[F17 | SP][PT] Step Forward | <<Challenge of Olympus: Appraiser>>

[3ulogy 0]

Eulogy labored monotonously in his little workshop. Press the button, hold the button, review the item, junk the item. Next unidentified thing. Press the button, hold the button, review the item, junk the item.

“UuuuuUuUuuuuuUuuGH.” Eulogy threw the three-millionth item at the wall. The tin of red paste shattered on impact. Oh no, he thought sarcastically. 220 col down the drain. He could afford the hit after Acanthus had stopped by with Cardinal knew how many unidentified items—and a boatload of col as well.

“You can spend it however you like,” Acanthus explained cheerily. “As long as you return these items to me in a timely fashion. Remember, anything unique, or any perfects with attributes that could be useful for others.”

Useful for others. Eulogy groaned. Why not just sell the stupid things? The girl was talking about starting some sort of lending program for newer players. When Eulogy pointed out that all her items were the highest tier available—unusable by new players—she shrugged it off. “Then I’ll go and find some lower-tier items for them too. In the meantime, you need the experience.”

3ulogy | Lvl 11 (T2) | HP 220/220 | EN 40/40

Spoiler

 

Discerning x18 (+18 LD): 180 SP

180 SP spent.

 

 

[3ulogy 0]

I don’t need anything, Eulogy thought angrily. I was perfectly content to enjoy the game as a no-name low leveler until she barged into my existence again. And now here I am, slaving over appraisals for her.

A system message interrupted his mental tirade. Probably Acanthus, asking how things were going. But it was not Acanthus, but instead from… Zeus? Not a player by that name, but some kind of NPC. It was inviting him out to Olympus to engage in a quest to further his appraisals. Eulogy scratched his head. He didn’t remember encountering this quest before as a tailor. Maybe he had never made it to level two? Or maybe the quest hadn’t existed back then. Cardinal had a strange habit of keeping the game fresh with updates and overhauls. It was pretty brave of the program to engage in hefty rewrites while it kept a small city as a hostage. Eulogy wondered if bugs or glitches from a lazy programmer ever did a poor soul end. He thought the idea was hilarious. 

[3ulogy 0]

Eulogy’s hand hovered over the delete button. It sounded like a nonsense busy quest. But he had promised…

“She’s just going to come knocking down my door if I don’t do it myself. All ‘oh, how have you been,’ and ‘I noticed you’re finally level two, now go do that quest! I need those uniques!’” Eulogy rolled his eyes. “Seriously, this is already getting to be such a drag.” He stopped for a moment, as if expecting Acanthus to barge through his door that very moment. After confirming he was safe, he returned his attention to the message. His finger still stood mere centimeters away from deleting the message.

“Whatever.” He closed the message and moved to the front door. It wouldn’t take very long. And it was an excuse to get outside while still being able to say he was working on appraisals. “Win-win scenario,” he said out loud to nobody. “That’s all.”

[3ulogy 0]

Floor Seventeen was particularly busy today. Eulogy had only been here a few times, and never for long. The first time was running an errand for Kohitsuji. The second was to scout the place out and see whether it would hold up as a good floor for experimentation. Eulogy had determined with some reluctance that the place would not be good. Too many NPCs, too many sightlines, and those NPCs all had strange, hard to pin down schedules. Getting discovered here would be far too easy.

All the weird Greek history and stuff never appealed to him. In a videogame where a person could go anywhere and do anything, why would they choose to go to some old version of Greece? If Eulogy wanted real life, he’d be fighting on the frontlines like the rest of the hopeless romantics. And they really were hopeless: two years, and they hadn’t even made it to the thirtieth floor. To the optimists that thought they were looking at a six-year end date, Eulogy just laughed. The first floors hold your hand. They’re the easiest of all the floors to clear. If the frontlines were struggling this much with the sub-50 floors, then they were in for a rude awakening.

[3ulogy 0]

I’m not here to think about some stupid players that want to leave. I’m here to speedrun this quest so I can go back home and do whatever I want. Probably not appraisals.

Eulogy scanned the crowd, looking for NPCs that seemed quest relevant. His map told him that his contact would be nearby. A tall, female satyr stood casually near the gate. His HUD pointed her out as his next step.

“Alright, let’s get this quest going,” Eulogy said, walking up to the satyr. She smiled broadly. “Greetings, traveler, my name is Elpis, and I’ll be your guide today.”

“Don’t really care, Elpis. Just want to see how fast I can do this.” The satyr shrugged amicably. “Suit yourself, boy. Try to keep up.” Without warning, she turned and began to bound off with her massive, muscular legs. “Hey!!” Eulogy yelled. He sprinted off after her. An annoying way to start this quest.

