The next two days passed by in a blur, Deran completing one quest after another in an attempt to raise enough money for the payment of the trader's debt. Lyselle did what she could to help, though she had already completed most of the lower level quests already while waiting on him. He had even managed to raise his unique skill to level 4, granting a new ability.

Friends have your back: You can sometimes convince people with a relationship status of Respected or higher to fight at your side! Cooldown: Once per day

"It actually put me in the game a few days ahead of you. Time passes a little differently at first, though you have to get used to it. Their way of making it harder to retire, since you age faster in here than out there." She shrugged turning in the pile of pelts both she and Deran had collected.

Quest completed!

Furman Durn needs some more furs to keep up with overwhelming demand! Bring him at least 10 pelts of good quality or better for a reward!

Reward: Increased relationship with Durn; 4 feathers; 50exp

"Eight feathers closer!" Deran sighed, doing some more mental math. So far they had managed to scrounge up eighty-two feathers, so close to their goal. That included all the supplies he had sold to the blacksmith the day before.

"Same price as last time alright with you?" Aaron asked, looking over the pile of swords that was about the same amount of metal as last time, "It's basically scrapped to me."

Deran began to agree, then took a risk, "Actually, I was curious if we could bump it up a shoe or two a pound." He had done the math and realized the smith had paid him a single chip per pound of steel. The few extra coins could really add up and they didn't really have much time. Not wanting to be greedy, he had bemoaned the fact that asking for another chip would be rude. Lyselle had come to the rescue, mentioned small chunks of iron called "shoes". These were the coins used when it was too insignificant for a chip.

"Aye, I can maybe increase it. Tell you what, just keep the quality up and I'll give another chip a pound." The smith handed him the small pile of coins but hesitated on accepting the swords, "I'm grateful for the metal, as it's something that will always be needed. However, I must ask why you haven't been trying to keep them for your own use." He paused, uncomfortable. The high relationship Deran had with him must have made him overcome his greed to offer a bit of advice.

You have unlocked the skill Haggling! (5exp)

Deran didn't even bother thinking about it, speaking absently while he looked at the armor still gleaming in its display case, "Naw, I'm not a crafter. Just not my thing, I spent enough time bent over a table making gadgets in real life. I was thinking of focusing on my fighting, making sure no one could beat me. Seems like the best way to survive."

The smith shrugged and went back to his shop, bidding him a good day, "Bring back any more gear you don't need, I can always make use of supplies."

Quest Acquired!

Metal ore what? (Repetitive)

Aaron seems to be running out of metal with the insurgence of pilgrims coming from the wilds. He's asked that you continue to bring any steel items of quality Common or better, to be paid a rate of two chips per pound of basic steel. This quest can be completed as many time as attempted.

Rewards: 1xp per pound; 2ch per pound

Deran waved him off and went to find Lyselle and Gorgath, who was currently eating a light lunch back at the inn. Gorgath had set up a deal to play for a few hours a night to let them all share one room, with a private bathroom for modesty. The rooms in the inns were interesting, able to be modified almost at will depending on need. So innkeepers could charge for only penthouses and make every single room one, with a conscious decision. Deran still wasn't exactly sure how it worked, making a note to try and find out later. Maybe making an inn wouldn't be a bad idea, if he could find a good spot for it.

His two friends waved to him from their table and he hurried across the room, "Hey guys. Lyselle, did you know there's a repetitive quest at the blacksmith?"

"Oh yeah," She mumbled around a mouth full of food, "I completely forgot about it. Only unlocks the second time you bring at least twenty pounds of steel to him. It's a nice quest for starters but we probably won't make much use of it. Who knows where the unknown questline will take us."

Gorgath stood suddenly, bringing out a small instrument Deran hadn't seen before. The orc sheepishly looked at the two of them, "Figured I'd try to add a bit more to the song than just my voice. I've been practicing." He ignored their response and made his way over to a small stool next to the fireplace: The Minstrel's Seat.

It was one of two places a musician could claim when playing in a tavern or inn. The Minstrel's Seat was the place for the less showy and practiced musicians, or rather, those of lower level. Once you got more mastery over your art and could work the crowd could you grace the Bard's Stage. The NPC's all referred to them by full name but any player who knew anything just called them the Seat and Stage.

