The Scout of Artemis (LitRPG Series): Press X to Loot Book 1

by Gregg Horlock

  When no reply came back through party chat, I remembered something that I’d read. Party chat was great when you were close to each other, but the distance you could transmit a message was modified by your charisma. I’d only allocated a single point to mine, so there was no way I could talk to Jack or Rex unless they were in the vicinity.

  Before I set out toward the woodland, I noticed something strange. On my character screen, my subscriber count had risen to 22. That meant one thing; people love misery. They must have gotten word of our shipwreck and then had tuned in to see what happened.

  “Hope you guys are enjoying this,” I said aloud. “And if any of you fancy sending me a respawn rune, a fire scroll and a big glass of beer, go right ahead.”

  I waited in hope, but nothing happened. Further down the beach, the crab had disappeared. I decided it was time that I got moving too.

  My stamina had replenished a little from my spot of crab-watching. I climbed up a small hill that sloped off the beach. The woodland was ahead of me. Getting closer, I saw that it wasn’t just a small bunch of trees. Instead, it seemed to stretch out as far as I could see, as though the whole island of Artemis was covered in trees.

  Behind me, there was a slight alcove that was cut into the hill near the beach. I made a mental note of it, deciding that it might make a good place to shelter once I’d gone all primal and started a fire.

  The atmosphere changed as soon as I stepped into the forest. The crashing of the waves was muted now. Instead, I heard the faint sound of wind whistling through tree cavities. From somewhere, I heard the steady sound of footsteps on the forest floor. A twig cracked, and then another, but when I looked around, I couldn’t see anything.

  I had to be careful. Pana Reborn was a combat RPG. Although player-versus-player fighting was confined to specific arenas, there were plenty of creatures to battle against. If I had a weapon I could have used them to level up. All my equipment, except for my clothes, was currently enjoying a swim in the ocean.

  I walked by a giant oak tree with a hole in the trunk. I heard a cheeping noise, and looking closer, I saw a nest of birds in the tree. I looked at the other oaks around me and saw that they were all different sizes, shapes, and textures. The richness of detail was amazing. I couldn’t even imagine the scale of the operation needed to create such a world. It probably took a whole team of designers just to make the trees.

  As I went through the woodland, I quickly lost my sense of wonder. It was replaced by a wary feeling when I heard more sounds of footfall ahead of me. Remembering that monsters roamed the game, I took care to move quietly.

  Sneak skill [Agi] learned – do you accept?

  Finally, I’d done something to learn a skill! Not only that, but this was something that I could use. As a scout, it would be important in certain situations that I could move without detection. That said, finding Helder’s Bane was still a race. I decided to take the sneak skill, but I allocated it as a secondary skill rather than a primary.

  From now on, whenever I made a conscious effort to move quieter, I’d start to level up my sneak skill. With each increase in level, it would get easier to move without being detected. The ‘Agi’ listed after the skill name meant that each time I levelled up my sneak, I’d get a bonus on my agility attribute. Things were looking up. Primary skills earned 2 bonus points, and secondary skills got 1.

  As the skill appeared on my character screen, my right arm began to burn. It hurt so much that for a second I thought that my search for a fire was over. It felt like someone was setting me alight. I grabbed my sleeve and rolled it up, then looked at my arm in surprise.

  A blue tattoo was burning onto my skin, scorching me with every inch it covered. I gritted my teeth and bore the pain, and a few seconds later it was finished. Where once my right forearm had been bare, now I had a tattoo of a man hunched over and sneaking.

  Every time you learned a skill in Pana, the corresponding symbol was burned on to you. Although this must have been a bonus for people with such poor memories that they couldn’t remember their own skills, for the most part it was a hindrance. It meant that if the tattoo was in the wrong place, people would know what your skills were. Added to that, you had no control over which part of your body they appeared on. This wasn’t as much of an issue in non-PVP area. In the player versus player arenas, a man with a tattoo on his face gave away his skill list to his opponent, which would allow him to come up with a strategy.

  Something roared ahead of me, breaking me from my thoughts.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I needed to see what it was, because it was possible I’d have to leave this area of the forest until I managed to get a weapon. As I moved forward, keeping my footsteps quiet, a welcome message appeared on my screen.

  Sneak Skill increased by 10% [90% until level 2]

  Soon, I saw what was making the noise in the forest. Twenty yards ahead of me, four creatures patrolled the forest floor. They looked like mice that had grown to the size of a dog, except that they had the mane of a lion, and a forked tail that swished as they moved.

  Forest Burr – Level 3

  At level 3, it was clear that these creatures were here as fodder for newbies to level up on. The problem was that I didn’t have a weapon. As a scout, I didn’t have enough strength to be effective in hand-to-hand combat. I’d need to be careful around them, and for now, I wouldn’t be able to go any further.

