Ashes of the Fallen

So, I would lose roughly eight-percent of my total health when using the weapon, in order to almost effectively guarantee an [Execute] on a disoriented, weakened foe that couldn't defend itself. Eh, I didn't know if that was worth it.

I didn't get to use [Execute] very often.

Well, that didn't really matter.

It was rare, and of good quality… that meant a few things.

The durability was excellent compared to the trash I had been using prior, no longer would I have to worry about this weapon shattering mid-combat or the blade warping and bending from a hard hit. The blade's sharpness was almost assured as well, meaning I could stab and cut a few people without any worry of it becoming dull.

Convenience and peace of mind, was what it was.

That's what this weapon offered me.

Comfort in knowing that the weapon was reliable.

Yeah, I was keeping this guy.

It was already versatile, and fit my playstyle… now, all that was needed was some better armor to go with it, and I would be one of the most decked out players in the game, for a short while. Things were looking up, and I hadn't even turned in the fifth quest chain.

Wow, I almost forgot about the quest chains.

But, that would have to wait for another day, as my head was still aching considerably. I needed to rest… to close my eyes for a bit, relax, and sleep. The quests could wait until tomorrow, they were already registered as complete, anyways.

We were the first to conquer this dungeon, and the timestamp proved it.

That was special, yeah.

I was kind of happy.

Chapter 52: Settling Affairs

(Monday, June 28th Game Day / Monday, March 1st Real Day)

Standing in front of the quest giver that was a little off to the side of the town's center, dozens of players were gathered around me, mostly minding their own business as they attempted to turn in and receive new quests. We all had the same objective really, and most of us were waiting our turns as those ahead of us filed out one by one.

Behind the little wooden table and underneath a makeshift sunshade, there were two elves, NPCs of course, that managed the quest chains for the players. There were three people in front of me, but the line moved relatively quickly.

Without much to do, the majority of the players socialized with those that were nearby, mainly anyone fool enough to listen or friendly enough to pretend to care. Chatter filled my ears as guys and girls alike talked up their experiences and bragged about their exploits inside the dungeon, all eager to prove themselves amongst the anonymity of the crowd. It seemed laughable to me, but maybe I was just being cocky.

They were all strangers, looking to make new friends.

I didn't know of any of them, nor did I care to.

None of them knew of me, either… so, maybe, I was being a bit pompous.

As my turn finally arrived, I handed the piece of parchment that was magically inscribed over to the female elf. Somehow, the paper automatically updated as you completed your quests. I suppose it was necessary to have something to put in your hand, to add to the realism, rather than an invisible quest log system that existed solely in one's menus.

"Thank you," said the quest NPC after taking the parchment from me.

In an instant she started to immediately read through the piece of paper with the type of seriousness expected of a practiced professional. It only took her a couple of seconds before she looked up at me, then back down at the paper, clearly confused as to what she was supposed to do.

It was an interesting touch.

"Um, one second please," she uttered out, with a puzzled expression on her face.

The two elves chatted amongst themselves with hushed whispers just out of earshot as they eyed the paper a few times, and eyed me once or twice. The quest NPCs changed depending on the hour of the day, so I figured these two had yet to see the fifth completion stamp. Barik and the others most likely turned it in the night before, with a different set of NPCs working the booth.

"I'm sorry for the wait," she finally said after some discussion with her fellow worker. "Please accept our sincerest gratitude for your completion of the Call to Arms, and we hope that you find the reward more than sufficient. Thank you, adventurer, for your services to the region."

As the last word left her lips, she bowed in conjunction with the other quest giver as multiple system prompts flooded my visual field. Accepting them without bothering to read through them, I was hit with multiple beams of golden light that appeared to descend from the heavens as the warmth of the radiance soothed my soul.

Relief washing over me, I couldn't help but enjoy the feeling.

"What's going on? Did someone just spawn?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Huh? A new event?" said another.

"Is he getting healed?" questioned a young male.

No, it was none of the above.

Looking at the new system messages that popped up: