Life After the Apocalypse

Isbjorn steps forward and enthusiastically greets Kaimon, taking care to look as non-threatening as possible. "Yes, hello! We're... erm... new Adventurers and we were hoping to buy some potions to stock up." He's not actually sure himself if he has any money at hand, but it's a good enough excuse. And Isbjorn's sure there must be something they could do to earn more money anyway.

"Can I also ask, has anyone else in the village encountered, uh, Adventurers like us? We'd love to have any info about them, if possible," he adds.

>>>As Grace concentrates on Veskar, trying to discern more about his motivations, she brings up the man's Status Bar floating above his head. Similar to the ones that appeared above Ardana and Jean Louis when they suddenly appeared earlier, Veskar's basic information was available for Grace to read.

name: Veskar Alifo
race: Human
(Person of the Land)
class: Laborer, Farmer | Level: 14
HP: 84 | MP: 52

"Well..." he looked to Varduhn as if unsure whether to proceed but did anyway. "There have been occasions when Adventurers came to town and caused trouble. Not recently, mind you, but in the past yes, M'lady.
Acting like marauders."

The old man was eager to jump in, "Not unlike we People of the Land, there are some who act for themselves and their own interests but most act in the interests of the community." It was clear the two had a difference of opinion on the subject.

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"First Adventurers I've seen all Season... Kaimon reckoned. "More used to stop by in years past during the Gateway War but don't get many these days. Nothing to draw them this way much, I suppose." The old man huffed a bit, "If anyone's seen other Adventurers around, it'd be Varduhn. He's our village Apothecary and also the person you'd want to see about potions." He pointed a gnarled finger down a dirt path that ran alongside the low stone wall, "His villa is down that path a ways, take a right at the corner of the fields and look for a home next to a big tree. That's where you'll find him most days."

Grace nods, "Marauders, yes. The Murder Hobos. I’ve heard of these."

She does not mention that she heard that term on her Discord channel for fans, which only has four people on it: her mom, and the other three probably discovered her music on Spotify and think she’s the pretty twenty-something on the album cover from two decades ago. She IS that pretty young redhead in this world. A part of her wants to stay this way… but then Piphany would be the sane one.

As long as she doesn’t do anything horrible. Because killing innocents, even if they are just programs, would still etch into her memory. And mine, too…

She sips her tea, then says to the men, "On the topic of giving to the community, you so generously treated me to this fine tea. My offer to play you a tune still stands, but I suspect you’d rather I greet the other Adventurers that Mr. Alifo mentioned." Realizing he had not actually introduced himself, she says to him, "I’m Grace O’Bass, by the way."

If the men are comfortable with the idea, she will greet the incoming adventuring party. She’ll greet them with a pleasant smile and her weapon (humongous lute) in its scabbard (her purse).

Looking at Kaimon, Atlanta decides to reply. "Just traveling through, I think. Maybe purchase some supplies if you have any to spare."

Clara decides not to probe further as Fren seems like a private person. Moreover, she is distracted by this village they just arrived in. The residents here seem wary for some reason. She's unsure how common catfolks are in this area, especially those looking more cat than human like she does. "Better let others do the talking, I don't want to scare these people off." She thinks to herself.

>>> 'That would be very generous of you to do so...er,.Grace." it was clear the older man was 'trying on' the idea of addressing Grace without the honorifics the field laborer used. "Adventurers sometimes use language with which we are unfamiliar. They must be talking of things you all understand but are beyond our experience. Perhaps speaking first to one of your own might facilitate things." What he clearly meant was 'not start any trouble'.
>>>"And we would be honored for you to give us a song. It's said that a Bard's songs carry good fortune and health sometimes."

The field laborer just gripped his hat worriedly, "The other Adventurers should be here right away. I slipped away when Kaimon was first talking to them in the field." Shuffling back out the doorway after bowing to Varduhn, and presumably Grace and Piphany, he slunk backwards out the door. "As fast as they all walk, they'll be here pretty soon..."

