Red GypsyDay 16 Midday
Two weeks passed far more slowly and safely than Tailpin had thought. While rumors had continued to spread, there really hadn't been much real attention. Switching to night hunting had probably helped with that since there were still very few players choosing to hunt at night. His reputation, therefore, stayed firmly in the realm of tabloid novelty. He was often discussed over tankards but never really sought out. On the other hand, his personal wealth and ability had not remained so impractical. It turns out that very few people in this game had really bothered to pay attention to the relationship between time and reward when it came to quests.
Many of the other players seemed to look for quests exclusively. They find a quest with a reward that looked large, spend half a day completing it, and then rest for a few hours before sauntering out to hunt a little before dinner. They were trying to avoid grinding and gain power without time and effort. Yet, their net result wasn't that impressive. Tailpin was more patient.
In those two weeks he had managed to amass a significant amount of coin as well as a large stockpile of refined materials. He had used a few of the local quests to break the monotony but he hadn't really worried about them much. They simply couldn't deliver coin or experience good enough to justify the time, though the occasional quest limited item could make them worth it as a change of pace. He had done the math.
The time it took to run through the quests, relative to the reward, was actually worth it for most players since they wasted a lot of grinding time running from one place to another. Tailpin didn't have that problem. He simply stood on his hill and kept a steady rhythm all night long. He'd actually gotten used to not eating or resting until after dawn. In this way he had managed to rapidly gain both levels and wealth without accomplishing anything that people would find particularly impressive. Truth be told, the dogs had actually stopped giving him experience after his last level. The problem was that there were too many variables involved in switching his hunting spot. Well, that and the money was still better from the dogs. They dropped materials consistently enough to off-set the low quality quite nicely.
Still, it was fine and dandy to sit in one spot and have this lucrative night job. But, he wasn't getting anywhere. Even in this dangerous game Tailpin couldn't stomach just sitting here when he was clearly strong enough now for more effective hunting grounds. It wasn't sitting well with him that he hadn't gained any point-blank combat skill with the bow. Without that, he really couldn't advance alone. Sure, he could switch to any of the areas that he'd already mapped but scouting an unfamiliar area was out of the question. Though, there was one related rumor that he had heard that piqued his interest.
It seemed that there was someone out there who was asking specific questions about him. From what was being discussed over ale in the morning, while Tailpin was having dinner, it sounded like there was a seriously interested party. The question was what kind of interest they had in him. That was something that he wouldn't learn from rumors. He'd have to let them find him. Yet, it sounded like there weren't enough people moving around at night for them to figure out where he was going. He'd have to make himself a target big enough for them to spot and close enough that they'd want to come after him.
With that in mind, he found himself going through one vendor after another in the middle of the day with players all around. He bought the best arrows that the town had to offer, several dozen of them. He also handled them in public so that the rumors could start flying about him gearing up for something new. In two weeks he hadn't used anything but training arrows. But now, he put that quiver away in his inventory and equipped two hip-quivers. One had arrows that were about level four in quality. The other quiver held the best the town had to offer. Iron Fang Arrows were the best that could be bought and they required level six to use. He was higher level than that now but he wouldn't have bought things on his level even if he could. It didn't pay to show off your level when you played solo. The archer also bought the best set of light armor that he could find to replace his level one gear. He hadn't needed to upgrade his armor all this time but now, now was a different story. He managed to find a complete set that was suitable for a level four but that was the best he could find. It was still leather but it covered a bit more of him and had better protection for the arms and hands. The search really was a bit disappointing though.
The vendors in Bull's Run really didn't have anything great to offer. It was starting to look like further improvement would require player crafting or finding a more advanced town. Unfortunately, while Tailpin had heard smaller hamlets out there on this level, there didn't seem to be a better town than this one on this floor. Somebody would have to beat the boss and unlock the second floor before anyone could get to a better set of vendors.
Still, that was another player's problem. This archer was only concerned with being a bit more visible so that his most interested admirer could find him. With that in mind, he headed north. There wasn't much that could challenge him between town and the forest and his dps had risen to the point where he could reliably bring down a bear before it reached him, if he started the fight at or near his maximum range. Hopefully, this would be a visible enough course of action to let them find him so he could find out who they were and what they wanted.
