World of Fantasy

Green Hills Zone

JANE

Side-by-side, Jane and Quill stood under the arch of Stormstadt's main gate. Flanked by thick gray stone, the spikes of the portcullis hung over their heads like some wicked sword of Damocles. They stood in silence, filled with both trepidation and excitement.

Before them stretched the outside world. It was sunny and bright. Fluffy white clouds idly drifted through a cerulean blue sky. Most of the land was comprised of gently rolling hills feathered in bright green grass. Stands of deciduous trees dotted the scene, and a couple of thick forests could be seen on the horizon. From the height and thickness of the forest trees, many were likely ancient, and the places were probably home to many fantastic creatures.

The two had finally acquired clothes. Both were dressed in the simplest homespun, white cotton shirts and plain, light-brown pants. One set had been granted as a quest reward; the other had taken all their meagre funds to purchase. But at least they were clothed now, and things had normalized in that fashion. Jane had mixed feelings about that.

It was much more practical to be dressed this way, but as they and everyone else had become more attired, that feeling of physical honesty she'd appreciated had gone from the city. It kind of felt like people were back to wearing masks. Maybe Jane just didn't trust people all that much. Or maybe she was being pessimistic.

She carried their only weapon, a long knife with a fairly dull blade and some rust on it. It wasn't much, but it was all they had.

Quill's head tracked a fat, red bird as it arched overhead. "What's this zone called?"

She wasn't sure. As they had yet to step foot in it, her mini-map was still grayed out. She walked forward a short way. Pulling out her map by gesturing as if she were unrolling a scroll with both hands, she read the name and chuckled. "Green Hills Zone⁠1."

Quill's head turned her way. "You're kidding."

"Nope. Seriously."

His lips curled into a smile. "Ok, that's kind of cool."

They strode down the road, a bit of eagerness in their steps. While the road was paved with heavy stone for the first two-dozen meters after leaving the gate, it soon transitioned into packed dirt with a scattering of old gravel. Wagon and cartwheel tracks occasionally marred the surface.

Passing by a clump of thick bushes, Jane saw a small animal poke its head out from under the dark-green leaves and peer up at them with tiny, beady eyes. "A blue hedgehog!" she exclaimed. "So cute!"

Startled by her voice, it recoiled in fright, then curled up into a ball and rolled backwards into safety. They heard the sound of coins clinking as the animal moved.

The two looked at each other, both biting their lip or cheek to keep themselves from grinning.

Quill snorted. "I just... Oh my gosh."

Jane bounced up and down with excitement. "I have the perfect name for him!"

"No! Let's go." Quill strode off, leaving her to catch up. After a moment, he said, "I wonder if there's a twin-tailed fox around here, too."

They both laughed. Because easter eggs were fun.

Jane checked her map. "The quest is that way." She pointed off the road to a place close to the city walls. "We'll have to cross country to get there."

It was their last city quest. Or the last for their level, anyway. They'd done the rest, including the dailies. That had surprised her. On waking up, she'd found three new quests marked on her map. They were all boring, laborious fetch and delivery quests, and the rewards were pitiful, but they couldn't afford to skip them. They needed every copper and XP they could get their hands on. After those were done, they'd embarked on the last story quest in their queue, which would take them outside the gates for the first time.