I told Plyne of my intentions and he directed me to the small inn a few doors down from his shop.

“ is one of the most beneficial perks in the game. Most have to gain it after grinding reputation, but it only lasts for that floor or faction posts on other floors.” He’d explained. “It’s one of the few perks that carries over into a group as well.”

I didn’t have to wonder if that’s where my [::Find the Others::] quest was going. I gave Plyne a wave and left for the inn. They weren’t full so I was able to snag a room without calling on my class perk to assist me and I set off into the woods around Green’s Peak.

The rushing of the water in the river behind me faded the further I traveled. Trees murmured in the wind that swept across the canopy. The cries and calls of birds sounded from further in the woods, off the nice stomped path the citizens of Green’s Peak had made throughout their stay here on Floor 1. I pushed into the wild underbrush of the woods, I pulled up my picture of the map. It kept vague track of me, moving a blue pulsing dot over my location. I would need to find a map for Floor 2 as quickly as possible, but first I had other things to take care of.

In addition to the map I also scoured my Journal for any [Survival] skill related books to help get me started. A lone book under the letter H popped up for ‘How Not to Die: Surviving and Thriving in Trick Tower by J. Roqor.’

Smarmy asshole.

I clicked it and began to read as I tromped through the woods. I’d been in girl scouts when I was younger and yeah we’d go on camp outs and things like that so I knew most of the basics of what the book was describing, how long a person could go without food, water and sleep, not drinking stagnant water without boiling it, how to make a lean to. Even still I was grateful when my skill finally leveled up.

[Skill Increase: Survival Level 1]

Mark that one off the list of things to worry about. Even one level was better than no levels and I was lucky there was a survival guide book among all the ones in Roqor’s tower. Another valuable lesson for not rushing the tutorial.

I’d wandered far off the path and deep into the woods when I finally spotted an easy to reach bird’s nest that I could climb up to. I’ve climbed my fair share of trees so getting up into the branches wasn’t the hard part, but I had to use a different tree to get up so that meant traversing across the branches.

I remembered I had an ever extending selfie stick and once I’d secured my footing on the tree branch I secured the camera to the pole. I sent it out over the gap, misjudging slightly and bumping into the trunk next to the next. The small view through the camera lens popped up on my HUD in the lower corner. Among the sticks and twigs lay two little brown and white speckled eggs and no mama bird to get mad at me.

Ker-chunk.

The camera reeled back to my grasp quickly and I re-situated it around my neck once more. That picture of the eggs didn’t seem to count as a picture of the actual animal, looks like I could only use this as a mundane entry: Bird’s Eggs. I could go wandering through the forest more trying to find the bird but I already did the hard work of finding where it would return so settled back against the trunk of the tree and resolved to wait.

I parsed through more of the books I’d found in Roqor’s tower, gaining a few more pings of information in my compendium mostly about herbs. I found the cook book, Curried Flavors and gained a skill level there. More curry recipes to try later.

[Skill Increase: Herbalism level 2]

[Skill Increase: Cooking level 1]

Now I wouldn’t have to be quite so reliant on the NPC’s in the game to get by and could possibly even start taking even longer trips. Oh man, I’d have to buy a tent, preferably something light since I could dismiss it to my personal inventory to carry.

I finished the rest of the short booklets and not twenty seconds later my stomach let out the loudest growl I’d ever heard. Where the hell was this bird? Those eggs must be freezing by now with how long I’ve been waiting. The sun had traveled a considerable distance across the sky, the military time on my wrist read: Eighteen-Twenty Four. Almost six thirty. I hated military time but there wasn’t anything I could do to change or adjust it in the HUD so I was stuck with it.

The sun would be setting soon. The bright blue sky gave no indication of any real change in it’s state, but tiny pin pricks of light started to poke through. I should head back. I bit back my frustration as honestly this trip seemed to be a waste with only bird eggs as my only find for the day. I sat up right as I heard a twig snap from below me. I looked down and found a wild boar rooting around. It was surely the size of a small cow only shorter and all lean muscle. It’s dirt colored wiry bristles combed into wild waving patterns across it’s back. A pair of boomerang sized yellowed tusks jutted out from it’s snout.

