Cian was still a few meters away from the entrance to the village, where he could see two guards standing.
'This must be where the Nevadar region begins…'
"Inventory"
He was a little sceptical about the reward he had just received
⟨⟨Inventory⟩⟩
<10 gold>
Touching it, 10 gold coins materialized in his palm.
He stood there frozen in disbelief, his eyes turned into gleaming suns, tinged with the golden hue of endless desires.
"It-it's real gold," he stammered in disbelief.
'In the past, me and father could go a whole month on this, but now I got it practically for free' he thought to himself.
"Of course, it's real gold, what are you, new?" He heard a croaked manly voice say.
He lifted his eyes to see a scruffy figure approaching in the darkness of the night, wearing a patched cloak that hung loosely on his frame with an air of mystery.
By the time he stood only a few feet away from Cian, he lifted the hood to reveal a slender face with a sharp cheekbone and narrow jawlines, wearing a toothy grin that seemed rehearsed. He had a long shabby beard with a pale complexion and was only as tall as Cian's shoulders.
"No, of course not," Cian replied with hostility, unwilling to reveal too much about himself to other players, Cian kept a cautious stance.
"Calm down valiant hero, I bear no ill intentions. The name's Paddin, I simply wanted to know if this warrior needed any assistance" he said as he stretched out his hands gesturing for a handshake.
'He called me a warrior which means he might be an NPC, that means it's possible he was placed here for a reason… or it could simply just be a trick'
"I'm Cian" he replied, cautiously accepting Paddin's handshake.
"What form of assistance are you offering?" Cian questioned
"The kind that this brave warrior would need" he replied with a weird grin
Paddin reached into his bag and handed Cian a small grey box.
"What is this?" Cian wondered.
"It is called the 'Alchemist box' It's a one of a kind item and you, my friend, would be lucky to have it" Paddin replied
'This is definitely a scam… even if I wanted to believe him, that weird grin wouldn't let me. He's probably trying to sell me a useless item' Cian reasoned, 'but then again, If he was a player I should be able to see his name tag floating above his head'.
As soon as Cian's hand came in contact with the item, information about the box was displayed before him. It was the player appraisal function.
____
{Alchemist box}
Grade:– Epic
Info:– Used in creating chimeras, by combining the properties of two beasts
––––
Once Cian saw the grade, his eyes widened with disbelief
In Aetheria, items were graded by rarity– Legendary, Mythical, Epic, high grade, mid-grade, and low-grade.
It was an Epic grade item, this couldn't possibly be for free. This kind of item was special, maybe not one of a kind, but very special nevertheless.
"You see just how special it is?, and it's yours for just 10 gold coins" Paddin offered
There it was, the catch. But all of a sudden it all made sense in Cian's head, he had just received 10 gold coins, and now he was supposed to buy an item with that money. But he wasn't ready to let go of his newfound riches just yet.
"What do you mean just 10 gold coins? Who do you think is going to give you that amount?" Cian asked with a hostile tone.
"Warrior Cian I'd like for you to trust me, you definitely won't regret it…. It's only a small amount compared to the riches that awaited you" Paddin replied with a grin that looked even more sinister.
'How does one trust a face like that' Cian thought to himself.
This box was meant for beast tamers, and Cian didn't plan on becoming one, but if an NPC was selling him this, there probably was a reason.
"I want to trust you Paddin, but I can't give you 10 gold coins, maybe we could settle for 5?" Cian negotiated.
"I'll take it," Paddin swiftly agreed.
"You will?" Cian felt a mix of satisfaction and doubt, wondering if he could have bargained better, but nevertheless, he had successfully haggled down the price so he felt satisfied with the result.
'Father always said I was bad at handling customers, if only he could see me now' he mused as he wiped a fake tear from his eye.
"Okay then," He handed Paddin the money and placed the box inside his inventory.
"Thank you, my friend," Paddin said as he placed the money in one of his pockets beneath his cloak.
"If you don't mind me asking where did you get such a companion" he asked, staring at Blue.
"He is my sprite, is there any issue?" Cian asked defensively.
"No, none at all, I was just surprised as to how you got it so early on into–" he suddenly paused as if he had bitten his tongue.
"Forgive me, my friend, but I must continue my journey," Paddin said as he began walking in the direction Cian had just come from.
Cian watched him disappear into the night
[That man looked awfully suspicious]
"Blue, you don't judge people by their looks. Paddin is a very well-mannered and trustworthy man".
Cian stood there for a while, reflecting on their final interaction, before remembering that Darcy was probably waiting for him by now. He began rushing towards the village.
"I didn't know other people could also see you," Cian said
[Yes, they can, but only you can hear me. You don't have to worry, I learned that Sprites are very common with players, so you'll blend right in]
"If they are that common, that means players use them often, for what exactly?"
[sprites provide temporary buffs for their user]
"Then it was a good idea to take the form of a sprite" Cian replied
[It feels good to be appreciated, but just so you know, I can only make good decisions]
"So much for humility" Cian murmured as he walked past the two guards and into the village
A message appeared before him
"Wow, the village is flooded with players"
Many players were walking in and out of shops, mostly in groups but a few solo.
[That's because the Nevadar region is the Newbie region, it's surrounded by spawn points. It's also known as 'the trade county' so most players come here to stock up on equipment and receive special quests]
'Now, how do I find Darcy… I hope she didn't get tired of waiting and leave'
He scanned the crowd for Darcy, eventually spotting her rushing towards him. By the time she got to him, she was completely out of breath.
She had a green skimpy-looking armour on, with a bow and arrow.
"Sorry…took… so long" Darcy gasped visibly out of breath
As Cian stared at her, he could tell something was different, but he couldn't really tell what. She looked the same, except for Her elf-like ears and white hair which definitely weren't the issue, there was something else…
It didn't take long before his eyes fell on her chest
'They are huge!!!…..'
"We had a little confusion while sharing the loot" she continued
Darcy must have caught his stare because her face turned red as she instinctively lifted her hand to her chest.
He saw how defensive she became, so he awkwardly shifted his gaze. Cian wasn't the type of guy to notice things like this, but he was certain her breasts were not this big when he visited the hospital. As he started looking around, he noticed that it was the same for all the other female players.
'Maybe it's a normal thing' he concluded
"It-it's not what you think–" Darcy stuttered as she attempted an explanation.
"It's fine, it's none of my business" Cian interrupted with a soft tone.
"How did your quest go?" He asked.
"It was great, we hunted some golems in the mystic forest" she replied, gradually regaining her composure, before she raised her head to see his name tag.
"Cian? What sort of name is that?"
Cian chuckled nervously, "I just had to come with something and I didn't want to think too much about it, too bad It's not as cool as Snow" he gestured to the blue name tag floating above her head.
She giggled shyly, "that's not true, Cian sounds different and unique… you don't mind if I call you Cian while we are in Aetheria right?"
"It's fine, miss Snow" he replied playfully.
"So, what do we do next?"
"Firstly we need to get you geared up," she replied enthusiastically