OutRanked (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure Read online

  “Perfect!” Jen exclaimed. For a moment, I let myself be happy as we walked arm in arm down the streets.

  *****

  I didn't know whether Krader had its inspiration from the Capital or if all cities tended to have a similar layout. Either way, we were thrilled to find most of the shops in the city were within walking distance of each other.

  The Capital was much bigger, so we knew this wasn’t everything the city offered, but we walked into our first shop, focusing on the immediate goal.

  The shop itself didn’t have many defining features in front. Even with the potions in the front window, I might have missed it if not for Noah pointing it out.

  “That potion helps you stay full for much longer. And that one adds a temporary increase to your Internal Energy! You see that, Trish? I’ve only ever seen one of the permanent varieties. Still, we were told we wouldn’t be able to make even the temporary one for at least a few years!” Noah said excitedly, opening the door and touching each potion in turn.

  Trish giggled as she let Noah go through each of the potions.

  Jen and I paid attention, it always helped to know what the potions did. Most of the vials were small enough to carry in a regular bag. Our inventory had a lot of room available, based on how many acorns we’d been able to carry, so I wasn’t too worried about storage space. Still, we only had one satchel, so if someone other than Jen or Cassie wanted to hold on to a potion, we would need it small enough to carry on our belts.

  The potions also swirled in different colours. It was not too vibrant, but colourful, as we watched them glitter in the light shining through the window.

  Noah was still admiring over the temporary energy boost potion, the most ethereal potion among the bunch, as the shop owner came and greeted us from behind his counter.

  “Welcome, welcome. I see you’ve caught sight of a very rare potion there. I paid a tiny sum to earn that, but I’ve heard it can double the energy for some. Very useful when you’re about to jump into a big fight.

  “And with the war coming, a young man like yourself would be remiss to go into a fight without as much energy as possible,” he said, pointing again at the potion in Noah’s hands.

  “Yeah, it’s really cool!” Noah marvelled.

  “Double though? Is that for anyone?” Jen asked.

  “It’s based on your energy. Your energy reserves are low at your age, so double is more than realistic. Without having someone available to appraise the potion, and because I wouldn’t dare ask how much energy you have, we’ll never know. But I can almost guarantee that a young man, or woman, of Rank 1 would have their Energy doubled at least. The alchemist who sold it to me said it would add at least fifty energy, an amazing amount for even Rank 2 Dungeoneers.”

  He didn’t look to be lying, but if we were looking to buy from this guy, I really would’ve liked some way to verify. Zane might’ve known at a glance, but otherwise, we were supposed to trust that he was telling the truth. People like Zane’s father with an IDENTIFY Affinity might have been able to verify.

  “Um,” Noah jumped into the conversation, putting down the vial. “Does that mean you didn’t create the potions yourself?”

  “Oh Goddess, no, I traded most of those from other shops in town or Dungeoneers who were passing through. However, suppose you aren’t interested in those. In that case, I have a great deal more to offer throughout the shop,” he said as he walked around the shop, grabbing other things.

  “This, for instance, is an enchanted necklace that stores energy that you can use to recharge your energy at a modest rate. It’s rather expensive, but I saw how much you appreciated that type of potion. If you’re looking for something different altogether, this torch is rather helpful in the Den. The webs throughout are magically enhanced, good for crafting but not very good for walking. This torch is especially good at focusing flames so you can walk around discreetly.” He waved around the torch, showcasing how quickly it was to ignite and dismiss.

  “Most would use a hatchet or their sword, but the webbing can become stuck. You don’t want to be caught without your weapon when one of those spiderlings finds you.” He continued.

  We all watched as he tried his darndest to sell us a couple of other items, and I almost got tempted a couple of times. Still, overall, they didn’t seem like things we needed immediately.

  And because he was a secondary seller of the items, I had a feeling his prices weren’t the best.

  “Sorry, we appreciate your wares, but we were primarily looking for alchemists right now,” Jen interjected, stopping him from picking up and showing us a shield by his feet. “That, and we also wanted to look at trading an orb we had for some coin.” Jen took out our orb. It wasn’t large, but it was one that Zane had been able to find from a dead body in the market. It had all been such a whirlwind, but we’d even received our biggest and best orb from the Monkin King himself. With his body parts, we expected to make quite a bit, but I knew Jen was just probing the shopkeeper to see what we might get for the smaller variety.

  “Hmm,” he said, his expression dropping as he sensed we weren’t likely to buy anything. His demeanour quickly changed as he went from enthusiastic salesman to wayward shopkeeper, eager to dismiss us as soon as possible. While musing, he started to put away his wares as we waited for an answer.

  “Sure, well, the orb I can purchase for 4 gold. Small orbs like that are a dime a dozen around this time of year,” he answered casually. I knew he was trying to scam us, but even that seemed unreasonable. I said nothing, and neither did Jen as we let him continue.

  “And alchemists are already scarce, even without a war on the horizon. I can send you to a couple, but it will come at a cost after you’ve wasted so much of my time. Only a few haven’t been conscripted to the war or aren’t busy selling all their potions for the war. If you’re interested, that will be ten silver.”

  “Ten silver!” Noah blurted, his face turning red.

  I stopped him as he edged towards the man. Jen, to her credit, didn’t even react as she began to take out ten silver.

  “Jen, we can find them ourselves….” Trish said, nudging against Jen’s arm.

  “It’s okay. He’ll save us a lot of time, and he’s right, we didn’t buy anything from him. But, with this, we create a good working relationship if we try to buy something in the future,” she said, pushing past Noah and me, then giving the man the silver.

  After he finished counting them and quickly hiding them somewhere on his body, his smile came back automatically.

  “Well, of course! I’d be more than happy for you to come back. So, about those names….”

  *****

  Ten minutes later, and with a few names written on a piece of paper, we left the shop on our way to the first location. He’d given us a few more specific directions, and thankfully, that hadn’t cost anything extra.

  “You didn’t have to pay him, Jen. I don’t want you guys using your money to help me,” Noah said as he stomped out of the store. “And I don’t plan on going back to his store again.”

  “We don’t know the city well enough, so I saw it as a small investment to help speed up our trip. Plus, I didn’t want him to go around telling people we were bad for business. These shopkeepers talk; we could be blacklisted or told to pay higher prices if enough of them start talking about us. So, no, I didn’t have to, and I could have haggled, but that was an investment,” she answered.

  “Won’t he just ask you for money again anytime you head into his shop?” Trish asked.

  “I don’t plan on heading in there again. The man said it himself. He has odds and ends, but we saw the best he had to offer, and there wasn’t anything we couldn’t get elsewhere for cheaper,” she sneered. And for a moment, I saw a bit of her parents in her. But then her features softened quite a bit as she looked at Noah and Trish. “And besides, the man’s a crook. He did us a favour by showing us his true nature.”

  And she’s back.

  I laughed as
she sped into the crowd of people, eager to get to the first name on the list.

  *****

  “No apprentices. I’m sorry, kid, you’re too green to be of use, and I’m trying to sell most of my goods either way. Try Cephalopos or Olivander; they may say something different,” yet another alchemist shopkeeper said as they shooed us out of their store.

  This one even looked slightly sad about it. At the same time, the Cephalopos and Olivander had been way more eager to shoo us away.

  “Sorry, sir, but we’ve already seen both. And both have also turned us away. I realize things are changing in the Capital, but is there anyone who might be willing to try. Someone who likely won’t be conscripted. I’ve just lost my brother to the Collapse in Krader, and I need a mentor so I can help fight the people that caused it. In my own way. I’m not a fighter, but I’m good at potion-making. I can do this.

  “Please, sir.

  “Please.” Noah started to cry in a rare show of emotion ever since Trevor’s passing. I wanted to help, and I could see Trish wanted to also, but thankfully she held back. We all watched to see what the shop owner would do.

