We strolled through the charming town of Bloomsora. Picture-perfect, like something out of a movie. It felt like a romanticized dream, but it was real, and it was happening now. The streets, a mix of cobblestone and asphalt, were lined with colorful houses and vibrant shops. It reminded me of a lively college town in the US with a splash of South American flair. The street signs had a mix of Spanish and English, giving it an international vibe.

As we walked, we passed by the townspeople, the NPCs. It was interesting how they spoke in heavily accented voices when we weren't interacting with them directly, as if they were speaking a different language. But when we did engage with them, they magically adopted our language and accent. It was bizarre, to say the least.

Eventually, we reached the heart of the town, the bustling Plaza de Flores. It was a vibrant square adorned with colorful flowers and a central fountain, a hub of activity. Alex had recommended a place called Bloomin Inn, conveniently located in the main square. Its neon sign flickered above the entrance, beckoning us inside.

“Guess this is it,” I said as Sarah and I stood outside the entrance.

“Gross. It looks like one of those creepy motels,” said Sarah.

My stomach growled. “Well, I guess we’ll find out if it is. I’m starving. Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, I barged into the inn, Sarah reluctantly following behind. The door jingled as we entered, and a tantalizing aroma of greasy goodness and freshly brewed coffee enveloped the dining area. It had the familiar feel of a roadside diner, with booths lining the walls, a few patrons enjoying their meals, and a bustling bar and kitchen at the center. To the left of the bar, a flight of stairs ascended to the second floor with a sign that read Sleeping Quarters.

My stomach growled again. God damn, I was starving. I hadn’t eaten or drank anything in what felt like days. I would kill for some bacon right about now. But, honestly, I’d eat just about anything that was placed in front of me if it meant satiating my hunger.

I sat down on one of the red and silver bar stools along the bar, waving Sarah to join me.

The short lady behind the bar, hardly paying attention, came up to us and leaned against the bar with her arm. She was wearing a name tag attached to her shirt. I was able to read it before she obscured it with part of her arm; Patty.

“What can I do for you?” Patty asked.

“Food. What kind of food do you have?” I asked.

“Any you want. What you want?”

“Bacon,” I said. “And eggs. Toast. Do you have hash browns?”

Patty nodded. “Yep. I can get that for ya. Scrambled?”

“Thank God. And yes, please.”

“And what about yer friend here? Same thing?” she asked, focusing on Sarah.

“Oh, uh, whatever he is having I suppose,” said Sarah.

“Alright. I’ll put that in and it’ll be out in a jiffy,” said Patty.

I smiled at her. “Thank you, Patty.”

Patty walked out of sight from the bar toward the kitchen.

“Is this where we have to stay?” asked Sarah. “It’s vile. The counter is… sticky. The floor is disgusting. It smells funny, too.”

“It’s just for at least tonight,” I said. “There isn’t any other place to sleep. Unless you want to sleep on the road. Plus, Alex recommended this place. I think he only gave us enough coins for some food and a stay overnight anyway. We’ll have to figure something else out tomorrow.”

Alex had given us about 100 coins of the currency that is used here. The coins themselves used the ranks that each human and monster had. We had 100 Opal Coins from Alex. He seemed a little angry about having to give away some of his money. He mentioned that this should be plenty for a meal and a bed but he wasn’t a charity so he wouldn’t be giving us any more. We’d have to go and find some coins ourselves. I hoped he wasn’t a cheap asshole like Fred, not that I was hoping to be a charity case.

“What I think we should do tomorrow is find some Opal-ranked monsters and fight them. Preferably one at a time. We need to get used to fighting. We can’t be freezing while a monster attempts to cut your head off,” I said.

“I know! I didn’t freeze,” said Sarah. “I just stood still.”

“Either way, we have to practice. I don’t think we can avoid fighting these things. So we might as well make it on our terms. What would be great is if we could find a bunch of weaker ones and level up off of them. We could work on strategies,” I said.

“That would be good. We don’t want a young child being left by herself to fight just dog-bunnies again, do we?” she said.

My face reddened from the shame of my actions. “Yes, exactly.”

She laughed. “It’s OK. I forgive you.”

I sighed. “That is exactly why we need to strategize. You are a class that needs to be in the face of the enemy. You need to overpower it with your strength and speed as it focuses on you,” I said. “I, on the other hand, need to be away from the enemy. I can’t have it in my face or else I can’t fight. I am an archer. I need space.”

