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

[Elio 0]

Elio had never bothered with most of the game mechanics, having little desire to climb the tower and risk his life for this death game. Recently, though, something had been stirring in his stomach, some feeling of inadequacy. There must be more to do than wandering the first floor of this place. The Town of Beginnings had been cleared so long ago that Quest information was easy to come by. Rumor had it that the best way to really get into the "game," if you could call it that, was to complete a few of the starter quests of F1. They'd teach you about the game mechanics, improve your skills, and maybe get you a bit of loot. I suppose there's no reason not to try a Quest, thought Elio. If I somehow manage to die on the first Quest on the first floor, then I'm clearly not meant to survive this death game anyway. I just can't sit around here forever.

[Elio 0]

According to the chatter Elio had overheard from his years in the Town of Beginnings, there was an NPC craftsman in a workshop on the eastern side of town. This NPC supposedly offered a Quest titled "The First Few Lessons are Free," a fitting name for an initial Quest. Swiping the air and opening the map for the town, Elio located the general area of the workshop and placed a marker. A pointer with a distance tracker appeared at the edge of his line of sight, directing him towards the NPC building.

 

Elio casually started walking in the direction of the cursor, hoping he appeared nonchalant to anyone who may be watching him. Excitement, though, flooded his heart, as much as he didn't want to admit it. The idea of this game truly excited him, but the aspect of death and the dependency on other players required to get higher up had demotivated him from attempting to level before now.

[Elio 0]

"Why am I even doing this?" Elio muttered under his breath. "What do I think I'm gonna do, start climbing floors? Risk death? What for? This game is impossible. We're trapped in here. Maybe this is some sick social experiment, and they want to see how long we last before we go mad. Maybe they want to see how long we'll survive before giving up."

 

Regardless of his fears, Elio continued on to the workshop, unable to provide reasoning as to why. Soon enough, his distance marker flashed, and with a beep! it vanished. He had arrived.

 

Standing outside of the workshop was an elderly man with a floating Quest icon above his head. Elio's heart skipped a beat. Why am I so excited? This is pointless. This is just something to do. It's not as if I want to start clearing floors and risking my life for this game. No, this is pointless.

 

 

[Elio 0]

He almost turned around and walked back to the cafe he typically hung out in to grab a nice, warm cup of cocoa. Almost. However much his brain screamed for him to stop and turn back, he couldn't force himself to. Something in him wanted this. Something in him needed this. Closing his eyes for two seconds and then reopening them, Elio walked up to the NPC.

 

"Greetings, traveler!" The NPC looked at Elio and began its introduction. 

 

Let's just get this over with.

 

"My name is Zackariah, and I make potions for players here. I remember when I was a young boy. I used to love going into the forest and gathering materials every day..."

 

Elio's eyes glazed over as he felt his mind zone out. In classic RPG fashion, he thought,  they've put a text-wall in front of the only thing I actually care about. Just tell me what I need to know, old man. He shifted his gaze to some nearby pottery until suddenly a menu popped up in front of his face. Slightly startled, he began to read.

[Elio 0]

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The First Few Lessons are Free

Go fetch five(5) Tier one materials and give them to Zakariah.

 

Accept                                                                                          Deny

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"Seems simple enough," Elio murmured. "Looks like I don't even have to fight anything. What a classic move, an RPG starting out with a simple fetch Quest. At least it won't take long."

 

After adjusting his hair nervously, he held his finger over the accept button, closed his eyes, and pressed it. With a ding! the menu vanished and the Quest was added to Elio's Quest Log.

 

There. I did it.

 

"I knew I could count on you! My, my, how you remind me of my youth! When I was a boy, I would..."

 

The old man's words trailed off as Elio jogged out of earshot. Thinking of the area around the Town of Beginnings, he assumed the best spot to find materials would be in the woods just outside town. He had been there a few times before to get away from the masses of players and NPCs in the town itself. As this was the first floor, not many mobs spawned in the woods, and when they did, they were pretty low-leveled.
 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Elio

[Elio 0]

The forest wasn't far from one of the town gates, but by the time Elio reached his destination, he was out of breath. Whether it was from the running or the nerves, he wasn't sure.

 

"We'll see how this goes," he said. "Maybe this will be my first and last quest. This is just for fun... just something to do."

