ARTHROPOD ONLINE: CHAPTER 2 ~ABOMINATION~
As Jack began to walk away the merchant spoke up again. "Leaving town?"
He stopped and looked back, "Yeah I'm going hunting."
The merchant took a few moments and after what seemed like some very deep thoughts, "Stop by the dome covered in red and white flags on your way out, tell them Marcus said to give you some beginner supplies. Going out there alone without some decent preparations is a poor decision."
Jack smiled, "Thank you but I already have weapons and for lack of a better instrument this knife can be used to carve."
*ding*
Familiarity with Marcus has increased. You have become acquaintances.
Marcus's ears perked up when he heard that last word. "Carve?"
"I intend to carve my kills."
Marcus cocked his head, "Why?"
"Food" he answered honestly
*ding*
Familiarity with Marcus has increased.
"What!?" The old merchant nearly fell out of his chair before collapsing into a bout of laughter. "You're gonna eat em'?"
"Is that a bad thing?" Jack asked, his confusion was obvious
"Well I wouldn't say that, it's just an odd thing to hear is all... everyone else around here sticks to vegetables and when they've got the coin regular meat. Why go out of your way to eat a bug?"
"I thought it may be something new, something interesting." Jack gazed fondly towards the gate. "Haven't you ever wondered what they taste like?"
The merchant grinned, "No, I haven't... stop by that dome on the way out. Get geared up, it couldn't hurt. Take this as well..." Marcus handed him a note "... You'll get a little something extra with that."
May as well... "I'll do that, thank you Marcus." Jack waved himself off and started towards the southern wall in the direction of a red and white dome.
"If it tastes good I want some!" Marcus called out after Jack
Knowing a merchant will help... and if he has some influence in Luther 7 all the better, still I wonder why people haven't tried bug meat... maybe they have? Or maybe it's because the games only been online for a few months now? Oh well no use over analyzing it.
Instead of wasting his time looking around the outpost Jack went straight for the dome Marcus had told him to visit. As he drew closer Jack began to notice less and less players around. Being the curious person he is Jack stopped the nearest npc. "Why aren't there many players here?"
"Players?" he asked
Oops... uhhhhhhh... "Travellers?"
The man smiled, "You mean mercenaries!"
That makes sense "Why aren't there many mercenaries around this place?"
"Well all of the combat clans are in the north, east and western sections of the outpost. That's the craftsmen's clan." he explained pointing at the red and white flagged dome "Seems the mercs prefer to spend their time in more combat oriented clans."
Jack was pretty curious now, "What do the craftsmen do exactly?"
"They fix up gear via upgrades, repairs and crafting. There's a shop owned by the craftsmen's clan in the central district that can handle most of that so mercs tend to use it rather than the headquarters."
Jack was happy to be getting gear from such a useful sounding place. "Is that all?"
"For the most part. Be careful out there merc, bugs can be tricky and you don't look very armored." the man had a bit of concern in his voice
Jack chuckled ruefully, "I'll be fine, thank you for the information. Goodbye Sir."
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Jack stopped for a moment before walking through the doors. When he worked up the willpower to enter the dome Jack found that he was in a small waiting area of sorts. Sitting at a desk... on a desk... sleeping on a desk at the far end of this place was a grey skinned woman. I wonder what race that is. Jack approached the sleeping woman and began to speak. "Umm..." I'd rather not wake her... Being the gentleman he is, or was trained to be Jack turned and sat down on a nearby chair.
Finding himself in this situation and not wanting to waste time Jack decided to review his skills and status. While he was looking through them Jack spotted a perk and class skill he hadn't noticed before... or rather since it was his first time in the skills window, wasn't aware of.
Perk NamePerk RankPerk LevelPerk ExperienceFlawless ComplexionParagonN/AN/AAs a clone your appearance is pleasing for most species to look at. You receive a bonus while holding a conversation with affected beings. People that do not like your appearance will be more difficult to befriend.