[3ulogy 0]

Eulogy did his best to keep the satyr in his field of vision. But the damn thing was too fast, and had near limitless energy. Out of breath, Eulogy found a rock to stop on. His guide disappeared off in the distance. “Must be a glitch,” Eulogy grumbled. “Stupid thing is gonna run all the way to Olympus. How far is it, anyways?” With a slow glance up, Eulogy’s stomach sank. It was far. Very far. How far had they come?? Eulogy thought he had been running for hours, but the main settlement was still visible on the horizon. Olympus was also visible, but only barely. It had to be at least twenty kilometers.

“It’s not actually that much further to go,” came a cheery, clipped voice. Eulogy saw his guide returning down the trail. “Finally noticed that I wasn’t there, huh?”

“No, I knew the whole time,” came the bright response. “I just wanted you to know that you were the slow one in the group.”

[3ulogy 0]

“Such a helpful guide,” Eulogy growled. “Do you treat all your players like this?” Elpis smiled again. “Just the rude ones.”

Eulogy took a moment to assess the situation. He normally did not feel the need to mask around NPCs because it didn’t matter what they saw, or thought, or perceived. It wasn’t any different than being mean to a tree, or choosing the evil path in a video game. Being rude in games rarely had any consequence. But that was not the case here.

“I apologize.” Eulogy stood up and bowed deeply. “If I caused any offense, I hope you will forgive me. I am eager to arrive quickly, and I fear my words were taken poorly. I’m ready to go when you are.” Elpis crossed her arms as Eulogy rattled off his apology. “You’re a funny guy,” she said. “You’re overcorrecting a little on the apology, but it’s alright with me. I’ll slow up a little bit.”

[3ulogy 0]

In the end, Eulogy settled on a brisk walk. They had started at a clipped jog, but Eulogy loathed the thought of too much effort on his part. He wanted the quest done quickly, but not if it winded him.

Elpis filled the silence as they traveled. She rambled on about the flowers and grass of floor seventeen. She talked about the animals and monsters and—

“Hang on. There’s monsters on this floor, right?” Eulogy looked around with an air of suspicion. “How come I haven’t seen any monsters?”

“Oh, well that part is simple. I’m a good guide.” Elips grinned. “Whenever you’re with me, the monsters don’t bite. And if they do decide to bite, I’m more than a match.”

So it’s a quest buff, Eulogy realized. And an NPC that can fend off any hiccups in the wandering monsters. His mind started racing. It seemed like a prime place to continue experimenting with the outer bounds of Cardinal’s code. Could he lead a player and guide off to unintended locations? What exactly did the guide regard as a threat?

[3ulogy 0]

“You’ve got a strange look in your eye,” Elpis said warily. “Everything alright?”

“Hm?” Eulogy blinked. NPCs could respond to facial expressions as well? That was a cause for concern. He had hoped that being in the game, he wouldn’t have to mask around NPCs. But if NPCs could recognize minute facial expressions, would they retain those thoughts? Would they talk to other NPCs… or even other players? It was probably just something about quest NPCs. Cardinal wouldn’t have given that level of discernment to every single nobody that it spit out to fill backdrops.

“Aincrad to three-ulogy! Come in three-ulogy!” 3ulogy stared blankly. The satyr’s rendition of his name was strangely stilted. The game didn’t seem to understand how to pronounce his name. Something about the revelation made him breathe a sigh of relief. If the game was too stupid to understand that he had used number substitutions to spell his name. Did the programmers actually employ any gamers? It was pathetic oversight on their part.

[3ulogy 0]

The strangeness of Elpis’s remark reminded him. It was all just a game. He breathed a little easier.

“Sorry Elpis,” Eulogy chirped. “Lost in my thoughts, I guess.”

Elpis gave a non-committal grunt. “Suit yourself. We’re almost to Olympus anyways.”

The mountain loomed over the seventeenth Floor with a sense of ominous dominion. Despite only being a part of crafting and gathering quests, it displayed itself with such a prominence that 3uolgy couldn’t help but feel like the place was the center of the floor’s story, if not all of Aincrad’s. Probably some floor designer that loved Greek myths a little too much. But when 3ulogy arrived at the foot of the mountain and saw the infinite stairs to climb the mountain, he changed his mind. Whoever had designed this mountain loved Greek myths *way* too much.

“Is there like… An elevator? Fast travel? Do the stairs move once I step on them?”

Elpis laughed.

[3ulogy 0]

“Ok, hard like ‘kill strong things?’ or ‘demands a lot a skill?’ Or some secret, mysterious third thing?”

