Jake looked around nervously as he entered the clearing, passing through the near invisible barrier as he walked over to his tent and firepit. Inspecting both, he was glad to see that they were still intact, no sign of the wolves entering the Safe Zone, or worse. It had taken him a little over three hours to get back to his camp from the lake, having spent most of the time sneaking along as quietly as he could, worried that any noise might attract the wolves to him again. Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from collecting more of the mushrooms, and even a couple of Silverbark Saplings, despite the risk sawing them down posed.
Now he was back in his camp, letting himself relax slightly as he sat beside the firepit, pulling out several of the saplings and cutting them to length, giving him about a dozen half-meter long pieces of wood that he could use, the rest being tossed into the firepit to act as fuel. Jake quickly stripped the bark off the lengths of wood before laying them out on the grass to dry, inspecting the dark purple wood for a moment, before turning back to his firepit.
A few strikes of his Fire Starter Kit saw the wood take, quickly igniting and burning surprisingly hot. Jake quickly dumped a charge of water into the pot from his Cooking Set and hung it over the fire, watching as the water started to steam. He quickly set about grabbing a few pieces of rat meat from his tent inventory, as well as some Helthi mushrooms from his bag, chopping them up into large pieces and throwing them into the now boiling water, placing the lid on top.
Learn Skill: [Cooking]
Cost: 1 Fate Point
Y/N?
He immediately dismissed the notification that appeared, watching the pot closely as he checked the wooden rods he’d made, surprised to find them almost completely dried out already. Shaking his head, he quickly returned to the pot over the fire, lifting the lid and using the small ladle that came with the Cooking Set to remove the scum that had formed on the surface, tossing it away at the edge of the clearing. Soon, a slightly pleasant smell started to fill the air around the campfire, Jake feeling his stomach grumble as he licked his lips. A moment later, he received a notification telling him he had just acquired the [Cooking] Skill, which he dismissed as he opened the pot again, smiling at the contents as a screen appeared above the pot.
Mushroom and Rat Stew
A stew made by boiling rat meat with mushrooms.
Effects:
+1 Vitality (10 minutes)
+1 Intellect (10 minutes)
+1 Agility (10 minutes)
Quality: Common
Jake just dished up some of the stew into the small bowl that had come with his Cooking Set, taking a bite of meat and mushroom as he sat back on the grass. It was slightly watery and a little bitter, but the meal was hot and filling, the mushrooms having absorbed some of the gamey taste of the rat meat, making them all the more delicious. Jake sighed as he drained the last of the broth from the pot, blinking as he suddenly realised that he had just eaten the entire thing. Suddenly, a new symbol appeared in his peripheral vision. Looking at it, it expanded into a new screen, Jake just nodding as he read over it.
Well Fed
Meal Buffs:
+1 Vitality (9:48)
+1 Intellect (9:48)
+1 Agility (9:48)
Jake watched the timers tick down for a few seconds before closing the screen, feeling much better than he had in a while. Now with a hot meal in his stomach and some time to rest, Jake opened his Quest Screen, reading over the new task that had appeared there as soon as he’d made it to the lake shore.
Quest: Battle Preparations
Gaia, Primal of the Wilds, has tasked you with crafting or acquiring suitable arms and armour.
Objectives:
Melee Weapon: 2/1
Ranged Weapon: 1/1
Head Armour: 0/1
Chest Armour: 0/1
Arm Armour: 0/1
Leg Armour: 0/1
Foot Armour: 0/1
Rewards:
Variable
Nodding, Jake looked down at himself, inspecting the basic started gear he was wearing. The cream shirt was now several shades darker thanks to a layer of dirt, and his pants weren’t much better. His soft leather shoes, however, had faired the worst. After his dip in the lake, they’d dried out, going stiff and slightly uncomfortable to walk in. He hadn’t really complained about it though, partially because it was his own fault that he hadn’t taken them off, and partially because he didn’t have anyone to complain to.
“I wonder if Gaia would listen to me if I wanted to vent?” he hummed, stretching out his back before checking on the wooden rods again, pleased to find that they were completely dry, “That’s convenient, I won’t have to wait days for them to properly dry this way.”
Grabbing one of the rods, Jake sat down to begin his work.
------
“Hmmm.”
The tall man flinched slightly at the sound, watching the young woman as she inspected herself in the full-length mirror. She wore a simple bronze breast plate over a brown fabric robe, bronze bracers on her arms and bronze shin guards on her legs. Her thin sword hung from her hip as she scowled at the reflection, unconsciously playing with the ring on her left middle finger.
“Is this the best we have?” she asked, looking back at the man, who nodded hurriedly, “Well, at least they’re all of Uncommon Quality. It’ll do for now.”
