Artifact identifying took around an hour. Besides discovering that he could identify the same item more than once, Beast also found out that identifying it multiple times decreased the amount of skill experience he received from the action, until the point where further identification attempts gave zero increase. At the very least, he managed to get his Knowledge of Ancient Artifact skill up to Basic 3.

Skills in Ages Online follow a very different system from that of other run-of-the-mill games. Instead of a basic leveling system from one to whatever max level they decided to have, most skills here follow a tier-based system: Basic, Intermediate, Expert and finally Master at the maximum. With a total of thirty levels between them, the skill evolves at every advance in tier every ten levels, usually granting additional effects and power. This, Yashita Corps claimed, was done so that certain skills would not be neglected in favor of more ‘optimized’ one and that every skill would have its place in the game. A distinct deviant to this rule would be his Detect Mana skill, which Beast could not level despite being tagged as Basic, and the two skills he picked up in the Argent Forest which had no levels to speak of. Beast broke out of his musings. His character sure was shaping up to be a strange one.

And no, he could not identify the hide. He tried, but all he got was a notification of failure.

You have failed to identify an artifact. You cannot identify this type of artifacts yet.

There was new sentence in the warning, and Beast had a slight suspicion as to what it meant. Maybe he should process it first and try again to confirm.

Looking up at the sign, he made sure it was the right one detailing ‘Truman Tannery’ before entering. Once inside, the musky smell of leather and chemicals instantly assaulted Beast’s nose, almost gagging him. This was the first time he ever entered a tannery shop both in real life and virtual reality and everyone was intently focused on their work and the machinery, so much that it took Beast awhile before he could get anyone to talk to him.

“What do you want?” It was a player who appeared that he had no greater wish but for Beast to leave him alone.

“May I know where Truman is?”

“You want to learn tanning too?” The other man gave Beast a stare of distaste as if the latter was trying to snatch his rice bowl, only finally pointing towards the back of the shop reluctantly when Beast appeared to be willing to wait until he got his answer.

“Thank you.”

Truman was a man with a burly body and thick muscles, a product of his years of work. He also had a fine mustache. When Beast approached, the gruff NPC croaked a greeting.

“Yes?”

“I would like to make armor out of this.” Beast fished out the silver skin from his bag. Some of the apprentices in the shop noticed the dazzle and stopped their work to observe. Truman merely took it over and started inspecting the material without as much as batting an eye. It took no less than five seconds before he returned it.

“No can do.”

“What?” Beast was appalled. Was his battle with the Argent Wolf for nothing?

“Nothing can be made. The cut is too rough and uneven. Whoever did this is terrible.”

Beast took back his leather, crestfallen. A broken sword could not be substituted for a leatherworking knife after all, and now he had gone and ruined a perfectly good potential artifact because he was too lazy and cheap to buy a new knife.

“-However, I could possibly make you a cloak out of this. That’s the best I can do. It would be 8 silvers plus another 3 for handling a magical item.”

It was all Beast needed to hear.

After depositing his leather at the tannery, Beast began to start his preparations for his departure from Rydelin. With the sale of his loot and the reward from the quests and after paying for the leatherwork, Beast currently stood at a total of 12 silvers and 42 coppers. First, he went to the general store to buy a proper carving knife for a hefty 5 silver. There, he also replaced the torches he had expended in the Argent Forest and purchased a map for the area he would soon be going. For food he still had his preserved rat meat, though he could do well to find a new source soon, and he could probably procure some potions from Talos for a discounted deal.

In the end, there was only a single piece of silver remaining in Beast’s coin pouch. He had collected his Silver Cloak and also picked up a dozen bottles of potions while biding a tearful goodbye to Talos and Risette. The little girl had burst into tears when he had said he will not be returning for some time, only calming down with a hastily made promise and some pacifying. That surprisingly turned into a quest of sorts.

Risette’s Promise

Risette has a promise made with you that you will return back to visit her the next time you are in Rydelin. A little girl’s heart wished upon the Little Blue Rock, and it is now the object of promise between the two of you.

Difficulty: F

It was an easy quest, but Beast wondered if it was even necessary to make a quest out of it. Not that he was complaining about getting more quests but now he could not even sell off the Blue Rock if he tried, making a waste of inventory space in his bag. The Talos chain quest might have been a little more weird and troublesome than he originally thought.

As for his Silver Cloak, it was what he requested for alright, only with a little problem.

“Artifact Identification!” Beast declared after finding a secluded spot away from prying eyes.

You have failed to identify the artifact. You cannot identify this type of artifacts yet.

As suspected, the notification window meant that the Silver Cloak was not a historical artifact, which made sense in a way since there was nothing historical about the Argent Wolf besides the legend involved. But more importantly, Beast slumped in defeat at the revelation. All the hopes and expectations he had of finally being able to equip his first item had just vaporized into thin air. Disappointed, he spam his identification skill on the cloak until he could not get any more skill experience, bringing his Archaeology to basic 4, before stuffing his trophy back into his backpack. The Silver Cloak would indeed have to wait after all.

