Maya stared at the massive body of Durg-Grom, still feeling vaguely like she should be fleeing. But that panic started to fade, as her will stat gradually recovered.

"Ha ha ha! Good job everyone!" The tank jogged over to high-five each of them. "I'm Loome, nice to meet you, and this was my first boss kill! Thanks for the help, everybody!"

The violet-haired elf put away her trumpet and sheathed her sword, bowing instead of accepting his high-five. "And I'm Zarene. You are welcome."

Loome lingered by Zarene, ogling her in a way that made Maya sigh. It couldn't be denied that Zarene's character was eye-catching in more ways than just the vibrant purple hair. Maya didn't understand the appeal herself, but who was she to judge?

"I'm Sevard," Sevard said, then gestured to Maya. "And this is Maya. We are currently available for hire, if–"

Before he'd even finished speaking, Zarene stiffened, then whipped around to face Maya.

"You," Zarene hissed. Loome frowned uncertainly as Zarene charged past him. Sevard surged into motion, disappearing into the shadows.

Maya had just enough time to think 'wait, what?' before Zarene's sword slammed into her chest, causing Maya to stumble back a bit.

“Hah! I finally remembered to turn off my PVP toggle.” But. . . why would Zarene be attacking her in the first place?

In the same moment, Sevard reappeared behind Zarene, backstabbing her with both daggers.

Zarene spun on Sevard, stabbing through him with her sword, and he slashed at her with his daggers, both of them moving far faster than Maya could.

“Stop, Sevard, it’s fine, I’m not in danger!”

But it was too late. They were in close quarters and there was no stopping them now. Zarene switched out her sword for a nasty three-bladed sai, as they slashed and stabbed each other in a blur of motion Maya could barely follow.

“Why?”

Loome didn’t stick around. He took off up the trail and out of sight.

Maya didn’t blame him. The speed and ferocity of Sevard and Zarene’s attacks might have scared her off too, if she didn’t have a personal stake in the fight’s outcome.

Maya wished there were anything she could do to help, but even if she turned PvP back on, she’d only get in Sevard’s way and get herself killed in the process.

The health bars were long gone along with Durg-Grom’s death, so Maya had no way to tell for sure which of the two players was winning. If she had to guess, she’d say Sevard. He was moving easily half again as quickly as Zarene, stabbing and slashing and stabbing and stabbing again in the same time it took her to swing twice.

But as the fight continued, Sevard’s scowl grew more pronounced, his motions faster as he abandoned his abilities and began stabbing wildly in increasingly frantic motions.

Zarene methodically continued attacking with the same steady rhythm.

“I’ll come back for you,” Sevard snarled.

“Don’t bother. You’re not my target.”

Zarene grinned, and Maya suddenly realized that she really should be running, not watching. But she had her PvP flag off. Zarene couldn’t hurt her.

Zarene couldn’t hurt her.

Maya ran at her, intending to physically impose herself between them. She may not be able to help, but she could at least be a bit of a shield.

But the inspiration had come too late.

Sevard stumbled and collapsed to the ground, his body flickering a few times as Zarene stooped over it before it vanished. Then Maya crashed into Zarene, knocking them both to the ground. Maya recognized the blue-gold glint in Zarene’s hand in the instant before the other player flicked it away into her own inventory. Her breath caught.

Sevard’s amulet. The most valuable thing he owned. The one item he’d planned never to sell to anyone.

Zarene grinned up at Maya, seeming unconcerned by their unorthodox position. “So, now that irritant is out of the way, let’s have a little talk.”

“But. . . how? He’s level 39!”

Zarene laughed. “Maybe I just got lucky.” Sevard’s amulet glowed faintly as it appeared around Zarene’s neck, gleaming against her chainmail tunic. “Mmm, very lucky.”

Maya’s heart sank. She wished she had her Seer specialization at the moment to verify her sudden suspicion. But she didn’t need it.

“You’re a trickster, aren’t you?”

“What gave me away?” Zarene made it sound more like a boast than a question.

