Midsummer Feast

It was raining, for a change, in the game, giving the excellent game a depressing feeling. And it was even though the players not even got wet or cold, but Merie couldn’t say that anyhow justified it.

Even less because the player she hooked up with attacked, by mistake, her. Resulting in Merie lying on the ground and couldn’t move. “I did warn you I was throwing a bottle, but you didn’t move.”  “And yes, I’m sorry.” The girl, Fiy, didn’t sound apologetic at all, even cracking a slight smile as she “apologised”. But yes, she’d warned Merie the second the bottle left her hand. “You should’ve warned me earlier, so I could have a chance to get out of the way.” Merie was fast at her feet, but not THAT fast.

“If it feels slightly better, so can I share the information that you can get an ability to create those status-potions yourself.” “Do you know how to get that ability, Fiy?” Fiy’s information was honestly making Merie feel slightly better, but she couldn’t deny she would feel better even better if Fiy knew how to get the ability. Which she was sure she could’ve some great use of.

“The only thing I can say is that you first must be lucky and find A traveling NCP somewhere in the starter state. But it’s all the information I can give you, Merie.” The information wasn’t even nearly enough for her to get the ability. “Don’t you happen to know the NPC’s name?” Merie was sure Fiy at least knew that much.

After trying to drag some more information out of Fiy, but without any success, so did Merie give it up as soon she could move again. Ready to continue training, as her mind circulated the small amount of information she’d been handed, “How does the ability’s level affect it?” Hoping some small talk would result in Fiy slipping up. But, of course, so did she also gather as much data as possible about how the skill worked.

“The level affects how much material you need to craft a bottle and how strong the mix gets. And the levels are only for the bottles themselves, so it isn’t possible to cheap level any mixes.” Fiy made it sound bothersome, but it was still not enough for Merie to give it up. Just thinking about how she could use it in hunts was making up for it. “But may I ask why you want to learn that ability, Merie? It shouldn’t be something like that you’re thinking about using it for PKing, right?” If it shouldn’t be because Fiy followed her question with a smile, so would Merie need to do something about the situation.

“It has nothing to do with something like that. I was just thinking about using it as a support while hunting, but with more care than you.” Indeed so would Merie be more careful than Fiy had been, but it was only stretched to the fact that she would mind where to throw them to get the most victims. “But thinking about it, Fiy? Weren’t there some PKs bolting around and throwing status-potions at everyone?” Honestly, so did Merie remember them clearly. The view of one of them had filled her with laughter. An idiot bolting near and throwing the bottle, then running away with his arms held in the sky while giggling like a sissy. Honestly not the picture, by non-PKs, of how a PK was.

“I also remember those pesky critters. I was supporting some friends, and I can’t say I wasn’t feeling like throwing up when I saw them.” Both Fiy’s face and tone were filled with disgust, “I mean. Just what kind of idiot can decide to bolt around as a headless chicken in his underwear? Which could’ve been fine if he looked good, but the idiot’s stomach covered the front of his groin.” Merie could understand Fiy found that disturbing while trying to see the picture of it in her mind, but she would also love to know why the fuck Fiy had been checking his groin?

“I don’t think we should talk more about that. Both for our own sake and because we’re getting company.” Merie spoke up as she could hear a group getting closer, sure it were monsters.

The ability Merie was using was “sense”, and true to its name so was it sharpening her senses on command, which had saved her rear more times than she’d the energy to count. Its levels were based on the senses, which just like the potion ability, grew as she used them. And this far so had she only found out how to use the hearing part. But she wished to find out how to level smell and vision too.

Merie had once again decided to use her claws,  of course not the killing claws which should be too easy to recognise because of the bent nails, and prepared to attack the monsters as they arrived. Fiy didn’t say anything about the claws this time, which she’d done when the first set end of monsters was attacking. All because Fiy, and only Fiy, looked down on the weapon because they were “difficult” to use.

Leaping forward when the first monster, a white wolf with a black corpse paint over its face, feeling the effects of “Wind of a Goddess”. Still getting used to her new agility, even though she’d played it twice with the new ability.

Avoiding the first wolf’s jaws, ripping the side of its face. Forced to jump to the side to avoid another one’s attack. Which she tried to attack at the move, but only succeeded in scratching its nose.

The wolf yelped and moved, backing off, suddenly hit by a Fireball. “Sorry, I missed the target!” Which rapidly turned out to be a lucky hit by Fiy.

