SP-F1 Earning A Living (Quest-Sterling)(Completed)

[Guest]

I was so deep in thought that I walked right into a wall.

"Owww!"

I held my nose and took a few steps back. A glowing purple hexagon slowly faded away.

What a great way to start the day

As I stood there grumbling at my misfortunes, a voice called from behind.

"You're not going to get any where if you don't pay attention!"

I turned around. A scruffy kid younger than me was looking back. He had emerald eyes and a coarse red tunic ending at his waist. A thick belt wrapped around his thin body, with brown shorts stopping at his knees. He stood behind a market stall, polishing a spoon.

"Really? I didn't realize..." I retorted in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Since you're standing there, you want anything?" He waved over his selection of goods.

[Guest]

"Wait, you're not an NPC, are you?"

"Do I look like an NPC?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Yes I thought, but kept my mouth shut.

"You're a player? How do you have a stall?"

"I bought it. Now I sell goods as a merchant." He answered with a grin.

I hadn't known you could do things like running shops. I figured everyone would rather be fighting to clear the game.

"Say...you look like you can hold your own. You think you can help me with something?"

"Well, I was looking for something to do...OK, sure."

His grin got bigger."Cool! I'll pay you, and If you do a good job, I might let you work for me, if you want!"

I laughed."Work for you? How old are you, 12?"

"Hey, you want to help out or not?"

[Guest]

The tusks of a boar. That was what the boy, who introduced himself as , wanted me to get. I accepted, and now found myself in an enormous open prairie. The golden wheat gently swayed in the breeze. It was early evening, so there were a few people about, but I steered clear from them. I didn't trust not to be PK'd by a stranger I'd let my guard down with.

I was kneeling amongst the tall plants, listening for noises. I didn't have a good 'Listening' skill, but I had to increase it somehow. As I waited, I heard slight grunts and bellows ahead of me. This had to be a boar. I leaned forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of it before trying to sneak up on it.

(1-5) Sterling loses his balance, alerting the boar to his presence

(6-10) He catches himself, remaining undetected

[Guest]

As I was leaning to see the boar, I felt myself start to slip, and brought my hands down to steady myself. I winced as I thought I had made too much noise. But when I opened my eyes, nothing happened. The wheat that was pushed aside opened a gap big enough so that I could see the beast before me.

That could have been bad I thought to myself.

It was a weird looking creature. Dense blue fur ran down the length of it's body, looking like it was glued on rather than being it's hide. A thin tail flicked nervously from side to side, and the tusks--my objectives--were dull yellow, ending in wicked points.

I inched forward, being careful not to make a sound. The beast was facing away from me, so I had a good chance to sneak up for a precise shot. had given me a basic knife to defeat it, and I had doughts about it's power. As I neared closer, I was within range of a leaping strike, I could also try to get closer for a go at hitting it's head or belly.

(1-3) Sterling fails at a leaping strike for bonus damage

(4-6) Sterling tries to get closer for a calculated hit

(7-9) Sterling succeeds in a leaping strike

(10) Sterling gets right behind the boar without it noticing

[Guest]

I lunged at the unsuspecting animal.

"Yaaaaa!" I yelled as I burst from the brush.

I landed the small blade into the side of it's belly, and I gripped at it's putrid hair. The beast squealed at an incredible pitch, and ran about eradicly, carrying me with it. I was jostled around with great force. It was a miracle I was able to hold on. I pulled the weapon out from it's side, and aimed for the back of it's neak.

Then I hesitated.

This would be the first thing I killed in this world. I have pets back home, and I loved animals. How could I go through with this?

But I told myself it was a fake boar. Made of nothing but code and data.I shook the jitters away, and stabbed the creature between the shoulder blades. The boar let out one more cry before falling to the ground. I was thrown off, and turned to see it explode into shards of glass.

(1-5) Sterling gets a pelt from the boar

(6-10) Sterling gets nothing

(11-15) He gets one tusk

(16-20) He gets both tusks

[Guest]

"Alright!" I yelled as I was given both the tusks I needed.

That was pretty easy I thought as I started the trek back. That had only been my second boar. The first one I was going to try to kill had been slain by a black haired boy as he ran past. He was running at close to a sprint, heading down the road towards the next town. I'd seen him running back and forth a lot, butI didn't get the chance to ask him why he was in a hurry.

As I found the road again, I looked back at the fight I had just been in. I had kept my cool throughout the whole endeavor, not once feeling my heart start to clench. That was a good sign. It proved that if I lost myself in the battle, I could fight without fear of collapse. I was all smiles as the Starting City came into view.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Guest]

A group of five people were sitting along the road. They seemed tired and looked to have been hunting since noon. They had seen my fight with the boar. One older male, probably the leader of the group, called me over as I walked by.

"Hey! Nice battle. You got the jump on him!" His pals laughed with varying degrees of emotion.

"Well, I try."

"Do you mind if I ask what you got from it?"

