Level 1-5 | Difficulty: Medium | Time Limit: Three Days | Rarity: Uncommon |
Rewards: +200 Reputation with Shadowstalker Pack, +100 Reputation with Alyssa, +200 Reputation with Slums of Dawnport, Item of varying quality, Other Unknown Rewards.
Failure: Loss of reputation with Shadowstalker Pack, Loss of reputation with Alyssa, Death of three of Alyssa’s patients. (Random)
Do you accept: Yes / No
“I can’t promise anything,” Eli started as Alyssa rolled her eyes in disappointment. “But, I will try to scrounge up some supplies.” His voice came through hesitantly, not wanting to commit to helping anyone other than his wife and children.
Conflicting emotions tore at him, pulling him in two directions like a game of tug of war. Eli knew he had to help these people. They still had a chance. He could give them hope, but that would mean abandoning his immediate search for his family. As he realized what he must do, regret tugged at him. Thoughts of his family slithered their way into his mind. His heart ached as he yearned to see their faces one last time. He knew they were dead; he watched them die. Aida had confirmed it. Looking into Alyssa's eyes, he thought, I failed to protect my family, but I will protect these people. With his teeth clenched, angry with what he had to do, he selected yes.
*Quest accepted! Protecting the pack*
A semblance of hope returned to the young woman’s eyes, and a smile grew on her face before quickly returning to pain. The expression was familiar to Eli; he was used to wearing it. A memory had slipped in to steal away her hope, like a thief who preys on joy, “Just don’t venture deep into the Wildwood, and stay away from a large clearing near a small cliff-side. It’s due west of here, south of the river. There’s a family of hunters who live there; they’ve killed our people.”
Chapter 8
Grimacing at the mention of the hunters, Eli shifted his weight and looked away. He knew that Alyssa was talking about him and his family. Like a thin sheet of water on a cold winter night, his body froze as she peered at him with concern. Does she know who I am, he thought. No, that’s impossible, I wouldn’t even recognize myself.
Silence hung in the air, Eli straining against the crushing weight as he stared into the corner of the tent. The soft-touch of a gentle hand on his knee startled him, causing him to jump, as Alyssa squeezed. The gesture was sweet and sincere, meant to comfort. Yet, the show of sorrowful affection only made Eli feel worse.
Before she could speak again, Eli spewed words from his mouth, attempting to avoid further conversation. “Thanks for the advice.” His words came out stammered, with shame tainting his voice. “I’ll keep it in mind.” With every syllable, his words cracked, as anxiety overtook him. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Not wanting to linger on the topic any longer than necessary, he paused, before changing subjects, “I have a question about the supplies though.”
Alyssa looked at Eli with a touch of confusion in her gaze, before removing her hand and speaking, “What is it? I’ll understand if you can’t, or don’t, find what we need.”
Eli cut her off, grabbing onto her retreating hand. “It’s not that. I’m just worried about what will happen after we find everything. Won’t the guards just take the items as soon as we bring them back?” He paused as Alyssa’s soft, caring eyes peered into him, their intensity making him more uncomfortable. “Have you tried hiding them, maybe stashing them in the woods?”
Eli nearly looked away as her eyes grew hard and fierce, her grip tightening. “We’ve tried that.” Her voice rang flat, now lacking any semblance of emotion. “Every time we build up a decent stockpile, the city guard follows one of us and destroys or takes it all. Then they come after us, injuring our young or killing off our leadership.” Her eyes changed, growing sympathetic as they shifted to the boy on the cot. “They hung poor Jarl’s father over that damn refuse pit just a week ago.” Her voice quieted to a whisper before continuing. “They didn’t hang him by his feet.”
Eli’s vision turned to Jarl, who was now somewhat stable and awake. The boy closed his eyes and looked away, refusing to show his pain or tears. The sight brought a tear to Eli’s eye as a fire stirred deep within his heart. The child’s show of strength solidified his resolve. He couldn’t let these people down. All thoughts of abandoning them to search for his own family faded. In time he would make his way back and search the remains of his cabin.
Eli knew that if his AI companion was correct, his family was dead. When NPCs died, they faded away like hazy memories. While he was important enough to be a permanent NPC, then reborn as an adventurer, that did not mean his family was. The strange sexless artificial intelligence had told him they weren’t alive, and he had no reason to distrust it, something inside of him accepted that she was right. Sadness and the reality of death mixed with his newfound conviction. If he couldn’t save his family, he would save these people.
“I’ll find what you need, and I’ll keep it safe.” Eli stood, looking away, refusing to let the two see the shame and self-loathing rising within him. With an act of will, he shoved his feelings down and sealed them away. He had a job to do. He had to remain strong, if not for himself then for these people.
“Just promise me you’ll take care of them, that you’ll take care of your people, and we’ll do the rest,” Eli said, placing a hand on Jarls forehead, forcing himself to look at the dewy-eyed child. The boy’s image burned into Eli’s memory, replacing any guilt he had about holding off on his personal mission. Alyssa nodded as she squeezed Eli’s hand once more before placing it on Jarls’ chest.
After rising to his feet, Eli helped Don collect their supplies. His footsteps were heavy with conviction as he walked through the long tent filled with the sick and injured.