Maya wanted nothing more than to slap that self-satisfied smirk right off of Zarene's face.

“I don’t know," she retorted. "Maybe I just got lucky.”

Zarene laughed. “You poor little thing. So helpless. How could someone as weak as you have done anything so dreadful? You know, the more he refuses to tell me, the more I have to know."

“The Trickster sent you to shake me down for answers?”

Before Zarene could answer, a trio of the rare serpents Maya had come to recognize slithered into the clearing. She instinctively jumped back.

Zarene stood smoothly and went on the attack, slashing each snake in turn as it neared her, then hesitated at the last. She glanced back at Maya with a wicked smirk.

“Catch!” Zarene flipped the snake up on her blade and flung it at Maya. Too late, Maya turned to run.

The snake was faster. And far deadlier.

“I may not be able to touch you directly,” Zarene said, sauntering closer, “but I’m sure I can make things a little more interesting for you.”

“Why?” Maya asked, as the snake’s venom drained away the last of her health.

If Zarene answered, Maya didn’t have time to hear.

You have been killed by Crimson Coil Cobra. Character Maya Starborn has been locked for two minutes.

Gah! Just what she needed. One more complication.

Everything had been going so well. The Trickster didn’t know how to let it go, did he?

How could Maya ever make this up to Sevard? He’d gone out of his way to help her at every turn. And now this.

When the login option reappeared, Maya didn’t select it immediately. She had too much to think about, too much to process. She had to decide her next move.

Should she return to the jungle outpost and wait for Sevard to respawn? Or would that only bring more attention to him? Right now, the last thing she wanted was to let Zarene know anything more about her allies than necessary.

If she was going to follow Maya around, trying to make things ‘interesting’ until Maya caved and gave up her secrets. . . Well. Maya couldn’t return to the mage academy. She had to stay clear of Sevard. And she should remain in areas where there were no convenient enemies for Zarene to throw at her.

That basically narrowed it down to Maya’s beginner plaza apartment, the arena, and the areas in between. Main roads, not dodgy back alleys where she might find herself in a subterranean tribe of lizardine and merla.

Though, she could also simply avoid main areas. If Maya went to Windy Creek, for instance, would Zarene have any reason to look for her there? She could do some low-level quests, kill some goblins, and stay off the grid until the Trickster calmed down.

She’d have to find a way to apologize to Sevard, but for now it would be best to leave him out of it.

With a thought, she chose to arrive in her cheap apartment.

After so many times respawning at the mage academy, she’d come to expect the antique-styled furniture, the heavy curtains and ornate carpeting. It felt jarring to be back in this drab, strictly utilitarian room. A bed, a storage crate, a plain window with wood shutters. Worn wooden floor.

Yet it felt strangely appropriate. Today, everything about her life had been going from wonderful to terrible.

Depressing, but accurate.

She took a deep breath, coughed on the stale grungy taste of the air, then crossed to the window and threw open the shutters to try again. A fresh wind blew gently against her face. She held a hand out to it, feeling it ripple through her feathers, and managed a faint smile.

The street below was lined with more apartment buildings, none of which were occupied. Unsurprising. Most players would have moved on by now. Even Maya had, within a day of arriving, and if not for Zarene’s sudden attack she wouldn’t have come back.

Zarene.

Maya sighed and closed the window. It was no surprise that her fellow tricksters would be, well, more tricky. More like the Trickster. Maya knew she was only technically a trickster, a mage at heart. But that didn’t mean Zarene had to be such a jerk about it.

Well. Hopefully that was the last Maya would ever see of the purple-haired trickster. She doubted it, but a girl could hope.

So that left the question of where to go next. Staying in the city seemed risky, since as a major hub for quests and whatnot she’d be easier to find.

But she should have at least a few minutes. Zarene couldn’t know where Maya would choose to respawn. And she had a few things to take care of.

A sense of recklessness had begun to rise up in Maya. She normally calculated things, tried to maximize value, tried to use her lucky days efficiently and not try anything that could be important when her luck was low.

