by Sam Strigo
Felix smiles to himself, I love plain brown tunics and plain brown shorts.
No one is wearing the bunny ears, should I? ponders Felix looking over the others.
Felix puts on his brand new pants, his brand new tunic, and his brand new shoes. He examines the bunny ears for a moment before putting it away. With the backpack now slung over his shoulder, he takes his first steps towards a new exciting life.
But first, the Ruby Forest awaits. Presumably, it's somewhere beyond the marketplace. If he could just find the exit after, he'll be alright, he thinks. Asking someone for directions if he ever gets lost is always an option. Behind him, the crater slowly heals leaving no trace of his dramatic entrance.
"Excuse me, you're new here right? uh, Max?" a voice calls to him from behind.
Felix turns around to see a bunny-eared stranger looking up at him well within his personal space. The man with boyish features has a backpack on his shoulders and is wearing the same garb as everyone else in the plaza.
"How does everyone know my name?" Felix mumbles while taking a quick step back.
"Um, I used [Identify]. You can see it in your abilities panel or in the stats summary," states the man plainly.
"Yeah, of course. I was just- yeah, hold on, let me... do something," stammers Felix.
[Identify]
Player
Name : Buddy
Note : Hi! Let's adventure!! XD
"So, what's up?" Felix asks cautiously.
"Are you gonna do the tutorial? Are you going alone? Want to party up? All the others are. Partying up, I mean. Buuut, everyone is in their own private groups. I asked. So, is it alright? We might get things done faster and you'll have someone to talk to. At least until we get back, then I gotta go to bed!" rattles off Buddy, smiling brightly at the end.
"Uh," Felix pauses. "Sure. Why not. You can help."
"Awesome! Thanks! It's kinda scary. The game’s a bit too, I dunno, intimidating? The intro with the flying nearly made me... A-anyway, have you created the party yet Max?" asks Buddy.
"Yeah, hold on."
After a quick peek at his abilities panel, Felix looks up and focuses on his task.
[Party Management]
*beep*
Party Management
[Create]
[Create]
"Right, I'll call it MaxParty... and I've sent you an invite."
*beep*
Party Invitation Accepted.
Buddy.
"Accepted! Oh, this is so exciting! Let's go!" Buddy cries, marching past Felix into the market.
"Do you know where the Ruby Forest is?" Felix questions, bewildered and jogging up to Buddy.
"Yes, I asked Emily —err the welcome kit girl— an hour ago?"
"What were you doing for an hour?"
"Making friends!"
A little sigh escapes Felix as they walk down the cobblestone boulevard. Merchants and their wares line the way on both sides, in the shade of white canvas tents. It seems like the whole stretch was made for the market. Felix peeks at the booths to his right, while Buddy blabbers on indistinctly. In front of his stall, a shoemaker is bent down over a pair of boots. The shoes on the table look sturdy and well made, but the ones now in the shoemakers hands stand out with its silver wing motifs and minimalistic design.
[Identify]
Grein Speed Boots | Common
Durability : 30
Effects : +3 Speed
Made by Ara Grein
Felix watches, too, the people passing by. Players stuck out with their beginner equipment and exotic races. The NPCs here are mostly human and are stunning in their medieval fantasy costumes. Pretty dresses, vivid cloaks, but mostly practical clothes, handsome in their own ways. If you take away the races and the outfits though, it's hard to tell which are the players and which are the NPCs.
Half way down the boulevard, finely carved bracelets of diverse hues glimmer. Cushioned on little velvet pillows, they lie neatly on an expensive looking table. The plump peddler, under his decorated tent, in gaudy merchant garb, plies his trade on some passing beastmen.
"Welcome, gentlemen! Behold! This product of peerless craftsmanship! Look at how it shines. Quite rare. Very powerful. Dear, but I assure you, more than worth the gold. Strapping adventurers like yourselves will have no trouble slaying beasts with this by your side," cajoles the man. He holds up a black wristband. It gleams with an inner glow of copper red. Felix isn't quite close enough to make out the carvings but he can tell it's masterwork.
[Identify]
?? | Uncommon
??
??
??
"That's odd," Felix mumbles.
"And I— sorry? What's odd?" Buddy queries, confused.
"That store we just passed. It had an item I couldn't read information on. There were question marks in the window," answers Felix, frowning as he thinks back to the item.
"Haven't you played an RPG before? It must be a high level item or something."
"Is that so... Why was the merchant trying to sell it to some newbies then?"
"Reeling them in to sell other stuff. Anyway, we're nearly there. Come on!"
Leaving Felix behind, Buddy jogs to the end of the market and then into a wider square with a fountain in the center. Three main roads and small capillary streets connects this place to the rest of the city.
"It's a right turn at the fountain... and lo!" Buddy points dramatically at something to the right, then runs out of sight. Felix reaches the fountain and looks for Buddy. His eyes meet a towering castle gate, gaping like a beast’s maw set into solid stone walls. Buddy is halfway down the road waving back at Felix. Felix takes his time getting to Buddy and together they close in on the gates. He can just about make out the landscape through the giant double doors.
