More Than A Game (Epic LitRPG adventure)

Chapter 2: A Brave New World Part 2

"Oh, right." Frori seemed taken aback. "You don't have anything. No money either. Right? Nobody has anything? Yep, thought so. Okay, let's do this: I'll buy you each a club from the NPC in the store over there. He'll give me a good deal. And in return, you'll give me all the loot you collect today."

And there we have it! A smooth talker, that one. So, that's how they did business around there. Let's see: five shmucks, 6-7 hours of fighting to get through 2-3 levels...that was a lot of marketable loot, even if it was cheap. Farm that for a couple weeks by plowing money back into gear that costs next to nothing, and you had your start-up capital. And you even got some experience to boot. Plus, there was no risk whatsoever, and it wasn't as if we had a choice. If we said no, there was always someone else lining up to take our places.

But I wagered, later, right before it was time to leave Noobland, he would say, "Sorry, guys, there's something I really, really have to go take care of." And he would go create a new group. If someone he helped along ever made it big, he could even sidle up to them later with a small reminder, "Hey, you don't remember when I bought you your first club, do you...?"

And wipe away a tear...

Two of our groupmates gleefully shouted that they were in, even if the little man was a dwarf, while an elf named Oygolinn (the one Frori recruited last) stood there weighing the decision. Soon, he too acquiesced and nodded. Well, as long as everyone else was down for it, so was I. Life's more interesting in a group.

After we all decided to make a go of it together, giving up our loot to the entrepreneuring dwarf in the process, he quickly took us to the local supermarket and bought us the simplest clubs he could find. There was a lot in the store, though it was all kind of plain. On the other hand, I wasn't expecting anything special at that point.

Simple Club

Single-handed weapon

Damage: 6-10

Damage type: bludgeoning

Durability: 80/80

The dwarf then grandly announced, "And now that you hold in your hands your very first weapon in the Fayroll world, remember this moment and never forget it!" That served only to confirm my suspicion that if any of us ever became a serious player in the game, sooner or later he'd come knocking like the ghost of Christmas past.

Auntie Doris lived in an adorable little house seven or so minutes' walk from a beautiful lake. Frori thumped on the carved walnut door and, as we entered, whispered a quick command in our direction, "Wipe your feet. If you track dirt into the house, we'll never see the quest. She's a huge clean freak."

Inside, the house wasn't just clean; it was as sterile as an operating room. Auntie Doris herself turned out to be a little old lady with gray curls, a clean apron, and a white bonnet. She looked exhausted.

"How are things?" asked Frori. "How are you feeling, Auntie Doris?"

"Ah, what a polite dwarf! Not great," replied Auntie Doris sadly. "I can barely sleep with all the noise and uproar every night."

Frori jabbed me in the side and hissed, "Ask why. I already did this quest, so they won't give it to me."

Of course, you did. I imagine this isn't your first time here either...

"Where's the noise coming from, ma'am?" I joined the conversation. "Who won't let you sleep?"

"It's those lake goblins," the old lady threw her hands in the air. "Who knows where those cursed beasts came from, but now they live in my little lake. Every night, they're off rabble-rousing so loudly that I can't go to sleep. They tap on the windows, they make faces, one even climbed up onto the roof recently and ran around up there until the rest joined him. And then they dragged some old trough up and slid down it screaming, 'It's a bobsled, baby, yeah!' What's a bobsled? Probably some kind of goblin curse. It's awful. I barely have any shingles left on the roof!"

The old lady began to weep silently, wiping away her tears with a snow-white handkerchief she pulled out of her sleeve.

"Okay, Auntie Doris, what if we go scare those goblin monsters so badly they never again come anywhere near your house?" I suggested.

"Oh, you dears, please do help," the sweet old lady looked at me hopefully. "I don't know how I could thank you, though. I don't have anything to give!"

"Don't worry about it," I smiled. "We're pioneers out to help people, so we don't ask for anything in return."

You have a new quest offer: Rein in some Hooligans.

Task: Kill 10 lake goblins, so the rest leave the lake near Auntie Doris' house.

Reward:

200 experience

3 pieces of cheesecake from Auntie Doris

3 apples from Auntie Doris' orchard

Accept?

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