Urgent, He Says

"Oi. No G-rank ever killed a bandit, nor did they show up near the village for years, mate."

This scrawny Gavin guy claims on a terrible northern accent, putting down his pitcher.

"When did ye become so naive to believe everything the newbies say, Tank?"

Wow, rude. It's not like there weren't any lies these days for sheer survival, but he has some attitude issues.

It was the Trainer's idea to look for them, the last thing the avatar needs is risky fights.

"Now, now, he has no reason to lie about it. He complained about how they almost killed him, not bragged."

Tank, you're the other end of the spectrum. Don't trust everything they tell you.

"Are ye Noob, by any chance?" How does he know this name?

Can the NPCs see them float above the head, or is this all scripted?

Some wait for an introduction, others greet by name on the first encounter or only pretend not to know it.

For now, he only gets a nod.

Even if he's one of the quirkier ones, there's no reason to talk to every drunk.

He looks the avatar up and down like he owns the place.

At least he's more interesting than the over-repeated villager with the rat problem.

"Selena praised ye for dealing with some entry-level errands."

See, he doesn't need the verification either, they know everything so why ask?

"So she wanted to hold an exam for ye soon, and now you're chasing bandits already? They're way above yer level, sonny."

Sonny? Your scrawny ass doesn't look older than twenty.

Except he's in terrible shape. What's going on with this guy?

Is he the Guildmaster? And what stops the snarky responses like I always give in real life?

They look like they're waiting for an answer, but this brain's cooked.

The same happened during the tutorial with the meta-questions.

Silence until an immersive wording sprung to mind, then they didn't sound anything like I'd say.

More often than not the system answered these questions before saying them out loud.

Too bad, it remained silent since the tutorial finished.

Cravings and ear ringing, this controller does way more than they advertised.

Gavin looks like he sees some idiot who can't talk. Is there a setting that mutes me?

It's like a nightmare when you see terrible stuff happen and can't move at all, or even yell for help.

It's an unsettling feeling, trapped inside a game character.

"He has potential, he's a bit shy though."

Tank explains instead, and no, that's bullshit. Antisocial, not shy, know the difference.

Does this mean a scripted scene between the NPCs must play out in a certain way without interference? This isn't a subtle way of doing it.

"Fine, tell ye what. If he can lead us to these so-called bandits, and they exist, we'll deal with them, and he won't have to do the exam."

So far this is what the Trainer suggested too.

"And if they're yer average thugs or gankers, the Guild won't give ye jobs anymore."

"That's harsh, Gavin, but we can trust him. We take the risk."

Wait, no, I only agree with the first part, why does Tank get to decide?

No risks, no risks at all, please. Even if the system stated they were bandits, losing the ratting tasks would be a disaster.

Come on, how long will this scene go on? Give my voice back.

"All right, let's head out then. Without trusting his words, I take yer's for it."

The Srawny chugs down his remaining drink and stands up to leave.

He's not in the shape to fight, whether drunk or not. Can he even lift a sword?

[The Guildmaster and the Trainer want to form a party with you to tackle the Emergency Quest together. This will be temporary until you clear the objectives. Do you accept?]

What's the alternative? Fighting the bandits alone and remaining muted forever?

Of course, accept it and get on with this.

The party brings up a new window with stats never seen before. Are those numbers their levels, holy shit?!

[Tank the Trainer, Level 299 Warrior, HP 15/15, Party Member.]

[Noob, Level 6 N/A, HP 10/10, Party Member.]

[Guildmaster Gavin, Level 500 Wizard, HP 9/9, Party Leader.]

Most numbers stay hidden, whether limited because of the low level or it's normal, but theirs are nuts.

Three hundred and five hundred with a level seven, what a balanced party.

And why do they have this low HP at those levels? Even Tank's only a bit more than mine.

"So where have ye seen them?" Gavin asks, heading out of the tavern.

A dark robe and a stereotypical pointy hat appear on him from thin air once we're outside, summoning a staff too.

He might be useful even if he didn't look like it, let's not judge a drunk by his cover.

"They set up an ambush in the woods southeast."

Now you let me talk? No, the words came out faster than thinking about them.

It's like the character is taking over the real self, and watching a movie with him in it. Talk about railroading.

They waste no time to head to the zombie spawn where the bandits attacked, and at least this body won't move on its own.

The only restricting thing is a message that pops up every time the distance grows too much between us. They sure walk fast too.

[Lead your Party Members to where you saw the bandits to begin the investigation. Due to its urgency, this task takes priority, so ignore every other mission you have for now. Your Party Members are busy and will give you bonus rewards if you finish the quest fast.]

Urgent, he says.

There's only one more, although it's a bad idea to ignore that.

And what extra rewards, when they already promised one gold and a double promotion with the Guild?

Fine, screw it, if they want to hurry, let's sprint, and see if they can keep up.

It is some leading them if they walk ahead anyway.

Thank God the inventory is much lighter now because of that hidden stash.

This allows running longer and faster in case things get hairy.

And even if they get the character killed, the stash could help with starting over.

"This way, hurry."

Yes, now the character talks on its own. The moment they clear the mission and dissolve the party, Wroddit has to answer for this.

There's no way I'd let anyone put words into this mouth or mute the avatar when it's convenient. If there's a setting for it, turn it off right away.

It's about noon when we reach the edge of the village, and continue towards the zombie spawn.

It feels natural to jump on them for the free Exp, armed with the dagger and shield.

The party members act more cautious though, the minimap shows five souls nearby.

"Can you draw their attention by dealing with the monsters?"

Do we all have the same UI, or is it their intuition?

Tank knows there's someone here apart from us and the four zombies. They exchange glances and come up with a plan.

"Gavin will put a defensive spell on you."