Maya sat for a long time, contemplating her future. She had basically two options. Refuse to do the Trickster’s quest and accept the favor loss as a consequence, or attempt to do it and risk facing someone obviously much higher level and better equipped than her. Even if she didn't know exactly how high level, she had seen enough players around the arena to know high-tier equipment when she saw it.

She pulled out her Trickster’s Orb and stared at it. Three dots remained. Three chances to talk to him for the entire rest of the month. But she had some questions that she needed answered before she undertook such a serious quest.

Not that she trusted the Trickster as far as she could throw him. She most certainly did not.

She turned the orb over and over in her hands, thinking through the exact wording she should use to pin him down and ensure she got something useful out of it. Finally, her mind made up, she spoke.

"I need you to explain to me exactly how my trickster quests work, what the rewards are, and what your favor is actually worth to me."

She waited, expecting an invitation to Asgard to pop up, but nothing happened. She frowned down at the orb, wondering if perhaps she'd tried to squeeze too many questions into a single statement. Or perhaps it had to be asked as a question? But no, another dot had disappeared, leaving only two remaining.

"Clever girl. I knew you would be a fun one. Three times in four days, can you believe my luck? So, you want a full explanation, do you? Well, who am I to disappoint."

Maya turned toward the voice. The Trickster lay on the bed behind her. He was propped up on one elbow, wearing a deep green tunic and white pantaloons. He grinned over at her.

"I did say that I would decide whether to bring you to Asgard or drop in here, didn't I? I'm sure I did. You shouldn't be so surprised."

"I thought you said you'd only show up if I were on a battlefield. My bedroom is hardly a battlefield."

"Ah, but it was. Besides, there's a trace of…" he smacked his lips as though tasting the air. "Someone else has been interfering here. I’d worry about the consequences if I were to open a portal now."

"Someone else is interfering? Someone else, as in ‘another deity’ someone else?"

"I always said you were smart. Didn't take you too long to guess that. Yes, your Standalone," he spoke the name with scorn, "is very dedicated to one of my dearest cousins. He and I don't get along, but we all have our favorites. Standalone is his. Don't ask me why, the man is insufferably boring. Did you see how serious he was? As though it was the end of the world if he couldn't have his little secret club meeting. Stand-alone. Pah. I hope you teach him a lesson."

"And now we come back to the point of this visit. If I'm going to be taking on someone like Standalone, who's obviously been playing the game a while, has contacts, and is much higher level than me–"

"Level 49," the Trickster said offhandedly.

"What? 49? He's one of the leader leaders?!"

"Of course. Did you think any old noob could break into Shardlord's mage academy? If there's one thing Shardlord knows, it's his security. He has so many magical traps around this place, anyone not keyed into them hardly would stand a chance of getting in, much less reaching a specific room in a specific building."

Maya stared at him. The Trickster started back, smirking at her expression.

"If you had a little more favor, I could do more for you in this upcoming operation, but as it is I can only promise you awe-inspiring rewards should you succeed."

"Awe-inspiring rewards, huh? So now you're finally going to answer my actual question?"

"Of course! The thing is, positive or negative, the number you roll is the difficulty of the quest. -7, +7, those are easy. -50, +50? Those are difficult. And, of course, the rewards increase appropriately. You gain far more than a single normal item for finishing a level 90 quest. Now don't make that face, calm down. I don't mean level 90 as in level 90. I mean level 90 on my personal scale that I've devised for my tricksters. There is no need to be concerned. It is well within your capabilities to accomplish this quest, else I would not have assigned it to you."

"Really. You never assign anyone a quest they can’t do?"

"Oh, I didn't say anyone. I said you. You are not in my disfavor. If you ever are, then you may expect your task difficulty to increase accordingly. By which I mean, unreasonably. I have quite a few nasty surprises I can pull on those who’ve earned my displeasure. But you, thus far, have remained almost entirely neutral. And thereby actually stayed in the top five of my rankings. Although, I can tell you for sure, number seven is going to move up into that later today. He rolled very nicely."

"And none of this answers my question!” Maya tried to calm herself, but she was growing very tired of dealing with the Trickster. “What exactly are these stupid quests that you give us, what's the point of them, what are the rewards, and what do I get out of being in your favor?"

"I believe I just answered the last question. Those in my favor get easier quests and better rewards. For you, as a neutral, you'll get a very nice raid-level item or two if you accomplish today's quest. Someone in my disfavor might get one, or they might get something intended for a level 2. Someone in my high favor might get an entire set. Of course it's all based on chance. And my whims. But really, aren't those the same thing in the end?"

