[SP-F2] Saving an NPC child because that's how quests work. <<Let there be Light>>

[Vargas 0]

Vargas made his way to the cave entrance that his quest locator was telling him he'd find the girl. He'd been approached by a NPC who asked that he help find her daughter. The woman had been so distraught at the time, saying how her daughter had been playing in one of the caverns with her friend when they'd been attacked by monsters. Her daughter's friend had been able to get away, but they'd gotten separated in the dark. Without hesitation, Vargas had said he’d help, which is why he was now headed there.

He was on the second floor, which was covered in a vast, mountainous region. He didn't worry too much about any mobs attacking him since he was of a decent level now for this floor. If anything, he figured this would be a fairly easy quest to complete. He saw the occasional passive mobs, like deer and elk, with every so often passing by wolves. For the most part, they ignored him, not seeming to care about his presence.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

It wasn't long before Vargas reached the cave entrance. His earlier thoughts that this was gonna be an easy quest when soon dissolved as he saw the cave. ”Well crap. The place is pitch black. I can probably see within ten feet of myself in there.” He didn't have a light source to help with this fact, but it was a second floor quest, so the mobs couldn’t be that big of an issue either way. With that thought, Vargas decided to enter the dark cavern.

After walking in about fifty feet, Vargas was having difficulty even seeing his feet, much less the walls. He moved to the side, placing his hand on the wall to help him keep a mental map of his movements. ”This might actually be a little harder than I thought.” Vargas muttered as he tried to move forward, deeper into the caves as he searched for the young girl.

[Vargas 0]

The cold, wet feeling he got from the cave only made Vargas wonder how scared the small girl must be. Though, as she was an NPC it was in her programming so it only made him feel mildly tense up with the need to find her quickly. Besides, the quicker he found her, the sooner he got out and collected his reward.

His hand trailed along the coarse rock wall. The rough feeling of each curvature and cut of the walls was extremely real. As was the design of the game, it felt exactly as it might in real life. Was the game designed to use a person’s own experiences as a basis or did Argus somehow actually input coding that would somehow mimic every sense? That was actually an interesting question Vargas would've loved to know before this death game had begun, but for now the main focus was to get stronger and escape.

The distant sound of crying dragged him out of his thoughts. “Hello? Is somebody there?” Vargas called out into the dark. He could hear the sound of sobbing lessen before a response came. “Please! I just wanna go home.” It had to be the girl. "Don’t worry. I’ll come to you.” Vargas called out in return. He picked up his pace as he delved deeper into the cave. However, the sound of flapping could soon be heard coming his direction.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

The sound of flapping only grew louder as it approached from in front of Vargas. Removing his hand from the wall, he drew his sword as he prepared for what was to come. His sight was useless to him until the thing was on top of him, so he focused on the sound of the creature’s wings. Just as it came within striking distance, Vargas stepped away from the wall and dodged to the left, it's claws reaching into nothingness to attack him. Now that it was close enough he could see it was Giant Bat. It's body was huge, its wingspan at least four feet wide and its body must’ve been the size of a small child. Being able to see the bat only made it easier to attack. Steadying his blade, Vargas prepared to unleash his Lightning Fall attack on the creature. His Anneal Blade crackled with energy as he quickly stepped forward and slashed his blade through the creature’s body, dropping it’s health by more than half it’s health bar.

 

ID #86487

BD: 7 (6+2-1)

MD: 1 (2-2)

 

Vargas 380/380 - 31/38 (-8/+1)

Giant Bat 10/50

Edited July 6, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

The Giant Bat didn't appear to happy with the damage it'd just received as it released a loud screech. It dived at Vargas, it’s claws stretched out to shred him to pieces, but Vargas ducked under and rolled out of the way. Without missing a beat, he unleashed his Snake Bite skill against the creature to finish it off. A triad of brisk angular slashed chained together in succession causing the last bit of the creature's health to dissipate, its body shattering to pieces in response to its loss health. With the creature out of the way, Vargas found the wall he was following and returned to finding his way through the cavern as he searched for the girl. He could hear her quiet sobs becoming clearer as he made his way toward her, her sobs leading him to her. ”Don't worry. I'm on my way there. I'll be there soon enough.” he called out, trying to keep her calm as he got closer.

 

 

ID #86488

BD: 6 (5+2-1)

DMG: 5*3=15

MD: 5 (7-2)

 

Vargas 380/380 - 29/38 (-3/+1)

Giant Bat DEAD

Edited July 6, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

 It wasn't long before Vargas found a small room where he could clearly here the sobbing from. Entering the room, he found the girl curled up against the wall, hugging her legs, crying. Squatting down in front of her, he tapped her arms and smiled, ”Hey. You lost?” The girl looked up at him and began crying harder as she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. ”Don’t worry. I got you. Let’s get out of here.” With that said, Vargas picked the girl up and began to carry her back through the cave. She clung tightly too his back, her eyes closed and moist from her tears rolling down her small face. Vargas trailed his hand against the rock wall as he followed his mental map back to the entrance of the cave. The quest was almost finished, so all he had to do was get her back to her mother and then he could go back to raising his level with the guild.

