Chapter 4: Outside the Walls of Djaden City.

I was walking down the Dirt road towards a series of Farms. Through my online readings i had learned that Farm quests were a good way of earning free cooking ingredients while grinding. Since i still had a week before the Expedition departure i wanted to gain levels.

I entered the first farm and talked a bit with the women inside. she asked me to help build the well a few farms away. i accepted the quest and went to the next farm. I visited 7 farmhouses, talked to a dozen workers in the fields and accepted all their quests.

Kill 5 foxes.(x3)

Kill 20 rabbits (x2)

Gather herbs

Help maw the wild grass

Help milk the cows

Help pick up eggs

I started hunting rabbits in a lettuce field. since i had sparred with the Training Hall Master i had discovered that blindly hitting your enemy was not the best way to win. you had to target specific areas that were more vulnerable, time your attacks so that you would not be pared and block or pare yourself when necessary.

Rabbits were small and had a tendency to escape when they saw you. adding to this that they were quick and suddenly changed directions they turned out to be more difficult to hunt than i had thought.

It took me the whole in game morning to finish hunting down 40 rabbits. i went back to the farmers to receive my rewards. it was a mere 40 bronze coins and 5 carrots each. My sole consolation was that i got to keep the Rabbit Meat i looted.

I quickly ate a light lunch and started hunting foxes. they were different than the Rabbits as they didn't hesitate to fight back and moved alone. they were also easier to find as they kept around the Chicken Dens.

By sundown i had finished all the quests except mowing the grass and building the Well. those kind of repetitive tasks made your fatigue rise quickly and in the intent to reproduce reality to its closest working under the mid-day or afternoon sun could dehydrate you.

I drank from my gourd and ate a piece of bread then went to the well. 3 Men had started to dig a hole in the ground, it was a meter deep and 2 wide. One of them looked at me.

"What can i do for you, young sir?"

"I am here to help."

"I see. take a pick-axe and help soften the earth."

I did as told and joined the others. they were players. i knew because they wore metal breastplates over their tunics and one had a hammer hanging from his belt.

"Hey, never saw you before. Did you just get out to level 8?"

"Yeah. Yesterday. you?"

I started swinging the axe down.

"A few days ago. I’m level 14 now. one more and i will go get my Job."

"Congrats"

We kept working in silence for a while until the second player had to sit down.

"I don't have a gourd yet"

"Here, take from mine.

I pulled mine from my backpack and handed it to him.

"...Thanks"

"Nice gourd, man"

"Got it through a quest."

It was a lie but they seemed to accept it.

From there we switched the pick-axe for a shovel and started digging. When the ground was higher than our heads we had to change methods. One of us would cement stones around the hole, another would dig and pass earth filled buckets to the third who would have to empty it further away.

After an hour of digging like this the earth turned to mud.

Still we kept digging even when we were walking in muddy water puddles. We finally stopped when the water reached our knee caps.

Me and Hammer guy pulled the quiet one from the well. the last thing to do was to build the wooden roof and place the bucket and rope in the small wheel. after a rapid check the NPC approved of the result and gave us our reward : 50 bronze coins, 1 fame and an increase in the city familiarity. Not very much for half a night's work.

I was about to go back to the city when the Quiet one started complaining about the mud covering him. looking at myself closer i noticed i was in the same situation. my arms, legs and the lower part of my tunic were filthy with dirt. If i didn't go clean it at a river it would start rotting.

He must have shared my thoughts as Hammer guy proposed to go clean ourselves to a close by river. we followed him.

The place was desert. we took of our clothes and equipment and ended up one again knee high in water but this time it was clean and fresh. I was just finishing when someone suddenly appeared and attacked Quiet guy as he was on the banks.

The attacking man was holding a dagger which, judging by my companion lack of response, could paralyse. I was going for my sword when Hammer guy jumped me.

It was a trap.

We fell into the water. since water was bad for iron weapons his hammer was still on the banks. he must have been pretty confident with his level being superior by 6. Unfortunately for him i had spared enough times with the Training Hall Master in close combat to know how to react.

I punched him in the left ribs at the spleen level.

"You have dealt a critical hit."

The hit must have paralysed my aggressor too because he didn't punch back. Tacking full advantage of my luck i hand chopped his neck then kneed his stomach when he fell.

"You have landed a critical hit"

"You have landed a critical hit"

Thanks to my high strength and luck i emptied his health in only three hits and he turned into an explosion of light.

The second aggressor seemed to realise his friend's death as he stopped stabbing his mark and started runing away. the Quiet guy had barely any health points left but still quickly took a bow out and shot at the last man.

The arrow landed in the attacker's right shoulder, the shock made him trip and the two of us caught up to him.

I shared one look with the archer and it was decided that he would be the one to kill him.

One the Remnant light had disappeared we each got a set of windows. Mine read:

"You have defeated the player named Dominique.

You have obtained a Breastplate.

You have obtained 34 bronze coins.

You have obtained 395 Exps."

"You have reached level 10."

"Through the repetition of special actions you have learned a new skill/ability:

Hand to Hand combat: beginner 1 (12%)

Allows you to fight without weapons by rising your basic strength, endurance, dexterity and speed by 3%."

"Would you like to set Hand to Hand Combat as your Primary?"

"No"

Would you like to set Hand to Hand Combat as your Secondary?"

I thought about it for a while then decided on it.

"No"

"Hand to Hand Combat has been set as a skill/ability. as a result it shall receive a 25% experience absorption penalty"

The two of us re-equipped ourselves at the river bank, i heartlessly added the Breastplate to my clothes set, proud to have obtained it through battle. we were silent as we slowly walked back towards the city.

I took this opportunity to look at my avatar's window. i had a total of 45 stat points to distribute. Since i now would have to regularly fight i decided to use them. Not knowing exactly what kind of character i was intending to develop i decided to not use them all.

In the end i spent 10 points in vitality raising my maximum heath by 50 and 5 points in Strength, Dexterity and Toughness.

As we crossed the Gates my night's companion turned towards me.

"What are your plans for the next days?"

"I am going to leave in six in game days but in the meanwhile i plan on grinding. why?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to form a party."

"That would be great."

His name was Sygmond.

When i emerged back in my bedroom the first thing i registered was that Annie was home, i could hear her moving in the kitchen/living room. It was her turn to cook today.

We dined together, sharing each others day. when i had told her about my first PvP she only said one thing.

"This Sygmond seems to be a good guy. i am sure he would be a great friend.

"Actually i think you are right, he would."

When i connected back to New Roads! Sygmond was waiting for me at the meeting place. we grinded together for the next 5 in game days. normally a player would have to go back to the city every day to eat, sleep and refill their gourds but thanks to my cooking skills, Sygmond tent and my giant gourd we could easily triple our consecutive hunting time.

The eve of my departure with the expedition i planned on logging out early to catch some real life sleep.

Before cancelling the party i asked Sygmond to be my friend.

He immediately accepted.

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