Team Newb

by M Helbig

  Those sounded like very reasonable requirements, but with what I earned on bunnies it’d likely take me six months to afford any upgrades. “I’ll try, but I’m not sure how long it might take to get better gear.”

  Decrona gave Olaf a withering look, at which Alizia giggled like a someone a quarter of her size. After she finished turning her scowl on everyone at the table, Decrona stood up. “You’re going to have to figure that out on your own. Every member of my party is expected to carry their own weight. With that, I bid you adieu. I have people I must talk to before we go out adventuring. I will meet the two of you back here in three hours.”

  Alizia clapped her hands, causing the people at the table behind her to cover their ears. “Leaving me plenty of time to do some shopping. Finally, a plan I can get behind.”

  Olaf shrugged at me as they left. At least his group wouldn’t be boring, though figuring out how to make enough money to upgrade three pieces of equipment seemed almost insurmountable in a reasonable amount of time. Fortunately, I was saved from having to broach the subject when the waitress brought me a plate of food. I hadn’t ordered anything, but later learned that they only served one thing for breakfast. As I munched on a bit of bacon, Olaf stared into my eyes.

  “That went well. I was expecting her to demand you reach level five and upgrade all your equipment. If you push hard, you should be able meet her requirements by the end of the day.”

  I dropped the bacon and stared at him.

  The tingle of Inspect washed over my body and Olaf’s eyes widened. “You know it took me almost a week to get to level two. It was only after I teamed up with Decrona and Nanny that I figured out how to play properly. These types of games are new to me. Since leveling shouldn’t be a problem for you, I assume you are worried about the gear. There are some good quests from the farmer right next to the bunny field. They are a chain of three and each one of the quests grants a different piece of gear.”

  I smiled, forgetting that my mouth was still full of food. “That’s great. What do I have to do?”

  “My memory is not so good, but I do remember it being fairly easy. You will just have to remember to be careful, especially when you get later in the quest line and have to fight the wolves. If they see you fighting another wolf, they’ll join in. So, make sure you take solo ones, away from the others—a lesson our group barely survived when we did the quest two weeks ago. Now, finish eating, and I’ll show you where to start.”

  I quickly devoured my breakfast, and we made our way to the bunny field.

  “I wanted to thank you again for everything,” I said as we neared the gate. “You really went out of your way.”

  Olaf waved at a young dwarf woman we passed. “Do not mention it. I am always happy to help one of the rare honorable players I find in this strange, digital world. Our whole group is like that, you will come to find. You probably would not think that from the way Decrona speaks, but deep down she is a good person.”

  “I trust your judgment. I’m sure I’ll come to respect Decrona as much as you.”

  “Always happy to help a person in need. Besides, you remind me of my son.”

  “You have a son?” I don’t know why that fact surprised me, since I’d seen people of all ages in the game so far, but for some reason it seemed odd to me that a dad was in here. It made sense, given how popular the game was, especially with members of his generation back when they were my age. Still, you just don’t think about your parents playing the same games as you.

  “And a stepdaughter too. The son is why I am in the game, though. He is a good boy. About five years older than you. Finished college and got a great job as a software developer, but one of his friends talked him into selling everything to strike it rich in here. I tried to talk him out of it. His friend was not so good. I tried telling my son the friend only wanted him for his money, but he went in anyway. I wouldn’t even read the first few messages he sent, but eventually I resigned myself to it. They were doing pretty well; so well in fact, that after a year he was talking about cashing out and coming back to Earth. He only had one last mission to go on—said he owed it to his friend Oskar—but then we never heard from him again. We paid thousands of euros for in-game detectives to try and find him, but they failed. So, without anyone else to turn to, my wife and I sold everything and came in after him. His sister, Therese, even joined to help out, which was perfect as we could split up and each take one of the starting Sun cities.”