"So if I finish this, I can expect to get two pieces of raid-level gear? Just for this one daily quest?"

"Certainly! As long as you don’t do anything to annoy me in the meantime. I may set you near-impossible tasks, but I will reward you well if you accomplish them."

"Are easier quests and better rewards the only benefits of favor?"

"There are myriad possibilities. Those with high favor can trade it in. Why, number 18 used to be number 1 until he needed help with a particularly irritating army of goblins. So I popped in, dealt with them for him, and took away all his favor and then some. You can never be sure what exactly I'll charge when you ask for my help."

Maya glanced at her orb in concern, but the Trickster waved his hand at once. "No no. That is just a consultation. I would never charge you beyond removing one of your five chances to speak with me for the month. Asking for my actual help is another thing entirely. This, what’s speaking to you, it's just a psychic representation. No one else can see it unless I choose to reveal myself to them, and I can’t interact with the physical world at all. As you see, your bed is not rumpled by my presence, because I'm not physically here.

"Those who beg for my aid receive a proper avatar of my power, and that isn't cheap. Or, there are those who ask for specific items or a specific quest or particular dungeon. Number 24, before he spent all his favor, was number three. He’s accomplished nearly every task I ever set him. Quite a dedicated fellow. But he thought that entitled him to make certain demands upon me which I could not allow with any dignity. So I set him back to a negative amount equal to his former positive number. It is telling that he's managed to reach 24 again even with such a setback. I think he may have learned his lesson, but either way he still does his quest every single day. You can take his example. You failed your very first one, and a simple one at that. I know you had opportunities. You need to be a bit more diligent in looking for them."

"Hey, I was very diligent yesterday. And the day before. I lost duels and a PVP fight, losing a lot more than my dignity in the process."

The trickster grinned. "That you did. I suppose I cannot fault you for that. I admit, I do look forward to seeing what you do with Standalone. This is the first time someone so low level has rolled such a difficult quest.” He was laughing as he spoke, apparently unable to contain his mirth. “And your misfortune of having him be the first person you saw! Even I couldn’t have arranged it better."

"Is every quest worth five favor or disfavor? Or does it vary?"

"As I said at our first meeting, I assign rewards based on many factors. One of which is quest difficulty, one of which is the amount of effort you put into it. If you'd gone out into the wilderness and joined an actual PVP group and faced down another clan of players in deathly battle, for instance, you would definitely have earned more favor than simply allowing the first player you fought to kill you. You can always do better. Or worse.

"At a guess, assuming you spend the majority of your time on the project, you could come out much much closer to number three that you currently are. There are only three people today with as much potential as you. If you play your cards right, you can make this whole affair work out to your supreme advantage."

Maya considered that a minute. Part of her wanted to run away screaming. Standalone was level 49? Top 10 on the leaderboard? She had no desire to go up against him. Besides, they'd ended their brief encounter relatively amicably. She didn't want to jeopardize her future by making an enemy over something as trivial as a daily trickster quest.

But on the other hand, her daily trickster quests had the potential for absolutely awesome rewards. If the Trickster really could give out raid level gear? How could she turn that down? This could be the only way for her to get some properly endgame level loot without joining a raid group, which she had no intention of doing.

She tried to remember if there were any other pressing questions to ask, but before she could think of any the Trickster rolled over onto his back, yawning.

"Well, if that's everything, I must be getting back. There are great many things which require my attention, and I'm afraid you're not quite ranked highly enough to merit any more of my precious time. I hope to see you soon."

With a wink, the Trickster disappeared as though he'd never been there, leaving her bed as un-rumpled as ever.

Maya had 70 gold. She had a class quest to do the unimaginable.

She could go back to bed for the night, go to her magic lesson in the morning, and forget all about it. Or she could risk everything for quite possibly the greatest reward available to her at this level.

One of these options appealed to her a great deal more than the other, even after hours spent in contemplation.

If anyone had asked her, she would've described herself as a fairly risk-averse person. She didn't go around doing insane or dangerous things. In fact, until her untimely death, she'd led a very boring life. So boring she couldn't remember any of it.

Maya couldn't believe she was actually considering taking on one of the highest level players on the server. But she had been drawn to the trickster class for a reason, more than simply its rarity. She wasn't exactly a troll, but there was something about inciting chaos that she found endlessly entertaining. And what better way to cause chaos than for a level 6 player to take over the personal home of a level 49? Nothing came to mind.

