Captain's Log. [Solo]

[Ryker]

Captains Log: Entry One                            Title: WOOD PLAY DATE
Date: Eight Days After Starting
Time: Sunset
Location: “London’s Wall Inn”

I have no idea what to put here, but I guess I will put something. I just found this notebook not even five minutes ago and the stupid idea of wanting to write everything down just hit me like a brick, but whatever. I guess it will help me pass the time until I actually fall asleep. There is not much I can really put down right now, but I guess I can come up with some random crap. For now, I will keep it simple. I doubt anyone will see this anyways unless I drop it somewhere or get mugged… wait, how could you mug someone in a game? You cannot exactly reach into their inventory… right? I hope not. That would be bad, and I would probably be a good target. Being short sucks because it makes you an easy bully-target. Thankfully I have never had to deal with them. Hurray no school!

So yea, this is Ryker and I guess I will be plastering my heart and soul all over these pages. Yup, this is probably the only thing I will ever plaster anything on. Oh god that is just nasty. Who would ever want to do that? I mean, is that just like… Nope… Not going to go into that. That stuff is gross, kind of, to an extent. But necessary sometimes I guess. The pill is not 100%!

I have just learned that writing down my thoughts may not be a smart idea. I have also learned how pitiful my brain can be but whatever. If I cannot focus then so be it! I will do everything else! No, not really. This will be for note taking. I have a horrid memory so I should keep this organized. Oh, I need to title things too. I should add that…

Title: WOOD GATHERING DA WOOD PLAY DATE

There it is. Perfect. I have some lovely organization of stuff, a title, and words. That is exactly what I needed and exactly how I am doing to do this. I will probably forget in three hours how to do this but I do not care. SO HERE WE GO.

Today I had soup and a sandwich for breakfast. NOPE.
Today, I thought was going to be easy. I really did. I planned to roll out of bed this morning thinking for once, just once, I would be able to go through my day without a hitch. That worked, if only for a few minutes. The instant I got out of bed, I slipped and fell right on my face. Thankfully I fell onto the bed. Wood hurts. But I did not take the hint and go back to sleep like a normal person. Nope, I got back up and left the inn room and went to the dining hall right away! I stuffed my face with the daily early bird special and bounced off just as a bunch of other players were waking up. Lazy people were lazy and I prefer not to catch that disease.

So after eating, I got started on my one task; make a fishing rod! Yes, an actual fishing rod. After almost a week of playing the game Elder Tale, I still don’t have one of those. As a Fisherman, I feel horrible. I should be sailing the seas throwing lines, dropping nets! I should be on the horizon smelling the breeze and filling up a cooler with a bunch of fish! NOPE. Not in this place. In this place I am stuck on the ground with a rusty old sword and not a sign of a water source nearby; I am a landlubber. I hate it.

Being unable to get away from people for any period of time is actually killing my mind. The noise is giving me headaches and I feel sick whenever I linger around crowds for too long. Maybe that is a side-effect of living in a small town for so long. You would think I would love being around people, but after seeing how vulgar others are and how violent some people can be I am actually quite content with avoiding everyone. Oh god I hope that does not sound too weird. Oh god it does. It sounds so depressing. I LIKE PEOPLE! I SWEAR! JUST SOME PEOPLE ARE RIDICULOUSLY PITIFUL!!

But not everyone is. During my quest to gather materials for making a fishing rod, more specifically wood; I was bothered by initially one female player. She was not much taller than myself but was very obviously either brave or mentally deranged seeing as she actually approached me. I probably looked like a mad gatherer to the People of the Land (nicknamed Landers by some) and other players. By the time the woman had walked up to me, I had amassed a small army of twigs and sticks from the forest around London, or Londinium as the game calls it. When she said something, I was quite startled that someone had actually approached me but whatever. It was her and some other creature thing, but it was more focused on calling me names than doing any harm so I paid it no mind.