 

He looked around the area, scouting for something that could be useful. Seeing a stream, he walked over to it. The water moved swiftly, foaming everywhere. Maybe there's a good rock or something at the bottom of this. What makes a good rock? I guess I wouldn't know. He plunged his hand into the water.

 

Spoiler

ID:125798
LD: 12
Outcome: +1 T1 Material (1/5)

 

"That's cold!" Elio gasped, grabbing onto something and yanking it out quickly. It was a smooth rock, white as could be. Perhaps the constant stream of water had worn away its rough edges over time.

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Elio

[Elio 0]

Elio transferred the rock into his inventory, peering around for other interesting objects. What counts as a "material," anyway? Maybe... a leaf?

 

Looking above him, the player spotted several different kinds of leaves hanging down. There were some large, oddly-colored ones a few feet above his head. If he jumped high enough, he might be able to snag one from a branch without ripping it in half. "Here goes nothing, I guess..."

 

Spoiler

ID: 125799
LD: 18
Outcome: +1 T1 Material (2/5)

 

He jumped up high and, to his surprise, nabbed the stem of the leaf, tearing it off the branch cleanly. He smiled. "That was easier than I thought. Hopefully the old man can use a leaf and a rock... What did he need them for, again? Maybe I should have paid a bit more attention." Continuing to walk through the woods, he thought about what the man had said. "Maybe he was making some sort of food item, was that it? Or perhaps a potion?" He shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I'll see when I get back. Hope he likes my random forest items."

 

 

[Elio 0]

"Maybe there's some sort of legendary flower out here." He walked towards a clearing in the forest as a breeze passed, making his hair sway gently. The weather was perfect today. Elio thought back to when he first joined the game, curious about the world's first VRMMORPG. The graphics truly were exquisite, and the way the Nervegear could send feelings to the brain was incredible. He shivered before continuing towards the patch of land.

 

Various flowers spotted the grass. The hues were much more exaggerated than they would be in the real world. Heck, if flowers looked like this in real life, I might become a florist myself. But this game didn't allow for idealistic goals and passions. This was a game of death, a number game where no one was really living, only surviving. Elio shook his head and chose a flower at random.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125801
LD: 10
Outcome: Failure

 

Elio didn't register what he was doing until after the flower was picked. The one he had gone for was gray and sickly, with the stem starting to turn a nasty shade of brown. Well, this won't do anyone any good. He threw the flower aside, annoyed.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Elio

[Elio 0]

"Okay, what about... this one?" Elio spotted a bright blue flower with small yellow bell-like center blooms. "Yeah, I'm sure this will be some sort of legendary material." He rolled his eyes, having no idea what he was supposed to gather.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125851
LD: 5
Outcome: Failure

 

He grabbed at the flower, unintentionally ripping off half the head. The rest of the flower despawned into a million glittering crystals. Elio angrily kicked at the dirt, sending a spray of dust and grass into the air. "Freaking flowers, man! Am I stressed out or what?" Mumbling under his breath, he continued on through the forest, glancing around at everything it had to offer him. "Would a tree branch be useful? Maybe some sort of grass type? I have no idea what I'm doing. Should have just stayed in the dumb village."

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tree glowing faintly. What? He stepped closer to examine the oddity.

[Elio 0]

As he got closer, he realized it wasn't the tree that was glowing, but some sort of moss which nearly covered its trunk. The moss was a bright shade of green, looking almost slimy as it shimmered and glowed. Not knowing if it was safe to touch, Elio cautiously reached towards the moss.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125852 
LD: 20
Outcome: +1 T1 Material (3/5)

 

To his surprise, the moss wasn't very plant-like at all. Rather than a rough thistle-like texture, this moss was coated in some sort of slimy substance. Some of it oozed onto Elio's hand as he held it. Grimacing, he quickly transferred the moss into his inventory. "That better not be poisonous."

 

At the base of the odd mossy tree, Elio spotted several mushrooms, brown at the base and dotted with green spots at the head. "May as well grab one of these, too."

Edited October 13, 2019 by Elio

[Elio 0]

As he bent down to pick one of the strange mushrooms, a putrid smell filled his nostrils. "Egh! That's awful!" Using one hand to squeeze his nose shut, he plucked a mushroom.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125853 
LD: 2
Outcome: Failure

 

Apparently the pressure of his grip was too much for the sickly mushroom. As his fingers closed upon it, the mushroom burst into green slime, coating his hand in the goop. "Why! Oh, come on!" Elio moaned, shaking his hand in an attempt to shake off the muck. It was sticky, though, and his shaking proved unsuccessful. He glared at his hand, getting more frustrated by the minute. "I'd quit now if I weren't already halfway done with this idiot Quest."

