The inner circle of the maze was a vibrant and bustling hub, alive with a curious mix of natural wonder and fantastical commerce. The colossal tree at the very heart of the circle, served as both a landmark and attraction. Its massive branches reached out in all directions, their lush foliage forming a verdant canopy that shielded the area from the maze's intricate walls.
“That’s Mendous.” Said Eric as they stopped on the outskirts of the area. “He knows everything there is to know about the maze. And he’ll answer almost anything you ask.”
Al raised an eyebrow at Eric.
“Well he won’t just tell you where the exit to the maze is. He just gives technically correct answers like “It’s past the outer wall.” or “Not anywhere near here.” And the other catch is that he only answers one question at a time, every 6 hours.”
Al was still staring up at the tree. He couldn’t believe the size of it. He had seen it after they had taken their first turn towards the inner circle. It was impossible not to see Mendous from nearly everywhere in the maze. Which everyone had assumed was the point. The inner circle was safe and so the game provided an easy landmark to head towards so you wouldn’t be entirely lost.
If the size of the tree wasn’t enough to impress, then the giant face on the tree certainly was. Al couldn’t help but think of the great deku tree from the legend of zelda when he saw it. Bushy eyebrows, eyes that always looked closed, and a mustache made it look wise and old.
“Now there are several places you can start if you want before the end of the day. We can get you some food and water from ‘Bazaar Rations.’ over there.” Eric pointed to a place near where they had entered from. It was a wooden building no bigger than a studio apartment. Al wondered how much the place could offer.
“We could also get you some clothes if you want.” Eric eyed the gourd. “Though I guess you don’t really need any. Wouldn’t hurt to see if you could get fitted for some custom leather armor. You’re going to need it with that soft skin of yours. And of course we need to get you a room at Trouble’s.”
“Is Trouble’s a hotel or something?” Al asked.
“It is.” Answered Eric. “Well it’s a brew house. But it’s also where most of the players stay when they’re in the inner circle. He has enough space for everyone and the cost is really affordable. It’s only one silver a night if you split it with someone. Or if you want your own room it’s three silver.”
Al kept looking around the area. It was much bigger than he expected. If this was the center then the maze itself must be immense. It had to have been the size of a large city, maybe two. There were easily two dozen shops that he could see.
“We can go see what’s up with Morel first.”
Eric lifted his clawed arm up and his green shield was replaced with a yellow one. “He’s a quest giver, so he likes to give people things to do. But he isn’t really the best at prioritizing things. You’ll see. He’s just over there.” Al followed Eric towards Morel’s.
This building looked much more like a marketplace stall. There were barrels full of different plants laid out under an awning in front of a half wall. Some small pots were interspersed and filled with ground versions of the full plants. The half wall also operated as the counter for the shop.
The owner was exactly what Al would have thought a mushroom man would look like. He was a large brown mushroom with a full cap on top of his head that looked like a hat he couldn’t take off. He didn’t seem to have legs based on the way he wobbled when he walked. But by far the most notable attribute was his voice.
His voice was a symphony of joviality and warmth.When he spoke, it was as if he had a perpetual twinkle in his voice, a mischievous lilt that invited others to join in the fun. And it carried through the air like a good joke.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Hey Morel.” Said Eric as they approached the counter. “I got your message.”
“Hi. I’m Morel.” The large manshroom spoke through a wide smile. “I’m glad to see you received my message. I need your help with something dear boy.”
Eric turned to Al, “He always needs help with something. That’s his purpose.”
Morel continued talking over Eric’s comment. “I’ve noticed that a particular rapscallion has been making a fuss around town. His name is Levi and his little gang is starting to grow bolder. They’ve been breaking into shops after hours and such you see, trying to obtain things they shouldn’t be.”
“And you want me to do something about him and his gang? That’s a bit apprehensive of you, Morel.”
