The guard post is right in front of Dmitri. He wasn't sure what was coming next, but he was more than ready for it… Just kidding, the tutorial he found said he would take care of the falcons basically, it could be a fun or a terrible thing, depending if you like animals or not.
He entered the post and quickly went to say hi to the receptionist.
-H-hello, I'm back.
-Nice! It's good you came, your teacher is ready for you. Let me take you to the right place.
She stood up from her seated position and took Dmitri around the guard post, he went through the middle, having to pass the training area which was hard, because there were a bunch of shirtless guys exercising, each bigger than the other.
Dmitri drooled.
She took him to the other side of the post and up the stairs behind it on a small tower. In it a small old man was seated grooming one falcon.
-Well, well, is this the apprentice?
He said it without taking his eyes off the falcon.
-Yes Jarvan, he starts today and he will stay for 3 days with you.
-H-hello.
-Good.
He finally looks at Dmitri with piercing blue eyes.
-You may go Petra, thank you. And you come closer.
-See you, Mitras, good luck.
Dmitri gets closer, but is scared at what type of teacher he is.
-A falcon is not just a tool, it's an animal. It thinks, it has feelings, it has wants and needs, it's not a machine, ok?
-Ok!
It already seems like a good teacher!
-Good! You'll start with a young falcon, you'll stay with him all three days, all the time, can you stay on this plane these three days straight? Or do you have to go back to your plane?
On Golari Online lore the players are planar travellers who come to Golari to play and get to know people here just like elementals, but have to go back to their plane of existence from time to time to get back their energy.
Dmitri made a few calculations and it would be the exact 4 days to 1 real day he would spend after these three days, so it would be ok.
There was no limit to how long you could spend playing, but many pods had in-built timers so the users did not forget to eat and do their necessities. Dmitri put his timer to at most 1 in real day.
-I can spend these three days, yes.
-Good, Good. Here take Jako, he's the youngest.
Jarvan gives Dmitri a really big glove with shoulder leather pads and goes to a smaller falcon. It flies from its cage to Jarvan's hand.
-This is Jako, the youngest, he should learn to trust you. On the first day, you should start with simple things like feeding him and giving him water, tomorrow let him fly a little, you can stay on the training grounds, and on the last day walk around town with him. By the end of the day if everything went alright you should have the Tame skill.
Dmitri listened carefully, to make sure he understood everything. And so he did as he was told.
The first day was the hardest. Jako in the beginning wouldn't even come to his gloves, only in the afternoon after many meals did he come to him. He also did create his own signs to call Jako to him both visually and auditory.
During the first night Jako went back to his cage.
The second day was probably the best day and the worst day, Dmitri stayed the whole day with Jako on the training grounds taking care of him, Jako finally let him groom its feathers. All of this while watching strong men (and women) sweating themselves and showing their muscles.
Man he wants someone. He doesn't feel like it's unfair he has never been with someone before, but he does feel like it could be different, like he could be different. He thought it would be different on this VRMMORPG, but he still stutters, he still just looks. He needs to act too or else nothing will change.
-Right, Jako? Things have to be different, hmmm
Soon a brick wall started to come close to Dmitri.
-Hi you must be the new falconeer. I'm Bjarke By the way.
The wall raised his hand. He was hot to the touch despite his cold coloured skin. Shortest hair as a military would have it and dark as the night.
-H-hi a-actually I-I'm…
-Can you just talk a little with me? The training today is killing me, I just need a minute to adjust a little.
-S-sure
Bjarke starts shadowboxing suddenly.
-I'm training to be a guard of the city, but what I really want is the captain post, being able to just group up with others and go out to hunt is so cool. Maybe if I don't pass the training I will turn to adventuring.
-I-I see…
-Anyway nice chatting with you, this was a good pause. See ya!
And as soon as he came, the wall went. The hot, hot wall.
-Haaah… What am I to do Jako?
The second day was spent walking circles around the training grounds. Jako would fly a little and come back. Now however he would land on Dmitri’s shoulder.
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The second night was very nice, Jako groomed my hair and it felt like we were really hitting it off.
The third day I was really nervous, Jako was supposed to be completely free to fly, and should come back to be in town while I walked around it.
To be sure I would pass, I brought with me meat from the same animal I've been giving him the past few days, and water from the same source. He's been using the same signs these three days, just like the tutorial told you're supposed to do.
He feels it's because of these signals that Jako could find him throughout town. As soon as the day turned to night.
adquire Tame skill
Dmitri is tired, this time in real. He quickly goes to Jarvan to give back Jako.
-J-Jarvan, thank you, but I have to go. Can we talk later?
-Of course my boy, I actually got a proposition to you.
Quest: Listen to Jarvan Proposition
-Ok!