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>>>True to Kaimon's directions the Apothecary wasn't at all hard to find. The path lead right to the small villa just as the old field hand had described. One of the other field hands was backing out of the door when the Party arrived.

>>>Two pair of eyes stared out of the foliage of the big tree by the stone wall that served as the boundary of the field of orange flowers. Neither child seemed inclined to greet the new visitors, remaining half-hidden behind the green leaves.

>>>The big wooden door to the villa stood open at the end of the cobblestone path and BradL33 was at the head of the Party, barging right in like he owned the place. "Access Inventory..." he said abruptly to Varduhn, as the old man came to the doorway to greet them. He did a double-take when he noticed Grace and Piphany seated at the table. "Okay.
Um, Access Potion Shop? Buy? Sell?" the young man was starting to sound a bit annoyed.

>>>Varduhn just looked puzzled at the boy, probably wondering why he was sort of shouting. "I beg your pardon?"

>>>Piphany poked BradL33 in the arm with a fork from the table, perhaps to get the boy's attention or maybe as a bit of punishment or maybe just for fun, "Talk to him like a regular person, Twerp. This isn't the game..." she dropped the fork back on the table. "Well, not anymore, I guess... Are you all? ...Real people? From Earth, I mean?" The goth girl's eyes looked past BradL33 towards the rest of the party, lingering on the non-humans.

Grace stands in solidarity with Piphany. "What my friend means, Sir, is that we’ve been forced into this world somehow. It’s important we don’t lose ourselves.

"Varduhn may be a part of this world, but that’s all the more reason to treat him with the same respect and kindness you’d show the shop’s owner on Earth." She then says to Varduhn, "I suspect this customer may be hurt and in need of those ‘HP Potions’ you mentioned earlier. Might you have some available?"

Grace then addresses the other people in Brad’s party. "Please come in. My name is Grace, both here and on Earth. And this is Piphany who fell here with me. We were just about to head to Mound City, but I owe the shop’s owner a song because I made a promise."

She then looks inside her purse. She has NO idea how that Baroque Theorbo could possibly be in there. The interior of the purse must be going through the floor. She reaches inside, feels the neck, grasps and pulls. The instrument is wider than the opening of the purse—yet she is now holding it overhead triumphantly!

"Ah, ha, heh..?"

She adjusts her grip to hold the fine instrument like An Instrument, not a Caveman Club.

And she plays something soothing, calm……sure it’s a video game soundtrack cover. But Grace thinks it may be appropriate here.

Isbjorn steps forward, awkwardly laughing as he tries to smooth over the situation. Grace is right. Even if some things in this fantastical world still work like it's the game, it's clear that most things work just like in the real world. "Sorry about him, it's been... a tough day for all us. We're here to buy supplies in preparation for our trip. " he starts. He checked his inventory on the way here and he discovers he does have some gold on him, and so he brings out his money pouch. "We're interested in health potions, but if there's other things that are sold in this town we'd be happy to look at them as well."

He's also pleasantly surprised when Grace mentions their destination. Still, he waits until she finishes her performance. Isbjorn's is not really a music person, but he politely claps.

"Coincidentally, our group is also headed to Mound City," he says to Grace. "If you two are okay with it, you can come travel with us."

>>> "Has something happened?" Varduhn asked, trying not to sound too curious. "To you Adventurers, I mean... I'm aware of the stories about the amazing things Adventurers get involved in, like the Gateway War and exploring the deadly dungeons that dot the land, but something seems different today." An embarrassed look suddenly jumps across the old Apothecary's face, "Pardon me, I don't know where my manners have gone... Here let me clear some space. You must be tired from your journeys." He made himself busy clearing the containers and other items from the large table.

>>>Varduhn listened to Grace struggle through her song as he cleaned. Grace recalled the song fairly easily and the Baroque Theorbo was fully capable of playing the notes of the song but there was something seemingly interfering with the way the sound was coming out. Like the Theorbo and her fingers were both fighting the notes and trying to play a different song. It was mildly unsettling to try to will a part of your body work when it had other plans. The result was a bit wonky and stiff as Grace mentally fought to play the tune she wanted.

