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Vol1 chapter 8
The Mater of Mt. Ketsdale
As Don walked down the path to Mt Ketsdale, he started looking over the items he received from Bob in his inventory.
Master Folren’s Artificing Journal
Before he became a master, artificer Folren did many experiments in his youth. The many trials, errors, and successes of those early years are recorded here.
Gives basic understanding of beginner and intermediate level artificing.Mark of Knowledge
Durability 50/50
This necklace is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to science within the land of gnomes.
Effects:
+50 INT
+50 WIS
+30 CON
Gnomes will not treat you as hostile
Automatons will obey your commands unless instructed not to do so by their master
Can see the secret entrances to gnome cities.Unknown box
Durability 230/250
The contents, purpose, and origins of this box remain a mystery.
The necklace had significant promise, and the book was very interesting, but the box was an unknown. After looking over the items for a bit Don reached the base beneath the peak of the mountain where he found a sign. It said to his left is a pass that will slowly and safely lead up the mountain. Don asks himself what is the manliest thing he can do.
Don walks forward, intent to climb to it vertically. It looks steep but it had many faces to lift one’s self up on. The first few minutes aren’t too bad, steep steps with the occasional use of hands for support. About twenty meters up the angle becomes steeper, Don looks around to make sure the area has enough hand holds before choosing how he is going to scale up. Inch by inch he pulls himself up the mountain, if this were his normal body he would’ve had to stop some time ago, but with this high strength and light elf body it was too easy.
An hour passes by while climbing and Don can’t see the top yet. The foot holds are fewer the higher he goes. Thunder can be heard in the distance. Don looks back to see a thunderhead is on its way, he won’t be able to climb while the mountain is wet, and the chance of being struck by lightning isn’t minimal.
Don smiles, a real man wouldn’t turn back now matter how bad it got. Don continues up the mountain. Two hours later he is still climbing, it is raining, the rocks and himself are soaking wet, he can’t see more than twenty feet ahead of him, and the higher he goes, the colder than wind chill.
You have caught a cold. The body has become more rigid and the physical ability has reduced by 5%.The speed at which satiety is reduced has increased by 25%.
Don felt a part of his strength leave him, he felt fingers turn stiff, soon he wouldn’t even be able to feel his fingers. Don took in a deep breath and continued up the mountain. Rushing would lead to more likely slipping, he had to be patient and mindful of each step. Don grabbed a hold of a rock which fell off when he put weight onto it. His heart stopped for a moment but he was fine, it was simple confirmation that rushing even when the weather was getting worse was not a good idea.
Two more hours passed and Don could see the peak, he had actually come over several of the paths that circled up the mountain but other than using it as a spot to eat, refill his satiety, and change from his leather armor to warmer, drying clothing he made himself, he ignored them and continued vertically. After another hour the rain stopped and half an hour after that he made it to the summit. He looked around the peak trying to find where the the blade dancer master would be, but he saw nothing, the entire peak was covered in dense mist. Don wandered around the misty peak for half an hour but found nothing. He was told the master was at the peak of Mt. Ketsdale, he was at the peak of Mt. Ketsdale, nothing was here. Don sat down and sighed. Not all rumors were true. At the very least the master wasn’t exactly on the peak. Don walked around for half an hour but he couldn’t find the path that lead to the top of the mountain. It was possible that the path up the mountain itself didn’t actually lead all the way up to the top of the mountain, meaning Don would have to work his way around until he found the path, then search it up and down until he found a residence or something.
While thinking about what to do next Don heard something over the silence of the mountain. It was music, somewhere up there someone was playing an instrument. Do closed his eyes and tried to find the sound, after deducing its source Don walked to it.
Through the fog and the mist was a small stone cottage with an old woman sitting in front, eyes closed, playing a stringed instrument. Don tentatively approached, but as soon as she heard his foot step she stopped playing. Don said, “Sorry to disturb you.” If this was the person he was looking for, he did not want to make a bad first impression, he slowly sat down and waited for her to make the first move. She stared at him for a moment before going back to playing.
