I take careful aim down the shaft of the arrow and release the string to send it flying towards my target. “Excellent shot. You really are a natural at this. I still can’t believe you didn’t notice you weren’t in the beginner archery range.” Donavan says with a smirk on his face. Well, he tries to smirk, because of his scar, it comes off as more of a sneer, but at least he tried. Laughing with embarrassment, I scratch an itch between my ears, which feels surprisingly nice. “Well when I was looking for one of the bow masters to ask a few questions he was busy talking to an instructor and I didn’t want to bother him so I decided to stay close and practice while I waited for him to finish his conversation.”

In truth there was a lot of things in this game I didn’t know regarding archery. For example, the reason the targets were so ridiculously far away in the target range I went to was because it was an intermediate level range made for enchanted bows. That’s why the bows I saw were so small, they were enchanted to have excessive draw strength requirements. It let you shoot an arrow with a lot more power, but it took a huge amount of effort to pull back the string. The fact that I was able to hit the closest target reliably with a standard heavy bow made me realize why I had impressed Donavan so much. The beginner’s range was much more reasonable in its layout, having targets at 25 feet, 50 feet, and 100 feet.

As I lined up another shot, Donavan called out various corrections to make to my stance. “Keep the arm holding your bow straight. Use your shoulders as much as your arm to pull the string.” I adjusted my stance and felt how much easier it was to pull the bow and keep on target. After letting off another shot I asked Donavan a question that had been nagging me. “Hey, Donavan. This is fun and all, but I don’t think I’ll be able to just stand in one place and take a stance to make perfect shots all the time. Especially if I am in a fight or something.”

The grizzled bow master smiled at my question “Of course not! I was waiting for you to bring up the topic. Since you seem to have gotten a lot more comfortable with the bow, I think it’s about time you got some actual experience outside the village.” At Donavan’s words, my eyes widen and I couldn’t keep the happy grin off my face. “That would be so cool! I can’t wait! What do you want me to do?”

“Archery is all about the hunt. Tracking your prey, remaining unseen until the moment you strike, and ending it all with one clean shot. Normally I would just send you out and kill a few rabbits or something and bring me back their skins as proof, but I think that might be an insult to someone of your skill” Donavan grins back at my Wonderstruck face “I am going to give you a test of skill. I want you to hunt the hunter. I want you to find a large cat and bri-”

“No.” Donavan stops mid-sentence at my interruption. “Um. What? Why not?” Crossing my arms and staring at him I give my reason. “I refuse to hunt a kindred spirit. To me, hunting another cat would be like killing my own friend, or stabbing a good neighbor in the back. I would be happy to hunt anything else you want, but I refuse to slay a fellow hunter.” Donavan gapes at me for a long moment before he collects himself then scratches the sparse hair on his chin in thought. “I apologize. I forgot you beastkin have some sorta relationship with the beasts of the world… hmmm. You got a problem with wolves?” seeing me shake my head in the negative, Donavan resumes his line of thinking. “Well, there has been a pack of wolves that have been causing a bit of trouble for some of the merchants traveling through the woods. It’s been affecting our trade a bit since fewer merchants are willing to take the risk of traveling through wolf infested woods for a tiny village like this. I want you to find the pack responsible, kill them, then bring me the Alpha’s pelt as proof of your accomplishment. You should wait until you are stronger before you attempt this though. You haven’t even been outside the village yet and you need to get some experience before you take on something this challenging but come back to me if your hunt is successful and I can teach you about my own class.

[QUEST] DIRE SITUATION!: Donavan has mentioned the trouble some of the merchants have been having with a local wolf pack. He has cautioned you against going after them immediately before you get stronger but wants you to bring the Alpha’s pelt as proof.

Difficulty: C

Reward: New class [Ranger]

Cool! My first quest! If I were to go by the title though, I would have to say these aren’t ordinary wolves. “Thank you, Donavan. I will certainly look into these wolves. If there is something I can do, I will certainly do it. Thank you for the lessons, sir. I will put what you have taught me to excellent use.” Donavan reaches out and clasps my extended hand in a friendly handshake. “I’m glad I was able to be of help to such a promising young lad. Where are you off to now?” I put my bow into my back harness and point to the knife sheathed on my leg. “I was planning on looking for someone named Dali to learn a few tips about handling daggers. Nothing too extreme, just enough so I am not quite doomed if an enemy gets close enough to render my bow useless.”

Donavan frowned at me. “Be careful around Dali. That one doesn’t leave things halfway done. You can find Dali in the warrens in the south end of the village.” I thank him for the advice and head to the southern road leading into the warrens. It becomes very obvious when I actually enter the warrens. Normally the buildings are pretty well maintained and orderly, but then it was like I passed some sort of boundary line. Houses that once might have held some measure of beauty now were in varied states of disrepair and packed close enough together to cast long shadows at the edge of the street. Shelters and tents were set up willy nilly adding a chaotic feeling to the place. People in the streets stared at me with mistrust clearly evident in their behavior. When I approached someone, the reactions varied. Some would cross the street or turn into an alley, others would watch me closely as I walked nearby, but it all said the same thing. ‘You don’t belong here’.

