The tiny beam of light brought forth illumination and warmth into the tiny little room. Adam awoke from the dreamless night. He noted he did not level up, but went about his day regardless. He washed his face to take away the sleepiness that clung to him, before changing and then heading down for breakfast, ready and eager to tackle the day.

Breakfast was porridge, fruit, bread, and a bit of meat, which Adam couldn’t decline because he was a little afraid of Margh and didn’t want to say anything to upset her. He knew better than to upset a cook, even if he wasn’t all that wise.

He stared at the quest board with a steely glare. He looked over each quest for the copper rank to see what would be most fun to do, or at least, what he could do to pass the time. His eyes kept falling across the herb picking, which had a minor warning at the bottom of it.

HERB PICKING
Head into Foster’s Forest and pick at least ten herbs. The list of herbs required are as follows.

Boomingbay
Jazzamine
Doomglow
Gloise
Crowned Brown
Nightglow
Kattin
Basi

REWARD
2 SILVERS PER BUNCH

WARNING: YOU MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF CREATURES THAT MAY WANT TO KILL YOU SO PLEASE RUN AWAY

There were a few sketches at the bottom too that revealed what the herbs looked like.

Adam stared at it for a long while. Even though the warning was rather vague he understood that the quest could be far more fun than it let on. He noted there was already a single wooden block over it with the symbol of an iron adventurer.

Adam walked over to Emma, who was currently manning the desk.

“Good morning,” Adam said. “I’d like to take the herb picking quest if it’s still good.”

Emma brought up the paper and handed him the block. “Herb picking is one of those quests that never really falls off. The forest is bountiful in herbs, though we will ask you to not over pick one specific area. Please leave at least one herb behind if you find a bunch and if you find a singular herb, leave it be.”

“Good to know,” Adam said as he went to claim the quest and then walked over to Jurot who was eating some more food. “I’m heading out to do some herb picking, do you want to come with?”

“Herb picking? There are no mighty beasts to slay in herb picking,” Jurot said with a frown across his face.

“Alright, suit yourself.”

If Jurot didn't want to come with, that was his own issue. So Adam stepped out, his steps as eager as he, marching through the town with joy. He threw a wave at Thundersmith, who returned with a nod but went right back to smithing.

The cobblestone path led onwards, straight to freedom and adventure. Adam gave a wave to the guard and then stepped out onto the main road that connected this town to another.

"Got a copper for the way back?" the guard asked.

"I do," Adam said as he tapped his pouch under his cloak. "I'll be seeing you."

He followed the main road out and then looked out to the side where a dirt trail led to the nearby forest. It was thick with trees and mystery, and it called to him. It was only then he realised that this was the furthest he had been away from town since he had arrived.

His heart thundered in his chest, but he bid whatever fear that grew away from his insides as he took a heavy and steady step onto the dirt. With that the next steps came to him quicker and quicker until he was confidently marching towards the forest.

SURVIVAL
D20 (7) - WISE (1) = 6
FAILURE!

He spent a long while comparing the herbs to the sketches on the sheet, not paying attention to his surroundings. He would find a herb and match it to his sheet, but the herb would have different shapes on the stem and such, so he'd leave the herb be. Or at least he thought that the herbs were different when in reality it could have just been the same herb but with a different pattern, but he was not a man that understood such things.

PERCEPTION
D20 (5) - WISE (1) = 4
SUCCESS!

A roar cut through the air like a blade of sound as the hair on Adam's neck stuck on their ends. He snapped to attention, bringing a blade to hand as a black bear crashed it's way towards him.

BATTLE ORDER
D20 (13) - QUICK (1) = 12
Black Bear attacks first.
Adam attacks second.

The bear charged forward towards Adam, its lumbering body filled with rage.

The black bear misses an attack with its claws.
The black bear misses an attack with its bite.

The bear tried to assault Adam, but the half-elfs armour was too thick for it to get through with its maw and its claws, wailing onto his chain which shifted against the weight of its paws.

A bear.

A bear!

Adam's heart pounded as the bear assaulted him, its face merely inches away. Yet he grasped his blade tight with both hands and roared out.

"Away with you!"

ATTACK
D20 (5) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 11
HIT!
D10 (8) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
14 damage!

Adam tore into the bear through its shoulder, causing it to cry out in pain before pulling away from Adam with fright within its eyes. Adam’s heart pounded like thunder within his chest.

It turned to flee, giving Adam another chance to strike it as it bolted for safety. Adam was too afraid to allow it to leave, it could come back with a greater vengeance, and so he gripped his blade harshly and then slashed at its whimpering back.

ATTACK
D20 (14) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 20
HIT!
D10 5) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
11 damage!

Adam thrust through the other shoulder, tearing through fur and sinew, before the bear roared in pain. It gasped for air and then fell, still against the cold forest floor. He stared down at the dead bear and after a moment to gather himself a thought crossed his mind.

