Maya crouched into stealth as Sevard vanished, though she doubted it would be much use. She glanced up at the trees above her to check for monkeys but didn’t see any. If there were more nearby, they were hiding well.

She took advantage of the lull to check over her stat sheet. She hadn’t really looked at it since equipping all the items Sevard had given her, and was pleasantly surprised by her new totals. 116 health and 119 energy. It still wasn’t close to her arena stats, with Shadow’s overpowered equipment, but it was a lot better than the 81 she’d had before.

Unfortunately, absorbed in her menus, she failed to notice the approach of a brilliant red-and-black snake until it had sunk its fangs into her foot.

-2 health

Crimson Coil venom: -1 health/5 sec. Duration: 3 minutes.

Maya jumped back with a yelp and threw a knife, skewering the sake through the tail. Unfortunately that didn’t deal enough damage to prevent it striking again.

-2 health.

-1 health.

Crimson Coil venom 2: -2 health/5 sec. Duration: 5 minutes.

Maya backed away, charging a Wind Whisper as she did so, and the snake followed. It was slower than before, dragging the knife along with it, but still gaining on her.

She used the spell as a gust rather than a slash, blowing the snake back away and giving herself room - and time - to maneuver.

She continued to back away and started charging Windborne Blade. If that wasn’t enough, she didn’t know what would be. The venom debuff was a problem, but though her health was steadily decreasing she didn’t think it would be enough to kill her. As long as she took the snake out and there weren’t more.

She doubted she’d be that lucky.

She fired her attack, skewering the serpent’s back with her knife, but this only seemed to anger it. Its whole body bunched and flexed as it reared up, then spat a glob of acid-yellow liquid with unerring accuracy.

Maya flinched as the burning missile struck her soundly in the chest, dropping her health by another 12.

“Sevard! Might need some help!” She jumped over the snake and ran down the path in the direction he’d gone. He did say to yell if she needed help. “High level snake! Also, I’m poisoned! Help!”

He reappeared so suddenly she ran right into him. He stumbled at the collision, but caught himself with a hand against a tree trunk. Maya bounced off and fell to the ground.

“Snake, you say? Here.” He passed her a pale blue pendant that somehow glowed golden while still remaining obviously only blue. “It slows poisons. I’ll need it back once your health recovers, it’s a unique item and I can’t replace it if you lose it.”

Maya tried to refuse, but he shook his head. “You need it right now. Just give it back once you’re up to full.”

Then he dropped it into her hands and vanished into the shadows before she could protest further.

[Unique] Amulet of Postponement

Reduces severity of all negative statuses by 66%. Triples duration.

Maya stared at the description, hardly daring to hope. She put it on. Immediately, the damage slowed from 2 every 5 seconds to 1, while the duration increased to 15 minutes.

But that wasn’t what she cared about at the moment. She pulled her character sheet into focus. Luck: -40. Her Trickster’s Price debuff had been affected by the amulet as well as the snake poison! Her base roll of -25 remained unchanged, but the -65 from having rerolled so many times the day before had been reduced to a -22!

She heard the rapid triple-thud of Sevard’s knife move, once, twice, and hurried to catch up with him.

“These are rare,” Sevard said, holding up the dead snake. “Looks like you’re even more lucky than I thought! Their venom is acidic and can be used in high-end crafting. You’ve just made this trip even more worthwhile than I’d hoped. Are you still collecting the low-end materials? It’s got a snakeskin if you want it.”

Maya looted the snakeskin, nodding. “Thanks. Listen, I know this amulet is a very powerful item, but is there any way I can buy it from you?”

Sevard laughed. “I sincerely doubt it. Do you have any idea what kind of a life-saver it is to be able to slow poisons? Especially in higher level zones? I spent a fortune on it. No offense, but however lucky you are, there’s no way you can afford it after four days of playing, even if you are permanent.”

“Name your price, please, just so I have something to aim for.”

“I spent 38k on it, and I really like it, so let’s say 40,000 even.”

“Forty thousand. . . gold?” Maya asked faintly.

Sevard nodded. “There’s nothing really suitable to use as a higher-level currency, so we just use gold in increasing quantity.”

Maya suddenly realized why Standalone could throw away 70 gold on a bribe just to have a conversation. If high level players truly had so much to throw around, that would be like pocket change.

It shifted her perspective of the economy in a new direction. Though the tutorial had gone into great detail about the NPC economy and the way things worked in the main city, it had little to say about the player economy, which would have been far more complicated. And useful.

Sevard was right. She definitely could not afford to buy the amulet.

“Do you know where it came from? Maybe I can get another.”

“You don’t know what the ‘Unique’ tag means? It’s unique. One and only one can ever exist in the world. And you’re wearing it.”

“And I’d really like to keep wearing it.” Maya sighed. “Just. . . don’t sell it to anyone else, okay? I’ll come up with the gold somehow. Eventually. I really, really want this amulet.”

