So I went swimming on Thursday at a maintained natural area. Jumping into the water that many times ended up giving me a headache and any attempts to finish my edits just hit a brick wall called sensory overload. Not fun, I tell you.
I slowly dripped water on Klein's face, dipping it back into the wooden bucket when I wrung all the liquid out. I had been doing this for the past two minutes and at this point I was having trouble deciding if it was doing nothing at all or if he was just refusing to react.
After another minute, Klein sat up with a groan. "Level with me, Asasaki. How long would you have done this if I didn't speak up?"
I internally cheered, placing the cloth on the bucket. "For about five or ten minutes. After that I'd probably poke you awake." I smiled at him, clasping my hands in my lap. "Do you think all floors will be like this? A few days completing the quests in each area?"
"Maybe. Each floor might take at least a week, if not two. The only reason why this floor is taking so long is because we're still getting used to this world. We're all newbies here, not like we can just follow a tried and tested guide." Klein cracked his back, moving over to wake up Choryu.
"I'll go set up the tables." I stood up, picking off a few pieces of straw from my tunic. The morning air was crisp, tinted by the scent of wood and earth. I took a few moments to merely breath deeply before walking into the «Charbroiled Boar».
"Oh, Lady Asasaki. Good morning." I put a smile on my face, reciprocating Jakob's greeting. "Your equipment should be ready by this afternoon at the latest. Some sets will be ready a little earlier and you're more than welcome to drop by and pick up the individual sets." The young man turned around and gave a small bow. "Thank you for breakfast, Mr. Aldwin."
Over the past few days we noticed that NPC's would occasionally enter the pub. Unless we went out of our way to interact with them they wouldn't say much, and even then it was minor conversation.
"So about that tea," I started, leaning on the front counter.
"Ah, yes. Let me get started on that for you. Would you like me to get anything started while you wait?" I scrolled through the menu that popped up, selecting a steak of sorts alongside what seemed to be this world's variant of an apple. "I'll get it out for you as soon as I can." I placed the required cor on the wood, moving tables around to get ready for the morning discussion.
A voice immediately followed the sound of the door opening. "You're evil and I hate you."
"Keep that up and Santa will give you coal for christmas," I told Issin off-handedly, returning to my interface. My current project for the morning was familiarizing myself with the «Options» portion of the menu. There wasn't much to work with, not compared to other games. Aside from a few sliding bars regarding the level of background music and ambient noise in the Audio section and section regarding "Realism" that I quickly tapped through, the biggest chunk of things that could be changed was under the «Customize» section. In there, there were options for how opaque windows were, what color certain things could be, font size, the option to modify how vibrant (if at all) the effects for «Sword Skills» were, and the ability to switch two different layouts for the menu.
The second style was a somewhat large rectangular box that had all the main options listed that was a light purple (this I changed to a soft rich blue via color wheel). Instead of being five circles that created a new window to the side or a drop down menu, this interface created a new window that you could drag around your field of view. While the initial variant felt much nicer to interact with, having the option to swap between multiple windows instead of being limited to three was /something I wasn't willing to give up.
I folded my hands above my head, bending backwards in a stretch. "Must've been something interesting you were working on. I was trying to get your attention for the past few minutes. The NPC here brought you your tea. Might be a little cold at this point." I followed Issin's finger, blinking at the wood cup and clay teapot in front of me.
"Thanks," I said, sipping at the «Petal Fragment» tea. "Oh wow, that's good." I stared at the cup, swirling it around a few times. The drink was still warm and had a kick to it, not too dissimilar to caffeine or a carbonated drink. There was a bitter undertone to it mixed with a sweet aftertaste, and I found myself quickly moving on to my second cup.
"I was messing around with my options. Have to say, I like this Window based layout as opposed to that dynamic style." I pressed the button to share my screen with him. Aside from the obvious presentation, the buttons and general layout remained the same. "By the way, try this." I passed the cup towards him, rotating it for a relatively clean drinking surface.
"Where'd you find this option?" He asked, taking a sip. After a moment he slowly cupped the drink with both hands, cradling it to his chest. "Asasaki, you're a gift from heaven."
I stared him with a confused smile, realizing it was probably the closest thing to coffee he'd had since we got here. "In the «Options» tab. You go «Options», «Customize», «Menu», and then «Layout». And why do I get the sense you're thinking of badgering Harry and Klein into hunting the «Slumbering Lilies» today?"
"Bother us with what?" Klein leaned over to participate in the conversation, having heard his name.
"Asasaki found a leaf that tastes like coffee." Issin pointed at the teapot, taking another sip.
"No kidding?" Klein stared at the pot for a few seconds before speaking up. "If we have time later today, we'll head back to the southeast path and look into hunting the drops then."
I cut into my meal, focusing on the texture. This being our third, possibly fourth, day here, there wasn't that much to talk about. If any conversation did happen, it was expectations of how the day would progress.
"Klein, doesn't your group still need to gather items for the «Plant Collection quest?" Harry said after a bite.
"Ah, crap, you're right. We still need to kill goblins, too." Klein scratched his head, turning to face the shield user. "What if we swap one person out from our groups? That way we can still take down any plants safely and whoever's in your party can still help mine out with the kill count?"
"Not it. Not unless somebody plans on taking the «Searching» skill." I placed the core of the fruit on my plate, pouring a bit of water over my hands to alleviate the sticky feeling.
"If they're just goblins, Dale and I can handle controlling them. Maybe we could swap Issin and Choryu?" Harry motioned towards the two, grabbing their attention.
