Game Boy

2 - NPC

Kenneth glanced around the little back room as they walked inside. He stayed back by the door, letting Byrd go ahead as he settled a hand on his pistol. Most NPC quests in safe towns like this one weren't violent, nor did they involve combat. Still, with a new quest, who knew what to expect?

He opened up the sidebar and glanced at his skill Tier. Still only Beginning in the last five he'd added after reaching level twenty. He frowned and bit his lip. I hope this quest drops some good skill points so I can get out of this rut. That was one of the only downsides to taking on the Jack of All Trades title--it took ages to get all the desired skills up to par. Kenneth knew he still had thirty levels before he had to declare a position, but this was taking ages.

"Hey, you gonna join the quest?" Byrd called back, looking back from where she stood a couple of feet from the NPC that had appeared in the room.

Straightening up, Kenneth walked over there. "Oh yeah, sorry."

She shrugged and waved it off. "You're good, but we can't get this thing rolling without both of us," she said. 

He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. The little sidebar disappeared and the screen was enveloped by the room. The NPC, a young girl in baggy clothes, stared up at them. Her blank eyes flickered from Kenneth to Byrd. He cocked his head, waiting for the dialogue that would inevitably come.

The girl didn't say a word, though. She turned around and started towards the door at the back of the room, pausing beside it. She cast a glance back at them.

Kenneth looked over at Byrd. "Uh--"

"Follow her," she said. Her hand grabbed his wrist and she started after the NPC without hesitated. Kenneth tensed heart pounding in his chest a moment before he snatched his wrist back. Byrd threw a confused look back at him. He just jogged after her, shoving both hands back in his pockets for good measure.

Byrd came to a halt beside the NPC and looked up to her. "You got somewhere for us to go?" she asked, cocking her head. 

Kenneth stood back a foot or so, watching the silent NPC. The girl turned and patted one of the large crates beside the door. Then she tapped the panel on the top and opened it up.

Sliding around to Byrd's other side, Kenneth peered down into it. He cocked his head. Food?  Brow furrowing he looked back at Byrd who was rubbing at her lower lip with one thumb. Kenneth stepped aside. "This some sort of supply run, you think?"

"I think?" Byrd glanced back at the unusually silent NPC. "Are we supposed to drop this off somewhere?" 

The young woman nodded her head and then pointed behind her. A wall high of boxes sat there, half draped in a large brown tarp marked with unreadable signs. Kenneth edges over there but Byrd cut ahead of him. "Hey, I know those signs. Those are coordinates..." she whispered.

Kenneth stepped up behind her and leaned back. His eyes skimmed over the boxes, widening as the numbers rose. There were at least fifteen in the room. How are we suppose to move all of that discreetly?

"Where do they go?" He asked after a moment, chewing his lower lip. This wasn't gonna be easy. Then again, only Quests below Level 5 were "easy". 

Byrd glanced back. "They go to the Grain Factories over in the East. At least, that assumes I've translated properly. I haven't actually read Graft in a long time," she said, rocking back and forth on her heels. Then she spun around and faced him. "That's gonna be a long haul."

He nodded slowly, eyes still fixed on the boxes. With a sigh, he tilted his head back. "Yeah, it's gonna be a long way. We need something to transport them in. I wonder..." His eyes trailed over to the NPC. "You have anything to carry these in?"