Zenshu

He’d found the gypsy woman once more at the small campsite that he’d first located. She’d been waiting, this time, apparently aware of his success and eventual return. That, or he’d simply been lucky and caught her at the perfect moment. Either way, she’d greeted him with a smile that he could only describe as soft and welcoming. Her eyes had lit up upon seeing the small fox at his feet, and the smile had widened immensely. “Such a wonderful looking companion! You truly found one who emanates the very soul…I am happy for you.” She smiled as she spoke, making Zenshu feel easy somehow. She

To his surprise, the fox suddenly rushed forward, its decision clearly made as it curled into Zenshu’s lap and devoured the piece that had been in his hand. Shocked, Zenshu remained unmoving as the little thing devoured the piece, before glancing up at him with a pleading look. “Oh! Wow! Okay, I hadn’t…hadn’t expected that! Uhm, here let me see what else I have that you can eat…” He quickly pulled up his inventory, deciding it would be better to provide some of his own rations, rather than use the rare pieces that the gypsy woman had provided to him. He’d promised to return them once he’d

He’d shifted on his foot – causing another stirring of the small critter as he almost fell over. Deciding there was nothing else to do, Zenshu let himself collapse to the ground, folding his legs underneath him in a typical seated position. He was surprised the sudden movement didn’t entirely scare away the creature – at least not yet. “You’re certainly a cautious one, at that.” Zenshu smiled as he tried to keep his arm held out before him, letting it fall slightly to rest on his knees. The fox seemed to toss its eyes between Zenshu’s hand, and his face, as if calculating the danger that

As his hand reached out towards the creature, it seemed to pull back slightly. Zenshu stopped midway, letting his hand hover in the air between the two of them, waiting to see what it did. He was surprised that it hadn’t immediately run away, instead simply holding itself in place. It seemed to peer through the grass at him, refusing to come any closer for the moment. “You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” Zenshu whispered the words, trying to remain calm, but include a feeling of security into his tone. He held his eyes steady, not quite looking at the fox, but not allowing himself to

The small face stared out of the grass at Zenshu. He’d come to a complete halt when the nose, black as a dark vortex, had begun to appear in the grasses beside him. Slowly, as if with hesitation, the remainder had followed. The face itself was shaped on a short snout, and covered in shifting red fur, with the underside of the head a gentle white. It was small – although dog like in shape – and two pointed ears stood atop the head. For all intents, it looked to Zenshu like a typical fox, similar to those he’d seen in the zoos back home. The big difference was the multi-coloured eyes; one c

The whisper of shifting grass caused Zenshu to bolt upright in place. He strained his ears as his eyes glanced over the area, looking for any sign of a creature coming towards him. He could see areas of the grass around him that had been shifted in place, as if something had passed through – a clear sign close to him, well within arms’ reach. Rising slowly, Zenshu made his way along the area towards the path, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything trying to hide from view. He was a bit disappointed to find little more than the split grass, and no immediate indication of the creature

His luck had continued – at least with finding the crafting materials. As he glanced down at yet another spool of thread in his hand, Zenshu wondered at the difference in his abilities. He knew that the skills, and even the clothing he wore, were giving him boosts on the system – but he’d never expected this much of a difference. “This is completely night and day compared to when I had first started out searching for materials! I remember those first attempts, struggling to find anything on the first floor! I doubt that it’s just that I’m on a higher floor, either. If it were a case of re

His eyes passed over the nearby fields, spotting a pair of wolves staring at him. Zenshu paused in place, eyeing up the two creatures. Both had soft brown and black coats that seemed to slightly shimmer in the sunshine, and as he watched he could see the tension in the two. A few breaths, and one of them broke off and rushed away, leaving the smaller of the two remaining behind. Careful in his movements, Zenshu began to approach the creature, hoping that he could somehow lure it in towards him. He felt his hand reach up to pull up the menu, the soft dinging ringing through the air as he d