"You guys feel up to it? Swapping positions for the day? You'll still be in the same party, this is just so we can try and complete all the quests today." Klein met their gazes. After a moment Issin agreed, Choryu following shortly after.
"Do I get anything special if we end up meeting something other than a goblin?" I chimed, attempting to familiarize myself with the new placement of my interface.
"You get the respect and admiration of those who helped destroy the monsters, Little Miss. Hey, Choryu? Don't compliment her too much. She's just a mean little developer trying to have fun amongst us casuals. Leave her alone for a few seconds and she'll steal all the monsters away from you." Issin nudged the office worker, a smile adorning his face.
"If I was a developer for this game, I would've maxed out all my stats, given myself the gear I wanted with the appearance of my choosing and gone to all the spots I wanted to and enjoy my vacation. He's joking about that developer thing, by the way. The most I can do on computers is search things online. I wouldn't know a thing about coding."
"Didn't you say you do work as a costume maker?" Brush-for-hair pointed his finger at me, eyes half lidded.
"That was for my little cousins. And no I did not provide anything for this game." I took my cup back and poured myself another serving, sniffing in disdain when Issin started chuckling.
"Hey, guys? Keep an eye out for Choryu, alright? He's gotten the basics of combat down but he still struggles from time to time. If you think you need to retreat and find another spawn, don't hesitate to, alright?" The man in question offered an apology in response to Klein's concerns, explaining he'd make it up to us some day.
"If nothing else, just take openings where you can," I stated. "I can hold my own pretty well, so unless Harry or Dale say otherwise, you're better off hanging around them." We went our separate ways outside, Issin promising me we'd share a cup of the tea tomorrow morning after I explained how to get the «Fragments».
"So what will we do if we end up coming across «Wasps» or something other than «Goblins»?" I asked. The four of us were slowly traveling as a group. I kept an eye out for any sign of humanoid passing, occasionally pitching in to the conversation regarding experiences in the «Town of Beginnings».
"We'll take a look at the levels if we can. If as a group we think we can take it, we'll go for it. If not, we'll run or stand our ground until we can retreat." At the insistence of Harry and myself, our group was travelling with our weapons ready, keeping a mindful distance from each other.
"Found one. Give me a bit to see where it leads." I broke off from the group, surrounding myself in the sounds of nature as I followed the footprints and disturbed foliage. #Targets found. Four goblins. 1 Dagger, 2 Club, 1 Axe.# I slunk to the ground, hiding behind a tree while I waited for a response.
#Circle around. Wait for signal.# Slowly easing around, I was mindful to stay downwind. While Harry asked that I move around to the other side, doing so would increase the odds of being discovered, and I did not fancy taking on four level fives on my own.
One by one, the goblins stood up, grabbing their weapons and talking about something. Being in a different language, I had no clue what they were discussing, only able to guess that they were going to move somewhere else based on their gestures.
My eyes flicked over to my map. The indicator I had for Harry signaled him as being on the south side of the clearing with myself being around the eastern portion of it. The goblins seemed to be heading northwest and if we engaged on them now we would have an extra moment before they noticed us.
Our two forwards charged in with a cry, their weapons ready to attack or defend. The goblins turned, stumped as to what was occurring. Waiting for both sides to meet, I took a step forward, drawing my sword so that it was parallel to my rear leg.
Harry blocked the «Axe» user's attack with his shield, shoving it back with a push before setting on it. Dale knocked away the weapon of one of the «Club» users before slashing at it normally. Seeing the one with a «Dagger» move in to attack Dale's flank, I unleashed the «Rage Spike» I had been charging, spearing it through the head. A tug pulled my sword free, the creature falling to the ground under the effects of a «Stun» and a heavy bleed.
I waited for Dale to execute a «Sword Skill» before following up, the two of us keeping it unable to attack until it showered us in tiny blocks of data. When I noticed Choryu struggle to get an attack in against his highly aggressive goblin, I ran in, tossing my sword into my left hand and driving the butt off my blade between the creature's shoulder blades.
I heard the rapid sound of something being stabbed, the creature stumbling back with each schlick. I stepped forward, pulling its legs out from underneath it with my weapon before reversing my grip and firing a «Stone Sheath» into its chest.
"How many goblins did that count for you?" I asked, holding my sword by my side while I dealt with the information pop ups.
"Just the one," Choryu replied, dealing with his own windows.
"It seems that for the goblins to count for Klein's group, we need to let Choryu start the goblins off or deal the majority of the damage." Harry stepped over to us, looking at our traded companion.
"Want me to just control my targets then? If memory serves me correct, we're at 11 goblins and Choryu needs to get 15 for his group, right?" I traced an infinity symbol in front of me, keeping my sword pointed at the ground.
"That will work for now. Dale and I will take care of our own goblins. Let's aim to let Choryu get at least two from each group." I nodded at Harry's explanation, heading off to find the next group.
Around half an hour later, following a footpath that broke off from the main road, I found three goblins, all armed with simple daggers. The process went much the same, though instead of looking to damage my target I disarmed it and locked it in a hold, keeping it still until Choryu could finish it.
"I'm getting really antsy about this whole «Goblinoid» thing. I'm half expecting a beast than Dale to show up with a club twice as big as its torso." I picked up the worn bronze dagger one of the goblins dropped, depositing it into my inventory.
"I don't think something that big will show up around here. How would it even move around?" Dale asked, dismissing a potion after staring at it for a few seconds.
"This is still a game. It could be something event based. Maybe lead up to another quest or give us a hint of what's to come." I looked over at Choryu, the former Gaming Club leader practicing a series of attacks.
