Maya was starting to question whether the quest she'd been set was even possible. Capture the personal home of the strongest solo player in the game? Not to mention the fact that it would ruin any chance of having an amicable relationship with Standalone. That alone made it ill-advised to attempt. And if he had allies in the mage academy, there was every chance she'd be burning bridges there too.

But she couldn't give up without at least trying. The Trickster had promised great rewards, so what kind of a gamer would she be if she walked away now? How many other players had a chance at a quest like this? Especially right at the beginning? If she did it well and impressed the Trickster, there was every chance she would get some awesome equipment out of this. And if there is one thing she was lacking, it was awesome equipment.

She considered the gold Standalone had given her, smirking to herself at the thought of him financing his own downfall. It wouldn't be much, probably not a sufficient amount to do the job properly, not at her level. But it was a thrilling concept.

She checked the quest to see how long she had, and was surprised by the mission timer counting down.

6 days, 19 hours, 9 minutes.

Maya laughed. That was just like the Trickster. Let her assume the job was harder than it was, then surprise her like this. He probably thought he was hilarious.

Well. If she had a week, that changed everything. She could dedicate the entire day to learning more about Standalone and his house, spend a few days recruiting and outfitting herself and her team, then the last two days executing whatever plan she devised.

Broken down like that, it didn't seem so bad. Still insanely difficult – she was only level 6 and he was level 49 – but this made it an insanely difficult challenge rather than a complete impossibility. One day would not have been enough time.

First, she had to find out exactly how strong he was. She headed out to the nearest leaderboard and searched for his name. It was easy to find. #5: Standalone, Level 49, Lizardine. The leaderboard could offer no additional information.

The mage had described Standalone as a solo player, and with a name like that she didn't doubt it at all. She did think it rather arrogant of him to assume he could win a multiplayer game by himself. But then he did at least have allies, if not party members. She didn't know if he would bring them in over something like this.

Next, Maya needed to know more about the mechanics of claiming another player's house. She stopped by the guardhouse to speak with the guard captain, since the guards had been universally helpful so far. A different one than she'd spoken to last time, since she was at the north gate instead of the east gate, and thankfully this one was on the ground floor.

"Hello? Can I come in?"

"Yes yes. Come on in."

Maya pushed open the door, which grated against the stone floor with a horrendous screech and only moved a few inches. She threw her body against the door, forcing it a little further, then again until she was able to squeeze in through the gap.

She stood before the guard captain's desk, panting for breath. "I'm wondering if you can tell me about the mechanics of player homes. So far I only have an apartment and a room at the mage Academy, but what if I wanted my own house?"

The guard captain of this gate was large and loud, his voice rough as he shouted, "Shut the door! You're letting a draft in."

Really? After she'd worked so hard to open it.

Maya threw her weight against the door again, shoving it closed with an echoing squeal of wood on stone. She had no idea if she'd be able to get it open again from the inside, but that was another problem for later.

"So. Player housing?" She turned back to face him, out of breath.

"Yes, yes. Players can own houses," said the guard captain with an air of impatience. "You can buy them from their owners, buy land and build 'em yourself, or be granted one as a reward for exceptional deeds." He gave her a quick glance over. "Not that you'd have done any exceptional deeds yet."

Maya scowled, embarrassed. "I may not be exceptional yet, but I will be. Just you wait." She really needed to get her shopping done soon. Walking around in the beginner clothes was not doing her any favors.

The guard laughed. "I'll be waiting a long time. But that's not why you came here. You want a house? So does everyone. Get in line. Having a house is the main goal about a third of the player population. That and getting pretty outfits to play dress-up with. Don't ask me why. And the rest? They want pets and mounts. Can you believe it? There's a whole world here to be explored, conquered, and tamed, and they want to play dress-up with their pretty horses and fancy houses. Pah!"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. I wouldn't mind having more than one set of clothing, as it happens. "

"What do you need more than one set of clothing for? Are you some kind of spy? Got multiple factions you want to represent at different times? Ooh, today I'll wear a guard uniform; tomorrow I'll wear a royal tabard. Pah!"

Maya did not find this guard captain nearly as helpful as the other. He seemed to have an unreasonable grudge against players for some reason. But she couldn't stop herself from trying to reason with him.

"How does people wanting outfits, houses, or horses impact you? Why would it matter to you if I have one outfit or fifty?"

"Because they squabble over them. Constantly. Do you know how many attempted sieges I've had to stop in the last week? Everyone thinks, oh, I like the house up on the hill, I'll just take it while the owner is logged out." His voice, which had started out as a near shout, continued to gain in volume. "And then you know who has to come in and save the day? Me. Me and my guards. Know how many times we've died in the process? Way too many!"

Maya took a step back, intimidated by his vehemence. "I'm so sorry to hear that," she said a bit shakily. "So the guard usually comes to the defense of those players whose houses are under attack?"

"Only if they have a good reputation with us. Which is most people. You know what I think? I think they believe that doing a few fetch quests and killing off a few hundred monsters is enough to make us their personal watchdogs so they can log out and traipse around in other worlds as much as they like while we're back here watching over their possessions. It makes me sick."

"What about people who genuinely help you all the time? I bet you wouldn't say that about Rominian."

"Rominian is a rare and exceptional person. He deserves our utmost respect. But he is not like other players. He has no personal home for others to try to seize, as he represents the great Lord Domitius. If anyone tried to attack their complex, I assure you that they would not need the guard to come to their rescue. No, it's the mid tier players you have to watch out for." He sneered. "They think they're entitled to everything in this world without working for it."

"You don't seem uncomfortable talking about it as a game," Maya commented. "Most people I've seen are bothered by that."

"Pah! Most people are in denial," the guard captain boomed. "They want to pretend they're more than fictional characters. Me? I know I'm fictional. Doesn't make me any less alive. Kill me now, and I'll be back tomorrow. If that doesn't make me an immortal then I don't know what does. People would rather pretend they have a real normal life rather than accepting just how exceptional we are. Pah!"

Maya laughed weakly. "Yeah, sounds pretty silly to me. What can you do, right?"

"Exactly! You can't change reality. Just accept it and move on, make what changes you can. Like warning off young noobs who think they want a thousand houses and five million horses. Where would you even put five million horses?!"

"I assure you, I have no intention of collecting that many horses. One, maybe a backup or two, that should be plenty for me."

She realized even as she was saying it that it was a lie. If there were exotic mounts to collect, she would absolutely want every one of them. One more thing to go on her wish list.

Maya cleared her throat and pressed on. "So, if I wanted a single house, nothing too fancy, but didn't want other players to take it while I'm away. What do you recommend I do to protect it? What do most people do?"

"Most people rely on us to protect it for them. Most people are selfish idiots who don't care about putting the proper defenses in place. If I were in charge, I would ensure that every player had to protect their own property or else be forfeit any assistance when others come to take it from them. I know plenty of people who would be happy to get work putting up defenses.

"Do you know how hard it is to find work around here? I'm lucky. My job is coded in. No one is usurping me outside of a special event. But most players? You could be this close to finishing a job and then someone else nicks in and takes it away. I wouldn't like to tell you the number of times I've seen someone come in here with eight wolf pelts, walking past someone who just turned in his own, and I have to tell him the job's been done and he gets no rewards.

“If we could put those players to work defending each other's homes rather than running around after pointless materials that we don't even need, that'd go a long way toward making this world more hospitable. But who am I to know? I'm just the stinking captain of the stinking guard, in charge of one quadrant of one city."

"But surely there must be some players who know enough to defend what's theirs," Maya pressed. "You mentioned Domitius. What sort of protections would he have?"

"Domitius? Hah! He stays there. You know anyone who would want to tangle with the highest player in the world? The highest I tell you. You know the difference between level 50 and 54? Not a whole lot. Except for the gear. You know what kind of dungeons he takes on? The highest type. The ones that scale to level, and give loot that scales to level. And you know that one extra level gives them? A whole extra level worth of loot!"

"Yes, I get the picture." Maya well remembered the difference when having appropriate gear. Just imagining it made her excited to one day reach that level. And surpass it. She couldn't deny the appeal of standing at the top of the leaderboard herself. "But that won't be much use to me. I'm the lowest level player in the world, so, heh, my staying there will not be much of a deterrent."

The guard captain nodded. "I take your meaning. So you want something to protect your home without relying on people like me who may or may not show up when it's in danger. But you also don't have much to pay for it, am a right?"

