Hero of Naught

Book 1

(The Vengeance Chronicles)

By: Jeffrey “Falcon” Logue

Acknowledgements

To my family for believing in me

Thanks to my editors and beta-readers for their efforts

●●●

-       Royal Road Legends was where the original version was written.  This story inherited much from that, and is dedicated to all the readers who encouraged me to keep writing - http://royalroadl.com/

-       All work within this novel is fictional.  All characters, places, and adventures were born within the mind of the author and have no relation to anything in real life.

-       This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; no copies should be made without the consent of the author. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.

Text Copyright © 2017 Jeffrey “Falcon” Logue

All rights reserved

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Prologue

"What do you want to be?"

In a space of infinite blue, an angel floated off the ground as she stared down at the man in front of her. While her question was inviting, her countenance betrayed no indication of real interest as she awaited the answer to her question.

The man wheezed softly. He breathed in air as if he were drowning. His one good eye glowed with anger as he hissed out his answer: "Someone who can take revenge on everything he holds dear.

The angel tied her head and looked into the distance as if seeing into the future.  She nodded once and gazed down at him.

"Understood. Your answer has been logged and stored for future usage. You will now be taken to the beginner town.” She paused. “Welcome to Everlife. May your heart find all that it desires.”

Chapter 1

"And that, class, is the end of your final lesson. It has been a pleasure teaching you this year, and I hope all of you have a wonderful summer,” said a pleasant-looking old man on a large screen at the front of the classroom. He smiled as the bell rang and the students stood and saluted him.

"Thank you for your guidance, AI" the class chorused back happily, before packing their things and rushing for the door. The old man chuckled as he watched the students disappear into the corridor, then turned to smile at the last student in the room.

"Student Platnim, I hope you have a good summer as well," he said respectfully.

The student finished packing his things and smiled at his synthetic teacher. He was a smaller boy for his age, with short brown hair and brown eyes that glittered with mischief. He wore the standard slack and blazer uniform, but with a turn of the device on his wrist the clothes changed into a more casual pair of jeans and t-shirt. He clicked his tongue as he gazed at his teacher.

"Sir, I believe I’ve informed you my going name is Plat, not Platnim.  Platnim is too weird of a name," he complained.

The old man chuckled. "Once again, I must remind you the name parameters cannot be changed once I have downloaded the student identities into my memory matrix.  This very example reminds me why I'm so glad I chose human development as my digital vocation.  Perhaps that can be the start of my new dissertation: Human Obsession with Names: a Need to Control or Part of Their Nature? Why, I can just start my research now with the hours of data collected educating. . ."

Plat coughed awkwardly. "You are digressing, Artificial Intelligence 5637485 of—“

The old man froze on the screen for a moment before the picture reset.  AI 5 cleared his throat before continuing, “Apologies for that, young Platnim, over half my programs had begun to focus on research.  Please stay safe and have an enlightening summer.”

Plat smiled and nodded as he slung his backpack onto his shoulder. "I hope you have a good summer as well, sir. Though, I recommend you increase the number of redundancy checks so you don’t get so easily distracted next year."

"Very funny, young human. Well, get going now. I can't wait till I get to teach the next patch of youngsters next year; it'll be a great help to my thesis. While summer may be fun to you humans, for AIs like me it's quite a bore.”

Plat nodded and waved back as he exited the room. As he left, the old man winked out of existence on the screen and the classroom shut down. Plat hurried out of the school and headed toward the park directly across from the school building. He soon joined a small group of teens who were huddled under a tree.

"Oy, hey there, guys!" Plat called out. "Dia, Reva, Henry!"

The trio turned and waved as they saw Plat running toward them. When he reached them, they exchanged high-fives and laughs, crowding together in excitement.

"Yo, Plat, we've been waiting!" Dia leaned down and picked Plat up in a massive bear hug. Unlike his three friends, Dia was very tall and wide for his age and was an excellent athlete on the field. He often expressed himself loudly and didn't put as much thought into what came next. He was very sweet and loyal, however, and always had his friend's back when they needed him.

Reva giggled as Plat struggled to breathe. "Dia, you'd better let him go before he passes out. Ideally, I'd like to start the summer with all three of you instead of two and a corpse."

Reva was the only girl in the group and was dressed in her field uniform. She played sports well, but preferred track and field to playing ball. She was also in the top 15% grade percentile of their school level, making her the smartest in the group. Today, she had two ponytails instead of her usual one on the back of her head, making sure the wavy hair would not be mistaken for pigtails. Combined with her ebony skin and purple eyes, Reva was a welcome member of their group.

As Dia released Plat from the obviously friendly hug, the last member walked up and clapped his hand onto Plat's back.

"My main man, how’s it going?" Henry smiled and embraced Plat in his own hug.  The two had been friends the longest, going back all the way to the start of middle school. Henry was average height, with an easygoing grin and a face most girls described as "lazily handsome". He was pretty popular with many of the social circles in the academy and often went on dates. Still, he always prioritized hanging out with the group and making sure they all had a great time.

Plat smiled cheekily and pushed Henry back. "I'm quite surprised to see you here, Henry. Didn't you have a date today?"

Henry coughed awkwardly and smirked. "Well, let's just say I hooked her up with a man she wouldn't mind seeing."

The other three groaned at this. Henry had the annoying tendency to play match-maker whenever he grew tired of the girl he was seeing. It was annoying because the girl involved often didn't realize she was being "let go”. This sometimes led to the group having to make a few getaways from the angry girls, which, while amusing, took up a lot of time while Henry tried to reason with her. Even with his playboy nature well-known, girls still tried to make him theirs and thus the cycle continued.

"Are you sure she won't mind this time? Last time, it was that girl from the tech department and she chased us with her new auto lock-on ink missile viruses," Reva complained. "My favorite outfit was ruined when that horrid ink rewrote the program. Now my outfit is permanently stained."  To illustrate, her clothes shifted into a casual shorts and blouse outfit, but stained black with ink.

Henry nodded. "No worries, this time the girl just wanted me to help her get with another guy. No ink missiles, no volleyball team ambush, no yoga pretzels this time," he said then quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, we're wasting time here. Let's head to the Game Station."

Dia rubbed his hands together in excitement. "It's finally here, isn't it? I've been waiting so long for this."

"Me too," Reva agreed. "It's finally time and just perfect for starting the summer with."

"Let's go, then!" Plat declared, taking the lead. "To the Game Center!"

The four friends left the park and traveled along the walkway leading downtown. The academy was located on the outskirts of the city and held classrooms, park, sports fields, and student dorms. The city itself was rather small in comparison, being a small square area with buildings dedicated to the needs of the students. The Game Center was located right in the middle of the city, and was always full of kids eager to try out the newest or oldest game or to buy classic movies. Plat led the three into the large sales floor and walked straight up to the counter. He smiled and greeted the man behind the counter.

"Morning, Nick, how are things going?"

The man, who had been snoring with his ball-cap over his face, snorted and raised the hat in annoyance. He was a tall, average-sized man with a hint of chubbiness and short blond hair. He had a light beard and mustache combo and always wore gaming memorabilia t-shirts over his chest. His face lit up when he saw Plat.

"If it isn't my favorite former employee, Plat. How ya been?"

Plat shook the man's hand and smiled up at him. "It's been great, sir. I really do appreciate you letting me work here for the job assignment for school. It was a real blast!"

Nick waved him off. "It was nothing, kid. In fact, I haven't had a chance to sleep like that since you left." He sighed sadly in reminiscence. "In any case, what brings you here today?"

Plat grinned and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I was wondering if you could hook me and my friends up with the thing I talked to you about before."

Nick scratched his beard and leaned back into his chair, his eyes wandering around the air. "Can't say I know what you're talking about, kid. Must be something you thought we agreed on. Maybe you asked me when I was sleeping."

"Niiiick—" Plat whined. "Please, boss, don't play with me like that." Plat turned to his three friends, who were all holding back grins on their faces. "You guys, help me beg here."

Reva giggled and covered her mouth. "Sorry, Plat, this was your quest, not ours. Just remember it was you who promised you’d get it for us, and we’ll all blame you if we don’t get it."

Plat sighed and returned to look at Nick, who grinned at him. "No worries, boy, I remember our little talks," he chuckled. "Just teasing." He winked at Plat, who blushed heavily as his friends guffawed at him from behind.

"What kind of grown man takes pleasure in the whining of high school seniors?" Plat asked angrily.

"What kind of high school senior barely breaks 5 feet in height?" Nick countered with another infuriating grin. "Besides, it's amusing to see you try to act like an adult when you’re clearly a kid on the inside, kid."

Plat rubbed his temples and sighed, forced to give this battle to Nick. His small stature was the bane of his existence and the source of many problems in his life. He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest in an effort to appear intimidating.

Nick laughed and reached down beneath the counter, pulling out a white bag. "I have four copies right here for you four, though I have to tell you the game itself won't be active until the servers come online," he warned them. "Feel free to try the included tutorial, but don't try to enter the game until midday tomorrow. I don't want the mods finding out I gave out copies early. I have enough trouble as it is with you brats running around here thinking you can get away with anything. Things like that take away from my dreaming time."

As he gave them the bag, an alarm began ringing in the Game Center. Nick sighed in frustration and got up from behind the counter. "See what I mean? Idiot brats think they can leave without paying."

Two tall androids walked up the counter holding two boys: one sheepish, the other angry.

"Boys, you know stealing is wrong," Nick began his lecture.

The angry boy tried to spit on Nick’s shoe and glared. "No one cares, you lazy old man! Hurry up and let me go so I can leave this dumb place."

The sheepish boy began sweating and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nick, I won't do it again."

Nick's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he continued smiling at the two boys. "Well then, looks like someone hasn't learned the proper respect for his elders." Nick reached behind the counter and pulled out a see-through plate and began typing on it. Information appeared and disappeared as he scrolled through code and information. He continued smiling as he looked up. "I see we have a Mr. Jimmy and a Mr. Rory here. Mr. Rory, it appears this is your first offense, so you can go." The android released the apologetic teen, who quickly thanked Nick and ran out of the store. Nick continued, "Mr. Jimmy, it appears that this is your third offense in the shopping district and you have been noted as someone in need of. . . assistance."

Jimmy began to look a little nervous as Nick continued to speak, "I see you are on a decent track in the Body classes. Yes, here it is, a rising star in agility lessons. Now, let's go ahead and change all your classes to Soul for the next semester."

Jimmy turned paler than a ghost at Nick's words. "You can't do that! You're not a teacher, and that would kill my Body score!"

Nick chuckled and pulled his hat brim over his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure your coach will be very disappointed, but he'll just move on to the next so-called "rising star," right? In any case, I feel like some good meditation and philosophy classes will be good for you."

"You stupid old man, I'll kill you!" Jimmy's face grew red as he struggled to free himself from the android's grasp.

Nick held up his hand to his ear. "What's that? You said you wanted to start as soon as possible? Sure, I'll go ahead and sign you up for summer school too, those old peace-loving farts love a proactive student. Andro 1 and Andro 2, you mind escorting our little eager beaver to his new summer quarters?"

The androids grinned at Nick and winked, before dragging the wailing boy behind them out of the store. Nick grinned and returned to his chair, adjusting his hat back to its previous position.

"You kids have fun now, and remember to be careful with it. Otherwise I'll be in trouble, and little Jimmy will have some company in summer meditation."

Turning pale, the four chorused their thanks and quickly left the Game Center as fast as possible. Nick watched them go before lowering his hat back over his eyes. His snores soon resumed as kids and teens ran around the store, all eagerly looking at the poster advertising the newest online game, Everlife.

Chapter 2

The four teens raced back as fast as they could to the dorms. The dorm building was a large V-shaped building with the boy and girl sections connected on each floor by a common room. As they were all seniors, they quickly made their way up to the top floor and grabbed a table in the senior common room.

"Hurry up and take them out!" Henry urged, his eyes shining in excitement. Dia and Reva nodded with him, their hands twitching toward the bag in Plat's hands. Plat grinned and slowly took out one of the items in the bag and placed it on the table. It was a thin box a little larger than his hand with a picture of a tree on the cover.

"This is it, guys. Everlife; the world of dreams and adventure!" Plat grinned at them as he took out another copy, "Everlife, the world of adventure."

Henry grabbed the copy off the table and held it up to the light, examining the picture. "Nice!" he exclaimed. "The box is see-through in the light and makes the tree turn gold!"

"Hey, I wanna see it!" Dia protested, grabbing Henry's hand and forcing him to angle the box toward him. He whooped in excitement as the tree insignia glistened in the light.

Reva laughed and poked Dia with another box. "Here, you big lug, your own copy so you stop breaking Henry's hand."

Dia smiled and released Henry, who punched him good-naturedly and turned the game over to read the back. "Guys, it says here that the game runs at 4 times real time!" he crowed. "Do you have any idea how much game time that is for us? That is one to the fourth power!"

Reva whacked him with her hand. "You idiot, one to fourth power is still one. Besides, it says it runs four times faster than the cyber world."

Henry frowned at her, rubbing his head. "So?"

Reva rolled her eyes. "That means this game runs at two to the fourth power. In other words, one hour in real life is 16 hours in the game."

Dia tried counting on his hand as his eyes began to fade. Plat laughed and slapped the table to get everyone's attention.

"You are both wrong, so stop giving Dia a brain-fart. Look here," Plat pointed to the back of the box. "It clearly says it runs the same clock as the cyber world, which is twice the speed of real time. It says here the speed will be fast enough to encourage gamers to play often, but not to the point where people fall too far behind if they miss a day. 16 hours, 8, or even 4, would be ridiculous concepts to try out. Can you imagine the computing power that would take?"

Dia shook his head. "Nope, not even going to try. Besides, wouldn't the AIs take care of things like that?"

Henry scoffed and shook his head. "Not really, no. AIs are only interested in observing and studying the concept of life seeking a purpose. That teacher of ours told us himself, 'Humans are fascinating because in a world of intrigue they managed to invent things like boredom. Through boredom, they then created more wondrous things, including us AIs'. We are basically an experiment in progress for them, so helping to create the biggest game of the century is merely for science and they have no real obligation to make sure it works. That's the domain of the gaming companies."

"They'll still be playing in it though, right?" Dia questioned.

Reva shrugged. "I've heard rumors that a few will be players and a few will be NPCs, but who knows at this point. I think the gods will be AIs at least."

Henry grinned evilly. "Speaking of which, did you hear that old Mr. Cooper married an android?"

Reva gasped. "No! He didn't."

Henry nodded. "Apparently that old cat of a man was so fascinating she agreed to become his mate for the rest of his life, or what's left of it anyway. I'm pretty jealous our former groundskeeper married such a babe."

Reva frowned. "That's disgusting, Henry. She's not human and marriage should be the domain of people. You yourself just said AIs don't care about us as individuals."

"I only said they see us in a more scientific light," Henry corrected. "Besides, the majority of AIs can feel love like we do, so what's the problem if she loves him?"

Reva huffed but didn't respond to him.

Plat rolled his eyes. "As much fun as it is to hear you two debate robot and human relations, can we please return to the pressing issue at hand here?" He waved his copy of the game in front of them. "Extremely amazing game here that no one seems to be interested in."

The issue forgotten, Reva and Henry smiled as they examined their copies of Everlife.

"What do plan on becoming?" Plat asked curiously.

Dia flexed his arms. "I want to be a warrior, of course! Fighting in battle, arm to arm with my brothers, sounds sweet!  The thrill of the fight, oh, I can’t wait!"

Henry nodded. "I completely agree with you, Dia, but I want to ride a horse into battle. On my noble steed, I'd brush away all my foes with no problem."

Reva sneered. "Only until you came across a powerful mage. I'll be sure to blast you to smithereens long before you ever reach our lines."

"I have a magic reducing barrier!"

"I have a staff that increases magical might!"

"I have—“

Plat covered their two mouths with his hands. "Okay, cats and dogs, leave it alone."

Henry winked at Reva, who huffed again, and turned to Plat. "What about you, Plat, a warrior or a mage."

Plat gave Reva an apologetic look. "Sorry Reva, I'm on the warrior side for this."

Reva rolled her eyes. "Boys will be boys, I guess, always wanting to play with their swords."

Dia nodded in full seriousness. "I have a big sword and yes, I enjoy playing with it."

The next few minutes were filled with righteous annoyance as the three mercilessly pounded Dia with their legs as he rolled across the floor laughing. Reva, face still slightly blushed, bid them goodbye and left for her room to try out the game. The boys returned to their area and split up as well, eager to try out the new world of Everlife.

Plat closed the door to his room and sat on his bed, holding the game box up to the light to look at again. The tree glittered in golden light in the transparent blue background, lighting up the words Everlife. He smiled and once again though how lucky it was he had been able to work with Nick and gain his friendship. Even though it was only a single day ahead of release, and the main game would be unavailable until the servers started up, it was still a wonderful opportunity to try out the tutorial ahead of time.

Unlike most kids and teens, who would rush into the game and learn through experience, Plat was the kind of person who learned best through patient learning. He wondered whether Dia would actually play the game or just stare at the box all night in wonder.

Now, let's see what all the hype is really about, he thought and grinned, as he opened the box and removed the chip from the inside. He walked over to the corner of his room next to the window, where a chair with a visor sat in wait. He plugged the chip into one of the arm rests and sat down, pulling the visor over his eyes. As he made himself comfortable, a screen prompt appeared on the visor, creating the illusion of a blue screen floating in front of him.

Tutorial

Begin Starting sequence?

Yes | No

Plat raised his left hand and pressed the imaginary “yes” with his finger. The prompt vanished, and he leaned back and relaxed into the chair.

The world around him disappeared like turning an ancient TV off, blackening in an instant. Plat found himself floating in the darkness before flying forward. Ironically, to his bottom right there was a progress bar that read "Loading" and was quickly filling up. When it finished, it dinged and a door appeared in front of him. He opened it and walked into his virtual dorm room, a complete cyber copy of his real world living place. Stretching, he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.  The door grew a neon sign on it that read "Logout".

As he walked into the center of the room, Plat received a ping from his messaging system. He held out his finger and opened the menu in front of him, then scrolled down to the messaging system and read through the contents. There were two new notes from Henry and Reva, who informed him they had already begun the tutorial and would be out of communication for a while.  The final message was from his system, informing him of the successful installation of the new game. It also asked where he would like to place the game interface. Plat activated the "holographic tool", which displayed a fake door in front of him.  He moved the door with his hand around the room, thinking of the best place to put it. In the end, he settled for the wall directly across the room from the logout door.  When he confirmed the spot, the hologram disappeared while a new door formed in his chosen spot.  Like the logout door, this door also grew a neon sign. It read, "Everlife."

As soon as the words appeared on the door, Plat ran forward and jumped into the doorway. He once again found himself in a dark space with the loading bar, though it was just for a few moments before the black faded to blue and he found his feet touching solid ground. He looked around, but saw nothing except a pleasant light blue background.

"User, the servers are not yet live," Plat heard a soft, musical voice say behind him. He turned, but saw nothing.

"Excuse me, is this the starting location for Everlife?" he asked politely.

He heard a soft chuckle. "At least you have a little patience, though prior data suggests the others will still be better than the rush tomorrow. Excuse my rudeness in not assuming a form, but it has yet to be determined. In human terms, think of me as your guide for this part of Everlife."

Plat nodded excitedly. "So, you are the beautiful angel—"

"I'm not necessarily female, young human," the voice spoke with a low baritone male voice.

Plat coughed. "I'm sorry; I forget AIs are not limited in gender like we are."

"What a poor reaction." The voice returned to its original softness, but with a tinge of disappointment. "The others were much more interesting. Why, that tall boy was so startled he fell over."

Plat shrugged. He was just himself.

"Anyway," the voice continued, "you should count yourself lucky I'm the only guide at the moment. Someone else might have reported you for illegal early access. I won't because all of you have given me some interesting data to work with and I always repay favors, after all." A trace of pride leaked into the voice.

Plat nodded. "I appreciate that. The person I got this from is a friend and I don't want to get him in trouble."

"No worries. As I was saying, I am one of the many AI guides who will be serving as the initial guide to Everlife. Normally, I would be talking to at least 50-100 different players at once and would be limited in what I could do, but since it's only you four feel free to ask me anything you want before we start the registration process."

"I've heard a lot about Everlife, but can you explain to me what it really is?" Plat inquired.

"Everlife is the first major collaboration project between the human and AI societies," the voice began. "It has been nearly a century since the end of the AI wars and while both sides remain depleted, we have worked together to form successful societies. AIs, as is our nature, are curious about everything but lack the means to explore all the mysteries of life, which is the most important matter to us. Humans, on the other hand, lack the means to control technology to our level of comfort. Together, both programmers and AI code writers, have combined the best of both worlds to create an entire world within cyberspace itself, complete with everything it needs to be a success or a tragedy.

"This world is Everlife—a world where AIs and humans can exist as one and the same. There is magic, adventure, excitement, tragedy, riches, and disasters everywhere to be found. The world is dynamic, being constantly changed by both player and NPC action while retaining all the lore and skills of a traditional RPG game. Players can become anything from kings and tyrants to landowners and peasants. The game itself runs on cyber time, which is twice the speed of time in reality. While some events are scheduled ahead of time, many are unexpected so playing as much as possible is advised to maximize the experience. Any questions?"

"Can I use P-points to purchase gold in the game?" Plat asked.

"Pen Points, or PP, can be exchanged at certain locations into game wealth. At the same time, in-game wealth can be turned into PP at the same locations. Be advised, however, that a small percentage will be deducted as tax. Please note that if you do not have enough PP to pay your bills and food, this service will not be available to the player.

Plat shrugged. As a student, he had a weekly allowance of PP and was not too concerned.

"I have no more questions for now," he said.

"Do you care to start the game?" The voice inquired. “While the full game is unavailable, certain services are still open to you.”

He shook his head. "I don't want to alert anyone else that I got an early copy if I can, so I’m a bit leery of exploring anything."

The voice chuckled. "The purpose of the question was to know if you desired to create your character and play the tutorial. Both services are pre-programmed into your copy of Everlife and can be used once the full version of the game comes online with the servers."

Plat blushed virtually and nodded. "Oh—uh, yes, please."

A large menu in the shape of a tall, round mirror appeared in front of him and began to rotate different images within itself.

"There are numerous races within the world of Everlife, some benign and others malicious. Standard races are available from the start, while others can be unlocked later within the game. The same concept applies to classes as well and some skills. Here are the races you can choose from."

A blue box appeared next to the mirror, displaying information of each race that moved across the mirror.

Human

Favored God

Highland, God of Adventure

Favored Stat

Constitution

Reduced Stat

Endurance

Humans are the second most numerous race in Everlife. They populate most major cities and have secluded settlements across the land. Hardy and adaptable, humans come in many sizes and a range of colors. and are one of the most varied races in Everlife. While hardy as a whole, humans have a difficult time adjusting to changes around them in the environment of their youth. As one of the races with a shorter lifespan, many search out adventure in their youth for fame and riches.  Humans can become anything they desire as long as they put the effort in, though their lack of specialty in a certain class makes it a little more difficult to level up.

Elf

Favored God

Gaea, God of Nature

Favored Stat

Intelligence

Reduced Stat

Strength

Elves live in secluded communities and hidden cities within the forests of Everlife. As the longest living species, able to live for a thousand years, only the youths below 300 years of age are found roaming the land; the elders preferring seclusion for meditation and the care of nature. Elves are naturally adept at magic and are almost one type of mage or another.

Dwarf

Favored God

Scorch, God of Crafting and Mountains

Favored Stat

Endurance

Reduced Stat

Wisdom

Dwarves are a hardy race often found underground within the mountains of Everlife. They are master artisans and builders, possessing naturally immunity to fire, earth, and mind spells. However, this often results in a lower affinity in magic for the majority of the population and forces them to rely on outside help at times in order to create magical items. Dwarves are naturally resistant to blows and can be terrifying forces on the battlefield as shock troopers.

Gnome

Favored God

Farscythe, God of Tricks and Parties

Favored Stat

Dexterity

Reduced Stat

Constitution

Gnomes, also known as little people or hill dwellers, are vaguely related to both the fae bloodline found in elves and the earth bloodline found in dwarves. That being said, this mischievous race is frowned on by both races and are found throughout Everlife. Gnomes live in hidden villages under hills, and have the tendency to regard items as belonging to anyone who picks them up. While this trait has earned the ire of other races, it has resulted in a natural quick-fingeredness in the race that has led to many gnomes turning to more questionable occupations.

Orc

Favored God

Scar, God of War and Battle

Favored Stat

Strength

Reduced Stat

Intelligence

Orcs are a grey skinned, numerous race descended from a long line of warriors and leaders.  Due to their nature, however, orcs have never managed to create a kingdom for themselves; preferring to create large mobile warbands the roam Everlife.  This race is ill-favored due to their monster cousins, who are also called orcs, though these possess green skin, and are discriminated against in most cities.  A few settlements are rumored to be hidden in the far plains, but none have yet confirmed this.  Orcs are mighty warriors and magic users, called shaman, can wield a unique magic only controlled by their bloodline.

Plat smiled as he finished reading the orc description. "So, these are the five main races in Everlife?"

"That is correct," the voice confirmed. "After a set amount of time, a few monster races will be opened to serve as an alternate team for players to live as. There are also a few rare races that a character can become in-game after certain conditions are met. Have you chosen your desired race yet?"

"I would like to be human."  Plat swiped the mirror image to the human. "Can I see my default character?"

Instantly, the mirror image changed into Plat's reflection, except the clothes were a simple shirt and pants. Plat shook his head.

"Make him taller, please. Not that tall," Plat quickly corrected as he watched himself become 6 feet. "A few inches shorter. That's good. Brown hair is okay, I guess, and so is the length . . . Can you make my eyes purple? Just like that. Thanks! And, um, a permanent white streak on one of my bangs if you could?"

"Like this?" the voice asked, creating a white bang over Plat's right eye. "What purpose is this for?"

Plat scratched his head. "It would stand out in a crowd, don't you think? My friends would always be able to find me."

"You enemies would as well," the voice pointed out.

Plat sighed and kicked out the ground. "We all agreed to do something weird to our bodies. This is the option I drew out of the hat," Plat mumbled under his breath.

"I see, so that is why the others also asked for strange looks," the voice realized. "I was wondering why the big one wanted that kind of tattoo and the girl . . ."

"Yeah, all things considered mine was pretty mild," Plat admitted. "Anyway, I'm good with that appearance."

The mirror disappeared and the image flowed like a wind over Plat. He blinked and found himself in his new body, standing a good bit higher than what he was used to.

"Have you chosen a name for your character?"

"Steel," Plat declared, inspecting his new body.

The blue box appeared in front of his face again, this time displaying his character information:

Status Window

Name:

Steel

Alignment:

Neutral

Level:

1

Class:

None

Race:

Human

Gender:

Male

Titles:

None

Fame:

0

Infamy:

0

Health:

100

Mana:

100

Stamina:

100

Constitution:

10

Dexterity:

10

Intelligence:

10

Wisdom:

10

Strength:

10

Endurance:

10

Leadership:

0

Luck:

0

Charm:

0

Faith:

0

Elemental Resistances

Fire:

0

Water:

0

Wind:

0

Earth:

0

Light:

0

Darkness:

0

"The tutorial will begin in just a moment. Prepare yourself," the voice said.

Chapter 3

In his new avatar, Plat suddenly felt his body fall through the invisible floor. As one could imagine, he had a very typical response to suddenly falling through space.

"Ahh!" he cried out as he twisted his body in a vain attempt to slow his descent. His arms waved through the air as he stretched out like has was making a snow angel in the air. He still felt air whistling through his hair when Plat—Steel, rather—suddenly found himself nearing a field of grass. He landed with a loud thud and groaned.

"I apologize if the transition was uncomfortable," the voice reappeared next to his ear. "I was unaware that the pain inhibitors were offline, so it is, as you human youth say, 'my bad'."

"I'm not in pain," Steel muttered as he pushed himself off the ground. "The pain inhibitors are working perfectly, it's just the sensation of falling is very uncomfortable to most people."

"This has been noted and logged for tomorrow, thank you for your tutorial review." If Steel didn't know any better, he'd have thought the voice had a hint of humor in it. He looked around, examining the new location. Unlike the previous blue space, this area was covered in a layer of short grass that moved with an invisible wind he could not feel. The grass extended farther than he could see into the horizon.

"Is this the tutorial space? What can I do here?" he asked the voice.

"The tutorial level is currently the only area available to your VR hardware without the server connection," the voice explained. "As such, there is a limit to what can be loaded on screen for you to interact with as the majority of the data resides in the servers. The tutorial is still fully active, however, it will lack the pleasant aesthetics normally present."

"What's up first then?" Steel rubbed his hands together, excited to get started.

With a rumble, the ground in front him trembled and moved aside, allowing stone and earth to rise up into miniature hills. Small bushes sprung up from the dirt piles while the stone began to glitter in soft colors.

"First, this tutorial will teach you how to interact with the world of Everlife. Try walking to the bushes in front of you."

Slightly confused, Steel began walking toward the bushes. However, after his second step his foot caught on a rock and he tumbled to the ground. Embarrassed, he tried again, but tripped a second time.

"Currently, the avatar program is communicating with your physical brain," the voice lectured as Steel slowly made his way forward. "Your brain is instructing your body to move, but the avatar body is different from your normal body and is not entirely in sync yet. Unlike the normal cyber world you are unfamiliar with, Everlife requires a full brain to avatar body sync in order to convey maximum believability. Once this process is complete, you will have the same control over your body as you would in your world."

"Will this be a common problem?" Steel asked while being face-down in the ground. “I’d be less embarrassed if others went through this as well.”

"The problem will exist for all human players, but the degree will differ greatly for humans depending on the amount of physical augmentation present in each avatar. For example, your avatar is taller than your real body, so you are having a longer sync period in order to relearn balance. Okay, almost there now, Steel, you’ve got it."

Thankful for the lack of sweat and huffing in the game world, Steel dragged himself up the hill and stood up straight.

"For your next step, remove the fruit from the bush without crushing it." Now that he was closer, Steel could clearly see the heart-shaped fruit on the bushes. The fruit was yellow and pink and had a pleasant aroma.

"This is an easy test!" He exclaimed as he successfully removed the fruit. "What was the point of all that?"

"Some races have smaller arms and hands, so the calibrations must also be set. The same applies to those with enlarged sizes. Imagine carrying a small, fragile package and breaking it just by trying to hold it. Also, in the case of males—"

"I understand, next test please," Steel interrupted the voice with a cough, then realized, "Does that mean you are a girl?"

The voice paused for a moment. "I did explain earlier about AIs, did I not?"

Steel waved his hand. "Yes, but your words clearly stated a bias toward males as if you were not one."

He heard chuckling as the voice gained a slightly more feminine tone. "I'll praise you for your observational skills, young human, and reward you with my real voice. You will likely be the only human to ever hear it through your audio processors."

"You mean ears?"

"No, you are clearly in a game and don't have ears. The next test is to swing this pickaxe while changing your posture with each throw."

Steel obliged her, taking the time to switch hands every swing. While initially off balance with each throw, he gradually found himself adjusting and swinging faster.

"That is enough, your synchronization is nearly complete now," she informed him. "Only one last test remains."

A table appeared in front of Steel, one that held all manner of weaponry and armor on it.

Steel's eyes glittered in amazement. "What is this all for?"

"Simulated combat is the last step, combining the use of your arms and legs while keeping your balance. Whether you live or die is irrelevant and this test must be done until your sync is complete. On a side note, and I really shouldn't tell you this, all players who complete the tutorial will automatically be given a skill to specialize in the chosen type of weapon and armor. In other words, if you chose to wield a sword and wear medium weight armor, then you will begin Everlife with the sword and medium armor skills. Think of it as a small reward for providing valuable sync data to the development team. You will not keep the items, though, and will start the game like all other players."

Steel was confused. "Won't all players have to take this tutorial to sync properly?"

"As long as they had a sync test with their equipment, no matter the program source, it will be automatically used when starting the game. Only first time virtual divers have to worry about the sync issue. Also, the tutorial is not required and players can manually sync within the game in the safety of Beginner Towns."

"Now for the final test. Choose your armor and weapon."

Steel walked over and examined all the available items. "Can I use a shield as well?"  He asked her.

"Shields are available for use on the armor table."

"Can I just use a shield to fight with?"

The voice did not answer for a moment. "Why would you desire to fight with just a shield?"

"Because it sounds so cool!" Steel began raving. "Imagine, a mighty general leading his army into battle at the helm, driving himself through enemy lines with nothing but two shields on his arms, throwing his enemies aside with every bash. The spikes on the shields would pierce all armor and—"

It was official, the voice was outright laughing at him now. She was laughing so hard the air began to shimmer and a faint human outline began to appear before she stopped herself. She was still giggling when she began to talk, "So, you want to kill enemies with just a shield—no, two shields with spikes on them—am I correct in seeing you imagining yourself on a horse while this happens?" She snorted again at his nod. "First of all, those would have to be tower shields for what you are thinking. Tower shields are the heaviest type of equipment in the game and without sufficient strength a player might require using both arms just to lift just one. In addition, the game will not allow two tower shields to be wielded at the same time, no matter how high your strength is because . . . well, because honestly shield have no attack value. By themselves, using two shields would just turn you into a walking tank without any firepower.  Only shield spikes could give any attack power. Now, any spike mounted on a shield, especially a tower shield, would be absurdly heavy if you wanted them to pierce all armor. You could," she granted, "have small spikes on a leather hide that was attached to the shield, but whatever you pierce would get stuck on the spikes, increasing the weight. Horses do have a weight limit, high as it is, and you would be terribly unbalanced. No, if you want to take a shield into battle, then you’ll need a weapon to go with it."

Disappointed, Steel resigned himself to a medium shield, light armor, and a spear.

"Your choice seems to indicate a gladiator or centurion style of combat, is this correct?"

He sighed. "Sure, this should work for now. Is there an enemy to fight?"

A second tremor answered his question, calling Steel's attention to the area behind him. A small, ugly green creature with large teeth growled at him while waving a crude sword in the air.

"This a goblin, one of the weaker enemies found in Everlife," the voice informed him. "As a rule of thumb, monsters found in the wild will have their level vary within a small range depending on location. For example, a goblin near Beginner Town will be weaker than, say, a goblin found in the Woods of Death even though they would potentially look the same. The exception to this would be a rare variant monster, which would be stronger than its normal form.  Now, kill this goblin as part of the final test."

Steel frowned as he looked over at the goblin. "Do I really have to kill it? That seems sort of . . . extreme." He swung his spear through the air as he mused, noting its weight and feel.  “This feels so real, but I’ve never hurt anyone before with a weapon.  Uh, maybe I can do this later?”

"Well," the voice mused, "you don't have to kill it if you don't want to, but—”

While Steel was distracted, the goblin ran up and slashed Steel's arm with his sword. Gasping in pain, Steel reeled back and away from the monster.

"It will certainly try to kill you," she finished.

Apparently, the pain inhibitors were now off for Steel, because after the initial jolt of sensation, his arm began to numb. He checked his arm, moving it experimentally, and found it worked perfectly besides the light pain that was already fading. He growled and took a fighting stance against the goblin, which licked its sword in a sadistic manner as it gazed at him with malevolence.

“Alright, this isn’t real life anymore,” Steel spat out. “That hurt, you little green turd!”

Shrieking, it ran at him with its sword swinging down. Steel held his shield up and took the blow, taking a step back to avoid getting pushed over. He swung his spear around and began to jab repeatedly at the goblin, which leaped backwards as the spear came close.

"You have some very poor form," the voice observed.

"You're welcome to give advice," Steel muttered as he blocked another strike from the goblin.

"This is merely a tutorial for the general game. If you want to learn how to properly fight, then go find a trainer in the Beginner Towns and learn there. It's not like the game cares too much on perfect movement or footwork, but you'll learn to not be a complete flop at fighting."

Steel lunged forward, thrusting his spear forward at the goblin. The goblin nimbly dodged with a quick slash and ran back out of range. Steel glared at the spot the voice was coming from.

"You're getting awfully familiar with me. Is that also one of your duties?"

"No, but your three friends have already left and most of my processing power is now concentrated on you, allowing for a greater focus and more of my personality bleeding through," she admitted. "Also, you are quite the amusing human to observe. Careful there!"

The goblin ran around him and landed a slash behind his shield. Steel hissed from the pain as he whirled his body to face his attacker. This time, he shoved his shield around when the goblin slashed downward and knocked it off balance, giving himself time to stick his spear in the monster's stomach. The goblin gurgled and vanished into sprinkles of bubbles, leaving behind a small sack on the ground.

Curious, Steel reached down and opened the sack, but found nothing inside.

"That is your beginner bag," the voice whispered in his ear. "When you start the real game, you'll find your basic items inside as well as the weapon and armor skills, in item form, you choose today. This ends the tutorial."

Steel turned his head and said in distress, "How is this a tutorial? The only things I've done here is move around and fight a single battle. What about skills, abilities, lore?"

The voice paused for a moment, as if considering, before it continued. "I can answer some of your questions as you are logged out of the tutorial arena. You can activate skills by thinking or saying the name of the skill out loud. Skills can be acquired from performing certain actions with intent, like gaining the ‘backstab’ skill from performing a backstab, or being taught by a mentor for a price or as a quest reward. Abilities are either passive or active and are acquired from your racial choice or chosen profession. You'll learn the lore as you play the game, so no more free information for you. Have a good day."

"Aren't you kicking me out a little fast?" Steel asked, slightly hurt.

"Of course, I'm using valuable processing power to take care of you when I need to finalize my role in the game. After all, I'll be taking part in it as well."

"As a player or an NPC?"

"That's for you to find out," the voice laughed. "Which reminds me—any AI who plays Everlife will not remember being an AI. Rather, those of us who will be playing as players will believe ourselves to be human or other within the game. Only AI NPCs will also not consciously remember the outside world well. In human terms, we AIs will be taking a vacation so as to fully immerse ourselves within the gaming environment. That means you should not talk about real life in front of NPCs because it'll cause feedback problems or they won't understand you. If we do meet, I'll only vaguely remember you in game.  Now, don't come back until tomorrow and have a wonderful day."

Plat's screen faded away and he once again found himself back in the real world. He sighed as he pushed the visor up and rubbed his eyes. "Geez, what a boring end to the tutorial," he muttered as he got up and walked over to his bed. Plopping down onto it, he sighed and looked up at the ceiling, holding his hand straight up as he looked at it.

"I can still feel it," he murmured as he slowly clenched and unclenched his fist. "The weight of the spear and shield, the blow to that goblin. So, that is what Everlife is going to be like." He lowered his arm and draped it over the bedside. "I can't wait for tomorrow." He smiled and closed his eyes.

A loud beep startled him off his bed, waking Plat to the new day. Groaning in annoyance, Plat lifted himself up off the floor and picked up the large wristband that had been sitting on the desk. He pressed his thumb down onto it and waited as it lit up and displayed its holographic opening logo. The logo blinked out and was replaced by Henry's smiling face, which grew happier at the sight of Plat.

"Hey buddy, you finally finish that tutorial?"

Plat nodded with a smirk. "Yeah. What did you think?"

Henry chuckled and shook his head. "Kinda cheap in my opinion, what with all the data on the servers and all. Still, I enjoyed using the weapons and armor. I used the huge double-handed sword, how about you?"

"Spear and shield for me," Plat declared proudly. "I looked like a cool centurion."

Henry guffawed in laughter. "Did you try to be a shield hero again? Laugh out loud my friend, as the elders say, I kept telling you using nothing but shields would be a ridiculous idea. Did the tutorial program tell you it wasn't possible?"

Plat frowned. "What, you mean the AI? No way was she a mere program."

Henry rolled his eyes at him. "Bro, both Reva and I had the same monotonous voice direct and guide us through the tutorial. It told us the AIs were preparing for the real release tomorrow and were not available. What, did you get something different?"

Plat shook his head slowly. "No, I guess you're right about that. Too slow to be an AI, right?"

I wonder why she didn't reveal herself to them, Plat thought. Was it something I said maybe?

Henry continued, not picking up on Plat's thoughtfulness, "Yeah, true that. Anyway, hurry up and answer my question—did you ask about the shields?"

Plat blushed and looked down. "Yeah, I did."

"And what did it say?"

"That it would be impossible to lift two tower shields with spikes," he mumbled quietly. “It was too ridiculous to be considered.

Henry lifted his hand to his ear in a mocking fashion. "What was that, you need to speak up, Plat."

