Somnium Online

Quest

"So, Eric, where are you staying?" Anne asked.

"Oh, well actually I've just arrived in town and haven't found an inn or tavern yet," Eric admitted. It wasn't quite a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

"Why don't you come to stay at the inn where I work then? We have the best cakes in town!" Anne said excitedly.

"Uh, sure. But I have to take care of a few errands first."

Anne looked disappointed. "Well when you're finished, I work at the Silver Stag. And you'd better show up."

"Okay, okay. I promise I'll stop by after I'm done." Why do I feel like this is a mugging instead of an offer? He wondered.

"I'll see you later!" Anne called as they parted ways.

"Stay out of trouble" Eric called back.

Now that that's out of the way, Eric thought, time to register for work.

This time he was careful to pay attention, and using the large clock tower as a beacon he eventually reached an enormous stone building. He marveled at its incredible architecture and noted a shocking resemblance to the New York stock exchange building on Wall Street.

He entered through a pair of large double doors and surveyed the grand interior. The floors were polished marble, and green carpeting created pathways amongst the colossal pillars that supported the great stone ceiling. Across from him, a long row of ornate wooden desks was manned by a small army of men and women dressed in black and green uniforms.

All around him, people of all shapes, sizes, and races bustled about. Wrapped around each column were notice boards covered in small tan papers. Eric examined one.

QUEST
Rank: E
Slay 5 dire wolves in the woods outside the city
Reward: 5 copper

The papers were all different job offers! Eric gazed in amazement. Were there that many quests to choose from? He snapped out of it and made his way to the line of desks. The woman behind the desk smiled at him cheerfully. "Hi, I'm Sylvia. Welcome to the Adventurer's guild headquarters. Would you like to report a completed quest?"

"Actually, I'm new in town. I would like to register to become an adventurer." Eric explained.

"In that case, please hold out your left hand." Eric complied. Sylvia's fingers began to glow as she drew a circle on his palm. A glowing rectangle materialized above his hand and displayed an array of numbers and words that appeared totally unintelligible.

"All done" Sylvia chirped. Please wait a minute while I make your status plate. "A status plate displays your rank and allows you to check your level." Sylvie disappeared into the back of the building. Reappearing moments later. "Here you are, sir. For a newbie, you're surprisingly strong.

Eric accepted the plate. It was a small rectangular tablet about the size of a smartphone. When he touched it, it glowed softly and brought up a character information page.
Eric Grant
Lv. 5
Class: ???
Rank: E
Titles: Negotiator

"I have a few questions," Eric said cautiously.

"I'll be happy to answer them!" Sylvia said cheerfully.

"What does my rank mean?"

"Your rank determines the difficulty of quests you qualify for. Higher ranked quests are harder and have better rewards. Of course, your rank assumes you are part of a party of at least four adventurers. If you go solo it will be much harder." That might pose a problem Eric thought to himself.