“Hey man, don’t worry about it man. You’re the only person to have ever taken that many shots from the champ. He even adopted a fighting pose. No one can take that away from you.”
Blitz was still confused. His mind was trying to piece together what had actually happened. He remembered getting shoulder-checked back onto the wall of the arena and seeing a huge fist coming at his face. He could not react fast enough and - Blitz sighed as he knew what had happened next. He reached up and touched his right eye. It was puffy and swollen. He flinched when he touched it.
“I need to get out of here. I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” Blitz said as he looked up at Bumpy and shook his head.
Bumpy nodded and led him out. He passed the guard at the main entrance, who blocked the way and stuck out his hand to Blitz, grabbing him,“Well done man. That was the best performance I’ve seen. You’re the first to have pushed the champ that far. You need anything, you tell me. The names Kesien.”
Blitz nodded and hung his head. He held onto Bumpy as they walked back to the bridge in silence. Arriving at the bridge, Blitz turned to Bumpy to wave farewell. Then Bumpy spoke up, and Blitz held his face and looked back,“You know, I once fought the champ. I didn’t even last two minutes. I got scared and ran. I ended up vomiting in the middle of the ring. Then, word got out that I was fighting in the arena and how I got scared. I was Abbot Fung’s favourite pupil. There were many jealous pupils - who further added wood to the fire.”
Bumpy then tapped his leg and continued,“The Abbot felt he had no choice but to make an example out of me to save face, in front of the people in this godforsaken town, as well as the temple. He ordered that my leg be broken in four places by the temple monks; once for fighting in the arena without approval, twice for bringing shame on the temple, three for running away, and four for losing.”
Bumpy looked at Blitz, then shrugged. He looked up at the temple with a sad look in his eyes, and then continued.“Maybe I deserved it in some weird way. The Abbot was like a father to me. When my parents died, he took me in and raised me. He tried to teach me, but I was young. I wanted to test my skills.”
Looking back at Blitz, Bumpy sighed. Bumpy looked behind him, and then continued once more,“You know, one thing I’ve learned since everything has happened to me, is to never give up. I know coming from me, that might not sound like much but, with this leg, there’s not much I can do now but eke out this way of life. I mean, it’s not so bad, I have my good days and bad, but..”
Bumpy paused, and then walked over to Blitz and putting his hands on Blitz’s shoulder, he then said,“Look, you can come back from this. It’s not so bad. My advice is to go back to the temple, train up, then come back here and challenge the champ again when you think you are ready. You know how to find me.”
-
+50 relations with Bumpy
-
Blitz nodded and walked away, while Bumpy stood watching him. As he was about to climb the steps, he saw Abbot Fung, Senior Ping and a few monks coming down. The Abbot looked at Blitz, and saw the swelling. The Abbot’s face went red with fury. Blitz, who was already on thin ice with the previous late arrival of the herbs, was once again defying the Temple.
The Abbot and the monks surrounded Blitz, and the Abbot spoke up,“What happened to your face young one?”
Blitz was too shocked to reply. When one of the monks following behind the Abbot spoke up,“Look at his clothes Abbot, and that purple spot there. That’s the purple mark of those who fight in the underground arena.”
The Abbot eyes focused on Blitz, and he opened his mouth,“Is this true..? Have you been fighting in the Underground Arena? I remember telling you to stay out of the slums.”
Senior Ping then made his input,“Did you at least win?”
Blitz replied, “No sir.”
Another monk from the back spoke up.“We need to make an example of him and then throw him out.”
Blitz was getting afraid now. He wanted to run, when a voice was heard from the bridge,“Like you made an example out of me?”
Bumpy stood on the bridge, looking at the proceedings. One of the monks then opened their mouths,“You. You didn't learn your lesson. Now we see where this initiate got his ideas from. Surely this initiate must have run away like a coward like you. You got what you deserved, and soon this one will join you.”
The Abbot looked shocked when he saw Bumpy, and without saying a word, he pulled out his fan and opened it. He then held it up to silence everyone.
After that, he turned back to Blitz and shook his head,“From this day on, you are no longer welcomed in the Pusean Temple. Your privileges are revoked. You can keep the robes as a symbol of what might have been.”
-
You have been thrown out of the Pusean Temple
-200 relations with Pusean Temple
-
After saying that, the Abbot looked back to the bridge at Bumpy, then walked away, heading into town. The other monks looked at Blitz and spat on the ground. They followed behind the Abbot, who looked back over his shoulder at Bumpy, then continued on their way.
Blitz was dumbfounded. How dare those chinese fucks spit at the ground at him. He was livid, but he knew he didn’t stand a chance against them. Biting his lower lip, Blitz swore that he would never again suffer such indignity, especially here in a video game. He shook his head and wondered what he could do now.
He turned and looked at Bumpy, who was walking towards him,“You can stay at my place if you want, until you decide what you want to do. My place is not the best, but it’s better than nothing. Plus, we can share expenses. And you’re down on the roster anyway at the arena, so you can always make some money.”
Blitz, seeing no other alternative, conceded and followed Bumpy to his home. Bumpy’s house was a small shack located right in the middle of the slums. There was a hearth in the middle of the house, likely used for cooking as there was a pot hanging over it. Blitz thought that he might even have to cook and help out around the house.
“This is my house. You can stay as long as you want until your recovery. Or until you decide to go back into the arena.”
A few days went by, and as he logged in daily, it became more of a chore than anything else. Whilst off the game, Hussain was becoming more stressed. The thought of his stolen money, coupled with the fact that he, as a grown man, was dependant on his mother, weighed heavily on his mind. He had an older brother who, from Hussain’s reasoning, did not care at all to help with the problems of his younger brother or his mother, despite his comfortable life.
Seeing no way out, Hussain decided to adapt and change his mindset. The pressure from the things happening in real life, were starting to affect his thinking and behaviour in the game. He tried to keep things separate, but it was like trying to go up a slippery slope.
In-game, Blitz thought long and hard about getting back into the arena to fight. During his stay at Bumpy’s house, he had learned how to get his own food, as Bumpy would bring food for himself only. Blitz made a decision. He would use his intimidating size to steal from the poor people in the slums. He took what he wanted, and didn't care even if people got hurt. He gained a skill to that effect.
-
You have learned Foraging Lv1
Foraging
The art of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects the user’s fitness because it plays an important role in a user’s ability to survive and hunt.
-
Things were getting rough for Blitz. His stats had stagnated, and he had not levelled up any further than Lv6, nor had he chosen a profession. He still had a large sum of gold by his own estimation, but no way of knowing how to spend it. The restriction had been lifted many days ago, but he was still in the city slums, living with Bumpy. He needed a job of some kind. He had things he needed to accomplish, and he steeled himself to the realisation that he would need to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.
Blitz knew things couldn't go on like this, and decided to wait for Bumpy to get back home. He wanted to see if they could talk about either a comeback to the arena, or if he knew of any quest that could help him. It wasn't long until Bumpy came home.
When he sat down to eat, Blitz began talking,“Hey Bumpy, I think it’s time I start finding a job or a profession. I don’t fancy getting back in the arena. Maybe, at a later date. When I have had a bit more experience, I could try again. But right now, I need to start getting things rolling.”
Bumpy set down his plate and thought for a moment. Then he looked at Blitz with a pained expression,“I mean, I don’t know about any jobs, but I know someone who’s always looking for people.”
Blitz was interested. He had made up his mind before, that he didn't care what he had to do, he was not going to let people walk all over him again, whatever the situation.
“I’ll do it. I don’t care what it is,” Blitz said.
“Well, I have a job that I do in-between my days at the arena. I run collection for Old Man Fox. Given my previous experience at the Temple, I make a bit from that,”Blitz looked at Bumpy and nodded.
“I could always use an extra hand. Given your size and your skills, it shouldn't be a problem. Just stand behind me and look even tougher than you already look,” Bumpy laughed as he said it.
“When do we start?” Blitz replied in a hurry.
Bumpy looked at Blitz, then rubbing his cheek he replied, “This job is quite tricky, you see. There’s this guy who owes Old Fox some money, but he’s missing. None of the other agents can find out his whereabouts.”
----
Ting
-The Running Man-
Investigate and find out information about the man who owes Old Man Fox money.
Difficulty level : D
Quest rewards:????
--
You have accepted the quest
--
Blitz did not hesitate to take the quest. He asked Bumpy a few questions regarding the quest, to glean any useful information out of him.
“Anyone seen this guy anywhere lately?”
“Nope. He’s like a ghost. No one has seen him,” Bumpy replied.
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“Hmm, this guy got any family?” Blitz asked.
“Well, he does have a mother, but she’s old and frail. We've asked her many times, but she doesn't know where he is. She’s sickly and in bed, so most times, we just let her rest easy.”
At hearing those words from Bumpy, Blitz closed his eyes and thought carefully. Then he opened his eyes, leaned in closer, and said,“Where does this old lady live exactly?”
“I've tried, we've all tried, the poor old lady knows nothing,” Bumpy said.
“Never hurts to look around,” Blitz said, as he stood up and walked to the door.
Bumpy laughed and shook his head, quickly took another spoonful of his food, and stood up, heading out the door. Fortunately, the old lady’s house was nearby. A mere five minute walk from where Bumpy lived. The outside of the house was almost a mirror image of Bumpy’s run-down shack. Bumpy walked up to the door and rapped his knuckles on the door.
“Hey Granny, it’s me again. I'm back again to ask you a few questions,”Bumpy said, while throwing a look at Blitz as if to say, see, I told you I tried before.
Blitz shrugged his shoulders,and nodded in the direction of the door for Bumpy to continue.
“I’m back again to ask you some questions!?” Bumpy called, out while his eyes were looking on the door.
A small voice was heard from inside, as someone called back,“Young Bumpy, is that you again?”
“Yes granny, it’s me again.”
“Come in.” The old lady replied, a sickly cough following after.
Bumpy eased the door open and went in first, Blitz closely following behind. He paused a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim light in the room, before venturing further. An old lady was laying down on the dirty floor with her head propped up by a straw pillow. She had a small patchy blanket strewn over her. She was trembling and sweaty. She attempted to reach for a cup to get some water, when Bumpy quickly rushed forward to help her.
“Let me get that for you Granny..”
Bumpy poured her a cup of water, and gently put it to the old lady’s lips. He made sure she sipped it slowly, and then set the plastic cup down. The lady coughed violently, spitting out some water and held on to Bumpy’s hand.
“Thank you my child.”
Bumpy smiled and nodded his head. He stood up, then sat down in a chair nearby,“Granny, this is my friend and associate Blitz, this is his first time - he’s a good guy. He was in Pusean Temple like I was. You know, I’ve never given you trouble and have tried to help you in anyway I can.”
The old lady nodded her head slowly and closed her eyes. Tears started coming down her cheeks.
“Granny, I’m sure you know what this is about. We just want to talk to your son. I will personally vouch for him. You can trust me that nothing bad will happen to him, so long as we get in touch. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be for me to help him.”
The old lady shook her head in agreement and Bumpy continued,“Now, if you have any information as to where he is or even how to contact him, please Granny... tell me. You know, Old Fox is not a patient man. I fear he will send more sterner people to look for him...”
Bumpy let that statement hang in the air for a while, as Blitz looked on with a passive look on his face. The old lady tried to sit up, and Bumpy quickly reached down and gave her a hand in sitting her up.
The old lady began sobbing, and using the dirty holey blanket to wipe tears from her cheek, she sputtered,“I don’t know where he is. Since he left three months ago, he hasn’t even checked in on me once. Almost everyday, people come asking for him. They expect this old 86 year old woman to give them money instead. Bumpy, it is tough. Please help my son...”
The old lady began crying aloud and Bumpy looked away from her and shook his head. Blitz hung his head and looked down at the ground. Bumpy then looked back to the old lady and said,“I’m very sorry Granny.You’ve had it tough. The others know they are doing you an injustice. We talk about you all the time. We wish the situation was not as it is. It is clear to us all you know. It is nothing personal, but it is just routine procedure, you know?”
Bumpy then stood up, straightened his clothes, and began moving towards the door. The old lady, wiping tears from her eyes, said,“Thank you Bumpy. Please, if you do find him, please tell him that he has a mother who still cares for him..”
Bumpy couldn’t look at the old lady. He was clearly touched. He nodded his head and opened the door to head outside. He stopped, looked back, and saw Blitz standing in the same place he was when he came in. The old lady began coughing again.
“Blitz, you coming?”
“Hold on..” Blitz replied.
Blitz rolled up his old temple sleeves and knelt down by the lady. He calmly poured her a fresh cup of water and gave it to the lady, who took it from him with shaking hands,“Th-thank you my child, may the gods bless you.”
Blitz smiled and nodded slowly, as she began sipping the water with trembling lips. Then, Blitz suddenly hammered a shot into the old lady’s ribcage, who spat out the water and gasped for air. Bumpy rushed back into the house and dragged Blitz away from the old lady, who was convulsing and trying to catch her breath. She then started coughing up blood.