  I was so floored by his story I almost ran into the gate guard as we exited the city. To go through all of that for your son . . . That’s a good dad, though after I thought about it, my dad would’ve probably done the same thing and so would my mom, probably even my sister (after claiming she only did it so I’d owe her). “If you can describe him, I’ll be sure to look out for him. By the way, what was his character’s name?”

  He slapped me on the back. “I knew I was right about you, but you’ve just hit on our biggest problem. We don’t know what either his or Oskar’s character’s names were. When he was safe and still sending us messages, it wasn’t important to ask. The only thing we do know is that he chose the Sun Alliance. Our biggest hope is that he kept his appearance the same.” A picture appeared in his hand, and he handed it to me.

  His son had a low brow and messy brown hair that covered most of his forehead. The smile that creased his pale face made it look like he’d just done something mischievous and gotten caught for it. In the background, I could see the edge of a fishing pole and water. He reminded me of my best friend from high school, Lou, and it made me feel sad that I’d lost touch with Lou. Considering everything Olaf had done for me, I was now completely determined to help him find his son. I focused hard on the picture and the game copied it into my personal folder. “I’ll look out for him, Olaf.”

  He guided me through the bunny field and away from the forest. A farmhouse soon came into view. “Thank you. And I will continue looking out for this balding man for you. What is it you want from him?”

  I told Olaf all about Nyytro, my dad, and my journey into the game. I was afraid I’d lost him when he didn’t say anything for a while, but he finally stopped and gave me a big hug.

  “I think we were fated to meet, you and I. We have too much in common for it to not be so. Now, let me show you the quest giver and where the wolves are for the later parts, so that you can get that equipment and join my group. Then, we can always be there to look out for each other in this crazy, dangerous world.”

  As we got closer, a fat bald man with a pitchfork came into view. At random, he turned toward the field and shook his pitchfork menacingly at the rabbits before returning to staring at his farm.

  “Are all quest-giving NPCs so robotic?” I asked.

  Olaf chuckled. “No. Only this one. Decrona said they made him act in that way so it would be obvious to new players that he has a quest, but Alizia thinks he is part of a cabal looking to destabilize the market by flooding it with overalls and fingerless, leather gloves in a plot to take over the world.”

  He walked me up to the NPC named “Farmer Fran.” When the man finished his pass of waving his pitchfork at the bunnies, he rubbed the sweat from his brow and began talking to me. “Goodness. You startled me. To make up for nearly giving me a heart attack, could you help me out? Bunnies have invaded my field and are eating all my cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. If they keep this up, I won’t have any food left. Would you help me?”

  A quest prompt popped up, covering my vision.

  Quest: It's Rabbit Season!

  Description: Farmer Fran’s fields have been invaded by a fluffle of rabbits. While it’s not likely you can ever clear all of them (they do breed like rabbits, after all), the farmer has agreed to give you a reward if you bring him ten rabbit heads to mount on his mantle. Yeah, he’s a sick one, but he more than makes up for it by giving out phat lewtz.

  Completion Objective: Bring 10 Rabbit Heads to Farmer Fran.

  Reward: Work Gloves,
300 EXP, 2 silver, +50 Faction with Highwall

  As much as I hated fingerless gloves, stats were key at this point and by focusing on them I saw they had one more AC than my current ones. I hit “accept” and nodded to Olaf.

  “I only have a few more minutes before I must return,” Olaf said. “I can’t remember if it is the second or third part of this quest, but in it you will have to do battle with wolves. Let me show you where they are now.”

  He walked toward the forest where the yellow eyes that belonged to the wolf/bear had followed me. When we got close to the forest, Olaf saw my reservation and pointed to a spot on the far left where the trees grew thinner.

  “Amphicyon does not come out of the forest proper. As long as you remember not to enter there, you will be fine. Now, let me show you how to hunt these wolves before I must leave.”

