After all my speech training, I could barely squeak out a greeting. I’d been absolutely fine the other day, up to the point when I realised there was a crush coming on.
“Frog in your throat?” Claire asked. “I can pick the direction if you’d like.”
She’d snuck up between the rows of houses, darting behind cover whenever I’d looked her way. I wouldn’t have noticed her anyway, because a piece of black cloth kept her bright hair tightly locked away in a bun.
It felt like going to a museum and finding out that the best artwork was locked behind a closed door that day, but I didn’t complain. Aside from the fact that she was, I’ll admit it, pretty, she appeared talented with her bow.
“Anywhere is fine,” I finally replied. “Also, you aimed between my feet, right? That was on purpose?”
“Initially I was aiming a little higher, but you looked so cute doing your little spinny circles, so I took pity.”
“I really hope you’re joking.”
She gave me a half-smile and raised her eyebrows, leaving my question up to interpretation.
We set out south of the Yard since I wasn’t interested in another [Wolthair] encounter up north. The fields and mountains teemed with players, some of which would’ve been out here hunting since before I’d had my run in with Bambuk that morning. Claire walked beside me, occasionally adjusting our course to a less overrun area. Her bow was looped round my neck, and her quiver sat neatly next to my javelin’s scabbard.
“You’re a decent packhorse, you know. Maybe you could pay back your debt by carrying around peoples' gear?”
“I was hoping for something a little more captivating.”
“Carrying peoples gear and telling jokes on the way?”
“Ha-ha.”
We passed some caves and cliffs, finally cresting one to the welcome sight of a player-less field. It was a half-hour hike, but my Endurance was sufficient to keep me going even with Claire’s gear adding to the weight.
Long grass sat dormant at the bottom of the hill, the wild stalks fighting one another to earn a stray ray of sunlight if one found its way into the trough of the valley. There might’ve been a drought back at Bill’s Yard, but the grasses here were thriving, only a couple kilometers away. We traversed a narrow path, and I had to hand the bow and quiver back to Claire to avoid getting it caught on everything.
My thighs burned from the steep ascent, but my companion didn’t let up. I probably had a bit higher Strength stat, however her natural Agility would undoubtedly surpass mine. We surveyed our surroundings from the top of the field.
“That’s a [Darthog] out there, see that? Coming down the path. You’d be able to get four of them on that skewer of yours. Could cook it up and sell the whole thing as a kebab.”
“You have an interesting imagination,” I said, secretly stashing away the concept for yet another backup business. Claire didn’t have to know that she gave me the idea, it would only give her more ammunition.
“Wanna try get some?”
I nodded, and we crept down the hill towards our prey. It was impossible to find the [Darthog] once we were in the thick of it, but luckily, monsters seemed to have a kind of ‘homing’ ability that drew them to players. All we had to do was stomp down a decent clearing of grass and wait for something to jumpscare us.
It didn’t take long. With such a low density of players, monsters flocked to us like flies on shit. The first to break through was a mangy [Darthog], as predicted. It was like a wild pig, but smaller in every way, almost pygmy. If it didn’t have a temper like a cat with a pulled tail, I would’ve adopted it.
My javelin came out, and I steadied my aim. Against such an unthreatening opponent, I could concentrate well enough to feel confident with my throw. As the javelin left my grip, the [Darthog] flipped into the dirt, an arrow in its side. It started decaying almost immediately, and my javelin missed its mark, settling into the grass.
“Beat ya to it! I’ll take that EXP, thanks.”
Another two [Darthog] burst through, and once again two arrows found their targets, whilst I was left feeling useless.
“Jeez Ollie, I’ll be levelling up soon, get in on this action!”
I glared at Claire and her stupid long-range bow and her annoyingly quick reaction time.
She was smiling back, barely containing laughter.
“Come onnn Ollie, I’m just messing with ya. Hold my hand real quick, I’ll set up a party.”
She slipped her gloved hand into mine and my heart skipped a beat. Up close, I could see her green eyes and the way the corners of her eyelids crinkled when she squinted. They were the marks of someone who smiled a lot.
I looked away and let out a pent-up breath. She was taking her sweet time with arranging the party.
“You almost done?” I asked.
“Almost. Your name is spelt funny.”
“It’s really not.”
A notification appeared, prompting me to accept an invite to Claire’s party.
“Ew, someone called Claire Pranutal just invited me to their party. Better reject that.”
My jibe earned me a punch, so I knew it was successful.
“You can continue earning zero EXP if you like. Up to you.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She was right. I accepted the request before it could be rescinded.
The monsters ramped up after that. Swarms of [Darthogs] broke through from all sides, finally giving me some practice with the spear. They went down in one hit each, and the EXP flowed in.
{You have defeated a Level 1 Darthog.}{+3 EXP, +1 Darthog Leather}
{You have defeated a Level 1 Darthog.}{+3 EXP}
{You have defeated a Level 2 Darthog.}{+5 EXP, +1 Darthog Leather}
The notifications were never-ending, eventually collecting themselves into a counter at the corner of my vision. After it reached fifty, the small bubble just read ‘### Notifications’.
After every ten or so arrows that Claire loosed, I would escort her around to collect them. This was when I had the most work, but she couldn’t do much more than poke at them with her bow. The [Huntress] class could use a dagger, but she was yet to purchase one.
She yelled over the squeals of the [Darthogs]. “I’m getting bored! Wanna switch locations?!”
“Absolutely! I’ve got enough {Darthog Leather} to start an armchair business!”
We plucked the last of Claire’s arrows from the ground. It was hard to find them at times because the monsters kept disappearing before we could get to them, leaving the arrows hidden in the grass. Vacating the area was another mission, but some players had inched towards us over time, so we kind of ‘transferred’ the pig fight onto them.
