Walking for a little less than an hour, she pulled up her messages. Phionex had sent many complaining about Lorali. Janet smiled at this. She hadn’t been the only one annoyed. She attempted to send a message, however a pop-up appeared.
You are too far from the target. You must use a mailbox.
Sighing, she should have known.
Fang whined beside her. “Yeah, I’m getting pretty hungry too,” she said.
taking the bow from her back she started off the safety of the road. At least assumed that the road was safe. The forest under brush was less dense here, and as she looked around her herbalism skill kicked in with the tag of medical over many of the plants. Taking the time she gathered them while looking for something to hunt. The herbs stacked in several different slots in her inventory but didn’t seem to have a limit, yet to them, and while they had a weight, it wasnt terrible. Some time and distance from the road Fang was alerted to something moving in the brush. Taking the hunting bow she knocked an arrow and lowered herself lower to the ground.
An icon popped up for her hunting, and she drew the arrow back, before holding a breath and letting it fly. The squeal of what she hit pierced her pointed ears. Fang took off before she could stop him. But came back to her a moment later with a rabbit in his maw. Tail wagging happily.
Like with the fish she was going to need to clean it. Looking up to the sky she let out a sigh. “Why can’t this be like SAO, and I just touch a knife to it?” she asked in her gruff voice. She was starting to like the sound of it.
Taking the furry thing she pulled the arrow out, and then slid her soul dagger into the creatures underbelly and gutted the thing there. Taking some fiber from the plants around her tied the rabbit to her backpack.
“Lets get another one before we head back,” she said to Fang.
Her steps were careful and she continued to collect the herbs as she walked, roughly following the road and river. Keeping the landmarks on her right side.
Like with the first hunt, the skill icon popped up into her vision and the arrow flew. The fowl, whatever it was took off running, she had missed the prey. Fang however still went to retrieve the arrow that had missed and stuck to the ground.
She took the arrow from Fang. They started walking again. She saw other critters that had a hunting tag over them but their skill level were 10 or more. She had to stick with the small game for now. She was also mindful that they were still within the forests where goblins had attacked her and ambushed a party. There were also wolves. Her eyes went to Fang with that thought, and she leaned over to pet him.
The herb collecting was more fun than she thought it was, and occasionally she came across an editable tag. What they were, she had no idea. She decided to taste one, since they were editable. It tasted like pepper, earthy with a hint of pep. Over all she liked it. The other was oniony, so maybe a type of spring or grass onion?
She took an arrow and knocked it as she saw the rabbit stand up from where it was. Its ears turning and twitching as it chewed on grass. The hunter skill activated, and she pulled back. Watching with a breath for letting the arrow fly.
The squeal was the sound of victory, as Fang happily went to collect the prize. Bringing it back to her she patted his head. She didn’t think that gutting an animal was ever going to be something she enjoyed to do. After it got tied with the first one.
“Okay Fang lets go make a noon camp and have something to eat,” she said to the wolf pup. Moving back towards the road and river, she hadn’t realized how far she had gone for when she had to walk past the road to get to the river. They weren’t side by side any more.
This was better. She would be off the road. She tossed the pack to the ground with the rabbits still attached. Fang sniffed around them. “Fang,” she called. The pup bounced up beside her. Leaning over she got some sticks and brought one to Fang’s nose. “Firewood.” she said as the puppy took one in his maw and growled.
“Firewood,” she said again. Bringing the wood back and setting it in a pile and then took Fang’s stick and added it to the pile. Moving out again Fang followed her and she gathered more wood.
“Firewood,” she said again giving Fang a larger stick to carry. The puppy with wagging tail carried the stick back to the camp site.
Janet dropped her bundle into the pile and then started to stack them up to get a fire going. Sparking the flint and steel a couple of times with the charcloth as again, a bit more difficult than she expected but she got it. The fire coming to life easily.
Once it was going she took one of the rabbits and skinned it with her skinning skill, something this small was more like tearing it off, but she got a rabbit fur.
Cutting into the flesh she took off the thighs for herself and tossed Fang the rest of the carcass. The wolf pup snatched it up and started ripping it apart. Janet dipped the rabbit meat in the river to clean off before skewering with wooden sticks and setting it over the fire.
“Wonder how far the city is from here,” she said to Fang. She filled her water skin and sat to wait for her lunch to cook.
Finally she was getting excited about the game. The dream for the first night, and meeting Heater in the game really helped her come to terms with what was going on. Heater said he would look after her too.
But she would have to deside what type of person she wanted to be. Was she in the mood for a lone wolf? Or did she want a companion? Already she knew a player companion was out of the question. They would have to be gone for days.
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She would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Watching her wolf pup crunch into the rabbit’s rib cage made her smile. The smile felt odd with her orcish tusks. Reaching up she scratched the stubble she had going on. She really needed a hygiene kit, and clothes, or a spell that cleaned and mended clothing. She tried pulling up the spell selection but a warning popped up that informed her that she could only do that in a level up. And she saw no experience bar, so she had no idea how close or not she was to another level.
Eating in silence she realized that she enjoyed the company of Phionex last night. Even if they were both quiet while eating. Traveling through this game would be pretty lonely then, if she choose to go solo.
Fire doused after eating she and Fang were back on the road. The travel was safe compared to what she had experienced. Not a single goblin or creature ventured out. She wouldn’t assume all roads were like this, but for the starter area she wasn’t surprised.
