#Old friends
[In previous chapters, I used the term "Steel Bolts", which resulted in some small confusion. As of this chapter, it well be changed to "Steel-tipped Bolts", as not the entire bolt is made from steel. A minor change to the whisper system has also been done.]
Even though it's not as dense, the area surrounding Rhesta is still a forested area, much like Serabourg, and similar monsters could still be seen. Rabbits and Foxes were still available for newbies to fight, with Wolves, Boars and Bears further and deeper in.
Very occasionally, due to some error in the mapping system, a bear would find its way into the newbie zone, but these were normally quickly dealt with by town guards/soldiers (like slenderman would have been), passing adventurers, or a group of brave/reckless beginners who wanted a challenge.
It was one of these bears that I spotted near the edge of the newbie zone. It hadn't quite made its way in yet, but was starting to scare away some of the players, and I decided it was the perfect test subject for my new weapon.
The Dragon's Breath crossbow, despite having been made by me, for me, felt unfamiliar in my hands when compared to the Sword-Bows I've been using up till now.
I stood as far away from the bear as possible as I loaded my crossbow. First pulling the charging handle until I heard a faint *click* sound, and then pulling a steel-tipped bolt from my quiver (at its usual position on my waist) and loading it.
The bear was standing up on its hind legs and sniffing at a tree, with its side facing me. My target was the belly, since I wanted to test the igniting capabilities of the weapon.
After aiming for a little longer than I really needed, I pulled the trigger and the bolt fired with a *Thwok* sound. As the steel-tipped bolt passed through the flint barrel, it produced a shower of sparks.
As the bolt flew out, the flames flickered for a moment as though it wouldn't catch, but a moment later it burst into a miniature conflagaration that would kill any nearby flies or mosquitoes.
The bolt hit the target's belly with much greater force than the one fired by that wimpy "Long Arm of the Law" crossbow and penetrated the bear halfway down the shaft, and the flames ignited the nearby fur.
In just a second the bear went from scratching its butt to flailing around in in attempt to somehow stop the fire sprouting from its belly. In the end, it flopped down flat on its stomach, finally putting the fire out, but pushing the bolt further into himself.
*And now, to finish him off before he gets to me... Hrm?*
Done with my observation, I prepared to take my next shot to finish off the bear, but instead of running towards me, it seems to be fleeing into the forest.
I decided not to chase after it as I did not wish to go through all the trouble just for a single bear, which would give little other than the fur on its back.
*At least we know this thing works.*
When I moved my eyes away from the crossbow sights and looked around, I realized that many of the players were looking at me. More than they would look at any other higher level player.
It took me a moment to figure out that my charisma stat, thought lower than bard/dancer classes, was higher than almost every other player of my level, and this gave me a subtle glow. Coupled with my exotic and outragously bright costume and my unusual weapon, it made me quite an eye-catching figure.
With a quick nod to my "audience", I turned around and walked back to town to ponder my next course of action.
*Now, if this was some kind of fa-...*
[Splay Mark] :Hoy:
...
...
Deja vu...
[You] :Hey, Splay, What's up?:
[Splay Mark] :Me and the rest of the guys are about to reach Rhesta! We could wait for you there and-...:
[You] :I'm already there.:
[Splay Mark] : ... How... Nevermind. You're still around level 30 right? We'll help get your level close-..":
[You] :I'm actually over level 45 now...:
[Splay Mark] : ... We left you alone for the weekend and you jumped twenty levels... How... :
[You] : I got myself good quest. :
...
...
...
...
[Splay Mark] : I'm gonna just leave you alone now... :
[You] : OI! HOLD ON! ARE YOU SULKING? COME BACK HERE AND GET ME! :
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I was waiting in an inn in Rhesta when suddenly...
http%3a%2f%2fi.ytimg.com%2fvi%2f3tBqdKGiqnI%2fhqdefault.jpg [http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3tBqdKGiqnI/hqdefault.jpg]
"WOLOLO!!" a voice screamed into my ear.
"BULAK-KUA_ACK!" I sputtered randomly in suprise at the sudden noise.
"Guess Who."
"THERE'S ONLY ONE BLOODY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO USES THAT GREETING!" I shouted back once I regained my compusure.
"Lol" replied Voltanis, who had managed to sneak up behind me.
Dressed in a dark green vest, with a white wizards robe underneath, Voltanis was one of the members of the clique/guild I mentioned some time ago. A simple tricorne the same color as his vest topped his black (with a slight blue tinge) hair.
Behind him, Kenobi and Splay Mark were just entering the inn.
Kenobi's build was much slighter than most other Paladins (which I had learned was his class). He wore a light-plate breastplate over a rough brown monk's cassock that was split down the middle from the waist down. More plating was strapped ontohis arms, shoulders, and over the leather pants he wore. On his left hip was a hiltless epee (perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a long spike?), and a buckler was slung over that.
Splay Mark, on the other hand, was by far the most simply dressed out of all of us. He basically walked around Hulk style, pruple boxers and all. The only other piece of "clothing" he wore was the scabbard that held the large double axe that was slung over his back. Ther person himself was a bald, heavliy muscled man, with dark skin similar to Malays and Northern Indians. It was a common design among all his "Splay Marks" that he created in any other game. Come to think of it, he kinda looks like a lighter-skinned Terry Crews.
"Ni Hao's!" said Kenobi as he did a Chinese-style kung fu bow. Not specifically because he was Chinese, but because it had somehow become our traditional greeting. (Which was started by Voltanis)
http%3a%2f%2fblog.flexioffices.co.uk%2fwp-conten...00x195.jpg [http://blog.flexioffices.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Chinese-greeting-karate-300x195.jpg]
"""Ni Hao's""" replied the rest of us.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"Notrem!" Splay clapped me on the shoulder, "You know Blacksmithing, right?"
"Yes... I'ma Blacksmith."
"Help me make a weapon."
"THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU ASK WHEN YOU MEET ME!"
"Hey, hey, we're friends right? And I'm not asking for anything complicated."
"... Fine... I can guess what you want anyway. Sword? Axe? Hammer?"
"Sword."
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Not Long Later.
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Not-a-Sword:
Durability: 150/150
Damage: 30-50
A rough, ugly weapon made with function, not form in mind. So impossibly massive, no normal human could handle it. This thing is too big to be called a sword. It's too big, too heavy, and too rough, it is more like a large hunk of iron.
Equip:
None
Limits:
STR 200+
This weapon was patented by a player named "Gatsu", in order to make it a usable item, a small fee has to be paid.
Would you like to pay it?
Y/N
...
...
...
*Who the... Why would... Nevermind, It's only a few silver.*
After paying the small fee, I passed the overly-oversized sword to Splay Mark, who promptly equiped it and tossed (literally) away his old axe.
The description on the weapon was not inaccurate. It was so big and heavy that it could not possibly hold an edge, since it would get blunt everytime it hit something. It was so heavy that it could not possibly be carried by anyone around our level simply due to the weight limit. It was for this purpose that Splay Mark doesn't wear any armor, to make full use of his carrying capacity.
"Thanks 'mate! Quite frankly all the weapons I've been using just feel too light," he said as he adjusted his sheath so that it could fit the impressive weapon, "It's good to finally have a proper weapon."
"... I'd hardly call that a proper weapon."
"Well, it is to me!"
"Can we go now?" said Voltanis, who had been waiting patiently, along with Kenobi, for me to finish the weapon.
"Yep!" replied Splay Mark.
"Let's go then," Kenobi said as he stood up, "I've got a nice suprise for you guys."
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By following Kenobi, we found ourselves walking through a long, dark, and narrow back alley that I had somehow managed to miss while I was exploring earlier.
After passing by countless buildings, we stopped at an unmarked door, which Kenobi knocked on three times before entering.
We entered a dark room with a counter, and behind the counter were two hooded figures with a large object in between them.
"Do you have an invite?" asked one of the figures.
"Yes, two invites for two people each."
"Let me see them," said the other figure, who reached out to take the scrolls that Kenobi offered them.
"Hmm.... MhmMmm... Mmmm-Hmm..."
The two figures met in the center of the large object in order to examine the scrolls (how they managed to see in the dark is beyond me.
"These invites seem to be genuine."
"Therefore, by the power invested in us-"
"By us-"
"We give you the right-"
"To use-"
"Our-..."
...
...
...
After a short dramatic pause, the lamps that were placed throughout the room suddenly lit themselves.
""RANDOM DUNGEON GENERATOOOOOOOR!!!""
The two hooded figures struck a pose and presented the object that was hidden in the darkness, which was....
A game wheel.
""ALRIGHT! SPIIIIIIIIN!!""
ForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewers
CastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForest
PrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastle
UnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrison
PlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastle
UnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrison
PlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastle
UnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHoleForestPrisonPlainsIslandCaveMountainTowerDesertSewersCastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHole
"Wait, What?" someone exclaimed (was it me?)
""COMEON WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT!?""
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"Cave!"
"Mountain!"
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"Volcano!"
"Forest!"
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"DONKEY!"
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CastleUnderwaterLibraryVolcanoCloudHellTowerHole
Underwater
Library
Volcano
Cloud
Tower
Hole
Forest
...
...
********PRISON********
"And it's PRISON!"
"Don't forget your get out of jail cards!"
"Transportation in: 3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"0!"
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Author's Notes:
Hello again!
I'm Back!
Sorry abou the short hiatus, but at least I came back! (unlike some other unmentioned authors)
Also, A big thank you to Moridin who read all my chapters in one day and commented on every one of them!
And at the same time organized my chapter list. :p
As usual, any and all comments and criticism will be welcome.
Have a nice November.