~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~
~~~(Location: Unknown, Unknown, Aeternitatem Genesis)~~~
~~~(Day, Date, Time: Friday, April 12th, 8:13 AM PST)~~~
~~~(Age: 19 Years)~~~
...
...
---[Quest: Last Descendant]---
[Difficulty: ???] [Grade: Mythical]
[Recommended Level: ???]
[Player Level EXP Reward: 1000]
[Rewards: ???]
[Step 1: Find the waters that stand still...]
[More steps will be revealed upon completion of Step 1.]
After a few minutes of staring at the quest and concluding that I can't do anything, I close the quests tab and player interface. Taking a deep breath and ordering my thoughts after I do. Before focusing on the quest, I have other things to prioritize.
"I need to find out where I am..."
'Find the waters that stand still' has to wait until I know where, I myself, am standing. There are a lot of players starting to appear around me. Soon, everyone will be trying to find out the same things.
The best way to find answers to your questions is by talking to a local.
However, based on what I see, that's not happening.
"What do you mean you don't trust me!?"
"C'mon, old man!! Tell me what I want to know!!"
"Can someone tell me how you raise your reputation?!! These NPCs won't talk to me until it's high enough!!"
The frustrations and complaints of gamers can be heard. What I find interesting is the confusion on the NPCs' faces, specifically at being called NPCs. They have their own sentience, so this isn't a first-time occurrence.
In other VRMMORPGs, NPCs believe themselves to be real people. Calling them NPCs doesn't help you.
The reputation system with the local inhabitants is showing its head. No player is finding out the information they want. Not until all of us find a way to raise our reputations. Standard methods are doing quests for the location you're at or for its denizens.
"Okay... If I were a quest giver, where would I be..."
Perhaps guard barracks, the town ruler, or a noble in the area. Going to authority figures first is where I should start. Moving on from bumbling around the market area I spawned in, I start walking down the street.
Now that I'm not distracted by players or randomly appearing quests, I can take in the beauty of the town. It's completely random where you spawn at the start of a VRMMORPG, but I lucked out on a pretty place.
Back in high school, I loved studying history. You can learn a lot from history. The closest I can compare the architecture to is a mixture of gothic and pre-romanesque designs. Still, it's an entirely unique design on its own.
I'm passing stalls down the street I'm walking and noticing something going on. Something that I know is out of the ordinary.
"Why can't I see any information? Anyone else not able to inspect things?"
"Yeah, no matter what I do. I can't find any information on what I'm looking at."
"Who releases a game without a basic inspect skill?!!"
My eyes slowly widen as I pull up my player interface and recheck it. I failed to notice that an inspection skill was missing. It's something you're so used to having that when you don't actually have it. You fail to notice it's gone.
The dismissal of my player interface forces me to ponder how hard this will genuinely be. No inspection skills, no instructions on what to do, and no idea where I'm at.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Solving the second and third on that list won't take too long, but the first... Where the hell do you get an inspection skill?
What if the concept of an inspect skill doesn't exist in this game... I haven't even considered that. Based on things so far, it's a possibility.
All these are questions I can't find answers to at the moment, so I'm not wasting time on them. A few hours pass as I explore the town and after a while. I find a rather large building. Nothing extreme, but it stands out.
NPCs are coming and leaving the building. Many of them are wearing finer-looking clothes. If they were wearing armor or brandishing weapons, then I'd think this is a branch of the adventurers guild.
Since that's not what I'm seeing, this must be a public office of some sort. I make my way to the steps, but I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection of a window.
Getting distracted, I step forward and look at myself. I look identical to my real-world appearance. Black hair and blue eyes. I come from an attractive family, marking me with above-average looks.
Shaking my focus away from my reflection, I turn my eyes back to the door. Getting caught up in the realism and graphics is a bad habit of mine. I have to investigate when I see something that goes beyond my expectations.
On my approach to the door, a guard steps forward and places his hand on my chest.
"Halt, only citizens and officials are allowed within the mayor's office."
This is a moment where I'm really missing an inspect-type skill. I can't see anything about this guy. But right now, I shouldn't waste this opportunity. An NPC is talking to me, after all.