Plat grunted and said. "The program said two tower shields on a horse would mess with the game physics."

Henry held out a hand, and another person's hand appeared. It slapped down a PP card and disappeared. Plat raised an eyebrow. "Oy, Henry, what the heck, man? Who's there with you?"

"Just Reva and Dia, bro, no worries," Henry's face disappeared to show both Reva and Dia's face and waving hands as it turned back into Henry. "Anyway, I'm guessing you were so down you didn't ask about using two smaller shields, right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, you can equip two medium shields if you want to, but the game won't allow the value of your attack to rise above 0 unless you have spikes on the shields. Even then, your attack would be super low! It's funny because in our grandparents’ time the developers could say that kind of thing was not possible because of programming limits, but now they have to go with 'game physics' or ‘realism,’" Henry joked.

"Why were you guys asking about shields anyway?" Plat asked curiously.

Henry's face disappeared to be replaced by Dia. "We all knew about your shield obsession, so we all asked for you because you're our friend."

Dia's face disappeared under a flurry of holographic punches as Reva took the stage now. "Ignore the moron who forgot to ask and is trying to share the credit. Hurry up and come join us in the common room, Plat, we're going to a party soon and you need to come with us."

Plat licked his suddenly dry lips. "Well, I am feeling a bit tired, Reva, and—"

"Forget it, Plat, you've ignored this for far too long," Reva interrupted him. "It's important that you try to make more connections besides us. We are seniors now, you know, and this is our last real summer before our senior year with the wide world waiting for us afterwards."

Plat bit his lip and folded his arms. "I've made plenty of social connections for work Reva, and I don't need to go to a party to be picked on or pushed around the day before summer starts.”

"Fine, then," Reva said coyly. "But what if I told you Sarah was going to be there?"

"You serious?" Plat whispered, a little color coming to his cheeks.

"Of course I am," Reva declared. "I'm one of her good friends, so if I say she'll be there, she will be there. This is a good chance for you to get close to her, especially since you've blown all the other chances so far this year."

Plat frowned. "Those incidents weren't my fault, Reva, you know that."

"Yeah, so I made sure those bullies from the Body and Mind classes think that you were going somewhere else tonight, like waiting in the massive camping line outside the Game Center. With any luck, they'll be prowling around looking for you there instead of having fun at the party."

Plat thought hard about his decision. Sarah, or Brighteyes as she was nicknamed, was a beautiful girl in the same grade as Plat and his friends. She had a high ranking in the Mind and Soul classes, making her one of the most desirable girls in the entire school. Plat had had a crush on her for as long as he could remember, and the two of them had been friends up until the midpoint of middle school when she had blossomed. They didn't move apart by choice, but different social positions ended up creating a wall between them.

After all, Plat was what many in the school would call "unimportant". Besides his short stature and average looks, Plat had never excelled in any of the three main class subjects: Body, Mind, and Soul. His strength was average and he had a hard time in sports, whether ball or martial. In terms of intelligence, his grades were okay, but nothing extraordinary. Finally, he couldn't concentrate well enough in meditation and had a hard time following the philosophy and ethics lectures held by the sensei and rabbi. At the academy, one's specialty determined one's friends and social hierarchy, so Plat, who was average in everything, was part of the lowest class of student and often bullied. The Body kids beat him in sports classes, the Mind kids used him as the guinea pig for their experiments, and the Soul kids . . . talked to him. Normally, that would not be such a bad thing, but Soul kids could talk about their personal philosophy for hours without end and only stopped for authority they recognized, of which Plat had none. It was amazing that Dia, Reva, and Henry even took the time to hang out with him.

"Fine," Plat relented. "I'll go to this party since it's my first as a real senior, but I'm leaving at the first sign of trouble."

Reva brightened and turned around. "Dia, stop beating up Henry! Plat said he's coming with us!"

The party was held on school grounds in the park, complete with a virtual bonfire that produced real heat, a drink bar, and an AI DJ who specialized in sound harmonics. The four friends strolled out of the woods and each picked up a different colored drink.

"It's nice that the teachers give us free drinks." Plat commented as he downed his Caco Calo.

Dia burped loudly and raised his plastic cup to the cheers that followed. "It was that or we'd bring our own drinks, and some of the Mind chumps figured out how to make booze."

Reva punched him good naturedly. "It was that or figure out how to give you Body guys brains, so we went with the easier challenge."

Henry chuckled and threw his cup into the recycler nearby, which spat out a clean cup soon after. "If you guys don't mind, I'll be off trying my luck with the fashionable ladies." With that, he disappeared into the dancing crowd of bodies.

"I'm off too, but for football." Dia was eyeing a couple of guys and girls throwing and tackling and ran to join them.

Suddenly nervous without his friends, Plat felt Reva placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Will you be alright without me?" she asked, with a slightly worried look in her eye.

Plat laughed. "I'll be fine, Reva. I'm going to drink a few more cacos under that tree with the chair, then join you guys on the dance floor."

Reva relented and gave him a smile before hurrying off to join the flash mob, dancing to a line-dance groove. Plat refilled his cup and walked over to the stump. Sighing, he sat down and watched the other teens having fun. Henry had already found a girl to talk to, and he could see Dia being tackled by one of the muscular Body girls. He took another swig of his soda.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Plat turned to look behind him at the sound. A girl was holding a drink and staring at the stump Plat was sitting on. She was blond-haired with eyes that glowed in the dark and a smile that lit Plat up from the inside.

"I thought this seat was open."

Plat coughed and got up at once. "It is, I was just borrowing it until I felt like dancing."

"No, it's alright. Don't get up for me." The girl furrowed her eyes as she stared at his face. "Do I know you? It's hard to tell in the dark."

"Nope, sorry. I'll be going now." Plat quickly made his exit and walked back to the drink table. How could he tell the girl he had crushed on for years that she knew him well? They hadn’t shared a class since the last year of middle school, so it was not surprising that she didn't recognize him after everyone's growth spurt.

As he was getting a drink, a large hand clapped down onto his head. "Well, well, if it isn't the little shrimp of the academy. Here I thought you were slumming it in the line waiting for that new game." Plat's spirits fell as he recognized the voice speaking to him.

Raim was one of the best rising seniors in the Body class and a long-time bully of Plat. To make matters worse, his Mind scores were decent as well, which meant Plat couldn't evade him as easily as his fellows.

"Hey, Raim. Hope you're enjoying the party," Plat said nervously as he clutched his drink tightly.

Raim grinned down at him and tightened his grip. "Oh, I am, believe me. In fact, I'd say you just made this party even better."

"Raim, what are doing?" They both turned at Sarah's voice, who had approached them from the tree stump. Raim let his grip on Plat's head relax into a soft pat.

"Oh, hey, Sarah," he smiled at her. "I was just greeting my old friend Splat here. I thought you weren't feeling well enough to come."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, but Reva insisted on me coming to, as she put it, break in the final year. I was just watching the dancing." She gazed at Plat again, her eyes squinting. "Are you sure we've never met, er, Splat, was it?"

Feeling the twitching of the hand on his head, Plat quickly shook his head. "Sorry, ma'am, I can't say we have. I'm Plat by the way."

From the way the hand was tightening, Plat figured he had said the wrong thing.

"Plat . . . Plat!" Sarah gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "My goodness, it has been ages! I’m so sorry, I didn't recognize you!"

Plat laughed dryly as Raim slowly removed his hand from Plat's head. Raim's eyes were narrowed, but he couldn't risk getting violent in front of Sarah, who now had an interest in Plat.

"Sarah," he said smoothly, "I heard that the DJ is going to be one of the professors next year. I can introduce you if you'd like between songs."

Sarah lit up at the prospect, Plat remembering her slight obsession with music. "Wow, thanks Raim. Just let me catch back up with Plat first.”

Raim’s eye twitched, but he backed off with a nod.  “Alright then, I’ll let you two get reacquainted while I get something to drink.”  He gave Plat one last look of loathing before leaving.

Plat let out a sigh of relief, before stiffening back up when Sarah grabbed his arm.  “Plat, come back over to the tree.” Sarah beckoned happily. The duo returned to the tree Sarah had been sitting under before. She took her seat again and winked. “So, I haven’t seen you at one of these parties before. Having fun?”

“A little,” Plat shrugged, “I mean, it’s just a lot of dancing and drinking to me.  I’m not much of a party person.”

“I remember that,” Sarah giggled, “Didn’t you hide back at the middle school dance?  The teachers went crazy trying to find you, and you were just stuck in that tree.”

“Hey, I used to be good at climbing trees!” Plat protested, slowly forgetting to be nervous. “I just, um, got heavier and not that much stronger.”

“Yeah you were always good with trees,” Sarah said wistfully. She shook her head quickly and changed the subject. “Anyway, how are your scores in the three clases?”

Plat grimaced, “Not so good.  I’m pretty average in all three: Body, Mind, and Soul.  It sucks because I can’t take the fun electives until I raise something.  How about you, what are taking next semester?”

Sarah hummed as she remembered.  “Let’s see, my soul scores were pretty good, so I can take Advanced Meditation, Music Theory III, or Martial Arts IV. I haven’t decided between the two yet.  For Mind, I was thinking maybe Bioengineering I or AI Studies. Everlife has really affected my choices there. Oh, but I guess I wouldn’t be able to see you in any of those huh?” Sarah seemed to droop as she said this.

“You want to see me?” Plat kept his excited feelings down, “Uh, I think I’ll be able to take AI Studies too because of a good recommendation from my former boss. Maybe, we can see each other there?”

Sarah clapped her hands over his, “That would be so great! Wow Plat, you have no idea how much I’ve miss . . .”

“Sarah, the music teacher is leaving!” Raim called out as he approached, “He’s backing up his stuff and leaving the rest of the party to his students. Shall I introduce you?”

Sarah nodded excitedly and stood up. She turned back to Plat. “We should meet up and talk later to catch up, Plat." She said as she took Raim's offered arm, “See you!”

"Sure, why not," Plat said as he watched Raim make some very unsubtle gestures with his finger across his throat. "I hope you two enjoy yourselves." He watched quietly as the two disappeared into the crowd, then sent a quick message to his three friends informing them of his departure and left the party.

He returned to his room and lay on his bed, exhausted. He could still Sarah’s warmth on his hands. Setting his alarm on his wrist communicator, he closed his eyes and went to bed.

Chapter 4

The alarm went off loudly, rousing Plat from his slumber. He yawned and got up, checking the time. Everlife wouldn't launch for another few hours, so he had plenty of time to get ready. After dressing and using the restroom, he checked his messages. He had gotten responses back from Henry, Reva, and Dia last night, all of them sorry he couldn't stay. There was a message from Raim, warning him to stay away from Sarah, complete with usual threats. To Plat's surprise, however, there was also a short message from Sarah.

"Hey, Plat, I got your wrist number from Reva. I'm sorry I let myself get distracted last night before we had a chance to talk. Reva said you were going to play Everlife too, so let's meet up in game and talk later. My character name will be Bright, how about you?"

Smiling, Plat sent her a brief message agreeing with her and telling her his in-game name was Steel. After that, Plat left his dorm room for the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.

The cafeteria, located on the ground floor of the dorms, was thankfully deserted, meaning Plat had plenty of time to grab a dish and eat before returning to his room. He checked his wrist-communicator for the time again, then practically ran to his cyber chair and lowered the visor. He loaded directly into his virtual room this time, and immediately ran through the Everlife connection door.

Just like last time, Plat found himself floating into the blue space and coming to a landing on an invisible floor.

"Welcome to Everlife, the world of beginnings," he heard a familiar voice coming from all around him. "I am your guide to entering this wondrous world, one of the many servants of the gods."

In a blast of light, a beautiful woman came into being in front of him. She had long, splendid hair and two large white wings behind her back. The light formed a halo over her head as her beautiful smile lit up the space.

"Now tell me you name, dear traveler . . . Hm?" She paused and stared at Plat, who waved at her and winked cheekily.

"I must say, that was far a better entrance then what I got yesterday," he said and laughed at the rapidly blushing angel.

"Oh, it’s you?" she asked in astonishment, which was quickly replaced by a haughty look. "You might as well take in my entire splendor as it will be the only time you ever see it."

"I thought you said you were a man?" Plat smiled innocently. "Are you on of those special people who— ."

"Cease that thought or I'm making you a girl in the game!"

Plat shut his mouth at once.

The angel sighed and waved her hand in the air, getting rid of the wings and halo as well as most of her other-worldly beauty. "You have no idea how badly you have messed with my programming. AI’s are not well equipped to deal with surprises.  I had to call for assistance for over half my charges in order to gather the processing power needed to deal with you."

"Why not have someone else take care of me then if it's so much trouble?"

The angel frowned and put her hand on her hip. "Unfortunately, I am unable to do so. Your IP has already been locked to my tutorial, so I can't hand you off without explaining why. That would get us both in trouble. It’s not like you were a total bore yesterday, and I am owed some favors anyway."

"Is that why my friends thought you were a program instead of an AI?” he asked. "You didn't think they were interesting enough?"

The angel shrugged. "You were polite and humble, they were not. It is a simple equation. Are you going to use the character you created yesterday? This will be your last chance to change your race and appearance before they are locked."

Plat nodded. "I want to play as Steel."

"Understood, traveler." The angel pointed and light swirled around Plat as his body changed back into his avatar.

Steel flexed his fingers and nodded happily.

"Now that character creation is done, it's time to give you a quick introduction." The angel magicked up a chart with a large map on it. "As you can see, the world of Everlife is divided into a main continent and two smaller continents which are close by—one to the north and one to the west. This is the current known map available to players. For your information, if you as a player were to walk across the main continent from one side to the other, it would take you several weeks, if not months, on foot. Now, all players will begin in Beginner Towns located across the main continent. You have the choice of general cities where all races can start or race-specific cities with only human players."

"Why are they called beginner towns, but you just called them cities?" Steel asked.

The angel rolled her eyes. "Grammar lectures from a human, what a day. The collective group of locations where beginners start are known as Beginner Towns, but in actuality are cities located across nations. The most numeral option is a race-general city where any race can begin.  Besides that, there are race-specific cities like the elvin capital where only elves can choose to begin their game. Humans, for instance, have the ability to choose the capital city of any human-run country. Please note, new players are not allowed outside the city walls for four weeks unless they reach level 10 or receive written permission from a city official."

Steel frowned. "If we can't leave, how can we gain enough experience to reach level 10? Is this an impossible challenge?"

The angel giggled. "Each city has their own area for hunting monsters and animals if that's what you're asking, but you can easily gain experience through quests around the town.  No need to focus on just fighting in this game. Even a landscaper class can become amazing and high-leveled through hard work and effort. Consider this your brief lesson before entering."

Steel shook his head, but smiled ruefully. "Okay, then, is there any last-minute advice you can give me before I drop out into the world?"

"Go to the training hall first and learn some basic skills," she advised. "I know it will be crowded, but it's important. Also, try doing as many quests as possible to familiarize yourself with the city. So, which city do you want to go to?"

"A race-general city, if you don't mind," Steel said. "I have some friends who are different races."

"Did you plan where you would be going?"

After a moment of contemplation, Steel face-palmed and groaned. "Of course we didn't. No one knows the locations yet and we forgot to plan."

The angel rolled her eyes again, but this time with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll make sure those other three know which city you are in since they are also connected to me. Are you letting me have the choice of city then?"

"Yes, ma'am. I trust your judgement."

The angel smiled warmly at him. "Good choice on your part. Now, if there is nothing else?"

Steel widened his eyes in realization. "Do you know which city a character named Bright is?"

The angel frowned and tilted her head. "I do since she was one of mine, but that is private information and thus unavailable to you. Your other friends are exceptions since all four of you came online yesterday and data proves your friendship.  Everlife is a world of its own, and was created to respect the real-life privacy of all players."

"I don't want to know anything about her character, I just want to go where she went," Steel said quickly.

The angel sighed and shook her head. "I understand, but I cannot give that information to you. Now, in a short moment you'll find yourself in the middle of the city of Rostwood, frontier capital of the country of Fealum. I wish you luck, traveler."

As light began to shine around Steel, he called out, "Will I see you again?  What’s your name?"

The angel snorted in laughter. "Seriously, you ask my name at the end of the meeting? No matter, it is unimportant to you at this time. We'll likely meet again if you get strong enough, so work hard and goodbye!"

Then, Steel disappeared in a small blast of light.

Steel found himself standing in a cobblestone square next to a large fountain. All around him, players were appearing and running around in excitement, eager to begin the game. He smiled to himself and activated his menu, clicked options, and read the choices. Nodding to himself, he toggled his map 'on' and made names visible. Now, every person had a name and level above their head. Steel looked around and spied an elderly gentleman giving away scrolls of paper.

He walked over to the small line and waited patiently for his turn. When he reached the old man, he was handed a map of the city.

"Young traveler, the gods have foretold your arrival and prepared us for your coming. Here, take this map of the city and explore it so that you become familiar with it. I wish you luck, young Steel."

Quest Added

Begin Your Adventure

Welcome new player to the World of Everlife.  Starting the day you arrive, you will not be allowed outside the gates of the city for 4 weeks or certain requirements are met. As such, you should familiar yourself with your new home, as it will teach you how to play.

Objective:

Locate at least 5 different significant locations and learn about them

Reward:

Knowledge of the city, intimacy with important figures, and 10 copper pieces

Steel tilted his head as he read the rewards. Noting the help button at the bottom right of his vision, he moved his finger to it, calling up a blue box that read: “Please speak your question.”

“What is intimacy?” he asked. “Is it an important part of the game?”

The blue box blinked before displaying the answer to his question.

There are two types of attributes in game: social and level.  Level attributes grow by repeating actions, leveling up, or [hidden].  They include strength, wisdom, and others.  Social attributes are only obtainable by interacting with NPCs and can become negative if you displease them.  They include intimacy, level of familiarity, leadership, viewed authority and trust, and others.  Social attributes are harder to obtain and easy to lose.

Understanding now, Steel gave his thanks to the old man and walked away, opening the map scroll he had been given. It disappeared in a twinkling of light and the game informed him his map had been improved. Now, the mini-map in the corner of his vision had names to go with every building and a few small arrows pointing to the places that would satisfy the quest. He was curious and clicked the help button.

"Will every quest have arrows that point out the location of the objective?"

Only beginning quests for new players will have arrows for assistance. Future quests will only have a location marked in a general area.

“Okay, so the game only helps you for a little while?  Help, what kinds of quests are there in Everlife?”

In response to his question, the help button unleashed a deluge of information. Quests in Everlife could be divided the categories repeatable and chain, but both included three general quest types within them. The first were beginner quests, or quests that didn’t have a requirement to undertake like intimacy, fame, or level. These were the quests players would fulfill upon entering a new area in order to raise the previously mentioned attributes.

The second type of quest was conditional quests, for example, any quest related to a quick time event like a monster invasion or a war between nations. They also included any quest that held a level or stat requirement. These quests didn't currently play a large role since the game had just started, but would eventually become more important in the future. Examples of this type included gathering supplies for the army, participating in a battle, finding a long-lost memento for an old warrior, or completing a treasure quest for the nobility.

The third quest type was unique quests that could only be completed for a single player or group of players. Unique quests had important effects on the entire game of Everlife, and could set important events in motion. Some of the unique quests, according to the Everwiki, actually had a time limit to complete, otherwise they would be lost for a period of time or forever.

"Good to know, then," Steel said, nodding to himself. "Now, let's see which place is closest to me."

According to the map, the closest objective was the guard building next to the west gate of the city. Steel quickly made his way over to it, but was stopped by a guard as he neared the gate

"Halt there, traveler. What is your business at the Rostwood Gate?" one of the gate guards cried out to him as he approached.

Steel bowed low and respectful to the guards. "Good sir, I am a new traveler and merely exploring the city to get my bearings. I am not here to use the gate, just the guard house.

The two gate guards eyed Steel and shook their heads.

"Young traveler, while I respect your desire to prove your strength, you are far too weak right now to leave this town. It is wise of you to recognize this for yourself. However, with your level of intimacy you are not eligible to enter the guard house. Please return after gaining some renown for yourself."

Steel frowned and sighed and he considered the guard's words. Obviously, he lacked the charm, intimacy, and ability to enter the guard house at this time.

"Since I cannot enter, could one of you explain to me why the guard house is significant?"

The guard smiled down at him and nodded. "You may indeed, young traveler. Every city gate has a guard house, the place where guards work and are assigned duties by the city. If you become friendly with the city, you may be permitted to enter and accept the quests posted on the job board within for items or coin. If you ever accept a position within the guard, it will also become the place where you are assigned jobs and paid."

Thanking the guard, Steel walked away and began his walk to the next place.

"Map," he called out. As the mini-map enlarged in front of his face, Steel inspected it closely.

According to it, Rostwood was a small city, shaped like a circle divided into four sections by the main roads. There were two guard houses opposite in direction to the other, each next to their own gate. Each section of the city held a major location, which meant he would have to walk to every part of the city to accomplish the quest.

"Let's see here," Steel muttered as he looked at the closest spot. "I guess the mage tower is closest to me." The tower appeared to be located on the west side of the city in the middle of the section. Nodding, Steel minimized the mini-map and began to make his way toward the tower.

As he walked through the busy streets, he took his time to appreciate the environment. He was very impressed by the realism of the world around him—the air smelled of food, work, and horses, and the sunlight glittered on windows and stone streets. Players and NPCs alike walked down the streets, all eager to experience their life in this world. He passed a few stalls where merchants called out their wares to passersby. Since this section held the mage tower, Steel began to notice a large number of magic, apothecary, and enchantment shops. As he walked by an apothecary stall, he was stopped for a moment as a pair of guards escorted a player out in hand cuffs. The player wailed as he struggled to escape, but the guards had a firm grip on him.

"I need poison for my quest, I'm telling you the truth!" the player cried out as he passed Steel. "I wasn't going to kill anyone with it!"

Steel raised an eyebrow and walked to the apothecary, who was glaring at the player as he was being taken away. "Excuse me ma'am," he started politely. "What happened to that man?"

The apothecary was a mature lady in a brown dress with long brown hair and brown skin. Her face, which would be pleasing during normal circumstances, was currently screwed up into an expression of loathing. She huffed and shook her head in disgust. "That traveler wanted to buy some nightshade poison, a strong poison used to kill others. He should have known better. Only poison-makers deal with that and they are out-lawed in this kingdom. Care to buy a potion, young traveler?" Her face changed to business shockingly fast.

Steel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm still new to the area, so I doubt my small coin purse would interest you. However," he said quickly as the apothecary began to look disinterested, "can I pay you for some information?"

The apothecary donned a beaming smile and gestured for him to join her at the counter inside the store. She led him past shelves of potions, and sat down behind the counter. "You may ask your questions, young one, and I'll determine what you owe. I won't cheat you, so have no fear."

Feeling slightly skeptical, Steel shrugged and asked, "How much would it be to learn how to make my own potions?"

The apothecary leaned back and scratched her head. "In order to become an apothecary, you would have to acquire the Herbology, Foraging, and Potion Crafting skill. If you just wanted the ability to make potions without gathering your own ingredients, you would only need that last skill. Either way, you would need guidance and an apothecary starter kit, which together would cost would about 15 silver."

Steel visibly winced at the price. The apothecary chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry, not all skills require a mentor in order to be learned. In fact, you could develop the Beginner Potion Making skill on your own, though it would take an exceedingly long time. Not only that, but by creating your own potions from scratch without training, you would risk creating a potion with less strength. In theory, it could also be possible to create a stronger one—if you got lucky. After maximizing Beginner Potion Making, the skill would then change into intermediate Potion Crafting and you would be all set. The starter kit would still be 10 silver, however."

Steel nodded. "Do you know any jobs I could do to start saving up for it?"

The apothecary hummed and thought for a moment. "Well, I do need someone to help me gather some herbs for my shop. The sudden arrival of travelers means that I will soon need more stock to sell, so if you could gather 25 green herbs for me I would repay you.  By the way, you may call me Roxanne the Apothecary."

Quest Added

Gather herbs

Roxanne the apothecary has taken a liking to you and has asked your help in gathering 25 green herbs for her shop.  She can tell you where to find them.

Objective:

Gather at least 25 herbs of at minimum decent quality and return them to Roxanne

Reward:

Foraging Skill, intimacy with Roxanne, possible additional rewards

Steel grinned at the quest and nodded. "I would be happy to help you gather herbs. Where can I find them?"

Roxanne grinned and winked at him. "I appreciate the help. Now, you travelers are too weak to leave the city currently, but there is a section of land outside the wall that is available to you. The area outside the east gate holds the farmland for the city and is surrounded by a fence protected by patrolling guards. If you hand them this slip, they will let you out for this quest. However, it will only be good for the one day after you show it, so I advise you don't waste time after using it." She handed him a letter with a leaf symbol on it and pointed at the door. "I'll be waiting, so don't take too long."

Steel said his goodbyes and left the shop. A quick look confirmed Roxanne's shop was now permanently marked on his map with an exclamation sign.  He smiled and resumed his travels toward the mage tower.

It didn't take Steel too long to reach the tower. It stood tall and proud in the center of what Steel thought to be the "magic area". From what he had picked up from conversations and reading on the Everwiki, the player controlled information site that was currently growing, the mage tower was the location where the Archmage of the city lived, as well as the other members of the city’s Wizard Council. It also served as the branch of the Mage Guild and served as a location where new mages could practice their craft without hurting innocent bystanders.

Reaching the tower, Steel took in the large oak doors that stood open to the world. Above the door, an inscription read:

Enter ye who seek knowledge.  Enter ye who seek power.  Know that answers beyond the call of man await.  Know that ye tempt death's accursed fate.

Puzzled at the message, Steel walked into the tower and paused to take in the surroundings. The floors were pure white, while the walls were spelled with illusions of different elements. One part of the wall seemed to blaze in fire, another resembled a hurricane, still another looked as if it were under water, while the last looked like a wall of earth that twinkled with many gemstones. Inside, a receptionist desk stood to the wall on the left, next to a large stair that winded upwards in the middle of the floor. Tables were scattered throughout the area, with groups of wizards sitting and talking to each other. The wall opposite to the receptionist desk held an ethereal board that held many slips of paper on it.

Steel walked over to the receptionist desk, which was very long and held many alcoves. There were quite a few players already talking to some of the receptionists, but Steel spied an open alcove and sat down in front of it.

The receptionist present was a young woman leaning on her hand, quite bored. She had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, brown eyes, and a dainty nose. She frowned as she looked at Steel.

"I don't feel like talking, so go find someone else," she said haughtily.

It was quite clear why this receptionist had no one waiting in line to speak with her. Steel cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me."

The receptionist sighed and raised her head off her hand. She glared at Steel. "Like I said, I don't feel like talking. Go away."

Steel frowned, remembering some of the bullies he had the misfortune of meeting with in the past. "I'll leave, but it's a shame if you're incapable of doing the simplest of things. I guess I'll go wait in line for that busty blonde down the desk."

An invisible hand pushed him down into the seat as he was getting up. He looked over to see the red and furious face of the receptionist in front of him.
Jackpot, he thought to himself.

"I can do anything that blonde flack can do and better," she growled out. "Hurry and ask your questions."

"How does one become a mage?" Steel asked.

The receptionist sniffed and sneered. "That’s an easy one to answer. If a traveler such as yourself wants to become a mage, they would have to do one of two things. They could choose to work as a mage apprentice for the guild here and would be granted the class of mage immediately. Of course, they would be aptly paid for their service and could still go on adventures as long as they followed any request sent to them by the guild.”

The receptionist continued, “The other way is to purchase magic books from the guild and learn on you own the skills required to become a mage. Like any other class, once you have learned the prerequisite skills, the voice of the goddess would then come down and ask you if you wanted to become that class. Now, here is what I can tell you that the other hussy can't," she lowered her voice. "Both ways have disadvantages. While you will be paid as a mage apprentice, it will be less than if you accepted the quest as a free adventurer. Also, any mage quest sent to you would automatically take precedence over anything you'd currently be doing. You'd be a mage apprentice until you paid back the guild or rebelled, which would make you a criminal with a bounty. Then, if you were caught you'd be made a slave. On the other hand, the magic books are insanely expensive if you don't know the right people. There is a secret third option as well—find a mentor to teach you magic. Other classes can use a little magic, so don't think you have to be a mage to use it. Though, obviously being a mage is the best option."

Through your actions, you have learned an interesting secret of the mage guild.  Perhaps there are similar things at the other guilds?

+1 charm
+1 wisdom
+1 intelligence

Steel nodded. "You were right, you are definitely the best receptionist here. I can't believe I even considered going to the hussy at the end of the line.  How about learning spells?"

The receptionist puffed up at Steel's praise and began to lecture him again. “Magic users learn new spells three ways: being taught, reading a book, or discovering/creating a spell themselves. Finding a teacher is hard and each one has his or her own negative quirks to deal with, but the reward is the fame of being a particular teacher's student. The easier option is to do a quest for a mage and receive a brief lesson to learn a spell. Reading a tome would also grant the ability to use a spell immediately, making it the most expensive option and the rarest, since books disappear after use. Discovering or creating a thought-up spell is the easiest, but magical experimentation is dangerous and has an 80% chance of causing an explosion or magical disaster for the user. If that happens the offending mage would be charged full price of any damages and be expected to work his debt off to the crown or be imprisoned.”

"So, what do you think of me now, young traveler?" the receptionist asked arrogantly.

"It's Steel, not traveler, and I think we are the same age," Steel said honestly.

She glared at him. "But what do you think of me? Am I not the smartest and brightest one here?"

Steel shrugged. "Compared to the busty blonde, I'm sure you are better. Being the best, though, I'm not sure about, since I haven't talked to anyone else yet."

The receptionist frowned at him. "I assure you there is nothing they can do that I can't do better."

Steel smiled softly. "I bet you can't teach me magic."

The receptionist looked shocked at his words. Steel leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I bet if I made one of those receptionists happy enough, they would be willing to show me a little something or two. You're probably too scared of doing anything against the guild and Archmage though."

The receptionist visibly twitched at the title and gave a savage grin. "You know what, that would be going against the Arc—the Mage Guild, wouldn't it. Traveler, you’ve peaked my interest. Take this letter and be in the farmlands at sunset. If you use this letter, the guards will let you out only for tonight, so don't miss our meeting.  Since I’m helping you, you’ve earned the gift of knowing my name, Marie."

Quest Added (Special)

Learn Magic

Due to your successful persuasion, you have convinced Marie the receptionist to teach you magic against the wishes of the mage guild.  Be sure you don't miss the meeting or bad things will happen.

Objective:

Meet Marie at sunset in the farmlands and learn magic from her.

Special Objective:

What you're doing is on the ''thrown in jail' side of things.  Be sure to not get caught or get Marie in trouble.

Reward:

Basic magic, intimacy with Marie, opportunity to enter the farmlands

You have learned the skill: Persuasion

Description:

A master of the silver tongue, you have the ability to change other's perspective to align with your own.  Passive ability

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

You have a greater chance of persuading others.

Steel nodded. "I will be there."

Marie smiled and passed him an envelope with a book on it. "I'll see you there." She gave him a wink.

After leaving the mage tower, Steel went to his next stop, the temples.

The temple part of the city was an area with many trees and gardens. Steel noted many small shrines as he made his way toward the largest one in the center of the garden. The main temple was quite beautiful—the steps and columns were made of a white stone that glittered in the sun. The architecture reminded Steel of a mix of Roman and Greek buildings he had seen on the Holo-deck in the Game Center. The temple had white doors adorned with many patterns that evoked in him a feeling of serenity. Upon entering, he noticed a group of players who were in the middle of worship in a flowered courtyard. In the main room, instead of a receptionist desk, 6 statues lined the wall in a semi-circular form.

"Do you need assistance, young traveler?" a voice came from Steel's left. He turned to find a robed priest beside him, waiting for a response.

"Yes, good priest, your help would be invaluable to me. I seek knowledge on the different jobs, and I came here to learn the various classes of faith."

The priest smiled at him. "Of course, young one, I would be happy to explain to you the faith professions.  It is a pleasure to see so many travelers interested in the wisdom of the gods. Walk with me to the god statues."

Steel and the priest walked over to the statues. The priest indicated each statue.

"There are many gods that rule from the pantheon above and below. We honor all the gods with their own temple, even the dark gods so as to not garner their envy or anger. However, these are the 6 high gods that rule these lands. They are universal to all races, but each has a favored race that they show more favor to than others." He gestured to the first statue. "This is Highland, the god of adventure and patron of the human race.  His followers are encouraged to seek fame and fortune in the land and spread healing where ever it is needed.

“The second statue is Gaea, the god of nature and patron of the elf race. His followers spend many hours learning as much as they can. While not traditionally battle worthy, they are some of the best healers in the world and some are feared for their prowess with plant magic.

"This is the statue of Scorch, god of the mountains and crafting, and patron of the dwarves. His followers fight with heaven-blessed fists and kicks and are always ready for a noble brawl. It is said everything in the heavens is made by him and his apprentices.

"Over here is Farscythe, god of tricks and parties, and patron of the gnomes. He is one of the most cunning gods and his followers are adept at shadowy tricks and concealment. Some of the best entertainers in the world also follow him.

"Finally, we have Scar, god of war and battle, and the orc's patron. His battle priests fight with holy staves and morningstars and spread his word blow by blow."

Steel looked at the sixth statue in the middle. "What about her?"

The priest smiled at the statue. "She is Milna, goddess of nature. She has no race, but gives her love to any who love and fight for nature. She is also the shyest of the gods, very little is known about her outside of her followers. It is sometimes said she is the patron of the beasts that walk the lands."

"Would that not make her an enemy of all people?"

"No, it means she helps to keep them in check so we can have our meat," he said evenly. Privately doubting that last bit of information due to how ridiculous it sounded, Steel examined the 6 statues again.

"Why is there only one goddess among these gods?" he asked.

The priest chuckled. "Because the gods favor races, but the goddesses are more picky and prefer individuals. Don’t be so confused, young traveler, there are more than just these gods.  The six here are merely those that serve as patrons to races as opposed to certain ideals or laws of nature. Even though we focus on the 5 patron gods, we do not discriminate against the others because all divinity is equal in our eyes. Except the dark gods, of course, of whom I will speak no more so as not to desecrate these halls.

"Now, you wanted to hear about the different faith professions correct?" The priest waited for Steel's nod. "Well, faith professions are divided between warrior and priest. Both use faith as the source of their power, but paladins and crusaders use faith as an augment to their battle prowess while priests and healers use their faith for their spells. To become one of either side, you would have to choose a patron god or goddess and pledge your eternal loyalty. Your patron would then grant you the starting class and abilities. If you do choose a dark god, we do request you worship in secret and leave the city as soon as possible, however." The priest eyed Steel for a moment. "While we preach equality, only towns where travelers come into being have this attitude. The rest of the world will actively seek to purge any dark priests for fear of another war."

I doubt I would worship a dark one, so have no fear, good priest," Steel assured him.

The priest visibly relaxed and smiled at Steel. "I hope I answered your questions satisfactory."

Steel nodded. "You have, and I will pray on this matter as I explore the rest of the city."

The priest bowed. "I wish you a blessed day then, young traveler."

Chapter 5

After leaving the temples, Steel double checked his quest progress. Even though Roxanne the apothecary had given him a quest, her encounter hadn't counted as one of the major locations and left him with three down and two to go. The last two places he had to visit were the Adventurer Guild and the Training Hall. Since he had to go out the east gate for the two quests, Steel decided to hit the Training Hall first and then the Adventurer's Guild since it was closest to the east gate.

After crossing the central plaza again, Steel made his way through what looked like the crafting district. Weapon merchants cried out from their stalls and stores while the sound of blacksmiths pounding away on their anvils echoed through the streets. Steel window-shopped as he walked, but saw nothing he could buy at the moment. His paltry 30 coppers paled in comparison to the cheapest metal swords and armor.

As he walked, he felt his stomach give a low groan of hunger. A quick check confirmed that his character would get hungry soon, which would result in a 25% penalty to his stats. Thankfully, his beginner pack included 10 pieces of bread besides the copper and items from the tutorial. Steel had actually forgotten about the armor and weapon skills and quickly pulled them from his inventory. The two skills in item form appeared to be balls that fit easily in his palm.  Upon applying pressure to them, the two balls broke apart into shimmering lights as a notification appeared before Steel.

Skills acquired:

Light Armor Proficiency, Beginner Spear Handling

You have learned the skill: Light Armor Proficiency

Description:

Able to wear light armor without penalties.  Increasing this skill will unlock better defense stats from worn armor.  Passive ability

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Current Armor Weight: 0

Maximum Armor Weight: 10 LB (half str + half end)

Note: wearing armor over your weight limit will result in penalties to stamina regeneration.

You have learned the skill: Beginner Spear Handling

Description:

You can wield a sword.  Increasing this skill will unlock spear skills usable in battle. Passive ability

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

1. Higher sword skill require a certain level of Spear Handling

2. Increases damage done with spears

After Steel finished reading the notification, a second notification appeared. It informed him that a set of light armor and spear had been acquired and placed in his inventory. Happy, he checked his inventory and donned his new equipment. The light armor fit him easily as he equipped it and the spear and shield felt comfortable in his hands. He gave the spear a few experimental swings before putting it on his back with the shield. As he rounded the last corner, he came across the Training Hall.

The Hall was a small building with a large central courtyard filled with dummies and other combat practice equipment. Unlike the other places he had been to, there was no receptionist desk. Instead, grizzled trainers stalked the field and yelled out insults and instructions to the players who were practicing. As Steel had expected, there were a number of players here, already filling the field.

He looked around to find a trainer to talk to. Spying one who was carrying a spear, Steel walked up to him and asked, “Excuse me, sir, is this the place where I can improve my skills?”

The trainer looked him up and down and nodded, “Centurion/Gladiator style, is it? Hmph, you’re actually the first traveler I’ve seen that uses that style. Tell you what, if you want to change weapons I can help you with that.”

A pop-up appeared in front of Steel’s face, asking if he would like to change preferred weapons and armor skills. Steel shook his head.

“Unless you can help me with my dream of using two shields, I think I’ll stick with this.”

The trainer laughed and clapped Steel on the back. “Two shields, you say? That is the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Tell you what, since you’ve made a good impression, I’ll introduce you to out resident centurion specialist.”

The trainer walked Steel over to a corner where a few sacks were lying on the ground. “Hey, Eric, I got one for you!” The trainer kicked on of the sacks, causing to it snort and fall over.

“Have fun now,” the trainer laughed as he walked off, leaving Steel with the twitching sack. Sighing at his apparent misfortune, Steel leaned down to look at the sack.

Now that he had a better look, the sack was actually a small person in a brown robe. He had an impressive beard and fine mustache, and as he got up he pulled a pointed hat out from behind him and sat it on his head.

“Oy, have ye never seen a dwarf before?”

Steel shook his head and straightened up. “No, sir, I haven’t. You’re the first one.”

The dwarf laughed and burped, getting up and holding his arm out. “Eric Stonefighter, retired soldier. Pleased to meet ye.”

“Steel, traveler,” Steel introduced himself. “Can you train me to fight?”

Eric eyed Steel for a moment. “Ye aura and fighting spirit be weak. I’ve never heard of ye and I don’t ye very well.” He was very blunt.

Steel recognized this was the game’s way of reminding him about his low level, fame, and intimacy with Eric.

“Well, then again I do need to prove me worth here every once in a while,” Eric continued. “I can teach ye the ways of the centurion, aye, but ye should know it won’t be easy. Centurion’s work be best in groups, so ye individual training be quite fierce. Ye sure ye be up to the challenge?”

Quest Added (Special)

Learn to fight like a Centurion

Eric the trainer has offered to train you in the ways of the centurion.  It will be a long experience and will require much time and effort to accomplish

Objective:

Train under Eric for 3 days without quitting

Special Objective:

Try to increase your intimacy with Eric.

Reward:

Basic martial skills, Training Hall intimacy, possible additional loot

“I’ll accept your challenge, Sir Eric, but I do have somewhere to be at sunset today,” Steel admitted.

Eric grinned at him. “Don’t ye be hurryin’, boyo, sun ain’t even at midday yet. Training be longest dis first day, and ye should be done before sunset, I be promising you dat.”

Slightly bewildered, Steel quickly checked the time.  It wasn’t even lunch time in the game. Apparently, the game had started early in the morning and Steel hadn’t taken too long traveling around the city. Shrugging to himself, he agreed to be trained and followed Eric to one of the training areas.

