by L. R. Wolf
“Okay. so,” Aya was trying desperately to compose herself, she wiped tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “Don’t cast that again until I raise my intelligence a bit I’m guessing?” Voksil snorted and shook his head.
“Yes, that would likely be best.” Elohwa flicked the pebble to the side and looted the body of the remaining gnoll scout. She rose to her feet and held out a new buckler for Voksil. “Here, this was on the body, I’m sure you will be able to put it to use.”
Voksil took the buckler. It was indeed better, if only slightly. He gained two additional armor class and an extra one percent block, but an upgrade is an upgrade, especially when you’re only skill level four as Voksil was. “Thank you!” He put his old buckler in his bag and placed his arm through the new buckler. He waved it around a bit adjusting to the slightly lopsided buckler. Where the other had been round, this one had a half moon carved from the top and bottom covering less of his body.
“I’ve never understood how less is more when it comes to armor.” Aya shook her head at the buckler. In pretty much any other VRMMO and even MMOs of the past took the ‘less is more’ approach especially when it came to females wearing armor. Women were usually stuck with wearing metal bikinis which always somehow managed to fully protect them regardless of how scant they were. So far, every female NPC they had come across was fully armored or at least fully clothed as Aya was in a shirt and pants rather than what amounted to lingerie.
Once Voksil had recovered from his laughter, he looked at the bodies of the gnolls which were only now fading away. “I was watching game streams earlier before we logged in. At times the bodies immediately disappeared leaving loot markers, while other times the bodies stayed. Why is that? Is it specific to what is being fought? What causes it?”
Elohwa glanced over to Voksil. “The bodies that stay behind are those that can be harvested for some kind of material. Usually beasts, fish, some elementals and the like. Gnolls are a bit unique in that they have nothing to harvest, but they are classified as beasts, hence the reason their bodies sometimes remain. For those that actively seek to harvest items such as fur, leather and meat you can extend the duration of the corpse with special preservation magic. It is the same magic on our bags which keeps everything within it fresh and unspoiled. Without that magic, the body would decay within a few minutes. Once a body has decayed it will leave behind a loot marker, but know that these, too, have a timer. Once it expires, the marker and everything that it holds will be gone for good. Should you see a marker turn red, then you have less than five minutes to loot the contents before they are gone.”
Voksil nodded. He had already assumed that was the case, but he wasn’t aware that a red marker meant it was close to disappearing. “Thank you, it’s nice to know what to keep an eye out for in new worlds.”
Elohwa smiled softly before turning away in search of herbs. While the two Dreamers rested from the battle with the two gnoll scouts, she spotted another plant nestled underneath a larger tree and camouflaged by a small bush. “Did you two wish to learn the herbalism skill while we catch our breath?” She motioned the two over Dreamers over to the plant.
Elohwa would like to teach how the herbalism skill. Would you like to accept?
Upon accepting her training a new notification appeared in their vision.
You have received the quest-Basic Herbalism. As you are learning this skill from a Companion, you must first gain knowledge of various herbs and then demonstrate your understanding to the satisfaction of the Companion! Successful completion will award you with the herbalism skill as well as a 300 SXP token. Bonus-Successfully gather 5 different herbs. Rewards-Gardeners Gloves (average). Gardeners gloves allow a person to instinctively know about lower level herbs, how to pick them, and what they do depending on the quality of the gloves. 500 SXP token
Herbs 0/5
“To pick an herb successfully you need to know a bit about the herb. Certain herbs require only that you pick the flower of it, while others require that you pick the entire herb down to the root or just the root itself. Some herbs actually lose potency if they are not collected under certain circumstances. Nightbloom, for example, can be picked during the day, but loses a vast majority of its potency if it is picked at any other time other than night. Dusklight is strongest at dusk. Some herbs only grow in certain areas, while others only grow during specific seasons.” As Elohwa spoke, the knowledge took hold in their minds.
