{PP - F01} Salt of the Earth (Earning a Living: Forager)

[Reytac 0]

Buying things was going to get expensive and quick, that much was clear to Reytac. While he was still fairly certain that the orange-haired woman, Mari, had undercharged him for the baked goods he bought from her store, even with the extra col he'd paid her, it wouldn't take many trades like that before his small stash of materials had gone the way of the dinosaurs. So he needed to start getting his own materials, not just rely on quest rewards like before. While looking for the plants had been time consuming - time was something he had plenty of. And the other alternative, fishing - didn't strike him right now. Maybe some day in the future he might consider it... but for now?

 

For now, foraging felt like a better fit for Rey. And so he had started tracking down the profession trainer, following the hints and cues until he finally came across a small camp in the forests outside of town. While he was still lacking armor, at the moment, Rey felt significantly safer than he had before. Properly armed with a weapon, and at a better level, he didn't think he would die to the first boar that got irritated with his existence.

 

Quote

As he approached the cozy little campsite, a woman in green emerged from the wagon. "So, it appears you've found me," she comments, though not unkindly. "I tend to move around quite a lot, but someone always finds me. I suppose you are looking for some herbs?" When you explain that you are interested in learning more about gathering, Giovanna's emerald eyes widen. "Most simply expect me to forage their materials for them, but few truly care about the process itself. You surprise me." Digging into the pocket of her dress, Giovanna draws out a small compass, then offers it to him. "You may borrow my compass. Dark magic has made it capable of locating an incredibly rare item called a Demonic Shard. Should you find one, and bring it back to me, you will prove yourself worthy of my teachings. Take care, and may good  fortune travel with you."

 

 

Spoiler

Reytac Stats:

  Reytac | HP: 100/100 | EN: 28/28 | DMG: 8 | LD:2

Reytac Skills:

Hammer R2

Searching R1

Lockpicking R1

Reytac EQPT:

Initiate Battle Hammer (T1 Perfect DAM 3)

Reytac Battle Ready Consumables:

5 Starter Health Potions (50HP)

1 Tierless Perfect Recovery Potion

 

Edited 22 hours ago by Reytac
Added Spoiler block

[Reytac 0]

Well, getting started on this quest was going to be easier than he had been worried about. No being sent back and forth across town to talk to different people before being able to head out - he just got handed the compass and told to go on his way. He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head once as he carefully made his way away from the camp - no need to disrupt the woman's home. 

He looked down at the small compass that he had been handed by her, turning it over a few times. It looked.. odd to him. A normal compass, at least the ones he was familiar with, either had a brass housing, or a black plastic housing around them. This one though, had an odd, reddish hue to the metal housing it. And the arrow looked.. jagged, almost? Reytac shook off the faint sense of unease he felt looking at the thing, and then focused on the direction that the wicked looking arrow was pointing. A far as he could tell, it wasn't pointing north, so that was at least true.

[Reytac 0]

As he started moving through the forest, Reytac decided that, at the very least, he could start looking for other things, too. The whole goal of the quest was to start picking up materials after all, and the sooner he got started on it, the better. If he built up enough of a stockpile, he could hopefully use it to barter for better gear when he found someone to trade with.

 

So Rey started combing through the woods as he walked, trying to see if he could spot any useful herbs or other materials that he could add to his hoard. But despite the fact that he was moving through a forest that should theoretically be teeming with life, Reytac couldn't actually see a single thing that was popping up that satisifed the 'material' search. He rubbed his temple as he grumbled to himself.

"Dropped the points to buy the pixel-forsaken Searching skill and I still have trouble finding things. Hopefully my weapon skill works out better for me if I get in a fight."  He rolled his shoulders as he pressed deeper into the forest. Though after he circled around a tree, he did stop and realize he had gotten a bit turned around when he was looking for something to scrounge up. With a groan, he pulled up the compass and double checked his heading. Thankfully Rey hadn't gotten *too* far off course.

 

Spoiler

 

Roll ID: 252151 LD: 8 (6+2 Search)FAIL

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Twice now, Reytac had thought he heard someone else moving through the brush near him as he made his way through the forest, but each time he stopped and looked around, one hand dropping to rest on his hammer haft, the sounds stopped abruptly, and it was honestly making him think he was just hearing things. Paranoia about being out with only a weapon to use, perhaps, but either way, he still made sure to be checking his surroundings as carefully as he could. It would be terrible if he ended up dying to some beast alone out in the forest.

