[SP-F1] Earning a Living (Quest)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper had been wandering aimlessly for a while. She told Oske to leave her alone. Her heart was sunken down into her gut, and those words echoed in her mind. You’re… a murderer… She had killed someone. She really killed someone. She had seen them shatter into a million little pieces and disappear forever. He must’ve had one last breath of real oxygen, and then his brain was toast.

 

I killed someone.

 

The words echoed in her mind. Even though she didn’t become a PK’er, she still PK’d. She needed a distraction. She needed… a project. Her eyes wandered down the street of Starting City, and she spotted a shop. It was looking for a new tailor. Her eyes sparked a little with excitement, and she rushed over to the store. 

[Pepper 0]

When Pepper entered the tailoring shop, it was bare. Inside, a small menu hovered by a needle and thread. It was a quest. She paused, then pressed the “yes†button. Inside the shop spawned a bunch of items—cubbies and shelves for clothing, along with a ladder that led to the second floor. Everything was still white, though. An NPC spawned as well, quickly climbing down the ladder and surprising poor Pepper.

 

“Good afternoon!†the NPC woman exclaimed. She was a busty, brown haired woman with an apron. “So, missy, you’d like to be a tailor? Lucky for you—I’m here today to train you.â€

[Pepper 0]

“Huh?†Pepper murmured. She shook her head. “O-okay! Yeah! I want to be a tailor. Give me the materials and I’ll make something.â€

 

“Not so fast,†the NPC said with a smile. “Fabric aint cheap. You’ll have to go out and collect some boar hide for me. For every boar hide, I’ll trade to a piece of colored fabric. Kapeesh?â€

 

“Um…†Pepper murmured. “Sure, I guess so…â€

 

“What would you like to make, anywho?†the NPC woman asked. Pepper pursed her lips. She needed a project, sure, but what? What could she make? 

[Pepper 0]

"I guess... Well, Ma needs a new cape." She winced slightly, accidentally calling Oske that name again. Ma. "And I want a new ribbon, maybe with enhancements or somethin'."

 

“You’ll need a large piece of blue fabric for the cape and one pink one for the ribbon. That’s four boar hides, since the cape costs 3 boar hides,†she said. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to come back. Happy trails!â€

 

Pepper nodded, turning and leaving the shop. Once outside, she rolled her eyes. Why couldn’t the NPC just give her the materials? She was making things difficult. She wanted to just make a nice little living for herself, not go fight stupid boars and trade them for materials in her preferable colors. She stomped out into Starting City, then tried to relax as she made her way to the fields. She felt like someone was watching her, ever since she killed that player. It was making her feel sick. 

 

A boar spawned. 

 

Boar: 6/6

Pepper: 11/11

[Pepper 0]

Pepper lifted her hands up, gripping her dagger. She stared down at the boring, basic, starter dagger, and tears welled in her eyes. These hands were the hands that held the dagger. This dagger was the dagger that killed a man. Even though she kept telling herself it was self defense, she couldn't seem to get the thought out of her mind. She killed someone. They were gone--forever. There was nothing that'd bring them back.

 

Pepper was shaken back to focus when she heard the boar screech and run at her. Gripping her dagger tighter, she let out a long sigh and ran forward, shouting a battle cry. "Yaah!" she shouted, cutting a large wound into the boar's face. It quickly closed its eye, as it could no longer function after the damage she dealt. The boar squealed in pain, stumbling back. Pepper swallowed, remembering a similar sound... the last wheezing breath of that player.

 

Boar: 4/6

Pepper: 11/11

 

ID: 9059

BD: 8 (1dmg+1 swordskill = 2 dmg)

Mob: 4 (fail)

 

((just noticed for some reason the dice rolled twice for this post? I hope I'm not accused of cheating ;_; )

[Pepper 0]

"Don't..." Pepper stuttered, gripping her dagger so tightly that her knuckles began to turn a pale white and her palms began to feel hot. She stabbed the boar right in the other eye, circling it slightly to cut it through the side. She had hoped that would kill it instantly, leaving it no time to suffer. Instead, the boar roared in pain and backed away, red lines pulsing on its poor body. Pepper's hands were shaking at this point. "I'm... I'm so sorry..." she stuttered. Just... die... don't suffer anymore!!

 

Boar: 1/6

Pepper: 11/11

 

ID: 9062

BD: 9 (1dmg+1 swordskill + 1crit = 3 dmg)

Mob: 3 (fail)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted this over with, and now. She ran forward, jumping up into the air for some more force and slammed it down into the boar’s skull. It only had the chance to squeal in pain for a moment before it’s voice shattered along with its being. Little blue shards scattered and disappeared, and Pepper was greeted by a menu.

 

Rewards:

+30 Col

+2 Boar hide

 

 

 

 

Boar: 0/6 DEAD

Pepper: 11/11

 

ID: 9096

BD: 9 (1dmg+1 swordskill + 2crit = 4 dmg)

Mob: 3 (fail)

LD: 19 (mob health x 5 col +1 bonus mat)

 

((aaaand I accidentally rolled with Oske's name. But the post still goes here, so I hope that's fine... bah, alts are confusing.))

[Pepper 0]

Pepper turned after closing her menu. Just a few meters away, another blue-ish colored boar with those beady red eyes stood, grazing on some grass. It oinked and grunted every so often, as if it were struggling to have enough energy to simply eat. Pathetic. Pepper grinned, forgetting her problems for a moment. The boar she just fought had been such an easy kill. She charged at the boar, hoping to take it by surprise. 

 

The boar turned and headbutted her, sending her flying and landing on her back. She quickly sat up, grass in her hair. Pepper shook her head, jumping to her feet and shouting, "You jerk!"

 

Boar: 6/6 

Pepper: 10/11

 

ID: 9098

BD: 3 (fail)

Mob: 6 (1 dmg)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper ran at the boar, who dodged backwards into a circular motion. Pepper tried to chase him, but he wouldn't let his back face her. The boar was running circles with Pepper, who was trying to kill him. She then paused, finding the amusement in this due to her poor attention span. She curtsied to the boar, then lightly spun with her steps. The boar continued to circle, keeping his front facing her. "You're such a gentleman, Mr. Boar," Pepper said, skipping slightly. It was almost as if the two were dancing.

 

Boar: 6/6 

Pepper: 10/11

 

ID: 9099

BD: 1 (fail)

Mob: 1 (fail)

[Pepper 0]

The boar quickly was finished "dancing" and charged at Pepper with a piggy screech. She stepped to the side and pulled out her dagger, dragging it along the boar's side. Its health bar fell down to the yellow zone, and the red mark on its side was glowing. It snorted in discontent, and Pepper jumped back with a smile on her face. Her joy quickly turned to sadness, however.

 

I never knew how easy it was to kill.

 

Boar: 3/6 

Pepper: 10/11

 

ID: 9103

BD: 9 (1dmg+1swordskill+1crit = 3 dmg)

Mob: 2 (fail)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper was ripped out of her thoughts when the boar snorted and charged as her again. She took a running jump right at the boar, slamming her dagger down hard into its face again. The boar grunted in surprise, then looked up at her before shattering into a million little shards. They dissipated quickly, and Pepper was given another reward menu. She let out a long sigh, then fell into a sitting position. She needed just one more boar before she could get to work.

 

 

Rewards:

+30 Col

 

+1 Boar hide

 

Boar: 0/6 

Pepper: 10/11

 

ID: 9104

BD: 10 (1dmg+1swordskill+2crit = 4 dmg)

Mob: 2 (fail)

LD: 14 (mob health x 5 col)

[Pepper 0]

Out of the corner of her eye, Pepper spotted a boar spawn in the distance. It snorted and chomped on the grass happily, as if it had not a care in the world. Pepper's eyes wandered to the boar, and she slowly rose to her feet. It was a little smaller than most boars, and its fur was a lighter color with a tint of purple in the navy blue. With a running start, Pepper dashed at the boar and slashed down on its muzzle. It shrieked in surprise, jumping back and shaking its head.

 

Boar: 4/6 

Pepper: 10/11

 

ID: 9172

BD: 8 (1dmg+1swordskill= 2dmg)

Mob: 2 (fail)

[Pepper 0]

With a slight back-up to charge, the boar ran forward. It speared Pepper's leg with its tiny tusk, then backed away while shaking its head. Pepper narrowed her eyes, then spun around in a circle before stabbing the boar's face. Its health dropped another two points, and the boar was clearly not enjoying itself. "Cute," Pepper teased. "I'll be taking your skin soon, teehee!"

 

Boar: 2/6 

Pepper: 9/11

 

ID: 9179

BD: 8 (1dmg+1swordskill= 2dmg)

Mob: 7 (1 dmg)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper ran at the boar, blade ready, but the boar wiggled back and grunted. She slashed down, only to have her metal meet air. She took a shaky step back, trying to regain her balance. As she did so, the boar charged and caused Pepper to swerve around it in a circle. She wasn't in the mood to make the dancing joke again, so she just readied herself for another attack. Once this boar died, she could return to the NPC shop and get some materials to sew with.

