AN: Not entirely happy with how parts of this turned out. I personally felt that some scenes didn't flow right. I'm liking this "Chapter a Week" approach though. I don't think I would be against a "Chapter every two weeks" deadline, but part of me feels like I might lose steam if I took that approach.

I hummed tunelessly to myself as I meandered through the woods. The past two hours or so had resulted in a few successful hunts. Now I was currently killing time until I came across another set of tracks. I had explained to the rest of the group that trying to find these things would take some time, and this being a game it was likely the chance to find the tracks were completely random in a given area.

They had decided to rest after each encounter, claim the setup of the goblins we had just killed for their own while they waited. What they did varied, and often depended on how comfortable they were with boredom.

#Watch out for «Giant Wasps». May spawn in region.#

I froze at Issin's message, recalling the giant insect swarm we had passed the day before. I responded with a quick "thanks" and continued on my way, stilling much more often with every strange sound I heard.

Eventually I came across a bare print of a goblin, its foot having left a mark in the detritus. I followed the trail for a little bit, internally rejoicing when another pair of tracks joined it. I clambered up a tree, looking for any sort of clearing based on the density of the trees which my marks might have gone off to.

With a slight smirk, I leap to the ground, moving off to my predicted location. My guess was successful, and I sent a message off to Harry to start moving towards me. While I waited, I moved closer to get a better look, informing my current leader that our targets consisted of four goblins. Two of which were using spiked, wooden clubs while the other two were using a simple sword and dagger respectively.

"How should we do this?" I asked once they arrived. Our past encounters alternated between somebody acting as bait with the others jumping in or a full frontal assault. Either way worked out, as controlling the goblins was as simple as starting off with a «Sword Skill» and at least two people alternating their attacks from there. With four goblins it might be a different story.

"Issin. You and Asasaki circle around to the sides. Dale and I will charge in from the front and try to split through the middle, dividing them into two. Once that happens, or if we fail and they crash back into us, you two come in and take one target each. We'll work from there." We all gave some sign of acknowledgement to Harry plan's before moving off to our positions.

I hunched over slightly, ready to draw my blade. On the other side of the clearing, Issin was leaning against a tree, his blade held loosely beside him. Our targets were gathered around a smouldering fire pit, each one lazing about with their weapon beside them.

Harry and Dale inched closer, their weapons bared in front of them. With without a word, they charged in, soundless cries fueling their attack. Dale shoulder checked the goblin closest to me, turning around and attacking the one he had trampled. Past him, I saw Harry start off with a shield skill, closing the small gap between him and his chosen target.

I waited for my mark to get back up, unleashing a «Rage Spike» as its hand neared its dagger. It let out a squeal as it was driven back, the tip of my blade smashing into its chainmail tunic.

I set back on it when I recovered from the «Post Motion», slicing its arms when it reached out to grab me. The creature ran to grab its weapon once again, its movement halted when I drove the pommel of my sword between its shoulder blades, shifting into a «Horizontal» aimed at its neck.

I turned around, pained cry of the goblin that morphing into tinkling glass. The rest of my group was still dealing with their respective goblin, but a few more hits and they would be dealt with. I looked through my pop ups, taking note of the cor I received.

"I kind of wish these goblins were harder to deal with. It's like dealing with slimes." I looked up at Dale, slightly agreeing with his opinion.

"Some slimes are really mean though. You think you're fighting with a fat blob of health, but you end up with a swarm of sentient amoebas that can bounce you to death." I looked to the side, letting out a pained breath as I recalled that specific incident.

"Please don't tell me that actually happened to you."

"It was just a story I heard about," I told Harry, not meeting his eyes. "How many more goblins do we need to kill?"

"Sixteen," he responded.

I spun around and looked at the trees, bemoaning how long these quests were

"A total of thirty, right?" I asked. I wondered if taking down that many would influence the spawn rate as well as whether or not this would have actual effects for us in the region.

"Around that, yeah." When I turned back around, Harry was tapping through something. Dale and Issin were sitting down on the logs the goblins had been using. "Do you guys want to go deal with the leather questline for a bit? It's a little boring doing this. No offense, Asasaki."

I waved his concerns off, stretching a little. "I'm fine with whatever."

"What if Asasaki went ahead and let us know if there are any encampments we can clear out? We can meet her out in the fields once we take care of them." I looked over at Issin who was eating some bread I had convinced him to bring as a snack.

"That would work. You okay with that?"

I stood back up and nodded at Harry. "I'll head off then. I'll let you know what markings to look for." Harry wished me luck as I slipped back to the main path. There were four small divots on the road. It seemed to me that was a two way path for carts, likely hand pulled.