Gorgath played, the music flowing through the tavern naturally. The patrons bounced mugs and tapped their feet, some even going so far as to sing along with any they recognized. Gorgath had picked up quite a few songs in their few nights in town, adding to his collection almost proudly.

The music was good, though unremarkable. Deran sat back against the table, drink in hand, and sighed, "It was a long day. You think we can get enough by tomorrow? We're eighteen short." Lyselle bit her lip, looking into her mug distractedly.

"I'm not sure. There aren't many more starter quests around here that are quick. If you can find... a couple hundred pounds of steel... That's a ridiculous idea, nevermind. I wish I studied more!" She thumped her fist into the table and winced, rubbing the spot tenderly. "Dumby."

"Hey, it's all good. We wouldn't have even gotten this far without you! I'm sure we will find something! Maybe it's time to head out into the woods and do some higher level hunting. Some bear pelts would bring in a pretty penny!" Deran had seen a man trying to find one, offering three feathers to anyone who could supply. One kill would pay a good bit of what was left if they could find one quickly.

Lyselle cocked her head and looked at him, intelligence flashing behind her eyes, "It is probably time to go out into the woods. But not for any bear. Are you forgetting? There were still bandits that were never found. Hunting them down might bring in enough coin, though it would be a risk. And it would require you to use your invention again to get us out there fast enough."

"We have no idea where the bandits are though," Deran argued, frustration evident in his voice. When he realized she wasn't agreeing with him, he looked over to her confused.

She was grinning at him over her cup, "Forgetting something again? I know where they are. I've read up on that particular questline as its the only real combat you'll see here other than players. I can get us out there, it's just a matter of timing. If we left now, we could get there by nightfall. We'd have to camp there but it wouldn't be that bad."

"That works for me. That rig didn't turn out to be that bad and we got there faster. I wonder if the brothers will give us the horse portion of the reward so we can get out there faster. Plus, we can load the horses up with the gear and still get back quickly so it's a win-win." Deran looked around, for the first time seeing a few adventurer's names in the crowd at the inn. It still wasn't nearly as many as he expected would be there, "Hey, any idea why there aren't many people showing up? I figured we'd be seeing a lot more."

Lyselle pouted, "Turns out, if we had waited like ten minutes before logging in we would have seen an announcement they had made about a world event. On the other side of the world from where we chose. You did realize the line you were in was the town you wanted to start closest too, right? Anyways, most of the players are starting over there for all the benefits that come from it. These few either missed the memo or want to build power without much competition. Nothing to worry about while in town, however, not without some heavy bargaining power."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'd need a king or higher's writ to come into a starter town and pick a fight with a player. It's supposed to be a way to keep idiots from messing with complete newbs. Basically, you'd need a really really good reason like maybe some psychopath who doesn't care if he gets exiled on pain of death. He might try and take the town with him, so someone would be issued the ability to take out a player without major consequences. It doesn't happen a lot anymore though when the games first came out... that's a different story."

"Well, that's lucky for me I suppose. Though it sucks to miss out on the world event. As soon as Gorgath is finished, let's head down to the brothers' shop to ask about horses."

Lyselle stood quickly, calling over one of the errand boys who was cooling his heels by the fire. With a grunt of regret, the boy stood and trotted over, obviously tired from a run he just finished, "Hey. Bear this message to the Erikson brothers over in the merchant district. Deran is asking for a horse to go clean up bandits. They have the remainder of the money needed for tomorrow." She held up a feather for the boy to see, "This is for when you get back. You get a bit, for now, the feather when you come back."

The boy started to argue but the sight of silver made him quickly shut his mouth, grab the bit, and ran off. Deran chuckled, bringing his cup up only to find it empty, "You sure he's gonna remember all that? Maybe we should have written it down?"

She shook her head, stacking her dishes in an eery manner that brought back deja vu, "Messenger boys all have a feature that lets them memorize messages less than five sentences long. The skill can be increased but it rarely is unless you want a job as a private courier for a high-level player. Even then it's almost pointless as they can just hire an NPC and pay to improve them. Cheaper that way, in the long run. Though, while I was still out there I remember reading about a couple players starting a guild of sorts for couriers. Who knows, maybe they'll figure out a good way to make money off of it."

