Capítulo 12: Entering The Village
Leo felt nervous as he walked towards the village entrance as not only did the players take notice of him, but the village guards did as well.
He was limping slightly as he walked in character towards the village wall as he wanted the village guards to assume that the reason behind why he was wearing bloody robes was because he was injured and not because he was forced to kill some enemy.
Being far from a seasoned actor, his inconsistent limping was a dead giveaway of his inexperience as each step he took varied slightly from the last, a telltale sign to any observant onlooker that his injury was a fake, however, fortunately for him, the attention of the village guards was captivated not by his gait, but by his mask, which, for reasons unknown, held significant intrigue for them.
"SIR! This is Private Ryan here SIR!, US Air Force commander, SIR!, please tell me if I can assist you anyway possible SIR!" A man suddenly shouted as he appeared in front of Leo and began stomping his feet in traditional military salute everytime he shouted SIR!
He was wearing the layman's clothing so Leo knew that he was a player, but his sudden antics prompted all the nearby players to pay full attention to this interaction making Leo feel awkward to have been put in a spot.
Leo could clearly make out that the man in front of him was lying, his posture was pathetic and his designation was even more ridiculous.
He assumed the title of a commander after introducing himself as a 'private', because it was probably the only military title he knew about which made Leo sure that he was a complete novice, since no commander would shamelessly introduce themselves first and display such a lackey-like behaviour.
Leo was 99% sure that the man was trying to see if Leo issued a quest to him, since this was a game and he did not look like a player like the rest of them wearing layman's clothing, but unfortunately, Leo was not an NPC.
"Out of my way-" Leo said with the same tone as a pissed off old man who was rushing to a convenience store to buy a cigarette as he walked straight past fake Private Ryan, without giving him any face.
Audible laughter could be heard as the other players burst out laughing having witnessed the spectacular failure of Private Ryan and even Leo was forced to suppress a chuckle.
Thankfully, no other players bothered him anymore and instead made way for him as he approached the village guards.
"Greetings soldier-, May I know the purpose behind your visit?" One of the two village guards asked, as Leo did not answer immediately but rather waited for a few seconds as he stared directly into the eyes of the two guards.
Staring directly into the eyes of someone was an intimidation tactic he had learnt from living on the streets.
Those who had something to hide, would subconsciously avoid eye-contact, however, if you stared confidently into someone's eyes it was more likely that they would believe you.
"I'm here to meet the village chief, I have government business to discuss with him" Leo said as he flashed the government letter with the kingdom's stamp on it.
"Oh, it seems like you are here on official business, please let me lead the way," the village guard on the right said, as he signalled for Leo to follow him into the village.
Sighing in relief, Leo followed the man into the village as he slowly faded out of the curious gazes of the players outside.
He had managed to get into the village without having to pay an entrance fee like the rest of the players which was a small consolation on its own, however, unlike them he was not free to do as he pleased within the village, but had to conform to his role as the government soldier.
His relief at being able to enter was short-lived as he was quickly guided towards the village chief's quarters due to which he did not get much opportunity to observe the village and it's beauty in depth, but his first impression of the place was that it was just like a fantasy town straight out of mediaeval times.
Wooden houses with smoke coming out of makeshift chimneys, narrow paved roads that had a thin layer of snow covering them and villagers dressed in thick fur clothing mostly made out of wolf skin were some sights that Leo observed before arriving before the chief's house.
"Please wait here while I inform the chief of your arrival" the guard said as he politely bowed to Leo before excusing himself for a while.
The part of the village where he was standing at the moment seemed to be the local residential district, whereas the part where the newly spawned players were resting was the area where the taverns, motels and adventurer guilds were based.
"A Virex mask? Are you sure?"
Leo heard someone saying from a distance as he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps.
Soon, the village guard was back alongside another man who Leo assumed was the chief of the village, as the tall and stout man examined Leo and the mask that he was wearing.
"Why is a Virex operative in my town? I hope none of my villagers are on your hitlist" The village chief said with scrutiny as he tried to probe Leo for some information.
The village chief was 6 foot two and built like a literal bear.
If Leo was to take him on, he was sure that the man could punch him out unconscious with a single blow, but despite the intimidating stature, Leo maintained his calm.
"The business I have in this village is stated clearly in this letter, however, it's a conversation we best have in private" Leo said as he handed over the government letter to the village chief who tore open the seal and began reading it immediately.
The tense expression on his face eased significantly as he read the letter and by the end of it he was even smiling as he chuckled out loud.
"Hahaha, so you're here to help us with the wolf problem, how rude of me. Please, come in, let's discuss this in my hall.
Have you had dinner yet? Please honour my family by having dinner with us today.
Oh- you're injured? Fayley, go call the healer Miss Shayana.
Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Brahim, the elected chief of Silverpine Village, and it's my as well as my village's honour to host a warrior of your calibre, esteemed Virex operative sir 'The Boss' " Brahim said as Leo needed a moment to process the sudden 180° shift in his attitude.
Leo had no idea what was written in that letter, however, from Brahim's reaction he assumed that it was something related to the wolf problem that this village was facing and not some execution order like Brahim had assumed.
Once he realised that Leo was not there to kill anyone, his attitude softened significantly, however, Leo could not help but feel uneasy internally.
