Origin A.R.S. (9 page)

“Man, why do I have to be so poor. It almost seems like ironwood armor was made for me.”

“It was, in a way. Wood armor over cloth is the primary defense arrangement used by many novice monks. Sorcerers aren’t much different.”

“Is it?”

“Certainly. Though, most of the time they tend to only come in to buy it after they reach level ten. I’ve noticed that the ones who focus more on their physical skills tend to wear ironwood or leather. The magically inclined tend to focus on cloth with only a few bits of wood here and there.”

Scott nodded. That made perfect sense. One of the perks of the sorcerers who took the pure combat route was quicker access to higher grade armor materials. All branches of the sorcerer class had that option to reduce agility penalties to some extent, but the pure combat class might even be able to wear some steel and other metals at higher levels with only a minor penalty. No sorcerer could wear a full-plate suit without major penalties however. Only knights and similar classes could do that.

He considered the overall agility penalty if he wore an entire suit of reinforced ironwood armor and then compared it to the penalties known for the pure combat sorcerer. By the time he reached level seventy, the penalty would cease to exist. If he chose a full-body armor made of materials like this, and went pure combat, he could have a defense bonus of just under two hundred points with no penalty.

Scott was not going to go pure combat, however. If he had wanted that sort of lifestyle, he would have been a dark knight. By the time he reached level one hundred with that class he could have used fourth or fifth-circle spells and would have been able to wear full body steel armor without penalty. In fact, by that point he would have been receiving bonuses for wearing all metal armor that easily compared to the defense bonus based on sorcerer and monk agility and could look forward to being able to upgrade to a heavier metal.  A paladin could have much higher defense with the same set-up.

“I really need to earn more money.” Scott sighed wistfully at the armor.

Erido saw the look on Scott’s Face then casually said, “Well, we do finance...”

“Finance? Really?” asked Scott in surprise. This world was full of such little surprises. It seemed to operate like some sort of massive multiplayer game, but he had never heard of one where you can convince a store owner to extend you a line of credit for gear.

“Yes, you would have to sign a contract and pay double the amount borrowed. However, if you made your payments on time you would not have to worry about late fees. Though, you’ll still need to make an initial payment.”

“A chance to become crippled by debt? How could I give that up! Can I see what the contract would entail?”

“Certainly. I love to charge people double.” Erido cracked a smile. Financing accounted for a large part of his profits.

Scott followed his potential money-lender into his back office. On the way, the sorcerer noticed that someone else was manning the counter. He had not realized that anyone else worked here. It made sense, though. The place tended to get busy at times.

“Here is the standard contract. The blank spots are for the actual value of the items, the item names and inventory numbers, and signatures.”

Scott read through the contract and realized that it was a six month loan, with an automatic extension provision that would increase the total cost by fifty-percent of the remaining balance and allow another six months. In his homeland such a contract would be invalid due to the massive amount of interest, but he did not mind it personally. He had no money.

Honestly, it was a terrible deal. If he was not desperate to go out and see more of the world, he would not do it. Yet, he would not find a better deal any time soon. Plus, with such a massive upgrade in equipment and stats he could start to adventure further out from town.

They discussed the deal for a time, and eventually settled on terms. Scott received a set of reinforced ironwood armor, padded armor, a reinforced leather helm, Blade-boots, and steel claw gauntlets. He would have preferred a stronger gauntlet style, but the agility penalty for a stronger set was too high when you compared it with the rest of what he was going to be dealing with.

The sorcerer was an unarmed combat class. He could wear gloves and claw weapons, but they still counted as armor with appropriate agility penalties. The steel gauntlets largely offset the agility penalty with the defense rating and attack increase.

Overall his attack had increased by twenty-seven points. His agility penalty was twelve points, which decreased his defense by forty-eight points. In fact, his agility was only one point at the moment, and he had a base defense of nineteen points due to that factor.

However, his defense would increase by one hundred eighty-six points after the armor upgrades! The gauntlets and boots had both an attack and defense rating.

He would not be dodging much in the way of attacks at the moment, but his total defense would be over two hundred points after adjusting for the agility penalties! Of course, this amazing upgrade in defense came at a disturbing price.

“So, your total comes to fifty-four thousand, eight hundred eighty Fayth for your equipment.” said Erido.

Scott’s anal sphincter involuntarily clenched. It was the best possible equipment he was going to find for the moment. Even if he found better gear and sold this stuff, he would still only receive a fraction of the cost back. Still, for someone who had no prospects otherwise it would be a great deal. At least, it was the best deal that he was going to get unless he intended to hunt rabbits for the next few months.

Of course, if he defaulted on his debt, he would be hunted down and murdered. His entire life would be consumed with earning money for a while.

He already knew the first place he was going to go after he left here, however. Scott had a theory to test.

The sorcerer handed over one thousand Fayth, the agreed upon first payment. He would have to pay a minimum of four thousand Fayth per month after this to avoid late fees. Was he stupid for accepting such a deal? Yes. Still, it was better that fighting in jeans and a t-shirt. Of course, he did not have to buy the entire suit at one time. Buying it piece by piece would have been far more reasonable.