Spells came flying as Merie “danced” with the wolves. Knowing she easily could’ve handled them herself, but didn’t mind some company from during hunts from time to time. Which didn’t only mean they could kill off more monsters, but also gave her a discrete opportunity to train Sense even more by listening and making sure she knew where she’d her party.

They’d been hunting for about two hours when Fiy explained that she’d to leave. Both of them were considering the hook-up fun and decided they would do it again. Exchanging contact to go for it another time, when Fiy maybe would’ve matured enough to not complain about Merie’s choice of weapon.

“See you again sometime, Merie.”  Fiy was pointing her fingers in the empty air as she spoke. Merie couldn’t see what Fiy saw, but knew she was Fit was messing around with her menu. “STOP THERE!” Fiy and Merie turned toward the voice, Fiy disappeared a fraction of a second after the shout. The voice had called out just as Fiy had pressed the logout button.

The voice had come from a male knight, followed by a group of other players. All running toward Merie in a way that gave her a bad feeling. “Is it me you are talking with,” Merie couldn’t hear anyone else nearby, but they could still be chasing someone else.

Merie had thought he would stop in front of her, but he didn’t stop until he pushed her backward at her ass. “Your friend is gone, but we won’t let you get away.” “You filthy PK!” The knight rapidly followed himself up with an accusation. “I think you’ve the wrong person.” Merie couldn’t say he was wrong, but it wasn’t anything he’d to know. And they would need to kill her to only get a fraction of a chance for her to confess.

“We’re members of the “Godly Palm”-guild, so we’re sure we’re right in our suspicion.” The knight’s words justified Merie’s bad feelings. She’d heard tons about that guild, and it wasn’t anything good. “You’ve the wrong person. I’m not a PK.” She was sure she wouldn’t have a chance to survive her encounter with them, but she would deny all accusations he possibly could throw at her. Which wouldn’t save her, but neither would an escape.

He unsheathed his sword and swung it, slashing her over her stomach. Sending the familiar tingling feeling through her body, but as she looked at her HP-bar, so could she see she’d only lost a slight piece of her health. “We’ve tailed you after your attack on an innocent group of newbies. So there’s no chance for you to escape us.” His voice was flat and unemotional.

“I’m still telling you that you’re wrong. So can’t you just please let me go?” Merie felt that she’d reacted too weak before replying, so she just gave up at giving a reaction to the attack. But deep inside so would she love to ask just WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH HIM! He said that he would hunt down PKs because they were attacking others, but still so was he doing the very same thing. “Isn’t she reacting a little too light, Hand?” One of those following the knight, a Mage, was speaking up and walked up to Merie and looking sceptical at her. But to be honest, just how did he want her to react? With panic, so they’d a reason to silence her?

Merie dropped a sigh and simply questioned if she was allowed to leave or if they would continue to waste her time. Sure she could do much better things with her time than to stay there as an idiot and listen to them. Just thinking about it, so could she instead spend the time searching for information about the NPC Fiy had been speaking about.

“You’re free to try escape if you’re guilty, Girl. But I wouldn’t advise it.” The way the knight put a different tone at “escape” wasn’t sounding good at all. Almost as if he would see her leaving as if she escaped because she was a PK, which in its own turn could mean she would be marked as one and be forced to create a new character if she wanted to continue playing. “Then… Can you please get your asses in gear and see that I am not a PK, so I can do something else than listen to your bickering.” She couldn’t understand how the developers could allow a single group to take control like this. Sure she could’ve the same if she wanted, but she couldn’t say in any way that it was making the game better for anyone else than a bunch of crybabies.

The knight swung again, this time cutting through her chest piece. “YOU SHOULDN’T BE TALKING DOWN AT US! WE’RE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL IF YOU AREN’T CAREFUL!” “As if you aren’t making my life a living hell at this very moment?” Merie knew they could do that, and it was honestly the only reason why she hadn’t left yet.

Merie could once again see herself in third person, shiny sparks flying from her face as the knight swung at her. Finally, letting her get away from them. But she knew, at the same time, that it wasn’t too good as she still might be accused of something.

“I apologies for contacting you out of the blue, dear friends. But I would like to rapport a group from the guild “Godly Palm” is abusing their position and is threatening me to turn my wonderful time in the game into a living hell. Most probably telling others to PK me at sight, all because I wasn’t showing them the “respect they deserved”, as they want to express it. I don’t think this is right in a game with high possibilities, and if it continues, so might it evolve and destroy the experience for thousands of players. So I beg you to do something about them.”

Merie didn’t waste a second before opening the menu and reporting their behaviour to the support center. Hoping they possibly could do something about it.