[PP - F1] <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

"And so, after all this time, I'm beginning my journey too.." Haltar had finally arrived at the entrance of Zackariah's shop, a fairly anonymous building, if it wasn't for the potion-shaped sign. He entered, pulling the door, and a bell announced his entrance. As soon as he arrived at the counter, a bald, white-bearded man came from the back room, welcoming him kindly.
"Hello, and welcome to my workshop. How can I help you?"
"Hi, my name is Haltar. You must be Zackariah, right? They told me you offered to help new aspiring adventurers.."
"Ah, so would you like to go on the adventure too?" the old man answered smiling. "Of course, I remember being offered. Every so often a few new boys arrive. If you are interested, I can help you prepare for your trip."
Haltar was relieved for a moment. Fortunately, after all this time, the quest was still active. "I would be very pleased, thank you."
"Very well! So, the first thing you need to learn is this: always be ready for everything. First, I ask you to go and get me some special herbs, just outside the city, similar to these."
Zackariah took a tome from the shelf behind him, opened it and showed Haltar the herbs he needed. "Come back to me when you've had enough. Five should be enough. And don't worry, if you don't stray too far, you won't find any danger."
Haltar stiffened for a moment as he felt he had to leave the city, but the friendly voice of the old man made him return quickly. "All right, I think I can do it. I'll go right away, thank you very much!" Haltar then left the shop, walking towards the city exit.

@Hazado

Edited May 10, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

Haz was walking around for a bit, With is under armor and a blue jacket. A few people looked at him not because he was clearly out of place on this floor for sure. Looking around at the buildings He got a few memories back, and to be sure not the best at all. The shield on his back was shining in the sun and Haz looked around a bit to see the old workshop he once entered before, as he then lets out a sigh, This brings back memories, He thought as he kept walking into the direction of the exit as it seems that some things were in a change of things of better. Fewer players were on this floor for sure, it was maybe because the higher floors got cleared out by now quite a bit, and most people who stayed here were either scared to move or just too young to risk their life. Standing at the entrance now of the town of beginners Haz saw a few NPC's but not really some players at all then His eyes saw a player was up to the exit and he smiled walking up to the player, "U are either very late or u either just lassy to move past this floor," He said sounding a bit bold and full of pride as he stood in front of the player.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

As soon as he arrived at the exit of the city, Haltar found himself in the wide prairies flooded by the sun. Nearby were some NPCs.
<Good, they'll be useful, I can ask them where should I go.>
He turned to the nearest NPC and took just a few steps toward him, when a bold voice addressed him and a boy, a little younger than him, stopped before him.
"U are either very late or u either just lassy to move past this floor,"
Haltar's first instinct was to look at the indicator on his head.
<It's green. Well, thank goodness. I can talk to him without problems. Maybe he could even help me!>
"Is it so obvious? Well, maybe I'm a little late, I admit it." He answered with a smile, not at all intimidated by the boy.
"It took me a while to make up my mind and step out of the city, but hey, better late than never, isn't it? By the way, I'm going to collect some herbs, would you like to accompany me?"

@Hazado

[Hazado 0]

As the man turns around to face him He surely was a head taller then this man and Haz nodding his head upon hearing this guy was going to do some Herbs gathering, it was A either the first lesson or B, he was just a crafter. "Well Better to be late then never, those are true words. However not everyone can fight on their own, Better to be safe then sorry I would say then. Name Is Hazado," He said holding out his hand as the true form off Haz was a bit clearer now, is quite a bit off muscles and with the shield on his back he looked even bigger. "So it would be nice to know the name of my traveling companion as well, I understand if you don't want to give it but still always better to start somewhere," He said to the man waiting for his hand to be shaken by him.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

A moment after seeing the boy's hand stretch out towards him, Haltar held out his hand to shake it.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Haltar. You're right, I should be careful, but by now this area should be deserted, so it shouldn't be dangerous, right?"
Then, noticing the shield on the boy's back: "In any case, now with you around I should be safe enough, I think."
Without another word, Haltar walked around Hazado, to advance towards the prairies, heading for a bunch of tall grass. Once he approached, he tried to look carefully at the darker patch of grass, trying to see the one indicated to him by Zackariah. Unfortunately, none of these seemed to resemble that seen in the book.
"Of course, it can't be that simple ..." he muttered with a sigh. As he was looking around, he continued talking with Hazado.
"By the way, you look well equipped to be in these parts. If I may ask, why are you around here?"

Roll ID: 115426
LD: 5 (Herbs Not Found)

@Hazado

Edited April 27, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

As Haz follows the guy who called himself Halter he got out a weak smile as he seemed to have not the best of luck at all, who knew that the starting quest could be hard, Then as Halter turns to Haz to ask a question he puts his hands on his hips, "Well I came here to, take care off some business on my own. Not everything is safe as you think, Word has been out that some players with orange cursors are out for killing, Not sure if this is true."  He said to Halter as he tapped his feet a bit, "But no worry, Somehow I seem to avoid people like that quite a lot, Not sure if they do it because of my high skill in protection or my body type, either way, U are save when I'm around," He said sounding quite a bit prideful in his voice almost if he knew he was the best around.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

Hazado's last sentence let a brief laugh get out from Haltar. "Well, at least you make others feel safe, I'll give you that!"
Then his face darkened for a moment. "But really, what's in those people's minds, killing innocent people like that? What's in for them? This is no longer a game..."
His gaze shifted a little to the right, where he finally found what he was looking for.
"Ah-ha! Found ya!" He tore the grass from the ground, and a second later it disappeared, leaving a message for the material collected.
Haltar got up and walked away a few feet.
"That's also why I decided to start my adventure. The people here seem to have forgotten that there is another world out there... while I began to remember it now."
For a moment he looked toward the horizon with an absent gaze, before starting to search for the ground again.

Roll ID: 115427
LD: 18 (Found 1/5 Herbs)

@Hazado

Edited April 27, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

As then the question about why people would want to kill others, maybe it was because somethings but Haz had some Ideas, "Some off those reasons are things I would not like to imagine at all, Yet I know all off the reasons why someone wants to go murder, someone,," He said to Halter with a deep stare, one who could maybe even scare of the dead. It was really not something Haz wanted to think about, but with a friend as Hestia and them being the leader of a police force, it meant that either way Haz would get into some trouble with Orange players at some point. "I know this world is big and I have my love and friends in this world, yet I have also my goal outside of this world. People here have to deal with both worlds at once, And for most people that would be very hard to pull off for sure. I have been stuck at the beginning as well, so no shame in being late to the party," He said to Halter keeping a forceful eye out around him.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

Hazado's gaze could have pierced him, Haltar felt it in his heart.
Surely it was not directed at him, it could not be... However he understood that after all this time, he didn't know anything about this world yet.
<Something must have happened to him for sure... but there is no need to ask now, after all I hardly know him.>
Instead, he tried to focus on what he said immediately after.
"Thanks for your understanding. I really hope I can give you a hand, even if it certainly takes a lot of training."
Haltar picked up another newly seen herb, and continued to examine the area under the watchful eye of Hazado, who in the meantime was keeping an eye on the area, even though there seemed nothing odd to to be seen.
<I hope I'll be done by evening... even if at this rate it will take a little longer...>

Roll ID: 115430
LD: 18 (Found 2/5 Herbs)

@Hazado

Edited April 27, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

Looking around a bit his mind started drifting to some past events that happened here, some of those could have not gone any better, but either way he was here right now and was here to help this new guy get his first lesson done before dark when monsters became a bit stronger and players somehow more aggressive. "It's a wonder you think of this place as something nice, yet however the most see this like hell. I just don't know anymore what to think of this world but that is for the best." Haz said looking into the distance a bit. he was wondering why people started to go out now as it was rare to risk your life like this, "Mind if I ask a personal question, Why did you want to get out here in the first place, what are you trying to gain out of it, everyone wants to gain something in the end," He asked Halter turning around to face him.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

Haltar gave him a half smile.
"Why did I decide to go out? It's a legitimate question, actually."
He picked up another herb, then got up to speak directly to Hazado.
"It’s true, now that so much time has passed, many players have become dangerous, not to mention the monsters... But I realized that for these years in which I stayed in the city, I was slowly dying inside. I had no purpose, I didn't have a friend, everything was just about surviving."
He paused for a moment.
"Then, when I noticed it, I realized that I could not continue like this, that I had to find a reason to live. In that moment my desire was to return to the real world, and so here I am."
Before returning to his job, Haltar took the time to ask the question that was holding in from before.
“What about you? Are you here for revenge? Or is it something that happened after you left the city?"