The sorcerer wanted to explore the world, however. He wanted to see what he could find. He craved adventure. At his current rate, he would have spent months in the area just to earn basic equipment. The expense would be worth it if he could see new places.

Scott took his new equipment and equipped it all in the fitting room. After officially equipping it, the armor and weapons automatically fitted themselves perfectly to his frame. “Hey, convenient!”

The newly attired sorcerer checked his appearance in the mirror. He cut a rather dashing figure in his black lacquered armor. He had chosen the glossy finish used for the lesser breastplate. It did not cost extra since it was a standard color.

*Ding!*

<<< You have equipped a perfectly matched set of armor. Your overall defense rating increases by ten percent. Your agility penalty is reduced by one point. >>>

Scott’s eyes widened excitedly. Wearing a matching armor set increases the overall capacity and reduces the agility burden of wearing armor! It was an unexpected boon and good to know. He checked his status to see the difference.

<<>>

Name:
Scott Jacobs |
Class:
Sorcerer |
Race:
Human

Age:
18 |
Level:
4

EXP:
179

Next Level:
121

Ability Points:
32

Health:
28[28] |
Mana:
45[45]

Attack:
19[98] |
Defense:
15[230]

Strength:
13[13] |
Agility:
13[2] |
Accuracy:
11[11

Intellect:
19[19] |
Luck:
12[12]

<<<*>>>

The change in his stats was absolutely ridiculous! He was barely able to hold his own before when fighting rabbits and grass rats, but with this increase in combat potential he should be able to crush them easily. The lower agility was a problem, but it was not much different than when he was level one.

“I should probably focus on raising agility for a few levels to offset things.” If he pumped a few points into agility he would be able to keep it somewhat close to his strength and accuracy. It would also increase his defense overall, so there was no reason not to do it.

“Agility till level ten, health till fifteen... then focus on mana and intellect till twenty-five?” It was a solid plan, but he would have to see what his stats were like by the time he reached level ten.

He shook his head. “No, agility till level five, then health until level ten.”

Scott would spend any ability points that he earned until he reached level five on his agility. First, the level-up modifier, and then the individual gains. He already knew that he could only choose a level-up modifier once per stat at his current level.

At the moment, he only needed enough agility to move around freely in his armor. It did not weigh enough to slow him down much, but it did force him to adjust his motions slightly due to the design.

“I should go test this out.” It was still too early to go hunt for a rabbit. Scott decided to head off into the grasslands. He had not visited that area since the grass rat horde had descended upon him.

Once he reached the grassland he received a message informing him that baleful eyes had noticed his presence. The grass rats remembered his blasphemy.

It did not take long before a grass rat popped up and attacked him. His agility was high enough to allow him to partially dodge its speedy attacks, but he took a hit early on. He was elated when a big red number zero floated upward. The rat could not even touch him!

Scott danced with the rat for a few minutes, and another rat appeared. He was not wearing the grass skirt, so they did not appear in a horde. However, they were still pissed at him. They were a natural swarm creature. Every few minutes another rat appeared.

Whenever the rats attacked he took the hit, but his armor completely stopped the damage! This was amazing!

He whirled and danced with the dog-sized rodents for about half an hour before something happened that changed his mind. Scott stumbled a little and a rat leapt toward his face!

<<< Critical hit! Your defense decreases drastically! >>>

The sorcerer screamed out in pain as the rat tore into his cheek with its oversized teeth. He ripped it away, but he was immediately attacked several times in rapid succession. Each attack hit for a small amount of damage. His health rapidly dropped. He lost nineteen hit points in the space of two seconds.

Scott managed to recover from the critical hit and his defense returned. However, he was no longer taking this fight for granted! Normal attacks from the rats were useless in the face of his armor. However, if he were to take another critical hit it would mean almost certain death!

He lashed out with a freeze spell to slow four of the seven rats attacking him. The three remaining rats continued to jump and attack, but he ignored them due to his higher defense. Instead, he focused on finishing off the four half-frozen rodents.

Steel clawed fists raced out to slam into hapless monsters. He punched his steel-clad hand into the side of the closest rat, killing it instantly. A bright red number seventy-four floated upward. He noticed it, but tuned out that bit of information for the moment.

Scott continued his assault by slamming his elbow out and to the side in order to catch a leaping rat in mid-air. The attack was followed by a sudden shift back to his right that allowed him to punch the other leaping rat with the same hand via a powerful reverse punch. Both of the furry little bastards died instantly. Not, only was his level a little higher than the rats’ level, but the equipment he wore had given him a massive advantage!

Another rat appeared from the grass, but it was not a concern. Scott unleashed another Freeze spell and finished off three more of the remaining rats. Now, it was a one on one battle. The eighth rat did not stand a chance.

After around a minute the battle music faded away and victory music began to play.

<<< Victory! >>>

You have defeated eight grass rats!

+8 Experience

+8 Ability Points

+8 Fayth

Item(s) Acquired:

Rat Eye X1

Rat Fang X 1

Rat Tail X 4

Rat Pelt X 7

<<<*>>>

Scott panted slightly then felt his cheek. His armored fingers came away with blood on them. That had been close, and stupid. He gained no special bonuses for making battles last longer. Yes, he had needed to see how bad his agility was in actual practice, but he could have died.