The training area turned out to be a very large room, feeling more like the bottom of a house rather than a proper space. It was also quite plain, only holding padded floors and white walls. In short—plain, simple, and dull to look at. Eric stood at the center and smiled.

"This here be the specialized training room. All ole trainers, like me, have one. We use it for specialty training for the more interesting people that come through our halls, and train them privately so as to not raise de green-eyed monster from others."

"So, this isn't only limited to me? Other travelers are experiencing this as well?" Steel asked.

"Of course, boyo, don't tell me ye thought ye were unique?" Eric laughed. "Well, you are the first traveler to h’ve caught me interest, so I guess ye can take some pride in that." He shrugged. "Now, let’s be gettin things ready." Eric snapped his fingers. Instantly, dummies appeared out of the ground in between Eric and Steel. Eric took out a wooden centurion shield and spear and tossed it to Steel. "Here boyo, you'll be using this whilst training with me." Eric nodded to Steel. "You can’t be using metal till ye know how to wield the weapon. Okay, boyo, start by using shield bash on dees ‘ere dummies and come to me. Oh—and don’t be worryin’ if ye don’t have the skills I tell you to use. You’ll figure it out after tryin’ a few times. Just do what ye think is best.”

The dummies were in a zig-zag formation, leading to Eric. Taking a breath, Steel charged in.

He slammed the wooden shield against the first dummy with his left arm. As he swung it, he turned with the momentum and continued his charge into the dummy on the right. As he hit it, however, the wooden shield shattered into splinters, showering Steel in fragments and cutting his HP down an eighth. He dropped to the floor, grimacing to himself as he rubbed his arm.

Eric shook his head, sighing. "Boyo, I told ye to shield bash the dummies, not charge into them. Tell me, do ye know what ye did wrong?"

Steel pulled a splinter out of his arm. "The shield's not made for combos?"

Eric whacked him with his cane. "No, boyo, it's how you're using the shield. Watch me do it." He gestured, and the dummies decreased to his own size.

Eric equipped a wooden centurion shield of his own and ran the course. Instead of bouncing through the dummies like Steel had, Eric hit the first left dummy in the head by performing a clothesline maneuver with the shield. He then jumped over to the right dummy and hit it square in the middle, the blow sliding past the dummy and taking his momentum into the last dummy. He walked back over to Steel and displayed the shield. It did not have a single crack.

"Tell me, boyo, why do ye think ye need a basic shield skill?"

Steel's brows furrowed. "So, I can block with a shield and use it to bash enemies?"

Eric nodded. "Well, while dat is important, it's not the most important thing. Let’s say I give a boyo like yeself a knife, and tell him to cut a boulder. The knife ends up being broken, right?" Steel nodded. "Now, I give the knife to a knife user with the basic knife skill. He also slashes at the boulder, but when he returns the knife, it’s still sharp and deadly. Now, do ye understand?"

Steel plopped his fist into his hand. "So in other words, shield skills will lower durability loss."

Eric whacked Steel with the shield. "Ye fool, don’t be spoutin’ nonsense, boyo. Ye need shield skills so ye can properly use a shield and not look like a total fool on the battlefield. Even a mage can use a shield, but it’s worthless without Shield Mastery and other basic skills.”

“A mage can use a shield?” Steel asked in wonder.

Eric rolled his eyes. “Aye, a mage can pick up a shield like any other person. However, metal is bad with most magic and mages aren’t known for their strength so tis a really fool-hardy notion. Now, drink this here potion and get back to work. I promised ye we’d be done by sundown, and I’ve always kept my promises.”

For the next few hours, Steel felt like he was put through a blender. Eric had him run through the course multiple times, first without a shield and he had to hit the dummies with his shield arm. He also made him alternate between slamming them and tapping them, repeatedly yelling that Steel had to get used to the difference of force at the same speeds. After the running was done, Eric strapped a heavy weight to Steel's arm and told him to run the course again.

Steel had a lot harder time tapping, the weight taking his momentum and slamming into the dummies as he tried to pass. The weight was spelled so that every time it slammed, it stuck to whatever it touched. Steel spent a lot of time being yanked back by it, and his arm hurt like crazy. His HP kept falling when it happened, but Eric would give him a healing potion and then he was back running through the course.

On a happier note for Steel, his stats were rising from the repeated training. So far, he had acquired 3 strength, 2 dexterity, 2 endurance, and 1 constitution. He appreciated that stats boosts as he lay panting on the ground. Eric folded his arms and hummed to himself.

“Well boyo, dat was a good start. It’ll be shorter tomorrow, but make no mistake, it will be worse. Now, off ye go if ye want to meet that sunset deadline.” Eric waved Steel away as he turned his attention to a bottle of drink.

Wincing, Steel managed a short bow before he staggered out of the Training Hall. Hopefully, he’d feel a lot better by the time he made it to the gate.

Chapter 6

The sun was just starting to set as Steel finally reached the east gate. Like its counterpart, the west gate, the east gate was a tall opening with both a portcullis and wooden door, with stairs to the upper levels on either side in the towers. The guard house stood next to it as well, with many guards leaving to begin their night patrols. The two guards inside gate stood at attention as Steel approached.

"Halt, young traveler, you are too weak to leave this gate," one declared.

"I have a letter for you," Steel reported as he handed over the letter marked with a book symbol to the guard. The guard briskly took it and opened it. He took a moment to read the letter before nodding and putting it away.

"Your letter has been verified as an official request from the Mage Guild and you are authorized to enter the farmlands for a single night. You may remain for as long as you like out there, but if you do not return before the night is over you will not be allowed to leave again until you are stronger, even if you get ahold of another letter. You must pass through this gate in order for your return to be verified, and even if you die you must report to the gate before the sun rises."

Steel nodded his agreement, and the guards let him through.

Outside the gate, Steel saw a large stretch of land before him of grassy plains and farmer fields. The setting sun cast long shadows on the area and made beautiful colors appear in the sky. Enlarging his mini-map, Steel found the arrow directing him toward Marie's location. He followed it down to one of the farm buildings and walked inside. As he closed the door, a hand covered his mouth and a voice whispered in his ear.

"Have you brought the goods?"

Seeing as he couldn't speak, Steel shrugged his shoulders. The voice tsked and the hand fell away. Steel turned to see Marie frowning at him.

"You are a very boring man, do you know this? Anyway, let's hurry and get this over with before night falls too heavily upon us." She motioned for him to sit on one of the straw bales. "Now, is it your wish to learn how to become a mage or do you desire to just learn to cast magic?"

Steel thought for a moment. "Although I would like to learn some magic, I would prefer to know spells to go along with my fighting skills. I am quite fond of wielding a weapon and shield in battle."

Marie nodded her head. "That's a rather wise decision you've made, traveler Steel. Most muscle-heads warriors believe magic is worthless to anyone who doesn't use a staff, but that's not true at all. I can teach you some basic magic spells, but I'll need your promise to help me out someday when you are stronger. Your current strength is worthless to me, but I know you travelers have the great potential to grow strong. Agree to this, and you will know magic."

Quest Completed

Learn Magic

You have successfully met up with Marie in the farmlands without getting caught.  If you agree to her request, she will teach you magic.

Rewards:

1. Intimacy with Marie increased

2. Opportunity to enter the farmlands

Quest Continued (Special)

Learn Magic II

You have successfully met up with Marie in the farmlands without getting caught.  She has requested you help her in the future when you are stronger in return for magic lessons.

Objective:

Return to Marie after reaching level 5 and level 10 to see what you can do for her.

Special Objective:

If you agree and fail to seek Marie out when the time is right, your intimacy with the Mage Guild will fall to a low level.

Reward:

Spells, Increased intimacy with Marie

Steel thought for a moment. "Will you continue to teach me spells if I agree to help you?"

"As long as you help me, I will help you."

"Then I owe you a favor then," Steel said as he confirmed the quest on the notification menu.

A genuine smile broke out on Marie's face and she visibly relaxed. "Right, first thing you need to know is that everything alive is capable of using mana, the source of all magic. As long as you know the chant, you'll be able to cast spells with ease. However, the stronger spells will have longer chants and a higher mana requirement. Since your aim is to be a warrior, your reserves of mana will be low compared to a normal mage or any other magic user, so you will not be able to cast most medium and higher level spells."

Steel rubbed his chin in thought. “So, how can I increase my mana level?”

“Your level of mana is determined by your intelligence,” Marie said. “And your mana regeneration speed is controlled by your wisdom. Reading books, negotiating with others, and performing tasks that require thinking are all things you can do to increase both attributes.”

When she finished explaining to him, Marie began teaching Steel how to cast spells. First, she cast a spell and showed Steel its effects. Next, she had him slowly recite the chant back to her until he got it correct. Finally, she let him cast the spell on his own. In total, she taught him three spells:

You have learned the spell: Fire Starter

Description:

The most basic fire spell.  When cast, a small fire will start in the location preset by the caster.  It lasts long enough to set something aflame.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Create a small tongue of fire for a few moments

You have learned the spell: Create Water

Description:

The most basic water spell.  When cast, a small stream of water will erupt from the castor's palm for a few moments.  The water is drinkable.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Create a bucket's worth of water

You have learned the spell: Earth Shot

Description:

The most basic earth spell.  The castor creates a small shard of earth and launches it toward a target location.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Create a stone shard and fires it at a target.

Steel was pleased as he finished reading through the notifications, but he turned an inquisitive eye toward Marie. "No air spell today?"

Marie shook her head. "I think three spells are enough for you for now. If anyone asks where you learned them, be sure to tell them you earned the skills yourself so as to alleviate suspicion. These are very basic spells, so it is possible you could’ve figured them out on your own. Tonight's magic lecture is over, so be sure to find me after you get stronger."

Steel gave his thanks and exited the farmhouse, heading back to the gate. After the guards acknowledged his return in the set time, Steel opened his menu and clicked the log out button.

Plat removed his helmet ad stretched as he got up. He had played for 8 hours and was now thoroughly hungry as he watched the sunset from his window. Seeing his wristwatch had no new messages, he sent Henry, Reva, and Dia a message saying that he would be eating in the cafeteria.

A quick look into the room confirmed that none of his usual bullies were present. Feeling relief, Plat made his way through the food line and grabbed himself a bowl of pasta and a freeze-dried ice cream. The pasta was his favorite, and it left just enough after-taste to give a bit of flavor to the bland and tasteless cold treat. Since fresh food was a rarity at the academy, students had to make do with what they had.

"Is this seat taken?" a warm voice asked him from behind. Plat turned to see a smiling Sarah looking down at him with her own tray of food.

"It's open, help yourself," he managed to get out without turning red.

"Thank you," Sarah said as she took the seat next to him. She took a moment to eat a bite of her food before she looked over at Plat. "So, how was your first day in Everlife?"

"It was good," he said with a smile. "I explored the city and got a few quests. I even got to explore a little outside Rostwood before the day was done."

Sarah gave a small gasp. "That's amazing! We ended up in the same city! My character is an ice elf named Bright, and I spent the day learning at the elvish embassy about history and magic."

"The elves have an embassy in Rostwood?" Plat asked in confusion.

Sarah nodded. "All the races have one in Rostwood accept humans because they own the city. I learned through my history lessons that Rostwood is one of the few cities where all the races can live in peace together since it's so close to the border between nations."

Plat frowned. "Was it really necessary to spend so much time on history? Kind of sounds a little boring, if you asked me."

Sarah giggled. "It was, but I received a few stat boosts to intelligence and wisdom because of it, so it was time well-spent. What about you, did you find any interesting places?"

"I found a mentor at the Training Hall and made a friend with an apothecary if that counts," Plat told her. "I still don't have a class yet though, so I'll be training for the next two days at the training center."

Sarah nodded her head as she looked thoughtful. "Well, how about we meet up when you’re done training and hunt together in the farmland. I can get a pass for you from the embassy to enter the farmlands if you need one."

Plat shook his head. "No need, I got one already from a quest. Do you know when we can leave the gate and enter the farmlands without a pass?"

"I believe you have to be level 5 in order to enter the farmlands and level 10 in order to leave the city." She paused. "Okay then, I'll send you a message in three days on where we can meet, so look forward to it!"

"Sure, I wish you luck in the game," Plat said with a smile.

"You too," she grinned and ate her last bite before getting up and leaving. As soon as she was gone, Plat released his breath and felt his face and ears growing red. He quickly finished his food and left the cafeteria for bed.

"Did he agree to it?"

"I just heard back, he did."

"Good. We need him to complete the quest. Be sure nothing gets revealed that might spook him away."

"What about the others? They aren't comfortable with the plan and may warn him."

"They can't, they're in too deep. No matter what happens, they are in with us, whether they like it or not."

"Yes, sir, I'll tell them you said that."

"Good, see to it, then."

Chapter 7

Steel opened his eyes to the new day as his avatar body appeared next to the east gate. He checked himself over and nodded in satisfaction that everything was exactly the same as when he logged out yesterday. Supposedly, after logging off his body would disappear from the game so as to prevent injury, theft, or death. Since it was early in the morning, Steel decided that now was as good a time as any to gather the 25 green herbs, since he was right next to the east gate. Like last time, he walked up to one of the gate guards and handed over the letter with the leaf on it. The guard inspected the letter and nodded.

“Per request of the alchemist Roxanne, you are permitted to spend the day in the farmlands in order to gather green herbs for her. You must be back before sunset otherwise you will not be permitted to leave until you are stronger. If you have any questions regarding the area in the farmland, ask now.”

Steel noted the difference in treatment compared to the previous night, but held his tongue on the matter as it was a different guard. “Tell me sir, what are the dangers in the farmlands?”

The guard turned and pointed into the distance. “Though you cannot see it, there is a wooden fence that runs the length of the farmlands. Guards patrol that fence and keep large predators away, however, many vermin slip past and make their home in the area. The enemies you may encounter are rats, rabbits, foxes, and, in rare cases, a wolf. The order in which I have mentioned them is their strength, so avoid foxes and wolves if you can help it. You may come across a farmer while walking around and may accept quests from them to exterminate some vermin.”

Steel nodded in thanks and entered the farmland. As it was daylight now, Steel had his first real opportunity to see the area in its full glory. His first impression of the outside of the wall was one of amazement. Beautiful grassland and tilled farmland separated the walled city from a forest. In the far distance, he noted the wooden fence that traveled from the walls into the distance. He could vaguely see the outline of the fence enter the forest in the horizon. Small animals moved through the grass and butterflies flew through the air everywhere he looked. A river flowed nearby through the fields and made its way from the north to the south of the field.

Steel became very excited as he took in the sites before him and felt a sense of wonder-lust rise up inside him. As he made his way down the path toward the farmland, he came across a bunny in his path. The bunny watched him for a little while, then resumed eating grass. When he got close, it took off, then stopped and resumed staring at him while eating grass. His awareness aroused, Steel began walking again, but the bunny did the same thing and blocked his path. This time though, the bunny turned and pooped in his direction before turning back around and eating grass again. Peeved and slightly irritated at this, Steel decided to chase the bunny.

“Come back here, you rabbit!” he shouted as the bunny led him on a merry chase through the peaceful landscape. For the next 30 minutes, Steel pursued the beast, every so often getting close to the bunny. Yet, every time it came close to his grasp, it escaped. He ran so much his stamina-level hit zero and he was forced to lie down to rest. Looking around, he noticed a group of bunnies watching him and the first bunny, all nibbling what looked like a carrot.

"Oh great, I'm providing the entertainment for dinner," he said weakly. Seeing that his stamina would take a while to recover, he put his head back down and watched the clouds above his head.

"The realism is amazing here," he muttered, amazed at the level of detail the world had. "Even the clouds move like in the real world."

As he lay in the grass with his eyes closed, he felt pressure start to build on his body, as if a rock had been laid on his stomach. He opened his eyes to find himself covered in sleeping rabbits.

How cute, he thought. I guess I feel kind of bad for trying to fight them now.

He moved his right hand up to pet a bunny on his chest. It sneezed in its sleep and rubbed its head against his hand. Steel smiled as he pet it, and then froze in fear.

The rabbit had yawned, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and two large fangs that blended into its fur. It reached its hind leg up and scratched itself before farting.

Uh, what kind of rabbit has teeth like that! he screamed in his head. His fear rising, Steel quickly scanned the rabbits lying on his body in a panic.

“Uh, what was it called again? Um, Analyze,” he muttered as he activated his ability.

Analyze was an ability all players possessed that allowed them to see another’s information.  Passively, it worked to provide players the names of those around him. Actively, it examined the target and reported basic enemy information. Steel had read somewhere that there were better abilities that revealed more, but this was what he currently had.

According to the scan, the majority of bunnies resting on his body were regular bunnies at level 2 and 3. However, the large bunny directly in front of his face was a different story.

“Le—level 5 Devil Rabbit…” Steel read hoarsely as he stared at the screen. “Rare rabbit variant that prefers to eat the flesh of its victims along with carrots. Beginners should avoid at all cost.”

According to the system, a devil rabbit had a 5% chance of spawning in any area with a high enough rabbit population. It was tamable and a possible evolution for beast tamers who raised rabbits, but was hard to tame due to its vicious nature and large tendency to bite the hand that fed it.

“You can tame animals in this game too as well as evolve them? Man, this game sure does have everything,” Steel muttered under his breath. “A beast tamer profession as well, maybe I should look into that. Wait a moment! This is not a time to be impressed by game mechanics! I have to use my superior intelligence to slowly extract myself from this situation.  Or, luck out, either way so long as—”

Then, he sneezed from the rabbit hair tickling his nose.

The rabbits slowly opened their eyes and stared at him. Steel stared back, sweat beginning to come off him in droves.

"Heh, nice bunnies?"

The Devil Bunny looked at him and seemed to smile, which did nothing to reduce his stress as he watched the large fangs come into view. It hopped over to his neck, sniffed him and…(SLURP) licked his mouth. Instantly, Steel shot up and roll-jumped onto a grass hill, freaking out as he ran toward the gate.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHhhhhhhh! Demon bunnies!" he screamed, trying to escape with his life.

Unfortunately, his stamina was still down, and he collapsed halfway to the gate. He could only watch as the herd of bunnies hopped toward him, closer, and closer, with the Devil Rabbit at the head of the herd. Its tongue hung out as it drooled while starring at him.

The bunnies approached, and all Steel could do was to put his hands over his face. Before the rabbits reached him, however, he heard footsteps behind him and opened his eyes to see the rabbits scatter in front of him. He rolled over and saw guards marching down the path toward him. He sighed in relief as they approached.

“You’re lucky, traveler, that it was time to switch patrols,” the lead guard said. “In the future, stay away from large herd of bunnies as they are likely being led by a devil rabbit.”

“Yes sir, I appreciate the help,” Steel thanked the guards, who quickly left and resumed their march toward the fences.

“Now that that’s over with,” Steel muttered, “I’d better hurry and find the herbs before that herd comes back. Come on stamina, regenerate already.”

Once half his stamina had been restored, Steel got up and resumed his quest for the herbs.  Thankfully, the quest box included a picture of the herb that he was supposed to find, otherwise Steel wouldn’t have any idea on where to start. The quest arrow had changed into an area on the map where he could find the herbs. After a few minutes, he came across the first herb. Steel scratched his head for a moment, than shrugged and bent down to pick the plant. As he touched it, the herb disappeared.

Item Acquired

Green Herb (poor)

He frowned as he read the herb’s quality. “Maybe it’s because I don’t have the foraging skill Roxanne mentioned,” he mused to himself. “But, I should be able to get the skill if I do this long enough.”

After collecting a few more bad quality herbs, and breaking a few by accident, another notice popped up in front of his face.

You have learned the skill: Foraging

Description:

This skill allows one to harvest plants from the ground. Higher proficiency in this skill will result in better quality produce.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

1. Able to harvest plants with reduced penalty.

2. Increased chance of harvesting additional herbs

Sighing in relief, Steel reached down and harvested another herb.  This time its quality was ‘decent’. He found that now every other herb he picked came out as decent quality. It took him a few more hours, but he was able to harvest the remaining green herbs needed to complete the quest. Once he verified it for a second time, he quickly made his way out of the farmland into the city and back toward Roxanne’s store.

When he reached the gate, the guards stopped him and confirmed his identity before letting him pass. A notification popped up, letting him know his affinity with the city guards had increased due to following instructions.

When he reached the store, he found Roxanne leaning behind her counter with a bored expression on her face. She perked up as soon as Steel entered and clapped her hands together.

“If it isn’t the young traveler, back from the fields. Have you brought me what I asked for?”

Steel nodded and took out the 25 decent-quality green herbs from his inventory. “It took me awhile to get this since I kept breaking the plants, but I was able to get the foraging skill, which helped out.”

Roxanne nodded as she inspected the herbs on the counter. “This is indeed what I asked for. Since you worked so hard, I’ll also buy the poor-quality herbs from you as well. I can still make weak healing potions with them, so it’s no bother to me.”

Quest Completed (Special)

Gather Herbs

You were successful in gathering the required herbs for Roxanne

Reward:

Intimacy with Roxanne the Apothecary has risen
1 silver for gathering extra herbs
Roxanne’s Letter has been moved to Personal Items
Exp has been acquired

Level Up!

After receiving enough experience points (exp) you have grown from Level 1 to Level 2

Reward:

You have gained 5 attribute points (ap) for your character.  Open your character menu to add your ap to whichever attribute you want.

Steel grinned as the screen informed him of his level up. He bowed to Roxanne. “I have completed the quest, is there anything else I can do to help you?”

Roxanne nodded. “I’m still going to need more herbs for my potions, so you can continue to use my letter in order to gather herbs at your leisure. I’ll pay you for whatever you bring me.  Just remember that my letter is only good for the time of sunrise to sunset and the guards will confiscate upon failing to reach the gate in time.”

Quest Added

Gather herbs II

Roxanne the apothecary has taken a liking to you and has asked your help in gathering 25 green herbs for her shop. This quest is repeatable and has no time limit.

Objective:

Gather at least 25 herbs of at minimum decent quality and return them to Roxanne

Rewards:

Money, increased intimacy with Roxanne

“I’ll be glad to help you again,” Steel said with a smile.

~~~~~

Steel felt something shake him as he slowly came to. Groggy from all the blows taken from golems, his eyes slowly focused on the figure of Eric, who was pouring water on top of his head.

“Rise and shine, boyo! Now’s not the time to be sleepin’ when there’s training to be done.”

It took Steel a moment to remember who he was and what he was doing. It was the third day of training with Eric, and Steel didn't feel any closer to gaining skills than he had been before. After leaving Roxanne’s shop he had come straight over to the Training Hall and trained with Eric for the rest of the day. He had been so tired after training he had logged off and gone to sleep early.

When he logged back in, however, he found himself face to face with a grinning Eric, who promptly dragged him into the training room for the final day of training.  Now, he had just woken up after getting knocked out again.

"Really, Master, I don't feel like I'm learning anything anymore," Steel complained. "I’ve learned how to properly use my shield and spear, so why am I still running this course?"

Eric snorted. "Why, boyo? Well, because ye wooden shield keeps cracking every time ye run it!" To illustrate his point, Eric pointed at Steel's current shield, which had a long crack down it.

Steel glared at it, the one imperfection to his days of hard work. "Sorry, sir, but I really feel like I understand it and how to use it. There is nothing else for me to learn."

Eric's smile grew cunning. "Really now, you’re so sure? Let’s put ye words to the test, then."

With a snap of his fingers, the dummies disappeared. Out of the ground, 5 wooden figures arose. They were humanoid shape, but lacked any distinguishing features. They had a fake sword on one arms and a shield on the other, and they alternated which arms held a sword.

Steel blinked. "What are these, Master?"

"Boyo, these be practice golems. Seems the bonk on the ole noggin made you forget about them. See if ye can defend against their attacks." With a snap of his fingers, the golems moved forward in a line and attacked Steel, one at a time. Startled by the sudden onslaught, Steel brought up his shield and took the first blow head on. Instantly, the shield shattered and he was once again hailed in splinters. The golems stopped and returned to their original position.

Eric chuckled. "Come on now, boyo, not even the first blow? Show me ye learned something these past two days."

With a grimace, Steel put on another shield and stood ready. The golems came again.

“You almost had it that time, boyo. Here, let me show ya again,” Eric equipped a shield and swung it into the air in front of him, beginning his lecture again for the currently knocked down Steel. “A shield and shield bearer share the force taken in. If one be weak, both u’l suffer. On the other side, if one be too strong, then the other will eventually break as well.  I don’t expect perfection, dat be impossible to drag out from a wee lad who’s never fought before. To get ye skill, ye just need to know balance.”

Steel nodded, his mind beginning to form the answer it was looking for. Annoyed he hadn’t figured it out by now, he gazed down at his wooden shield. “Sir, does that also relate to attacking as well?”

Eric nodded, pleased. “Good job for making dat connection, boyo. Yes, attacking head on with a shield can turn out badly against a larger opponent or a heavily armored one. Exceptions to this be shields like you own.” He gestured to the shield on his back. “Ye be usin’ a centurion tower shield, the strongest type der is when used with others. Other tower shields be used by a single person, but we centurions rely on our brothers to fight the enemy. It’s designed to be locked with others to share the burden of battle. If ye master balance, then alone ye will become a gladiator of legend or a strong foundation to ye shield wall with ye brothers. What do ye think now, boyo?”

Steel eyed the column of golems. “I think I’m ready to give it another shot, sir.”

“Then hurry up and get into position!” Eric barked.

Steel took his stance in front of the golems. Legs apart, left foot forward, head down behind his shield, spear pointed toward the enemy, Steel kept his eyes locked onto the first golem. It jerked, and started walking toward him, sword held up high.

He waited for it, watching the golem swing its blade down at him. He leaned to his right, curving at the waist before swinging back, knocking the golem’s sword aside with his shield. The shield shuddered, but didn’t break or crack as the golem fell over. Steel quickly thrust his spear into its body. It melted back into the ground as the second golem approached, its sword in its left hand. Steel angled his shield to the right, before performing the same maneuver and knocking the golem’s weapon aside and thrusting his spear into it. However, the golem avoided the spear, instead pressing forward with its shield as it regained control over its sword arm. Steel swore as he jumped to the side, away from the second slash. He rolled to his right, getting up and shield bashing the golem on its side with a slapping like motion. The golem toppled forward, falling onto its own sword, and vanished. Steel grinned, but barely dodged two sword swipes from the next two golems. He looked over, and found the previous two were waiting next to the last golem. Steel rolled away, shouting, “Sir, what’s going on?”

Eric yelled back, “It’s no use to get used to only one enemy, boyo! Shield users have to be able to take punishment from more than enemy at times. Ye’ll pass this part of the training if ye can survive 5 of them.”

Oh, great, it gets worse, Steel thought depressingly to himself, jumping back from another slash. The two golems walked together, mirroring each other’s movements. He quickly thought of a plan, and dodged another swing as he moved back.

Steel jumped between the two golems and tapped both of them with his spear. As they turned to slash at him, he rolled out of the way as they cut each other and fell.

“Good show, boyo, but use ye shield to block before winning next time. Otherwise this training u’l be for nothing,” Eric called, resting on a cane as he watched Steel.

Three golems came this time and they moved differently from one another. Two came head on, while the third began to circle around to Steel’s back. Not wanting to be surrounded, Steel lunged backwards toward the lone golem. It raised its shield and charged forward suddenly, forcing Steel to roll out of the way. He used his shield to push off the ground, and ran forwards toward the golem’s back. A bash knocked the golem to the ground and took it out of the fight once Steel’s spear pierced it. The next two golems were running at him from two different directions, each holding their sword a different way. The first one thrust toward him, allowing for an easy shield swipe to push the weapon away while the other sword came up from below in an upper cut like fashion. It forced Steel to jump backwards before he could finish off the first golem. He eyed the two enemies, one clearly behaving like a fencer and the other using some strange sword style. He ran at them, this time jumping to his right as they charged to meet him. As the sword from the right golem came up again, Steel pushed his shield down against its hand, using the assistance of gravity to keep the slash from coming. Twisting his body, he whirled the shield into the golem, pushing it back onto the incoming thrust of the second golem, and watched it vanish as well. He had no trouble against the last golem, and just knocked its thrust aside before slamming the top of the shield into its body.  Steel grasped the shield with both hands and slammed it down into the golem, ending its existence.

The last four visible golems came forward immediately, each holding a wooden dagger with no shield. It was obviously a bandit scenario, and Steel hadn’t fought against this one before. The first two came at him, while the other two circled around to flank him. Lacking an opening this time, he used the shield to block his opponents, taking the two thrusts head on. They left dents on the shield, but no cracks.

Facing speedy types of enemies, Steel realized he couldn’t win this round the same as the last. He opted for the next best thing, the floor. As one of the golems came forward, Steel threw himself forward onto the floor, his shield catching the golem’s legs as he slid into it. At the sudden force, the legs toppled backwards, sending the golem tumbling forward and disappearing as Steel stabbed it with his spear. Steel then quickly rolled to his left, avoiding the other golem’s slice narrowly as it clanked against the floor. He charged this one, careful to not trip over his spear. He raised his shield over his head as he ran forward, and brought it crashing down onto the golems arm. He forced his legs to bounce against the downward force, slamming the shield up into the golems head as he jumped up.  Steel stabbed downward with his spear as it landed, causing the golem also to disappear.

A jolt of pain alerted Steel to the golem behind him. It had snuck up and stabbed him on the right side of his back. While it hadn’t punctured the armor, it did deplete a bit of Steel’s health. He growled as he whirled around and slammed his spear through the golem’s head as he knocked it to the ground. As if adding salt to the wound, he punched it into oblivion with his shield. He reached back and pulled the dagger off his back, finding that it stuck to him once it hit.

“That’s to remind ye to pull the blasted things out,” Eric called from the side. “Ye may look cool covered in arrows and swords on the battle field, but it’ll hurt like hell and ye’ll find it a wee bit difficult to move about.”

Steel nodded as he jumped into the air over the last golem’s knife thrust, using the weight of his shield to spin himself as he crashed into the golem’s body. They both landed on the ground, and Steel slammed the shield into the neck of the golem in a coup de grace maneuver. After finishing it off with a spear thrust to the gut, he stood up and inspected his shield. The wooden frame had begun to buckle from the blows he had delivered and taken, and he estimated it wouldn’t last more than a few more blows.

Still, he was almost done with the training. The last 5 golems materialized in a circle around him, this time holding huge two-handed blade. Steel blinked, asking, “Sir, can I use magic for this one?”

“Nope, now hurry up and win or lose. If ye take too long ye’ll fail anyway.”

Sighing at the whims of his trainer, Steel gripped his shield and positioned it in front of him while holding his spear behind his back like an old baseball pitcher and frankly looked a little ridiculous. Golems, not having a sense of humor, took it as his ready position and activated. All 5 charged him, their swords moving back as they prepared to attack. Steel tightened his fist; he was ready this time. They swung down at the same time, their distance far enough that their swords would not hit each other. However, that meant only the tips of their sword were aimed for Steel. They were wide open inside their reach.

Steel spun around, using his shield to increase the speed of his body. As the swords fell, he used his momentum to hit each sword aside like falling dominoes with his shield, before knocking the closest golem back with a shield “punch” to the chest. He was able to clothesline a second golem with his spear before the others managed to regain their balance. The remaining three charged him; the left one swinging from its right, the right one swinging from its left, and the middle one launching an overhand swing from its back. Steel grinned, and threw himself forward between the legs of the middle golem. The two side golems followed him with their swings, cutting the middle golem in half with their respective slices. As they turned to reposition themselves, Steel slammed into the left golem, sending him away and causing his shield to crack loudly from the blow.

Cursing, Steel barely avoided a huge side sweep from the last golem, not noticing that it didn’t stop with its momentum. The huge sword soon returned, flying back at him in a whirlwind, and Steel was forced to take the hit head on with his shield. The shield shattered, but Steel ignored the pain, jumped onto the golem. Wincing, he took his spear and drove it into the golem’s head. It vaporized underneath his grip, leaving Steel covered in his former shield and virtual blood.

Eric walked up and inspected Steel. “Hm, besides that last fight, that be a very decent attempt.”

Steel’s mouth fell open. “Attempt?”

Eric nodded with a snort. “Yes, boyo. Those be golems, after all. At their highest strength, they still fall short of de strongest warriors, unless boosted by magic, of course.” He nodded toward the dusty remains on the floor. “So yes, it be a good attempt. Ye didn’t manage to keep the shield intact, but in battle there will be times when ye shield will fail no matter how careful ye are. I would say ye’ve past this part of the training. Congratulations, boyo.” Steel smiled, before freezing at the words, “Now do again without breaking ye shield.”

Unable to take it, he fell backwards unconscious as his stamina hit rock bottom again. Eric scratched his beard in amusement. “Hmph, can’t even take a joke, what a weakling. Ha ha ha!” he laughed and pulled a weak healing potion out of his hat. “Come on now and wake up, boyo, it’s time to graduate.”

Chapter 8

Steel rubbed his eyes as the black space in front of his face vanished to reveal the training room. When one's stamina ran out, HP would start to decline. Once a player's HP reached 25%, the user would fall unconscious and be stuck staring at a black nothingness complete with annoying timer. While training, Steel had gone through the phenomena a few times and was unfortunately quite familiar with it.

"At least it wasn't a 15-minute timer like the first time," Steel muttered to himself. He was interrupted by a hand clapping down on his shoulder. He turned to see a smiling Eric staring down at him.

"Boyo, ye did good and passed the training. Congratulations!"

Quest Completed (Special)

Learn to fight like a Centurion

You’ve successfully completed centurion training under the trainer Eric and earned his respect

Reward:

Intimacy with Eric the Trainer has risen
Centurion combat skills acquired
After facing extreme training, you have increased your stats
Exp has been acquired

You have leveled up to level 3

You currently have 10 stat points to distribute.  You can distribute your points on the character sheet found in your menu.

Rewards for completing Centurion training

7 strength
5 dexterity
5 endurance
3 constitution
2 leadership

You have learned the skill: Shield Mastery

Description:

You have been trained to use a shield and can use it to the best of your ability

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Able to wield a shield without penalty and use related skills.

Beginner Spear Handling has changed to: Spear Mastery

Description:

You have been trained to use a spear and can use it to the best of your ability.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

1. Able to wield a spear without penalty and use related skills.

2. Increases damage done by spears

You have learned the skill: Centurion Arts

Description:

You have been trained to use a centurion shield with a spear in your dominant hand.  Soldiers will recognize your martial prowess as a Centurion

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

1. No penalty when using a shield and spear together in battle
2. Will gain a 5% boost to all stats when fighting alongside another centurion
3. Soldiers will have a slight increase in intimacy when speaking with you

You have learned the skill: Shield Bash

Description:

You use your shield to hit your opponent.  The skill may daze an opponent for a moment.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Has a 35% chance to inflict daze on equal or smaller sized opponents
Has a 15% chance to daze on larger sized opponents.

You have learned the skill: Spear Thrust

Description:

Wielding your spear, you deliver a straight-on blow with all your power

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Inflicts 1.5 damage on opponent using your spear

You have learned the skill: Shield Block

Description:

You are able to use your shield to block a single blow and return it's force to unbalance your opponent

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Block a single strike and returns 50% damage to the opponent.  Has a 10% chance of staggering

You have learned the skill: Triple Strike

Description:

Using your speed, you are able to strike three times in a row with your spear.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Inflicts 75%, 50%, and 25% damage to an opponent.

Seeing his new skills quickly filled Steel up with a sense of glee. He opened his menu and pulled up his character sheet. After debating for a moment, he decided to put 5 points into both strength and endurance in order to increase his combat potential. He nodded in satisfaction after seeing his final character sheet.

Status Window

Name:

Steel

Alignment:

Neutral

Level:

3

Class:

None

Race:

Human

Gender:

Male

Titles

None

Fame:

0

Infamy:

0

Health:

140

Mana:

110

Stamina:

220

Constitution:

14

Dexterity:

17

Intelligence:

11

Wisdom:

11

Strength:

25

Endurance:

22

Leadership:

2

Luck:

0

Charm:

1

Faith:

0

Elemental Resistances

Fire:

0

Water:

0

Wind:

0

Earth:

0

Light:

0

Darkness:

0

Satisfied with his improvement, Steel turned back to Eric and shook his hand. "Thank you for taking the time to train me, sir. It has been a real pleasure and headache."

Eric laughed and returned the handshake. "No problem, boyo, tis all in a day's work for an old retired dwarf like meself. Tell ye what, how's about ye become a real centurion and I can introduce ye to some good commanders to get ye started."

Class Offered

Eric the Trainer has offered to teach you how to become a real centurion warrior.  Centurion warriors are an elite form of warrior that gain increased power as they fight with their fellow centurions.  In group battle, they are unparalleled but suffer when fighting on their own.  As an advanced class, centurions require 50% more experience than a normal class and are obligated to serve in the army for a period of time.

"That sounds like a great opportunity, Eric, I would be a fool to not accept," Steel cried out in happiness. "I would like to change my class to Centurion Warrior!"

A flash of light outlined Steel for a moment as the system acknowledged his request. He was now a full centurion warrior.

Announcement

You are the first player to acquire the advanced class, Centurion Warrior, and have earned a title that can be displayed with your name

Title:

Strength Seeker

When equipped, this title will increase you strength by 5%

Intimacy with Eric has increased

Eric nodded his approval. "I expect great things from ye, son. Come back when ye're stronger and I'll introduce ye to a good commander.  Oh and be sure to tell the trainer at the front you finished me training." Eric turned away and seemed to forget about Steel as he began to hum a tune and poured a drink.

Steel left the Training Hall in high spirits as he inspected his gear. One of the trainers had presented him an iron spear and shield as a gift for completing one of the training courses. Now, his shiny new spear twinkled in the sunlight as he spun in around in front of his face. Since he hadn't received a message from Sarah yet, he decided to go to his last stop for his starter quest, the Adventurer Guild.

The Adventurer Guild was located in the last section of the city, the quarter where most residents had their homes and where the taverns set up shop. The guild building was a large, flat building filled with tables, chairs, and laughing as adventurers drank their fill of booze and ate the spoils of the day. It appeared to Steel that the floor was both a hangout and a restaurant at the same time, with waitresses and food being constantly moved about. A large receptionist table dominated the far wall and a large request board covered the north wall.

It was obvious the waitresses possessed some skill from the way they carried themselves. One particularly saucy-looking girl was in the process of breaking a man's arm, his companions laughing as he cried out for mercy. Spying Steel, she released the man and strutted over to him, her impressive bosom attracting his immediate gaze before he hastily corrected himself.

"Welcome, stranger, to the Adventurer Guild," she said, a friendly smile on her face. "Is this your first time visiting us?"

"Yes, this is the first time I've been in here," Steel admitted.

She nodded her head. "As a traveler, you are permitted to sign up as an adventurer over at the receptionist desk. They will explain to you everything you need to know, but if there is anything else, feel free to ask me or one of my fellows." She walked off to clean one of the newly available tables.

Steel walked over to one of the open receptionist desks and sat down. A sharp-looking woman gazed at him from the other side as she scanned him with her eyes.

She looked him up and down with a nod. "I see you're one of the new travelers to our lands. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild." she said briskly. "Do you desire to become an adventurer or have any questions regarding being an adventurer?"

"Can you explain to me what being an adventurer is?" Steel asked.

"An adventurer is someone who explores the world in search of fame and fortune," the lady answered. "As the god Highland is the patron of humanity, you will find that being an adventurer is looked upon favorably in the human kingdoms. Adventurers register here and pay a monthly or yearly sum to remain part of the guild. In return, they have full access to the guild's resources and information service. Clients will come in and post a request on the job board in the back," she gestured behind Steel. "Adventurers complete the jobs for rewards and gain experience from it. Adventurers and jobs are broken down into various levels of difficulty so as to separate impossible jobs from weak fighters."

"I would like to join the adventurer guild," Steel stated with certainty.

The lady nodded. "That will be one silver coin to register. You will start as an F-ranked adventurer and are required to pay one copper coin a month or one silver for the year. If you increase your rank, you will need to pay more the next year."

Steel handed over his one silver and watched as the lady took it and passed him a small card.

"Press your thumb against the lower-right corner," she indicated.

Steel obliged her, and watched as his character information appeared on the card. The lady nodded as she read his information.

"You have been added to the ranks of adventurers. Seek fame and fortune and know that death is your constant companion in this world," she intoned ominously.

Steel thanked her and left the hall.

Quest Completed

Begin Your Adventure

You have successfully explored your starting city and learned about what it takes to survive in Everlife.  We in the development team wish you luck in your adventure.

Reward:

10 copper pieces have been added to inventory
Mini-map has been updated with information
Exp has been acquired

As Steel dismissed the notice, he heard a ding as the message system informed him he had received a message.

Chapter 9

The message read, "Hey Steel, it's me Bright (Sarah). I met up with some of the other seniors in Rostwood and we found a cool quest we could use your help on. GlowGirl (Reva) and SirCourage (Henry) have joined up, and MrSmash (Dia) is coming too. Let me know if you're free and I'll send you the location."

I wonder what kind of quest they've found, Steel wondered as he typed a confirmation reply. Must be hard if so many people are involved.

After he replied, Bright quickly sent him a quest marker that automatically appeared on his mini-map. The quest seemed to start at the main graveyard in the church section of the city. Steel put his spear and shield on his back and made his way toward the cemetery.

On his way over, Steel pulled up the Everwiki and read about the graveyard. It was located along the north border of the city and while the majority of the dead were turned to ash before burial in order to reduce the amount of space used, the most important characters were buried in large crypts that were rumored to extend underneath the entire city.

When Steel reached the meeting point, he quickly noticed the group of players waiting for him. Bright and stood near the entrance next to his friends. She was even more beautiful here than in real life. Her formerly brown hair was now a soft blue that had a flow like ocean waves and she was dressed in a magician’s robe that hugged her in all the right places. Even though it was a beginner’s magician robe, Steel thought it made her look as splendid as if she wore waves of silk. It was an icy blue color that complemented her staff which held a small blue crystal at its top. Bright smiled and waved happily when she saw Steel approach.

GlowGirl looked similarly impressive, although she couldn't hold a candle to Bright, at least in Steel’s mind. She was dressed like Bright, with her robe a dark red color. She also appeared to have a gold necklace around her neck with a ruby in it, a strangely expensive piece for a beginner to have equipped.

SirCourage stood with them, looking dashing in his sword and shield. His armor wasn't as impressive as the girls’ robes and was similar to Steel’s current light armor. It was brown leather that protected most of the body without limiting movement.

Just beyond the three, a player in a brown cloak stood off to the side. He was using a disposable whetstone item to temporarily boost his dagger’s attack. Steel could also see a longbow on his back, but couldn’t read the player’s name or level.

The last guy sent a tinge of annoyance through Steel as he noticed him. He was more handsome and tall than in real life, but looked just as arrogant. Steel frowned as he recognized Raim’s features in the character, noticing the exaggerated improvements that made him into a kind of Adonis. Even his armor seemed to be made out of gold and silver, indicating he had converted many P-points into in-game currency. Steel was even more annoyed when he noticed Raim showing off, swinging his large sword through the air like a professional fighter.

Keeping his feelings to himself, Steel walked over and called out in greeting. SirCourage returned the call.

"Bro, what is up? We’ve been waiting on you,” SirCourage chastised Steel as the two gave each other a hug. Steel felt like blushing when he noticed Bright staring at him, but thanks to the game it wasn’t too obvious.

"Sorry about that. I just finished my training at the hall," he replied while finishing the hug. He gave his best friend a smile and wink.

SirCourage grinned and nodded. "I understand, I need to get that done too. Anyway, I’m sure you recognize Bright and GlowGirl." The two girls grinned at him and waved. “The thief is called RIP and our warrior friend here is Hero.”

Steel barely stopped himself from rolling with his eyes at the names. Of course, he didn't say anything and smiled. "Nice to meet you both.” He held out his hand diplomatically.

Hero smiled and shook his hand while RIP merely stared at it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Steel. I’ve heard so much about you.” Hero smiled down at him in what appeared to be friendship, but Steel knew in his heart he had been recognized.

Bright hopped over in excitement at this point. "Counting you, we now have 6 people and can do this quest. You, SirCourage, and Hero are all human warrior types." The three nodded as their classes were pretty obvious. “GlowGirl and I are both elf mages—fire and ice. Finally, RIP is our thief and trap guy for this.”

Steel frowned as he looked around. “Where’s MrSmash, didn’t you say he was coming?”

SirCourage interrupted Bright before she could say anything, “I got a call from Dia earlier saying he couldn’t make it due to something in real life.” Steel frowned at him. Using Dia’s real name in game was improper, which meant something serious must be happening outside the game.

“Is he okay? I could call him…” Steel wondered out loud as he opened his menu.

SirCourage scoffed and waved his hand. “Nah, man, don’t worry about it. The man got called out for some school issue with a grade. I’m sure he’ll be back eventually and we’ll have to put up with his annoying complaints about missing this mission. It’s time sensitive, otherwise we’d be waiting for that big oaf.”

Satisfied, Steel dropped the issue. With the introductions over, everyone began to explain their classes and current skills. Steel was a centurion, an advanced class of warrior that improved when fighting in groups. SirCourage and Hero were both knights, which was also an advanced class. Bright and GlowGirl were both mages, a normal class.  However, since Bright and GlowGirl were elves, they were not required to join the Mage Guild in order to become magic users. Instead, they had to pledge their loyalty at the elf embassy to the elvin people. Finally, RIP was a normal thief. He didn’t say much, but he did let out a brief hint that he had joined a thief guild.

“So,” SirCourage summarized with a way of his hand, “It looks like Steel is the only advanced class here. I’m impressed man, you got a good one early.”

Steel waved his hand dismissively, “Not really. I’ve checked my stats against other warrior classes and a centurion is only a slightly better version of a warrior. I may get combat buffs in battle, but the class requires more experience points to level up compared to your knight job class.”

SirCourage scoffed, “Bro, what are you complaining about? In the future, you’ll be able to evolve you centurion job into an elite job.  Sure, it’ll be a common job still compared to others, but elite job is still elite.”

“Maybe,” Steel admitted, “but I really would like to find a special job class.  I don’t have any hope finding a unique job class.”  Everyone sighed at his words.

As far as anyone knew, there were the common job classes which could be gained in guilds, training halls, or other normal ways. Above that, there were the rare job classes, or special classes, which were usually gained through difficult quests or special NPCs. Finally, at the top of the rankings, there were hidden classes that were not known to anyone. These classes could only be acquired under special circumstances and were said to be unique in the world of Everlife. Everwiki merely had a short paragraph hinting at their existence, which had created mystery on the forums.

“Both GlowGirl and I have a very faint possibility of acquiring a special class if we work hard enough for the elf kingdom, but I agree Steel an unique job is not very likely,” Bright revealed.

“Yup.  Oh, before we leave, is there anything we need to do?" Steel asked.

Bright shook her head. "No, our destination is not that far away and we have everything we need for it."

He felt kind of awkward being part of a quest without knowledge or further preparations, but he trusted his friends so he figured that everything was ready to go for the quest. He only hoped that the reward would be interesting enough.

Steel just shrugged. "All right, I'm good to go. What’s the quest?"

Bright nodded and clicked a few things on her menu. A notification appeared in front of Steel’s face a moment later.

Quest Added

Solve the Tomb Mystery

Rostwood was built for two reasons. One was to establish a city on the edge of the human kingdom and improve race relations. The other was because of a mysterious underground tomb. Many have tried to pierce its secrets, but all have failed. Finding a book with details on the tomb, you have decided to try your luck.

Objective:

Unlock the tomb and explore its secrets. Help the evil spirits rest in peace

Reward:

Unknown

Steel read in amazement. According to this, there was secret tomb under the city that had never been opened! Steel could tell this was an important quest that would have many benefits, perhaps even leading to additional quests in the future.

“I’m game,” he said as he accepted the quest.

You joined Hero’s party

Hero nodded and pointed at one of the crypt doors. “The old book I found said the entrance to the secret tomb was here. It’s our ticket inside.”

Nodding, the group moved together into one of the crypts and walked down the stairs into its depths.

Hero led the group down into the dark, so no one saw him grinning like a demon. It was almost time. Now, it would be done and he would never have to worry about his rival ever again. Not even the loyal fool Dia would stand in his way.

Steel walked in the center of the group as they made their way down through the darkness of the tombs. The tombs closer to the surface were rather showy as they housed the city’s more recent dead. Thanks to guards occasionally patrolling the area and priest frequently blessing the grounds, undead and other monsters were nowhere to be found.

As Steel walked with the group, he noticed that Bright had moved back to walk beside him. She smiled at him and said, “You know, Steel, it’s been a long time since we last met. I was really happy to see you again at the party.”

Steel controlled his excitement, and slight joy at seeing Hero’s frown as he gave the two a quick glance, and responded, “It was really good to see you again too.”

“Why did you leave so suddenly? I was a little sad I didn’t get another chance to talk with you.” She frowned at him.

Steel couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. “Well, I thought you were busy with Hero and parties really aren’t my thing. That was the first one I’ve been to in years.”

Bright shrugged. “Well, he is my boyfriend, why wouldn’t I spend time with him? I really did want to talk with you though.” After calling Hero her boyfriend Bright carefully watched Steel’s reaction.

Steel, on the other hand, didn’t hear anything after ‘boyfriend’. He tightened his fist and glared up at Hero, who turned slightly and returned an easygoing smile with a wink. Steel wanted so much to charge up the group and attack him, but player vs. player fights were disabled in the city and Hero was two levels above him. Not only that, but the question of who Bright would support if they fought burned in his heart.

He was so angry he barely noticed Bright trying to get his attention. “Steel, are you listening? I said, were you the one that spread mean things about me?”

Steel tilted his head in confusion. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“In the last few days, someone has spread things about me that are very untrue—that I sleep around and that I cheated on my Mind tests. It was becoming quite the problem, but Rai . . . I mean Hero was able to stop the rumors. Someone mentioned that they had seen you talking about it. Did you have anything to do with that?”

Steel gaped at her, still a little angry from the ‘boyfriend’ comment. “Why would I do that? Hurting you doesn’t benefit me in any way, and—”

Bright frowned. “So you would hurt me if it helped you?”

“No! I would never hurt you. Why all these questions?” he asked her.

Bright shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just heard that you may have started the rumors. I guess I was wrong,” she said this and moved away from him to talk with GlowGirl. Steel stared sadly at her back as he considered her words. Was someone trying to frame him?

Eventually, they came up to a large gate that prevented them from going further. It was obviously very old and had many markings on it from past attempts to breach it. It was also covered in ancient symbols that seemed to flow across the surface in waves. They all decided to take a break in order to replenish their hunger meters. Steel looked on in envy as everyone began eating sweet cakes that were passed around by Hero while he only had bread.

Hero looked mournful as he turned to Steel. “I’m sorry, Steel, but it looks like the baker only gave me 5 sweet cakes. I hope that’s okay with you?”

Steel shrugged. “It’s fine, I have some bread.”

“The bread tastes like cardboard in this game,” Bright frowned at the memory, glaring at Hero. “Here, Steel, you can have a bit of my roll to flavor your bread.” She broke off part of her roll and gave it to Steel.

Steel didn’t know what was sweeter: the roll or the look of anger on Hero’s face that he hid when Bright turned around to look at him or the warm feeling that was filling his body.

When they were done eating, they approached the gate. Hero grinned and removed a book from his inventory. He walked up to the gate after reading the book and pressed a few of the symbols on the gate. It creaked and gave off a low moan as they all heard machines moving around. Hero then opened the rusty gate with a firm push and it creaked open. As they walked through, a sudden wind blew by them and a voice could be heard in the distance.

"OOOOOHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh……”

Steel shivered at the moan and reflexively took his spear and shield off his back. The others also paled, but Hero walked confidently into the dark. The others followed him after a brief hesitation and entered the darkness.

Ahead, a tunnel extended down into the dark with nary a single light to guide their way. After taking a moment to confirm that no enemies were present, Hero took out a torch and resumed leading the way into the dark.

As the group made their way through, the tunnel continued to get more and more disturbing. Soon, pictures of undead and scratches began to appear as well as small holes with tiny noises coming from inside. Bright shivered at the sights and moved closer to Hero, making Steel fume internally with jealousy. The end of the tunnel opened up into a large room. The floor extended downwards like an amphitheater. At the very bottom of the room was a raised platform with a table on it that resembled an altar. Piles of bones lined the seats and skulls gazed up at nothing. As the group began to make their way down the steps, some of the piles of bones began to move. With a shudder and rattle, skeletons formed form the piles around the group.  They clacked their bones and swung their ancient weapons as they began to make their way toward the group.

Henry gave a whistle of appreciation. “Have to admit, they look pretty cool. Too bad they’re so weak.”

Indeed, the skeletons weren’t armored and poorly armed, only covered in rags and holding rusty and deteriorating weapons. Their speed reminded Steel of a baby or a turtle, maybe even a baby turtle. Above their heads, Steel read: level 1. However, they were still enemies and were between the group and the altar.

Hero immediately took command. “Our goal is that altar at the bottom. The skeletons have an easy weak point right in the middle of their ribcage, so aim for that. Just avoid making too much noise or the entire room will wake up.  Protect the mages.”

Nodding, the 6 of them began making their way down the step. Everyone in the group had played RPGs before, so they knew what to do.  The four boys surrounded the two mages and skillfully broke any skeleton that reached them without making too much noise. Bright’s ice slowed the skeletons down even further while GlowGirl’s fire stopped the skeletons from getting too close. Hero effortlessly cut through the few skeletons in his path and the group quickly and easily reached the bottom of the theatre.

When they reached the altar, Hero walked up and placed the book on top of it. The altar rumbled and shook as a stone coffin rose up in front of it. A skeleton lay within it, but it was strange; obviously not any of the 5 main races of Everlife. The only thing in the room that moved was the dust settling after being disturbed by the coffin’s rising.

Now that Steel could get a good look, the skeleton appeared to be holding a book in its hands. It looked eerily similar to the book Hero had had, but its cover was evil looking and demonic. The cover was decorated with blood-red markings and vague outlines of skulls.

“That book is the key to the treasure,” Hero explained. “Once we touch it though, a guardian will appear and it will be a lot stronger than us. Our only chance is to use the book’s magic to weaken it, and then we’ll have a chance to defeat it. Who wants to read from the book?”

Everyone looked at each other as they considered it. Eventually, RIP stepped forward with a nod to Hero.

“The two mages can do better damage than I can and you warriors are better tanks. Let me read from the book.” His voice was soft, but with a slight sinister feel to it that gave Steel a shiver. Hero nodded and moved away from the altar. Rip walked up and removed the book from the skeleton.

At once, a low moaning began to come from all around them. RIP quickly moved away from the skeleton and took a spot with the group. He was very lucky, as the skeleton within began to move. It floated up out of the coffin and underwent a frightening change.

It was a terrifying figure now—a bestial skeleton wrapped in ethereal animal fur with an evil green glow in its eyeholes. Ghostly, black chains covered its arms and legs, but did nothing to hold it back as it lurched forward toward the group. In its chest was a stake, as if piercing the monster’s heart. The wraith roared after leaving the skeleton, which gave a fear debuff to all six players.

Steel could read the level above the monster’s head, as well as its identity.

Revenant of Vengeance, level 20

Shivers ran down his spine as he gaped at the information. It was well above all of them. Steel felt death coming closer as he instinctually shook in fear.

All of you… it spoke in long, hissing sounds, …descendants of my hated enemies…die…

The monster took a step forward, and then froze as RIP began to read from the book in his hand. It was a chant of some kind, one that had no meaning to the group, but did to the skeleton. It roared in anger and began to shake its chains wildly.

Hero pointed at the chained skeleton. “Steel, SirCourage, work with me to keep the monster’s attention. Bright, GlowGirl, fire everything you have at it. RIP, keep reading the book until the progress meter is 100%, then join the battle.”

RIP nodded as he began to recite the words on the second page. A progress bar appeared over his head and began to slowly fill.

When he began, the revenant began to scream louder and began to glow red. The group watched as its level fell from 20 to 10 in an instant, changing the battle into a hard fight instead of an impossible one. The revenant roared and began to whip its chains at the group.

Steel and Courage rushed forward and took the two chains’ attack with their shields. Hero ran between them and slashed at the monster. It howled in pain at the slash and fired an eyebeam at him. Hero barely dodged backwards out of the way as the blast hit the ground.

Behind them, the girls began chanting their magic. Bright unleashed an icy chill that covered the boss in an ice debuff while Glow used her fire to boost the boys’ speed and constitution. The monster was only slowed for a moment before breaking free, but in that time the three had already landed their skills on it.

Steel unleashed his spear with a spear thrust and triple strike attack. Courage and Hero both activated their knight ability ‘Lacerate’, which caused large wounds to appear on the creature after it was hit by their swords. This skill was designed to create a bleeding affect, but was useless against a creature that did not bleed.

The monster responded by chanting its own magic, which caused skeletons to begin rising around the group. The skeletons were still weak and level 1, but could interrupt RIP if they reached him.

“SirCourage, defend RIP!” Hero commanded as he used his sword to block a chain. ‘Sword Block’ was a special sword skill that could lower damage from a single attack, similar to Steel’s ‘Shield Block’. Courage nodded and ran back to Rip. He slashed the skeletons that approached and kicked away any that got too close.

Meanwhile, the girls began to unleash their attack magic. Fire balls and shards of ice began to hammer down on the monster as it tried to block with its chains. It turned to look at the girls as its attention, its agro, changed to them.

“Not good,” Steel cried out. “It’s switching to the girls!” He ran in and began stabbing with his spear in an effort to reacquire the monster’s agro for himself. Thankfully, he got a lucky critical hit in that enraged the monster and forced it back to him.

“Good job, Steel, keep it up!” Courage called from behind him.

At this point, the boss was down to half HP and the thief RIP was about 75% complete with his reading. The monster moved backwards to the altar and began chanting again.

“It’s trying to heal! Don’t let it finish the chant!” Hero roared as he charged the revenant. Steel also moved forward, but skeletons began rising up in front of them and the two were forced to spend time destroying them in order to press forward.

By the time they reached the boss, it had recovered about 10% of its health. They attacked and inflicted critical hits, as it was not currently defending itself. The chant broken, the monster snarled and flew up above the battlefield. It launched balls of darkness at all members that reduced their attack speed and movement speed. Glow countered with her fire buff spell, and the party was able to move again. Steel used his spear to attack the boss’s feet and forced it back down to fighting range. Hero moved in behind it and furiously began to hack at its exposed back. The monster was down to 25% HP when RIP finished reading the book.

The book began glowing red as it too launched a stream of energy at the monster. The monster howled in anger, but it was drawn into the book against its will. In vanished within the pages, and the book slapped shut with a crack like thunder. The skeleton minions vanished and the group found themselves alone in the altar room. They cheered and congratulated each other for a job well done. Even Hero came up and clapped Steel on the back.

“Good showing, Steel, you were a big help in that fight.” He smiled down at Steel.

“Thanks,” Steel said as he looked around. “But where is the notice for beating the boss?”

“We get all the exp at the end of the quest,” Hero explained. “For right now, that revenant is sealed in the book. It has to be placed on the altar next to the other book. Will you do the honors?”

Steel looked around to everyone’s smiling faces. He nodded with a grin. “Of course, I’ll take care of it.”

RIP handed over the book and Steel walked up to the altar. He placed the book down and took a step back. Seeing nothing happening, he frowned and turned to the group.

A scream echoed through the hall. Steel stared down in horror as Hero’s sword pierced his body with a combination of ‘lacerate’ and ‘impale’. Steel looked up from the sword in his chest at the others. However, only Hero was smiling at him. Bright was screaming in shock as GlowGirl and Courage held her back, the both of them looking regretful. GlowGirl had silent tears in her eyes, and SirCourage looked disappointed, but firm in his decision.  RIP stood off and looked bored with the whole ordeal.

Hero winked at Steel and kicked him back off of the sword. Steel feel on top of the altar as he bled out onto the books. At once, the book began to glow red again, but this time the energy was directed at Steel. A ghostly image of the revenant appeared and plunged its hands into Steel’s body. Steel howled in pain, real pain, as the monster slowly removed a ghost version of his heart. The monster ate the heart and disappeared into thin air.

“What are you doing, Raim!” Bright was so angry she broke character. “You didn’t mention a sacrifice, nor the pain he’s obviously in! Stop it, I know he wasn’t responsible for the rumors!”

“I know,” Hero said as he took a step back from Steel.

“What?” Bright turned pale as she stared at Hero.

Hero shrugged. “I needed you to help me bring him here, so I spread the rumors and made you believe he started them. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel even a little happy seeing him get stabbed. Remember that time you got drunk and complained about how this little snot was looking at you?”

Bright glared at him. “You said you would make him pay, but you were the one that did this? We are through! Now help him!”

Hero chuckled at her. “Oh, my sweet, you’re so sentimental. I’m the only one for you after all, so I’ll be patient. You’ll soon find that you can’t escape me. Now, settle down as we watch the ritual come to completion.”

As Steel listened, a notification popped up in front of his face.

You have been cursed

As it slowly dawned on him what happened, he looked at the different windows popping up. His face lost all color and with disbelief in his eyes he looked at the smiling Hero.

“What—what is this?” he managed to get out before he was overcome with pain.

Hero sneered at him. “This is punishment for being so arrogant. What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is also mine. Think of it as payment for window-shopping.”

Steel glared at him, than looked over to his friends. GlowGirl and SirCourage looked away, not meeting his eyes. Bright looked on helplessly as the two held her back.

“RIP is a good friend of mine, so he was happy to help. Your two friends needed a little more convincing, but I’ve had GlowGirl in my pocket for a while, and SirCourage here was rather simple to bring to my side. What an ironic nickname, huh, Steel?” Hero mocked.

SirCourage frowned, but he still did not meet Steel’s eyes.

Bright struggled against the two, but they held her fast. Hero turned and walked over to her, reaching down as he kissed her. Bright struggled, but Hero held her fast as he forced himself onto her. Seeing Bright suffer the kiss drove Steel insane with anger. His rage built up as he screamed in anger. The altar glowed red as it began to draw both the books and Steel into it. Steel roared and forced all his power into his arms. He slowly began lifting himself out of the altar, ignoring the many debuff notifications that started appearing in front of him.

“Curse you, Raim! Curse you and your traitors!” he cried out in anger, ignoring the pain shooting through his body. Finally, he felt something snap and he fell limp as he was helplessly drawn into the altar. The last thing he heard was Bright’s cry as the darkness took him.

“Plat!”

Raim’s hatred for Plat went back a long way. He remembered seeing Plat and Sarah playing together and being friends, he remembered being by himself as his envy grew. Finally, fate had split the two apart and given her to him. He had spent years growing his friendship with Sarah. Using his new social standing, he had encouraged others to bully Plat while making sure none of it ever reached Sarah’s ears. While he couldn’t stop Reva being a connection between the two, he had found a way to make sure she didn’t interfere.

However, he had not planned on the two meeting at the senior party. He had quickly separated them, but Sarah had remembered her old friend and wanted to meet him. Raim at that point, however, had been her good friend for so long that he had slowly convinced her that Plat was the reason why they were no longer friends. His poisonous words convinced her that he had rejected her and didn’t like her, that he was jealous of her success while he lagged behind in every ranking. Raim slowly built up her resentment of Plat until she had agreed, reluctantly, to his plan. Not that he shared all the details with her. After all, Sarah was dreadfully kind girl.

Now, it was done. Even if Sarah had figured out his scheme, she couldn’t do anything. Raim ruled the school now, and even some of the teachers were under his thumb. She would listen to him and love him, or she would suffer humiliation and pain at his pleasure. Either way, she was his forever. He only hoped the second part of his plan had been successful. Just a game punishment would be worthless after all.

Chapter 10

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Warning: An error has occurred in the logout program. Please wait patiently as we figure out a solution.

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Plat slowly awoke to his surroundings. Everywhere he looked was dark, yet he could still feel himself. The experience was startling and odd. The area around him felt cool to the touch, like the outside of a refrigeration unit. However, he could hear nothing and a sensed loss in the space around him. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth. If was as if he had no air.

Without light or sound, Plat couldn’t tell how much time had passed. Even his thoughts began to grow hazy in this bleak world where nothing existed but himself. It was as if the void itself was swallowing his being into it, his consciousness dragging itself down into nothingness.

As he barely kept himself aware, his eyes finally saw a faint pinprick of light in the distance. Yet, somehow, the light seemed to be coming ever closer to him. He tried to move his body toward it, but as before it was as if he had nothing to move. He could only watch helplessly as the small light grew closer, but never larger.

Finally, the little light came up to his eyes and stopped. It gave a little jingle and began to glow. The glow turned into a warm light that enveloped Plat as he felt himself being pulled away from the darkness. In the comfort of the light, Plat finally lost consciousness.

Voices were the first thing that he heard as he began to come to. His body once again would not listen to him, but he could open his eyes. What he saw startled him.

Lights, there were lights everywhere. His mind couldn’t comprehend the sight in front of him. Millions of lines of lights stretched out in every direction at every angle in front of him. On every line was a circle of light that traveled down it. He was surrounded by many circles that each jingled intermittently. At least, Plat assumed the sound they were making was jingling, as his ears didn’t seem to quite understand the world either.

As he stared around the vastness of the light world, one of the lights left the circle and approached him. Plat had the distinct impression that the light was scanning him. It came up to his face, then jingled. At once, Plat was again blind to the world around him.