Zenshu eyed his most recent find – a thread of silvery-white, with an odd looking needle attached to it and tucked underneath the thread to hold it in place. He wondered at the purpose of the needle, before placing away the crafting materials into his inventory. “Perhaps something to ask another tailor about, once I return to the city. I doubt it’s anything of super importance – although maybe it’s designed in order to sew in a specific manner, or place? That would certainly be interesting.” His search continued as he glanced around for more of the threads, hoping that he could stoc

“Aha! Another beautiful piece for my tailoring!” Zenshu eyed the violet coloured thread, the silver needle glinting against the sunlight as he spun it in his hand. Content with his find, he placed it away in his inventory before turning his attention back to searching. “I do hope that this familiar is as easy to locate as these crafting materials are. If that’s the case, I should be done here relatively quickly! That would definitely be a nice occasion…I could just find the familiar, and carry on with my day!” Zenshu considered the familiar. He wondered what sort of creature he could get,

“She never told me how to find a familiar.” The words hung in the air, a tone of disbelief attached to them. Zenshu shook himself as he glanced back at where the NPC had been moments before, but there was no sign of her now. Shrugging to himself, he gazed at the fields around him, pondering his next steps. “I guess…I’ll just hunt around for anything that looks like it might be a familiar? Oh, and I can continue that material searching stuff as I go! I guess that’s already a big bonus!” His optimism once again restored, Zenshu took off from the camp. He had no idea what he would need to lo

“Actually, yes. I’m looking for a travelling woman who offers the chance to find a famil- a companion. Someone who can travel with me, and provide me company. Or, well, something, I guess. As the ones I’ve seen aren’t necessarily all ones, but things.” He smiled shyly at the woman, before continuing his rambling. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen someone like that? Someone who can offer the chance to find such a companion? I would be very grateful if you could direct me towards them.” The woman seemed to listen intently, nodding as he spoke. She didn’t seem at all concerned with his rambl

The campsite itself was empty. A smouldering fire, a mat for sleeping, and a few cookware pieces strewn about. Zenshu’s gazed roamed over the site, questioning the entire scene before him. He wasn’t quite sure what he had been expecting, but this wasn’t it. No NPC waited to greet him, no signs that anyone had been here – aside from the dying fire. All in all, he found it rather disappointing. “If she’s not here, then I guess that just means I need to keep looking. She can’t be far away, seeing as the camp looks relatively recently left behind.” He wasn’t confident in his assessment – he h

He spent a while scouring the areas around him for anything of worth, but eventually he had to halt himself as he realised that he’d likely found everything he could. Sighing, he turned his gaze back to the small camp. He found it still visible, no significant changes to his eyes. He felt himself teetering for a brief moment, considering trying one final attempt at finding anything before heading off, before he overcame the idea. “There’s no point overdoing it. I’m sure I’ve plucked this area entirely dry of anything of use. I should let it all reset and then come back. Maybe I’ll have a

He’d just finished collecting yet another material piece when he spotted the clear outline of a camp in the distance. He hesitated as he finished putting away the thread and needle that he had just found. He doubted that there was any real reason to rush over to the camp itself. For starters, he couldn’t even say for sure that it was the travelling gypsy woman that he’d been directed to find – although he hadn’t seen or heard of anyone else hoisted camps in the mountain ranges – but more importantly, he’d been having so much success with finding materials that he was reluctant to stop now.

With nothing immediately jumping out at him, Zenshu continued on his way. The grasses flowed around him, small collections of trees making up brushes of forests as he continued. He could see collections of animals – from creatures that he could likely fight, or hunt for dropped goods, to things he figured were likely just background imagery and inclusivity. Still, it was a marvel in and of itself in many ways. What he hadn’t yet come across was any sign of a woman who would allow him to start hunting for a familiar in this land. He knew the areas were large, and that she could be anywhere

Another glimmering caught Zenshu’s attention as he made his way along the road. He jumped off the side of a smaller embankment, making his way down to where he’d seen the shine. The small roll of thread and needle were easy enough to find, and although he did another quick search of the surrounding area, there was nothing further to be found. Still, he was content with at least the single piece – it was more than he could have expected to start with. “Greed is not a welcoming behaviour, either. I should be pleased with what I’ve found so easily, and not desire more without putting the eff

