Timeline: 1 day before Astraea, 07:05

I woke with a scream, everything was fire, and my brain was once again accosted by a shrieking alarm. Ina was not in the room, and that was probably for the best. I slammed my head against the headboard of the bed, before realizing that I wasn’t under attack by a sonic weapon, but it was the alarm again. I forced my eyes to open, to see that I could still see, making sure the dream wasn’t real. The room danced in front of me, the dizziness starting to slowly fade from the sudden and abrupt awakening. I dismissed the alarm with a word, I was getting better at handling the interfaces of this game world. I saw I had another message, so I opened it. It was that same Osmark Technologies goon again, his face was the absolute epitome of customer service. I wanted to punch him in the face so badly, just to prove a point.

“Good morning! You’ve successfully spent your second night in VGO, and are now 24 hours away from completing your transition. The pain and discomfort you’re experiencing today will be more intense than yesterday’s, but just remember that a good, hearty breakfast will help to alleviate some of those pains. We hope you have a wonderful day, and thank you for choosing Osmark Technologies!”

That was the end of the message. It chirped away, and I mentally deleted it.

“Ugh, what nightmare.” I struggled to sit up in the bed, and noticed my wounds had mostly healed. Even after the night of dancing and drinking, which didn’t do me any harm thankfully. It looked an awful lot like my tolerance for alcohol had carried over. Finally, a perk to be a Russian. I was startled when the inn room door popped open and Ina walked into the room carrying a bowl of the same breakfast gruel from the day before. Surprisingly enough, I was looking forward to eating it, even if it looked like the remains of something I had just seen in a dream.

“Well, good morning. Had a rough night’s sleep? You were tossing and turning, and doing a lot of groaning.” She handed me the bowl and sat down next to me on the bed. She fished a pair of wooden spoons from her belt and passed me one before starting to eat.

“Had nothing but nightmares, all of nightmare, endless.” I shuddered as I thought about what I had witnessed. My father’s suicide, my mother’s death, my sister’s obituary...and then the giant cancer-monster tearing my poor Ina’s body to shreds. There was nothing for it, I remembered that VGO was created based on player’s memories being imported through neural mapping. I was only hoping that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Nightmares are the tales of those we’ve lost, they’re a reminder of the love they once held, and how we change it into our own grief.” Ina’s voice was a bit muffled as she continued to shove food into her mouth while speaking, but her words rang true in my head. She finished her bowl of gruel before standing and strapping a large pack on her back. Had she prepared that while I slept? “Hurry up, Vlad. We’ve got a day’s walk ahead of us, and that’s if we go at a normal pace. Let’s try to get there before evening, eh?” I finished my bowl as well, draining the remainder of it like a drink. I immediately felt stronger, more fit, and I watched my “Hungry” debuff vanish.

“Is no time like now. Wait, is that how adage go?” Stupid broken English wouldn’t even let me use the proper adages. This was just becoming a sick joke. Developer heads would roll.

“Do you mean ‘no time like the present?’” Ina smiled as she gave me a chide. She turned to walk out the door, and I followed.

It was less than 10 minutes before we were headed South on the slightly worn path that would see us to Rowanheath. We would have to travel South for about 4 hours, before turning West, then heading back North. The journey would force us to skirt the southern tip of the mountain range that separated Rowanheath from the Tanglewood. It was a natural protective barrier, and I appreciated every bit of it. After the nightmare I had, I needed some comfort. As we walked, Ina pulled a short bow off her back. I hadn’t noticed it before, but that may have been because I was so distracted. She handed it to me while we traveled, and gave me a quick rundown on ranged weapons, especially bows and crossbows.

A notification filled my screen when I equipped the short bow.

>>>

Skill Unlocked!

Skill: Ranged Weapons

Ranged Weapons are useful for tactical strikes from a distance, as well as hunting for your dinner. They are comprised of short bows, longbows, great bows, and war bows. They are especially effective against lightly-armored targets, though a master of the bow can punch through even the hardest armor. This skill is always in effect and costs no stamina to use.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: Increases Ranged Weapon damage by 5%

>>>

I quickly dismissed it, ready to be given more information from Ina.

“Firstly, always have ammunition. Second, make sure your weapon is in good condition.” She handed me a bundle of arrows consisting of 20 solid, well-made oak shafts with bronze tips. They were what she called “broadhead” tips, which would cause considerable damage to the target. I slid the bundle into the quiver she handed me next, then slung it over my shoulder. We paused at a small game trail which was well worn and ran into the Tanglewood.

