The group reunited at the fountain square just as the sun dipped towards the horizon, villager's lit lanterns and vendors began packing up the stalls.
" Did you guys experience anything.....weird?" Caleb asked.
Drake nodded slowly." Yeah,thought I saw something in the woods. Not a player."
"I heard whisper's",Justin said." Straight up creepy cloaked dude talking about shadows".
They fell silent for a moment.
Something was off.
"Do you think max got in yet? Caleb asked.
Drake shook his head," he didn't say anything,still offline the last time I checked.
"I bet he's ahead of us",Justin said,"he's probably already got armour and a dragon mount or something".
They all laughed.
By the next in-game morning,the trio was feeling more confident. With a few completed quests under their belts and better understanding of the system but decided to complete a few more quests before they went into combat
Drake sat on the edge of a fountain, munching on something the game called"crispy mint leaf bread".it tasted surprisingly decent, slightly sweet,with a hint of mint. Around him the beginner's village buzzed with life with players still hanging around.
Caleb approached, holding up a small parchment." The blacksmith is looking for copper ore. It's a fetch quest with low EXP,but it's easy.
"Better than babysitting sheep again",Drake said,brushing the crumbs of his lap.
"Speak for yourself"! Justin arrived, proudly holding up a wooden shield." I got this from guarding the flock. It blocked a chicken once".
Drake raised an eyebrow." A chicken?"
"A feral chicken," Justin emphasized,holding the shield like a badge of honour.
The three laughed. It had been a full in-game day since they started.
Their current levels sat modestly at-
Drake- level 5
Caleb- level 5
Justin- level 4( blame the chicken).
They accepted the blacksmith's quest and made their way to a nearby mining spot just outside the village. The trail was filled with pine trees.
"You notice how real the air feels?Caleb asked, brushing pine needles from his shoulder. Drake nodded."smells like forest after rain." Don't think other VR games ever got this deep with sensory stuff."
"Maybe that's why it pulled in so many players". Justin chimed in.
Upon reaching the mining field they spotted several other players already mining for ore and we're extremely focused. Drake picked a pickaxe from his inventory. As he struck the stone,small vibrations tingled up his arms. Sparks flew,while copper nuggets dropped which he puts in his bag.
Justin wandered nearby,poking around."Hey guys,he called,-check this out".
They joined him near a small waterfall where an old stone arch stood,half buried in moss. It didn't trigger any system notification,and wasn't marked on the map.
Drake tilted his head."maybe it's for a quest later?"
"Or a dungeon entrance?. Caleb added.
Justin reached out to touch it,but nothing happened.
"Guess it's just for looks",he shrugged.
Eventually,after mining enough cooper and extra they could sell,they returned to the village. The black smith rewarded them with a small amount of exp,a few coins, and a better quality pickaxe.
Quest complete
+25 exp
+1 black smith reputation.
After the copper quest,they decided it was time to tackle a combat mission. The bulletin board listed a bunch of monster hunting quest.After assessing all the quest options, they decided on this:
Forest cleanup- eliminate 5 wood land sprites causing disruption near the east path. Reward: 40 exp,+1 minor breastplate.
"Perfect",Caleb smiled."Combat and gear.Win win".
Justin streched." Just don't let the sprites fool you,the last time something looked cute it threw rocks at me"
Drake smirked." Well maybe you deserved it"
(●__●)
They accepted the quest and made their way beyond the village walls, stepping into the nearby forest. The scenery shifted gradually. The dirt paths faded into mossy trails,birds gave ways to buzzing insects and the lights filtered through high,leafy canopies.It was peaceful. A little to peaceful. Drake took the lead,treading cautiously,eyes scanning the trees.
"There should be five sprites around here.And they are not aggressive until provoked."
Justin swung his wooden sword around dramatically."which is why we provoke them immediately,right?
They didn't have to search for long. A sprite with wings hovered near a cluster of glowing mushrooms,it's body a fluttering swirl of green and gold light.
It looked no taller than a child,with wings and a mischievous grin.
Drake then used his insight skill,and stats floated above it.
[Woodland sprite-level 2]
[Hp:60/60]
Agility: High
[Weakness: fire]
Drake whispered,"They're fast,but not to strong.
"On three?" Caleb asked
"One,two...."
Justin charged early "Three"!
The sprite shrieked and zipped through the air,peppering him with tiny magic bolts. Drake also rushed forward to flank it while Caleb cast a weak bind spell he picked up after reaching level two then followed up with a magic skill
[Skill activated: sword lunge]
His blade gleamed faintly with energy as he pierced the sprite middair. It shrieked, spinning out before vanishing into light,while light orbs entered them giving them 10 exp each.
"Getting exp this way is better than completing quests." Justin said happily.
[Sprite defeated: +15 exp]
[Loot acquired : basic agility boots]
"Got one",Caleb shouted catching the boots before it hit the ground.
They hunted down three more without much trouble. But as they neared the fifth sprite location, something changed.
The forest air grew dense and a low hum filled the air.
Drake paused." Do you guys hear that"?
Caleb raised his hands,eyes narrowing,"guys, look-"
Ahead,the last sprite hovered over a tree but it was huge,it was at least three times the size of the others.
Checking it's stats they became more serious.
[Woodland sprite- level 10]
[Hp: 500]
Agility: high
Weakness- fire
Skills- clones.
It wings twitched,and when it turned towards them its eyes glowed red.
" What the hell"? Justin muttered under his breath.....