I stood in front of the notice board, carefully examining my options. As a D+ rank, I had only basic quests available to me, and while I could do up to C level quests, I had to be in a party of appropriate strength before the guild would authorize those missions. This was a quiet cornor of the kingdom, and even basic quests seemed to be rare here. There was, oddly enough, an A level quest, but that was far beyond my grasp for the moment. Letting out a sigh, I accepted the fact that unless I was willing to attempt to join a party, I was stuck doing low level jobs for the moment. At first the guild's restriction on completing a certain amount of quests to change rank had made sense, but they hadn't mentioned the quests needed to be of a certain level in relation to your own ranking.
"Lets see. This one, that one, and that one." I hadn't meant to speak aloud, but even then, it would have slipped my notice had the nearby adventurer also examining the board not remarked on it.
"Isn't it dangerous to pick quests on a whim? And three of them at that. What if you can't actually do the requested job?" Her voice was clear and I looked at her in surprise. "Even if they're just beginner quests, you can't treat this like a game you know." She was clearly scolding me, and caught offguard like I was, I couldn't do anything except hang my head and apologize.
"No need for apologies. Lets take a look at which quests you're intent on doing then." Sheepishly I handed my choices over, and after a minute of inspection, she let out an exclamation. "I'm doing these two as well! Want to work together?" What? That was a sudden shift. Checking out my unknown lecturer, I frowned in surprise.
She was slightly shorter than me, her long black hair tied into a neat ponytail. More important than that was the seeming lack of a weapon. A caster? No. Those were reinforced gloves. A brawler of some type then. Perhaps a monk given the lecture. Emerald green eyes. Alright.
"We can party up if you want. It would make sense to work together for efficiency and safety." My words surprised me, more reasoned than I had expected them to be. Shooting a scowl at her, I continued. "Although you can drop the lectures from here on out. I'm not interested in being treated like a misbehaved child."
A frown marred the otherwise smooth skin of her face, and for a moment I thought I might have been to direct. "My name is Liu. I'll try not to lecture you, if you try not to get us both killed." Fair enough of a sentiment I guess. Extending my hand towards her, I introduce myself.
"Felix. D+ Rank, Level 2. I'm sure we'll get on fine now that the pleasentries are out of the way. Which quest would you like to start with?" I knew that it didn't matter which we started with, as all three I had selected were in the same general location. Two of them were simple scout and gather requests. The third was more complex. It was part kill quest and part mapping quest. A nearby dungeon had experienced a tremor, and a previously undiscovered part of the first floor was exposed. The quest was to remove threats and map the new rooms. Nothing too hard, given that the dungeon had been cleared before.
Liu's brilliant eyes shone as she considered the options. "We'll map first, then do the other two. That way we won't be tired in the dungeon." A solid outline I guess. Enough for a D rank quest anyway. Nodding my agreement, I excused myself, telling her we would meet in the guild lobby an hour from now. I still had business to attend to before leaving the village after all.
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The dwarf glared at me, and I frowned back. As was our ritual over the past few days since the orientation ended. Eventually he broke the stalemate. "Look kid. Just because Marcus said you'll get a rare weapon doesn't mean you get to pick what it'll be. Once you stop arguing with me about that, you'll get your prize."
I could feel my temper rising with every word. Yesterday the guard had seperated us, and today they had followed me into the armoury as a pre-emptive measure. "No. I don't want your crappy 'rare' bow. I want a weapon I can use comfortably, and that won't leave me bleeding out in a cave somewhere."
"Then don't go into caves with a bow you moron."
"Give me a sword!"
"I'll give you a sword in the gut first!"
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The village guards were already preparing to leap into action, when the dwarf started to laugh, and as we all looked at each other in confusion, he wiped a tear of mirth from his eyes. Seeing the confusion on my face set him off into yet another round of laughter, and I found my temper beginning to rise again.
"What is so damned funny!" I demanded, my fist meeting the counter between us with a thud. The sound got the dwarfs attention again.
"I don't know if you're brave or foolish. I do know you're as stubborn as a dwarf. Any other rookie would go running to Marcus after I tried to screw them over, but you just keep coming back for more. I swear, you might not look it, but you love fighting so much that you even accept a verbal match as fair game." Chuckling the whole team he spoke, I was struggling to decide if I should be mad or relax. Deciding on a middleground approach, I tapped on the counter out of frustration, waiting for the dwarf to get to the point.
"Look, I'll give you a sword. Is that good enough for you?" The dwarf asked, while he lifted a seemingly plain blade from a nearby weapons rack. Laying it out on the counter between us, he waved a hand towards the weapon, inviting me to inspect it. Gripping its hilt, I gave it a few practise swings, feeling it's balance and weight. It was well made, and while not a masterwork, it was excellently balanced. Light enough that I felt I could swing it for days without tiring. Now for the big reveal. Focusing on the weapon, I took a breath.
"Inspect"
Jian Rarity: Rare Durability: 200/200 Enduring: Double weapon durability, blade never dulls.
I smiled at the sword. It would do nicely. One less thing to worry about out in the field was one less thing possible of killing me. "It'll do nicely. Thank you for your kindess." The words are said neutrally, but the sarcasm is tangible. Claiming the sword and its accompanying sheathe before the dwarf can change his mind, I flee the armoury, returning to the guild in triumph.
Liu was waiting for me, clearly having merely waited at the guild while I attended to my business. Spotting me, she moved over, an eyebrow raised at the sight of my new sword. Smiling at the unasked question, I made a point of ignoring it. First things first.
"Alright, lets work out how we can work together. I'm a Paragon. My skills are focused on direct, sustained combat. In a fight, I'll take the vanguard. How about you?" I disliked having to share my classes name so freely, given its unique nature, but it was pointless to try hide it. It was even on my adventurer card, so anyone determined enough would find out without issue.
"I'm a monk." Huh, I was right about that guess. "My skills revolve around mobility and adaptability. In a fight, I'll use my mobility to remove threats behind the front lines." Fair enough. Monks could be crazy fast. A result of years of insane training. And that was before their skills enhanced their natural abilities further. Talking about skills, I was glad I had taken the time to learn how my active skills worked properly. A mental command brought an explanation of both before me, invisible to others.
Flurry: Each consecutive attack increases speed and power by [0.2]% of the base. Deflected and blocked attacks count for the chain. The chain is broken after [2] seconds without an attack.
Counter: Enhances the power of a counter attack based on level, attributes and timing. Current minimum increase [15]% in power.
They were simple in theory, but incredibly strong if used correctly. I had experimented with both of them, and found that while Flurry worked exactly as indicated, increasing my potential the more I fought, Counter actually was strongest if I relied on a single lethal counter-attack, expending as much of my energy and strength in a single devastating strike. Smiling as I watched the skills fade, I issued the command again, this time bringing up my passive skills.
True Strike: [2]% of the damage inflicted by the Paragon pierces elemental, magical and ethereal resistances.
Weapon Bond: The Paragon forms a bond with a weapon of Rare or higher quality. As they grow in power, so too does their weapon. However, they are unable to effectively use another weapon until the bond is shattered.
Bond: Enduring Jian
These were unlike anything I had heard about before. My theory is that they were due to my class being a legendary class. It had granted an entirely new set of skills, passive ones, and in addition, all of my skills lean towards the stronger side of the spectrum. The idea of what I might unlock at higher levels sent a giddy rush through me.
Seeing Liu looking back to see what was taking me so long to catch up, I picked up the pace, eager to take on my first real quest as an adventurer.