[Vargas 0]

It wasn't long before Vargas could see the entrance to the cave, the light shining through to show the way. ”Look, we’re almost there,” he said, pointing out the entrance to the young girl. She lifted her head from behind his shoulder to see the light a slight smile crossing her face. However, her joy was short lived before she screamed in fear. Vargas turned his head to see what it was that had scared her, only to see another Giant Bat approaching them. He drew his blade and parried the bat’s attack. ”Run! Get out and wait for me outside.” The girl jumped off his back and ran as fast as her short legs would carry her. With her out of the way, Vargas pushed the creature back before readying his Lightning Fall. His blade flashed out at the bat, a trail of electricity following his blade, as he tore through the mob. Instantly, it's health was completely drained and burst into crystals. Sheathing his sword, Vargas made his way to the entrance where he found the girl sitting and wait, tears staining her face in fright. ”Don't worry. I took care of the bad monster. Let’s get you home to your mother.”

 

ID #86490

BD: 9 (10+2-1)

DMG: 5+2=7*8=56

MD: 5 (7-2)

 

Vargas 380/380 - 23/38 (-8/+1)

Giant Bat DEAD

Edited July 6, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

The pair traveled across the terrain, following the path to avoid any mobs from attacking them. It was a fairly silent trip as they made their way to Urbus. The girl has shortly calmed down and fallen asleep on his back as he carried her. It was strange to see some of the actions of these NPCs as they always seemed to act more like people than just strings of data thrown together to collect responses and discern what to respond with based on their dialogue. Vargas merely shrugged it off as he could finally see the city Urbus off in the distance.

 

———————————————

 

”Thank! Thank you so much for helping my daughter!” the NPC woman cried as she hugged Vargas tightly before taking her daughter in her arms. ”Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I could help.” Vargas replied as he received a Quest Complete notification. With that finished, Vargas made his way to the teleportation platform so he could head up to the seventh floor.

[Vargas 0]

The bright blue light that appeared on the teleportation platform in Nimbus meant, for any onlookers, that someone was teleporting to the floor. Vargas stepped of the platform as he arrived. The usual thing to see when arriving at Nimbus was the fact that the fortress existed against the side of a gigantic mountain. The houses were all made of stone, either hollowed out into the rock wall or constructed. He soon made his way out of the city as he aimed to kill monsters and collect drops. He needed to get stronger in not just levels but equipment too. The stronger he got, the sooner he could reach the front lines.

It wasn't long before he spotted a wolf on its own. Seemed like someone must've cleared the pack spawn as they moved through but left one behind. All the better for him to make quick work of the creature. He drew his sword and unleashed his Lightning Fall sword art in the beast, but missed as it noticed him and quickly dodged. It lunged forth at him, it's jaws open in a growl as the wolf attempted to sink its teeth into him, but Vargas rolled to the side, just out of range.

 

 

ID #86493

BD: 4 (2+2)

MD: 1 (2-2)

 

 

Vargas 380/380 | 23/38 (-2/+1)

Mangy Wolf 190/190 | 57 DMG

Edited July 10, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

Vargas faced off against the wolf, it’s fur matted to its body from dirt. The wolf seemed a little disoriented, likely from it not being with a pack, but that didn't seem to make it any weaker. Rather, it appeared to only annoy it further. No pack and being attacked by some random traveler. It lowered its body as it prepared to pounce on top of Vargas. Vargas, in turn, readied his sword art once more. The two quickly engaged in the fight once more. The wolf leapt forward, its body stretched out to tackle Vargas while its jaw opened, ready to bite into his throat. Vargas blocked it by raising up his left arm and catching its bite on his arm, his armor reducing the damage. His sword arm swung around and cleaved through the wolf’s hit points as he knocked it off of him. The wolf only growled at him as it began to circle around the player.

 

ID# 86544

Battle: 9 (7+2)

DMG: 5*8=40

MOB: 7 (9-2)

DMG: 19*3=57+2=59-18=41

 

Vargas 339/380 | 16/38 (-8/+1)

Mangy Wolf 150/190

 

Edited July 11, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

The fighting continued on as Vargas dodged the wolfs attempts to tackle him. He stepped from side to side as the wolf circled around him, lunging out in its attempts to pin him and rip him apart. ”Is that the best you’ve got?” Vargas taunted the beast as he dodged it once more. The wolf only growled in anger as it snapped its jaw in retort. Vargas raised his blade with both hands on the hilt, pointing it at the beast as he lowered his shoulders and charged the wolf. The wolf attempted to dodge to the side, but was too slow as Vargas released the blade with one hand and swiped his sword in a horizontal sweep, catching the wolf in the side. He watched as its health dropped another decent chunk. It helped in surprise as it was caught by the reach of the blade. Vargas wasn't liking how low his energy was. Fighting solo wasn't getting him anywhere lately. He might need to start partying with someone so could fight mobs without as much effort.

