The idea that someone was so forthcoming with information that could prove game changing at later levels inspired him. In the spirit of the game, he registered to the site as AtlDruid25 and replied to the post. He added the details that Master Proth had given him. The process was arduous to describe, but he did his best. Outlining the idea of completing the move subconsciously might help someone else reach the limit they needed to find. When he hit that final reply button, he sat back in his chair with a smile on his face. It felt good to help people, even though other players just screwed him over.
“Atlas! We need you in exam room three to help with this procedure,” Doctor Sako called.
With a sigh, he put his phone away and returned to work.
***
The lights were out in his apartment, and only the dim glow of the TV illuminated the space. Atlas was close to dozing off when a buzzing noise startled him, and he frantically patted along the couch to find the source. Looking at the screen on his phone, he saw Keenan’s name pop up and smiled. A quick swipe answered the call.
“What’s up, Keenan?”
“Not much, man. Just leaving the Gaia building and listened to your voicemail. Wanted to call and reach out before I passed out for the night. Sure I’ll still be asleep when you head off to login in the morning.”
“How’s the game treating you so far? What level did you get to?” Atlas asked.
“After those hints you told me it’s been a breeze. I immediately found a trainer and learned Alchemy. I’ve made a handful of bomb ass potions and the few I didn’t keep sold really well. I also picked up the Counter ability and even bought one additional skill from the local weaponmaster. All-in-all, I’m at level 7 and moving steadily forward.”
“Damn, that’s nice. I was doing fantastic myself and moved to the second city. Picked up Woodworking in addition to my Leatherworking. The more advanced gear from Leatherworking that I unlocked in my second city sells for very good prices. I teamed up with two other players and we went to complete a few quests, but the asshats betrayed me and attacked me. They ended up killing me, but I got in decent damage on them first. Now I get to start over on my armor and weapons. Luckily I can make everything I need so just have to grind.”
“Ah, that’s whack. I’ve only come across a few other players, but they were more interested in grinding or crafting and didn’t want to team up. Why would you party up at such a low level, anyway?”
“Takes me too long to kill stuff by myself. At least it did until I figured out the best way to combo counters with one skill I learned from the weaponmaster. If I incorporate it into the fights like I did with the two players, I should be able to speed up my grinding. When they pissed me off, my anger reminded me of the abilities.”
“Well, at least you have a game plan. The death penalty wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“Took thirty-five percent of the current level’s experience. It seems to get worse because that was just the level five penalty. Better than losing all the experience for the level, though.”
“No doubt. Have you mastered your first addition yet?”
“Not yet. One of the NPCs I talked to me gave me a hint and I’m going to try it out while grinding. You essentially have to clear your mind and let your body do it naturally if you want to match the strike perfectly. I think it’s like the old saying about warriors and their muscle memory taking over. Not sure if it works or not, but I’ll let you know if it does.”
“Why didn’t you enter a contract before you left town with those PKer’s?” Keenan asked.
“A contract? What are you talking about?”
“Well, well, I finally get to teach the almighty Atlas something about the game. I was asking questions around my second city when I found out about contracts. When you party up with people you can find contract makers at the local adventurer’s guild or registrar’s office. These contracts can have any language you choose in them, such as loot rules or criteria for leaving the party. It also has the added benefit of distinctly forbidding attacking each other. Most people choose that option with some wording for loot rules and then make it where the people can’t drop the party before returning to the safety of the town.”
“Well, son of a bitch. That must’ve been why they acted odd as we left town and then didn’t invite me to the party until we walked out of the gate. They wanted to see if I would ask for a contract first to see if I knew any better,” Atlas said as he slapped his forehead. “Now I feel like an idiot for not asking around as I preach to you. I just rushed into a party without looking into it.”
“Can’t even follow your own advice, huh?” Keenan asked with a chuckle, “Oh well, I bet you won’t make that mistake again. Knowing you, you’ll bounce back from that death without a problem. You want to hurry because I heard rumor of an event going down in a few days. Supposed to be a decent