Skill NameSkill RankSkill LevelSkill ExperienceLithe Armor MasteryInitiate157%Increases defense of lithe armor by 5%
Increases weapon stability while wearing lithe armor by 1%
Increases movement speed while wearing lithe armor by 0.5%
Clone may be more trouble than it's worth. he speculated No sense in wasting time... Jack removed his armor and stashed it away.
Strength has been permanently increased by 1
Vitality has been permanently increased by 1
Agility has been permanently increased by 1
Strength has been permanently increased by 1
A senior member of the craftsmen clan walked in about twenty minutes later. This middle aged woman stopped for moment to take in the bizarre sight that was waiting for her at the reception area. Her co-worker... was sleeping on the desk... again, that wasn't very unusual. However, instead of the usual angry visitor there was a clone merc practically bouncing off the walls. *cough cough* She got Jack's attention. "May I ask what you're doing here mercenary?"
Jack wiped off some sweat with the back of his hand. "I came here at the behest of a merchant named Marcus, he gave me a note and said you wouldn't mind giving me a few things." I hope she wasn't asking about...
She cut his thought off, "Ahh the clan leader sent you?"
Ehh? "No, Marcus the merchant sent me... wait you don't mean?"
"Yeah, he likes to go watch arriving mercs. Apparently they do all sorts of entertaining things..." She gave him an amused look. "What were you doing?"
Jack blushed a bit. "Exercising"
She gave him a confused look. "I've never seen anyone work out that way..."
Oh right, new world. "It's a type of gimmick exercise where I come from, a good way to stay in shape. I usually wouldn't do it but the wife used to complain when I got a little flabby, she said it was either dance for her or diet..."
"Well Marcus may be on to something, watching mercs could make for a very entertaining evening. I'm Maxine, when Marcus isn't around I'm in charge." She had a wide grin plastered across her face as Jack poorly hid his embarrassment.
"I'm Jack...I don't suppose we could keep this between just us?" he asked shyly
"I'm afraid that's impossible." Maxine claimed while pointing at the desk. "Loudmouth Letia just pretends to be asleep, get up!" A shiver went down his spine as he looked towards the receptionist.
*pft-AHAHAHAHAAHAHAH* "What was that, what was that!? You're soooo funny! Do it again, do it again!"
Jack gaped at the grey woman... Better ignore that one. "So Maxine here's the note..." Jack held it out politely as Letia bounced up and down pleading for an encore. "... I'll take whatever you're willing to give."
"Want to become a craftsman?" she asked hopefully
Hmmm, that might not be so bad. I'm not really here to fight but... fighting is probably my best bet at gathering ingredients. "How expensive are cooking ingredients?"
Maxine was a little confused by his response, "Everything but the most basic ingredients are absurdly over priced."
"What about fresh bug corpse?"
She gaped at him after putting two and two together. "Perhaps this isn't the group for you."
Jack smiled wryly, "Perhaps not"
She motioned for him to follow her through the rear passage leading into the facility. "Let's get your gear."
"Gear?" Jack had only thought he would receive some supplies.
"That's what the note was for, Marcus wants me to give you another basic item as a bonus. Most mercs buy it as soon as they've saved up some credits."
Jack silently followed Maxine as the passage opened up into a large area accounting for the rest of the dome. There were multiple floors with twisting stairs leading from one to the next. Upon closer inspection he noticed that each floor seemed to have a general theme. Basic repairs were being made at the area nearest to the entrance. There was also a high floor for what seemed to be crafting and forging gear from scratch. Jack quietly moved closer to Maxine as she stopped at what seemed to be a quartermaster's station.
"Maxine, what can I do fer ya today?" an odd looking pale fellow asked
"Beginner supplies Delt, also bring out a gps device for him." she motioned towards Jack
Delt quickly retrieved a set of goods as well as a small bracelet.
-You have received three repair kits.
