More decorated the wall behind the counter, but these looked far more important. Some harbored living plants in soil, all vibrant with life. One row contained only vials, each with oddly colored liquids in them.
The woman turned back to him with a dusty leather-bound book in her hands. She walked to the counter and plopped it down with a slight puff of dust. Brushing the cover off with the back of her hand, she carefully grabbed the edge and flipped it open. A quick shuffle through the pages and she stopped and flipped the book around toward him.
Atlas walked closer and examined the page. A drawing of a plant with a single stem, decorated with four large leaves, showed on the page. The illustration contained enough detail to even show the way the roots appeared beneath the soil. The thick tubes wound into a loose ball the size of a baseball.
“This plant is the Zanth Root. Look for the unique leaf style and it’s easy to spot. It’s difficult to get them out of the ground without damaging the roots because of how they wind,” the woman warned before flipping the pages again and stopping, “and this one is a Weer Bloom.”
The illustration showed a small plant with a large bulbous top. What Atlas assumed was the bloom itself looked like a fat bottomed vase and tapered into a thin neck with a flared opening. The most distinct aspect was the blue and white swirl pattern on it.
“These are also in the area. Can you find five of each of these for me?” she asked.
Quest - Supplying the Herbalist
Requirements:
• Level 1
Quest Rarity: Common
Quest Reward: 50 experience, 5 copper coins, 1 Minor Mana Potion.
Description: The Herbalist has asked you to retrieve Zanth Root x5 and Weer Bloom x5.
Do you wish to accept this quest? Yes/No.
Atlas merely shrugged and selected Yes.
“Fantastic. I look forward to your return.”
He turned to leave but paused. He quickly realized he didn’t know what the Haeyna Sprig looked like.
“Before I go, can you show me the drawing for a Haeyna Sprig? I have another quest to find some of those and don’t know what they look like.”
She flipped through the pages again before stopping at another drawing. This one showed a vine-like plant with small red flowers.
“That’s what you seek. Those can be tricky to harvest, so I wish you luck.”
“Why’s that?” Atlas asked with a look of confusion.
She gave him an odd look, “Guess you’re not familiar with Herbalism, huh?”
“Actually, I’m just starting out,” Atlas admitted.
“That plant has small thorns that are annoying to deal with,” she explained while pointing to the picture, “the toughest part is you can’t just pull them up. If you don’t carefully dig them out, you’re guaranteed to damage the roots and render the plant unusable.”
“Well, damn.” Atlas muttered.
The young woman reached behind the desk and pulled out a small tool. She walked over and handed him the item.
Item - Herbalist Trowel
Requirements: Level 1
Rarity: Common
Quality: Poor
Durability: 15/15
Weight: 1 lb.
Slot: Main-Hand/Off-Hand
Traits: A basic trowel made of bronze. Increases the user’s chance to harvest low level herbs by 5%.
“Thank you. What’s your name?” Atlas asked.
“Why Zaina, of course,” she told him with a laugh, “It’s my shop after all.”
“Well, until we meet again, Zaina,” he told her with a wave as he walked out the door.
Once outside, his resolve sat in. It’s time to search for some plants.
Chapter 3
The First Excursion
Atlas strolled from the shop and looked around the town. He wanted to pick a direction, but also needed to make sure he didn’t get lost. Using the sun as a guide, he walked in the direction he assumed was east. When he reached the last building, a thought occurred to him.
Most of these games have a minimap. This one should as well.
He focused inward and pictured minimap. A small floating map showed in the corner of his vision. He saw the buildings clearly marked on the map and even noticed a trail that led from the town. That trail and the town itself were the only visible pieces on the map.
It must only show places I’ve been. Would explain the trail I ran to get here.
No longer worrying about getting lost, he strolled with confidence into the surrounding forest. His trek continued until he crossed a game trail and he turned to follow it in a southeastern direction. The ground was a clear path ahead on the trail, but to either side sat a carpet of grass.
Atlas glanced at his feet. I’ll never find herbs on the game trail itself. I’ll have to go dig through the grass and around the trees.
Changing directions, he headed into the wooded area. The trees in this area provided plenty of shade and blocked out a fair amount of the sunlight. Most of the grasses were of the broad-leaf variety. The soft squish of the grass under his boot helped calm him. Smells of the surrounding woods amazed his senses. It’s truly hard to believe this is a game.
Movement interrupted his walk as he noticed the grass near one tree swayed in erratic movements. Atlas carefully reached into his bag and pulled out the small Bronze Knife. The creature scurried into a clear part of the path, and he identified it as a squirrel. He mentally thought abilities, and the only thing that appeared was one attack. Double Slash (Rank 1). Atlas charged for the little creature and when he closed, the distance received a message.
You have entered combat!
So it gives you some warning, huh? He shook off the message and mentally activated Double Slash. What he saw made little sense. A ghostly image of a knife raced from his own weapon and hit the animal in the side. He continued his original swing