"Not.. That anyone would really mourn my disappearance, would they?" He muttered to himself. Anyone in the real world had likely written him off as dead, already, along with everyone else trapped in this damnable game. And as for people in the game, well. He'd barely spoken to any other players, a few at the impromptu crab broil he'd made it to, and he doubted any of them would actually remember him. 

With a deep sigh he leaned against a tree, bringing one hand up to rub his face. For a few moments it felt like heavy weights had been shackled to his limbs, trying to drag him down into a morass of darkness. It was like trying to wade through the deep end of a pool, with the edge always just a little further out of reach. The hand that had rubbed his face dropped down to press against his chest, and he stood there, feeling the hammering of his heart against his ribs. 

"No." His fingers dug into his shirt. "I've gotta keep going." Rey shook himself, hard, pushing against the tree to stand upright. 

[Reytac 0]

"Come on you overgrown piece of bark." Rey slid his knife behind the bark of one tree. It had popped up to his gaze as a viable material, overgrown with a moss, so he was trying to snag it along the way. But as he worked his blade down the edge of the bark, he slipped, scraping more than half of the moss away from the wood. 

"Misbgetton lichen-" The material tag on the item had faded, superimposed with a 'RUINED' label. It was a near thing to keep from throwing his knife down in frustration, but he managed it. Somehow. Probably because right then, he felt like if he threw it down, he would lose track of the blasted thing and then he'd fail at finding it again. Rey took a deep breath and pressed the pommel of his knife against his forehead, centering himself as he tried to shove his frustration out as he exhaled. 

"Right. Keep following the compass." He thought he was getting close but until he had the thing in his hand he wasn't going to count his chickens. 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID: 252201 LD 11 (9+2) FAIL

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Reytac ducked under a low hanging tree branch and stepped past some overgrown bramble bushes that were in his way as he followed the direction of his compass. One hand came up and caught a branch that had threatened to whip around and catch him in the face, and he gave it a mock glare. 

"Knave, you're lucky I've not more time to deal with you - okay I need human interaction for more than a few seconds." Rey shook his head. It was probably not a good thing for him to be talking to digital shrubbery. He cracked his neck as he paused and looked around, sweeping his eyes around - and then his gaze lit up. There was a hanging cluster of.. Well, something. It honestly looked like some minerals had gotten snagged up by some flower roots, then those had gotten tangled up in a vine somehow. 

Moving carefully to avoid ruining this one, Rey cut the vine well above where the material bundle was. He caught it as it fell, then tucked it away into his inventory as swiftly as he could, just in case he somehow fumbled it and lost it entirely at the last minute. Once it was tucked away, he breathed a sigh of relief, then started following the compass again. 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID: 252212 LD: 20 (18+2) success

Material +1

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Reytac
Misread the Shard Roll requirements, only had a material success.

[Reytac 0]

Reytac ran one hand through his hair as he knelt down. He'd thought the compass was acting a bit odd, so he'd started digging through the soil near where he was standing when it spun once, to see if the Shard was buried in the dirt. So far though, he hadn't come across anything that he might even be able to loosely call a 'shard' of anything. 

 

"Seventh son of a forgotten daughter ow" He'd been looking around as he dug through the dirt with his hands, and he pulled his hand back quickly, shaking it in pain. He'd slammed his knuckles into something hard in the dirt. Was it - Rey carefully focused on the spot where he'd felt the hard object, uncovering it inch by inch as he dumped dirt to the side of the little hole. 

"Well, it isn't a Shard, but it's something at least!" Reytac pulled up a chunk of ore, turning it over in the weak sun that was filtering through the tree canopy. It was dirt-crusted, but still clean enough to flag as a material. Happily, he tossed it into his inventory. 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID: 252213 LD 15 (13+2) Success

Material +1

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Reytac blinked as he looked down at the hole he had been digging in. While he didn't think the Shard was here any more - the compass wasn't doing the odd spin now - he thought he saw the edge of something else buried in the loose dirt beneath where the last chunk of ore had lain. With a shrug, he started digging again, widening the hole as he tried to uncover whatever else might be down in here. 

"Even if I'm wrong, it's just a bit of time wasted. Not like I'm losing HP or anything." And, on the off chance he got attacked, at least for things on this floor he should be able to handle himself well enough. But as Reytac worked, nothing came up to interrupt him, a fact that he was happy with. Those boarlets had hurt, and he still didn't have any armor. 

