Keeper Read online

  I guess he's getting over his tantrum, Eddie thought, avoiding the god's name even in his conscious thoughts. I guess it's time to get back to work then. There isn't enough lumber to finish this all off, but I'll do as much as I can.

  Eddie was done with what he could do of the wall by noon. There was still about one half of one side of the wall missing. He'd probably need another two carts of rough planks to finish it off. He'd already brought all his planks here to the site and Paul had brought as much as he thought he could spare, so it was going to be days before they could finish this unless he could find some more lumber.

  He hadn't even noticed when Paul had grabbed the ox and cart earlier on, thinking that the builder was going to get more of his finished lumber to work on the houses he had under construction. So when Paul pulled up, the cart creaking along behind him under a heavy load of rough hewn planks, Eddie was surprised.

  “Hey, help me unload here, would you?” Paul asked.

  “I thought you already brought the wood you could spare, what's this?”

  “I talked to my customers. A couple of them would rather see the fort finished before their houses, probably because their houses are inside the fort and it will help protect them.”

  Eddie glanced around. Most of the houses Paul had built had been on Adventurer's Field and were now surrounded by the walls of the fort. There were only three that weren't. Karl's house and the two he was planning on renting out were directly across the street from the inn, a fair distance away from the fort's walls.

  “Well in that case, let's get it unloaded,” Eddie said.

  They spent twenty minutes unloading the cart and Paul headed back down to his lumber stores after he'd confirmed Eddie's estimate that one more load would finish it off.

  As Paul rode off with the cart, Eddie set to putting the next section in place. He was tired of this already, he'd spent days constructing these walls when he could've been doing other things, but he was bound and determined to get it finished so there were defenses in place in case the goblin attacks continued to grow larger.

  When Paul returned he didn't even bother to unload the cart. He let the ox graze on the grass of the field as he started in on the first section. Each time he finished one, he'd move the ox along to the next section and let it get back to grazing as he pulled lumber for the wall off the cart.

  Before long the two men had a few others around to assist them and the process accelerated. It was still well before dinner when Eddie went back and started placing the gate facing the road, the very last piece to go in to complete the wall around the field. He mounted the last hinge on the gate and the wall beside it, then swung the door shut to try out the bar he'd made to hold it closed. His notification light immediately started flashing, so he pulled it up to see what the fuss was about.

  Hidden Quest:

  Fortify! (Meadowlands)

  The Hamlet of the Meadowlands is defenseless. Create a defensive structure to provide it with some security.

  Reward: 2500xp

  Success:

  You have completed the quest: Fortify! (Meadowlands)

  Experience awarded: 2500 (+250 well-rested, +250 well-fed, +625 blessing)

  You have created Fortifications in the Meadowlands, do you wish to name this structure?

  (Y/N)

  Eddie's eyes were wide. He hadn't expected anything of the sort. As he finished reading he eagerly thought: Yes.

  A flashing cursor waited in the lower corner of his panel. He thought quickly and didn't like any of the options he thought of. Finally he gave in, Eddie's Inn was obvious and descriptive of the name's purpose, so he chose to go the same route here.

  Adventurers' Field Defensive Wall, he thought.

  The cursor went away, but he didn't see anything else and didn't receive any other messages.

  Huh, he thought, then stared at the wall.

  Evaluate.

  Adventurers' Field Defensive Wall

  Defensive structure

  Level: common

  Created: Eddie Hunter, Paul Rogar

  +20% defense rating

  +10% attack rating

  This is a defensive structure. It is rated common due to the materials used to create it. This structure gives a bonus to both attack and defense for anyone who is fighting from within it and defending from an attack originating outside of it.

  Eddie whistled admiringly. A motion caught his eye and he saw Paul quickly trotting over.

  “Did you get that message also?” Paul asked.

  “The hidden quest?”

  Paul nodded.

  “I sure did,” Eddie replied, “but I also found something that's almost better than that.”

  “Better than a free twenty-five hundred experience?” Paul asked.

  “Yup, have you evaluated our wall yet?”

  “No, why?”

  “Do it.”

  Paul's eyes unfocused for a moment, and then he was whistling as well, just like Eddie had.

  “Did we just make some major buffs for anyone fighting from inside here?” Paul asked.

  Eddie nodded.

  “And better still, anyone who ever evaluates this wall will know just who did it too,” Eddie said. “I finally gave up on flying beneath the radar so I figure I might as well make a name for myself, right?”

  Paul held his hand up in the air, confusing Eddie for a moment until he realized what the older man was doing. Then Eddie held up his own hand and slapped it into Paul's.

  “High five, man,” Paul said. “Wow, does it always feel this way when you stumble onto a quest? Or when you complete it?”

  “It does for me. Now you know why I'm all over them whenever I can be,” Eddie replied.

  Speaking of quests, he thought. I would've thought finishing the temple and smithy both would've been sufficient to finish the next stage of the Developmental Issues quest. Please don't tell me that the smithy isn't close enough to the rest of the hamlet.

