by Matthew Kent
“Yeah,” they both said eagerly.
I knew this was going to come back to bite me. “Tell the Elven council that you are there on behalf of the Black King of Maylon”
“Shit!” said the first one, “I don’t have the rep for there.” The other agreed “But it shouldn’t be too hard” They left eagerly.
“So…” I heard a female voice drawl behind me. I turned and Eira was there, as was one of the others whom I couldn’t quite recall was it Loise or Virginia? “You had a quest you wanted to give us?”
“A possible quest, but I can’t guarantee anything will come of it.” I shrugged. “Like I told them, it’s just a guess based off of information in a tomb. Honestly, it might work in any town run by a coalition of elves and dwarfs.”
Eira’s friend tugged at her arm, leaned in and whispered before glaring at me. Then she left the room, abandoning her tray at a separate table.
“Where did Loise go?” I asked with confidence.
“Oh, she just reminded me about a raid we had. I’d nearly forgotten about it,” she said as she sat down and ate quickly. “I need to get there pretty quick to get everything arranged.”
I sighed.
“Have fun.” Shit, I knew it was too good to be true.
I didn’t feel good about lying to her, but I didn’t want to be screwed over either. It was better to get it out of the way, who knows? They might just get a quest out of it. “You know they will not share that with you.”
I looked over to the speaker. He was in his mid-twenties, maybe early thirties if he’d had a hard life. Brown hair, brown eyes. The kind of person who fades into the background in life. I waited for both groups to leave the room before I answered. “I’d be surprised if they came out with anything more than a sore ass and a lighter wallet.”
“What?”
“I don’t know if there is a quest. Or if it starts there…” I said with a smirk. “They would hound me until I gave them something. So it's better to give them something to go chase, or they would keep at me till they found something I didn’t want to give.”
“They are going to be pissed at you.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but I never made them any promises though. caveat emptor.”
“And Illegitimi Non Carborundum” he quipped.
“Exactly,” I offered him my hand. “I’m James.”
“In-game I’m ScarletNocx, but my dads named me Korman,” he said with a frown.
“Which do you prefer?” I asked.
“Nocx is fine.”
“How long have you been playing?”
“About two years off and on. Right now I’m in an eight month stretch, and making enough to play and a bit on the side to build a nest egg.”
Not bad, I thought, but I’d want to do a little better and I said as much.
“I’m wanting to get enough of a nest egg myself. Though, I’m not sure where I’d go.”
He nodded before replying. “I’m getting a cat and going to Fiji, I hear it's beautiful there.”
We both lapsed into silence. You know, that's the sign you are around a quality person, they can let you be quiet and needing to fill the silence with idle chatter.
Then Nocx’s friend arrived, “Korman who are you talking to?” His voice was monotone, so much so I almost wanted to look to see if he was an android or one of those personal care robots out of Japan. His hair was curly black, but cut in a bowl cut. He had no laugh lines, nor frown lines. He was kind of eerie.
“Hey, Fletcher, this is James.” He motioned to me “He just sent the Valk’s and the Bolo’s on a quest to nowhere.”
“How can there be a quest to nowhere?” Again in a steady monotone, his voice measured like a metronome.
“Uh, he just means they are on a wild goose chase.” At that he quirked his head in reply. “A, uh, snipe hunt. Chasing their tails?” I looked at Nocx and he shrugged.
“Fletcher plays one of the best clerics in the game, phlegmatic to a fault.”
“I was curious about something, maybe you could give me a clue about.” I said.
“What would that be?” Fletcher asked.
“Guilds. What are they, and why does everyone seem so enamored with them?”
Nocx was the one to reply. “Well the long and the short of it is that a guild is your protection once you are no longer in the safe areas. At level ten people can, and will attack you.”
“Player killers,” Fletcher chimed in, with the first real bit of emotion in his voice I had heard. Not a lot of emotion but some.
“Right,” Nocx continued. “A strong clan can help keep the griefers off you…”
“Griefer?” I asked
“People who play to torture other players, killing them over and over to get your stuff, or just to cause mental stress or anguish,” said Fletcher. I think I saw him blink.
“Yeah, Fletcher here hates PK’s and griefers. He had a bad run in with them before he joined our guild.”
“That makes sense, and I am guessing the PK’s have their own guild too?” They both nodded. “So as a level seven I should find a guild soon?”
“Yeah,” Nocx said, “but I’ll be honest most guilds look down on noobs and will make you work hard for a spot.”
“How about your guild?” I asked.
They both looked at each other, then back at me.
“I don’t know if you’d be a good fit.” Nocx frowned, then continued. “At least you are smart enough to know to ask questions and stay out of the Valks clutches.”