“So, what you are saying is that you need me, a 12-year-old girl, to protect you, the adult man from monsters?” said Sarah.

Sarah was staring at me with her blank face. I couldn’t read her body language to tell if she was joking or serious when she did this. It was impressive, really.

I laughed. “I guess that is what I am saying. You are stronger than me now since you leveled up.”

Patty reappeared with our two plates of food, placing them in front of each of us, along with a glass of water.

I gulped down the water before Patty had a chance to leave and asked for another. She gave me a sour face but reluctantly went and filled it again.

The food looked and smelled delicious. I dove in and devoured it within minutes. My god, did it taste good. As I finished, I waved down Patty again.

“Patty,” I said. “Can we get two rooms for the night, please?”

“70 Opals Coins it’ll be,” she said. “Plus 15 for yer foods.”

“Perfect,” I said, pulling the exact change from my inventory. They appeared in a small blue silky bundle. I plopped it on the counter. “Here you go.”

Patty grabbed the bundle and handed us two keys. “Upstairs and down the hall. One on the left and the other on the right. Bathroom at the end of the hall. Bring keys back down in the morning or Big John will be knockin’. Understand?”

“You got it. Keys in the morning or Big John be knockin’,” I said.

Patty flashed a toothy smile.

I waited for Sarah to finish up most of her food before we headed upstairs. She took the room on the left and I on the right. “If you are up before me just knock to wake me up. I’ll do the same for you.” I said to her.

“If you say so,” she said. She flipped me the peace sign and went into her room.

“Alright, then.” Before I went into my room, I hit up the bathroom.

The state of the bathroom took me by surprise as I stepped into it. The bathroom was immaculately clean and bright. I did my business and made my way back to my room. Inside the room, I found a bed with a fluffy mattress. The most comfortable-looking bed I’d ever seen. Without a second thought, I buried my face in the soft pillow, succumbing to sleep in an instant.

* * * *

A thunderous pounding on the door jolted me from slumber. I rubbed my face, groaning, "How the heck is it morning already?" Another round of pounding, a brief pause, and then another assault on the door.

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“Alright, alright, Sarah. I'm coming,” I grumbled, forcing myself out of bed and shuffling towards the door. With a yawn, I unlocked it and pulled it open.

Out in the hallway, Sarah stood beside a hulking figure, clad in dark-blue overalls. She flashed me a mischievous grin as I greeted them.

“Um, who’s this?” I asked, eyeing Sarah.

“Hiya, Asher. You slept in quite late. This here is Big John,” she replied.

Big John grunted in response. The man was as wide as a barn and as tall as a redwood, causing me to tilt my head back just to meet his gaze. I've never felt so small in my life.

“Wow,” I said, astounded. “Patty wasn’t kidding when she said ‘big’. Sarah, I thought you were supposed to wake me up if you got up before me.”

“Well, I didn't know if you were awake, so I went downstairs to check. Obviously, you weren't there. I sat at the bar because my stomach was rumbling, and this gentle giant was sitting all by his lonesome. I struck up a conversation with him, told him all about our epic battle with the harehounds, how you vanished into thin air and left me to fend for myself, and how I whipped one of those mutts that slashed me. He's an excellent listener,” said Sarah. “He doesn’t talk much, though.”

“I already said I was sorry! She was just standing there and they were all running at me and—,” I began before Big John interrupted by extending his colossal paw towards me, palm up.

“Oh, the key, right,” I stammered, realizing my mistake. Instead of reaching into my inventory, I fished out the key from my pocket and dropped it into his massive hand.

He grunted and turned down the hallway, disappearing out of sight.

Sarah waved at Big John's retreating back “Bye, Big John! If I see Marybeth I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“Marybeth?”

“She’s his soul mate,” said Sarah.

“Uh, alright,” I said with a furrowed brow. “Well, let’s get ready to roll. We should eat something quick downstairs and then we go.”

Sarah smiled. “You need not to worry, good sir. I have already broken my fast. The lovely Patty had procured me some delicious sausage.”

“Wow, well that’s great—wait a second. How did you pay? I have the coins Alex gave us,”

“You have to know how to talk with people, Asher. She said it was on the house. In fact, she gave me all the extras,” said Sarah.

