Midsummer Feast

Merie found herself in a deep cave, her surroundings only lit by two torches. One she was holding and one held by Lart, who kept her company this round. Who had come along since Merie had asked him as she saw him being the best fit.

“So what are you thinking about doing here, Girl? And what did you wish me to come along?” Lart sounded seriously curious about it, and it wasn’t as if Merie could judge him for it. “I read there were some interesting herbs and mushrooms here, and I wanted to check them out.” Thinking of it, she might’ve forgotten to tell him the reading they were heading there. “And Rock-Golems might be spawning here. So I might need help from a muscle brain, like you, to handle them.” Merie had read that Rock-Golems were immune to slashing and piercing attacks, which meant she wouldn’t stand a single chance against them. “So… You, a thin and long-haired little girl, are asking me to protect you, as if I would’ve been your boyfriend?” “Not even close.” Merie rapidly shot down Lart’s comment, not wanting him to even think about something that dumb. “That’s great to hear, as you’re slightly too young for me.”

Merie turned to face the idiot, a large guy with full plate armour and a battle hammer in one hand, who was taller than Merie, forcing her to look up at him. “Why would I even consider you as a potential partner?” She could honestly not find the slightest reason why herself. But if he’d an idea, he was free to share it with her. “Daddy issues?” And he justly had to make it all worse, without a single beat of hesitation. “No chance in the deepest hell.” “Shall we shut down this conversation so I can start my gathering?” She was sure the conversation wouldn’t get any better, so they could drop it before it became any worse.

Lart had helped Cleara and Marcus get the thing they needed for the guild, and had been considering joining for a while to try it out. But, for better or worse, had ended up not joining. Still for reasons, none knew, probably because they hadn’t asked. “Is there a reason why you considered joining the guild, and why you didn’t join in the end?” Still, Merie was curious about the reasons. She knew Lart to be a far better person than those two, so she couldn’t say it added up. “I was thinking about trying it out and seeing if it could be anything interesting.” Lart’s answer was acceptable as she wouldn’t mind trying new things out as long she thought it could be interesting. “But I didn’t join them in the end since I’ve a daughter and work to take care of, and can’t spend my spare time solely in the game.” Lart really was kind, and had made the right decision. “Or rather, I wasn’t allowed to join since I couldn’t promise to spend the mandatory hours in the game every day.” He couldn’t be serious, right? Mandatory hours to spend in a game, which was meant to help people relax? “No matter who would’ve said that, I wouldn’t have accepted it either.” She wouldn’t even have accepted it if Anlie had been the one suggesting it. No chances in fucking hell. She was spending her time in the game as a way of escaping her otherwise dull life, so there was no way she would accept any attempts to force her to play Rocking World.

Merie was glad that she’d asked Lart to join her as he made short work of the golems. Cracking them wide open with just a single slam by his hammer. “How many skills and abilities do you’ve to help you with your strength, Lart?” She was sure he’d a bunch of skills and abilities helping him. Otherwise so did he have to be at an extremely high level to build it up by his stats alone. “I only have some abilities to help me, including some which help me with the hunts, and some helping me in the everyday playing.” Lart had abilities that separately helped him with those two tasks?

Merie didn’t know how that worked, but it maybe was something she would need to check at a later time, as it could be good to learn as much as possible. Not for her own sake, but for everyone’s as she could maybe help someone having a difficult time in the game. And it was especially true if there would be anyone else joining the party.

“May I ask you what herbs you’re gathering? And why you even are gathering them to start with?” Lart’s question reminded Merie that she hadn’t spoken much about her decision to pick up Potion-craft, “I read at a forum that some herbs here can decrease the fire resistance, so I’ll try it out and maybe create some potions we can use in a hunt.” Merie wasn’t only thinking about PK this time as they still hold it low after the recent killings. “I didn’t know you’ve that ability, and I wish you luck in your tries. And can suggest you ask Opiom to help you trying potions out.” Was Lart also suggesting Merie use Opiom’s help? Before Anlie had said that Opiom was dumb enough to take a line, so hasn’t Merie known anything about it. And she suddenly got a feeling that she might be the only one in the party who didn’t know what Opiom was up to. “I’m asking her for help, and have found out a couple of things about some flora.” Opiom had been to greater help than she’d thought from the start, and she wasn’t complaining about getting used. “Now so will I need to start crafting status potions so I can get better at that too.” She also needed to get better at crafting the poisons she would fill the potions with, but it wasn’t so fun as she didn’t have any way to use it. Of course, she could try to poison the drinking water in the cities again, but she still felt hesitant to try it again after getting caught once. Worse was that it was the first time she tried it.

