《Immersion》 Chapter 1: Angvarde Welcome to Angvarde! The booming voice announcing the initial greeting to the world echoed in Tyr''s mind. The virtual reality world he had joined was just beginning. This was the first fully immersive game world of its kind, and he was overjoyed with excitement. A world where you could finally be an RPG player. The ultimate video game. *** As the players enter the world the most noticeable feature is how realit is. The sun in the sky warmed the skin, the breeze chilled the neck, and the smells of a nearby bakery made feelings of hunger pang in their bellies. The players enter the realm finding themselves in a very large courtyard in the shape of an oval. Stonework reminiscent of the black ages of human history. Buildings made of brick, stone, and wood huddled closely together to nearly the point of stacking them on top of one another. The garb of players and NPCs alike were clearly those of peasant class from serfdom kingdoms long forgotten. A far cry from the modern age which they entered this realm from. Tyr had been lowered into the immersion tanks with more than a little apprehension. This technology was still new, and while though exciting, it was also still scary. Hewas built of average height, average weight, and was just small enough to fit into the cheaper immersion units. The added benefit for the smaller unit was a more comprehensive time-data flow. Ithas been found that the human mind could be overclocked from reality, imposing images and sensations to extend time beyond the parameters of real time. He smirked while remembering the hours of training videos that he had to watch. Immersion gel began filling his tank and he felt an electric vibration come from the warm liquid. The gel reached his ears and he could faintly hear an echo of the training videos.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. In immersion, a human mind experiences far more time in the same span of real time. In the first few years it was just a few extra hours, four to six. Given that researchers also immersed and researched for years more, the technology had advanced to where a mere hour in real world time would be the equivalent of a year in immersion. Humanity had essentially evolved into immortality. The worlds of immersion could add layers of fantasy, bring back animals long extinct, and creatures of myth. Angvarde was the first such world based purely in the world of fantasy; a world of magic, blade, and myth. The cost was quite steep but this was the first to fully clock the human mind. An hour in Angvarde would be equivalent to a full century of real world time. Every player now joining would be immersed for the maximum two weeks before needing to be awakened from their immersion tanks. A full 33,680 years in game. Nearly 40,000 players joined the game at its inception, with nearly ten times that many NPCs spawned. The NPCs spawned in a thousand years beforehand in game. NPCs would live full lives, averaging 60-70 years, though some could live longer. The AI algorithm used for them would fuel no difference from that of a true human. In truth, the NPCs were very much alive in their own right, if only within the game. The players, while though ageless, could be killed. In doing so would reset them to this initial spawn point, with nothing, and at level 1. *** As Tyr opened his eyes, it was into this realm thathe found himself. Chapter 2: A Party Forged from Blood
Tyr had signed up to join the game world the moment that registration opened. The city for initial spawn was crawling with people. Excitement filled the air as people discussed strategy, support roles, secondary skills, and many other aspects of the game in which they were about to partake in.
Tyr gruffly walked past the crowds and out of the city. All players started with basic stats and could gain either a basic weapon or spell based on their chosen preference. Tyr raised his right hand and accessed his personal menu.
Player Name: Tyr
CLASS: Spell Caster
Level: 1 - Exp: 0.00
HP: 100 / 100
MP: 10 / 10
POW: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 0
DEF: 10
AGI: 10
Tyr noticed other players speaking about how they have STA instead of MP but those players seemed to have been strictly warrior or ranger classes. Swiping his hand once more he dismissed the menu and continued walking across the massive city towards the gates leading to the hunting grounds. The spell he''d been granted was a lucky early start, flames.He recited the stats of the spell as he proceeded on his walk out of the city.
Spell: Flames
Cast Time: 0 sec. Spell Cooldown: 10 sec.
Mana Cost: 1 MP per second DAMAGE: 1-5 per second
Remembering the stats reminded him that he could only cast the spell maybe twice per hour with his current MP. The guidebook all players had been given when they entered the world made it clear. It takes one hour to fully regain an MP bar. Because of this many players opted for the warrior classes but Tyr knew that he wanted to feel power within his hands. Being a spellcaster was a big disadvantage early on in terms of game play. This game strongly encouraged team play and because of this many warrior type players had taken to bullying spellcasters who needed to partner with them for support. Some of the bargains being made to form parties were tilted heavily towards the warrior and ranger classes. Taunts as he walked past a large group of warriors by the gate didn''t delay his stride as he stepped out of the city.
Reaching the fields beyond the gate, Tyr was overwhelmed by the massive amount of hunting parties everywhere. He wandered through the field as the hunting parties kept the spawning points locked down. Two hours had passed before he finally got beyond the parties, and he saw his first opportunity to battle. Close to the city there were packs of boars spawning. This will have to do.He waited until one moved off on its own, and then he unleashed flames on it. The flames encased the boar, and as it turned to charge him it fell. A small dialogue screen popped up in front of him showing he''d earned 2 copper pieces and 1 experience point. He dismissed the screen, and then waited patiently for his mana to recover. Rinse and repeat, he killed several in this fashion. The boars seemed easy enough to kill, and he continued to do so until they stopped spawning entirely.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
All at once the sky darkened, and the sun which hung in the sky very quickly dipped below the horizon. Not like in the real world.While thinking this he startednoticing several spots glowing around the field. The ground glowed as creatures spawned, and out of the ground skeletal hands slammed down forcefully. Arms, shoulders, and skeletal bodies clambered out of the ground following the hands. It looked as thoughthey were climbing out of deep holes. Skeletal heads looked up at the sky with a red light glowing from their eye sockets. At this point they were still spawning several hundred yards away from him.He started to wonderif he should head back now, just as one of them spawnedonly 10 yards away. As it scrambled out of the ground, it immediately started rushing him. Instinctively he jumped back, swinging his hands up defensively.
"FLAMES!" Tyr roared, and to his surprise he felt a tingle in his arms. It felt like a static electricity discharge. Flames rushed forward, and he could feel heat leap from his fingertips.The spell engulfed the skeleton, and he was very surprised to hear the creature screech as though in pain. A skeletal armshot out through the flames. Leapingbackwards he avoided the thrust, while at the same time willing more energy forward. As hewilled the energy forward he felt a surge of power, and the flames in front of him intensified. The sounds of bones rattling as they hit the ground quickly followed. The spell ended as he closed his hands, as did the tingle of energy he felt in his arms. The skull rolled forward to his feet, and the red light within the eyes went black.