A plate of sausage and eggs appeared in Sarah’s hand and shoved it into my stomach.

“You can put anything in your inventory! Anything. Even cooked food,” said Sarah. “Isn’t that amazing?”

It was amazing and I was glad she did. I happily took the plate and sat back down on the bed, savoring every bite. Once finished, I placed the plate on the stand beside the bed. “Alright. Now let’s roll.”

Sarah walked in and picked up the plate, which vanished from her hands. “I’m keeping this. Patty gave me it.”

I flashed a grin at her. “If you say so.”

We exited the inn, Sarah bidding farewell to Patty and Big John with a friendly wave as they cheerily returned the sentiment. We found ourselves standing in the main square. Unsure where to go next, I picked a random direction and began walking.

As we strolled, we passed an assortment of storefronts, stalls, and people bustling about. Flower shops, pottery shops, an herbalist—the town had it all. I secretly hoped to stumble upon an armor shop with each passing sign, but it seemed luck wasn't on my side.

Sarah, on the other hand, eagerly engaged with anyone who crossed our path. It slowed us down more than I would've liked. I was itching to get out there and start slaying monsters. The thrill of battle was calling my name. But Sarah insisted on mingling with anyone who would spare a moment. She bombarded them with questions about the town, their activities, and even inquired about the mysterious Marybeth. They happily responded, but no one seemed to know who Marybeth was. This led Sarah into a sulking spell, lamenting about Big John's loneliness and the undying love he harbored for his soulmate, Marybeth.

We made our way to the outskirts of town, where green rolling hills dotted sparsely with trees greeted our eyes. While admiring the view, a frantic woman came hurtling down the street, wailing and shrieking in the local language. Sarah managed to intercept her before she could bolt any further, and the woman instantly switched to speaking in Sarah's accent.

“Help us! They’ve taken my husband!” she pleaded, gripping my shirt and pulling me down to her level. Through gritted teeth, she continued, “Help. Me.”

“Alright, lady. Relax,” I said, prying myself away from her grip. “Who took him?”

“The bloody goblins! Who else? They ravage anything they can. Those filthy bastards,” the lady said. “My husband was dragged away by these disgusting creatures. Back to their dwelling, I assume. Absolute monsters they are.”

Yes! This was perfect. Assuming, these goblins were Opal-ranked we could use them to tighten up our fighting. Goblins weren’t usually that big. At least in the games and movies I had seen they were depicted as hunched over ugly green guys. And they were stupid.

“Where is this dwelling?” I asked the lady.

“Thank you, thank you. You have to follow the road this way,” she said, pointing behind from where she appeared from. “There is a marking, you can’t miss it, it’ll lead you right to their dwelling. You’ll know it when you see.”

I glanced at Sarah, her poker face in full effect.

“Oh, and if my husband is still somehow alive, send him back this way will you?” the lady added with a smile before skipping merrily down the road towards town.

Quest! Find out what happened to the husband!

A mysterious lady claimed her husband was kidnapped by goblins. Find out what happened to him.

“Wow! A quest!” exclaimed Sarah. “Why didn’t I get a quest about Marybeth? That would be a real quest.”

“Well, that was strange, wasn’t it? Why the hell did she basically skip down the road after all that?” I asked.

“Because she knows we are going to save her husband. Obviously,” said Sarah.

“Well—maybe. Either way, we can use this as an excuse to learn to strategize and figure out how to fight together. Hopefully, we can get some levels. I bet there are a lot of them. A lot. I would think anyway. Don’t they usually live in villages? Or was it caves? Maybe both.” I said.

“Sure… and we want to save her husband, too, remember? I think that would be the priority,” said Sarah.

“The husband… yes. We see what happened to him if we can. We don’t need to risk our lives for an NPC,” I said with a more serious tone.

“For an NPC, they seem pretty real,” said Sarah. “Big John is in love with Marybeth. How can a fake person do that? They can’t!”

“I don’t understand it either. The only information is what I got from Cleo. Same as you. These people didn’t exist before that thing arrived. Monsters, too. They are all the same in my eyes.”

Sarah looked down before speaking. “Maybe.”

“Let’s go save this guy, shall we?” I said in a more friendly voice.

Sarah nodded.