"Then I suppose we'll wait for him to return, as well as Gorgath to finish. Maybe I'll grab another ale while we sit here." He began looking around for a server to call over when a new player walked through the door. The nametag over his head read 'Lucky Luke' and he stood in the doorway, looking amicably around the common room. Letting the door snap shut behind him, he began making his way across to the bar, slipping around people smoothly.

Finally finding a free spot, he slid in a few yards to Deran's right and called out to the barkeep, "Two ales, if you would good sir. It's been a thirsty trek through the woods." His gear was simple, base leather with carvings Deran didn't recognize, though there was one he did: Two six-sided dice, with the five and two visible. He had curly red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, doing nothing to hide his emerald eyes or fine features. All around his waist were sheaths holding different size daggers and a bow was unstrung, hanging across his back. Underneath it was a quiver with a score of green fletched arrows, each fletching also sporting the iconic six-sided dice.

Deran was about to go over an ask him about all the dice when Gorgath returned and Lucky Luke was promptly forgotten, "Hey man! Sounded good! All the patrons seemed to like it!" Gorgath grinned in return, holding out a hand to spill some coins on the table. Mostly copper, there were a few pieces of silver mixed in.

"Aye, they did. About four feathers worth of appreciation, if my math is right!" Lyselle clapped delightedly adding the pile to their horde of coins, "You can live off your skill, you know." Lyselle mentioned, "Art skills are super hard to unlock, I'm kinda jealous he just starts off with one." She turned to Deran while Gorgath began to tune out the conversation of skills, "Seriously, having a bard companion starting out is insane. If it weren't for the unknown stuff, you could probably survive in here with just his skills, though the coins would most likely run out. The towns only have so much coin on hand before you have to move on. Games way of keeping you from just camping out here. Gotta work for your coin!"

Deran nodded with her explanation, her words making her think of his next steps. What was the plan after he bought the tunnel? It wouldn't do to spend all his time on the puzzle of the door, not with people coming after him. He had to figure out where to go from here, quickly, lest he get caught unawares by the developers. Following this unknown was great and all, though it wasn't a great way to earn experience. No one knew how long each piece of the quest was.

Yet again his thoughts were interrupted by the return of the errand-boy. He was completely out of breath, obviously wanting that coin enough to sprint the whole way. Deran pushed over his half-full mug of ale, ignoring Lyselle's gasp and glare, "Drink this. Take your time, catch your breath. You've more than earned your coin."

It seemed the game didn't care a lick about a minor drinking the ale, so Deran didn't either. The boy drank the ale so quickly almost half of it went over his shirt but he was finally able to speak, "The Erikson's said that was fine with them. They sent this chit with me so you can saddle some of their horses down at the stable. The stablehand should know what it means."

Deran nodded gratefully, snatching up the small wooden coin held in the boy's hand. Leaving him to the mug and leftovers, Deran gestured towards the door with his head. The three party members all made their way to the door, not noticing that they had drawn the interest of Lucky Luke. Narrow eyes watched them cross the tavern and exit before he shrugged and turned back to his food. Time for mysteries later, he had an empty stomach to fill and good food to do it with.

On the way to the stables, Deran asked a question that had been bugging him lately, "So, you said time passes differently here, right? What rate does it pass? It would suck to find out after all this that I've only been in the tank for a few minutes."

Lyselle walked next to him a good foot shorter. She looked up to him when she responded, "Nothing that bad. Time seems to pass about half as slow here than in the real world. Something about how it's actually our brains breaking down and processing things slower than they actually happen. It lets them feed information to us quicker, which we slow down naturally. The math is a lot higher than what I know, though it lets us enjoy more than we normally would have. Yeah, real-time passes slower which limits our time in here. But think of how much more we get to experience!" Her face was practically glowing with her excitement and Deran couldn't help but smile back in response.

"Well, I guess that's okay. Just gotta earn enough to dive again. Two full dives should be enough! Who can kill me when I have an awesome nature mage and bard at my side!" His theatrics were mostly ignored, with eye rolls and groans the only sign they heard. He kept grinning anyway, pushing into the stable to find it smelling just like he thought it would. Shit, hay and horse.

A stableboy began questioning them until Deran pulled out the wooden chit. Instantly, his demeanor changed, delivering them to a back stall with a small gray mare. She was obviously older, though docile and friendly, responding to his touch with a whinny and pushing her head into his shoulder.