Oh fuck. I took a breath and grabbed my camera. I managed to hold my hands steady as I put the boar into the viewfinder. Ker-chunk. A bright flash emanated lighting up the forest in pure white for one brief moment. The boar squealed and rolled onto it’s side kicking and flailing as it shook it’s head. My camera had hit that lucky chance to stun my target and had activated when I took my shot. I took one more quick picture of the after effect for my records and the compendium updated.

[Floor 1 Animals 3/25]

The hog regained itself not too long after and finally noticed me as it screamed out a roar. I held fast in my tree knowing boars couldn’t climb vertically like this. The compendium read off information about boars as I watched it stomp around angrily squealing and bucking trying to taunt me into coming down.

[New Compendium Entry: Animals- Boar; Floor 1]

[Notes: Large tusks. Good meat for Tender Pork Curry- Curried Flavors vol 6 pg 1-2.]

Dismissing the camera back to the fanny pack, strap and all, I swapped it for the coil of rope I’d bought from Plyne. I fashioned a quick knot I’d seen in the [Survival] skill book, turning the length of rope into a lasso. I tossed it over a branch while the boar was storming around and waited for my chance. It rampaged back around in front of my safe spot and scream squealed at me some more, so naturally I screamed back at it taunting it closer.

The wild brute stepped into the lasso with it’s back hooves and I struck. Yanking the rope as hard as I could, it snapped sliding up the pig’s leg and hooking around it’s thinner midsection. I caught it! Now to kill it. Using the weight of the boar as a counter balance I leaped backwards off my branch, using the leverage from the two branches I had the rope situated over to help me lift the boar slowly off the ground.

[Skill Increase: Athletics level 1]

That’s what I planned to have happen anyways.

So I was caught unprepared when a man with a sword came screaming out of the forest toward the now air-born boar. He sliced the thing in half with a charged swing like he was cutting butter with a hot knife, because his sword was definitely on fire. With half the boar’s body liberated from the rope strung around it’s legs, the ground beckoned my immediate return. I landed with a thud among the roots, most of them finding their way into my back. Several notifications all pinged at once, their boxes forming a trailing swirl pattern that almost made me nauseous as I quickly waved them away.

“Hey! Are you alright?” The man asked as he sheathed his no longer flaming blade and rushed over to my side.

“Bruised, but I’ll survive.” I grumbled as I moved into a sitting position as waves of dull achy pain radiated through my torso. My health bar at the top of my HUD had a small section missing. Oh great: fall damage. I wasn’t more than six feet off the ground but that was more than my full height so I guess that was my limit. No hardcore parkour and absolutely no cliff diving.

I turned to face the kill stealer, a man with spiked dusty mauve dyed hair wearing dark gray pauldrons and a light leather breast plate. My HUD ID’d him as an [Adventurer] class, which to be fair he looked exactly like a typical fantasy anime protagonist. He was busy staring right back at me and my attire with a look of confused surprise. Me, a [Tourist] in my tourist outfit, in the middle of the woods, hanging from a rope in a tree with a boar attached to the other end of it. Certainly not standard [Tourist] behavior.

“Out of all the classes you could have picked from you chose [Tourist]?” He asked, still reaching a hand to me to help me up. I took it and got to my feet and dusted myself off. My health hadn’t returned yet and the lingering smell of seared boar meat made my stomach rumble. I needed to eat.

“Yes, I picked [Tourist] but more importantly: you stole my kill.” I said folding my arms across Beach Bum’s curvaceous bod.

“Stole your kill? But I heard you screamin’?” The man asked, a hint of a southern accent resting in his words. Oh.

“I had everything under control but thank you for your care and concern. Not many people would just charge in to help someone in a situation like that.” I said holding out my hand, conceding that he had done something nice for me even though I didn’t need it. “I’m Mica.”

“Iagan.” He said, giving my hand a shake. Our hands connected and his basic ID pulled up on my HUD, and that was when I finally recognized him.

[Name]: Mr.BigwIggy

[Class]: Adventurer

Mr.BigwIggy - Iagan was one of those big time streamers I’d mentioned earlier. Thankfully not a murder hobo type of player, he divvied up his time with speed running Legend of the Dark Elder Ring of Souls and playing other fantasy MMO games. They weren’t my style so I didn’t follow him but he was always in my recommended channels and his Clipz mini videos were regularly popular in You-niverse too. That was all I was allowed to see, none of his skills or if he’d found any dogs on this floor. I assume he saw the same from mine.

