“ACHOO!” Zed sneezed violently.

“You okay?” Alexx asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said as he composed himself.

“Someone must be talking about you.”

“You really believe superstitions like that?” Zed scoffed.

Yang shrugged. “When you’ve been screwed over by bad RNG as much as I have, you start to believe things even when you can’t prove them.”

The three of them were currently sitting around the campfire of the expedition campsite, meanwhile, several other players moved about. When the announcement for the version update had happened, the players here had just about dropped everything to get back to the village in case something bad happened. It was fortunate that they did so, because when Yang and the others returned they found the camp partially destroyed by a large pack of Moss Wolves.

Considering the panic that had overcome the players due to the update, the local animals were likely thrown into a frenzy. Not only had the wolves attacked the walls around the camp(inside and out), but there were even signs that they had started to lash out at each other, leaving several bloodstains and a mostly eaten carcass. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t significant, just some light ransacking and claw marks on the inner walls.

“So how long did you guys plan to stay out there this time?” Yang asked.

Alexx shrugged. “Until we need to turn back, we have more than enough supplies to reach ant territory and just keep going, may as well see what’s out there.”

Then, as if to emphasize his point, Alexx reached into his inventory and pulled out a strip of dried meat.

Although everyone understood that having an inventory made games simpler logistically, none of them realized just how much it would impact their exploration capabilities. The new inventory system given to the players was able to hold an almost silly amount of items, the best estimates they had were around nine cubic feet of storage(1). If they ever wanted to build another camp, they wouldn’t need to gather the materials on site, as each player could now easily transport multiple shelters worth of supplies all on their own.

More astonishingly is the inventory’s food and drink utility. Anything put into the inventory didn’t age in any way. When they had left the village, they had been given two days’ worth of freshly cooked stew that was still piping hot a day later. They didn’t even need to take the large pots with them, as it was apparently possible to store just the stew and then take it out with a bowl later on.

That was also an ability extended to plain water, which had the most significant impact on their ability to travel long distances. Although there was the occasional pond or stream to drink from in the woods, the only consistent source of water for the players was the river. Even the use of waterskins was somewhat limited, as they still had a tendency to leak, and getting into a fight while carrying too many was guaranteed to make you lose most of your supply. With the inventory, they could now carry a week's worth of water without worrying about weight or leakage.

For Alexx and Zed, it gave them the perfect opportunity to seek out newer, stronger enemies in unexplored territory.

“If we’re heading that far out shouldn’t we have someone to make a map?” Yang asked. “You know, like with the expedition?”

Zed shrugged. “Probably, we just don’t care.”

Since the point of the expedition had been to find the Iron Ant nest so that others wouldn’t risk entering their territory, a more accurate understanding of the woods’ topography was necessary. However, while Alexx and Zed weren’t planning to go directly into ant territory, they were still going to be close enough and far enough that it was unlikely for anyone else to be interested in following after them. They were more than capable of navigating the woods on their own, and even though there were some(Soze) who wanted to have the area mapped for future reference, the two of them weren’t going to waste time on something that wasn’t immediately necessary.

“So you are coming with us?” Alexx asked, perking up at the idea of having more people joining them.

“Yeah, I need the EXP, and whether it's ants or whatever new thing you guys find I’ll need to come out here eventually. I may as well join you guys now.”

“Do you think you can handle fighting the Drones?” Zed asked. “You didn’t do so well last time.”

"I've been able to gain some levels hunting wolves and other mobs, so I'm a bit faster now and picked up Sprint. As long as I can sort of keep up with them I can learn to compensate." Yang then grinned as she reached into her inventory. "Also I have this now, so they shouldn't be able to ignore my attacks either."

Out came Yang’s new weapon, a massive stone pick that made a dull thump as she let it hit the ground. The shaft of the weapon was four feet long and almost three times thicker than what was ever used for weapons, tapering down to a handle that was partially fire-hardened to support the weight. There was also a small hole in the shaft about halfway up which Zed realized was meant to create a pair of handles that could be used from either side.

The head, which normally would have been an antler, horn or bone about the length of a hand, was a large stone almost two feet long. The point of the pick was an inch thick and nearly a foot long, and on the opposite side, the stone widened into a five-inch wide hammer. The heavy stone head was held in place by thick leather straps that were bound tighter by fire-hardening.

The whole thing looked incredibly heavy and unbalanced, but anyone could tell that being hit by such a weapon wasn’t a survivable experience, even with superhuman toughness.

Zed’s eyes widened as he peaked at the weapon’s stats.