I walked off the trail, a broken branch catching my attention. I followed markings for several minutes, arranging patterns on the ground to signal where to go. #Found one. Two goblins, clubs.#

I closed out Harry's response without looking at it, continuing my way southeast to the fields. Some time later, the counter for my goblinoid kill count increased by two. I hummed in appreciation, stepping out onto the plains. It was a welcome sight. While the forest had a moderate chill to it, the plains had a relaxing warmth, one I wouldn't mind falling asleep to.

The sound of a monster spawned dispelled that notion, and I strode towards the beast, blade in hand. The «Frenzy Boars» didn't spawn that often, only twice a minute. A little unusual compared to the boars closer to the «Town of Beginnings» but perhaps it was slow player leveling or a direct result of this quest. I lost myself in the killing, each victim falling in two blows or less.

That wasn't to say I was focused on how I execute the boars, but I was running on autopilot. Whenever my target fell, I'd walk around slowly for a new monster to spawn before either running right up to it or using a «Rage Spike» or «Sonic Leap».

I'd like to think I couldn't be blamed when I suddenly found myself atop a horse sized boar that had spawned out of nowhere, having used its snout as a stepping pad. When it clicked that I should be fighting, I sunk my blade into the creature's side, driving it up to the hilt before pulling it out. Its flailing became worse, and I righted myself atop the beast, grabbing a fistful of neck hairs to secure myself.

I clamped onto its torso with my legs, flicking my sword every few strides onto its right foreleg. Its movement slowed slightly, but it picked back up. When I looked up, I realized that the «Livid Boar» was charging right at a tree, likely planning on crushing me between its body and the trunk.

I jumped off the boar when it neared, landing in a roll and turning around to face the quadruped. It dawned on me just how big the creature was, my head reaching just under the top of its snout. "Fuck me," I drawled out, shifting onto the balls of my feet.

I leapt to the side when it charged, curling inward to avoid the incoming tusk when it turned its head. I snaked back in upon landing, scoring a thin line on its side. I continued this a few more times, not always recovering in time to make a strike. Eventually I managed to line its charge up so that it would slam into another tree.

Taking advantage of its stunned state, I hoisted myself onto its back by using its tail and derriere as a temporary sheath. I crawled back up to its neck, sliding my sword between its ribs before pulling it downwards. The behemoth swine let out a squeal, bucking a few times before turning around and continuing its rampage. I jammed my blade through its neck, repeating the process a few more times until it fell on its side.

Inflicted with paralysis, its hp was slowly draining away. I stalked towards it, a dour smirk pulling at my lip. I raised my blade with both hands, the System taking over and plunging it through its eye, yielding another squeal. It still had hp remaining, though it was fading at a rapid clip. I twisted my sword around slowly, waiting until the last few percent to sheathe it. My hand moved to look through the windows that had popped up a few seconds later, sending the four «Rough Furs», two «Common Logs», and five «Boar Meat» to my inventory.

When I looked up, I raised a hand to greet the trio standing at the edge of the clearing. "How went your hunt?" I asked, already knowing their response.

"It went well. Not as good as your hunt though," Issin responded, a touch of nervousness on his face. "Were you really that bored that you went ahead and killed ten «Frenzy Boars» without us?"

I shrugged. "It ended up happening. I didn't notice what I was fighting until I was on its back. Weak point is its neck and underside, by the way." I slide my finger across the relevant areas on my body.

"Yeah, we noticed." Harry stepped forward, drawing his weapons. "You don't mind sharing your drops, right? This is a material quest after all." As he approached me, the spawn rate for «Frenzy Boars» increased, an additional one spawning for Dale and Issin when they stepped forward.

"Aside from the «Rough Fur» from the «Livid Boar», at least until the end. We should discuss who gets the enhanced materials once we have enough basic materials as a group." He gave a grunt at that, heading off to fight.

I stepped towards a «Frenzy Boar» of my own, left hand moving to open up my «Quest Log». We each needed fifteen leather. I was already sitting on nineteen, including the four from the «Livid Boar». At this rate it was likely we'd need to face that «Livid Boar» at least two or three more times. It should be easier with four people, but I didn't know how well I could pull off my matador routine if there were others to worry about.

"Hey, Asasaki! Hold on!" I looked up, my blade flicking out to the side after stabbing through a boar's head. Dale and Issin seemed a little worried, looking around frantically.

"What's up?" I jogged over to Harry, wondering what he needed my attention for.

"Dammit, we were going to prepare for the «Livid Boar»! Get your head out of the clouds and start working with us again! We were talking about it this entire time! Issin, work with Asasaki and whittle it down! Dale, group with me and we'll share Tanking!" I blinked, wondering why they were so panicked. Sure, the incoming creature was around the size of a SUV, but it wasn't as if it was covered in armor.

"I'll get the right," I called out to Issin, tossing my sword into my left hand. A spawning circle formed, materializing another «Livid Boar» with a roar, making me wonder how it didn't catch my attention the first time around. I took a few steps back, mentally measuring my distance to make sure Dale and Harry were closer.

Harry screamed a challenge in return, stepping forward with his shield raised. Dale moved beside him, his sword held to take the brunt of the other tusk. The boar crashed into their defenses, their feet tearing up the earth.

I dashed in, crouching down and springing up in a spinning leap. I drove my blade into the beast's side, using gravity to assist the force of my strike. Once my momentum jerked me downward, I heaved myself up, pulling my way towards the neck. I let out a yelp when the boar buckled particularly roughly, jamming my blade between bones for another handhold.

"Asasaki! Jump!" Not know why that was commanded, I leapt to the side, unable to grab my blade out in time. When I stood back up I, the boar had slammed its side into a tree, missing my embedded sword.

"I'm unarmed!" I yelled, moving away from the fight. "If you can catch it, I can get back on!" I missed their reply, moving to the right side of the boar. I wasn't sure if I could get back on completely, but at the very least I should be able to reclaim my sword.

Harry and Dale caught the beast by the tusks once more, Issin moving in from behind them to strike its neck. I lunged for my sword, pushing off its ribs with my feet once grabbed ahold and tore my blade down its side.

I rolled back somewhat awkwardly, jumping away with the knowledge I wouldn't be able to get a safe hit in. The boar broke off and ran away, making a wide turn to barrel back into us. Our two decoys moved up to meet its charge, bracing themselves for the impact. It was a little odd that they were purposely meeting its attack as opposed to letting trees disorient it, but I supposed their method was much more consistent and arguably safer.

Issin and I ran in from the sides, swinging at its exposed neck. I finished my attack off with a quick thrust, dashing out to avoid its shaking head. Harry and Dale seemed to be taking around 5 or 8% damage each time they crashed against its charge and in two runs we had managed to get around a fourth of its health down. We'd be able to kill it, but our two forwards would need to down a few potions to get back to a reasonable amount of hp.

We repeated the strategy a few more times. I tried to get on its back once more, but it only yielded the same result; a bucking ride and slamming its body into a tree to try and turn me into paste. I was lucky on that attempt though in that it drove my sword into its body deeper, but Harry told me not to do that again, that it was throwing off our rhythm.

"I don't think we can fight that again. We don't have any more potions." Harry mentioned once the boar died, a solemn look on his face. In our haste to try out the other quests, we had forgotten to resupply. I still had a single health potion and my curatives (or rather, preventatives) but it seemed that my allies weren't as frugal with health management.

"Should we just kill two more boars each before heading back?" I asked, looking at the spawning creatures. The only items I had received from that «Livid Boar» was a «Tusk Fragment», two slabs of «Boar Meat», and two «Common Logs».

"Sounds good." Harry moved over to Dale, letting their HP recover. Issin tore through his with ease while I took my time, leisurely dancing around my target and whittling its health away.

"Remember to only kill two." Issin placed a hand on my shoulder, giving a squeeze. "Not unless you're willing to handle that boar by yourself, Ms. Ninja." I shrugged his hand off, staring at a spawning matrix.

"I'm not against it, but I only have a single potion left. I don't know how the others would feel if I went ahead and did that on my own." I waltzed over to the «Frenzy Boar», leaping into the air and unleashing a «Stone Sheath» into his skull.

"Looks like I got lucky. Both of those boars gave me two «Ragged Furs» each." I materialized one of the furs, the data appearing in a burlap sack.

"Hey, nice! How many does that make that now?" Issin looked through his interface, probably comparing his own loot.

"23, including the four «Rough Fur» from the «Livid Boar» I fought earlier." I put the item back into my inventory, sitting down beside Dale. "I feel like we should use the «Rough Fur» for our front lines. The armor boost should make their lives easier."

"That's what we were thinking. It'd be nice if we could make an enhanced set for everybody though." Harry nodded on the other side of Dale, commenting on how they would normally make sure everybody's equipment were at a certain level. Unless a drop was specific, gear would be used to replace the most outdated piece in the group.

Issin tagged out with our two front liners, plopping down beside me. "Hey, so about earlier. Do you normally go for killing blows?"

I gave a soft hum. "Usually, yes. There's no need to draw things out if you can end them with a single blow." I took off my sword, laying it down beside me.

"What about in real life?"

I turned to look at him, smirking a little at his nervousness. "In real life I probably wouldn't be going for the killing blows." I stressed the word probably, trying to emphasize I wasn't against taking a life. "In most situations, my objectives could be talked down or I can subdue them without much harm, but from time to time you just have to act." I snapped my fingers on that last word.