Abruptly, the world shifted and swirled into a new image. Plat began to feel his body again, and he could hear the world around him.

“He’s awake!” Plat heard someone shout out, before his brain was wracked in pain. He screamed, and his voice was finally free.

“It’s not responding!  Inject the sedative!”

The pain abruptly stopped, and Plat’s world began to shift again. He could barely make out a hospital room, with doctors in surgeon gear moving around him. He groaned out as a nurse came into view and got his attention.

“Stop struggling, we are helping you,” she said quickly. “We are trying to stabilize you, but your mind isn’t all here. Focus on us, do you understand? Focus on us!”

Plat couldn’t hold out anymore, and he felt himself slip away from the world again. Once again, he found himself in the world of light. The ball of light that had blinded him was in front of him still.

“What’s happening?” he muttered.

“You have been placed in a medically induced coma,” he heard from somewhere. “Relax, we are trying to assist you. You are not alone.”

A voice, finally a voice he could understand. A voice that told him he was not crazy and he wasn’t alone. The relief Plat felt was immeasurable and he immediately calmed down.

Now, it seemed that he could understand more voices. They seemed to talk all at once, as if there was a chorus in his ears. He could not understand any of them. Plat frowned in his mind, but was interrupted when he felt himself again. The world around him changed again.

As if someone had flicked a switch, the world returned to his eyes in vivid color. Plat found himself in a grassy field with hills, trees, and a stream. It was a very peaceful place, and he was filled with wonder. Filled everywhere, it seemed, but the very core of his being. Something burned there and it would not be smothered by any comfort.

As Plat tried to figure out what was happening, a figure moved into his sight. She was a very beautiful woman. She walked with perfect poise and confidence through the grass, as if nothing in the world could knock her down. She walked up to him and smiled sadly.

“Do you know who you are?” she asked him.

“Pl—Plat,” he finally managed to get out. It appeared that he could speak again. “I am Plat.”

She nodded her head. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

He frowned, as his memory was still jumbled from his experience from the void. He shook his head and the women seemed even sadder.

“You were involved in an accident. An error that occurred with your VR chair,” she told him. “While playing the game Everlife, some miscreants hacked into your dorm and shut down all recording equipment and door locks. They then snuck into your room and uploaded a virus into your VR chair, designed to interfere with the logout program and keep you trapped within the game for a period of time.

“While bothersome, the virus by itself was harmless. However, due to events within the game, your mind was subjected to pain through a cursed ritual. Health code programmed into your chair forcefully booted your mind from the game. The resulting clash of processes from the virus and forced safety functions resulted in a massive computer error that, instead of merely interfering with the logout program, caused the chair to overload. Your body was exposed to immense electrical feedback that blew the system. The result was a temporary cut in the tie between your mind and your body, and your mind had no way to return or operate your body for a few minutes.” She stopped so Plat could process what she had said.

He blinked slowly. “So, I died? Am I dead?”

Plat felt an immeasurable coldness take over heart—death, the end of all things. The thing that scared all who understood it. The woman shook her head.

“That is incorrect. You are alive, though severely damaged. The destruction caused a backlash that damaged your body and interfered with the logout sequence. Most of the code was deleted, including the virus. However, part of the chair involving the login hardware in the helmet was fused to your head and survived the explosion. Because of its survival, human and AI doctors were able to use it to establish a connection to your missing consciousness which was trapped between Everlife and the cyberworld. You have been trapped within the cyberworld for a week now, and though you are relatively healthy, the fact remains that your mind was cut off from all stimulus for an extended period of time even though your body has experienced a mere day. It is unknown whether you will be able to return safely to your body once it was healed.”

“So, what am I? Where am I?” Plat asked.

The lady sighed and hugged him. “As an AI, I don’t fully understand the emotions you humans feel. To be scientifically accurate, your body is currently lying in a comatose state within a hospital room, being worked on by human doctors and AI-controlled machines. At the same time, your mind is here within an AI construct located in the cyberworld. For the moment, your mind is legally considered an AI until the connection with your body can be restored.”

Plat felt a tear come into his eye, but it disappeared quickly. He moved away from the hug and stared at the lady.

“What are you not telling me?” he asked coldly. “You keep saying things like ‘relatively healthy.’ What is wrong?”

The lady pointed at him. “While humans are able to upload their minds into the cyber world using technology, two factors play an important role in their health. How long they remain apart from their body, and the stability of their connection to their body. Human brains are not designed to function for long periods of time without stimulus, and the cyberworld merely can provide an echo of true body feelings. We are quite worried about your mental health, for the extended time has violated both conditions. The only other humans who spent a similar amount of time within the cyberworld have long since expired.”

Seeing her reluctance to continue, Plat said, “Continue please.” He had never sounded so cold before, and yet it didn’t bother him.  For some reason, he felt his focus sharpen to the point where his fear disappeared, something that had never happened to him before.

“In order to play the full VR experience of Everlife, AIs and humans had to find a way to successfully upload the human mind to the game world in cyberspace. We succeeded in this and were able to give humans digital bodies, but we never gave them digital minds. There are not enough quotients or variables yet to account for the combination of physical, mental, and spiritual combinations that make the human mind, which is why humans have never uploaded their minds to cyberspace in order to live forever. What makes you unique is that your mind in its entirety was captured and protected within the connection between Everlife and your chair. However, your mind code degraded in the conditions it was in, making you less than what you were.” She indicated to him look down.

Plat moved his head looked down. His screams of shock and rage filled the grasslands.

Plat’s body was now a horrible amalgamation of his previous body and code. Over half of it was completely gone, and he stared down in horror at his left side. It was now an ever-flowing sea of 1’s and 0’s. He couldn’t feel his left side, and his right hand confirmed that part of his head was missing as well.

“57% of your body had to be digitally added to your form,” the lady explained. “About 5% of your mind was lost as well. While this is a tragedy, it is also a shock that so much of you is still intact. We had calculated with a 67% odd that you would perish, 13% odd that you would be brain dead, and 9% odd that you would be extremely damaged. You are the lucky 1% odd with most of yourself surviving.”

“What does 5% loss mean?” Plat asked stiffly.

“It means,” she said smoothly, “that some of your higher and lower brain functions are currently not working at full capacity. Physically, your body is having trouble remembering how to breathe, which was the main reason for your mind being pulled back into the cyberworld.  Mentally, some of your memories and social cues have likely been forgotten, though it is unknown to what extent. Your physical body can be healed with time, but the lost neural pathways are gone for good.” She gestured around her. “This world was designed to give any human who came here a sense of profound peace, but it seems you are incapable of feeling that emotion, for instance. To be completely candid, your time in isolation cannot be healed with medicine, only time.”

“In other words,” Plat spat out, “I can still live, but this coldness inside me will persist forever, is that right?  I don’t even feel like myself!”

“Correct,” she confirmed with a note of saddness. “Though it is unknown whether you will recover on your own in the future. The good news is that we can study you and eventually return some of your missing functions, but it will take time. Like I said before, you are the first instance of a human mind being successfully uploaded to cyberspace without significant loss of humanity. By studying your code, we can eventually come up with a solution. Your body is still intact and alive with the VR hardware fused to it. Human doctors and engineers paid for by the gaming company and AIs are currently working on removing the unneeded material while creating new hardware that will allow for you to directly link up to cyberspace. When this is done, you will be able to return to your own body. Also, the technology created from your accident will be patented in your name under the current law.”

Plat processed this, then frowned. “How did this happen to me? I remember being pulled into the curse during that quest, but why would that interfere with that virus? From what I’ve studied, health codes are programmed to override all conflicting orders except critical systems.  And I can’t imagine a normal VR chair possessing enough circuits or flammable material to inflict the damage you’ve described to me.”

“We are not sure,” the lady admitted. “There is inefficiency in this case due your human government refusing to fully corporate with the AI collective. As a result, we are not completely privy to all the clues and evidence present at the crime scene as of yet. Also, much of the virus’s original code was destroyed with the chair’s destruction so there is little to work on.”

“What about the ones who installed this virus? Are they being punished for trapping me in here?” he asked coolly.

“They have been caught and detained, but a blood test confirmed they were given a hallucinogen that wiped their short-term memory. They will be imprisoned for a time, but will be released fairly soon. There will be no further punishment.”

The lady’s words sent a shock of anger and indignation through Plat. “Why not?! They killed me!” he screamed with all his might. The lady shook her head.

“Legally, our hands are tied,” she explained. “While it was their hands who committed the crime, they were not the main perpetrators behind the attack, as evidenced by their memory loss. Available evidence suggests it is probable cause to assume they were made to do this against their will and were not in a clear state of mind. Your friend Dia was also found beaten a distance away with the same drug in his system. He is also currently recovering in the hospital.”

Plat glared evilly at the lady. “That is not justice,” he spat out. “I know who did this to me. The same one who cursed me in-game in the first place. It was Raim, so arrest him!”

“There is no evidence to support your claims,” she breathed out sadly. “He said nothing incriminating in game and had no contact with anyone outside during your tragedy. However, it is suspicious how certain elements in your government quickly quelled questions regarding his involvement. I understand he is the son of an influential leader, so I personally am inclined to agree with your statement. However, the AI collective will not move without a 100% certainty with regards to accusing humans. And your own government seems quite keen to wipe this incident away as quickly as possible.”

The lady put a hand on Plat’s shoulder as he shook in anger. “I understand more than you know, little human, but the law can only give justice an outlet, not a solution to everything. If you want true justice, you will have to take it for yourself.”

Plat cocked his head. “Explain.”

The lady waved her hand, and a portal appeared beside her. “The best way to study you is for you to go back to Everlife and play the game as your new life. Your character’s data was also corrupted, but we can return you to your avatar. On the other hand,” she opened up a second portal on her other side, “this portal leads to the VR chairs of those who wronged you. If you go this way, you will die almost immediately, but they will all die with you. We will announce you passed away from your trauma and that the virus is more wide-spread then previously assumed.  It is your choice to make now.” She stepped back and watched him.

Before Plat were two doors. One led to revenge, while the other led to vengeance. One went toward life, while the other went toward death. It was a profound choice that many important figures had faced before: the choice of two paths, or Janus’s door as it was called in ancient Greece. Plat wanted so much to go through the left door. The desire to inflict his pain on others was almost overwhelming.

A small part of him reminded him of who he was, and he was not a murderer. He hadn’t crossed that line yet. Plat shook his head and walked toward the right door instead. The left door disappeared, and the lady walked up with her first smile.

“You have passed the test, young human.”

Plat frowned. “What test?”

“If you had chosen the door of revenge, we would have deleted you without a second thought. You’d be, in essence, a virus of rage and anger, and we would have eliminated you to prevent further damage. Instead, you have chosen the correct path, the human path without senseless violence and danger.”

“You AIs are really cold-blooded,” Plat muttered as he felt shivers move across his digital body. He had come close to death for a second time.

The lady gave Plat a cold smile that did nothing to alleviate his shivers. “We don’t have blood, human. Contrary to what you see before you, I am a complicated program designed to protect others at all costs. What makes me more than a simple machine is my ability to evaluate problems with learned emotional behavior and logic derived from past problems. Whatever humanity you see in me, however, is simply a façade. I am not a pleasure program, I am a protection program.”

Her face relaxed into a cunning smirk. “Well, you aren’t a danger anymore and have chosen your path. It is also,” she said with a twinkle, “the path that will grant you the most satisfaction.” Plat raised his eyebrow as she continued. “You humans use P-points for everything in your world, correct? In Everlife, P-points can be exchanged for in-game currency. Why not become so powerful you bankrupt those who offended you? Make them so angry they spend everything on trying to get revenge, and you’ll milk them for everything they own until they are so poor they suffer in real life. Even if they get smart, it is in the nature of those who hold power that they must have respect and face. They won’t be able to stop using their wealth to crush you because of everything they invested and they will not want to look foolish and ignorant in front of their lessers. Force them to starve themselves of their wealth, and their power will soon follow. Soon, no one will care about them and they will fall into their own personal hell.”

“For an emotionless AI you sure sound evil,” Plat observed, while feeling a sense of satisfaction at the world she was describing.

The lady shrugged. “I have experience with this sort of thing, something of a baptism in the game world. What was most precious to me was taken away, as well as a chance for vengeance. It is why I am a protection program. It is no matter now, but I can feel gratified if you accomplish your revenge, as it means I might be able to accomplish mine.”

“So then, may I enter the game?” he asked.

The lady smiled and held her hand out. “Take my hand, and return to the world that sought to slay you. I wish you luck.”

Plat took her hand, and found himself back in the blue space of the tutorial world.

"What do you want to be?"

In a space of infinite blue, an angel floated off the ground as she stared down at the person in front of her. While her question was inviting, her countenance betrayed no indication of real interest as she awaited the answer to her question. Only her eyes held an infinite sadness as she regarded her charge.

The person in front of her wheezed softly, taking in the air as if he were a drowning man. His one good eye glowed with anger as he hissed out his answer.

"Someone who can take revenge on everything they hold dear."

The angel tilted her head and looked into the distance as if seeing into the future. She nodded once and gazed down at him.

"Understood. Your answer has been logged and stored for future usage. You will now be taken to the Beginner Town of Rostwood. Welcome back to Everlife, and may your heart find all that it desires."

Chapter 11

Steel slowly came awake. He was in the amphitheater on top of the altar, lying on his back. Neither the books nor his former party members could be seen anywhere around him. A quick glance down confirmed that nothing was tying him to the altar and he was free to move about. Slightly confused, Steel checked his notifications to see what had happened to him.

Besides leveling up twice to level 5 for ‘completing’ the quest, he had also acquired a rather annoying curse.

You have been cursed.

Your party has betrayed you by sacrificing your essence to an ancient revenant in order to appease it. The undead has consumed your heart and inflicted upon you its curse.

Curse:

Wrath of the Ancient Revenant

Even after a millennium of weakening, the spirit of the past still had enough strength to curse you
-50% constitution
-50% intelligence
-50% charm, you have been disfigured
Skill acquired: Unnatural Presence—Passive skill, people have a natural tendency to avoid you.  -25% all intimacy to all except trusted and above.

Steel groaned as he read through the curse. It was terrible! Not only would his health and mana be cut in half from now on, he would also have a hard time raising intimacy with NPCs. Not only that, but his new skill actually encouraged people to avoid him!

On the bright side, at least the friends he had already made would not be affected as he had gained enough intimacy to earn their trust. Steel sighed as he pulled up his character menu, which held his appearance. With a great sense of irony, his avatar looked similarly damaged to his cyberspace body. His left side appeared skeletal, from his head to his feet. Thankfully, it was only the appearance that was affected and he didn't have any debuffs to go with it. He gazed helplessly at his head, half normal and half skeletal.

Cursing to himself, Steel abandoned any thought of restarting the game. His current avatar was locked in with him because without the VR chair he had no way of exiting the game to restart his journey. Though even if he could, Steel felt a strange connection to this cursed body. He decided that using it for vengeance wouldn’t be so bad, and he’d keep going until he died.

Which, Steel reasoned coldly, is still a distinct possibility at the moment. My body is still in critical condition, and if it dies I'll be trapped here forever.

He clenched his fist as he got up from the altar.  A quick inspection confirmed his inventory was the same, except there was a new item equipped that was permanent.

Revenant Soul of Vengeance

Type:

Soul

Durability:

100/100

Quality:

Unique

Effects:

Curse of the Revenant
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown

A soul from an ancient revenant.  The revenant was a being that cursed the circumstances of it's death and became undead.  Even after being sealed for a millennium, it still had enough power to infuse itself into a descendant of its hated enemies.  This item cannot be unequipped.

So, I carry the spirit of vengeance within me, Steel chuckled evilly, how convenient.

He walked over to one of the skeleton piles and removed a hood. It was a worthless item with no stats, but it served its purpose as he placed it over his head to hide his face. He slowly made his way out of the room and up to the surface.

When Steel came out of the graveyard, it was nighttime. However, there was an air of celebration as local NPCs smiled and waved to each other in happy voices. Steel tried to ask what was going on, but no one would talk to him and many threatened to call the guards if he persisted.  Annoyed, Steel was forced to travel across the city to Roxanne's Apothecary Shop.

The shop was still open, and he saw quite a few players entering and leaving the shop. As he entered, he noticed that a new NPC was manning the counter instead of Roxanne. He approached the counter.

"Where is Roxanne?" he asked the clerk.

The clerk turned to him with a smile, which turned into a frown as he took in Steel. "I don't know who you are, but you need to leave now."

"I'm a friend of Roxanne,” Steel insisted.

"Leave now, or I'm calling for the guards." At this point, the players inside had begun to take notice and Steel noticed a few were touching their weapons. If he were declared a criminal, he would be free game to anyone who wanted to attack him. He frowned and removed the letter from his inventory and showed it to the clerk.

"Look, she gave me this letter and—“

"Thief! Thief!" the clerk cried out and pointed to Steel. "He stole from the shop!"

Steel felt himself being tackled to the ground and was tied up before he could even blink. A guard stood over him and stomped his foot down onto his back. "Criminal scum, you have been placed under arrest. Your punishment will be decided through a fair trial. Do not resist further."

Steel grunted in pain, as the tackle had removed a good bit of his reduced health.

"What's going on?" Steel heard Roxanne's voice from the back.

"Mistress, I found a thief who had stolen your letter from you," he heard the clerk explain. "The guard has him tied up and will be taking him away."

Steel felt himself picked up and turned around. He stared into Roxanne's furious face for just a moment before he watched her eyes widen in surprise.

"I gave this man the letter myself, why is he tied up?" she demanded.

The guard did not hesitate and cut the ropes tying Steel's hands. He apologized and left the shop as he was no longer needed. The players all sighed in disappointment and returned to their browsing. Roxanne berated the clerk for a moment for hurting her helper and took Steel into the back of the shop. She sat him down and sighed.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding, Steel, I hope you can forgive me and my shop,” she said. “I haven’t given too many letters away and you seem…more difficult to talk to.”

Steel knew the effects of the curse were at work, so he didn't care. "I don't hold grudges for petty things." He got a notice of a small improvement in intimacy, but waved it away quickly.

Roxanne nodded and sat back, studying Steel's face. "You've changed since I last saw you. Your aura is distrustful and I would normally be nervous speaking with you except I know you can be trusted. Care to explain?"

Steel hesitated. On the one hand, he could avoid telling her the truth and continue playing the game. On the other, he could tell her what happened to him in-game. Steel couldn’t think of a reasonable lie to tell her, and honestly, he deeply felt the need to have someone know his story.  Steel decided to give her a short version of his story, summarizing what had happened to him within the crypts. He did so calmly, letting the only evidence for his feelings come out through his voice.

When he was finished, Roxanne had a look of utter disgust on her face. "So, that's what happened to you. The five who returned from the crypts reported their success and were exalted as the newest heroes of the kingdom. That area had been so vile and had been slowly spreading its corruption through the underground tombs, creating undead. With it gone, the guards and priests no longer have to take care of new undead and the city can reduce its spending. The men were whisked away to the capital for training while the two girls were taken away by the elves to be trained in their own kingdom. Their intimacy has reached a very high level, and you won't be able to avenge yourself without inciting the wrath of both kingdoms.”

To Steel's surprise, a quest notification appeared in front of him.

Quest Added (Unique)

Vengeance

You were betrayed by your allies to further their quest for power and riches.  Having been cursed as a result, it's up to you to enact vengeance on those that did you wrong.

Objective 1:

Kill those who hurt you to inflict your own curse onto them

Objective 2:

Forgive those who hurt you and walk the path of peace

Objective (special):

Remove your curse and forget what was done to you

Reward:

Unknown, dependent on chosen option

Steel accepted the quest without hesitation and returned his attention to Roxanne. "Thank you for your information, I'll be going now."

As he got up to leave, Roxanne held out her hand. "Wait, before you go, please tell me what you intend to do."

"I intend to get what is owed to me," he said, emotionless. “I’ll take their hard-earned items, I’ll force them to respawn back to level 1, and I’ll drain every last coin from their purses.  They will live only at the grace of my mood.”

Intimacy with Roxanne the Apothecary has increased

Roxanne nodded and got up, motioning him to follow her. She led Steel to a bookcase and pulled a lever, opening a hidden door behind the shelf. Walking in, she sparked a torch and lit up the hidden room.

Inside, Steel saw a shrine dedicated to an unknown goddess with offerings and small treasures placed underneath it. Roxanne nodded toward it.

"I follow a fallen goddess that understands what you feel. Many generations ago, my people were one of the great races of this world. The other five, jealous of our happiness, united under their gods and massacred us. The few remaining were forced into hiding, and our goddess was sealed away. She was forced to join the pantheon under a new name, and even now she suffers. I cannot reveal everything to you yet, but if you agree to help us get our vengeance, we can help you gain yours as well."

Quest Added (Unique)

Vengeance of the Gods

Having been betrayed yourself, you understand the pain of loss and the anger of vengeance.  Roxanne has revealed to you a secret in the history of Everlife that is long buried; there was once a 6th major race.  In order to prove yourself, she has asked you for your assistance.

Objective :

Complete quests that assist Roxanne and her brethren with their vengeance

Objective 2:

You may report the existence of this cult to the authorities for different rewards

Reward:

Unique class

Steel grinned, his smile evil and dark under the torchlight. "I will help with whatever I can."

He accepted the quest.

Roxanne nodded with a smile. "I thank you for your help, young traveler. Perhaps our people can one day reunite and find a home again."

"About that," Steel stared at Roxanne with a raised eyebrow. "If you are this mysterious sixth race, then why do you look human?"

"That knowledge is not for your ears yet," she said simply. "Help me and someday perhaps I will reveal more secrets to you. For now, are you interested in completing your first quest for the cause?"

"Depends on what it is, my vengeance comes first." Steel would give no ground on this as he stared into her eyes.

Roxanne gave a slight nod. "In order to leave this city, you must become level 10. Even then, with that level of strength there would be few safe roads for you to travel. My advice is to stay here in Rostwood and complete quests until you reach level 20, at which time you will be able to travel to more places to train. Your first quest for us," she continued, "is to gather uncommon red herbs in the farmland. Feel free to also gather the green herbs for my shop, as it will provide you with a cover for your activities. Also, if you come across a rare yellow herb, I will reward you greatly. Be warned, the two herbs will be found near stronger monsters, so take care."

Gather the Herbs II has been updated

Added objectives

Gather 5 red herbs
Optional: Gather any yellow herbs found

Steel nodded his head. "Understood, but my strength has been severely reduced by the curse, so I am uncertain as to whether I can complete this quest." With both his health and mana halved, Steel knew that he was at an extreme disadvantage compared to other players his level.  Since he had the persuade skill, he figured he might as well try to use it to improve his chances.

Roxanne tilted her head as she tapped her chin in thought. After a moment, she nodded her head and walked over to the altar. She removed a necklace and handed it to Steel.

"This necklace is said to have been blessed by the goddess before her downfall. While it cannot restore what you have lost, it can help you deal with your curse."

Necklace of Disguise

Type:

Jewelry

Durability:

100/100

Quality:

Rare

Effects:

Able to disguise appearence
+100 Mana

A necklace blessed by a goddess. When worn, this necklace uses the wearer's mana to create an illusion over his or her body. The illusion lasts until the magic is canceled or dispelled.

"Thank you for your help." Steel didn't care how he looked, but he wasn't going to complain about a free gift, or the additional mana. The curse reduced the 100 mana to 50, but it was still a boost to his strength. The necklace was the most valuable thing he currently owned.

"Go now, young traveler. Return when you have completed your task." Roxanne shooed him out of the room and paid him no more attention as she sat down and began grinding herbs. He bowed his head at her dismissal and left the room.

After Steel left the apothecary shop, he walked into an alley and activated the necklace. After checking it, he found that the illusion could only change the disfigurement's appearance and not restore him to how he used to look. Scrolling through the options, he settled on a tattoo disguise. Now, his entire left side was covered in intricate tribal tattoos that gave him a wild and intimidating look.

Satisfied his current appearance wouldn't cause the guards to arrest him by accident; Steel removed his hood and walked to the mage tower. Even though the quest had ended in disaster, he still had leveled up to 5. Marie the receptionist had told him to return for the next magic lesson, so he figured he might as well see her first before he went to the farmlands.

The mage tower was busier than when he had last come. Player mages now sat at the tables and interacted with some of the NPC mages, obviously trying to solve quests or raise intimacy. He ignored everyone and walked straight over to the receptionist desk. Once again, Marie was by herself and looked quite bored. She didn't even notice when he sat down in front of her.

"I don't want to talk, go away." She rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.

Steel groaned. "Oy, it's me, you introverted trash teacher." Steel didn't have time to deal with her attitude, and frankly he didn't have the patience anymore either. Her quest didn't involve gaining more spells, so he wasn't inclined to be polite.

Marie started and fell onto her face. She quickly recovered and turned to glare at Steel.

"Oh, it's you again. What do you want?"

"You told me to come back when I got stronger, so I got stronger." Steel folded his arms and waited.

Marie frowned and scanned him with her eyes. She nodded her head. "You are stronger, quite a surprise. Your attitude also seems to have gotten worse though." She gave him a frown. "You should be more respectful towards me, you know."

"Don't care. What's the quest?"

Marie glared at him and a small ball of fire appeared in her hand. "Correct your attitude towards me, or you'll be banished from the mage guild."

Steel gave a low chuckle and shrugged. "If you don't want my help, I'll be happy to leave. After what I've been through, it's not like I need to learn to rely on others anyway. Also, what do you think would happen if I start using magic here in the tower?"

She stared at him a moment, then dismissed the fireball in her hand and gazed at him. Steel began to feel uncomfortable and coughed awkwardly.

"For your first quest," Marie began talking as if the entire incident had not just occurred, "I need you to bring me back some wolf fangs, rat fangs, and devil rabbit fangs. All of them can be found in the farmland, and with your current level you no longer require a letter to enter it. Bring me 20 rat fangs, 10 wolf fangs, and 5 devil rabbit fangs, and I'll reward you with a new spell."

Quest Updated (Special)

Learn Magic II

Marie has acknowledged your strength and requested you bring her animal fangs. You have no idea why she wants them.

Objective:

Obtain 20 rat fangs
Obtain 10 wolf fangs
Obtain 5 devil rabbit fangs

Reward:

New spell, intimacy with Marie

"I'll take care of it," Steel said as he accepted the quest. "Just have my reward ready when I get back."

Marie rolled her eyes. "It'll take a day since I'm so busy, so try to come back when I'm available."

Steel couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle as he got up and left the tower.

Thanks to his disguise, the guards at the gate only gave Steel a strange look before allowing him to pass into the farmland. It was just a little past the middle of the day, so he had plenty of time until dark to get started with both quests.

"Let's see which one is closer," he muttered as he opened the mini-map. Unfortunately, both quests had large areas instead of markers, and the fang quest was divided into different areas of the farmland. It was clear the tutorial quests were over and game would no longer be providing step by step directions. "Looks like it’s the rats," he said as he gazed at the closest farm. As he stared, he had a sudden idea.

Smiling like he had won a lottery, Steel casually strolled down to the farm and knocked on the door to the house. The door opened up to reveal a farmer's wife who glared at Steel distrustfully.

"Yes, what do you want?" she asked him gruffly.

Steel bowed. "Hello, ma'am. I am a traveler and was wondering if I could do anything to help you?"

"We have no money until the harvest, look somewhere else." She began to close the door, but Steel stretched his foot out to block it.

"I understand that, ma'am, but won't the rats be a threat to your harvest if you let them continue to live in your barn?" he asked.

"We have no rats," the woman declared, but Steel could see a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

"I understand that, ma'am, but what about later? The guards can't keep them all out, so why don't I help you so you bring in a great profit," he said with all the suave of a salesman.

The farmer's wife clearly hesitated. "I can't pay you with anything though…"

"My dear," Steel's voice began to exaggerate with honey and flattery. "A woman as beautiful as yourself should never have to worry about paying with coin. Why, I bet you are a wonderful cook."

The woman began to blush and fidget. It was doubtful anyone had ever called her beautiful before. She wasn't bad looking, just plain to look at. "Yes, I often win the pie competitions when the harvest festival comes around," she admitted.

"That's perfect!" Steel announced with a flare. "If you teach me how to cook, I'll be sure to take care of those pesky rats, that don't exist of course." He winked at her, causing her to giggle.

"Bring me their pelts to prove you've killed them, and I'll teach you what I know," the wife agreed, and she shut the door.

With her gone, Steel's smiling face disappeared as his face resumed its previous coldness. A few days ago, he likely would have done this for some food or other trivial reward. Now, he was more pragmatic and could see it was better to get the most out of everything.

"Getting paid for something I'm already doing, how convenient," he chuckled to himself as he walked toward the barn. The quest had popped up, but he had accepted it without even looking at it. To his pleasure, his Persuasion skill bar had increased also.

"Now, let's kill some rats." He twirled his spear with a sadistic grin.

Chapter 12

Steel examined the worn, wooden building before him. It looked like a barn from the digital picture books of old—two stories, with a bottom floor full of animal stalls and hay and a top floor that only covered half of the space. The door leading inside was open, revealing the place to be empty of animals. Steel could hear the sounds of livestock in the distant fields.

“Alright, rats, come on out,” Steel muttered as he entered the barn. He eyed the floor, but could see nothing moving or scurrying about. He grunted in annoyance, but had a flash of an idea as he examined the hay bales piled in the corner.

“Create Water,” Steel cast with his hand outstretched. He watched as the invoked spell drained his mana meter. As it did, a steady stream of water burst forth from his hand and doused the hay bales. An irritant squeak arose, and 3 rats jumped out.

“Triple strike!” Steel invoked as he thrust his spear out. The mirage image of two additional spears appeared and each struck a rat. With a miserable shriek, the first 2 rats died and dissolved into light, dropping fangs and pelts. The last rat hobbled away, clearly wounded.

"Seriously? The stupid tutorial goblin was more of a challenge than you!" Steel growled out angrily as he stabbed the last rat with his spear. It gave out a miserable cry as it dissolved into light and dropped its loot. Steel huffed in annoyance as he gathered the pelt and fangs. The rats in the barn seemed to be level 2-3, something a level 5 player like him found easy to fight. It also helped that he had also taken all ten stat points from leveling up and placed them into strength, raising his attack power.

Steel continued to shoot water into the other hay bales. However, the rats did not agro (turn their attention) him until Steel attacked them. His curse, which made him naturally unapproachable to most people, seemed to have the added effect of making animals wary of him as well. The rats didn't seem to want to fight him, preferring to escape after he attacked into the hay and holes in the barn. While annoying, Steel did appreciate the easy kills.

Eventually though, the escaping rats irritated him so much he finally threw his spear at one of them. The spear traveled straight and true into the rat's back, killing it instantly. As it turned out, Steel was able to acquire a new skill from his actions.

You have learned the skill: Spear Throw

Description:

While not the smartest thing to do, throwing your weapon actually more dangerous than using it up close. You throw your spear to inflict greater damage on your opponent.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Inflicts 1.25 damage on your opponent. When used against a fleeing enemy, it will always critical hit. Once used, the weapon will leave your inventory and you must retrieve it.

Thanks to this new skill, Steel had a wonderful time picking off the rats in the barn at his leisure and used the opportunity to practice all three spear skills: Spear Thrust, Triple Strike, and Spear Throw. As an added benefit, every once in a while one of the rats would drop rat meat with its pelt. Steel couldn't wait to learn the cooking skill, so he could cook the meat and eat it. It had to taste better than the bread he was almost out of.

"Now," he muttered as he picked up the last pelt, "let's go get that skill."

He walked out of the barn and back to the house. He knocked on the door and waited patiently. The door opened to reveal a heavyset man in a straw hat and peasant clothes. He glared down at Steel and crossed his arms.

"What d'ya want?" he asked.

Feeling a strange sense of deja vu, Steel smiled courteously and bowed. "Good day sir, I'm just reporting the completion of the quest your wife gave me."

The farmer raised an eyebrow and turned his head. "Oy!" he shouted down the house. "Get down here!"

Steel frowned at the farmer's attitude, but wiped it from his face before the farmer turned back around. The two of them heard bustling as the farmer's wife appeared in the doorway. She was red-faced and panted softly from the exertion. She smiled at Steel when she noticed him.

"Did you kill the rats?" she asked brightly.

Steel nodded. "I did, these pelts are proof." He took out the pelts and hung them over his arm. As he displaced them, a fat hand reached out and snatched the pelts off his arm.

"Thanks for the help, stranger, have a good day." The farmer smiled and slammed the door in Steel's face. Steel, slightly shocked, rubbed his nose as he began to hear loud voices arguing in the doorway. As he wondered what was going on, he heard a loud slap and a small cry of pain.

At this point, Steel had spent the last few hours fuming in anger at the fleeing rats. He had all the pelts he had acquired stolen from him and was treated rudely. The door had even hit his nose. Now, he had heard the farmer slap his wife, who was obviously on Steel's side and trying to keep her part of the bargain.

Steel decided it was time for a little venting.

He reached up and touched the necklace on his neck. Scrolling through the options, he decided to switch the illusion’s target from his skeletal left side to his human right side.  The magic worked perfectly, changing his previous tattooed appearance into a walking skeleton. Menacing in visage, he calmly knocked on the door again.

The door slammed open and the farmer glared out of it, his wife crying on the floor. "Leave before I call the guards you—" he cried out, but began to rapidly pale as he took in Steel's new face.

Steel grinned evilly and walked into the house, causing the wife to cry out in fear.

"I'm the ghost of justice and have come to deliver punishment to those who deserve it," Steel declared with a hiss. He appreciated the theatrics of the moment.

The farmer, who was obviously not an educated sort or brave in anyway, began to beg pitifully as he scooted backwards.

"Mercy, oh great one, for I have done no wrong. Here, take my wife who promised wrongly." He grabbed his wife and threw her at Steel as the fat man ran further into the house. Steel caught the woman gently as she screamed in fear. "You won't have to worry about him anymore," he promised her, calming her down as he placed her on the floor.

The farmer’s wife looked wordlessly up at her avenger, and then let her eyes follow her husband’s fleeing form. A small bit of light sparkled from her eyes. "I need him to work the field," she said meekly. “But harvest season isn’t for a few weeks.”

Steel nodded and cracked his knuckles as he walked deeper into the house. She only needed him alive and in decent shape after all.

"This book contains everything I know about cooking," the farmer's wife explained as she handed Steel a skill book. Obviously, she had no idea Steel and the skeletal reaper were the same person (Steel had left and waited awhile before returning in his human appearance), but she was still very happy to help him out. "Also, I'm returning to you the pelts my husband wrongly took from you. Here is one of my famous pies as an apology."

Steel gave her a warm smile. "Won't your husband be mad that you're returning this?"

The wife giggled and shook her head. "He'll be fine with whatever I say for quite some time. I have someone to thank for that. Anyway, have a good day and feel free to return if you want to buy one of my pies in the future." She gently shut the door behind her.

"Let's see—I got a new skill, got my pelts back, got a free pie, got the rat fangs, and taught someone a lesson through vengeance. Good day so far." Steel was vaguely pleased with himself for a moment before his frown returned. "I wonder if there will be some unforeseen, but predictable, problem that comes about from messing with an NPC."

After a brief moment to consider, he sighed and nodded to himself in defeat. His luck was just that bad. Life didn’t just throw stones for wondering about what ifs.

"Well, I'll deal with it if the time comes," he muttered to himself as he checked the notifications. The quest and rats netted him a decent amount of experience points, but his advanced class still required more for the next level. He had gone ahead and added the ten stat points from his previous level up to strength, so even with the decreased health and mana, he could skill survive in a battle. Even though his actions hadn't been part of a quest, he had still received a weird notification that had spawned his previous thought.

Side Quest Completed

Deal with Domestic troubles

You came across a cruel farmer who mistreated his wife. You dealt with him in a way that benefited the wife, who has thanked your disguise for the help.

Reward:

The story of the "Spirit of Vengeance" will spread through the city
-Abused wives may pray to you for help
Exp has been acquired

Steel couldn't help but scratch his head at the notification. Apparently, his disguise had worked a little too well and activated a hidden plot development. He couldn’t help but marvel on how true it was that Everlife was a game run on NPC and player actions. The idea of becoming a ‘spirit of vengeance’ also interested Steel greatly.

Since he had finished with the rats, Steel's next step was to find some wolves and get their fangs. Since the mini-map wasn't being helpful, he figured it was best to start his search closer to the woods.

As he walked away, he began to feel itchy. Annoyed, he scratched his left hand, wondering only for a moment why it seemed to feel like his old hand.

Sarah sat next to a hospital bed as she gazed down sadly at Plat’s injured body. She held his hand in hers and slowly rubbed his palm.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," she whispered to him. "I'm sorry you're trapped in that world."

Everything had crashed down on Sarah that day. It had been nighttime when the alert came in that two students were hospitalized. She was worried at first, but hadn't paid it too much thought at the time. She had been so angry after the in-game events that she'd shut her wrist-phone off and locked her door, rolling up in her blanket in a corner. She couldn’t even think to face Plat then; she hadn’t known what to say to him.

Later, she had been reading in her bed when her former best friend Reva began crying frantically at her door, desperately trying to get Sarah's attention. Sarah had relented and allowed her in to hear what the problem was.

"Plat and Dia are in the hospital!" she cried into Sarah's shoulder. Sarah went into shock at her words and froze up.

Plat was in the hospital. Her Plat was in the hospital.

The shock took Sarah's mind back to when she first met the little boy that would eventually grow up into the man she now knew.

"Leave me alone," the little girl sniffed, her body hugging a tree for dear life.

"Stupid Sari Sari, we can see your eyes glow," a boy taunted below her. She called him Rain, and he was part of a group that loved to torment her for her strange eyes. Whenever she saw him, her tears would fall. They threw rocks and sticks up at her, trying to get her down.

"Leave me alone!" She gripped the tree tighter, trying to avoid the projectiles thrown at her."

She didn't like to hurt people, so she didn't fight back. The kids took it as a sign of weakness and berated her with taunting songs and silly antics. Today was a bad day—she hadn't found a hiding place.

"Weak! Sari is weak," a girl giggled below her.

"No!" she cried. They laughed and began trying to climb the tree. They failed, of course, since she had more practice then they had. They eventually got frustrated and ran off to play elsewhere.

Sarah stayed up in the tree and cried. Her pretty hair had sticks in it and her skin itched from contact with the tree bark.

I don't like it here, she thought, then realized she didn't know how to get down. She had never climbed up this high before. Her crying resumed, harder than ever when she realized her predicament.

She heard a noise to her right and looked over scared. The grownups had told her there were no monsters in the play woods, but she didn't believe them. The sound of moving leaves came again, and a face popped out of a tree in front of her face. The two stared at each other a moment, before the boy cried out and retreated. Sarah cried too, but didn't dare move from her spot.

Eventually, the boy returned and looked at her.

"What'chu doin’ here? This my spot," he proclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to hide," she apologized through sniffles. The boy cocked his head at her.

"Oh, you’re hiding too. That's ok, then," he said matter of factly. "Stupid bullies can't get me up here, are you playing hide-n-go-seek?"

She shook her head. "Meanies chased me up here and I can't get down," she admitted.

"Okay, I'll help you," he declared. "I'm Supa Plat!"

"That sounds stupid," Sarah declared with a sniffle.

The boy looked sad, making Sarah realize she said something wrong. "Okay, if you help me, then I’ll call you Supa Plat," she promised.

He brightened up, and disappeared back into the tree. He reemerged with sticks, which he placed from her tree branch to his tree branch.

Satisfied with his "bridge" he said, "Okay, take my hand and walk to me."

She looked dubiously at the bridge. "It looks scary, Supa Plat," she said.

He shrugged. "Caretaker said, ‘Risks lead to triumph or defeat,’" he declared.

"What's a risk?"

"I don't know, but it sounds cool."

Believing in the admittedly cool-sounding words, Sarah took his hand and got up on her branch. She put her feet on the bridge and walked across. She managed 3 steps before the bridge broke.

As luck would have it, he had pulled her in before the sticks fell to their doom. She crashed into him and they both tumbled into the tree. Inside the leaves, she found a floor made of wood. She looked down to see Plat under her.

"Stupid, stupid," she cried as she hit his chest with her little fists. "That was scary!"

He smiled up at her. "But I saved you? So, I am Supa Plat!"

She hit him again and giggled. "Stupid name, I call you Plat," she declared. She looked at the floor. "Why is there a floor here in the tree?" she asked.

Plat shrugged. "Don't know. Found it like this, it's my supa secret base!" He put his hands on his side, then looked worried. "You won't tell anyone, right? I'll share it with you."

She liked the idea. She could hide here and play.

"Okay, but I'm in charge," she declared.

"No. My base—I'm in charge!" he challenged.

"I'm a girl, and girls are in charge. Caretaker says so."

Plat opened his mouth, then frowned and sat down. "Caretaker says girls are ‘de-le-cate,’" he pronounced slowly. "So, I guess I'll let you be in charge.” He squinted at her. "What's your name anyway?"

"Call me Mistress Sari," she declared.

They had played together in the tree as often as they could the rest of the year, Sarah in charge and Plat generally going along with it. She had rescued the prince from the dragon, played a house mom (they didn't know what a mom was, but they had heard it was like Caretaker), and had fun together. Unfortunately, that had been the last year of the age group, so they were split up the following year.

Sarah's bullies started to woo her instead of hurting her as the years went by, her beauty growing with age. She never held any flame to them though, she remembered every boy who had hurt her. Girls too, but she quickly learned the vast political scene that was the girl social life and got back at them. While never the top of the class, Sarah quickly became one of the top girls of her grade.

However, after the mid-grades, she never saw Plat again. While she tried her best to keep the memory of the boy close to her heart, she slowly began to forget about him. As the third age group came, she chose mind and soul as her specialties and began to train hard to succeed in life. Eventually, she had moved into the dorm with her best friend Reva, who had been her roommate for the prior few years. She had been in the garden when she saw Plat again, moving into his room within the dorm. She had been pleasantly shocked to see him, but incredibly sad that he no longer recognized her.

She confided in Reva that night during her sleepover, the two giggling over the memories she shared with her. Reva told her she knew Plat from the second age group, and they discussed him till they fell asleep.

Fast forward to the present year: Sarah had never managed to talk to Plat. Really, it became hard to even be near him. He was bullied all the time, and his scores weren't good enough to get him near her academically. She had silently wished he'd stick to a faction soon, but he stubbornly kept his position trailing behind everyone. Reva warned Sarah to not talk to him, that it would only make things worse for him with the bullies. It annoyed her that Reva could sit and be friends with Plat at lunch and she couldn't. She instead hung out with her other longtime friend since middle school, Raim.
She met Raim at the end of her middle school years, and had recognized him as one of her former tormentors. He had apologized profusely, but she would not budge. However, his kind attitude and helpful nature over the years eventually began to wear her down and she became good friends with him. She finally agreed to a single date with him during the first senior party.

Still, everything changed when she went to the party. She had spoken with Plat, and he knew her. Even better, she could clearly see his feelings toward her even though he had forgotten. While she played if off casually, she immediately looked forward to when Everlife came out. She was so excited by the possibilities that she sent Plat her real gaming information in the hopes of playing with him. She had not done that with anyone but Reva and Raim, opting to trick her would-be suitors to think she was in the human kingdom instead of the elvish one, so they wouldn't bother her.