  Pocket Wolf

  Level: 3

  Type: Regular

  Light: 0

  Race: Canine

  Dark: 0

  Faction: Wolf Pack

  Earth: 0

  HP: 40/40

  Water: 0

  MP: 0

  Fire: 0

  AP: 0

  Wind: 0

  AC: 3

  Special Attributes: none

  Weaknesses: none

  As I used every bit of my will to turn away from the large yellow eyes, I examined the sparser forest in front of me. I could see three packs of knee-high wolves that were wandering through the area. As cute as the diminutive canines looked, I knew better than to judge an opponent by appearances after the bunnies.

  You have gained 1 skill point in Inspect! 6/25

  “Do not try to take on multiples of anything unless you’re at least three levels higher than them. Wait until you see one run off from the group. Then, when it’s at least fifty feet away from any other wolves, you can attack. Pay attention to where you move while you’re engaged as well. If you get within fifty feet of another wolf, it will join in.” Olaf pointed at a wolf as it sprinted off from its pack of three to attack a squirrel. The other two wolves continued jogging straight ahead and didn’t seem to notice or care that their companion was gone.

  Olaf held out his thumb and forefinger in some sort of effort to judge the distance. I wasn’t sure if he was using a skill or if he was only doing crude estimation. He eventually nodded and engaged the wolf.

  The wolf leapt at him. Olaf took a couple of steps back, and the wolf’s mouth caught nothing but air. Olaf inverted his knife and pushed down hard as his blade sunk into the back of the wolf’s skull, producing a white 5! and a staggered yelp. The pain didn’t distract the wolf as it raked Olaf in the shins with its claws breaking up his next move and causing him to stumble back. The wolf lowered its head and began shaking violently, growling the whole time. Remembering what the odd high-level had told me about the bunnies, I was about to warn my friend, but he was way ahead of me. Olaf rolled to the left and the wolf’s special attack (which the prompts called “Wolfish Grin”) landed with a snarling, growling pounce in the place he’d vacated. Olaf spun behind it, reached under the disoriented wolf’s throat and thrust the blade up. Even with the Blood Filter most of the way down, Olaf’s hand and most of the ground under the wolf were covered in blood. A giant white 33! floated out of the top of the wolf’s head, and it flopped over.

  As the blood faded away on his hand, Olaf turned to me and grinned. “Striking in a vital area when added to the bonus for hitting from behind with the Flanking Attack skill almost always finishes them. I can’t imagine the kind of damage I could do if I had the Thief class’s Sneak Attack skill in addition to that.” He leaned down and looted the wolf.

  “Wow,” I said. “I haven’t unlocked Flanking Attack yet. I’ll definitely spend a point on that one when I do.”

  “Very worth it, especially when you combine it with vital spots.” He stood up and patted me on the shoulder. “Unfortunately, I must run. You should be fine, though. Any last questions?”

  I felt like there was something I should ask him, but I couldn’t think of anything, so I just shook my head.

  “Well, if you need anything, send me a message. If you don’t already know, you can send messages by thinking about the other player’s name and then dictating the message to the game mentally or verbally. If I don’t get back to you right away, it is because the group is doing something dangerous, but I will return the message as soon as I can. Later today, I will try to be at the same inn as this morning; if you do not see me, then you’ll find me there tomorrow morning.”

  We shook hands and he left, making sure to keep a healthy distance away from the deep forest and those yellow eyes. When he was gone, I made my way back to the bunny field.

  Quest 1: Kill 5 Mobs. Quest 2: Kill 10 More. Quest 3: Screw It. I’m Killing the Quest NPC

  There were quite a few more players in the field, though no higher-level players this time. Fortunately, the bunnies seemed to respawn more quickly to make up for the increased demand, and I barely had to move to find one. Now that I knew what I was doing, I made short work of my first bunny. I was especially proud that I’d taken no damage in the fight, though my enthusiasm dimmed considerably when I saw that I’d only been awarded thirty-eight experience, instead of the fifty like yesterday. I figured the game had decided that since they were so easy now, I shouldn’t get as much.

