I ate my meal and said farewell to Markos. He told me more about the village and a few strange rituals that had been taking place. It made for interesting entertainment while I ate, especially when he would act out certain parts of battles. Still, I can't shake that feeling of being unwelcome here. I thought about exploring the rest of the town and seeing if I could pick up multiple optional quests, but everything looked closed and deserted. I couldn't tell if people were just ignoring me like I was some kind of comic-book villain or they simply didn't exist. Maybe more would pop in, once I completed a few quests or leveled up. Still, some armor, potions, weapons would have been nice. I was lucky I had chosen sorcerer as my class. Anything else and I would use my fists. I could easily picture myself punching one of those ghouls and breaking my hand. Not the kind of pain I was looking for.

It's noon when I find out where the Vampire Castle is. It is said that it was once an infamous cynosure for scientists and philosophers from all over the world. Now a shadow of its former glory, it stands sad and gloomy, overshadowing Pedasa with its recent past. That's the place where many men and women lost their lives and where the Demon Lord Alastor killed the Vampire Queen. At least, that's what Markos told me. And besides being a quest-giver and superb chef, I'm not sure how much I can trust him.

I continue to walk on a path that takes me through the city. On the way out I notice a small stable empty of animals, but there is another figure there. A human boy picking a straw. I decide to leave them alone for now. Maybe later they will be able to sell me a steed, but at level 2 it's just a waste of time. Down the road outside the city I go, marking Nestor's castle on my mini-map. There are woods to travel through but they don't look threatening. Plus, since it's the middle of the day, probably the worst I could run into are bandits, maybe a few feral wolves at worse.

I've been walking in the woods for about ten minutes when I have my first encounter. An enormous creature that looks like a boar approaches me. The fur is a mixture of brown and green. Four large tusks sit at the edge of its snout. It has a black mane, covered in mud and dreadlocks, across its entire back. Its short tail looks like it has been chewed on with several dozen claw marks across its body.

"You don't happen to be a herbivore?" I ask mockingly.

I use my Insight to find more about it.

Wild Boar. Threat level 5. HP: 15 out of 50.

The creature is badly wounded. A part of me wonders if I can heal it, maybe it will go away on its own, but the red in the creature's eyes tells me it won't work.

I step back and wonder if I should run or hide but I'm already too late. I try to cast a defensive spell but decide instead to dodge and roll out of the way. I can’t be sure when I’ll need to use Tier-1 spells again, and it really feels too early in the day to be out of inventory spells. Then, I recall that I used all my Tier-1 spells inside the cavern. Even if I want, I can’t cast one until I have a long rest. I think of Smeme and the advice he had given me. Play it smart. Never just dive in. Reserve your spells and use the world around you to your advantage. Maybe this entire game was some idea of his. Either way, I'm not too eager to find out what happens when you die here.

I shift my weight across the ground and balance myself. I'm putting myself on the offensive, into the line of fire. The Wild Boar misses me by charging headfirst. It isn't fast either. It's limping as it comes at me. Had I more strength or martial arts, I could knock it to the ground. It must think I am just another slow villager. Fortunately, my speed is to my advantage. With my magic, I will take it by surprise.

As it turns, I cast a Fire Bolt at it for 5 damage, lowering its total HP bar down to 10 Hitpoints.

Not bad. I smile. I'm sure I have this. "Sure you don't want to turn tail and run? I won't tell anyone." I mock the creature.

The boar huffs. I wonder if it can understand me. It doesn't seem feral. More like I wandered into its territory. It is probably a common animal. I'm sure there are plenty of fetch quests. Boar meat means bacon. One large boar can probably feed a tiny village.

The boar charges again... this time its back end is literally on fire. I do my best to calm my nerves. This isn't my first big battle. A boar is nothing compared to feral ghouls and vampires. If it's still on fire, that means it is taking fire damage. I use my Insight again. A small red three-tiered teardrop sits just beside the boar's name. I was right. All I have to do now is dodge. Dodging a boar that is raging and on fire sounds easy enough, but with forest on all sides, rocks, and tree branches, not so much. I move to my left and the boar follows. It's watching me now. Devs must have designed the AI to learn. That means any encounters I have will be unique, and if I take too long in battle, it will screw me. Gotta give them that... it makes it slightly less boring.

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The boar comes at me and I jump up and grab a tree branch. I swing over it as it runs into the green brush. The fire quickly burns out as the boar rolls across the forest floor. I am thankful. At least I don't have to worry about everything catching fire. That is another 5 points of damage. The boar stands up. Looking at me, its eyes are no longer red. For a moment I wonder if I should finish it but... I let it go and we part ways.

My second encounter in the forest doesn't go quite as well.