"Putting it that way, it seems inevitable we'll come across something. Hopefully it will only be one and not in a group since we're not a single party." Harry gently guided me back towards the path, stating that the faster we got through this the faster we could relax for the day.
After seeing what the third clearing contained, I moved several feet away before messaging Harry, sitting down against a tree while I waited for their arrival. "Good news. I found the goblinoid, and it's the only one that spawned. Bad news: it's a level eight «Hobgoblin Scout» decked out in chainmail and a morningstar. There are two level four «Goblin Footmen» with short swords accompanying it." I stood up, picking up my blade that I rested on the tree. "And it's about twice your size, Dale."
Harry let out a huff of air, sheathing his weapons before cupping his chin. "Asasaki, Choryu. You two take care of the «Footmen». Once you guys are clear, help us take care of the «Hobgoblin». Dale and I will be sharing the role of Tank for it. Oh, and try to bring your targets away, just in case it has any area of effect attacks.
The three of us sounded off, moving in slowly. The creatures were exactly as I left them, the hulking mass of green flesh towering over the scrawny goblins, a strange symphony of growls and clicks resounding from its gaping maw. It seemed more reptilian than anything.
"You two break off to the sides. Dale, ready a rock. Engage after it starts moving towards us." Harry raised his shield, inching forward. I offered the dagger user words of luck before moving around to the side, legs prepared to shoot me forward.
When the rock clicked off the «Hobgoblin's» head, I waited a few beats for Harry and Dale to reveal themselves. I stepped out of my own cover, yelling an insult at the «Goblins». Our forwards did their jobs well, firing off a salvo of stones to keep the attention of the green giant while the small fry split off to handle us one on one.
I skirted forward, pulling on my target's outstretched arm to add more momentum to my pommel strike to its solar plexus, protected only by a thin piece of ragged leather. In the gap provided when it involuntarily coughed, I slipped around to its back, still holding its now bent arm. I brought the edge of my sword across its neck, sending it to the ground with another pommel strike to its temple. I spun around, making sure that I wasn't about to be attacked by anything before stabbing my sword in its neck once more to accelerate its passing.
The ground shook. In my upper left, my eyes flitted from Harry's health bar to the man in question, trusting that he'd be able to recover from the hit that knocked him into a tree. I readied a «Rage Spike», targeting the right shoulder of Choryu's opponent.
When it stumbled back to a «Sword Skill», I unleashed mine, blue trailed into its body as my sword pierced through. Through my sword, I felt a few more impacts pass into its body. With my «Post Motion» fading, I twisted my blade, wrenching it out through the creature's side.
I flinched when a pervasive and guttural scream coursed through my body, broken by a sharp cry of pain. My attempt to see what had caused it stopped when I felt part of my lower back go numb. The cold feeling spread through my body, and a light haze coated my vision, my senses focusing on a single thing.
I whipped back around, heedless of the gaping wound in my stomach. What mattered was making sure that when I fell, it would not be in vain. I bashed the hilt of my sword into the creature's forehead with a two handed grip, grabbing it by its hair while it stumbled and drove my sword through its eye. The creature pixilated in my hands, and I hefted my weapon to my shoulder, uncaring of the blood staining my shirt. "I can still fight. Targets first, medic later," I told my shocked partner.
The spinning «Sonic Leap» clinkled harmlessly against its armor, a faint red line marking the area I had struck. Floating in the air a few feet above it, I watched our secondary press his forearm across our shield user's back, the latter holding his plated wood up to defend against the oncoming attack.
I landed on the beast's head after it struck, catching myself with my free hand. Leaping down, I dragged my sword through the beast's body in a reverse grip, catching myself at the neck of its chainmail and pulling myself up onto its shoulder. From there I stabbed into its neck, ignoring the cry of pain it gave.
When its shoulder raised slightly, I swung myself across its neck, stabbing into the other side. The numb feel still existed, though thankfully it ceased at around the size of two of my fists. I brought my blade across my torso, still held in a reverse grip. My legs launched me towards the behemoth's neck, my sword digging into the vulnerable flesh.
I kicked myself towards the ground, twirling in midair and rolling between its feet upon landing. At my sides my companions were striking at its calves and ankle, dealing whatever damage they could.
Our quarry fell to a knee, its weapon on the ground as it raised a hand to its neck in pain. I ran back towards its face, a straight «Sonic Leap» driving my blade into its left eye. When it flinched back, I pulled my weapon out, sliding down its cheek and jumping back onto its shoulder. My sword was set upon its neck, manually inscribing the general shape of an english 4 across a bulging vein.
The creature screamed once more, the only warning I had for its reattempt to flatten me being the twisting of its torso. I shot up its neck, yanking on a length of braided hair to pull myself atop its head. My sword crashed into its head with a «Stone Sheath». When it collapsed face first onto the ground, I gripped another fist full of digital keratin to keep myself from falling off.
I tore my sword out of its head, alternating between making new handholds through its skull and using its hair to make my way back onto somewhat level ground. I used another «Stone Sheath» near the cervical spine, twisting it around violently to hasten the depletion of its health.
Whether through my actions or my companions, the creature exploded in a shower of data. I landed in another roll, immediately dropping my sword laying down. "I got hit," I stated, applying pressure to the wound.
"Your hp is still in the green." I couldn't identify the face of the one who stood over me, focusing on assisting in the clotting of my blood.
"But it stabbed right through me," I responded, wondering why my hand wasn't warm.
"Sorry about that, Miss Asasaki. When the «Hobgoblin» roared, I stopped paying attention. I guess the «Goblin» still had enough health to get one more attack in.