Repair KitUsed to instantly repair all damaged equipment.
-Restores 60% of maximum durability.
-Cannot be used during combat.
-Remaining uses 3/3
-You have received three armor kits.
Armor KitUsed to instantly repair damaged armor.
-Restores 60% of maximum armor.
-Cannot be used during combat.
-Remaining uses 3/3
-You have received five bottled water.
Bottled WaterDrinking this will restore stamina.
-Restores 20% of maximum stamina per 50 mL.
-Cannot be used during combat.
"Normally you'd have to work a bit for one of these." Delt explained
-You have received a GPS Bracelet.
GPS BraceletYou may access the global positioning system using this bracelet. The global positioning system is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near Planets where there is an unobstructed line of sight to five or more satellites.
Jack inspected the bracelet closely and silently thanked Marcus. "Glad I won't be getting lost anytime soon, I'll be hanging onto this for a very long time. Thank you Maxine."
She transferred 4000 credits to Jack. "Thank Marcus when you get the chance. If you ever need our services for your equipment ask for me first, I can teach you a few things before you get familiarized with an outfit." she replied as Jack thanked her for the money this time.
"Outfit?"
"An outfit is your preferred equipment setup, armor along with primary, secondary weapons and any adornments make up an outfit." she explained
Jack took another look at his equipment screen. Oh "You're right it does say outfit one up at the top and I do have a slot for a second gun... what are adornments."
"Adornments range from vanity items like fancy looking capes to useful things like a grenade belt."
Jack smiled at Maxine, "Thank you for explaining things to me, I'm sure you've got better things to do with your time."
*ding*
Familiarity with Maxine has increased. You have become acquaintances.
"It's not a problem Jack, I'm actually taking a break from working on my prototype. It can be stressful work and seeing you in the lobby made my day." she grinned
Jack looked a bit cross, "Is there a back way out."
"You'll have to dodge Letia again." she claimed while letting out a slight chuckle
Great Jack bowed then briskly walked towards the exit of the facility. As he approached the reception area Letia was sitting at her desk properly this time. When Jack walked out from the facility Letia smiled brightly.
"Please?" she asked
"No"
She batted her eyelashes, "Please?"
"..." Jack does not take pressure from women very well.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Pretty please?"
"...fine, just a little." Jack relented as Letia jumped up and down clapping her hands.
*ding*
Familiarity with Letia has been greatly increased. You have become friends.
Within seconds he was getting back into the usual routine... Jack had forgotten himself in the moment and spent a good half hour workin' it for the npc...
Vitality has been permanently increased by 1
Agility has been permanently increased by 1
You have unlocked a Perk: Fitness
Perk NamePerk RankPerk LevelPerk ExperienceFitnessInitiate11%Improves your avatar's physical condition and flexibility. This perk gains experience through any strenuous activity taken outside of combat.
Strength + 1
Agility + 1
Movement speed + 0.10%
-A title has been augmented!
Crazy PenguinYou have no qualms acting completely out of your mind for a little bit of fun. You'll even dance your way out of an awkward situation.
Renown + 50
Luck + 15
Dexterity + 5
Agility + 5
Jack kept up the routine for a long time because he had forgotten what it felt like to entertain his wife. While reminiscing about the times they spent together Jack's mood took a nosedive. He turned towards Letia, "Did you enjoy it?"
*ding*
Familiarity with Letia has been greatly increased.
"Loved it!" he smiled wryly at her response "You've got to do that for my friends too!" Jack turned and fled the dome at full speed as Letia wholeheartedly laughed.
Jack took a few moments to calm himself down while looking south. Right... bugs, gotta get some bugs.
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Once he reached the southern wall Jack gazed out across a barren landscape, to the north he'd seen lush greenery. Here, to the south it was bleak. Without wasting any more time Jack put his armor back on and plotted across a loose steel ramp.
-You have left a safe zone.
