Chapter 8: Trial and Error.

Over the next year, many players came and went. And as time passed, Nicholas's hope of ever finding a player who didn't die or go missing within the first couple of nights of arriving grew slimmer and slimmer. The only thing that kept him going was Neptune, his only friend who he knew would always be there for him. Some players treated him badly, some treated him well. But when it came to personal issues, he would only speak with Neptune. He was afraid to grow attached to anyone else, due to their... high rate of death.

However, he still maintained some hope, just a little, that someone who wasn't going to fall a hundred feet, or get eaten by zombies, or just never come back would show up some day. The chances were slim, sure, but existent.

However, after a year passed, Nicholas began to believe he'd be waiting in this world forever, vainly hoping for someone up to the challenge. However, Neptune genuinely seemed to believe there was someone out there who knew what they were doing and would be up to the challenges of Terraria, so he decided that it was probably true. That or he was being played for a fool by this freaking world. Again. And again. Putting his hopes up, and smashing them down in one brutal swing. But if he couldn't trust Neptune, who could he trust? Anyone?

Well he sure wasn't keen on trusting a player. Considering they were always, you know, dying.

Then, one day, someone odd showed up. He was an older man, and he wore a long brown trench coat. He had well combed gray hair, though he wore a battered brown fedora on top of his head. And unlike everyone else who used a copper sword, he held a large copper staff. He called himself Atticus, and he didn't talk much.

The man did not listen to any of Nicholas's advice, and it seemed that he knew this world pretty well. Within a few hours of Nicholas approaching him, Atticus had built a well sized wooden house, with reinforced doors and a warm furnace. And when night came, instead of staying inside as Nick suggested, he walked calmly outside, and, as a zombie approached him, he blasted it to bits with a purple wave from his staff. As more enemies approached him, he calmly blasted them away. Slimes, zombies, even demon eyes!

This guy had potential, and Nick was ready to use it.