“He’s called an NPC or Non-Player Character,” Finn said. I nodded along as he explained how the world was filled with avatars and NPCs. Real people and digital characters. The NPCs stuck to scripted language and actions though they were extremely extensive according to his experience so far. The most notable scripted actions were repeatable quests or tutorial quests. This old frogman was a standard tutorial quest that new avatars in Briarfield encountered. A way to teach them about their spells and abilities. He also offered some useful items that every player should have.

I asked Finn if we could skip the quest and come back to it at a later time. He mentioned that it’s possible but that it would be a waste of time to back track. The bogdweller never left the Mireglades and we would have to travel a way to meet him again. Plus, the items he gave were extremely beneficial for new avatars.

“If you decide to start the quest it will take some time and we’ll be stuck in the Mireglades at night and will be forced to either travel in the dark or camp among the mosquitos and flies,” Finn pulled his bag around and opened it. His eyes went up to the air and I could tell he was reading something I couldn’t see. “I do have a single torch that will last one hour, but we would most likely need to use it during the quest. Traveling at night will be difficult. I have extra flint and steel to start a fire however there isn’t much dry wood to work with here.”

Finn put his hands on his hips and let his foot pound fast on the ground. His nose twitched as he thought. The sound of his foot tapping the ground irritated me for a reason I couldn’t tell. I didn’t like this standing around. We needed to make a decision now and keep going. If what the bogdweller offered as a quest reward was worth it, then it's better to get it over with now than later.

“Finn let’s start the quest. You’re a higher level and with your help we can finish it quick and keep moving plus if it does take some time I don’t mind having to travel at night,” I looked out towards the far sunset and had a moment of nostalgic bliss. It was a beautiful world to be trapped in.

“Okay, if you say so,” Finn hopped forward, and I followed after. The bogdweller paid no attention to us until we were standing in his shadow and smelling the ash of his pipe. With a slow turn of his gaze the old bogdweller gave us a stretched smile. He rolled his lips from the corners and let a long puff of smoke drift up into the air. I watched as the smoke danced its way up like a swirling ribbon then suddenly stop and turn back on itself. Its shape curled and twisted into a that of a hummingbird. The smokes wings fluttered quickly into a blur while its bird-like head tilted to the side and looked at me. Then in a quick dash the bird flew into the amber sky.

"Two strangers meet on the road, a third they come to see," The old bogdweller said from under his wide brimmed hat. The gray hat was torn at the edges and bore a long white feather in the folds a purple ribbon. "Fortuitous our meeting is, for you and for me."

Finn and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised. The bogdweller gave us a hearty chuckle with a deep sound like that of a bubbling brook. When he spoke, his voice was earthy and thoughtful. “Forgive the spontaneous rhyming. I find that simple pleasures such as song and poems help me keep a bright demeanor. Especially when I find myself in a moment of trouble. Would you care to help an old bogdweller?”

[Grebbledel’s Misfortune]

[Do you accept?]

“What do I do now? Just tell him yes?” I asked Finn.

Finn took a step back and folded his arms. A smile crossed his face as he materialized another piece of dried meat. He ate as he nodded. I turned to the old bogdweller and told him I would help him.

“That is good to hear friend. Well, I call you friend but the greatest threshold for strangers to becoming friends is that of names. My name is Grebbledel of the Mireglades. What is your name?” The bogdweller returned his pipe to the corner of his long, warty lips.

“My name is Miles Forester,” I said.

“It’s wonderful to make your acquaintance Miles. Now…” Grebbledel stood his motion slow as if he had recently finished working out. “For my predicament. I am traveling to Aurleaf for the festival. I am to tell tall tales to the younglings and would hate to disappoint them. The sorrowful look of a child is one of life's greatest heartaches.” Grebbledel reached down and lifted a white staff, knotted on its end yet straight at the shaft. He used it to walk as if it was a run-of-the-mill hiking stick found on the side of a trail. He walked over to his cart and tap the staff against the back wheel.

“Another of life's heartaches is that of a broken wheel and a scared off horse. I had the foresight to bring along an iron band and nails for repairs, but I can’t get it out of the mud with my steed missing,” Grebbledel let out an exaggerated huff and a low grumble.

“What happened exactly?” I asked.

“Salamanders. Two at least, came shooting out from the reeds and ran me off the road. They started nipping at my dear Revelas that she broke free of her reins. I now have two problems. A stuck cart and a lost horse. Care to help me with either?” Grebbledel planted his staff before him and rested his long head against the knot and waited.

“Go on Miles,” Finn said. “We don’t have much time. I’m sure you’ve got a spell or two that could help with the cart. As for the horse… well we can find her later.”

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“Have you done this quest before?” I asked.

“Nope, can’t say I have. This is a starter quest for Briarfield. Only Brighteyes encounter it when they start off. I had a similar experience my first day in the Greentides. But mine involved a prisoned clown and a bandit of Blackwings.” He threw the last piece of his dried meat into his mouth and leaned back with his hands behind his head, despite there being nothing for him to lean against.

I shrugged and decided to get to work. I walked over to Grebbledel and told him to try and help me push the cart from the mud. “Oh… my dear brighteye I won’t be much help in pushing the cart. I’ve got a rather bad back, and my legs aren’t what they used to be. You are a druid? Are you not?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Then use your one of your spells. I think a particularly good one would be Nature’s Grasp. Wouldn’t you say?” Grebbledel put his slimy hand on the shoulder of my gray robes and gave me the widest smile I had ever seen. His bulging eyes were closed tight, and he had canyons of crowfeet that sank back into the shadows of his wizard’s hat. Grebbledel patted me on the shoulder one more time then stepped back onto the dirt road and watched with a clear expression of amusement.

Nature’s Grasp… got it. How do I do that?

I lifted my twisted staff in the air and held it out like those old bible pictures of Moses parting the Red Sea. I thought about saying a few magic words like abracadabra or something like it but I was already feeling foolish. I concentrated on the cart and focused on trying to cast a spell. Nothing happened.

“Might want to read the spell first before you try to use it. Helps you visualize it in your mind’s eye when you know what it does,” Finn said, eyes shut and nose twitching.

“And how do I do that exactly?” I said in frustration letting my staff drop.

“What would you do without me?” Finn said. He hopped up, stretched his neck and bounded over to me in two jumps. “Alright Miles, pay attention. Unlike your inventory that opens when you opened your traveler’s bag. The system interface will appear when you open your mind. It’s a bit hard to explain. Almost like explaining the muscle memory of a musician playing their favorite instruments. It comes naturally. Focus on yourself and command your interface to open.”

“Yeah, not confusing at all,” I said. Growing up I never played any instruments. My grandfather did have an old guitar in his closet, but he never got it out to play. Music was never a cornerstone to my life like it was for some of my friends.

Regardless, I did have an idea of a muscle memory. Canoeing down the Clearwater. It was a yearly activity that grandpa and I did. We’d camp out, tucked away in some hillside forest with long drapes of dry grass leading down to the river. We’d wake up early and hop in the canoe and let the current take us down. There were a few rough patches but nothing that we couldn’t handle. Once you found your groove, allowed your body to not only let the river carry you but also guide yourself down the paths you want, then things were easy.

I let that memory guide me. The flow of the waters, the morning singing of birds, and the slow rise of the warming sun. Then my mind went to my own actions. The way I felt the water pull and guide me. Every strong or soft stroke of the paddle in the clear waters. It was all so natural to me. A memory of comfort that opened the system to my eyes. I couldn’t explain how, but the green text appeared in the air again as if I had summoned it with a silent call.

[Character] [Spells & Abilities] [Skills]

Like a muscle memory lost since childhood and found again, I selected my Spells and Abilities.

Druid Spells

Level 1

Nature’s Grasp

Verdant Mantle

Brigheyes Passive Abilities

Whisker Sense

I forced my attention away from the curiosity that suddenly flared inside me to inspect everything that was displayed and focused on Nature’s Grasp.

Nature’s Grasp

Level 1 Druid Spell

Mana Cost: 7

Type: Ranged Control

You command the very roots of the world to spring up and become an extension of your will. These roots can be manipulated to move, hold or control objects within its vicinity.

I let the system interface fade away and returned my attention to the broken-down cart. Lifting my staff once again and pictured in my mind how I imagined the spell would be. I felt something begin to grow deep in my chest. A small energy like that of a budding seed desperate to sprout into a glorious flower. Then in a wave of power I let that seed free and out into the world. The power flowed through me into the seams of the twisted staff and out towards the wagon. It was both energizing and tiring at the same time like having a sudden rush of adrenaline cut short.

A rumbling grew in the depths of the mire, curling its way up towards the base of the broken spoke. A sudden rush of green and brown vines broke free of the mud and bound themselves around every inch of the cart. The vines wove their way up, around, and into the wooden panels and overhanging canopy. Then I tightened my hand around the staff and the vines constricted.

I let out an exhilarated laugh and looked at Finn. He was nodding his head in approval. Grebbledel was still resting his head against his staff and smiling.

With a slow motion of my staff, I commanded the vines to lift and carry the cart to the road. They didn’t move immediately to my mental command but after a few seconds the vines groaned against its weight. I pushed my thoughts harder on my spell and felt as if I was among them helping them to lift and move the cart. I started to sweat against the struggle and even felt myself get a little lightheaded but after a moment the wagon lifted by a few inches and rotated back onto the dirt path.

I let the spell drop away and let the cart drop. It landed with a creaking thud. The vines dropped to the floor and dried up. Their once thick bodies now crumbled to ash and dirt. As quickly as they appeared they were gone becoming one with the earth again.

“Well done young Miles,” Grebbledel stepped up next to me rolled his lips with his tongue. He had a pungent, swampy smell to him and his moist skin glistened in the setting light. “It takes a true druid of the Circles to command nature itself. Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

I looked up at Grebbledel to which I saw a glimmer in his eye. At first, I thought it was a reflection of the sun, but it didn’t match its amber glow. It was green and vibrant. The light had flared up and circled the darkness of his vision before fading to nothing. Had he been looking at the system’s interface as well? If he wasn’t a player, then what was that glow?

“With my cart back on solid ground I can set about fixing the broken wheel, but that leaves another matter at hand,” Grebbledel lifted the rim of his hat and looked out towards the reddening horizon. “Night is almost here. Miles, my dear Revelas won’t last long, not with salamanders squirming about. Could you find her for me?”