There were many more quests which I had completed, but I won't dwell on them quite so much, unless they happen to be particularly interesting. This quest proved to be a rather challenging one: Chopping firewood. Still, it could have been a lot worse. It's rather serendipitous how everything seems to fall into place. Had I not gotten the sword, I wouldn't have had nearly so much experience at swinging tools around using my mouth, and while the axe was, admittedly, a little more unwieldy, the principle was largely the same.
The fact that the logs required a downward swing in order to cut them, whereas I had always swung the sword horizontally for attacking did make things a lot harder, but I appreciated the extra practice in using tools with my mouth. The axe might not have quite the same balance as the sword, but in principle it worked the same, and training in striking downwards would surely prove helpful in the future. The sideways strikes still feel a lot more effective, but it's good to have a variety of tactical options. After a lot of trial and error, I was handsomely rewarded.
Quest completed! 40 Experience Point(s)! 10 Gold(s)! Adventurer's Satchel(1) obtained!
Squire has become a level 4 Paladin (rank 1)!
There were a bunch more exciting numbers which followed which I didn't really understand, but there was something else that particularly caught my attention. 10 Gold(s)! I had earned some in the past, of course, but I wasn't able to carry it, so I just had to leave it on the ground. I wonder if the money that dropped from defeating FrontDoor was still there? No, unfortunately it seems to be gone. Items dropped on the ground start to blink and eventually fade out of existence after a while. I guess it's a way to make sure that the world doesn't get overfilled with stuff.
It's not as though I have any real need for money, either, much less any ability to spend it, but still, it's always a treat to be given something shiny.
There were a few more quests which had followed this one. None of these were particularly challenging, or represented anything that I considered overly heroic, but hey, grunt work is important, too! Usually they involved carrying objects short distances, often incredibly short, hardly more than an arms reach, with a few more involving simple hunting or gathering tasks which, thankfully, never lead me too far into the heavily wooded forest which surrounded the small town. These jobs usually involved claiming a certain number of monster parts, and even with those that required collecting roots or herbs, I often found myself attacked during them. It turns out that the biome was home to a lot more than just slimes, but none of the monsters I had encountered had proven to be even close to a threat.
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I even gained another experience level! For some strange reason, there was something oddly satisfying about watching the numbers keep going up. I have no idea why. I found myself rather confused as to the nature of the quests, however. Each of them seemed to offer rewards of significant value compared to the level of work required, to the extent that it hardly felt like me being helpful, and more like these good folks being charitable. I suppose it makes sense when you think about it: Everyone benefits when a good deed goes rewarded, thus it only makes sense for such deeds to be so encouraged.
Sadly, most of the quest rewards I had no use for. I had high hopes for the helmet, as it was just a simple cap which I felt might fit my head well enough, and it sort of did. The problem was that it didn't seem to want to stay on. No surprise, being designed for a human and all that. It might have been technically usable, but I imagine the amount of focus required to keep it from falling off would more than outweigh the minimal defensive gains that it would have offered.
I was tempted to simply leave them behind, in hopes that one of the humans might come along and take them, having much more use for them than I, but they went completely ignored and left to eventually blink out of existence. I had thankfully managed to retrieve them before this happened, as even if I can't use them, they were still appreciated gifts, and souvenirs of newfound friendships which I would hate to see vanish into the ether.
At last, the final glowing exclamation point had vanished, I had earned myself many pleasant pats on the head as reward for a job well done, and it was finally time to continue my quest! ...or so I had thought.
One more marker had appeared above the head of a tall armored man who, up to this point, had simply stood at the center of town, offering a 'Good day' to any who passed by. I made a point to pass by him as regularly as possible for this reason, because who doesn't want their day to be as good as possible? I eventually realized that in doing so, I might be depriving others of their good days, or diluting the effect, at the very least. From then on I had made a point to avoid him.
The bulk of the village population (really more of a collection of several large homesteads than a proper village) was made up of hunters, and while there were regular adventurers who had come by, they were usually younger and lightly equipped. This man was older, with a long blade across his back, wearing a heavy, dark plated body which bore the nicks and scratches of countless battles, his face appearing no less worn. He very much stood out as a trained warrior amongst a population of laborers and amateurs. I felt another pang of guilt at the sight of the attire, very much wanting the armor for myself.
As for the quest marker, it similarly stood out. It was larger, fiery red, menacing and even from my own limited understanding, I could feel a distinct sense of urgency from it.
"A terrible monster has been attacking the local hunters, and has already taken several lives. If only a brave hero could face and destroy this foul beast!"
I felt yet another wave of shame pass over me. This was serious business, and innocent people were dead as a result of this monster. It was an important, even if solemn and necessary duty in order to keep the people safe. Still, I just couldn't keep my tail from wagging.
A proper quest, and a real chance to test my abilities! Conveniently, there was even a bright light shining down from above, revealing the location of my objective.
That was the good news. As for the bad news? Unfortunately, it was much deeper into the woods. I wish that I could claim that I didn't know exactly how deep, but I could not. I was intimately aware, having been to that place once before. It may have only been the once, but I couldn't deny that that experience had very much left an impression upon me.
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"A useful tip: Never look inside of a bottomless satchel. You might think that you're prepared for what you'll see in there, but trust me, you're not."