Roll ID: 115496
LD: 11 (Found 3/5 Herbs)

@Hazado

Edited April 28, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

Haz listens to the word Haltar says and nodded, "That is an understandable reason for sure,"  but then he was not surprised to get a question as Haltar asked back.  Haz gave a weak smile to Haltar not really liking the question but he kind off played himself for sure, "Well, U can say I kind of. Just looking for someone, well more like a group a guild, Some old friend you could say," He said to Haltar almost looking like he could snap someone's neck. not wanting to spoil his plan to a complete stranger, but someday this guy could be handy. "But nothing more about them, Right now I'm here to help you," He said getting back to a smile on his face. "For now you should focus on getting started, That's what My guild is mostly about, to help the weak. One of the guild leaders is even a caretaker in the church where all the kids are," He said with a grin on his face.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

Hazado changed the subject in such a sudden and clear way, that Haltar decided to please him and drop the question. To not even bother to hide it, it really had to be a sensitive topic for him.
He would have liked to know more, of course, as that was his nature... but he also knew when it’s not the time to investigate further. He liked the boy, no doubt about it, and he would like to meet him again in the future... and when he’ll to talk about it, he will surely do it.
Hearing him talk about his guild did nothing but confirm his first impression that he was a good person. Sincerely happy, he replied: “Oh, so you volunteer! I found just the right person then, I'm happy to have met you."
Failing to find other herbs in the area where he was looking, he moved a few more feet forward. "Tell me a little more about your guild, I'm curious. And to be honest, it could also be useful to me, having a reference group!"

Roll ID: 115545
LD: 5 (Herbs Not Found, 3/5 Collected)

@Hazado

Edited April 29, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

Haz looked around the field a bit looking at some other players went fighting a boar in the far distance, "yes we kind of are, I and my girlfriend are the leaders, below that are two other members off our guild. We call ourself the Garnet Rangers. We focus on helping the weaker players to level up as we are a leveling guild. We work as a Family Kind of type, Once we have our guild hall we will make sure most people have somewhere to stay, Our Caretaker maybe even wanted to get a sort of room for a daycare or something," He said thinking about his guild members and got a smile on his face. "We mainly just focus on getting higher level now, just need to get some things started off and we are in a good move, Right now we don't have a guild hall yet but we use a small rented room in one of the inns here on floor one, Or my house on floor seven." He said to Halter with a smile.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

The distant echoes of the players engaging the boar acted as a background to Hazado's explanation. His guild story was interesting. It was clear how that group of people was more than a guild for him, but more like a family, as he himself said.
"You had a nice idea. Of course, the more strong players there are, the better are our chances of beating this game." Haltar turned for a moment to Hazado. "You told me earlier that this world is more dangerous than it seems, but there are also some very nice things, and I think your guild is one of them. You see, this place is not so dark in the end!"
For a moment Haltar stopped to imagine what the home of the Garnet Rangers would be like, once it was completed: a big house, he didn't know if it would be orderly or lively, but surely a pleasant atmosphere would have been breathed.
<It would be really nice to be part of it...>
It really seemed to be the right place to be for him: after all, his main goal at the time was to level up, and a levelling guild was the perfect place to do it. But what could he give in return? He didn't really know what he could do at the moment for them, except for being a burden. After a while things would change, of course, but how long would it take?
"Look, among the activities you do, there would be room for a low level character as well? I'd like to help you somehow..." His voice came out a little lower as he went back to work, avoiding asking the question facing directly Hazado.