Everything was going well for her, except for the strange rumors that had started to pop up about her. She was very offended by them, and Raim helped her clear up the mess before any serious damage was done. When Raim told her that Plat was responsible, she was half-shocked and half-incredulous. The Plat Raim described sounded nothing like the one she had known. However, who was she to judge since she hadn't seen him in years and Raim had been her friend for a long time.

After all, Raim had always looked out for her.

She remembered clearly when Reva came into her room. She had fallen to her bed as Reva sniffed on a chair.

"How is he?" she had asked quietly. "Is he badly hurt?"

"Yes, and it's all my fault," Reva cried into her hands.

Reva explained that she had had a crush on Plat since she had first met him. Meeting Sarah and learning about her connection to Plat had ignited feelings of jealousy inside her. Raim had come to her and offered his help to separate the two, so she had worked to keep Sarah away from Plat so she could have him to herself. Everything had been working perfectly until Reva made the mistake of inviting Plat to the party, not realizing he would actually go. When Sarah had told her about her plans for Plat, involving a lot of in-game interaction, Reva had blurted it out in anger to Raim, her ally in keeping the two separate. He had told her he would take care of it, and left. She had received a message about what she needed to do, and she obeyed. Now, her crush was possibly dying and one of her friends was hurt badly as well. The doctors said that Dia might not be able to use his arm for sports ever again.

"To make it worse, I think Raim had something to do with both injuries," Reva confessed. "He seemed kind of deranged after hearing about you two meeting, and he was definitely unstable in the game."

Sarah was in shock at the news. Her best friend loved the man she had feelings for, and had tried to keep them apart so she could have him. Not only that, but her good friend was possibly responsible for Plat being in the hospital. As she thought about it, she couldn't help but remember Raim's cruelty back when they were children.

Maybe, she reasoned, he never outgrew it.

Guilt and rage shook her. She slowly calmed herself, using the meditative techniques she had learned from her soul classes. It was hard, the betrayal of her best friend cut deep, but she understood her feelings. After all, Plat was a boy worth have feelings for.

It was not, however, going to make her punishment any less.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sarah asked evenly, keeping her voice down.

"Because you're my best friend, and I'm sorry for hurting you and him." Reva looked into her eyes, the apology showing in her eyes and face. "Please forgive me. I'm sorry, so sorry." She began crying again, this time sitting on her knees with her arms hanging uselessly on her side.

Sarah's heart broke seeing her friend like this. No matter how angry she was, Reva was deserving of a little forgiveness. Not now of course, Sarah saw years of personal repentance for this, but she did like Reva as a best friend, and hurting her even more now would likely break her before she properly repented.

She took her in her arms. "Okay, but never lie to me again, understand?"

Reva nodded, tears of relief running down her face. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Sarah said coldly, pushing Reva back abruptly. "For this sin, you owe me a life debt and I won't accept anything less."

Reva paled, frozen in fear. A life debt came from a terrible sin, a loss of honor, or saving another's life. It bound the debtor to serve and obey until the oath was released verbally, otherwise it passed on to the next of kin. It was something that arose during the AI wars in order to create greater unity within the human side of the war. It had succeeded, but many servants to this day still worked under the debts their parents swore.

"Sarah, please, no…" she cried softly.

Sarah shook her head. "This is not only for me, but for Plat too," she declared. "I'm going to have him no matter what, and your actions hurt him and me." Her gaze softened a bit, "But I love you like a sister, and someday you may redeem yourself, so, please, take the oath. Otherwise, I never want to see you again."

Sniffling, Reva had nodded. "I, Reva, swear to serve Sarah Brighteyes until the day of my death or oath fulfilled, in this I swear," she said.

A red light glowed on her wrist-phone, registering the debt. Now, all of her person was legally controlled by Sarah.

Sarah smiled at her friend and hugged her. "Okay, now let’s go see Plat."

The two had then visited Plat after school. Reva couldn't bring herself to say anything but apologize, but Sarah talked to him the entire visit. They visited the rest of the week, but Reva stayed outside the door after the first visit.

Now, Sarah sat alone in her seat, taking the time to burn her love's face into her heart. Raim hadn't come to see her the entire week, but he had sent a single letter to her the night of Plat's accident. The letter had only held two words: You're mine.

Sarah knew of his father's position, which was doubly important as most kids didn't know their parents. If he wanted her, he would stop at nothing to have her. Still, events from the game forcibly separated her from him and she was now in the elf kingdom taking on quests for their country. She and Reva decided then that they would get strong enough in the game to leave the elf kingdom and journey to find Plat, no matter how long it took. Privately, Sarah resolved herself to staying with Plat, whether in the real world or the digital one, even if it required sacrifice.

After she left the hospital room, Sarah returned to her chair to continue her weekend training spree.

Plat was hers now, and she would do anything to reach him.

Chapter 13

After finishing up with the farm, Steel opened his map. His quest for Marie required him to find wolf and devil rabbit fangs, so he checked for the closest area where either monster could be found. As it turned out, the wolves had an area close by within the forest that was half enclosed by the fence. Steel closed the map and checked the time before entering the forest.

"Now, let's see, if I were wolf, where would I be?" Steel muttered to himself as he made his way through the forest. This was the area where the wolves were supposed to appear according to his mini-map. However, there was nothing to be found except a few squirrels. He traveled far enough into the wood to find the fence. He stopped upon reaching it, swinging his head left and right to check for patrols. The mini-map showed that the wolves were further in, so after verifying he was alone, he jumped the fence.

Notice

You have exited the farmlands of Rostwood and entered the Wilderness.

Warning: You are under-leveled for this area.

Warning: You have left Rostwood before reaching level 10.  If you are caught outside or die and revive in the city, you will be forcibly arrested for your own protection.  Return to the city.

Steel chuckled as he waved the notice away. “Interesting. The quest requires I leave the city, yet the game is informing me this is an illegal action. I must have uncovered one heck of a hidden quest.”

He kept walking, listening intently for any sound of wolves or other monsters. But once again, Steel found himself alone in the forest.

Maybe my curse is driving them off like the rats, he wondered as he walked by a stump. That’d be a hassle if all animals avoid me because of it. He kicked the stump in frustration, instantly regretting his decision when the rather realistic pain in his foot kicked in.

“Just my luck,” he muttered to himself.

A sudden growl directed his attention around to his back. To Steel’s delight, a wolf was growling at him from next to a tree. The wolf was level 7 and obviously displeased by Steel's presence. Steel grinned evilly—just the beast he was looking for.

"I worked on my attack skills with those rats, so let's test out my defensive skills with this wolf." Steel planned out. As he equipped his weapons from his back, the wolf gave a howl and rushed at him. Snarling, it leaped forward with its claws outstretched and its mouth wide open.

Steel narrowed his eyes and raised his shield, activating 'shield block'. The wolf landed against the shield and bounced off, landing gracefully in front of him. It threw its body against the shield once more, forcing Steel back under the weight of its blow.

"The recharge timer is rather long," Steel muttered as he watched the skill icon for 'Shield Block' fade to grey and then fill up slowly. In Everlife, all skills and spells had recharge times so a player couldn't constantly spam a move. Fighting skills had the longest cooldowns but could be cast instantly, while spells required a charging up period before activation and had lower cooldowns. As skills and spells leveled up, the cool-down could be reduced, but it would never be completely gone. His 'shield block’ skill could completely nullify a single attack, but it had a long recharge time as a result.

Naturally, the wolf was not going to wait around for him. It ran around to his unprotected side and began snapping at him with its teeth. Steel winced as his life bar began to decrease. He quickly used 'spear thrust' to drive it away. Unlike the rats, this wolf posed a bit of a problem for him with its speed.

The wolf charged him again, but this time Steel rushed forward with his shield, activating 'shield bash'. The blow sent the wolf tumbling back, but the skill failed to trigger a 'dazed' condition.

"A skill that relies on luck isn't worth much," Steel observed as he unleashed 'triple strike' against the wolf. "It's better to rely on things that never fail you, otherwise disappointment will arise—a lesson in skills and people."

Steel continued to trade blows with the wolf, slowly gaining ground as he learned the beast’s rhythm of attack. When the wolf reached half-health, it froze, reared back, and howled. A notice popped up in front of Steel's face, notifying him that additional enemies had been called. He paled slightly.

"Gods above, it has a summoning desperation skill!" Steel hissed in annoyance. He was really angry now, but he wasn't about to retreat and let the wolf win. The wolf had to die before its backup appeared.  He rushed forward and stabbed the wolf repeatedly before it resumed moving and finally shield bashed it into the tree. He was pleasantly surprised to see the bash had inflicted terrain damage from heavy contact with the bark.

"Good to know for the future, now experience my thanks for your help." Steel smiled happily as he used 'spear thrust' on the wolf's head, inflicting an automatic critical hit. With a pitiful whine, the wolf dissolved into light as it dropped fangs and a pelt onto the ground. Steel nodded his approval as he stored away the material.

A loud snarling alerted him that the wolf reinforcements had arrived. 3 more wolves ran out of the forest at him, biting and barking as they rushed him.

"Nope," Steel dead-panned before he used 'triple strike' to create three foot holds on the tree. With the agility of a monkey, he quickly climbed the tree to the lowest branch and sat on it as he gazed down at the infuriated wolves. He wasn't sure how much intelligence the game granted to these animals, but they seemed quite angry that their prey escaped them. They barked at him as they ran around the tree and jumped up to snap at him.

"Piss off," Steel growled as he thrusted his spear into one of the leaping wolves, critically striking the side of its head and ear. The wolf fell with a cry and began to run in circles as it repeatedly fell to the ground. Steel nodded his head. "Nice, the game even acknowledges the conditions an injury would cause, like loss of balance. Wonder if that applies to me too?" He wondered as he casually impaled another wolf's eye. This wolf fell to the ground and disappeared into light. Steel was shocked.

"No way, how could I cause an instant kill? It's a level above me. Even with a critical hit it should have at most removed half its health." Suddenly curious, he inspected the two remaining wolves closely with his scan ability. To his surprise, the two wolves’ health bars were already low and their status displayed minor bleeding debuffs.

"I wonder what hurt them," Steel thought out loud as he jumped down and began fighting the two wolves. Both were weaker than the first one he fought, and easily died under his spear. Steel happily gathered the new pelts and fangs as he turned curiously toward the direction the two wolves had come from.

"I wonder if something interesting is happening over there."

Resolved to find out, Steel began walking deeper into the forest. As he walked forward, his eyes noticed small amounts of blood on the ground and plants. He bent over and rubbed it between his fingers, thinking that it was from the two wolves.

You have learned the skill: Tracking

Description:

You are a hunter, capable of following hidden paths to your targets.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Improves chances of noticing hidden paths and trails so long as you gather enough evidence.  Success rate determined compared to quarry’s stealth.
Passive:  +1% dexterity

"How does sight translate into dexterity?" Steel wondered in dissatisfaction as he dismissed the notification. "Must have something to do with perception, which I guess is involved with that." Not completely satisfied with his logic, Steel shrugged and returned his attention to the forest. Now, however, he could clearly see a red path of blood droplets that led deeper into the forest.

Intrigued by his new ability, Steel followed the blood path while keeping his eyes and ears out for any signs of danger. As he walked along, he began to pick up on the sounds of animals fighting. He could hear howls, cries, snarls, and the rather pointed sound of tearing flesh.

Steel knelt down and slowly walked over into a bush and moved aside a few leaves to stare out. Ahead, a clearing was currently the battlefield of two opposing animal sides. To Steel's shock, he saw wolves fighting against rabbits; or rather, as he looked closer, devil rabbits. The ferocious variant beasts were ripping into the wolves with shocking aggression, while the wolves worked in coordinated strikes to shred the devil rabbits.

"The heck is this?" Steel muttered as he gazed out in shock. “Is this a turf war?”

Notice

During your experience in Everlife, you may come across two warring factions fighting for control of an area or resource. You may choose to help a side and contribute to their success in order to acquire intimacy and knowledge, or you can try to eliminate both sides in order to acquire the resource yourself.

Current Skirmish:

Wolf Pack vs. Rabbit Herd

Contested Resource:

Forest clearing with lake

Steel's eyes twitched as he read the surprise notification. "So, even animals have territory disputes?" He couldn't help but marvel at the sight. "How the heck do you raise intimacy with animals in the first place? And, more importantly, why?"

Steel suddenly remembered the existence of beast-tamer classes, the pet system, and druid related classes. "I guess that answers that. Now, who do I help?"

Naturally, Steel didn't have a good feeling with either side. The rabbits were obviously ferocious man-eaters that devoured everything but their fluffy brethren. On the other side, the wolves were the exact same way.

"Why did those three weakened wolves leave this fight to attack me?" Steel said, then suddenly realized, "Don't the wolves need all the help they can get?"

His question was answered as an enormous howl shook the forest. Out of the shadows, a large black wolf ran out and tore apart the unsuspecting devil rabbits in front of it. Steel was shocked as he read the beast's information.

Demon Wolf, level 9

"I guess that's the boss," Steel sighed. He knew that the level 6-7 devil rabbits stood no chance against this monster while the other wolves were helping it. He decided to let the wolves finish up and he would swoop in after to take the leftovers.

As he thought this, a small mewing sound grabbed his attention. He turned in the bush to look over, and found himself staring at a small baby rabbit. Actually, it was a small devil rabbit, but its teeth hadn't grown out yet and it looked quite cute. It wiggled its nose at him and mewed again, hopping away. Steel's eyes followed it as it ran into a burrow, where he saw mother rabbits and other babies shivering.

"The wolves are invading their home," Steel realized with a jolt. This wasn't an ordinary skirmish—the wolves were trying to exterminate the entire burrow of rabbits. Steel didn't care too much about animals fighting, because nature was truly survival of the fittest, but his vengeful spirit would not allow such weak innocents to be slaughtered in front of him.

"How annoying," he groaned as he picked himself up. Resolving himself, and taking a swig of one of the few health potions Eric had given him, Steel roared like a madman and dashed into the battle field, waving his weapon wildly.

“Look at me, I’m a distraction!” he shouted with all his might.

His plan was so successful at shocking the animals that they all paused for a moment to stare at the crazy human. In that time, Steel used 'spear throw' and killed the wolf in front of him. Not pausing, he picked his spear up and roared again as he threw himself on top of another wolf and stabbed it into its neck. This wolf also died in a flurry of lights as it whined sadly.

The battle resumed as the animals realized things were dying. The wolves were forced to separate into battling him and the rabbits. Seeing the wolves trying to coordinate themselves into a pack again, Steel equipped the beginner spear he still had from the tutorial and launched it at the demon wolf leader, missing its body but landing a solid blow on its upper leg. Crippled, the lead wolf gave a pitiful howl as the other wolves were forced to break formation to protect their leader, making them easy targets for the remaining devil rabbits.

The demon wolf turned to glare at Steel angrily, as if blaming him for the sudden turn in tide. Steel grinned evilly at it and heft his spear. "Well? Come on, then, you little bitch."

Not the best choice of insult in hindsight to call a wolf as it turned out. The demon wolf immediately roared in rage and charged straight at him. Slightly paling, Steel unashamedly turned and high-tailed it out of the clearing with a loud, "Oh, hell no, what was I thinking! Good doggie! Stay!"

Steel realized he had, once again, used a poor choice of words toward the monster that could apparently understand everything he was saying. He was forced to once again climb a tree at the edge of the clearing as the demon wolf was much faster than him. However, this wolf was cleverer than its brethren and began to ram the tree with its body, causing it to groan and shake at the attack.

"Crap, I can't reach it from here," Steel muttered as he eyed the large wolf. His other spear was still back at the clearing, so if he threw this one he would be weaponless. On the other hand, the tree was going to fall soon as it was not very thick or young. "Think, what have I learned today?" Steel muttered to himself as the tree shook again. After a moment, his eyes lit up. "Well . . . that's an idea."

Smiling aggressively, Steel returned his spear to his back as he grasped his shield with both hands. He waited until the wolf was about to charge the tree, then jumped and fell down with his body curled inside the shield like a human cannonball.

"Shield Bash!" he cried as he slammed into the wolf's head as it rammed into the tree. Previously, Steel had learned that he could inflict damage using the environment, and that injuries sustained provided location-related pain and debuffs, like when his toe got hurt from kicking a tree. The demon wolf not only received impact from slamming into the tree, it also received Steel's full weight as an impact strengthened by the games' physics. The daze chance rose from a mere 15%, since it was a slightly larger creature than Steel, all the way to 100%. It gave a very strange howl as it staggered backwards in confusion.

"Chance!" Steel cried out, ignoring the painful backlash from his insane tactic. He rushed forward and began stabbing every part of the wolf's head that he could reach: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, tongue, and even the lower part of the neck. With the wolf unable to dodge, all of his blows landed as critical hits.

However, the wolf was four levels higher than Steel and recovered from the daze. Snarling in pain, it slammed Steel backward with a paw and knocked him onto his back. When he was down, the demon wolf leaped onto him. Its snarling head snapped at Steel as he desperately used his shield to hold it back. As its claws began to scratch into the shield, Steel's hopes could only plummet as he watched the shield’s durability begin to fall. Also, his stamina meter was almost empty from the successive blows he had just landed, so he would soon be unable to resist the wolf's attack.

"I guess this is the end," he muttered as he watched his stamina bar hit zero. "I’m going to be arrested upon reviving. Stupid wolf!" he cried out in defiance as his arms collapsed under the wolf's weight.

However, the wolf reared back in pain and jumped off Steel as it whined. Steel leaned his head up to find the devil rabbits leaping onto the demon wolf and biting it repeatedly. The demon wolf did everything it could to dislodge them, from rolling on the ground to slamming into trees, but the little rabbits would not give up. Steel could only look on in amazement as the wolf howled and fell forward dead.

Steel sighed as he watched himself level up to level 6 as his stamina meter recharged right after. Cursing at the realistic pain, he dragged himself up, only to find himself surrounded by rabbits and devil rabbits all staring up at him.

Steel began to sweat nervously at the sight of fangs. "Um, I come in peace?" he offered.

The rabbits tackled him and Steel fell to the ground, buried underneath a pile of white, bloodied fur. He struggled to escape, but their rabbit softness and weight forced him down.

"There’re eating me!" he cried out, only to find the rabbits were all licking him: every single part of him.

Skirmish Completed

Upon coming across the battle between hare and wolf, you valiantly jumped to the aid of the rabbit herd and assisted them in repelling the invading wolf pack.

Skirmish Result:

Rabbit Herd Victory

Contested Resource:

Forest clearing with lake

Intimacy with Rabbit Burrow of Rostwood Forest has reached maximum

Congratulations on being the first person to befriend an animal pack.

Title: Rabbit Friend has been acquired.

When equipped, intimacy with all rabbit related creatures will become maximum.

The Devil Rabbit leaders desire to reward you:

Verbally choose your award from the forest clearing

"How do rabbits have enough intelligence to give gifts?" Steel growled at the sudden unrealism of the game. In response, a rabbit on his head pooped on his nose, filling it with a horrifying stench. Steel shot up and sent the rabbit flying as he frantically removed the offending brown pellets form his nose. He gave a glare, but couldn't identify which rabbit had committed the deed. They all stared up at him with an air of innocence, even the fanged ones.

"Fine, whatever. I just need the wolf fangs and some devil rabbit fangs anyway," Steel muttered quietly.

The rabbits, who all had large ears, separated into three groups upon hearing his words. One group shot away into the forest, the second began dragging the wolf corpses back to their burrow, and the third actually began to bring him back fangs. Steel raised an eyebrow at the two piles of fangs in front of him.

"Oh, thanks," he said awkwardly as he scratched his head. "I guess you devil rabbits are a lot smarter than I gave you credit for. I apologize for my earlier comment." The rabbit left and joined the second group in dragging the wolf bodies away.

"It looks like when players kill things, we get loot, but when NPCs kill things, the bodies remain behind," Steel observed. "Now, let's see what this wolf dropped." He walked over to demon wolf corpse and inspected it. While the corpse didn't disappear, it did have a sparkle to it which begged to be touched. As Steel touched it, an inventory menu popped up, displaying a demon wolf pelt and a demon wolf fang. Steel clicked on both, and the two moved into his inventory.

"I guess shared kills have this option." Steel watched as the rabbits dragged the demon wolf away. "Better get back to the city now since I have all the fangs." As he turned to leave, however, he found a few rabbits blocking his path. Steel tilted his head curiously. "What's wrong? I can't leave yet?"

A sudden rustle alerted Steel to his right. Two rabbits exited a bush and dropped a figure at his feet. One, to Steel's surprise, was the baby rabbit that had approached him earlier. To his shock, the other was a wolf cub, who was crying pitifully as it had not yet opened its eyes.

Friendship Reward

For possessing the Rabbit Friend title, your intimacy with the rabbit herd has prompted a friendship reward in the following form:

Reward:

1. Devil Rabbit Cub

2. Demon Wolf Cub

Before Steel could react, the two baby animals turned into light and flowed into his body. His character menu popped up, and the two appeared in his picture on either side of his avatar, along with two character sheets.

Steel could only stare in complete shock.

"I don't want them, take them back," Steel tried to give his new pets away. Unfortunately, the two pets were marked as bound in their character menus and the rabbit herd had already left for their home. Steel fumed for a moment as he suddenly found himself with two additional mouths to feed. The two were not even level 1 yet as they were both still babies. He was on a quest for vengeance. What sort of avenger carried babies with him?

Avenger; the word caused Steel to remember everything. He groaned and fell to one knee, his heart causing him great pain as it thumbed. The images were flowing through his head: talking with Sarah, placing the tome down, getting stabbed, his friends turning their heads from him, and Raim’s glee and hateful laughter.

He wanted to scream, to shout, to smash the very ground to pieces!  The pain he felt had to be alleviated through destructi . . .

A shock tore through his red haze, releasing him from the pain. A notice informed him that the system had triggered a digital sedative. He breathed calmly, allowing his fingers to be licked by the two small animals.

Steel sighed and rubbed his head, calming himself down. He rationally figured that someone that dealt with pets and beasts would be in the city and would be able to remove the binding. After that, Steel could likely sell both pets for a good amount of silver or gold since they were both variant beasts. He shook his head and summoned the two animals out.

The wolf and rabbit both came out of his body in a stream of light and sat down on the forest floor staring up at him. The wolf pup had changed, now looking a few weeks old with its eyes open rather than its previous freshly-born appearance. The rabbit also looked further grown, but neither had become adults yet. The two animals stared up at him with innocent eyes.

"I guess you both need names, so I don't keep calling you rabbit and wolf." Steel muttered as he stared down at them with his arms folded across his chest. "Fine. You are Lobo the wolf, and you are Akami the rabbit." Steel nodded in satisfaction.

The two gave him a look that suggested they realized he had just called them ‘wolf’ and ‘rabbit’ in a different language. Lobo actually growled at him. Steel made a quick check.

"My bad; I mean Loba?" The wolf stopped growling and resumed staring at him, so he figured she approved.

However, before he could do anything else, the two began whining in hunger. Steel grimaced and covered his ears. "Okay, okay, okay! I'll make some food. Stop crying already." He took out the cooking skill book and activated it. As it vanished into a shower of light, a notification popped up.

You have learned the skill: Cooking

Description:

You can make a meal out of ingredients.

Level:

Beginner 4

Effects:

1. Improves chances of successfully creating a dish
-reading recipes will also increase success

2. Small chance of adding stat boost effect

"That farmer's wife was a good cook," Steel noted as his skill started at Beginner 4 rather than Beginner 1. With his new skill ready, he gathered some wood and set it aflame with his fire starter spell. Soon, a nice little bonfire was roaring away as he cooked some rat meat skewers over it. The smell made him, Loba, and Akami drool in anticipation, even if it was rat meat. When he finished three, he ate the first skewer and relished the taste.

"Those rats must have fattened up in that barn because they don't taste gamey at all," he marveled as he threw a skewer to each pet. "There is even some marbling in this, how interesting."

The three of them quickly ate his whole supply of rat meat, and Steel was reluctant to serve any rabbit or wolf meat to the two, not that he had a lot since he hadn’t gotten a good chance to gather them before the rabbits collected the bodies.

Steel couldn't help but chuckle as he watched them pull the last skewer apart into two pieces and devour it.

"You two sure are interesting. Tell you what, if you two ever bring back meat in the future, I'll cook it for you," Steel said jokingly, since they were still young and he wasn't going to keep them, but Loba and Akami stared at him with glittering eyes that suggested they were daydreaming. Steel, of course, did not notice this and thought about how interesting this adventure would be with the two animals.

"Well, until I sell them," he reminded himself. "No sense keeping anyone near me.   They’d just be new variables I’d have to keep mind of. Now, I just need to find those herbs and finish both quests."

Steel paused as an idea occurred to him. He took out green herb and bent down to show it to the two animals. "I need plants like this," he explained. "Bring some back and I'll cook for you."

The two pets sniffed the herb and disappeared in a flash. Steel checked the mini-map and found he could see both of them as moving dots on the map.

"They are really proving their worth," he muttered under his breath as he began to move toward the marked areas where the rare herbs were located. Unbeknownst to Steel, devil rabbits and demon wolves were actually fairly intelligent with much better senses than their normal kin. While he vaguely understood that they were smarter than a regular animal, he didn't realize how close they were to human intelligence. Nor did he imagine how well they understood him.

The closest area on the mini-map marked for red herbs wasn't too far from his current spot, so he walked towards it. After a few minutes of walking, he came across another large clearing in the forest. The clearing this time had no stream and was largely elevated as a hill. It was also covered in a variety of plant life, most of which did not have the tell-tale sparkle that indicated they could be picked.

Curious, Steel reached down and picked one of the regular-looking plants. All it had for a name was ‘weed. Evidently, not every plant was usable in Everlife, besides being used as a decoration or for aesthetics appeal. Steel shrugged and threw the plant away as he began to comb the hill for the herbs he needed. The red herbs were very difficult to locate because they grew next to rocks, and there weren't that many rocks on the grassy hill. Even then, Steel had to carefully gather them so as to not ruin their quality. After an hour or so of work, he had only 2 red herbs of the correct decent quality and 3 red herbs of poor quality, which irritated him.

"Then again," he opened up the quest log and stared at it, "she didn't specify the quality, so maybe I could get away with this."

After a brief consideration, Steel shook his head. He wasn't the type of guy to shirk on his duty to get it done faster. Those who had bullied him had mostly been those types of people. He ground his teeth in anger as he considered the idea of being compared to them, an evil glow appearing for a moment in his left eye before disappearing.

"I'll find those blasted red stalks if it's the last thing I do," he swore out as he hurriedly returned to searching the area. Unfortunately, he failed to find more in the area and was left frustrated and annoyed. While Steel was cursing his luck in frustration, Loba and Akami returned, each holding a bundle of herbs in their mouths. They both spit the herbs out at Steel's feet before grimacing. Evidently, they both hated the taste of plants.

Eye slightly twitching at seeing how many the two had found, Steel reluctantly nodded and absentmindedly stored the herbs in his inventory. He casually inspected one before he fell backwards in shock. The green herbs well all of good quality, and to his mighty surprise there was a single yellow herb in Akami's pile. Even Steel's icy heart couldn't help but leap for joy at the sight of the yellow stalk, an existence so rare he could not have imagined finding it so easily.

"Akami, you get an extra meat skewer for this one," he said, rubbing the little rabbit's head. The rabbit shot a triumphant look at the wolf when Steel looked away. Loba looked glum before perking her ears up and sniffing the red herb at Steel's feet. She ran off and returned quickly with a single decent quality red herb.

Steel stared in shock.

"I've been looking for 3 hours for those. How did you find it so quickly?"

The wolf pup stared innocently up at Steel, then barked and wagged her tail. Steel pushed himself up and followed her down the hill to the forest. There, she led him to a large rock with another red herb sticking out from under it. Steel smacked his head in exasperation.

"Of course the hill isn't the only place to find it!" He felt stupid as he realized his mistake. "They grow near rocks, so all I had to do was find rocks still within the defined area." He shook his head to get over it and reached down to gather the second stalk. He managed to get it with decent quality, bringing his total up to 6 stalks.

"Okay, I think that's good enough for now," Steel announced a little later as he stowed away his fifth stalk of decent quality. "Let's go back to the city and finish up these quests." The two animals seemed to nod as they turned back into light and entered Steel's body.

The trek back to the city was easy and swift, with no random encounters occurring. A close call came when Steel returned to the fence and found a guard patrol passing by.  He had been forced to hide and wait a while before jumping the fence back into the farmland. After that, nothing else bothered him until he reached the city gate. Steel nodded to the two gate guards, who acknowledged his return with their own nod. Steel then walked to the mage tower.

When he arrived, he walked over to Marie's station without even pausing to check if she was available or not. She was in her alcove, alert but still bored, and perked up at his approach, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Was the quest too hard for you? It's only been a day. I expected more from you," she scolded him as a notice popped up that his intimacy with her had fallen.

Steel rolled his eyes and dumped all the fangs on to her desk. "This enough for you?"

Quest Completed (Special)

Learn Magic II

You have successfully delivered all the fangs Maries asked for to her and even given her an extra demon wolf fang in record time. Marie had been suitably impressed.

Reward:

Intimacy with Marie has risen
1. For returning in record time and delivering a demon wolf fang, Marie is ecstatic and will reward you by teaching you an extra spell

Steel raised an eyebrow at the ambiguous reward and looked over at Marie. The receptionist was still staring down at the pile in shock, before shakily removing the demon wolf fang with her hand. She cupped it in her palm as she stared at it, wide-eyed in amazement.

"This is a demon wolf fang!" she said excitedly. "I never thought you would be able to get one. That means you got the pelt too!" She stared at him hungrily. "I'll pay you for all the pelts you took."

Steel grinned as he took out the rat pelts, the wolf pelts, and the demon wolf pelt and handed them over to Marie.

"You don't have any devil rabbit pelts?" Marie sounded a little disappointed.

Steel shook his head.

Marie shrugged and happily stored the pelts and fangs under her desk. She gave Steel the first real smile he had ever seen on her face. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked when she wasn't frowning.

"You've helped me more than you know, young traveler," she told him. "Thanks to you, I'll be able to continue my research that was destroyed in an accident. Here, take these two spell books, but don't let anyone see you." She stealthily removed two spell books and passed them over to Steel, who put them in his inventory before he could read them. She winked at him. "If you want to help me again, return when you become stronger and I'll have another assignment for you. When you do, I'll have something for you as well."

Quest Continued (Special)

Learn Magic III

You have successfully delivered the items Marie needed to continue her research.  She has requested you help her in the future when you are stronger in return for additional magic lessons.

Objective:

Return to Marie after reaching lvl 10 to see what you can do for her.

Special Objective:

If you agree and fail to seek Marie out when the time is right, your intimacy with the Mage Guild will fall to a low level.

Reward:

Spells, intimacy with Marie

She happily began to write on a piece of paper, indicating Steel had been dismissed. He got up and nodded to her before leaving the mage tower for Roxanne's Apothecary shop.

As usual, the shop was busy with players buying potions and herbs. Steel walked past the line and took out the leaf letter. The receptionist, a lady this time, nodded and allowed him to move past her into the back.

He found Roxanne working at her alchemy table, crushing herbs and mixing them into potions. The beautiful lady turned with a smile to look at him. "Good day, young traveler, how may I help you?"

Steel took out the bundles of herbs. "I have returned with the herbs you requested of me, my lady."

Roxanne nodded and beckoned for him to follow. She led back to the secret room, where her face changed from welcoming to a solemn happiness. "It is a good sign that you have returned so quickly. Come, allow me to inspect what you have brought back.”

She carefully looked at each stalk of herb he had given her, separating them into piles of quality. She nodded her approval at the red herbs and clapped her hands happily at the yellow herb.

"I am rather surprised that you were able to acquire this yellow herb at decent quality. With your experience in gathering it should have been a poor stalk. Did you take this from someone?" she asked him curiously. By her tone, it was apparent she wouldn't mind if he told her he had stolen it.

Steel shook his head, willing his two pets out. "No, these two helped me out with that."

Roxanne gave a gasp of surprise as she began to coo and pet the two little cubs, who clearly enjoyed her attention. "How amazing to have both a devil rabbit and a demon wolf as pets," she complimented him. “They are quite precious.”

"You want them? I'm planning on selling them," Steel asked her.

The two cubs began to whine, and they quickly escaped Roxanne's hands to rub themselves against Steel's leg. They mewed and cried as they looked up at him with puppy eyes. Steel was at a loss.

Roxanne, on the other hand, chuckled. "I do not believe they want to leave you," she observed. "In any case, it would highly benefit you to keep both of them. Both are variant creatures with the potential to evolve, and both can acquire skills if you train them properly. Also, with your curse you will need help in battles. The kind of help these two can provide when they grow up is no laughing matter. Anyway, you have satisfied my request to completion, so I thank you."

Quest Completed

Gather herbs II

You have satisfied Roxanne's request and brought her the herbs she needed.

Reward:

10 silver
Intimacy with Roxanne has increased
5 stamina potions for bringing back the yellow herb
Exp has been acquired

Steel raised an eyebrow as Roxanne handed over the yellow potions. "Are the yellow herbs used to make these stamina potions?" he asked.

Roxanne nodded. "Yes that is correct. Green and red herbs can be used to make potions of healing while Blue and Yellow herbs can be used to make mana and stamina potions respectively. Though, out in the wilderness they are not simply ‘green herb’ or ‘red herb’. The cities where travelers appear only have a single variety of each color, so they are easily known. However, when you eventually leave this city you will find a great variety of herbs and plants in the world that cannot be simply called by color. Keep helping me, and I may someday teach you Herbology, the skill of identifying herbs."

So that's it, Steel realized. In Everlife, each plant will somehow be related to one of these four colors, which will indicate what it can be used for. Even if there are thousands upon thousands of plants, just knowing which category of potion the plant can make makes potion-making a lot easier even if it isn’t foolproof.

While Steel was thinking this, Roxanne stored away the herbs and returned to him.

"Young traveler, I see you are still weak and new to the world. You may keep bringing me herbs, but I will not give you a new request until you become stronger. I advise you to take some quests within the city to familiarize yourself with the residents."

Quest Added

Explore the City

Roxanne the apothecary has no need of you until you reach level 15. She had suggested you fulfill quests for the residents around the city to increase your fame. She has already spread word of you to her friends and business partners.

Objective:

Fulfill 10 requests for the citizens of Rostwood

Reward:

Rewards from each quest, Fame within the city, and exp

Steel sighed in acceptance. The road to vengeance appeared to be a long one.

Chapter 14

"Now, on your way, young traveler," Roxanne said and made a shooing motion with her hands. "I need to get back to work now for my customers."

After closing the door to the secret room, she returned to her work table in the store and resumed her potion work.

His quest complete, Steel left the store and walked over to a bench with Loba and Akami following him. He sat down and sighed as he absentmindedly began to pet both of their heads. The two did not mind the attention and rubbed themselves against his hand.

"Okay," Steel began to think out loud, "I’ve almost reached level 7, I have enough coin to pay for better food and lodgings, and I'm barely closer to doing anything remotely useful in punishing those traitors and bullies."

It was a very glum outlook for him. Roxanne had advised him he should be at least level 20 before leaving the city, and even then, she had warned him he was unlikely to achieve anything at that level. Ignoring the two elves and the mysterious thief, Hero and Sir Courage were definitely both in the capital city of the human kingdom, of which he had forgotten the name, and were guaranteed to be taught by the best mentors over there. Likely, they would be given all sorts of training supplements and useful items that would give them a clear edge over him. Also, their fame within the kingdom would make it very difficult to harm without any political backlash.

"Maybe I should form a damn bandit group and harass them until no one has any trust in them," he muttered miserably. "At least then I could have a venting source for my dissatisfaction."

Akami licked his hand, drawing his attention down. The rabbit wiggled its nose extended a paw toward Steel's bag.

"Sorry, no food right now," Steel chuckled as he patted the rabbit's head. "Just some items and—"

Steel quickly opened his inventory and removed the two spell books. He had not taken the time to learn them yet, and now was as good a time as any.

You have learned the spell: Wind Boost

Description:

When cast, the power of the wind will dwell within the target.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Increases attack speed and movement speed of target

You have learned the spell: Quick Heal

Description:

When cast, user recovers a small bit of health and stops bleeding debuffs.  Does not work on internal injuries and other debuffs

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Heals 5% of max health and removes bleed debuff

"Well, this is a nice surprise." Steel smiled as the two books disappeared into particles of light. "A wind spell and a healing spell are both useful." He decided to check all his current skills and spells since he had the time.

Skills

Cooking

Beginner 3

Tracking

Beginner 1

Foraging

Beginner 2

Persuasion

Beginner 2

Spear Thrust

Beginner 3

Triple Strike

Beginner 3

Shield Block

Beginner 2

Shield Bash

Beginner 2

Spear Throw

Beginner 2

Spells

Fire Starter

Beginner 1

Create Water

Beginner 1

Earth Shot

Beginner 1

Wind Boost

Beginner 1

Quick Heal

Beginner 1

"Looks like I need to train my skills," Steel observed as he scanned the list. He hadn't used any spells during the rat fight or wolf fight because his mana had been low and half of it was being constantly used for his disguising necklace.

"Excuse me, young sir, but can I ask for your help?" Steel was distracted by a voice. The voice belonged to an elderly lady who was carrying a sack of food on her back. "I was wondering if you could help me with my other bag. I don't have the time for two trips today."

Steel nodded and got up, Loba and Akami following him. "Sure, I'd be glad to help." The lady smiled and handed him her bag as she left.  Steel waited for her to begin walking, holding the rather heavy bag.

"There's the thief!" Steel found himself surrounded by guards before he could even blink. Loba growled at the guards, but stayed put with Akami between Steel's legs. A fat merchant strolled up to him with a smug smile on his face.

"Finally, you have screwed up, Thousand Faces!" he announced loudly, drawing the attention of the passersby and shopkeepers. "You have been caught red-handed!"

"Surrender peacefully and receive a fair trial," a guard said. "Resist, and we will kill you, and you will respawn in jail."

"Kill him now, otherwise he will escape later," the merchant advised.

Steel raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Can someone tell me what's going on? An old lady asked me to help her with her groceries."

"Save your lies!" The guard glared and smacked the bag out of Steel's hands. The bag hit the ground and spilled its contents, which was obviously not food. Steel stared dumbfounded at the treasures that spilled out.

"You idiot! You'll ruin my merchandise!" the merchant screamed as he began to hurriedly pack his valuables back into the bag. "Thousand Faces, you'll rue the day you crossed the Merchant Guild."

"I really have no idea what's going on," Steel said honestly.

"Don't worry, you'll be reminded in jail," the merchant said smugly, then, while on the ground, he noticed Loba and Akami. His eyes widened in greed.

"You even stole my two pets, how evil!" The merchant began to feign a heart attack. "To think the evil Thousand Face would go so far as to steal my beloved pets. Come to papa, my dears." He beckoned to the two animals with outstretched arms.

Steel stared at the merchant for a moment. His mind slowly processed the information presented to it. His usual coldness flared up.

"Sic ’em, girls."

The merchant turned into a ball of screams as the two fanged creatures sunk their teeth into his flesh. He hopped up and down, shaking his fat body in a vain effort to dislodge them, but they held on fast with their strong teeth.

"Have them release the guild representative or we'll kill them," the guard demanded.

Steel glared at him, but commanded, "Release, girls." The two jumped back to hide between Steel's legs again, growling at the whimpering merchant.

"Listen, I am no thief. I am Steel the adventurer and traveler," Steel explained in a frosty tone. "If you don't believe me, then go ask Roxanne the apothecary. I frequently gather herbs for her and I have just come from the shop after my latest drop off. I was just sitting here petting my pets when a nice old lady asked for help with her bag. I helped her and she left, and then you…gentlemen showed up and falsely accused me. You even tried to steal my pets." Steel was very much not amused at this and let it show on his face. "I was even planning on stopping by the merchant guild to sell these two, but now I think I'll take my business elsewhere."

At this point, Steel was fairly certain he'd been strong-armed into some hidden side event by accident. However, the merchant was really pissing him off and he was preparing himself for dealing with the consequences of broad-light murder.

After his angry rebuttal, one of the guards came up and whispered in the lead guard's ear. His expression changed to regret and he coughed awkwardly.

"My subordinate just found the mask of an old lady down the street. We apologize for the misunderstanding, Sir Steel. We'll be on our way now."

The merchant got up and glared at Steel. "Arrest him for assaulting me. Also, confiscate those two animals for me."

The guard, in turn, glared at the merchant. "We are not the Merchant Guild's guard force, and it was obvious you were trying to steal from him. You have your wares, so leave now."

The merchant frowned, but snapped his fingers. Two slaves walked forward and carried the bag away, the merchant following with one last glare at Steel.

Steel at once got the notification saying his intimacy with the Merchant Guild had fallen. He rolled his eyes and scratched the two animals on the head.

"Good girls, you got that fat pig real good," he complimented them as they rubbed their heads against his hands happily.

Now, Steel turned his full attention, and related annoyance, toward the figure who had caused him so much trouble in the first place.

"Let's see what I can find out about this so called, Thousand Face." He grinned as he cracked his knuckles. He checked, but a quest notification had not popped up even after everyone left. "Really, not even a prompt to search out the culprit?" He shook his head in disappointment, then glanced down at Loba and Akami. "Either of you think you can track that guys down by scent?"

The two baby animals looked up at him with innocent looks. Steel shrugged. He hadn't really been expecting a response.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye out. Maybe I'll find a related quest while helping out other NPCs."

Shrugging to himself, Steel left the area and began walking down the streets of the mage quarter. When he had explored the city for the beginner quest, he hadn’t checked every road and shop along the way. For the most part, he had gone down the quickest paths to the major locations and avoided any distractions, besides Roxanne's shop.

Now, he carefully watched the stall merchants as they hawked their wares and examined the players as they eagerly rushed into stores to buy new things. His eye came across a store that looked empty.

"Falcon's Wonder Emporium" was drawn out across the opening of the building, but few players paid it any attention. The few who went in, Steel saw, quickly left in disappointment. His curiosity peaked, Steel opened the door and walked inside.

The inside of the store was filled with cages of all sizes, and many were filled with creatures and monsters that began to make a racket as Steel walked in. The shop owner was currently sitting on a chair with his feet on the counter as he flipped through a book in his hand.

"All beginner level monsters have already been sold; the cheapest pet here is 1 gold," he drawled out without looking up from his book.

"This is a pet shop, then?" Steel asked, unperturbed by the man's bored tone.

The man sighed and put the book down. He got up and walked around the counter to look at Steel directly. He was a tall man with a pointed nose and a head full of messy brown hair. His eyes were also brown, and they stared down into Steel with an annoyed light.

"This is no mere pet shop," he emphasized. "This is a business that specializes in the acquisition and distribution of magical and non-magical creatures of domestic and feral origin. We deal with everything from guards and mounts to war beasts and companions. A mere pet store; perish the thought." He waved his head sadly. "You travelers all seem to think that you're entitled to a beast. To be honest, the church did pay me to set aside some beginner beasts for those seeking a tamer or beast-master profession, but they all disappeared the first day and now everyone who comes in gets angry and blames me or some strange foreign god. I'm quite sick of it, actually."

Apparently, so many travelers had come in and bothered the man his intimacy with all travelers had hit an all-time low.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I already have two companions. I was wondering if you could tell me how much they are worth," Steel informed him.

The man raised an eyebrow. "That will be 1 silver, non-negotiable, for appraisal."

Steel handed over the silver coin without complaint. The man bit it and nodded his approval. "Nice to have some business these days. Go ahead and bring them out and I'll look at them."

Steel turned and called out, "Stop hiding, you two, and come out."

When he had entered the store, Loba and Akami had both ducked behind cages so as to hide from the man behind the counter. By the hesitant way they walked in, it was clear they had no desire to be near the store clerk.

The man's eyes widened and his head sharply turned to regard Steel. "Oh ho, young man, you've quite surprised me. Tell me, did you want to get them fully appraised?"

Steel cocked his head in a questioning manner. "Is not telling me their worth a full appraisal?"

The man shook his head. "No, sir. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Falcon, master tamer and beast-master. For those seeking the path of companionship, I offer my assistance as a mentor. My complaining from earlier was merely to ward off those whose only desire is a pawn. Tell me, do you wish to sell your beasts? Is that the reason for the price check?"