So her other goals and plans were temporarily put on hold for the day. She needed to learn as much about Standalone as possible, as quickly as possible. And it may have been her curiosity getting the better of her, but the only place she could think to start was the mysterious door he'd risked (and spent) so much to visit.

Maya headed upstairs and stood outside the wooden door. It was still early in the morning, the darkness untouched by even a hint of sunrise. She took a deep breath and tapped on the door before she could talk herself out of it.

No answer. The door didn't open.

She knocked again, a bit more forcefully this time. Again, nothing.

Before she could decide whether to knock a third time, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Excuse me, are you looking for me?"

Maya spun to face the newcomer. It was a human man, dark-haired and youthful in appearance, wearing pure white armor. His eyes were a shade somewhere between blue and purple, bright and piercing, and currently frowning at her.

Maya felt unexpectedly flustered. "Oh! Is this your room?"

"Indeed. I do not believe we have met. Though… you were the one who cause such a stir couple days ago, are you not?"

"If by 'caused a stir' you mean kidnapped over the shoulder of Rominian, then yes. That was me."

He narrowed his brilliant eyes her. "So, after escaping from Domitius's custody, now you come to seek me out? I confess I find that suspicious."

"Oh no. No. I was never in Domitius's custody. Rominian just needed to talk to me for a quest. I can still do magic and everything," Maya added, igniting a Spark in proof, since everyone seemed to think that being Domitius's prisoner would end her mage status. "He didn't do anything to me."

The young man regarded her evenly, searching her face. Maya forced herself not to break eye contact, somewhat uncomfortable at the intensity of his gaze.

"Then if this is not a threat from Domitius to bring me under his sway," he asked, speaking very slowly, "what business could you possibly have with me?"

"I… well… I'm the one who escorted Standalone here last night. He broke into my room and then insisted on speaking to you in private. Do you know him? He's not, like, blackmailing you or something, right?"

"It was you… interesting. He mentioned that he had encountered more trouble than usual getting through. Neither of us knew that room had been given out to someone. I'm usually aware of high-level newcomers. I can assure you, he will be discreet. He'll not bother you again."

Maya was beginning to doubt the wisdom of this conversation, but she had no better idea. It was the only lead she had.

"Do you know where he lives? Or where I could find him?"

"I do. He and I traveled together before I joined the mage academy, and he has kept in touch ever since. But I confess myself puzzled as to why you would need to speak with him. If you're concerned for my well-being, I assure you that while Standalone may have no love for the mage academy he's never been anything but civil to me."

"I'm glad to hear that. He seemed like a pretty nice guy, for an intruder who barges into someone's bedroom. I'd just like a chance to get to know him better." Maya knew she was blushing, and was glad that her feathers would conceal that fact. This whole conversation had her off balance.

He considered a moment. "No," he finally said. "I don't believe you. You have some hidden agenda against him, and I'll not assist you. It's hard enough to play this game solo without mage guild flunkies chasing you around over a petty window. If you wish to seek vengeance, you'll seek it without my help."

"No, it's not like that! I have no desire for vengeance against him. Honest! He seems like a very nice guy and a reasonable person. And especially now that I've talked to you and know he wasn't trying to hurt you or kidnap you or blackmail you or anything, I'm even less likely to want him as an enemy. He fixed the window and everything. I'm not concerned about it. I really just… want to know more about him. It's not every day a mysterious man breaks into one's bedroom."

"Oh. You're that sort." His expression shifted, his voice suddenly thick with scorn. "I find myself even less inclined to provide assistance. Standalone is the very highest ranked solo player. He does not have time to deal with the advances of children."

"I'm not a child! And I'm certainly not interested in making advances!"

"Apologies. I seem to have failed to make myself clear. He does not have time to entertain the attention of fools. Now, if that is all--"

"It is not all! Just tell me where I can find him. I promise I'm not going to hurt him or anything. I have no violent, romantic, or other ulterior motives toward his person."

He sighed. "You do seem to have a modicum of sincerity about you. I will send a message to him, informing him of your interest in meeting. It will be his decision, and if he agrees to meet you, you may expect him at the… where would be a good place to meet… Beginner Plaza. Yes, I'll send him to the Beginner Plaza at four. If he doesn't show, then you are clearly unworthy of his time, and you will drop the matter. Agreed?"

"Is that 4 AM, or 4 PM?" Maya asked, just to be sure.

"PM, obviously. 4 AM would require him to rush and scramble in order to attend a meeting of dubious value."

4 PM was way too late. She didn't want to waste half the day waiting around for a meeting. Then again, if she could get everything else in place, she might not need more than a few hours. And it looked like this was the best she was going to get.