"What would you do if you came up against PK'ers?"

I recognized the term from my old companion. "Probably kill all but one, or how ever many people I had in my group. It's not exactly like threat of pain can do much to deter people in this world. Honestly it'd end up being a battle of force."

Issin made a noise of understanding. "What did you do back in the real world, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Military Police in a few civil war zones. I'm not willing to say much more than that." I grunted quietly, moving into a bridge to stretch out my back. "I don't know if I mentioned it, but I had some time off and was spending it with an old friend. We got in the game together but he ended up dieing to a boar." I laid down, letting my limbs splay out. "My sheath is actually from him." I lifted up my sword, displaying its carved ivory scabbard.

"At least you have something to remember him by, right?" Issin avoided looking at me, his face tinted with embarrassment. I responded with another grunt, sitting up when I noticed Dale and Harry moving back towards us.

"Shall I go on ahead again?" I tied my sword back over my tunic, adjusting the straps for comfort.

"Sure. Feel free to start off any goblins you think you can handle." I lazily saluted Harry, walking back into the forest. It was just as quiet the first time around. Unseen birds chirping, a gentle wind blowing through the leaves. I was glad I had a weapon on me.

There was a difference between being in the woods all on your own and exploring the area around a campground with friends. A niggling feeling of anxiety whispered at the back of my mind, a heightened paranoia that resulted from the knowledge that there may be other players with hostile intentions nearby. I took a deep breath and soothed that portion of my psyche, devoting the majority of my attention to looking for goblin tracks.

The trails weren't as common this time around. I had scanned areas several times just to make sure I hadn't missed something before calling it and moving on. In the end the only trail I found was one relatively near the village, a winding path that suggested they were investigating the buildings from afar.

"How many targets do I have today?" I asked myself, easing my way closer. Three goblins were huddled around what looked like a drawing, one of them using a stick to illustrate their topic. "A small lie never hurt anybody," I whispered, sending off a single word to Harry.

I crouched down and picked up two stones, firing them off with the still unknown skill in rapid succession. One of my marks fell to the ground, the symbol for the Stunned status appearing over its bar. The other cradled its head with a arm before drawing its sword and screeching a challenge at me.

I fired back a smirk, pulling my blade free from its sheath as I shot forward. I caught the lead goblin's attack by the arm, a downward swipe with its cudgel, swinging underneath and behind it in a fluid motion. With a heavy tug, I pulled it to the side, placing it between the other goblin and myself. I drew my sword across its neck, a following chambered pommel strike to the temple sending it to the ground.

I met the last standing goblin's horizontal strike with the flat of my blade, return the blow by slapping the edge of my blade against its unprotected cheek. When it gave a cry of rage I reared back and stabbed my sword through its mouth.

Seeing that the club wielder I had struck first was still downed, I took a step and leapt into the air, sending a «Stone Sheath» through its skull. That one pixilated with the single attack, the other two struggling on the ground as their bar rapidly depleted.

"I'll take that," I spoke, severing the finger of the second goblin. Luckily blood wasn't something factored in this world, else I would have to clean the brass, possibly bronze, ring. Also lucky was how the ring didn't digitalize alongside the corpse, the sounds of shattering glass repeating itself a few seconds later.

I tapped on the ring, looking over its stats. It had a somewhat low durability and offered a +3 to defense. It wasn't much, but it would do for the time being. I slipped it onto my right pointer, adjusting the material of my fingerless glove to accommodate it.

"Asasaki! Are you okay?" Issin burst out from between two bushes, leaves and twigs sticking out from his clothing.

"Yeah. I was able to break through their offense and work my way through them. I even got a ring out of it." I flashed the item, moving my hand so that the false sun glinted off it.

I heard a gurgling sound from behind me that gave way to an explosion of data. Issin didn't seem like he knew how to respond. "That's good. What does it do?"

"Slightly increases my defense stat. Hey, you think these things automatically resize? Harry or Dale might be able to use it." I tapped on the ring once more, thoroughly reading its descriptions. Underneath the image of the item, on the bottom left of its panel, was a line of red text. "What does «Bound» mean?"

"It means that you can't trade it anymore. It's locked to whoever has it equipped. That's kind of lucky. But aren't we supposed to get another ring from this quest line?" Issin tilted his head, processing the information.

"Something like that. Damage and Speed values I think?" I stepped towards the other source of damage in our group, stretching my arms. "Did you guys come across anything? You look like you got into a fight."

"If by fight you mean running my body through all kinds of branches to try and back you up, then yeah." He let out a short laugh at that, guiding me back to the main path. "Harry and Dale should be on their way. They told me to go on ahead."