I took a deep breath and blinked, the haze disappearing. "This isn't the real world," I said more than asked.
"No. You won't bleed out here. Not anymore. That status effect disappeared a few seconds ago." I turned my head to look at Dale, focusing on his face.
"I'm just panicking over nothing then," I continued, slowly sitting up. The numb feeling was receding, and warmth slowly returned to my lower torso.
"I'm going to have a hard time understanding you if that's how you panic, Asasaki." I ignored Harry's words, repeating the mantra of "You won't bleed out".
"Are you okay?" I looked into Dale's eyes, slowly breathing to bring my words and heart rate under control.
"No. But I'll get better. The goblin surprised me when it struck through me. I've been hit before, but having something like that go through me, I thought I had a piece of metal lodge itself into me from an explosive." I had to remind myself that the three surrounding me were not those I had known back in real life, that any injuries sustained here would recover with time.
"Let's take a little break then. I'll let Klein know that we fought a level 8 monster." Dale moved behind me, gently massaging my shoulders.
"It's alright. You're with friends. We've got your back." I closed my eyes, focusing on the quiet murmurings and ministrations he provided. When I reopened them, Harry and Choryu were staring at me intently, both with their own expression of worry.
"I'm good. Shall we continue?" I asked, standing up.
Harry took a few moments before speaking. "If you think you can keep going, alright. Don't worry about slowing us down if you need another moment though. Your mental state is vital to doing your job. Don't be like Issin or Klein and force a scheduled thing when something terrible's happened. It'll only hurt all of us."
I nodded at Harry words, giving a small smile before picking my sword back up. "I'll try not to get stabbed like that then." I left with a wave, downing a potion as I walked.
There was no shame in breaking down like that, I felt, imposing memories long past onto those around me. Over the next few hours, we worked our way through the forest, taking a break when we reached the northern end and entered the plains.
"That's the way to the next floor, isn't it?" I pointed towards the massive construct towards the north. From our elevation, it loomed over us, hidden by rolling grasslands and mountains, a symbol of both our hopes and shackles.
"Just knowing where it is doesn't help us though. With all the monsters in the way, even those who wanted to get out of here didn't go into the woods. We're probably the first handful aside from the Beta Testers out here." Harry had unequipped his head guard, the four of us enjoying the breeze.
"Information from the Beta's probably not going to be that useful anymore, is it?" I placed my sword at my side, folding my hands underneath my head. "The core might be the same, but the details could have changed for release."
"True. And even if it stayed the same, I heard they only managed to make it up to the tenth floor." I looked over at Harry, the seventeen year old staring at the tower. It came as a surprise to me when he revealed that there was around a five year difference between him and the eldest of their group, all six of them having met through school or online forums.
"You think Beta Testers banded together? I feel like they would." I rolled onto my stomach, taking in the sensation of the grass blades. "Some of them probably went solo though. Think they managed to survive?"
"Some might have. But if you're right about things changing, a good amount probably died to something they weren't expecting." Dale voice was a mixture of masculinity and gentleness. The kind of voice that came to mind when you thought of a father reading bedtime stories to his children.
"It's nice that they didn't all run off own their own, though. I don't think I could forgive them if the entire lot didn't help us." Choryu joined me on the ground, staring up at the sky.
"What'd they do?" I asked.
"A handful of Testers stayed behind and compiled information on the monsters and quests around here. Map data isn't included in the book until somebody goes out and fetches it." Harry pulled out a few sheets of parchment bound together, the front page having the words "Don't worry, it's Argo's First Floor Guide!". There was an additional line of text on the bottom that was too small for me to read.
"That's nice of them." The book must have been made when I was still in my slump. I took a breath and rolled onto my feet, reattaching my sword to my torso. "I'm going to get back to it. You okay if I take the first group by myself?"
"Don't get in over your head," Harry told me.
#Thanks for the help. Save us some goblins, ok?#
I closed out of Klein's message, shaking my head at the kaomoji he sent along with it. "Aren't you in your twenties? Should you really be using stuff like that still?" I muttered to myself. "Oh. Almost missed you." I broke off to the right of the path, slipping past the bent branches.
The tracks led me to two level seven «Goblin Scouts». Lanky creatures garbed in thick furs. One was armed with a dagger and the other a short sword and buckler. "I can take them," I whispered to myself, drawing my blade.
They had yet to notice me, engrossed in their own conversation. My best best would be to attack from behind while they were distracted, targeting the shield user first to prevent it from pinning me. Unfortunately, the ground around me was primarily dirt. There were no rocks of a suitable size I could use.
"Guess we do this manually." I calmed myself with a breath, preparing myself for my initial attack. I shot towards the dual humanoids, sword trailing behind me as I crouched low to the ground.
I swung underneath the shield goblin's left arm, resting it across my shoulders and slamming my right elbow into its face. With a step, I reversed my momentum, my stab missing the other goblin.
Pivoting counterclockwise, my left arm and leg moved to scissor my main target at the ankle and neck, dropping it to the ground with a twist. My sword snaked out, burying its tip in the creature's neck. I switched my facing, palming the dagger away from me and pulling on the offending limb.
On its second step I introduced the butt of my sword to the back of its head, chambering into a left-right Slash to its lower torso before grabbing it by the hair and greeting its forehead with my knee. With the knowledge that these creatures wouldn't yield to just a single vital attack, I grabbed the dagger wielding goblin by its right shoulder, jamming my sword through its lower jaw, breaking off when it pixelated.
The shield user had recovered and charged at me, both weapons in its hands. I reciprocated the action, fist choking up on my sword for close combat. It's shield jabbed out and I side stepped to the left, sword moving in anticipation of a jab that never came.