It took a while to find Dali. Mostly because no one wanted to stick around so I could ask them directions, but even if they did, sometimes they were confusing and every time I turned down a different street, it seemed like what the person said didn’t match up with the actual buildings. After hours of trudging through the warrens, I finally made my way into a tavern. The Greasy Rat. That’s a fitting name if I've ever heard one. Stepping into the building and looking around shows nothing but the typical tavern goers for a cheap shady tavern. Stepping up to the bar, I grab a seat and get comfortable. The bartender pours a glass of something and sets in front of a small, young looking girl to his right. I do a double take at the girl again. Geez! She is most definitely young! She looks like she is only 14! What’s she doing in a bar like this, and drinking no less! I shake my head of such thoughts pretty quickly. How is it my business if a little girl wants to throw away her life? The girl grabs the mug and takes a huge gulp. Her cheeks are already flushed red from the alcohol, already making her look pretty drunk.

Finally taking notice of me, the bartender steps to me and wipes an old rag over the counter. “What’ll it be?” I slide a silver piece across the counter. “A drink, and some information.” The bartender nods and turns to grab a tankard and fill it up. “What kind of information you looking for?” “I am looking for someone named Dali. I heard that he likes to hang out here and is pretty good with daggers” At my words the drunken girl slams her mug on the counter and stares daggers at me, causing the bartender to glance her way. Not even sparing the bartender a seconds bit of attention she sneers at me. “Oi! That shounds like some dangerous information yer lookin for! Why de hell would thi- *hic* this bartender want to risk his neck fer some sad piece of shhhhhiit like yerself!” She totters on the stool barely able to hold her balance as she leans forward to point at me accusingly. “Miss. I think you have had enough to drink today. You are barely able to sit straight” The Loli girl redirects her finger of accusation towards the bartender, then immediately snatches at the bar to keep herself from falling to the floor. “He-whooaa. H-hey! You mind *hic* you mind your own demned business! I’m only drunk cuzzzz I WANNA be drrunk! I can stop anytime I want!” She turns back to me, this time careful to remain seated. “Wh- wha de fak you want with this Dali fella anyways! You don’t seem like the kinda person to hire an assassin er somethin.”

“Why would I want to hire Dali to kill someone? I was asking for someone to teach me to protect myself with daggers and someone recommended Dali, saying he was an excellent teacher.” The girl stares at me blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly bursts into laughter. Pounding the table and almost tipping her half filled mug of booze. The bartender as well couldn’t hold back a smirk as well. I frowned at the girl. “I fail to see what’s so funny. I use a bow and was hoping to learn to use daggers as well in case the enemy gets close. I can’t see the humor in wanting to learn from an experienced teacher.” The girl continued laughing for another long moment before finally managing to get her laughter under control. “I- I’m sorry. It’s jus- just the…” struggling to hold back another bout of laughter she extends her hand towards me. “I’m sorry, let’s start over. What’s your name fella?” I hesitated a moment but reach out and grasp her hand firmly. “Ebon Darkclaw, and whom might I have the pleasure of addressing?” The girl lets out a big smile exposing an intimidating row of interlocking needle-like teeth. “Dali BloodTeeth, at your service.”

After gaping for a long moment I blushed furiously and placed my face in my hand trying to hide my embarrassment. “I feel like an idiot.” Dali smile grew wider. “It was fun while it lasted. I never had some wayward brat wander into the seediest tavern in the village looking for me, the most experienced stalker in this end of the kingdom just to get a few pointers on how to properly hold a dagger.” “Yeah, I guess that you don’t usually take on students in your line of work, do you?” I say, then let out an extended breath of air blowing out all the stress that had built up since I set foot in the tavern. “So. you gonna teach me, or do I need to find someone else?”

“Straight to the point, I like that.” Dali rubs her chin in thought “I’m about to leave this village soon on a mission and won’t be coming back, so I don’t have much time for anything, but I suppose if you are a quick learner, I could beat a few pointers into those ears of yours. You have to pick up what I teach you quickly though, I won’t tolerate slackers.”

[QUEST] NO REST FOR THE WEARY: Dali has decided to teach you the ways of the dagger, or at least an introductory course. Survive the lesson until Dali leaves for her mission and master the way of the tiny blade!

Notice: This is a timed quest. Not accomplishing your objectives within the allotted time will result in a mark of failure for the quest.

Time until quest expiration: 4 hours

Difficulty: B

Reward: Dagger mastery skill level 1.

Wait, what’s this about surviving the lesson? Wait! B difficulty?! What kind of shit is this?! As I was about to voice my concerns over committing suicide Dali grabs my hand and drags me away from the bar. “Come on. I got my own Training Hall. We can have plenty of privacy there!” As Dali pulls me from my seat and drags me towards the door I look at the bartender in desperation. He stands stiffly to attention then mimes taking a cap off his head and holding it to his heart, as if mourning the death of someone dear to him. Needless to say, that kind gesture didn’t make me feel any better.