“So, game trail is like clue?” I asked her the question because I had never been hunting before. She nodded and put a finger to her lips. Then she flattened her hand out and crouched down to the ground, before being enveloped in shadow. Holy shit, I thought, as she practically disappeared in front of me. There was a strange outline to her body that I could see, but aside from that, I wouldn’t have known she was standing there. I did the same thing, but had a hard time finding the right balance. After an attempt or two, I managed to enter stealth and got a prompt for my work.

>>>

Skill Unlocked!

Skill: Stealth

Stealth allows you to creep through the shadows, making you harder to detect by hostile forces. Successful attacks from stealth mode activate a backstab multiplier for additional damage.

Skill Type/Level: Active/Level 1

Cost: 10 Stamina

Effect: Stealth 7% chance to hide from enemies

>>>

I wasn’t planning on using it for anything in the near future, but it was cool to have. Once I acquired the skill, Ina stood up, breaking her own stealth, and nodded approvingly.

“Good, stealth can be great for hunting and trapping game, or even in combat situations. I don’t usually use stealth, my armor is a bit heavier than I’d like for that kind of practice.” She smacked herself in the chest, and the metal interwoven into her Ringmail clanged a bit.

“Stealth is good, will provide tactical advantage.” I stood as well, and we continued on the trail South.

About half an hour into our journey, we spied a small collection of rabbits feeding near the edge of the Tanglewood. Ina crouched and slipped into stealth, after pulling a crossbow free from her hip. I followed suit, and crouched myself. I pulled my shortbow from my back, and knocked an arrow. I took aim, as best as I knew how, and released the arrow. It went way wide, but half a second later a crossbow bolt skewered one of the rabbits who were now scattering in every direction.

“Got one! That’ll make a good meal.” Ina stood out of stealth and headed over to collect the rabbit. She shoved the whole thing in her backpack, then recovered the arrow I had shot. She walked back over to where I was now standing, my brain was telling me that I was a moron. She put her hand out, making a “give me that” motion. I sighed and rolled my eyes before complying. I handed her the bow and the arrow quiver, and she handed me the crossbow, as well as a bolt pouch full of bolts. I took a couple seconds to look at the weapon. It was basically the same thing as a propelled pistol, but using a wire to propel the payload. The trigger was spring loaded, quite a marvel of engineering in a Fantasy world. I liked it a lot better already. “I think a Crossbow will suit you much better, Vlad. Why don’t you keep that one?”

“Vlad will use with great appreciation.” I clipped the crossbow to my belt, and found a place for the bolt pouch. And with that, we were off. I received a notification about engineered weapons, which was one of the weapons my class was proficient with, and took a minute to examine it whilst we walked.

>>>

Skill Unlocked!

Skill: Engineered Weapons

Engineered weapons, such as crossbows, ballistae, muskets, and flintlocks require a great deal of skill to use to best effect. Though the simpler versions of these tools of destruction can be found in the hands of common soldiers, the more advanced weapons are suitable only for experts trained in their use and maintenance.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: Increases engineered weapon damage by 5%

>>>

I read the skill more than once before waving it away. Engineered weapons, in a Fantasy world. Now we were getting somewhere.

Timeline: 1 day before Astraea, 12:18

A few hours after leaving Cressfal, we stopped for lunch. Ina pulled a few dried rations from her pack. They were made of some kind of unidentifiable meat, but their taste was nothing short of delicious. It was, quite literally, the best jerky I had ever eaten. She also pulled a few small rinds of cheese out of her pack. These were wrapped in cloth, but the smell was terribly enticing. I was pleased to have it. We ate in silence, taking a few moments to ourselves. We were both, I imagine, working through the details of what had happened so quickly over the last two days. Ina had gone from defending a village of people to finally making her way to achieving her dream. And as for myself, well, I had gone from being completely alone in the world to having someone I was both very familiar, and completely a stranger, with. There was a lot going on, for sure. Before moving on, we shared a pipe full of tobacco, laced with Hare’s Grass, for stamina. Smoking it gave me a green buff notification. I focused on it, trying to understand this world better.

>>>

Buff Added

Hare’s Pace: You are imbued with the stamina and recovery of a Hare! Your stamina will decrease 25% slower while running, and you regenerate stamina 50% faster. Duration: 30 minutes.

>>>

“One day, you will teach herbalism, yes?” I wanted terribly to learn herbalism and alchemy, now that I had seen the simple effects of herbalism in action. We stood together, and continued our way South after quickly recollecting our bags. I tried to hand the pipe back to Ina, but she waved a hand at me, shaking her head. A gentle smile slipped across her face and I placed the pipe into my bag.