A bear would be worth a lot…

He was sure he had seen a poster to slay a bear or some such at the guild.

EXP GAINED
1X BLACK BEAR (125) = 125
SUB TOTAL
125
OTHERWORLDER BONUS (+125) = 250
EXP TOTAL
450 + 250
CURRENT EXP
700
LEVEL UP AVAILABLE!

A level up?

He checked his sheet to see how he could level up.

A LEVEL UP CAN ONLY BE PROCESSED ONCE ASLEEP.

Oh.

Well that was a shame, but he didn't need to focus on that yet. He had just slain a bear, a bear! It was a black bear, the runt of bears if you compared it to a brown bear, but it was a bear!

Adam sheathed his blade and then crouched down beside the large mass of black. He hoisted it up over his back and then began to carry it back towards the guild accompanied by his smile. The black bear had been quite the easy foe.

BIG BONED ACTIVE

Though the herb picking had taken a while and he had nothing to show for it, the bear would have been more than enough to make up for it. He wouldn’t be ashamed then and no one could make fun of him. Even in this world he thought of such things.

“That is the life of man,” he supposed.

Then he heard a roar in the distance and froze on the spot.

‘What was that?’

His head snapped to where the roar had echoed from. Then he heard a shout and some voices.

Someone needed help.

Adam jogged towards the sounds, moving as quickly as he could.

ENCUMBERED
Movement speed reduced by 10 feet.

‘Damn it.’

He tossed the bear aside, the heavy thud beside him urging him forward. With the great weight of the bear off his shoulders, he bolted towards the sounds in the distance, his armour jingling like bells of his arrival as he sprinted forward, his body burning like fire.

He leapt over a log and landed down into a squat before he bounced forward into the scene. Before him he saw a man in heavy chain wielding a spear in hand, and a smaller girl behind him. Adam did not spend much time examining them as a giant mass of brown fur was currently roaring, ready to charge.

Adam slid on his shield as the brown bear turned to face him, snarling towards him. It pulled back away from the other two and roared.

“Hello there,” he said.

BATTLE ORDER
D20 (14) - QUICK (1) = 13
Adam attacks first.
Brown Bear attacks second.

Adam leapt forth with his blade in hand, swinging down wildly against the brown mountain of bear with his longsword.

ATTACK
D20 (15) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 21
HIT!
D8 (5) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
11 damage!

His blade sank deep against the bear’s skin, leaving a hearty gash against the creature’s neck before the bear let out a pained roar and readied its own assault.

The brown bear misses an attack with its claws.
The brown bear misses an attack with its bite.

Adam’s heart pounded within his chest as the bear tried to maul him, and yet he raised his shield to catch the attacked, stepping from side to side as he dodged the other blows which rattled against his jingling mail. He inhaled deeply and then sighed out before he once again made to attack.

ATTACK
D20 (15) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 21
HIT!
D8 (3) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
9 damage!

Adam struck with another heavy blow, sinking his blade deep into the creature as it let out a loud yelp of pain. He wanted to look aside to see where the other two youngsters were, but since they weren’t here that meant he was probably alone. Alone against this mass of muscle and terror.

The brown bear misses an attack with its claws.
The brown bear hits an attack with its bite.
CRITICAL HIT!
Health is reduced by 14.
6 Health remaining.

Adam struck the bear’s claws with his shield, but it left his neck and shoulder exposed. The bear then leaned in, taking the moment’s advantage, and then tore into his shoulder with its giant maw. It clamped down tight with it’s teeth, which had managed to sink through the chain, and then tore off bits of flesh as the blood began to flow out.

“Argh!” Adam roared, wincing as he felt the crimson river begin to pool into his clothes. He gasped for air as the pain flooded through his body and in a panic he lunged with his blade.

ATTACK
D20 (1) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 7
CRITICAL MISS!

CRITICAL SAVE
D20 (4) + TOUGH (2) + (2) = 8
FAILURE!

HEAVY MAIL ARMOUR DEFENCE REDUCED BY 1!

Adam’s eyes grew wide as his heart pounded wildly. His body grew cold, his eyes went wide as the terror began to set deep within his body. No! He couldn’t quite give up just yet! Panic was the enemy of every adventurer. He flexed his muscles and brought his shield up once more.

TOUGH SPIRIT
D10 (10) + LEVEL (1) = 11
Health increased by 11.
17 Health remaining.

The brown bear misses an attack with its claws.
The brown bear hits an attack with its bite.

SHIELD
Defence is increased temporarily by 5.
Mana reduced by 1.
1 Mana remaining.

The brown bear misses an attack with its bite.

The bear wasted no time, it’s claws baring down onto Adam’s shield, and though it almost managed to sink it’s teeth against Adam’s neck, an invisible barrier struck its face and it pulled aside.

