Veloren

Chapter 44: Full Board Clear

Victor: ...You know this is crazy right?

The group is sat at a table with onlookers staring at them as they flip through the quest papers. The wooden board that was once swamped with quest papers is now barren.

Darren: Well, we'll just do as much as we can and see where that gets us.

Ignoring the skeptic stares of bystanders, the group exits the Guild Hub and proceed to plan out their method of tackling the quests.

Darren: Alrighty! We'll split ourselves up into two groups. One will focus mainly on hunting monsters while the other will deal with the material gathering and other miscellaneous quests.

Sharon: With Tatsuo's strong sense of smell, he'll obviously be in the group for collecting materials. As for the hunting group, I think our next best option would be me and Queenie.

Victor (pouts): Aaaww~!! I want to hunt monsters~!!!

Sharon stares back at Victor.

Sharon: ...This is because you just want to use your steam gauntlet isn't it?

Victor: Hell yeah~!!!

Sharon sighs, "In that case, Victor can come hunt monsters with me. That'll leave the rest of the group for everything else. So it'll be Darren, Queenie and Tatsuo then."

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" - Darren shouts frantically. The group stops briefly at his sudden outcry.

Darren: Why does the material gathering group need three people? Surely the monster hunting group could use more people seeing how much more dangerous it is...!

Sharon: Would you need that many people to be hunting slimes and insects...? Besides, we already discussed this. Most of the quests consist of foraging for goods. Of course it'll be better for this group to have the extra member. It's going to take up the most time.

Darren: T-then in that case...! I volunteer to be in the monster hunting group instead...! I'd feel safer that way...!

Sharon was confused by Darren's argument. First he was advocating how dangerous the monster hunting group was, but now he contradicted himself by saying he'd feel safer by being in the group instead.

" ...Didn't you just tell me how dangerous the monster hunting group is? Besides, you'd be with Queenie and Tatsuo. You can't get any safer than that–" - Sharon gets interrupted by Darren placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Please Sharon. I insist." - Darren says in a dramatic, serious tone.

Is he crazy? Is what Sharon thought. Something strange was definitely going on with him. He has had dark eyebags for days, and now here he was spouting illogical drivels.

Sharon: Well! Alright then! You two will be in charge of hunting the monsters. The rest of us will go look for materials, I guess!

Darren clutches his chest tight, as if he had just gone through a panic attack. Just being near either Tatsuo or Queenie was suffocating for him. He couldn't imagine the stress he'd face if he had to be stuck alone with the two people that has him painted as a potential target, even if Sharon would be there with him.

The group separates to complete their respective tasks.

*In a thick forest nearby, the material group scans their surroundings.

Sharon: Are you ready Tatsuo?

Tatsuo: Yeah. Go ahead and give me the first item.

Sharon plucks out a herb from her bag and brings it forward to Tatsuo for him to smell. Tatsuo takes the herb away from Sharon and begins to sniff it.