It was currently just before sunset in Tonbura Village. Villagers were working in their gardens, or simply sitting on their porches and conversing with each other, content to be done with work for the day. Dogs and the occasional cat lay at their feet, taking advantage of the coolness of the evening to have a nap.
Appearing in the village square, Eric was startled to see that a new addition had been made to the previously unadorned square. Sitting directly in the middle of the square was a brand new wooden noticeboard, almost six feet high and three feet wide.
Walking over to the noticeboard, Eric could see two large parchments were nailed to the board, both glowing slightly, attracting the attention of pa.s.sing players and NPCs. A small crowd had formed around the parchment, with people of various races all craning their necks to read the notices. Striding closer, Eric elbowed his way through the crowd, pushing his way towards the noticeboard. Breaking through the clumped players, he began to read the first parchment, his eyes widening as he looked over the notice.
Notice to all Adventurers and Otherworlders:
Goblins have been detected in the northern reaches of the Kingdom. As a threat to all civilized races, this goblin menace must be eliminated. As such, the Kingdom is ready to reward any who are strong and courageous enough to help overthrow the goblin scourge that has invaded our lands.
The militia will thus be conducting a largescale rout of these foul creatures on the 18th day of Somerlae. Any adventurers or otherworlders willing to partic.i.p.ate should thus contact their local militia captain who will be in charge of organizing the expedition. For those in settlements south of the Nothberum region, head north to join up with the expedition.
The details of the plan will be outlined on the day of the expedition by the commanders in charge of the a.s.sault. Those who partic.i.p.ate will be rewarded based upon their contributions to the expedition.
The following is a list of the villages and towns that will be partic.i.p.ating in the expedition. Head to one of these locations to register with the militia captain.
A long list of various village and town names filled up the rest of the parchment. Eric recognized some of them, such as Tonbura Village and Hamour Village from the map that Alistair had shown him, but others were still unknown to him.
Shaking his head, Eric looked at the second sheet of parchment.
Notice to all partic.i.p.ants in the Goblin a.s.sault Expedition:
For those partic.i.p.ating in the Goblin a.s.sault Expedition, special units will be formed to a.s.sault the most powerful goblin strongholds that have been discovered in our lands. These units will have the chance to earn the highest glory possible in this expedition, and thus will also be the most eligible for rewards following the mission"s conclusion.
The number of partic.i.p.ants allowed in these units is limited, and will be determined through strength of arms. All partic.i.p.ants who would like to partic.i.p.ate in an elite unit are encouraged to head for Vindammer Town where a one-on-one tournament will be held. The top fighters will be allowed entry into the elite unit, while runner ups will be given higher positions in the other units. Registration will continue until noon on the 17th, and the tournament will begin at 2pm on the 17th.
Prizes for the tournament will be provided for the top partic.i.p.ants as a further reward; however, all partic.i.p.ants must partic.i.p.ate in the expedition the following day or risk being branded an outlaw in Nova.n.a.lba.
Alistair, Militia Captain of Tonbura Village, Order of the Frost Knight
Eric whistled lightly, it seemed that the time had come to deal with the goblins once and for all. He"d been wondering what was taking so long, as it had been just over two weeks in game since he"d reported the goblin base to Captain Alistair.
As Eric was pondering the notices, a system message appeared in front of him.
[Quest Received: Militia Tournament]
The time has come to wipe away the goblin base you discovered in Lichfrost Forest. However, if you want revenge on the hobgoblin that killed you, you"ll need to gain access to the elite platoon led by Captain Alistair. In order to do this, you"ll need to perform well at the militia tournament.
The militia tournament is also an opportunity to show off to your fellow otherworlders. There is a high possibility that seeding for later tournaments will be done with the results of this tournament and others like it in mind. As an otherworlder, doing well is in your best interests. It is advised you take the time before the tournament to prepare. Make sure your gear is the best you can afford, brush up on your skills, and get ready to prove yourself!
Primary Quest Objective: Partic.i.p.ate in the militia tournament and perform well enough to enter the elite platoon.
Secondary Quest Objective: Fight your way into the top 16 of the tournament.
Rewards: Entry into the elite platoon. A seeded position in later tournaments. Further rewards may be earned based upon final rank in the tournament.
Staring at the new quest, Eric was snapped out of his reverie by an elbow to the side.
"If you"re not reading, then get out of the way! Other people want to read too you know," a burly dwarf said from behind him, pushing Eric out of the way.
Glaring at the dwarf, Eric melted back into the crowd, slipping through the throng and back into the open air of the square. His gamer instincts were screaming at him that this was definitely a main quest, something that he couldn"t miss out on. If he failed to do well in the tournament due to a lack of preparation, it could end up being something he regretted for the rest of his time playing Fate.