[SP - F03] <Worn out Welcome> FInding some armor

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Benjamin found himself on the third floor, a place that he hadn't been to yet, in an attempt to get himself some armor for future quests.  He had heard that some of the NPCs would get him armor for completing a quest, and he was really going to need some extra protection when he started going up against some of the bigger enemies in the future.  He didn't have enough col saved up just yet to buy player made armor, so this was probably going to be his best bet for the short term. 

He made his way through the town of Delilah, the scents of the flowers wafting through the air as he went.  He had been really thankful that the allergies that he had didn't translate into this game- otherwise he would be doubled over by now.  Hack, even now he still felt a bit stuffed up because of the smells, even though they weren't real. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

The armor smith's shop ahead of him was run by a man named Griswold, or at least that's what the sign outside the house said so.  It looked... homely.  There were flowers in the windows, and the smell of freshly brewed tea coming out from what was presumably a kitchen out back.  It was honestly disgustingly normal. 

Hello? he asked as he walked inside.  I'm here about getting some armor, if you guys are open.

The blacksmith emerged from the back of the shop, a gruff look on his face.  Of course we're open.  Wouldn't be much of a shop if we closed all the time.  Now, armor is it?  You'll have to be a mite more specific if you want some.  he stated as he gave Ben a look up and down.  I'm guessing someone like you would want something light then?

Ben frowned at that assumption  No... I was hoping for some heavier armor actually.  I needed something to take a few hits, not to run away from them. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Griswold frowned at that, and stopped to think for a bit.  Maybe... hmmm... hey hun! he called out to the back, Do we still have any of that lightweight steel still in stock?

No sugar, we used it all on that big order of gauntlets we made last week. came a sweet sounding voice from the back.

Well, I have an idea of something I can put togather for someone of your size, but I'm going to need some parts to make it with. 

The quips about his lack of muscle were getting old really quick.  But at least we were getting somewhere.

Yes, there are some dark elves in the Forest of the Wavering Mists that carry lightweight metals in their armors.  If you can get me one of those, I'll have enough metal to make a suit of armor for you, and I'll take the leftovers as the price.  It will be metal scales inserted into heavy leather to keep the weight down, and should give a mix of heavy protection and freedom of movement. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Ben figured that sounded as good as any type of armor.  Plus he really didn't want to have to deal with a full plate of armor if he didn't have to.  Those things looked uncomfortable.  Maybe once he got some higher tier armor it would have to be heavier, but it seemed like it didn't need to yet.  Sure, that sounds like a deal.  I just have to go get some armor from one of these guys, and bring it here.  Simple enough. 

Griswold nodded, and as he did a new marker was added to his mini-map.  It must be where the dark elves could be found.  All right, I'll be back once I have the metal for you to work with.  Griswold gave another nod- he wasn't much of a talker it seemed- and walked over to start work on the leather garment that would be reinforced by the metal.  Ben hoped that it would be ready by the time he got back. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Ben started on his trek out of town and towards the forest.  The flower fields were a pain to travel through, with the scents getting his nose all runny as he passed by them.  This was the last time he wanted to be on this floor if possible, but there were always going to be more floors full of pollen.  They looked too good for the other players not to enjoy them. 

When he finally got to the edge of the forest, he started to feel better.  The paths into the deeper parts of the forest were visible, but the point on his map was pointing him to the edge of the forest where he wouldn't have to move in as deeply.  This was lucky for him, as the monsters in the forest were a lot bigger than he wanted to tackle right now.  So he headed down across the grasslands to start his search. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

It didn't take long for Ben to walk far enough for the mists to start closing in.  The atmosphere was really claustrophobic around there, and he was getting tense with anticipation.  He really didn't want to bump into any of the dark elves and let them get the first few hits in- or worse, run into a group of enemies.  After peering ahead into the mists, and creeping along at an agonizingly slow pace, he spotted what he was after.  A pair of dark elf NPCs, with no other enemies around.  It wasn't ideal, but he could probably take two... though he decided that he could wait a bit to see if they moved. 

The NPCs stood around in the clearing for a while, seemingly doing nothing but stare into space.  They probably had some sort of way to talk without making noise or something,  but it was irritating.  Finally, his patience was rewarded when they started moving in opposite directions.  Ben pulled his daggers to the ready, and started to follow the one moving towards the edge of the forest.  It was about time to start the fight. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Ben charged forward, ready to take on the Dark Elf and knock him out fast.  Hopefully, he would knock it out before it could get a hit in on him.  Ben had no idea how strong this thing was, and didn't want to find out. 

His first attack slammed straight into the enemy with his first try, digging into the Elf's side and twisting the dagger hard.  The dark elf cried out in pain, trying in vain to get his sword around to take a swing at him, but Ben managed to jump back far enough that he wasn't able to reach. 

They both quickly caught their breaths after the initial attack- the Dark Elf readied his sword for a counter attack, and Ben readied to finish off the enemy.  The dark elf had only half his health left already- one more good hit would end this fight and close up this quest. 