I leaned back slightly, lead foot shooting out and snagging the creature by the back of its knee. When the creature stumbled I slipped around it, slicing its neck from behind. With some hp still remaining, I started off with a palm thrust, running it through with my blade to finish it off.
"I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong, or incredibly right." I flicked my sword to the side, habitually wiping it on my pants before sheathing it. I closed out of the items gained window, moving towards my stats when I noted the "level up" text at the bottom of the screen. Two of my newest points were tossed into Dexterity, the last one being added into Strength.
#How's your health?#
I blinked at the sudden message from Harry, responding that I took no damage.
#Be careful. And remember we're helping Klein as well.#
The rest of the hunt went fairly uneventful. Because of my tendency to take care of every other group by myself, we ended up reaching a point where all three of us would have to control our targets for Choryu to finish off, something Harry expressed his displeasure with.
"It's kind of disappointing we didn't come across any more «Hobgoblins»," I drawled, sheathing my blade.
"Speak for yourself, Adrenaline Junkie. You're not the one tanking those blows." I chuckled in embarrassment, giving Harry a smile.
"Did you do martial arts back in the real world, Ms. Asasaki?" I switched my gaze to Choryu, humming while I decided how to phrase it.
"Here and there. I did a few styles as a child, and then when I joined the military they provided more specialized training." I opened and closed my quick access bar, familiarizing myself with the motions to prepare myself for using potions as quick as possible.
"Explains why you're so efficient," Harry murmured. The four of us made our way to the Leather Maker's building to collect our armor. The notification that they were ready had popped up during our hunt, and we decided that we might as well grab it since we were done with our quests for the time being.
"I hope it's actual armor for me and not just strips of fabric." In a variety of games, female models were used for sex appeal. Sometimes the equipment for the, was actual armor, but more often than not it was some variation of a bikini.
"This low level, it shouldn't be what you're imagining. And if the creators were so set on not including magic, I imagine they'd be smart enough to make armor realistic as well." The shield user had a point.
"Hopefully. I guess I'll still wear it if it's not that great. If nothing else, at least I have clothing I can personalize." Equipment was broken down into four categories. Armor, Clothing, Accessories, and Weapons. They each broke down further for more greater diversity, but only Armor and Accessories actually gave useful stats. Clothing had flavour text, and there was several signs that better clothing could have special effects,
Jakob answered the door once again, perpetuating the myth of all things coming in three's. "Good afternoon, Lady Asasaki. Have you come to collect your equipment?"
"Yes. We'll only be collecting our own though. The others will pick it up on their own." Harry spoke up, a subtle hint of annoyance laced in his voice.
A window opened up before me, detailing the completion of the quest. I was rewarded 1,000 experience which was around 15% of the way to level 8. Most importantly was the set of «Durable Leather Armor». It was double the stats of my current gear and even included a three piece head guard that protected my forehead and temples.
I equipped the set, the sensation of somebody brushing their fingertips over my body washing over. The feeling disappeared when the equipment finished materializing, a small weight making itself known now that I wore more than a simple copper breastplate.
The chestpiece was a somewhat thick single item that was tied over my shoulders by way of brass buckles. The leggings were a set of two; the tassets that projected my upper thighs had a piece on each side that covered all but the insides of my legs, with a two more flaps underneath the those that protected my crotch and rear while simple greeves that extended past my knees attached over my fur lined boots, the shaft of which reached above my calves with a thicker portion on the sides and back.
My arms were protected by two different pieces, fingerless gauntlets and laminar vambraces. "All that's missing are shoulder guards," I uttered, testing the range of my motion. Harry and the others seemed pleased with their equipment, Choryu talking avidly about how he felt like we were finally progressing in the game. Their gear was the same as mine, the only difference being the length of their equipment vs mine.
"We might be able to handle those «Giant Wasps» without much fear if we come across them again," Harry said, taking a few practice swings. I gave the apprentice a slight bow, thanking him for his efforts.
"No problem. It makes me feel proud knowing somebody as beautiful as you will be wearing my work," he stammered out. I forced a smile, glad he finally confirmed my suspicions.
"Shall we head back to the hamlet? I think I can buy another potion or two from the cor I received." I asked, setting off towards the hamlet. When we entered the pub after picking up more restoratives, Klein's group greeted us cheerfully.
"Looking good, guys!" Klein raised his cup towards us, grinning wildly. "How's the stats?"
"About double the previous gear, and that's for the chestpiece alone." Harry unequipped most of his gear, sitting across from Klein. "The NPC was infatuated with Asasaki. Did you notice?" I groaned and rested my head in my hands.
"Kind of. I thought it was weird that he kept referring to her. Wonder who programmed that in." Klein scratched his chin, staring at the ceiling.
"Jakob's like in his teen's, eighteen at most. He might as well be my cousin." I untied my head guard, folding it in my lap. "Anyway, did you guys get the quest rewards yet?"
"We were planning on getting them after we ate. There's no need to rush now that all the quests are done." I looked over Issin's shoulder, the door opening right when my clock turned 1300.
"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Aldwin!" A cheery red head, one that must have been done with some kind of dye, stepped through the doorway, waving at the lone NPC.
"No worries, Ms. Mitsui." The aged man returned the greeting, smiling joyfully. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, something awful! The wolves and and goblins have been in a frenzy the past few days. The guards I hired were really competent though. We actually got some pelts and scrap metal out of them." The woman, possibly teen based off looks, walked up to the counter, leaning on it in favor of using a chair.
"Is this scripted?" I heard Issin ask.
