The Dive: Birth of a Wordsmith Read Free

just took a bit to find the bridge.”

    “ Ahh, so you were
able to make the delivery?”

    I nodded to him, so he
continued. “Thanks, kid. He’s one of the regulars, and
it’s best to keep them happy, you know?” He reached into
his pocket and retrieved a small coinpurse. “It’s not
much, but it should help towards your goal.” He tossed me the
bag, and I fumbled a bit to catch it.

Quest Completed!

    Delivered the dinner to Thurgrim at the bridge.

    Reward: +50 Gild

    I smiled at him as I put
the money in my pocket. “Thank you, sir. This will be a big
help.” Alright… at this rate it
shouldn’t take me too long.

    “ Don’t mention
it. Be sure to stop by again some time to see if I’ve got any
more work for you. Since it’s getting dark.. why don’t
you stop by the inn and see if they need anything? A night of work
like that should get you the rest of your fee.”

    “ Thank you sir, I’ll
do that. Would you mind telling me which way it is?” I smiled a
bit, remembering I still didn’t know my way around town, except
for the buildings I had already passed.

    “ Sure, sure. Just
head north a couple blocks. Can’t miss it.” I nodded and
said my good-byes, turning and heading for the nearest crossroads.
Since I had already identified south, it was easy to figure out which
way it was to go north. And as soon as I started in that direction, I
was surprised to find a message waiting for me.

New Talent unlocked!

    Navigation- After finding your own way without
relying on others, you are now able to immediately determine
directions as long as you can see the sky.

    I smiled a bit at that, Well, that solves one problem. So that’s what it meant by unlocking
talents through normal actions. I focused for
a moment to bring up my character window.

Name: Jin
Race: Human
Title: None
Fame: 0
Gild: 70
Level: 1
Health: 100
Mana: 0
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Wisdom: 10
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 5
Attack: 10
Defense: 10
Points Remaining: 5
Talents: Navigation
1

    Okay… so levels
increase based on Talents. That makes sense. And 5 points are awarded
per level. I focused a bit again, seeing if I
could interact with the window without my hands, or just call it up.
Sure enough, three of my points were spent in Intelligence, and two
in Wisdom. I frowned when I noticed that my mana didn’t
increase any, but maybe I need to discover a talent for that first.

    Either way, I was happy
that I managed to learn something new about the game, and made my way
towards the Sleep Soldier, the inn that the shopkeeper had directed
me to. Inside, I found it was indeed busy with travellers asking to
be put up for the night. Wonder how many of
those are players?

    As I walked up to the
counter, the innkeeper-- a beautiful woman with long blond hair and
yellow eyes, ample bosom, and dressed in a simple dress that hung
down to her ankles-- shot me a glare. “Back of the line, sir.
I’ll get to you in a moment.”

    I raised my hands in a
placating gesture, more out of instinct than acting. “No, no,
I’m not here for a room. I came to offer some help. You seem to
be busy, so I figured maybe you could use a spare set of hands?”

    She let out a sigh at
that. “Finally. These guys are driving me mad.” She waved
me over behind the counter. “Here, you handle them. I’m
Denise. It’s 20 gild per bed per night. And don’t think I
won’t be checking that it’s all there. I’ve got to
go clean up some of the rooms to make space for these guys. I’ll
check back later. The keys are all under the counter.” She
smiled briefly before turning and walking to the stairs.

Job Acquired!

    Innkeeper’s Assistant

    Denise has asked for your help managing the Sleeping
Soldier for the night. Be sure to do a good job and earn your pay!

    Wage: 20% of sales made.

    Okay… I’ve
got 70 gild now, so I need to make another 130, so… 33 beds?
Does this inn even have that many? Guess we’ll just have to
see.

    I turned and smiled