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Book 1 - Chapter 2 - Part 1
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Alexandros swallows hard as he stares at the guards before him. Unsure what to say, he frowns. He has no idea what to do or how to act. After stumbling over his thoughts momentarily, he finally finds the courage to respond to the guards. “I am here because I want to check out the market. I need to pick up some things for my parents,” he lies, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
The guards stare at him briefly before finally lifting their spears to let him pass. “Don’t cause any trouble,” they say as they step to the side to allow him through. A wave of relief crashes through him at their response, and he gives them each a polite nod before stepping through the gates.
Once inside the city, his eyes widen with amazement. The city is massive, and the architecture is incredible. He can tell the building is solid, making him feel better. Not wanting to stand out, Alexandros wills his legs to keep moving as they make their way through the city. He has never seen such a massive place in all his life, and he nearly runs into a woman when he turns his attention forward.
The woman shoots him a glare, and he smiles apologetically in response. As he rounds the corner, the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the air. His stomach rumbles, reminding him it has been a while since he ate anything. He walks toward the market before focusing on the massive castle in the city’s center.
He expected it to take him a while to find the castle, but now that he has, he can’t stop thinking about what he will say to the king. With as much confidence as he can muster, he walks up to the castle to see it surrounded by guards. All of them are wearing what appears to be heavy armor. The two giant guards standing by the castle entrance block his path as he steps closer. “State your business,” they say in unison.
“I’m here to see the king,” he replies. “There is something I wish to speak with him about.”
“You are but a child. You are not welcome here unless invited.”
Alexandros frowns as he listens to them. He wants to argue but instead turns around and walks away dejected. While he is walking, an older woman calls out to him. “Young man! Hello there, I’m so sorry to bother you, but can you help me with something?”
Knowing he would likely get a quest from the woman, he sighs and walks over to her. “What do you need?” he asks, trying to sound kind.
“I’ve run out of flour, and now I can’t make my bread. Do you think you could help me out by going to the market and bringing me back some flour?” she asks, holding out a bag of coins.
Quest Available. This quest is available to Alexandros; level 3
Quest: Head to the market and buy some flour to return to the older woman.
Requirements: The flour must be obtained and brought back before the evening sun so the older woman can make her bread for the morning.
Failure Penalty: If you fail, you will lose 15 relationship points with the older woman.
Reward: Broadsword and a small pack of health potions. You will receive 25 XP upon completion.
Accept? Yes/No
Without thinking too much, Alexandros checks yes on the quest. The older woman looks relieved and smiles. “Thank you, you’re very kind.”
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Alexandros shakes his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m happy to do it,” he replies with a slight smile. “Just give me a little bit, and I will be back.” He takes the bag of coins from her and hurries back to the market he passed by earlier. When he arrives, he notices many more people there now than before.
He does his best to maneuver through the crowd before finally finding the stall he is looking for. After pushing through a few more people, he finally makes it up to the stall. “What can I do for ya?” the merchant asks in a chipper tone.
“I need a bag of flour,” he says, holding up the coins the old woman gave him.
The merchant nods. “Very good,” he says before taking the bag of coins and setting a large sack of flour on the counter. “Is there anything else I can interest you in?”
Alexandros shakes his head. “No, I think that should be everything.” Without wasting more time, he picks up the flour and pushes through the crowd again. Once he is on his way back to the older woman’s house, a wave of relief washes over him. He isn’t used to being around such large crowds of strangers and isn’t sure he likes it.
When he returns to the older woman’s home, he is tired and lacks stamina. He walks up to the front door and knocks. “Come in!” he hears her say from inside the house.
Even though he isn’t comfortable walking into a stranger’s home, he steps inside and sets the bag of flour down in the kitchen before walking over to where the older woman is sitting. “There you go,” he says with a grin. “I set the flour in your kitchen. Is there anything else I can do?”
She shakes her head, a wide grin spread across her face. “That’s all I needed, sweetheart,” she replies. “Thank you for your help.”
Congratulations! Quest Complete! You have been gifted the following rewards!
+25 XP
Broadsword
5x health potion.
You’ve done a good deed. Your relationship with the older woman has increased from 0 to 15 points. Keep at it, and you’ll be making friends in no time!
You have received Steel Broadsword!
A mighty sword to take on one’s enemies.
Rarity:
* Uncommon
Condition:
* Good
Stats:
+6% strength when using swords
-2 agility
+4% Mana
Special:
None
You have received Health Potion x5!
A helpful potion that instantly restores lost Health
Rarity:
* Common
Condition:
* Excellent
Stats:
Restores 25 points of Health at a rate of 2 points per second.
Special:
It can be used with other potions and strengthened with the Alchemy Skill.
You have received +25 XP!
You now have a total of 100 XP!
237 XP to reach level 4!
Alexandros smiles as he reads through everything before deciding that doing quests around the city could help him level up his stats. He spends the next few hours doing various quests to try and increase his skills. By the time he is finished, he only needs another 42 XP to reach level 4.
Now that his confidence returns, he decides it is a good time to return to the castle. If he can convince the guards to give him a chance to speak with the king, he believes he will finally learn the truth about what happened.