“Only take half of what she offered,” Eli whispered to Don as he passed by, “they need it more than we do.” Don nodded, before placing half of their reward back into the footlocker and following Eli out of the tent.
Bright rays of noonday sunlight pierced through the remnants of the morning haze as the two adventurers exited the tent. As they passed by the long line of people waiting for aid, Don’s voice broke the silence.
“Uh, so. What’s the plan?” The Turta moved away from the crowd while speaking, barely avoiding crashing into a dwarven woman holding a child in her arms.
Eli thought for a moment, unsure of what to do. He knew the area well and wouldn’t have trouble finding some of the items Alyssa requested. The issue he ran into was his gear. He had little more than his axe, a bow that wouldn’t last longer than a few shots, and a small belt knife that would do more damage through tetanus than stabbing. With Don having even more limited options for ranged attacks, they had little chance of hunting any real game.
“Well, hunting is nearly off the table as it is. My bow is next to useless, and you said you’re a melee fighter. An easy solution would be to walk into Dawnport and buy this stuff, especially the meat. It would be quick and painless.” Eli paused before looking Don in the eyes. “If you can afford it.” His hand went to the pockets of his newly equipped hide armor, “Derek seems to have, uh, stolen all of my money.”
After digging around in the small pouch connected to his bandolier, Don pulled out his hand, showing its contents to Eli.
“This is all I’ve got,” the Turta said, shaking around a handful of copper coins. “It might buy us the string, parchment, or some herbs, but that’s about it. After getting you that gear, I’m tapped out.”
Silence fell over the pair as Don put his coins away, and Eli thought about their next move. They couldn’t purchase the goods, and Eli knew that if he tried to enter the city, the guards would arrest or kill him. That left earning the coin to buy it or gathering it themselves.
“Well, we have a few options. We could get more quests, earn some money, and send you into Dawnport. Or, we can head out now and go get the stuff ourselves.” Eli said before another thought came to his mind, “We could try to get my old gear back and go from there.”
/>
Don shook his head in disapproval at Eli’s words. “Questing would take too long. We will have to do that later if we want to level up and earn money, but it would take way too long to earn the coin to buy everything on this list.” The Turta’s gaze fell upon the city gates in the distance, “And, if you ever want to get back into the city, to get your gear, you will need to do a bunch of quests for Dawnport. Again, we can’t do that right now. Alyssa put a time limit on this quest. I have a neutral rep with the city, so I could get in and see how much everything costs, and if we could get your stuff back, but that would also take time. The lumber and meat alone would be a few silvers, maybe even a gold or two. We just don’t have that long. Besides, I don’t think they will just hand over your old gear to some noob with a neutral rep.”
After a short pause, Eli focused on his second idea. “Then, we should get to it and start gathering this stuff ourselves. I mean, I’m handy with this axe, and I could tell you what herbs and berries to look for. I’ll need a new bow, or my old one before we can hunt, but we could get most of this stuff from the Wildwood. I may even have the skill to make myself a better bow than this. So, let’s just focus on the things we can get out of the way fast, like lumber, herbs, and the basic items. If we’re lucky and smart, we can gather extra and sell it off to purchase anything we miss, just in case.”
“Yeah, and you still owe me for that gear.” Don chuckled.
Eli sighed at the man’s lack of seriousness and laid out his plan. He would head a short distance into the Wildwood and get to work felling trees, while Don gathered herbs and berries. They could worry about the tasks they couldn’t finish later. Don agreed to Eli’s plan, mentioning that their mission was a simple skill grinding quest. According to him, they were normal for low-level players. The idea was to force players to learn the skill system, so the items needed to fulfill the objective would cost more than the reward. To Eli, it made sense. People had to learn somehow, and sending them off into the woods to gather some simple items was the best way to do it. Anyone who shied away from a little hard work didn’t deserve the rewards. Excited to get his first real quest finished and improve his skills, Eli smiled.
While walking to the southwest edge of the slums, Eli took a moment to talk to Don about the herbs. As he explained how and where to find them, as well as how to pick them, Don looked at Eli with confusion. Promising to take care of it, the Turta grinned, excited at the thought of learning herbalism and alchemy. The skills would complement his healing abilities, making him less reliant on mana and stamina. Selling valuable salves and potions was also a possibility once he leveled up the skill enough and found a mortar and pestle. Twenty minutes passed as the two adventures walked in silence, both lost in thought. When they reached the edge of town, they stopped to stare over the empty field before them, the depths of the Wildwood in the distance.
“Well, I think it’s time to split up. Meet back here in three hours?” Eli said, with hints of hesitation in his voice. This was his first time venturing outside of the city as a player. He was confident in his ability to defend himself, but being level one made him wary of what might happen in a combat situation.
“Wait up; we should form a party,” Don spoke, excitement in his voice.
Uh, Aida, what’s he talking about? Eli thought to his mental assistant.
“A party, or group, is a team of adventurers. There is a system in place that lets you keep track of each member’s status and general location. Would you like me to set up a party with you as the leader? Your Leadership can be useful here; it’s linked to the party system.”
Uh, sure, I guess.
