There was no need to follow the same path back, as Nathan knew where he was in relation to both the temple and the village. Instead, remembering what Ruth the Trader had said about animals, he took a different and more direct path through the forest while searching for wildlife. Once he actively started to look, he discovered several smaller animals. Squirrels and such. He figured it would be overkill to waste a bolt on something that small, so he let them go.
His benevolence ended when he saw an abnormally large rabbit, the size of an average dog. He’d followed the tracks for a while before he finally spotted it and was able to sneak up quite close behind it. As it was currently calmly eating, he decided to analyze it before doing anything rash.
Giant rabbit
Level 1, Animal
Health 3/3
Damage Resistance: 0
Strength – 2
Constitution – 3
Dexterity – 12
Perception – 10
Charisma – 6
Attack:
Natural bite – d3 piercing dmg
Natural kick – d2 blunt dmg
So, a fairly quick and perceptive animal, at least compared to the goblins from earlier. With a nasty bite to booth. Could hunting animals like this be a less risky way to level? It would seem so. It was perhaps not worthy of a holy hand-grenade, but it was certainly worth a bolt.
Not giving it more time to sense him, Nathan aimed and fired his crossbow. It was a good hit, and the rabbit fell without a sound.
Immediately a notification showed up in his peripheral vision, indicating that something needed his attention. He opened the log to see what had happened.
[Attack] You hit [Giant rabbit] for 3 piercing damage (5[d6]-2). It dies. You gain 10 XP.
[Character] You have reached level 2. Congratulations! You receive +1 hp.
[System] Please note, as a level 2 character your respawn time is 2 days.
A level up! But not many gains. Nathan checked his character and looked through his other menus, but as far as he could see, the extra health was the only advantage of being a higher level. That was a bit underwhelming, but then again, he levelled quite fast. Perhaps it would add up?
He shrugged. It wasn’t anything he could impact, either way, so he put it out of his mind and focused on the rabbit.
He knew how to perform field dressing of small and medium game, but as he didn’t even have a sharp knife, he figured it was best to wait with that until he was back in the city. Depending on how realistic hunting was in the game, perhaps it wasn’t even needed. Perhaps there where loot – gold coins and weapons even- ready to be found if he just gutted the rabbit or touched it in a specific way. He doubted it. What he’d seen so far gave the impression of a hyper-realistic world, and he would treat it as such.
But that still left him with a rabbit too large to comfortably carry. He could throw it on his shoulders or back, but with goblins roaming wild he would prefer his hands free to use the crossbow. He looked down at his pouch. How realistic was this world really?
In a moment of inspiration, he picked up the rabbit and tried to stuff it into his much too small bag. And it actually worked! As the rabbit came close to the bag, it seemed to partially shrink so that it would fit. As the rabbit and the bag casually defied the laws of physics, it reminded Nathan of simulations he’d seen of planets getting too close to the event horizon of a black hole and being sucked in. Pretty soon the whole rabbit had disappeared into the bag. Or should he call it “The rabbit hole”? He chuckled to himself.
Checking his bag afterwards, he now saw that he had [Giant rabbit carcass] in one of the 9 slots. Even better, the weight of the pouch had not changed. Amazing! He could have needed a bag like this back when trekking through the jungles of South America for weeks at end. If they had been able to carry a bit more food and ammo, that whole operation could have gone down differently.
He forcefully pushed his thoughts away. He had a new mission –or quest– and that was what mattered now. He reloaded his crossbow, took a minute to orient himself, and then continued towards the village.
The direct path shaved 15 minutes of the journey back to the village, and while walking Nathan contemplated the geography of the valley. The farms were closer to the village than they traditionally would be, as the current configuration did not allow enough room for proper agriculture nor animal husbandry. The forest also seemed closer than it should be, and you didn’t have to walk long before reaching the hills or the snow-covered mountain peaks behind those again. It was an intelligent game mechanic, having points of interest artificially close so that players didn’t have to walk far, while still keeping up the illusion of realism. Nathan certainly didn’t mind.
The young man at the edge of the village had given up any pretense of guarding anything and was fast asleep by the roadside. He didn’t even stir as Nathan walked past him. It probably didn’t matter. The risk of a goblin attack here was very low, and if someone came running looking for help, he should wake up quick enough.
Ollie was not asleep, nor sleepy. On the contrary, he looked unaffected by a long day behind the bar, as alert as he had been earlier – if not more so. Nathan had barely set one foot inside the tavern before he was spotted.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Returning already? No shame in that. I had hope, but goblins can be hard to track.” He sighed and looked into the air as his hands wiped down a mug seemingly on autopilot. He suddenly remembered something. “Did you happen to cross path with two ugly guys? Clones, same as you. I sent them out shortly after you, but they didn’t exactly look like the types to have the necessary skillset. Or the patience.”
While Ollie was talking, Nathan made his way over to the bar and indicated with his head that he wanted an ale. “As it happens, I did see them. In the goblin camp."
“Oh, is that so? There is a camp, then?” Ollie poured an ale and put it in front of him. The background buzz of people talking went quiet as the few other guests also suddenly seemed to take an interest in the conversation. Some discreetly, while others made no secret of it and shuffled closer.
“There are. As you suggested, I carefully followed the goblin tracks, and didn’t have to travel very far before they led me back to their camp. I quietly scouted the area, making note of the numbers and composition of the goblin force there. As I was about to leave...” Nathan paused dramatically and took a long gulp of his ale, “two ugly brutes showed up. They... took a different approach than me and decided to try to end the goblin threat then and there. It went poorly. Suffice to say, they will not show up for a couple of days.”
Ollie scratched his chin. “Well, that is unfortunate, but dying is what clones do best, I suppose. What about the goblins? How many are there?”
“I counted around 20 something that were level 3 or below, 10 level 5’s and their leader, who was level 10. The lowest le...”
“Wait”, Ollie interrupted. He grimaced as he tried to make sense of what Nathan said. “I’m not sure I understand these levels you mention?”
One of the listeners stepped a bit closer, getting the room's attention. “Oh, I’ve heard of this. It’s something related to their implants. It’s a way to classify danger, I’ve heard.”
Everyone turned back to Nathan. “That is as good an explanation as any, I suppose. But I see that it might be confusing if you’re not used to it. So, let me start over. I counted around 20 something lightly armed goblins without any armor, similar to the ones that attacked the farm. I also counted 10 lightly armored goblins with spears. These looked bigger and more dangerous than their brethren. Lastly, their leader looked especially dangerous, wearing full bone armor and wielding a mace. My count could be off by a couple of goblins, although not by much more. If you have a map of the area, I could show you were to find the camp.”
Ollie was stunned. “30 goblins? I feared 10, but 30... they could overrun half the farms in the valley before we would be able to stop them. If we could stop them. The last group were only 6, and if these are better armed...”
As Ollie went quiet, the room exploded in noise, everyone swearing or cursing the goblins while sharing their unsolicited opinion on what to do. Tempers flared all around, and someone in the back started to push each other.
“QUIET”, Ollie roared as he looked around with fire in his eyes. He singled out troublemakers one by one until all his guests complied, and then his demeanor changed back to the friendly but now slightly worried bartender.
“Yes, thank you. The location of the camp would be most welcome. You, fetch the map from my office”. He pointed at one of the more sober guests, who nodded and headed for the back room.
Nathan was surprised by all the reactions triggered by his news. He had expected to just inform the bartender/mayor quietly, get his money, and leave. Would it have been different if he had come at a different time, when the inn didn’t have that many guests? And what when other players came with the same news? Would the result be the same, or perhaps the world was dynamic, and all quests were unique? He didn’t know, but none the less, he was impressed. Even knowing they were digital constructs, it made him care more about them more than he thought he would. In other games, most players would skip the whole conversation, not knowing or caring about the struggles of the quest giver unless it was for quest chain. All just to get to the reward and perhaps reach the end game slightly faster. Which reminded him.
“So, while we wait for the map, why don’t you show me how grateful you are?”, he smiled at Ollie, thinking himself clever to refer to their previous conversations while at the same time oblivious to how that sentence would have been interpreted in a less innocent bar.
“Of course! By bringing us this information you have done this village a great favor and shall be rewarded.” Ollie fished out a small pouch from one of the many pockets of his apron and placed it in front of Nathan. “Here, take this, with our thanks”.
“In fact,” he continued while raising his voice, “In honor of Eclipse here who have brought us this vital information, everyone’s next round is on the house!”
The room cheered and Nathan received a couple of pats on the back with a mumbled thanks as patrons rushed past him to get theirs. A barmaid showed up from somewhere and started pouring. Little by little, the room turned back to normality.
The man returned with the map and rolled it out on the bar just as Nathan deposited the seven silvers he’d received into his pouch. While he thought the round of ale was a nice gesture, he would have preferred to receive more coins instead. But, seeing as he actually did get a bonus, he figured he was in no position to complain.
“So, this is where the camp is. It’s easy to find if you follow a path that starts around here and ends up around her”, Nathan explained as he pointed on the map while Ollie made small notations. “If you come in from this direction, you have a rock formation right here that you can use for cover while hitting them from range. That should give you the initial advantage.”
“Yes, I imagine it would if I had archers I could trust with the job. Or frontline fighters for that matter.” Ollie started to pull his fingers through his hair but ended up tightening his fist and pulling his own hair while thinking. “Will I don’t like to admit it, I believe this threat is beyond this village. Our only hope is to send word to the garrison at Fort Dreadlake. If they could spare us a squad or two, we should be able to quickly put our worries to rest.”
“It is a two-day trip to Dreadlake, and it is not without peril in itself. That cannot be helped.” Ollie looked at Nathan and sighed. “Eclipse, we are already in your dept, and I know I am asking a lot, but I need my scouts here with the goblins at our doorstep. I see no better candidate than you. Could you bring a message for us to Dreadlake? Could you bring back help and save our village?”
Nathan was stumped. He had expected a follow-up quest, but he thought it would be related to weakening the goblins or collecting some vital resources or something like that. I potential five days hike through unfavorable land was not part of his plans, not something he was equipped for. But he did want to help even. “I don’t know if...” he started but was interrupted by a voice from behind.
“Gentleman, may I be so bold to suggest an alternative?”, it said.