Grebbledel brought the cart to a rolling stop underneath the falling petals of a redbud. Its pink flowers danced gently in the breeze. The tall tree was stationed in a shaded alcove half-mooned by a low rock wall. A stone fountain was built in the wall’s center which let a peaceful flow of water run down and encircle the roots of the tree.

The old bogdweller hopped down, unleashed Revelas and led her to the fountain. “Rest now my dear Revelas. I will call for Sunflower to bring you some nice oats and a fresh apple. Miles, Finn. I must leave you now. Come to the inn at sundown if you wish to listen to my stories and relax to a wonderful song. Let your paws rest and your hearts warm by the hearth. I’ll even have a meal paid for you. Another act of kindness in return for your own. Enjoy the festivities.”

Grebbledel gave Revelas a head-to-head embrace then bounded down a pebble-stone pathway towards a tall wooden structure with a triangle roof. Above its blue door was a carved acorn sign that squeaked in the wind.

“I too will be on my way,” Finn said. He had allowed his longbow to disappear into his inventory and was stretching his limbs. “I’ll meet you at the Little Acorn at sundown. By the looks of it, you have an hour or so of some free time. Look around. Do a little shopping. Make use of that gold I gave you. They even have a druid shop here that another avatar built. You’ll find some useful items there and maybe an upgrade or two. While you’re at it, don’t forget to update your stats and inspect your equipment. Not everything last forever. Be safe!”

With a joyful wave and a few good hops to stretch his legs, Finn Ashburrow hopped away towards the beautiful lake. I was left alone, standing by the cart listening to Revelas quench her thirst.

The town of Aurleaf was built upon the rolling grass hills east of Goldmirror Lake, named for its metallic shine of the auburn leaves come fall. History I learned from listening to Grebbledel as we entered the town. Though the weather was more akin to that of early spring, the lake did shine in the late afternoon light. Its surface did not reflect that of gold or bronze as Grebbledel described, but rather that of the blue sky with a ring of emerald from the surrounding forest.

At the center of the town, in the Lore Keeper’s Square, I was told I would find a statue of the First Avatar. A gray statue carved from a single piece of limestone, mined from the Waterdeep Cave dungeon. The avatar that crafted it was had the highest ranked crafting skill. A mastery he had obtained in the first three months of waking up in Phyrelia. I had asked Grebbledel the name of the avatar, but he said no one knew. The day after the statue was erected, he had left Aurleaf. Not a single animalkin had seen him since.

The statue was the first place I wanted to visit in Aurleaf. Finn told me the name of the First Avatar was Cornelius. That was the same name my grandfather used as his account name for the game. That couldn’t have been a simple coincidence. My grandfather was a very purposeful man. Everything he did in life had a goal and purpose. A mindset that I had hoped to emulate in my own life when I left for college.

I lifted my pack tight on my shoulder, gripped my staff and leapt from my seated position in the back of the cart. I walked around to say goodbye to Revelas when as small brighteyes girl skipped over to us. She had a little knapsack in her arms and a bright yellow flower tucked behind her round ears.

“Revvy, I’m so happy you are safe,” The little girl said. “Grebbledel told me all about those awful nightflyers. You must have been so scared.” As if in response to the little brighteyes tone, Revelas dropped her head low and shook her head. Looking at the horse, it almost seemed as if she blinked her eyes and frowned. “There, there you poor thing. Old Greb said you could have a treat. Take this.”

She reached inside her small pack and pulled out a carrot, orange and fresh, a bag of dried oats, and a clean green apple. Revelas ate it with a nip and a whinny. The small brighteyes wiped her hands on her short apron than gave me a wide-eyed look.

“Oh… I’m sorry I didn’t see you there. Wait! You must be Miles! You’re the one who saved Revvy! Thank you, thank you!” The brighteyes girl jumped up and down while clapping her hands. In a final graceful leap, she landed squarely in front of me and wrapped her tiny arms around my waist.

“Uh… You’re welcome,” I put my arms on her shoulders and gently pushed her back. I was never one for physical contact, especially from a stranger. “You’re Sunflower, right?”

“Yep! But my friends call me Petal. If you’ll be my friend, I’ll let you call me Petal too,” Sunflower said with a bright smile.

“Grebbledel doesn’t call you Petal?” I asked.

“He’s old fashioned. Says names are given for a reason and that we should stick to them,” Sunflower waved her right-hand pointer finger in the air while she put her other hand on her hip. She scrunched her pink nose and puffed out her cheeks. She laughed at her own joke then looked me square in the eyes. “So, Mister Miles, you going to be my friend?”

I simply nodded at her stern expression. She opened her eyes wide and put both hands on her hips while standing on her the tips of her toes then asked me again. “Okay, I’ll be your friend. If you can help me, Petal.”

Petal twirled on her backfoot. Her apron blossomed like her namesake. She stopped fast and held out her hand for me to shake it. “Of course! Anything for my friends. What do you need?”

“I want to find the statue of the First Avatar and the druid shop in town. Care to be my guide?” I asked.

My question sparked further excitement as she started to jump around again. She jumped higher than I expected but what did I expect from a mouse-like child? After a long minute of watching her bounce around I finally had to stop her. “Is that a yes?”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yes! Yes, give me one minute to let my sister know. I’ll be right back,” Petal ran off around the edge of the fountain garden and into the Little Acorn. While I waited for her to come back, I helped Revelas finish the bag of oats Petal left by pouring them in my hand and letting her eat.

Petal returned after a few minutes no longer wearing her white apron. She had on a robin egg blue dress stitched with white frills. Around her neck was a simple necklace with a sunflower charm. “Ready to go, Mister Miles?”

“You can just call me Miles,” I said.

“I could, but I like Mister Miles. It sounds like the name of an imaginary friend,” Petal raced off down the stone way and only stopped when she realized I wasn’t running after her. She waved her arms, jumped up and down, and yelled at me to follower her. Her calls had a few animalkin look over in amusement. I was sure everyone was thinking the same thing. Look at that cute brother and his little sister. With a sigh I rushed to catch up with her.

Petal didn’t take me directly to the statue. Instead, she gave me the full tour of Aurleaf. Our first stop was at an open market area close to the Little Acorn. It was filled with several rows of stalls with different merchants selling various items or food. We started near the closest stall, a ramshackle stand made of tied driftwood, sundried seaweed, and hanging fishbones. An old riverpaw woman wearing a torn fishing net as a bonnet and a dusty seashell necklace sat behind the counter.

Petal grabbed me by the hand and pointed at all the trinkets the animalkin was selling. There were a lot of handcrafted jewelry made of polished rocks, painted shells, and charms stating that they were lucky. I had to hold back the temptation to buy her everything she kept asking me for, especially when she looked at me with her big round eyes. I had no younger siblings, and I never hung out with anyone more than a few years off my age, so I had no clue how I was supposed to act. I simply said no and kept walking. Luckily for me, Petal didn’t really seem to mind. She just liked having someone to check out the festival with.

After a few more stalls, most filled with what I considered random junk, we finally came to one that did pique my interest. It was an herbalist shop filled with a wide assortment of flowers, herbs, and fruits. I recognized a couple of things off the top of my head like the petunias, hibsicus, strawberries, ramps and dried ginger. However, most of the plants I saw I didn’t recognize. There were signs for swamp needle, white reeds, silverberry, and something called rubyroot powder. I tried focusing on the rubyroot powder to see if the system could tell me anything more. All I got was a notification of its name and the plant it was derived from. The ruby rose. Then another series of text popped up.

[Foraging increased from Level 0 -> 1]

When I refocused on the rubyroot powder I was greeted with more information than before.

Rubyroot Powder

Common Crafting Ingredient

Related Skills: Medicine & Alchemy

Rubyroot Powder is obtained from grinding up the plant “Ruby Rose”. It is a common ingredient used for crafting minor health potions or low-grade poisons.

“See anything of interest?” The shopkeeper asked. He was a tall, lanky bogdeweller, with slimy blue skin dotted with bright red spots. He was wearing a straw-hat and a tattered white shirt.

“I’m only browsing. Never seen some of these plants before,” I said.

“That’s surprising.”

“Why’s that?”

“Many of these are easy enough for your beginning forager. Never took the time to test the skill? Been a master forager for almost two years now. A good way to earn gold. Easy living. Looking to buy a few items? Could help you—” The bogdweller cut himself short as he stared at me. He blinked his eyes a few times. “You’re a level two avatar? Where have you been hiding?”

That’s when it dawned on me. This bogdweller wasn’t what Finn called an NPC; he was another player. Another avatar. I pulled up my own interface and took a deeper look at the man.

[Percival Reeds: Level ??]

[Swashbuckler Rogue Bogdweller]

I couldn’t see his level, but I was able to make out his class and subclass. That was all the information my current insight level would give me. I wondered at what level I would start seeing other avatars or even NPCs levels. Was it a flat level I had to reach, or did I have to be within a certain number of levels of what I was trying to learn about. I was able to see the levels of the summoned skeletons but was that a different target then an NPC or another player? I made a mental note to ask Finn when I saw him again.

“Uh… I’ve been wandering around, I guess,” I said. I still wasn’t sure how to bring up the fact that I only woke up here less than forty-eight hours ago. What kind of questions would people ask me? Would they be angry or would they be excited? Would they tell others? I didn’t want to be the center of attention, no matter what the circumstance.

“Wandering around? A brighteyes of your level wouldn’t last two days alone, wandering beyond the Briarfield region. I’ve lived here for over a year now and I’ve never seen you before,” Percival gave me a cold glare.

“Yeah… well I’m not one for socializing. I prefer to spend time alone,” I said.

“Three years is a long time to be alone,” Percival paused for a moment then continued. “Miles Forester, strange name to pick. As you’ve probably already read, I’m Percival Reeds. Master herbalist and alchemist. If you need any potions, herbs, or even some help leveling up. I’m available. At a cost.” The bogdweller gave me a wink then nodded with his head at a small plaque nailed to the top of his stalls sign. Gold is all you need.

“Good to know, Petal let’s keep going,” I motioned to Petal to follow my lead. Before I could take a step, Percival had come around his stall and was standing in front of me. He stood a few inches taller than me despite his body being hunched over. His head was flat like a dish and was covered in hundreds of small bumps.

“Before you go,” Percival let his grin grow slowly till his flat teeth shined in the low light. “I can’t let someone who clearly needs guidance walk away without a bit of advice." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "Gold maybe all you need, but allies are more valuable. Keep that in mind.” I felt static crawl from the tip of my nose and twitched my whiskers as he talked. I don’t know why but I knew I needed to keep moving. I awkwardly rolled my shoulders away from him and took a step back.

“I'll keep that in mind.” I took Petal by the hand and started walking. I continued down the long lane of stalls with Petal in tow. I ignored the remaining stands as I marched out of the market and down a flight of stone stairs. When I finally felt Percival Reed's eyes leave my back, I felt a weight leave my shoulders. It was a dull sensation that I hadn't noticed before. It had grown up my spine and sat in my mind before I realized it. That feeling was now gone and my head was clear. However, something felt... off. Something was different.