Moments later he reached the river. The bank was steep, and the water looked deep and slow moving. Killum squatted and surveyed the situation. It wouldn't be easy getting a drink without falling in and getting all wet. He had a feeling being soaked there would be just as miserable as in real life. It was bad enough in the previous realm.
Movement to his left caught his eye. Something was flying low and fast. It took him a moment, and then his jaw dropped as he stared incredulously. Three men on a flying carpet zipped past him, following the river, without seeing him. They were gone before he could call out to them.
"I want a flying carpet."
He followed the river northward, looking for a place to get a drink. It didn't take long to cross a gurgling brook winding down to empty into the river. The water was cold and delicious, and he drank until he was a little uncomfortable.
He spotted a familiar plant. Using a stick, he half-dug, half-pulled the plant up. The thick roots were paler than he expected, but he was pretty sure it was a wild carrot. It was also a lot bigger than he expected. So he returned to the brook and washed the roots off.
And took a bite.
"Mmm, it is a carrot," he said. "Not as good as store-bought, but it's food."
Congratulations! You've learned the survival skill of Foraging! Go forth and find food.
Killum continued on his way, eating the carrot as he went. He studied everything with an eye toward making a weapon. His first thought was to make a bow and arrows, but realized that was much too labor intensive, and he didn't have any of the skills required. Next he looked for a long, straight piece of wood to make a staff, since he didn't have a spearhead. In the end, all he found was a sturdy two-foot length of wood he could use as a club.
"Better than nothing."
Even next to the river the terrain remained hilly, only there were small creeks between some hills. Eventually he found his way blocked by a creek too wide to jump over. Still not willing to get his clothes wet, Killum headed upstream. He got maybe a hundred yards before he heard someone else stomping through the woods.
Ducking behind a tree, he held his club at the ready. As the footsteps grew closer, his heart hammered and it got harder to breathe. If it was a mob, he could waylay it and maybe claim a real weapon and some coins.
I can't level up by merrily trekking through the woods.
Killum peeked at the newcomer. He was small, with a wild mane of red hair and big, bushy beard. He marked the newcomer as a dwarf. Killum noted he wore furs and heavy boots, but didn't see any weapons. He couldn't make out the face yet, so concentrated on the fellow.
Rand. Dwarf warrior (Lvl 11). Neutral.
"Rand!"
"Killum!"
"It's good to see you, my friend," Killum said. "By the way, how have you already leveled up one?"
"I got into a fight with a pair of mobs," he said. "Wolves."
"You survived the attack?"
"Yes, but it was a close one. I had to get creative, and apparently that was enough to level up," Rand said. The dwarf paused, frowning. "I killed one, and chased the other off. Only, the dead wolf didn't vanish like you'd expect a mob to do. I left the body to rot like in the real world. How realistic is this realm?"
Killum stared at him a moment. That was a good question. Which begged the question, what would happen to them if injured or killed? Since he had a spawn site, the battle-mage was almost certain he'd respawn if killed. But what if he got an arm chopped off in a battle?
"Have you seen any of the others?" Rand asked.
"No. Who all came over?"
The dwarf shrugged. "Tiana went after you, and then me. I'm not sure about Fergus. The stupid elf argued against following yours and Asha's examples. He wanted to return to Uhrs and wait for you to join us and tell us what happened to you."
Killum shrugged. "That was prudent."
"Sure, but we don't play the game to be prudent or safe," he said. "Tiana agreed with me, so here I am."
"Well, if he didn't cross over, then he'll have to fight his way through Deadman's Swamp and the dungeon again to keep playing with us." Killum looked around. "If we decide to continue playing in this realm, though I can't think of why we wouldn't. These graphics are insane."
"I know. I have to keep reminding myself that this is virtual reality, not real life." He paused to study Killum's club, before looking around. "Are you heading for the town of Oxenburg?"
"Oxenbluff," Killum said. "Yes. The Admin I spoke to strongly hinted that it would be a good place to go."
"Mine, too. But he refused to confirm anyone else passed through, not even you guys who went first." He picked up a fist-sized rock, pulled some vines off a tree trunk, and bound the rock inside a fork at the end of a foot long length of wood. "A stone axe!"
Killum gave it a doubtful look. Rand seemed awful proud of it, so he refrained from commenting, but there was no way that thing would stay together past the first blow. It might've worked if the realm wasn't so realistic.
"How did you kill a wolf without any weapons?"
"I'm a warrior and strong as a bull, so lured the wolf in close," Rand said, eyes bright with glee. "I grabbed him, held him in a headlock for a second… And then I snapped his neck! It was awesome." He puffed out his chest, brandishing his new stone-age axe. "I am a warrior!"
The battle-mage couldn't argue with success. So they headed up the creek until it was narrow enough for Rand to cross. After checking his map, and using the zoom in and out function to determine the river bent dramatically ahead, they struck out due north instead of following the creek back down.
"I saw humans following the river and heading northward," Killum said. He grinned at Rand. "On a flying carpet."
"Oh man, we could cover a lot of ground with a flying carpet," the dwarf said. "And make Asha power it with her magic."
Killum quickly learned why the river twisted so dramatically. Unfortunately, there was a big hill on his side of the river, too, and his chosen path took them right over the top of it. The stupid map didn't show elevation. The map made the entire Goblin Run River Valley look flat as a table, when it was incredibly hilly. He and Rand worked up a sweat climbing that hill.
"Maybe they could make this realm a little less realistic," Rand gasped out as they neared the peak. "Or put the towns closer together."
Killum threw out an arm to stop Rand. "What the hell is that? A nest?"
The top of the hill was clear, but the crest appeared to be fortified with a massive weave of branches. Killum's first thought was there was a village within, but then he recognized the shape.
"Impossible. What would make a giant nest like that?" Rand said. "It has to be at least twenty feet in diameter."
"I'd say more than thirty," Killum replied. "Dragon's nest?"
Rand's eyes grew as big as saucers. "No. No, can't be. Dragons live in caves. Maybe a giant eagle or a roc."