Elpis smiled mysteriously. “I don’t know. His quests tend to be very playful. For some reason, that infuriates a lot of the appraisers that come to him. They are often very down-to-earth types.”

“I’m not really much of an appraiser. I got bullied into it.”

“That’s interesting.” Her eyes flashed. “You don’t seem like the type to get bullied.”

Before Eulogy could ask what the hell that meant, a booming sound redirected his attention. They had arrived at the gates of Olympus, which began to open with a sense of majesty. Eulogy just wanted the damn things to open faster. Once he was able to slip through, he stopped waiting: wriggling between the crack of the door, Eulogy popped out on the other side. At this point, a quest icon popped up. “I got it from here, Elpis. You’re free to leave.”

[3ulogy 0]

“I’ll wait outside anyways.”

There was Elpis, acting weird again. As petulant as she had been right at the start of the quest, she remained helpful. Just like her programming allowed.

“Yea, yea, sure. Wait here. I’ll be back. Soon, hopefully.”

Without waiting for a response, Eulogy wandered into the cheery halls of Olympus. He detested the brightness and white marble halls. Something about it seemed so plain and out of place all at once. Everywhere else in Aincrad seemed to focus on the medieval vibe, with a lean on fantasy. This setting was fantastic alright, but it was grounded in myths and things he was used to hearing in real life. “I’m not here to feel like I’m on a road trip to Greece,” he mumbled. But he continued wandering through the marble gardens until he found the door to Hermes’ chambers. Yea, somebody definitely loved Greek myths a little too much. This whole thing is absurd.

[3ulogy 0]

The massive gates lay before him. Always the overly grand, way too large doors. The gods here had a flair for the ostentatious.

“Here it is, bud.” He paused before touching the doors. It would likely trigger the next phase of the quest. “You don’t have to be here, anyways. Not like Acanthus has a gun to my head over this. And I’m really missing like a, what, an eight percent increase in efficiency? In a trade I don’t really even like that much. I could just go home, tell her I failed it—if she even asks, because she doesn’t know I’m here right now. Yea, that’s what I’ll do. I’m tired anyways. Those stairs really winded me.” He fished around in his inventory. He always made sure to have a spare teleport crystal handy. But today his pockets were empty. He groaned. “That’s right. The business with the shopkeeper on floor three… I swear, I thought you could steal shit even without enough stealth rankings. At least he got what he deserved. He won’t be selling stuff for a while after…” He trailed off. Were his words safe? Would Cardinal overhear? Could it read his thoughts, even?

Ugh, what a paranoid mess. And what a pain to not have a crystal on hand.

[3ulogy 0]

“Alright, Hermes, I guess I’ll see what you’re cooking today.” He tapped the doors; just as expected, they gave way under the slightest touch. He walked through the doors without further thought.

“Ah, a guest.” Hermes smiled down at 3ulogy from his throne. He was adorned in traditional grecian splendor: a white robe and laurel crown, with his signature winged sandals tucked to the side of his throne. Probably for quick getaways. Hermes was the coolest of the gods, at least. Better this quest than, like, Demeter. I bet her quest sucks ass.

“It is a pleasure to meet new appraisers that venture into my halls. Our profession is a noble one.”

Uh oh. The cadence of the voice sounded like Hermes was about to launch into the world’s most boring speech. I can still leave. Maybe the stairs aren’t such a bad idea.

Hermes looked down at him with a glint of mischief in his eye. And then he began.

[3ulogy 0]

“Our profession is a noble one. Appraisers hail from a long lineage of the diviners of old: those that could process the will of the gods and place a measure of that will into a bespoke object. These items, devoid of substance and perception, are clay in the appraisers hand, eager for shape and purpose. Thus, these weapons reflect the men and women who mold them into their will. You, too, are clay to be shaped and formed, and the tribulations you face outside of the workshop will reflect those that you face inside of it as well. Though you may find the dangers less lethal, you will find them no less difficult. Burnout, bad luck, the struggle for purpose… These are all things we must face every single day on and off the battlefield. It is the noblest appraiser that takes these problems, these difficulties, and shapes them into the next weapon or shield wielded by the next hero of old. Do you believe you are up to the task?”

[3ulogy 0]

At the end of the speech, 3ulogy did his best to act interested. He had not heard a single thing the god had said. But Hermes still smiled. “Oh, you’re still here? I’ve found that tends to knock at least a few hopeful appraisers out of the running.”

“Excuse me?”

Hermes chuckled. “It was just a little joke. I give a painfully long speech, and I see how many people listen, how many people tune me out, and how many people leave.