 

Seething, he traced his steps back towards the stream. "I'll wash off this crap and just find a couple more rocks or whatever. I'm done with this." The stream gurgled in response, its frothy waters promising a swift wash for Elio's green hand.

[Elio 0]

Plunging his hand into the stream, Elio felt for rocks. Feeling something hard, he grabbed and pulled.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125854 
LD: 20
Outcome: +1 T1 Material (4/5)

 

With the water now looking slightly greener and his hand looking much less so, Elio studied his find. It appeared to be some sort of shell, slightly scuffed and marked by its journey across the river. "This thing has probably been battered and smashed up a bit... the river isn't all that gentle." Judging by the size, some small creature may have once lived inside the shell, but now it was just an empty case. "Yeah, this is dumb. Just give me another material, river, and let me get back to town." He stuck his hand into the flow once again.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125855 
LD: 5
Outcome: Failure

 

Elio was only half surprised when he felt his finger pinched hard. With a shriek, he flung his arm backwards and watched a crab fly off his hand and smack into a tree. "Well, that's unfortunate. I wonder if I can use it, though..."

[Elio 0]

Cautiously, Elio trotted over to the tree and studied the crab. It sure looked dead. One of its legs was bent awkwardly, and the creature was lying on its back.

 

"Shouldn't it despawn if it's dead?" Elio wondered aloud. "Maybe the shell is a resource that can be gathered... so it won't despawn until it's shell is gone. Yeah... that sounds right... doesn't it?" He nervously reached towards the wounded creature.

 

Spoiler

ID: 125856 
LD: 14
Outcome: +1 T1 Material (5/5)

 

A cautious poke proved the crab to be dead indeed, or at least knocked out. Elio grabbed his Battle Axe and used the head to pry the shell off of the creature. That was apparently too much for the poor animal, as it despawned as the shell as removed. Elio breathed a sigh of relief. "That could have gone a lot worse. Looks like I've got everything I need now. Let's get this Quest done with, eh? The old man will be happy to see me."

[Elio 0]

Dusk was setting in on Aincrad. The forest grew dark quickly, with little moonlight able to shine through the branches of the thick swabs of trees. Elio drew his axe nervously, wondering if anything spawned in the forest at night. Leaves and branches crunched underneath his feet, and then something hard met his toe.

"Ow!" He screeched, falling with a thud to the forest floor. Looking behind him, he realized it had only been a tree root, overgrown and thick. "Idiot tree! I just want to be done with this!"

 

Rising to his feet, the man swept off the messy brush stuck to his armor, glad he hadn't fallen onto the blade of his drawn axe. He continued on his way towards the village. Soon enough, lights were visible from the walls, and he broke into a sprint, ready to be back in the safety of the Town of Beginnings.

[Elio 0]

A sigh escaped his lips as he stepped onto the cobblestone of the town, followed by a rush of excitement. I did it! My first Quest... He rushed to find the workshop of Zakariah.

 

When he arrived, the NPC was opening his door, appearing to be going in for the night. "Wait!" Elio called, breaking into a sprint. "Hold on, old man, I've got your dumb materials!" Zakariah turned to face him.

 

"Great work, my boy! I knew you could do it. Now, this does remind me of the good old days! Come come, I must show you the fine art of potion-making."

 

An alert notified Elio that the Quest items had been transferred to Zakariah. The old man grinned as the items spawned into his arms. Elio groaned. It's not over yet!? The elderly man turned and walked into a small shack next to the main part of the house. Rolling his eyes, Elio followed.

[Elio 0]

"Now, my boy, the first part of any good potion, is, of course... the beaker!" A glass beaker spawned onto the table in the center of the messy, overstocked room. The man poured in some sort of reddish liquid. "Salamander blood works quite well for the potion I'm showing you today. It's so common, too! You want to see how much I've got in the back?"

 

"No, no! That's, ehm, that's quite alright. Um, thanks for the offer."