"She wants one of these," Lyselle tossed him an apple from the doorway, looking at him with an odd look in her eyes. "Go ahead, feed her. She's yours now."

Deran gratefully nodded, feeding the horse the apple. He laughed as her whiskers tickled his hand, "What's your name, little lady? You're all gray, such a pretty gray. Twilight? No, that's too dark for a girl like you. Smoke isn't nearly elegant enough. Mist though. Wanna be Misty?"

You are trying to rename your mount to Misty (Yes or No)

He looked at her as she nudged him, looking for more apples. Laughing some more, he selected 'Yes' and started to brush her out to put the saddle on. "Wait, why didn't you get a horse? There was only one chit!"

"Yeah, I got mine before. I finished my portion of the quest when we had them meet up. They fought, I backed Harvey when his brother pulled the knife on him and he thanked me. The other Erikson hate's me now though. Small prices. Sadly I couldn't stop them from fighting long enough for the door stuff. Now it's too late for me. My horse is already in my stall."

"Hey, who knows. Maybe whatever is behind the door will be a place you can jump on the questline! There's always hope!" He tried to be convincing though he couldn't hear it. Lysell smiled nonetheless and went to grab his saddle for him.

"Oh, looks like he gave you all the reward early. Your masterwork item is here! The game chose well it seems." She tossed him a shape, which he caught with a wince. It was a black shield, with a crest of silver emblazoned in the middle: a silver set of scales balanced perfectly.

-You have acquired-

The Mediator

Damage Threshold: 9

Damage Reduction: 0

Durability: 17/17

Quality: Masterwork

Mediation: Once held by the great prince Adelan, this shield was the very same he used in the Battle of the Bloodless when he convinced warring tribes to lay aside their arms without a soul lost. It was his shield from then on, and still holds some of his charismatic power.

All skills based in charisma go up an effective three levels

Deran whistled, "With my current skill set, that seems perfect for me. What did you mean about the game choosing it for me?"

Lyselle nodded, handing him the saddle to throw over the horse, "Hurry, mine's already done. I always forget how much of a noob you are. The game generates quest rewards to make them more suit the players when it makes sense. Some will be generic no matter what but the major rewards like that one are based on your current skills and playstyle."

"Awesome." He breathed, loving the feeling of his new shield. It far outweighed the old one both in actual weight, reassurance and all around usefulness. Finishing saddling the horse was a bit of a chore since Deran had never ridden or even come close to a horse before. Still, with a little help, he was able to get it on and tightened. Misty sat through the whole thing patiently, thought the apples he kept slipping her certainly helped.

Lyselle got her horse from one of the neighboring stalls and they slowly walked them out into the open. They planned on heading out the main gate and heading south, where Lyselle had told him the bandits made their 'camp' after the main tunnel got cleared out. Mopping them up would bring a small reward from the mayor, as well as their loot. It should be enough to get the final coins needed to buy the mine.

Standing just outside the gate was a player, blocking the path out. He stood with crossed arms, tapping one foot, "Ah. There you are. I was wondering when you'd end up coming out, so I figured I'd wait for you. Took your time though. Might as well get this over with." He stepped back, leaving a few feet clear passed the gate, drawing his sword with a flourish. "Come now, don't waste anyone's time. I know all about you finding the unknown questline. I'm gonna kill you now so it becomes public knowledge and use it myself. I see you might have gotten yourself some nice gear and some friends but don't make this hard. I'm level 8 and from what I can see, neither one of you is over what, 5? 4? Please."

They all halted just shy of the gate, unsure, "Uh. Hey. Nice to meet you...TriggerHappy69. But I'm not gonna fight you, obviously. I'm sure the guards won't take too kindly to you killing me either. Right guys? Are threats a crime?" He spoke to the two guards standing by the gate, both looking at each other unsure.

"Technically, as long as he doesn't step inside and do anything, it's fine." Lyselle spoke through gritted teeth, "The wilds are fair game and this village doesn't have any surrounding space. It's too small, they don't even have farms. The wilds start right at the edge of the wall."

"Then we wait him out?" Deran took a hesitant step back, looking at the man who was outfitted in much higher quality armor.