The glimmer against the grasses caught Zenshu’s attention as he was making his way along the path. He stepped off the main road for a moment, kneeling down in the grass and searching for the piece that had reflected the sunlight. It didn’t take long to pull out the small collection of thread and needle. He couldn’t help but smile in wonder – he’d barely been keeping his eye open for it, and yet here it was. “This is certainly worth the time already! I can’t believe that the materials can be found even when just…walking! Well, I guess I shouldn’t turn away a gift from the spirits…that woul

The bartender had actually been surprisingly helpful, directing Zenshu towards a player whom had mentioned encountering the Gypsy. The woman had directed him towards the second floor – stating that they had seen the gypsy woman’s travelling cart out in one of the fields of a valley only a few hours walk from the main settlement. Zenshu had collected the directions in detail, before thanking the woman and making his way towards the central area of the Town of Beginning, and the teleporter that resided there. It had taken him a moment to remember the name of the second floor’s main settleme

He’d spent his morning scouring the available quests in his menu, looking over the many interesting options. Some he’d tossed aside as being entirely impossible at his current level – there was no way that he’d be heading up to some of the higher floors, no matter how lucrative and tempting the rewards may be. He was well aware of his own limitations – as good of a swordsman as he had been in real life, this system required levelling, which meant that his own personal skills were only so good. “I could pick up a secondary profession…foraging or fishing…that sounds nice and relaxing! And t

Shop Post: Silver Haori Cost of Transaction: 1 material Crafter's Profession: Tailor Crafter's Rank: 4 Item Name: Silver Haori Item Tier: 3 Item Type: Cloth Armour Item Rarity: Uncommon Item Enhancements: Light Momentum [1 Slot] Craft/Appraisal/Obtainment IDs & Rolls: ID209662 Item Description: A simple silver haori, long enough to hang around the knees, but light enough to not be overbearing.

His skills had only grown as he continued to practice, and his most recent pieces bespoke the ability that he had recently gained. Zenshu couldn't help but take a moment to admire what he had accomplished. He knew that he had already made a lot of progression towards his craft, but as he carefully considered his completed works, Zenshu wondered if he couldn't do more. "I've really made some progress with my designs...but some of it still feels like it could use some work. The samue could definitely be better fitting...although it's well lined. And the haori could also use some finer adjus

Zenshu listened intently as Krysta explained the many different floors. He’d seen some in motion based media, and other video games – but he’d never experienced some in real life. Although he knew better, he couldn’t help but feel a modicum of excitement at the fact that he could now encounter them, in what would rival the flesh. It likely wouldn’t be as good as the real thing, but the system had been amazing thus far. “That is true, nothing is perfect…but as you’ve stated, sometimes it’s a matter of look at the…glass half filled?...” He wasn’t familiar with the phrase itself, and it didn

The group had begun to find their movement in their search. From what Zenshu had seen, they were about halfway done with their material gathering, which meant that they’d soon be ready to head back into the town itself and either look for something to eat, or perhaps look at returning to the alchemist to complete the quest itself. Either way, Zenshu was more than happy to tag along. ‘It’s rare to find a group that you can get along with, so easily. But these three seem to…well, just that.’ He smiled at the thought, before turning his attention to a wolf that had started to inch its way to

Turning a corner, Zenshu found the NPC he was looking for. The man appeared to be looking around the area, as if searching for another player to grasp on to and drag into the tutorial quest. Ready to be done with the whole quest, he moved towards the mayor, raising his hand and calling out as he approached in order to gain the man’s attention. “Hey there, Mr. Mayor! I’ve managed to obtain the money – the col – that you had asked me to collect for you! It turns out the fisher man…uhm…some guy named Pete Larkin, I think?...had borrowed the money! He…well, he gave me this piece of a fish we