I answered, then glanced at him. He was most likely older than me, with more defined muscles. He wore light grey pants and a white overcoat. An was hung at his waist. He had customized his hair to be orange, and he had a pair of expensive looking goggles on his head. He didn't look very threatening.

He saw me looking at the eyewear.

"Like the goggles huh? They're a rare drop from a . He lives in a cave a ways down the road. He's probably the toughest mob out there right now."

As he continued to boast, I had the feeling he was beating around the bush. He wanted something.

"You didn't call me over for small talk. What is it you want?" I asked cautiously.

[Guest]

He looked at me with an exasperated expression.

"You saw right through me huh? Well, I guess I could be more direct..."

He got up and it was at this point I noticed I was surrounded. I had been lured into a false sense of security.

How was I fooled like this? I asked myself as the leader continued.

"We have been waiting for you to finish hunting. We know you were the 100th person to enter this game, and that you were given an exclusive item because of it."

I froze. It was true I was rewarded with a special sword, but it was a wall decoration. Due to it's low durability, it was useless for actual combat.

"True, but it's not..."

He cut me off."I don't want to hear it. Now, because I'm a nice man, I'll let you hand it over nicely. Afterward, you can leave no more worse for wear."

(1-5) Sterling tries to run

(6-10) He challenges them

[Guest]

No way I was going to let them push me around.

"If you want it, you'll have to take it from me."

He smirked. All the kindness I saw earlier was gone.

"*Sigh*. We couldn't just play nice, could we?"

All of them drew their weapons. There were longswords, spears, and even a mace. There was no way I could beat them all.

Maybe I don't have to I thought as I was being pressured. But I could feel my heart start to ache. If I didn't do something to calm the tension, I would be at their mercy.

I opened the menu, and scrolled down to the item they wished. It materialised in my hand. As it did, all of them took a few steps back. It was a very powerful looking sword. The curved blade gave off a slight blue glow, and had two hooks running down the blade edge. The protective hilt guard was carved with beautiful designs, and glinted gold in the sunlight.

"This..." I said in a cold voice, "Is . I might not be a high level, but this sword is powerful. I can kill all of you with a single blow. Do you really think it's worth it?" I eyed the one in charge with my most convincing face.

(1-5) They call his bluff

(6-10) The baddies take the bait

[Guest]

"You're lying. It's just a prop, isn't it?" The head of the group derived.

Drat I really hoped they would flee in terror. I guess I wasn't convincing enough.

"Alright boys, attack!"

The group split up, and three men with swords crept forward. I put away the cutlass and brought out my only other weapon, the small dagger gave me. Luckily for me, they thought I was strong, and were going to come at me in groups. Had they all swarmed me, I wouldn't have stood a chance.

The bravest of the bunch ran forward, raising his sword over his head.

(1-3) Sterling misses the block completely

(4-6) The sword glances off, dealing less damage

(7-9) a solid block, most of the damage was absorbed

(10) He dodges the attack and retaliates

[Guest]

I forgot it was a small blade, and completely missed the falling sword.

I heard a loud 'chunk!' As it buried itself into my shoulder. A good third of my HP was gone. I hadn't heard of thieves like this. Since death here meant death in real life, I thought everyone would band together. I fell to my knees. My heart was now hurting badly. I could barely breath, and the attacker got ready to swing again.

I had to do something. Something fast.

(1-5) Sterling fails at slicing the opponents kneecaps

(6-10) Sterling succeeds in slicing the opponents kneecaps

[Guest]

I half blindly swung my arm still holding the knife. A red digital line opened across my attacker's knees. He let out a terrified yell and landed on the ground. He crawled away, panting.

"Idiot! Don't run away!" their leader ordered.

"I just wanted the money from selling the item man! I'm not going to risk my life week 1!"

The one I hit healed himself and ran off cowardly. His buddies looked around nervously. Nobody wanted to make the next move. I got up slowly, my heart pounding. I brought my knife up ready to defend myself.

"Come on!" I yelled out through the pain in my arm and chest. "I can take you all out!"

The group seemed to have lost the drive they had a moment earlier. I must have looked really berserk if they all started backing off. They had only wanted to make quick money. They hadn't wanted to risk injuries over it.

"Whoa dude, take it easy, we'll go alright?" one goon called out. They all started to teleport out, until only the leader was left.

(1-5) He draws his sword and charges

(6-10) He leaves with the others

[Guest]

I saw him grimace and take out the teleport crystal. Then he swung his arm down, and after a few selections, a trade menu opened in front of me.

"What's this?" I asked cautiously.

He looked up. "It's a little thing to ease the tension. I was hoping it would help my friends not get labeled as criminals."

I looked at his sullen face. Even though he did have his pals attack me, they had only been acting on impulse. Some even looked drunk, as they were stumbling when they left. I really shouldn't, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. He was wanting to give me his special goggles. They were quite expensive, and by how he was bragging when I first talked to him, they were pretty rare.

Why am I being so nice? I thought as I placed a good sum of money in the window and accepted the trade. He glanced at the money he recieved, and shot me a questioning look.