[NAME]: Stone War Pick

[QUALITY]: Common

[TYPE]: Weapon

[DURABILITY]: 300/300

[STATS]: 90 Piercing Damage/50 Bludgeoning Damage

[AFFINITY/REQUIREMENTS]

STR: B/25

DEX: D/15

Yang’s grin only grew wider as she saw several jaws drop at the sight of the almost comically heavy weapon. “Think this will work on the ants?”

“Yeah,” Zed said slowly, “I think you’re good on that front.”

“It looks pretty sturdy,” Alexx said as the shock wore off.

“It might be sturdy enough for you to use without breaking it,” Yang said, recalling the reason the brawler fought barehanded. “You want me to make one for you when we get back?”

“Wait, you made that?!”

Yang shrugged. “I spent a lot of time at the Workshop while my leg was healing, and I got the idea for a better weapon. I had to ask for help with some of the more detailed work, but I did carve the handle and the head.”

“The base damage is even higher than the Soldier’s Blade,” Zed said absently.

“Obviously. It’s a giant stone spike, anything that gets hit with this is going to end up with a massive hole in it.” She turned back to Alexx, “So? Do you want one?”

Alexx thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m better with my fists, and I was never really interested in using weapons anyway.”

“Can I check it out?” Zed asked.

“You like it more than your new spear?” Yang teased.

“No,” he said bluntly. “I’m just curious how it feels.”

“You won’t be able to use it.”

“Why not?” Zed’s face scrunched up at Yang’s words. Yang only had 25 STR compared to his 50. He could tell that the weapon was incredibly top-heavy, but if she can use it why can’t he?

Instead of answering Yang handed him the weapon with a knowing smirk. Zed was almost immediately thrown off balance by the sheer weight of it, even while sitting down. The three moved outside the camp as he adjusted his grip on the weapon.

He started with a simple overhead strike.

*THUD*

The weight of the weapon combined with his high STR sent vibrations through the ground, enough for everyone in the camp to feel it, at least slightly. Zed struggled to lift the weapon for a split second as the attack had embedded it into the dirt, leaving a small crater when he pulled it out.

‘A little slow, but that was expected.’ tightening his grip and widening his stance, Zed prepared for what he knew would be the real test for this weapon, a horizontal swing. He performed the attack slowly the first few times, getting a feel for the shift in weight. Once he felt ready he put some strength behind the attack.

He was not ready.

Before the weapon was halfway through its arc, Zed could feel himself being pulled off his feet. Even stopping to catch himself, the weight and momentum of the War Pick were enough to bring him to his knees.

“Holy hell. I get that it’s a small boulder on a stick but that is insane.” He turned to Yang, who was staring at him with not even a hint of surprise on her face. “Okay, seriously, how do you expect to use this damn thing?”

She once again said nothing, holding out her hand. Handing back the weapon, the two traded places as Yang opened her menu. Using the new equipment slots, Yang’s armor flashed into existence around her with a dull glow.

Zed noticed that her armor had been modified since he last saw it. While most of it was the usual slatted wood style created by Rika, the shin guards were now solid chunks of wood held in place by leather harnesses. They looked like they were just a pair of hollowed-out logs that she had stuck her feet through! Calling them pieces of armor almost felt like an insult to the craftsmanship that went into creating the rest of her equipment.

Widening her stance like Zed had done, Yang swung the weapon with full force, a horizontal strike angled at the ground as if aiming at an Iron Ant Drone. Her torso leaned back to help compensate for the shifting weight, and unlike Zed she was not pulled to the ground.

The hammer head of the weapon dug into the ground and did not slow down, its momentum pushing the dirt aside with ease.

Before the attack could finish following through, Yang let her body follow the weight of the War Pick, using a small hop to let herself be pulled into the air. When she landed again she had moved a couple of feet and the weapon was back into its starting position, ready to be swung again.

Yang set the weapon down and turned to Zed. “See, like that.”

She did not elaborate further, but neither Alexx or Zed needed more of an explanation.

The momentum of the War Pick was enough to throw Zed off his feet no matter what simply because his body was too light by comparison.

Yang’s Maple Wood Armor was notoriously heavy, roughly 200 pounds(2) total and those new additions only added to it. With that extra weight functioning as an anchor, the weight of the War Pick is less able to pull on her. But the pull wasn’t gone completely, and Yang was using that to her advantage. Fighting against the weapon’s momentum would leave her completely stationary, which was suicide when fighting Iron Ants, but letting herself be pulled at specific times it gave her enough mobility to avoid getting swarmed.

It certainly wasn’t perfect, but with the extra armor on her legs and the destructive power of her new weapon it seemed like an acceptable trade-off, especially if there was someone else nearby to guarantee that she didn’t get surrounded.

“So, are you guys ready to head out?” Yang asked.

“Yeah, now’s as good a time as any.”

With all of their supplies still in their inventories, they let the others know that they were heading out and began making their way for the grasslands.