 

"Have it your way! Now, we need to make sure it's well-shaken." The old man screwed a black cap onto the beaker and proceeded to shake it violently. "Got to get all of the imperfections out of the blood, you see! I always shake with vigor!"

 

With a clink! the man, practically slammed the beaker back onto the table. Elio flinched, half expecting the glass to break. "Now, the hardest part!" The old man pushed Elo's crab shell toward him, as well as a long knife. "This shell will do fine. I want you to scrape it, son! Get all that good crab dust into the blood!"

[Elio 0]

Contorting his face from the vile smell of salamander blood , Elio nauseously grabbed the knife and the shell, holding them above the beaker. The old man looked on with pure excitement, hardly able to keep still.

 

"What are you waiting for, boy? Go ahead! Scrape it!"

 

Elio swallowed down the rising bile in his throat and proceeded the scrape the crab shell with the knife. A fine dust fell from the shell as the knife slowly broke it down. "There, you've got it! Keep going just like that, and the potion should turn a bright red for ya."

 

Spoiler

ID: 125857 
CD: 3
Outcome: Failure

 

Elio glanced down at the beaker. The mixture inside was flashing oddly. Smoke started coming out of the top and a high pitched noise, almost like a tea kettle, could be heard faintly. Fast as lightning, the elderly brewer grabbed a flask of blue liquid and poured it into Elio's smoking red mixture.

[Elio 0]

A low hisssssss noise replaced the high-pitched scream as the steam slowed and the flashes came to a halt.

 

"I don't know what your crab was eating," the man chuckled, "but that shows ya why I asked you for more than one material! We can never count on these things working! Well... at least, not when an amateur is the one gathering supplies." Elio glared at him, but he hardly seemed to notice as he started shaking another beaker of salamander blood and tossed Elio the sludgy moss he had gathered. "Now this," he said, "I haven't seen before! It might explode! It might make a legendary potion! Who knows!" He laughed, pounding the shaken beaker onto te table with an audible thud. "This time, I want you to squeeze that goop into our beaker here! Go on, boy!"

 

Elio, at this point extremely concerned for his safety, obliged, squeezing the moss and letting the slime slurp down into the blood.

[Elio 0]

Spoiler

ID: 125858 
CD: 12
Outcome: +1 Healing Potion (1/1)

 

The old man's eyes shone with wonder as the concoction glowed white. With a flash! the murky red of the salamander blood was changed into a vibrant red hue.

 

"Ha! You've done it, my boy! This is incredible! I hadn't imagined this material would work so quickly. My, my, you've really discovered something, haven't you? This might work even better than the boar tusks I've been using..." He trailed off into incoherent mumbling, fumbling through the supplies lining the shelves. Elio glanced around awkwardly. What do I do now?

 

"I have much testing to do!" The man roared suddenly. "Glorious! Yes! But I'm supposed to take this package to Lyle... oh, surely he wouldn't mind if I did it tomorrow. Although he did say it was important. Hm..." He paused shuffling through his supplies long enough to spot Elio. "Ah! You there, boy! Take this to Lyle Tealeaf at his Blacksmith Shop! I've got work to do!" A package was tossed in Elio's general vicinity, and Elio barely caught it.

 

"Ehm, alright, then... Nice meeting you?"

[Elio 0]

I've got to hurry, Elio thought, rushing out of the potion room. The Shop NPCs usually all go indoors at the same time of night. I might be too late already! This Lyle dude could be asleep before I get there.

 

Slowing just enough to open the town map and set a marker for Lyle's Shop, Elio sighed. Wow, I'm really getting into this, huh? I've been working on this Quest nearly all day. It is fun, I suppose, having something to do other than wander around town.

 

When he finally arrived to the Shop, Elio was greeted by an NPC. "Hey! That package there! That's for me, ain't it? Hand it over!" The NPC snatched the package from Elio. "You're late! Now come inside! I got somethin' I need you for!" The stranger - presumably Lyle - stepped into his Shop.

 

A bit dazed, Elio paused. Before he could think, a GUI opened.

 

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The First Few Lessons are Free

Quest Completed!

 

Accept

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His heart skipped a beat. "Yes! I've done it!" He clicked Accept.

 

Spoiler

 

+5 T1 Uncommon Health Potions (+40HP)

+1 T1 Damage Potion (+1DMG)

+1 T1 Over-Health Potion (+50TempHP)

+3 SP

+400 Col

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Elio