He had only his starting gear with him; crude leather pants and shirt, and a barely serviceable crude short sword.
Enough guess work, I thought to myself, let’s see what my Master level Analyze skill can do.
Malkyr Edahs, Goliath [Goblinoid Template]
Level: 1
HP: 30, MP: 15
P: 3, M: 0, S: -1
Traits: Goblinoid (+1P, -1S), Goliath (+1P, item size restriction)
Background: Malkyr Edahs was once a Paladin of great renown, a herald of the great God Krom. He fought in countless wars and saw many adventures. He was famed throughout the realms. Whenever there a was great evil, Malkyr was reborn to thwart it. Newly born into the world of NEO as a member of a monster race, Malkyr is searching for a worthy cause to champion in this incarnation.
I turned my attention to the woman.
She looked very similar to a normal human player, although she had a few bestial features; Sharp teeth, a slightly gaunt look, and yellow eyes. Despite that, she was quite striking; Tall, lean, athletic, the kind you expect to become the sneaky rogue type. She had a white complexion, almost albino, with pure white flowing hair. Although she wasn’t exactly my type, partly because I barely reached her torso, I could definitely go for that look. I analyzed her as well.
Hoshisu Matsugaya, Human [goblinoid template]
Level: 1
HP: 20, MP: 10
P: 2, M: 0, S: -1
Traits: Goblinoid (+1P, -1S), Fast Learner (20% faster skill progression)
Background: Buy me a drink first :-)
I chuckled. Writing a joke that would likely never be seen was something I could appreciate. Hoshisu was an interesting woman to have around, not to mention she was smoking HOT.
My two guests looked even more perplexed after their conversation with my clan mates. They looked at each other as if unsure where they were and what to do next. That was my cue to approach.
“Greetings. Welcome to Goblin’s Gorge. I am...” Due to my isolation from other players, it just occurred to me that I didn’t have a proper character name. But I had to introduce myself somehow. “...the leader of this clan.” I finished.
“Dude, what the hell is going on?” The big man barged in. “First, we get this cloak-and-dagger, black-ops style offer from the company. In order to accept, we were required to delete our old 50 level characters and create new ones instead. Then we find ourselves spawning in the middle of a goblin’s pagan ritual, sacrificing a frickin’ purple goblin no less. Then the poor bastard’s corpse evaporates, some black cloud appears and everyone’s skin turns black! And now every single goblin around here seems to think I’m his personal sidekick! I have never gotten so many quests all at once. I got like 15 different quests to find tools, fetch resources, help gut rabbits, and other shit I don’t even remember. So again - What the HELL is going on?!” He finished, almost yelling.
Hoshisu, the woman next to him nodded her agreement, though she was smiling faintly at her companion’s tirade. She was more composed than she was earlier at the shrine. I couldn’t really fault her initial reaction, anyone would be unhinged by appearing in the middle of a ritual sacrifice.
“I’ll do my best to answer all of your questions.” I gave them a friendly smile. “But please, answer mine first; What were you told about this place and your new characters? And what do you know about me?”
“That’s more than one question, friend,” The women answered with a slight smile. “But I’ll tell you what I know. Malkyr and I are siblings IRL. Twins, actually. We both started playing NEO a few months ago. Yesterday we both received emails from the company, telling us we’d been selected as candidates for a closed beta test of new races. They said the company is trying to add an option so players could play monster factions. Which I’m sure, you know all about.” She looked me up and down. “Anyway, we realized it was a golden opportunity to explore uncharted territory, maybe discover some Mastery skills. It’s also a good opportunity to gain reputation with factions that were, until now, unreachable. We wanted to get ahead of the rush, so we talked it over, and decided to accept the offer together.”
“That was really weird,” Malkyr, sounded calmer. “The company actually sent one of their corporate lawyers all the way to our house. She had us sign a new User Agreement and a ridiculously exhausting NDA.”