 

Boar: 2/6 

Pepper: 9/11

 

ID: 9229

BD: 2 (fail)

Mob: 3 (fail)

[Pepper 0]

Pepper had noticed that twirling around actually did help her quite a bit. It gave her strength to give a powerful hit. So, she twirled and readied herself for the final hit. The boar lifted its tusk, and the sharp tusk cut through Pepper's leg. She barely noticed, simply because after twirling, she dealt a swift killing blow to the boar. It grunted sadly before bursting into little shards. With her new acquired loot, she rushed off back to Starting City to claim her materials.

 

Rewards: +1 Boar Hide

 

Boar: 0/6 DEAD

Pepper: 8/11

 

ID: 9235

BD: 9 (1 dmg + 1 swordskill +1crit =3 dmg)

Mob: 8 (1 dmg)

LD: 9 (no extra loot)

[Pepper 0]

"Good to see you again," the NPC shopkeeper said with a smile. "Did you bring me my boar hides?"

 

"I sure did," Pepper said, her voice sounding awkward after taking about a whole thirty seconds to figure out what she was going to say. Saying yes would've been kind of lame, but saying yes-indeedy was a bit too much. A small menu popped up before Pepper, asking if she wanted to trade her boar hides for a quest item. She, of course, accepted this and found four pieces of fabric in her inventory.

 

“So… what do I do with this?†Pepper asked. “I sewed a teddy bear back together when I was little. Is it like that?â€

[Pepper 0]

The NPC shook her head. "Since you're a tailor now, you make your own items rather than fixing already made stuff. A good idea is to sketch the outfit  or whatever you're making before you make it," the woman suggested. "Even though what you're making right now is easy, I would still sketch it if I were you. Do you know what a pattern is?"

 

Pepper paused. "I think so," she said. "My Mommy used to make dresses for me all the time, and she always had pieces of paper cut out... but when she cut the fabric and put it all together, it looked good. So, I should do that?"

 

After an assuring nod, Pepper opened up her menu and selected a notepad. She used her finger to draw the picture of the ribbon and cape quickly, and quite sloppily at that.

[Pepper 0]

Pepper grabbed the three pieces of blue cloth that she had received for the boar hides. She gently set them down on the table, then position them in a nice formation. With her dagger, she carefully cut out what she needed to. Once that was done, she pulled out her needle and thread. Very, very carefully... she sewed along the lines she had created. When she was finally finished, she had created a nice, royal blue cape for Ma. 

 

ID: 9295

CD: 9 (good item, 2 EXP)

 

 

1=Epic fail          1 EXP (lose mats if crafting)

2-4=fails            1 EXP (lose mats if crafting)

5-7=bad Item     1 EXP (50% chance to salvage mat's in repeat quest)

8-9=Good Item   2 EXP

10=Uncommon Item 3 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

11=Rare Item          5 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

12= Perfect Item     8 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

 

 

[Pepper 0]

Setting the cape aside gently, she grabbed the piece of pink fabric. All she had to do was cut it out in a thin line and sew up a little bunch in the middle to make it more bow-looking when she tied it herself. Pepper pulled up her dagger, gently cutting along the lines. As she finished, she realized that... oh. It got thinner and thinner as it went on, until at the end it was so thin that the whole bow looked like a wedge. "I can fix it," Pepper tried to convince herself. She cut along the lines again, making an even thinner bow. As she picked it up, it shattered from being cut too much and disappeared. "Dang it!" 

 

ID: 9297

CD: 5 (bad item, 1 EXP)

 

 

1=Epic fail          1 EXP (lose mats if crafting)

2-4=fails            1 EXP (lose mats if crafting)

5-7=bad Item     1 EXP (50% chance to salvage mat's in repeat quest)

8-9=Good Item   2 EXP

10=Uncommon Item 3 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

11=Rare Item          5 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

12= Perfect Item     8 EXP (GM approval for enhancements)

 

[Pepper 0]

The NPC woman approached Pepper. "How'd you do? Where's the ribbon?" Pepper averted her eyes angrily. "Wow, that cape looks great! Very well done for your first try. The stitches are a little wide, and the thread isn't really tied in the way it should be, but it looks pretty good." Pepper ignored the woman. "Something wrong, dear?"

 

"I messed up on the ribbon, and it disappeared," Pepper grunted. The NPC smiled.

 

"Well, that's because you're practicing. Practice makes perfect!" the woman exclaimed. "Now, this shop is yours. You may decorate it in any way you'd like. Quest complete!" 

 

Pepper turned to look at the woman, but she disappeared. Pepper's eyes saddened, and she sighed. So much for having a teacher...