ARTHROPOD ONLINE: CHAPTER 3 ~KALI~
Upon logging back in Jack he thought should work more on his cooking skill for now, after glancing through his inventory he decided to use a repair kit on himself before he forgets. With that done Jack quickly and skillfully began to cook the remaining kliplarl.
"Excuse me"
Jack looked up towards the voice to find a tall robed woman with soft black hair, easily over six feet sporting a ponytail that reached her lower back. "You have my sister's eyes." The woman slightly averted her gaze as Jack smiled kindly at her. "Did you need something?"
"I've been wondering what you're up to for a while now... what have you been cooking?"
"Ah, some of the lowest level bugs outside of town." To Jack's surprise she didn't seem unsettled at all.
"How does it taste?" She asked honestly
"Not good enough to sell, eventually... maybe with the right ingredients and a higher level of skill it'll get better. I'm still not used to this world's ingredients and some of the spices are a little off... some of them I've never heard of before." he explained
"I'm really curious now, can I try some?"
A woman after my own heart. "I'm not very happy to be giving you such low quality food but I won't deny such an honest request." Jack handed over a portion of the pan-seared kliplarl and watched patiently as the woman chowed down. When she finished it he asked, "How was it?"
The woman stared in honest shock for a few moments at the food information before replying. "Not half bad"
Jack smiled again, "Not half good either."
The woman chuckled slightly. "But it has potential if you keep at it."
After my own heart indeed. "My thoughts exactly, I'm Jack. I arrived earlier today."
"You just came to Luther 7?"
"Ah no, I mean I just started this morning."
The woman scratched her head absently. "...and you're cooking instead of fighting bugs?"
"I hadn't really thought of it that way but I suppose I am, it's what I came to do after all."
She let out a slight laugh "You're the first person I've met that came to do something other than fight. The names Kali here and I began playing last week."
Jack gave her an inquisitive look, "Is that you're real complexion and eye color?"
She looked a bit amused, "It is"
"You're from india?"
"I am"
"You're also hindu?"
"Yes, what are you getting at?"
"Kali is a bit grim isn't it?"
Kali shrugged, "That depends on how you look at it."
Jack spent a few moments considering what he knew about Hinduism. Wait a second! "You're eating meat!"
"So? This isn't real life so eating it won't affect my karma and I'm not hurting any real species." Kali grinned, "I came to this world to shoot guns and eat meat."
This time Jack was the one laughing. "You could've started with a steak or something."
She gave him a flat look, "I did buy some but it wasn't very good, I can't imagine that's what all the rave is about." There was obvious disappointment in Kali's voice.
Well seeing as the type of game this is maybe they don't cook it very well? "If I get my hands on some raw beef or pork when my cooking skill is better and I have more general knowledge I'll try to make you a proper steak." Kali smiled ear to ear and picked Jack up in a crushing embrace. This woman is huge! he thought while wriggling to set himself free
"We should be friends then! I'll send you a request." she claimed excitedly
Kali has sent you a friends request, do you accept?
"I accept."
Kali is now your friend.
Jack had a delighted look on his face. "My first friend in Arthropod Online."
Kali smirked, "Mine to"
"Oh, really?" he said with an ounce of disbelief "You're rather friendly." ...and smoking hot, not that I'd ever say that out loud.
"Well there's two main reasons we're getting along, for one you're a cook." she said pointedly
Jack chuckled, "Point taken, I'm a chef... slight difference. Calling me a cook is a good way to hurt my pride, although I can't really be called a chef in this world. Not yet anyway, what's the other reason?"
"Sorry, the second reason is that we haven't fought together yet. I tend to annoy people."
Jack cocked his head, "How so?"
"I joined the Vanguard clan and picked a shotgun as my main weapon. Parties have tried to get me to just use my pistol because I get in the way." Kali sighed dejectedly "Maybe I should've gone with a rifle or something."
Jack thought back over a few of the things his father had told him in the past before speaking again. "What exactly is a vanguard?"
"We get bonuses for fighting at the front of the party, closest to the enemy. Actual distance doesn't matter but when I get right on top of something friendly fire becomes an issue."
"How would any other frontline attacker be different?"
