CHAPTER 3 Hyraenfel
The mirror vanished and I was floating high in the sky looking down on a planet. One of the displays in the upper left showed the number of players currently logged in. The count was 1,034. Huh, I guess they either had administrators logged in or they gave out more golden tickets than 1,000. The number ticked to 1,087 while I was lost in thought. I focused back on the planet below. I knew the general layout. There was a large continent in the center and nine continents surrounding it. The online wiki about Fantasy Realms history gave me a good idea where I wanted to start. The center continent was appealing, with more than twice the area of the next closest but I figured it would also be crowded once the general populace was able to log in on the release date.
My plan was to start in Hyraenfel. It was an interesting continent that was located directly east of the main continent. The continent of Hyraenfel was raised up out of the ocean and a 1000 foot cliff surrounded it. The cliff didn’t directly go into the water however. There was a half mile of beach and half mile of vegetation before encountering the cliff wall. There were a dozens of stairways up to the continent and four main cities that were split between the top of the cliff and coast. There were also six other cities inland. It also had ten thousand islands far to the east that I sure held quite a bit of adventure. It seemed like an interesting place and I mentally selected the continent and was rewarded by falling toward it. I had a slight nausea and fear trickle up as my adrenaline surged. I stopped with the continent below me and information displayed before me.
CONTINENT OF HYRAENFEL
NPC Population 2,855,222 (Human 67.3%, Elf 14.4%, Dwarf 6.6%, Orc 5.1%, Other 6.6%)
Player Population: 6
Central Land Mass: 2.83 million square miles
Island Land Mass: 371 thousand square miles
Major Cities: Groton (Capital), Bellus, Camden, Turania,*undiscovered*,undiscovered*,undiscovered*,undiscovered*,undiscovered*, Bluewater Bay
I looked at the continent and each of the cities was flashing below waiting to be selected. Bluewater Bay was the closet the island chain but it was also the smallest of the cities. I could chose to start in one of the smaller towns as well, that is as long as it had a translocation platform. My goal was not socialize, just log in a few hours a week as a mini vacation and satisfy my uncle’s will. I choose Bluewater Bay and was rewarded by zooming into the city.
I was a few thousand feet in the air and had time to take in the sites. The lower part of the city had a small port and the water was crystal clear. I could see straight to the bottom even at this height. Serpentine fish swam below and I could make out a few stationary objects below the surface. People moved like ants along the docks to the handful of ships. Some shacks lined the beach. Along the docks dozens of buildings had a minimal activity. There was a massive stone staircase leading up the cliff. At the top of the cliff was a walled city with a few hundred buildings. It was a serene setting and almost like a paradise. Two translocation rings flashed, one in the upper city and one by the docks. I selected the upper city ring and the game asked for confirmation. I mentally selected yes and was transported to Bluewater Bay.
I arrived on a stone circle inscribed along its circumference with runes. The circle was 15 feet in diameter. I felt the heat of the sun on my face and my eyes took a second to adjust to the light. While my eyes were adjusted my other senses tried to make sense of everything. I heard people talking about the quality of bread and another group discussing wild boar meat. My sense of smell picked up roasting meat, fresh bread and something that smelled like lasagna. My mouth watered on its own. My eyes finally adjusted and I was shocked. I could not tell I was in VR game. Everything looked so perfect. I was in a market square. Six men in plate armor stood nearby watching me closely with hands on their pikes. I made an attempt to smile and they relaxed a bit, obviously I was not a threat. Food vender booths surrounded the area. The smell of lasagna was coming from a booth nearby and I walked up to the middle aged women sautéing a patty of what looked like a hamburger in a cheese and tomato sauce. I was enthralled with what she was doing and she spoke, “1 copper for one serving” She grabbed a hollowed out bread loaf and poured the meat, cheese and sauce into it. One of the guards came by and exchanged a copper for the meal. He had obviously been waiting for it as he tore into bread with some of the contents oozing out. He made a satisfied groan and smiled at me with sauce on his face as he turned to return to his post watching the market.