Maya nodded sheepishly. "I'm sure that just paying for the house at all would be a severe strain on my resources. I'm willing to put in the labor, I just won't be able to pay for much in the way of outside contractors. At least not for now. If you get me a list of who to talk to when I do have enough money, that would be helpful."

"What do you think I am, made of lists? You think these things show up in my desk, day in and day out, whether I want them or not?" He pulled out a piece of parchment and pen from his desk in demonstration, shook them in Maya's face, then began scribbling furiously.

She wasn't sure how to react to this, and settled for backing up another step. "While you work on that, is it okay if I ask you some more questions?"

"Of course I don't mind. Do I look like I have anything better to do with my time? No, I just sit here at my desk 'being available.' Do you know how often people come to turn in quests to me? Not bloody often! You're the most interesting thing to happen to me all day. So go ahead, ask your questions. Just don't mind me if I get a little loud."

Maya chuckled weakly. There was no 'getting' about it, he'd started out loud and she didn't think his volume had lowered once since she entered the room.

"So, where are the player houses? Is there a section of the city set aside for us, or do we just buy them wherever?"

"Well, there are areas of the city set aside for players. But if you see a shop or a spot that you really like, the chance of someone sayin’ no if you offer them enough gold is minuscule. Players are spread all over this place. You know that old mage academy? Shardlord up and bought that thing wholesale. All the outbuildings and everything. He kept some of the teachers on, but most of them had to go and start their own shops now. Hard to get people to pay for a private tutor when they can just go and apply at that there magic academy for free. Especially since teachers require you to bring your own magic, which Shardlord has gathered up by the basket load. I don't know where he finds it all. One of these days someone will try to take it back and that'll be a war and a half. I just wish it wouldn't take place in my city, but I know it will."

For such a loud and irate fellow, he certainly was talkative. Maya tried to steer him back on track. "So where are the player housing districts?"

"Northwest part of the city. My whole quadrant is all player housing. Thankfully much of it is unused, a lot of it has defaulted and is available for sale once again after the previous owners logged out never came back. Some of it is under magical protection and no one has broken in yet. That would be a job and a half. Some of those old wizards were almost as strong as our current batch. Of course, it's all relative. They worked in groups, clans, guilds. Any individual's house has long since been looted to the ground. I wouldn't expect anything else from players." His tone was decidedly derisive.

"Are there many players who live outside of that district?"

"Hang on there, harpy, I was gettin’ to that. The other place with a high concentration of players is outside of town in the hills to the west. That's where all the manors are. Big houses, large grounds, basically where to go any time someone feels like playing overlord. That's where Domitius and company are based as well. But, in his case, he has an excuse to play overlord since he is the strongest."

"You respect Domitius a lot, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Domitius has done more to help me and mine than anyone else on this blasted world. You think I would overlook something like that? Why, he saved this town single-handedly from everything from peasant uprisings and goblins to potentially world-ending cataclysms. Single-handed, I tell you! And if he ever needed help, well, he's got enough followers to take on even the Cult of the Dark Queens. Not that they've been in any trouble this far south. They keep to their haunted forest. But if they did ever come south, Domitius is the one I'd ask for help. In a heartbeat."

"And how do I get to the player manors from here?"

"Just leave town by the west gate and you'll be right there. Everything in those hills is player territory. I don't know of anyone else who lives over there, except maids, servants, or hired guards. At least that side of town is more likely to take care of themselves, seeing as they're so far away. Anyone in the city itself tends to rely on us to be their door guards."

Well. That was interesting. Maya wasn't sure if Standalone would be the sort to play overlord with a bunch of NPC servants or not. It would be easier to check the houses in town, being closer together.

"Is there any way to find out if a house is already owned? Do they have the player's name on them or something?"

"Of course they do. Otherwise how would anyone find who they were looking for? Used to be we left it up to the players to decide if they wanted to put a name on it or no, but enough people were asking for help or supplies delivered to their house and then gave us the wrong address, we decided to make it official. If the house don't have a player name on it, we aren't delivering there and we aren't protecting it.

"If you ask me, they should be a lot more regulation on those players. But why would anyone ask me? I'm just the stinking captain of the stinking guard, in charge of this one little corner of this one little city. What do I know?"

Maya cleared her throat, wondering if she dared push her luck. But her luck was pretty good today, so she went for it.

