I have to admit, it isn't easy being out here all alone. I have been before, of course, long ago, but those memories are just hazy sensations of pain and fear. A miserable existence which a wonderful human, a complete stranger at the time, had saved me from. I was barely able to walk and bloodied all over, but the moment that the tall, armored man had seen me, he dropped his sword, ran over and cradled me in his strong arms. I wanted to run, expecting some sort of attack, as threats and danger were all that I had ever known, but my injured legs could hardly carry me another step. I instead whimpered, closed my eyes and braced myself for more inevitable suffering but instead found myself flooded with warmth as my many wounds of both body and heart seemed to simply melt away. So far as I could remember, that was the first time that anyone had ever helped me, and I was immediately eager to return the favor.
Once he had confirmed that I would be alright, he looked about in confusion, searching for something. Perhaps even back then I had an innate understanding of his true desires, a deep, spiritual connection with this human who I had only just met. Then again, maybe I was just running towards the shiny thing. For whatever reason, I rushed over to his sword, grabbed it in my teeth, pulled it from the earth, and brought it back to him. Dogs don't laugh, of course, and I was unfamiliar with the sound, but it still felt wonderful to my ears, and even more wonderful was the feeling of his hand scratching my ear. He called me his 'squire', a word which, to this day, I still don't understand the meaning of, yet am always eager to hear. I always will be eager to hear it, and I'm certain that I'll hear it again, someday.
The outside was still a scary place. Really scary, but I could handle it so long as he was by my side. And now, he's not. No, no time for negativity. I may have defeated the villainous FrontDoor but I still have a mission to accomplish. There will be plenty of time to be scared later. For now, there are people, wonderful, wonderful people who need my help!
I go to the nearest one, because why not? I have no way of judging just how urgent the problems of the individual humans are, but I fully intend to get to all of them in time. I can only pray that none or their situations are so dire that the people will drop dead before I can get to them. No sense worrying or hesitating about that. The sooner that I begin, the sooner that I can save each and every one!
A lone man sits atop a fence post, wearing a dirty, plain tunic which pretty much matches his seat in both color and texture, a tall wooden barrel standing next to him. He's nowhere near as handsome as my owner, but that applies to pretty much everyone, and hardly matters. I'm so excited! Sure, the outside world might be terrifying and full of scary snakes and bugs and lightning, but the presence of humans almost makes up for all of those things! I just want to run up, pounce on him and lick his face all over, but apparently humans don't like that, for some reason. I'd be overjoyed if one of them did that to me! Oh well, there's no accounting for the strange tastes of others. Besides, it's behavior unbecoming of a noble paladin, who must always be proud and dignified. I can only assume that paladins are allowed to wag their tails, though. It would be nearly impossible for me to not.
"I'm building a house, and need some bricks. Please bring me three of them." he says.
One nice thing about these town dwelling humans is that they don't tend to talk to people, rather they talk at them. Otherwise, communication might prove to be a significant hurdle.
New Quest obtained, "Another Brick in the Wall!" Gather 3 Brick(s)!
I'm a little relieved that it doesn't sound too urgent. It would be awfully stressful to have a man's life in my paws on my first quest. Still, it's nothing to scoff at. I don't know much about houses, aside from the fact that they're big, comfortable and full of food, all of those qualities being vitally important. If it's too great a task for this human to handle on his own, then it is my duty, nay, my privilege to come to his aid! Now, where would I find these bricks...
I can't help but frown just a little when I look slightly to the man's right to see a massive pile of carved, red stones. Are those the bricks? Hmm, I don't see any others around. Why can't he just get them himself? No, there's no sense in asking such questions. Humans are as mysterious as they are amazing, and surely this man has his reasons. If he is in need of aid, it is my duty to give it. If anything, the fact that I can so effortlessly help him out is a positive thing, right? Still, it does feel a little unexciting. Oh well. Good deeds aren't meant to entertain me, they're meant to help others.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I imagine that this would be much easier for a human with hands. Why, I'll bet my master is strong enough to carry all three, maybe even more at once! I have to go one at a time, however, but thankfully they are small enough that I can hold each one in my mouth. Being a very smart canine, I do know my numbers up to three, even if they grow increasingly incomprehensible beyond that point. Even if I didn't, the quest info is quite helpful, counting down as I drop each one at his feet.
