HC: Handyman | Ch. 34 - Zzzz (Patreon)

It took twice as long to return to Embersgate as it had to travel to the ruins. After losing the meal buff, they had only half the stamina, so the number of stops doubled. Thankfully, they didn't have any aggravating encounters with compis. They came across a couple more dinosaur shepherds and heard two scary roars in the distance, but nothing attacked them. 

“Is it always this quiet in the jungle?” asked Jack. He had expected there would be more dinosaurs out and about.

“Well, the farther you get from the wall, the more agitated it gets,” Amari responded as he slurped his hot stew. “Sometimes you just luck out.”

There was the sound of steps, rustling leaves, and chatter.

“Hi there.”

“Hi,” Jack greeted the group of five players uncertainly, sparing a glance at Amari.

“Do you mind serving us some?” they said, pointing to the pot. “We’re getting pretty good xp and don’t want to return to the city.”

Jack looked at Amari for guidance. He stood up and took the lead in negotiating the terms. “No problem. 20 silver per serve.”

20 silver?! That’s a rip-off! Jack thought.

“No problem,” they easily accepted. 

As the players sat around the fire, Jack left to forage ingredients for a second pot of stew and signaled Amari to follow. 

“20 silver?” Jack asked giddily.

“Yeah. 20 silvers per serving is the norm.”

“And is this normal? For players to ask for food?”

“Oh yeah. Some bushcrafters just walk around this area looking for parties and offering their services. Others don't even bother walking around. They just set up camp and wait for players to come to them. It's a nice way of making a quick buck. Back in the day, I used to make five gold an hour with this method.”

“Really?” Jack hadn't realized that there was a money-making opportunity here. Depending on how things progressed, maybe he would consider it coming back.

After foraging several times under Amari’s guidance, finding ingredients in the wild became easier. He picked up a few mushrooms and some edible ferns and brought them to the camp. He overheard the group of friends recounting their recent exploits as he got cooking. 

“I wonder if we should move on to hunt archies.”

“It’s best to wait until we unlock our class. Otherwise, we’ll be solely relying on Jimmy for long-range attacks.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s just that I’m so tired of hunting porkies.”

“What’s an archie,” Jack whispered to Amari.

“Archaeopteryx. Small flying dinosaur.”

“And I guess porkies are the ones with spikes on their back that we’ve seen earlier?”

Amari nodded. While developers had gone to great lengths to properly name all the dinosaurs, the players had come up with names of their own for the creatures. As the stew simmered, Jack received a notification.

Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].

+160xp in [Bushcraft]

You’ve reached level 6 in [Bushcraft]!

You’ve learned a new skill: [Camping].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Basic Tent].

Camping, lvl. 1

Skill description: You’ve grown accustomed to the wild and learn how to make yourself, and others comfortable while you’re in the great outdoors.

Skill effects: 

You can set up a camp;

While within 5 meters of a tent, passively recover health;

Boosts nearby fire's power to repel weak monsters;

Slightly boosts the effects of meals cooked nearby.

Requires: Tent.

Basic Tent

Ingredients: 4x[Stakes], [Tent Frame], [Tent Cloth], 4x[Ropes]

Recipe: Hammer four stakes to the ground and set up the frame. Tie the ropes firmly to secure the tent. Fasten the tent cloth to the frame.

Requirements: [Bushcraft], lvl. 6.

After crafting and using so many bandages to alleviate the sting of the mosquitoes, plus all the times he had cooked, he acquired yet another level of bushcraft. Sadly, Jack had to buy the materials to make the tent from tailors and carpenters, but even so, it was good news. 

“Sweet! Just broke through to level 6,” he shared with Amari.

“Awesome. [Camping] is super useful. You’ll see. Had we had a tent, the compies would never have drawn that close to the fire.”

After collecting the money from the hunters, Jack and Amari made the last stretch to the gate. Things seemed livelier in the clearing, leading to Embersgate.

“Why are the gates open?” asked Jack, confused.

“Look! Over there,” Amari pointed.

At the city entrance, a wooden cart was parked. It was a massive wooden platform reinforced with steel, rolling over several wheels, with six horses pulling it. On it slept a dinosaur tied up in chains. Its snore could be heard from the edge of the clearing. The creature had sharp, silvery, bony plates that went along its back, down its tail, where there were four sharp spikes. Its head was quite small compared to the rest of its white body, and it looked as large as a rhinoceros. 

“A silver stegosaurus?! Those lucky ducks. They have so much sleep resistance. These guys are about to get rich.”

Amari’s admiration was mirrored by the crowd of onlookers gathered around the sleeping beast. The hunters stood with their puffed-up chests, soaking in the attention. One of them was brazen enough to sit atop the dinosaur, with its massive crossbow tied around his back.

Their party leader was in a lively argument with the gatekeepers. 

“Are the guards asking them to dance or something?” Jack asked.

“Oh no, whenever you bring a live dinosaur into the city, you have to pay good money to the guards; otherwise, they won't let you in.”

“How much?”

“A silver stegossaurus? Depends on their titles and stuff, but they won’t get away with anything less than 500 gold.”

“That’s serious money!” Jack said enviously. Those guys could probably afford to pay rent for several months to his stern father. Jack joined the crowd of players and approached the stegosaurus. The creature breathed heavily, its powerful lungs and muscles brimming with power. If this thing struck so much respect in Jack's heart while sleeping, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to encounter one of these, alive and kicking. 

“Are you coming, Jack?” Amari asked impatiently from a distance. 

“Sure. Sorry.” Taking a last look at the animal, Jack ran toward his associate. “Coming, coming.”

All that was left to complete the quest was to report to the Embersgate Historical Society. Jack tried to make the most of the time he had left with a veteran. “So, how does capturing a dinosaur work?”

“You have to weaken it first, bring their health bars to at least the yellow zone; with many dinosaurs, you must bring them to the red zone. Any poisons or debuffs increase the chances of success. After that, you either lure them into a trap or put them to sleep. Then you tie them up and drag them to the city. That's all there is to it.”

“Don’t you need to have a specific class or profession?” Jack was fascinated by the possibility of bringing dinosaurs into the city. There was something ridiculously appealing in bringing the behemoths to the city. 

“Some professions and classes are better for it than others. For example, the trapper minor is quite handy. The smoker class is probably the best to capture. Rangers are quite good, too. I did my fair share of captures. There's a special kind of arrow that can help you put dinosaurs to sleep.”

After spending some hours with Amari and getting familiar with him, he could spot something he had missed before. It was a twinge of regret and sadness. Resetting his character had been harder on him than he cared to admit.

“How much longer will you play, Jack?”

Amari’s change of subject only strengthened Jack’s impression. He didn’t like talking about his old avatar so much. Instead of opening his associate’s wounds, he let him steer the conversation away from his old avatar.

“I’ll take a short break after turning in the quest. I have to eat and use the bathroom. You?”

“Oh, you don't have a capsule yet?” Amari asked, surprised. “Silly me. You already told me you’re renting a helmet. Sorry. I forgot about that.” 

This was the most annoying thing that Amari had said to him all day. There was something infuriating about the idea of someone being so filthy rich that it didn’t even cross their minds that others couldn’t afford a capsule. Capsules sold for 10,000 credits! The worst part was that Amari had probably purchased one from all the money he made from his successful channel while Jack’s channel was collecting dust and cobwebs. “Do you have a capsule?” Jack asked, each word dripping with jealousy.

“Oh yeah. It helps hardcore gamers like myself increase my gaming time. You should get one.”

“Maybe when I win the lottery,” Jack sneered.

“Come on, Jack. Don’t be like that. I’m sure you’ll sort things out for yourself. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do between breaks in the game?”

Something about Amari’s tone told Jack that he was in a content-creating mood. It looked like while Jack wanted to make the most of the remaining time he had with Amari by asking him questions about the game, Amari wanted to do the same, using Jack as the dumb noob in his videos to make Amari look all the more knowledgeable and wise. 

“Uh? I take a shower, use the bathroom, eat, and read up on the game. That kind of thing.”

“Do you work out? Do you spend time with people important to you?”

“No. Not really.” I would, but Lydia just broke up with me. Jack wanted to say, but he held his tongue.

Amari shook his head. “You should add some exercise to your routine, especially if you plan to make a living from playing the game.”

“Why’s that?”

“Think about it, man. You spend all day lying down. How do you think your body is going to take that? You should work out every day.  Otherwise, you'll get all shriveled and weak. Bed sores and muscle atrophy are real hazards in our occupation, Jack.”

Jack's eyes widened. He had never been much of a working-out type of guy. “I don't know.” 

”Love yourself, man. Take care of your health. Otherwise, you’ll never get a girlfriend.” 

That's what's sold it for Jack. He missed Lydia terribly. Part of why he was working so hard in the game was to have something to prove that he was planning for their future. He wanted to have something to show her. “Thanks.”

“I've made a few videos on maintaining a good balance between gaming and real-world routine. I’ve sent you the link.”

Damari seemed to have made a video for absolutely everything. He was like a preacher quoting scripture, but he had written his own Bible in this case. Jack wasn't complaining. Even if Amari were moved by the desire to get a few more views on his videos, Jack would look at the video later. He seemed to know his stuff, and he was right. If he wanted to make a career playing New Earth, he should pay attention to this.

Before Jack knew it, they were back at the historical society. Funny how things look different if one has visited them before. The fossil at the entrance of the building didn’t look nearly as impressive after seeing the sleeping stegosaurus. They headed toward the office of Professor Alan Grant and knocked.

“Who’s there,” they heard from the other side of the door.

“Just hang a second,” Jack told Amari. Remembering how full of stuff Professor Grant's office was, Jack only poked his head into the door. “Hello, professor!”

“Oh, young potter, you're back so soon. Have you visited the ruins yet?”

“Yes! I came to deliver the ceramics you asked for. My friend and I brought them.”

“I see. That's very good. I never thought just the two of you would suffice to run such a perilous expedition. Please give me a moment as I tidy up to make space to welcome you in.”

“Alright. Let us know when you’re ready.” Jack closed the door. 

“What did the NPC say?” Amari pressed. 

“He's kind of disorganized.” Even as Jack said this, there was the sound of something falling and breaking. “He’s just tidying up so there's enough room for both of us.” 

Amari laughed. “You have to give it to the developers for being so creative. All NPCs have their quirks.” 

Jack remembered Master Kevin. He still hadn't figured out how he always made so much noise inside such a tiny house. After a few minutes, Professor Grant finally came to the door. 

“Come in, you two. I'm ready for you now.”

They both entered. There was only enough space for Amari and Jack to stand uncomfortably by the door. “This is my associate, Amari. He helped me collect the ceramics.”

“Oh, an archaeologist. Promising! We could always use more academics to dig up the treasures of the past. A pleasure to meet you, young man.”

“Thank you, professor.”

Jack’s feelings were a bit hurt. He hadn't received much praise for being a potter. Was there some sort of prejudice against minor-only artisans? 

“Now, let’s look at what you have there,” the professor prompted. Jack and Amari exchanged glances and started taking stack after stack of ceramic shards from their inventory.

Ch. 33 - Flavumware

INDEX

Ch. 35 - Donor