"Well the problem with me is that I like to charge in rather than wait for the enemy and let people get in their shots... no that's a half-truth." she frowned "I'm pretty slim now but when I put on my massive armor..."
"Oh, that would be a bit problematic. I'm sorry I'm not really sure how these party things work, have you played many games before?"
Kali's expression brightened up a bit. Someone who's never been in a party with anybody wouldn't care how I fight! Why didn't I think of that. "I've played quite a few so I'm well aware of my faults, I've been meaning to switch to medium armor as soon as I get enough credits. Until then I'm stuck with this, unless I want to fight on point in my robes or sit at the back severely weakened while firing a pistol... I'd rather not feel like a leech."
"How many credits do you need?"
"We start with 5000 and I spent half on food... another 500 on some supplies so I was at 2000 but I made 1500 so far today. The armor I'm looking to buy is a level ten set that costs 7500 credits total and I can sell my massive armor for 1000 credits." she smiled wryly "I'll be grinding kliplarl corpses for a while longer."
"Oh, did you just get back from hunting?"
"Yes why?" she asked
"Can I see the corpses?"
Kali dumped 30 kilplarls out of her inventory as Jack's expression became greedy. "How much would you make for these?"
"Thirty comes up to about 500 credits... you want them don't you?" Kali had noticed the look Jack's face.
"We're friends Kali, I'll pay you 3000 credits for them so you can buy your new armor."
Kali gasped, "I can't do that! You already fed me something, it'd feel like I'm taking advantage of you."
Jack gave her an appreciative look, "Then how about this, since we're friends in the future we'll probably be working together. Find a way to pay me back, it's as simple as that." I'm totally not doing this because she's beautiful, yes you are quit lying... she could be a man for all I know, does it really matter? At least this gives her a good reason to stick around... GRAHHH cut that out, you're better than that. You're doing this because you wanna be nice to your first friend... wait the woman's talking again, quit talking to yourself you moron. Pay attention to her!
Kali relented after a few more back and forths then excused herself claiming she had to get someone to repair her armor so she could sell it. "I can do that." Jack claimed
Kali looked back at Jack and decided that she didn't want to argue again. Jack used the repair kit on her massive armor.
*ding*
A new Skill has been generated: Tech Mastery
Skill NameSkill RankSkill LevelSkill ExperienceTech MasteryInitiate17%This skill augments the effects of certain items.
Increases potency of all items by 10
Increases the amount of times an item may be used by 1
Jack looked up at Kali, "I just got tech mastery."
"I didn't realize that was already your second kit."
Jack cocked his head again, "That was my second use."
"What!?" Kali gasped "People don't generate the skill till the second or third kit usually..."
"Well I've been pumping my attribute points into intelligence. It's at 30 now and I've got a 20% bonus to skill learning speed from being a clone." he explained
Kali took a moment to bring up the intelligence attribute information then nodded towards Jack, "That explains it, most people don't put any points into intelligence until they have some powers that you need stamina to use." she looked at her own status "I've only got 10 intelligence so it's safe to say you have three times the intelligence of most beginner players." she frowned at him "You won't be able to keep up with other people's damage at this rate, why'd you do that?"
"Other than relieving some tension I came to this world to cook new ingredients that can't be found in ours. I figured that having a high level of intelligence would allow me to become a better chef sooner... In hindsight leveling up and fighting more difficult monsters to get better ingredients may prove to be just as important." Did I go too far with intelligence... no skill mastery gives bonuses to damage so if I can raise my skill mastery quickly and make up for my lack of attributes through physical activity I should be fine. I wonder how much I could gain that way before diminishing returns makes it a waste of time. Right, it's not like I'm in a rush here... although I should find a way to supplement my income.
"I think you'd be alright in a party but soloing might be difficult..." she looked at his lithe armor "...you even went with the lightest armor?"
Jack smirked awkwardly, "Is it that bad?"
Kali sighed, "Normally only scouts and snipers would wear the lightest gear and even then most scouts opt for light armor, not lithe."
"Couldn't I just join as a scout then?"
Kali sighed again, "What does a scout do? Other than move ahead of the squad and look for things?"
"..." Jack realized that he was surprisingly lacking in knowledge. "Could you explain it to me?"
