First, I woke up to the smell of crackling bacon and freshly cooked eggs. Hidden below the decadent scent was an underlying touch of ash and charred meat. My mouth started to water, and my stomach groaned. Second, I felt stiff muscles, an aching back, and a sharp pain in my thigh. I rolled from my side and to my back. It was a slow turn that caused me to grit my teeth against the strain. I was sore all over and I could feel a headache tapping against the back of my skull. I let my body relax and felt the stiff pain spread to my hands and feet.


    Something soft brushed against my face. I waved my hand to scare away whatever fly or mosquito was bugging me. It came back, touching my cheek, and made my face twitch in surprise. I swatted again, this time with more frustration. Yet, it still came back. I opened my eyes and sat up. I swatted in the air, my arms flailing around me. My hand came in contact with something soft above my head. I flinched in pain. It wasn’t a pain in my hand causing me to flinch but… It was a pain in my ear.


    All the memories of the day before hit me like a tidal wave. The rabbit archer, the bat-like summoner of the dead, and the fire-breathing salamanders the size of a large dog. I opened my eyes to a wide clearing under a sapphire sky stretching far beyond the wall of sage-colored willows and reeds.


    The Springstep archer, Finn, was sitting on a log before a simple fire. He had a wooden cup in his hand and was sipping it slowly. On the other side, lying on the ground with his back against a large stone was Grebbledel. The bogdweller still had on his strange hat and thick robes. He was watching the fire with a slim smile stretching to each side of his head. The sharp morning light reflected like diamonds in his marble-black eyes.


    Revelas was lying on the ground behind Grebbledel and was curled like a sleeping dog. She no longer had a rope tied around her neck and there was a small pile of red apples nearby. Half of them had been eaten.


    A shock of pain crawled up my leg. I instinctively placed my hand on my thigh to stifle the agony flaring like a burning heart. Hot and beating. I pressed down and gasped as I saw my mouse-like hand. I had forgotten I was no longer a normal human, but something called a Brighteyes. A mouse that walked on two legs, stood almost five feet tall, and summoned plants from the earth to stop the living dead.


    The memory of fighting the dead Nightflyers came fresh to my mind. Searching the surrounding area I didn’t see their bodies. I did see the bones from the skeletons I fought still lying in the matted grass, however the Nightflyers were gone.


    “Good morning my new friend,” Grebbledel said, he wobbled over to stand before me. In his hands were a wooden plate and cup. On the plate were two cooked eggs and several strips of steaming bacon. “I trust your sleep served you well. As well as you served me. I cannot thank you enough for saving my Revelas. She is also grateful, in her own way, to have been rescued from those foul bandits.”


    “Yeah of course. You’re welcome,” I said, my furrowed brows scrunched tight in confusion. “What time is it?”


    “Almost time for us to keep traveling,” Finn shouted with a full mouth. “Take your rewards from the old Bogdweller and let’s get going. If we’re quick, we can make it to Aurleaf before nightfall. They have healers there who can take care of your leg.”


    “If you’re traveling to Aurleaf please allow Revelas and I to pay forward your kindness by letting you ride our cart. It would certainly be much quicker than hobbling along on your hurt leg,” Grebbledel said with a wide smile that reminded me of my grandfather in a way. It was a kind and patient smile.


    “What did you say?” Finn asked. He had put down his cup and skipped over to us.


    “I was offering Revelas and me as couriers to our new friends,” Grebbledel said.


    “But you never leave the Mireglades,” Finn said, more as a question than a statement.


    “Never left the glades? Absurd. There is so much world to explore. I can’t very well gather wonderful stories from the comfort of my home. I could invite other tellers to visit and gather their tales, but the best stories are the ones we experience ourselves. I’m sure you have a good many stories of your own, Finn Ashburrow.” At the mention of his name, Finn folded his arms and gave the Bogdweller a suspicious look.


    “Is there something wrong?” Grebbledel asked. He still had his wide grin and was now stroking his beard between his plump frog-like fingers.


    “Not sure. Miles can I talk to you for a second,” Finn walked away from Grebbledel and stood in the shadow of a nearby willow. I shrugged my shoulders and told Grebbledel to give us a minute. I pushed myself up to balance on my uninjured leg. Using my staff as a crutch I walked over to meet Finn.


    “What’s up?” I asked.


    “Something doesn’t feel right,” Finn said keeping his voice low.


    “What do you mean?”


    “I’ve never done this quest before so I can’t be sure, but from what I’ve been told the Bogdweller wizard stays in the Mireglades. Also, NPCs don’t say your name unless you are the main quest receiver.”


    “When we met him, he said he was going to Aurleaf,” I said.


    “That’s NPC talk. Background dialogue to make them feel more… more real. NPCs aren’t real people. They stay within their designated areas. Grebbledel shouldn’t be responding to your injury in this way. Especially not offering us a ride.” Finn looked back at Grebbledel. The Bogdweller had moved over to his horse and was gently waking her with a fresh apple.


    “What are you saying? This is all a game, right? Maybe he’s glitched or broken? I don’t know. I’m not really a gamer, I wouldn’t know. I’m just guessing.” I said.


    “I’ve been living in Phyrelia for three years and I’ve never heard of any glitches or broken NPCs. Though… if it was some kind of system issue then why were those Nightflyers here last night? Those types of NPCs don’t travel this far into starter locations. They’re found north beyond the Crowsong Isles. It’s even rare to see Nightflyer players running around beyond the Twilight Hollows.” As Finn was contemplating the Bogdweller’s strange behavior his leg was thumping the ground fast.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “What do you suggest then? I’d really appreciate a ride. I don’t think I’m gonna get far on an injured leg,” I said as I shuffled my weight.


    “You’re right. It would be best to get a ride. We’ll get your leg healed quicker as well. Plus, we’d make it to the festival earlier than planned,” Finn’s foot thumped faster as his whiskers twitched. His ears pointed high and then he called over to the wizard. “Hey Grebbledel. We’ll come with you. Don’t forget to give this guy his quest rewards.”


    “Of course. He’s earned his reward twice over,” Grebbledel finished tightening Revelas’ reins then wobbled over to me. “Miles Forester thank you for saving my dear friend and companion. As a reward for completing this quest, I offer you these.”


    [Quest Completed: Grebbledel’s Misfortune]


    [Feat Complete: First Quest]


    [Reward Received: Title - Novice Adventurer]


    As Grebbledel held out his hands a rolled scroll sitting on top of a black-leather journal popped into existence. I reached forward to accept them, and as I did the scroll and journal vanished.


    [Rewards Received: Map of Phyrelia, Adventurer’s Journal, Common Loot Chest]


    After taking the items from Grebbledel I took my pack off my shoulder and opened my Inventory. The only new item I had was the Uncommon Loot Chest. The Map and Journal were gone.


    “Where did the map and journal go?” I asked Finn.


    “Open your system interface. They’ll be integrated there.”


    I did as he said and saw that my system had been updated with new options.


    [Character] [Spells & Abilities] [Skills] [Journal] [Map]


    I couldn’t help but open up the map first. I was keen on seeing what this world looked like and how its geography differed from Earth. As I pressed my consciousness on the map section a bright image burst to life in front of my eyes. The entirety of my vision was engulfed with a vibrant painting of a massive fantasy world. It was dotted with numerous towns and cities. There were wide deserts, vast oceans, and large forests.


    I caught a few familiar names on the map from the character creation process back in the void. Places like the Greentides far to the west, the Sunflare Sands to the south, and directly north of the region of Briarfield I saw the grey isles of the Crowsong.


    I could see at the center of the map a distinct red dot flashing. I put my mind on the dot and the entire image zoomed in to show the region of Briarfield. There were so many more details and locations it suddenly made the world feel enormous. To the northeast, I could see the town of Aurleaf. From what I could tell we were close but still several hours away. Directly south was a town called the Shadeway. Far to the north and at the tip of the Briarfield region was a place called the Waterdeep Cave.


    Looking over the map gave me a deep desire to explore everything. The entire region was covered in dense forests and wide marshes. There were lots of rivers, harbors, and tall mountains. I’ve always had a fascination with biomes and their environments. I was a bit disappointed when I found out my agriculture study didn’t involve more geographical studies of climates, weather patterns, and natural resources. It mainly focused on farmland cultivation and the impact of the human touch on the environment.


    I shut down the map and opened up the journal tab. There wasn’t a lot of information displayed in this section except for current and completed quests, and an area called archives. Focusing on the archives opened to show a wide variety of different tabs for what I assumed was collected knowledge. A tab for weapons and armor along with accessories, and another for resources for things like crafting, alchemy, medicine, etc. Digging deeper into these displayed hundreds of empty tiles with question marks waiting for things to be discovered.


    As I inspected the system update I received a few notifications.


    [Feat Complete: System Integration - Map]


    [Reward Received: Simple Compass]


    [Feat Complete: System Integration - Journal]


    [Reward Received: Avatar Parchment & Quill]


    I started getting a headache from all the information rushing across my vision. I had to close my eyes for a second before I continued to inspect the rest of my rewards. After I finished looking into the Journal section I pulled out my bag again and read the descriptions of the Simple Compass and the Parchment & Quill.


    Simple Compass: An adventurer’s basic navigational tool. Points towards the north. Upon upgrading the compass can be used to point to specific targets such as quest givers, mobs, or designated locations.


    Parchment & Quill: An enchanted piece of paper is used to gather one’s thoughts, write down important information to save for later, or simply catalog the events of the day. The parchment resets daily with all notes being stored inside the journal. The quill is also enchanted so it does not require ink to be used.


    The parchment and quill seemed incredibly useful. Especially to someone like me. Despite my strong focus in class, half the things the teachers said would go right over my head and I’d immediately forget. So I took notes. Lots of notes. As well, the compass was a godsend. I couldn’t count how many times I got lost walking around the university or even driving through Middleton.


    After inspecting my new tools I summoned the Common Loot Chest. The plain chest appeared on the ground before me and I commanded it to open.


    [Item Received: Minor Experience Potion]


    I summoned the potion into my hand. It was a clear glass vial filled with swirling copper liquid. I wasn’t sure what an experience potion did or how to use it. If it gave experience similar to completing quests or defeating enemies then I wanted to make sure I used it correctly. So I decided to ask Finn about it.


    “The most common reward you will find in Phyrelia are experience potions. When you drink it, it will apply a certain amount of experience to whichever skill you choose. Quite helpful for leveling up certain abilities you don’t have time to train, or you find tedious to use. I’ve used them mainly to level up the skills I feel with help my class specifically.” Finn watched as Grebbledel turned and walked over to the fire. He started kicking dirt to help it die down. “Let’s get you to Aurleaf and I can explain more. There are supposed to be events during the festival to help level up some skills. A great place for someone like you to catch up with everyone else. Let’s go.”


    Grebbledel was gracious enough to let me ride Revelas out of the Mireglades and back to his cart on the road. Finn helped me into the back of the Bogdweller’s cart then worked with Grebbledel to hitch the horse. After another half an hour of helping Grebbledel pack up some supplies and making sure the cart was in good standing, we continued our journey to Aurleaf.


    It was relaxing to sit back in the shade of the carts covering while listening to the gentle breeze in the leaves above as the wide sky of the marshes changed to the low-hanging branches of the forests. Songbirds were singing, dragonflies buzzed across the dirt path, and among all these peaceful sounds there was Grebbledel singing.


    A maiden, swift and fair as rain


    A dress that curls and dances


    Along a path of either love or pain


    She sings her song and prances


    His voice sounded like the deep rushing of a river over cold stones. It rolled and tumbled through the air. It patted my eyes into a soft lull and turned my mind into an empty stage. Before I knew it a play had begun.


    Dancing alone on the stage was a single female Riverpaw. She stood on her back legs and held her arms high. She wore a flowing dress of a deep emerald hue that floated in the air around her. Her body was slender and moved like a serpent. She held ribbons in each hand and in between her teeth. I watched for a long time as Grebbledel’s song fell in line with her dancing. Before I knew it, I had drifted into a gentle sleep.