-
Infamy +50
-
“What the fuck is wrong with you Blitz? What the hell was that?”
“Shhh, just asking some questions,” Blitz held a finger to his lips, while looking at Bumpy with a passive look.
“You fucking call that asking questions? She’s 86 years old man! Jeez!!” Bumpy screamed.
Blitz looked at Bumpy, then to the woman still on the floor who was trying to crawl away. She attempted to put a hand on a nearby chair to help her up, but was too weak and fell back down with a thud. She was still trying to catch her breath.
Blitz then looked back at Bumpy and gave him a stare, which caused Bumpy to back away with a horrified look on his face,“Just take it easy Blitz. I know things are tough right now, but that’s no reason to lose it like this.”
Blitz calmly pushed Bumpy to one side. Bumpy stood, deadly still. Blitz walked over and stood above the old lady, who was still crawling on her stomach. Using his foot, Blitz turned her over and stooped down over her. He then grabbed her up using his left hand. He sat her down in the chair, and eased in close to the old lady. The old lady was terrified. She could not speak. Looking down at his fists, he flexed them.
When he was close to the lady, Blitz began,“I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I want honest answers to those questions. Is that understood?”
The old lady had tears coming down her face, and had her mouth open. She then began crying and calling for Bumpy, who stood with his back facing the scene,his head hung low. Blitz then gave the old lady a backhand slap across the face.
-
Infamy +50
You have learned a new skill: Pimp Slap
Pimp Slap Lv1
A stiff backhand slap across the face to let the target know who’s in charge.
At Lv5, the infamous backslap increases negotiation and information gathered through fear + 15%
-
The old lady instantly raised a hand to her face, and looked to be in shock, as her lips were cut.
Blitz calmly wiped his hand on the lady’s tattered blanket and began talking again,“Granny, you’re making this more difficult than it has to be. There’s no point in lying to me. Also, don’t look at Bumpy. He can’t help you now. The only one who can help you, is you. And, to do this, you have to tell me what I want to know..”
The old lady quickly opened her mouth, looking at Blitz with pleading eyes, and then over at Bumpy’s back, who was still facing away from the scene with his head down.
“But I don’t know any--acckkkkk.”
Blitz punched the old lady in the throat, and pimp slapped her again.
-
Infamy +100
-
The lady struggled to speak, swallowing gulps of air. She tried to escape the chair, but Blitz blocked her path and put his fingers to his lips,“Shhh, Shhh, Granny. Why are you making me do this? Do you want me to hit you again?”
The old lady quickly shook her head, and began sobbing.
“Then hush your GUMS!” Blitz shouted. The old lady jumped and instantly went quiet.
“That’s better. Isn't that better? Don’t you just feel better when it’s quiet like this?”
The old lady quickly nodded, and Blitz evilly smiled,“Now, I know you know something about your son’s whereabouts. You aren't going to lie to me are you, Granny?”
The old lady shook her head quickly.
“Thats good, thats very good.”Blitz began fixing the old lady’s hair, and spoke again.
“You are in contact with your son, aren't you?”The old lady paused a moment, and Blitz then raised his eyes to her.The old lady closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheek, and nodded.
“See... We’re making progress. I love progress, do you love progress granny?”
She nodded.
“I knew you were woman of the future Granny. You, like me, wish to see all the new things that will come about minutes, hours, days and even months from now. You know what I mean right, Granny?”
The old lady’s eyes widened in shock and nodded. At this time, Bumpy had turned around and walked over to a corner, and as he stood watching, he could not believe what was happening,“So, Granny, we’re friends right? And friends help each other don’t they, Granny?”
The old lady nodded. Blitz smiled, relaxed, and eased closer to the woman. He threw his arm around her and hugged her tight,“You know Granny, you remind me of my own Mother. Not as old as you, but friendly all the same. Now, with that being said. I want you to pass on a message to your prodigal son. Tell him that Blitz, under orders from Old Fox, wants to see him. And if not, then well...”
Blitz looked across in his arm to the old lady, who had her head down on her chest and whispered,“One of us will not be seeing any future progress. Do I make myself clear?”
The old lady and Blitz nodded in unison. Then he lightly kissed the old lady on the cheek and got up.
Ting
You have completed the quest
You have discovered information related to the absconder.