(Rivalry Plains)
*Shatters*
How many has it been, why am I not feeling weary…
(EXP: 30/170)
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(Quest Details : Get rid of the Wolves!
Time Left : Indefinite
Requester : Troubled Woman
Summary : I need to gather wild herbs, but there are too many wolves on the plains. Won't someone please help?
Defeat 20 Dire Wolves : 16/20
Exp : 300, Col : 1050)
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How convenient to think there would be quest sharing with the party feature. This saves me the trouble of actively seeking out quest giver NPCs in towns. That shrimp is serving her purpose well, liabilities are fodder to be purged. Now why the hell is she taking so long? I wonder.
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"Please, just leave me alone…", she pauses in her sobs, looking up to face me uncovered by her hands, earnestly giving me such a look that might've made sadistic bandits commit outrageous deeds against her dignity. Twas unsightly.
"Oh and what makes you think we should be going our separate ways? Look at you, you don't have what it takes to survive, be my underling and you will wake up to a better tomorrow."
"Do you even hear yourself? Who do you think is at fault… Bastard"
"Do YoU eVeN hEaR yOuRsElF… That's it? All you have done is shift your blame, my opinion on you is getting even lower mayhaps you deserve to be my lackey… Let me make something clear, suckers like you would've been beguiled by superficial specimens sooner or later, I've only hastened the process… Be glad, you're not dead shrimp."
"You… how callous…"
"You're less than anything you can conceive, now feel free to miss my earlier point and keep blaming me for your misfortunes because what I'm about to propose is mutually beneficial."
"…"
"I'll take it that you're listening… you'll be sending me a party invite and a 'friend' request, we are going to exchange information on a regular basis, i'll pay you for your bare necessities. Is that clear?"
"…"
"DID I MADE MYSELF CLEAR? JOIN OR DIE", I raised my tone in resemblance to a drill sergeant, making her flinch
"…yes", she murmurs fidgeting.
"YES WHAT?"
"…yes…sir"
I was going to allow her to leave when a notification distracted my next move. I checked my Quest panel.
Map
Accepted Quest
Completed Quest
Opening Accepted Quests, i find a quest deemed as ongoing…
"Care to explain what this is?"
"W-What do you mean?"
"This thing called quest, i don't recall accepting anything close to it"
"O-oh… I accepted it when me and L-lester… when we were visiting the merchant district, he was getting us better weapons… a woman seemed troubled by something and i…
"Okay enough, you accepted a quest and since i sent those clowns to the Pearly Gates, oh right you Japanese called the magical sky-daddy Kami if i'm not wrong… This changes everything…"
"You bastard, you don't have to phrase it like that… you… aggggghhhhhh"
Ignoring her outburst, "Well isn't that great… all you have to do is accept every quest you might find in towns where exceptional individuals like me aren't allowed, i'm going to do it when you're doing your own thing and we both get rewarded with Exp, Col and miscellaneous stuff"
"Fine…" she replies without putting much of a protest.
"You don't have any complaints… looks like you're learning where you stand" , although judging by her facial expression and curbed frustrations, i will be surprised if i don't end up getting stabbed when I leave my back defenseless.
I could see her bridling as she responded, "You have problems bastard… w-what's stopping you from attacking me when I defy your words. Just leave me alone, I'll provide you information if I-i… find it essential to live".
"Nuh-uh, not only that… quests and rewards, now go find it then return to this spot with some food, preferably fruits".
"Ugh… jerk", answers Gemma as she backtracks the steps that 'we' took when we outmaneuvered the heavily armored guards. I highly doubt I could've put even susceptible damage over time by using my novice gear. Slash type weapons are infeasible but Blunt, a Mace perhaps. I needed to learn the weapon changing mechanic in the midst of fighting my foes because I'd be a sitting duck if I were to lose my weapon or wanting to switch it into an advantageous type.