I had just begun introducing myself and explaining what I was doing when another player walked over. He seemed to have known the female player and the little creature so it did not surprise me when he entered the scene so casually. He also seemed to be putting on the “I am bad guy! Be afraid of my presence! Fear me! Do not get close to me or I will kick your nuts off or do worse things to you or do whatever bad guys do to people… to you!” gig. Not really, he just had some glare on his face all the time so that was probably was he was doing? I have no idea, but it did look like he was trying to look mean. I never understood why people did that. I always thought it was stupid, but whatever that was his decision. The Joker never really got an angry face and he was more frightening than half of the tough guys I have bumped into. But he was the Joker so I guess he is an exception. BUT THAT WAS OKAY. He is the Joker. The Joker is a good guy. Sort of. Not really. He is a dick but that is another thing entirely.

The two players, one I call Carebear because I have no idea how to say her name (@dindeen) and the other player I learned to be known as Scoria, both decided to help me find some wood! Happy day! Yay! At that time I would have turned them away because of the huge pile I had already gathered, but the Scoria-bad-guy-guy suggested we find some other wood, but unlike myself he had a tool to get the actual good stuff. Scoria had a wood-axe. Said axe he tossed at me and allowed me to use, so I did. After following the Scoria-bad-guy-guy and walking with Carebear, I found a good cluster of Ash Trees. I had seen them in the real world before but it was even better running into them in the game world. They were pretty sturdy at times so with a good piece I could make a decent rod.

With the trees found, I climbed up into the canopy of the larger tree nearby the other players and cut three of them free. They are nestled safely in my inventory so I can hopefully put them to use later. I would make a rod now, or at least start one but I do not exactly have any kind of materials aside from the stick. No line, no wheel, no hooks, no bait, nothing. Not even the thread that is holding my bed sheets together could be used. They are too weak for a fishing line. I am too lazy to find any bait at the moment as well. It is bed time! I actually should be asleep…

After getting the three pieces of wood I could use for the rods, I descended the tree ever so gracefully and rejoined the other players. I gave the woodcutting axe back to the Scoria guy, but I should get one for myself soon. It was very useful and allowed me to get materials my hands cannot. A trip to the blacksmith will be necessary! I hear there is a good one somewhere around town. I forget the name of it but I guess I could ask around a little for it again. Some people say he is just a ghost, but I do not believe in those things. MOVING ALONG.

I said goodbye to those players a little after getting the wood materials and added the Carebear to my friend’s list. She seemed quite determined for me to do so. She was also intent on there not being any booze, but that was okay. I dislike any sort of alcoholic drink. It burns my throat, messes with my body, and does not exactly taste good. I prefer juice or flavored water thank you. Call me a child but whatever, that stuff is the drink of the gods. Sometimes. Not everytime.

Once I was alone, I went back to my pile of gathered wood and returned to digging through it. Almost as if I had not been bothered at all, I continued to search the pile for any usable material. I ended up storing away almost all of it, strangely enough, but that was okay. Someday I will put it all to use. Whether it is me using the wood as firewood or actually making useful tools, it does not matter. I will use it all somehow. Nature is not meant to be wasted and I do not plan to do so.

The light is fading and I still have not replaced the candle I have used up in the room so I do not have much light left. So, I end this entry. It was fun writing down my day and putting some thoughts down. It actually helped calm me down and made me laugh a little. Seeing your own thoughts down on paper is much different than just seeing them in your head. Until next time, faded yellow pages! Until next time…

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WC: 1743
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[Ryker]

Captains Log: Entry Two                           Title: HATING SNAKES
Date: Three Weeks and Five Days After Starting
Time: Sunset
Location: “London’s Wall Inn”

I am going to be brutally honest here: I really hate snakes. I do. They are probably the one creature on the planet, the real planet, that I wish did not exist. I say this for one simple reason; they are so aggressive it is not even funny. I do not even know why they exist aside from being the bane of my own existence but they are alive, and I hate them. Where I lived in reality, snakes were a persistent problem for myself along with other fishermen and were constantly messing with my ability to both catch fish and capture creatures like turtles that could traverse both the water and the land. It was not that they attacked my traps or got in my way, but the snakes actually used my traps for their own purposes. One time I had caught a very large turtle and when I went to check on the trap, I found a snake attempting to eat the thing. I killed it right then and there of course but the turtle was inedible due to being filled with snake poison, so I had to dispose of it. I lost other creatures as well to the annoying pests; rabbits, frogs, small birds, and even an alligator when I had the rare chance of catching one in a trap! I hate snakes, so much.