"Of course it is. But if you mean "did we trigger it", then I don't know." Harry responded just as quietly.
"So these are the ones that have been helping around the outpost, huh?" The girl moved over to our table after a small conversation with the owner of the building, resting her hands on my head. "On behalf of the Mitsui Trading Guild, I'd like you thank you for assisting my suppliers. You've made our lives a lot easier by clearing out those goblins and boars."
I let a soft groan of annoyance emanate from the back of my throat, not sure if I could get away with being mean to what sounded like the supervisor of this region.
"No problem, Miss. It was our pleasure." Klein smiled wide, giving a thumbs up.
"We got some stuff out of it as well, so it was no big deal." Issin chimed in.
"Say, I could use some more big strong men to help me out. The escorts I brought with me are going to be staying here for a little while, but I still have things I need to do over in «Tolbana». I could leave in a few days when they finish up around here, but if you're willing, I could leave sooner. I'll give you guys a discount at one of my stores if you ever stop by."
I stared blandly at the translucent yellow exclamation point that appeared over her head. The elder leather worker, the apothecary, and the charcoal maker all had that icon appear when we got onto the relevant conversation. When we did whatever constituted as accepting, it would turn into a green question mark.
"We'll need a day or two, there's still some things we'd like to do around here, but sure! We wouldn't mind helping you out." I looked at Klein's cheeks. His exuberance was a little over the top, and I wondered whether he managed to find some alcohol or if this was his flirtatious nature showing itself again now that another woman had appeared.
"Excellent! That actually works out for me. There are things I need to get done as well. There's a cabin to the south of here. If you drop by around eight or so in the morning, I can get everything ready to leave by noon time." Mitsui gave a bow, the smile never leaving her face. It seemed a little fake to me, but only in the sense that she always had something to smile about, even when things weren't going her way.
"Aside from the name, she reminds me of another shopkeeper," I mentioned when the redhead left.
"You too? I thought I was just imagining it, but I guess the developers actually went and copied the design." I smiled at Choryu, glad somebody else knew what I was talking about.
"Oh, Klein. About those other things," I trailed off, waiting for him to pick up.
"Now that we're going to have better gear I'd like to try and go hunt another group of «Giant Wasps», maybe grind the «Slumbering Lilies» for a little bit so we can get something resembling caffeine. With the new gear, hopefully we can last longer without needing to use potions." Klein motioned towards me, being the only one still wearing armor.
"Go hand in those quests. We'll wait here." Harry made a shooing motion, waving the other four members of our group away.
#Relying on you to get us a lot of petal fragments~#
I shook my head at Issin message. #I accept your challenge.#
I ran along the petals, dragging my sword behind me. Believing that staying on the northern paths would only bring about «Vernal Mandragoras», we had gone back south to the route we originally took, taking advantage of the tracking abilities Klein and I provided.
This was our third spawn of «Lilies», each time being a grouping of two. When I brought up that the Apothecary would be able to make a few potions from the roots, everybody had willingly offered to hack away at them to force drops, Choryu and myself being delegated to «Pollen» and «Petal» collection.
It was good practice for the «Dagger» user. He was able to use his abilities in relative safety as well as get used to the kind of fast paced combat he would need to utilize as a small arms user.
I hacked away at the stamens, having spiraled my way in. With as much materials I could possibly force out of this plant, I leapt into the air and drove a «Stone Sheath» through its pistil, crashing to the ground surrounded by Harry, Issin, and Dale. On the other side of the clear, Choryu fell to the ground ungracefully, unable to catch him balance upon landing.
I gave a light chuckle at Issin's reaction, the brunet fist pumping at the drops I acquired for us. "This should keep us good for at least a few weeks," I said, organizing my inventory.
"Whatever you're thinking, might be double, if not longer. I don't plan on drinking it every day. Maybe once or twice a week at most. Or if we plan on doing a boss of any kind." Squire Brush closed out of his windows, walking over to me.
"I think I'll try this stuff out tomorrow. You've been yammering on about this stuff the entire time, Issin." Klein adjusted his vambraces, admiring them in the light.
"Hey, it's good, and I haven't had coffee at all since we got here. Let me have this, alright?"
"I feel like there might still be things to do in this area. We'll probably have to go out of our way to find the starting locations, but think we'll come back here?" I held my blade out to the side, moving it into various ready positions as we walked.
"I think so. That Mitsui person might end up being the one that brings us back, whether on her own or by hiring us again. Might be worthwhile if we plan on completing the story and not completing the game."
I looked over at Harry, mulling over his words. "I think that's what I'll end up doing, quests and all that. Technically speaking I'm still on vacation, so I'm going to do what I want."
"At this point I think we're all on vacation," Kunimittz said, turning his head to direct his voice at me from the front of our group.
"Almost makes me feel like a kid again, having such a long break from studying. Not really though, being close to winter." Klein scratched his cheek, running up to Dale and slapped him on the back, engaging in conversation.
"What about you, Harry? How does it feel, knowing you aren't going to have to worry about schooling for however long this is going to take?" I moved over the shield user's side, the teen no longer able to claim being the only one with a headpiece.
"Painful. I was actually Class Rep this year." He let out a breath of suffering. "My grades were doing okay, I was all set for the colleges I wanted to go to." A beat passed. The normally calm source of information suddenly broke into a vibrantly colored rant, one that took the efforts of Kunimittz and Issin to calm down while Klein and Dale defended our front.
"There's around a few handful of words he just said that I have no clue what they mean," I whispered to Choryu, idly following the train of thought that wondered when each person in the group would have their breakdown if they hadn't already.