Tyr was feeling truly exhilarated. He could literally feel the power he had in his hands in a way he never imagined before. Raising his right hand he opened his menu checking his status.
Player Name: Tyr CLASS: Spell Caster Level: 1 Exp: 50 / 100 HP: 100 / 100 MP: 4 / 10 POW: 10 INT: 10 WIS: 0 DEF: 10 AGI: 10
A grin crossed Tyr''s face as hereviewedhis stats. He had used sixpoints of mana destroying the skeleton. Itwouldtakehim seven minutes before he would regenerate one point of mana.Nonetheless it was still an exciting feeling for him. He was happily staring at his stats, when suddenly pain shot through his shoulder. In surprise he leapt backwards, but he still couldn''t see anything as he panned his head left and right. His status menu was still open, and before he could swipe it closed he felt another surge of pain emanate from his back.
"Watch out!" A loud voice rang out, and a crashing sound of bones followed. Tyr''s eyes fixated on a warrior class player wielding a rusted sword. The warrior yelledwhile lunging forward, striking down the skeleton that had been stabbing him in the back. With a jerk he turned to face Tyr,
"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed out here?!" His face was flushedand anger flashed in his eyes. Tyr shook his head.
"No. I''m sorry, but thank you for saving me." Tyr was shaken from the encounter, and feeling overwhelmed by thesudden urgency of the situation.
"Look. I know you''re level one, but getting yourself killed comes with major debuffs. Not to mention you''ll lose all of your experience you''ve already gained." He shook his head angrily. Tyr tilted his head up,and saw Brutus (Lv. 3 Warrior) hovering in the air above him.
"I''m sorry Brutus. Honestly." Tyr felt a sense of resentment build in his chest. It felt like he was in school again being reprimanded for not understanding a question a teacher had asked him. "I only just now got to fight something substantial, and I was checking out my menu to see where I stood with my stats."
"You need to be more aware of what''s happening around you." Brutus said, as a pop up appeared in front of Tyr.
Join Party? Yes / No. Chapter 3: Insomniacs
"Huh?" Tyr was surprised at the pop-up prompting him to form a party. "Oh, I was planning to play solo."
"Don''t be an idiot. There''s no sense in us being out here alone all night and not forming a party." Brutus said as he started chuckling, "You''re out here all alone fighting level 5 Skeletons. They mayhave low health,but they''re fast and hit hard. You need me." He''s right, even if I don''t want to admit it.Tyr forced a smile at the warrior and pressedYes.Brutus'' HP bar, name, class, and level appeared within the peripherals of his HUD.
"So. You''re a spellcaster class eh?" Tyr nodded yes in response. "Well that''s good, I needed to find an insomniac like me." Brutus laughed deeply, making several skeletons nearby jerk their heads in response. Within moments they rushed towards the pair. Brutus grinned at the charging skeletons, and gripping his sword rushed forward to meet them. Tyr raised his hands and felt flames leap forward once more from his fingertips. At first they found that it was challenging when several skeletons rushed them at once. Brutus would storm their attack, drawing their attention. Tyr would follow up with flames beside him resulting in the kill. Tyr would typically gain slightly more experience than Brutus would, as he was dealing the killing blows in most cases. A fewinstancesBrutus would beat him to the punch and deal the killing blow before Tyr could even cast his spell. At one point a skeleton rushed from behind them and Tyr spotted it only as it swung a rusty sword towards his throat. Without thinking he instinctively blocked with his hands,crying out as sharp pain tore through him. Brutus turned in response then cried out himself asthe skeleton he was fighting took advantage of this distraction. A rusty blade was thrust deeply into his side, and he drew a deep breath as he pulled himself free from it. Tyr turned back to the skeleton assaulting him and felt energy build within his arms. "Flames!" A feeling of urgency came overTyr as the skeleton swung the rusty sword at him again, in spite of the flames it was being bathed in. He felt a surge of energy from within him and his flames intensified. The skeleton crumbled as it ran out of health. Turning back he saw that Brutus was dispatching theskeleton he was fighting. With a sigh they both slumped down next to one another. The blood was surprising, though not unexpected. It''s like the real world, more so than any virtual world I''ve ever experienced. "Heh. They got the better of us there." Brutus cleared his throat before continuing his thought, "Let''s crush a few more to make up for it." Tyr smirked over at him while nodding in agreement.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I bet I''ll kill more than you." ***
Only a couple short hours passed as the pair leveled in the hunting fields. To Tyr''s delight his mana refilled every time he leveled up, as did his HP. The same was true for Brutus'' stamina and HP. Thanks to this the pair stayed out in the fields overnight. Tyr found that the more he used his flames, the more proficient they became. Flames had its own level, it clearly said Spell Mastery: Level 3. It was dealing far more damage than it had when it was level 1, killing skeletons with only expending one or two points of mana. He himself was already level 8, though he had yet to spend a single skill point.In spite of this the pair were proving to hold themselves well against their foes.
They were taking a break and Tyr took the opportunity to spend the skill points he''d been hoarding. Initially he''d considered spending some points into his wisdom stat, but that only governed his mana regeneration rate. As of right now he''d regain his full bar from 0 in one hour time. What was more useful to him at this point was his overall mana, so that he could use his flames spell more. Players only got 5 perk points to spend every time they leveled up, but the guidebook had made it clear that there was no ceiling to levels. The guidebook also hinted that there would be opportunities to respec your stats at a later time. Player Name: Tyr --- CLASS: Spell Caster Level: 8 --- Exp: 950 / 26,000 HP: 100 / 100 MP: 32 / 45 POW: 10 INT: 45 WIS: 0 DEF: 10 AGI: 10
"Going for a glass cannon build eh?" Brutus had been steadily growing more and more efficient at killing the skeletons, but they had stopped spawning as the sun rose. A few low level boars had started spawning, but it was clearly time to move on. They would not get nearly enough experience from the level 2 and 3 boars to justify staying where they were. "Tyr?"
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," Tyr contemplated if he was really ready to head back to the crowded city or not. Shakinghis headhe stood up, "Yes. Glass cannon. I won''t be able to take any hits, but so long as I kill what''s in front of me quickly it''ll be okay." Brutus sighed heavily and rocked himself to his feet.
"I don''t know if you''re asmuch of an insomniac as I am, but..." He grinned and extended his hand to Tyr, "I''ll tank for you if you''re down to keep going?" Tyr smirked and nodded towards the woods at the edge of field, maybe an hour walk from where they were.
"Let''s see who kills the most boars on the way there!" Chapter 4: Banshee in the night The fields leading to the woods were graced by the sudden rising of the sun. Within minutes the sun was high in the sky illuminating the landscape.Not very realistic dawns either.The thought toyed on the edge of Tyr''s mind, but passed quickly as he took in the scene before him. A creek running along the edge of the nearby hill, cutting into the sediment, and working its way into the woodland beyond. The open feeling of the wide, blue sky. The birds filling the air with the sound of their songs, warming the fields with their melodies. The trek to the forest passed by quickly, yet uneventfully. As they made it into the woods they were disappointed to find nothing of interest to them. The underbrush was thick, making movement slow. The sounds coming from the woodland were as one would expect; insects chirping, leaves rustling, and even an occasional hoot from an owl. However there was nothing to fight, no monsters. As the duo pressed deeper through the underbrush it occurred to Tyr that the monsters may not spawn during the day. "Hey Brutus do you think-" Tyr was cut short as a deafening shriek pierced the air. The temperature dropped uncomfortably fast, and he could see his breath lingering in a small cloud. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. For the first time since coming to this realm, he felt fear. Fog surrounded them in a speed that was as unnatural as the drop in temperature that preceded it. Brutus took a sharp stance while drawing his sword. The misty fog began to take form, and from it a face appeared. The creature that formed had sharp skeletal features mixed with rotting flesh. The creature emanated death and decay. A title appeared above the monsters head, and the monsters data hovered now in Tyr''s peripherals. Enemy: Banshee CLASS:Monster Level: 20 HP:2,200 / 2,200 MP: ??/ ?? POW:25 INT:95 WIS:40Stolen novel; please report. DEF:20 AGI:20 The creature writhed through the air, moving as though it was crawling rather than flying through it. The banshee was immediately on the offensive, hands outstretched, a black ball of energy forming between its fingers. The black ball of energy formed into a sphere and the banshee hurled it forward. It ripped through the air at them. The black bolt barely missed either of them as they rolled away from one another. Brutus jumped to his feet, simultaneously swinging his sword directly at the banshee''s head. As his sword was on verge of connecting the creature faded into the mist it had summoned. He found himself stumbling forward as the sword cut through the air unchallenged. The creature reappeared behind the warrior, raising its hand as another sphere of black energy began forming. "Flames!" Tyr yelled, his hands outstretched as heat raced just over Brutus'' head. The banshee shrieked as it was bathed in a stream of fire. The creature turned abruptly, letting loose a flurry of small black bolts. They tore viciously through the air. Without hesitation Tyr raised his hands reactively. Flames enveloped his fingers as a ball of fire erupted. The ball of flames met the first black bolt directly, resulting in a small explosion. NEW SKILL: Fireball The message flashed in Tyr''s peripherals, but he didn''t waste time acknowledging it as his hands instinctively reacted to the remaining bolts. The last one exploded just in front of his face causing a flash of blinding light. In that moment a sharp claw reached through the smoke smashing into his chest. The impact was so sudden it forced him to gasp for air, even as his breath escaped him. The banshee clutched to his shirt and raised its other arm to strike again. A flash of silver crossed his line of sight, accompanied with Brutus'' yell echoing in the fog. The arm which was about to strike Tyr was severed mid-swing. The limb hung uselessly from the misty garments of the creature. The monster turned its eyes towards Brutus, loosening its grip on Tyr. In that moment, Tyr thrust his own hand against the side of the banshee''s head. "Fireball!" The flames erupted from Tyr''s hand, manifesting within the skull of the creature. In a brilliant flash the banshee''s head separated from its body. Both the body and the fog faded as the monsters head rolled away. Brutus and Tyr collapsed as exhaustion entered their limbs. Their loot drop screens flashed, indicating the creature was dead. "H-h-how?" Brutus mumbled, "There is no way we took down all of its HP that fast." Tyr shook his head in disbelief.He''s right, but what else could have caused it to die that quickly? "Maybe the kill itself was skill based?" Tyr suggested while still shaking his head. Brutus looked at him, but the look in his eyes revealed fear more than surprise. "Skill base means that no matter what we do we''ll always have to be on our guard and fight at 100%. Because if something happens that you wouldn''t normally be able to survive..." He let his words trail off. The meaning was evident.You''ll die. Chapter 5: Admin Nerf Challenge Bonus! A popup window in front of Tyr displayingBONUSsurprised him. As he opened it text flashed across his vision;CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING THE FIRST PLAYER TO REACH LEVEL 10. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPTTHEADMIN NERF CHALLENGE?IF YOU LOSE THEN YOU RESET TO LEVEL 1. YOU WILL ALSO GAIN 10%LESSEXPERIENCE ON RESPAWN FOR 1 YEAR. IF YOU WIN YOU''LL RECEIVE A REWARD THAT FAR OUT-LEVELS YOUR CURRENT SKILLS. WILL YOU ACCEPT? YES / NO Without a moment of hesitation or contemplation, Tyr pressed yes. In the next moment gravity ceased to exist. Just as quickly it returned, and he found himself landing forcefully on a transparent floating cube in a void. Light seemingly emanated from the core and outline of the cube in a green hue. He jumped to his feet as a creature spawned opposite from him on the edge of the cube. The form of a creature adorned in black armor stood before Tyr. A knight of the undead, the creature was blatantly rotting. The name of the monster hovered above its head, Death Knight. The sensation of excitement rushed into him as the death knight drew its blade. It charged impossibly fast, closing the distance between them in mere seconds, while slashing the sword it wielded through the air. Tyr slid to his knees, while barely avoiding decapitation, feeling wind rush past his face. "Flames!" Tyr yelled, and fire flicked off his fingertips. The creature turned, and a grin of rotted flesh met him. The health bar of the death knight didn''t waver. Fear found its way into the pit of his stomach as the creature squared itself to engage him. The death knight swung again with an unnatural speed, the blade sweeping downwards in an arc. Tyr side stepped the downward swing of the creatures blade. He rolled away as the death knight changed the direction of its attack mid-swing, aiming now at his torso in a horizontal slash. The creature snarled and leapt at him, driving the mighty shield it wielded in its other hand forward. Instead of attempting to dodge or outrun the creature, Tyr instead ran towards it. As he approached he found himself sliding underneath it, and he raised his hands up. "FIREBALL!" Tyr screamed, as a mighty burst of energy ran down his arms and hurled upwards at the creature. The death knight slid sideways, blocking the entire attack with his shield. Simultaneously, while blocking the fireball, it started swinging its sword in a deadly flurry. Tyr barrel rolled out of the way but found the creature directly over him as he stopped. The monster swung its sword down at a deadly speed. With fear nearly paralyzing him, he outstretched his hands and energy flowed from his core down both arms. Without understanding what he was doing, a brilliant burst of energy erupted from his hands.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. NEW SKILL: Mana Blast A massive eruption of energy blasted the two away from each other. The sword and shield clattered midway between them. The death knight sprung to its feet dashing full speed for the shield which was closer to it. Tyr wasted no time jumping to his own feet and sprinted for the sword. The death knight already had the shield and had begun charging for the sword before Tyr could grip it. The heavy sword dragged as he lifted it. His movements sluggish, the creature easily deflected his attack. He felt a moment of sheer desperation as he ran into the shield and was violently flung back. He gasped, air leaving his lungs, as he connected with the floor. Somehow he managed to maintain his grip on the pommel of the massive sword even with the air leaving him. The death knight resumed its charge. As the creature made it to Tyr, it lifted the mighty shield and dropped it full force at his exposed neck. Arching his back, the shield barely missed his chin. Thrusting the sword upward he gasped again, this time in fear as the monster stopped his strike by grabbing the blade with its hand. Wrenching upwards the creature lifted him off his feet and slung him across the floor. Once more, fully armed, the death knight advanced with an animal like ferocity. "Fireball!" Tyr felt his legs grow weak as his energy found its way into his finger tips. The fireball zoomed towards the creature, but was again deflected by its shield. "Fireball! Fireball!" The death knight advanced, in full sprint, easily deflecting the attacks. It thrust its sword to the hilt forcefully into Tyr''s abdomen. A massive flare of pain met him as the death knight lifted him up and slung him off the blade. In a pitiful heap he landed painfully against the cold floor. His vision blurry, he tried to raise his hand to block his face. The creature kicked his hand violently away, he felt the bones break. With ears ringing, pain flaming from his gut, and vision blurry he stretched out his other hand and whispered, "Mana Blast" A dense cloud of foggy residue enveloped the area. Tyr painfully rose to his feet bracing himself for whatever insane charge came next. As the fog cleared, he witnessed the death knight laying spread out on the hard surface of the cube. Its right arm was blown off, still clutching the mighty sword. The creature snarled but seemed unable to get up. Approaching cautiously, Tyr noticed that the creatures left hip looked as though it had been blown out. It appeared as though its hip was destroyed from its own sword.It must have happened when the arm was blown off in that explosion. "I''m sorry you had to suffer." Tyr said as his fingers stretched forward, "Mana Blast!" Chapter 6: Shadow of the mind The field around Tyr faded and standing before him was a cloaked figure, jet black robes flowing to what would have been the ground. He couldn''t see a face. Dramatic effect is nice. "Congratulations Tyr, you survived when we didn''t think that you would." The source of the voice echoed from around him and didn''t originate from the hooded form in front of him. The hooded figure reached out a hand and a shadow extended from it until it wrapped around Tyr. The shadow wrapped around his vision and his HUD reshaped with an edge of shadow around it. "As a reward for surviving the challenge we are granting you what others would call an unfair advantage. You have been gifted Shadow, whichis a fully functional AI that is going to do everything it can to help augment you towards success. For lack of better terminology it is going to help guide you through the game. However, the condition that comes with it is that you may not divulge its existence to other players. If you do, your access to it shall be revoked." "So, Shadow is basically like having a quest guide path?" Tyr asked the hooded figure. I do that and so much more. We will become stronger together. I''ll level with you, and together we will become a force of nature. Hearing this ominous voice inside his mind made him visibly flinch. "We trust that you will help develop it beyond just that." The hooded figure started to fade and the game realm started to come back into focus. Unceremoniously Tyr was dumped on the forest floor where he''d been with Brutus. On a quick glance he didn''t see Brutus. He''s nearby, presumably. He shook his head as the voice echoed within his mind. Shadow nudged in a peripheral of his mind and he started walking in that direction.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. After several minutes of pressing through limbs and bushes in the thick underbrush a sword flashed in Tyr''s line of sight, right at eye level. Shadow pressed on his mind and his body reacted before he could think. The blade passedso closely that he felt as though the blade could have shaved him. "DIE!" Brutus'' voice boomed as he swung the sword around again. "Whoa whoa whoa dude it''s me!" The sword stopped mid-swing and Brutus gasped. "Oh wow. I''m sorry man." Brutus'' sword dropped to his side, "I thought that Banshee had killed you. What happened?" Tyr shook his head. Tell him you got teleported to a bonus stage, but all you got was some bonus experience after you got your ass kicked. Really? Do you have a better idea? "I uh... got teleported to some kind of bonus stage." "Oh sweet! Did you get anything good?" "Besides an ass kicking?" Tyr laughed at the lie in his throat, "No. Just some experience." Brutus grimaced, and made a face thatTyr had seen him make several times over the past few hours.It seemed to be more of a trademark expression at this point. "Well, when I get a bonus stage I''m sure it''ll be me doing the ass kicking." As he said this he kicked some small fallen branches. "So where do we head from here? By the time we get back to town it''ll be almost lunch, so we may as well keep pushing right?" Shadow pressed against Tyr''s peripheral again and Tyr immediately started walking in that direction. I have a feeling you''re going to help me more than I thought you would. "Let''s go this way. I have a good feeling about it." Shadows laugh echoed in Tyr''s mind as the warrior took the lead and started hacking his way through the brush with his sword. A good feeling... the words echoing within his mind as light started to filter in at dawn''s break. Chapter 7: NPC: Bryan Hunterson "We should take a break here." Brutus pointed to a clearing beside the stream they were following. Tyr nodded in agreement then sat down, finding a flat place to sit on a rock. His wounds from the battle with the death knight were severe. Their pace was slow due to his injuries, despite not encountering any new enemies. Looking at his right hand that had been kicked by the death knight he grimaced. It was swollen and his pinky finger was clearly broken. "Do you have any medical skills?" Tyr asked while pointing, indicating his injuries with his other hand. "Nah man sorry, if this were the real world I could help but I''m useless here in that regard." "What is it that you did in the real world?" "At one point in time I was a paramedic." Brutus'' eyes darkened and he leaned back against a tree, "That was before my accident of course. I''m paralyzed now, so I''m stuck in a wheelchair." Tyr looked up at him with surprise and felt a pang of guilt for having asked so carelessly. "I''m really sorry to hear that." "Don''t sweat it man." Brutus laughed heartily, "I get to spend far more time living in awesome worlds like these that let me have my legs back. It''s one of the reasons I wanted to be this class, I want to move around, I want to fight, and I want to do things I would never be able to do in the real world." "Well, there''s some silver lining for you then." "Yeah dude. I''m happy being able to do this, which is why I didn''t want to stop last night." Brutus smiled brightly, "What about you man? What are you in the real world?" Yes, what are you in your other world. I''m curious myself. "Oh, I''m nothing spectacular. I work in an office filing paperwork on complaints from companies arguing about the prices we charge for electricity usage." "You work for the electric company?" Brutus chuckled. "Yeah, it''s not very spectacular but it pays pretty good. I get bonuses for collecting money from customers that have been delinquent. Those bonuses are how I was able to afford coming here." "Well that''s cool man. I got a pretty big settlement and being disabled means I pay discounted rates for games like this." Tyr nodded in silent reply. I couldn''t imagine how he must feel being able to move around freely like this given his circumstances. "Well since you used to be a paramedic how about some field medicine? What should I do about my hand?" "Don''t use it. When you get a chance to get it healed you should. A healing potion should repair a lot of it, but the bones look broken." Brutus had pulled out his copy of the guidebook and was flipping through the pages, scanning for a moment then moving on to another section, "I guess you''ll have to get the bones healed by an actual healer." "Bummer." Tyr had been hoping that he would be able to just rest and repair. He hadn''t gotten far enough in the guidebook to have learned otherwise. "Do you know if NPCs are able to perform any healing magic? I doubt we''re going to see any players that do unless we head back to the starting town."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Angvarde City," Brutus corrected while standing upright, "The guidebook doesn''t say, but it does say that healing kits drop rarely from some enemies. Doesn''t say which ones though." Brutus continued reading through the guide. As they were continuing their rest, Tyr noticed some berries on a bush next to where he was sitting. He started picking some and a popup appeared indicating the quantity he was collecting. He clicked the dialogue, ???, but it didn''t have any information for any of the fields besides the quantity. "Weird," Tyr turned to Brutus, "These berries don''t even have a name listed. I thought once I collected them that I''d get their name and effect." "Nah man, it''s like in real life until you know what it is." Brutus smirked, "You can always eat them to find out their effect." "Heh. Nah." Tyr moved the items into his storage. General storage looks limited, you''ll need to get a bag extension at some point. "Yeah I know." "Huh?" Brutus looked perplexed, "Then why did you ask me about them if you know you gotta eat them to find out if they''re poisonous or not?" "Oh. I didn''t even think about them being poisonous." Tyr backtracked as he realized that he''d responded to Shadow aloud. "I was just thinking to myself that my hand hurt like hell." "Ah, well we''ll need to get-" A branch snapped just behind Brutus and he swirled while drawing his sword. Standing before him was a teenage boy, with black hair and brown eyes. His face had traces of acne, and his features were sharp. It looked as though he didn''t eat nearly as much as he probably should. His clothes were too small, very worn out, loosely spun rough woolen shirt, and pants to match. His clothes had holes in many place, his lack of shoes showed bloody ankles. Above his head hovered "Ah, sorry kid." Brutus sheathed his sword again and reached to shake hands. The teenaged boys eyes widened and he visibly flinched. "Please! I''m sorry, I- I- I didn''t know the army was hunting in these woods sirs. Please forgive me. I''ll go straight home. Just please. Please don''t kill me." The boy dropped to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. "We''re not going to kill you. We''re not part of the army." Brutus said with a tone as sincere and consoling as he could muster, "We''re just passing through these woods and got lost." "Not part of the army?" The boy started trembling, his eyes grew even wider. "Renegades? Bandits? I have no money." "Nothing like that at all," Tyr cut in while stepping forward, "My name is Tyr, and I''m just a man passing through here with my friend. However, I was injured by a monster living far deeper in the woods and I need someone to heal me. I''d be willing to pay the person who helped me to find a healer, and I''d feed that person as well. Do you know of a person I could rely on like that?" "Food? You have food?" Bryan''s eyes lit up, "Better not be those berries I saw you picking mister. Those''ll kill you quicker than a cat kills a mouse." "That depends, do you know someone who can heal my hand?" "Aye," Bryan nodded. "Granddaddy Hunterson can do that for sure. You best bring him a rabbit at least though or he won''t be seeing you." Tyr smiled and nodded. Opening his menu he reached into it to retrieve some rations he''d gotten from Angvarde City. Bryan gasped and his eyes grew wide with fear watching Tyr''s hand disappear into the air. When Tyr''s hand reappeared with a pouch of jerky the boy looked just as scared. "I know some magic." Tyr said with a shrug, and he tossed the pouch to the boy. Bryan opened it and gingerly put a piece into his mouth. After a moment he was devouring it. "I''ll lead the way." Bryan said while tossing another piece into his mouth. "Granddaddy Hunterson lives outside of town though, it''ll take us longer to get there from here." Town. We went the right way after all. You didn''t know where we were going? I know we are now. Chapter 8: Overwhelmed The group made steady progression following a path that only Bryan seemed to see. The twists, the turns, and the way he moved made it clear this was a path he knew well. Though it wasn''t a path easily visible to them, they trusted their guide and moved forward. The woods seemed to swallow them, spit them out, then swallow them again as they followed the boy. When Bryan suddenly stopped, the other two nearly walked into him. "Shh..." Bryan''s eyes darted back and forth between two rocks and a tree ahead of them. Slowly, and deliberately, he drew a small bow from under his shirt and pulled an arrow from his pant leg. Woah, I didn''t even notice him hiding those. He gripped the bow in one hand, nocked the arrow with his other, and drew a deep breath. A gleam flashed in his eye as he held his breath and let his fingers loosen. The arrow thrummed through the air into a small bush next to the rocks. A small ball of brown fur hit the ground. "What the-?" Brutus stared dumbfounded at the precision of the shot, "Is that a rabbit?" "I told you," Bryan spoke with a flat tone as he reached down and lifted the rabbit by its leg, "You can''t show up to Granddaddy Hunterson without a rabbit." The boy shot several more rabbits as the trio continued down these paths that only Bryan seemed to see. Tyr added them to his storage for practicality. One noticeable factor as they continued was that the boy was increasing his pace. He would glance behind them and then up at the sky, urging them faster every time. "What''s the rush?" Brutus asked while sprinting up a log the boy had just used to clear a small creek. "It will be dark soon. We have to make it there before then and I''ve lost track of the time." It''s 16:23. Shadows voice echoed inside Tyr''s mind, breaking the silence between them and startling him. "Well what time does it get dark?" Tyr questioned while sprinting across the log himself. "Soon. Too soon I think." "What is it you were doing so far from your village?" Brutus asked while pushing through a lot of low branches the boy had slipped under. The boy glanced back but didn''t respond. The thick scent of pine woods overwhelmed Tyr''s senses as he too passed through the spot, a combination of pushing through and ducking under branches. His hand throbbed as it hit a branch that snapped back from Brutus'' march. While distracted by his discomfort he hadn''t seen Brutus stop in front of him. He walked into Brutus, slamming his hurt hand into the warriors back. It took everything in him not to cry out in pain. Blinking back tears he looked up to see why they had stopped marching. Bryan was holding a finger to his lips and very slowly walking backwards. Stalking through the bushes facing away from them was a creature with leathery green skin. It was wearing only a loincloth, a short sword across its back like a great sword, and a dagger in its hand. Its hands had long black nails. Its pointed ears moved independent of one another as it cocked its head side to side, listening to the sounds of the woods around it. Brutus slowly drew his sword from its sheath, the boy turned to Brutus shaking his head no. Bryan''s eyes showed the terror he was feeling. His eyes were pleading with Brutus to back off from the goblin. "Ereh!" A shout from behind Tyr startled the three of them. Spinning around on his heels he witnessed a goblin emerge. It came from the low branched trees they''d pushed through just a moment before. It too had a short sword tied to its back, but it came with a spear in its hand. The goblin thrust the spear towards Tyr''s chest. A swift nudge in his peripherals caused him to jerk sideways missing the stony blade by inches. "yrruh llik meht!" It shouted as more goblins emerged into the narrow path they were on. Brutus pushed the boy in between himself and Tyr, taking point ahead of them.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Flames!" The electric feeling moved through Tyr''s left arm and enveloped the goblin that had attacked him. It screeched in pain, trying to jump backwards, but it stumbled and rolled instead. Brutus engaged the goblin that had been in the path ahead of them. It attacked with short sword in one hand and dagger in the other. Every time Brutus swung the goblin blocked using both of the blades it was wielding. There were three other goblins now in the path and shouts from further out indicated that there were even more coming. Tyr was casting flames to keep the three goblins he could see at bay, while Brutus continued trying to land a blow on the goblin in front of him. "Tyr, help me clear a path. We''ve got to run." I agree, if it were one or two we could take them. This many, with more coming... we''re going to get overwhelmed. Turning quickly Tyr raised his left hand and aimed behind the goblin. He waited for it to block another swing from Brutus. "Fireball!" Feeling his energy rush outwards once more a ball of flame spun through the air. It exploded behind the goblin. The creatures eyes grew wide as the fire bathed its back, and it was in that moment that Brutus'' blade plunged into its chest. "Run!" Bryan yelled as he started sprinting ahead. As he did, he took an arrow from his quiver and took a shot at one of the goblins on the path directly behind Tyr. The goblin deflected the blow with its sword just as another goblin emerged out of the dense treeline with a short bow in hand. "T''nod tel meht epacse! Llik meht ylkciuq!" Brutus and Tyr followed Bryan who was sprinting top speed ahead of them. An arrow whizzed by Brutus'' ear, a moment later another struck him in the shoulder. He grunted as he removed the arrow, seemingly unfazed by it. The path they were running on came to a narrow spot between two large boulders, there was a ten foot gap where a creek cut through about twenty feet below them. Bryan cleared the gap with expertise, turning and motioning for them to follow suit. Brutus launched himself, his feet barely making it to the edge, but his momentum took him backwards. Bryan''s hand caught his and pulled him back up. Tyr took a few steps back and then launched himself as fast as he could across the gap. He landed with a couple cubits to spare. He turned in time to see two goblins make it to the spot between the boulders. "Mana Blast!" The eruption was right in front of him instead of on the goblins. I hadn''t thought about the range of the attack when I was fighting the death knight. Clearly... fireball! "Fireball. Cast fireball!" Brutus urged, ducking as another arrow shot past him. "It might slow them down at least." Tyr nodded and raised his left hand. "Fireba-" An arrow tore through his hand. "Argh!" Despite the interruption, the pain seemingly intensified the spell. A mighty fireball landed between the two goblins and blew them apart. The explosion caused one of the boulders to break loose and start rolling down the hill. Goblin shouting could be heard as the boulder disappeared from sight. Tyr painfully held his hands against his chest. Bryan grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him forward towards the path. As they turned an arrow shot from down the hill and struck the boy in the ear. Crying out in pain he dropped to his knees as another arrow passed by where his head had just been. Stepping behind both of them Brutus growled in a low commanding voice, "Run. NOW." Without any complaints they all moved quickly down the path, the mumbled shouting of goblins seemingly surrounded them. Then, without warning, it was dark. Bryan stumbled and gasped loudly. "We have to hide. We have to hide right now." The boy sounded truly terrified as he darted off the path and into the dense underbrush. Brutus and Tyr struggled trying to reach him, but the boy neither stopped nor would elaborate why his fear was so intense. Pushing through the underbrush, they nearly stumbled on top of one another as they entered into a clearing. All at once the three of them were standing at the entrance to a small cave. "We hide in here." "Hide from what?" Brutus demanded while reaching for the boy, but Bryan just shrugged out of his grip. "Hide or die sirs." QUEST: Survive the Goblin Horde Accept? Yes / No Tyr looked at Brutus and for the first time, Brutus looked scared. Chapter 9: Survive the Night The three backed into the cave as the rain began falling. A small trickle of water began running into the cave under their feet. The scent in the air was familiar to any that had ever smelled a spring rain. The cave wasn''t very deep from what they could tell, but it had drainage holes where the water ran into the ground. The holes were too small for any of them to fit into, but it didn''t stop them from trying. Tyr sat on a sloped rock and clutched his shattered hands to his chest. "I can''t cast my spells like this." He said to Brutus while watching Bryan try squeezing his way into yet another of the small drainage holes. "What are we going to do?" "I don''t know man, but if it comes down to it could you grit through the pain long enough to blast at least a few of them away?" "I don''t have a lot of mana left right at the moment, though I''m close to leveling up to 13." "13? Whoa man, I''m still only level 9." This was the first time that either of them had pulled up the party details since before they''d encountered the banshee early the night before. Tyr allocated the his stat points into his INT modifier so that he could increase his mana pool more. Brutus spent his on his AGI score. "Why agility?" Tyr asked him while absently searching through the low level loot that he''d acquired. He was hoping for something to help his hands. "I couldn''t hit that goblin earlier no matter how many times I swung. I think if I''m moving a little faster that I''ll be able to do it this time." "How quickly do you think those goblins respawn? It''s not going to do us any good if it''s a non stop respawn fest out there." Bryan walked over and grabbed Tyr''s arms, looking at his wounds. "It''s not going to matter because the only thing besides skeletons that come back non-stop are animals. Goblins aren''t animals, they''re like Orcs. They live, breed, and when they die they''re dead for good." Bryan reached into his pockets and pulled out some leaves. He crushed the leaves into some of the rain water trickling into the cave. After a few minutes he had created a paste. "Put this on your hand where you got shot. I can''t do anything to help the other one but this will numb the pain at least." Tyr took the chunky paste from Bryan and applied it to his left hand, it burned badly. After several minutes the numbing took effect and the pain subsided as thunder began rolling. Lightning flashed and they could see the outline of a goblin as it jumped down in front of the cave entrance. Bryan nocked an arrow, Brutus unsheathed his sword, but Tyr hushed the two of them and as they watched the shadow walked away from the cave. It must have landed facing away from the cave so it didn''t see us. Brutus slowly crept forward towards the mouth of the cave, edging to the brighter outdoors. Lightning flashed again and he jumped backwards as a volley of arrows flew through the entrance. "They found us!" Brutus bellowed as several goblins rushed into the cave brandishing short swords. More arrows hissed in as Brutus tried to block the goblins from advancing. Bryan let loose an arrow and struck one of them in the neck. It screeched, recoiling from the impact, and found itself embedded on Brutus'' blade. As two more goblins engaged the warrior, he stooped to the ground grabbing the sword from the goblin he''d just slain. A sword in each hand he blocked and attacked simultaneously. A flurry of blows deflected, a screech, a goblin flailing on the ground missing a limb. Arrows flying into the cave struck one of the goblins in the back. Tyr raised his left hand as more goblins came in from the rain, he felt his energy flow through his arm. Wincing in pain, it reminded him of using an arm that had fallen asleep. He felt the pain mixed with numbness as he closed his eyes letting his spell flow. "Fireball!" Tyr roared and watched in horror as the fireball struck Brutus full force. Brutus was blasted forward and slid through the mud outside the cave entrance. Goblins jumped him from every angle at once. The warrior leapt to his feet while spinning both swords around him. Arrows struck him as he stumbled back into the cave. Bryan in turn sunk arrows into the goblins pursuing the warrior, but more kept coming. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "No more magic if you can''t aim it!" Brutus growled at Tyr, anger dripping from his voice. As another goblin rushed in Brutus cut it down, his movements fueled by his anger. He faintly glowed and then turned, grinning. An almost sadistic smile crept across his face for a moment and the anger in his eyes waned slightly. "I just leveled up, full health baby." "Leveled up? What is he talking about?" Bryan asked while letting loose another arrow. His quiver had run out, but he''d wasted no time picking up the arrows that were still steadily being shot into the cave. "I''ll explain later." Tyr said while stepping forward boldly into the exposed center of the cave. "FIREBALL!" Another fireball raced off of his fingertips, not hitting exactly where he''d intended. The fireball missed the goblins he was aiming at and flew out of the mouth of the cave instead. A terrified scream from outside was heard. Moments later, half a dozen goblins came rolling headfirst into the cave. Most of them were on fire as they fell forward screeching in agony. Brutus cut into them as Bryan filled them with arrows. "Run, this is our chance!" Bryan yelled while running up behind Brutus. They emerged seeing dead and injured goblins all around the outside of the cave. They must have been preparing to blitz us when your fireball missed. Lucky miss. "Hurry, we might be able to outrun them now!" The boy ran quickly back towards the trail, while the voices of goblins behind them echoed throughout the woods. Arrows flew past their heads and they ran at breakneck speed. Neither Brutus nor Tyr knew how long they ran, but both had been shot multiple times by the time they slid to a stop at a small cliff. They were bleeding, exhausted, soaked from the rain, and filled with fear. "How much further is the village?" Brutus asked the boy while hunched over, "We''re not going to survive much longer." "I''m not sure, I thought we would have made it by now. It''s dark and I feel lost. I don''t remember this cliff. I don''t remember the big boulder we passed when that arrow hit Tyr in the shoulder. I didn''t remember a lot of the things we passed." "Well we''ve at least put some distance between us and them or they''d be on us by now." Tyr said pulling up his map. "Look Bryan, this is where we are. This where we''ve been so far." Tyr turned the projection of the map to the boy. Eyes wide, Bryan stared in disbelief at the outline of the woodlands. "How did you do that? Just who are you two really?" "We will explain later, now looking at this do you know where the village is?" "I''ve never seen the woods from the sky." "Do you see anything?! Anything familiar?!" "Whoa now, calm down Tyr." Brutus placed a hand firmly on Tyr''s good shoulder, "Bryan, can you try looking at this map to figure out where we need to go?" Brutus'' calm