Rey wasn't wrong. After moving what had to be half a pound or more of dirt, he pulled another chunk of ore out of the hole. He turned it over and gave it a small smile - even if he wasn't finding the Shard yet, at least he was finding something. 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID 252214 LD 20 (18+2)

Success

Material +1

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Reytac stood up from the hole, glaring down at it. Emboldened by his success, he'd kept digging, rooting around in the dirt for nearly twenty minutes to see if he could find anything else there, if it was a particularly rich vein perhaps. Unfortunately, there had been nothing else for him in the hole he'd made. He shook his head with a grunt and shoved all the dirt into the hole. It wasn't nice and neatly packed but at the very least there wasn't a knee high pile to deal with in the forest. If it even mattered. 

"Right. Back on the hunt." Reytac pulled the compass back out of his pocket and glanced at it to check the current direction he needed to go. At the very least, he didn't think the blasted thing was moving, he just hadn't reached it yet. He brushed and shook off the last of the dirt that was clinging to his hands and boots, then started off again, moving through the brush as he followed the compass needle. 

Spoiler

Roll ID: 252215 LD 3 (1 +2)

Fail

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

Reytac stepped over a tree log and paused when he heard an odd whirring sound that was decidedly out of place. He looked around, his eyes narrow as his hand dropped down to grip his hammer haft again. It would be just his luck to have some insane nightmare of the tower attack him before - no, wait. He frowned. 
The sound was.. Coming from him? He started patting at his pockets, and it got muffled for a moment when he put his hand over the pocket that was holding the compass. He pulled it out and looked at it, his eyebrows raising when he saw that the needle inside was spinning in a circle rapidly, almost like a beyblade. Either the shard he had been tracking was gone and the compass was broken, which Rey doubted was the case considering this was the case since this was a default quest. Even if say, something had made off with the shard as part of the quest the compass should still be tracking it. 
The alternative... Was that he was so close the compass was on the fritz. As in he was right on top, or below, the shard. While he could climb up into the trees to look for the thing, he had another idea. Reytac looked down at the log that he had just stepped over, then tucked the compass away. Then he knelt down and heaved, hauling against the fallen tree trunk, until it rolled out of the way. 
There, gleaming in the dirt, was the Demonic shard that he had been sent to find. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands for a moment before shaking his head with a rueful smile spreading across his face. He hadn't found any normal materials so far, but this one was worth it. And the frustration spent so far. 
 

 

Spoiler

Roll ID 252216 CD 10 LD 16 (14 + 2)

DEMON SHARD SUCCESS FREEEDOOOOOM

Demon Shard +1

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Reytac

[Reytac 0]

It took Reytac nearly forty minutes of walking in as straight a line as he could to get back to the campsite that he'd departed from earlier. By the time he got back into the warm glow of the campfire, he was counting his lucky blessings that he had avoided any bursts of combat along the way - he was flush from success here, and a fight would just sour the taste of victory. 

 

"Giovanna, are you here?" He called out, and from inside the tent came a rustling, before the quest giver emerged from inside of it again, this time holding a warm smile on her face. Or, at least, warmer,. He pulled the compass and the Shard out of his inventory and held them out towards her to turn in the quest. 

 

Quote

"So you've found a Demonic Shard! You continue to impress me. I'll confess, you've learned all that I could teach you through this single quest. Trial by fire has always been my preferred style." Grinning now, the pretty blonde holds out her hand. "As payment for your troubles, why don't you keep the Shard? I will be needing the compass back, however. Next time you hunt for a Shard, you will have to earn it the hard way - with your own skill!"

Reytac blinked a couple times and then fought the urge to drag one hand down his face. A trial by fire. He'd thought that she would at least show him some new tricks, or a special way to harvest things, or open up more material sources for him - but no. None of that. Still - he'd succeeded. Gotten a bit of materials for himself, and apparently even got to keep the Shard he'd found. 

"Thank you, ma'am." He gave her a bow, and after handing over the compass, he started on his way back to town. 

[Reytac 0]

Thread Close

Word Count 2413

Reytac | [Word Count: 2413/5 = 482.6] * [True Tier: 1] * [Group Factor: 1] = 483 EXP         

Quest Rewards:

300 XP + 483 Word Count XP

<<Forager Profession>>

All Gathered Materials: 3

Demonic Shard Gathered

<<Gleaming Scale from Fishing Profession Blocked>>