Chapter Four
Dodging farmsteads, a dirt road swoops gently down into acres of farmland. Felix watches, from the gatehouse, wheat fields like royal patchwork shimmering yellow and gold under the afternoon sun. Felix watches the wind play with colors, rushing over the harvest wave after wave. Beyond the farms, the path vanishes into rolling green hills. A stream of people make for the distance, smiling and laughing all the way.
"Let's get going," Felix whispers. He starts down the dirt road with Buddy close on his heels. Felix had glimpsed treetops from his vantage point at the gatehouse. He thinks that must be it — the Ruby Forest.
The two walk by curious buildings, otherworldly implements, extraordinary plants, and bizarre animals. Strange green scaly bovines, colorful translucent fruits, enough oddities to fill two dozen lists. Here and there, players stop to chat with eager NPCs. A few even picnic and play, seemingly unconcerned for their mission.
"I heard, you can own a farm, and hire NPCs," Buddy begins. "If you get good you can even grow rare crops!"
"It's cool. But I have no interest in farming," Felix replies. The rhythmic rings of metal against softer metal echo ever louder as a blacksmith hammers away in his smithy. "They promised crafting to be pretty deep."
"Overly complex more like. And I doubt you could create something that doesn't already exist in the game," Buddy voices his concerns. "You know more complexity doesn't make a game good, right?"
"Uh huh."
Past the last field and wooden fence, Felix follows the trail of players behind a hill. A little distance away he spots a dense forest.
"Seems like we're just about there..."
"Can I ask you something, Max?" Buddy prods Felix.
"Yeah. Sure," consents Felix hesitantly, dreading the barrage of questions about to be levied on him.
"How long did you spend making your avatar?"
"Oh... about an hour or so? ...Why?"
"It's damn good. Easy to make one look good with the game, but damn."
"I've plenty of practice. I am — I was... a 3D developer," claims Felix proudly.
"Was?"
"Yeah." He can’t help it, but Felix’s answer leaves him
deflated. The two men reach the edge of Ruby Forest. They peer between trees and note that it is thick with vegetation but not with darkness. Light breaks through the canopy in holy columns, illuminating the leaves and elevating the shadows. Mirth and merriment echo from deeper inside. Felix frowns at the noise.
"Thank god it's not pitch-black!" exclaims a couple of would-be adventurers.
*beep*
—Objective Complete : Go To Ruby Forest—
* * *
Reward : 5 Gold
[Accept] [Deny]
[Accept]
*beep*
—New Objective : Gather 10 Blue Flowers—
Pick blue flowers, matching the picture, from the Ruby Forest. Collect the whole plant, including the roots. Beware of monsters.
* * *
Progress : 0/10
Rewards :
10 Gold
3 Slight Health Potions
100XP
Time Limit : None
"Where's the gold?" Felix mumbles patting his shorts for pockets.
*pat* *pat* *pat*
"It's in your inventory, dummy," jokes Buddy. Felix responds with a sour glance and takes a peek at the abilities screen.
I should have this open all the time.
[Inventory]
Inventory
Nothing here.
5G
The inventory is split into two sections. The first is a row of five empty black squares with "Nothing here." written on top. The second has a gold counter.
"Hey, Max! Quit dozing off. Let's go find those flowers," demands Buddy. And without waiting for an answer, he stomps through the underbrush. Felix closes the panel and follows carefully.
The two beginner adventurers wander the forest, looking under every suspicious bush and behind every inconspicuous boulder for the elusive flower. Fifteen minutes pass with empty pouches. Now and again, they see glimpses of other teams, absorbed in their own search. Rivals to a finite resource. Competitors that are snatching up flowers before Felix or Buddy can get to them and celebrating each victory with an enthusiastic shout.
"I got one!" yells a faint voice from far away.
Can the respawn rate even keep up? wonders Felix, grimacing. He has no idea if the demand is overwhelming the spawning flowers or if he is just unlucky. While examining a toothy purple flower, Felix hears Buddy scream.
"Max, help!"
Felix dashes towards where he saw Buddy last, moments ago. A brief but frantic search leads him to a small glade, then he spots his friend. Buddy is on the ground with his back pushed up against a tree. A growling, trembling, white ball of fur inches closer and closer, only a dozen feet away from Buddy. The creature is as large as its unwilling bunny-eared prey.
"Dude, what?"
"I'm level zero dumbass, look at my health! It hit me!", cries Buddy while clutching his side.
Plucking a pebble from the ground and with a sweeping motion, Felix hurls the rock at the predatory pom-pom.
*thump*
The projectile hits square in the middle of the creature, twenty feet away. The monster immediately stops. Then it turns, suddenly. Felix catches sight of two beady eyes staring back at him through dense fur. With a burst of speed, it springs at him. But Felix is gone, and the monster crashes into a thicket. Bursting through the bushes with a roar, the beast pursues the fleeing Felix.
Over a moss covered boulder, and under a low hanging branch, Felix runs as hard as he can. He dodges trees, jumps over streams, and rolls uncontrollably down hills. He feels the heavy beating of feet, getting louder and louder, as they hammer the forest floor behind him.
