lip. "Err… right. Just a map of the explored world then."

Idrisi sized up the boy. "Hmm, I have never seen you here before. Are you new in town?"

"Yes…"

"What kind of map do you seek? A map of forests and rivers? A treasure map? A monster-hunting map?"

Pete scratched his head. "Is it possible to have it all in one?"

"Eh, that would cost you five gold coins, boy. I don't have such a detailed map right now. The materials used to publish it are rare. We'll need parchment made from the shadeless tree's bark, ink of the acrylia weed, and binder from the wild vinyl shrub..."

Pete shrugged. "Umm, okay. Could you make one for me? I have gold. I can pay."

Idrisi stared at his purse. "Hmm. I most certainly can. The charge will be double, and I need the gold upfront," he said, wringing his hands. "Traveling to the royal forests for materials is dangerous, you see?"

Pete placed his hands on his waist. "Are you trying to exploit me because I am new to Nottingham? I must tell you I have the Sheriff's favor, and Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a friend."

Idris's face turned pale, but it immediately reverted to a toothless, apologetic smile. "Oh, why did you not mention that first, young man? Alright. Well... Let's see... Well… My final offer is six gold on receipt of the product. Does that sound good?"

Pete snapped his fingers. "That's more like it. I will give you one extra gold if you teach me interpretation and navigation of the map."

Idrisi went forward and shook Pete's hand. "We have a deal! Come back any day starting tomorrow. And don't forget to bring your adventurer seal along."

"Adventurer seal?"

"Well, yeah, every registered adventurer has one. Don't you? Are you an adventurer or a commoner?"

"Umm… I am technically not an adventurer yet. However, tomorrow I will register at the guild."

Idris nodded his head. "Well, then come back with your seal any time. Merchants are not allowed to sell monster-hunting goods to non-adventurers. The Sheriff will lock me up if I do."

Pete sighed and shrugged. "That makes sense. I'll see you soon."

The boy left Idrisi's shop after asking for directions to a good inn. He had to stay the night somewhere and plan his next day out. He wanted to take things slow and steady.

He took several turns and entered a dark alley.

Pete felt like whistling, and he did. He jingled the coins in his purse to match the tune.

The boy was halfway across the alley when a figure jumped out of the shadows.

Pete was taken aback for a moment but recovered immediately. He had seen such minor events in games. Dark alleys were likely to have low-level monsters or common hoodlums.

Ding!

[ A Common Rogue has appeared ]

[ Level 1 ]

[ Skills: Sleight of Hand ]

"Yo, mister," the voice said. "You seem new in town. I could hear the ringing of your coins from the other side of town. Why don't you hand over all the gold to me? In return, I promise I won't slash you to death."

Pete eyed the rogue. The figure was not very tall, and its voice was shrill. Perhaps a little boy? Fear touched him for a moment, and he wanted to run away.

[ Perfect Gene: Level 1 ]

'It'll be risky to underestimate NPCs when I have just begun the game. I need to engage in fights to level up faster.'

"That sounds very inconvenient for me," Pete replied with confidence. "I need the gold to register as an adventurer and pay for a night's stay at the inn."

The figure grinned from under the hood. "You will never be an adventurer if you die right here." It drew a dagger from under its sleeve.

Pete gulped nervously. Was it wise to listen to his legendary hero attribute all the time? It was dark, and he wasn't confident in his fighting skills.

'Should I stay and fight or run away?

'Or should I give up my gold?'