If the [Darthogs] had dropped bacon, I never would’ve left.
Our second arena was a picturesque cliffside, suitable for an end-of-movie battle between an enviable protagonist and a misunderstood anti-hero. The sun was high in the sky, and the weeds growing between us and the fifty-foot drop below all bloomed with decadent flowers, as though they were apologizing for being weeds.
We ruined the scene by conducting large-scale warfare on waves of green beasts very simply called [Goblins]. It was like the developers had gotten to the outskirts of Bill’s Yard, realised that their deadlines were fast approaching, and just skimped on the knick-knacks that only the poor folk would see.
Claire had a better vantage point from the high ground, which made my job a lot easier. I cleared my notifications so I could keep track of what these new monsters gave me.
{You have defeated a Level 2 Goblin.}{+4 EXP, +1 Goblin Snot}
{You have defeated a Level 3 Goblin.}{+6 EXP}
{You have defeated a Level 1 Goblin.}{+3 EXP}
Lovely.
I didn’t want to know how {Goblin Snot} would be stored in my inventory. As long as I didn’t have to physically touch it to remove it, it was fine by me.
A [Goblin] managed to sneak his way past our flank, somehow finding safe passage through Claire’s barrage. I stepped in to sweep up the trash, plunging my spear into its side.
It didn’t go down.
Instead, the crumbling, rusted sword in its right hand sliced into my arm, burning like hot wax in a needle. I yelped and dropped my spear, batting the [Goblin] away with my shield. In anger, I put more force into the shield bash than intended, and the green snot-dropping creature cleared the cliff edge, careening down to the ledge below.
{You have defeated a Level 4 Goblin.}{+8 EXP}
Didn’t think he’d survive that one.
We continued until Claire’s arrows snapped. They went slowly, maybe one every fifteen minutes or so. By the end, she would shoot a few arrows, we’d go and collect them, then rinse and repeat every minute or so.
I’d levelled up, as had she.
“I’m exhausted, can we head back?” I asked.
“Absolutely. Not cos I’m bored or anything, but yeah. Enough green guys for today.”
We broke ranks in a flurry, sprinting down the hill while the last of the Goblins chased us. It was kind of like running from sugar-high kids at a playground, but they all had rusted knives and it was okay to incur grievous bodily harm on them.
We jogged until Bill’s Yard was in sight. There were enough players around to soak up the monsters before they ever made their way to us. For the first time, I felt a pang of jealousy as I noticed some of the fancy gear that others had already obtained. I’d had big plans to conquer whatever spawnpoint I found myself at, but I’d made minimal progress so far.
“You good?” Claire asked. “You were eyeing off that [Warrior] like you wanted to throw that stick of yours at him.”
I left my daydream. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just trying to work out what to do next. There’re so many strong people. I feel left behind.”
“Is this about that blip on the cliff? I saw you had a close encounter with that [Goblin].”
Of course she saw it. I hoped the whole ‘throwing a small monster off a cliff’ thing didn’t make me seem heartless.
“Kind of, yeah. I don’t get how you were one-shotting everything, but that bludger tanked a hit from me like it was nothing.”
“He might’ve been a higher level. Check your spear’s damage.”
“It's damage?”
“Yeah, like, its stats.”
I hadn’t even thought to do that. It’s hard to switch to the concept of just ‘checking stats’ when real-life doesn’t quite accommodate that kind of thing. There’s no way to tell if a wooden spoon does more damage than a potato masher, or if a carving knife could one-shot a rooster.
Well, there is, but…yeah.
The Options page showed me the command, and I opened my Inventory for the first time. I’d collected 18 {Darthog Leather}, and 11 {Goblin Snot}. My armour and accessory slots were all empty, which helped me realise just how much krad I would need to spend before I was fully equipped.
“It says my spear does 7 to 13 Damage. Is that similar to you?” I asked.
“11 to 18 for my bow.”
“Oh. And what’s with the variance? Why not just a straight 13 Damage?”
Claire breathed out, exasperated. I’d stopped us in the middle of a barren field, and the boiling sun beat down on us. It wasn’t the most pleasant conditions to answer an incompetent player’s questions in, but she stuck around.
“Not all damage is treated equally. Imagine I shoot you in your little finger — it’s not going to hurt much. But imagine I shoot an arrow riiiiight in here—” She stepped forward, poking my stomach, “You’re probably not going to enjoy it. Care for a practical demonstration?”
I valued my pinky finger and stomach very much, so I declined. Claire seemed disappointed.
“Alright, well, I got up super late and haven’t had brekky. Imma disconnect and leave you to ponder everything I’ve taught you,” she said, initiating the command that would make her character disappear.
“Sounds good! Thank you, O Wise One, I’ll try not to aim for any pinkies.”
She gave me a nod, then scrunched her eyes shut in the moment before she vanished. For a moment, I wondered where she would be waking up. Did I have a crush on someone who lived half a world away? Was she my next-door neighbour?
I had bigger fish to fry, so I finished the trek to Otto’s Pub. I stood outside, allocating my rewards for reaching Level 2.
Attributable Stat Points: (0)(-2)
Strength (3) (+0)
Defence (2) (+0)
Vitality (1) (+0)
Affinity (0) (+0)
Restoration (0) (+0)
Endurance (4) (+0)
Agility (5) (+2)
Attributable Skill Tokens: (1)
1. Shield Bearer I (Passive)
Increase strength of all shields by 10%. Shield durability replenished.
2. Dash (Ability)
Travel a short distance in any direction, nearly instantly. 3-minute cooldown.
With my next task in mind, I immediately placed the two points into Agility, and selected [Dash] as my skill. A small part of me wanted additional Strength, but I had come up with a plan to pay off my debt, build Friendship with the NPCs, and boost my level all in one.
I would become a courier.