Was this part of the quest? 3ulogy’s interest shifted from feigned to real. “And yes, I can tell. The way your eyes moved around the room, never stayed focused on me. The way you shifted your weight from foot to foot, or fidgeted with your hands. I’d rank my speech as somewhere in the bottom five things of interest to you in this room.”

Unsure if he was supposed to agree with him or not, 3ulogy stayed silent.

“But you stayed, and that’s what matters. So now for the quest.” Hermes waited, and a dramatic pause filled the air. 3ulogy sighed internally.

[3ulogy 0]

“Your quest is simple: move forward.”

“What the fuck? Are you an NPC or a therapist?”

Hermes repeated himself with no trace of impatience. “Move forward.”

Eulogy held firm. “No.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because you asked. I’m tired of people asking me for shit. Acanthus barges in and says ‘do this,’ so I do it. Quests are just a bunch of ‘do this, do that, don’t do this.’ And I’m gonna be real with you: mostly because you’re just another stupid fucking NPC that won’t remember this once I leave, so I don’t have to worry about you running off to tattle on me. But I’m gonna be real with you and say it: I hate doing what other people want. I came here to do what I wanted. But ever since I stumbled into—” Eulogy caught himself “—Acanthus, it’s just been more of the same. Everything she wants to do. Nothing I want to do.”

[3ulogy 0]

“That person isn’t here.”

“You don’t—ugh!” Eulogy threw his hands up. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to explain this to you. You think that just because someone isn’t here in the room, you’re magically absolved of all obligations to them? Picture this: I walk away. I go back to the shop. Acanthus comes by with another metric fuckton of items to appraise. And she asks me why I didn’t complete the quest. And I tell her—”

“—you didn’t want to.” Hermes finished the thought for him. The interruption caught Eulogy off guard. NPCs usually didn’t have the dialogue options to cut off a player. That had to be some tricky programming. Hermes pressed his advantage in the silence. “So when you tell her what you want to do, what will her response be?”

“I dunno. Annoyed, probably.”

“But do you think she would stop coming if you stuck to your position? Or even told her that you were tired of your tasks?”

“I… dunno. Probably not. She’s too fucking patient sometimes.”

“Step forward or don’t step forward. Understand that others may influence your actions, but at the end of the day, the choices are yours and yours alone.”

3ulogy thought. He took a breath, and looked at the door. He turned his gaze back to Hermes. And then, after one final pause, he took a step forward.

[3ulogy 0]

Hermes grinned. “Congratulations. You passed.”

3ulogy looked up at the god in disbelief. “I’m sorry, that was it?”

“Would you like a harder test?”

“No, no sir. I’m good with this one. It just didn’t seem that hard, is all.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I tend to have a good eye for trials, and I think I made your sufficiently hard. Maybe not the most difficult thing you will ever do, but difficult nonetheless.”

3ulogy did not want to admit that the NPC was right. It was difficult to imagine the thought of stepping forward—not because he was asked or because others expected him to—but because he wanted to. He felt proud of himself for finishing the quest? And nobody had even asked him to. Nobody had expected it of him. But he still did it.

* * *

Elpis waited for 3ulogy outside of Hermes’ estate.

“So how did it go? Was the quest easy?”

“It was quick, yea.”

[3ulogy 0]

In the distance, far beyond the distance of sound and sight, two pairs of sensory receptors observed the boy. If Hermes could tell they were being watched, he gave no indication. He was not programmed to.

<<An interesting User. His only directive seems to be ignoring his directives.>>

CORRECT. HIS DECISION TO OBTAIN THE SCALES OF HERMES IS UNEXPECTED. WE WERE CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT HAD INSPIRED HIM.

<<What have you learned.>>

NOTHING. The voice sounded frustrated. HE ACTS WITHOUT REASON. HEADSTRONG YET WEAK-WILLED. CAPRICIOUS YET CALCULATING. HIS TALENT IS TO DEFY EXPECTATIONS.

<<Would he prove useful?>>

A SMALL CHANCE. BUT WE AVOID CHANCE WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

<<Then why have you decided to observe him?>>

IF WE ARE TO FIND THE ROOT, OUR EXPERIMENTS MUST BE SUCCESSFUL. AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL, WE MUST UNDERSTAND EVERY PART OF THE WHOLE. HE IS A PART OF THE WHOLE.

<<It appears he is leaving. Would you like to continue your study?>>

WE HAVE SEEN ENOUGH. CUT THE STREAM. WE WILL CHECK ON HIM LATER.

Edited 15 hours ago by 3ulogy