********************************************************************************************************Darlia excused herself, citing some reason or the other. It was rather obvious that she didn't intend to help Meliadol out.
"Don't mind her," Bast said after she left, "She's not that bad once you get used to her."
Meliadol didn't know Darlia enough to add anything; instead he glanced around, "So, if you're gonna help me…what do we do now?"
Bast grinned, and again his eyes flashed blue. "Accept my friend request, first."
"Okay." Sure enough, an exclamation appeared in the corner of his vision. Pulling up the menu, he saw the message alert over the social tab:
Player Bast wants to be your friend.
Accept Decline
A single tap accepted the request, and his formerly empty list now held a single member:
Name: Bast Class: Lvl 60 Berserker Status: Online
"Alright, done."
"Good, let's stop standing in the middle of the street, shall we?"
Meliadol couldn't agree more. Without bothering to see if he followed, Bast started walking, forcing him to keep up.
"So," Meliadol felt he had keep the conversation going, "What's up with your eyes? They're normal, and then blue, and then normal again?"
"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know about that. It's a visual indicator put into the game. Allows you recognize when others are in a menu screen."
"Makes sense."
Bast didn't offer anything more, and Meliadol didn't want to continue to talk just for the sake of talking, so the pair fell into silence. The crowd thinned out slightly, letting Meliadol walk side-by-side to the berserker.
Slowly the landscape changed. No longer was it predominantly the little shops of NPCs and players trying to outdo each other in the selling of goods and services. Large, official looking buildings towered over them, and armored guards stood at attention along the sides.
Meliadol was just about ask, when suddenly Bast stopped right outside of an expansive looking building. It was styled after one of those Greek temples that one always saw in pictures. Big marble pillars framed the large doorway, and several sets of the well-armed guards stood outside, arms crossed as they watched everyone who entered and left.
"Ah, here we are. Come little Mel! Inside we will find a gift for you!" Bast gave a belly-jerking laugh before heading inside, ignoring the stares of the guards.
He couldn't help but grumble at the nickname. Little Mel? Bast heard his objections and just laughed harder, which in turn made him angrier. He could feel the withering gaze of the guards on his back, or else he would have told the big warrior off. With how realistic NPCs were in the game, he didn't want to push his luck and start a scene.
So he settled for muttering unsavory things under his breath as he followed Bast inside.
The guards let Bast through, but crossed their spears to block Meliadol.
"He's with me." Bast said.
Wordlessly, the guards withdrew their weapons. The pair continued down a long corridor lined with heavily locked doors. Bast, stopping at one of them, pulled out a keyring laden with all manner of keys of every shape and size. Selecting one, he unlocked the door and beckoned Meliadol inside.
Torches flickered to life the moment they entered, and Meliadol could only stare, dumbfounded. Armor and weapons lined the walls, shining brightly in the torchlight. From axes and swords to pikes and exotic weaponry that he could only guess at, the room was a veritable armory of pointy instruments of war. The armor was no less impressive; the leather well-kept and oiled, and the plate portions polished to a mirror sheen.
But Bast ignored it all, rummaging in one of the numerous boxes of gear that lined the floor.
"What is this place?"
"This is my bank." Bast said offhandedly before finally pulling out a short sword.
"Your bank? So all of this is yours?"
"Yep, here you go, little Mel!" Bast flipped the sword over in a casual display of dexterity, handing it to Meliadol handle first.
Meliadol grasped the hilt and the stats of the weapon popped up.
Adventurer's Folly
6.4 DPS
+1 to all stats
(+2 if class is adventurer)
Requires level 1
Out of curiosity, he pulled out his own sword and compared the two.
Iron Sword
3.1 DPS
Requires level 1
Even for someone as inexperienced as Meliadol, it was easy to tell how this weapon surpassed his current one.
"Wow," he said, appreciating the way it felt in his hands, "Why is this so much better than the one given to me?"
"Well, that's easy enough," Bast leaned against the wall, watching Meliadol give the sword a test run against a training dummy in the room, "It was made by an apprentice blacksmith, a player. All player-made weapons start out at least blue rarity. The rarity for the beginner weapon you have is white, or common as we call it. So even though they're both level one weapons, the blue weapon will always be better."
"This is so cool." Meliadol loved the way it felt in his hands. He wasn't sure if it was because of the stat gains inherent to the weapon, but he felt stronger, quicker, and the weapon was like a feather in his hands.
Waap! Shink! Bwwish!
Again and again the sword hit the dummy, cutting thin lines into the hardened wood.
"Anyway," Bast continued, chuckling at Meliadol's enthusiasm, "The equipment rarities are white for common, blue for rare, purple for epic, yellow for exalted, orange for legendary, and green for unique sets. You won't have to worry about this for a while, since you're a lowbie, but it's nice to know."
Meliadol wanted to pay attention, but was having trouble. It was absurd that such a minor thing would distract him so, but for some reason this tangible progress renewed his interest in the game. RPGs were about character progression and this simple sword was the balm he needed to ignore the rudeness of those he met today. His thoughts lingered on the future, on things yet unlearned…
"Where do I have to go to level up? I wanna test this bad boy out!" He grinned at Bast for the first time since they met, eager to advance and see what Nevergarden had to offer.
"Bwahahaha!" Bast laughed, slapping his knee, "That's what I love to see! Ah, the excitement of a newbie! Like a breath of fresh air! Well, the best area is probably the Kobold Lair…"
"Why is it so good?"
"Well, the mobs are around your level, and they come mostly one on one, letting newbies get used to the combat. The quests aren't bad either."
"That's not what I meant," Meliadol said fiercely, surprising Bast, "I didn't ask for the easiest place to level! I want some place that's hard. I don't want anyone to call me a newb ever again. I want to learn, as fast as possible."
Bast seemed to think on his words for a minute, before his face lit up with a devilish tint, "Oh, I see! You want to live dangerously, huh?"
"Yes!"
"Hah! You are full of surprises, little Mel! Well, if that's the case, I'd recommend the Skeleton Boneyard! Almost every quest is recommended for two or more people. To do it solo would be brutal."
Meliadol ignored the nickname this time, sheathing his new weapon. He turned to Bast. "That sounds precisely what I'm looking for. Let's go."
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