- 26 -
Drew flapped his wings, trying to gain altitude.
He struggled at first, after a few tries, he finally lifted off the ground and really flew for the first time.
Wahooo!
Stamina: 74%
He felt a rush of exhilaration as he caught a strong breeze and it lifted him higher.
He reached the height of the roof around the courtyard before evening out to practice gliding.
Stamina: 55%
Quest Progress: Gliding: 85%
There really is a trick to it or the wind blows you off course. I need to keep track of where the wind is coming from, and also how much stamina I have.
It’s kinda like sailing with my dad on the lake, except you go up and down too.
From above, Drew could see the neighborhood. He spotted a group of Gallow Birds landing on another large building several roofs away and decided to check it out.
The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the sweet aroma of baked goods from the nearby café.
Drew landed atop another large building before his stamina got too low and saw a group of people in leather armor exit the building. They were equipped with weapons and had packs on their backs. As he looked closer, the clinking sound of swords and armor, the bustling of beer mugs and bar room banter, and the distant rumble of thunder as a storm approached blended together.
He cocked his head away from the wind, he could feel the rush of the wind against his feathers and the sunlight warming his wings. There were Skurr flying down into the open air dining area. A few of the birds gave him a sideways look then shrug before gliding down to join the others.
He flew down awkwardly, trying to adjust his wings and tail feathers to land on to a beam in the rafters.
Drew managed it on his first try, and sat to rest while getting a better look around. The dining hall area was rectangular, with the two shortest sides open to the courtyards on either end. There were a few banners with Skurr and Gallows motifs, green on black.
It’s way too loud in here.
Skurr were freely strutting around under tables picking up scraps. Any that strayed too close to an adventurer were shooed away but it all seemed neighborly. Some adventurers gave out scraps. But mostly the two races ignored each other.
It’s exactly like food courts back on earth. Seems like Borealis was right, people are mostly indifferent to them, treating them like crows. They aren’t pests and they aren’t food. Nice!
From his new vantage point he could see people buying and selling equipment along one of the long walls. Some folks were talking with a pretty guild representative about a quest, and a few others were practicing their combat skills in the training area in the courtyard just outside.
The adventurer that was speaking with the guild representative was suddenly covered in glowing light. Drew ducked his head behind his wing and several Skurr took flight before the sudden burst of light started to dim.
The surrounding people cheered as he pumped his fist in the air.
He must have just leveled up. If I can start completing guild quests in addition to my crow quests I should be able to level up in no time.
A young woman entered with a child toddling along. The woman was dressed in light leather pants and a linen shirt. She wore an apron and it was covered in sawdust and wood shavings. She wore a short axe in a loop on her belt.
I bet she’s some kind of craftsmen. Craftswoman.
They walked up to the guild receptionist and spoke with her for a bit. They laughed together, and the receptionist leaned over the counter to hand the child a slim book.The two walked over to order a meal and took up a small table near the front where it was less rowdy.
If that’s a children’s book then I can use it to learn to read.
Drew swooped down to do a fly by, he got a look at the book before the woman swatted at him, shooing him away casually.
New quest: Puzzling: Learn Common (1%)
Jackpot! It’s definitely a picture book with the alphabet. That was a drawing of a sword, with some kind of letters.
He landed below the table next to the woman and child. He pecked at some crumbs doing his best crow impression.
The woman was patiently helping the girl sound out the letters and words while Drew listened from below.
A waitress came by to help them order some food, she had on the same working smock and skirts as the other two waitresses, except on her it was tight and short in all the best places.
Drew quickly looked away blushing.
I don’t think she was anticipating someone might have such a low vantage point.
The waitress flounced away with their order and the craftswoman went back to studying the book with the little girl.
I need to get closer, could I read the book from the table nearby? Or should I listen from underneath?
A man walked up to the table in miss-matched armor and leaned over to flirt with the woman.
“Oh hello, back again tonight? Could you stay for a drink this time?” The man said.
He was holding two ales and slurring his words a little.
“Not tonight, I’m teaching my sister her letters.” The woman replied. “But thank you for the offer.”
Their conversation was gibberish to Drew. But the woman’s body language was clear.
She’s not into you buddy. She's busy. Buzz off.
The man placed a full ale down on the table.
“No strings attached, here’s a free ale. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.” He said.
He better get lost or he’s going to get pecked. I bet a nip in the shin would get the message across.
The waitress came back with a tray of food and an ale.
“She ordered her own ale already Clyde.” The waitress said and shooed the adventurer away.
