Unfortunately, You Are

It is so, so very tempting to grab her leg and pull her on land. To throw her into the grass, and throw yourself on top of her. Nymphs are sexual creatures, and she is no exception; you know that if you do what she wants, you will enjoy it. You ache for it.

But what would it get you, in the end? A few minutes of pleasure. And you don’t know if you have minutes to spare. You need to find a Hero who has just come into their third level, before they have a chance to use their Claimant Crystal. It will be hours, maybe as much as a full day, before the Heroes returned. There is always a surge of low-level Heroes with a new update, but you don’t know how many there will be, or how long it will last. You need to prepare now so that you can strike quickly.

You give your Naiad friend a sad smile. “I’m afraid so.”

She sighs, and drops her legs back beneath the surface. “Well, it was worth a try. I guess I’ll just have to catch you on your way back.” Her disappointment gives way to a warm smile. “Still, it is good to see you acting like yourself again.”

You bid each other goodbye, and she drops fully beneath the surface of the water, disappearing from sight. With that behind you, you turn to the forest, and set on your way down the game trail.

The nearest Hero-friendly settlement is Thaeldir’s Crossing, named for some voyager who crossed between the Shards, or some such. The important thing is that it's where low-level Heroes set out from in this part of Arkus. That means keeping your eyes on it is your best bet for getting your hands on a Claimant Crystal.

That being said, the town itself does not regard you fondly. On those few occasions where you had attempted to enter, its people were quite hostile. No, going in isn’t an option. If you want a Crystal, then you need to catch a Hero while they're traveling through the forest. You should still watch Thaeldir’s Crossing, to see their comings and goings, but you'll need to stay out of sight yourself. Keeping your distance will make things more challenging. It would be much easier if you had another pair of eyes…

An idea occurs to you. Some time later, when your trail meets up with a more robust path, you take a different course than you had originally intended, away from town. It isn’t long before you reach your new destination.