ATTACK
D20 (6) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 22
HIT!
D8 (1) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
7 damage!

He managed a shallow cut against its knee, but that was enough to have it pull away from him and allow him a moment to breathe. It growled at him once more, though now there was some hesitation within its movements, thinking twice about attacking this copper ranked adventurer.

The brown bear hits an attack with its claws.
Health reduced by 12.
5 Health remaining.
The brown bear misses an attack with its bite.

Those heavy claws finally managed to strike against his side, sinking deep within his skin. Adam let out a roar of pain before he tried to think. It should have taken enough damage for him to finally take it down with the next attack.

SLEEP
7d6 (24)
Mana reduced by 1.
0 Mana remaining.

“Why don’t you take a journey into slumber land?” Adam incanted into its ear, clutching onto his wizard’s die for hope. Then he began to pray he had dealt enough damage to it so it would succumb to his spell.

The brown bear’s body grew heavy and dropped right ahead of him. Adam looked down at it as it snored loudly as a wave of relief crashed through his body. Yet his body was still cold with fear as he doffed his shield aside. He grabbed his blade with both hands, fingers clutching the blade for dear life. He thought of something smart to say, but he was afraid it would awaken from his voice.

ATTACK
D20 (1) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 7
MISS!
REROLL DUE TO SLEEP CONDITION!
D20 (19) + MIGHT (4) + TRAINED (2) = 25
CRITICAL HIT DUE TO SLEEP CONDITION!
2D8 (13) + MIGHT (4) + DUELING (2)
19 damage!

His blade shoved through the eye of the bear, the eye giving in straight away as the juices within it spurted out and covered the area with its brains and blood. Adam pulled his blade out with some effort and then stumbled against a tree, gasping for air.

HEALTH
5/20

“Oh my god! Oh my god…” His breath came to him short and quick.

EXP GAINED
1X BROWN BEAR (250) = 250
SUB TOTAL
250
OTHERWORLDER BONUS (+250) = 500
EXP TOTAL
700 + 500
CURRENT EXP
1200
LEVEL UP AVAILABLE!

He looked towards the dead bear and then wondered for just a moment. He wasn’t going to leave without at least something.

So he swiftly sheathed his blade and hoisted the bear onto his back, grunting as the much heavier form slowed him down.

BIG BONED ACTIVE

ENCUMBERED
Movement speed reduced by 10 feet.

He inhaled deeply and then began to drag the bear out of the forest, moving as quickly as he could. His legs were straining from the effort of dragging the brown bear, his heart was thundering still, partly due to the terror of being caught like this by another creature. The sounds of the forest kept him company, though every sway of a branch, every tweet of an unseen bird, every little sound caused him to jump and swallow.

Finally he was back onto the dirt trail some ways away from the road and he sighed. He looked out to the safety of the gates that were not so far off and continued to drag the creature along.

TOUGH SAVE
D20 (13) + TOUGH (2) + TRAINED (2) = 17
SUCCESS!

He managed to carry the brown bear along the main road, his steps confident and slow, until one of the guards rushed forward towards him.

“Ho, boy!” the guard cried out as she approached. She was an older woman in her forties, built like an ox, with long black hair and dark brown eyes.

“Good afternoon,” Adam grunted out as she helped with carrying the bear.

“What happened?”

“I was searching for herbs,” Adam said. “Then I found I was attacked by a black bear.”

“A black bear? Don’t you mean a brown bear?”

“No, a black bear. I managed to slay it and then I heard a roar and some shouting off in the distance. I saw a guy and a little girl about to be assaulted by this brown bear and so I attacked it.”

“What happened to the other two?”

“I think they ran away, I didn’t see them when I killed it.”

“You killed it? Alone?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Adam said with a nod. “I didn’t see the other two about, they probably ran away during the fight. I’m not sure if it was injured before I attacked it, though. It didn’t seem like it was at the very least.”

“Well done,” the guard said. “What’s your name?”

“Adam,” he replied back.

“A copper rank I see, but not like any copper rank I’ve seen before.”

“Thanks? What’s your name?”

“Sharly.”

“Nice to meet you, and thanks for helping me with the bear.”

“You’re most welcome.”

A few guards off in the distance marched towards them quickly, a group of about four. There were two men and two woman, he recognised Uzami and Rob.

“Of course it would be you,” Uzami said as she helped pick up the bear.

Rob laughed. “What happened this time, eh? Got lost in the sewers?”

“No I was attacked by a bear,” he said.

“Two bears,” Sharly urged.

“Two bears?” Uzami said with raised brows. “Where’s the other?”

“In the forest somewhere,” Adam shrugged.

“Says he was attacked by a black bear and then after he killed it he heard some commotion and found another bear with a guy and a girl. They’re still missing.”

“A guy and a girl? What did they look like?” Uzami asked.

“I don’t remember…” Adam replied. “I didn’t get a good look. The guy was wearing chain like me and he had a spear.”

“And the little girl?”

“I didn’t get a good look at her either, sorry.”

“It’s alright, let’s get you a drink and you can take a second to catch yourself,” the ox-like Sharly said.

Once they were within the city Adam was offered some water and a moment to rest. Rob brought a few bandages and helped disinfect the wound with a bit of alcohol, which caused Adam to hiss as he drunk some more water. A few passerby peoples came to check on what was happening, though the guards were quick to dismiss them.

“We’ll keep an eye on the bear for you,” Sharly said.” Why don’t you head to the guild and let them know about the bear?”

Adam gave her a nod and thanks as he slipped back on his armour. He was about to leave when a thought crossed his mind.

CURRENCY
27 Gold
15 Silver
13 Copper

Then he made his way to the guild. His heart was still racing at the thought of everything. He wondered if perhaps he could claim the black bear kill too but he wasn’t sure since he hadn’t brought any proof with him.

“You look rough,” Paul said as he wiped his sword down. He was sitting outside the guild, with James off nearby cleaning off some armour.

“Yeah,” Adam smiled. “The guards told me to inform you about a bear I slew.”

“You slew a bear?”

“Two, but I could only carry the one.”

“Did you bring proof of the other?”

“Well…” Adam then went on to explain everything quickly.

Paul’s brows raised in surprise. “You killed a brown bear? Alone?”

“I think so,” Adam replied.

“What happened about the other two?”

“They’re still missing, I think.”

“What did the little girl look like, did you get a good look?”

“No, no I didn’t.” Adam wondered why they were asking such a question. What did it matter what the girl looked like?

“Alright,” Paul said as he stood up and then sheathed his blade into his sword belt. “How big was this bear?”

“It’s a brown bear so pretty big?”

“Alright, wait here.” Paul then left for some time as Adam stood outside, glancing about to the sparring areas to see they were empty at the moment. Paul returned with a cart and then looked to Adam. “We’ll pull this together on the way back,” he said.

Adam just nodded.

The pair returned to the city gates and Paul whistled.

“Look at the size of that,” he said as he squat down beside it and brushed a hand through its fur. “No wonder you looked rough.”

“Narrowly avoiding death does that to a man,” Adam said with a shrug.

The guards then lifted the bear onto the cart and strapped it down with some rope.

“You’ve got quite the copper boy there,” Sharly said.

Paul raised his brows. “A promising new recruit,” he said as his eyes fell across the mass of bear, “with a heavy purse.”

“Make sure you send some bear meat our way,” Sharly said as she slapped Adam across his back.

“I will,” Adam said with a smile and then he and Paul pushed the cart back to the guild.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Paul asked as they walked back, the peoples giving them a wide berth.

“Yeah I am, thanks for asking.”

“Nearly died, huh?”

“Yeah, nearly. It managed to tear into my shoulder pretty hard, I almost passed out then.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t, we can’t go losing promising new recruits. Next time just run away, alright?”

“I made sure to hold a few of my abilities for emergencies, but I will play it much safer from now on.”

Paul chuckled as they returned back to the guild. “We’ll get to processing the bear and your rewards, though it’ll take us about an hour.”

“Alright, I need to go check something anyway.”

“No you don’t, you need some rest.” Paul grabbed onto Adam’s good elbow. “Come on, whatever you need to check out you can check out tomorrow.”

Adam relented as he was dragged into the guild and he fell into a seat, the exhaustion filling his bones. He wanted to pass out right then and there.

“Let’s get Adam some food, Margh, he’s had a rough day,” Paul said with a nod towards Margh, who returned the nod and went around back. She returned with some bread and an ale. Being a Brit, Adam thanked her politely.

“What happened to you?” Bobby asked, sober as a teabag from across the way.

“I fought a couple of bears,” Adam said.

Bobby laughed and then fell silent when he saw Paul’s look.

“A couple of bears? Really?”

“Well I have proof for one so maybe I should just say one.”

“Let him rest,” Paul snapped. “You can ask him questions later, when you buy him some drinks.”

Paul then left as Adam started to eat his bread. The bread was delicious, and the ale was helping Adam relax. He sighed out as he was given some time alone to regain his strength. He looked about for Jurot, but did not see the fellow about.

Health increased by 10.
15 Health remaining.

The doors of the guild slammed open. Three figures stood ahead. One was a man wearing heavy chain with a long spear in hand. Another was a small girl with leaf shaped ears and a face that looked as though she wished for everyone’s death. The last was a tall young man that was toothpick thin, with a long moustache that was curled on both ends as though he were a cheap villain.

“Which one of you insufferable adventurers stole my prize?”

Oh, he was a cheap villain.