Chapter 9
Nearwood Forest
The fallout from the tournament was better than Ryuu could've hoped, and not just the prizes. NPCs of the city that were usually indifferent towards him suddenly became friendly, helpful, and willing to share information. Stores he went to offered him discounts, and most of all, quests were easier than ever to come by.
Three weeks after the tournament, Ryuu's level had reached 96, and his Unarmed combat mastery reached intermediate level 5. At this point he decided it was time to branch out.
Xiao Xiang Kung Fu was a style that adjusted itself to make its practitioner the strongest. One of the main points of the style was that in addition to fighting with bare hands, all students were encouraged to learn and master at least one weapon. Mastering at least one weapon got the students familiar with weapons in general, and thus more comfortable fighting with, and against weapons. As an instructor, Richard Smith had to master nearly every weapon so he could, in turn, teach them to others. As a player in Royal Road, Ryuu had one weapon in mind to master, his favorite weapon, and one of the few a monk could equip, the staff.
Ryuu visited a Weapon's Shop. This was one of the nicer ones in the city run by a skilled woodworker. It had wooden staves made of wood that increases magic attack for mages, it had a variety of bows and arrows of every size, and of course it had a selection of staffs.
"Welcome to my shop," said the owner. When he noticed the obvious fact that Ryuu was a monk, he said, "We have bo staffs and quarterstaffs, which are your preference?"
Bo staffs were a bit shorter than the average height of a man, quarter staffs were taller. Both had advantages, but as a monk without long or even mid distance skills, he needed the one with the longer reach.
"Quarterstaffs if you would be so kind."
The carpenter showed him to a wall in the back that had dozens of different types of staffs. What most impressed Ryuu was that he could actually afford them all. With the exception of having his Gi repaired at a tailor every once in a while, Ryuu was completely self reliant and had no need to spend the money he earned from quests and monster hunting. His current money was about 1680 gold, and the most expensive staff on the wall with a level requirement of 180 cost only 1200 gold.
"The diameter and flexibility of each vary. If you like you can try a few against a straw dummy we have in the back."
"Yes that would be perfect." Ryuu recognized the names of some of the woods but others he did not. The only way to find the best was to try them all out.
Ryuu practiced for a few minutes with each staff. His could use them all well but a personal preference of his was a certain degree of flexibility that made the best use of some of his favorite staff skills.
After an hour he brought back one staff to the counter.
Toru Wood Quarterstaff
Durability 90/90
Attack 43
This two and a third meter staff was carved from the limb of a young Toru tree to be both flexible and resilient.
Requirements
Level 90
Strength 120
"Ahh, good choice. The price is 176 gold. But you were the winner in the Under 140 of the Varhales tournament right? In that case I'll reduce the price to 167 gold. I hope you will use it in the next tournament."
Ryuu paid the man and thanked him. Afterwards he returned to the monk's guild and went to the basement. In a certain room in that basement one could add basic martial forms to a skill known as Battle Forms. For Ryuu the skill was at beginner level 7, and it gave an increase in attack speed and strength when using martial forms previously added in that basement.
You have learned a new skill: Polearm Mastery
He spent the next week only using the staff to fight, getting his Polearm mastery to beginner level 4.
One day in a tavern Ryuu frequented for lunch, a group of Users came in and started discussing with one another.
“Still can’t find anything?”
“No, all the NPCs know the rumors of it, but none seem to give the quest. I asked if I could help but my familiarity in this city is too low. They all gave the same answer. 'I can't trust you with that.'"
“Man, when all the NPCs start talking about the same story, that means the quest is pretty good. I know a guy who went spent a week in the forest slaying them crazy monsters, but when he came back the NPCs still didn’t give him the quest.”
Ryuu decided to investigate this himself. He went to an NPC he had done four different quests for, the last one being a D rank. “Excuse me, do you know of any rumors of crazy monsters in a forest?”
The old man, a sculptor and carpenter well known for his fine workmanship answered, “Yes, I heard of that. Every since the last full moon, the monsters in the Nearwood forest have been exceedingly violent. They leave the forest and attack travelers on the roads. It is quite terrible.”
Ryuu nodded and said, “Is there anything I can do?”
The old man looked over Ryuu and said, “Hmm, if its you, maybe. Go see Rolden Yender. He is a farmer living in the south. Ask him.”
Ryuu thanked the man and left. On his way south he stopped by a few houses to ask for direction, he eventually made it to a large wheat farm.
Ryuu knocked on the door, a few moments later a middle aged man with a long brown beard came and said, “Yes? What can I do for you?”