We began walking down the road in search of the marking the frantic lady mentioned. She didn’t mention how far down it was but we hoped it was close.

“Maybe we could find an orb right away. That would be great to get that out of the way,” said Sarah.

“I don’t think we’ll be that lucky, Sarah. I’m not a very lucky person. Never have been. Unless you count being here as lucky. Then I guess I am. But I don’t want Cleo to hear that.” I said.

“Well, maybe we will. But I hope we find at least something,” said Sarah. “The husband would be good. Maybe he’ll give us a reward!”

“That would be nice.”

We walked for quite a while, longer than I had anticipated. I half-expected Sarah to whine about the distance, but to my surprise, she stayed silent. I figured a child wouldn't have the patience for such a trek. But what did I know about kids?

Thanks to the countdown timer, keeping track of time was a breeze. We had been walking for nearly two hours when we stumbled upon a crude wooden sign next to a worn-down path branching off from the main road. The sign featured a poorly painted goblin head with a bold red 'X' across it. The accompanying text declared, “No goblins here.”

I laughed. I guess I was right about goblins being stupid. And green.

“I think this is the place,” I said.

“What gave it away?” said Sarah.

Pulling out my bow, I crept forward up the path. Sarah equipped her long vicious whips and ran ahead of me. “Remember, I am supposed to be in the front!”

“Oh, yeah. Let’s try not to bring any attention to ourselves just yet. Let’s scope out what we come across first.”

She nodded, and we pressed on. The dirt path led us up a hill and into a thicket of trees. Behind the trees, we discovered tall wooden poles arranged in a circular formation, forming a fence. Each pole was sharpened to a point. Through the gaps in the fence, we caught sight of wisps of smoke rising in the distance. The path we followed led us to an opening in the fence, likely serving as the entrance to the goblin village.

We positioned ourselves on opposite sides of the fence, peering around the entrance to assess the situation.

Inside the village, chaos reigned. Makeshift structures and winding paths intertwined in a haphazard mess. The structures appeared to be hastily assembled, lacking care or thought. The paths, narrow and cluttered with debris, snaked through the village. A cacophony of squabbles and raucous laughter filled the air. Dim torches sporadically dotted the landscape, casting a faint glow on the scene. The sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick foliage, leaving the village in shadow. Without that shoddy sign, no one would ever suspect this place existed.

“Where are all the goblins? I hear them but don’t see them,” I said.

“Maybe they are in their houses. Or huts. Or whatever those things are supposed to be,” said Sarah.

“Let’s go in a bit further. Remember if they attack, don’t freeze. Use your whips.”

She nodded and darted into the entrance, making a beeline towards the nearest structure in the village, her back pressed against the wall.

Following close behind her, I did the same.

This particular building seemed to be cobbled together from scavenged odds and ends without much care. It stood taller than the average structure found in the village, possibly serving as a guard tower. To test its stability, I gave it a firm push with my hands, half-expecting it to wobble or collapse. To my surprise, it held firm.

An idea formed in my mind. Climbing the tower would grant me a better vantage point, and I might even be able to use my bow from up there if needed. I shared my plan with Sarah, who agreed to stay put while I climbed and to flee if trouble brewed.

Ducking into the entrance of the rickety tower, I ascended the crude wooden stairs. Each step groaned under my weight, making me nervous about falling through the shoddy construction. But I persisted until I reached the top.

Once at the top, I saw the source of the smoke. Toward the center of the village, a group of a few dozen goblins, all differing sizes, were congregated together in a crowded circle. There were tall ones, fat ones, and short ones. There even seemed to be child goblins.

In the center, a man stood beside a roaring bonfire. A hulking goblin with something atop its head snatched a burning stick from the flames and jabbed it at the man, eliciting a pained cry. The goblins erupted in laughter. Moments later, the giant creature and a few others of substantial size seized the man, hurling him into the blazing inferno. A horrifying scream pierced the air as he burned.

Oh, shit. That wasn’t good

Quest Complete! Find out what happened to the husband!

A mysterious lady claimed her husband was kidnapped by goblins. Find out what happened to him.

Completed! He was burned to death.

Reward: [Opal Adventurer Box]x1

“Uh, oh. Already?” I muttered.

A scream from Sarah came from below. “WHAT!”

I peered over the ledge of the tower to see her sprinting toward the center of the village, whips drawn.