"I'm pretty sure about half of what he said is actually slang from various anime. I'd be more surprised if you actually understood that all, no offense." A few times during conversations I had to ask for thorough explanations of words I didn't understand, reciting my english speaking origins.
Their conversation slowly died down to something more pleasant, if fully distracting. I looked up at the ceiling, losing myself in the false clouds that drifted overhead. "«Tolbana», huh. Wonder what it's like."
"How the hell did you guys get through this?!" I screamed, firing off a «Horizontal» while I used my left hand to keep myself mounted.
"Lots and lots of yelling and attacking!" Our guide yelled back, egging the two horses on. When we had left the outpost a few days later, Ms. Mitsui had explained to us that our travel would be plagued by attacks from wolves and goblins.
"Why are goblins riding wolves!?" I ducked underneath a stone, steering my horse to allow access at a mounted enemy that was getting far too close to the wagon for comfort.
"A better question is why do you know how to ride a horse?" Klein lunged out of the holding space, his free hand secured by Dale and Kunimittz. There were still three other horses back at the sizable cabin the redhead was using as an intermediary between «Tolbana» and «Town of Beginnings», belonging to the guards she had brought with her. They had graciously offered to let us use them, knowing that defending from the wagon alone would be difficult.
"I'm a woman of many talents!" I spurred my horse around, charging between two of our aggressors. I swung my blade out in a circle, knocking the two goblins off their wolves. Were this reality, my torso would be aching by how often I twisted to change which side I was attacking. As it was, all I felt was soft war song driving my blood, keeping an eager smile on my face amidst my frustration.
"We're almost at the town gates! Hold out for a little longer!" Like myself, our guide smiled, though hers was notably more fearful than joyous.
"One of these days we're coming back here and killing all these wolves! And I'm going to use all of their pelts for furniture!" Issin cried, slashing at the arm of a goblin that tried to pull itself on.
"Make me a pair of boots! And then a rug or two! And a bone tooth necklace!" I added, bringing my sword down on a riderless wolf that tried to attack my steed.
"Enemies in front! Head them off!"
Being the only one not in the cart, I pushed my horse faster, garnering the attention of the two mounted goblins. When my allies passed into the safe zone, I looped us around, galloping through the faint blue light that extended some thirty yards past the colossal walls of «Tolbana».
I slowed our pace down to a trot, stopped when we pulled alongside the cart. "God, I can't wait until I'm a high enough level that I can kill them all with a single attack."
"Let us watch when you do, yeah? I'd love to see you dismantle an army of mobs all by yourself." Klein let out a groan as he slumped in his seat, resting his head on the wood.
"Thanks for your assistance, guys. I can let you off here if you want, or you can come with me directly to my guild's headquarters and I can give you your reward now." Mitsui (which I was beginning to suspect was her last name) turned around in her seat up front, having gone through the required hassle of checking in with the guards.
"We can go to your headquarters. We still have one of your horses, after all." Harry motioned towards me, the teen having been a rock of relative tranquility during the roller coaster of adrenaline.
With a sound of happiness, the woman brought us through the winding streets of the city, explaining the various parts that we passed. At the north and south entrances of region were the markets. In the south, produce from the farmlands around «Town of Beginnings», the forests around «Horunka» to the southwest, and animal parts from the swamps in the southeast were sold. In the north, various metals were gathered from the mines past the walls, made into useable products at the smiths in the same area.
Her guildhouse was located in the west, nestled into the mountainside. A hub of commerce and trade that had long since coagulated into a single business overseen by our impromptu tour guard.
"There are other people that do business around here, and we don't meddle much in the sale of day to day lives, but when it comes to handling the transfer of goods from town to town, everybody depends on us. We basically keep this whole area afloat." The monopoly Mitsui and her corporation had was a little frightening, but after receiving a quote from her on various materials, I had to admit that it wasn't that bad. At least for somebody capable of hunting monsters for cor.
"And here we are!" It wasn't exactly an extravagant building, or rather set of buildings. The three buildings that stood side by side were simple exteriors made from cobblestone and wooden shutters. An ornately painted sign that proudly proclaimed "Mitsui Trading Guild Headquarters: Tolbana Region" hung in front of the biggest building, the one on our left being labeled "Textiles" and the one on the right "Armory".
"Lady Mitsui! Welcome back. How was your trip?" A middle aged man greeted us outside, assisting our tour guide off the cart while two teens waited for its passengers to exit the wagon.
"Hectic. Something has the goblins all worked up. The guards I brought with me are investigating the forests around «Horunka». Luckily there were some Swordsmen at the outpost who were able to accompany me back ahead of schedule." The two started walking towards the main building, Mitsui calling for us to head on in when we were ready.
"I have the sense she's going to try and force us into doing something." Harry crossed his arms, looking directly at Klein. "Make sure to think about what she's actually saying before we agree to anything. Even if she's an NPC's she's still a businesswoman. Whatever counts as a Charisma stat for her is probably going to be pretty high."
"Even if she did have ulterior motives, it's not exactly like anything that comes out of it could hurt us, right?" Issin leapt off the wagon, stretching. I took a minor amount of offense at the action, considering that I was the one who was riding around keeping monsters off them.
"If she's basically the person in charge of the economy of this area, we might end up getting some pretty good stuff out of it, even if we do end up having a long quest line." Klein tapped his starter sword.
"So all in favor of selling our souls away for a chance to get better gear and other untold goodies?" Issin wrapped an arm around Choryu and me, forming the start of a circle.
"If we get into a situation we can't handle, we're backing out, raise our stats a few levels, then trying again. There's no need to get ourselves killed over a quest." Kunimittz moved next to me, placing his right hand in the center of our semi-circle.