“If it were anything else. . .” Sevard trailed off, then sighed. “Nope. I can’t go any lower. In fact, I’d probably be able to get fifty or sixty thousand nowadays, so if you don’t come up with the gold in the next month you can assume the price has increased accordingly. It’s the single most valuable item I own. Honestly, I don’t plan on selling it, ever, so you can rest assured it won’t be with anyone else.”

The sheer casualness with which he threw around such unimaginably huge numbers was almost enough to make Maya reconsider her current plans. Standalone was even higher level than Sevard. He’d been playing for longer, and probably had even greater resources to draw on.

Even if the Fire team managed to create a perfect shield against dragonfire, they were still a bunch of mages at level 30 or lower, planning an assault on someone just short of hitting 50.

It was insane to expect them to succeed.

But something in Maya rebelled at the word ‘impossible’. The more difficult, the more satisfying it would be to complete. And if they failed, as was almost certain to come to pass, they’d take that failure and apply their experience toward the next challenge.

Or at least Maya would. She couldn’t assume anyone else would join her.

-1 health.

The alert snapped her out of her thoughts. She sighed. “Not to sound ungrateful, but I’m not sure the amulet will be enough. My health is still dropping much faster than I can recover.”

“How many times did you get bitten?” Sevard asked, sounding surprised. “More than one?”

“Twice. It’ll do. . .” She paused to calculate. “108 more damage, and I only have 88 health left.”

Sevard frowned. “And you don’t have any way to increase your health? No strength equipment you could swap in?”

“I have two unspent levelup points. I don’t remember what I was saving them for. I could put them into strength, but that’s still not going to be enough.”

“Then let’s head back to town. We can come finish once you respawn.”

“What if someone else takes the quest before we can get back?” That was just the sort of thing she’d expect to happen, the way her day was going.

Sevard shrugged. “What else can we do? You wouldn’t last on your own.”

“We have ten minutes before I die. Let’s just rush through and do as much of the quest as we can before that. And then you can finish it on your own and come pick me up after.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. I’m tired of waiting around for death. Let’s just ignore it and press on.”

Sevard nodded. “Sounds good. Follow, but give me some space. Some traps are proximity triggered. I cleared the first hall, but there are enemies down the stairs so try to be quiet. They’ll all rush us at once if they see us.”

“Got it.” Maya slipped into stealth, though it wasn’t very efficient and also reduced her speed significantly. She crept along behind Sevard, who moved in a confident flicker of movement barely discernible from the shadows around him.

They emerged from the jungle-ish forest and into a crumbling courtyard, overgrown with vines and bushes. A dark entrance lay before them, a worn but intact archway leading into a vaulted crypt.

They descended on dark stone steps, then arrived at the hallway Sevard had mentioned. Maya saw a tripwire restrung from floor to ceiling, maintaining its tension without blocking the way, and a patch of floor surrounded by a faint red outline. She kept very well away from the tripwire, in case she happened to stumble she didn’t want to find out what it triggered.

“I marked the plates,” Sevard said as he stepped around the red area. “I hope it goes without saying, but don’t step on them.”

Maya nodded and carefully followed. Very carefully. Very slowly. And still slipped on a smooth floor cobble and would have fallen onto the trigger plate if Sevard hadn’t grabbed her at the last second.

“Careful,” he said, setting her back on her feet.

At the end of the hallway, another set of steps led further downward. The dim light from the surface didn’t reflect this far, but flickering torchlight illuminated the room at the bottom.

“How much damage did you say your magic knife attack does?” Sevard asked in a whisper, holding up a hand to stop her before reaching the steps.

“33.”

“Mmm, that’s low for this zone, considering how long it takes to cast.”

“How much does yours do, then?” Maya challenged. “It can’t be that much. You’re just throwing, not even using magic.”

“50. And that’s not counting the sneak attack bonus.”

“Y—what? My standard throw does three.”

“Range?”

“Um, I’m not sure.”

“Mine is short. Within five meters. The more distance, the less damage. And you have low agility, yes?”

“Yes. . .”

“Rogues have bonuses to knife-based attacks. As a mage, you should be focused on magic. Probably. What is your class bonus like? That’ll be one of the most powerful assets you have in determining a good build. Synergy and whatnot, you know? My abilities wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if I hadn’t built them around knives and stealth. I’ve never really looked into the mage class.”

Maya froze, the flaw in her facade suddenly glaring and obvious. She was a trickster pretending to be a mage, not an actual mage. She had no idea what the mage class items or bonuses would be. She really needed to get to the Travelers’ Hall sooner rather than later.

She could make something up, but then Sevard would realize she was lying the moment he met an actual mage with a different story.

“I’m still losing health here,” she said, electing to dodge the issue instead. “I thought we were going to blitz this quest? We can discuss my build options later.”

Sevard nodded. “Right. I can’t pull aggro without losing stealth, so be careful. Wait until I attack.”

Maya nodded, and Sevard faded into the shadows as he slipped ahead. She crouched and followed, slowly, keeping close to the wall.