 

ID# 86568

BD: 10 (8+2)

DMG: 5*8=40

BD: 5 (7-2)

 

Vargas 339/380 | 9/38 (-8/+1)

Mangy Wolf 110/190

Edited July 11, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

At this point Vargas had decided it’d be best to leave. Sure, he could stick around and try to kill the wolf, but at the rate he was currently doing, that it’d likely take at least three more attack and he didn't have the energy necessary. Backing away from the mob, he moved away as he tried to get out of its aggro range. However, the wolf did not appear to want to let him leave so easily. It charged at him as he stepped away. Vargas turned, deciding it best to just run until it was leashed. The wolf leaped into the air as Vargas began to move, his back to the beast, and was able to land on his back, its jaw biting into his shoulder. Vargas reached around his shoulder punched it, three times before it finally let go. It stopped giving chase at this point, happy to have chased off its assailant.

 

ID# 86577

CD: 7

MD: 7 (9-2)

DMG: 19*3=57+2=59-18=41

 

Vargas 298/380 | 10/38 (+1)

Mangy Wolf 110/190

Edited July 11, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

Having gotten away from the wolf finally, Vargas stopped running and dropped down to the ground. He didn't expect things to get harder as much as they had. He would've thought that the lower floors would be easier as his level and equipment got stronger. ”Why does it seem to always match my strength instead of staying the same?” Vargas wondered aloud. Taking a moment to rest he though about what to do next. It would be good to collect more materials for my shop at least, or even to trade so I can buy new equipment. Once I reach level twenty-five I should be able to start using better gear. With that thought in mind he considered who to go to for the equipment. Eatos was a blacksmith and could make him a new sword. Hei was also a tailor so maybe he could have him make some new armor for him.

 

ID# 86785

LD: 10 (9+1)

Edited July 17, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

Having rested some, Vargas got up and began searching around the mountainside. If he could, he wanted to find some materials for his appraisals of equipment. With the system’s change, things had become more promising for a merchant. Players had to come to them to have their gear appraised and find out what their stats were. Business had been on the rise because of it. With these thoughts in mind, Vargas looked around his surroundings for any materials he could find. Some iron or silk perhaps would be good. Yet, he sadly wasn't seeing any materials. Checking his HUD, he saw that his energy was almost fully recovered. Maybe I should just try again with killing a mob. Even if I don't get materials it’ll be more entertaining than this. He started down a trail in search of potential materials before he would call it and say it was time to go hunting again.

 

ID# 86826

LD: 7 (6+1)

Edited July 18, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

His eyes glanced over the foliage around him as he searched for possible materials. So far, his efforts were fruitless. It seemed as if he wasn't going to be able to find materials here. The trail had led him up the mountain side and into the small forest that lay on the side of the mountain. Looking at his energy bat once more, he saw that it was now once again full. “Looks like it's time to fight more monsters then,” he said as he descended back down the mountain. He didn't want to be searching far from the city since it'd be a pain to get back afterwards. So, instead, he headed back to the city. If he didn't find any creatures between here and the city then he’d just search again on the outskirts. He’d have to find something eventually and the sooner he did, the sooner he could try to get a bit of Col before calling it a day.

ID# 86828

LD: 3 (2+1)

Edited July 20, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

It wasn't long before Vargas came stumbling through the forest and spotted a bear. It's large body and broad shoulders made it seem like a formidable foe against most players or animals. Even now, it was moving on all fours. To think how much larger it would be on two legs, it would've been about eight or nine feet tall. Vargas readied his blade as he thought about the bear hide and meat that he could potentially get from this beast. His sword drawn, his body ready to leap and attack, the blade began to shine with the usual registration that a sword skill was activated. Charging forth, Vargas leapt onto the bear before plunging the iron blade into the creature. The howling pain that escaped the bear only told him that he'd dealt severe damage and quickly moved before the bear could throw him off. Its black eyes stared at him fiercely. After having just been accosted out of nowhere, it was not happy. No, it was furious.

 

ID# 87055

BD: 9 (7+2)

DMG: 5*8=40

MD: 1 (3-2)

 

Vargas 380/380 | 31/38 (-8/+1)

 

Bear 150/190 | 57 DMG

Edited July 22, 2017 by Vargas

[Vargas 0]

The bear roared as it charged at Vargas. The bear closed the distance between the two, its maw open as it exuding its fury. Just as it came close, it leaned back on its hind legs before slamming down on top of Vargas. Vargas tried to dodge but tripped on the incline of the mountain side and was crushed by the weight of the bear. A groan passed his lips as he attempted to push the bear off, its teeth coming closer to rip him apart as Vargas held it back with the flat of his blade. “Ahhh!” Vargas yelled as he used every bit of his strength to shove the bear to the side and rolled away before clambering back to his feet. Looking at his health points he could see that it had taken a decent chunk out of him. “Is that all you got?”

 

ID# 87061

BD: 5 (3+2)

MD: 10

DMG: 57+6=63-18=45

 

Vargas 335/380 | 30/38 (-2/+1)

 

Bear 150/190 | 57 DMG

Edited July 23, 2017 by Vargas