The women looked disappointed as I stepped away not yet ready to commit and I started moving through the square. Skewered boar’s meat roasting over coals, a small portable oven baking bread, stands with fruits laid out, large barrels of what I hoped were actually pickels and not something else, some vegetables I recognized and some I didn’t. I inspected everything completely enthralled. Then I came to a young boy, maybe 8 years old sitting between two vender stalls with a bucket of stones in front of him. He look malnourished. I bent down and looked at his wares. Smooth white and black stones, probably onyx dominated the bucket. I decided to make the kids day, “How much?” I asked.
“Any four stones are 1 copper.” He replied quickly looking me in the eye. He was appraising me to see if I was seriously interested. “I gathered these stones along the coast. Each one has been rubbed smooth by the waves and make excellent ammunition for slings.” He quickly added “and they are pretty to look at as well.”
“How many stones do you have in your bucket?” I casually asked as I continued to inspect the some individual stones. He didn’t hesitate to respond to my question, “Two hundred and seventy eight.” I frowned which he took as a sign I was not interested in buying and sat back down but still keeping an eye on me in case I stole his wares.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a silver piece. I watched as his eyes grew big. “What is your name?” His eyes were transfixed on the coin and he missed the question. I thought he would grab it and run. “Grant” he managed to say after a few seconds. It gave me time to collect my thoughts, “Well Grant it seems you are one hundred twenty two stones short for this coin. How long to collect the remaining stones?”
He looked from the coin to me and back again. “I have more stones close by, I just have to collect them,” he blurted out. I waved my hand as I had my response queued up, “I am assuming what I see before me are your best stones and I want only the best. So I ask again how long to collect the remaining stones to earn this.” I held the coin out emphasizing it.
“Maybe two days to find perfect stones he said looking down.” I think he figured he was two days away from a sale or maybe I was just pulling his leg.
“OK Grant.” I tossed the coin to him and he caught it out of the air. I picked up the bucket and dumped all the stones into my cloth bag. “I will be back to pick up the rest of my stones in a few days.” The boy nodded, grabbed his bucket and took off. He probably thought I might change my mind but he seemed anxious to fulfill his order to me. The two stalls on either side of me had middle aged women running them. They both nodded and smiled at my generosity. I guessed the boy was not welcome in the square by most venders and he must have befriended both women in order to set up shop here.
I looked at my inventory on my screen. I knew it would auto sort and identify the stones.
White Onyx Stone (small) 133
Black Onyx Stone (small) 119
Malachite Stone (small) 11
Red Quartz Stone (small) 8
Blue Quartz Stone (small) 4
Rose Quartz Stone (small) 3
Exactly 278 stones. The boy knew his wares. I refocused from the distracting scenes. I was really impressed with this VR experience. I couldn’t tell this was a game. The detail, reactive NPCs, the smells, sounds, it was absolutely incredible. I needed to get the mage guild and asked for directions from one of the city guards. He was polite and gave me directions.
The building was one of the largest in the city, four stories tall and all white and black stone. It was pretty, if a bit rustic. The stone steps were well worn and I passed through the wooden doors which were wide open. The atrium was spectacular and bright. The ceiling was all glass panels and walls were white marble with green streaked through them that sparkled in the light. Flowers and small fruit trees were scattered throughout the room which was 200 feet square. A small wooden desk was oriented in the center of the room. An older woman was seated behind the desk reading a large leather bound book. Thirteen doors were in the room. Each with a unique theme to the branch of magic it held.
I approached the women at the desk. She wore some nice blue robes. As I approached she looked up, “Can I help you young man?”
I smiled at her and replied, “Yes, I am here to purchase a few spells from the Earth Mages and Enchanters. Can you please direct me to the proper doors?” She looked me up and down. She was sizing me up.
“We don’t usually get too many mages out these parts. Are you a member of the Union of Mages? I don’t see your mark?” I stumbled through my knowledge of my game bringing up the forum discussions in my display. The Union of Mages was an organization that required a large quest series to join. Did I really wish to start this quest chain? “Ah, yes. I was considering it. I was just looking to purchase some spells today though.”
“Well you look a capable young man. If you decide to join it is 1 gold and you must get approval from a master mage in the Union for each of the twelve schools of magic.” She replied. “Once you get an approval from a school then that school will sell new spells to you for half the normal cost. So as you can see it is worth the investment.” She was a good saleswoman. I didn’t really think it was worth the investment at this time.