After a few more minutes she stopped, put down her instrument and said, “So, came because you heard the music huh? You’re a long way from anything, what brings you here?”
“I came here looking for a master blade dancer.” Don stopped before elaborating further, Don knew from experience that although the elderly were long winded talkers, they prefer their own questions to be answered concisely.
She didn’t say anything for a moment, continuing to examine Don. Then she said, “How did you get here?”
Don took this for affirmation he found the right place, but she didn’t seem thrilled about it. “I scaled up the mountain to its peak, searched through the mist until I heard your playing.”
She said, “No, you couldn’t have come close enough to hear my playing by reaching the end of the path, did you have a map?”
“No, I scaled the mountain, vertically. I did not use the path. I reached the peak, searched around, heard your playing.”
The old woman looked around at the mist. She of course knew it had been raining an hour before hand. She slowly shook her head and said, “You idiot.” She got up off her chair and said, “Well come inside, you have a cold no doubt.”
“Thankyou.” Don followed her inside, at the door he said, “My name is Don.”
She nodded and said, “Gwendle.”
After entering Don sat in an old chair. Gwendle said, “So, why did you come searching for a blade dancer?”
“I acquired the class blade dancer some time ago and wish to learn more about it. I was told it has incredible strength, and since acquiring it, I have been looking for that strength.”
Gwendle came out from the kitchen with a bowl of something and said, “Eat this. Mountain herbs with some spices to make it edible.”
It looked like grass and dirt but he didn’t want to seem rude. Overall it wasn’t too bad, like a spicy salad.
You have recovered from your cold.
Resistance to colds increased by 2%
Resistance to ice magic increased by 0.2%
Don said, “Thankyou.”
Gwendle went outside and motioned for Don to follow. Afterwards she said, “Show me your best dance.”
The only Dance Don had be practicing to the point of some proficiency was the Dance of Death. Don took out his swords, equipped his leather armor and started his slow circular motions, occasionally imagining an enemy approaching and quickly lashing out at it. After two minutes he stopped and waited for Gwendle’s opinion.
She sighed and said, “You have a good sense for the feeling of the dance, but you don’t have the most important aspect. I can help you learn it, but you will have to do exactly what I say. Deal?”
“It would be my honor.”
“Good, now strip.”
“Ok- Wait, what?” He thought he had to have misheard her.
She said, “Take off that armor and unequip those swords. Those clothes you came here with are fine, put them on and remove everything else, take everything you have out of your inventory as well.”
Don sighed in relief. He equipped the hiker clothes he made before going there, unequipped everything else, even his shoes, and took it all out of his inventory. Gwendle examined all his possessions, after a moment she asked, “You learning to sew?”
“Yes.”
She nodded approvingly. However she then took Don’s black swords and armor and locked them in a chest. She then went into a back room for a few minutes before returning with some instruments.
“Pick one,” she said.
Don was slightly confused. “For what?”
“To learn.”
Don said, “I didn’t come here to learn to play music.”
“No, you came here to learn the full potential of a blade dancer. This will teach you what you lack.”
Don wasn’t the kind of person to back away from a challenge after coming so far, but this was different. “I’m sorry, but no thanks. I think I’ll just take my items and leave.”
Gwendle didn’t seem particularly surprised by Don’s change of heart. She said, “Very well, but the sword and armor stay here.”
“What? Why?”
She shrugged and said like it was obvious, “Because they are not yours. You stole them from the tomb of Palutos. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I wouldn’t mind letting you have them if you were a somewhat decent blade dancer, but you’re not even that.”
Don was agitated but he would not be blackmailed. It would not be long before his tailoring reached the point he could make his own leather and in a while Smith would have a new pair of swords for him.
Don said, “That’s fine. I don’t need them.”
As he was packing up his items he noticed one was missing. He looked up to see Gwendle was handling the box he received from Bob. Don said, “Please return that, it was a gift from a friend.”
