Shadow Wolf

With his decision made, Shadow found himself wandering through the streets. At first, he had intended on doing nothing more than a few moments of exploration - travelling along the nearby alleys and roadways, scouting out possible locations that he could revisit at a later time once he was completed with a few more of the more introductory quests. As time went on, however, he found himself drawn more and more into the life that was Tolbana. He wandered passed shops that showed a clear indication of being open and available to anyone who desired to enter, making note of a few but otherwise igno

The town of Tolbana had much to offer, if one knew where to look. Unfortunately for Shadow, he didn't know where to look - in fact, he didn't even know where to start looking. He'd barely made his way into the town before being accosted by the mayor with the request to complete some sort of money-hunting quest, which had led him to gaining a introduction into potion making and the general gathering that could be completed within the world of Aincrad. Beyond that, he'd wandered through a few side streets, and found his way towards an alchemist. He refused to consider himself well-versed in any

He'd stood there, confused, for longer than he would've liked to admit to, trying to make sense of the fact that he'd just been left with almost nothing in reward for what he'd completed. Slowly, his eyes had shifted down towards the notification box that had appeared, a large block of congratulations atop further information confirming the materials, healing potion and the new quest he had unlocked. Slowly, his eyes moved back to the shopkeep who had turned its back to the player, apparently no longer concerned with Shadow's presence. He lifted his hand, reaching out towards the shopkee

The alchemist had turned at Shadow's words, glancing over the potion that he had made quickly before his face erupted into a smile. He clapped his hands together and gave an approving nod before launching into his reply. "You did a fantastic job. Now, was there anything else?" Shadow waited a second before shaking his head. He couldn't help but feel a slight bit of annoyance, but knew there was nothing else to do but ask his question again. Sighing heavily, he pushed the annoyance from his mind and voice, trying to remain as pleasant as he possibly could in the situation. "I was tasked by

His waiting hadn't lasted anywhere near as long as he had expected, an opening appearing and providing him with a way through the crowd. He'd slid through with an ease, making his way into the courtyard proper and the adjoining roadways. A collection of steps later and Shadow had found himself on the path to the shop that had originated this search and return quest, his spirits growing as he came closer to completing the whole situation. "Ah, welcome back! Did you find the materials for your potion?" In contrast to the last time he had arrived in the shop, the keeper appeared aware of hi

His walk back through the city had been far less relaxing than Shadow had expected. He'd had to wait at the entryway as the collection of growing players arriving caused a small blockade just inside the city itself. He'd considered, for a brief breath of time, going around the blockade and attempting to relocate the shop through alternate routes. That thought had been dashed however as soon as he remembered just how large the city of Tolbana was. Smaller than the Town of Beginnings, sure, but still large enough that if he took a wrong turn he could find himself lost for hours, and possibly hav

He'd moved back towards the entrance of the city itself as he'd come closer to completing his search. He knew it was a risk, heading back through areas that he'd already searched through - and recently too - but he figured that he was as close to being done as he was going to get. That, and if need be he could head back along the same path and repeat his searches, with the hopes of not having to travel too far out from the city's shadow. His efforts weren't in vain however, as he found the final piece that he needed from a flowerbed near the city's entrance itself. He'd picked the golden

Putting aside his thoughts about how the system operated, and whether it would take him any longer without his equipment, Shadow turned his focus back to the task at hand. He wanted to be done with the quest - if for no reason other than it would place him one step closer towards helping to clear out the floors, and making some actual progress in the game. Around him, the wind continued to billow through the fields, pressing the grass over gently in an almost picture perfect way, all the while players began appearing in earnest, a sign to Shadow that he no longer had anything that could be con

The grasslands provided ample opportunity for Shadow to move from flowerbed to flowerbed, his eyes scanning each area as he passed it. He'd noticed that there was no visible cue to the pieces, and whether or not they would be collectable - something that he figured was a mean of making the task more difficult for those attempting to complete it. It would seem the game doesn't want us just picking everything possible...this will definitely make things that much more difficult. I wonder if there's ways to make these activities even easier... He'd purchased a crystal at a shop as he'd heard

Knowing that he was wasting valuable time, Shadow only let himself sit and watch the other players for a short period of time before forcing himself up and into movement once more. Out of habit, he decided to check the nearby bed of flowers that he had already inspected, not truly expecting to find anything different about it. His luck, however, seemed to either change - or the system felt pity for him. He wasn't entirely sure which, and found that in the end he really didn't care to know which it was. As he pulled the flower from its bedding, careful not to destroy it, he felt a tinge of grat

"I guess there's nothing else to gather here...I'll try another location." He pushed himself back into a standing position, glancing across the field towards the other areas. He'd considered looking for something else, like the herbs that the elderly man who'd sent him on the errand had suggested, but Shadow had shook off the idea just as quickly as it had arrived. He had little knowledge about flowers, let alone the various herbs that one would find in this world or his own. Deciding to remain with what he could easily find, he focused on scouring the flowers that seemed to populate the

His original luck seemed to have died out rather quickly, and Shadow found himself wondering if there was a trick to finding the materials he needed. He stood over yet another bed of flowers, staring down at pieces that seemed to disintegrate at his touch, only to reappear where they had been moments before he had attempted to pick them. He'd tried everything he could think of, from breaking the stem off quickly, slowly and carefully, even to pulling just the petals from the flowers. No matter what he had tried, however, it led to the same conclusion - a collection of shards that left him with

The first set of flowers had been easy enough to locate. It had placed Shadow in a good mood - a feeling that his quest was off to a good start, or at least it was appearing to be. He'd spent a few brief moments looking over the original brush, in the hopes that he would find another of the material pieces that he'd started with. He'd had to give up after a short time, however, when it became evident that there would be nothing more in the same location. "Right, well. There's more locations to check. I would assume that the system wouldn't want us to simply remain in one place, that would

Flowers. Shadow's gaze drifted across the open fields, noting a collection of various grasses, bushes and assorted trees in the distance. He could see spots of colours roaming the horizon, a variety of reds, blues, and other colours that seemed to clash with the greens of the grasslands. He paused for a few seconds, considering which direction to go as he was presented with numerous different options. "Well, when in doubt..." He moved towards his right side, walking towards a collection of reds and blues that he had spotted from his vantage point. He was careful to move around the variou

He'd retraced his steps back to the entryway of the large city, passing by the same guards who had waved him into the city of Tolbana. He'd seen them wave to him once more, on his way back out, the same happy and content looks upon their faces. Shadow couldn't help but wonder if they would ever get tired of that action - if one day they wouldn't grow to become frustrated with their duty of simply waving to the passing players, standing at the entrance to a city that they may not get to ever explore. "This world is almost too real, in a way." He mumbled to himself as he continued out into