Stats:

Spoiler

Level - 8
HP - 160 / 160
ENG - 16 / 16
DMG - 3 (1 base + 1 skills + 1 equipment)
MIT - 0
ACC - +1 (1 equipment)
EVA - 0

Battle Ready Inventory:
(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
(2) Magic Armor Potions (Safeguard)
(8) Basic Healing salve (Heals 40 HP)
(4) Burning Edge Potion (+1 damage)
(2) Lesser Antivenom Balm (Antidote (1))

Combat:

Spoiler

~Combat~ 

Roll ID 95061

Battle die 7+1 = 8 (Hit)

Monster die 2 (Stunned already)

Benjamin uses Side Bite Sword art - (3 x 2) = 6 damage, Dark Elf is stunned

-5 EN

- Enemies - 

Dark Elf - 6/12 HP, 9 DMG

- Players - 

Benjamin: 160/160 HP / 11/16 EN / 1 ACC /  3 DMG

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Benjamin Bookworm
Rolling for Combat

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Benjamin charged forward at the same time as the Dark Elf did.  Both of their blades flashed in the mists as they drove forward, each going for the other's center mass.  Ben managed to dodge out of the way slightly as he ran, plunging his blade into the Dark Elf's torso, quickly following up by tearing his dagger upward and tearing through the enemy, seeing him start to dissipate before his eyes.  The Dark Elf's sword had just about reached his neck as it turned into a pile of pixels, saving Ben from a great deal of damage had that hit gone off. 

He breathed a sigh of relief as the elf fell without hitting him.  That was the biggest worry he had.  He quickly checked on his inventory- he needed to grab the armor, and saw that it had already been added in to his stuff.  That part was done. 

Spoiler

~Combat~ 

Roll ID 95065

Battle die 8+1 = 9 (Hit)

Benjamin activates Round Accel (3 x 2) = 6 damage!

Monster die 10 (Already dead)

-2 EN

- Enemies - 

Dark Elf - 0/12 HP, 9 DMG (Killed)

- Players - 

Benjamin: 160/160 HP / 9/16 EN / 1 ACC /  3 DMG

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Benjamin Bookworm
Rolling for Combat

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

After gathering up his thoughts, he made doubly sure that the item he picked up was the correct one.  It would be a waste to have to come back afterwards just because he got the wrong item.  But it seemed he got the right armor this time, so it was back toward town he headed.  Just as long as he could make his way through the fog and back without getting lost in the fog.  At least his mini-map had updated itself a bit, so he wasn't just wandering around blind.  He just had to worry about running into another pod of bad guys on the way.  Actually, it might be a good time to start gathering materials... or so he thought, until he saw exactly how foggy it was, and how much that would interfere with his ability to find things.  It was probably best to hurry back to town fast.

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Benjamin made his way through the forest, a bit faster this time now that his mini-map could show him the path back, but the mists were still a pain, and he kept stumbling over the odd root or stone whenever he began to move faster.  This meant he had to go somewhat slowly and steadily through the route, which came in luck as he neared the edge of the forest.  A pair of spiders were lurking out there, marching in a path that was liable to catch anyone entering the forest off guard.  Ben ducked behind one of the trees, glad for some luck on his side, and waited as they slowly skittered on their way down the path.  Hopefully they wouldn't be causing trouble for other players, but he didn't have anything he could do about that right now.  Best to finish up the quest and try not to worry too much. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Dealing with the Dark Elf and the forest had been a much quicker task than Benjamin had expected.  Usually a battle would leave him worn out after it dragged on for several minutes.  This one was over without him taking a single hit, and much faster than he had prepared for.  He actually was a little worried that he would get back to the shop and have to wait around some more for the initial parts to be made before his armor was even needed. 

As he headed down the paths around the forest, moving towards the path that would lead him back to town, he took a bit slower pace than he usually would.  No reason to hurry when he would just get there early after all.  Still, the path came up quickly, and it wouldn't take long for him to reach town.  The forest wasn't actually that far from there, and he didn't anticipate any trouble along the way back. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

As Ben wandered down the path, he thought about trying to pick out some more mobs to hunt- there were a few likely monsters near the road that he could tackle.  But on his own, it would take nearly 30 attacks for him to take it out.  He would probably need to use a few healing potions as well to win, and that just wasn't something he had picked his skills to be good at.  He would have better luck just finishing up the quest. 

The town entrance was just up ahead, and Benjamin walked in confidently, trying to remember exactly where the blacksmith shop was located.  Even with his mini-map, he had a tendency to get lost in these towns.  They were much bigger game hubs than he had gotten used to.  And they had a lot more activity going on than he had even expected of a game. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Griswold's shop was the same place as it was before.  It just took a while for Ben to actually find that place again.  He had almost forgotten how flowery and nice looking the place looked.  It really seemed out of place!  Honestly, who programmed NPCs to act so weird and have such strange houses?  Still, he had the metal, so it was time to complete this quest.  He entered the house, and spied the blacksmith hard at work. 