  “Why the glum look Eddie? I thought you enjoyed quests?” Paul asked.

  “Sorry, was just remembering another one I'm working on and trying to figure out what I might be missing for it,” Eddie replied.

  “Well, if you need a hand, let me know. I sure wouldn't mind getting a bit more experience this way. It's much quicker than doing it by finishing buildings. I loved the thousand I got just for finishing the wall here, even before the quest bonus.”

  “Wait, you got a thousand experience for it?” Eddie asked.

  “Yeah, that was regular, just like I get when I finish a building. Then when you got the gate on, I got the quest experience also.”

  “Oh, I get it. I imagine that's how crafters do most of their leveling? By building or creating things?”

  Paul nodded.

  “Okay then, I was wondering why I didn't get any before the quest, but that explains it.”

  Paul shrugged.

  “Let's go grab a drink,” he said. “We did good work here, at least the game seems to think so.”

  “I'd have to agree. I need to spread the word soon though. Get the NPCs to think of the fort as somewhere to shelter if there's an attack on the Meadowlands at all, or at least all the NPCs in this general area at least.”

  “Your cook seems to have quite the network, you could also ask her to spread the word,” Paul said.

  Eddie grinned.

  “She does, doesn't she. It seems like anyone I want to hire, she can track them down.”

  He stopped dead for a moment, something tickling the back of his mind.

  “Oh shit! The Collier was supposed to be here yesterday or the day before. I need to get him situated and show him the work site and everything. I may need to take a rain check on that drink Paul.”

  “Well, was that one of Liv's finds?” Paul asked.

  Eddie nodded.

  “So let's go get our drink and you can ask her. Ten minutes either way isn't going to make that much of a difference, right?”

  Eddie sighed, t
hen nodded.

  Damn it, Eddie thought, they've all been right. All these people telling me I'm trying to do too much by myself are right. Now I'm trying to do so much that I'm forgetting some of it before I even get it done. I hope the rain didn't damage any of the house we started building for the Collier, I suppose I'll have to go check that out as well.

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie was sitting at the table with Paul, beating himself up over having forgotten about the Collier. It wasn't a major disaster, Liv had heard him and Karl talking about using one of Karl's houses for the Collier for a bit, and Karl had known his plans about where to get the Collier to set up, so when the man had arrived they'd gotten him settled into one of Karl's rental houses and they'd sent him along with Opron the following morning to see where he'd be working.

  The Collier was already set up and had delivered his first batch of charcoal to Opron at the forge. Eddie just hated the fact that he'd forgotten and that he'd never even met the man yet despite the fact that he was already working as Eddie's employee. Liv had negotiated the man's payment for Eddie, following the guidelines he'd set up before.

  For the moment the Collier was accepting one silver a day plus some metalwork done by Opron, but Eddie wanted to be sure he was in on the negotiation later. He didn't want the man to be unhappy or unable to provide for his family and he was sure that Liv hadn't been as generous in her negotiations as he would've been.

  “I'm telling you Eddie,” Paul said, “with as many irons as you've got in the fire, you're going to miss some things now and then. You should just be happy that you had friends that were willing to pick up the slack for you when you dropped one of those irons.”

  He knew that Paul was right, but he really wanted to stay on top of all of his plans. Meanwhile he was still racking his brain, trying to figure out what was missing for the Developmental Issues quest.

  Paul left after a couple of ales, heading home to Delilah. Meanwhile Eddie continued just sitting there, trying to remember if there were anything else he'd forgotten. It was still a couple of hours to dinner when the door opened and Tiana came in. She was beaming, the smile on her face spreading from nearly ear to ear.

  “Come with me Eddie,” she said, practically bouncing with excitement.

  “What for?”

  “Just do it, Lucky's there too, still. I don't know if she's moved in a couple of days. She's still lying on that stool, purring like a madman, or madcat, or whatever. But come with me, it's sunny out, the sky is totally clear. Does that give you an idea why?”

  Why would the sky being clear mean anything, Eddie wondered. Oh, he's over his tantrum, maybe Freyja wants something else before she leaves or something?

  He hauled himself up out of his seat and followed Tiana towards the temple. Despite feeling like he just wanted to slog along, he had to force himself to pick up his pace dramatically or she would've left him in the dust.

  When they entered the temple, the first thing he saw was Lucky, still napping on the stool. She didn't fit very well though, she was hanging off of it on all sides.

  “Did you get bigger again, Lucky?” he asked.

  Evaluate, he thought while staring at her.

  Lucky

  Type: Animal(pet)

  Young Bobcat (female)

  Level: 4

  Armor: 38

  Health 58/58

  Attack: 27 (3)

  Dmg: 2-8/2-8/3-9

  +5 attack (necklace slot 1)

  Status: Pet

  Resist: mind control (fetish – necklace slot 2)

  “Huh!” he said aloud, stopping dead in his tracks.

  “What is it?” Tiana asked.

  “Lucky. I'd swear she's bigger, but she's still the same age and level. Her health is up by like fifteen points though.”

  “That is weird, but wait. Wasn't she trying to clean Freyja's wounds before?”

  She shuddered slightly as she thought about it.

  “Eeeww, wasn't she licking up Freyja's blood? I mean, that's gotta do something, right?”

  Eddie was clueless, he had no idea.

  “At least you've got a theory, I certainly don't,” he said.

  “Well, you know Lucky's been here right through, right?”

  “I knew she didn't come back last night. I just figured she didn't want to be out in that rain.”

  “Yeah, or there's someone she'd rather be near than you. Don't feel too bad though, at least you're only outclassed by a goddess in Lucky's opinion.”

  “I asked her to stay for the company,” Freyja's voice said.

  Eddie spun around, but couldn't see the goddess anywhere.

  “And now it is safe for me to depart again, but first I must place my blessing upon this temple.”

  The entire room filled with a golden glow and the scent of roses permeated the air. Through the glow Eddie saw the rose branches that made up the walls sprouting both leaves and roses.

  I'm guessing there are thorns there too, he thought.

  The glow grew brighter and brighter before it expanded right out through the temple walls. A glance out the window showed a flash of gold racing away from the building.

  “So be it, Freyja's First Temple is now blessed and accepted by myself,” Freyja said.

  Eddie's notification light started flashing again. He was desperate to open it, but he resisted, waiting to see what else the goddess might do.

  “Thank you for keeping me company, Little One,” Freyja said, stroking Lucky's fur. “Now return to your person as I shall be departing.”

  Another golden flash dazzled Eddie's eyes and when he could see again, Freyja was gone. Lucky hit him in the chest as she leapt from the stool towards him and Eddie caught her, nearly staggering from her weight. She licked Eddie's face and this time instead of fish breath, or goblin breath, the scent was of something creamy with a hint of honey to it.

  “So, she fed you too?” he asked the bobcat.

  Lucky didn't answer, just kept licking his face as he held her in his arms. After a minute or so, she squirmed and he set her down. Lucky wandered around the temple, sniffing at the walls before curling up right near the entrance.

  “So, shall we see what blessing she gave you?” he asked Tiana.

  “Us. See what blessing she gave us,” Tiana corrected.

  Eddie stared at the temple and thought: Evaluate.

  Freyja's First Temple

  Place of Worship

  Level: unique

  Created:

  Tiana Anders,

  Eddie Hunter

  Defense: +10%

  Crop Yield: +10%

  Healing Rate: +10%

  Non-Combat Area

  Reaction: +10%

  Respawn time: -50%

  Freyja's First Temple is a place of worship, created by the melding of spells and skills. It is unique in the world of Light Online and provides several buffs. The defense, crop yield, and healing rate buffs all extend in a one mile radius in a circle centered on the temple. The temple itself is a non-combat zone, violence cannot be perpetrated within the temple or on its grounds. All reaction checks made in the temple or on its grounds will benefit from the bonus provided by the temple. In addition, Freyja's First Temple has a unique bonus. Players who bind their respawn point here will have their respawn time reduced by fifty percent.

  “Holy shit!” Eddie said. “Did you evaluate this place yet?”

  Tiana turned to him, her mouth hanging open.

  “Did we make this place? I can't believe the bonuses on it.”

  “We built it, Freyja made it what it is now though,” Eddie replied.

  Eddie was forcibly reminded of his notification light as it continued to flash, distracting him.

  “One sec,” he said, pulling up the notification.

  Success:

  You have completed the Hidden Quest: Developmental Issues (3/5)

  For being the first player to build a smithy and temple in: The Meadowlands. You have been awarded 5000 Experience and o
ne-hundred Gold Pieces. You have unlocked the quest: Developmental Issues IV

  Developmental Issues IV:

  This quest is all about developing: The Meadowlands.

  To complete part IV of Developmental Issues you must build one of the following buildings and open it to the public. In addition you must construct a town hall for the area.

  Leatherworker

  General Store

  Tavern

  Rewards:

  + 10000 Experience

  + 500 Gold Pieces

  Increased reputation and renown with inhabitants of: The Meadowlands

  The Mayoral position of: The Meadowlands, offered to you.

  Another message popped up directly after the quest information.

  Success:

  You have obtained enough experience to advance to Level 7

  Do you wish to advance?

  (Y/N)

  Yes, he thought.

  You have advanced to Level 7.

  You have 3 stat points to distribute.

  Your Health has increased.

  Your Mana has increased.

  Your Stamina has increased.

  You have gained access to: Nature Magic – Tier 2 spells

  He already knew exactly where he wanted his stats so he immediately assigned them.

  Add one point to intelligence, one point to strength, and one point to agility, he thought.

  “Level seven here, give me a second, would you?” he said.

  “Congratulations,” she said

  Then she just smiled at him as he pulled up his character sheet.

  Character sheet, he thought.

  Edward Hunter

  Human Male

  Level: 7