Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Another big chapter, they just kind of get like this don't they?

Enjoy!

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/Chirp!/

/Chirp!/

/Blink.../

"... Urg…" He grunted as he moved his hands to his face

'My body still faintly hurts and is rather sore, just moving my arms is a pain.'

/Crunk.../

Slowly, Dale rose from his old bed, causing it to creak as it threatened to fall, though it was but a bluff as the bed had yet to show any signs of collapse.

Even if it broke, Dale would still sleep in it, though if he lost his Well-Rested Buff, he would definitely move elsewhere.

He moved his right hand to his head, feeling a light headache.

"Ha… Do we have any Ibuprofen lying around?" He asked with a light smile as he looked around

"What time is it?"

He moved his head to the side, trying to approach the window and pull the curtains, only to finally notice that there was now a blanket over his body.

'Did someone put this over me?... How kind.'

'If David was here he would be making fun of me and teasing me, a shame.'

'He has to stay with the Saintess now, so I can't drag him around like I used to.'

Taking the blanket off his body, he got up, checking the time through the System. .

"Oh? My timing was just right, the sun only rose." He said with a smirk

'Perfect, I was fearful of wasting my time in such a sensitive moment.'

'With the group of Survivors being introduced to the Village, both the Villagers and the players must be quite… Surprised.'

'I would even say... Euphoric.'

'And I can't rule out the feelings of the Survivors themselves, they are people too at the end of the day. They must be feeling conflicted and even glad of finally reaching the North.'

'However, while some may feel happiness, others might be feeling disappointed, sadness... As not everyone made it here over the years.'

'Sadness can lead to all kinds of actions and emotions, one of them being anger.'

'I must be there to help them settle and to have them work in tandem with everyone, and most importantly, to have them adhere to the previous rules already undergoing.'

'There's a chance some players might've been able to sneak in and trigger some dialogues with them, but I doubt it was anything substantial. Either way, I have several things to do before Babylon opens.'

Dale started to think as he changed his clothes into a more comfortable set.

Although he was a bit confused as to who put those in him, he did not put much thought into it… The embarrassment of just thinking about it was enough, and he didn't want to stress over the matter by overthinking things.

He also checked his appearance through an old mirror in the room, seeing how disheveled his hair looked.

'I look like a homeless man... But... What happened to my facial hair?'

'Did someone do my beard while I was unconscious?'

'Hum... My skin… Looks as good as ever.' He thougt as he touched his arms

All signs of what previously happened were long gone as if someone had scrubbed off all of his scars.

In fact, Dale realized he had been thoroughly cleaned of every hair on his body, he was literally shinning despite not having taken a shower recently.

/Sniff sniff.../

To confirm, he sniffed himself, and he did feel something...

He needed a shower, it was his next target, a cold bucket of water should do.

"It feels strange to have no body hair… At least I'm too muscular to look like one of those… Guys..." Dale mumbled to himself as he remembered a certain group of males that were too far gone into the other side

'I do feel a bit colder than usual though… My underwear fells a tad loose...'

Shaking his head, Dale did a few quick jumps to warm up before he started stretching his body.

"Ouch!... Damn, I really needed this…" He mumbled in pain to himself as he felt his muscles squirm

'I don't think I'll be able to do any sort of Physical activity for a few days… And this time it's for real.'

'It's my chance to focus on something else, I do have a few Quests underway… And once they're completed, I'll need a few more to look out for.' He said as he opened his System Menu

[Herb Chain part 2]

'Yumi's Main Quest, likely developing her ability as an Alchemist further.'

[Mineral Chain part 1]

'Jyter's Main Quest, its end goal should be confirming the existence of Mineral deposits around Resko so we can exploit it in the future.'

'It's the basis for future developments, I really need to do this, and as fast as I can.'

[Blood and Iron]

'Barme's Main Quest, it's main goal is to secure materials so he can work on other iron products, however, the main target of this Quest is assisting the old man in the creation of a MasterWork, and the more assistance I provide, the better the end results will be.'

'The materials are to be secured through Jyter's Quest, this kind of interconnection between the Quests is common, that is why I should aim to trigger as many as I can since there's always the chance doing an action will lead to me completing multiple at once.'

[Material gathering 1]

'Adamante's Quest, I don't know how this will develop in the future since it's just a repeatable Quest, but taking as I never completed it before, maybe something will indeed change once I complete it once or twice.'

'Thinking about it, I know the least about Adamante out of all the elders, and it's not because I didn't try, it's just that she's always pushing others away.'

'From what I heard, she's like this due to the loss of her family, an old woman that still grieves...'

[Moonlit Promise]

'Erile's Quest, this one is more complicated to think about, but after putting some thought into it, this Quest should help develop her powers as a Saintess and the development of the Church while also unraveling some of the mysteries behind the conditions around the fall of the Southern Wall and maybe even help me uncover some of the secrets around the Alma Conquerors…'

'The importance of this Quest is immense, but it feels so... Distant.'

'When compared to the others I can really make a choice of which I should prioritize.'

[A Pile of Gold eases the Heart]

'The main Quest surrounding the merchants as a whole. To make them have a lasting and strong impression of Resko so they may eventually return with items from the Central part of the Continent.'