Hey there Griswold, I got the armor you wanted.  So you just need to melt this down for parts, and we're finished up, right?  Ben asked, opening up his inventory as he did.  It took him a few seconds to find the item inside there- he was starting to get a good amount of stuff in there, and he would have to organize them better soon, or it would take even longer in the future.

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Griswold looked up from his work at Benjamin as he came in.  The leather outline of the armor he was building was outlined on the table, partially assembled.  Griswold put the work down for a minute to come over and inspect the delivery, taking the item into his hands and giving it a nice long look over.  Yep, this will work.  Good job getting a hold of it.  Now I guess it's time to melt it down.  he said as he turned  his head to the kitchen and call out Honey, I'm gonna heat up the big forge now!

Griswold then brought the armor over to the main forge of the shop, and began the process of heating it up- adding fuel to the fires, and working the bellows to stroke the heat.  As the glow of the embers shone brighter and brighter, he prepared the armor for melting down. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Benjamin settled in to watch the metal being melted down- even if the game abstracted parts of it, they had gotten a lot of the details of the forging process right.  Or at least right enough for him to enjoy it.  Griswold had gotten the fires red hot, and had placed the armor in a metal crucible to catch the melted parts before he reforged it.  The heating process even took a bit of time, rather than happening instantly as some games did.  But, soon enough there was nothing but liquid metal left over.  He then poured it into a waiting receptacle, with the proper shapes in the bottom for the metal to run into and settle while it cooled.  Next, he used a metal stick to push the metal around evenly, making sure each of the small plates it formed into would be the same size and thickness as the rest. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

After the metal was done being set, Griswold stepped back to admire his work.  Ben had been hoping that it wouldn't take long to cool off and make the armor, but that looked like it wasn't happening.  Griswold then headed back to the work bench that he had left before, taking stock of the rest of the suit that was there.  The leather outer parts of the garment had multiple slots stitched into them for the plates of metal to be added, and it looked like when it was finished that they would overlap each other, but still flex enough to allow good amounts of movement.  As long as it wasn't heavy and stiff, Ben would like it, but this was shaping up to be better than expected.  As long as nothing went wrong in the rest of the process, he would be leaving here with a very nice new set of armor. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

So, with the metal for his armor cooling off, Benjamin was going to be waiting here for a while.  Griswold saw that too, so he thought about it for a minute.  So, I suppose we have a bit of downtime before your stuff is ready.  How about I get the missus to put us on a bit of tea for while we wait?

Ben nodded in response, glad to have something to do while he waited.  And, while Griswold headed over to the kitchen to grab the drinks, started thinking about what to do next on his list of quests.  Probably the rest of the beginner quests would be the priority- they were worth a lot of xp, and probably had some good rewards.  He still hadn't found anyone that would do the quest with, but doing it on his own wouldn't be so bad.

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Griswold soon came back into the room with a pair of steaming hot beverages, taking his time to talk with his wife at the door.  They seemed to make a cute couple.  At least for NPCs who really didn't have anything like emotions or feelings, and were just built for one purpose, without free will.  It was still nice to humanize them though- it helped from going crazy at times. 

Thanks. he said as Griswold put the drink down in front of him.  No problem. Griswold replied.  A man of few words he was.  That suited me just fine, as I really didn't feel like having a deep, meaningful conversation with an NPC if I could help it.  Sitting here and sipping on some (surprisingly very good) hot tea was a nice way for him to pass the time.  The armor would be done soon enough if he just waited.

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

The next few minutes went by uneventfully.  A sip of tea here and there, some nice quiet company, and the peaceful sounds of things on the forge cooling off.  It turns out that this was a nice way to pass the day.  Just sitting here with some nice quiet time was actually a healthy break from running from one quest to another.  Maybe he should see if one of the local cafes has some good teas that they serve.  That would be a good way to unwind at the end of a long day. 

Still, it looked like the the metal was starting to cool down enough to work on, which he did without a fuss.  They turned out pretty well- no flaws, evenly sized, and ready to be used in his work.  He took them out of the cooling pan, separating them into two different piles- one for this work, and one for his own stash. 

[Benjamin Bookworm 0]

Griswold then started the hard part of this task- actually putting the armor together.  He got the leather coat that he had prepared before hand, and started to place the metal bits into the slots that were designed for them to be put into.  It took minimal effort to get them to fit, and soon the armor began to take shape.  The longer part of the process was stitching the leather shut, so that all the metallic inserts were sealed tight inside of the armor.  It would do no good if they shifted around when he moved, and wouldn't be able to cover the vital areas that they were supposed to be protecting.  After that, a few extra strips of leather were added to the seams to help reinforce them and to make it look better overall. 

And with that, the last part of the heavy armor was complete- all Ben had to do was try it on.