The room below smelled musty and closed, like a place only recently opened after centuries of being sealed. Dust hung in the air, disturbed from its inches-thick covering only in narrow paths where many feet had crossed.

A rough circle had been cleared in the center of the room, tents and fires scattered throughout the space. She saw at least a dozen enemies sitting or walking about the area.

She wished she could use Seer and Path of Life at the same time. She’d love to see the detailed stats of their opponents. She hadn’t realized how blind she would feel, even after only a few hours of using the ability, not being able to see health totals and class.

Maya glanced around for Sevard, but he was somewhere in the flickering shadows cast by the cookfires and she couldn’t make him out.

She waited, then a quick flash of movement caught her eye. One of the bandits leapt to his feet, shouting a warning to alert the rest of the camp.

“Guess that’s my cue,” Maya said aloud, stepping into the light and beginning to charge Windborne Blade.

By the time she cast, the first bandit was dead and three more were rushing at her. She fired at the nearest, but he didn’t slow. Sevard was surrounded, eight of the thieves penning him in as he spun in a circle, slashing and stabbing with his little blades.

Maya switched to her dagger, with a throwing knife in her other hand, and started stabbing wildly as the bandits closed in.

Even if she weren’t two-thirds dead already from the snake venom, she wouldn’t have lasted long, but she liked to imagine she could have lasted a little longer.

As it was, they took her out in two blows.

Character Maya Starborn Average Androgynous Harpy Level: 8 Affinities: Magical Physical Tier: 1 Class: Trickster Specialization: Path of Life Base Equipment Modifiers Total Strength: 8 2 0 10 Momentum: 11 2 3 16 Agility: 8 19 1 28 Control: 8 32 0 40 Attunement: 17 0 1 18 Focus: 8 22 1 31 Intelligence: 15 3 2 20 Flexibility: 8 1 1 10 Luck: -25 - -2 -27 Unassigned: 2 Health: 0 of 186 Will: 62 of 62 Stamina: 164 of 164 Energy: 126 of 126 Speed: 2.16 Switch penalty: -20%, 7 secs Stealth: 1.1 Chain bonus: +5% Awareness: 0.9 Cooldown: 95% Max abilities: 4 Abilities Abilities: [5 of 4] 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) 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} 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) Sense Balance Discern if an area is lacking in or has an excess of any materials, creatures, etc. Perks: Quick Strike Decrease one ability’s activation time by 30%.

Lasts 3.5 minutes.

1-hour cooldown. Inventory Item Name Slot Str Mom Agi Con Att Foc Int Flx Rogue's Jacket Body 3 2 1 Ordinary Gloves of Control Hands 14 Minor Waistwrap of the Dancer Legs 1 1 Footwraps of the Acrobat Feet 2 Lesser Bracelet of Control Arm 1 4 Survivor's Bracelet Arm 2 1 1 1 Amulet of Postponement Necklace Bronze Dagger Held 1 2 1 2 Acrobat's Ring Ring 1 2 1 1 Dancer's Ring Ring 2 1 1 Greater Ring of Focus Ring 3 16 Cape of Deceit Shoulders 1 1 1 1 Athlete's Talisman Misc 1 7 7 Rogue's Belt Misc 2 2 2 1 Trickster's Mask (Mage) Special Money: 70 Gold, 2 Silver, 12 Copper Quality Item name Details Flimsy Newcomer Tunic Flimsy Newcomer Leggings Soulbound Trickster's Dice Soulbound Trickster's Orb 2/5 uses remaining Flimsy Orchard Map Normal Apple x2 Rare Diviner's Orb 1/3 uses remaining Normal Throwing Knife x505 3 damage (physical) Special Key - Arrival Plaza Apartment Expires in 26 days Special Key - Room 6, Sapphire Hall Special Arena Equipment Token Registered to Maya Starborn Uncommon Juggernaut’s Collar Level 29, +12 mom, +11 str Uncommon Boots of Fluidity Level 29, +6 mom, +6 con, +6 flx, +5 foc Rare Crimson Flame Charm Level 30, +12 att, +12 foc, +6 int Legendary Ring of Concentration Level 29, +24 Int, +12 Con Legendary Necklace of Acuity Level 29, +18 Flx, +18 Foc Legendary Circlet of Acuity Level 29, +18 Flx, +18 Foc Normal Peach Normal Pear Normal Mango x3 Rare Shirt of Meditation Level 15, +8 flx, +7 att Uncommon Minor Chestpiece of the Dancer Level 4, +1 mom, +1 con Normal Monkey Pelt x8 Uncommon Crimson Coil Scales Missions Mission Description

Time Reward Trickster Day 5 Visit a higher-level zone and defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself. 14h 15m Trickster's 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. 5d 14h 15m 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 by Windy Creek

Help clear the wreckage of the old Windy Creek Dam

Help construct a new bridge over Windy Creek 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 Help Shary the Produce Merchant Find the missing apple 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