“My good woman. My name is Daedalus.” I bowed slightly. “The cost is quite high but as it so happens you make such a strong argument I would be pleased to pay the sum right now.” I reached into my bag and thought 100 silver. My hand came out with 100 coins. They were in two stacks and difficult to hold but I managed to get them on the desk.
Her eyebrow rose, “My name is Katrina Phylar.” She smiled, “You are polite. I am a master enchanter and I will give you my approval right now. Your Union mark can be placed anywhere on your body.” She pulled up her sleeve to show hers on her forearm to emphasize her point. Her mark was a pinwheel with twelve petals. Two were not colored in. I choose not to make this observation out loud.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“How about on my bicep?” I pulled my shirt sleeve up to reveal my upper arm. She reached out and touched my arm and a similar pinwheel appeared and one of the petals was colored in silver. I smiled and nodded to her in thanks.
“It has been such a long time since I marked a new guild member. Please take this book.” She reached into the desk and produced a book.
New Quest Tracking: “Becoming a Union Mage”, earn a mark from a master mage in 6 of the 12 magic disciplines. The mage must be a member of the Union of Mages.
Quest Update: “Becoming a Union Mage”, you have received the mark of the Enchanter, 1 of 6 marks completed
Item Acquired, Beginner Skill Book: +1 to Enchant Skill, Max increase to level 5, uses: 1
Wow. This was a great gift and well worth the 100 silver investment by itself. It would take an hour to study a skill book. The time could be reduced slightly with intelligence bonus to learning I had. The max skill increase to level 5 made sense. Low level quests with skill book rewards would not be allowed to raise skills to high levels.
My thoughts were interrupted by Katrina, “Do you wish to join me for lunch?” Before I could respond she reached into the desk and pulled out a bell and rang it. A young man came immediately from the door directly across from the entrance and behind the desk. Without looking Katrina said aloud, “Dexter, lunch for two please.” She then turned her attention back to me. “We will have to eat at the reception desk as my shift lasts till sunset.” Dexter had already retreated through the door. Katrina waved her hand and a chair floated across the atrium to be placed next to me. She gestured with her hand for me to sit. “Daedalus, tell me about yourself. I am guessing you are one of the new people to this realm. It is the time of prophecy and change. The lands are expecting interesting times of prosperity and strife. I am interested to hear what you know.”
I was trapped in a 4th wall situation here. The NPCs were not aware this was a game according to the forums. Each NPC was governed by an independent micro AI that was capable of growing with time. The more interaction with players the more ‘growth’ a NPC would have. I tempered my response, “You are most perceptive, I am one of the new people to your realm. I am not familiar with the prophecies. I am just seeking to explore the lands and maybe open a small enchanting shop.” Katrina seemed to digest my response. She looked me over waiting for more. Dexter chose to return at that moment with a tray, a pitcher, two cups and two plates holding sandwiches filled the try. He unloaded the tray on the desk. The sandwich was cut into four triangles and had a white meat, blue cheese and some lettuce. We were silent as Dexter left and Katrina poured a blueish liquid from the pitcher into the cups.
“It is blueberry wine, my favorite. The sandwich is pork and cheese, another favorite of mine. Dexter spoils me.” We both dug in. The wine was sweet and tasted more like raspberry than blueberry. The sandwich was good and tasted like pork. The cheese was really tangy and sharp. We made small talk as Katrina identified each of the doors. The door which Dexter came from led to the apartments. I learned mages could rent a room ranging from a small single room to a large multi-room suite. Prices ranged from 1 gold up to 1,000 gold for the largest and were a one-time payment. The room could be accessed from any Union hall in the Realms. Any gear you left inside would be completely secure.
The conversation turned to becoming a full Union Mage. There were six master mages in Bluewater Bay, a Enchanter, a Earth Mage, a Fire Mage, a Nature Mage, a Spirit Mage and a Water Mage. She was good friends with the Spirit Mage, Toshido Hikari. She mentioned I could get Hikari’s Spirit mark if I brought him a bottle of Sparkling Topaz Wine. The wine was produced on the other side of the Hyraenfel but the merchant Justin Dewater in Bluewater made frequent trips and usually had a few bottles on hand.
