Midsummer Feast

The timing couldn’t be more unfitting, and in the worst possible way. The news had caught up on a message to the players from one of the developers, in response to what some players just had found out. There were a few minutes of invisibility after being revived, giving PKs a chance to escape without being lynched.

“I confess to adding that feature, yes. But only as a chance to let those players get a chance to continue playing the game, just like the rest of you. And it has nothing to do with any kind of positive discrimination or encouragement of their behaviour, as some wishes to express it, but only the chance of giving them the freedom of playing the game just as much as everyone else. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

Merie would love to honour the man for standing up for the PKs, but as said, so couldn’t the situation have been worse. The message had been shared the very same day that someone found another of RW-killer’s victims was found, suspected to have been killed earlier during the night. And because of that so was Rocking World once again found itself in the same spotlight as the murderer. Which only flamed up the public’s negative opinion of Rocking World even more.

“So… Does this mean it won’t be a hunt for a while again?” Adu should be able to figure that out herself. “It won’t be any hunts until things calm down. Both when it comes to the slayings and the players.” Anlie never planned any hunts, but she did make some decisions in “Mien Skitie”, and this was probably for the best. “You must have noticed that those idiots are looking harder for us now, Adu.” Merie had at least noticed it, as she had seen a couple of groups harshly questioning and killing s bunch of players. Honestly, acting no better than they did, but in their case so did they kill them because they wished to show that they were serious. “Sometimes I’m curious what goes through their head as they kill expected killers. Killing for the sake of preventing killing… It’s almost funny.” Opiom wasn’t the only one curious about it. Merie was also curious about what they thought.

Merie dropped a heavy sigh and closed the menu, starting to walk through the city while keeping an eye on her surrounding. Trying her best to avoid any possible threats coming her way, just like everyone was doing. Because of what had happened, so had those hunting PKs, as said, increased their effort. And everyone was a target, no matter who they were. Honestly so was even the NPCs feeling the heat as groups bothered them at every chance to see if they had heard something. And because of that so were even they on their edge.

If it had been in the real world, so would Merie have considered killing herself to escape the paranoia. But thanks to it being only inside a game, so could she log out when the slight thrill of paranoia vanished and fear took over. Still, she was sure it wasn’t the same for everyone, and she was sure there might be some players giving up on the game if this went on. Her thoughts about it were interrupted by the signal that she got a message, upon which she opened her menu and checked. Surprised to see that it was from Adu, “I heard from Opiom that you can create poisons, in at least powder form. But can you make poison in liquid form, and would you like to make some for my spears and arrows? Of course, so will I pay you one way or another.”

A part of Merie couldn’t say she even was surprised by Adu’s request. She’d been creating a character as a savage, primitive hunter, and she seemed to still hold on to it. “I can create poison, but it isn’t many kinds yet as I’m still researching the recipes. But if you’re willing to help me find out the effects, so can I help you. But it’ll be on good and bad terms. And as long you help me, so won’t I ask for any payment, but I wouldn’t mind some help while being out and gathering material for it.” As long as she could find out the effects of her mixes, so was it honestly enough. But if Adu was willing to help her gather material, so was Merie more than willing to accept that. “I don’t mind that, and just tell me when you’re thinking about getting some more stuff, so will I try to be there, as I need to pay you somehow for the opportunities you’re giving me.” Adu really didn’t mind that Merie more or less would be using her, but if Adu didn’t mind it so wouldn’t Merie mind it either.

Thinking about it, she could take the chance of gathering some more material for both her bombs and poison at the very moment. Writing and suggesting they went out to gather material right away, Merie still had some mixes she wanted to find out the effects of.

The two girls meet up in a village in an area where a lovely forest overlaps with a warm and rocky landscape. Merie had picked the site as some on the forum said that it was a good area to gather fire-based materials, which was the main ingredient in the bombs. “And you look just like you did the last time I saw you, Merie.” “Right back at you, Adu.” Merie was still wearing her light leather armour, and Adu was still dressed as a savage. “When we’re in the forest, so will I just turn some powders into a liquid, then you’ll get a couple of samples you can try out?” Merie was sure it was what Adu was waiting for the most. “I’m grateful for your offer Merie, and would’ve offered you a place as an honourable savage, if I would’ve got a tribe of my own.” Adu had still not given up that idea, and what did she mean with an honourable savage? Even if it might be meaning something good , so didn’t it sound the slightest good. “Thanks. But shall we head off?” No, it didn’t matter for the moment. And if it would matter later on, so would she handle it as it came.

Adu looked at Merie with large eyes as she was preparing the poison, “You make it look very simple, Merie. It looks like something even a savage beast, like me, could do.” “If you just find someone who can teach you Potion-craft, so can you also make things like this. And it really isn’t difficult, with the exception of finding out the effects.” Merie got a feeling that many believed Potion-craft was a more difficult ability than it really was. “And if you’re lucky, so can you find an Ability-potion or a book teaching you the ability, or so can you do as I did and find Pois and learn the ability from her.” Honestly so would Merie probably suggest that Adu found Pois and learned it from here. But it maybe just was because Merie found it easier to learn by listening and talking than simply reading. “That almost sounds like a nice idea, and if I would happen to find that NPC, so will I send you a message so you can take a talk with her too. As I think you might find it interesting to meet your teacher again after the update.” Adu wasn’t wrong. Merie would like to meet Pois again after the update, to see if she could learn something new.

“WHAT ARE THE TWO OF YOU DOING?!” Their conversation hastily halted as someone yelled at them, probably them. Looking toward the source of the noise, finding a group led by a purely white-dressed Spellcaster, heading straight toward them. “I’m preparing some poison for my friend, and she’ll protect me while I gather some material.” Merie didn’t like the way those people looked at them, answering the question in a calm manner. “Are you sure you’ll be screaming and scaring away all possible prey?” Adu had a wholely different way in answering, maybe just acting, as she first expressed it as if she was thinking about hunting. “And may I ask you what poison you’re preparing, and what kind of material you’ll gather? Are you thinking anything about hunting other players as some dirty savages?” The Spellcaster had to be yet another one of those idiots hunting PKs. “I’ll gather material to create new poisons, so I can use it while hunting later on. And we ain’t thinking anything about hunting other players.” Merie was honestly not lying, even though much of the poison might be used in hunting players later on, but it wasn’t the case for the moment. “I may be rude to ask this, but did you just call me a dirty savage because I’m black? I honestly would feel a kind of pride in being a savage, but you did just call me dirty.” Adu hadn’t seemed like the person to be triggered by a simple word, but it seemed to not be the case. And she really didn’t seem like the person to pull the black card, which only made it sound much worse than it really was meant. Which it seemed as if even the Spellcaster understood, taking half a step back, “I didn’t mean it as anything like that. I meant that I find PKs being the scum of the game.” “I see, and then I’ll say we aren’t PKs. And if you don’t mind, so would I like you to leave us alone and let us continue our gathering before we’ve to log out for the day.” Adu waved the Spellcaster off with some slight hand movements and turned her attention back to Merie, who followed suit and continued to prepare the poison. Glad that the Spellcaster had been thrown off by Adu’s accusations and left them without bothering them any more.

Merie had finished all the poison to Adu, and they’d set out to gather the material Merie wanted. She was surprised to see Adu smoothly shifting between using spears and arrows, seemingly good with both kinds of weapons. “Have you been training much since I last saw you?” She was sure it also could’ve something to do with abilities, but she was curious if Adu got the abilities from pure training or if she’d found another way of getting them. “I’m a savage beast, so of course I’ve been training hard with my weapons. Still, I did have to cheat a little when it came to the bow and arrows.” Adu wasn’t ashamed to confess that she’d been cheating, which probably wasn’t as much as cheating as it was to pick the ability another way. Adu walked up to Merie, looking in the same bush as her and picked out a herb Merie hadn’t seen. “If you talk with NPCs gathering things in forests, so might they teach you an ability to find more things in the forest.” Adu shared some excellent information, “If you can accept that we search for things while moving, so would I like if we can set out and see if we can find any NPCs like that.” Merie wanted that ability as it could help her quite a lot.

As soon Merie was sure she’d gathered all material she could from just that specific area, so did they head deeper into the forest, of course toward a village, hoping that they would meet some NPCs who could help them. The wolves in the area didn’t pose much of a threat toward Adu, and especially not when Merie joined forces. “How do you feel about the hunt being cancelled again, Merie?” Adu was honestly sounding rather annoyed when asking, giving her a feeling that she was slightly irritated about it. “It sucks, but it’s nothing we can do about it as it’ll cost more than it tastes. And in the worst case, so would a hunt set the majority of players against us.” She wasn’t interested in restarting her character if things would go for the worse, and she was sure the same went for Adu. And she felt that she’d been slightly lucky lately as nothing too horrible had come up in the real world and giving her the feeling that she’d to let out some steam. “If I would suggest that we, in the party, would start grabbing and holding territory, would you support me? As it would mean that we would be able to let the devils loose once in a while.” Adu’s idea wasn’t bad. And Merie could consider the idea, but in the end, so did she know that she probably would decide upon whatever Anlie agreed on.