Along the path I see several people in white tunics gathering some purple flowers. They wear a bizarre garment around their necks, probably to hide the fact that a vampire bit them. Markos told me that these people were offered as Sacrificial Offerings to the Vampire Queen in the past. Addicted to the vampire kiss, it makes it impossible for them to return to their families now. The folk of Pedasa fears them and if they are not bitten once or twice every month, they could go mad.

Maybe this is another optional quest and I must find a cure, but for the time being, I want to focus on the task at hand: Melissa.

"Hey friendly fellas," I tell a young, black-haired man.

He glowers back at me and says, "This place is forbidden to strangers. Go back the way you came."

He isn't receptive, but again, no one is in this city.

I raise my hands, showing my palms at him, trying to calm him."I'm looking for a girl and you might be able to help me, I just arrived in your city."

My last sentence makes him even wearier than before. "What's the girl's name?" He demands to know.

I check him with my NCI. His Threat Level is 2, HP 17 out of 19, Common folk.

Good, I can easily take him on if he tries anything funny. What I don't like though, is the fact that two more men in white tunics are approaching us fast. They have the same stats as him and I notice their HP is a bit decreased as the man before me. Probably from the constant blood-sucking, I guess.

"Well, what's the girl's name?" He repeats, now his two comrades standing side by side.

There's no way to avoid them now, it seems I messed up. "Her name's Melissa. Her father wants to know if she fares well in the Vampire Castle."

"He sent you, right?" The guy shouts, now taking his dagger off his belt and the rest follow. His hands are trembling. His skin is pale, not in a flattering way. He looks like he's ready to take a bite out of me. Honestly, if I didn't know better I would say he was moving the same way as the ghouls.

I'm at a loss and have absolutely no idea who he refers to. "Look lads, you got it all wrong, her father..." but I'm unable to finish my sentence as the guys attack me, trying to slit my throat. The first guy I talked to lunges forward toward me and I avoid the cut. Unconsciously, I cast Fire Bolt. The spell activates immediately and through my hand, I unleash my full wrath.

The Fire Bolt crushes on the guy's head, achieving a Critical Hit and Blindness. The other two guys are at a loss as their friend falls back moaning, but quickly they gather their lost morale and try to stab me. I avoid them the best I can and gain some distance from them. I cast Chill Touch to the guy closest to me and the ghostly hand appears and attacks him. I stop retreating and rush against the surprised other. I punch him in the face throwing him down until I'm above him, punching him hard. Each hit decreasing his HP by 1, till I have him lying unconscious on the ground. The tooltip shows the tag Paralyzed above his head. Guess I was wrong about not using my fists so far.

Chill Touch has been effective slowing down my last standing opponent. He still has 12 out of 17 HP. I cast Fire Bolt and I manage to decrease his HP 5 more points while burning his chest. I hear all of them moaning now. I take the dagger and head to the one who's still conscious, ready to put an end to his misery.

I'm interrupted when a strange, gorgeous girl makes her appearance. She's tall, the same height I am and has long, blonde hair, "Stop it," she tells me.

The tooltip above her head shows a Threat Level of 9, and she is holding both a dagger and a whip. It will be impossible to win against her with my Threat Level 2 avatar, especially without proper spells. I doubt I could get away even if I ran.

I defend myself with words. "They attacked me first, all I wanted was to deliver a message to Melissa, the innkeeper's daughter."

She stops and glowers at me. "Tell the old fool, my father, that I'm doing well and I'll visit him when my duties allow me."

I nod agreeably, admiring her petite, elegant body like a drooling fool.

"Now leave, before the Vampire Squad comes and kills you!" She booms at

me.

My NCI informs me of another Main Quest, which I look into immediately:

Escape the Vampire Squad.

I leave her standing and start running, heading back to the innkeeper, hoping the Vampire Squad will need some time to prepare.

After some time of intense running, I reach the inn and inform my friend of what happened. Markos finally reveals to me that Melissa is one of Nestor's future brides and that one of Ambrosia’s minions, an Evil Forgemaster, has attempted to murder her in the past, so that was probably the reason the other guys attacked me. Maddened by the sick bastard's poor briefing, I request twice the amount of food we'd agreed for compensation. He accepts without arguing. Now that I think about it, I should have demanded thrice the amount of food, but anyway, I have little time. For all I know, the Vampire Squad could be on my tail, so I must hurry and leave this place.

As I leave the inn and say farewell to Markos, a window appears: Optional Quest Completed Successfully!

Good, now I must head to the royal capital of Lycia, hoping to find that Demon Lord Alastor, and escape the Vampire Squad at the same time. I'm left to wonder what kind of gameplay experience I'd have in this world if I reverted the difficulty to Hardcore again. Better left wondering, I think to myself.