It was obvious Katrina was trying to help me. She had taking a liking to me. It seemed to me she was playing the motherly figure. The conversation turned to spells. She asked what spells I was interested in from the enchanting path. The basic tier 1 spells for enchant: imbue gave +1 to a single stat. The cost for a tier 1 spell was 10 silver, so my cost would be 5 silver each. I wanted to purchase all ten +1 stat increases. I handed her to 50 silver and she produced 10 parchments from the bag at her hip. I wanted to also purchase some tier 2 and tier 3 spells for the future. With my discount a tier 2 spell was 20 silver and a tier 3 was 30 silver. I purchased +2 magic, +3 magic, +3 strength and +3 charisma. Another 110 silvers were handed over for the four parchments with the spells. Dexter came out and took away the dishes on a tray. He put a key in the table.
“That key is to your private room.” I was confused. I had not paid for a room. Katrina waved her arm, “I paid for it. I have a feeling you are going to do good things in Hyraenfel. I consider you an investment in the future. Also I require a favor. I have not heard from a friend of mine in some time. She lives in a small village on one of the islands some distance from here. I would ask you to check on her. Her village’s translocation circle has been deactivated.”
“I would be glad to do this task for you. I will leave in a few days to check on your friend.”
New Quest Tracking: “Check on Katrina’s friend, Dyana Goldhart” The village has been added to your map
Relationship Change: Katrina Pylar has improved from neutral to friend
I checked my map and a yellow flashing mark was located far out to sea. It was hundreds of miles from the main continent. It would take quite an effort to reach it.
“Well please stop by again. You have things to do.” It was a dismissal by Katrina. I stood, taking the key, and went over the earth magic door and waved to Katrina as a headed up the stairs beyond the door. I met a young elf male at the top of the stairs. He was not a master mage but I was able to purchase two stone spells from him, tier 1 stone shape and tier 2 rockball. The cost of 60 silver was painful as my coins were disappearing at an alarming rate. Now all I needed was a bunch of mana potions and I could sit down in my new room and work on my enchanting.
I left the Union hall and went to the alchemist. As I was walking there I noticed a man in beige clothes running through the city. Apparently I was not the only player who chose to start in Bluewater Bay.
It took 20 minutes of walking and asking for directions. The alchemist was a nice one story building with a small garden out back. I walked straight in and noticed the sun was getting low. The interior was just as I was expecting. Many vials of potions lined the shelves. Drying herbs and ingredients were everywhere in bins. A young male dwarf sat at a table using a mortar and pedestal. He looked me up and down, “Can I help ya?”
“Ah yes master dwarf. I would like to purchase some magic restoration potions. Also I would like to learn the skill of alchemy if possible.” The dwarf just stared at me.
“The minor magic restore potions are 20 copper, the regular magic restore potions are a silver and the greater ones are 10 silver. As to becoming an alchemist, I don’t teach just anyone. If you can show me your dedication by bringing me 20 red aloe stems, 40 winter peppermint leaves and 20 white lily petals I will help you learn the basics of alchemy. Name is Zolan by the way.” The dwarf finished his speech and went back to work.
“My name is Daedalus. I will purchase 20 minor potions.” I pulled out the four silver coins and placed them on the table.
“See, not hard being civil.” He got up and collected the potions into a small wooden box. Each bottle had 4 ounces of a milky white substance. “Do you need help in identifying ingredients I asked you for?” I checked and quickly made sure my herbalism skill allowed me to identify the red aloe stems, winter peppermint leaves and white lily petals.
“No, I am familiar with them.” I put the bottles into my bag of holding. “Are they local?”
“Yes, they all grow within a few hundred yards of the city walls outside the upper gates. If you wish to practice alchemy then you will need an alchemist kit. You can purchase one here or at the general goods store in town.” The dwarf returned to his seat and his work. “Have a good day Daedalus.”
New Quest Tracking: “Alchemy”, to be taught basic alchemy bring Zolan 20 red aloe stems, 40 winter peppermint leaves and 20 white lily petals.
That interaction did not go as well as I had hoped. Zolan the dwarf was very aloof. I just sighed and went to the town gate in hopes of gathering the plants for the alchemy quest before night came.