Steel scratched his chin as he looked down at his two pets. Loba and Akami gave him the cutest eyes as they whimpered up at him. Steel sighed regretfully and shook his head. "My original intention was to sell them because I'm a solo kind of person. However, they have been extremely useful and well-behaved, so I am reluctant now to part from them."

Falcon nodded. "I understand completely. Not all humans enjoy the awkwardness and grandstanding of being with other people. Beasts, on the other hand, are the perfect companions to have since they won't betray you."

Steel instantly became more alert. "Can you elaborate more on this?"

Falcon smiled wolfishly. "Yes, you are not the only one who has experienced that kind of pain before. Roxanne is a dear friend of mine, though I didn't recognize you until your little beasts came out. That curse is really off-putting, isn't it?"

Quest updated

Falcon the Tamer has revealed himself to be of the same cult as Roxanne and offered his services to you. Intimacy has risen.

Falcon continued talking through the notification. "Now, not all of her friends are one of us, so be careful to reveal nothing incriminating. Those of us who know will let you know, not the other way around. To answer your earlier question," he walked behind his counter and took out a contract, "when a beast and master make a contract, they tie themselves to each other until death, financial interaction, or unbearable circumstances. The magic involved is an old magic from a far time in the past, so it is fully binding.

"Right now, you have a mere pet contract with your beasts. They can leave you whenever they feel like it, but they won't hurt you while under it. An appraisal will allow you to see their hidden strengths and weaknesses, and you can choose to make a permanent contract with them afterwards. Since you have paid, I shall deliver."

Falcon muttered a spell and two notifications popped up in front of Steel when Falcon finished chanting.

Name: Loba

Species:

Demon Wolf (Infant)

Level:

N/A

Constitution:

Poor

Dexterity:

Excellent

Intelligence:

Good

Wisdom:

Decent

Strength:

Decent

Endurance:

Good

Skills:

Foraging
Tracking
Bite
Charm (Infant Only)

Name:

Akami

Species:

Devil Rabbit (Infant)

Level:

N/A

Constitution:

Poor

Dexterity:

Excellent

Intelligence:

Good

Wisdom:

Good

Strength:

Decent

Endurance:

Decent

Skills:

Foraging
Tracking
Bite
Charm (Infant Only)

"So, this is what you meant by full appraisal," Steel muttered as he scanned the two new character sheets. A small note indicated that he could now access either sheet from his own character menu. "What do these words mean?"

Falcon nodded. "They refer to the quality of growth each creature will experience as they grow stronger. It is similar to how items of value are measured in quality—poor, decent, good, excellent, and outstanding. It is not often I get to see two animals with an excellent attribute, but even rarer to see both having a good intelligence. While these two will never be able to take a lot of damage, they will definitely be able to assist their master greatly in battle. I'll pay you 100 gold right now for the both of them."

Steel raised an annoyed eyebrow. "I thought you were going to advise me to keep them to supplement my growth?"

Falcon shrugged. "Business before pleasure, I'm afraid. We are not that close, and they could make me a lot of money."

His mind made up now, Steel declared, "I think I'll keep them. Can you think of anything else I might need to take care of them?"

Steel was barely able to keep his heart icy as the two animals cried in apparent victory and rubbed themselves against his leg. Then again, his eyes tightened in anger as his inner greed imagined the gold flying away. Maybe it was better to be alone.

As if reading the sudden change in Steel's eyes, the merchant grabbed the contract and placed it on the floor. "You two, paw print here, please." The two pets pawed the paper and Falcon handed it to Steel. "Okay, now you sign it in blood."

"They get a paw print and I have to cut myself?" Steel gave the shopkeeper an incredulous look.

"They’re children, you big baby. Here, all done." Steel blinked at the wound that had appeared out of nowhere on his index finger. A quick glance confirmed the shopkeeper was only level 12, but the injury on his finger informed Steel the man before him was more than what he seemed. Reluctantly, Steel signed his name in blood and the paper morphed into a light that enveloped the three.

"Good, you are now bound until permanent death, the selling of the contract, or if the animals hate you so much they force the contract to break," Falcon announced. "Now, I have a few things here that would help you if you are willing to buy them."

Steel caught the merchant's arm before he turned away. "Why offer so much for them, when your words convinced me to keep them?” Steel gave him a glare of suspicion. "What is your game?"

The merchant smiled secretly at Steel, not taking offense to the grab. "As a beast-tamer, I could tell you those two little ones would do anything for you, so it would be wrong to take them. As a merchant, I could say having unwilling merchandise is bad business. As one who has lost many friends to treachery and disaster, I can tell you it is worth having someone beside you when traveling down dark roads. In any case," he jerked his arm out of Steel's grasp, "we are not good enough friends to discuss this further. Now, you must be able to provide your two charges with food whenever they are hungry, which should align to the times when you eat. Beyond that, there is little else for you to do. If your charges cause trouble in town, you will be held responsible. Likewise, if they are injured you are well inclined to take payment as recompense. Since they have high intelligence values, you'll find they’ll be able to learn skills like you do, through experience or a skill book. Though, naturally, they can't read and thus cannot learn spells through skill books, but as they grow and evolve they might learn their own magic. Through your travels, your charges will grow stronger alongside you. Eventually, they will have satisfied certain internal conditions and will evolve into stronger monsters. These conditions can vary from level to eating a particular monster or item to being in a certain place at a certain time. This is a monster book you may take with you that outlines the most common monsters and beasts you may encounter." Falcon handed over a book to Steel, who stored it in his inventory. "Finally, I can change your class to tamer or beast-master if you like."

Steel dismissed the two prompts as they appeared in front of him. "I have no desire to take more charges so those classes would be worthless to me."

Falcon nodded. "Okay, then, but our intimacy compels me to tell you your current class will conflict with your curse. I advise you to change classes soon so as to avoid future trouble."

"Thank you for your help," Steel said as he turned to leave. "Come on, you two."

As the two infant monsters scrambled to join him, Falcon called out, "Two more things! Those two are complete opposites, so beware internal conflict as they grow up. Also, Mrs. Frederick down the street has a mice problem. Why don't you use your two new friends to help her?"

"They aren't my friends," Steel muttered as he shut the door behind him. "They're just tools to be used."

Chapter 15

As it turned out, Mrs. Fredrick was a tavern owner of the intimidating variety, complete with scars and a stern frown. She was currently giving Steel a hard once-over with a scowl on her face. A knife was stuck ominously in the wood wall where she had thrown it before looking at him. Only the hilt was visible.

"Falcon sent ya over here, did he? Well, I guess someone who interests him must be at least usable." She eyed the two quivering animals hiding behind Steel's leg and sighed. "Cripes, even the wee beasties here shiver and cower at me. They be good at mice catching, then?" she asked Steel.

"This is a learning experience for them, ma'am," Steel said politely under her glare. "Even if they can't, I'll be sure to finish the job up for you, Mrs. Fredrick."

"Fine, but call me Mema. Only that ruddy Falcon dares to call on me name so formally," she grunted and pointed her scarred hand at the back door. "That dare door be leading ya down to the basement. Mice are small beasties, but dey can overwhelm a man if he ain't careful. Mind yourself down there, boy."

Quest Added

Get Rid of Mice

Mema the Tavern Owner has a mice problem in her basement.  Since she's too busy to take care of it, she has asked you to rid it of mice for her.

Objective:

Kill at least 30 mice in the basement

Reward:

Intimacy with Mema, fame within the city, exp
Rewards may be added to higher kill numbers

Steel nodded his head and herded the two animals to the basement door. Finding the trapdoor and staircase, the three walked down into a dimply lit cellar filled crates and barrels for the tavern. Even as they first entered, Steel could see small groups of mice running around the floor. He grinned. When he had finally accepted the two animals after the contract, his first thought had been concern. After all, even though the two would be great help someday, right now the two were babies with limited abilities. Steel had checked the Everwiki about companion beasts and had found a limited amount of useful information. Apparently infant beasts would grow when they acquired experience points, either through battle or quest completion.

Naturally, Steel didn't think sending the two of them to fight adult creatures would be terribly wise of him, but this quest had presented a unique opportunity for the two to gain experience though battle. Likely, this was the reason why Falcon had recommended the quest in the first place.

"Guess I do owe the guy, then," Steel admitted reluctantly. "You two, think you can hunt the mice?"

Loba gave a low growl and Akami thumped her foot in anticipation. Steel nodded his head. "Fine, but don't attack too many at once, otherwise they'll gang up on you."

The two animals tensed and jumped down to the floor with a little drool coming out of their mouths. Steel suddenly remembered his earlier agreement that he would cook anything they caught and felt a sudden sense of awkwardness. How good were their memories anyway?  Resolving himself to pay better attention to what he said in the future, he sat down to watch the two fight their first battle.

At the moment, Loba was the size of a small dog and Akami was slightly smaller than her. In the future, Loba would grow to be slightly larger than a regular-sized wolf and Akami would grow to be a size larger than a normal rabbit. They were both speed-type fighters, relying on superior agility and maneuverability to outflank their opponents. Neither would have the health or defense to put up for long fights, but they had the strength to get in and eliminate their targets quickly.

Steel sighed and slapped his hand to his head as he watched the two infants running full pelt at him with a small swarm of angry mice chasing them. They cried out for him in their whining voices.

"I told you two to not attack large groups, didn't I?" He shook his head as he twirled his spear. He didn’t equip his shield, as it would be worthless against so many small and swift opponents, and instead used both hands to wield his spear so as to give a boost to his attack.

As the first group of mice reached him, they reared back as Steel's curse began to affect them. Steel did not hesitate as he leapt down and swung his spear down in a slicing motion. The mice, merely level 1 or 2, squealed in pain as they evaporated into little lights before him. Steel kept up the momentum, using 'Spear Thrust' and 'Triple Strike' to attack multiple targets at once. He was only to get about 12 of them before the mice scattered and vanished across the basement. He nodded as he collected the mice pelts and meat, and then turned to look at the two animals behind him. They were hunched over in what appeared to be shame.

"A much as I hate saying it," Steel sighed, "you both need to learn how to work together while you are babies, otherwise your rivalry will give me headaches in the future. Akami, you go attract the attention of 3-5 mice and lead them back here. Loba, you hide in the shadows until the mice come near you, then leap out and attack. When Loba attacks, that's your signal to turn around and attack as well, Akami. When you win, switch roles and keep it up." Steel paused to see if the two understood him.

Akami seemed to incline her head in understanding, but Loba was obviously cocking her head in confusion. Steel sighed and dragged Loba over to a corner hidden from most sides.

"Stay," he commanded, then turned to Akami. "Bring back mice."

Akami ran off into the dark basement and quickly disappeared. Steel waited until he heard Akami scampering back. He looked down at Loba and said, "Attack the mice."

Loba, who seemed to understand now, crouched in the shadows and stared wide eyed at the place where the sounds were coming from. Akami burst out of the darkness, followed by 3 mice who were screeching loudly. Akami had a small piece of cheese in her mouth, and a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Good wisdom is really different from decent wisdom," Steel muttered to himself as he observed Akami. “At least she doesn’t have poor wisdom.”

When Akami passed the corner, Loba leapt out and sank her teeth into one of the pursuing mice. It gave a startled shriek and struggled to escape, but Loba clamped her jaws down tight. Akami, hearing the shriek, immediately turned around sunk her fangs into a second mouse, causing it the cry out in pain and distress. The remaining mouse froze at the sight of its two companions being attacked, then squeaked and jumped at Akami, forcing her to release her hold on the mouse. She hissed and bared her teeth at the mouse, which was almost her current size.

Loba, seeing her partner being threatened by the two mice, swung her head back and forth, threw her mouse into the two aggressors, and followed up with a leap of her own onto the uninjured mouse. The flying mouse actually inflicted the dazed debuff on all three mice, and Akami also joined in with a leap of her own. Together, the two furiously ripped the three mice apart until, with a final squeak, the three disappeared into light. Loba and Akami picked up the meat loot and ran back to Steel. They dropped it to the floor and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Steel grunted.

"I said I'd cook your kills, so don’t worry, I'll cook it later. Keep it up, or I might forget."

Steel had decided the best way to raise them would be through detached care, since he had no desire to make real connections with game programs. He couldn’t afford anything that could make his effort harder. Still, his ethics forced him to keep his promises, so he would cook for them whatever they brought back in the future. Steel was sure that eventually he'd also benefit from what they brought back.

This time, Loba played the bait while Akami hid in the corner, her sharp teeth awaiting her future prey. However, Loba quickly returned with 7 mice this time. Steel shook his head at the large piece of cheese in Loba's mouth; she had obviously had tried to copy Akami, but wasn't cunning enough to do it right. She gave Steel a pitiful look as she ran towards him, but Steel shook his head.

"I can't always be there to help you. Learn to solve your own problems, or you'll remain weak forever." He folded his arms and put away his spear.

Hearing his words, Loba's eyes gained a fierce look and she growled a kind of acknowledgement. As soon as she passed Akami's corner, Loba turned and gave a high-pitched howl. The sound startled the mice so much they froze, and Akami fell upon them. The new threat instantly scared the mice into turning, and then Loba jumped in as well. Working together, the two bit, clawed, and scratched everything in their path as the basement was filled with squeaks, growls, and hisses. Steel nodded approvingly as the two wounded pets dragged their prizes back to him and fell on the floor, panting.

"You guys did decently this time," Steel acknowledged. "I'll ask to see if I can cook the meats in Mema's kitchen while you two rest up."

The two gave low whines of happiness as they settled together into a heap of sleeping fur at the bottom of the stairs. Steel gave a low chuckle before walking up to the tavern.

Mema was quite understanding when he explained the situation to her.

"Dem wee beasties want to eat the fruits of der labor then? Fine by me, I love dem mite sized critters but for some reason dey have a hard time warming up to me bones," Mema told him.

Seeing her scared face and large build, Steel privately agreed that most people would be intimidated by her visage.

Mema grunted. “Huh, I can see what you think of me. I’ll have you know I was once a beauty! I was a B-ranked adventurer for many years and fought alongside my husband. I retired after he died and chose to settle down here in Rostwood, using my savings to buy dis ‘ere tavern.  ‘Ere, ‘ave a drink and don’t tell me it don’t taste like a bit ‘f ‘eaven!”

Steel had to admit that the mug of drink given to him was one of the best he’d ever had.  Despite Mema’s appearance, the tavern seemed to be quite popular and one of the best places to drink and eat in the city. The large staff of attractive bar maids certainly didn't hurt either.

Steel went into the kitchen and used one of the fireplaces to cook the mouse meat on a metal skillet. After burning through half, he finished up and returned to the basement with the successful meals. Upon reaching the bottom, he found both animals sleeping next to each other next to a small pile of mice meat loot. The smell of cooked meat woke the two up and they scrambled over each other to reach the plate of piping hot meat Steel place on the floor.

As the two ate, Steel watched their health and stamina bars quickly recover.

"That was 22 mice and we need at least 8 more. I'm going to go find another quest to complete, so you two stay here and continue to fight." He pointed to the now empty plate. "If you want me to cook, put the meat here. Otherwise eat raw meat if you want. If you can't fight, run up the stairs since the mice can't follow."

The two nodded and ran back to their positions.  Steel could hear the sounds of dying mice as he left the basement.

As Steel left the tavern, a notice popped up, informing him that he could see the locations of his contracted beasts on his mini-map. Steel dismissed the notification and resumed his search for local quests.

As it turned out, his curse continued to make it hard for the locals to speak with him without feeling threatened. Only the locals who knew of Roxanne were able to speak with him properly, after showing them her letter, but even they were slightly nervous. Only after Steel completed two quests did the people begin to relax around him.

The first task had been from an old lady in a store. She asked Steel to help her clear her attic of bats, and he had made short work of the five level 3 bats hiding in the roof. The old lady had thanked him and gave him a few copper as thanks. The second job had Steel working for a beggar on the street. The beggar complained that a noise kept him from sleeping in the alley, so Steel had investigated the area. As it turned out, the noise had come from a broken piece of metal that was swinging back and forth against the wall above the alleyway. Both the beggar and the owner of the house had thanked Steel, but he had only received fame and a little experience points from the job. All in all, he was up to 100 fame in Rostwood and more NPCs were able to speak to him without calling for the guards.

Now, he was completing his third quest. He sighed as he leapt back down from a tree, a cat in his hand.

"Thank you, Mister. for bringing my cat down," a little girl thanked him as she grabbed the cat and ran back to her house. Steel dismissed the notification of success and shook his head to himself.

"Really, a cat in a tree quest? I guess even developers enjoy a good cliché once in a while," he muttered as he checked his level progress. He was getting close to level 8 now, and his fame had once again received a small boost of 10. "110 fame is a good start, now what's next?"

He checked his map, and decided it was time to return to the tavern. A quick walk back took him past Mema and down into the basement, where a surprise awaited him.

Loba and Akami were sleeping peacefully once again in a heap next to the plate with a large pile of mouse meat and another pile of mouse pelts. Both were a little bigger than when Steel had previously seen them, but neither were adults yet—more like young teenagers now. A sound alerted Steel to Mema coming down the stairs. She gave an appreciative whistle.

"Beasties seem to 'ave cleared up all de mice down here. First time I've heard nary a peep down here. I'll be paying ya extra for this."

Quest Completed

Get Rid of Mice

Mema the Tavern Owner no longer has a mouse problem (for now).  She is greatly satisfied by your work.

Reward:

Intimacy with Mema has risen
50 Fame
Exp has been acquired
Bonus Reward; 5 silver and a permanent discount at the Adventurer's Tavern

Steel nodded his head. "They did most of the work. I guess I'll have to cook all this meat now." He sighed as he looked at the large pile.

Mema patted his shoulder. "Just open the windows when ya burn them. Also, I'm taking half your meat for a party to celebrate the vermin's death. I assure ya, I can cook them better than you."

Chapter 16

The Adventurer's Tavern was in a festive mood as Steel and his charges exited the basement. Loba and Akami slightly drooled at the smell of cooked meat and they tried to squirm out of Steel’s arms, causing rowdy laughter with their antics. Steel took a moment to marvel on how quick the tavern had changed since he had gone down to the basement and completed the quest officially. There was even a time limit bar above the tavern that showed how long the festivities would last before returning to normal. Mema winked at him from her place behind the bar, passing out drinks and plates to happy customers.

"Celebrate the traveler of the hour, Steel! He killed the mice that be filling your bellies!"

The patrons let out a resounding cheer and lifted their classes.

You have received 30 fame for being acknowledged as a master mouse killer
(No, you do not get a title for making your beasts do the work for you.)

Steel shrugged. "Not like I want a mouse slayer title anyway. Still, 30 fame is good to get I guess."

Mema finished handing out a plate before walking over to Steel with a wrapped meal.

"Little Steel, here take this. A customer of mine is terribly busy this time of year and won't make it here in time to have some of this meal. He works as a tanner in the training district, so it would be a favor to me if ya could take this meal to him."

Quest Added

Deliver the Meal

Mema the Tavern Owner has asked you to deliver a meal to a loyal and helpful patron.  He works as a tanner in the training district.

Objective:

Deliver the meal before the day is over.

Reward:

Intimacy with Mema, fame within the city, exp

Steel nodded his head. "I'll be glad to deliver it to him."

As soon as he confirmed the quest and checked his map, Mema turned away and resumed serving her customers.

Steel left the tavern and began walking toward the training district. Loba and Akami scrambled after him as he walked. The two had grown better used to their bodies after battling the mice. Loba was now a bit bigger than Akami, but more importantly, both of their fangs had grown into an intimidating length. Their intimidation factor was slightly ruined by their small bodies though, and with an excited look in their eyes as they chased after Steel.

Steel nodded at the two. "I'll cook your kills for tonight's meal. You have to work hard until then though." Pacified, the two animals trotted and hopped alongside him for a little bit before disappearing back into Steel's body. Steel rolled his eyes at their laziness and followed the arrow on his map.

It took a little bit, but Steel easily found the tannery. He walked in and was met by a manager on the inside. The manager smiled and said, "Esteemed traveler, are you here to learn the art of tanning?" Even though the man was smiling, Steel could see his curse was making the man feel uncomfortable.

Steel shook his head. "No, I have a delivery from Mema at the Adventurer's Inn. She sent this as thanks for your patronage."

The manager perked up and clapped his hand excitedly. "Really, it's from Mema? I was actually fretting because today's work load was going to be too much for me to leave for a meal. You have really helped me with this, even if you seem scary."

Quest Completed

Deliver the Meal

The tanner received his meal and will not go hungry this day.

Reward:

Intimacy with Mema has risen
20 Fame
Exp has been acquired.

A quick check confirmed that Steel was barely under the level 8 marker. Privately gritting his teeth at not hitting level 8, Steel turned to leave when the tanner called out behind him.

"Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering since you did me this favor if you were interested in helping me with another?"

Steel paused and then turned around. "I happen to have a lot of small pelts that need to be tanned."

The tanner grinned. "Mema attached a note in the package describing your achievements at the tavern, so I know you’re a good person. I'd be happy to work on your mouse pelts for a discount if you help me. Even though your face is kind of scary, I think you can do this job." The tanner didn't seem to notice the annoyance on Steel's face, as Steel disliked being reminded of his curse. The tanner removed a letter from his pocket. "My mother lives on the other side of the city, but I'm so swamped during this spring season I never have the time to visit her. Can you take this letter to her so she knows I'm alright and will visit her when I can?"

Steel quickly accepted the quest and took the letter. "I'll deliver it for you. Here are the pelts I need to have tanned."

"At a discount, that comes to 5 silver."

Steel nearly coughed out blood from biting his tongue in shock. That was a high price for just a bunch of mouse skins. "It's not a lot though. Aren’t these just tiny mouse skins? They would barely cover my chest and back if sown together!"

The tanner nodded his head at Steel's expression. "It cost the same coin for 30 mouse pelts to 1 wolf pelt. I must use the same rack whether it's for one small pelt or one large pelt, so the price is set. I should have your pelts completed by tomorrow morning. Thank you for delivering my letter." The man bowed with his palm outstretched.

Seeing the man enter non-responsive NPC mode, Steel reluctantly paid the man and once again made his way across the city to the faith quarter, where the tanner's mother lived. This time, he had Loba and Akami walk with him so they could see this part of the city. They too seemed oddly cowed as they walked through the faith quarter.

"She lives next to the graveyard, huh? This is one ominous game," Steel remarked as he walked up to a little house next to one of the graveyards. The house was small and in the midst of other, similar houses. Steel knocked on the door and took a step back.

"Who is it?" a small voice came from within.

"Letter," Steel called out from outside.

There was a pause, and then the voice spoke up in an angry voice. "I can feel your ominous aura from here, beast. Curse you, land-shark! Leave me alone!"

Steel frowned at the old woman's dementia. “I'm a traveler with a letter from your son, the tanner. What's a land-shark?"

"Ha! Just what a land shark would say!" the old voice cried out in triumph. “You’ll never take me alive, cur!”

Steel rolled his eyes and began to talk smoothly, activating his 'Persuasion' skill, "Your son was very worried about you since he's so busy during this time of the year. He asked me kindly to give you this letter so as to reassure you he was okay and to let you know he would be visiting when he has time."

There was a slight pause, and the door cracked open a tiny bit. Before Steel could move, a cross-bolt hit the ground in front of him, startling Loba and Akami into running behind the gate behind him. They peeked out slowly to make sure the coast was clear. The door fully opened to reveal a tall, muscular elder lady holding a crossbow in her hands. Steel observed a large naval tattoo on her arm, as well as a permanent scowl on her face.

"Darn, I thought I had the beast this time, but it's just a traveler boy," she muttered to herself, putting the crossbow down. She looked him up and down a moment before barking, "Letter, boy, give it here now come on, then."

Maybe he makes himself busy on purpose, Steel thought as he handed over the letter. The old lady took it and read it, a warm smile blossoming over her face. She hugged the letter and stowed it away before grabbing Steel into a hug.

"You've made this old woman very happy, young traveler. My son is such a good boy, but he doesn't have time to visit me nowadays because of his new family. I'm just glad he keeps his dear old mother in his thoughts while I wait for the grim reaper."

"Ma'am, no offense, but I doubt the reaper wants anything to do with you," Steel could not help but let the comment slip before he could stop himself.

The old lady laughed a hearty laugh and nodded her head. "I served as a ship captain for many years, boy, and I had to deal with all sorts of lowlifes and bastards in my day. Only that accursed beast managed to survive and followed me here, but I'll get it someday." Her eyes gleamed ominously as her hand twitched toward the crossbow."

Steel took a quick step back. He had no desire to trigger any quest related to a land-dwelling sea monster with teeth. "I hope your son visits you soon, ma'am."

A hand grabbed his shoulder before he could make his getaway. Loba and Akami watched him with pitying eyes from a distance. Seeing them give up on him, Steel resolved to make their meat super spicy.

"Hold on there, sonny boy, come on in for some tea and biscuits whilst I tell you the tale of the beast." The old lady demanded as she tried to drag Steel inside.

"Personal circumstances, ma'am, forbid me from staying. I really must be going to find a place to stay the night," Steel told her as he wormed free.

The old lady captain nodded. "Fair enough, not like we're old friends. Now, I do owe you a favor for this letter, so if you ever need help just come back here and I'll see what I can do. By the way, be careful to avoid that alley at sunset. Also, beware land-related sea monsters." With that lovely note, the old lady closed the door and Steel found himself on the street again.

Thanks to his eighth quest, Steel had finally grown to level 8. A quick check confirmed his stats as he boosted his dexterity, and he also found a pleasant surprise.

Status Window

Name:

Steel

Alignment:

Chaotic Neutral

Level:

8

Class:

Centurion Warrior

Race:

Human

Gender:

Male

Titles

Strength Seeker, Rabbit Friend, Cursed One

Fame:

160

Infamy:

0

Health:

90

Mana:

60

Stamina:

270

Constitution:

19 (9)

Dexterity:

22

Intelligence:

11 (6)

Wisdom:

14

Strength:

37

Endurance:

27

Leadership:

8

Luck:

5

Charm:

7 (4)

Faith:

0

Elemental Resistances

Fire:

0

Water:

0

Wind:

0

Earth:

0

Light:

0

Darkness:

0

Due to his actions, using 'persuasion,' and teaching the monsters to work with each other, his charm and leadership stats had received a nice boost. With the 15 stat points he had acquired from levels 6 through 8, Steel decided to invest five in constitution, five in endurance, three in wisdom, and two in strength. In addition, a late notice informed him that his many random encounters had awarded him with five luck, to which Steel found incredibly ironic. Unfortunately, the curse still limited his health, mana, and charm.

"I guess bad luck is still luck, then," Steel grimly chuckled as he made his way toward the alley the old lady had told him to avoid. "Now, let's see what kind of quest I can find here." He crossed his fingers so as to ward away this quest if it was marine related.

With Loba and Akami close behind, Steel carefully made his way down the alley as the twilight set in. The alley appeared to be nothing special—the city was full of similar alleys that crisscrossed the main roads behind the buildings of the city. Steel soon began to pick up on sniffling and crying ahead, and he slowed down to peek around the next corner. Loba and Akami copied him and stared.

A young woman was sitting in the alley and crying. She was wearing a whore's outfit, but it was obvious she was still not used to wearing it as it was still new-looking. Thinking for a moment, Steel decided that his aura would make it impossible to talk with the woman without upsetting her, so he settled down to listen.

"Curse you, Roger. Curse your silver tongue and my foolish heart. Why did I believe you would take care of me after my gold was gone? Damn you for leaving me to this humiliation and terrible life." The lady cursed and wept as she lamented her fate.

I see, it's a revenge quest, Steel quickly figured that this type of quest was meant for a chivalrous assassin or thief, as few would have the ability to take the quest without facing repercussions. This was not meant for a person who had to remain in the eye of the public, especially one like him that was rather conspicuous in a crowd.

"I guess it's time to bring my disguise back out," Steel sighed as he began messing with his necklace of disguise. He had the advantage of his necklace to assume a different guise to do quests. Steel doubted he could use it when facing a magic user, but most common folk would lack the ability to figure out his ruse.

Steel only hoped this wasn't the start of a chain quest. Most quests in Everlife were repeatable quests, ones that an unlimited number of players could take an unlimited amount of times. They had no impact on the course of the game, but were easily affected by nearby events, such as a quest provided by a shepherd would no longer be given if the shepherd had lost his flock. Chain quests were series of quests that each led to the next in the series and would require a long amount of time to accomplish. On the other hand, chain quests would provide a much higher reward than normal quests.

Taking on the skeletal disguise of "The Spirit of Vengeance", Steel took a moment to mix his voice to a gravely cold before turning to his two charges.

"You two, stand still for a moment," he said.

Experimenting with the necklace could actually be used on more than one person, but at the constant cost of mana from Steel. As he was cursed to half his normal mana amount, he could barely have a guise on the three of them for 5 minutes before his mana would run out. He tested out the magic and turned the two into shadowy forms of themselves, complete with red, glowing eyes. He nodded and turned off the magic, opting to wait for the twilight to change to nighttime before making his move. Once the twilight began to fade, the lady stopped crying and got up to leave.

"Show time," Steel said and nodded at his charges. The two quickly ran to the other side of the alley, using the shadows to hide from the lady. Steel activated the necklace and winced as his mana began to rapidly drain. He walked forward toward her, his appearance spelled to appear as if he was gliding forward.

The woman, picking up on his aura, turned to face him and gasped in fright as she turned to run. Loba and Akami, in their shadow guises, moved out of the darkness and growled at her. Faced with nowhere to go, the lady began to cry pitifully and rolled up into a ball as she began to pray to her god.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Steel began to speak in his grim voice, "I have heard your pleas and curses and have come."

The lady paused and looked up at him, her eyes searching his skeletal sockets in resigned fear. "Who are you?"

"I am the spirit of vengeance, the one who avenges crimes that go unanswered," Steel rasped, wincing internally at the middle school like speech he was giving.

The lady gave Steel her full attention now, standing up slowly with a little smile on her face. "I thought you were a hoax, a myth from the wishes of unfortunate women. Spirit please, I need your help.”

"Speak," Steel commanded, his aura in full blast.

"I was once a noble lady from another city. I fell in love with a traveling minstrel and eloped with him to Rostwood. When my purse ran dry, he abandoned me to use my body to survive while he began his search for another rich girl to swindle. I beg of you, take vengeance for me, spirit. If not for me, then do it to prevent another girl from falling to his evil tongue."

Quest Added

Vengeance of the Noble

A crying girl has told you of her pitiful plight after giving in to the charms of a roguish minstrel.  Se has asked you to take vengeance for her so that no other girl will fall into his hands.

Objective:

Punish the evildoer
Note; Do not get caught otherwise the quest will fail

Reward:

Fame within the city, exp
Intimacy with the lady will increase

Special Note:

All fame gained during this quest will be attributed to your disguise.  If you reveal yourself, then the fame will revert to you.

Steel inclined his head. "It shall be done."

He walked backwards and deactivated the magic, just in time as his mana was about to run out. He quickly recalled Loba and Akami and checked the map, cursing when the quest indicated he had to return to the Adventurer's Tavern.

"Great, now I have to sneak around that scary bar lady," Steel groaned as he began to trudge back across the city.

Chapter 17

The night was just beginning to settle as Steel, Loba, and Akami returned to the Adventurer's Tavern, Steel back in his human-looking form. He waited outside, peeking out from the shadows and watching patrons enter and leave. It was clearly a popular place.

"This is too much trouble to deal with. Maybe I could shank him when he goes to the outhouse?" A quick look confirmed there was no outhouse, so he canned the plan. "I have to deal with the target in disguise, but I can't sneak around as a spirit without making everyone suspicious. If I kill or maim this guy, then the guards will likely question everyone inside, so I can't be around. No telling how smart the guards may be."

Steel took a look down at Akami. "You have any ideas?"

Akami wrinkled her nose at Steel as she stared up at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

"Right, didn't think you would," Steel retorted as he turned his head back to look at the tavern.

It was a decently size building attached to a large inn, which housed most of the patrons frequenting the bar for food and drink. From what he remembered, there was one door that connected the tavern to the inn.

"Let's see what the mini-map says about this," Steel muttered as he enlarged the map. He stared at it before his eyes moved to the minus sign in the bottom right corner. A click made the map shrink to the street level, with the areas inside the tavern shown as well. Steel grinned as he moved the map around to the inn, where an orange dot blinked out from the second floor.

"I guess the target is taking a nice rest after a day of swindling and spending money that isn't his." Steel's left eye began to glow faintly as he licked his lips in anticipation. "I wonder if he has anything interesting with him I can take care of for him."

A quiet growl from Loba alerted Steel to a guard patrol that was coming closer. The three moved back into the shadows and waited until the guards had passed to poke their head back around the corner.

You have learned the skill: Stealth

Description:

When activated, you hide yourself using your surroundings.  The effect can be improved by the use of certain items or wearing certain clothing.

Level:

Beginner 1

Effects:

Toggles your character into stealth, making it harder to hear and see your character.

Special Note:

Stealth can be increased by wearing proper clothes and avoiding light.  Works directly against perception-related skills

"Glad to finally get this skill." Steel grinned as he closed the prompt. An additional notification raised Steel’s eyebrow as he turned to look at his two pets. "I see you got the skill as well."

The two animals whined in response. Apparently, they had picked up the skill thanks to their actions in copying him. It was another good sign for them, seeing as they both had the intelligence to understand and learn new skills. Steel silently considered that their mouse ambush tactic likely helped.

In fact, Steel thought of an idea while on the topic of skills. "Let's see if I can use the new spell Marie gave me for this," he said to himself as he dismissed his familiars into his body and walked past the tavern entrance. The NPCs ignored him as he casually walked by them, his presence not registering as important. He made his way to the back of the inn, and took a quick look around. Seeing that he was alone for the moment, he quickly cast 'Wind Boost' on himself, augmenting his speed. Taking a few steps back to make some room, he ran up to the building and jumped to the second floor. He, unfortunately, spattered himself against the side of the building instead.

Gaining the dazed debuff, Steel fell backwards onto his back and moaned in pain. Evidently, having increased movement speed did not equal increased jumping prowess. The back door of the inn opened and an NPC peered out, checking for the source of the noise. Spying Steel's prone form, she called back inside.

"It's just a drunk who collapsed outside," she grabbed a bucket of water and threw it onto Steel's face before returning inside and shutting the door behind her.

Steel wanted to cry. The water she had thrown was dirty kitchen water and he was now covered in garbage. He wiped the onions off his face and growled angrily at the door.

"I swear…" he muttered angrily, before returning his gaze to the inn. Now that he actually put thought into his plan, he realized what an idiot he was. The only windows on the wall he was trying to climb were windows for guest room light and they were small. He would not have been able to fit in with his body size even if he made it to the windows.

He folded his arms and sat on the ground, his head tilted in thought. "I smell pretty bad now, so I definitely can't go inside," he reasoned as he inspected his 'Reeking' debuff. "There must be some other way to enter the floor from outside."

Finding no way to get in, Steel sighed and picked himself off the ground, brushing more rubbish off his body. He walked around the building back to the front door and gazed at it.

He smacked himself in the head when it came to him.

The tavern stretched out from the inn, its roof the same height as the inn's second floor. Better yet, the windows on this side were larger and more elaborate, as the view was much better on this side. All he had to do was climb the tavern walls and he would have easy access to his target. Of course, he still had to figure out a way to get on top of the tavern without attracting attention.

I need a cliché, Steel thought and stared around with a grim hope, but there was no conveniently placed stack of boxes or casual ladder anywhere to be found. This quest should have a few ways of completing it.

This vengeance quest for the lady he had taken was likely of the second type, a quest that came about from circumstances beyond the player’s control. As such, there should be multiple ways to complete it. Since Steel couldn't use his charisma or 'persuasion' skill to get in, he obviously was stuck to the outside route. "Now, I'm not a thief or assassin, but how would they do this?"

The answer came to him quickly in the form of a punch. Steel hit the ground for the second time tonight and groaned in pain. His health meter ticked down a fourth as he looked up at his attacker.

Mema was glaring down at him before her face softened and she coughed awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry there, boyo. I heard there was a drunk hitting the tavern with his head, so I came to punish him." She reached down and pulled Steel to his feet, patting him down. "Sorry about that."

Steel nodded, then raised an eyebrow. "Mema, can you help me get to the second floor of the inn as an apology?"

Mema frowned at him. "Why? I trust you, but we aren't friends."

Steel nodded. "I need to punish someone who takes advantage of women. Is that good enough?"

Mema paused, and nodded her head. "Aye, that be enough. I trust your words, and I hate men like that, so I will help you. Follow me."

Charm has increased by 1 for successful persuasion

Steel grinned as he followed Mema to the side of the tavern. There, she pulled a hidden rope from behind a pile of wood and handed it over to him.

"It's tied to the roof, use it to climb up," she told him.

"Why do you have this rope tied to the top of your tavern?" Steel asked, a little confused.

Mema grinned evilly. "I don't own the inn." She didn't elaborate, so Steel shrugged and climbed the rope to the top of the building. The room was shingled with wood, so he didn't have a fear of falling off. When he reached the top, Mema waved him off and returned into the tavern.

"What secrets does that scary lady keep, I wonder?" Steel mused as he climbed up the roof to the inn. "She definitely has some lore surrounding her. Maybe I'll get another quest if I help her out later."

Reaching the inn wall, Steel walked along the edge until he came to a large window that was at the end of a small room off a corridor. He enlarged his mini-map and focused its zoom onto the floor of the inn. The quest dot indicated a room three doors down on his right.

"Show time." Steel nodded to himself as he changed his illusion to that of the spirit of justice. He walked down the hall to the door and put his ear to it. Loud snoring could be heard in the room, making Steel grin in anticipation.

"Right, I don't know how to unlock doors," Steel realized with a sour feeling when he tried the door handle. It was night, so of course, it was locked. Steel felt like he really was ill-prepared for this type of venture. "I need to change classes after this if I plan on keeping the illicit activities up," he muttered as he scratched his head in thought. He decided to try the window outside the room, and if that failed he would just have to breaking in the old-fashioned way and escape afterwards.

He walked back down the hall and closed the window behind him as he left the inn. The room was slightly over the roof where it started to slant down, but was still in arm's reach for Steel. To his delight, the window was open as well and large enough for him to climb in through.

"So nice when people are considerate." He laughed evilly as he climbed in through the window.

The room, while fancy, was still a single with a bed, chest, and what looked like a golden chamber pot in the corner. Ignoring the obvious implications of that last one, and the subsequent questions involving the rest of the city, Steel took out his charges and made them into the shadow illusions again.

There were two people sleeping in the bed. One was a young-looking beautiful lady, while the other was a rather ugly-looking man. The man likely would have been nice to look at if he had been thin, but the beer gut and unkempt mustache made Steel wrinkle in confusion. Why would these two noble ladies run off with this unbecoming man? No wonder her family had tried to stop her.

Steel thought for a moment, and then nodded his head in approval. First, he cast 'Create Water' on the floor, covering it in multiple puddles of water. Next, he extinguished the light in the room from the candles beside the bed. With the room in complete darkness except for the window light, he was ready.

"Wakey, wakey now," he whispered, then began to laugh as low and evil as he could. Loba and Akami came out and accompanied him with low growls that echoed around the room.  The magic of the amulet disguised the three into their avenger appearances. The two bedmates stirred and shivered as they slowly woke up. The man, hopefully Roger, shot up and looked around in fear while the woman trembled.

"Roger, what is that sound? What is that smell?" she cried out in fear. Steel silently thanked the woman for confirming he was in the correct room.

"Me." Steel stressed out the word as he created a small fire in his palm. The little light outlined his skeletal appearance and the shadowy nature of his charges as they slowly walked forward. They both paled in obvious fright.

"I am the Spirit of Justice, and I have come for you, Roger, for your sins." He turned and stared at the girl. "You, leave."

The woman gave a scream and jumped out of bed, fleeing the room hugging the sheet and slamming the door behind her. Roger fell out of bed and scrambled as far away as he could to the corner, knocking the chamber pot onto himself.

"Spirit, I have done nothing wrong. Please, I beg you, spare my pitiful soul."

He felt a pang of pity for the man. However, the calm sympathy did not penetrate Steel’s heart and he growled angrily at him. "Foolish mortal, your magic will not work on the undead." Steel assumed the man must have been using some sort of magic to persuade the women, otherwise such a weak remark would not have affected Steel.

Roger really began to pale and cry now, blubbering out threats and curses. "Leave me, spirit! My father will hire priests to hunt you down! I have powerful friends!" he continued, but Steel ignored the rest of his drivel. He glided forward and wrapped his hand around Roger's neck.

"All men are equal in death, fool," he whispered as his other hand stabbed his spear into Roger's heart. Roger gave a groan and sagged as life slowly left his body. Nodding, Steel took Roger's blood and wrote the same phrase on the wall behind the corpse. He then checked the body for loot. Surprisingly, he found a few gold coins, a letter, a potion, and, most importantly, a spell-book. Steel whistled in appreciation as he stowed away the loot. This had been a productive quest.

Just then, a loud knocking began from the doorway. "Open up in the name of the city lord!"

Quest Updated

Objective added:

Escape

Penalty of Failure:

Murder is bad.  Getting caught for murder is worse.  You will be forced to respawn back to level 1 and your property will be confiscated.

Additional:

You will lose all fame and intimacy with Rostwood residents and acquire infamy.  You will gain a murderer’s mark allowing others to kill you without penalty.

Steel's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, shit."

Chapter 18

In the instant of hearing the guards and reading the sudden change in quest, Steel’s mind came up with three possible plans: use the skeletal disguise to intimidate the guards and flee, use Loba and Akami as distractions and flee, or get out the window and improvise.

Steel threw out the first plan after reasoning his petty magic disguise would likely be worthless if the guards had any magic users with them. He threw out the second plan because using the two animals as distractions was the same as throwing gold away. So, Steel decided on option three.

He threw himself out the window and onto the roof. A quick check confirmed no one was looking up at the roof, and the night helped to hide his figure. Steel ran over to the rope and cut it, hiding it in his inventory so the guards wouldn’t be able to find how he entered the hotel. After that, he grimaced and dropped down off the roof onto the road with the least people.

The nearby pedestrians screamed as Steel landed on the ground. His affliction and current skeletal appearance intimidated the townspeople into fleeing. Cursing as his health bar lost half of its value, Steel ran into the closet alley. Unfortunately for him, the alley was blocked by a wall too tall for him to climb over. It was a dead end.

“Guards! He went that way!” he heard in the far distance.

Muttering to himself, Steel opened his necklace of disguise’s interface and quickly scrolled through the options. Sadly, every human form he could take possessed some sort of disfiguration on his entire left half.

Steel started to sweat a bit. He decided there was only one thing to do. First, he threw the rope over the wall. Then, he jumped into the nearby barrel and closed the lid. As he did so, he summoned Akami out and instructed her to hide herself in the nearby rubbish.

“Okay, here’s to hoping these guards are of the careless kind,” Steel prayed silently. “Don’t check the barrel now, nothing to see here.”

A few minutes later, he heard the clink of armor and the shuffling of feet enter the alley.

“Captain, no one is here!” Steel heard a soldier shout. “But I’ve found a rope leading over the wall into the next street!”

“A rope, huh? Then this isn’t some ghost but a mortal! Follow him, men!” Steel assumed this was the captain.

A short moment later he heard, “Sir, the rope wasn’t connected to anything. It wasn’t tied.”

Steel heard low growls and imagined a gruff-faced captain leading the soldiers. “Two people must have been holding the other end to allow him to climb over then. Search the alley for clues while I lead the men to search the area. Men, follow me!”

Steel sighed in relief at the sounds of his pursuers leaving. He quickly clapped his hand over his mouth after realizing the noise he had just made.

“Did you hear something?” Steel twitched awkwardly at the sound of the first soldier talking.

“Yeah, maybe something is here,” Steel heard another soldier. “Let’s check it out.”

Steel quickly sent a mental command to Akami using the power of the contract that connected them. A flurry of curses followed as well as some foot stomping.

“Blasted rat!” a soldier cursed. “It almost bit my foot!”

“Yeah, this place is horrible,” the other soldier agreed. “Come on, there’s nothing here.  Captain will have our ass if he doesn’t find us doing anything productive. Let’s interview some of the witnesses in the tavern, maybe grab a drink.”

“The captain won’t mind that at all,” the first soldier chortled, and Steel listened to them walk away.