“Thank you, Guild Master,” the man sighed in relief, looking over to the looming figure standing in the corner of the room, even taller than him, and built like a granite wall.
“As you said, Miss,” Brian nodded, “This is the best we currently have available. They are the best pieces made by the few crafters we have managed to pick up and shall be a sufficient stop gap until such a time as we are able to make contact with the master’s Guild.”
“Right,” Amelia nodded, looking over herself once again.
Her father had been just as, if not even busier than her setting up his own Guild. While she had been allowed to take the achievement and Title for establishing the first Guild on the Server, as it gave combat benefits, he’d started his own Guild soon after. Silver Moon, in contrast to Golden Sun’s goal of creating a powerful force of elite players, was to make as much money as possible through crafting and trading, two things her father excelled at. Of course, this did not mean that Golden Sun would be able to just get all their equipment from her father’s Guild immediately, as the two Guilds were in completely different kingdoms. As such, Golden Sun had taken on several crafters to supply them with better equipment in exchange for protection and materials.
“Still,” she sighed, “I’m not exactly pleased with having to wear a robe made of Kobold vests. We’ll need to find a new source of fabric as soon as possible.”
“Of course, Miss,” Brian nodded, “I’ll have scouts sent out immediately. Anything else?”
“Do I have any meetings in the near future?” Amelia asked, already knowing the answer.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“No, Miss. Only the progress reports tomorrow morning just before log out.”
“Excellent,” she smiled, “Time to go hunting.”
------
Jake looked over his handwork, smiling to himself as he inspected the thins rods of wood.
Basic Silverbark Wood Arrow
A wooden arrow made of Silverbark wood.
Quality: Common
He had managed to make about four per rod he’d had, meaning he had just over forty, not counting the few he’d messed up on at first. He looked over the arrows again, checking each one to make sure that the simple fletching he’d made with feathers and sap were straight, and that the points were sharp. Finding them all satisfactory, he stood and stretched, looking at the sinking sun, already behind the trees of the forest, plunging his clearing into dim light.
“No point in practicing now,” he hummed to himself, “I’d probably lose too many arrows in the darkness. So, what next?”
He already knew the answer, grabbing the dried-out piece of Leatherwood Bark he’d used as a sack earlier and placing it in front of him, grabbing a stick from the fire and blowing out the end, using the charcoal to mark out a rough pattern. Several minutes, and adjustments to his pattern later, Jake began cutting through the tough material. It took him another hour to sew the shape together with his bone needle, using several pieces of the saplings that he’d set aside to weave a crude support for the rough quiver. He watched as it shuddered, the stitching straightening out slightly as the item came together.
Leatherwood Bark Quiver
A basic Quiver made of Leatherwood Bark.
Quality: Common
“Perfect,” Jake smiled, before pulling the rest of the roll out and spreading it across the ground, picking up his makeshift charcoal pen again, “Now, onto the rest.”
Jake worked tirelessly through the night, marking, and remarking the material, finding himself making small adjustments to the patterns he drew, quickly learning to trust the strange sensation of guidance as he worked. He ignored and dismissed the various notifications of his Skills levelling up, or of learning new Skills as he worked, before finally pulling out his Survival Knife to cut the Leatherwood Bark. Dragging the blade across it, he scowled as it barely made a dent, looking at the now surprisingly dull blade in the fire light.
Shaking his head, he quickly drew his Ritual Dagger, looking at the wooden weapon for a moment, before carefully cutting at the corner of the bark. The blade passed through it like it was paper, Jake smiling as he quickly set about cutting out the various shapes he’d drawn, making sure to go slowly and carefully the whole time. He threw another piece of wood on the fire, brightening the clearing slightly as he worked, even though the combination of his [Sharp Eye] Skill and the bright moon made it almost as bright as day for him in a small area around him.
Once he was finally finished and happy with the cut-out pieces of bark, Jake took out his Bone Leatherworking Needle, threading it with some of the twine he’d made previously before he set about sewing the pieces together. Just like the Ritual Dagger, the needle pierced through the bark like it was paper, allowing Jake to work quickly and easily as dawn slowly approached. Sap was melted over the fire, used to seal the seams, Jake discovering that the leather-like bark actually seemed to bond to itself when he did this. Getting an idea, Jake was able to easily add extra padding to his vital areas using off cuts and excess pieces, further bolstering the armour.
Finally, the armour was almost complete, Jake smiling as he stretched, looking up as the first rays of dawn started to peek out over the tops of the trees. He yawned slightly as he pulled out the Giant Rat Hide and the pile of bones, quickly setting about cutting and sorting them as he continued to work. He set each piece aside as he finished it, until the sun finally crested the treetops around his clearing, shining down onto the dew damp grass. Blinking blearily, Jake looked down at what he had made, unable to keep the smile off his face as he immediately started to put each piece on.