Back at the towering city gates of Rydelin, the scene was still the same.

“Level 8 looking for a party to hunt wolves.”

“Looking for a cleric to complete party for Rydelin Sewers.”

“Hey, do you wish to join our guild? It is new and is currently accepting all members.”

Beast exited the city alone without sparing a glance at any of them.

The Fort of Lanos was somewhere near the small town of Torintu in the regions of the Marr County, west of Rydelin. After leaving Rydelin, newbies have the choice to either head west for Torintu or east towards the capital of Caerheim, Loyderidge. It all depended on the player’s choice but each route has slightly different things to offer, namely more dungeons for Torintu and Joint Operations at Loyderidge where the royalty of Caerheim resides. In the end it does not really matter which route one takes for each have ample leveling opportunities. Beast however, have a specific goal in mind. He also has no wish to meet with his classmates at Loyderidge just yet either. Following the dirt path that would eventually reach Torintu, Beast set off with renewed determination.

………….

“Goddamn. I should have hired a cart or something.” Beast murmured. “So much for going on foot.”

It had already been an entire day, and yet Torintu was nowhere in sight. Farmlands turned to hills which then turned into forests but it seems that he was not even close to his destination. The dirt path meandered on and on and on and he bypassed a few NPC merchants and guard patrols heading to Rydelin on the way. His satiety fell a few times which he used his dwindling rat meat stock to replenish but those were not the main reasons Beast is complaining about right now.

The journey in short, was boring. Monsters rarely came close to the wide, established roads and Beast was not about to waste time deviating off his path just to chase after some goblin for exp. Now he finally understood why most people hired carriages or horses for transport or followed joint operations to places they wanted to go; it was simply less boring that way. He had also severely underestimated the time he would need to travel to the town and with no place to rest for the night, Beast had no choice but to continue on.

Night time however, was another story altogether. As the moon hung over the darkened landscape, the nocturnal creatures of the wild became more feral and bold. Wolf howls rang out into the night several times and even with a torch lit and burning as he travelled, Beast could feel the hungry eyes of the creatures staring at him. But while he entered deeper and deeper into the forested area, there were no movements or attacks; the road remained eerily empty. His breathing became shallower and faster. There was bound to be an attack some time now… right? Just as Beast was trying to hold himself together, he spotted another torch in the distance. No, correction, a multitude of torches burned a few hundred meters down the road, shining like multiple beacons of lights. It looked like a caravan of some sort or even perhaps a joint operation.

Beast could only hazard a guess, but having some form of company was a welcome thought regardless. Maybe he could even join them on this trip to Torintu, screw going solo already. He was about to shout to grab the caravan’s attention when he suddenly stopped himself. While he could not put a finger to it, there was something strange with the caravan up ahead, something that warrantted a more cautious approach. Wisely, Beast blew out his torch and headed into the side of the road not a moment too soon.

“Where did that person go?” A ragged man holding a bloodied scimitar came into view. A second man appeared next to the first a second later.

“No idea, his torch just disappeared. Maybe he knew we are coming, bro?”

Brigands - Men who rob caravans and infest the main trading routes for a chance at taking supplies from merchants. They would not have dared to strike during the day, but the night was their domain. The only problem now was whether these are player characters or NPCs. Beast inched forward to try and get a glimpse of where their red name might be if they are PKers but was interrupted by the appearance of a third bandit.

“He could not have been far. Find him. We need to eliminate all witnesses.”

Crap. He has to move now if he were to avoid getting caught, or he could stay and fight but with three of them and the levels of these brigands unknown it would only be a suicidal venture. It was risky, but with luck they will miss him totally and go back to what they were doing. As silently as possible, Beast melded into the surrounding forest just as the trio began to comb the area.

………….

“I think he is gone, brother.” A torch hovered meters away from Beast’s position, forcing him to change location again.

“Damn it. Let’s quickly go back to the caravan and take all the spoils.”

There was a stampede of rustling leaves and breaking twigs and the trio disappeared from where they came from. After making sure that they were truly gone, Beast slump his shoulders and let loose a loud sigh. Those had been the most intense five minutes of his life. Every single time they came close, he had to shift his position among the trees as lightly as possible lest he alerted them to his presence and to be honest, it was not easy under the cover of darkness. Now that danger has passed, Beast decided to sit and rest for a while to give the bandit trio as much time as they needed before checking out the caravan in front of his path.

Minutes later, Beast approached the caravan with trepidation. The bandits should have conducted their business and fled. All that was left was a mess of fallen torches and empty cargo boxes. Dead NPCs littered the dirt ground, a reminder of the bandits’ dastardly work. Nothing valuable remained. At least they were kind enough to leave the horse pulling the cart alive, which would definitely shorten the rest of his travel although Beast guessed that the so called courtesy might have been due to his untimely ‘interruption’.