“After we signed,” Hoshisu picked up, “We were told that any race we choose to play will have a Goblinoid template, effectively marking us as part monster. All our player’s controls and interfaces would remain the same. So this template is more of a faction tag, I think. It makes monsters consider us as monsters, allowing us to interact with them. Normal players will see us as enemies.”
“Then she told us about the time dilation thing,” the man continued. “Man, this is so weird! I kinda feel like I’ve been stuck in a room that hasn’t been aired out for a month, but other than that, everything seems completely normal. Except for you sacrificing that purple goblin, that is.”
I made a dismissing gesture, “Oh, that was only Vic. Don’t worry, you’ll get to meet him soon enough. sooner than you’d like, I bet.” For a moment, I considered re-summoning Vic then and there but decided against it. I actually found myself liking the two siblings, but I was still going to follow the old saying about not putting all your cards on the table. “And what did she tell you about me?” I inquired.
The woman shrugged, “You’re one of the few alpha testers. You’re taking it to the extreme, playing a fully-fledged monster, instead of just using a template. And you almost never log out, the company rigged your capsule with upgrades for prolonged immersion that allows you do that.”
“She also said you’re trying to establish a new monster settlement,” Malkyr added, “I’m all for that. I was a huge fan of strategy and settlement simulators before NEO came out.” He cleared his throat a little, then, with a much deeper and self-assured voice, “I will defend our smaller brethren monsters in their plight against the evil travelers, and their needless eagerness for needlessly hunting our brethren.”
The woman rolled her eyes, “He tries to convince himself he’s a real paladin sometimes. Fancy speeches are beyond him, but he keeps trying anyway.”
I chuckled, “that’s quite alright. In fact, I wouldn’t mind the extra help. We have a lot of things to take care of in the village, and we have enemies nearby who are hunting for us. I won't object at all if you dabble in a bit of mob grinding to help ease the pressure.”
“We can certainly discuss how to help out, and negotiate our pay,” she emphasized the pay part. “But now, we’ve answered your questions, how about you answer ours?”
“Fair enough,” raising my hands in agreement. “What would you like to know?”
We spent the next half-hour in conversation. I told them all about the hobgoblin attacks on the Dripper’s clan, and how I established the new Goblin’s Gorge settlement. I told them about my efforts to develop and expand, though I left out my main reason for doing so was to achieve a high enough boss level to be able to log out. I also didn’t mention that I was a boss. There was no reason to take the chance of it being reported to someone in the company, by accident or otherwise. I let them believe I was just a high-level player.
I told the twins about the cave and Nihilator. There was no way to hide it. Sooner or later they would’ve figured it out on their own, there was really no other way to explain the sacrifice and the shroud of darkness.
“That is so cool!” Malkyr exclaimed when I completed my story. “So you basically started a new monst
er nation, and you are moonlighting as both the chief and a high priest. Damn, I wish I was selected for the alpha testing too!”
I grimaced inwardly at that. I really couldn’t blame him for his reaction.
“So what are your plans now?” I was trying to feel out their intentions.
“You know the drill, dude,” Malkyr shrugged. “We’re first level noobs, we need to beef up. So, we’ll start with some of the simpler quests we got so far, get some decent starting gear, go hunt, do some tougher quests. Stuff like that. I want to hit level 30 by the end of the week, and then…” His eyes became distant, and his expression became dreamy. “Then, I want to concentrate on building and crafting. I always wanted to carve out a peaceful existence for myself, take part in building something great. I got a little tired of always looking for the next fight. What about you sis?”
She shrugged, “Nothing specific, I’ll just go with the flow. I wanna learn about the monsters’ culture. We’ll be among the first players to ever do that.”
“You’ll be the very first players to investigate how monster society works,” I promised her. “I was here first, yes, but I’m busy building this place up.”
Her smile broadened at my words. “Excellent.”
“Well, that settles it,” Malkyr rose to his feet. “So where’s the nearest town? I’d like to buy some better equipment.”