But right now, she didn’t feel like she had anything to lose. Her luck was going to be rock-bottom for the rest of the week at least. Her most powerful ally had been murdered by another trickster, who apparently had been mobilized by the Trickster to hound her into spilling her secrets.

Well, it wouldn’t work. She wasn’t going to hide from misfortune. She wasn’t going to let her stats control her.

She was going to visit the Travelers Hall.

She was going shopping.

And she was going to do some quests.

Trickster or no trickster.

With another ill-advised deep breath of stale air, Maya pushed her apartment door open, then paused. She crossed to the storage crate. Activating it brought up an interface similar to her inventory, and she transferred over any of the high-level items which she planned to keep but couldn’t equip yet. The rest, she would sell.

She didn’t plan to turn PvP on again, but just in case.

The street lay empty as ever, the plaza itself deserted but for NPCs. Unlike her previous visits, though, a brightly-dressed crier strode up and down the street, shouting indiscriminately, seemingly unconcerned with the lack of nearby players.

“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! Welcome to Kalyx City! If you need help, don’t be shy! Step right up, I’m your guy!”

Maya opened her journal to a new page and wrote down ‘Kalyx City’. This was the first time she’d heard it named. Then she approached the crier.

“I’m looking for the Travelers’ Hall,” she said, fairly sure the big judicial-looking building that she’d mistaken for a courthouse was the one she was after.

“Certainly! It’s right yonder.” He pointed to the far end of the plaza, behind where she’d first spawned in.

“Just as I thought. Thanks!”

Maya hurried toward the structure.

Two guards, a sprite and an elf, stood flanking the Travelers’ Hall entrance. Maya approached slowly. Neither tried to stop her, so she pushed the door open and entered.

Inside was a huge open room, looking something like what would happen if you crossed a college career fair with a bank. Counters lined the outer walls, while some stood in little clusters throughout the room. Symbols painted onto the smooth floor denoted general categories. Weapons, armor, magic, crafting, thieving. . . Maya saw a dozen glyphs she could figure out and even more that she couldn’t.

A lizardine appeared before her so suddenly Maya reflexively took a step back, hands coming up in preparation to cast a spell before she realized it was a friendly look on his face.

“Welcome to the Travelers’ Hall! I haven’t seen you yet, but you seem to have already gained some strength. Congratulations! What can we help you with today?”

Right. He must be a greeter. She laughed at herself, being so jumpy over a standard NPC. Even if he had appeared out of nowhere, wearing black, looking very much like an assassin. Yep. Nothing to worry about.

She reflexively tried to activate Truth Sight to check his stats, but this was her Path of Life save so she didn’t have access to her Seer ability at present.

The lizardine’s face shifted to concern. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. Sorry. You startled me.”

“Apologies. Are you here for your welcome pack?”

“Sure. Yes. Let’s do that.”

He offered Maya a package tied in silvery twine.

“Thanks.”

Item received: Welcome Pack

Maya unwrapped it a bit uncertainly.

Local Map added

World Map added

Items gained:

Cheap Ring of Strength

Dust of Recall x1

Universal Dye x1

50 copper

“Is it sad that I’m level 8 and this is still an upgrade?” Maya asked, equipping the ring.

Since there was no one particular in the area to whom she addressed the question, no one answered.

Her new ring brought her health up by another 5. Not much to speak of, but definitely better than nothing. Already this trip proved its value.

She examined the Dust of Recall and Universal Dye. The first was a small pouch of glittering blue dust, like finely-ground salt or sand; the second a vial of iridescent liquid whose colour she couldn’t determine.

Once satisfied that she could not learn anything new from the items in her inventory, Maya turned back to the greeter.

“If I want to learn more about being a mage, where do I start?”

“The mage representative is right there,” he said, pointing at a faintly-glowing symbol in front of one of the desks. “She’ll be happy to help.”

Maya thanked him and crossed to the mage symbol. Hopefully this cheerful-looking woman would be more help than the tutorial NPCs.

“Hello,” Maya began. “I’m new-ish. Can you explain to me what the Mage class is all about and how to use it?”

“Certainly! You’ve come to the right place. As a Mage, your class item grants +100 energy for spellcasting. To learn new spells, visit wilderness areas where magic drifts free or collects on attractive crystals and bring enough of it back to a teacher. Of course, you can always experiment with it on your own and see if you figure anything out. Magic is the most versatile substance in the world.”

“Wonderful, thank you.” Maya considered a moment. “What if I want to change my class. How do I do that?” She knew it wouldn’t be useful on this character, but she still planned to eventually make alts once she unlocked the ability to do so. And the more she could learn about how the world worked in advance, the better.

“Classes can be found by exploring the world and talking to everyone you meet. Some require items, or certain abilities, or have a prerequisite mission. Others can be chosen here.”

“Which classes are available here?”

“All the basic ones. Mage, Warrior, Thief, Ranger.” As she spoke, she pointed out other tables, spaced evenly around the huge room. “For a non-mage, I could give them the mage class. Advanced class representatives can offer hints as to where to find their class in the world. There are also rare classes, which no hints exist about, and can be found only by diligent exploration of the world.”

“Is there a representative here for Diviners?”

“Is that a class? I’ve never heard of it.”

“So you don’t know anyone who can tell me more about it?”

The mage representative shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“What about specializations? Do you know where I can find those?”

“Come back once you’re level 10 and I can direct you.”

Maya blinked. She knew that people weren’t supposed to have a specialization before level 10, but she’d been through two by now and had forgotten that the rule ought to apply to her.

“I don’t suppose you could tell me now anyway?”

“Come back once you’re level 10 and I can direct you.”

“Thanks for the info.”

“You are welcome!”

Well, that had been simultaneously mildly helpful and mostly pointless. She had collected her beginner items though, and that was a good start.

She wanted to examine her maps, but they didn’t show up in her inventory. Instead, they acted as new interface elements. She grinned as thinking about the local map brought up a perfect representation of the beginner plaza. It hadn’t updated to automatically include areas she’d visited before obtaining it, but even as she walked around the Travelers’ Hall she could see more details appearing.

The world map was similar, only it showed a dot with ‘Kalyx City’ beside the bay, surrounded by blankness.

Maya grinned. The trip was more than worth it just for these. And now she had another new objective to occupy herself while she hid from a crazy trickster and avoided anyone she cared about.

Map everything.

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 3 0 11 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 - -45 -70 Unassigned: 2 Health: 191 of 191 Will: 62 of 62 Stamina: 165 of 165 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 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 Cheap Ring of Strength Ring 4 1 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: 153 Gold, 0 Silver, 51 Copper Quality Item name Details Flimsy Newcomer Tunic Flimsy Newcomer Leggings Soulbound Trickster's Dice Soulbound Trickster's Orb 2/5 uses remaining Normal Apple x2 Rare Diviner's Orb 1/3 uses remaining Normal Throwing Knife x488 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 x70 Uncommon Crimson Coil Scales x5 Normal Short Sword x3 Level 19, +7 Flx, +6 Mom, 1 damage (physical) Uncommon Broadsword x4 Level 22, +6 Foc, +5 Mom, +5 Str, 3 damage (physical) Rare Longsword Level 20, +5 Att, +5 Int, +5 Str, +5 Flx, 2 damage (physical) Rare Tiara of Vision Normal Leather Armor of Agility Level 19, +13 Agi Normal Leather Leggings Level 19, +3 Int, +3 Flx, +3 Foc, +1 Agi, +1 Str, +1 Att, +1 Mom Uncommon Dust of Recall Uncommon Universal Dye 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. 5d 12h 22m Trickster's Reward

??? Arena (Shadow) Spend at least one day every week fighting in the Arena Ongoing Variable Trickster Day 5 Visit a higher-level zone and defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself. DONE +5 Reputation with The Trickster 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