-Note, ammo will automatically refill to maximum capacity upon entering a safe zone. Ammo capacity may be refilled at any time using certain items.
He took another moment to consider his targets. Nearest to town there was a small bug species that had way too many arms for his liking. Jack decided that these must be the lowest level enemies so that's where he should start.
*bra-tatatatatata* The bug was nearly dead as Jack finished unloading his first clip. Having missed about half of his shots Jack wasn't too pleased. While pulling out his knife the insect moved with surprising speed and snaked itself around his leg.
-Damage received, armor -17
-Damage received, armor -19
Jack dug the knife into its abdomen as soon as he realized the nasty little thing was hurting him.
-You have slain a Crawling Kliplarl
When the bug fell limp Jack took to dissecting it, he ignored the countless tiny legs and went for the meaty body. After considering how the fight went and restoring his armor Jack decided to limit the fights to one magazine, 32 bullets a fight. Killing and carving up fifteen of the bugs should be enough to get started. While he was carving the fourth bug Jack unlocked another perk.
Perk NamePerk RankPerk LevelPerk ExperienceCarvingInitiate11%Improves your avatar's ability to carve with or without tools.
Increases carving speed by 2.5%
Increases maximum yield from fallen foes when carving.
With his new carving bonuses Jack noticed that the bug's innards almost seemed to pop out at him. Humming a slight tune he kept on carving. da da Daa da daaa daada da da da, look inside, look inside your tiny mind, now look a bit harder... The battles were mostly low level and uneventful. At one point he had accidentally encountered a higher level one nearly twice the size of its fellow Kliplarl, that one took a fair amount of bullets and stabs to kill. On another occasion Jack had been walking towards a Kliplarl when it suddenly exploded. He made a silent note to never cross snipers in this world then turned to another target.
As Jack had nearly finished and was carving his last bug there was the odd feeling that someones watching him. "Why are you doing that?" a voice asked from behind him
Jack was in a focused state and answered listlessly, "I wonder how it tastes..."
"What!?" Jack realized that more than one person was watching him and judging by their reactions none would be eating bug meat anytime soon. What would Lums say in a situation like this? Ah!
Jack got up after he finished carving and began walking towards the Luther 7 entrance. "Maybe chicken?"
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As Jack made his way through the streets towards the craftsmen's dome he cut a sliver of Kliplarl meat and tried it raw. *Ptooey* He stared absently at the half chewed abomination... What was I expecting?
Jack set down in an alley with little traffic and got to work. After putting all ten of his new unallocated points into intelligence he spent nearly an hour slowly trying the meat pan seared or fully cooked with different seasonings and in different sized slices or chunks.
*ding*
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
A new Skill has been generated: Cooking
Skill NameSkill RankSkill LevelSkill ExperienceCookingInitiate11%Increases cooking speed by 10%
Slightly enhances the flavor of cooked dishes.
Less ingredients are required during cooking.
It wasn't very good and he was not happy at all. Maybe this was a bad idea? Just as Jack was about to give in he pulled out the much larger piece of flesh from the higher level Kliplarl. When it was done cooking Jack timidly sliced a piece off and gave it a try... That's not half bad!
*Om-nom nom nom nom* That's not half good either, I can't feed people this.
-You are well fed!
*ding*
Pan-seared KliplarlThis simple meaty dish can be prepared by any beginner cook using low level bug meat. Not very tasty but it gets the job done.
- Armor and Stamina regeneration increased by 5%.
- All attributes are increased by 1.
- Maximum Armor and Stamina increased by 2%.
- These effects last for 6 hours.
As Jack looked over the description of what he had cooked and read over the description of his cooking skill he began to grin. I can do it... I'll get stronger, get better meat and level up my cooking skill. He looked back towards the southern gate. "Cooking, useful and fun." Jack smiled after he'd realized that cooking had become an exciting activity again. A few moments later he logged out.