I poked Issin's side, digging my finger a little into his rib. "You should run more. I know this world is basically ruled by numbers, but if your mind thinks it can handle it you can do things better than normal. Like breathing." I backed away, smirking at him. "Maybe I should start waking you all up at o five thirty for a nice morning run. Get your stamina all up."

"Please don't." His face fell, paling a little. I had to wonder whether the him in the real world would actually have done that, or if this world was enhancing expressions.

"Too late. Anytime we're in a city I'm «Following» you all down and forcing you to run. I need partners anyway." I spun around, slowly marching towards the hamlet. "How far were you guys anyway when I sent that message?"

"We were only in the forest for a couple minutes. They should be catching up to us soon." I responded with a simple "okay", moving my sheath into my hands to rest my back against a tree.

"You guys missed all the action! I got a ring out of!" I waved to the duo with my right hand, hoping they'd noticed the dull metal. Dale stopped when he saw me, hunching over and resting his hands on his knees.

"Did you need to drink any potions?" Harry jogged the rest of the way over to Issin and me, eyes looking to his upper left. I imagine he was looking at my health bar in the party section of our interface.

"Nah. I managed to get the drop on them and turn the fight around. They fell pretty easily once I got two of them «Stunned»." I pushed off the tree, swinging my sheath back on. "To the hamlet, right? Oh, and Dale? Don't bend over like that. You put pressure on your lungs and can't get as much air that way." The big guy raised a hand in acknowledgement, standing back up relatively straight.

"Yeah. We're calling it quits for the day. We can't do anything else safely without restocking." Harry started walking, Issin waiting for Dale and me to follow before trailing after.

"Could you guys buy me some extra potions? I don't know if I'll have enough money to get what I'll need." I patted Dale's arm, mentioning that I'd be willing to chip in once I figured out what I could sell.

It seemed that we were the first to arrive at the «Charbroiled Boar» this time, even for NPC's. Not entirely surprising, considering it was only around 3 in the afternoon. Harry and Issin got to work putting the tables together, pulling out a seat for me.

"Should we split our loot now or wait for Klein's group to get back?" Harry started unequiping his gear, leaving only his sword at his side.

"I say we split our loot between the four of us if we plan on keeping our groups the same for tomorrow, anyway. Splitting as a whole might not be a bad idea though if one groups prefers one task over the other." I ordered the same tea from earlier, basking in its scent.

"I'm with Asasaki. Let's split the items now. If Klein thinks we should divide it up as a whole we can always do that later." Dale started materializing the furs, separating one bag from the other four.

"I'm holding onto my «Rough Fur» though. At least until the end when we all finish up." I materialized my nineteen «Ragged Fur», moving them into groups of four and leaving an extra group of three. "So I've been wondering. The quest is asking for leather, but the furs are counting as that. You think the final product will be leather based or treated skins with the fur still on?"

"I think they might end up being plain leather, but it'd be nice if we had the option. Might act as warm gear if we end up going someplace cold." Harry dropped the four sacks he had in front of him, putting a separate bag to his right.

"Plain leather sounds right, if that's what the quest is asking for. Couldn't we just go ask the quest giver though?" Issin tossed out his five bags, separating them a little when Harry gave him a pointed look.

"I suppose I could go find out. I still need to figure out if the NPC's here will even buy the items I have." I swiped open my menu, tapping over to my inventory. My first box contained my combat items: potions, edibles, the lesser quality sword I no longer needed. In my second box were all the items I had collected. The pollen, petal fragment, and roots from the lilies, bones and uncooked meat from the boars. It was a little annoying how low the stacking was. The meat capped at twelve, and the bones didn't pile at all.

"You can go ahead if you want. We'll just wait here for now. Might go head back to the room we're renting out and take a nap if they don't get back soon." I downed my drink and stood up, waving a hand as I headed back out. As I exited, I heard Harry start once again on the topic of whether we should give the «Rough Fur» to the damage dealers or tanks.

I took a deep breath once the door closed behind me. Even though I knew this world was completely false, I couldn't help but partake of the fresh air, drenched in the scent of earth and wood. Knowing that the only danger was from that which I could see made it all the better.

In the center of this hamlet was a stone well, a roof made from bundled reeds resting atop treated wood. I couldn't help but wonder how long this place would have been around in the real world. Was the current population only in the third or fourth generation? Or would the inhabitants have been around for centuries, living their lives out in relative peace.

I kicked at the dirt, smoothing it over after a beat. I knew I needed the drops from the mandrakes. There were the pinecones, the bundles of reeds from the river, the branches. The only things I could sell were the bones, meat, and «Slumbering Lily» items. "Oh right. Also those logs." I materialized one of them. No special text or anything for them. Just a «Common Log», likely a single piece from each time the «Livid Boar» slammed into a tree.