“Are you Rolden Yender?”
“Hmm? Yes I am.”
“I came to ask about the monsters of Nearwood forest.”
“Oh? Hmm, you look familiar. Have we met before?”
“I do not think so, but I did take part in this month’s tournament.”
“Oh. Ah yes, you’re the one who won the Under 140. Yes, I always go to see the tournament. You fought well. I’m glad you defeated that Zack character. I don’t like the ones that use the tournament to kill.”
“Thankyou for your praise. I agree that tournaments are not a place for others to use to kill.”
The farmer nodded at this and said, “Yes, well. Hmm. You want to know about Nearwood forest? Well, the monsters there are very large, but overall there are not aggressive. But lately they have become violent. It is very strange. Hmm, yes. You seem capable, could you investigate Nearwood Forest to see why the monsters have become so violent?”
Ding*
The Monsters of Nearwood
Rank C
A farmer wishes you to investigate why the monsters of Nearwood Forest have become so violent.
Reward: Unknown
Accept?YesNo
“Yes, leave it to me.”
You have accepted the Quest!
Ryuu ate dinner with the farmer before thanking him and heading for the forest. He learned details of the beasts of the forest and was able to enjoy a good home cooked meal.
Nearwood forest is the largest forest in the kingdom or any kingdom that shares its borders. Tree cutters and lumberjacks avoided it due to the protective nature and sheer size and number of the beasts within.
Families of Razor Claw Bears that can shred through a fully armored knight with one slash of their claws. Five meter tall Tusked Hulks with arms so long and strong they can crush trees. Packs of Giant Boars that will charge anything and everything. And Horned apes that move through the trees and kill any unwanted guest that ventures into their territory. These are just a few of the known species of nearwood forest.
Ryuu approached the edge of the forest and immediately decided to take off his rings. This was his first C rank quest, starting with anything less than his full abilities was beyond foolish. He entered to forest and continued through. The thick canopies blocked out the night sky, the forest floor was lit by the few rays of moonlight that pierced through the leaves that bathed the forest in a pale blue light.
From a distance Ryuu heard the sound of fighting. Since he was there to investigate, it was not something he could ignore.
Two giant creatures with flat faces and enormous fanged lower teeth were engaged in combat. Their giant arms waving about, smashing into one another in a clash that shook the forest floor.
Ryuu watched and pitied them. He could tell the fight was abnormal. It reminded him of the preliminary test for the tournament, and the fear in the eyes of the mountain troll. At this memory, Ryuu had an idea.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Ryuu waited until one of the Tusked Hulks was down and the other about to finish it. He jumped in and smacked the hulk's flat nose with his staff. The enormous beast roared. It tried to smash Ryuu, but he had observed the brute's attack pattern, and was fast enough to dodge it with ease. Ryuu remained close to the beast, to make it keep attacking him, and keep missing. After a few minutes the beast collapsed, its stamina completely out.
You defeated a rampaging beast without killing it.
Affinity to nature increased by 2 (+2 AtN)
Ryuu smiled. It was obvious that whatever was affecting the beasts made them fight, so as long as he stayed near it, the massive monster would keep using stamina trying to attack until it dropped.
The other Tusked Hulk got up, but simply left. Whatever it was going through seemed to have worn off.
Next Ryuu encountered a pack of Horned apes. Besides looking like skinny apes, they had bony protrusions all over their bodies that acted both as weapons and armor. Since there was more than one, trying them out wasn't possible, so he used his staff to attack their weak points at a distance until they collapsed. For defeating a whole pack without killing them he got five Affinity to Nature stat points.
When the morning sun could be seen through the trees, Ryuu found out two things. The first was that the higher his affinity to nature stat, the lower the chance of wild beasts unaffected by aggression attacking him. The second was that at some point in the night, people started following him. When the sun rose, they revealed themselves.
Two elves, wood elves from the looks of them, emerged from the trees and approached Ryuu as he was eating breakfast. Of course, he knew that two revealing themselves did not mean there were only two.
Ryuu simply said, "Good morning. Fine weather isn't it?"
One of the elves came closer, sat down, and asked in a somewhat strange accent, "What are you doing in this forest monk?"
Ryuu answered, "I was asked to investigate why the monsters have become so aggressive."
The elf replied, "You have entered our tribe's territory. Outsiders are not permitted. Turn back now."
Ryuu did not know there were wood elves in Nearwood forest. That being said the only things he did know about it was the things he learned from the farmer, so there were probably many things he didn't know.