“Urgh…” Oh, it seemed that they left someone else alive too.

Beast paused for a moment. Should he bother?

In the end, his conscience won and he went to take a better look. Lying in the middle of a smashed barrel, a bloodied man with his broken lyre was groaning in pain. It appeared that he was bleeding out.

“H-elp me…” It was visibly taking all he could to just speak. “A pot...ion.”

Beast’s eyes narrowed. A potion might be cheap but it still cost a fair bit of money. Who is this man to demand a potion the first time they met? He stood to leave, but the man’s hand got a grip on his shoe.

“Please…”

Seeing no way out, Beast reluctantly fished a bottle of potion out from his pack and emptied its content down the man’s throat. Minutes later, color had returned to the person’s face and his wounds were rapidly closing. It got to the point where he was fine enough to mutter a ‘thank you’ and fall asleep.

“Oh goddamnit.“ Beast tried slapping him a few times to no avail. “Don’t fall asleep on me. You still have to pay for the potion!”

Fatigue is a real thing in Ages Online, much like satiety. However players are usually able to rest their characters while they are offline, hence making it not as prominent for players than NPCs. Therefore, this stranger is either an NPC or someone who is really hardcore…

You are now fatigued.

-50% Max HP

-50% Max MP

Not that he has the right to judge.

Hefting the man and his lyre up onto the horse, Beast then unbridled it from the burden of the caravan before mounting. If the man is going to sleep, then he will just have to bring him to Torintu so that he can extract his payment from him. Worst come to worse, he could probably sell that lyre for some cheap scrap.

The second half of the journey to Torintu was otherwise uneventful, and it was at the dawn of the next morning when wooden town walls became visible to the naked eye. Nestled right at the edge of the forest which opened into the wide plains of Marr, Torintu was a very welcomed sight for Beast who had been stricken with the fatigued status. It also meant he can finally wake up the burden imposed upon him by the night’s event.

The town of Torintu was small and quiet; a very stark contrast from the bustle of a city such as Rydelin. Some adventurers had set up user shops in the equally tiny town plaza but it was nothing compared to the crowd of Market Street. An occasional Caerheim guard patrols the area and the quaint wooden houses that littered the winding streets exude a countryside feel. The first thing Beast did when he went into town was to head straight for the local inn after tethering the horse in the stables next to it.

“Lodgings for two?” The innkeeper raised an eyebrow. “That would be forty coppers.”

“Yes please.” That would be something else the stranger would have to owe him.

Forking the coin over, Beast took over the key to the room and dragged the unconscious stranger up the stairs. Resting at an inn would not only relieve fatigue but also restore health and mana. Back in Rydelin he would not have to do this and could simply sleep on the streets but people had warned against doing so in smaller towns such as Torintu. The main reason for this is that even after logging out the player character would linger around in the game world for a period of eight hours in game time, a feature implemented by Yashita Corps to prevent exploits via forced quitting. This subjects any player character who logged out in the open to potential PK and malicious intentions with only the always crowded streets of a city as a form of deterrence. Despite having slept for some time, the man still has yet to awaken, indicating that he had probably given up and logged off. With nothing else he could do, Beast propped the stranger on the first bed before taking the second and promptly logged out.

When he came back a few hours of real life time later, he found himself waking up to a livid bard holding a glinting dagger to his throat. Beast’s eyes narrowed. Is this how this man is going to treat his benefactor?

“I don’t know who you are, stranger, but I demand an explanation!” The man declared. “My quest has failed, my weapon broken and I wake up in a place with no information.”

Okay, Beast’s mind registered. This player is officially weird.

“I am Beast. I saved you from the bandits. The cargo I think you are supposed to escort is gone.”

There was a loud flick and Beast shut his eyes half expecting himself to die, only for the dagger to strike the wooden walls of the room.

“Damned.” The bard exclaimed. His initial anger turned into partial relief however, when the player fished out an envelope from his pockets. “At least this is still here…”

“What is it?” Beast asked in curiosity. So the caravan was just a side quest he picked up along the way.

“A quest.”

“Share it?”

The answer came quick. “Nope.”

“But I saved you and you still owe me the money for the potion and the inn.”

“I will pay you back.”

“Not when you have been robbed bare. I don’t think you have any money left.”

That seemed to have struck something. The bard was visibly losing an inner struggle before he finally proclaimed defeat. “Fine.”

Soon enough, a notification window popped up from Shadun’s sharing of his quest.

Drrring!

A secret letter for Torintu

Shadun the Bard has been asked to deliver a secret letter that may have an impact on the region to the Mayor of Torintu. Will you help him in his endeavor to make sure that the important letter does not fall into the wrong hands?

Difficulty: E+

So his name was Shadun. Now this was so much better, Beast smiled as he accepted the quest.