“Err….you're…standing in it?” I suggested mildly.
He frowned. “But there’s nothing here!” he protested. “Barely a handful of rickety wooden structures. Well, and that weird pink one.” He pointed toward the Breeder’s Den.
Rickety?! I thought with irritation. That was insulting! I’d spent a lot of time and effort to construct those ‘rickety’ buildings. I reined in my temper, took a breath and slowly released it, regaining my composure. “It’s all we have right now,” I informed him. “Outside of this valley there’s only a dense forest, swarming with monsters. It would take days to cross it, and I have no idea what’s beyond that.”
“B… but…” He looked stunned, “What are we supposed to do then? We need access to a market, or we won’t be able to use the auction house!”
That annoyed me even further. “Well, you’re welcome to leave,” I said, controlling my tone of voice despite my ire. “I wish you all the luck in the world. If you do find an accessible marketplace do let me know, will ya?”
Would you like to grant the quest [Find a Marketplace] to Malkyr Edahs? Yes/No
Suggested reward: XP: 50, Reputation:100, gold: 1, items: none
For a moment I was stunned. Did the system just interpret my cynic suggestion as a quest offer!? I never heard of a player being able to grant quests to another player, it was strictly an NPC thing.
<*cough* Hybrid entity *cough*> Vic pretended to clear his throat.
I sighed. Right. The game treated me as part NPC, so I guess it made sense I would be able to grant quests. I was probably just finding out about it because this was my first interaction with other players since I became a goblin.
I clicked on ‘Yes’ in the still hovering message.
New skill acquired: Quest Giver (*)
It doesn’t take a genius to reward someone for completing a task. But for the exalted individuals who have been granted this skill, rewards for given quests come from the Universe itself.
Three kinds of rewards can be assigned by the quest giver: Reputation, Monetary, Items.
Rewards are given automatically by the system to the person(s) who completed the quest.
As the skill level increases, you can assign rewards of greater value, and have more influence on reward allocation.
Level 1: Novice
Effects: Maximum rewards: 1% of your XP. Reputation: 100. Gold: 10, Items: NA
I read the description with amazement, just as Hoshisu whistled softly, “You can grant quests to other players? How is that possible?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she scrutinized me intensely.
I suddenly felt very uncomfortable under her penetrating gaze. As beautiful as she was, there was something cold and calculating about her, an assassin mindset. It could be dangerous, she might figure out on her own what was really going on, and then l would be screwed. More screwed.
My worries evaporated when Hoshisu suddenly asked me, “Who’s the US president? What type of server runs NEO? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”
She had it the wrong way. She thought I might actually be an NPC. She was testing me. I decided to have a little bit of fun with her.
“Error, Error,” I said in my best metallic robotic voice, letting my eyes go vacant. “Security breach detected. Executing scorched earth contingency plan in five… four… three…”
“SHIT!” Yelled Malkyr, “I knew it was too good to be true! Damn, sis, you just killed our beta run!”
“...two… one…” I continued while immensely enjoying their alarmed expressions.
“....ZERO! BOOM!” I yelled, making them both jump.
“Just kidding,” I grinned from ear to ear. “The president is Mr. Schwarzenegger, NEO runs on a quantum server, and to my knowledge, A woodchuck would chuck no amount of wood since a woodchuck can't chuck wood. Are we good now?”
They stared at me in stunned silence for a long moment before Hoshisu yelled, “You jerk!”
“Guilty as charged.” I bowed to them. “So, how does the quest look on your side?” I asked curiously.
Malkyr recovered first. And replied in a flat tone that told me he was reading his system message. “You received a new quest, Find a Marketplace. You have been offered a quest by the leader of the Green Piece clan, find another settlement with an established marketplace for the clan to trade with. Quest type: Basic. Reward: 100 reputation with GreenPiece clan, 10 gold.”