I headed towards the «Apothecary», deciding to use around 700 of my current funds on getting potions. I had a greater appreciation for how much Klein helped me out, but he was likely out hunting at least every other day while I was wandering the «Town».

"Good afternoon." I looked around the shop. Nothing much had changed since I had last been here. The store owner was likely busy though, based on the sound of bubbling concoctions.

I walked up to the counter, wrinkling my nose at the assault of smells. All that was missing was the scent of decomposition and I would have said this room was shrouded in death.

"Yes, yes, welcome, welcome." An aged woman stepped out from behind the curtain of stone beads. "Hello, my dear. What poison are you looking for?" She smiled, massaging her hands.

"Do you actually sell poisons or is that a joke of the trade?" I dug a finger into the grooves of the wood, still acclimating to the stench.

"Of course, of course. The hunters love my crafts. Makes their jobs a lot easier." I looked up at her, taking in her appearance. I couldn't see what was underneath her stained off-white robe, but a myriad of objects were sticking out of the various pockets sewn on the outside.

"You seem different from the others here," I trailed off, wondering why she seemed so much more "alive" than other NPC's.

"I do not come from around here. My home is someplace far away. Perhaps you will go there someday." She grinned toothily at me. I had the oddest impression she just shared a private joke.

"Perhaps." I materialized the «Slumbering Lily» items and bones from the boars. "Is there anything you can do with these?" She opened the bags, muttering to herself as she sorted the items.

"I can make you two curatives for paralysis and one minor restoration of health. I would ask the owner of the «Charbroiled Boar» to make you some tea from these «Petal Fragments». It's quite delicious, though I would not drink it this evening. It will keep you up, contrary to the «Lily's» normal behavior." I responded with a simple hum, wondering why the subtle emphasis on those keywords bothered me so much.

"Will you be requiring additional payment as well or are you fine with just the items?" I tapped on the bag icon next to the box showing how much Cor I had, ready to divulge a requested amount.

"I can accept a reduced price if you give me all your «Pollen». There will be some leftovers that I can use in other potions." I handed over the relevant items, putting the «bones» and «Petal Fragments» back into my inventory. The lady walked back into her presumable workshop, telling me that it wouldn't take too long.

As I waited, I headed over to the potions rack towards the front, taking four «Minor Health Potions» into my arms and setting them down on the counter. After a few minutes the brewer returned, holding one red potion and two muted yellow potions. "And the four minor restorations as well?" I nodded, handing over 600 cor for the pre-made potions.

I thanked her for her time and headed out to find the rest of the quest givers. "Before you go," I stopped and turned around, straining to hear her over the bubbling. "If you ever find yourself in a place called «Collinia», you should head to the church there and tell them old lady Hilde sends her regards." I nodded after a moment, closing the door behind me.

"Guess I'll see what we can do with those «Rough Furs». I headed west, following the signs along a winding trail that lead to the leather maker's workshop. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted. "Anybody here?!"

The door to the main building opened, and a thin male, probably no older than his mid-teens stepped out, lowering the cloth around his lower face. "Hi, how can I help you?"

I took in his appearance, wondering if he was the son of the quest giver we had talked to. "Do you know about the commission a handful of people asked for earlier today?" It wasn't exactly truthful to call it a commision, but I wasn't sure how he'd respond if I called it a quest.

"Oh, yes. Were they able to gather all the materials?" I looked to the side, examining the wooden tanning set up braced against a tree.

"Not quite. But we did come across the furs and skin of a large boar. Do you know if that's suitable for the work?" I drew my sword and raised it to the sky, trying to emphasis how big it was.

"Oh wow, you guys came across the giant boars? I'm jealous. The products we get from those are really high quality. Only highly sharpened steel can cut those, and even then they don't get all the way through. Since you guys are requesting armor, you should probably get enough standard skin, and then we can use any higher quality materials to enhance the final product. We could also just use them alone, but it's up to you guys." He flashed a smile. "My name is Jakob by the way." He extended a hand in greeting.

"Asasaki. We'll probably be back around tomorrow or the day after that. We were having trouble with the bigs ones but now that we have experience with them it should go better the next time around." I wrinkled my nose when the scent of worked leather passed over me. It was good to know that this world held some adherence to the workings of reality.

I waved good bye and started heading back the path, leisurely strolling and enjoying the birdsong. Once upon a time I was able to distinguish the various patterns and general meanings of their calls, but it was a skill that had faded with age.

"You really love nature, dontcha?" I lolled my head over towards Klein, realizing I had taken purchase on a stump that lined the path.

"Considering most of my previous years consisted of sand, rocks, buildings, and hey, look! Another rock!" I pointed at a random stone, plastering false glee on my face, "Can I be faulted for basking in all this greenery?" I gestured around, leaning back on my hands.