Roll ID: 115763
LD: 8 (Herbs Not Found, 3/5 Collected)
@Hazado

Edited May 2, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

Haz chuckles a bit as Halter says that his guild was maybe one of the nicer things around in this world, "Maybe u are right there, Never thought about it like that it just has been some things I see as normal nowadays." He says to Halter who seemed to light up after hearing about the guild sure it sounded nice but knowing that Haz was not even the most older there and still had to deal with some kind of mother type being Hydravion and Neo as his girlfriend I did sound fun tho. Taking the moment in for a second Halter came up with something again. "There is always room for anyone in our halls, We don't judge. But really u don't have to help me, I can handle myself that's why I'm a tank. I take the damage from everyone in the guild, U help by just doing your best to level up I would say," He said as he scratched his head a bit, trying to avoid the real purpose of the question at the time, No need to tell a stranger his plans, and it would also be dangerous for Halter to get involved in this, Haz did not even let Hestia get involved into this at all even if she was a good friend and frontliner tank.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

"Just level up? Well, I think I can do quite good" said Haltar answering to Hazado's proposal.
At that moment, he found another herb right in front of him. He picked it up satisfied, watching it disappear into his hands.
<Very good! Only one is missing, and then I can go back to the city, come on!>
By dint of kneeling in the tall grass, his knees began to ache a little. <It's amazing how realistic this is. Who knows how long it took to create all this...> The sky was starting to get a little less bright, going from blue to light blue. It didn't seem like such a long time, perhaps because he was chatting with Hazado. Normally such a job would have easily fed him up after half an hour, instead in this way he had managed to last long enough to complete the task. With luck, they would have returned to the city before seeing the sun go down.

Roll ID: 115808
LD: 18 (Found 4/5 Herbs)
@Hazado

Edited May 2, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

This world is full of wonders for sure, but a lot of deadly things are still growing in numbers. With every floor unlocked, it becomes more and more dangerous for sure. The only way to keep up was getting others to join the fight as the frontlines numbers go down by every day. Yet this world felt like a second home by now Haz still kind of wanted to get back to the real world and meet his father again. Even if it was just for a short time, just remembering the old days felt like a dream worth fighting for. "It keeps growing this new world of ours. Slowly but surely the world expanse, It is really an amazing world to be in, but I would have loved it under others times for sure." Haz said turning to Halter as he was touching the grass with his fingers, even standing here would be something amazing yet this did not feel good inside Haz his body.

@Haltar Dhrim

[Haltar Dhrim 0]

"You're right, it would have been much better in other conditions. I would have liked to explore it with Ale... I wonder what he's doing now right now. Probably he's at work."
Haltar could no longer see anything in the tall grass, he was definitely starting to get tired of this research. And when he got tired of doing something, he rarely got anything good. Well, let's just say that it never happened. He then stood up and extended his arms upward, taking a break from his work.
"Wow, this task is not easy at all... Can I ask you something? How much time did you spend to gather them all? Isn't it a bit too long to be the first one..." he asked Hazado puffing. He would have gladly asked him to help him searching, but it wouldn't be right at all to ask him that favor as well.
<Just a little break, then back to work... With a little patience I will succeed... If only I had any...>

Roll ID: 115977
LD: 1 (Herbs Not Found, 4/5 Collected)
@Hazado

Edited May 3, 2019 by Haltar Dhrim

[Hazado 0]

(Sorry been busy with other stuff lately)

"To have the people u care about outside of this game if a gift, U should be happy all u have to do is just stay safe so u can get back to them. But once u have people u care about in the game, u would have to become stronger and protect them as best as anyone could," He said to Halter as it seems he sat down for a bit taking a breather while he could. As then He got asked how long he did do about this, "That ... let I think, it been a long time, Maybe wait no, I know it, A full on day," He said fast remembering the day just as fine as it was, yet you could say it was no good as a full day was what it took Haz to complete this whole quest and even that there was more to this whole quest as u still need to do things after this as well, "But no worry, you just need one more I believe and then u should be done." He said pointing to the ground.

@Haltar Dhrim