“So, it’s 4PM in the real world, we can still play for 2 hours. Where are we going to find this stupid altar?"

“The wrong thing to do is to die, which would lead to be teleported there. We ca ask to people, they might help us. We just come back from the weaver who’s house just got repaired. Let’s go there.”

On Jean’s good advice, we went to the house we just had repaired.

Someone was inside.

Someone… or something…

Someone that seemed to be dead for a long time, but in the same time that seemed energetic.

A very little skeleton, working with bone needles and machines covered by threads, in a mix of mushrooms off and dried seaweed.

In a corner, pants, shirts, canvas bag… made from mushrooms?

“Oh, so nice! You two must be the architects who repaired my house! Sit down, sit down… I don’t offer anything to drink, I’m not thirsty. What can I do for you, dear… clients?”

Removing belongings from two stones more or less flat and throwing on the ground the clothes he had made, he invited us to sit on those.

“We are here because we are gathering information.”

“Information? What kind of information? It’s not free, but for people who helped me so much, I might give you a discount.”

He was rubbing his hands, as if a good business opportunity was in front of him.

Maybe he was already wanting to fool us?

“Necros Altar. Do you know where it is? We want to put a tablecloth on it.”

“Mh… that is an information that won’t cost much. To tell the truth, for me also it’s a problem that there might be no tablecloth on it, it’s not very serious… If you give me 10 luminescent mushrooms, 5 fibrous algae, I will make the tablecloth for you. Only one condition, though, give me also a luminescent mushroom in a good state. To find the altar, go through this gallery, and continue up to the end. You will find black slimes on the road, but they won’t attack if you don’t attack them.”

“OK, thank you very much!”

Main quest 1: Finish the tutorial / next step. (Archaeologist)

The village has its own shrine for the Necros idol. It’s there where you go when you die. Find it! (Update) It seems that it’s down the gallery with black slimes.

Quest advancement state: 0/1 shrine found

Difficulty: G

Reward: +25XP

Main quest 1: Finish the tutorial / next step. (Weaver)

There is something lacking on that shrine: a tablecloth. Find one, by any mean! (Update) The weaver can make it for you if you gather the material.

Quest advancement state: 0/1 tablecloth, including 0/10 luminescent mushroom and 0/5 fibrous algae; 0/1 luminescent mushroom (state: 80/100 minimum)

Difficulty: G+

Reward: +25XP Update: +15XP more

***

“I feel like I’m always doing the same things…”

“It’s how quests work, it has something repetitive on it. But in the same time, we should know quite well the village after that.”

“Who do you think was this little skeleton, before becoming one of those village inhabitant? He’s so short!”

“Most of the time, it’s goblins who take the weavers job. If he kept memories from his previous life, he can retain most of his technique. Occults adepts are happy to have them for their hooded dress.

Goblins…

Even after their death, they can still use their hands very quickly.

In Alter Life, we meet them on textile and leather jobs, mostly, they are as fast as thunder.

With a weaving workshop or needles, a piece of thread, a good will, the can prepare any kind of cloth, fabric, or things like that in a record time.

With a little bit more material, they can dry skins and prepare them to make boots, gloves, and even casks or leather armour, very resistant to arrows, lances, crossbow bolts…

This way, undead can benefit from the talents of all the other races?

That gives ideas!

A civilisation able to make people from very different races living together and make them work in harmony?

Undead!

If we can still call this “living” together…

“Well, let’s walk through this gallery once more, then...”

***

In Alter Life, there is consecutive quests.

The more you go, the deeper you get in the game story, and the better the reward you can get at the end, even if intermediate steps are not that money making.

In this tutorial, everything is linked together: you have to get resources and repair lights in order to make the tablecloth, which will be used on the Necros idol altar, for a beautiful look.

Normally, at the end, it gives satisfaction as one get the feeling that he is mastering something.

Jules and Jean crossed the gallery with no difficulty, killing slimes sometime, gathering a few luminescent mushrooms, until finally reaching a bigger room, enlightened by way bigger mushrooms, hanging from the ceiling, at a height that can’t be reached.

In the centre of the room, stones piled up, with a skull on it.

Necros Altar.

“The artistic direction didn’t put much effort on this one!”

Main quest 1: Finish the tutorial / next step. (Archaeologist)

The village has its own shrine for the Necros idol. It’s there where you go when you die. Find it! (Update) You’ve found the altar, go back meeting the old man and tell him its location.

Quest advancement state: 1/1 shrine found

Difficulty: G

Reward: +25XP

“Jules, look closer at this skull, there seems to be symbols on it…”

Behind the skull, letter embedded letters formed a name: Mal Tharek.

“It looks like embedded letters written by a 5 years old kid putting his name… Mal Tharek?”

Main quest 1: Finish the tutorial / next step. (Rune engraver)

The village shrine seems more complex than it seems. The name of the one who built it is engraved on it. Find it, and report to the instructor! (Update) The altar has the name Mal Tharek. Report it to the instructor.

Quest advancement state: 1/1 rune deciphered

Difficulty: G

Reward: +25XP

“This quest was not too hard.”

“Sometime, you might have to decipher runes in other alphabets. No choice, in those cases, you need to find books, sometime of very ancient languages, or completely exotic! This time, we are lucky.”

“OK, let’s gather the remaining ingredients for the weaver!”

***

“And here is the last algae! You have all that is required?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Put the mushrooms there, and I will be able to make those tablecloths.”

“Is it going to be long?”

“No, by the way, take this…”

The skeleton lifted a bunch of old clothes and took two tablecloths, of a very dirty grey.”

“Take those, it should be good. Thank you very much for all your efforts! Necros will be grateful for what you did!”

“You are not going to give us all tablecloths when we brought you new raw goods?”

“It’s not important, really, and it would take too much time. Go away! Necros can’t wait any longer!”

I feel… as if I got tricked.

As if I give floor to a baker and he gives me stale bread… or metal to a blacksmith and he gives me an old rusty sword...

“It’s OK, Jules, let’s go back to the altar. We should have just the time to finish the quest before logging out.”

On the way, I look a little bit closer to what is around us, and I realise that it’s beginning to be more animated, with talkative undead that either go looking for the instructor to get quests, or that are in the water looking for algaes, or walking with shining mushrooms in their bags.

Houses falling on themselves alone, sometime mushrooms turn off after twinkling a little bit.

Some players are grunting about the fact that they have to always take the same road.

After having placed the tablecloths under the skull, red light came out of the eyes sockets and it began to talk:

“Two tablecloths made of mushrooms and fibrous algae? It can take on 5 métempsukhôsis each… it should be good.”

The red lights disappeared, and the skull ceased to move.

“Let’s get back to the instructor, we have finished all of the three quests.”

Main quest 1: Finish the tutorial / next step. (Weaver)

There is something lacking on that shrine: a tablecloth. Find one, by any mean! (Update) The tablecloth is on the altar, go back to the instructor!

Quest advancement state: 1/1 tablecloth

Difficulty: G+

Reward: +40XP