"Blood God? Ewwww."
"This guy is even worse than me in naming."
"If you are blood god, then I am your big daddy bitch!"
Unfortunately, nicknames cannot be turned off. Not that it mattered. Damon did not look bothered in the least. He indifferently walked away not paying attention to the jeers in the crowd.
Damon ignored the lively crowd which practically chewed up anyone who popped in new and left the town square. Blinking in front of him was the next status screen, the more important one.
[Ding! Please choose a class before you proceed]
Damon ignored the system prompt and waved it off. Many would be inclined to think that the class choice was compulsory but it was actually not. There were some special classes that could be unlocked if one was a little patient and knew which door to knock on.
Damon right now headed straight to one such door. He walked to one of the smaller shops in the market square, the place where all the town's main shops were located.
This particular shop looked unremarkable on the outside, just a large wooden structure with a slanted roof and a faded sign that read: "Ellora's Wares – Potions, Charms, and Curios." Most players never bothered going in during their first few hours. It didn't sell anything useful for beginners, and the owner, Ellora, was notoriously unhelpful unless you followed a specific dialogue path.
But Damon knew better.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside, the bell above the frame chiming softly. Behind the counter stood Ellora, an NPC with sharp eyes, deep wrinkles, and silver hair tied into a long braid. She barely looked up.
"No starter discounts, no freebies, and I don't haggle. If you don't have any silver, show yourself out," she said automatically, not even sparing him a glance.
Damon didn't respond. Instead, he walked straight up to the counter and flashed a small smile. "Hello, do you happen to have any Invisibility charms?"
Hmmm? The old hag looked up and immediately her attitude did a 180. Naturally, Damon had his newly earned title proudly displayed atop his head.
[Rabbit killer - I hate cute little bunnies]
The old hag laughed. "You are an interesting brat, aren't you? I don't have any invisibility potions but you can borrow my old charm for a day. Only for a day. You better return it back before sundown."
Ellora reached beneath the counter, her movements surprisingly nimble for someone who looked half-mummified. She pulled out a small, bone-white pendant strung on a frayed cord.
Damon's heart froze for a moment and only when the woman handed him the charm he sighed in relief. Finally! The first part of his plan was complete!
"Thank you, Miss Ellora. I will definitely bring back your charm soon." Damon gave a small bow and then quickly turned to leave.
"Hey, Rabbit Killer." Damon stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Be careful. If the wrong people see my charm then you will be flayed alive."
"I will be very careful, Miss Ellora." Damon gave the old hag a nod before getting the hell out of there. His heart was beating wildly as he practically ran from the spot and only relaxed when he was almost outside of the small town.
In the fields surrounding the small town, many players were farming chickens, goats, and pigs. There were a bunch of starter quests that provided food and experience points at the same time. These were pretty famous and most people spent the first few hours here.
Damon could already see fireballs flying, swords swinging and daggers flying around. The chaos was the same as he remembered, newbies yelling over voice chat, confused players running in circles, and a bunch of serious players trying to speedrun their first five levels.
But Damon didn't spare the chickens a glance, nor did he pick up any of the glowing quest markers that blinked temptingly above NPCs' heads. That was the path for regular players. He had no intention of walking it the second time around.
He ducked behind one of the worn fences bordering the village and cut across a dirt path that led toward the far west end of the fields, a quiet place away from the small town. Some curious players wondered what he was upto and followed him and Damon did little to deter them.
"Where are you going?"
"Did you get some good quest?"
"Come on man, we can party up."
Damon did not do anything but a couple of level 5 wolves who wandered their way took care of his stalkers on his behalf. The level 1 players did not even know what hit them. They shrieked in agony as the wolves tore them apart and made a quick work of them.
"Bastard, you trapped us!" One of them shouted but Damon simply waved his hand at the guy without turning back. The wolves completely ignored him and he walked away without any care.
Soon he arrived at an old well in the middle of the acres and acres of paddy fields. An old, moss-covered thing with no bucket, no rope, just a dark, silent hole. Most assumed it was decorative. It wasn't.
Damon carefully climbed down the well, slipping and falling halfway down. "Fuck!" He grunted as he landed hard on his side, dust, and damp earth flying up around him. He rolled onto his back for a moment, catching his breath, then pushed himself up to his feet.
"Where is that door supposed to be?" He couldn't remember this little detail and looked around when a bunch of bricks started moving automatically. Soon a tunnel opened up in front of him.
Damon grinned. The second part of his plan was coming along wonderfully. He only had to wait for a moment before a pale man emerged from the shadows.
A tall pale dude with red eyes and two fangs.
"You are not Lady Ellora?"
[Hidden NPC Encountered: Varnyx the Hollow]
[Warning: This questline is irreversible. Proceed with caution.]