“Of course I will, but first we need to see to Rowanheath. We’re about halfway there, I’d wager.” I didn’t know how Ina knew where we were, but she seemed to know what I was thinking. “Imagine that you have a map,” she said. “Now, imagine that you can see that map in front of you, sort of physical, but also not.” I tried to do that very thing, and was rewarded with a large, mostly greyed-out map of the entirety of Eldgard!

“Whoa, is huge place.” My shock was evident in my voice. Ina chuckled, like she always did when I learned something new.

“Eldgard is a massive place, Vlad. And we’ve only seen the smallest amount. So, off to the North West of the mountain tops there is Rowanheath, and we’ve journeyed about halfway today. We’re almost there, and we’re so very close to accomplishing both of our dreams!”

“Is incredible. We can do anything.” I was suddenly filled with a renewed vigor to achieve that which I thought impossible. We carried on South after I closed my map, beginning a slight turn towards the West.

We walked for another solid hour or two, it was so hard to keep track of time when you’re just walking, before the path we were walking began to become a solid road. It resembled the dirt roads in the farmlands in Russia, hard packed and rutted with, what I assumed, were wagon trails.

“Oh, good, we’re finally getting to civilization.” Ina sounded pleased, though I could tell there was some disappointment in her voice. She was leaving everything she had ever known. As if intended to pull our attention out of our own lives, we heard a shout from afar. My eyes searched the distance, looking for the source of the noise. I found something that was not expected. There was an overturned wagon, littered with crossbow bolts, and a person underneath it.

“Hey, help! Help me!” There was a richly-attired Wode yelling, dragging himself across the ground with his arms. It looked like, from this distance, that his legs were broken. His clothes were tattered and blood-stained and his hair was matted with dirt.

“We should go help,” Ina said without thinking. There was a sense of suspicion, something familiar but distant, like when we set scenes with Almaz-Antev for weapons development and demonstration, almost like the whole situation had been staged. I shook it off and ignored it, and we both ran towards the man. On closer inspection, the wagon had a broken wheel, and there were a pair of dead bodies, both wearing armor, scattered about the ground.

“Oh, oh, thank the gods.” The merchant was obviously in pain, his face was contorted as he pulled himself along the ground. “They took everything, and killed my guards. I don’t know why I’m still alive, but I can’t go back to the merchant guild like this.” He waved a hand at the destroyed wagon. It was obvious what he meant.

“What happen?” I was legitimately curious, but the suspicion was starting to well up again. It all seemed too perfect. I quelled the sensation before stepping aside to let Ina talk.

“What do you need? We can help.” Ina knelt beside the man and offered him one of the healing potions from her belt. He took a deep drink, draining it in one go.

“Oh, thank you. It was awful, these thieves, they came at us in a hail of crossbow fire. One of them broke the wheel with an axe. My guards didn’t stand a chance. Please, you have to help! They headed South with my goods, please, I will pay anything I have on me to get them back. They’re worth more than my life.” The man struggled to sit up, his body beginning its process of healing the injuries with the help from the magical draught.

>>>

Quest Alert: Thievery in Broad Daylight

You have stumbled upon a small, destroyed caravan. The Merchant who ran it has requested you to find the thieves who stole his cargo and killed his men, recollect his goods, and return with them.

Quest Class: Common, Random Event

Quest Difficult: Moderate

Success: Find the thieves and retrieve the cargo

Failure: Fail to find the cargo, or die during the quest.

Reward: 250 EXP; 2 gold pieces

Accept: Yes/No?

>>>

I accepted the quest, nodding at the merchant slowly.

“Is dangerous, Ina. Should be careful.” I cautioned her, laying a hand on her shoulder, but her eyes were already hard and focused.

“Of course it is, but this man needs our help. We need to help him.” Ina turned to me and gave me that hard smile I had known for years, the way her mouth turned up at the edges.

“Yes, help. Very good, let us go.” I could never deny her the desires of her heart when she gave me that smile, here, or on Earth. Regardless of my decision, I purposed in myself to keep an eye out for things that didn’t add up, and as it stood, the math was very poor.

For thieves, their trail wasn’t very well covered. It was almost too easy to find the small cave where they were hiding. Ina saw the pair of guards at the front of the cave before I did, and she stopped short. I bumped into her, our gear rattling a bit. She knelt down into the brush and activated stealth. I followed suit, and managed to make it just as one of the guards looked our way. He made a motion to the other guard, and they both approached our hiding spot. My heart was thumping like a drum in my chest, but that wasn’t the worst part. That happened when I felt the edge of a blade scrape my neck from behind.

“You idiots, you’re just so gullible.” The “merchant” from earlier now was attired in leathers and had a pair of nasty looking daggers, one of which was held at my throat. “Now, tell your little girlfriend to comply as well, and we won’t kill you outright.”