"Everybody's already gathered. We're going to eat first then discuss the quests afterwards. Have you already eaten?" Mr. Scruffles offered me a hand, one I took on principle.

"Not yet. I was asking some of the quest givers about some stuff. If we want to get higher quality armor, we should treat furs from the «Livid Boars» as add-ons and not substitutes." I led the way, keeping a somewhat clipped pace. "How did your experience with that boar go, anyway?"

"Eh. Not too great. Dynamm and I didn't have the health or defenses to go more than a single round. Choryu brought up the idea of one of us acting as bait and using the trees for it to slam into, but none of us thought we would be able to pull it off." I gave a hum in response, turning my head slightly towards him. "We tried to use our shields and swords to block, hell, even Kunimittz had to help out for a bit. It took a couple minutes before we got it down. Sucks that it only gave like forty cor. A monster that big should drop more than that!" Klein made a face, clenching his fists in protest.

"Didn't it drop at least four slabs of meat though?" I interjected dryly.

"Okay, fine, I guess that it's probably worth the effort to get it to spawn. Speaking of which, how come it didn't spawn out in the fields yesterday?" I smiled softly at the scratching sound I heard from him.

"My guess is that the «Livid Boars» are either quest locked or region locked. Could you imagine if a «Livid Boar» spawned outside the town walls? Imagine how many players would die to that." I thrust my chest forward, calling upon the mediocre acting skills I would display from time to time to poke fun at companions. "Legends say that the monster killed so many players that day, the developers gave future iterations a random chance to have the name of "Barry"."

I froze in my bent position, eyes narrowed as I held my hands before me in a vague tusk shape. When Klein burst out laughing I considered it a success and continued walking.

"But why Barry?" He eventually managed, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

"It's a story from an old game. Apparently a player by the name of "Barry" managed to leave an enhanced variant of a common monster in its enraged state. It took down some thirty players or so before it got killed."

"Wait, that actually happened?" I spun around, walking backwards as I talked.

"We have the internet. If you can imagine it, it's probably happened somewhere in some desolate corner of cyberspace." I twirled to face forward leading us towards the «Charbroiled Boar». "I give it a week before I get tired of boars from this place," I said, pushing the door open. "Boar Meat, Boar quests, Boar buildings. They need to stop pigging out on it, stop beating a dead horse." I hummed a little ditty at Klein's snickers, reveling in the emotion.

I pulled my own seat out before anybody could get it for me and ordered another cup of tea. "Find anything useful?" Harry asked.

I looked up at him and nodded. "I got an extra health potion with some of the drops from those «Slumbering Lilies» and bought four more just in case. As for the «Furs», we can use them by themselves, but if we bring in enough «Ragged Fur» they can use any «Rough Fur» we have to enhance the final product."

"That explains why they counted as normal fur. Did you figure out whether they'll be plain leather or with fur?" I let out a huff of air, massaging my forehead.

"Slipped my mind. But considering that we can decide whether or not we can have that extra bit of leather on the armor I feel like we change the final product." I tapped open the ordering menu, purchasing a single piece of meat and an assortment of fruits and vegetables.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Whenever conversation turned to the quests, Klein would ask that it was held off until after everybody finished. "I think I'm addicted to this stuff now," I joked, ordering a refill.

"Is it that good?" Dale asked me, looking at his own wooden cup.

"It's an acquired taste. It's fairly bitter but the smell grew on me. Better than plain water at least," I told him. When everybody finished eating, Klein stood up, having engaged serious mode.

"I think we can all agree that the Plant collection line was fairly easy, and that aside from the «Vernal Mandragora» we don't really need to talk about it. Aside from that, everybody alright if we move right on to talking about how to deal with the «Goblinoid Extermination» and «Leather Collection» quests?" Klein received a round of agreement.

"Two issues for that. For the Goblins, our group was really unlucky in being able to find them. I took a look at the available «Skills». There's one called «Searching» that should help us out. It does exactly what the name implies and outlines certain things that you're looking for. Since I hit level 6 today I was planning on grabbing it for our side. Asasaki already filled her third slot so somebody else will need to grab it for your team."

I raised my hand, waiting for acknowledgement before speaking. "I've done tracking in real life, so I was able to find a few trails. It might not be as efficient as a System Assisted action, but our group doesn't need to worry about it for the time being."

"It gave us time to just relax while we waited. I think we should definitely have somebody else grab it though, just to be safe." Harry stood up when he spoke, arms crossed.

"As for the «Livid Boar», the three of us aside from Choryu had to down a potion. We took attacks head on by blocking, but even with that we were still getting hit pretty hard." Klein scratched his chin, his left hand resting on his hip.