>>>"Are you sure you were in a band?" the goth girl said sarcastically. "I specifically remember you told me you were in a band..."

>>> "Yeah, like Isbjorn said, about those potions though...." BradL33 looked skeptically at Piphany before turning to Varduhn. Maybe he was watching the goth girl to avoid another forking, maybe he was just trying to steer the conversation away from any more opinions on Grace's effort at playing a song.

>>> "Yes, yes. Of course!" Varduhn seemed to puff up proudly. "The village of Belle is the regional supplier of AleBalm, the key ingredient of HP Potions! This year's crop is coming in nicely! Perhaps you saw the fields on your way here? We have a goodly supply of HP Potions as well as a few other varieties of potions as well." The old Apothecary gestured at the now mostly decluttered spaces around the big table should anyone care to take a seat in the sturdy wooden chairs.

Grace is mortified at her performance, Piphany’s sarcasm, and…

"Oh, thank you for the pity-clap."

If blushing is a thing Elder Scrolls PCs can do, Grace is probably way better at it than she is at her own instrument.

She doesn’t let this extremely humiliating moment get to her, or so she tells herself.

"It is kind of you," she says to the tall man (who is obviously the muscle of the party… at least of the non-cats), "and yes, I would love to travel as a group. Since you’re here for Healing Potions—is that what HP stands for? So saying HP potion is like saying ATM machine, where the M.. never mind.

"Anyway, I apparently only know one song. Called the…" How do I look up..?Oh. How did I do that? "…the Anthem of Mother's Affection." And what’s 30MP? Don’t tell me I need to buy thirty magic potions just to not suck at music! She keeps this thought to herself. "I guess no matter how big the party, your wounds will heal while I play."

And gesturing to Piphany, she says, "Piphany has a Really Big Scythe, so yeah… I think we can do our part to keep each other safe from the monsters."

Fren sits on a chair and listens to Grace's tune. He claps with Isbjorn when she finishes. "I am Fren by the way. I think we all are in the same boat with being stuck here, in this world..." he says to the girls and thinks about his dog and girldfriend back on Earth. "What they will do when they find me back at home?" he thinks.

Clara's tiny head peeks out from behind her taller party members. She waves: "Nice to meet you. You can call me Clara."

She has so many questions after listening to the conversation. After all, a newbie like her is not yet familiar with the lore of this world. She pokes BradL33, whispering so that the apothecary won't feel weird about her ignorance. "Ummm, excuse me... What is the Gateway war? What will we find in Mound City anyway? And do we even have enough money to afford these potions?"

"Fren, Clara…" Grace takes in the names and tries not to make it too completely obvious that she thinks Clara is the most adorable person ever. "…yes, I think you’re right about the boat.

"Piphany wants answers. Maybe Mound City’s the best place to get them. And I…" She can’t bring herself to admit it aloud, but she likes being young again… but there’s probably a consequence to remaining here, with true self what? Comatose, slumped over a computer? "…hope to make our stay here as enjoyable as possible."

(Grace thinks music would help, but she won’t dare play an encore!)

"Personally, I was basically in a new world in our last world too, but this seems to be a lot bigger change." Taylor says aloud. "But having a goal at all is supposed to be very helpful for adjusting."

>>> "Well, speaking for myself, your appearance here has certainly enlivened my day." the old Apothecary reassured Grace. "And I'd like to extend that hospitality a bit longer, you see..." he hesitated, the forthcoming bad news telegraphed in his eyes. "Mound City is more than a half day's travel to the Northwest and it is already quite late in the day. Without mounts there's little chance of reaching your destination until well after nightfall. Even Adventurers, like yourselves, are loathe to travel at night so let me extend the offer to put you up for the night and prepare a hearty breakfast before you journey off, eh?"