Now you may be asking yourself; why are you talking about snakes, Ryker? I’ll tell you why. I was almost killed by them, again. This time it was serious and without the help of a new friend, I probably would be a snake’s lunch right now. I cannot stand those creatures, but I deal with them. As much as I dislike being upset, I feel like hating snakes is okay. Everybody gets one, right? Sadly no, all of the natural world should be respected and loved, as that was what my father taught me. With that in mind, I respect snakes. They are vicious creatures but are rightfully so. With quick reflexes and poisonous venom that could bring down nearly any known creature, depending on the species of snake, I think I am right in fearing and hating snakes. I think of my strong feelings towards snakes the same as some people are with spiders, except snakes are more obnoxious when it comes to actually making a living. Spiders are more afraid of you than you are of them, most of the time.

As you can probably tell, I came across some snakes today and at first, I was okay with that. After wandering around London, or Londinium, I had decided that it was time to see how good of a fighter I was! Genius idea, right? Yes, sure. We all need to know our limits and I am also one who likes to fight his fears head on. Now, I did not plan to come across snakes specifically but it just kind of happened. As I entered the area known as the Windsor Greatwood, there was a large patch of the things. The creatures varied in level as well as veracity, as some completely ignored my presence in the area while others seemed to be interested in what I had to offer food wise. I almost stepped on a few of the silent ones because of the fact that I could not exactly see their status bars until I was within a certain range of them, but thankfully that never happened.

Yet, even when I was surrounded by the large group, I decided it would be a fantastic idea to try my hand at fighting one of them! Oh man, I am so smart. Yup, while surrounded by nearly a dozen snakes, I stabbed at a level one snake and began to fight it right there in front of all of them. It was so smart that I nearly called myself Einstein. Sarcasm aside, it was actually an enlightening experience. I was quickly reminded of how much I sucked with a sword and how pitiful I was at defending myself. I also quickly learned the limits of my current, only, healing spell; Healing Light.

Against a single creature it is able to balance out most of the damage done, but the regeneration of my health is slow. It took me a few minutes to get the timing down but it was best for me to cast the spell right after I was struck by the snake, as the healing would start immediately and my health would recover just enough to take off almost two thirds of the damage I had taken before the next bite. The remainder of the spell’s effect would spill over into the next attack and allow me to either strike or dodge the third hit while also waiting for my spell to finish its countdown. Using the chain of attacking, healing, dodging or attacking, and then healing while fighting the snake, I was doing well. I had nearly stalled the declining of my health and was able to weaken the snake at a steady pace. That was enough for me to be satisfied, but I know now that it was a very inefficient way of fighting and would lead to me being killed by more powerful creatures.

In this world when you die, you return to the cathedral so dying is not very serious. However, as much as I dislike fighting, I know that death should not be a fall back option. I have not died yet (even though I have only been in combat once) and I do not exactly wish to. Though at some point, I hope to see the effects of death. It sounds terrible but seeing someone die and knowing what happens at that point will be very helpful. Does a player lose items? Do they lose experience? Simple questions like that. Nothing major like losing body parts or anything like that.

On the topic of my inefficiency, looking back I simply stood there in front of the snake and traded blows. I have not been able to see other players fight, aside from the player who I met during my little skirmish, so I can understand my stupid choice to stand there. But I probably should have moved around a bit. Dodging and blocking would have saved me from some stress and I could have damaged the snake more if I countered rather than relying on my healing spell. How I would do any of that, I have no idea but it will come with time. I am not a fighter and I do not like conflict, but I have a feeling I might have to get used to killing if I wish to survive here in this world.