She hands it over and says, “Of course. But do you even know how to open it?”
Don shook his head. “No.”
“I do.”
“Really? How?” Don didn’t believe her.
Gwendle pointed to the top saying, “This top section is made of Jea wood. It is extinct now, but unless keep at a specific pressure the wood expands. The bottom is made of Sehilliar, also extinct. Unless kept at a certain humidity the wood also expands. In other words when not kept at the right humidity and pressure the space where the two woods overlap is sealed so tightly it is not different from a solid block.”
Information about the unknown box has been gained. Details have been updated.
The fact that he got a message about it confirmed she wasn’t lying. Don asked, “Do you know a place where those conditions would be met?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “You seem like the type that prefers finding out things for yourself as opposed to having someone else teach you. I wish you luck.”
She didn’t smile or give any tell, but Don knew she was grinning on the inside, she had him and she knew it. Bob gave Don the box because he had faith in Don’s luck, and less than a day later he encountered someone who knew how to open the box. If Don turned his back on this he was turning his back on Bob’s faith in him. Now playing music may not have been the manliest thing in the world to him but turning his back on Bob’s faith in him was far more unmanly.
Don said, “Wait. I may have spoken too hastily. I would like to learn to play an instrument.”
She nodded, still without showing any surprised expression or rubbing it in Don’s face.
Don went to examine the set of instruments. There was a wooden flute, a guitar with a bent neck, and a strange wooden plank with piano keys on it and a wooden wheel with a crank, and a small harp. He used Identify on them all.
Silian Flute
This six hole flute carries its melodies far and clear. It is easy to learn and play.
Classic Lute
This seven course, thirteen string lute can create music to match any feeling.
Hurdy Gurdy
The crank turned instrument produces sounds by rubbing a rosin wheel against a set of strings that change sound when pressed by their respective keys. The sound itself is a harmonic buzzing.
Hand held Harp
A simple, refined harp that produces a beautiful sound.
Don knew he didn’t want to play the harp or flute, a harp was beyond his tolerance for unmanly and Don knew from experience that a flute sounds best when played with other flutes, that’s why Bob’s double flute sounded so great. That meant the choice was between the lute and the hurdy gurdy. Don had never heard of a hurdy gurdy and the lute seemed to be the instrument that Don saw Gwendle playing so she might be able to tell him a few things about it. So Don choose the lute. At first it looked like a guitar but the sound chamber was a teardrop shape, the strings were paired up instead of evenly spaced apart, except for the bottom one, and the neck was bent at almost a ninety degree angle close to the top. Don picked it up and brought it to Gwendle who didn’t seem surprised that Don had chosen it.
Gwendle spent an hour showing Don the correct way to tune it, then took him outside.
She said, “Now, go learn it.”
Don said, “I thought you were going to teach me?”
She answered, “No. This is apart of your training. You must learn to play it on your own. After you can create and play one song you can return.”
Learn the Lute.
In order to master what you lack in Blade Dancing, you have been instructed to learn to play an instrument. Return to Master Gwendle after you can create and play one song.
Reward:
Requested info
Unknown
Don thought, ‘So you won’t begin teaching anything advanced until I learn the basics? Fine.’ Don was about to leave when he realized he left all his stuff in Gwendle’s house. He said, “Wait, my stuff. The black swords and armor are one thing but Can I at least get my training sword to defend myself, and my sewing supplies to make clothes if I need them?”
She shook her head, “No, going without anything makes the training more effective, takes less time. It better for you. All of your possessions will be given back when you return. If you impress me you can even have Palutos’s memorial equipment back.”
Don had nothing he could say so he begrudgingly thanked her and left.
Don logged out of Royal Road. It was only 10pm, much earlier than he usually logged out but he needed the internet. He logged onto his computer, and after checking the usual RR news sites he went to video sharing websites. First he watched videos of some people playing lutes so he could figure out what he had gotten himself into. He was surprised at the variation, the instrument’s description did say it could match any feeling and it looked like it was telling the truth. It wasn’t too bad of an instrument and it did make a pleasant sound. However the fingering was complex. Individual strings were rapidly plucked by different fingers in a complex routine that looked difficult to practice much less master.
