CHAPTER 6

Three minutes later, the entire scene played out once more, this time, with everyone dashing from right to left.

Here I am just walking along, and they have someone chasing them up one side and down the other. There's an interesting life for you, I thought wistfully to myself and kept walking.

When the group dashed by for the third time, I grabbed one of them by the sleeve.

"Hey, man," I said. "Where are you running? Is it a quest? Can I come with you?"

"Seriously, you idiot?" I found myself stared at incredulously by a fidgety player named Mastik. "That guy with the beard is trying to get us. We went into the forest to cut some clubs, and he came out of nowhere. 'What are you ruffians doing here?' And bam—he started hitting us with his stick. 'You little good-for-nothings! Coming around here ruining the forest. Get out before I kill every last one of you!' A-a-a-ah!" Mastik caught a glimpse of his pursuer bursting out of the forest and dashed off.

The old man stopped when he got to me and looked suspiciously at my weapon.

"Factory-made," I quickly assured him. "I love the forest. When I was little, all I cared about was protecting wildlife."

"Better be." The old man, who was labelled "Forester," looked at me darkly and melted into the woods.

"Crazy," was all I could say.

Soon, I got to the edge of the forest, the point that marked the end of the starting location. A dwarf had been planted there to make sure everything was clear, and he had a lazy warning for me, "Friend, this road will take you to Brad, after which who knows where you'll follow it? But you won't be able to come back. If there's anything you still have left to do here, do it before you leave."

"I don't have anything here. I already did it all."

"If you say so," said the indifferent dwarf. "Good luck in Brad."

The city had me speechless from the moment I entered. In fact, I stood stock-still after my first steps through the gate. I've already mentioned the backwater town in Noobland and how quiet and quaint it was—old people going about their business, children playing pranks on the cats...or beavers, I guess. Hushed tones, soft colors…

But Brad was a big city that never sleeps—noise, hubbub, everyone running, everyone in a hurry.

Welcome to Brad!

It is a city shrouded in centuries of legend, renowned for the power of its mighty kings, made famous by its great craftsmen, and built on the bravery of its warriors. The name "Brad" reaches far back into the oldest annals of the Seven Kingdoms…

I was only too happy to read more about the city's fascinating history. It was built somewhere way back in the forgotten reaches of time, after which it became a forest city. Later, it was a stronghold of the monarchy, and it was now a hero city.

"They have some good writers," I noted to myself. "A well-written text, easy to read, good presentation."

"Don't just stand there!" A voice behind me boomed, and I was shoved to the side. The voice happened to belong to a hefty dwarf by the name of Gorin, and he had a following of six other dwarves behind him.

"Hurrying to find Snow White?" I asked in a needling tone.

"What, you need some teeth loosened?" Gnorin responded in the same bass voice.

"No, I'm good," I responded honestly. "I need them all."

"Then don't be a douchebag. Sorry if I shoved you too hard—I'm a dwarf, after all."

"I see that," I noted. "I'm not blind."

"Is there a tavern around here? Or a pub? Really, anywhere they sell beer," asked Gnorin. "Do you know of any?"

"How should I know? I just got here."

"All right, we'll follow our noses. Cheers."

And with that, the gang of dwarves headed down the central avenue leading away from the gate, one after another. Never fear, off to find beer.

"What's with everyone here?" I wondered. "Sadistic elves, alcoholic dwarves... It's like a bad fantasy novel."

I started down the same street, looking around me as I went. The city, of course, was beautifully drawn. The buildings, trees, monuments, inhabitants... everything looked real. If I hadn't known it was a bunch of code, I would have thought I was in some European city from the Middle Ages. And it was obviously huge. I came across empty corners, found alleys packed with players, saw a few squares littered with tents of some kind, noticed some temples, and even walked by a theatre—or maybe a courthouse.

And so my wandering and wondering led me finally to a place whose name I could have guessed even without the marker: Market Square. It was pretty simple, really. What else could you call a place packed to the gills with everything you could think to buy? People milled around, noise filled the air, and I was jostled from side to side. Somebody was selling something, somebody was buying something, and everyone was talking, screaming, and bustling around all at once.