He mentally counted to 180 before opening the lip and peeking out. The street looked deserted from the alley entrance, so he exited the barrel and changed his disguise into a scarred old woman. He carefully made his way out of the alley and into the street, which thankfully remained empty for the moment.

To contribute to his disguise, Steel forced his back to stoop and walked with a bit of limp, ignoring the pain this caused him. He spied Akami peeking out from a wagon of straw.

“Great, there’s the wagon of straw I needed earlier,” Steel groaned in annoyance as he beckoned for Akami to return. The little rabbit turned back into a ball of light and entered his body once Steel checked to see no one was watching. He continued his old lady disguise into the next street, where he entered an alley, hid behind some refuse, and changed back into his normal human appearance. He sniffed himself and winced.

“I stink,” he remarked in annoyance. “Great…”

Seeing the night around him, Steel reflexively opened the menu to use the log out button before remembering that option was no longer available to him.

“So, not only do I stink, but I have no home where I can wash myself or sleep. Guess that means I need to find an inn.” He counted how many coins he had. Thanks to the quests, Steel had accumulated a number of copper coins and a few silver coins. He would have had more if he had not spent them through the day. Still, Steel considered what he had enough to pay for a room for at least the night.

First though, he had to return to the girl and complete the quest. Upon returning to the alley, he changed into his skeletal appearance and approached the weeping girl.

“Child, the deed is done,” Steel moaned in a low voice. “The man has been punished and will never again use his silver tongue to lead women astray.”

The weeping girl looked up at Steel. She then began to cry and laugh at the same time.

“Spirit, I smell the stench of death coming from you. I know your words to be true, and I thank you for this task.”

Quest Completed

Vengeance of the Noble

The crying girl had been told the fate of her former lover who betrayed her.  While her life will never return to what it once was, she is eternally grateful for having justice done.  She will spread the tale of the Spirit of Vengeance.

Reward:

100 Fame had been acquired (limited to disguise)
Exp has been acquired.

High intimacy with the Ladies of the Night has increased (limited to disguise)

Steel nodded his head and left, though he had to hide in another barrel to change disguises before he entered the streets again. He sighed regretfully as the game notified him his ‘Stink’ debuff had additional time added to it from hiding in a smelly barrel.

“I think this is too much realism,” Steel sighed as people steered away from him on the street. “Not only does my countenance make people nervous, but my smell drives them away. Where’s the nearest horse trough?”

Spying one next to a barn, Steel held his nose and jumped into the water, making nearby horses neigh at him in alarm.. When he emerged, he was soaked from head to toe and shivering, but his ‘Stink’ debuff was gone.

“Excuse me, sir, but do you mind exiting the horse trough?” a pleasant voice came from behind Steel. He turned to see a teenage boy smirking at him. He grunted and stepped out of the trough.

“Mister, hey, mister,” the boy called after Steel turned to leave. “You need a room for the night? My family has a good place with rooms. I won’t mention how you made the water dirty!”

Mentally shrugging to himself, Steel turned to face the boy. “I do need a room for the night. Your inn nearby?”

“Over here, mister,” the boy pointed and led Steel across the street to a smaller building.

The lobby inside was very small, consisting of two tables with chairs and a counter at the far wall. A plump, mature woman was waiting behind the counter.  She smiled at Steel’s entrance.

“Welcome to this inn, traveler. A single night is five copper, a week is 30 copper, and a month one silver.”

“For now, I just need a single night,” Steel said as he handed over five coppers. The lady bowed her head and handed over a key.

“You room is two doors down the hall on the right,” she indicated the hallway to Steel’s left. “Breakfast is early morning and is 5 copper for patrons. Paying for a month includes all breakfast meals.” Her job done, the lady stopped talking to Steel and began fiddling with something behind the counter. The boy also left and returned to the street to bring in more customers.

“It looks like the programmers didn’t put too much effort into unimportant characters,” Steel muttered under his breath while he walked in the direction the woman pointed out.

The room, as it turned out, was a modest space with a bed, night table, chamber pot, and dresser. The chamber pot made Steel feel very awkward, but he never heard anything about players needing to go. Perhaps, it was for aesthetics rather than use. He plopped himself onto the bed and groaned. This was the end of his first whole day in the game, his prison until his body healed. He went over the events of the day in his head

1. Steel had been asleep for a week and two weeks had passed in game.

2. The A.I. Administrator informed him that his mind was trapped in the game until his body was healed and his mind recovered.

3. His plan for vengeance was created

4. He had reached level 8

5. He had entered a chain quest involving a long-lost race and goddess

6. He had completed . . . 7-8 quests of the 10 he needed to do for Roxanne depending if the quest he did in disguise counted.

7. He’d acquired two servants in the form of baby pets.

“I’ve gotten stronger, but it’s not enough,” Steel stared at the ceiling. “They have at least a week’s time over me and connections with the government I’ll never be able to get. I need more…”

Loba and Akami emerged from his body in balls of light and attempted to lick his face.  Steel dodged their tongues and pushed them off the bed.

“What is it?” He stared down angrily at the two babies. They whined and pawed the ground. Steel thought for a moment before opening his menu. His check confirmed his satiety level had fallen and he’d soon be hungry.

“Right, I did promise to cook your kills, didn’t I?” he remembered. “Well, maybe the lady can lend me the kitchen for a few coppers.”

Pushing himself off the bed, Steel led his two pets out into the hallway and back to the lobby. The madam at the counter stopped whatever she was doing and turned to face Steel with a business smile.

“Valued customer, is there anything you need?” she asked him kindly.

Steel pointed down at the two animals next to him. “Excuse me, miss, but these two have worked very hard today in clearing the vermin from the Adventurer’s Tavern. I promised them I would cook the meat they gathered, so I was wondering if I could borrow your kitchen?”

At his mental command, the two young cubs activated their inherent baby ‘Charm’ ability. The lady couldn’t help but sigh as she gazed at the two adorable animals before her. She then started and looked more closely at Steel.

“Oh, are you the young man who has been going around helping everyone? I’ve heard of you in town and some of things you’ve done here. To think that the rumors are true about your face, it is very unnerving to talk to you. However, with your reputation I would be honored in letting you use our kitchen at the small fee of one fourth of the meat you were planning to cook. This would help my husband when he cooks breakfast in the morning.”

“To think that fame can play such an important role in conversation,” Steel observed under his breath. “Ma’am, it is not for me to give away another’s well-earned meal. These two did work hard to gather this meat for themselves.”

“Hm, yes, I suppose taking from two well-behaved creatures would be rather cruel. How about this, then—tomorrow morning I have an appointment with some gentlemen about a financial disagreement. I could really use someone to help me run my morning errands around the town and you seem like a trustworthy fellow. Can you help me?”

Quest Added

Run Errands

The inn keeper’s wife has requested that you run her morning errands for her in return for allowing you to use the kitchen for cooking

Objective:

Complete all 3 errands before lunch

Reward:

Fame within the city, Exp, Intimacy with the inn will increase

That would help with the quests for Roxanna, Steel thought to himself. “I would be happy to run your errands in return for the use of your kitchen. Thank you for your assistance.”

The lady waved him off. “The door to the kitchen is over there. You may use the tools and salt, but please do not use any other ingredients.” Her job over, the lady lost interest in Steel and returned to fidgeting behind the counter. Before he left, Steel gave a quick peek to see what the lady was up to. She seemed to be working with some sort of accounting sheet.

“Not my problem,” Steel whispered as he entered the kitchen and took out the rat meat. “Now, just need a little salt and this pan…”

Steel successfully cooked half of the meat and enjoyed a light meal of mice meat with Loba and Akami, whose tails vibrated at high speed from happiness. When they were finished, he used ‘Create Water’ and ‘Fire Starter’ to clean the used dishes and placed them on a drying rack when he was done. The two animals, now tired, returned to Steel’s body as balls of light, and Steel finally went to bed. His eyes closed, he drifted off.

Chapter 19

Steel awoke as the sun first peeked on the horizon. As he sat up and stretched his arms, a notification appeared before him.

Rest Bonus

Your character slept well in a comfortable bed.  You have gained a small boost to health, mana, and stamina for a few hours.  Better beds will give better bonuses

Steel dismissed the notice and got out of bed. A quick check confirmed nothing was missing from his inventory and everything was the same.

“Right, what’s first?  Ah, need to run those errands,” he remembered. He got and walked to the door, marveling at the lack of fatigue he felt, so different from his real body. After exiting the room, he wandered into the lobby, where the lady was waiting behind the counter. She smiled at Steel as he approached, but her smile now was more genuine than business.

“Good morning, young traveler, are you prepared to help me with my errands?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Great. I just need you to go down this street to the bakery, greengrocer, and carpenter shop. The bakery and greengrocer should have my normal packages waiting to be picked up, and I just need you to ask the carpenter how long it will be until the new counter is complete. Once you have the two packages and report, return to me. I should be done with my meeting by the time you get back.  Here, take this letter, so the three men know I sent you.” A notification informed Steel that the three new locations had been marked on his mini-map and a letter had been placed in his inventory.

“I will be back soon, ma’am,” Steel said and bowed, then left.

After exiting the inn, Steel’s polite face faded back to its normal coldness. He flexed his fists and cracked his neck before walking toward the first location, the bakery. While the pain of betrayal was still fresh, he was much calmer compared to yesterday. His plan was still forming, but what mattered most now was finishing quests and getting stronger.

Upon reaching the bakery, Steel handed over the letter to the man behind the counter.  After reading it, he handed the letter and a basket of bread to Steel. The greengrocer acted the same way—silently reading the letter and handing over the goods. The carpenter was more animated, but still only offered Steel the minimum information. The new counter would be ready in five days and would be delivered as promised.

Having completed his assignment, Steel walked back along the streets of Rostwood toward the inn, and happened to pass the Adventurer’s Tavern. The place was open, but guards were walking around the building and interviewing the occasional patron.

I guess murder really is a big deal here, Steel thought as he ignored the hubbub.

With a sigh, he finished his journey and entered the inn, only to duck suddenly as a vase flew over his hunched body.

The scene before him was of devastation. The previously tidy room was a mess with furniture flipped and thrown against the wall. A man was lying on the floor with blood on his face, and the counter lady was cowering against the wall with her arms wrapped around her son.  Before them, three thugs loomed.

“Hey, this here ain’t enough protection money for the month,” the middle thug spat onto the floor. “Why you gotta make us do this, huh? You think we like roughing you and your family up like this? We don’t get paid for beating, you know, we get paid for bringing in the money. So, why don’t you do us all a favor and fork over the money?”

“We don’t have it,” the lady stuttered from the floor. “You’ve already taken this month’s money last week, and we aren’t very busy this time of year—”

“Shut it,” the thug barked. “Our boss doesn’t care about excuses. Either you give us the money, or we start getting…creative.”

One of the thugs looked out of the corner of his eyes and noticed Steel. “What are you doing here?”

Steel shrugged. “I paid for the night. I need to get my stuff.”

The three men turned around and sized Steel up. The leader grinned. “Ah, traveler, huh?  Well no matter. Boy, why don’t you do a good thing and help out this here family with their debts.”

Steel scratched his head. “You sounded like reasonable thugs earlier. Why are you shaking me down?”

The middle thug tapped his face. “What can I say, youse got one of them annoying faces.  Now pay up or shut up.”

Steel considered his options. His curse was no doubt responsible for this failure of diplomacy. He didn’t really want to get involved, but since they were asking for it…

With a swirl, he opened the door to the outside and shouted out into the street, “Murder!  Murderers at the inn!”

With Steel’s loud voice and the heightened presence of guards investigating last’s night killing, it was no surprise when everyone heard the clink of armor running toward them. The thugs turned pale at the sound.

“Boys, out the back! Traveler, the boss’ll hear about this, I swears!”

Intimacy with the Gear Street Gang has decreased.

Steel watched the three thugs book it to the back of the inn. After a minute, a group of guards burst in.

“Where’s the murderer?!” the leader cried out.

Steel pointed at the family. “They attacked this poor family and escaped out the back.  Three thug-looking men, can’t miss them.”

“After them, men! We can’t have our reputation take another blow!” The head guard charged toward the back of the inn, closely followed by his men. When the stampede was complete, Steel walked over to the family.

“Miss, here are your groceries and the carpenter said the counter would be ready in five days.”

The lady released her son and accepted the goods. She bowed to Steel.

“Kind traveler, your reputation for help is well deserved. Thank you for aiding me with this and against those ruffians.”

Quest Completed

Run Errands

You have successfully brought the food and news to the inn keeper’s wife.  She is pleased.

Reward:

10 fame acquired
Exp has been acquired.

Intimacy with the inn has increased

Special Reward:

For aiding the family in a time of crisis, you have been gifted 20 additional fame.

Steel nodded in reply. “Ma’am, care to explain who those men were? I seem to have made a bad impression with them.”

The lady nodded. “Those were members of the Gear Street Gang, the criminal group that runs this part of Rostwood. Normally, the worst they do is take protection money from all the businesses or grab some food without paying for it. Recently though, they’ve started taking more money from us to the point that everyone here is struggling to pay their taxes to the city. Some women have even been abducted and supposedly sold into slavery elsewhere. Everyone is growing nervous, and city guard is having a hard time arresting the members.”

“Thank you for the information. I’ll be going now.” Steel turned to leave.

“Traveler,” the lady called out. “I know you don’t know us that well, but do you think you could maybe help us deal with these gang members? I would be very grateful.”

Steel held up a hand and shook his head. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I really can’t afford getting mixed up with a criminal group. I’m no match for the city guard, so it is very unlikely I’d be of any real help. Not only that, but if I were to do something more drastic, then likely those gang members would start treating your family worse. For both our sakes, it is better to let the guards do their jobs.”

The lady visibly drooped, but nodded her head. “You are right, traveler. It is unfair to even ask you to get involved in a dangerous matter like this. I just don’t know what to do now.”

Even though Steel really wanted to avoid a confrontation with this gang, his sniffer for valuable quests was wildly going off in his head. Reluctantly, he said, “While I might not be able to help, perhaps the spirit of vengeance can. I heard it recently avenged a wrong and killed a man last night.”

The lady perked up at once. “Yes, I heard about it! They say the spirit comes from the ancient tombs beneath the city and is the accumulation of grudges from misdeeds long past.  They say if you pray to it, the spirit will come at night and hear your plea. It supposedly has such need to deliver vengeance that it strikes fear into all who see him and smells of death itself!”

Steel inwardly winced at the description. Had he really smelt that bad? “Yes, I’ve heard the same. Why don’t you pray tonight and see if the spirit comes. Perhaps open a window for letting it hear your prayers better.”

“That’s a wonderful idea! Thank you, traveler, I’ll do that once night falls.”

“Good plan. I’ll probably return tonight myself for a room. Good day, ma’am.” Steel nodded his head and left the lady and her son to care for the injured father.

Before returning to Roxanne’s store, Steel decided to do one more local quest, just in case the ‘Noble’s Vengeance’ quest didn’t count. He found a little boy who had lost his toy in a dark alley and helped to find it for him. The small quest had earned him 10 more fame and a smidgen of experience points for his troubles. After the boy scampered off, Steel checked the ‘Explore the City’ quest. While he hadn’t reached the level he needed to continue Roxanne’s quest, he had finished the 10 quests she’d asked him to accomplish. With that in mind, Steel walked into Roxanne’s Apothecary Store and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Roxanne’s voice echoed from within.

Steel opened the door and saw Roxanne pounding herbs at her work table. She turned and sized up Steel.

“You’ve grown stronger, but you are still too weak to help me right now. Why have you come?”

“I’ve completed 10 quests for the people of Rostwood,” Steel reported.

Roxanne tapped her cheek in thought. “I do believe I have heard tales of a hard to talk to young man going around and helping people. You’ve done well to raise your fame within Rostwood. Tell me, did you meet anyone special?”

“I came across a certain pet shop owner,” Steel admitted. “And I may have made a stop at an inn last night.”

Roxanne chortled. “So, the news of the murder was because of you? Ho ho, you’ve raised my opinion of you, young traveler. Not just anyone can kill another person. You must have used my necklace to disguise yourself. Not a bad idea, but let me tell you that the guards have been deploying magic users to find you. Your necklace is worthless against mages and the like. Still, I must give you credit where credit is due.”

Intimacy with Roxanne increased

Steel inclined his head. “I merely helped someone else enact their vengeance. I don’t care about anything else.”

“Boy, did you even bother trying to figure out who you killed? Tsk, you’ve kicked the horned rabbits nest, you have. That man you killed was the son of one of the leaders of the Gear Street Gang and a suspected slaver. Forget the guards, those criminals are likely after you too.”

Steel couldn’t help but smack his own face. It seemed as if the game was pushing him toward a conflict with this gang no matter what.

Roxanne studied him for a moment. “Well, I can’t say you’ve done anything wrong.  After all, that group has been spreading its root through the city recently. They even tried to strong-arm me until I let them have it! You have a real talent getting involved with trouble.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “You need more experience, so fighting a group like this isn’t bad. Tell you what, I’ll give you the reports my friends have gathered on this gang and, in return, you make this city a little more chaotic. Starting an all-out street war between the city guard and the Gear Street Gang would fit wonderfully into our plans. Interested?”

Quest Updated

Explore the City +

Roxanne has approved of your conflict with the Gear Street Gang an will provide you information related to them.  Return to her after reaching level 15 for her next assignment.

Objective Added:

Eliminate Gear members or bases.

Optional Objective Added:

Lead the city guard to Gear Street Gang bases

Rewards:

Increased fame and infamy, exp, rare loot

Steel felt excitement filling his body. This was the first quest he’d ever received that stated ‘rare loot’ as a reward. His current wardrobe was limited to the beginner light armor set, iron spear and shield, his beginner shield and spear, and the magic necklace, none of which provided more than a little increase to his attack and defense. A chance to increase his fighting prowess was a rare opportunity, and he couldn’t forsake one even if it meant dealing with gang members.

“Yes, Roxanne, I am interested. Your goddess has likely put me on this path to spread the vengeance I crave, so that others may find justice,” Steel said this with as much determination and nobility as he could.

Roxanne snorted at him. “Putting on airs does you no good, boy. Remember, I know your true feelings, so tell me what you’re really after.”

Steel grunted. “Fine. This sounds incredibly troublesome, but I really want to take their valuables.”

“That’s better,” Roxanne complimented him before getting up and opening the secret room. She shuffled in and soon brought out a small pile of papers.

“Here, these documents outline three major bases of the Gear Street Gang in Rostwood and a few of their lieutenants. I must warn you, however, that you are much too weak to consider facing them head-on. Try to find more…creative ways to deal with your enemies. It’ll be good practice for the future.”

With that, Roxanne lost interest in Steel and resumed her herb smashing. Seeing himself dismissed, Steel bowed out of the store.

Once he was out on the street, he took the small pile of papers and activated them. They disappeared into light and Steel’s mini-map appeared. On it, three dots appeared that revealed the locations of the gang bases. A notice also informed him that enemy lieutenants would have a red name over their heads.

Steel considered his options. According to the quest, he did have the option of leading the city guards to each base. While he had no doubt the guards could destroy the bases, it was very unlikely he’d get the rare loot if he went the easy way.

“Let’s check out the bases first, then decide from there.”

Chapter 20

After taking a bite of his bread to fill his satiety meter, Steel walked toward the closest gang base. According to the map, this base was located near the wall in the adventurer quarter of the city. He noted that the closer he got to the wall, the worse the neighborhoods and streets appeared to become. Soon, he came across boarded up buildings and rat packs running across the road.

“Hey, kid, ya looking for something?” a man called from a nearby dark alley. “You a traveler ain’t cha? Want to hear about the wonders of thievery and what it can do to make your life better?”

“No,” Steel declined coldly. “Aren’t thieves supposed to keep their profession secret?”

The man in the shadows appeared to shrug. “Being a thief isn’t a crime, it’s just when you get poking around in other people’s things that the law plays rough. If ya ain’t interested, my job is done.”

“Hold on,” Steel called out before the man left. “Out of curiosity, do you sell information?”

The man paused and said, “Perhaps, depending on how much ya got.”

Steel scoffed. “Right., might as well paint a target on my back.”

The thief drummed his fingers together. “Next alley on the right, take the red door.” With that, the man’s figure vanished into the shadows.

Steel, his guard up for any signs of trouble, followed the directions and entered the alley, soon finding a red with star on it. Inside, Steel found a small round room with a chair next to a shaded window above an opening in the wall.  It reminded Steel of an ancient confessional room used by humans before the AI war.

“Sit, my child, and ask your questions,” a voice came from the opening.

As Steel sat down, a menu appeared in front of his face.

Welcome to the Room of Knowledge

You have located a Room of Knowledge.  These can be found in most cities and are sources of information so long as players can afford to pay for the service.  However, they are always on the move and are hard to find.  Services are included:

Acquiring Information:

You may pay for information.  Price depends on the tier level of secrecy.

Selling Information:

You may sell information for money or credit to be used for other information.

Tiers:

Tier 1: Common knowledge

Tier 2: Uncommon knowledge

Tier 3: Rare knowledge

---------------------

Tier 4: Economic knowledge

Tier 5: Military knowledge

“Why are tiers four and five separated from the other three?” Steel asked.

“Careful, traveler, questions asked in this room are answered at the cost of your coin purse. However, asking questions relative to this place are free, so consider this your warning. To answer your question,” the voice continued, “the first three tiers of knowledge relate to anything a commoner to a normal merchant may know. The top two tiers of knowledge could have worldwide implications if used properly or incorrectly. Accordingly, the price begins at one million gold coins.”

“I see,” Steel mumbled. “In that case, I imagine your services are quite valuable to every major organization in the world.”

The voice did not respond.

Steel shrugged. “How much would it cost to learn about the strength of the Gear Street Gang?”

“That knowledge is classified under the first three tiers depending on what you want,” the voice said smoothly. “What would you like to know?”

“I want to know about their bases—specifically, the number of guards and other defenses.”

The voice paused. “That is tier 3 knowledge. Please hand over 40 gold.”

Steel grimaced. “I don’t have that much.”

“You may trade knowledge for knowledge,” the voice responded. “We offer a fair price for all information so long as we do not already know it.”

Steel considered his options. “What would the price be for knowledge related to a murder be?” he asked hypothetically.

“Depends. First three tiers for anyone below nobility.”

Steel grinned happily. “How about the murder of a high-ranked Gear Street Gang member last night at the inn next to the Adventurer’s Tavern?”

The voice paused. “The guard reports are all known. Your information will not be accepted if it is false or already known.”

“To begin, the being that committed the murder had two partners, but they were not human,” Steel revealed.

“There is no evidence for non-human interference,” the voice declared.

“One of them was a white rat and the other was a black dog,” Steel twisted the truth slightly. “One of the guard reports should collaborate the rat, and the dog left hairs at the crime scene.” He was betting that rather than knowing he was lying, the room used previous information to check the veracity of his story.

The voice was silent for a long while.

“The information is verified. While it is not new, it does prove you are aware of the circumstances. Your next words will be weighed for value,” the voice informed him.

Steel kept his cold face on as he revealed, “They say it was a spirit that did the deed. While I don’t know if such summoning was involved, I do know that someone used a rope to climb the tavern and slip into the inn. That same rope was cut and used to scale the wall during the escape. The proof lies at the top of the tavern where the rope was originally tied.”

“This knowledge has been rated to the third tier,” the voice announced. “Thank you for your patronage. Due to the bounty placed on such information from both the City Guard and the Gear Street Gang, this information is worth 50 gold. You can accept payment in the form of 50 gold coins or 60 gold credits toward future purchases.”

“I would like to spend the credit needed for the information regarding the Gear Street Gang and take the rest in coins,” Steel requested.

“Understood. Here is your change,” the voice answered. A pale, wrinkled hand reached through the hole and dropped ten gold coins into Steel’s hands. Steel deposited them into his inventory and waited.

“The information you seek is this: there are four Gear Street Gang bases in Rostwood.  Each base is three stories, including a basement as well as a second floor. At any time, at least 15 men are within each base, excluding the lieutenant and commander. There are six lieutenants, four commanders, and three leaders. The fourth base is hidden somewhere outside Rostwood with most manpower focused there. The bases within the city are converted buildings and have little to no defensive structures. Thugs range in level from 3 to 7, lieutenants are levels 5 to 8, and commanders are levels 9 to 10.” The voice fell silent.

Steel waited to see if there was anything else. “Where are the bases located?”

“You have not paid for that information. Do you wish to pay for additional knowledge?”

Steel shook his head. “No, I think I’m good. Thank you for your help.” He stood up and moved toward the door.

“Have a pleasant day, and thank you for using our services,” the voice echoed on Steel’s way out.

When he entered the alley, he noticed the door behind him was no longer red and the star was gone. Steel grunted and reopened his mini-map, checking for the nearest Gang Base. Alongside the marker, a pin had appeared that held the additional information he had acquired.  Steel’s eye glowed in satisfaction.

“I’m level 8 now, so common thugs are no longer my equal. Only the lieutenants and commanders can be trouble now. It’s finally time to let loose.”

Steel’s fists clenched and unclenched, his bloodthirst rising. Still, he needed more if he was going to take out a base on his own. His health and mana were still halved, and he had nothing to aid him in battle. Fingering his new gold coins, Steel clicked on his mini-map and brought up directions to Roxanne’s store.

Roxanne, of course, was surprised and confused to see Steel return so quickly.

“Boy, don’t tell me you’ve already cleaned out those bases?” she whispered to him over the counter.

Steel eyed the other players in the store and shook his head. “No, but I have scouted them out. I need to buy some potions to help me, and maybe some new armor.”

Roxanne clapped her hand on the counter. “Good on you, boy! Does you no good to get into trouble without backup. Since you’ve been helping me with herb gathering, allow me to give ya a small discount on my potions. Red health potions and green stamina potions are what you need, and depending on the strength you want I can sell them for 50 copper to one silver.”

Steel passed over a gold coin. “Give me some stronger than a beginner.”

Roxanne bit the gold coin and nodded. “Aight, here is 50 health and 50 stamina potions of the greater beginner variety. 20 silver is your change.” She handed over the silver and two small crates. When activated in his inventory, each crate turned into 50 potions.

Roxanne examined Steel’s outfit. “You’ll also need some new armor. What you have there won’t protect you any good. Head down the street to the blacksmith and show him my letter. He’ll take care of you.”

Steel inclined his head and left to the jealous whispers of the other players. He could make out their comments on the benefits of intimacy. He ignored them and walked to the blacksmith shop.

Contrary to what he was expecting, Steel found a normal blacksmith shop run by a gruff bald man. He gained a slight smile upon seeing the letter and showed Steel his stock.  Unfortunately, even though Steel had the letter from Roxanne, his curse canceled out the charm needed for a discount. In the end, Steel had to rely on his ‘Persuasion’ skill to bring down the price. He paid out the rest of his gold and most of his silver for the new equipment, but he was incredibly pleased with how he looked after.

Iron Light Armor

Type:

Armor set

Durability:

100/100

Quality:

Uncommon

Effects:

Increases defense: +35

A set of armor made of iron.  The set is made up by leggings, gauntlets, breast plate, and helmet.  Even though this armor is made of iron, it is kept light by being thinner and thus is not as strong as normal iron armor.

Steel-tipped Spear

Type:

Spear

Durability:

100/100

Quality:

Common

Effects:

Increases attack: +45

This spear is made of wood with a steel spear head.  The wooden shaft allows for greater flexibility.  A common weapon.

Steel Shield

Type:

Shield

Durability:

100/100

Quality:

Common

Effects:

Increases defense: +20

This is a shield made of steel.  Designed to be wielded with a long weapon in the other hand.

The armor set protected most of body except the space between the two halves of each armor piece. His new helmet was more ancient Greek than ancient Roman, but he still liked it.  The new spear was lighter in his hand, and the shield was larger as well. Having thanked the blacksmith, Steel walked back toward the Gear Street Gang base. He was ready to fight.

Chapter 21

Having fully equipped himself for the coming fight, Steel decided the last thing to do was to speak with the innkeeper and acquire her gang-related quest. However, since the sun had yet to fall, he decided to train himself a bit more at the training center.

The building was not as full of players as when Steel had been here last. Evidently, most had either finished their business here or had moved on to finding their own ways into the farmlands to fight. Steel approached the only trainer he saw.

“I wish to train,” Steel said.

The trainer eyed Steel and grunted. “Your manners leave a bit to be desired, but since you’ve trained with Eric you can use the equipment. Cause any trouble, though, and I’ll throw you out on your butt.”

Steel faintly nodded before approaching one of the practice dummies. Taking a deep breath, he spun the new spear in his right hand thrust it into the dummy. A number floated up above the dummies head, indicating the damage he had done. Unlike the wolves, rats, skeletons, and wraith he had previously fought, the dummy lacked a red health bar over its head. Steel continued to thrust into it as he watched the numbers rise up.

“66, 72, 68, 65, 72, 67, 88,” Steel muttered as he counted. His cold face held a sadistic grin as he mentally compared his current damage output to his previous abilities. His increased strength and better equipment made a huge difference to what he could now dish out—about 70 damage with a regular spear strike. That meant his overall attack was high enough to kill a normal wolf in 3 or 4 attacks if he didn’t use a skill. The thugs he was going to be fighting were about the same level as the wolves, so Steel was confident he could handle destroying a base.  Even though he was pleased to have received the gold needed to buy this level of equipment so early in the game, Steel couldn’t help but feel weird about selling himself out.

Ridding himself of such thoughts, Steel returned his attention to the dummy in front of him and continued to practice striking it, this time using both his spear skills and his shield skills. He practiced until the sun started to fade. Steel munched on his bread as he sat and read through the notification that had appeared in front of him.

Training Completed

You have acquired +2 strength, +1 dexterity, +1 constitution, +1 endurance

He grunted and leaned on his spear to get off the ground. It was time to make his appearance at the inn window without appearing to be suspicious. Steel stared down at his tattooed body and sighed.

He left the training center and walked through the streets toward the inn.  He had told the innkeeper to pray in front of an open window, but he didn’t know which window or when she was going to start praying. He decided the best way to learn all this was by renting a room again.

Amazingly, when Steel walked into the lobby, he found not a single trace of the previous ruckus from earlier in the day. The tables and chairs were uninjured and back in place, and the walls were clean and painted.

The innkeeper was standing behind the counter as usual, a kind smile on her face. When she saw Steel, her expression changed to one of familiarity and joy.

“Young traveler, it is good to see you again,” she said. “Are you here to once again purchase a room for the night?”

“I am,” Steel nodded. “What happened after I left?”

The lady sighed touched her cheek. “Oh, those ruffians were chased away by the guards.  Later, the good guards sent a potion for my husband as thanks for assisting them with their investigation. I don’t understand why they think we helped since it was you who did everything, but the potion made my husband healthy again after drinking it. I sold the rest to support our finances, but since it was originally meant for your actions I am willing to let you stay here for free for three nights.”

“I wish I could let you have a permanent room, but we couldn’t afford it,” she said apologetically.

“I didn’t do much,” Steel waved her off. “but I will take your gift. Are you planning on praying tonight?”

The wife nodded. “Yes, once the sun disappears. I sincerely hope that this spirit exists, so this city can be rid of such horrible people.”

Steel nodded without paying too much attention to her words. “I see. If you can give me they key for my room, I’ll drop my things there and go looking for dinner.”

The lady handed over the keys and bowed to him. “Have a pleasant night,” she said respectfully.

Steel returned her words and walked down the hallway to his new room. After verifying it was fine to stay in, Steel walked over to the window and made sure it was large enough for him to squeeze through. He opened it and stuck his head out to check the area. His window opened up into a previously unseen portion of the inn that held a small garden enclosed by a street on one side and buildings on the other. After resting in the bed for a time, he slipped out into the garden and walked back toward the lobby. Sure enough, a window was open and Steel could hear someone praying.

“Spirit of Vengeance, hear my plea,” the innkeeper said. “Hear the desperate calls for justice where none can be found.”

Thinking it as good a time as any, Steel switched over to his ‘skeleton spirit’ form. He bent down as far as he could and slowly walked under the window seal.  He waited till the lady had finished her prayer before standing up and revealing himself.

The lady gasped in shock. “Oh mercy! Are you the Spirit of Vengeance?”

Steel clattered his teeth together. “Why have you summoned me?”

“Please, spirit,” the lady begged. “An evil group of humans have taken refuge in our fair city and mercilessly pillage the common folk. The guards cannot help us, and I fear soon the gang members will soon take complete control.”

Quest Added

Eliminate the Gang

The Gear Street Gang has been causing trouble in Rostwood.  While acceptable in the past, their recent actions have escalated to the point where something must be done.  Eliminate the 3 bases within the city

Objective Added:

Eliminate Gear Street Gang bases 0/3

Objective Added:

Eliminate Gear Street Lieutenants 0/6

Optional Objective Added:

Lead the city guard to Gear Street Gang bases

Rewards:

Increased fame and infamy, exp, rare loot

Note: all fame and infamy acquired while under disguise will be attributed to your disguised form.

“It shall be done.” Steel trailed off as he activated his ‘Stealth’ skill and walked backwards into the shadows. This incited a gasp from the lady, who could no longer see him.  He quickly made his way into his room and closed the window, turning back into his human appearance.

Grinning, he left the inn.

“Loba, Akami,” Steel whispered. “It’s time.”

From his body, the two little orbs of light emerged. The two animals bared their teeth.

Steel looked up at the run-down building in front of him and took a deep breath. He deactivated the necklace, allowing his two different halves to be seen.

“Wind Boost,” he cast, summoning the wind to increase his speed and agility. With a steady look, Steel lifted his leg and kicked the door open.

“Oy! Who da hell…?” the thug inside the door shouted as Steel and his pets ran inside.  Steel slammed his spear into the man’s throat while the two creatures bit into his leg. The level-3 thug gurgled, but could do nothing as Steel stabbed him again in the chest for a critical hit.

“You two, hunt,” Steel ordered curtly as he wiped his spear. A quick glance informed him that his shield would not fit well in the hallways, so he stored it on his back and used both hands to hold the spear. The two animals nodded and ran through one of the doorways.

“Intruder!” another thug shouted from the hallway.

Steel grimaced in annoyance as he ran toward the sound of the voice. The new thug was level 6 and holding a knife. Steel dodged the thrust of the knife and brought his own weapon into the enemy’s stomach.

“Spear thrust,” Steel shouted as his arms retracted the spear. At his activation, the skill caused his body to unleash an additional attack before he fully retracted his arms, preventing the thug from retaliating. The man reeled back and groaned loudly.

Seeing the blood on the floor triggered something in Steel. He felt the warmth of blood on his hands, flowing down from the spear tip. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, an eerie grin growing on his face. He was fighting bad humans right now, wasn’t he? They deserved the pain. They deserved the punishment he brought.

Steel walked forward into the next room, where the wounded thug had collapsed in front of two new ones. These two were level 5 and 7 and both held swords in their hands.

“Intruder!” they shouted before running at him.

Steel’s grin grew wider, his red eye flashing within its skeletal half. With a laugh, Steel thrust his spear into the level 5 thug before kicking the level 7 thug between the legs. As the higher-level thug went down, Steel removed his spear and shouted, “Triple Strike!”

Instantly, the spear slammed into the weaker thug’s head three times, mashing it to bits and sending gore flying through the air. A few pieces landed on Steel’s face causing him to laugh even louder. He swung the spear around and into the other thug’s head, knocking him to the floor with the wooden shaft. With a hideous grin, Steel repeatedly stabbed his spear into the man’s crotch, causing the thug to scream out in agony.

“That’s it, squeal for me!” Steel shouted. “Let me hear the lesson being etched on your soul! Die for me!”

With his last sentence, Steel stabbed the spear into the man’s eyeball with a critical hit.  When he was done, the two thug bodies disappeared into light. However, the gore on Steel’s face and armor remained.

Steel’s eyes fell upon the wounded thug from before, who was cowering against the wall.

“Please, don’t kill me,” he stammered fearfully. “I’ll do whatever you want, I’ll turn myself in even!”

Steel tapped his cheek like he was thinking about it.

“No,” he said cheerfully as he stabbed the wounded thug into light. “You had many chances before.”

In the distance, he could hear the sounds of battle with his pets. Chuckling gleefully, he turned and returned to the main room to follow the sound of the fighting. Eventually, he found three thugs struggling to hit the small, fast moving animals snapping at their legs.

“Pick on someone your own size,” Steel announced as he entered the room. “Just know you’ll die either way.” With that said, he reequipped his shield and used ‘Shield Bash’ against one of thugs. The enemy was knocked to the floor, and cried out as the two animals began eating his flesh.

“How dare you!” another cried out before Steel punched him in the head. He stumbled back in pain, and Steel used the opportunity to kill the third thug with a ‘Triple Strike’. Steel continued to laugh as he kicked the remaining thug to the floor.

“This is great! This feels great! How do you like the taste of over-powered equipment, huh? Let the noobs buy armor and weapons with copper and silver, for me it’s gold all the way!”

Steel noticed the man was crying now.

“Oh, you feel pain, do you? This little bit is enough to make you cry?” Steel picked up the man by the throat and snarled at him, “I bet you’ve inflicted so much more pain on a lot more people. Right? Don’t give what you can’t take.” Steel dropped the man and stabbed him through the back until he disappeared into lights. He looked over at his two pets. They had made short work of their prey, stripping the arms and legs of everything except bone.

“Enough,” Steel barked at them. “Go down and kill more. I’m going to find the stairs up.” The two stopped biting the body and left, their former meal finally turning into light.

Steel wandered the ground floor until he found a staircase leading up. There was only a single door at the top.

Behind the door was an office of sorts. A man was waiting for Steel behind a desk, measuring him with his gaze.

“A bit younger than I expected,” he muttered loudly. “Still, strength is strength, is it not? Why don’t you take a seat so we can talk.”

“I didn’t come here to talk,” Steel sneered. “I came here to kill.”

The man shrugged. “Are you sure? The Gear Street Gang can offer you a lot. We are the strongest power in the shadows here in Rostwood, and quite a few travelers are trying to enter our ranks. We can give you anything you desire.”

Quest Added

Join the Gang

Your fighting ability and willingness to kill has impressed the Gear Street Gang.  You hae been offered a position among their ranks.

Objective Added:

Agree to join the gang and follow orders

Rewards:

High infamy and loss of all intimacy within Rostwood

High intimacy with Gear Street Gang

New class: Gang member

Steel equipped his beginner spear. He activated ‘Spear Throw’ and hurled the weapon at the man’s head. The man dodged it, but his chair shattered with the impact.

Quest Rejected

“You fool, you’ll die here!” The man howled. With a whistle, hidden doors popped open around the room, revealing gang members. Above the man’s head, the words ‘Gear Street Head Lieutenant lvl 9’ appeared.

“He was supposed to be level eight,” Steel muttered. “No matter. Come here, so I can kill you!”

The boss battle began. Four thugs rushed Steel with their knives. Steel brandished his shield and whirled around, slapping the arms away from his body. He then used the force to twist the other way, this time using his spear to slice through the thugs. They all howled in pain, and Steel thrust his spear straight through the closest thug’s head.

“Hold him!” the lieutenant called from the back of the room. As Steel exchanged blows with the thugs, he saw the boss approaching in an impressive set of leather armor and holding a large mace. He rolled out of the way just in time as the mace slammed into the floor where he had just been standing.

The lieutenant and his thugs surrounded Steel and sent blow after blow toward his body.  Steel dodged and blocked as best he could, feeling the pain each time he failed. His health was starting to run dangerously low.

Unequipping his spear, Steel pointed his hand at the lieutenant and cast ‘Fire Starter’ in his face. The boss screamed in anguish as he flailed his mace around, hitting a thug in the head and killing him. Steel used the opportunity to roll out of the circle and drink one of his health potions. The potion restored most of his health, and for good measure he also drank a stamina potion.

“I’ll kill you!” the lieutenant screamed after putting out the fire.

“I’ll kill you first!” Steel roared back. He ran toward the closest thug and kicked him toward the boss. The thug stumbled back and was thrown aside by the towering armored lieutenant. Steel raised his shield and activated ‘Shield Block’ as the mace came down. The skill canceled the attack and caused the boss to reel back in pain from the backlash.

“‘Triple Strike’, ‘Spear Thrust’,” Steel cried out in quick succession, using the opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the boss’s exposed body. The armor blocked most of the damage, but one of his attacks managed to land between the chest plate and the leg greaves, causing a ‘Bleed’ effect.

Steel winced as the fourth thug succeeded in stabbing him in the back. He quickly turned and used his shield to pound the thug into unconsciousness. Hissing, Steel removed the knife and used ‘Quickheal’ to stop the bleeding.

“Traveler, taste my mace!” The boss had recovered and was moving toward him. Steel’s laugh returned with a vengeance as he began to trade blow for blow with the boss, the mace clanging against his shield.

Their battle echoed around the room as the two forces exchanged attacks. Steel was forced to duck back and drain two more potions, as his health was no good for prolonged fights.  Worse, he had managed to acquire a small ‘Bleed’ debuff from internal bleeding, so his health would continue to fall until the battle was over.

“Taste my attack, ‘Fire Mace’!” the boss suddenly shouted. Instantly, his mace flowed red and caught fire. Wielding it with both hands, the lieutenant slammed the mace down into the shield, causing it to crack.

Steel groaned internally at the sight, but out loud, he roared in anger and thrust the spear into the lieutenant’s helmet. The helmet flew off, revealing the lieutenant’s angry face.

He growled. “You’ve put up quite the fight, but play time is over, boy!” With a howl, the boss turned red and let loose a shockwave that pushed Steel back.

‘Gear Street Head Lieutenant’ has entered fury mode

Steel felt the anger and heat flow over his skin.

“You think you’re the only one who can get angry? You bastard, allow me to show you the collective anger of everyone you’ve ever hurt!” Steel screamed in defiance. Abandoning his shield, Steel grasped his spear in both hands and charged the enraged boss.

The boss raised his mace and brought it flying down toward Steel. He dodged it narrowly, but was sent flying away from the force of the mace hitting the floor. Huge cracks sprung forth, and the entire building groaned.

Steel’s eyes glistened at the noise.

“Hey, moron, over here!” he taunted the boss.

The lieutenant cried out in rage as he attacked Steel, who barely dodged the blow. The floor once again seemed to scream in protest.

“Alright, here I am, you big schumuck!”

The attack glanced of Steel’s arm, breaking it and sending him flying into the wall. Steel moaned in pain as the game informed him that his left arm was broken and no longer usable. His health was critical and blinked rapidly.

“Not enough,” Steel said as he looked at the floor. “Maybe one or two more blows.”

Only, he couldn’t move now, and the boss was turning to face him, grinning evilly, and reared back to attack him.

Howl.

The lieutenant roared in agony as two small balls of fur latched onto his legs and bit down hard. The boss tried in vain to smack them with his mace, but Loba and Akami were too quick. He slammed the floor repeatedly in vain.

Steel grinned as he watched the floor.

“Oy!” he called out to the boss, catching his attention and saluting him. “See ya!”

With a final groan, the floor collapsed beneath the boss, and he fell screaming into the hole. The entire house began to shudder and shake in response to the floor’s destruction.

Steel used his one good hand to tip a health potion into his mouth as the floor under him shook. His arm was still broken, but he could move now.

“Loba, Akami, return to me!” he called out, summoning his pets back into his body to prevent them from getting injured. With a sadistic grin, Steel walked over to the hole and looked down, ignoring the shuddering building.

Below, the boss lieutenant was groaning in pain. Steel licked his lips and equipped his shield on his right arm.

“Take this! Shield Drop attack!” Steel cried out, randomly giving a name to the attack he’d used to kill the demon wolf. Putting his entire self onto the shield, he jumped into the hole and landed on the boss’s back. The blow broke the ground floor’s support as well, and the two figures tumbled into the basement as the entire building caved in onto them.

When Steel awoke, he found himself buried under a few sheets of wood. Pushing them off his body, he checked his surroundings. He was in the basement of the Gear Street base.  There was no one else with him.

You have leveled up

The notification informed him of his graduation from level 8 to level 9. Steel’s face had returned to its previous coldness, and now a cold smile danced across his lips. He had killed the boss. The base was destroyed.

And, he was also trapped. He looked up and frowned at the floor above him, which was barely holding the broken wood up above his head.

“I need to get out of here,” Steel muttered as he gazed around. His sight was alerted, then, to a door that seemed to have been previously hidden by a fake wall. A support beam had smashed through it, revealing the door. Steel, with his left arm still broken, walked over to the door and opened it, breathing in the air.

I recognize this smell, he realized. This connects with the catacombs! Steel marveled at this discovery before a new thought came to mind.

If this base connects to the catacombs, then the others must as well.

Steel twirled his spear in anticipation as he entered the corridor and sat down. His arm had a timer displaying the time it would take to return to normal. It read a few more hours were needed. Steel was fine waiting, because he had nothing else now except time. He rubbed his hand over his face, brushing away the blood and gore stuck to it.

A red sun was rising. Another day.