“But how do you know if the herb needs to be picked as opposed to cut? Or to harvest the root instead of the flower.” Aya was genuinely curious. One of the things she had read online before their current excursion was that gathering here was a bit different than other games. Here you actually had to learn about each herb, what its effects were, and how it was picked rather than just picking it and automatically knowing what it did and what it was for. The more knowledge she gained, the more she would know about what the herb was used for.
“Come closer,” Elohwa motioned them both closer. She grabbed Aya’s hand gently and held it to the herb. “Concentrate on the herb, truly focus on it. What is it telling you?”
“I’m sorry, what?” Aya turned her head and looked at her Companion, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
“Focus!” Elohwa once again took Aya’s hand and gently placed it back on the herb, holding it there. Aya shrugged to herself then turned back towards the herb focusing on it, mentally asking it what it wanted. Her jaw dropped open as her mind suddenly flooded with information about the herb.
Vespa Ginger-An herb found in the forests surrounding the village of Vespa. This herb can be used for spicing up dishes as well as curing nausea. Can be used as an alchemical ingredient. Raise your herbalism skill to learn more. Gently place fingers around the base of the herb and shake to dislodge the root before pulling from the ground.
Aya gasped as she suddenly knew what to do. She reached down with two fingers, placing them at the base of the herb and shook gently. She could actually feel the roots loosen and give way before she pulled the herb from the ground. She looked at Elohwa in absolute wonder as Elohwa smiled at her. A notification appeared at the side of her vision with a thought she opened it.
Herbalism basic updated! 1 of 5 Different Herbs
How to Survive Infinity updated! 1 of 5 Herbs
Congratulations Dreamer! You have learned the Herbalism skill! Focusing on an herb will teach you how to pick it properly so as not to damage it, as well as tell you of some of its more basic uses. Raising this skill will eventually allow you to see herbs from a distance and unveil new uses for the herbs.
Your skill in herbalism has risen by 1. Your skill in herbalism is now 1.
Aya grinned and gently placed the herb in her bag. Elohwa laughed again as she watched her new student looking around the area for more herbs to pick.
“I am going to go pull some more gnolls. Voksil, there is another Vespa ginger there if you want to try and gain your herbalism skill.” She pointed at the base of a tree behind Voksil as she slipped back into the shadows back towards the gnoll camp.
Chapter 10: Glitch in the System
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Elohwa pulled the last Gnoll Guard to the edge of the camp. The party had moved closer to the camp as they had eliminated the outer gnolls that had surrounded the camp. As she turned the corner of the tent, the guard came into view.
Gnoll Guard-This Gnoll wears a black armband denoting the position of Guard within his clan.
Skill Level 15
When they had first arrived, Voksil had only been skill level four and Aya had only been skill level one. Now they were ten and eight. Elohwa’s level still showed as ??? to even Aya who was Elohwa’s Dreamer. She assumed it was because her Companion was a specialized class but while she had been trapped her skills had degraded. Aya shook her head to clear it as the Guard came within range of the party. Voksil used one of the new skills he had learned upon leveling. “Blitz!” Voksil’s image seemed to blur as he
stepped forward closing the distance between himself and the gnoll in a matter of milliseconds. Voksil slammed his shield up under the chin of the surprised Guard.
“Fireball!” Aya conjured a ball of pure fire in her hand and unleashed it upon the guard. Elohwa slipped behind the Guard sliding one of her blades between a set of ribs, the second blade sliced down across the back of the guards tendons immobilizing him in case he attempted to flee. Voksil brought his sword down across the gnolls chest opening a huge gash. The Guard dropped to its knees, his eyes rolling back into his head as he collapsed onto the ground.
When they had first started a few hours previously, they had worked together, but not as a cohesive unit. Rather than work as a group, they had first been working separately, but with every kill they started to work together as a real team, constantly anticipating one another’s movements and adjusting. Before long, they were so in tune with one another that they didn’t need to use the Party chat-anymore.