“Bad, bad people.” Fletcher chimed in
“Ok,” I said drawing the one syllable out, then sighed ”I need to get some sleep I need an early start in the morning. I’m either of you would like you can look me up in-game under Lorcan Duffey.” After I cleared my tray, I bought a packaged meal for in the morning, and headed to bed. Tomorrow I’d figure out the guild situation, I guessed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chapter 11
Ben Franklin was right, early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Or, at least in Arabella, less dead. I had managed to leave Medford after getting directions to the local mines from the Innkeeper. The mines were located about a two hours walk from the settlement in a rocky valley, with what I was told had little tree cover. While I figured there was a catch, I didn’t know what it was.
When I got there, I saw mobs. By carefully examining them, I saw that they were called Kobolds. Historically, Kobolds were thought to be akin to Brownies, which are little people who were the unseen servants of good farm folk. These Kobolds were roughly three feet high and looked like a cross between a tyrannosaurus rex and a brown wharf rat. They appeared to be very shortsighted, or possibly that was due to the bright morning light.
I found one of the ugly buggers and tried to sneak up on him, now walking silently is an art that takes time to master. First rule, watch where you are going. Avoid loose items like gravel, twigs, and crunchy, dry leaves. Second, notice your surroundings and the area you move through. Avoid things that crunch squeak, or might snag on your clothing; and don’t rustle your fabric. Wearing tight fitting armor helps. Last but not least, walk slightly crouched, distribute your weight evenly and don’t pound your feet like the ground is a drum.
Oh, and prey whom ever you are sneaking up on doesn’t turn around at the last minute just as you thrust your blade.
You do a sneak attack with your sword: Kobold Scavenger takes 108 hp damage.
You have learned sneak attack: Neophyte.
You have learned sneak: Neophyte.
The little bastard started to squeal like a stuck pig. I thrust up with my left hand attempting a palm strike.
You use palm strike: Kobold Scavenger takes 21 damage.
That shut him up, I thought just as he swung his pick axe viciously. I ducked, but it still clipped my arm.
Kobold Scavenger strikes you: you take 43 damage.
Kobold Scavenger strikes you: you take 32 damage.
I reposted with my blade and struck out again, bringing it up and then launched a quick thrust after the slash.
You slash with your sword: Kobold Scavenger takes 49 damage.
You Stab with your sword: Kobold Scavenger has been killed you gain 45 xp
God that hurt, I thought as I staunched the blood flow. He had nearly the same hit points that I had. If it hadn’t been for my sneak attack, he might have killed me. I searched him and found 3 Silver, a broken candle and one lump of iron ore. Not bad, I thought, but I needed a lot more ore and that meant I’d need to mine it. I set about clearing the outside of the mine. There were a total of five guards minus the one I had killed erlier.
The loot was somewhat poor, but I did manage to find one ore node; it had one gem of poor quality, three copper ore and one iron. I started into the mine, and started to sneak my way in. It was hard work, but I was able to surprise a few more of the Kobolds. In one gallery, I found a Kobold shaman. Him I was able to kill swiftly. He had a scroll on him I’d look it over later. I did manage to find a few pieces of gear that I could sell for a meager amount of money but I was there to mine.
After three or four hours, I managed to hit level eight, and had two hundred copper ore and seventy-five iron ore to show for it. I also found twenty, odd, green crystal clusters. I wasn’t sure what they were, but maybe my alchemy could help me to identify them later. I was growing bored, so I decided to head back out of the mine and back to town to see if I could turn in the quest, and maybe get in some crafting time.
That's where I ran into trouble. Not outside the mine proper, but outside the valley.
“What you mean I have to pay a toll?” I heard before I crested the rise out of the valley.
I snuck up the rise and saw Ahohako and Bruce blocking a dwarf. He resembled the dwarfs I’d seen before: nearly four foot tall ,and nearly as wide. He was a walking muscle, and for the life of me I couldn’t understand why he was dragging a warthog behind him. I guessed maybe he had just killed it as his axe was on the ground.
“That's right its five gold.”
“For each of us,” Ahohako added. “We are just trying to protect you, you know.”
“Right lot of cowards you are,” the Dwarf said. “I ain’t got five gold nor ten gold so bugger off. Better yet go bugger each other”
“You shouldn’t have said that,” said Ahohako.
“No, he shouldn’t have said that," Bruce replied as he drew both of his swords from his back, then he started to attack the dwarf. Ahohako started to cast a spell. I don't mind a fair fight, but this was hardly fair.
With a burst of speed, I rushed up to Ahohako before he had a chance to complete his spell, but after Bruce had launched his attack on the dwarf. The dwarf dodged to the side and lashed out with the only weapon he had to hand.
You sneak attack Ahohako. You back stab Ahohako for 4x damage you do 148 damage. Ahohako is killed.
You learn back stab: Neophyte
Morngrim uses improvised weapon: Bruce is hit for 85 damage.
“Ahohako, hit him damn it.”
“Ahohako is Dead Fred,” I yelled as I rushed over to help the dwarf. Who was swinging the dead carcass once more like it was a flail, even as I menaced the swordsman from his flank. He had a hard time dealing with two of us.
Bruce strikes you with a slash. You take 75 damage.
I bore through to get in close inside his weapon range, and lashed out with a stab just as the dwarf hit him again with the warthog. This time, a tusk caught in Bruce’s armor, fouling it, just as my own strike it home.
You stab Bruce; Bruce takes 51 hp Damage.
Morngrim strike Bruce with improvised weapon; Bruce takes 90 damage
Bruce is Killed.
You receive the title Defender.
I smile and offer him my hand. “HI,” I say, and he gives me a look. “You know, if I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d never have believed you could beat a man to death with a warthog.”
“Damn pointy ears going and ruining my fun,” he huffed irritatedly. “I could a taked’em both,” he said before he bent down and looted Bruce, coming up with a few gold and his sword.
I went back and looted Ahohako. He had 17 gold and alchemical supplies. Not bad I thought, as I realized this must be why there were so many PKers.
“Well are you headed back to the village?” Asked the dwarf.
“I am “I said. “Call me Lorcan.” He huffed again.
“Morngrim” He introduced himself, before turning and heading toward the village.
We returned to the village, and I parted with the laconic Morngrim. He seemed the type of person to never use two words if one would do. When they parted ways, He gave me a grunt when I suggested they might meet again, if only for mutual protection. I was not sure if that was a yes or a no but I sent Morngrim a friend request and was accepted.
Now I waited at the black-smithy to finish up his quest from the day before. The smith was pounding away at a metal bar. I watched, wondering what it was for. I sat out of the way waiting for the smith to finish the project he was on before disturbing him. I had never liked to be disturbed when I was in the middle of a piece, oftentimes it would rob me of my concentration and focus.
Sitting in a corner on a bench out of the way, I examined the tools I had purchased the day before. The axe was heavy and unbalanced; the head was loose and the haft was made out of a soft wood, if I was any judge of material. The hammer was a little too heavy and unwieldy, with the hammers face being more of an off-centered oval with bumps and, sadly, patches of rust from where it had not been properly oiled before it was stored.
The tongs were mis-aligned, with the pivot misshaped and difficult to close. The saw and chisels were dull and rusty, and the shears and spade were too small for his hands. I considered what I might do to obtain new tools. I was hoping that I might be able to forge new tools using what I had, but that would require the help of the blacksmith and the loan of his forge for more than a few hours. That was on top of the work he wished to do researching metal craft and metal alchemy.
As I sat musing and giving my tools another heated look, I was interrupted by the black smith. “Lorcan, you have that ore for me?”
Startled, I looked up and then around hardly recognizing my ingame name then nodded as my mind caught up to my surroundings. “Oh, aye sorry my mind was wandering about these damned tools.” I offered the smith the 20 lots of iron ore he had requested.
Quest completed: Ore for the smith 200 xp.
He nodded, and offered his hand “I don’t think you had asked, but I’m Dale”
“Do you mind if I watch you work for a bit? And I have a favor to ask.?”
The smith nodded "Watch all you want 'tis a pleasure to have someone see me work. But, if your favor is to use my smithy, then no.”
I sighed in understanding. Rarely did one artisan allow another to use their work area.
“Don’t sigh. It's just I don’t know if you have the skill to use the shop, or will destroy tools, or leave the place a mess.”
“No, I truly understand Dale. It's just going to be difficult to make anything decent with the tools readily available."
He frowned in thought.
“Do you know of someplace I might be able to use a forge?”
“And what would you be forging?”
I tossed him the hammer from the bag.
Dale examined it, then frowned. “Aye, tell you what give me a day’s work at the forge prove to me you know somat and we will see.”
Quest received: Make 2 drawn knives for the blacksmith.
Reward: unknown.
He waved me over. “Here make me two draw knives about a hand span long and this wide,” he said showing me his thumb.
Eagerly, I got to work. The smith had laid out two chunks of metal larger than the finished objects would be. James focused on the creation menu, and began by refining the iron, beating the ore to drive out the impurities. This was a game and the work though sim
pler, still built up a sweat. Fortunately, after five minutes the first bar was completed. I continued and made the second bar of iron he would need. Not trying to do anything fancy, like patterns in the metal as the smith wanted simple and effective.
A draw knife is a tool used in woodworking. They varied in size, but generally were a foot long and three quarters to an inch wide. The blade was to be about four inches wide in the center of the blade. I shaped the first blade, and made sure to add areas for the handles to both sides. Then I shaped the second and, focused on my work, again the game world sped the construction up significantly. After about a half hour both blades were completed. I had found some hickory and used that along with some simple iron pins.