<div class="floatright">(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag94/Autocad-E/Autocad_zps44006413.png)<br/>The mid-level expansion continent.<br/>(Not the mainland of Event Horizon Online.)</div>"'Youmu' will do... I've got your stuff here," Youmu guided Rayne's hand to the horse's saddlebags, which was lumpy with, among other things, her bow. "The nymph had it stashed up like treasure, I guess that explains where all the monsters' loot comes from."<br/><br/>She continued, "When I got the quest for the White Stag, I reckoned I wasn't the only one. If someone goes from Seahurst or Port Bismouth to Stag's End, they go through the Azoth zones which are fairly tame and predictable. But if someone tries to go from Port Lannis to Stag's End, they have to go through a lot more monster zones and then just before they arrive, when they start letting their guard down, then the Blighted Woods bitch slaps them with Shadows. Which is pretty much what happened to you, right? That's why I was patrolling the woods and when I saw you, I admit I banzai'ed in and trusted in my fort save against blindness. Which in hindsight doesn't sound all that smart without a party or a backup plan, but things turned out okay, right?"<br/><br/>"As for Stag's End, from what I heard, during the first few days the players who happened to be nearby gathered there. But the town was constantly attacked by orc warbands from the north and after a week or so, the players made a mass exodus for the nearest hub which happened to be Port Bismouth, and joined up with the players there. No one's been back until a couple days ago, when the White Stag quest started popping up. It was..." Youmu trailed off for a moment. "It was like a scene out of a hentai doujin, you know? The town walls had been razed, most of the buildings were smouldering piles of ash, all the male NPCs had disappeared, and there must have been at least three orcs for every surviving female NPC gangbanging them nonstop. The G4 had to send a full raid to clear the place out so us questers could get in."<br/><br/>"You haven't heard of the G4? Oh right, you're from Port Lannis and they haven't gotten there yet. Soon though, they might have arrived even now. Anyways, G4 stands for Guilds of Good Guys and Girls, it's an alliance dedicated to keeping players safe in-game until the real-world authorities get around to releasing us. Most high-level guilds are part of the G4 alliance now, mine included. Speaking of Port Lannis, what's the situation over there? It's the hub for the entire western half of the continent, there's got be many players there."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The warmth of the sun diminished and then disappeared entirely; night must have fallen. "Here we are, Stag's End," Youmu announced. Though Rayne couldn't see, she could hear, and it was much too quiet for a town. They had apparently entered Stag's End without the sound of gates opening or being challenged by NPC guards, and Youmu's horse clopped through streets devoid of the calls of vendors and ringing of blacksmith hammers. Finally they stopped and dismounted, their ears greeted by sounds - the warmth-promising crackling of a fire in the hearth, the constant background chatter of many conversations - and not the canned dialogue of NPCs speaking, but real people talking - and someone going through a wicked solo of "Hotel California".<br/><br/>"The inn, one of the few buildings not burnt down. Most of the players stay here," Youmu explained as she helped Rayne inside. A few voices called out to greet her and inquire after the hot half-elf she was supporting, to which she answered and deflected accordingly. Guiding Rayne away from the voices and towards the back of the inn where she almost stubbed her foot against the bottom stair of a staircase going up, "Mind the stairs now. The beds are RPG magic inn beds - one night's sleep and you'll be completely recovered in the morning." Finally they reached the room and the comfort of a soft bed and real mattress. "Get a good night's sleep, we'll talk about White Stag tomorrow."<br/><br/>Just before Rayne fell asleep, she heard a voice in her mind - Ishtar's telepathic voice.<em>Have you reached Stag's End? Everything's quiet here on my end. Are you doing all right as well?</em><br/><br/><hr/><br/>(Receive 7,200 XP for defeating the Greater Shadow and fighting the Fungal Nymph.)