@Sif@Zelosse
Two weeks passed far more slowly and safely than Tailpin had thought. While rumors had continued to spread, there really hadn't been much real attention. Switching to night hunting had probably helped with that since there were still very few players choosing to hunt at night. His reputation, therefore, stayed firmly in the realm of tabloid novelty. He was often discussed over tankards but never really sought out. On the other hand, his personal wealth and ability had not remained so impractical. It turns out that very few people in this game had really bothered to pay attention to the relationship between time and reward when it came to quests.
Many of the other players seemed to look for quests exclusively. They find a quest with a reward that looked large, spend half a day completing it, and then rest for a few hours before sauntering out to hunt a little before dinner. They were trying to avoid grinding and gain power without time and effort. Yet, their net result wasn't that impressive. Tailpin was more patient.
In those two weeks he had managed to amass a significant amount of coin as well as a large stockpile of refined materials. He had used a few of the local quests to break the monotony but he hadn't really worried about them much. They simply couldn't deliver coin or experience good enough to justify the time, though the occasional quest limited item could make them worth it as a change of pace. He had done the math.
The time it took to run through the quests, relative to the reward, was actually worth it for most players since they wasted a lot of grinding time running from one place to another. Tailpin didn't have that problem. He simply stood on his hill and kept a steady rhythm all night long. He'd actually gotten used to not eating or resting until after dawn. In this way he had managed to rapidly gain both levels and wealth without accomplishing anything that people would find particularly impressive. Truth be told, the dogs had actually stopped giving him experience after his last level. The problem was that there were too many variables involved in switching his hunting spot. Well, that and the money was still better from the dogs. They dropped materials consistently enough to off-set the low quality quite nicely.
Still, it was fine and dandy to sit in one spot and have this lucrative night job. But, he wasn't getting anywhere. Even in this dangerous game Tailpin couldn't stomach just sitting here when he was clearly strong enough now for more effective hunting grounds. It wasn't sitting well with him that he hadn't gained any point-blank combat skill with the bow. Without that, he really couldn't advance alone. Sure, he could switch to any of the areas that he'd already mapped but scouting an unfamiliar area was out of the question. Though, there was one related rumor that he had heard that piqued his interest.
It seemed that there was someone out there who was asking specific questions about him. From what was being discussed over ale in the morning, while Tailpin was having dinner, it sounded like there was a seriously interested party. The question was what kind of interest they had in him. That was something that he wouldn't learn from rumors. He'd have to let them find him. Yet, it sounded like there weren't enough people moving around at night for them to figure out where he was going. He'd have to make himself a target big enough for them to spot and close enough that they'd want to come after him.
With that in mind, he found himself going through one vendor after another in the middle of the day with players all around. He bought the best arrows that the town had to offer, several dozen of them. He also handled them in public so that the rumors could start flying about him gearing up for something new. In two weeks he hadn't used anything but training arrows. But now, he put that quiver away in his inventory and equipped two hip-quivers. One had arrows that were about level four in quality. The other quiver held the best the town had to offer. Iron Fang Arrows were the best that could be bought and they required level six to use. He was higher level than that now but he wouldn't have bought things on his level even if he could. It didn't pay to show off your level when you played solo. The archer also bought the best set of light armor that he could find to replace his level one gear. He hadn't needed to upgrade his armor all this time but now, now was a different story. He managed to find a complete set that was suitable for a level four but that was the best he could find. It was still leather but it covered a bit more of him and had better protection for the arms and hands. The search really was a bit disappointing though.
The vendors in Bull's Run really didn't have anything great to offer. It was starting to look like further improvement would require player crafting or finding a more advanced town. Unfortunately, while Tailpin had heard smaller hamlets out there on this level, there didn't seem to be a better town than this one on this floor. Somebody would have to beat the boss and unlock the second floor before anyone could get to a better set of vendors.
Still, that was another player's problem. This archer was only concerned with being a bit more visible so that his most interested admirer could find him. With that in mind, he headed north. There wasn't much that could challenge him between town and the forest and his dps had risen to the point where he could reliably bring down a bear before it reached him, if he started the fight at or near his maximum range. Hopefully, this would be a visible enough course of action to let them find him so he could find out who they were and what they wanted.
@Sif@Zelosse