"Thank you!" the human smiles, that alone being more than enough of a reward for me. "Now, at last, I can build my house!"
Quest completed! 50 Experience Point(s)! 10 Gold(s)! Beginners Sword obtained!
Yay! More numbers! And that isn't the best part, either. The best part is what came after.
Pets are a sacred thing. Not the sort of pets you own, of course, rather the pets that you get on your fur. Whether on head, neck, back or anywhere else, they feel wonderful, and can soothe the hearts of those who offer them. They might not change the world or anything, but it's a net positive all around and it requires so little. It's even better, however, when they feel properly earned for a job well done. I smile, head raised, tail thumping against the ground excitedly at he strokes my soft fur. This man might not be quite as good at it as my master, but he's no slouch, either! In fact, I've never encountered a human who was bad at them, now that I think about it. I guess humans are just talented creatures in general. The magical sensation continues for a few precious moments, ones of pride and comfort and genuine peace all around. That's when he reaches into the barrel and retrieves a sword.
I'm rather confused. Was this a reward? It said something about gold, too, but I have nowhere to carry it. I didn't do this for some sort of practical benefit, I did it because he was a person in need! Still, I can't just turn it down, can I? There is joy to be gained from generosity, and wouldn't it be wrong to deprive him of it? Perhaps that's why the bricks were so close. Maybe he simply wished to give others a chance to earn a reward? I'm mildly disappointed, as I really wanted to help someone in urgent need, but that's rather silly, isn't it? Everyone needs a little happiness, right? And it's my duty to give it, however I can!
Plus, I have to admit, swords are pretty cool. My master always had one at his side, and I always wanted to try one myself...
Weapon equipped! Beginner's Sword!
Whew, that was rough! I'm lucky that it came with a belt and scabbard, but it was still really tough to get on. It took a while, but not only did I get it to fit around my upper body, I even set it so that the handle is within reach of my mouth. I'm still not great at unsheathing it, much less putting it back into place, but it does feel nice to have a proper paladin's weapon. Just imagine if I had this while fighting FrontDoor, rather than needing to repeatedly slam my head into it to inflict damage? The fight would have been so much easier!
It seems that my earlier instincts were correct: It is always worthwhile to help others in need. Had I just run off after my master, unarmed, who knows what might have happened? At the very least, I wouldn't look nearly as impressive.
"I'm building a house, and need some bricks. Please bring me three of them." the man behind me says once again. He's clearly not talking to me, just speaking in general, as humans tend to do, in hopes that anyone passing by might listen. Does he need three more bricks? I guess houses are awfully big.
I pick up another from a pile with my mouth, and drop it at his feet. He looks to me with a downright baffled expression, as though he has absolutely no idea what he is expected to do with it. I awkwardly nose it forward across the ground towards him, only to be met with still more confusion. After a few moments of staring at one another, a wonderful young woman wearing very little armor and virtually nothing else steps in alongside me. Humans wear far too much clothing in general, but then I suppose they must get awfully cold without fur. I also can't deny that, like swords, metal armor is pretty impressive looking. She sets the three stone bricks down at the man's feet, who thanks her before offering one of the clearly very many swords from his barrel. For some odd reason she didn't stay for the pet, though. I guess she must have been pretty busy.
As for me, I sheepishly return the brick to the pile. I guess that building a house is a communal effort, and it's important that the bricks come from as many people as possible. I see that the exclamation mark over his head has since vanished as well. Perhaps he does still need aid, but doesn't require mine? Fair enough. There are plenty of other wonderful people around that do!
---
"I wonder if that's how my own house got built? If my master, in his youth, stood outside offering some of his many swords out in exchange for bricks? Probably. Houses need to come from somewhere, after all."