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Don looked up the price for a lute online. Don flinched when he saw them, $1200~$800 for a professional one, and $800~$400 for a practical one. Don switched over to RR’s item website, Inventory. It had a vast list of items and their current prices on RR. Don typed in Lute and saw that even in RR Lutes cost 350 gold coins. Don thought that if Gwendle let him keep the lute after learning it he might sell it.
Don began with simple instructional videos. Unfortunately they weren’t so much about how to play as they were about the difference between lutes and guitars and the proper way to tune, the only two things he already knew. Don tried a different approach. He got out a pen and pad of paper and downloaded a variety of songs played on a lute. He opened the first on video editor software and slowed it down so he could see the movement of the hand and the order of the note plucking.
The first thing he noticed was that plucking up and plucking down were done by different fingers, most of the notes were being plucked by the index through pinky fingers on the up strum while on the down strum only the thumb plucked a string. To get the hand into position for each series of plucks required a lot of jittering up and down, if the person didn’t have a lute there their hand would look like it was having a seizure.
Don divided the videos into segments of simple parts, he then looked for the easiest and wrote them down a few times to memorize them. By the time he was done it was 1am. Don got back into his pod, he had four RR hours to practice.
When Don logged back in the mist had cleared and it was night time. Don’s hiker’s gear kept him warm at night so as long as it didn’t rain it would be ok to practice. Don took out the lute and examined it once again, now comparing it to the ones he had seen online. It had a smooth gloss and the lute hole cover had an interesting design. Don couldn’t tell what kind of wood it was made of but the sound that came out of the lute was no less than that of those videos.
Don slowly practiced the fingering moves one after another. Don practiced fret motion and coordination as well but he was more focused on practicing the hand motions. Don practiced at less than 1/8 the speed of a lutist and was still making mistakes in the order of the smallest parts. But it was a challenge Don felt he could succeed at so he continued practicing.
After forty minutes Don managed to play through the piece quite a few times without messing up. After which he moved onto the next.
Don logged out at 2am as usual, took a shower and went to bed. The next day he went to work after looking at more segments of videos. He practiced the motions in the air when it was free to do so.
Eugine saw Don practicing and said, “Is your hand having a seizure?”
“No. This something I need to practice for Royal Road.”
“Having a seizure?” He asked sarcastically.
“No, playing a lute.”
Eugine looked surprised, “You becoming a bard or something?”
Don thought about the best way to explain it, so he lied using an analogy. “I got a treasure chest I don’t know how to open. I found someone who knows how, but she won’t teach me until I pass something of a test. I need to learn to play an instrument, so I picked lute.”
Eugine thought about it for a moment before a very smug look overcame his face. “So you came across a unique adventure after all?”
Don thought back to when Eugine suggested he become an elf. Don had told him of course that he had gone through with it but he hadn’t told him much else, especially not the details of his class. When Eugine asked what it was Don said it was an uncommon sword user that specialized in attacking with strange movements and dual blades. He was vague but specific, he didn’t lie, but the word dancer was not used.
Eugine said, “Aren’t you glad you choose and elf?”
Don stifled the urge to punch him. If he wasn’t an elf he wouldn’t have met the appearance requirements to become a blade dancer, if he wasn’t a blade dancer he wouldn’t need to play the lute, and if he didn’t need to play the lute, he wouldn’t be standing there moving his fingers around looking like an idiot.
Don knew of course had he not chosen Lunar elf he wouldn’t gotten the ability to learn adventurer skills, if he hadn’t become a blade dancer he wouldn’t have gone to Mt. Ketsdale, met Bob, learned artificing and sewing, and gotten that box in the first place. Don had some regret, but he was having fun.
Don told Eugine, “It has its moments. At the very least it isn’t a cookie cutter adventure.”