"Hey, no hard feelings, your friends are alright, but next time I won't be this kind to who they were taking orders from."

He nodded quickly and teleported away in a brilliant, blue light.

[Guest]

I could have used a crystal and made it back to imediatly, but they were not cheap, so I decided to walk the way back. It was now close to 8:00, so many people were heading back to the city. I noticed a lot of them were looking very mad. They seemed to be very serious about clearing the game, and being tired after a long day looked like it was a barrier to getting home faster for them.

Of course I wanted to go home, everyone did, but I was not going to be at the head of the curve. I was just trying to keep my brain focused on tasks to keep myself from collapsing in pain. Someone else, someone stronger, was going to have to beat this game.

But I couldn't help but notice how calm I had been when being tossed about on the boar, and when I defended myself, I was not in pain when I was actually doing something. Only when I stopped and let the situation get to me did I feel my chest tighten up. Perhaps combat would be the best thing to help keep me occupied. I could lose myself in a fight, and I would get money for food and a place to live.

And being a Merchant would allow me to sell any items I got while out in the field. It was a good idea. Just as long as I got the job.

[Guest]

By the time I made it back to the Starting City, it was dark. Most people were heading to sleep at an inn or last minute shopping. I went back to where I found , but his market stall was closed up. A small piece of paper was wedged in the door. It read...

Hey, if it turns out you're not dead, I'm staying at the Begger's Inn across the courtyard. You can meet me at the door in the morning. Felix

I headed down to where he said he was at. I figured it would be good to see the place before tomorrow, and if luck allowed, he might still be up. The inn was much more upscale than the one I had been staying at. It had smooth cream colored walls, and a decorative red banner over the front. A heavy wooden door had soft light peeking through the frame.

I pushed the big door open and dragged myself inside. I hadn't realized I was this exhausted. The inside was just as clean as the outside. high quality wood chairs surrounded equally expensive looking tables. Bottles of what looked like wine were placed at the center of each arrangement, and wax candles mounted on the walls gave a soft glow as they burned.

I Guess I could try to eat something before heading off to bed I pondered as I walked over to the waitress standing at the counter.

[Guest]

"Hey there." I called to the NPC standing by.

"Hello stranger!" she said in a prerecorded tone. "We have many things available!" She brought up a menu, and I sat down to look over everything. I was most likely going to head to my normal inn afterwards, but I could just stay here.

And the apple tart sounded really good.

(1-5) Sterling heads back to his normal inn

(6-10) He spends the night at the Begger's Inn

[Guest]

But this place is pretty expensive I thought as I finished my tart. I got up and headed out after paying. The night air was very cool as I walked back to my more cheaper inn. Almost all the shops were closed, and I felt I was the only one around, save for a few groups of people wandering around.

"Hey! You!" A gruff voice called.

I turned to see a large man walking towards me. His face was cruel looking, with short, greasy hair and dark brown eyes barely visable behind a large helmet. He had large grey armor and a green cloak flowed behind him as he stopped in front of me.

"Who, me?"

"Yes you. Me and my guildmates heard there was a mugging outside the town. You match the descriptions of the victim. Do you know anything?"

(1-3) Say nothing

(4-6) Tell the truth

(7-9) Lie, but poorly

(10) Lie convincingly

[Guest]

I tried my best to lie. Those guys did not deserve whatever this man was thinking they did.

"Sorry, you must have the wrong guy. I heard they surrounded one kid, but they thought better...and..." I was thinking of a way to paint them in as good of a light as possible, but I was floundering.

"Alright, just stop. We already heard from eyewitnesses that they attacked the kid, but fled when the kid got a lucky hit. You know something, so just spill it."

Lucky hit!? I grumbled as I made my choice.

(1-5) spills it

(6-10) gives out false info

[Guest]

"OK, you got me. I'm the one they attacked. But they were just idiots, and shouldn't be punished to harshly. They didn't kill me anyways."

"That's for my superiors to decide. Now, I'll need you to tell me what they look like, and how well armed they appeared to be, and..."

By the time I answered all his questions and got to my rented room, it was early the next day. Still, I figured I should set an alarm for six and get some rest. As I lay in bed, I wondered what would happen to those guys.

Will they be thrown in jail? I pondered. But I quickly grew too sleepy to stay awake, and I dozed off.

[Guest]

I made it back to the Begger's Inn just as was coming down the steps.

"Hey! You ARE alive! I didn't doubt you for a second!" was his greeting.

"Good to see you too." I opened my menu and started looking for the tusks in my inventory.

"Oh, no need to give me the tusks. That was just a test to see if you were good enough!"

I nearly punched him right there.

"Are you serious?! I was mugged!"

"And all to be able to call yourself a merchant. Still want the job?" He held out his hand.

Well, I need money, plus, I'd be able to travel the different floors selling what I find.

"OK, sure, but I'm not your apprentice. And I better get decent pay."

"Figured as much. OK, let me bring you to this shop, it's got all the stuff you need to start off!"