It was boring after a while. And wasn’t advancing towards her experience. Gamer mind kicking in, but the more pratical her said that she should get to a town for supplies so she can better hunt.
Into the evening hours she came across what looked like another party. She stopped behind them to see what the commotion was about. She looked at their player tags and then to the group that didn’t have tags. They were dressed in dark colors, greys, blacks, browns, ragged in appearance.
Bandits.
Perhaps an event?
“What do we do?” asked one of the players. “They already killed two people.”
Their aggro range didn’t seem to reach here, if they had an aggro range. She wasn’t sure the native inhabitants had such a thing.
She and the others watched as a fighter type from the look of his armor stepped out. He had a greatsword in hand.
“I challenge you so I may pass,” he spoke. She folded her arms and watched.
The bandits sent only one out, this one looked like a typical rogue, with the dark leathers and a dagger. The bandits didn’t move like the goblin warriors, in fact they seemed dumber if that was possible. The player, Swordmaster77, Janet had to mentally smack her head at that name, was worce. He was clumsy, like Jones had been swing his mace around. The movements also looked stressed and tense. Robotic in nature.
Did the game have an automatic fighting assistant?
Anyway these people were being silly, why didn’t they just all attack?
The fighter dropped to the ground, and Janet watched as the bandit moved to stab at his throat. She could run forward, but then that would put her in the catagory of a hero wouldn’t it?
The rogue’s blade sliced open the fighter’s throat. The man thrashed about as if in pain. Maybe he was feeling pain.
The fighter turned into light particals. There was hushed whispers around the crowd again, mostly wondering how they were going to get past this. What Janet noticed was the rogue picked up the spoils that the fighter had left.
She stepped through the throng of people to step out. She was nervous. Fang beside her. She dropped her pack on the ground and Fang sat near it. There were a few awes and hoos from the crowd at Fang.
“I would like to pass,” she said to the bandits. “I take it I must win a fight?” Her deep voice carried even if she wasn’t speaking loudly. She was happy she was a male orc at the moment, the bandit’s looked nervous.
They sent a fighter type with a shield and sword this time. Still in ragged dark leathers that didn’t fit properly. She went to her bag and pulled out her soul blade. She spelled it with Glacial Knife and turned back around.
“Let’s dance,” she said. The fighter rushed at her, the shield in front, waiting until he was two steps away she turned on her heel, the fighter blocking the crowd’s sight, she summoned a dagger and stabbed it into the leather. There was a scream of pain, and the fighter staggered.
That caught Janet off guard. Did these bandits not have the health that the goblins did? The bandit turned and attempted to strike her with the sword. She blocked it with a summoned scimitar and while his gut was open thrust her glacial enhanced blade into him.
The bandit dropped back, blood oozing from the two wounds she had created. This filled her with confidence.
“You may pass,” the apprent leader said.
“Sure,” she replied back, however before that, she knelt down and started to loot.
“What are you doing?” the bandit leader asked in an upset tone.
She opened the small cloth sack and grinned before standing up. “Taking my spoils like you take yours,” she said and looked back at the leader. “Are you going to try to stop me?”
Janet could tell that he wanted to. “You’re free to pass,” he said instead.
“How many have you defeated?”
The bandit looked at her orcish form, she could see the sweat start to appear on his face, making his grimy appearance glisten.
“Twelve,” he answered.
She scratched the scruff of her face. Debating on taking them all on and collecting the soils for herself, or walk away. She looked to the people, no, they were being dumb, if they all attacked at once this wouldn't be a big deal.
She shrugged collected her bag and walked past the bandits and then stepped off the road. She sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. The bandit leader turned his head to watch her. She placed her arms over her chest and Fang laid half in her lap. She decided she was going to take a small nap.
She didn’t have much shut-eye, it was difficult with the battles, going on, and her nerves being on edge incase one of the bandits tried to sneak towards her. Turns out she really didn't need to worry all that much.
The crowd had dwindled down to just a couple of people. This was good enough, and she was rested enough to continue through the night.
“I thought you had something in mind,” the leader said.
“So you’re not a dumb as some of the others?” she asked as she stretched.
“Why else would you win and stay, you’re just as greedy as we are no?” he smirked. He was elfin with the long ears and slender form. However his armor fit him, even if the apprence was that of ragged leather.
“Maybe?” she replied. “Got to survive somehow.”
“Right?” he smiled. “Tell you what, because I can tell I will loose my men to you if you really wanted to battle us.” Janet nodded her head at this, she thought so to when fighting his bandit. “So in exhange for my men’s lives, and so that I may contune my blockade here, I will give you a fourth of the spoils I have collected, and you can continue on your way, leaving us undisturbed.”
That was a good deal to be honest. It was tempting. A pop up appeared.
Event
Will you take the Bandit's Deal? Yes No Note : If you take the deal you will not be allowed to start a conflict with the Bandits.
Luckily she was hidden by the wagon and crates that the bandits were using more or less as a blockade. The elf motioned to the spoils she would be getting.
She selected yes.
“Alright,” she said and moved over and took the items in the sack and stowed them into her pack. “Happy hunting… what’s your name?”
“Andral,” the elf replied. “Andral Fadebane.” The elf tilted his head, “do I not get your name?”
“Cagen Thak,” Janet replied, then started on her way down the road.
Fang bounced along beside her as she left the bandit’s blockade.