  He needed this.

  The man had already turned away, but Noah’s pleading got him to raise his head as he watched Noah from across his worktable.

  The hard man we had just seen slumped his shoulders as some hidden weight left him as he watched Noah’s request.

  “I’m sorry, kid, I really might have taken you if I didn’t have to go. I’m not lying there. The only person I can think of is someone you likely wouldn’t have heard about. She’s an older lady, a bit more set in her ways, so it won’t be easy to convince her, but I know she’s good at what she does. She usually focuses on more interesting potions now that she’s up there in age, but she’s well past an age where they would try to conscript her. Violetta is her name; you can find her a bit further from the main market,” he said before pulling aside a piece of paper and writing down some instructions.

  Noah jumped forward to grab the outstretched paper before calming down and thanking the man.

  I made a note of the man’s shop. His potions looked varied and he seemed like a good man. But, sadly, he was just stuck in a situation he couldn’t change.

  We followed his instructions and made our way further and further until I thought we’d reached one of the edges of the wall. In fact, we were closest we’d been to the water since walking around all day, and I could almost smell a stronger scent of salt in the air.

  “Sorry guys, I know we have to get back. This is further than I’d expected,” Noah said.

  “It’s okay, we’re in this together. If Violetta doesn’t work out, we’ll try again tomorrow after training,” I said. It was still light out, but I knew I couldn’t leave Elise waiting after my promises the previous day. Plus, I hadn’t kept track of how to get back.

  The others agreed as we finally found the shop. This shop, however, was much more run-down than several of the others we’d seen throughout. There was no sign in front, and the window in front was even cracked. The store didn’t look open, but the door opened nonetheless as Noah stepped inside.

  Once inside, I was almost sure we’d been tricked by the limited number of things on the shelves. No one could be seen, and by the look on Trish’s face, I could tell she was eager to leave as soon as we entered.

  Still, Noah seemed determined as he started to call for someone to notice our arrival.

  “Hello…” he called a couple times as we waited.

  To whoever’s shop it was, I could at least tell the potions that were on the shelves. Or at least I thought I could. They shone brighter than the ones I’d seen before, but I believed they were likely to be Energy Potions. Yet, these looked to be brimming with Energy, where the ones Noah had created would have been dull in comparison.

  I was enthralled by their colour, as we finally heard someone start to shuffle their way into the light of the store.

  At first glance, she was without a doubt the oldest woman I had ever seen. Beyond that, her face had a similar scowl to the one I’d seen on Professor Valk’s face every Monday. She hobbled slowly towards us before opening her eyes wide and looking at our group.

  “Hello, Miss Violetta. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was sent here in the hopes of finding an Alchemist to be my mentor. I’m a student from Prep in Krader, and I….” Noah went on as he gave a redacted version of his story. He explained some of what he’d learned and even brought up his brother. Throughout it all, the woman said nothing. Still, her eyes were open as she let him finish.

  “Okay, that is quite an introduction,” she said, chuckling some. “Nice to meet you all and thank you for coming to my shop. I appreciate your eagerness, but with so much going on in the world, I had planned to retire entirely. I’ve lived a good life, and I do not want to see my potions used in another war.

  “So, Noah, I’m sorry. I don’t think we could work together. You’ll need to find someone else.” She continued. The scowl was gone from her face as she looked genuine in her response. We’d known it wouldn’t be easy to find a mentor, but I still felt terrible for him.

  Noah looked ready to change her mind, but at her earnest response, something in him decided against it as he turned away.

  “I understand. Thank you, Miss Violetta. I wish you the best in your retirement. Let’s go, guys,” Noah said as he walked back towards the shop entrance.

  I’d turned with Jen, and the door was half-open when the unexpected happened.