Eugine patted Don on the back and said, “Glad you’re having fun. My I’m rising up the ranks in my guild. If you ever come to Haven kingdom, look us up.”
Don shrugged. Eugine’s character was a member of the Hermes guild, one of the top four strongest guilds on the continent, with the strongest player in the game, Bad Ray. Don had nothing against Bad Ray or the Hermes guild, in fact he was a fan of both. The online videos were very manly. But Don would never join the guild. It sought power without regards to its cost, even to the point of using unmanly, even cowardly means. If it would benefit the guild they would stab their best friend in the back, repeatedly. But it was not in Don’s nature to hold someone’s actions against them unless he knew them personally.
The rest of the day went on as usual. Don’s learning curve when not using a fretboard and strings was longer because he had to visualize everything.
Like everyday over the past few weeks today Don had to fix capsules for resale. The money made from the first one was enough to convince the store owner in the potential. Today Don was fixing the easiest problem broken capsules have. Unknown problem.
First a small explanation. RR like all games is a program, and almost all programs can be hacked. Skilled programmers buy capsules, then spend hundreds of man hours analysing the hardware and software, looking for a way to gain an advantage over everyone else in some way, big or small. But RR was the exception to the rule that programs can be hacked. Capsules don’t have any of the programming for RR inside them, all the programing for graphics, gameplay, NPC info, maps, and everything else is inside the AI, the master of RR. Now this AI is no fool, and people don’t tend to give up so easily. If you can’t hack the outside it is still possible to hack the inside. If you upload a virus or add additional hardware to a capsule you could hack the game while inside it to gain some advantage. To prevent any such attempt the AI has the strictest requirements for capsules that connect to Royal Road. In less time than it takes to blink the AI scans every centimeter of hardware and every program within a capsule once before allowing it to connect to RR. If the capsule is fine and within the set parameters you see the message, -Connect to Royal Road? If not you will see a message saying something is wrong, if the AI finds something it can’t determine, you will see the message -Cannot Connect to Royal Road, Unknown Problem. Unlike problems that take time to notice like the slow exterior degradation of a part, Unknown Problem usually means a small problem was detected as soon as it occurred, so no additional damage will occur by playing RR afterwards. Such problems are the cheapest to fix.
Don hooked up his scanners to the various parts, one at a time to see what was the problem on this one. Don smiled on the readings of his first suspect, the power amplifier. The readings showed that the power wasn’t going through properly, meaning it was likely plugged into an outlet that had another high energy consuming device like a tv or computer. Don could repair it with what he had in the store without even ordering new parts.
After an hour of servicing Don jumped in the capsule and turned it on.
Connect to Royal Road?
Yes | No
Don smiled, “No.”
He opened the capsule and marked it as cleared before moving onto the next one.
Several hours later Don returned home, looked up more segments of lute playing, memorized them, and practiced them on RR.
And so a month went by in the real world. In RR four months went by, four months of practicing day and night, of eating wild berries and herbs, of avoiding packs of hungry monsters he had no hope of defeating without his weapons.
Don returned to Gwendle after he had made up a song he felt matched his dance of death. She told him to make up a song but she never said what for, and dance of death was the only feeling he could think of making a song out of. Gwendle was sitting on her porch as always. Don walked up to her and said, “I believe I’m ready.”
She said, “Then play.”
Don took out the lute and started playing. It was a solemn song, slightly sad and depressing, the way he thought death made people feel.
Gwendle put up her hand signaling him to stop. She said, “You have made some progress but not enough to pass. In recognition for your achievement I’ll give you a hint to improve the song. Instead of playing a feeling, play a story. It doesn’t need words, it is obvious you don’t intend to sing. But it needs a story nonetheless. Make up a story that fits the feeling you want the song to have. Then write the song to that feeling. You have most of it down, it won’t take you too long.”