Returning to my fighting with the snake, the little one on one I had did not actually last very long. Only a few minutes after our fighting, another player appeared and plowed over the snake. Personally, I would have been more subtle with my appearance but that was just me. This player was a little more forward with his actions, as I would learn later, and that was okay. This player, named Eonis, was a tank who actually helped keep me alive. As a Cleric, I am quite pitiful when it comes to combat. Without any real experience either, I assume that me being in a party is as good as having a tree as a partner, except the tree can heal you.

Aside from Eonis’s actual appearance, as well as him being a tank which would be useful later, I learned that other players could actually control monsters for a short people of time. Unlike Scoria whom I met a few days earlier, Eonis was able to befriend one of the snakes nearby and it actually fought with us for a short period of time. It was pretty useful to have an additional party member in the field, especially when that party member was able to hold its own while Eonis and I dealt with a few other snakes that had decided to join the fighting, which I quickly was uneasy about. Rather than take on the snakes one at a time like I had thought of doing, Eonis attracted a lot of attention. Whether it was the tank class itself that caused such a thing or the fact that the snakes were all over the place, I have no idea but it was difficult to keep up with everything.

I found myself a little stretched as the Cleric, with healing both the friendly snake and Eonis, but it was a good experience. I learned to use Eonis’s tanking abilities to get around my opponents and also that mobility was a good way to keep out of range of the snake’s attacks. Unlike my first little bout, I kept moving around and attacked whenever I found an opening or when the snakes were more focused on my allies. That helped keep me from being attacked and also kept the number of bodies I needed to keep alive down. It sounds easy enough, but it was really difficult! With only one healing spell that is not a good one in the least, I could barely keep either of my allies from dying. We were lucky, to say the least. But it was not the actual combat healing that I had trouble with, it was the status effect that Eonis got that I had difficulty with.

Out of the three snakes we were fighting, the one Eonis was dueling had some sort of poison attack. This effect drained Eonis’s health fairly quickly and his health bar declined twice as fast as it normally would have, making keeping him alive almost impossible with my level. Because of this, we quickly dispatched of the enemy snakes and Eonis was forced to direct our new snake friend to a very far distance away to ensure that we would not be ambushed by it once his taming skill, or friend-making skill thing, wore off. However even after the battle was over, Eonis was slipping. His health was not declining as rapidly because of the out-of-battle regeneration had kicked in, but it was still very serious. The level difference between the snake and Eonis was very prevalent at that moment, and I actually thought he was going to die. Well, he probably would have if it was not for us being targeted again.

After only a few moments of peace, the surrounding snakes were fed up with us two Players being near them and had decided to either kill us or get us to run; I picked the second option. At first, I considered carrying Eonis out but that was… obviously not going to work… So instead I sent him back to wherever he had set his Call of Home skill to be. Then I bailed. I bailed fast. The snakes were quick but I guess my race helps me move quicker and I was actually able to balance better when I pulled my tail out while I ran.

I will be honest; it is times like that where I truly respect other creatures in the world. The snakes were obviously much more powerful than myself and Eonis, and even though we were able to bring down a few of them, they had us on the run the entire time. It was amazing to fight such powerful opponents and if this world is filled with them, I would not mind learning how to fight! I think it could be interesting to go out and battle with such powerful creatures. I will have to prepare in advance, obviously, and probably will not be fighting dragons or massive golems right away but they will come in time. Either that or I could just focus on fishing. Speaking of which, I still have not made a fishing pole…

That will probably be what I deal with next, then; a fishing pole. Today I learned that being a landlubber was not as bad as I thought. However I will simply have to be stronger before I can truly enjoy it. Dying is not an option. On the other hand, I learned how much I suck at it. I am a pitiful excuse for a combatant and I need to work on my fighting abilities. That will come with time, but I should probably ask someone who knows how to fight if they can give me some tips. For now, I will focus on fishing. Tomorrow, I will definitely get a fishing rod or at least the materials for one. Well… Maybe. Either that or just get food. I visited a bakery the other day and the woman made some delicious cakes. She is expensive though so I did not have enough money to buy anything from her, but that will change. Tomorrow, everything will change…

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WC: 2152
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