  I quickly squashed that thought when I remembered a few other games I’d played where experience for the same enemies dropped as you gained levels. I went back through my notifications from the day before until I found the ones for the two bunnies I’d killed after leveling. They’d awarded thirty-eight as well. That and the crappy loot must have been why so few people hunted easy mobs.

  After I killed two more rabbits while only suffering 3 damage, it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen any rabbit heads as loot on the previous day. I was worried that they were rare drops and I’d have to kill a ton of them to get ten heads, but then another thought occurred to me: What if they dropped in a different place or from a different type of mob? Olaf seemed to indicate the rabbits in this field were the right ones, though, and a careful examination of the quest description confirmed that.

  I resigned myself to the monotony of grinding (repeatedly killing the same enemies over and over) that I’d honed in several other non-VR MMORPGs and went to work. It wouldn’t be too bad since my other option was to do the exact same thing, just not for a quest. Two bunnies and 5 damage later, I was rewarded with my first head. I was shocked when two more dropped in two-out-of-three kills after that. My luck dried up quick when it took six more kills for the fourth. I should’ve known that whenever you’re expecting something, it never comes until right after you give up.

  Eight more kills and half an hour later, I had all ten rabbit heads while also unlocking Improved Agility. Given how many skills I’d unlocked, I figured there were many more to come, and with only four skill choices left, I decided against learning that for now. It sounded useful, but I wanted to see what else was out there before spending more. My new Regen skill leveled three points as well. I handed the farmer my bag full of children’s nightmares, and he stared at them like they were made out of gold.

  You have gained 300 Experience Points. 1,212/4,000 to next level.

  You have received 2 silver.

  You have been granted the loot: Work Gloves.

  You have received +50 Faction with Highwall. +50 Highwall (Receptive).

  Item: Work Gloves

  Slot: Hands

  Rarity: Common

  AC: 2

  Weight: 2 Pebbles

  Description: It’s hard work massacring small woodland creatures, so you need a little extra protection to keep you from getting blisters. These gloves are perfect for that; they even come pre-blood stained!

  After I finished drooling over my fancy new gloves, I did a little dance of celebration. (Don’t laugh, you do it too when no one is looking . . . which was technically the case, as the farmer wa
s only an incredibly lifelike computer program—who was right then giving me a very lifelike look of disgusted befuddlement). As I finished my dance, I realized the farmer had been talking to me.

  “Well,” Farmer Fran said, “can you help?”

  “Umm . . . I’m not sure, could you go over that again?”

  “Thank you again for freeing my field of those evil rabbits. You’re a true hero. Would you be interested in another act of heroism?”

  “I would, Fair Farmer, and I do it not for the loot you’re sure to give me or the experience and money either. Is there loot for this endeavor, by the way? Only asking for a friend.”

  “There sure is. But now that all those darn bunnies are gone, I’m beginning to think they were only a part of a larger problem. My crops are still being gobbled up.”

  I looked back and there were still at least 100 bunnies in the fields. Since he had loot for me, I decided not to argue. Besides, even if all the rabbits had been dead, there’d be no way he’d be able to notice a change until the next planting season. “Sure, glad I could crush those vile furry invaders and drive them from your wonderful farm. What’s the quest?”

  “I was so focused on the immediate threat of those rabbits that I forgot about the deer, since they don’t tend to stick around very long. I’m quite confident that if you get three deer carcasses and place ’em near the field, the rest of them deer will stay away.”

  Quest: Deerly Departed

  Description: Farmer Fran forgot about the deer that have also been ravaging his crops. Hard to blame him with that many rabbits stalking his field. Well, now it’s time to show those deer who’s the boss, and that no one messes with Fran (or the random adventurers who happen to pass by his farm looking for clothing)! Take three deer carcasses from the psychopathic, serial-killer deer (you’re going to have to trust us on that) and place them around the field to get the rest of the deer to stay away. The deer are located in the forest to the west of the field.