"Okay. Tell him that Maya wants to meet him and see what he says."

"I still don't trust you."

"Funny, I said the exact same thing to him last night. I guess were all just a distrustful bunch."

"Apparently so. Good day, Maya. I will send your message. Pardon me if I don't hope to meet you again."

"Thank you." Maya left.

She realized as she was walking down the stairs that she had never asked his name. And at almost the same time, she realized that she didn't care.

Character Maya Starborn Average Androgynous Harpy Level: 6 Affinities: Magical Physical Tier: 1 Class: Trickster Specialization: Path of Life Total Base Items Modifiers Sturdiness: 8 8 0 0 Momentum: 17 12 2 3 Agility: 11 8 2 1 Control: 27 8 19 0 Attunement: 16 15 0 1 Focus: 9 8 0 1 Intelligence: 14 12 0 2 Flexibility: 9 8 0 1 Luck: 59 89 - -30 Unassigned: 0 Health: 121 of 121 Will: 18 of 18 Stamina: 78 of 78 Energy: 79 of 79 Speed: 105% Switch penalty: -33%, 8.3 secs Stealth: 84% Chain bonus: +5% Awareness: 84% Cooldown: 95.5% Max abilities: 3 Abilities Abilities: [5 of 3] Wind Whisper

[5 energy] Blow into cupped hands, then push the air toward the target.

Creates a light breeze, a quick gust, or a damaging slash.

[Overcharge: +5 energy, +0.2 sec cast time, +50% force/duration/dmg] 1.9 sec

5 dmg

(wind) Throw Knife

[5 stamina] Throw a knife at a target with high accuracy. Requires a knife. 0.8 sec

3 dmg

(physical) Spark

[5 energy] Draw magic into palm and snap fingers to ignite into a spark of fire.

Can be used as a light or thrown at a target. 1.1 sec

3 dmg

(fire) Windborne Blade

[45 energy, 5 stamina] Cast Wind Whisper in a loop up and behind, aligning with throwing arm.

Throw knife straight at target with wind as augment. 4.3 sec

33 dmg

(physical) Sense Balance Discern if an area is lacking in or has an excess of any materials, creatures, etc. Equipment & Inventory Item Name Slot Stu Mom Agi Con Att Foc Int Flx Ordinary Gloves of Control Hands 13 Minor Chestpiece of the Dancer Body 1 1 Minor Waistwrap of the Dancer Legs 1 1 Acrobat's Footwraps Feet 2 Lesser Bracelet of Control Arm 1 4 Trickster's Mask (Mage) Special Money: 70 Gold 3 Silver 262 Copper Quality Item name Details Soulbound Trickster's Dice Soulbound Trickster's Orb 2/5 uses remaining Flimsy Shary's Orchard Brochure Normal Apple x2 Consumable Special White and Blue Orb 3/3 uses remaining Special Key - Arrival Plaza Apartment Expires in 29 days Normal Basic Throwing Knife x11 3 damage (physical) Special Key - Room 6, Sapphire Hall Flimsy Newcomer's Tunic Flimsy Newcomer's Leggings Special Arena Equipment Token Registered to Maya Starborn Missions Mission Description

Time Reward Trickster Day 4 Claim in Conquest the home of the next player you see.

Once claimed, hold it for 24 hours. 6d 19h 12m Trickster's Reward

??? Arena (Shadow) Spend at least one day every week fighting in the Arena. Ongoing Variable Trickster Day 3 Lose a fight to another player in the arena. DONE Ordinary Gloves of Control

+5 reputation with The Trickster Gazebo Construction Construct a new gazebo for Maylon the Poet.

[Optional] Also varnish the entire structure once built. DONE 3 silver 50 copper

+5 reputation with Maylon the Poet Trickster Day 2 Lose a fight to another player in PVP. DONE Lesser Bracelet of Control

+5 reputation with The Trickster Windy Creek Reconstruction Locate the missing workers' tools.

Construct a new dam to redirect Windy Creek to the mill run.

Clear the wreckage of the old Windy Creek Dam.

Complete construction of the new Windy Creek bridge. DONE 5 silver, 80 copper

25 reputation with Windy Creek village Trickster Day 1 Side with a person who is losing an argument or disagreement. FAILED -5 reputation with The Trickster Missing Delivery Find the overdue delivery boy. Ensure his safety and the successful delivery of apples to Shary's Produce Stand. DONE 5 copper

3 apples

+10 reputation with Shary and Elaph