The item appeared in my hand. It was a strange thing, being the prism that it was. Rather than light passing through it, it almost seem to radiate from it. I took a few moments to look, trying to figure it out, yet nothing seemed to instinctively come to mind on how to use it. I mentally shrugged and stored it away in my inventory. Hopefully, this quest-line will teach me how to use it.
For now, I decided to head into Epic City, seeing as I was already quite exhausted from that fight. Along the way, I decided to check my basic stats to attempt to glean information off it them (it was probably an oversight to not check them beforehand, but nothing I can do about that now):
Profile - Basic Stats
HP: 36/36
MP: 25/25
Stamina: 10/100
Level: 1 (40%)
Speed: 40 (DND Terms)
Strength: 14
Evasion: 13
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 10
Luck: 9%
Attack: 5-10 damage per strike
Defense: 11
Magic Defense: 0 + 10 (Iridescent Bonus)
Weakness: All
Strength: Unknown (Iridescent Bonus)
Auto Abilities: Unknown (Iridescent Bonus)
Ouch, didn’t think my stamina was that low. That would really affect my ability to fight other monsters. Good thing I decided to take a breather for now, all that sprinting really did take a lot out of me.
“Phew.” I let out a big breath. Taking in the fact that I just defeated whatever that thing was. I pull up my quest log and see the next part of the quest locked for some reason. “Huh, there must be a trigger I’m missing.” Well, whatever it is it can wait until I can see Suzie. I just hope the quests are not as hard as that one was. Maybe they scale with level? But then why would a level one quest be as hard as that one? Ah, I need to stop thinking about it and just relax for a bit.
The gate now looms over my head as I arrived while lost in thought. I shift my gaze from side to side to take in just how large it is. Must be like twenty feet wide and forty feet tall and it takes all of my willpower to not just jaw drop at the sight of it. The guards on either side, eye me warily, almost like there’s some sort of concern for my appearance? Meh, probably will get those looks a lot while looking like this.
“Good day, gentlemen.” I greet them pleasantly. “Do you know where I can restore my stamina?”
They all shift uncomfortably. One of them finally speaks after a few seconds. “T-there’s a b-bar around here t-that’ll give you s-something to h-help with that.”
I just nod, noting how awkward the rest of the conversation will go and hurry past them. “Guess I’m not getting info out of them.” I grumble.
“Watch your back, Iris.” I hear a guard whisper as I pass him.
I glance at him confused, but he remains stoically in formation with the others. Shaking off the strange words, I make my way into the city to try to find a bar.
The city proper is amazing if not more so than the site of the towering gate and walls. Each road from the entrance leads to many different markets and houses that all look pristine, as if each and every one of them were programmed to extreme details. I wandered down the market district to see if I could find a bar to replenish my stamina. Curiously, as I’m walking along enjoying the sights and smells of fresh produce, there’s no indicator of who’s an NPC and who’s a real character. I notice a mother and daughter at a nearby stall, curious as to who would create a child character. I approach them cautiously.
The child starts as she turns around and notices me. “M-mommy, the Iris are here.”
The mother comforts here, “Sweety, you know that they are all harmless.”
“B-b-but.” She is on the verge of tears.
“Shhh, it’s okay honey.” She rubs her daughter’s back. “Don’t forget that one of our regulars is an Iris.”
She nods. I take that opportunity to ask something. “What’s an Iris?”
The mother nods knowingly. “Quite simply, they are those who use the Iridescent packet.”
“Okay… But how does that make people wary of me?” I ask still unsure of what’s going on.
She glances around and leans in close. “Some Iris feel entitlement for the strange power they wield. No one knows what it is or how to beat it and most people are afraid of being killed, even in such a game as this.” She whispers the next part. “Recently though, they have begun labeling players controlling an Iris because some of the more known ones have begun to disappear. It has invoked a lot of fear into the inhabitants here since no one knows if a new Iris is secretly someone who vanished already.” She pats my arm, “Just watch yourself okay.”
I nod, a bit spooked at the prospect of suddenly disappearing. “By the way,” I transition into a more business tone, “do you have something to help restore my stamina?”
Her eyes brighten, “Why yes, of course I do. In fact, that’s what my shop specializes in.” She rummages through the various herbs and pulls out a red radish looking food. “This here is the best bang for your buck.”
“Thanks, uh, how much do I owe?” I ask, trying to find my coin bag.
“It’s on the house, darling.” She smiles, “I hate how the Iris have been treated lately, so I want to make up for that as much as I can.”
I nod. “Well thanks for the gift then.” I take a bite and check my stamina, which instantly rises to 60. I wave back to the pair and walk further into the city, hoping to meet up with Suzie soon.