Voksil knelt down to loot the body while Elohwa checked the area to make sure it was clear and that nothing had respawned. Aya noticed the gem in her HUD glowing red, meaning treasure was in the vicinity. She turned her head and scanned the area with her peripheral vision. She caught sight of the telltale shimmer indicating something hidden. As she approached the hidden treasure, her HUD seemed to flicker and for a brief second it fully faded from view, it was as if she was seeing the world through her own eyes rather than via a HUD.
“What the…” Aya’s HUD reappeared in her vision as if nothing had happened.
“Something wrong?” Elohwa walked up to stand beside her and placed a hand on Aya’s shoulder.
“My HUD disappeared for a second. Did that happen to anyone else?” Aya looked back to where Voksil was cleaning his blade.
“Nothing happened here. Maybe it’s just a bug? If it happens again report it.” Voksil rose to his feet and sheathed his sword.
Aya turned her attention back to the secret treasure. She turned her head away again to catch the sight of the shimmer out of the corner of her eye when she suddenly realized the shimmer wasn’t where it had been. She kept turning her head slowly to try and catch sight of it again when she happened to notice the secret gem was now blue indicating there was nothing nearby.
“Ok guess there’s another glitch or something.” Aya sighed at the loss of the potential windfall of treasure that could have been. She perked up when she spotted another herb nestled at the base of the biggest tree. The herb seemed to flow between black, purple and then into a dark blue. It was truly beautiful. She knelt by the herb and gently placed her fingers on it, focusing on it, wondering what it wanted. After a few seconds she knew.
Shadow Bloom-Grows in the shadows of ancient trees deep in the forest. Used as an alchemical reagent or given as gifts. Gently pull the flower away from the stem, using the thumb and forefinger to remove the flower from the stem. “Sometimes the flower that blooms within the shadows is truly the most beautiful of them all.”
She followed the instructions the herb gave her and gently removed the flower from the stem without damaging either the flower or the stem. She chuckled to herself as she thought about how her mom would be highly amused by her daughter’s new gardening skills. Aya had never been much of a plant person, that title was her mother’s; yet here she was, learning about new plants and picking them. She definitely gained a new appreciation for all of the work her mom had put into the various gardens she’d had through the years.
Your skill in herbalism has increased by 3 for harvesting a rare herb. Your skill in herbalism is now 18.
Herbalism basic updated! 2 of 5 different herbs
Both Aya and Voksil had been working on their herbalism skill during the downtime between Elohwa's pulls. Until now, the only thing they had come across had been the Vespa Ginger. She was about to drop the herb in her bag, but then thought better of it. She turned to Elohwa and offered it to her instead.
Elohwa looked at the flower Aya held in the palm of her hand, her eyes slowly rising to meet Aya’s, it was as if she were looking for something in the other woman’s eyes. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. “You may wish to give that to your husband.” She gestured towards Voksil who was checking the area for respawn.
Aya raised a questioning eyebrow and chuckled, “He’s not much of a flower person.” Again she offered the flower to Elohwa. It almost appeared that Elohwa was a darker shade of purple than normal, but she couldn’t quite be sure.
“This is something you would give to a potential lover.” Elohwa had been blushing.
“Oh,” then the realization finally dawned on Aya, “OOooooohhhhhh” Aya’s face flushed red. For a moment she was speechless. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...errr...well….ummm...you can still have it. Give it to someone you’re interested in if you’d like.” Aya averted her gaze in utter embarrassment. She had meant the flower to be a gift to a friend, not for it to be an overture.
“Thank you, that is very kind of you. I have not seen one of these in a very long time.” She looked sad as she took a small box out of her bag. She slowly lifted the lid of the box which had some kind of flower engraved on the top. To Aya, there didn’t appear to be anything in the box. Elohwa gently took the flower from Aya’s palm and placed it within the small box before sliding the box back in her bag.
“Anytime.” Aya flashed her a smile before turning to Voksil who was making a round of the camp checking spawn points before returning to the two ladies. “Anything spawn?”
