Chapter 3: Chapter 3 - A Slow Start
A steady breeze made its way through the evening sky. It moved with all the freedom that only it possesses. It touched the top of a mountain before descending down, down, down.. It lazily brushed the canopy of the woods below, rustling the leaves pointedly.
Onward it went, ever onwards. Eventually it reached something foreign to nature, a small village, nestled among the grass and wood. It caressed the huts and the people there, bringing a sigh of relief from several farmers as they stood tending their meager crops.
It rushed past a young man with shoulder length black hair.. He didn't even notice...
...
Art moved with the haste of a man who needed to arrive at his destination yesterday. Through the tall grass and back into Red Glen, he put one foot quickly in front of the other.
"I need a weapon... armor... anything" he told himself. He couldn't risk dying again. He didn't want the setback. He had been able to login right away but who's to say that he wouldn't get a heavier penalty the second time around. Not to mention losing his stats...
The villagers noticed him sooner this time around. It was approaching dusk and they were idling more than working. The smell of dinner on the flame met his nose and he realized he was hungry. "Wait... can I be hungry in the game? Do I need to eat in here?" He wasn't sure. He had eaten in real life before logging in.
He pushed the thought aside as a familiar man approach him, "Art?... Back so soon?"
It was Jack, the man with the axe from before. Only this time he carried a large ladle. He had come out of one of the nearby huts, the door still wide open. Shadows danced across the doorstep from the soft light within as sounds of people chatting away could be heard.
"Aah.. yes about that.." Art said, feeling oddly embarrassed and unsure of quite what to say. He decided on a half truth, looking the burly man in the eye as he began, "I ran into some.. umm.. monsters on the way. They shot arrows at me and I ran away. I didn't feel safe enough to continue without a weapon so I thought I might see if you all had a spare sword or something lying around?"
The man seemed to believe him, and nodded along to Art's story. "Come now! It's getting late, and I bet you are tired. There is food spare enough for you. My wife Loraine is making stew."
The massive man slapped Art on the shoulder and he watched as a blue status window appeared:
[HP -1]
[HP 17/18]
"Jesus... I'm weak..." Art thought as he was ushered towards the hut. "A mere slap on the back can hurt me? What can I do to that monster even with a sword?"
He frowned, and started to wonder if he should just leave the village and take the long road to another town, somewhere where he could get some beginner quests appropriate for a level 1.
But something didn't sit right. He didn't want to leave the quest incomplete.. Not to mention that sound coming from the cliffs. He was curious, at the very least... And that monster.. it needed to die for taking his stat points away from him..
The sounds of laughter and talking grew louder and pulled him out of his slump. He looked up to see the small hut, half the size of his apartment, in full view.
The door was open and he could see a woman moving about quickly inside. Higher pitched voices of children chased her commanding, "move here"... "don't do that"... "James! Put down the axe!"
Jack smiled and looked down at Art, "Family.. am I right?" It was a warm look. Art could tell he cared about the people inside, and there was a fondness there he didn't really understand..
Art had been alone for so long. He didn't have family, he was orphaned. The only family he considered himself to have was his 'brother'.. They weren't related by blood, and he had his own set of problems.
They hadn't talked in years..
Looking at the small family happy, despite their low standing in an isolated village, brought mixed feelings into his heart. He followed Jack and they entered the home.
'Creaaakkk' Jack shut the door, rusty on it's hinges from wear and tear. A beautiful woman in her early thirties looked over. She must have been Loraine that Jack had mentioned.
"Who is this Jack?" She asked curiously. Her dark eyes were piercing, and Art could tell she wasn't someone to be messed with. She seemed to be asking, "Do you mean harm to my family?" As she stared hard at him.
"Aah this here is Art!" Jack said loudly, as if he were proud of the fact. He smiled through his beard and Loraine rolled her eyes slightly, "Right right.. the lost puppy you wouldn't shut up about earlier. Alright then young lad, would you mind bringing in some firewood then? Make yourself at use if you will be eating our hard earned food."
Art was embarrassed and taken aback. Jack had been so nice and his wife was quite the opposite. Jack laughed and have Art a sympathetic look but didn't speak up on his behalf. A man who knew his place in the household. He wasn't going to poke the sleeping tiger, neither was Art..
He stepped outside, dodging around two small children, a boy and a girl roughly the same age, that rattled off questions faster than he could think. He promised to answer them all if they would get out of his way so he could get the firewood.
A minute later he had a bundle of cut logs in his arms from near the hut, piled up neatly against the simple walls. He took a moment to breath in the evening air. It was fresh, and wonderful. It had an almost herbal smell, from the soft wind and stark humidity. The grass and earth, the trees and flowers. The soil turned over for farming. It was a sensation he had never known in the city. It was enchanting... He could get used to it...
Heading back inside Art nearly tripped over the boy who was at his heels in an instant, "Come on! Come on! Tell us a story!"
His mother spoke up quickly, "James! Leave the man alone, I'm sure he would be more inclined to tell you a story if he didn't have an armload of wood."
The boy backed off like a wounded puppy. Art smiled at him and whispered, "Don't worry.. I've got a few stories I can tell.. later.." truthfully, he didn't know shit about the world of Isteryn. But he could make up something. Art was still wondering when Jack was going to tell him how to get a weapon or get through the wood. The bombastic man had invited him to dinner and hadn't said a word since, and he didn't either until well after the meager meal of cabbage and baked potatoes was through.
It was bland, as far as food goes, but it did make him feel full. This confirmed his suspicion that you needed to eat in game. He would keep that in mind. Art turned to Jack at the small wooden table, and asked, "So.. about what I said earlier.." the burly man cut him off and gave a quick glance to his wife.
"Aah.. later Art.." he said. He seemed weary to bring it up around her, Art wasn't sure why.
Art sat down and told the two young kids a story. Their eyes beamed as he told a summary of Romeo and Juliet. It was the only thing that came to mind. He wasn't sure what else to tell them that wouldn't raise too many questions.
After he finished telling the story he got a notification:
[New Skill: Silver Tongue [Lvl:1] - You have an uncanny ability with words. Anything you say falls easily on the ear. Charisma +1 ]
He was taken aback a little by the new skill. But mostly he was excited. "well that brings charisma back to 5... " he smiled.
After his telling Jack asked him to come talk outside, and he followed the burly man out the door. He turned and thanked Loraine for the meal, though he was unsure if he was leaving or not.
The night was in full swing as they stepped outside the hut. The stars shone in the sky brilliantly, in a way that you can only see in the countryside. Other villagers were around. An old man was smoking a long pipe on a small bench. There was a woman hanging clothes to dry on a taught rope, hung between two huts.
Orherwise it was quiet, uncannily so. He wasn't used to total, absolute quiet. It was unsettling. Jack turned to him then, and asked a pointed question, very much astray from his happy go lucky demeanor, "So... Monsters attacked you... what kind?"
Art looked at the man. He seemed to have transformed from a teddy bear to a grizzly bear. It wasn't hard to imagine why. The man wanted to know if his family was threatened, if these monsters were nasty or nearby.
"It was a small green beast. I've never seen one before. It snarled and seemed.. almost human, but shorter with a pig face and big black eyes. It wasn't wearing much. Almost like hide or leather. And barefoot..."
He hoped the description was apt enough, and Jack seemed to nod along. The old man smoking had cocked his head to listen. All the huts were close enough together than anything above a whisper was audible. Art didn't care. Jack didn't seem to care either.
"That's a Goblin..." he said, "Nasty little buggers.. but not that dangerous if there's just one.. but..."
"But?" Art said worriedly.
"But.." Jack continued slowly, stroking his beard contemplatively, "They don't usually hunt alone.. there's bound to be others nearby. Probably a dozen.. and a hob goblin... hmm"
There was a tense pause. The old man with the pipe had stood up at this point. Art couldn't see his face clearly but he was sure his face had gone white with fear.
"I tell you what. First thing tomorrow I'll gather a few men and we can go through the wood and take care of this goblin.. or goblins Faesia forbid..."
"Faesia?... " Art wondered. "Must be one of their gods..." but he didn't ask. It didn't seem appropriate at the time. Instead, he replied with, "That's a good idea... I can fight too. If I had a weapon of some kind..."
Jack looked at him as if he wasn't sure about that. It made Art a little angry. Sure, he was a level 1.. A noob as you might call him, but he had his pride as a man..
"Fine by me... Meet me here tomorrow morning at dawn. We will get the men and make our way to kill these goblins.. Before they come kill us instead.."
[Quest]
[Kill the Goblins in the wood.]
[Jack. A villager in Red Glen has tasked you with helping him kill the Goblin infestation in the local area.]
[Difficulty: E]
[Accept? Y/N]
Art quickly accepted. It was a rank easier than [Find the Old Bastard in the cliffs]. He looked at his quest menu and smiled a little at the two quests. He was going places, albeit slowly. He was glad that he was going to get help with the goblins. He hoped to get a decent reward and experience for it.
"Right.. So meet near your hut then?"
"Right.. Alright.. Fair evening Art.. Lets hope that Faesia protects us tomorrow"
Art nodded and replied, "let's hope so"
He wasn't sure what else to do. He had 10 or so hours in game till he was supposed to meet Jack. So he logged out. Art decided to take a shower then clean a little. By the time difference he had about an hour and a half or so before he needed to login...
So he waited. A smile on his face as he vacuumed his dingy carpet. Thoughts of glory and cash floated around in his head. "I'm on the path now..." he thought to himself, "I'm on the path now..."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone