Chapter 30: :Leaving Moon Town

Chase’s Journal

March 6th

Yesterday was quite the adventure, and not one I am planning on repeating. When I returned to the Inn with Thomas in tow Claire threw a mug at me which I barely dodged. Understandably, the entire guild was upset that I had not told them my plans. Despite my explanation that the Bluehound gang would have murdered him had we all left to find Thomas they remained upset the rest of the night, with only Alexander understanding my reasonings and agreeing that it was the correct course of action.

It has only been a day since we left the island and already I am finding leadership a challenge. This morning I arose before anyone else and the only thought on my mind was “what would Solomon have done?” It is true that he saved me more than once but I don’t remember him ever receiving so much criticism for acting unilaterally. In my mind I only see the guild reacting positively to most everything he did, or said. What was it about him that made him so effective? I suppose this question is why I am sitting alone in the inn as the sun comes up and writing down my thoughts.

“Comparing yourself to me is a futile endeavor.” I can almost hear him telling me this right now. Solomon had a way of leading which never offended yet always inspired. I have tried to tell the others about this when they ask but without experiencing it in person it is hard to describe. When I made a mistake, instead of offering a correction, or even admonishment, it was often in the form of a challenge to do better. Everyone but Karkren responded well to this method, and Solomon is the only player I ever met who was able to pull it off.

I suppose I am writing this in order to explain my actions to myself, but perhaps one day the guild will see it and understand what my thoughts were in rescuing Thomas in the manner I did. They don’t understand the huge responsibility I have in taking them under my wind. I know Esem better than most any player. I know her dangers and I know her quirks. Despite being told that we are in a game this is a truly violent world, and one in which players who are not careful can easily find themselves dead. When Thomas was kidnapped it was my responsibility to get him back, and mine alone. Right now they do not understand this, but I hope as time goes on they will see what I did as the right course of action and not one “born of arrogant stupidity” (Claire’s words.)

This will be a long day. I can hear people walking around upstairs so I might as well wrap this up. Our journey is about to begin in earnest and we have several days of travel ahead of us. Once we reach our destination I think things will finally fall in place. This is a talented bunch I have with me, and I am looking forward to training them.

The outskirts of Moon Town were just as dreary as when Chase had left it before he respawned all those weeks ago. Moon Town was just a bare few buildings at this point, and mostly farmland stretching to the horizon. Across the road from where the Guild had stopped was a sign that had three directions carved into its wood:

Moon town-1 mile West

The Crags-30 miles East

Calvery- 100 miles North

“The lads will load the wares into your wagon,” an NPC with a thick, bristly beard was telling Chase. Behind him, a pair of men who appeared to be in their late teens and had thick arms were readying to lift several wooden crates.

“Thanks,” said Chase. He palmed some gold into the mans hand with a wink. “Just a tip for the service. Give it to the boys.”

The NPC look surprised and placed the extra gold into his shirt pocket.

“I’ll make sure they get it, player,” said the man. He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked behind Chase where the guild was sitting. “Your friends don’t look none too happy.”

Chase didn’t need to look to know what the man was talking about. Half the Guild hadn’t spoken to him since the night before. Marlon had tried making jokes and casual observations as they left Moon Town and Thomas had been too exhausted from the day before to chime in much. When they had arrived at the cross roads Amelie, Claire, and Brent had all decided to gather together under the shade of a tree and talk amongst each other. Even Alex, who the night before had seemed to be the most understanding of Chase’s actions, had seemed to have cooled on him out of the blue and had only commented on the weather.

“We got a long journey today,” said Chase, shrugging his shoulders. “Going past the crags and into the forest.”

“The forest?” The NPC frowned and he stroked his beard with a thick hand. “Why would you want to go in there? Naught but monsters and nightmares they say.”

“So they say,” agreed Chase. “No better place for a bit of training, though.”

“It’s none of my business, but be careful around there. I’ve been hearing some strange rumors about that place for many a year.”

“Such as?”

“Players going missing,” said the man. “Also more than a few guilds such as yours have been coming back reporting some strange beasts lurking about.”

Sounds like the beginning of a bad quest, thought Chase to himself.

“Thanks for the warning, but I think we will manage,” said Chase.

“Very well.” The NPC pointed his thumb behind his back at the wagon. “At least you got a good horse, and the wagon is well made. I don’t think the horse will be getting too scared of anything and bolting off on ya.”

The horse had been the most expensive purchase they had made in Moon Town. It was a large black stallion and the seller had claimed he was only five years old. Chase had no reason to doubt him, as NPCs designed to sell horses didn’t typically lie. Chase had thought it would cheer the guild up but when he asked what they wanted to call him only Thomas had offered a suggestion.

“Hopefully the horse is worth the price,” said Chase. The horse had never pulled a wagon before and Chase had spent little time with horses over his life. He had told the guild they only needed it to haul the equipment to the training area as their purchases would not fit in their bags.

Chase and the man chatted for a few moments more before he excused himself. As he approached the tree where his guild was sitting he smiled at them.

“Almost ready,” he said, motioning to the wagon. “We won’t be stopping till sundown, so I hope you guys got a good nights rest.”

Amelie and Claire had stopped talking when he approached. Brent raised his head and pointed at the boxes.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“What’s in those crates?”

“Training equipment,” said Chase. “They are a bit of a surprise, though. So don’t peak until we get to our destination.”

“Expensive?”

“Not too bad,” shrugged Chase. “And definitely worth the price. So are your clothes. You all look like proper Avalon citizens.”

Immediately after buying the horse and wagon Chase had brought them all to a general store to exchange their training island garb for clothes that would help them blend in and not reveal their recent graduation from the island. The clothes had barely garnered a response but the new weapons had been welcomed whole heartedly, if only for a minute.

“I quite like this style,” said Marlon, picking at his brown shirt. “They almost make me want to go join those farmers over there and pick up a hoe.”

“I am sure they would let you,” said Chase. “Farmer NPCs can’t think much beyond their daily tasks.”

“Can you become a farmer?” Asked Thomas. He looked exhausted and had bags under his young eyes. He must have not slept much the night before.

“Eventually,” said Chase, nodding. “Actually players who choose that class don’t do much farming themselves. They are a part of the business class of jobs and end up hiring a lot of NPCs to grow the food for them. Quite a lucrative path if you have a bit of patience.”

“Lucrative?” As usually the mention of money for Alex’s attention. “I’ve been meaning to ask: what exactly is considered rich here?”

“In Avalon money goes a long way, so you need less of it here unless you want to buy a house in the Kings City. I would say anything north of half a million gold could see you taken care of your entire life.”

“Really?” Said Alex, raising an eyebrow. “How much money did you have before…you know.”

“Ah,” said Chase, thinking back on his private home and the courtyard and his servants. “Well, I hadn’t counted it in some time. So I can only guess.”

“Best estimate?” Said Alex. Even Amelie and Claire seemed to be interested in what he was saying now. Brent was the only one who was lost in his own world as he examined his new steel blade for the twelfth time that morning.

“My house was worth 5 million,” said Chase. If he hadn’t been trying to be humble he might have laughed at their shocked looks. “I imagine I had about twice that in the bank.”

“What!” Alex stood up faster than Chase had ever seen the big man get up. “You were a millionaire!”

“Well,” Chase lowered his voice. “I was a member of the most successful guild in Esem history. Money comes with the territory of success in this world. It’s something we all can look forward to if we keep our heads about us.”

“And how did you make that much?”

“Doing quests that no one else wants to do. Discovering treasure and selling it. Also, monster parts can be very profitable. I accumulated that over 25 years,” he added. “So don’t think we will be seeing that money for some time.”

Alex seemed to want to ask more questions but the man with the beard came over and told them that everything was loaded and ready to go. For some reason talking about his past success had lessened the tension and as Chase was checking the wagon one last time Claire came up to him.

“I’m not mad about you rescuing Thomas,” she said, arms folded. The others were around the horse at the front of the wagon. Chase could hear them patting and talking to the horse.

“Tell me then,” said Chase. “Why throw a mug at me?”

“An empty mug,” said Claire. “If I had wanted to hurt you I had plenty of options. And I was upset because I had been so worried about the two of you. That’s it.”

“I see,” said Chase. The heavy crates were securely in place and didn’t look like they would budge even in the worst of road conditions. Suddenly, an idea came to him. “Can you do something for me, Claire?”

She frowned but nodded her head.

“I have a challenge for you. You get angry often. That’s fine, but getting angry at the leader is a no go for several reasons. Well, you can get angry, but I can’t have you throwing things at me.”

“Okay,” she said. She was looking over his shoulder instead of her feet like Thomas would when Chase dressed him down.

“I have a challenge for you. Every time you feel like getting angry at me or one of the others, I want you to instead place that anger into something productive.”

“What do you mean?” Her eyes narrowed but at the mention of a challenge she seemed to become intrigued.