“No no no little crab pie. I need more protection for MY things! Could you go and procure me a few items so that I might fashion some unique and sturdier security measures for my shop?” Morel’s smile shifted from Eric to Al. “You can bring your new friend with you! I’m happy to reward you both handsomely.” Morel handed them both a list of items.
Eric sighed and Al wasn’t sure if it was relief or frustration. “Ah. So it’s another fetch quest then?”
Eric turned to Al again. “Morel is great for getting experience when you’re new and need to get your feet wet exploring the area. But he only ever offers fetch quests. He needs a thing, or usually ten to twenty of a thing, then you go grab them and bring it back here and he rewards you with experience.”
Al looked back at Morel who was still smiling back and forth between them. Morel’s eyes widened a bit, acknowledging Al’s attention.
“I was hoping.” Eric continued. “That maybe he had something else more off brand this time. Though I am a bit relieved that he didn’t want me to go do something about Levi and his gang alone. Not sure how I even would do something about them.”
“Okay Morel. What do you need from me… I mean us? My friend here is brand new and could really use some help catching up on some experience.” Eric put his small arm around the back of Al as best he could. “What kind of reward are you offering for this?”
Morel stood back up from his hunched position over the counter. “For this special quest I’ll offer you a bit more than my usual reward.” Morel looked left and right a few times and then leaned back into the two players. “Two hundred and fifty experience points.” He said with a grin.
Eric sighed. “That is your normal amount, Morel. That is literally the same amount you’ve offered every time anyone does anything for you.” He turned to Al.
“It’s still worth doing for your sake though. 250 will get you up to the next level at least. That’s mostly why Morel is here. To get you familiar with the game and how to level. I’ll help you, if you want. Easy XP is still nice even if it doesn’t do much for me right now.” Eric turned back to the large mushroom man.
“We’ll do-”
“Why don’t you get things for yourself, Morel?” Al butted in. He’d been reading the list and half listening to Eric. “One of these items just says, ‘A pound of maze hedge from the northern side of the inner circle.’” He pointed to the area where Eric and he had exited the maze, “That is literally right over there.”
Eric turned to him, “Because that isn’t why he’s here, duh. He’s here to help us. He probably can’t even walk over there.”
Al continued to look at Morel. “Can you walk over there?”
Morel looked a bit confused and timid for the first time. “I..uhh I mean me?” He peered over at the area Al pointed to. “I mean I don’t need to. That’s why I have you fine folks!”
“Yeah.” Said Al. “But if you got stuff for yourself then you wouldn’t need to give your XP to people. Or you could hold onto it for when you need really important things that you can’t get for yourself.”
Morel shook his head and then just stared for a while.
“I think you broke him, man.” Said Eric. “He’s just an NPC. I don’t think he’s supposed to go do stuff for himself.” He turned back to Morel, who had lost a considerable amount of his joviality. “Don’t worry about it, Morel! We’ll get your stuff before sundown.”
He grabbed Al by the vine and steered him away from Morel’s shop. And as they walked away Al swore he heard, “Give… my XP?”
“Alright.” Said Eric. “You go get your list of things and I’ll get mine. Meet back at Morel’s shop in a couple hours. It shouldn’t take you longer than that to get what you need.”
Al looked up at the sky. The moon hadn’t moved since he woke up on the hedge wall. “How do I know it’s been two hours? And how long are the days and nights here?”
Eric chuckled. “Yeah I don’t know how long the days are. Nobody here does. It’s been night time for as long as anybody can remember here. The moon doesn’t move, neither do the stars. But you can check the time in your heads up display.”
Al lifted his right vine and splayed his ‘fingers’ outward to open the menu. He saw a digital clock in the bottom right corner similar to how he’d have it on his computer. “Got it. I can see it.” The clock read 20:02.
“Good luck, friend.” Said Eric with a wave. “Try to stay in the inner circle since it’s mostly a safe zone.” And he scuttled off to, “Bazaar Rations.”