“The inner scouts are starting to spawn. The lower level guards should be spawning here shortly too.” With a quick look around, he made his way over to the two women. Elohwa went to go pull some of the inner scouts back to Voksil and Aya. No sooner had she left then Aya’s HUD once again seemed to flicker and disappear. She blinked her eyes and shook her head trying to see if that would clear it. This time, her HUD stayed gone for almost sixty seconds. During that brief time she once again saw a shimmer out of the corner of her eye only it actually appeared to be getting closer to her. She instinctively turned towards the shimmer expecting it to disappear, instead, the shimmer remained just in front of her. Elohwa appeared out of the trees with a scout in tow, her eyes suddenly growing wide as she saw the shimmer just in front of Aya.
“MOVE!” Elohwa’s warning came too late. A figure cloaked in shadow suddenly appeared directly in front of Aya, its shadowy arms reached out pulling her into what appeared to be a hug, but as she was drawn in a dagger slipped up into her side. Whereas her first death at the hands of Elohwa had been quick and painless, this time she screamed out, the pain tearing through her body. The gnoll scout that had followed Elohwa into the clearing saw the shadowy figure and turned tail, fleeing back the way he had come, a look of terror contorting his features.
“NOOOooo!” Aya could hear Voksil’s booming voice through the haze that was beginning to overtake her. She tried to struggle against the shade, but it only drove the dagger further up, inching towards her heart causing her to cry out again in pain. She managed to turn her head towards Voksil and Elohwa. Both of them were surrounded by black smokey vines holding them in place. They were desperately struggling to break free, but the vines only held them tighter the more they struggled against them.
Aya could feel her life force draining away, she felt a wave of cold wash over her as her hit points dropped quickly. The shade leaned in closer to Aya, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered, “My master bid me tell you,” he drove the dagger up further causing another cry to escape her lips. The shadow smiled into her ear as he continued, “Welcome to MY world.” With that he drove the dagger up into her heart dropping her hit points to zero.
You have died! You have been slain by a Dark Minion! You will be returned to the nearest graveyard in 10...9...8
Aya found herself looking down at the scene from above. The minion let her body fall to the ground before it seemed to draw the shadows back around itself and melted away into the darkness. She
watched as the smoky vines surrounding Voksil and Elohwa evaporated into nothingness. They rushed forwards towards her body once they were free, Elohwa throwing her arm out towards Aya, a strange spell on her lips. The spell seemed to fail as the Dreamer was already gone.
7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Respawning
Chapter 11: Infinity Offline
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Aya once again found herself waking up in a graveyard. She reached for her side, feeling a rip in her shirt where the dagger had torn its way through the cloth and into her flesh. The wound had disappeared from her body as if it had never been. She didn’t feel any pain, but the memory of her death was sure to haunt her. She could smell the sweet scent of rain in the air as she heard thunder rumble across the sky. Looking around she realized she didn’t recognize where she was. She had died in the midst of a forest which didn’t seem to be anywhere around her, rather, she appeared to have spawned in a graveyard at the edge of a small mountain range. A few small trees dotted the landscape. A cold wind blew down from the mountains at her back causing her to shudder. Aya was about to use her recall spell, but her HUD was still offline. Panic started to set in when the sky opened and a deluge of water fell. In a matter of seconds she was soaked to the bone. She gasped as Elohwa suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Elohwa!” Aya’s teeth had started to chatter in the cold. Elohwa turned back towards her, the concern and fear that was masking her face falling away to be replaced by relief at seeing her Dreamer alive and well again.
“Can you use your recall spell?” With a flick of her wrist Elohwa's cloak fell away from her as she wrapped it around Aya. She pulled the hood up and over Aya’s face to help keep the rain off her.
“No,” Aya tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but she was just so very cold, “My HUD is gone.” She crossed her arms over her chest grabbing the opposite arm and rubbing them trying to keep warm. Elohwa’s cloak helped to keep the rain off and prevented the wind from reaching her, but she really needed a fire at this point. “Where are we? Shouldn’t I have spawned closer to Vespa?” She could no longer keep her teeth from chattering.