Plaintively he added, “Dude, you could have coughed up a little bit extra!”
I shrugged. “That’s the best I can do. The system ties my hand.”
My mind was raced ahead, considering possibilities and exploits. This skill revealed a lot. It explained how some NPCs could offer quest rewards that would normally be beyond them, and why if killed and looted, those rewards weren’t found on their person. It was the game engine that supplied the rewards, not the NPC themselves! I saw great potential in abusing the system. And with two players nearby, it was a golden opportunity to raise this new skill.
I looked them over, “I have a business offer for you two.” I examined their faces, trying to assess their moral integrity and how they’d react to my next suggestion. “How about I give you a bunch of quests to complete. That will help you speed power level and gain some reputation and money.”
Hoshisu looked at me with shrewd eyes, “and what do you get out of it?”
I shrugged. “Friends with the potential to become powerful allies down the road, especially if they receive many quests from the town’s leader.”
She snorted, “That’s not a town, that’s barely even a campsite.”
“Well,” I replied evenly, “with your cooperation, it will be. And once it is a proper town, it will become a shining beacon in the Deadlands. By then, you would have already built your reputation and gained a position of respect and influence around here. What do you say?”
“I’m in!” declared Malkyr enthusiastically, “This is fantastic! I never thought something like this would be possible in the game! All you’re missing are a few half naked drow females around here, and this place would be the incarnation of my favorite fantasy!”
Hoshisu rolled her eyes at her brother’s proclamation but she too nodded, “Aside from the naked drow, I agree, it does sounds… interesting.”
“Great!” I rubbed my hands together, “let’s start, shall we?”
I spent the next hour straining to remember all my clan's needs. I asked the twin’s help, granting them a new quest for each task. I also found I could tweak the offered rewards, which was important. I didn’t mind showering them with XP and
gold, the turnaround would work to my benefit, but I didn’t want them to gain a Revered reputation rank with the clan overnight. That sort of thing could give them way too much influence over my clan. My thoughts led to an epiphany; Now that I was standing on the other side, I suddenly realized how important Reputation was and how valuable are the points to increase it.
- New quest granted [Bring Construction Blueprints]
Type: Basic, Repeatable. Reward: XP: 142, Reputation: 50, gold:10
- New quest granted [Bring 20 Raw Food]
Type: Basic, Reward: XP: 142, Reputation: 20, gold:10
- New quest granted [Bring 20 Cooked Food]
Type: Basic, Reward: XP: 284, Reputation: 20, gold:20
- New quest granted [Bring a Pickaxe]
Type: Basic, Reward: XP: 284, Reputation: 20, gold:20
- New quest granted [Bring Advanced or Better Food Recipes]
Type: Basic, Repeatable. Reward: XP: 284, Reputation: 100, gold:20
- New quest granted [Bring 10 glass]
Type: Basic. Reward: XP: 426, Reputation: 50, gold:30
- New quest granted [Bring Fishing Gear]
Type: Basic. Reward: XP: 426, Reputation: 20, gold:30
- New quest granted [Cave Dwellers’ Gallbladder]
Type: Basic, Repeatable. Reward: XP: 426, Reputation: 50, gold:30
- New quest granted [Bring 10 construction resources]
Type: Basic, Repeatable. Reward: XP: 568, Reputation: 50, gold:40
- New quest granted [Hobgoblin’s Ears]
Type: Basic, Repeatable. Reward: XP: 568, Reputation: 50, gold:40
My Quest Giver skill went up for every few quests I offered them, which allowed me to increase the reward amounts. I decided to exploit the system to the fullest, and always award them the maximum XP and gold. It didn’t cost me anything, after all, and it was in my best interest to have high-level allies with gold to spend. I did, however, ration the Reputation points. After all, I didn’t want them to be too well liked by my clan too quickly. I also gave them the same quest Guba gave me, finding gallbladders. I figured there’s no harm in outsourcing a bit.
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