>>>Lost in thought, trying to figure out how it took him about ten minutes to run down to the woods from Mound City (when Elder Tales was a game) but it's taking hours for the return trip now that they're in the game, Clara's touch on his arm brought him back to the present. "Oh. Um, good question... We shouid have at least some money. If you guys were dropped here right out of the Tutorial, I think the game gives you 100 Gold?" he didn't sound entirely certain. "It should be in your bag. I guess if you want to check, you can call up your UI and check your inventory if you don't want to count it out by hand." It was such an odd thing to say and it actually have real meaning.
>>>"I'm not sure what this Gateway War is he's talking about. Sounds like maybe a 'server event' from years back?" that was definitely something it looked like BradL33 would like to know himself. "When the developers came out with a new game expansion for Elder Tales, a lot of the time there'd be some big event tied to it to generate more interest and maybe show off some new features for the game. There's been like, I dunno, maybe 12-14 expansions so maybe it's one of those. We should probably find out, though. The way Varduhn talks about it, seems like it's was a long time ago."

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'Yep. We're all in the same boat, alright..." the tattooed sorcerer agreed with Fren. "...and that boat is up a creek without a paddle." He leaned in the doorway, tapping the end of his staff on the stone floor. "As many of us as there are here, it's looking like it's going to be a BIG boat. I wonder how many more people like us we'll find once we get to Mound City?"

>>> Piphany cut her eyes at Grace for 'volunteering' her concerns but softened a bit as she realized the Bard was right. "As much as I don't want to agree with Grace, heading to the City is what we should do." she tapped her long black fingernails on the wooden table, her hands fidgety when she's being more 'real' than snarky. "Hanging around in Mayberry here isn't going to get us any more answers. SOMEBODY'S gotta know what happened and why were here, right?" She looked down at her feet as she suddenly realized she was likely going be long distance hiking in a pair of spiked platform shoes. "I'm all for heading out in the morning. I haven't seen a single electric light since we got here and walking around in the woods at night is not my idea of a good time..." She nodded over towards Atalanta, "Red here has a point. Having a goal is a good idea to keep focused and not go off the rails in this insane place. One step at a time, right? That what they kept telling me in rehab."

"Good move," Grace says in immediate response to the word ‘rehab.’

She admires Piphany for being the kind of person who needed treatment and got it, whether that was her own decision or a loved one’s encouragement. Grace isn’t going to pry, and she certainly isn’t going to ‘share’ her own story.

"Leaving in the morning sounds good," she agrees. "What are the accommodations, Varduhn, if you don’t mind my asking? You know, bed, bath, breakfast..?"

What she really wanted to know was whether a hot bath would be an option in this world …but now she’s wondering if she even needs to bathe in this world, or if she even can! Maybe, as game-people, our clothes always stay on…

A night's rest sounds like a good idea, and Isbjorn waits for Varduhn to answer Grace's question. He's roughed in the wild a few times, and with their current situation, a bed sounds very luxurious right now. I hope Ulrik is safe, wherever he is right now...

He also follows up another question for Varduhn—that is, the types of potions he's selling and their prices. He's not sure how many they could buy with their 100 gold, but they have to make the most out of their budget.

>>>"Would that I was able to host you all..." Varduhn said wistfully. "My villa is simply not adequate for that. There are rooms and facilities in town meant for visitors during the AleBalm Festival that would be more suited to your stay. They're merchant quarters but the Festival isn't due for another three months so they're freely available at the moment." Varduhn sauntered towards what might be a kitchen area in the quaint hovel, "I offered tea to the two ladies earlier. Would any of the rest of you care for a spot?"

>>> Hiding her smile, she sipped at her cup. "Go ahead. Have some. It's delish..."

>>>The old man seemed a bit puffed up with pride as he misread Piphany's praise. "My shop is on the village commons, right near where you'll be staying. You all are more than welcome to buy any potions you may require there." He marvelled at Isbjorn's sheer size . If he was intimidated , he didn't show it at all. Absently, he answered Grace's pressing concerns, "I do believe, with a kind word, we could get the bath house to open for any of you that require it. I'll have to speak to Aegelby about preparing a dinner and breakfast for you and she is in charge of the baths as well as the kitchens."

"Oh yes, I would like to try your tea Mr. Varduhn" says Fren.