  I was about to turn around and leave when one of the Burrs made a sound. It sounded like it was trying to roar, but it came out as more of a squeal. A rat darted in front of the Burr. It was clear that the Burr eyed it as a tasty meal. I decided to watch it pounce so that I could see how the creatures fought. I expected the Burr to leap on the rat and tear it apart. Instead, it raised its tail. The end of its tail started to glow, and then a fire bolt shot out from the end of it, incinerating the rat.

  As wet as I was, I didn’t think that becoming a human barbeque was the best way to get rid of my hypothermia. I turned around and walked back in the direction I came, then turned west. I walked until the Burrs were far away, then stopped.

  I was alone in the forest now. I brought up the party chat screen, hoping beyond hope that Jack or Rex had gotten in touch. Rex wouldn’t have much charisma as a barbarian, so unless he was nearby I wouldn’t be able to see his broadcasts. I guessed that as a gambler, Jack might have better luck.

  It wasn’t to be. The only message on the party screen was my solitary “hello”.

  20HP lost [Hypothermia modifier]

  Time was my enemy, and I needed to work against it. I looked around me. I needed firewood, but there were hardly any branches on the ground. I’d once played a game where the character could fell whole trees with his bare hands, but I doubted that was the case in Pana. If I was to cut down a tree for firewood, I’d need a tool.

  I didn’t see any more Burrs as I walked through the forest. I came across a hare bounding over a felled log. I wondered if I should kill it for the meagre exp it would give. The hare must have been psychic. No sooner had I walked toward it than the hare’s ears pricked up and it leapt away.

  My HP dropped by another 20 points by the time I came across a break in the woods. Ahead of me was a collection of wooden shacks. I couldn’t see any signs of life, but I did see a ten-foot-high metal fence forming a perimeter around the shacks. I cautiously walked toward it until I came to a gate.

  Location discovered – Dostooth Village

  5 Exp gained! (45 until level 1)

  It was an NPC village, and that meant that there would likely be a trader who had set stall in one of the shacks. The problem was that the gate entrance to the village was closed. I reached forward and grabbed the handle, but it wouldn’t turn.

  Dostooth is closed after 5 pm.

  I didn’t know what time it was, but the sun was setting, and that meant we were heading toward nightfall. A dim warning sounded in the back of my head. Something happened in Artemis at night; something that didn’
t happen back on the Pana mainland. I didn’t know what it was, but I needed shelter, somewhere to see out the night. Before all else, though, I needed fire. I didn’t have a great deal of HP left.

  I headed back to the beach. I wanted to explore more of the island, but the wisest thing would be to wait near the coast, where I could see the sea and the beach. If Jack and Rex had survived the shipwreck, they were sure to wash up there sooner or later.

  Soon I reached the alcove cut into the hill near the beach. My arms and legs ached, and sleep tugged at my eyelids. I couldn’t sleep yet, though, no matter how much I needed it. I looked around me. Although there was no way for me to cut down any of the trees, I found some loose twigs and branches scattered near my new base.

  I sighed. It would be painstaking work traipsing round to collect the odd bits of wood, but I had no choice. Twenty minutes later and with my stamina draining, I finally had enough kindling for a small fire. Great. Now I just needed a way to light it.

  I looked up at the sky as if I’d be able to see my 22 subscribers up there.

  “Don’t suppose any of you have a light?” I said aloud.

  Then it hit me. No, it wasn’t a magical gift from a subscriber, but an idea. I remembered the Burrs in the forest, and how I’d seen one of them barbeque a rat. The Burrs were a sure source of fire. A dangerous one, sure, but a source nonetheless. I just needed a way of getting hold of one.

  Trap skill [Int] learned – do you accept?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Does the pope enjoy defecating in the woods? Of course I wanted the trap skill! As a scout, and especially in terrain like this, I knew I’d have to hunt at some point. It wouldn’t be long until I got a hunger modifier on my character screen. At that point, I'd need a way of trapping the crafty forest hares. Not only that, but in taking Trap as a skill, I finally had a way to get hold of a Burr.

  Trap [Int] Skill Taken – Secondary

  As the trap skill logged on my character screen, my back started to burn. I knew it was the sensation of a tattoo etching itself onto my skin, and this time I was prepared for it. I just wished that it hadn’t gone on my back; I wanted to see what the tattoo looked like. Still, at least it wasn’t on my face.

  With my new-found trap skill, I used some of the wood I’d gathered to build a rudimentary trap. It was the most basic entrapment you could hope for, but it would have to do. Hopefully, as I levelled up my skills, I’d be able to make better ones.

  Trap skill increased by 10% (90% until level 2)

  With my little trap under my arm, I walked back into the woods. It was Burr hunting season, and I needed to catch a live one. As I walked through the forest and passed the trees, the sky darkened above me. I didn’t have long now until nightfall, but that wasn’t the only ticking clock watching me with insidious eyes.

  20HP Lost [Hypothermia modifier] Total: 22/112

  Using my sneak skill, I got as close to the Burrs as I could without them noticing me, and I set up my trap. I buried it under a pile of leaves so that it looked as inconspicuous as possible. With that done, I waited.

  The Burrs seemed to move in a pack, though I noticed that one of them, a younger one by the looks of things, was isolated. Every time it tried to move closer to the pack, the other Burrs growled at it. The young Burr became increasingly distant from the others.

  As I waited, I started to feel more at home in the woodland. The feeling of being in a strange place lessened, and I felt less tense.

  Favored Environment learned – Woodland

  Great, so that meant my class ability had finally come into play. But just what did that give me? Looking at my character screen, I saw that Woodland level 1 increased my movement speed, sneak chance and defence points whilst I was in a wooded area. Given that, so far, Artemis seemed mostly comprised of forest, this was a good thing indeed.

  I was brought out of my skill study by a squealing sound. Closing my character screen, I saw that I’d struck it lucky. As basic as it was, my trap had caught the young Burr. Sensing that it was stuck, the animal thrashed around, but it was no good. It was stuck fast.

  I stood back at first. Although it was trapped, the animal was still dangerous. I half-expected it to cast a fireball in my direction. Luckily, its predicament had disorientated it, and it seemed to be drifting into a doze. I didn’t have long. I needed to get it back to my shelter before it came to its senses.

  Cursing my single strength point, I made the journey back to base with the trap and Burr. By the time I reached my shelter and set the trap down, the animal had started to stir.

  Nighttime was almost here now, and the darkness started to feel oppressive.

  20HP Lost [Hypothermia modifier] Total: 2/112

  The final grains in my hour glass were draining away. This was my only chance. As the Burr stirred in the trap, I walked over to the kindling I’d set near the shelter. I was no stranger to starting fires, since we sometimes taught survival skills on our Gossard Tours. I had arranged the kindling as best I could.

  The Burr saw me now. Acting on instinct, it raised its tail and aimed at me. I held my breath. I had to keep it together. This was going to be dangerous, but I had no choice. I forced myself to stay in place as the Burr’s tail glowed. The Burr’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

  This was it. The moment of truth. My whole body screamed at me to get out of the way, but I had to keep still.

  A fireball gathered on the Burr’s tail and then shot out toward me. I stayed until the last possible second, and then dived out of the way. The fireball hit the kindling and engulfed it, and I heard the wood crackle next to me.

  I got up. The fire was burning stronger than I’d thought it would, and the meagre kindling I’d hauled wouldn’t last long. I looked around me. There were still some scraps of wood left on the forest floor, but I had an immediate problem to deal with.

  The heat from the Burr’s tail had burned my trap, and the Burr bounded toward me. I knew how attacks and abilities worked in Pana, and I understood that the Burr's fire ability would be on cooldown. It seemed that while that was the case, the Burr has just going to attack me with its claws. I doubted its melee attack would be strong, but I only had 2 hp.

  I turned and ran. A few yards behind me there was a stream that ran toward the sea in one direction. In the other direction, toward the middle of Artemis, it seemed to widen into a river.

  I stood in place by the stream as the Burr ran at me, teeth bared, claws outstretched. As it got to within a few feet of me, I stepped aside. The Burrs momentum carried it forward, and soon it fell face first into the stream.

  As soon as it hit the water, it started to scream. This was a fire elemental, and that meant that its weakness was water. As the stream water trickled over it the Burr stopped moving, until finally, it was still.

  I ran over to the fire and collapsed beside it, and then waited. The heat started to warm my skin, sending away the chill that had dug deep into my bones. Finally, a glorious message appeared before me.

  Quest Complete – Start a Fire

  Reward: 55 Exp

  Level up to Level 1!

  -HP increased to 123

  -Stamina increased to 135

  -2 attribute points gained

  Hypothermia status removed

  With the status modifier finally gone, I couldn’t help but flop down onto my back. Tiredness washed over me, and I felt like I could sleep for a month. My first few hours in Artemis had been as tough as could be. I hoped that the developers would take pity on me going forward. If not, I'd just have to show them that I could take anything they threw at me.

  As I looked at the sky and caught my breath, I saw that the makers of Pana didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘pity’. The sun was gone now, and the sky was completely black.

  Night has fallen – Prepare for the Wave!

  Chapter Fifteen

  Quest Received – Survive Your First Wave

  Reward:

  15 Exp

  H
P Potions x2

  “Any chance I could get the potions on an IOU?” I said, hoping a programmer was listening. “I’m good for it. My great-great-great grandfather isn’t, apparently, but I am.”

  When the potions didn’t magically fall from the sky, I wandered over to the stream. The Burr was motionless now. I moved further upstream from it, then I got to my knees and drank. With each gulp of water, my HP raised a little. It seemed that the mechanics of Pana Reborn weren’t as true to life as their graphics. In real life, water wouldn’t restore your health. If it did, doctors would be out of a job, and we’d all be paying a hell of a lot more for water.

  Every game had elixirs and potions. I wondered if there was a way for us to brew our own so that we would have access to health potions without buying them. Drinking from the stream was good when you were broke, but it only raised around 7 or 8 HP per gulp. If I wanted to restore my health bar completely, then I was going to be taking a lot of bathroom breaks.