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"Grrrr" Wrarrrgh" "Rarggghhhhh" … multiple bi-coloured, quadrupedal, bloodshot-eyed furries snarled much to my disgruntlement, one of them larger than the rest is naturally faux, the alpha of the pack, rare in-game terms.
I've already switched into my 'mace', there's also a shield buckled on my other hand.
(Small Rod equipped!)
(Combat Shield equipped!)
Two of the lackeys leapt on me at the same time. In lieu of backing away, I pushed onwards and ducked, avoiding both their attacks as they reposition themselves towards my exposed side. My mace glowed, like Icarus' wings did, my charge carried a burning tint, swinging twice in an X shaped pattern. The battle was already in my favor as it only took this skill to render the doggo leader helpless, its health bar depleting completely. I dashed, passing the shattered motes of light, not only the two doggers behind me, there were two at either of my side… missing my flank by an inch. I came across a tree ahead of me, allowing me the opportunity to perform a wall-flip. It isn't me but the world which was crazy, I was merely putting up an act. I went through the maneuver akin to a mutant turtle brother. The wolves lunged for the tree, off-target and unbeknownst to the midair skill which I found appropriate for my plight. Dodging their gank attack then dealing an AOE. Gong Shatter!
The combatants huffing and puffing, I held myself from grinning as the ground shook slightly from my attack, chipping a substantial amount of hp from each of the Dire Wolves. They took only two-three strikes, falling prey to my caprice; complimentary part being zero damage taken from a 1v5 due to the shield parries coming in clutch.
*Shatters* *Shatters* *Shatters* *Shatters*
(Exp: 90+, Col: 35+, WExp: 11+)
(10x Wolf Claw obtained!)
(EXP: 120/170)
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Defeat Dire Wolves : 21/20
(Quest Details : Talk to the Troubled Woman)
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(23:11, November 6th, 2022)
It is said that we shouldn't sleep under the canopy of overhanging trees. Since the photosynthesis stops and the respiration continues in plants during nighttime meaning oxygen isn't produced but utilized in lieu of CO2 production. It wouldn't have been in favor of my shortness of breath, were I to sleep I may even face problems like suffocation.
It wouldn't have affected me, neither was I be able to fall asleep nor should the implications of VR be completely synonymous with the fidelity of the real world.
Gemma hasn't replied to my mail. THAT WORTHLESS BITCH.
I was going to send a death threat when I recalled the quest indicator blinking in the midst of my martial dance. Navigating through my Quest panel, I checked the Accepted Quest to find a new ongoing one…
(Quest Details : Gluttonous Monster
Time Left : 46 minutes
Requester : Troubled Innkeeper
Summary : A Carnivores Greedy Glutton showed up in Quest Plains - Please deal with it before the kids get hurt!
Defeat 1 Glutton : 0/1
Exp : 350, Col : 2250, 5 Restorative Crystals)
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"COCKSUCKER!", I cursed under my breath, I was on a timer and I didn't know where Quest Plains was. So creative Kayaba or godforsaken AI to name it quest fucking plains. Opening the subpanel Map, I swiftly observed the unidentified areas with obvious lacking details, patches of areas with darker shade than their counterparts. I would say I've explored 5-10% of the lands in Floor 1 within a span of around eight hours cumulatively.
My plan was simple: sprint towards the direction which was yet to be covered until the map shows my position in Quest Plains, avoiding those rumbustious animals.
I started dashing avoiding the denser mob encirclements for minutes, time was ticking and I was also feeling repugnant, the excessive stimulation today was starting to get me. Yet I wasn't able to sleep…
"WONDERFUL NIGHT IT IS, WOMAN…", I've returned to Origin Plains, almost hit the 25 minute mark in my mad dash when I passed by a female swordsman who appeared to be resting atop the bough of a tree.
(?)