Dmitri logs out and realises he is soaking wet. He starts the cleaning process. First cleaning the pod,then himself.
He puts some towels on the pod so next time the pod doesn't get that bad.
He goes to his messy bed and sleeps.
After waking up, he makes something to eat, but prepares something as well for the afternoon. The bed stays messy and the house still has a few days to go.
Welcome to Golari Online
-Oh my boy! You came out of nowhere. Almost had my old bones out of it.
-O-Oh n-noo, I'm sorry!
-It's ok, that's ok. But for what's important.
Jako readily flies to Dmitri's shoulder.
-How about you staying with young Jako over here, he seems to be very fond of you.
Dmitri's eyes open wide. The tutorial said it was a possibility, but he didn't think he would get it.
-I can also give you the Falconeer skill, how about it?
At this Dmitri breathed hard. But unfortunately he had a plan.
-I'm sorry Jarvan, I can't accept them.
-O-oh, ok, that's ok my boy.
-But, I'd love to keep helping you here.
At this Dmitri blushed, he had second intentions, maybe third even.
-That would help me greatly, in a town like ours we don't have many who would like to be falconers, if you could help me, it would feel the space, at least until we find somebody.
-Ok, I'll do just that! I can start whenever, but I'd like to have at least some time free so I can do some adventuring.
-Do me some favour and do the morning then. It's the hardest for these old bones.
-D-deal!
Dmitri started immediately. There were 4 falcons in total in Tairo's guard post. He cleaned their nests, changed their water, groomed them, at least the ones who let him and the one he felt confident he went to the training grounds to let them fly a little.
He met the wall named Bjarke again, but this time he just sent a wave of a hand his way. Surprisingly Dmitri waved back.
Adquire Charm(untrained) Skill
Now that is a surprise. A big surprise. Dmitri almost logged out of the game out of embarrassment.
He quickly gave the signal for the falcons and spent the morning grooming them inside the tower.
With the morning over, he quickly left the guard post to look where to spend his last skill point.
He still had 4 gold pieces, so he had to be mindful of how to spend them. He should talk to Jarvan to get some salary at the falcon tower.
Thinking of his first idea of a support skill, he went back to the temple, there he will probably learn the light type of spellcasting.
While he was walking around the town he was getting weird looks, he didn't know why.
It wasn't until a player stopped him while holding his nose.
-This is a VR, you have to remember to take a shower and clean yourself too, you smell like birds and animals. There, go to the common baths.
He pointed to a direction, but Dmitri barely listened, he just ran to the direction pointed. He could never. He just. How could he not notice? Jarvan has probably got used to it, and the training grounds with the strong smell of sweat maybe they didn't even realise.
Dmitri entered the baths and quickly paid for the copper needed.
It was a scrub fest.
After the baths he stopped at the area where he could see his stuff. He decided to take note of what he had.
One, he forgot about the book, he should use it more. He should use it now. He started writing on it. Two, he ate the ration, he didn't even realise it. He ate it with the falcons and never thought it was strange or that he felt hungry. But why doesn't he feel tired?
He did feel tired, after 4 days which is 24 hours in real.
-Hmmm…
-I see you're just realising these things now.
Dmitri got a scare.
-Oops sorry, I'm Fayt, a player too.
He had a slim build, soft light armour, pink hair and blue eyes.
-We match haha.
He pointed to his hair and Dmitris eyes.
-Y-yes, s-sure.
-Here let's be friends.
Friend request received
First friend. OMG who would've thought?!
Friend request accepted
-Thanks! Well, I've been playing for longer I guess, so if you have any questions, just send it to me.
Fayt quickly went to what appeared to be his group, but not without taking a last look back.
So many embarrassing moments in the same day. Dmitri is almost bursting. He just needed to finish writing his plans, getting light spellcasting or medicine.
Being back at the temple is a bit embarrassing, though the cleric may not remember him very well.
He didn't remember his name, mostly because he didn't ask. So he called him cleric.
-H-hi, mister cleric, how are you?
-Aah young man, good seeing you're better now.
-O-oh yeah. Well I'd like to learn light spellcasting.
-Of course, but I have to ask, have you learned how to manipulate mana already? Without it you can't get any of the elemental affinities.
What?
My dumbfounded look must have answered him enough.
-Well, you need mana, pure mana to turn it into something else, be it an enchantment, an element or a devastating magical attack.
That would mean that even my dance would just be that, a dance, without mana, no buffs, no debuffs.
Why didn't I read it was that important.
Dmitri Mitras Human Level 1 (PW 3) HP: 10 MP: 10 Skills: SP: 1 Health - Trained 0 Mana - Trained 0 Common Language - Untrained 10 Dance - Trained 0 Tame - Trained 0 Charm - Untrained - 1