"Ha. Good luck with that." The man waved a ring at him, "Ring of sustenance. Don't need to eat or drink while wearing it, so I can wait as long as I need to. You, on the other hand, will run out of coin sooner or later. Starter towns only have so much, or didn't you know?" He smirked smugly, swinging his sword in complex patterns.

"Deran... we need to get out of here, or we fail the unknown. He wasn't expecting us, maybe he isn't prepared. He's right though, we have to do something now."

Deran grinned in response, looking at the two guards. "I have an idea." He stepped boldly passed the gate, drawing a grunt of surprise from the PK'er.

"Well, looks like the little noob is braver than he looks. Or more stupid. Whichever way works for me. Get ready to die, Deran the noob."

Deran grinned back, feeling the adrenaline surging through him, making him reckless, "That's Deran nofang to you. Plus, I don't think my friends here will be okay with you attacking me." He looked to the two guards at the outside of the gate, looking behind them to see what had given him the idea, "Oh look. Your relief is here. Now you're offduty, right?"

"What's that got to do with anything, you idiot?" TriggerHappy growled, throwing himself towards Deran in a vicious lunge designed to pierce him to the gate behind. The blade never met flesh, caught in midair by the guard's sword.

"What? What the? I broke no laws! This is the wilds!" TriggerHappy began to backpedal quickly, his blade barely able to keep up with the NPC guards as the second one joined in on the assault.

Deran yanked out his sword, Tarth's Beacon a dull gray in the afternoon light. Almost no reflection glinted off its surface as it arced through the air, "Well? Shall we join them?" He asked his two friends, both of whom were grinning.

"I don't know what you did but that is just epic," Lyselle grinned, planting her staff into the ground and mumbling. Vines grew up out of the earth to wrap around the player's feet, tripping him up and stopping his retreat. Gorgath instantly began to sing, a new tune Deran hadn't heard before.

You have automatically resisted the effects of your party members Song of Distraction

Now, not only was the guy dodging the two swords but also something only he could see. His health was ridiculously high and it let him get enough swings off to cause a good bit of damage but in the end, he was no match for the five of them. The level gap was equalized by the assistance of the two guards and a bard companion was no small thing on its own.

Standing over the body, Deran thanked the two men, slipping them each a feather, "Drinks are on me guys, thanks for the help."

One of the guards, the one Deran recognized as the one who took the bandit from him spat on the ground, "Bah. Comes up here, threatening one of our own? Someone who brought back our pride? Suzie's here, thanks to you, so anyone coming up against you, well I'd say they're coming up against all of us."

The other guard nodded his agreement, as well as the two new men on post. Deran realized all four of their relationship bars read 'Devoted' now and they all looked at him with approval. "You're also willing to fight with us, which is always a plus," The second guard joked, "And you buy us beer. I'm for it!" The two NPC's laughed, knocking each other's shoulders and heading off to what Deran assumed would be the inn.

"Alright, seriously now. Enough is enough. How did you do that?" Lyselle crossed her arms and tried to look mad but failed. In the end, she dissolved in laughter.

"When my 'But words will get you farther' skill hit four, I got a new ability that lets me call on friendly NPC's I guess. I figured I'd gamble on the guards helping me when I saw the new ones coming to relieve our buddies." Deran rolled the now dead players body to loot it, looking up to see Lucky Luke standing right behind Lyselle. Jumping to his feet, he called out, "look out!"

"Hey, hey, I'm friendly!" He held up his hands, showing they were free of his many knives. "The name's Luke, as you can see. I'm public with everything, no secrets needed. I followed my feet and they led me here. My lucky day."

"Oh, yeah? Why is that? And why should I listen to anything you have to say? You could be buddies with this guy, though your name is much more original."

Still holding up one hand, the other dipped slowly into a bag, "Well, it's my lucky day cuz I've never seen a sword like that before. Made with Tes'Kelu, if my eye is right. A sword made of that is very interesting."

"You still haven't mentioned why we should be listening to you." Lyselle moved to be beside Deran and gripped her staff tightly.

"Well. Tes'Kelu. You know what it mean's right? The key. Well, really it's "The keypiece". With one piece, you've got a knickknack. But with both." He pulled a small knife out of his pack, the blade the exact same style of metal. Even the arcane glyphs looked like they belonged together."

"Well. Shit."