"Wha…? Who?" The woman in question mumbled, wondering about the clearly mentally challenged man. Why was he sprinting in the middle of the night? Even moreso, there were 5-6 Stabbing Wasps on his trail. She would've followed him to seek his intent behind those irrational actions. Then again, it was almost midnight.
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(Quest Plains)
I made it. The wasps also stopped chasing me sometime ago. Up ahead of me were three kids tied around an oak tree with thick vines wrapping their bodies. Their bodies hung upside down from the branchlets, yet there was a serene expression amongst these NPCs as they were fast asleep. I didn't have much time to deal with my target, a mimicry of Pennywise. No, its entire spiel is that and abusing… well murdering… eating children. Meh, too bad I prefer trafficking over it, sure it was tough living on the streets. It had its moments, exhilaration was part of it, having a knack in partaking organized crime would solve my bare necessities.
Switching to my spear after a series of inputs…
(Bronze Lance equipped!)
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(Time left : 4 minutes, 26 seconds)
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I sauntered towards the trap in order to rip apart the vines. The reach of my weapon was adequate, swiping with its edge from differential angles.
The kids dropped on the ground like puppets with their string cut off, still fast asleep.
Heavy sleepers or a bullshit status ailment, either way I was going to slap one of them when my target finally decided to make a move. I presumed that I was overestimating it, only a fat sack of shit will lose their life over a grotesque hybrid pitcher plant variant. I was on a time crunch, three minutes to exterminate the bulky pest before me. One glance at its health bar and I found it had a larger health bar than the Chocollatherium I encountered during a certain episode.
The cave incident was going to be etched in the minds of the two survivors.
(Glutton Nepenthes)
This predatory plant mob's lower body consisted mostly of countless roots that were used to move around. It had four arm-like vines with pointed leaves attached to either side of its body, just above the roots. The center of its head held a wide red mouth with viscous liquids dribbling out of it as it opened and closed.
Yeah, I'm going for an all-out offense. Holding my breath, my posture based on a sprint start, I dashed. The push off aided in transferring the horizontal velocity and glowed my spear, shade of mint. At the same time I was whipped by its dagger-like vine leaves. A vegan masochist's wet dream.
(-48hp)
(-48hp)
(-48hp)
(-48hp)
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Converging Stab!
The fugly plant was knocked away as I dealt a massive chunk of damage. I approach it again while it starts puffing its pitcher, probably to spit some kind of corrosive substance I deduced.
I hold my spear with both my hands firmly, attack type shifted from thrust to slash.
That was it, I had a hunch, there was that clearcut pre-motion for triggering an attack skill again. Now my spear is encompassed in a vermillion glow as I strike it with a classic upward to downward slash. Edge Fall!
I watched in glee as the rest of its health is chipped while it couldn't even let out its spittle attack.
Fortunately, the timer stopped with only over thirty(-ish) seconds to spare. Too close for comfort.
*Shatters*
(Exp: 165+, Col: 55+, WExp: 12+)
(You have leveled up!)
(Upon attaining specific conditions for a Unique Skill, you have obtained Quick Change!)
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(HP : 1450/1450)
(EXP: 115/220)
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Defeat Glutton : 1/1
(Quest Details : Meet the Innkeeper at Horunka Village)
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First thing I did was re-tweak with my Skill menu, changing from 1H Mace to Parry then Sprint into the newly acquired Quick Change.
Skill Slots : 4
Equipped Skills :
1H Sword - lvl. 33
Parry - lvl. 31
1H Spear - lvl. 8
Quick Change - mastered
Feeling satisfied with the loadout, I closed it and looked behind to slap those little shitbags. To my befuddlement they weren't there. It was a dreary night, the virtual stars and the crescent moon mockingly illuminated the fields in entirety, reflecting a sense of disquietude; lifelike NPCs disappearing into thin air is still fucking creepy.
I redirected my budding agitation to someone and somewhere else. I swore if Gemma didn't leave the Town of Beginnings by morning, I'm going to paint that whole town red.