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Aaron silently moved about the kitchen and quite happily prepared a three course meal for two. He was waiting on his older sister's arrival.
*ding-dong*
"Door's open sis!"
Lirum strolled on in through the living room and sat at the bar as Aaron plated their first course... tacos. "How is it bro?"
"The names Jack and I like it, there's potential." he explained
After shrugging her shoulders Lirum spoke up, "I should've realized you weren't kidding about the bug meat. How was it?" she asked curiously
"Disgusting"
*Ahahahhaaahaa* "What did you expect from a giant bug?"
He gave her a slightly cross look. "Some insects taste delicious when you prepare them the right way, I think it's the same deal in Arthropod Online. I'll have to find the right ingredients and use the correct methods to bring out the best flavors. Being a game the more I cook the better my food will taste. It's a little odd having a level up and skills system running in the background like that."
"You'll get used to it." she spoke honestly "Anything else interesting happen?"
He thought for a moment, "I died in the beginner mission."
Lirum snickered a bit. "You charged across the field at the bugs didn't you?"
"...how did you?"
"Please I practically raised you, I know you better than any of my four boyfriends." Lirum claimed nonchalantly "...three."
Aaron chuckled "What happened?"
"He found out about numbers one, three and four."
"Any trouble?"
"There was a little at first, I just had to remind him who has the bigger cojones." she chuckled ruefully "Maybe I'll pay your cute convenience store clerk a visit..."
Aaron shook his head, "The others already know right?"
"Yeah I kept it from number two because I knew he wouldn't take it well."
Aaron gave her a disapproving look. "I'm on his side in this sis."
"You're a romantic, of course you're on his side. I'm just glad you don't hold it against me or lecture me like dad." she retorted
Aaron smiled slightly, "Think you'll ever settle down?"
"Maybe if I find the right one... or two."
Aaron spoke sarcastically, "Keep going after every cute convenience store employee you see, I'm sure that'll work out sooner or later."
"You'd be surprised by some of the people I meet working crummy jobs... Nevermind you already knew that, did you enjoy being a short order cook for a few days?"
"It took the edge off for a little while."
"I'd have liked to see the look on Rachel's face, if only she knew what you've been up to."
"Enough, let's eat. I want to get back on Arthropod Online." Aaron said sourly
"Kicking me out so soon brother dearest?"
"Remind me of her again and you won't finish dinner." he replied dryly
Lirum looked a bit down as she glanced at all the empty picture frames sitting around her brother's home. "Sorry bro..."
He gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry about it Lums. Eat up, I made this with you in mind after all."
"I wish one of my boyfriends would learn to cook."
Aaron grinned, "How'd that saying go... You can wish in one hand and c.."
"Shut up" Lirum cut her brother off mid sentence as she picked up a fancy looking taco. "It's a shame dad won't eat any 'commoner food', he's really missing out."
"I got a university buddy to send me some safe lab rats a while back..."
Lirum gaped, "You didn't!”
Aaron beamed happily, "I did"
"Does dad know you fed him rat?"
"Best burger he's ever had." Aaron grinned
Lirum laughed slightly before her face turned a bit grim. "You can never tell him."
"I'm saving it for his death bed."
"Oh goodie, front row tickets." she mused
For his entire life Aaron had always been put at ease when his sister was nearby. If ever he was in a sour mood or just having a bad day, all it took was a few minutes with Lums to cheer him up. Aaron treasured the time they spent together and would forever be grateful to her. When their parents divorced, when he choose to become a chef, and when his wife had left him it was Lirum that stood by his side. As a surrogate mother and loving sibling.
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I woke up this morning and wrote four chapters... I'm really tired now but I'll try to re-read, post them all, fix up their links and post status before I go to sleep... <-- wrote this last night before I gave up and went to sleep haha
:criesBo:
A bit sad with how the reviews of this story look after chapter one. Hopefully things will get better, seeing those reviews killed my motivation to write up until this morning.