[OP - F01] <<The First Few Lessons are Free>>

[Cypher 0]

This was it. Today was the day that Shiroe was going to shed his skin and move onward to becoming the man known only as Cypher. It has been a couple of years since he has been within the town of beginnings, so he didn't truly have any experience, so he had figured that he would head out and pick up one of the most common quests that had been within the area. Thankfully, Cypher has heard about this quest from various others, since he has been here for so long. If he can remember correctly, there is an npc that resides here within the town of beginnings, that goes by the name of Zackariah. From what he heard, this Zackariah person was one of a string of quests that would help the beginners of the game come to understand the game. As such, this simply seemed like one of the best options. With that, Cypher would simply head on out towards the shop and hope to pick up this quest.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cypher

[Cypher 0]

It was only a few moments later before Cypher would open the door to Zackariah's shop. Upon doing so, the ringing of a bell could be heard. This would alert the NPC and cause him to turn around and bring his attention towards Cypher, a bright and yet wise smile plastered across his face. "Ah, yes, come in, come in!~" Quite honestly, Cypher wasn't quite sure how to feel about this. This wasn't the first time that he had interacted with an NPC, but it was the first time that he had been speaking with a mission handler. He wasn't expecting them to be so ... nice? As Cypher would continue to push the door open and step through, he would than begin to speak with Zackariah. "Hello there mister Zackariah. My name is Cypher and I am here, looking for some way to assist you. Is there anything that you would like for me to assist with?" Zackariah, of course, would simply begin to nod in a sagely manner as his eyes would begin to light up. "Yes, yes, indeed! I was hoping that you, Cypher, could perhaps head out and grab some basic tier one materials for me. Do you think that you could handle that young one?"

 

Cypher honestly had no choice but to accept the mission. He was going to need to start gathering experience and leveling up if he was ever going to make it up to the upper floors, alongside everyone else. As such, he would simply sigh before extending his hand out towards the old man with a bright smile. "You can count of my Zackariah. I shall ensure that you have the required materials for whatever you have planned." With that now out of the way, Cypher would simply turn around and begin to head on out of the shop. Now this is where the real decisions were going to have to be made ... Was he going to go to the northwest, where the forest had been located? Or should he head northeast, out towards the lake? Either way, he would likely be able to gather the minerals that he had needed.

[Cypher 0]

Eventually, Cypher would come to a decision. He had decided that although there may be some pretty interesting plants out near the lake, that he would more than likely find more of what he had needed out towards the forest. It was a forest after all. As such, with a slight ambition within him, Cypher would begin to make headway towards the forest. As he would approach the forest, he would be astonished by the various colors and intricate designs that each of the trees and bushes would carry. This was his first time actually heading out of the town of beginnings, so at the very least, this was something that had intrigued him. Even if he was only here to complete a simple fetch quest! Whilst out and about, as he would enter the forest and continue to stay on the lookout for any plants that may have benefitted Zackariah, Cypher coudn't help but feel a little excited. Bored for sure, but excited nonetheless. 

[Cypher 0]

 ID# 101047 || LD - 4 || Nothing ||

As Cypher would begin to push his way through the forest and continue to look around for any sort of flowers or herbs that he could give to Zackariah for this quest, he would unfortunately come to find nothing. This forested area had been vast and it truly seemed as though he wouldn't be able to find any flowers anywhere, no matter where it was that he had looked. Of course, he wouldn't give up. After all, this was just the beginning. As such, after several minutes of looking in the same spot for a root that he could use, Cypher would turn around and inspect other areas for the needed materials. Perhaps he would be able to find some elsewhere? Maybe behind that bush over there.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cypher

[Cypher 0]

 ID# 101048 || LD - 2 || Nothing || 

As Cypher would push his way past a thick bush, in hopes of finding a herb that could gift Zackariah with, he would come to the same result that he had before. Unfortunately, despite his best hopes, Cypher wasn't able to find a material in this spot either. In all honesty, the fact that he was already having this much trouble with this this early on had been quite irritating. It would seem as though there wasn't much that he could do for this matter though, so he would simply continue to look. Hopefully he would be able to find one sooner or later. As such, Cypher would begin to move from the location in which he had been to the shrubbery that had been located only a few feet away. Things might have been different over there. One could only hope as much.

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101049 || LD - 11 || +1 Crafting Material ||

Once Cypher had made his way on over towards the shrubbery, he would begin to use his armored hands to inspect through it. At first it would seem as though his luck had once again run out. The frustration was finally beginning to set in. Of course, upon finding an actual little red flower within this shrubbery, that frustration would begin to wash away. Instead of an annoyed frown dawning upon his face, a bright smile would begin to take its place. His eyes would even begin to light up as, as he began to take note of the beauty of the flower. "Y-yes! I found one! Hahaha~" Now that his confidence had began to put itself back together, Cypher would reach on down and simply pluck the flower from its stem. Upon doing so, the flower would simply pixelize and disappear, soon placing itself within his inventory. He may be wrong, but it seemed to him as though he had been getting the hang of all this.