demeanor diffused the tension, yet there was an air of finality to his tone that gave clear direction to the others. Bryan looked at the map again. After a moment the boys eyes lit up. "Yes, I know this stream. The village is right there past where that bend is." He excitedly pointed at the spot where the stream took a sharp bend, not far from where they were currently. "If we hurry we can be there before those goblins find us again." The three immediately set off, working their way slowly down the cliff they were on. The shortest path would have them there in no time. As they made it to the bottom the goblins made it to the cliff, arrows began showering the trio as they fled. Ducking and dodging their way through the shrubs, vines, roots, and thorns of the underbrush they quickly made it to the creek. They ran and arrows sang through the air, whistling by them. The arrows were getting closer, but they saw fire dancing through the trees ahead. "Thorn Meadow!" Bryan announced excitedly as he raced forward with more vigor. His excitement was expressed all over his face as he leapt over a fallen tree, every step taking him closer to home. He didn''t see the club as it struck him. He didn''t hear the shouts from Tyr and Brutus as he fell to the ground. He didn''t smell the nasty odor of the creature that struck him. All of his senses went dark, he felt blackness creep over him, he felt tired, and a lethargy he''d never experienced swept over him. Standing over the boy was a goblin brandishing a mighty club made from hardened wood. It stood a cubit taller than any other goblin they''d seen. It didn''t have the leathery green skin of the other goblins, instead it had a mud-brown coat of unwashed fur. It''s features were sharp and jagged, indicating its goblin kinship. Adorned in a wolf-skin pelt, the most noticeable trait of it was the sheer width of the creature. Whereas the goblins were thin and gangly, this creature was broad. Muscles rippled beneath its nasty fur. It turned to face Tyr and Brutus, letting loose a horrifying howl. Above its head hovered its title. Brutus braced himself as the creature began to charge. "No, let me." Tyr said, stepping forward while raising his left arm. The numbing salve that Bryan had made for him had long since worn off, but it didn''t matter. Energy flowed from Tyr''s core and rushed to his fingers just as the creatures club was swinging at him. "MANA BLAST!" Chapter 10: Recovery Tyr awoke to the smell of burning wood, a fire blazing near him warmed his skin. He sat up groggily, his hands heavily bandaged. Brutus was nowhere to be seen, but he saw Bryan laying on a wooden bed near the fire. The boy was bandaged and actively being tended to by several old women. Tyr tried to sit up, but as he did exhaustion swept over him. His eyes grew unfocused and once more he was asleep. In his dreams he saw the boy being struck by the club. He saw himself standing his ground as he''d cast mana blast against the bugbear. He also saw himself get hit and flung like a rag-doll from the creature. That was the last thing he''d remembered prior to the fire. The fire was blazing, the heat against Tyr''s skin was comforting as he awoke again. Brutus was sleeping in a chair next to his bed. Bryan was still on the bed near the fire, his title had changed. He shuddered as he saw the tag, but forced himself to sit up anyway. "Bru.. Bruuuuss-" Tyr''s words would barely escape his throat, so he shook his head while clearing his throat, "Brutus." The words were coarse and hoarse, his throat dried out beyond his comprehension. He rubbed his eyes then repeated his words again louder. This time the warrior stirred, "Ah," Brutus straightened up. "Welcome back to the land of the living." Brutus quickly picked up a cup from a nearby table and filled it with water. Instead of offering it to Tyr he pressed it directly against the spellcasters lips. The water was warm, but in that moment it was the most delicious liquid he''d ever had the pleasure of ingesting. He coughed as he drank, but accepted it all without hesitation. "Where are we?" Tyr managed to mumble, while his voice cracked. "Bryan''s town, Thorn Meadow." Brutus sat back down wearily, "It''s night again, you''ve been out of it over a day. Should be dawn soon. I completed the quest and got a health potion. I drank it, saved the other for you." He produced the health potion from his own inventory and handed it to Tyr. Tyr graciously took the bottle and downed the contents. With every gulp he felt his hands stop aching and his energy returning. When the bottle was empty he rose to his feet.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "We need to give one to Bryan," Tyr said while opening his own quest log and completing the quest to ''Survive the Goblin Horde.'' He started glowing subtly as he leveled up and the content of quest rewards appeared. No health potions, but on a quick glance those robes look great. Provide more protection than what we''re currently wearing and offer a small boost to the damage of your spells. The boy doesn''t need your generosity anyway. Shut it. If they were here I''d pick them in a heartbeat. "The villagers wouldn''t let me, they said it was ''devils blood.'' We have a more pressing issue, because Bryan''s grandfather is dead." "Dead?" The word hung in the air uncomfortably. "He was killed yesterday while we were making our way here by soldiers from the western kings armies. The locals have told me quite a bit about them while we''ve been helping you guys recover. The specific branch that patrols this area is under the banner of the ''Silver Fang,'' and before you ask he''s essentially a war hero or a war criminal depending on how you look at it." "Wait, so they''re being what? Terrorized?" "Basically." Brutus sighed heavily, "You have a quest waiting for you to accept in your quest log. I accepted it already and the more information I get the more it seems to update. Silver Fang collects taxes, fresh recruits, and leaves bodies if not enough of either of those is found. Bryan was out as deep as he was because he was avoiding conscription. The quest isn''t to kill Silver Fang, it''s to help Bryan avoid conscription." "Do you think we should even-" Tyr stopped as an old woman entered the room, she stoked the fire and checked on Bryan''s wounds. In a hushed tone Tyr continued, "Should we even be getting involved in the situations of the NPC''s? These are their lives, and their traditions." Brutus'' eyes darkened. "First off they do not know that they''re NPC''s. To them this is the real world, this is life. These are good people Tyr. We have to help them. We have to." He lowered his voice even further, "Tyr, I know that this may not be your sense of adventure, but we need to do what''s right by these people. And I.. I can''t do this without your help man. I barely killed that bugbear without you. If you hadn''t blown one of it''s arms off I probably wouldn''t have." "Okay, so we help them. Then what? What do we do when they found out who we are?" Or when they find out what we are? Shadow''s tone was so dark and sudden that Tyr visibly flinched. "We''ll cross that bridge when we get there. Just help me keep him safe. Accept the quest." Tyr opened up his quest log, and stared hard at the words. QUEST: Prevent Bryan Hunterson from being conscripted Accept? Yes / No