"Forgive me, sir. I'm new here and don't know exactly how things work. Would you mind pointing me in the direction I can get quests or talk to someone who can answer questions regarding where we're at?"
I can't tell what he's thinking based on his face since his helmet covers his features. He's got on armor; I don't know what it's made from. It could be steel, and it has a basic design.
Again, no inspection skill for anyone.
He removes his hand from my chest, seeing that I'm not trying to force my way in.
"Yeah, thought you were one of the new arrivals. Basic leather armor and a one-handed short sword. All of you are wearing the same damn thing."
Seeing as I'm not threatening him, he seems to relax just a little.
"Listen, kid. If you want some work, I know Sir Rehan is looking for people to help clear out a goblin nest nearby. You can find him at the training yards on the other side of town."
[You've Received A New Quest!]
I open my player interface to check out the quest.
---[Quest: Find Sir Rehan]---
[Difficulty: Easy] [Grade: Common]
[Recomended Player Level: 1-5]
[Player Level EXP Reward: 1500]
[Rewards: Possible new quest, a possible rise in reputation with NPC Sir Rehan]
[Step 1: Find Sir Rehan in the training fields on the other side of town.]
[Step 2: Speak with Sir Rehan about the goblin nest.]
A new quest appears as the guard stops speaking. Hey, I'm getting somewhere. Players who know what they're doing are likely trying the same thing as me.
"Thank you, sir. You've saved me a lot of time and a lot of headaches."
I give my thanks and make my way down the street. There is no player map to help me here. It's not uncommon for VRMMORPGs to lack a player map. I've played ones where you don't get a map at any point in the game.
Currently, it seems like no player has access to a map function. Based on the number of players just exploring around me, none know where they're going.
I've got a general direction, but nothing other than that.
It'll be a while before I find the training fields. I can't help thinking about Lil's in this situation. I know Blake's got a good group of players with him, and they mesh well. My sis, on the other hand, doesn't have that.
I can only imagine the struggles she's going through. A pack of scrubs to lug around, a difficult beginning to the game, and nothing to go on to find anything new out.
That's a shitstorm for Lil's temper to explode.
Mom and Dad are up to who knows what, but they have years of experience. I doubt they're moving as slow as me.
After another hour and a half of searching for these supposed training fields, I find a walled-off area and guards posted at the front.
What gives it away is the sounds of swords clashing on the other side of said wall. I notice that some players are trying to get through the entrance, but guards are stoping them. I make my way over, and unpleasantness is what I find.
"What the fuck do you mean I need permission to enter the training fields!?"
"How are we supposed to get permission if you don't tell us how!!?"
It's not long before I have to hold back my laughter.
"GAAAHHH!!"
"WWWAAAHHH!!!"
I watch as the guards kill the more annoying and ill-tempered of the group. Based on what I just saw, the NPCs know that the players will respawn.
That's good to know.
The prospect of dying and going into negative player levels seems to encourage the current group of players to back off. Leaving the guards alone. I scratch the back of my head and try to think of a way inside.
It's not like I've got permission, either...
"Hmm... Maybe..."
On my approach, both the guards stiffen and block the entrance. But I don't even try to get past them.
"You're not allowed inside without permission."
He's doing his best to sound polite, but you can hear the strain in his voice.
"Does having a quest to come here count as permission?"
It's a harmless question, and I can get information from the answer. The two guards share a look, and I watch one of the guards open a system. But it's different.
An NPC's version of the system. I've seen it before; it's almost identical to a player's.
"Show me the quest."
There is more tolerance and less hostility in his voice now. Not knowing what to do specifically, I opened my player interface as a start. Only this time, a light on the quests tab grabs my attention. I click on it, and a message is waiting as I do.
[Town Guard Charlie Durmod requests access to see (Quest: Find Sir Rehan)]
[Allow access: Y/N?]
I raise my hand and click on Yes. After a second, I watch the guard lift his eyes from his own interface and look at his partner.
"He's got a quest to see him. He's good to go."
Awesome!
That means having a quest could mean having permission, but maybe this only applies to certain instances.
Still, that's something I'll have to find out too.