After passing though the gat I traveled along the wall of the city and picked whatever I could identify. It took two hours and just when it was getting too dark to see I had the required materials and samples of dozens of other plants and fungus I could identify with my herbalism 1 skill. I entered the gates after identifying myself to the guards. I was passing by the alchemist thinking he was closed but noticed the dwarf out in his garden. I approached him and as I got close he looked up and said, “Night thistle flowers, only bloom at night. Guessing you found the ingredients. It is late but I have some time if yer still interested in learning.”
“Yes that would be fantastic!” The dwarf was not as enthused as me but finished his picking and went inside, expecting me to follow. I purchased the alchemist kit for 5 silver. The dwarf then spent the next hour showing me how to prep the ingredients I had harvested. Prepared red aloe and winter peppermint could be combined to make a minor health potion. Winter peppermint and white lily could be prepared and combined to make minor magic potion.”
Quest Completed: “Alchemy”, you have learned Alchemy! Experience 100
Alchemy 1 Tier 1 unlocked: +1 Intelligence, safely brew tier 1 potions, +1% to potion effectiveness
You now know a new recipe for Minor Magic Restoration Potion, restore 200 magic in 30 seconds
You now know a new recipe for Minor Health Restoration Potion, restore 200 health in 30 seconds
The last potions I had created restored 202 magic and 202 health respectively. My new skill gave me a 1% effectiveness increase to potions I created. The potions I had purchased restored 260 magic. Which meant Zolan was a master alchemist. “Zolan, it has been a pleasure to be taught by a master. I thank you for your time.”
“Eh, yes, well you brewed the potions. Saved me some time replenishing my stores. Here, take these.” He pulled two parchments out. One contained a recipe for a minor stamina restoration potion and the other one had a recipe for a potion that would raise the magic stat by 10 points for 8 hours. “Figured since you are a mage you could use the knowledge. Now it is late and I have much work to do tomorrow.”
I left the dwarf’s shop and rushed back to the Union Hall. The door was closed but as I got close my mark warmed and the doors swung open as I approached. The atrium was empty. I went to the door to the apartments and pulled out my key. I inserted it into the lock and rotated it. The door swung open and I entered into small room 12 feet by 15 feet. It had a twin sized bed with a rough mattress and no blankets or pillows. A small desk and chair sat near a window. A narrow multi layered shelf dominated another wall. I walked to the window and opened it. The outside was dark. I decided I had done enough for today. My game timer was almost to 8 hours. So I had spent two hours more than I had planned. I logged out and exited the Cocoon. Flicka was waiting by the Cocoon begging to be let outside. The sun was low and it felt weird changing to the day light. I put on some socks and running shoes and me my dog went for a run on the trails. I had run this circuit around the mountain hundreds of times. It was a 3 mile loop but all I could think about was the game. I was making plans in my head the entire time a was running. Flicka was happy to get a chance to stretch her legs. I even mindlessly played frisbee with her until it got dark when we got back from our run. I went inside and prepared both our dinners. I had to fight the urge to log back into the game. The new world was calling me and I could see why people could want to spend every waking moment in the game. I made some plans. I would play for 8 hours a day max. I would play from 6pm to 2am and then sleep to 10am. From 11am to 4pm I would get my work done around the campgrounds. The other 3 hours would be spent eating, exercising and playing with Flicka. I also sent an email asking Samantha to take Flicka out for a walk every day at 8pm in exchange for a waiver on her electric and gas bills. She replied with an affirmative and thank you. I knew she was having trouble paying for school. I went to bed and Flicka hopped up and curled up at my feet.
The next day was stressful. I had materials for the new pavilion and 8 new trailers being delivered. The trailer frames came in a few days ago and I was anxious to get building. But the call of the game was strong. The concrete contractor showed up at 8am. We walked the site for the mini house trailers. He was to pour a 20 x 30 spot for each unit. This allowed space for the trailer and to park two cars. The pavilion site was to be 140 x 120 and also had 8 massive cement supports poured. The contractor offered to build the pavilion for me and quoted me a reasonable price. I agreed as I was getting way too distracted. I would spend my time with the trailers and supervise the pavilion.
The day vanished quickly and I had set twenty things into motion. The entire day Flicka followed me around as I did each task. Soon it was 4pm and I changed to do a run. During the run I planned my game time. I showered and ate when I got back to the cabin. Flicka hopped up on the bed thinking we were turning in early and was disappointed when I walked over to the Cocoon and closed the lid.