“This is Komyshany?”

I was expecting to arrive in one of those cities you encounter at the beginning of video games, with plenty of people, stores, houses…

Instead, it’s hardly more impressive than Zymivnyk.

There a larger lake, with a few barques on it, but more peculiar, undead going inside and emerging from it.

Small stone houses are in some places put together, leaving a courtyard inside, and many small grapes of houses around the lake.

Where the houses are more dense, we can find a few bigger ones, with cement that makes the stone fit together, sometime bricks, and dark wood on the openings.

The height of the ceiling, of the cave, goes up to about ten meters.

Luminescent mushroom there are much bigger, with an upside down hat that seemingly gives a place for not only baby flying bats but also small firefly, living together peacefully.

On the biggest houses, panels give the stores names.

A market with various stalls has a whole population of people already dead for a long time looking for black substance, pills or small items.

We also find a few schools, which are more just a classroom with a teacher struggling to find students, but who teach fighting competence, magic knowledge, techniques, jobs...

In one of the small stores, I finally find what I was looking for: a weaver!

“Oh, you must be Jules! Pruurg talked to me a lot about you!”

***

“Pfiouh, finished!”

“Yes, so talkative, those goblins!”

“Up to the point of thinking that they only have this to do in life: talking!”

“Hey, did I tell you that time when I had to deliver an item to a still living goblin? He talked to me for 20 minutes! I could not find how to disconnect!”

“At least it’s done…!”

Now, we are registered on the weaver guild, we can do the shuttle between Zymivnyk and Komyshany.

To help on the guild expansion, it’s necessary to look for various raw materials, that change from one place to another one, but also locally from one village to another one.

Sometimes, for the same goods, there is plenty on a place and nearly not on another one, and stocks but be refilled.

Producing much is also important.

For this, guild members in small villages can also produce many simple items that earn little money, but enough to make a living.

On the other side, they receive raw material unlikely found where they are, to diversify their production and even sell more interesting items.

And if we stay on the sell aspect, towns have more people going threw them than villages: there is always more requests, so offers has to always get renewed.

The guild system allows the hard workers and talented one to climb the guild ladder and get an always more interesting role.

Different guilds are not really rivals, it’s more everyone has its place, and they often cooperate.

Sometimes, they compete to get good selling places on markets, or to offer quests to adventurers, but it stay quite cordial.

***

« Jules and John, isn’t it? I’m Elongoic, it’s Mal Tharek who sends you?”

“Yes, no… mh… wait, you know who Mal Tharek is?”

“Of course! This old lazy idiot who prefer to hide in a small village where he welcomes newcomers instead of fighting on my side to extend the darkness powers all around the black sea. What a slacker!”

“You mean… the old man… and Mal Tharek… are only one guy?”

“For sure!”

“So he is the one who built the Necros altar?”

“The Zymivnyk alter, yes. And many more, but most of them were destroyed by trolls. I think it took away from him all his good will.”

“Wait, you also say that the old man fought against trolls?”

“Fight… yes, he came once with me on the battle field. But after a few hits, he reconverted on altar maker. When he saw too many get destroyed, he finished by stopping everything. He’s slack…

“Enough with the talk about him, tell me more about you: which good wind made you come here?”

“We want to continue the tutorial.”

“Perfect! Which direction do you want to follow? The way of warriors? Merchants? Artisans? Leaders?

“Easy! The way of…”

Just when I was going to say warrior, a window popped up in front of me…

Quest of the legendary meat bag (Way 1/4): Becoming a corporal

To become a legend, you have to lead an army! Ask the instructor the leader way!

Difficulty: G

Reward: Corporal grade

“...leaders...”

***

There are 4 main ways to play Alter Life, depending on everyone style.

Warriors are all the fighting classes.

In some games, warriors with weapons are on a side, mages on another side, sometimes even adventurers separated…

Here, they are sub-guilds that groups together people, either monster hunters or war amateurs.

Most of the time, Alter Life is played for this!

Merchants buy and sell quantities of goods, with bags, carts, guild contracts caravans…

Biggest merchant sell very precious items, have huge stores, or retail chain, sometimes cities dedicated to commerce.

Some of them pay for mercenaries armies competing with the biggest warriors armies…

Artisans are producers.

We can find all of the raw material extractors, makers, fixers, enhancers…

Best artisans sell their production at a very high price, with a huge demand!

Leaders don’t always fight themselves, or sell, or produce, but they… lead…

Strategists and army commanders lead armies to war, for territory conquest.

Guild leaders and corporate leaders lead economic structures to conquer new markets.

Master artisans and factory manager lead fabrics or factories to produce new items.

And of course, those who lead everyone are on the top of the scale, village mayors, barons, earls, marquis, dukes, princes, kings… and emperors!

Those who become the best warriors lead sometime territories, but there are few of them.

Why does Gandock want me to follow this path?”

***

“Leader? For a first way, it’s ambitious… most of the time, people choose one of the three other. Are you sure you want to become both of you leaders?”

“Yes, we want to become corporals!”

Elongoic stopped for a moment.

She looked at me, next at Jean, closed her eyes, and seemed to think at something difficult.

It’s a kind little granny, who certainly is more than a hundred years for a long time.

Her purple robe is impeccable, immaculate, and her skin is white as snow.

Deep wrinkles dig her face, but she looks like a 15 years old girl when you just focus on her energy...

In a serious tone, she says:

“If you are able to convince 3 creatures to follow you, each, not only will I name you corporal, but I will allow you to lead as many creatures as a corporal chief in my army.”

Truth is, corporal chief, it’s just the next grade, so leader a dozen creatures, 3 corporals leading 3 soldiers each.

Main quest 2: Complete the tutorial/next step (Corporal)

To become a corporal, you must convince 3 creatures to follow you.

State of quest: 0/3 creatures

Difficulty: F

Reward: +50XP

A second window appeared and surprised me:

Quest of the legendary meat bag (Way 1/4): Becoming corporal (next step)

To lead an army, you need troops! Submit 3 black slimes with submission capacity. Ask the instructor to teach you, and next use it on slime with less than 5 HP.

Difficulty: G

Reward: Corporal grade

“How do we use the capacity submission?”

“Look at the creature, put your hand on its head, and simply say submission.”

Ok, then… let’s go!