*thump* *thump* *thump*
The monster is close. He hears the ripping of roots and the cracking of wood as the beast smashes through the underbrush. Felix trips. He falls headlong into a tangled web of thin roots at base of a dead tree. The ground creaks, pops, snaps, crackles, and caves. Felix plummets and moments later, meets the ground hard.
*thud* "Oof!"
"Nnnngghh..." Felix groans. Slowly, he rolls onto his back and opens his eyes. A bright light streams from a hole in the ceiling. Wincing, Felix wobbles to his feet and leans against a rock face. A narrow passageway, just wide enough for two adults to walk side by side, extends and fades into the dark. The walls of the cavity meet in an arch, high above him. Behind him is a dead end. One trembling step at a time, with a hand on the wall, Felix follows the cave path. Soon, the light he left behind becomes a distant memory. But, he can still see just fine. The passage is filled with a faint blue light.
It's the moss. I can see it.
Not long since he started walking, Felix stumbles upon an opening off the passage. Investigating, he walks into a meadow of blue flowers in a spacious cavern. Light streams in beams from a broken ceiling, feeding the flowers in patterns of shattered glass. In the center is a lone wilted flower growing on a rock. Hastily, Felix gets down on his hands and knees. He examines one of the plants.
[Identify]
Blue Flower | Common
A common herb. Their roots have small restorative properties.
Tea can be made from the leaves. The whole plant is edible.
Felix drops his backpack and pulls out a garden trowel. With great care, he collects twenty of the blue flowers and stores them away.
*beep*
—Objective Complete : Gather 10 Blue Flowers—
Pick blue flowers, matching the picture, from the Ruby Forest. Collect the whole plant, including the roots. Beware of monsters.
* * *
Progress : 20/10
Rewards
10 Gold
3 Slight Health Potions
100XP
[Accept] [Deny]
I better wait for Buddy.
Felix returns to the main passageway. The deeper he goes the more humid the air becomes and a faint rumbling at the start transforms into a roar.
A few minutes later, the path ends at a wall of torrential water. Light dances on the wet floor, light waltz off the damp cave walls, and Felix, staring at the radiant barrier with a hardened expression, takes a deep breath.
He leaps into the waterfall. But, as soon as he touches the water, it pulls him down with great force. Felix tumbles, head over heels, inside. For a moment, there is sunlight and a forest beyond the deluge. A split second later, he finds himself plunged a dozen feet underwater. Moving his limbs as hard as he can, Felix swims away from the source of the muffled roar and up towards sunlight. Breaking through with a splash, he gasps for breath.
"Haa... Haa... It's... Haa... Freezing..."
Felix swims to the shallows and walks to shore. A forest surrounds the lake on all sides. Distant voices filter through the foliage. Voices in excitement and in frustration. Felix can't make out what they're saying but heaves a sigh.
With a jolt, wide-eyed and pale, he rips the backpack off his shoulders and, after fiddling with the straps, throws the flap open. Felix kneels over his bag and rummages inside. He pulls out two pouches and sighs in relief.
Now, to find Buddy.
Felix enters the forest.
"Buddy!", he shouts over a boulder, startling passersby who glare at him. "Buddy!" he yells down a glen. Adventurers gathered around a blue flower stare. "Buddy!" he calls for his teammate."Buuuuuuddy!" mocks someone on the next hill.
"Bud—"
"I'm right here!" interrupts a familiar voice. Buddy limps out from behind a cluster of bushes. "Are you hurt? Why're you wet? What happened to the fur ball?"
"Lost him... it. Sit down. Chill," orders Felix. He sits down on a root, takes his backpack off, and stretches his legs.
"Crap! It hurts to bend over. Why does it hurt so much? Limiter must be set too damn high." Buddy whines as he leans up against a tree. He slides down and sits a few feet away from Felix. "Why were you wandering all over anyway? I had a hard time getting to you."
"What do you mean? I was looking for you!" claims Felix, while looking through his backpack.
"What?
Didn't you sense me?"
"Sense you?"
"Yes... wait... Did you or did you not read the team management help text?" interrogates Buddy. "A party member can sense the general direction of other party members. That's one of the benefits of having a party. Knowing where everyone is."
"That's mighty good to know now. Anyway, here," Felix holds up a drawstring pouch.
"Read all the help text, it'd do yo— Oh! Wow! How'd you get all these?", exclaims Buddy, goggle-eyed at what's inside the pouch. "Oops! I got the prompt. Did you already accept?"
"Not yet. Afraid I might need some help. Let's do it," replies Felix.
—Objective Complete : Gather 10 Blue Flowers—
Pick blue flowers, matching the picture, from the Ruby Forest. Collect the whole plant, including the roots. Beware of monsters.
* * *
Progress : 10/10
Rewards
10 Gold
3 Slight Health Potions
100XP
[Accept] [Deny]
[Accept]
*ding* *ding*
*Level Up! x2!* announces a cheery female voice inside Felix’s head.
*beep*
—New Objective : Assign Level Points—
Use your stat, skill, and ability points.
* * *
Rewards
5 Gold
Time Limit : None
"Hell yeah, potions!" Felix hears Buddy call out.
[Inventory]
Inventory
Slight Health Potion x3
15G