Don bowed and thanked Gwendle for her input before leaving. Don thought about many things. He thought about what feeling death would convey and how it would convey it. Fear? Loathing? Denial? Acceptance? Don put all the parts into his head and threw them around, gathering other bits of his life until he thought of a story.
The only story he could make about death that affected him was his own story. A story about a girl being swept into a river, unable to save herself, about a boy who was frozen in fear at the thought of jumping into the river to save her because he couldn’t swim either. It was a story that personified the feeling of the fear of death that had enveloped him that day, and the feeling his sister had when she could do nothing but be carried by the unforgiving current.
Don started writing the song, almost immediately his finger began moving in familiar patterns, he felt that his feelings were allowing the song to use what he had practiced to write itself.
Don returned three hours later after having practiced till his vitality dropped from the damage to his fingers. Gwendle wasn’t surprised.
Don played to song while imagining the events of that day, when he was finished Gwendle did something Don had not seen her do, not even once. She smiled. She said, “Impressive. Now, for the final test. That was for the dance of death no? Perform it now.”
Don had not been prepared for this. Not only had he not practiced his dancing in 4 months, he didn’t have his swords. The dance was made for normal dancers so could easily be done without swords but Don was too use to doing it with swords, he didn’t know if he would be able to pass.
Don started his movements. As he did he heard his own song in his head. He visualized his own story as he moved. He danced for the duration of the song in his head and when he finished, Gwendle showed another smile.
Quest Complete: Learn the Lute.
You have learned to play a song on the lute, and have harmonized your dance with the song, increasing its effectiveness.
Reward:
Charm +20
Charisma +20
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
Skill level up: Blade Dance mastery [7]
Skill level up: Dance of Death [4]
For completing a dance related quest Don was rewarded some dance skill mastery, enough to level two of his dance skills up and quite a bit of experience. Though he would rather not have those stats.
Gwendle said, “You have learned all I can teach you.”
Don said, “What? I thought you were a master blade dancer, there should be loads you can teach me.”
She shook her head. “No, my husband was a blade dancer, I was a bard.”
Don collapsed. He had been learning from the wrong person. He said, “Where is your husband mam?”
“Long dead.”
Don said, “Well, then why did you want me to learn to play music?”
She shook her head as if the answer to Don’s question was obvious, “Dancing needs music. You are not traveling with a bard and are not dancing to music, so you are suffering for it, your dances are weak. When my husband and I traveled, he would dance and my playing would strengthen his dance, our combination was unstoppable. We had many adventures.” Gwendle looked like she enjoyed reminiscing. She continued, “You came here seeking a way to become stronger, and I have given it to you. Without a bard you must write songs to each of your dances, doing so will allow you to play the songs in your head while dancing, giving you a rhythm and focusing the emotion you try to display while dancing.”
Don knew she was right, although he had done so without sword that Dance of death felt like the best one he had ever done.
Gwendle brought out all of Dons stuff. She took out the box and said. “The place where this can open must be very high, much much higher than this mountain. See this markings on the box? The are quite badly damaged but I have seen another one like this perfectly intact. The markings represent the top of the Djoma mountains after it has snowed. If the box is brought there after it had snowed, the wood will shrink, allowing one to open it.”
Don said, “What is in it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know, the one me and my husband saw while adventuring was empty. There is one other thing about it though. The trees that this box and the one I saw before was made of went extinct thousands of years ago, if not more. If this box hasn’t been opened since it was made, its contents could predate history itself.”
Information about the unknown box has been gained. Details have been updated.
Don thanked Gwendle and held out the lute for her to take back. She said, “No, keep it as a gift. I already have one anyways.”
Don usually didn’t accept gifts, but this one he felt he earned. Gwendle returned all his items and his black swords and Palutos’s armor that he stole from his tomb. At this she said, “You are not yet good enough to wear this but you show the potential to be so.”
Afterwards Don thanked her again and left.
Chapter 9 Another Way viewtopic.php?f=185&t=1694
Chapter 7 The Hardlight Blacksmith viewtopic.php?f=185&t=1638
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