"A scout's job isn't just about moving ahead of the squad, they call out targets while mapping dangerous terrain. When the squad is hunting scouts pull enemies... which can be trickier than it sounds. To pull correctly you have to know what enemies aggro each other and which ones detect by sight, smell, or sound. You also have to pay attention to your squad's condition, pulling enemies while the main tank has a third of his armor left is obviously a mistake. A bad scout can easily get the squad killed because they don't know enough about what the group is hunting or where the group is going. Scouts have to spend a lot more time preparing for hunts than any other party member and if things go bad you tend to shoulder the blame."
"I don't think I'd enjoy doing that... I haven't picked a secondary weapon, maybe I'll get a sniper rifle sometime." Jack mused
"That wouldn't be a bad idea." Kali agreed
Kali left to go buy her medium armor set as Jack started to carve up the corpses that he had bought from her.
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
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By the time Kali returned with a blissful smile on her face the skilled chef had already disassembled the bugs and fired up his large skillet. Jack looked up and clapped as Kali showed off her shiny new set of silver medium armor.
-You have made a wise decision by ignoring system messages to focus on the task at hand.
Intelligence has been permanently increased by 2
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
Kali had eaten a decent amount of what Jack cooked and made various comments, even noting at one point that the flavor had somehow gotten better. When Jack commented that he didn't change anything Kali reminded him that this is a game. Jack brought up his cooking skill...
Skill NameSkill RankSkill LevelSkill ExperienceCookingInitiate49%Increases cooking speed by 14%
Slightly enhances the flavor of cooked dishes.
Enhances the flavor of any food prepared using a skillet.
Less ingredients are required during cooking.
Oh, I shouldn't forget to check on my skill gains after I'm done with cooking...
Dexterity has been permanently increased by 1
When Jack finished cooking and storing the last of it he thanked Kali who in turn thanked him. "I think we're gonna get along just fine." he commented
"My own personal chef in a world where I can eat everything I want without worrying about karma, I'm pretty sure I got the better end of the deal here Jack."
"I wouldn't be so sure if I was you, I've got a lot to learn as far as fighting goes. I do have some experience with guns but games just aren't my forte." Jack sighed dejectedly
"There isn't a whole lot you'll have to learn as a sniper, I guess it couldn't hurt to know everything but this really isn't as difficult as you're making it sound Jack. This game isn't like anything I've ever played before, mostly because it's virtual reality. As long as you can control your body well or aim a gun this won't be hard. The basics are easy and the rest you can learn as we go along." Kali explained
"As we go along?" Jack had a half-hearted smile across his lips.
Kali grinned, "You're stuck with me until I find a better cook."
Jack chuckled ruefully. I've gotten involved with a troublesome character.
"What are you planning to do now Jack?" she asked
"I want to continue working on my cooking skill, I won't feel at ease until I can prepare something decent."
"So you need to go hunting?"
"I suppose I do."
"Then let's go together, I can help you gather corpses faster."
"Won't it be a waste of time for you?" Jack said with a bit of concern
"I have another hour or so before I need to go and if it wasn't for you I'd be grinding the low level repeatable kliplarl quest over and over and over for days. Want to join my squad?"
You have been invited to a squad.
"Accept squad invite."
You have joined a squad.
When Jack looked at the newly filled squad information screen he noticed an offline player, Sati. "Seeing as that's the name of another hindu goddess I'm guessing there's a relation?"
Kali chuckled ruefully, "We're sisters, she had to log out before I met you."
Jack contemplated the meaning of that for a moment. Did I just get two companions for the price of one?
"She can be a little eccentric so take it easy on her at first." Kali warned "She doesn't get out much..."
Jack noded silently in agreement and decided to change the subject,
"So what are we hunting?"
Kali's mood brightened up a bit, "Crabs, you know the river that runs through the southern zone?"
"Yes"
"Well there are some nasty underground crab bugs there, they shouldn't be a problem with the both of us and a shotgun is well suited to dealing with them. You use an smg?" she asked a bit worried
"Don't worry, I won't hit you." he laughed as Kali began to lead south
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Jack was shocked when Kali began to dash towards the river. *Ka-pow!* As she opened fire a large crab of some sorts with one large pincer emerged from the ground. Kali used the stock of her weapon to avoid being hit by the larger pincer and was only taking attacks from the smaller one, firing whenever she got a chance. Instead of opening fire with his smg from far away Jack chased after Kali then moved a bit to her right. *Ka-pow!* *bra-tatatatatatat*
--You have slain a Young Crustmal
After the crab fell limp Kali gave Jack a coy look. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"What?" Jack asked confusedly
"If you get in that close shooting around me won't be a problem and without the massive armor I'm not slowing us down."