“Are you sure?”
Will this give him access to any personal information? Eli thought, not wanting to give Don access to his character profile or history.
“No.” Aida’s voice paused for a moment before continuing, “Well, not really. It will share group quests and give you the option to share personal quests. It will also grant Party Sense to all members, giving each member a rough estimation of each other's location. Oh, and there’s one more thing, if Don has any levels in leadership and cartography, it would allow him to view your precise location. But that’s only if he has a specialized map upgrade, which is unlikely.”
Eli hesitated at the thought of Don being able to know where he was at all times but knew that the benefits of the system were amazing. After a slight pause, he decided, Okay, do it. A moment later, a party had formed, and information flooded Eli’s mind. Notifications sprang forth, then closed immediately. Status bars popped into existence, directly under his own, before a strange sensation washed over him. He could feel Don’s presence as if an unbreakable bond tethered the two together. Focusing on the bond, Eli knew he could follow it. It felt like following a path without knowing exactly where it ended. As the sensation faded into the background, it left an imprint on his mind. A reminder of its presence that he could call upon at will. This must be party sense, he thought, letting his mind wonder in awe of the new abilities that the system allowed him.
“Uh, you might want to sit down for this.” Aida’s voice called out, just before all of his notifications popped into focus at once.
*Congratulations you have formed your first-party*
50 Exp gained
*Congratulations your leadership skill has leveled up*
Leadership: 11/100
*Congratulations you have learned a new ability: Increased Moral*
Increased Moral: Casting time - Passive | Cost: None | Cooldown - none | Range - 100ft | Effect: Up to four members of your party are affected by increased morale. Fear and other negative mind-altering effects are 10% less likely to take effect while within range.
*Congratulations you have learned a new ability: Party Management*
Party Management: Casting time - Instant | Cost: 1MP per target per minute | Cooldown - None | Range - Range of Vision | Effect: While you are party leader, you can allocate specific roles to party members, or designations to threats. These designations and roles have icons associated with them that are only visible to party members.
The system's ability to filter information allowed him to see through the notifications flooding his mind. Walls of translucent white text sprang forth, nearly blocking his vision. With each new line, pressure built in his head, causing him to stumble, as information crammed into his skull like an over-filled stuff sack. Twin spikes of pain followed, causing his eyesight to waver. In one breath, it was over.
What was that, he thought.
“That was your consciousness absorbing new data at a rapid pace. There is no harm, only discomfort. Now that you have gained new abilities, I can manage the flow of data. This should not happen again.”
As Aida finished talking, the functions of the new abilities and how to use them clicked into his mind like a missing puzzle piece. Pulling up the notifications, to confirm his thoughts, brought a large smile to Eli’s face. He had learned his first abilities.
With a hint of childlike excitement in his voice, he shouted, “I just got two abilities.”
At Eli’s words, Don stopped and smiled. “What did you get?”
“Improved Moral and Party Management.”
While they were not what Eli would call magic, the abilities carried hints of magical power. Thrilled with the idea that he could access arcane or spiritual powers, he grinned and clenched his fist in excitement. He felt like a child, getting everything he asked for on his birthday.
“Sweet! I can see the moral buff on me now. This is super helpful. But what does Party Management do?” Don exclaimed, his eyes growing wide.
“It allows me to designate roles to party members and threats. But, honestly, I don’t understand what that means.”
“Oh, hell, yes! I’ve seen that in games before. You should be able to flag people, monsters, and certain objects with icons. It helps to keep things organized and improves the flow of battle. It’s super important in larger fights.” Don explained with glee, the
last part of his sentence drawn out for emphasis. “Try looking at something and thinking about the ability.”
Staring at Don with a serious look on his face, Eli focused on his new ability. A moment later, an icon appeared over the Turta’s head. A blue bow and arrow. Next to it were two other options, one on the other side. One was a dagger, the other a fireball. As he focused on each symbol, new choices appeared. Cycling through several options revealed one that suited the monk, a slightly glowing yellow fist. As he accepted it, the other icons faded away, leaving the one selected to pop into existence. After stabilizing over the man’s head, the glowing fist faded until it was noticeable yet unobtrusive.
“Sweet! This rocks!” Don shouted in joy, causing a few passing Wolffen to look his way. “Now, we can know who’s doing what and who to attack first!” He chuckled as he looked up, staring at his new icon. “This fuckin rules.”
Noticing his mana drain, Eli dismissed the icon, not wanting to waste a single point of the precious resource. His new ability would be useful in battle but was unnecessary at the moment. Being able to keep track of targets, teammates, and objectives are essential to working in a group of any size. Thinking of the utility of the icons, Eli thought back to his past. This would have been helpful while I was in the military. Before moving on, he experimented with the ability further, placing icons on himself, and several NPCs who were going about their day.
He focused on a strange-looking Mist Elf woman, garbed in cloth wrappings that reminded him of a midnight sky. She was speaking to a traveling merchant in a cheerful, uplifting voice that Eli could barely hear. After focusing on the elf for a second, he attempted to bring up the icon of a small dagger above her head. As he did, the symbol flickered for a moment before an error message appeared.
Ascension Page 11