They were able to find a general goods store along the way to the nearest gate. They picked up a few more items, including a healing potion each, a pack for Juno and Sam, some trail food, and a thing called a camp stone. The camp stone provided a certain amount of safety when staying overnight in the wilderness. The shopkeeper was also nice enough to update their maps with a rough trail map for a small fee. They couldn't see the region's details, but the portions of the map that were updated changed from black to a hazy grey color. It showed the roads and the most used trail system. The shopkeeper also gave them the name of the Watch Captain at the closest gate, who might provide directions to a place to level up or maybe even assign a quest.

When they stepped back onto the street, Rob had a strange feeling like someone was watching them, but he didn't see anything and dismissed it as nerves. This was the first time they'd been out together in Elysium, and he was looking forward to learning and experiencing as much as he could.

The gate leading out of the city was less grand than Rob was expecting. It was little more than a double-wide wooden door banded in metal. No carts or traffic, just a few guards and not much else. As they approached, He noticed one of the men had a slightly nicer uniform with gold detailing.

Robert approached the man he assumed was of higher rank and asked, "Good day, sir. I was wondering if you are the Watch Captain?"

The man broke off his conversation with one of the other guards and replied, "Hello, yes, I am the South Gate Watch Captain. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Rob, and these are my friends Juno and Sam. We were directed to you by Firmor Goldenfall. He said you might be able to give us some advice on places to go to gain some experience and possibly a quest."

The Captain straightened and said, "So, Firmor sent you, did he? If he sent you over, he must have gotten a good feeling. How is the old codger?"

"He looked well to me. Sold us some goods for our adventuring and pointed us in your direction."

"I see. Well, I am Captain Casey Daire of the Andhull Guard. He is right. I can point you in the right direction, and there is something I was hoping someone could help me with. None of the other adventurers passing by today asked—actually two quests. One is a simple matter, and the other is a bit more long term.

"You see, we've been a little lean on fresh meat in the guardhouse recently. Our hunters have not had a lot of luck recently. If you bring me deer or boar meat, I will make it worth your while. The other task is related to the safety of travelers coming and going from the city. Several bandits have been reported on the roads around Andhull, and we don't have the manpower to hunt them all down. If you run across any bandits or the like, we would appreciate your help in eliminating them. I will reward you for them dead or alive."

As soon as the Captain finished talking an announcement popped up in all of their displays:

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Quest: Captain Casey Daire of the Andhull Guard has asked you to provide him with at least ten deer or boar meat pieces.

Reward: Improved reputation with the city guard and Captain Daire. Five gold pieces and the market rate for any additional pieces of meat turned over at question completion.

Experience: 250 XP per party member

Penalty for Failure: Lose of reputation with the city guard and Captain Daire.

Time Limit: 36 hours

Quest: Captain Casey Daire of the Andhull Guard has asked you to protect the travelers coming and going to Andhull by eliminating any bandits you may come across during your travels.

Reward: Improved reputation with the city guard and Captain Daire. 1 gold piece per bandit. Proof of bandit kill provided by memento related to specific gangs or bringing in the bandit to stand trial.

Experience: 50 XP per party member, per bandit on top of any experience or items obtained during the quest.

Penalty for Failure: Lose of reputation with the city guard and Captain Daire and possible death.

Time Limit: Open-ended

Rob looked at his friends, and they both nodded, so he pushed the accept buttons at the same time that they did. "We'd be happy to help with your problems. Firmor also mentioned you could show us a place on the map to gain some additional experience."

The Captain pulled out his map and showed them two areas. "This position here has been frequented by roving bands of Goblins recently." He shifted his attention to another location on the map. He continued, "This area here leads into some caves, and Kobolds have been sighted near here. I recommend starting with the Goblins, and once you level up a bit heading over to check out the Kobolds."

Their maps updated as the Captain spoke, and they all thanked the Captain for the information.

"Be careful out there, and be sure to keep your distance from those areas if you decide to camp overnight."

Rob said, "Thank you Captain. We will make sure to do that. We'll see you later then."

They walked through the gate and headed down the road towards the closest woods and the spot where they might find some Goblins. Again Robert was struck by the realistic scenery and sensations as he walked into the wilderness. The gravel under his boots crunched, the wind-tossed his hair and scents of pine resin and grasses filled the air. He looked around and could tell both of his friends were just as enraptured by the experience.

Rob said, "It's really amazing the level of detail they put into this. I kind of understand why the trial group was so expensive."

Sam walked up next to Robert and asked, "What type of processing power would this require? I mean, this can't be just a normal system."

"I have no idea."

They continued on in silence for a while. They periodically checked their maps to make sure they were going in the right direction. Eventually, they came to a point in the road where they had to make a choice. The trail leading to the Goblin area was to the left, and the fork in the road going right would take them closer to the Kobold area. They also needed to do some hunting since that was the quest that had a time limit.

Juno stepped forwards and asked, "So, which way do we go now?"

Rob pulled up his map and shared it with the others, "I think we should head down this trail here," he pointed at a small trail that led off to the left a little way up the Goblin road, "and do some hunting first. If we run into any Goblins, we can decide what to do at that time. What do you think?"

Sam said, "I think it's a good plan, but you're the only one with weapons suited for hunting. How about we set a time limit on the first round of hunting and then move on?"

They all agreed with Sam's idea and continued down the road towards their first adventure in the Elysium Online.