“MykaReviews?” He mused as his eyebrows raised under his spiked bangs. “Hey, I’ve seen your channel recommended a few times in You-niverse!”

“Ah thanks?” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement, seeing it recommended meant he wasn’t a watcher of mine either. I groaned inwardly at my awkwardness and looked to my next dilemma: dealing with two halves of a boar. Anything was better than dwelling on failed social interactions. I pulled my rope off the carcass and coiled it, going through my notifications as I did.

I’d gotten shared credit for the kill with Iagan, but I got first dibs on the loot since it was my mark first. A secondary window popped up:

[LOOT :Wild Boar:

Y/N?]

Click. Another inventory screen pulled up, this time it was the boar’s.

+Boar Tusk x2 [Magical Reagent]

+Boar Rib Meat x4 [Cooking Ingredient]

+Leather scraps x1 [Scrap Material]

Pat pat. Everything went into my personal inventory. Void of anymore goodies the boar’s body evaporated away in the wind as did the smell of seared pig. I sent the rope back into my fanny pack as Iagan watched.

“What now?” He asked as I finished up.

“What do you mean ‘what now’? We go back to Green’s Peak and take the boar meat I got and cook it.” I said heading back through the forest toward the marking where the river was.

“Oh.” He seemed surprised as he followed after me, “I’da thought you were camping out here or somethin’.”

I gave him a look as I gestured to my outfit. “Do I look remotely prepared for camping in the wilderness?” I asked.

“No, which is what was surprising when I found you out here danglin’ from the other end of a wild boar as a [Tourist].” Iagan laughed. “What were you even thinking!”

“It’s for my class quest.” I summoned the camera from my fanny pack and re-situated the strap around my neck. “I have to take pictures for my compendium.”

“Pictures?” He asked and for the rest of our walk back to the road to get to Green’s Peak I told him all about my class quest and the different things it entailed. He seemed interested in knowing that there were secrets hidden about across the different floors.

“Is that what the sink was in that first room? A Secret? I found a dead Rat King in the tunnels behind it that had an amazing gemstone I could take! I was able to socket it to my sword which is why it lights up with fire now when I draw it out.” He said proudly gripping the handle where on one side sat a red ruby the size of a half dollar.

My heart dropped at the realization of his words: I had forgotten to loot the Rat King. I got so caught up in my [Photography] skill raising that I ignored the second best part of playing fantasy games: THE LOOT! Inwardly I smacked my head and dragged a palm down my face, outwardly I somehow managed to restrain myself. I had gotten the picture and the compendium addition which was way more important for me in the long run.

“Yeah that was me.” I said pulling up the picture I’d snapped before I dispatched it.

“That’s an amazing shot!” Iagan let out a whistle as he leaned on my shoulder. He was a good deal taller than me, but to his credit: I was a fair bit shorter than most. Being a faceless reviewer lent some aspects of privacy that I enjoyed and I didn’t need troll comments either way and it was easier to be a voice online. I wasn’t sure whether I’d actually impressed him with the shot or if he was just being polite after finding out he’d taken my loot.

“What about you?” I asked as we finally reached the road.

“What about me?” He responded.

“[Adventurer] as a class, isn’t that a little cliche?” I needled. It was the plain butter noodles of all the classes: good, but there were other more enticing dishes you could make instead. Like [Tourist] was easily a lo-mein or ramen. Now when I say ‘ramen’ I don’t mean those 12 cent packs, I mean an actual factual honest to goodness big ass bowl of chashu pork ramen you get at a restaurant filled with hipsters.

“I always do my first run through usin’ this style of class. It’s the most versatile and gives me a taste of what to look forward to in my next run.” Iagan shrugged.

“So you get the generic classes over with first, huh?”

“Yeah, that way I can play the exciting ones for my stream. Have you been in-world long?”

“No. Today was my first full day here, I arrived last night and slept in the Tower.”

He seemed relieved, “I arrived this afternoon, I haven’t found a town yet so I’m glad I ran into you.”

“Did you gather the books from the library? There were some skill books in there for [Survival], [Herbalism] and [Cooking].”

“Nah, I didn’t.” Iagan shook his head. “I was too excited to find the secret passage behind the sink!”

A speed runner. I reminded myself I was dealing with a speed runner. The guys who looked for the most optimal of paths to the exit. They themselves were the antithesis of the very vibe my channel and content gave off. Sure we probably spent just as much time in game putting in the hours, but for vastly different reasons.