“Hey, I didn’t mean no harm.” He tried to grab his ale back but spilled it across the table.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The ale spilled down through the gaps and Drew skittered out of the way to stay dry.
“Watch it jerk!” Drew squawked.
The woman scooped up the child and narrowly avoided getting her soaked. The book was not so fortunate.
“My bad,” The man said and stumbled back a step. “Sorry for the mess.”
He placed a few copper coins onto the table and wandered off.
What a jerk! He got everyone soaked.
The waitress turned and set down her tray of food at a nearby table and helped the woman and child find clean chairs so they could sit and eat.
“So sorry about that. Adventurers can be lazy jerks when they have the coin. Let’s set you up at this clean table. I’ll get you another primer.”
Drew started to notice consistent inflections in their nonsense conversation.
Quest progress: Puzzling: Learn Common (12%)
I don’t think listening to them speak is enough to help me learn the skill.
The waitress hurried off to grab a dry book from the receptionist and didn’t notice the juvenile skurr hop onto the table and casually push the soiled book off onto the ground.
It’s still a good book, shame to let it go to waste…
Drew dragged the book off under an empty corner booth. He was able to turn the pages with his beak. He read the book front to back 6 times before an adventurer came to sit in the booth.
Drew was forced to cram all the way to the back out of the light and away from their feet.
It was harder to read in the dark under the booth but after the tenth time reading through, Drew started to notice a pattern to the letters. He turned each page and traced the shapes of the letters with his claw.
It finally happened when he reached the last page.
New Skill: Understand Common lvl 1: You are familiar with the alphabet of the common language of Lisaria. Higher levels of this skill increase your proficiency with reading and writing.
Alright!
“What the shit?” The adventurer in the booth stood up quickly, startled by the illumination of Drew’s level up under his feet.
“Is that Skurr eating a book? Shoo! Shoo!”
Drew hopped to the side and got a running start, pumping his wings to get airborn.
The adventurer didn’t chase him, instead he went to pick up the primer and shake it out.
Yeah! I could understand him!
From the safety of the rafters, he listened to the crowd of adventurers below him and could track a conversation here and there.
He spent an hour listening, and leveled up Understand Common to level 3.
It was getting late and Drew’s feathers ruffled, hinting at the weather starting to change.
He high tailed it back to his nest before the rain came down.
Quest Complete: Learn Gliding: Reward New Skill: [Gliding]
New Skill: [Gliding] - Gliding is a great way to reserve your stamina while flying. Higher levels of this skill improves your speed and agility, and reduces the stamina drain during use.
New Quest: Puzzling: The adventurers guild is a great source of food and quests. But how do things work there? Discover the basics of how the guild functions.
- 27 -
Two days later, the Adventure Guild hall was bustling with excitement. The guild hall was always busy, there seemed to be a handful of adventurers drinking at all hours of the day, and things really picked up at night when the bards came out and everyone sang and drank.
My leveling has slowed now after I Ranked up. It took me two days to get the 300 exp for level 2. And level 3 is going to be 500 exp.
He had spent each day following other Skurr around, flying and exploring the city. He leveled up his flying skill three times to level 5, and his gliding skill reached level 6.
All three of his siblings had ranked up into juveniles too and were just beginning to practice flying.
They at least were smart enough not to hop off the roof at level 1 like I did. But that’s how you grind levels like a pro.
He spent each afternoon in the rafters of the guild hall listening and his wisdom gained a point after 2 days. He also leveled up his Charisma to 9.
Dancing on tables is a great way to get food scraps. Especially if a good bard is performing. Turns out, the adventurers consider it good luck if you toss scraps to a Gallow Bird and it leveled up.
He learned quite a bit about how the guild worked. And completed the puzzling quest.
Quest Complete: Puzzling: The adventurers guild is a great source of food and quests. But how do things work there? Discover the basics of how the guild functions. Reward: 55 exp.
The Guild has all the services an adventurer might need. You can get a bed to sleep in upstairs in a communal sleeping area, or private rooms for extra coin. You can buy food and drink, equipment, health potions, additional training, and sell any materials they’d gained from fighting monsters.
It was a place any adventurers could find work, and make enough money to spend it all on a round of drinks and room and board for a week.
They are a happy bunch, but they are basically living paycheck to paycheck. I guess you can do that when all you have to do is complete a couple quests a week to pay your expenses.
New Quest: Puzzling: Quests and leveling up. How does the guild train their members? Discover the process and complete a guild quest. Reward: 1 Race Upgrade Point.