A soft chime woke him up slightly as he donned the final piece, looking at the screen that had appeared in mild confusion.
Full Equipment Set Detected.
Combine Armour into single set?
Y/N?
Jake instantly selected the ‘yes’ option, looking down at his body, reading the description excitedly.
Rat Bone Leatherwood Armour Set
A full set of Leatherwood armour reinforced with Giant Rat bones.
Medium Armour
Effects:
+1 Power
+1 Agility
Quality:
Uncommon
Jake let his grin grow wider as he read the screen, rolling his shoulders and stretching as he tried to get used to the feeling of the armour on his body.
“You made all that in one night?” Gaia said from behind him, Jake simply turning to look at her, the Primal once again in her statue form, a goofy grin still on his face, “Impressive.”
“Thank you,” Jake hummed contentedly.
“But it could be better,” Gaia replied, reaching out and touching the chest piece, a green glow suddenly enveloping the entire armour set as Jake jumped back in surprise.
“What the hell?” Jake shouted as he felt the armour shifting on him, blinking as he realised that it felt more comfortable than it had before, as though it had been professionally tailored to him personally, “What did you do?”
“I just improved it a little bit,” Gaia chuckled, “Have another look.”
Jake glanced down, his eyes going wide at what he saw.
Rat Bone Leatherwood Armour of the Wilds Set
A full set of Leatherwood armour reinforced with Giant Rat bones and enhanced by the powers of the Wilds.
Medium Armour
Effects:
+1 Power
+2 Agility
Quality:
Rare
“Oh,” Jake said, feeling slightly underwhelmed by the change.
“What do you mean ‘oh’?” Gaia asked, “I improved the Quality by an entire grade. Not only does that get you an extra stat boost, but it also means that weapons of lower Quality will have a harder time dealing damage to you.”
“Wait, really?” Jake asked, now more impressed with the modification, “Then thank you.”
“Much better,” Gaia nodded, “Now, I believe it is time for your next Quest.”
Jake just nodded, waiting for the screen to appear to tell him to go fight the wolves.
“Skill training,” she said, Jake blinking in confusion as the screen appeared.
Quest: Survive!
Gaia, Primal of the Wilds, has tasked you with increasing your Skill levels.
Objectives:
Melee Weapon Skill: 1/10
Ranged Weapon Skill: 1/10
Armour Skill: 0/10
Dodge Skill: 4/10
Sense Skill: 5/5
Rewards:
Unknown
“What?” Jake asked as he looked at Gaia, “Shouldn’t I be going after the wolves?”
“With your abysmal Skill levels?” Gaia laughed, “No. First you need to raise your Skill levels to a degree that you won’t be instantly killed.”
“Oh, and how do I do that? I haven’t seen any creatures around apart from the Giant Shadow Rat when I first appeared here and the Corrupted Shadow Wolves,” Jake asked, “And why is the Quest called ‘Survive’?”
“That’s because the wolves either hunted or drove off all the wildlife in the woods,” Gaia sighed sadly, “Though I hope that they will return once the initial corruption is dealt with. As for the Quest’s name…well, you’ll see soon enough. But first there is something I must ask of you.”
“Anything,” Jake nodded resolutely, Gaia giggling at his serious expression.
“Would you allow the Creators to contact you?” she hummed, Jake blinking in confusion at the question.
“What?” he asked, “What does that mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself,” Gaia shrugged her stone shoulders, “Simply that they wish to contact you in your home world. So, will you allow them to?”
“Uhm…sure?” Jake nodded, Gaia nodding back as she seemed to freeze for a moment, before nodding back to him.
“It is done,” she simply said, “And now, it is time for you to begin your training.”
“Begin my training?” Jake asked, blinking in surprise as the screen appeared in front of him.
Notice
You have one (1) hour of in game time remaining.
After in game time has elapsed, you will be automatically logged out.
It is advised that you log out in a safe place.
“What?” he asked as he looked at Gaia, staring at the empty space she had just occupied, before the ground beneath him rumbled, Jake jumping back as the brambles suddenly burst out of the earth where he’d just been standing, “What’s going on?”
He watched, transfixed, as the plants shot out of the ground with unnatural speed, growing and twisting into each other, quickly taking on a familiar form. Once the plants stopped growing, a green light suddenly blazed into life inside the eyes of the figure, the creature ripping its paws free of the earth as it turned its head to stare directly at Jake. Swallowing nervously, he used [Observe] on it.
Bramble Wolf
Plant Elemental
Level: 15