"Little Miss Developer solo'd one of those bad boys all on her own." I countered Issin's grin with a pointed look, ignoring the pointed finger he was directing at me.

"Inherent dodging ability and probably my Dex stat let me play chicken with it. It took a few attempts, but I was able to make it stun itself by crashing into trees. From there I'd climb on top of it and attack its vitals. Neck, ribs, head. Places like that." I waved a hand dismissively, not thinking my actions that impressive.

"Did you ever get hit by it?" Klein stared at me intently.

"No. It tried a few times to crush me against a tree, but I was able to get off each time." Klein turned his gaze to Choryu, the former office worker staring at me with admiration.

"I'd ask if you feel comfortable trying that out, but with you still being level four I don't feel safe with it." When Choryu snapped out of his hero worship, he began expressing his thanks, apologizing for not being able to step up to the plate.

"I know it's only Six or so, but we should try and get an early sleep. We might need more rest time if things go the same way tomorrow." As with yesterday, our group slowly filtered out, leaving Klein, Harry, and me sitting around.

After a few minutes of silence Harry bid us good night.

"Hey, Asasaki. Mind going for a walk with me?" I nodded in response, sipping the last of my tea. Slowly he led me towards the «Forest of Tranquility», crickets and other insects taking the place of bird calls.

"Harry told me you had some issues with the group today. Nothing confrontational, but that you were spacing out where you should have been paying attention." I took a look around at the clearing we stopped in, recognizing it as the same place I had used for some closure with my late companion.

"I was just remembering some things. I'll make sure not to lose attention in the future." I leaned against the tree, lit up by the false stars. Even the way the beam shone through the leaves was the same.

"Issin mentioned how brutal you were with those goblins. How you cut off the finger from a goblin to get that ring." I couldn't see his expression, but I imagined it was either slowly steeling or highly concerned.

"It was one against three. If I wasted time with sword skills or body shots, it might have gone worse. Fights can be decided by a single move, it's better to make the first one count." It was a little weird having this conversation with a civilian. There were just some things you couldn't explain to somebody who had never experienced it before. You could give them an inkling of what you truly meant, but they would never be able to fully grasp it.

"And what about that ring?"

"Their armor wouldn't fit and their weapons were shoddier than mine. The ring at least could be used as a necklace if it wouldn't fit." I calmed my breathing, faceless figures starting to appear through my closed eyes.

"Hey, Asasaki, are you okay?" I took a deep, shuddering breath, grasping Klein's forearm.

"No. You brought up some unpleasant memories. I'll be fine, but I'll need a couple minutes." I forced a small smile, tugging him gently to sit next to me.

"I'm sorry." I leaned against him, hugging his arm.

"You couldn't know. Don't worry too much about it. But yes, I do tend to go for killing and crippling blows if I don't need to worry about apprehending my targets. It's easier and safer for those around me if I can end fights as soon as possible." I looked up, focusing on how the leaves swayed gently in the breeze.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. The memories you brought up I've already dealt with, it's just the nightmares that refuse to go away I'm dealing with. Eventually they'll go away, but for now I get to deal with the occasional sleepless night. Don't blame yourself for this. It'd happen soon or later." I closed my eyes, basking in his warmth. It was likely that I was going too far, but he didn't seem to mind that I was taking advantage of his presence. We sat there in silence for several minutes, perhaps even an hour. I had lost track while I dealt with the assortment of corpses, some detailed, others mere shadows.

"We should head back. Even if you aren't going to sleep tonight, at least you should be someplace safe." Klein moved to stand, and I let myself be pulled up with the motion.

"Sorry for using you like that. I'd rather not have dealt with it by myself." I materialized my sword, fondly displaying it towards him. "This was my friend's, you know. Sheath and all. An «Iron Sword 1S». He went for the sword upgrade while I went for the boots." I held my breath for a few seconds, forcing myself to remain coherent. "Most of those first few days all we did were quests around the «Town» and moved on to hunting «Boars» outside the walls. It's how we got so much Cor. But after he passed I stayed inside the walls. It was too soon for me, considering what happened IRL." I forced myself to walk forward, clenching the iron contained in ivory in my left hand.

Klein didn't say anything, merely following after me. I imagined he was having a hard time processing everything, making connections that may or may not have been correct.

"You should go to bed first. I think I'm going to end up making too much noise if I try to sleep now. Wouldn't want to keep you up." I gave an apologetic smile, promising not to stay up too late.

I sat down, back against the wall of the well. "You would have loved them, Satoru." I shifted, making myself a little more comfortable. "You probably would've been great friends." I took another breath, bracing myself for the downpour of memories I had been holding back. "I hope I'm making you guys proud." I closed my eyes, resting my head against my knees.

Next chapter should be up July 7th-8th