"If I'm looking for a specific player's house, is there way to find it quickly?"

"Sure there is. Not that we advertise it, mind. People with a vendetta are more common than you'd realize, and players trying to bust into someone's house just makes more work for me. You, you don't have a vendetta, do ya?" He glowered across the desk at her.

"No no. It's just I met someone yesterday and they were very generous to me. I'd like to know where they live." Her voice faltered a bit, and the guard captain squinted at her suspiciously.

Then he shrugged. "Even if I weren't to believe you, what's a level six going to do? What's the players name?"

"Standalone. Do you happen to know where he lives? Or what his defenses are like?"

That question got her another squint eyed stare, this one going on much longer. "You wouldn't happen to be up to no good, now, would you? I know it's uncharitable of me to be suspicious of someone I just met, but I can't help but wonder if your questions are meant for a more malicious purpose than just visiting a new friend."

"What? New friends don't usually ask about the state of each other's defenses?" Maya tried to laugh it off, but she knew her voice sounded more nervous than amused.

"As it so happens," the guard captain said slowly, "I have a bone to pick with that Standalone fella. He's not been doing his due duty, running off every day chasing down dragons in far places and leaving my city undefended. Not that we need the likes of him around, not with Domitius on the watch, but it would still be nice for him to at least acknowledge us. He's one of the worst I tell you. Thinks he can do everything himself and does nothing for anybody else. The definition of selfish, that one."

Maya decided to push her luck a little farther. "So if someone were to have a quest which required them to capture Standalone's home for a 24 hour period, would you be willing to look the other way for a day or so before reclaiming it?"

The guard captain grinned. "That your quest? Holding Standalone's home for a day? And you at level six? Now that I'd like to see.” He leaned back, his chair creaking as he considered her, fingers spinning the pen in his hand. “You certainly aren't timid, no matter your low level. I'll do you one better. I’ll add my own reward onto that there quest. If you can claim and hold Standalone's home, not only will I keep the guard out of it, I'll personally purchase you a house of your own. That kind of a feat is one deserving of a serious reward. And you seem a sensible sort, even if you are completely whacked."

"Thank you! That is too generous. I don't know how I can repay you."

"I hear you've done good by the folk of Windy Creek, as well as helping out around here. Just keep doing good by my citizens and you'll have me in your corner. Just don't expect me to watch your house for you while you're on vacation."

Maya laughed, genuinely this time. "It's a deal. And again, thank you."

He scribbled a few more lines, then set aside the pen and passed her the parchment. "Here's that list of people who can help you upgrade and protect your house once you have it. Assuming you do get it. Which I am assuming, you seem a determined enough sort. And here…"

He reached into his drawer and pulled out a folder, sliding it across the desk to her.

"This here is the complete file we have on Standalone's house and grounds, including blueprints and defenses. I'm warning you, it's probably not up-to-date. It's what we have on file, not what's necessarily real now. He lives far on the outskirts, past Domitius's place and toward the edge of the mountains. In fact, I think he may own a mountain. Yeah. Don't ask me why he wanted that. I don't know and I don't care. Probably a personal dungeon in there he likes to run again and again. Burned a lot of reputation on it, or I'd care about him quite a bit more than this."

Maya accepted the folder and opened it. Inside were plans for a large manor, accompanying stable, and several outbuildings. She silently blessed her high luck as she put the folder into her inventory. She didn't doubt that this would've been impossible without it.

"And if you do end up needing any help," the guard added, "just give me a holler. You know where to find me. I'm always happy to help a sensible young thing like yourself."

"Thank you, again, I can't tell you how appreciative I am. This is going to be a very difficult mission, and I don't think I'd be able to do it without your help."

"Being helpful is what the guard is all about. Isn't it? Come back and visit me again. You're always welcome to stop by. Goodness knows that door needs a bit more of a workout than it's getting."

He stood and crossed to the door in question, yanking it open in one motion. It emitted a grating screech, which he ignored. "Not to rush ya out the door, but we are letting a draft in."

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 A Private Grudge Claim Standalone's house in Conquest and hold it for at least 10 hours. Personal House Trickster Day 4 Claim in Conquest the home of the next player you see.

Once claimed, hold it for 24 hours. 18h 37m 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