"I'd like to explore the city a little, but if we can get something nice out of it, we might as well do it. Any discount is good, after all." Dale placed his hand in, looking at Klein.
"Okay! So if she ends up suggesting that we do a quest, we take it, and be careful about it." He placed his hand over all of ours, and said something along the lines of borrowing our hands. As one, everybody but me lowered and raised their hand with a sound Klein made, clapping a single time. "Cultural thing, Asasaki. We'll teach you about it at some point."
I raised both my thumbs and forced a grin, slowly backing up towards the door after handing off my horse to one of the assistants. "I'm just gonna go see what the tycoon wants from us now, don't mind me." I had to admit the companionship and unity I felt from that action was fairly neat, but it didn't stop the memories of awkward team bonding exercises from various summer camp jobs I took part in.
Homely was the first word that came to mind when I looked around the building. Everything was made from a dark, rich wood that I was tempted to call mahogany. Vibrant red rugs bordered by intricate yellow patterns that seemed to be based around celtic knots directed the way up the stairs and through the hallways at the end of the foyer.
"Excuse me, Miss. You can't be here without a- ah. Are you with the group that helped Lady Mitsui? My apologies. Please, head this way. She's in the room at the end of the hall." I I followed the gestures of the moderately armored man. It was a little troubling how many guards seemed to be associated with with this woman. Were this reality, the balance of power being so heavily tilted would be grounds to suspect a dictatorship at play.
Torches and ornate vases atop stone pillars marked the passageway at alternating intervals. The place seemed a little too big for a region that was only ten kilometers across. I knocked on the door, waiting for somebody to respond before entering.
"Come in!" Mitsui' voice, as muffled as it was, was just as cheery as the first time I heard it. I motioned for the others to hurry up, seeing them just turning the corner.
"Can I offer you anything to drink? Water, tea, something alcoholic?" she asked, motioning towards a couch.
"Just water or tea will be fine for me." I took a seat at the furthest edge from the door, knowing Klein and Harry would likely want a center seat. Mitsui moved into a different rooming, bringing back a few ceramic cups and a teapot.
"Will your companions be joining us?" I thanked her for pouring the drink, letting it cool down a bit.
"They be here shortly. I went on ahead while they were discussing a few things." The door opened as I spoke, and I raised a hand in greeting, remembering to remove most of my gear via interface when I realized that all of them were only geared with their blades.
"Did we miss anything?" Klein asked, sitting beside me.
"We were just waiting for you before I got started. Anything to drink? We have a few alcoholic drinks if you're interested." Mitsui's voice seemed a little forced for a moment, the normal tone she had feeling more artificial than businesslike. The entirety of Furinkazan plus one repeated my statement, Klein and Issin hesitating for a moment before giving their answer.
After pouring the drinks for everybody, the redhead sat down in a chair she had pulled in. "Remember how I mentioned a reward for you guys as my way of showing thanks? That's still on the table, but considering you're the first group of Swordsmen we've seen in a long time, I'd like to offer you something extra." She met our gazes serenely, taking a few seconds to maintain eye contact before moving on.
"As I'm sure you've figured out, the monsters in this area aren't normally this active. They're mostly limited to the giant Pillar to the north and closer to the mountains. Them being this far out in the fields in such large numbers is something we've never heard of." Mitsui took a deep breath, visibly troubled by the situation.
"What is it you'd like us to do?" Harry's voice broke through the silence, the rest of us not sure whether she'd continue or if we were supposed to interrupt.
"A few things, if you're willing." Mitsui stood up, unfurling a scroll from her desk and showing it to us. "We're here in «Tolbana»." My nose twitched at the pronunciation of the name. "We've posted more guards at our mines in the north as well in the one to the east. The goblins have been slowly encroaching into our tunnels. We don't know where the breach is, but if it keeps up we won't be able to access any more ore to create tools for farming and construction."
She moved her finger to the east by northeast sector, circling the swamplands. "Some of the more gigantic varieties of animals our trappers collect have been popping up more frequently. We'd like to try and take care of them, or even find the source, but with the increased activity of the goblins our militia's being spread too thin to take care of everything."
She swapped hands, circling the forest around a labeled town. "«Horunka» is farther to the northwest from the settlement you were staying at, across the river. The village itself is fine thanks to the carnivorous plants that grow in that section of the forest, but we're worried about how the goblins are getting past there. We've only seen them to the north, sometimes in the swamp lands." Mitsui rolled the scroll back up, setting it back atop her desk. "There's no need to investigate around «Horunka» at the moment, not until our guards come back and give us a preliminary report."
"If we help you, what would we get out of it?" Klein asked, leaning on his knees.
"We're willing to give each of you your pick of some of our weapons at the start. We noticed your weapons weren't really capable of handling the kind of combat you're likely to see. Past that, the most we can offer you is some cor and discounts around our stores." We looked at each other, taking a moment to process the information.
"We'll accept it." At Harry's words, the translucent exclamation mark above Mitsui's head turned into a question mark. I glanced at my «Quest Log» that popped up. The quests «Mine, not Yours» and «Monster Hunting» appeared, detailing that we needed to find the sources of the goblin breach in the mines as well as kill a certain amount of three monsters.
"Head next door to the building on the left. Ask for a man named "Ferghus". He can get you equipped." Mitsui widened her smile briefly, moving off to look through the stack of papers on her desk. Seeing that her programming dictated a cessation of conversation at this point, the eight of us exited the room.
Next chapter should be out by July 21 or 22nd.