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101050 || LD - 9 || +1 Crafting Material ||

With the fact that Cypher had managed to find a material within this shrubbery beforehand, the possibility of more being within this area had kept him going. In all honesty, the odds were more than likely that there were going to be more than one material within this shrubbery. At least, if  this was the real world anyways, that is how things more than likely would have turned out. Of course, Cypher didn't really know how different this world had been from the real world. This was his first time outside of the town of beginnings after all. In hopes of finding yet another material, Cypher would continue to poke and prod around throughout the shrubbery, only to come and find yet another red flower! With this, Cypher's smile would begin to grow and he would begin to reach on down and pluck this flower out as well. Thankfully, things seemed as though they had been starting to go his way.

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101052 || LD - 10 || +1 Crafting Material ||

Things had seemed as though they were beginning to look up. Already he had managed to find a couple of materials, despite his previously failed efforts. With this thought in mind, Cypher would continue to delve around throughout this shrubbery, hoping to find yet another material. It would seem as though luck was not with him in that endeavor though, as there had been no other materials within the shrubbery. At first, Cypher had began to feel a little discouraged. Eventually though, he would begin to come back around. Things were actually starting to look up for him, so perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult as he had imagined it to of been. Maybe he just needed to look somewhere else. With that in mind, Cypher would begin to move away from the shrubbery and would simply walk about throughout the forest in hopes of finding some other materials elsewhere. Along the way, he would come across yet another flower! There was something different about this one though ... Instead of being red like the others, this one had been an offset green. Paying no mind towards that small detail, Cypher would reach on down and pluck the material from the ground. "Awesome awesome. Things are starting to look good. Two more materials and we are good."

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101054 || LD - 5 || Nothing ||

Unfortunately, things weren't always going to be as easy as they had been going. As Cypher would continue to make his way throughout the various paths within the forest, the plants would begin to seemingly evade him. No matter where he would look, after finding that green flower, he just wasn't able to find any other plants. Perhaps he had snagged them all already? Or another had come through and done that beforehand, leaving him only with the the rare few that he grabbed? No, that can't be it. There had to be other plants around here right? After all, this was a digital game, meaning that the plants would likely be procedurely generated as time would go on. Maybe he just needs to wait for the plants to reappear? That could be it. Than again, he could be completely wrong about the whole thing. It was more than likely that he just wan't looking close enough. 

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101057 || LD - 8 || +1 Crafting Material ||

It was a good thing that Cypher wasn't planning on giving up, as he would eventually come to find yet another plant, maybe about a yard or two away from the previous one that he had found. The plant that he would come to find this time had been yellow, but not just any ordinary yellow. This flower had seemed as though it had been made out of pure gold! Or at least, that was what Cypher had thought upon first inspection. As Cypher would continue to look over the flower, he would begin to realize that it wasn't made of pure gold, but that the petals of the flower had been made to seem that way. It was truly a strange matter to say in the least, but he wouldn't allow for it to deter him in grabbing it. With one simple pluck of the flower later, Cypher would have yet another materials ready for the alchemist. He honestly hoped that this mission was worth it all.

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101058 || LD - 6 || +1 Crafting Material ||

With that golden flower now in his inventory, Cypher would head off in search of the last remaining material that he would need. If he could nab one more flower than he would be good to go. As such, Cypher would begin to head deeper into the forest, hoping to find the last thing that he had needed. At first, things would seem as though they had been coming to an end. For quite some time, he wasn't able to find what it was that he had needed. After almost an hour and a half had passed though, Cypher would end up finding his way into some sort of clearing within the forest. What he had seen had truly shocked him more than anything. "T-this .. entire clearing ... is full of the materials that I had needed?! How has nobody noticed that this is out here?!" The frustration could be heard clearly within his voice, but thankfully, no one had been around to hear him in the first place. Whilst shaking his head, he would simply begin to move on throughout the clearing and would grab a single white tipped flower that he would find within the entirety of the clearing. "I guess that it's finally over than ... Let's just hope that things aren't as troublesome, once I get back to Zackariah's."

[Cypher 0]

Now that Cypher had finally managed to collect all of the materials that he had needed, he would begin to head on back towards the town of beginnings, so that he could give the quest items to Zackariah. This would entail him having to travel through the woods though, which was not a necessarily easy thing to do, considering how many alternate paths he had taken just to get to this point. As such, for the next three hours or so, Cypher would try and manage to find his way out of the woods. It had taken him quite some time but eventually he had found himself out on the edge of the woods and overlooking the road that would lead towards the town of beginnings. "Well, I suppose that now is as good a time as any to start heading back. It would have been nice to of had someone that would have missed me in my absence but oh well."