He had a strong gut feeling that the quest he was going to be forced to undertake would be a wolf extermination mission, a mission that he was not skilled enough to accept.
Capítulo 13: First Quest
Leo was amazed by how detailed this game Terra Nova Online was when he entered the village chief's home.
Everything from the entrance, to the layout of the house seemed extremely detailed and the items inside were realistic.
Leo had no idea how they made a game engine so realistic that the items within a random house of a random man were dusty and scratched from the handle where one would grab it from while also looking like they had been sitting on the same spot for years just collecting dust, just like what one would see in a normal house.
The wooden flooring in the house looked fresh in some parts but showed signs of wear and tear in others.
Such detail went beyond simple game designing and felt like an alternate reality itself, as Leo was stunned as to how rich the gaming experience was.
"Pardon me for my previous rude question, we had the impression that usually when a Virex operative shows up it's for an assassination. I misjudged your motive to come to my village" Brahim said as he politely offered his apologies to Leo for believing in a stereotype.
"It's okay, village chief," Leo said as he sat across from the burly man in his living room.
Once the two of them were seated, a woman who Leo assumed to be Brahim's wife shyly entered the room and started the fire inside the hearth before moving out once again without making eye-contact with Leo from start to finish.
With the fire burning, the temperature inside the room became more comfortable but Leo did not dare slouch as he maintained the tense military posture with the upright back to stay in character.
"As you must know, Silverpine Village is located too high in the mountains for the convenience of life.
The second nearest village is only at 3200m above sea level, but we still stay at such an incredible altitude because of the iron ore mines.
70% of my own village men are miners and have pledged their service to one of the three big mining companies, who expect my men to work for 9 months non-stop from the first sign of snow thawing till all the leaves shed in autumn.
But while Silverpine Village is wealthy and numerically strong, our reliance on mining operations is heavy to get through the winter.
Currently, it's winter and spring won't start for another two weeks, however, this time around, the wolves have made the mines their chosen hibernation den, which means that we won't be able to resume mining operations once the snow starts to thaw.
If the situation of the wolves is not resolved and my men are late to start mining operations by even a week, then they would have to pay about a month's salaries in penalty for not meeting the quota and such a future worries me.
Savings of my people, especially after winter usually runs low and forcing them to pay penalty charges would be detrimental to the financial state of most families.
As you must have been briefed, the wolves are the biggest threat to the security of this village.
The only reason we live behind such thick wooden walls manned by archers all the time is to stay safe from the attack of wolves, however, with the wolves now making the mines their new home, we are in desperate need of government help to resolve this situation". Brahim said as he explained Silverpine Village's peril to Leo.
Leo who understood the village chief's peril nodded, however, internally he felt his stomach roll over as he realised that his worst fears were probably going to come true and he was going to be forced to face wolves when he actually had no combat experience.
"I have already issued a mission to all the adventurer guilds operating in this village to help us with this problem, however, while they have called over many promising adventurers, so far, all of them have failed in driving the wolves away.
You, sir, are the last hope for this village to return to work at the promised date, so please help us handle the wolf problem" Brahim said as immediately a system notification popped up.
[ Quest Notification ]
[ —---> You have been issued a mandatory quest by the chief of Silverpine Village, NPC Brahim.
• You cannot deny this quest
—-------> Clear the mines by either defeating all the wolves inside or driving them away to make it safe for mining once winter ends.
Time limit : 14 days.
Failure Penalty : Imprisonment
Rewards : Actor class unlock, +10 levels, +??? Gold, +??? Skill scroll, +???? ]
Leo got the mandatory quest notification as he quietly sighed under his mask.
"Very well, I'll handle the rest" he said as he stood up in character, not putting much weight on his injured leg and extended his hand forward to shake Brahim's.
"Sir, please, stay the night and enjoy my food. I'm sure my wife is cooking some delicious meat for you at the moment.
Also I've called for the village healer, she should be here to treat your injuries too-" Brahim said as he wanted to insist on Leo not leaving just yet, however, Leo cunningly declined.
"I'm sorry, I cannot accept your hospitality until I've completed the mission that is assigned, such is the Virex way" Leo said in a deeper voice than his usual tone as Brahim's eyes sparkled in admiration.
Actually, Leo did not mind eating a meal, but he was worried that to eat a meal he needed to remove his mask and he was not sure if that was a good idea.
According to the description of his mask, it helped him against some inspection spells and Leo wanted to keep that extra layer of protection on.
If he removed his mask to have a meal and was found to be a level0 newbie it could create issues and hence Leo did not wish to risk it.
Similarly, he was acting as if he were injured, however, if a healer came and inspected him, there would not be a single wound on his body which would also seem suspicious.
Since both such scenarios were detrimental to him, Leo felt it best to bail and it was actually the best decision he could have made since if he did not, he would have really failed the mission.
Making his way out of the chief's home, he asked directions for the nearest tavern and headed out towards the tavern to stay the night.
Firstly he needed to gather a lot of information about this world and the gaming mechanics, specially about the repercussions of 'dying' in the game.
Only after he found out this detail, did Leo wish to engage in a difficult mission such as the wolf extermination as if death was something severe and painful, then Leo did not wish to risk completing the mission and felt like it was better decision to take his chances somewhere else and escape Silverpine Village all together.
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