“How will you level up your skills?” I asked, debating if I should offer to let him borrow my copies just to get him the baseline to get the skills started.

“How the developers intended: by doin’ stuff.” Iagan shrugged again. He’d get done faster if he slammed his face into a wall. I looked through my HUD into my journal, a new tab had popped up along the top labeled ‘Friends’. There in the top spot was his username: Mr.BigwIggy, I tapped it and a smaller drop box appeared.

[Mr.BigwIggy—

-Whisper

-Add to Group

-Trade]

I clicked ‘Add to Group’. I watched as he fiddled with his own blue touch screen watch, my HUD recognized it and labeled it accordingly. He accepted and both our watch screens played 8-bit fan fare as a present icon popped open.

“Whoa!” Iagan laughed as he watched. I clicked through, eager to find my prize.

[::FIND THE OTHERS:: 1/15 Beta’s Registered]

[Reward: Minor Stamina Potion]

[Role Changed to PARTY LEADER:

You have one (1) member in your party. You can now see other Party Member’s Health and Mana bars. Bonus* to Charisma activated while in the -Party Leader- role. *Bonus scales with number of members in your group.]

[New Quest Available: ::TOUR GUIDE::]

[::TOUR GUIDE::

TRACK NEW QUEST?

Y/N?]

My mind raced to comprehend the amount of information that was being thrown at me by various popping screens. I was getting a charisma bonus based on how many people were in my party. That already was enough to be astounding to think about. I moved to the next window and I clicked to track the ::Tour Guide:: quest.

[::Tour Guide:: Quest pt 1

Lead a group of five (5) or more individuals

Reward: New Title]

“I got a new class quest!” I exclaimed as we stopped along the road to deal with all these pop ups. “It says I can get a new title.”

“Wow really? That’s impressive for this early on, what are the requirements?” Iagan gave an impressed nod. He was finished with his HUD, no new quest appeared for him.

“Be a party leader to a group of five or more individuals.” I read off. Huh. Individuals was a very different and important distinction than people. “What do titles get you?”

“Usually they’re just for achievement’s purposes. Like cook all the recipes in game and get the title “Chef” or something like that. You’ll probably get a title like Tour Guide since you’re a [Tourist] class. They usually show up in your ID and they add a little bit of flavor for NPC’s as they’ll sometimes refer to you by it.” Iagan explained.

That explained Plyne calling me [Tourist] from time to time instead of by my name when we were haggling. So glorified flavor text, still a title I could attain would be one worth having and sooner or later I’d find enough people to add to my group. I clicked on his name once again in the Friend tab and started a trade. Iagan seemed surprised as the trade menu popped up on both our wrist screens.

“I expect these back when you’re done with them.” I went through my journal and picked out the skill books and put them up in the trade window.

“What’s this for?” He asked accepting the trade without offering anything else in return.

“Getting you the base skills you’ll need to survive.” I told him. “If you’re going to be in my party you’re going to need to know how to do basic things like not die to plants you pick up from the ground. Read them for the rest of our walk back to Green’s Point.”

“I don’t need handouts like some noob.”

“They’re not handouts. You’re giving them back once you’re done leveling your skills.”

Iagan rolled his eyes and air swiped through the pages rapidly with a dull expression on his face as we walked on. He definitely didn’t read them but that didn’t matter so long as he got the skill level from it. After a few more clicks to the other books he opened trade and gave them all back.

“This is all stuff you learn in like boy scouts.” He grumbled.

“A refresher for a free skill level is nothing to shake a stick at. Just take the free level and say thank you.”

“Thanks,” Iagan replied dryly. “I don’t know many other gamers who’d be up for sharing things like that.”

“Really? You’re must be hanging out with the wrong crowd then. Casuals are some of the nicest people out there.”

Iagan gave another shrug and we continued our trek back to Green’s Peak.

I’d had plenty of experience in MMO’s of people being generally nice overall. My first time playing a big MMO as a teen some of the more experienced players helped me out by guiding me through the low level areas and letting me loot around behind them and still gain XP. From then on I’d always tried to do that whenever possible for newer players as a way of paying it forward. Sure there were the usual troll players but the overwhelming majority of people helped others when they needed things or advice on builds. As an ambassador to casual gamers everywhere I had to uphold the spirit of the game: help others have fun.

This WAS a game after all.