Private - A pinch of Wolfsbane

Under the pale moon, a single wolf howled one last time before falling over, motionless and very much dead. Behind it was Brant, sitting on a rock and with his staff in his arms. He stared at the moon with a blank stare that made him look more like a mannequin than human. Some would say he looked a bit scary, other would say he looked a bit sad. He brought his head down and looked around him for a moment to asses his situation. It wasn't desirable but it was certainly doable.

"I am getting really tired of seeing you things."

Two other wolves were in position, ready to pounce on him at a moment's notice. The one in front of him snapped it's jaws at him and he instinctively recited the incantation for one of his cheaper spells.

"Ready, steady, fire!"

The end of his staff glowed for a brief moment before blue bolts of arcane energy struck the predator in the face before letting out a small explosion. Two down, one more to go. He whipped around but saw that the last one was gone. However, he refused to let his guard down for even a second. Soon it would be coming...coming...

...coming...?

Reluctantly, Brant relaxed and looked around. There was no sign of the enemy any longer. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"This is quite the tedious quest ain't it?"

After a while, the cicadas and fireflies returned while other animals went back to their nightly routines. Taking that as his queue to leave he got back to what he was doing. With a tightening and opening of his fist, Brant's HUD activated and he assessed the damage. His health was at a stable 85% while his energy was starting to get low at around 60%, though that would regenerate with time. He moved over to his quest list and his face scrunched up in minor annoyance when he saw the requirements for the quests completion.

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I. Defeat 5 wolves.
II. Find 1 Wolfsbane.
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He had long ago finished the first half of the mission but it seemed as if there was no Wolfsbane to be found in this entire forest! He had searched high and low and he simply couldn't find it. The darkness of night time made it all the worse too. He decided that this would be his last sweep of the area before he called it quits for the day. With another hand gesture he activated investigation mode and continued his search, making sure to not miss anything important.

What he didn't realize was that he was being followed. Lurking in the shadows were a pack of wolves who had seen him slaughter the others of their kind. Brant continued none the wiser and eager to complete his mission so that he could take a break.

"I wonder...does the food in this game taste the same as it would in real life?"

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@Nuhl'Shaz ​

 

There was brilliant flash of light, and Nuhl's vision filled with shapes and colors. They slowly came into focus to the point he could see he was standing in a large wooded area, but there was much else.

Initializing...

A progress bar filled his 'screen,' followed by the various UI elements of the game. It truly was amazing. He seemed to be luckier than some, who load up in extremely hostile environments, but not quite as lucky as those that spawned closer to the towns. With a quick gesture, he expanded the minimap. Not terrible, he wasn't too far out. It'd be a good time to find somewhere to test the various Masteries he had chosen on character creation before doing some real questing.

"Ready, steady, fire!"

There was a blue flash in Nuhl's peripheral, not far into the woods. A yelp echoed between the trees, and not much longer after, a huge wolf burst through the brush. Perfect.

"Cín cuil na sab!"

A spiral of crackling green energy burst from his hand, winding it's way around the wolf. Nuhl's health was already at full, so he felt only a tingle inside him, but the wolf was slowing withering away before his eyes, the demonic energy of the Death Coil sucking away it's lifeforce.

"How realistic.. It looked like it actually suffered. I wonder how long it took to program that alone..."

He didn't have time to marvel. There was another nearby, and if Nuhl could find him, perhaps he could make his first ally in this insane game. Without hestiation, Nuhl pushed through the brush. This patch was particularly thick, and when he finally broke free from it, he was not far behind someone.

"Well met," Nuhl raised a hand in greeting, "Fancy seeing another soul out here in this terrible place."

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@Brant Dugal

 

At the sound of a new arrival Brant quickly turned around and prepared his spell.

"Ready, steady!"

He didn't activate the final part of the incantation in case this was a friendly. Strangely enough it was a guy he had never met before. Perhaps he was a new player like him? He then realized that he had just raised his weapon against a harmless passerby. With embarrassment evident on his face he lowered his head, as well as his staff. Fighting all day has frayed his nerves it seems.

"A-ah...Sorry about that friend. I have been fighting here all day you see so...uh." Just how long exactly was he out here for? He didn't know and that fact scared him a little. It seems his mind lost track of time, as he could not recall exactly when he had taken the quest. Curse his simple nature. With a breath he calmed himself down and the stoic expression he usually wore came back onto his face.

"A new guy right? Apologies for earlier, my search seems to have scattered my mind. I am Brant Dugal of the Yladians. You are?", he said as he lowered his weapon and leaned against a tree, hoping to not further embarrass himself in front of a newbie.

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@Nuhl'Shaz​

 

Nuhl was taken aback at this stranger pointing his staff at him, mentally preparing for his first PvP match. He took a step back and raised his hand, but lowered it as this newcomer lowered his.

Brant Dugal of the Yladians, eh? I guess if we're roleplaying...

Nuhl raised his arms out, as if to signifying he should be worshipped, " I am Nuhl'Shaz, the Lord of Dread, King of All Whose Rise Again!"

Good show me, that's sure to impress someone... Not!

"Since we are both out here, I supposed I could help you on your quest. In return, you must pledge your allegiance to me in life and in death.."

Nuhl couldn't help himself after his last line. He leaned over, laughing heartily.

"Nah, I'm kidding. Let's party though. I could use some help getting my bearings around here."

With a swift hand gesture, Nuhl pulled up his Social menu and extended an invitation to Brant. He may have made a fool of himself, but it was obvious this stranger could use some assistance. Maybe another set of eyes could solve his problem and he could finally get to the first town to get some equipment.

Or maybe he would die out here, who knows?


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@Brant Dugal