Today a group of small children gathered around Guild Master Roderick. He was a dwarf from the northern kingdom of Rodokk. With a twinkle in his eyes, the Guild Master cleared his throat.
"Welcome, young adventurers, to the Rottervale Guild training hall!" His voice resonated up to the rafters where Drew perched listening.
"Today, I will introduce you to the foundations of becoming true heroes in our realm. And how to earn experience points and actual experience to develop your skills.”
Why does this quest award a Race Upgrade Point? Is it from the Nature faction? I guess they want me to become an adventurer?
A young girl raised her hand, and her voice quivered as she asked her question. "Guild Master, why did you say experience twice? Are there more than one kind of experience points?"
Master Roderick smiled warmly at the girl. "Ah, an excellent question! Experience points, or EXP, are the rewards you earn for completing quests. You will also gain more knowledge, or life experience, by living in challenging ways. Real life experience is not represented by a number, it is the valuable lessons and growth you gain from your adventures."
A boy eagerly raised his hand. "And what do we do with experience points?"
The Guild Master nodded, acknowledging the boy's enthusiasm. "Another great question! We have a smart group this season. With experience points, you can improve your attributes and upgrade your skills. They are bestowed upon us for doing the gods' will. You will be able to shape your destiny and become even more formidable in combat, crafting, and magic."
The same boy had been waiting impatiently with his hand raised. "Actually, guild master, my mother told me people can increase their maximum Health Points, Mana Points, or Stamina Points with their experience."
Master Roderick chuckled. "Indeed, young scholar! Your Attributes such as Health Points, Mana Points, and Stamina Points are crucial for your survival and success. Increasing these attributes allows you to withstand more damage, cast more spells, or perform actions with greater endurance."
A shy boy near the back raised his hand timidly. "Um, guild Master, what are skills?"
Master Roderick's gaze shifted to the shy boy. "Skills are special abilities or proficiencies that you posses. They can be anything from a powerful strike with a sword, or a special technique to use while crafting armor or even speaking loudly so everyone in the room can hear you. The more you use a skill, the better you become at it. So, keep practicing!"
The children all listened intently as the guild master addressed their questions and guided them through the intricacies of their recent Rank ups. Drew followed along as he showed them basic adventurer skills to recover MP and Stamina faster.
New Quest: Puzzling: [Mana Recovery]: (1%)
New Quest: Puzzling: [Stamina Recovery]: (1%)
Drew did his best to practice along and was rewarded for his efforts.
Mana +1
Wisdom +1
Quest Progress: Puzzling: [Mana Recovery]: (67%)
Quest Progress: Puzzling: [Stamina Recovery]: (78%)
As the training session drew to a close, the guild Master’s voice rang out one final time.
"Remember, young adventurers, your character sheets are your gateway to greatness, convene with them, study them, live and breathe your stats and attributes. And as you level up, it is my hope this guild will become a second home to you. Craft here, find quests here, sell and buy gear and materials, and revel with the life long friends to make on your adventures! Today your journey begins!”
He turned to take in the whole room. “The guild sponsors your training for your first 5 levels. You will then test and those who qualify will form an adventuring team or choose to join an existing team. The realm awaits your heroic deeds!"
The children cheered, excited to take this first step towards adulthood.
“You are ready to embark on their first grand adventure, armed with the spirit of youth! I’m assigning you all a beginners set of quests.” The guild master casually created his standard Rank 1 beginner quest line bundle and activated it for all the people nearby at rank 1 .
New Quest: Gather Herbs - Gather 10 mint sprigs. The leaves are shaped like saw blades and it tastes good when used in cooking. This quest is repeatable.
New Quest: Gather Grass Fibers - gather 10 bundles of grass fibers. This tall grass is everywhere, and great for making rope or baskets. Beware of monsters in the tall grass. This quest is repeatable.
New Quest: Craft a Basket - make a basket of any size. Baskets can be used to help carry things. Some baskets are woven so well they can carry water. This quest is not repeatable.
Quest Progress: Puzzling: Quests and leveling up. (85%)
“Feel free to work together and gather these materials. You will each need to bring enough materials to complete the quest and you each need to craft your own basket.”
“If you come across any monsters outside of town, run away. As safe as the fields around our city are, there are still dangers for you beginners. True adventurers take these risks head on. While I don’t expect to lose any of you today, please be careful. Run away from monsters. We will cover basic combat tomorrow after you have completed your beginner quests.” The guild Master said.
Awesome! I got the quests! And with these two meditation techniques I can really get to grinding my skills!
The children rushed out the door in small groups to start their quests. And Drew flew along silently behind them.