[Cypher 0]

Now that Cypher had finally managed to of found the road, he would begin to head on back towards the town of beginnings. It wouldn't take all that long for him to get back, now that he had known where it was that he had been. "Maybe I should see if anyone wants to come with me the next time that I head out. I still don't really know this place all that well, so its most certainly going to end up in me getting lost sooner or later." Once Cypher would start down the road back towards Zackariah's shop, he wouldn't give up until he would eventually get to the proper location. As the site of that old alchemist building would begin to come into view, Cypher would surprisingly begin to smile. He was glad that this quest was almost over. He might be able to become a proper adventurer, in the game, once he ends up learning all of the ins and outs. With that, Cypher would push the door open and begin to head on inside, only to see the back of Zackariah once more.

[Cypher 0]

Once Cypher would open the door to Zackariahs' shop, the ringing of a bell would occur. This would prompt for Zackariah to turn around with a smile on his face and that same wisdom within his eyes. "Ah, hello again young Cypher. I am glad to see that you have made it back! Do you happen to have the materials in which I had asked you for?" From the knowing look that he had been giving Cypher, Cypher could already tell that the mission was about to come to an end. A simple nod later and Cypher would begin to pull open his menu, before dropping the flowers that he had collected from the forest into his open hand. "Indeed I have. Here you are sir." After handing Zackariah the materials, Cypher had been expecting for the mission to come to an end and for a notification to pop up and let him know that the mission had been completed. However ... nothing ever came. As such, Cypher would begin to ask the man what exactly had been going on. "Say, Zackariah, is the quest not completed?" Zackariah would than begin to shake his head from side to side whilst pulling out a single beaker. "I am afraid not young one. I am in need of your help with yet another task. Now that you have grabbed the materials needed, I am going to show you the basics of alchemy. You are going to help me craft a healing potion."

[Cypher 0]

Surprise could be seen written all over Cyphers face as he would listen to Zackariah's words. Is he being serious right now? The quest isn't over? Uuuugh. Instead of speaking his mind on this matter, Cypher would simply reluctantly agree to continue on with the quest. He was going to need the experience so that he could level up and he had already worked this hard. No point in giving up now. "Okay ... what exactly do you need me to do now mister Zackariah?" A simple smile would make its way upon Zackariah's lips as he would hand the boy the beaker and ask for the flowers. Once that had been out of the way, he would hand Cypher a mortar and pestle and tell him to get to work on grinding the flowers, before dumping the contents into the beaker, along with the proper solution that had already been set aside for him. Something that all basic potions would come with apparently. Immediately, Cypher would begin to get to work, mashing the flowers into a fine powder before pouring them into the beaker. 

[Cypher 0]

ID# 101071 || LD - 9 || Rare Quality-Success ||

With the contents now within the beaker, Cypher would place his hands over the top of it and than begin to shake the beaker up and down. Once he had shaken it up a good couple of times, he would place the beaker down onto the table and watch as the beaker begins to turn bright green. It was a truly fascinating site, seeing as how this was the first time that he had ever witnessed something like this. So this is something that I could have been able to of done this entire time? Hell, if I knew that, I would have started this back up a long time ago! As the potion would now lay upon the table, a small menu would begin to appear in front of Cypher face. It read: Congratulations! You have just created a rare quality healing potion. Would you like to keep it or discard it? Naturally, Cypher would choose to keep the potion, so he would end up pressing the button that had signified that exact matter. "Heh. I guess I'm not too bad at this whole crafting thing, huh?"

Edited May 15, 2018 by Cypher

[Cypher 0]

As Zackariah would take notice of Cypher's tremendous success, the smile on his face would begin to grow tenfold. He would than begin to let out a hearty laugh before placing a single hand on Cypher's shoulder. Of course Cypher wouldn't feel it, what with his heavy armor being on and whatnot. However, he had known that the mans hand had in fact been there. "Congratulations my boy! Who knew that you were so skilled?!" In all honesty, Cypher couldn't help but laugh a bit about it himself. Perhaps he was just a natural at this sort of thing? Or the game just felt bad for previously ruining his chances earlier. Than again, it was likely neither of these things. Regardless, with Zackariah's praises, Cypher couldn't help but feel slightly proud of himself. Not even his own father had acted that way towards him. However, there was something a little strange here. Something that wasn't quite adding up. The mission still didn't seem to be over? "Thanks mister Zackaraiah ... But uh, what more is there to do? Did I mess up somewhere along the way?" With this, Zackariah would begin to shake his head from side to side. "No no no. You've done splendidly Cypher! Really, all that there is left for me to do is ask you but a simple question: Do you think that you could deliver a package for me to the local blacksmith? His name is Lyle Tealeaf and after your great help, I was just hoping that you could do this simple matter for me."

[Cypher 0]

It was in this moment that a simple menu would pop up, prompting for a simple yes or no once more. Just above these two options however, read this: Would you like to continue along with the questline? Of course, figuring that he would like to gain the extra experience, Cypher would simply press the big green button that would signify that he would indeed like to continue along with it. Upon doing so, Cypher would look up at old Zackariah and begin to smile a bit. "Sure, why not? I guess that I could always help the others out and whatnot." Of course this would cause for the old man to begin to smile even more now. "Ah! Thank you so much young Cypher~" With this, the old man would go to grab the package before handing it on over to him. A moment later and the package would pixelize and transport itself into his inventory.