Read Yvvaros: The Digital Frontier for Free Online Page A

here, take these, too.”
    He handed Silverstrike his equipment, along with a couple of the Yvva Wolf pelts. Silverstrike clapped him on the back, pulling his armor back on after tucking the quest trophies into his inventory.
    “Much appreciated,” he said.
    Luke looked around Stark Town. It felt different at night, and many of the NPCs he’d seen wandering around earlier had disappeared into their houses. There was a large inn just down the street from them, and Luke could hear music and laughter coming from inside of it.
    “Let’s hang out in town for a little bit,” he said. Silverstrike nodded.
    “The monsters usually come out in larger numbers at night.” Silverstrike waved a hand toward the town’s northern entrance. “So yeah, I think it might be a good idea for us to stick to safe areas in the evening, at least while we’re still at a low level.”
    The two of them kept walking over to the inn and pushed through a group of players loitering out front to make their way inside. It was filled to the brim with people, all of them chatting with each other or experimenting with the game’s food and drink system. The atmosphere was similar to that of a bar or a restaurant in the real world, but there was an intangible element of unpredictability to it.
    “Let’s grab seats at the bar,” he said to Silverstrike. “We might as well see what happens if we buy and drink the in-game ale.”
    “Now you’re talking!” Silverstrike had a grin on his face that reminded Luke of the way his friend handled alcohol and substances in the real world. He tried not to worry as he led his friend over to take a seat.
    “What can I get the two of you?” The NPC bartender was a gorgeous woman with a broad smile. She was wearing a low-cut green and white dress that looked like it would be right at home on a serving wench in a medieval pub.
    “We’ll each have, uh, a mug of ale…” Luke smiled at her and felt a little foolish at the way his eyes were drawn to her figure.
    Calm down, she’s just an NPC, probably not even aware enough to hold a real conversation.
    The mugs were set down in front of Luke and Silverstrike. He looked over at his friend, who paid for the ale before eagerly taking a sip.
    “Huh…” he said. “Well, I can’t taste anything, but it’s definitely having some kind of effect, I think?”
    Luke took a “sip” of his own. It felt a little strange, as though his mouth in the real world was expecting to taste the liquid, and simulated a bit of the feeling automatically. He set the mug down and noticed that his vision had blurred ever so slightly around the edges.
    “Is there anything else the two of you need?” asked the bartender. Luke started to say no and then paused, a thought forming in his head.
    “Can you tell us more about the area around here?” he asked. “What should we keep in mind if we’re going to be in Stark Town?”
    The bartender crossed her arms and looked as though she was thinking hard. Luke was surprised by how convincing the gesture looked, and for a moment, it was impossible for him to see her as just a mindless NPC.
    “It’s funny you should ask that,” said the bartender. “Rumor has it that there has been some trouble happening deep in the Underground, in the caves that supposedly connect to Stark Town’s sewer.”
    THE UNDERGROUND: The complex cave system that runs underneath much of Yvvaros. It is suspected of housing Tymian bases. Many locations connect to The Underground throughout Yvvaros and occasionally groups of intrepid adventurers voyage inside on raids.
    Luke looked over at Silverstrike, who was deep into his mug of ale.
    “I think that’s a dungeon for higher level players,” said Silverstrike. “It’s not claimable like  other zones on the continent, at least I don’t think.”
    Luke scratched his head.
    “Zones? Claimable?” he asked. “It’s been a while since I’ve played an MMORPG. Can you clue me in?”
    Silverstrike set his mug