Jack pulled out his knife and began to dissect the crab while she spoke. As he carefully peered under the shell Kali asked, "How are you gonna cook it?"
"Different ways, I need a bigger pot if I want to just boil one so for now I'll boil the legs but remove the bodies and cook that separately on a pan... you led us here because you want to taste crab, didn't you?"
Kali averted her gaze while whistling a slight tune.
Jack sighed, "You haven't got much time here so go kill another and bring it to me, I'll start cooking. Hunting these alone seems like a bad idea but I'd rather you get a chance to taste it before logging out. I'll hunt more kliplarl after you leave." he explained as Kali picked him up in another crushing bear hug Owowowowow, ma bones!!! "Alright put me down, by the way I'm guessing butter is one of the more expensive ingredients so I haven't got any right now... what's that?" he asked as Kali pulled out a chilled container
"Leftover butter..." she said as Jack gave her a flat look and tried not to laugh
I better be careful around this woman... Jack accepted the butter from her then set up a pot filled with water, a small metal dish with the butter in it and his skillet. Jack salted the water, added a bit of pepper then dropped in a few lemon wedges. After the water was seasoned he dropped the crab legs in as it started to boil. Moving his attention back to the skillet Jack was interrupted by an excited Kali whom he told to quickly remove the legs and add them to the pot. After Jack dropped the first crusty's torso meat into the skillet with oil and garlic he started to carve up the second one... *Snap!*
-Your used knife has been broken!
Kali laughed at the look of absolute shock on Jack's face when his knife broke then faded away. "Oops" he claimed absently as he accepted Kali's knife and finished the carving That was stupid of me...
"I think you already know this but equipment will break if you don't repair it regularly." Kali was doing a poor job of hiding her amusement.
Jack handed back her knife, "I'll keep that in mind." Jack looked a bit miffed.
"What's wrong?" she asked
"Well if I had all the ingredients or proper equipment we could be eating crab cakes..."
Kali let out a slight chuckle, "You'll get there Jack, give it some time."
"At least the crab legs are prepared decently." he commented while melting the butter and plating the pan-seared crab meat
"Can I try it?" Kali asked
"The crab legs will take a little longer and I suggest you save the butter for those, other than that go for it."
Kali happily dug in and made a few comments about how different it was from the kliplarl. After a few more minutes Jack carefully drained the boiling pot and plated the crab legs. Kali made some rather immodest sounds as she cracked and tore apart the crab legs while dipping the meat in butter and smiling contently. Jack was also satisfied with the boiled crab even though the pan-seared crab left a lot to be desired. It's got a different flavor than real crab, I'll have to work that out later... what is it, sort of tangy? Hmmm
-You are well fed!
*ding*
Boiled Crusty LegsThis simple seafood dish can be prepared by any beginner cook using low level water-bug meat. Has a decent flavor compared to other low level meats.
- Armor and Stamina regeneration increased by 10%.
- All attributes are increased by 4.
- Maximum Armor and Stamina increased by 4%.
- These effects last for 6 hours.
"That was certainly better than the kliplarl." Jack claimed while packing up his gear
Kali gave him another crushing embrace from behind. May need to set some ground rules here... he thought with a vacant expression
"Thanks Jack!" Kali started towards Luther 7 "I've gotta go now!" she smiled brightly
"See you around, Kali." he called out after the departing woman "I enjoyed your company!"
I need a new knife...
After repairing his equipment Jack made his way back towards Luther 7.
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Upon entering the craftsmen's headquarters Jack was greeted with Letia's pleading eyes.
"Please?"
"..." Not again...
"Just a quick one?" she asked with puppy dog eyes
"...fine."
*ding*
Familiarity with Letia has been increased.
Vitality has been permanently increased by 1
-Fitness has leveled up!
Perk NamePerk RankPerk LevelPerk ExperienceFitnessInitiate20%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 + 0.125%
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