"I apologize for my transgression. I will turn back if you wish, but before that, can you tell me why these beasts that were once peaceful have become so aggressive?"
"It is not your business outsider. It will be dealt with by us."
This was likely a standard greeting to people without familiarity. If he didn't want to hit a dead end, he had to gain some right now.
"The beasts have been aggressive since the last full moon. I cannot let these innocent creature's torment go on another day. Tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help you."
If they had been watching him they knew that he had not killed a single creature, so his words had some weight to them. And it was true that he could not stand by and let innocent beings, man or beast die if he could do something about it.
The elf looked frustrated before letting out a deep sigh. "The one responsible... Is an outsider, like you. He came two months ago and set up a barrier that prevents others from finding him. We can get through it, but all the teams we've sent have not returned."
Quest Update!
A mysterious outsider set up residence in Nearwood forest just before the monsters started going berserk. Investigate the outsider.
"Can you lead me to this barrier and help me get through it?"
"...You will likely die."
"I came to this forest prepared for that."
"Very well." The elf spoke in whisper to the other he came with. He nodded and left. The first elf turned back to Ryuu and said, "Follow me, it is not far."
After half an hour they reached a grove a trees. The elf stopped and said, "This barrier is similar to the one we use to hide our tribe's village from outsiders." He placed his hand on a tree and murmured something. Next, the space between the trees shimmered, like reflection off a still basin of water when disturbed. "Good luck monk."
With that he turned and left. Ryuu entered the shimmering space between the trees and came out in a hidden grotto, an open area he had not seen before. Inside was a small run down cottage. If it wasn't for the fact that smoke was coming from the chimney, it would look abandoned.
After approaching the door, a wave of light shot from a window and hit him.
You have been affected by Frenzy. You are likely to attack your allies.
Ryuu felt like his temper had just been put on overdrive, like he had just been terribly wronged and it was everybody's fault. If he saw his best friend, he could probably think of a reason to beat the crap out of him on the spot, and not even bother to question why he was doing so. That being said, no one came with him, he had no one to take it out on.
No one but the person inside the cabin, the person he came all this way for, the person responsible for everything bad happening in this forest.
Ryuu activated his aura and burned it red. He charged the door and saw someone open it. Just as he got close enough to touch the door, his legs give way beneath him and he collapsed.
The door opened and suddenly the Frenzy effect wore off and Ryuu calmed down.
The person at the door was wearing a red robe and was clearly a mage. "What?" He asks in an annoyed tone. "Only one person? What a waste. You should've at least brought a party, a friend, hell anyone. I can't even get a proper test done."
Ryuu looked up, he hadn't gotten up due to the gravity magic cast on him. He asked, "Are you the one making the monsters go crazy?"
The mage answered, "Yep, you found me. Way to go. This place is perfect. I've been testing out a new magic I created that causes wide area frenzy. Imagine, casting it on a horde of monsters and watching them tear each other apart. Or on an enemy army and watching them kill each other."
"What happened to the elves?"
"Oh? You a friend of theirs? Well, they got into an argument or something and kill one another. I watched from my window, it was hilarious. I killed the last one myself. Wood elves are so weak against magic. Oh well. I guess it's time to kill you to."
He began speaking an incantation when Ryuu bolted up, wrapped a hand around his throat, and stepped out of the gravity spell's affected area.
"Wh-t.. b-t.. the... gra.v.. ty.."
To be able to create his own magic, the mage was likely over level 200. His gravity spell increased Ryuu's weight by at least 600%, something that would keep down your average melee fighter, but thanks to the resistance gained from wearing those rings, and the fact that he was generally use to moving while weighted, he could escape and silence the mage.
Ryuu delivered a few aura strengthened Ki Strikes, depleting the mage's health to zero before he could speak another syllable. He did not want to kill, but this guy was clearly evil and dangerous. If he had cast an attack spell instead of gravity just so he could gloat over Ryuu, there was a good chance he would be dead. Ryuu was also lucky that the mage didn't have Mana Barrier.
Quest complete: The monsters of Nearwood forest.
You have discovered the source of the aggressive nature of the monsters of Nearwood forest and dealt with it.
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
When the mage died, he dropped two items. The first being a scroll. Ryuu unrolled it and read that It was a magic spell scroll that allowed for the one time use of the spell Thunder Storm.
The second item was small, no bigger than a child's fist. An orange orb seemingly made of glass with something in the middle of it. Ryuu picked it up, held it to the light and said, "What is this?"