Crystal's Edge

Time To Go Underground

After the fight with the bandits, Jaxson knew he needed better armor, so he could withstand more attacks and stronger attacks. Yuton Village had two main armories, but Jaxson didn’t go there for he knew that he would rip him off. The archer knew of an underground place that he learned of in his first encounter playing the game.

Jaxson made his way into a nearby alleyway and scrambled over some wooden crates at the end of the alleyway. He jumped onto a windowsill and pulled himself up into the open wooden. Jaxson was inside an abandoned building. Cobwebs filled every corner as rats scurried out of the way of his footsteps. Broken wooden furniture lay in splinters collecting dust.

He headed down creaky stairs until he came to a small closet at the back of the house. From there he pulled aside a piece of loose plank that consisted of one of the walls and entered.

Jaxson was in an open-air market. A few lanterns lit up the dark underground as masked NPCs stared him down. Very few players were walking around as Jaxson made his way to a merchant in a blue tent.

“Migeel,” Jaxson called to the merchant. “It has been a long time.”

“Jaxson is that you?” The merchant asked. “I feel like I just saw you yesterday.”

“It has been over four years, but I don’t have time to explain that right now. I need weapons and armor for cheap what have you got.”

“Oh, come now Jaxson you know I can’t just give you things for free,” the merchant looked around to make sure no one was following Jaxson.

“I have a few Gems for your troubles, I just need something strong but light my friend,” Jaxson smiled at Migeel.

“Very well. Hurry up and take a look.”

“I like this undead armor,” Jaxson fondled an Undead Cuirass in his hands. “Let me try this on really quick.”

The archer slipped the cuirass over his head. It fit snugly over his torso and back and was extremely light. This would protect him as well as not slow him down. He put on a pair of Undead Chausses and the Hood of the Undead before looking at small daggers.

Jaxson spun a few glass daggers in his hands before choosing one that he liked. He also bought a quiver of steel arrows. “What do I owe you for all these things?”

“It will be 200 Gems,” the merchant held out his hand.

“You never seize to disappoint Migeel,” Jaxson placed the Gems in the merchant’s hand and watched his stats rise.

‘That should give me the boost I need to grind it out for a few levels a little bit easier,’ Jaxson thought as he maneuvered his way out of the Underground Market.

Jaxson crouched into an abandoned waterway as it twisted and turned out of the underground and back into the village. He entered the village near the main entrance as the moon shone brightly down between gray clouds.

He noticed some players were admiring his armor, but he didn’t stop to talk. He was off to the inn for the all important Quest Board. The Traders’ Inn was quiet save for the old inn keeper. Jaxson nodded at him as he made his way into the lobby where he found the board.

There were three quests available and after glancing over them, Jaxson knew which one he wanted. He grabbed the Quest Offering and watched his HUD update.

New Quest: Travel to the Dark Cavern and defeat the Undead Ghouls that are roaming around.

Jaxson chose this quest because of all the loot he would be able to grab as well as the amount of experience points he would get for killing undead. The Undead Ghouls would have iron armor and an iron sword. The archer knew he would have to find the weak spot in their armor if he hoped to defeat them or if they got close enough he would decapitate them.

He had one more stop to make before heading out. Jaxson walked up to the inn keeper. “Do you have any Life Health for sale?”

The old man just smiled and pulled out a chest from under the front desk and told Jaxson to take a look. Jaxson found 5 Life Health and put them in his inventory and then left 25 Gems on the desk before walking out.

Jaxson had found out about the inn keepers keeping vials of different potions later on in his last game and they sold them for half the price. Now equipped with new armor, weapons and some vials of potions, Jaxson felt better entering the Dark Cavern.