Fate Online: Shadow

Michael arrived inside the pub called Midnight and immediately saw the boisterous scene inside where NPCs and players alike are having a good time as they drank beer or ales from wooden mugs.

Michael started looking around, where he immediately spotted the NPCs who had brought him with them deeper inside the mine the other day.

It was Master Shanks and the rest who was with him the other day, Michael looked at his Mission Panel and saw that there are still five more Mithril Ores for him to gather before he could finish the mission that Master Shanks gave him.

Michael slowly made his way towards them, and the people on the tables that he would pass by would suddenly stop and looked at him wariness and suspicion, especially the players as they would scrutinize him from head to toe.

"Master Shanks" Michael respectfully said upon arriving at their table.

Master Shanks and his companions already noticed this robed figure heading towards them, but they aren’t surprise as there is only one who uses a black cloak around here.

"You’re here Shadow, did you finally finished the task that I’ve given you?" said Master Shanks, as he downed another beer and slammed the wooden beer mug on the table.

Bam!

"Ahh! Take a seat young lad!" another NPC called Milles said as he offered the only free seat beside him.

Michael didn’t say anything and immediately took a seat beside Milles, and then he turned to Shanks and replied to his question and said, "Not yet Master Shanks, I still have five more to go before I can complete it"

"I see, well then..." Shanks nodded in understanding, and then his expression suddenly changed as he looked at Michael with sharp eyes and said, "Young man, why do you hide your appearance under that cloak?"

"Ohh~ it’s not like I want to hide my appearance but because there are people who are looking for me" Michael immediately made up a white lie on the spot, but at the same time, it was also half the truth.

"I see"

All of the four NPCs nodded with understanding.

"Alright! Let’s get wasted tonight then!"

"Uooh!"

Shanks yelled at them while the other NPCs answered with an excited shout, and Michael has a curious look on his face, and because he never drinks in real life. He at least wants to know how the alcohol in the game is, and at the same time, curious if the game developers managed to even imitate the sense of taste in the real world into the game.

The bartender immediately had someone deliver their orders, as five huge mugs arrived in front of them, with every single one of the mugs, a foot tall in height, and inside is a liquid that looks just like water but Michael could smell that aroma of alcohol wafting from it.

The other players around the pub are then curiously looking at the cloak figure among the four NPCs, all of them wondering if the person is player or an NPC, but those who were near their table was surprised to find out that the cloaked figure is actually a player when they heard the NPC called Shanks asking about the task or quest he had assigned to Michael.

Michael didn’t mind that they know that he’s a player, mostly because they are just new players around level 3 and 2, and might not even have heard about him as they are probably only new.

They drank for an hour straight, and Michael finally found out that the game did also imitate the sense of smell inside the game like all the other senses of a human, which truly amazed him as he could definitely taste that familiar alcoholic taste from the ale that was served to him.

And at the same time, Michael also found out that the reason that the NPCs are so nice to him is because of Master Farle, the Master Blacksmith that he had met before.

It was because Master Farle is actually one of the few throughout the continent who is already a step away from reaching the level of a Grand Smith, and that’s the reason why they are very friendly with him because the old man is a very eccentric guy that would kick out anyone who goes inside his shop.

And it finally clicked to Michael of why Farle’s shop is full of equipment lying around inside the shop, but at the same time, he was feeling bitter because of the misunderstanding of the people of Timor Village of him being close to Master Farle.

But he didn’t bother trying to clear up the misunderstanding if the culprit behind it is not even doing anything about it.

And so, he thought that he might just take advantage of it.

*****

A few hours later, Michael finally exited the game after gaining another level and reaching Level 13.

"Only a bit more and I’ll finally reach Level 14" Michael smiled as he took off his helmet and left it on his bed, and then left his apartment, as he slowly made his way up to his parent’s place.