'The Quest should also help me in developing a section of Resko and managing the gains of the players through the Trade Outpost.'

'Not to forget the Black Market also, it has already been completed by now.' He thought with a smile

'I already know of its location due to the forums, it's time for me to take control of it.'

"The other Quests that I have would take too long to complete, some I can't even see how."

'Some of these Quests are fetch Quests and Scout Quests, but it's not like they're easy or repetitive, they're necessary since people need materials to work with.'

'As for the last two Quests, I just need to visit a few people to update them, that can be easily done.'

'Meanwhile, I should try and trigger other Exclusive Questlines.'

'Edimund still has that task of his for me to get, that must be the hint for his exclusive Quest.'

'Misgurd has the Mercenary Guild Caravan, maybe I should stop by and see how they're doing, maybe now I'll be able to exchange some proper words with them.'

'These two are now lagging behind the progress of the other fighters, I need them in top fighting condition to cope with the recent and future changes of the Village.'

'Because the stronger everyone is, the lower the chances of some disaster hitting us by surprise become.'

Cracking his neck, Dale moved to the window of his room, looking at the streets outside.

He saw a few individuals walking around but not many, this was due to the fact this section of Resko was marked as a Yellow zone for all players from the moment they arrived.

Dale learned that he could change which areas players had access to so one of the things he did over the weeks was to better mark the areas of the Town.

The way he did it was to take the main Central Street and paint it Green.

From then on, he would mark areas further away from it in other colors, with some exceptions of course.

He made it in a way that the higher the player's Reputation, the more areas open up for them, giving them a sense of development and exploration despite the fact it was completely artificial.

After all, people can get overwhelmed by the sheer size of some areas, so he limited it so they could be more efficient with their time and have a more pleasant experience by being directed to places like the Mercenary Guild.

From there, they would complete Quests, Level up, and unlock other areas to explore and "conquer".

It was a race, a competition.

"..."

Before anyone noticed him, he turned around, continuing his line of thoughts:

'... I just completed Tina's and Testros' exclusive Quests with this expedition, and taking how a day or so has passed, I should stop by and see how they're faring, not just for the Quest but to see how they themselves are doing.'

'Testros grew a lot mentally with this, or at least, he had a lot to think about.'

'While Tina accomplished another part of my training with the strengthening of the Tripodal Mark and the Ritual.'

'I have to visit her to see what's next… And hopefully, it's not nearly as painful.'

'Ophelia is still hurt and can't Hunt anymore, that is the only hint I have that may activate her Questline.'

'But so far, I have found no way of healing her... Unless she achieves some sort of Enlightenment and heals on her own, but that doesn't look feasible.'

'Ophelia isn't like that...'

'Maybe if I progress far enough into Yumi's Quest she'll be able to create something that can heal her.'

'Either that or the newcomers might have a solution.'

'Speaking of them, I should try and see if they have their own exclusive Quests.'

'Sarferato, a Division Commander… He has many stories sealed within his lips, there is much he could teach me… Everyone.'

'Also, he may as well be the strongest of us all, I need to make sure I'm in line with his ideas, or the other way around.'

'There can be no rifts between the Elders, and on that note, I should try to bring him into the inner Circle, the Survivors need representation and I would very much enjoy having an experienced General to help us with our decisions.'

'I'll have to visit him and see what he has to say, and everyone's opinions on the subject.'

'As for his son… Given everything I know and witnessed, he's definitely stronger than Misgurd, in fact, there are several that are stronger than the old Mercenary...'

'Not surprising given how Misgurd got hurt many decades ago and chose to build a family... And now that his daughter has grown up, he's trying to seek an adventure again.'

'But like Ophelia, he needs to be patched up.'

'As for the Survivors... I know little about them.'

'All Villagers have exclusive Quests that will lead to their own personal growth and development, but only a few of them impact Resko in a Major way, this is normally tied to the Elders who hold the power and lived long enough to experience decades of life.'

'Still, this doesn't mean the others should be neglected.'

'When I first arrived at Resko, were it not for the kid that unlocked the path to the Underground Dungeon, maybe all of this wouldn't have been possible.'

'A boy that I spoke little with all this time was the one that impacted everyone's future the most because, at that time, he thought that the newcomer was capable enough to finish something his family was unable to.'

'Or maybe he wanted to use me as a body shield… Whatever it was, his choice paved the way for all of this to happen.'

'I cannot neglect the normal Villagers, though it is true that now that over 1000 have joined, it may be hard for me to individually help each and every one of them.'

'It feels a bit heart-wrenching to do so, but this will likely be a task left for the players to accomplish over time..'

'I can't expect them to succeed every time, as that will be left to the luck of the Villager in question, but most of them should succeed.'

'Above all, with the Reputation System, I can control which Players will have access to this pool of Quests, at least this way I can give some of them the right to talk with them first.'

'The ones I trust and find capable.'

'That is the way to go.'

"Lastly... I have a few players to meet." Dale mumbled to himself as he moved towards the door

'The people Roger spoke of should be arriving soon enough, I'll have to pay attention for when they arrive.'

'They should contact me first but I don't want to be caught by surprise.'

'I'm the one who holds the upper hand... And if not, I'll take the position, that's how it should be.'

With a heavy gaze, he opened the door and took a step outside.

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Notes

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