Merie had been enjoying the help she’d got from Lart and the small talk between them. It wasn’t as good as the time she spent with Anlie, but it still wasn’t bad. She’d learn a bunch of things about him, which she couldn’t have guessed.

Merie had though he was a young father, from a simple mistake, but it turned out he was a full-grown ass man. And it wouldn’t have been surprising if he suddenly declared he’d a classmate to her father. And his daughter was only a couple of years younger than her.

“I’ve to leave now and get a couple of things ready for my daughter, so I hope you can take care of yourself from now on. And I’m still looking into a future hunt, so I might contact you and the others as soon I find something.” Lart waved Merie bye as he spoke, before rapidly opening his menu and logging out, disappearing in an instant. Merie looked at her timer, noticing that she still had some time she could spend in the game before she had to leave.

They’d split in the middle of a forest, and since it should be populated by monsters she could injure, so could she spend the last time online hunting. Even though the monsters indeed were slightly stronger than those she usually was fighting, so was she sure she still could wear them down. Turning her heel and sprinting off, also confident she could have the opportunity to try levelling her ability. Soon finding a group of Goblins, “Wind if a Goddess.” Activating the ability and tightly holding her claws as she rushed them. Sadly not surprising them, and forced to dodge their spear as she swang her claws. She was surprised they aimed for her head and chest, going for the kill without a second thought. Meaning that they might’ve slightly higher AI than the other Goblins she’d thought. But it might be given as they were of a higher level and should put up more of a fight.

Ducking a wide swing, moving in and aiming for the throat. Telling herself that if they could go for the kill, so could she. Ripping it open and using her other hand to stab the Goblin in the chest, even though she knew it wasn’t the most effective way to use her claws. Listening, another Goblin came close with fast steps. Lifting one leg and using it as a penal and spinning till she faces it. Barely avoiding the spear and stepping in. Elbowing it to its face, slashing it over the exposed throat as it lends backwards.

Finishing off all the Goblins in the same manner, Merie heard a pling toward the end, unsure if she’d got a message or an ability had levelled. Which of, she hoped it was the latter, even better if it was the passive levelling.

Done with the killing, she checked what it was she’d heard. Finding a notification that she’d reached a certain threshold when it came to attacking both players’ and monsters’ critical points. And because of that, so had she gained a passive ability granting her the view of where the critical points were. As if she ever had tried to aim for what the system called critical points. She’d only tried to aim for good points she guessed were more effective than others, but it was about that, and it wasn’t as if she thought she needed an ability to show her where to find those points.

–

The sun was shining strong and bathed the area outside the forest in its rays, which were blocked out by the leaves in the top of the trees. Not that any of that bothered Merie, as she’d other things to care about.

She’d heard other players talking about strange behaviour by Goblins around the city. The area had been swarmed with Goblin-scouts, which only had been spying on them without doing anything. The same kind of behaviour Merie had noticed a while back, but hadn’t paid any more attention. Still, the players had said something about it being the result of a bug, and it’d caught her curiosity as she didn’t think the developers would be missing a big like that. And neither that they would let it be if they were told about it. Meaning that there might be some reason behind their existence. And Merie would try to see what she could find out.

Merie had got lucky and successfully sneaked up at a Goblin-scouts, without being noticed, and was now spending her time watching it. A boring task, but she might be necessary if she wanted to find out what was going on.

She felt quite some tickling in her fingers a couple of times as she watched the monster, but it was because she saw newbies passing by. And it was people she could tell were newbies and not other players posing as newbies, but she could tell they were real newbies. Silently cursing that she’d decided to watch the monster and letting her curiosity getting the better of her. The Goblin was also watching the newbies closely and mighty be fighting the same emotions as Merie, which she found slightly calming. Still, she was also cursing that the Goblin didn’t do anything other than scouting as she didn’t have all the time in the world to only watch it.

The Goblin was finally moving as Merie was checking her timer, annoyed that she only had half an hour remaining to play the game before leaving. Yet so did she decide to be glad over the small things, which was that it maybe would expose what it was up to. Following it deeper into the forest, taking careful steps to make sure she didn’t make a single noise. She didn’t know if the Goblin was meant to be better at noticing players, but she couldn’t deny she got a feeling of doing a fantastic job by sneaking up at it. And soon enough so did they arrive at a large tree, where the monster walked straight into it. Passing through it as if it was nothing. While Merie waited for a couple of seconds before she also passed through, suddenly surrounded as she found herself in a tunnel.

She could no longer see the Goblin and headed further down with just as careful steps as earlier. Glad that the developers at least made it possible to see in the intense darkness. Even though it wasn’t as good as usual. And it didn’t take long before she could see a distant light ahead, companied by some strange grounts.