"I need a bow, Level 35 to 37! Rare or epic! I can pay!"

"I'm selling elixirs—health and mana! Concentration potions! Poisons discounted when you buy in bulk! Manufacturer warranty!"

"I cook with your ingredients! For free! Pay for me to eat the food with you!"

"Buy a sword, get a sheath free!"

"An eastern dagger, from Sind, sharp as a razor and as long as... your life, eh!"

"Spider eyes, fresh and gray! For crafting!"

"Fish! Fresh, still alive! Dead and dried as well! Fish!"

And stands, stands, and more stands all around, with flags, signs, and even banners. In short, it was a nice place, even a great place, though there was one problem—I had no money. And, judging by the cries I heard from the crowd packing the square, I wasn't the only one.

Just then, as if on cue, a little halfling scooted up to me, "Hey, man, give me 10 gold; I need them for a jacket," he gushed at me in one breath. "Everyone knows me; I'm good for it—I swear. I'll buy the jacket, go farm some loot, and give it back to you... with five extra!"

With that out of the way, he stood gazing at me and even urgently tugged on my hand.

I'll admit, it isn't easy to surprise me. I'm a journalist, and I even served in the army, so anyone or thing that can actually surprise me is worth at least my respect. "Ha!" I coughed. "Well, look at you. You're way too amateurish about this. Use your brain! Write a sign, 'Help needed for mental development, give money for logic tests.' There aren't any around here, so you can cut to the chase."

"Are you going to give me the money?" he asked impatiently, apparently without hearing a word I said.

"No," I answered simply, and he was off like the wind.

"Wow," was all I had to say.

I started to feel left out, as it was very clear I had no business in a place like that with empty pockets. And that meant I had to get out into the world and somehow make some money. I just had clothes—sort of—and a club, so I had nothing to lose and nothing to keep me there. I pulled up the map, found the city exit, and set off in that direction.

A forest began directly outside the city gates. Well, not so much a forest; more a grove of trees. Huh, I thought as I walked into the shadows. I wonder if cities in the Middle Ages had woods right outside them, too. From the movies and TV shows I've seen, they definitely didn't. When invaders (or liberators, depending on the plot) laid siege, they ran screaming across an open plain before the camera swept to their hordes scrambling up the walls and putting the city to fire and the sword. Well, or to free it from the clutches of a tyrant. I wouldn't think they made all that up just for the movies. They probably had some kind of villages right outside the walls and needed grazing land for all their cattle and horses. I guess nothing needs to graze in the game, and there's no point in making players walk forever, so they put the woods right next to the walls.

The forest was beautiful, both reminiscent of a real forest and, at the same time, different. It was similar in how picturesque it was, with all the grass and clean air. A great spot, and completely unrealistic. In a real forest, you trip over dead wood, mosquitos eat you alive, and there's litter everywhere. I found myself liking the virtual forest better—it was clean, neat, and cozy. And it was full of things I could use to get experience and money. A rabbit ran by with all its experience, fur, and meat. A hardworking badger rustled away while a wiggly snake slunk off. Well, fauna, meet Man, your destroyer. I felt bad for them, but I felt worse for myself. All I had was ragged pants, and I needed to level-up. Well, if Man is the king of nature, it is time for nature to pay its dues.. or tribute, or whatever it is…

I valiantly ravaged the animal world for four hours or so, twice levelling-up. My bag was packed with all my dead trophies, though by the end, I was pickier about what I kept. At first, I harvested everything I could from my unlucky victims. During the last hour, I only kept the skin, which I knew I could sell. Badger meat wasn't exactly in high demand.

Once I levelled-up the second time, I decided to stop and spend the points.

Basic attributes:

Strength: 10

Intellect: 1

Agility: 2

Stamina: 7

Wisdom: 1

Available points: 10

I decided to go with the obvious. As long as I was going for a tank, I'd go for a tank. Six points for strength, three for stamina, and one for agility.

"Well, that was a nice little break. Time to get back to work," I said, pulling out my club and dashing off after a rabbit that ran by me. Having expected more from life than what I gave him, he moaned almost sadly and died.

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