[ You have gained 4000 Character Exp.]
[ You have gained new Subscribers.
The Lady of Willow - you get 1 GC
The Lady of Frost - you get 1 GC
The Lady of Blooms - you get 1 GC
The Lady of Cinders - you get 1 GC ]
[You have a new Private Message
You get 3 MC and 300 credits
The Lady of Frost - (Snowman point and Laughing) Unworthy Child, know you the eyes of the Courts are upon you. Woe to you if you embarrass us. (Snowman with a Bloody Knife) ]
For half a moment, I felt a terror so profound, I lost a few minutes of time. Then nothing.
Typical Sidhe claptrap. I didn't have time to get entangled in their bullshit. I mean, it's not like I was in a rush, but who has time for that. I can't get bogged down in worry and fear right now.
In some ways, I think I'm in shock induced ennui. On the other hand, I know they mentally cornholed me. How much? TBD.
I got started early. I went to the town market and bought a couple dozen pounds of meat each for my new friends, it was better for them to hunt but now we were in a hurry to head further northwest. I grabbed some breakfast at the dinner to go.
I ate with the Woen. Unlike wolves there was little fighting over food, everyone got a share. The didn't seem interested in my food either. Mostly eggs and hashbrowns. I caught images of forest fires and sicknesses. Their attitude changed a little went I pulled out a piece of bacon.
'Flame Boar!' They thought excitedly. I handed them each a piece, had they been normal wolves I'd have lost the arm. As it happened they took the bacon softly, with almost reverence. They chewed them slowly.
Ha, Bacon for the Win! Oh, you like this meat, don't you? Wait that sounded wrong, ignore that.
Hrrmm *cough* Anyway.
Now we had to figure out how to get them North.
The Male, who I started thinking of as Rowdy, assured me they could keep up with my smelly metal box, even without their wings.
The smaller Female, with almost unnoticeable red tips to her fur, I'll call her Smoke, chuffed agreement.
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The larger Female, with lustrous fur, Sable, ran in circles. 'So fast, wind slow.'
I asked them to stay out of sight of the other two-leggers, and their metal boxes.
I almost forgot to purchase Advanced Guide Quests, maybe snag some extra loot today.
I sliding the Driver seat and got going.
What'a ya know, they shadowed the Van so well, that I lost sight of them, not their mana though. Point to the Woen. Definitely, wouldn't want them stalking you on a moonless night. Point to me as well, because I'm the only one keeping score.
It took just over an hour to find the Watch for Crows sign. Huh, Ravell, Crows, the Woen's ravenesce hind-quarters, a theme? A warning, or just a coincidence? Nah, I was starting to think there were no coincidences. The harridan Fate liked to meddle.
The Gravel road took a couple of hours, with quite a few switchbacks, and every so often I could make out cameras hidden in the trees and shrubbery. Gotta respect wanting to get an eye on visitors, ya never know how might come knocking.
[You have new Daily Quests]
[ Daily Quest 1
Please use an Abilities 5 times
You get 3 MC and 1000 credits. ]
[ Daily Quest 2
Please find a suitable campground
You get 1 GC, 2 MC and 500 credits ]
[ Daily Quest 3
Please Purchase Basic Tier I Tent
You get 1 MC, 100 credits and a Loot Chest (Random) ]
When I got to the Tunnel I stopped. Someone had cleared an area out of the woods on the side of the road, I figured it was a good time to stop and stretch, maybe clear Quest 1 and 3.
5 uses of Perfect Soil. A deep sonorous thanks resonated from the trees.
[ You have Completed Daily Quest 1
You get 3 MC and 1000 credits. ]
I dug through the purchase options until I found the Tent. Then I noticed an Advanced Tier I Tent. The Basic was 200 creds this puppy was 600 creds. I thought it might be a good time to "over" complete a Quest. If it didn't work out I could easy buy the Basic Tent anyway.
[ You have purchased an Advanced Tier I Tent. ]
A box appeared in front of me. Nondescript wood. Do I have to open it? I tried GIPs
[ Advanced Tent Box Rating: Tier I+
Auto-Deploys includes Mana Run Camping Stove (Tier II) and one person Bed (Tier I)
Effect: Deploy II, Weatherproofing II, Comfort Control I
Note: Deploy includes Retract. ]
[ You have Completed Daily Quest 3
You get 1 MC, 100 credits and Loot Chest (Random) ]
Huh, so you don't get anything extra, but at least it still recognizes it.
And a Gacha trope, really? Who needs it?
Turns out I do, really bad. Like I need Bacon, Bad.
It looked like a fantasy chest with simple brass fittings. For a spilt second, I had imagines of a Mimic biting me in half, but no, I must open it!
The instant my finger touched the latch. A set of Silver Percentile Dice pop into existence, Their numbers glow a shocking blue.
[ Roll ]
Different voice, this wasn't the Guide.
I took the dice and rattled them in my hands. Come on good numbers, no whammies! I cast them down. They came up 24.
[ You Get A Tissue, haha, Just Kidding. You Get A Skeleton Key. (Single use) ]
Jokes. The Loot Entity liked Jokes. Shit.
The Key itself look like a Skeleton with a kind of fork coming out of one end and a large metal loop on the other. Weird. I shoved it in my pocket and threw the tent box into the back of the Van.
The Woen checked on me, but I waved them off. Just needed some time out of my smelly metal box.
They thought that was hilarious.
The Tunnel was long, and took almost two hours to get through.
It opened up on a ridge overlooking a Valley between three mountain peaks. There was probably 1000ft or more between the valley floor and the summits. The ridge I was on was about halfway up on the southern most peak. A road lead from the ridge to the town, the two lane road was built like a bridge, maintaining an equal height the whole way. Below was a sea of Spruce, Fir, and Pine trees.
Ravell was a platformed town leveled and even, half way up from the Valley floor, between the Western and Eastern Mountains. I'd never seen anything like it. Modern and yet Cozy looking.
I could wait to find out more.