“When you feel yourself getting angry, instead of lashing out, force yourself to breath. Then place that anger into training. We are all bound to get on one another’s nerves. When we get to the training area I can show you how to really put that energy into focused training instead of rage. Ok?”

“Ok, Chase,” said Claire. She sounded dubious, but the prospect of training was something which energized her just as much as Brent.

After fully checking the crates, Chase decided he needed to address the guild. He walked around the wagon where the others were hanging out.

“Alright, guild,” said Chase. “We got at least a week of travel before we reach the training grounds.”

“What exactly are these training grounds?” Said Brent. He had been absentmindedly stroking the horses neck.

“They are something we found years ago. When I was with my old guild. I don’t think many people know about them and will be a great place to check off some levels.”

“Here is what I want to say,” continued Chase. “A week is a long time on the road. I know most of the dangers we might encounter from here to there, but there is still a chance we will meet something or someone we are not capable of fighting. If I call an order to retreat, then we retreat, got it? Surprisingly, Thomas is the only one to get to level two at this point, so our collective strength is no match for guilds who graduated even a month ahead of us. We must be careful. And that includes running if I give the order. Understood?”

Nods all around and Brent grumbled something unhappily.

“I understand, Chase,” said Claire. She turned on the others. “Well?”

“Got it,” said Alex.

“I understand,” said Marlon.

“I will do whatever you say, Chase,” said Amelie.

“Sure,” said Thomas.

Brent shuffled awkwardly.

“Fine,” Brent said finally. “But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m itching for a fight.”

“Glad to hear guild Seven Banes, let’s move out.”

Chase took the first shift driving the wagon. Alex was the most keen to learn how to steer and so Chase showed him. Fortunately it was not very difficult as the horse was well trained in taking commands despite it never being a wagon horse. The others had crammed themselves in the back and were half sitting on the crates and half dangling their legs over the sides. The sun had reached its zenith and soon the farms of Moon Town disappeared behind them. By the time they were a couple miles from where they got the training equipment Alex was already taking over the steering.

“You learn very fast,” commented Chase as Alex flicked the reigns this way and that.

“Thanks,” grunted Alex. He focused on the road and didn’t seem to be in the mood for a chat. Chase thought he knew what hew as thinking about. Alex was clearly money obsessed and the talk of Chase’s former riches had sparked his imagination.

“Hey, Chase.” Thomas leaned his head over Chase’s shoulder from the back of the wagon. “What kind of food do we have?”

“We have the essentials in my bag,” said Chase. “But I was thinking about going for a short hunt later.”

“Can I come?” Asked Thomas.

“Sure. Good idea to show you how to use a bow at the same tine.”

“What are you gonna hunt for?” Said Thomas. “A deer?”

“No,” laughed Chase. “Maybe a turkey. I still remember how to dress one and pluck it though. We could also bring it to an NPC who has a kitchen and pay them to cook it for us.”

“Really?” Alex glanced at Chase. “You were saying that a player can hire NPCs. How does that work. And will they do anything?”

“No, they will not do anything,” said Chase. “And there are generally two conditions for getting their services. First, your class must be consistent with what you are asking them. And second, they must be capable of performing that task. Generally farmer NPCs can only be hired to farm, mercenary NPCs can only be hired to fight. And if you want to farm and make money then you need to already be either the Farmer, or, if you want the big money, to have the Merchant class under your belt.”

Memories of all the NPCs he had known shuffled through his mind. What he had told them on the ship about Avalon NPCs was true-they were, for the most part—dull and barely active but for their day to day activities. But there were others who were far more useful and not a few who he had almost called friends once.

“What kind of NPCs are those?” Said Thomas. He pointed ahead of them were some 100 years away three large men were standing across the road. The each were armed and were wearing leather armor.

“Those are highwaymen,” sighed Chase.

“What do they want?” Said Alex.

“They probably are going to try to kill us.”

“What!” Thomas exclaimed. “But we just had to fight last night! This isn’t fair.”

“Don’t worry, “ said Chase, raising a hand. “I think the seven of us won’t have much trouble with these three.”

“What if we do?”

“Then we will die painful deaths and they will take all our stuff.”

“I really don’t like that idea,” said Thomas. His voice sounded small.

“The plan will be to make them die painful deaths first.”

As they neared the three highwaymen the middle one who was a head taller than the others and had a savage grin on his face raised his hand.

“Halt, players. My name is Bedge the Highwayman and if you hand over all your money then you may pass in peace.”

Before Chase could say a word Brent had leapt over the back of the wagon, sword drawn, crying a battle yell.

“Over my dead body!”