  “I think you’re making a mistake, Miss Violetta, ma’am. While I respect your decision, you must know Noah is one of the gentlest and most honest men you’ll be able to have work for you. He’s honestly a great potion-maker. I don’t know much about potions or alchemy, but when he talks about it all, a light shows in his eyes that I barely see in anyone. And I know it’s not just because he has a FLAME Affinity. We saw the same thing in Krader, and even though most would probably try to hide away, he has spent his entire day trying to find someone, anyone.

  “Anyone who can help him make a difference after losing his brother!

  “So, again, I respect your decision but think you should reconsider,” Trish finished saying.

  Each of us stood there, shocked. Jen most of all.

  Dead silence took over the small shop as Trish stared down at the shorter old woman.

  I didn’t dare move for fear that I might take away from Trish’s words.

  And then time went back to normal as Violetta’s soft chuckle rumbled through the shop. At the laughter, Trish’s confidence seemed to diminish altogether as she backed away and found herself beside Jen again. The rest of us still didn’t know what to do, but thankfully Jen took it as a good sign as she pushed Noah back into the shop.

  “Oh, Goddess. You kids are going to kill me one of these days. It was Noah, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answered shyly.

  “I make no promises about what you’ll be able to do. Nor do I promise I’ll take you on as my apprentice. Heck, I might die tomorrow for all I know. But find your way here tomorrow first thing in the morning, and we’ll see if what your friend says is true. And bring me something sweet for breakfast,” she said before turning away and heading back into the darkness of her shop.

  Noah stood flabbergasted as he watched her walk away and agree to meet her in the morning.

  He’d done it… sort of. Trish had mostly done it. And he still had to work to get it, but he found a mentor!

  We practically skipped our way back to Griff’s as we hailed Trish as the hero of the day.

  Chapter 7 – G-Rank Dungeoneer

  “Here’s to Trish! Cheers!” Noah shouted, causing everyone to celebrate.

  Trish cowered at the attention but smiled silently in her seat.

  We all sat in Griff and Pauline’s kitchen again as we talked about the day. Pauline baked several sweets to go along with the stew she’d made for the group. Lin told us on the ride she was a fantastic ba
ker, and by the Goddess, was she right.

  At least Noah didn’t have to track down a bakery before going back to Violetta’s.

  “Okay, okay. Leave the girl alone,” Cassie said. “We’ve known Trish was amazing for years; you’re all only figuring that out now,” Cassie joked as she cuddled closer to Trish.

  “Any news from you and Zane, then?” I asked, taking my attention from the tart in front of me.

  “Don’t even get me started! I was promised a beautiful date, and instead, it was a lot of walking around. We barely even stopped anywhere fun. Most of it was spent talking with people about the Capital, or the war, or—" Cassie complained before getting interrupted by Zane.

  “I’m catching up on lost time, trying to find information that could help us. And I didn’t promise a date, specifically.” Zane said as he flipped away his hair. The long golden blond hair had gotten longer than I’d ever seen it. We all could use a good haircut.

  “You can’t leave your partner hanging like that, though, Zane. Eventually, it’ll come back to bite you,” Griff interjected, earning a chortle from Pauline.

  “Don’t listen to Griff when it comes to love advice. Unless it’s about how to hold a shield or swing a sword, don’t listen to him for any advice, period,” Pauline said, kissing Griff on the cheek and taking a seat beside him.

  That earned some laughs as Griff’s smile diminished.

  “I have good news for us, though,” Zane said, re-centring the conversation on himself. “First off, we went to the library and found some instructors from the Capital’s Prep. Most of our instructors are okay. They’ve also got a list of everyone who registered as a citizen in Krader, including all the students. They’re keeping it at the Dungeoneers Guild since it’s a centralized place in all cities. I’d like to head there tomorrow.”

  “After training,” Britta said.

  “Fine, after training,” Zane said.

  “That’s great news, though! I wasn’t too worried about the professors after seeing what Cusar and Valk could do. Still, I really want to check on some of my other friends from school,” Jen said excitedly.