“Maya Starborn?”

Maya jumped, spinning around to look for the source of the sudden voice.

“Sevard?” But, no, there was no one there.

“Where are you?”

She must be going crazy.

Oh, wait. He was a super high level rogue. Of course she wouldn’t be able to find him if he decided to hide. She cleared her throat. “Um, right here?”

Sevard sighed, sounding very close and irritated. “Right here, where?”

Maya glanced around, but still couldn’t spot him. “Shouldn’t you know that better than me? How did you find me, anyway?”

“I didn’t. That’s why I need to know where you are.”

“Somewhere in the middle of Kalyx City. I’m trying to fill out my map.”

“What?! You’re wandering around the city? Why didn’t you wait for me?”

Guilt flooded through Maya as everything she’d been happily ignoring came rushing back.

“I don’t want you to get involved,” she said. “It’s bad enough that you already got murdered and robbed, I don’t want to be the cause of any other misfortune.”

“Have you looked her up?”

“Who?” Maya asked, but she knew.

“The crazy herald elf. Rogue ought to beat herald every time. I couldn’t believe she took me out like that, so I checked. She’s six levels higher than me. Ranked 17th. You're just ticking off all the top players, aren't you? First you decide to go after Standalone, now Zarene? What's next, Cydrin? Domitius? Is it your goal to upset everyone in the upper tiers?”

Maya shook her head. Typical. Of course she couldn’t have anyone low-level after her. She already had quests to go after the fifth-strongest player on the server, so why not set number seventeen on her tail too?

She was really starting to hate the Trickster.

Sevard’s voice interrupted her musing. “Can you meet me at the leypillar? I have a plan.”

“Me too. My plan is to stay out of the way and wait for the Trickster to cool down a bit, and definitely not get anyone else mixed up in my problems.”

“It’s my problem now,” Sevard said, his voice cold and hard. “She’s stolen from me, and I will not sit by.”

“Well, fine. If you want to go after her, be my guest, but I don’t see what help the lowest level player on the entire server will be in that.”

Sevard huffed out an irritated breath. “But she’s made it clear she doesn’t care about me. She’s going after you, for whatever reason. If we’re going to lure her into a trap, I need better bait than myself.”

Maya couldn’t deny the appeal of turning the tables on her pursuer. “But she’s already killed you once. What makes you think she won’t just do it again?”

“Because this time she’ll be outnumbered and overpowered. I have allies. We just need to lure her in.”

“Well, it’s not like we can make things any worse. Fine, I’m in. I’ll meet you at the leypillar. But. . . first, how are you talking to me remotely?”

Sevard didn’t reply.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

“Did you hang up on me?”

Silence.

"Fine. See you later."

Maya didn’t rush to the meeting, instead opting to continue her meandering path and fill out as much of the map as she could while still heading in ostensibly the right direction. Being able to see a visual representation of where she was at all times made navigating the city incalculably easier. She couldn’t believe she’d managed to get lost as few times as she had without the map.

When she finally reached the leypillar, Sevard was scowling and pacing fiercely.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Maya! There you are. I thought you’d been kidnapped.”

“Then why didn’t you call and ask?”

“I can only use the perk once a day, and it only lasts a few minutes. There are insanely few ways of contacting other players remotely in this world. Not many people have even this much.”

“That’s disappointing. I’d hoped it was a standard feature I’d somehow overlooked.”

“Nope. Very rare, very hard to obtain. I only know of a handful of others with the ability.”

“So what’s your grand plan?”

“I’d assume it involves dying again,” Zarene said, stepping out from the shadows behind Maya.

Sevard immediately jumped forward, imposing himself between Maya and the other trickster.

And he didn’t stop there. He ran up to Zarene and punched her in the face. Of course, since they were in the no-combat zone right around the leypillar, it didn’t do any damage, but Maya hoped it made Sevard feel better. It certainly cheered her up. At least a little.

Zarene only laughed. "You've thrown in your lot with the wrong trickster. If you could be convinced to join me, I do have a soft spot for rogues."

Sevard punched her again, harder. Zarene actually stumbled back a step. "Give me my amulet back, and we'll talk about it," Sevard snarled, getting right in her face.

Maya ran forward and pushed herself between them.

“Stop. Please. There’s no reason to escalate this further.”

Sevard tried to push Maya aside, but she grabbed onto him to hold him in place.

“Sevard! Stop! You said yourself she’s too powerful. We already know how this will end.”

Then he abruptly reversed direction, grabbing Maya instead of trying to slip past her, and leapt backwards toward the leypillar. She wasn’t expecting the change and lost her balance, momentum swinging her around after him.

Another player would like to transit you to [unknown area]. Accept?

“Don’t think you can escape me so easily, little trickster,” said Zarene, as Sevard disappeared and Maya stumbled against the leypillar.

Maya thought ‘accept’. The world shifted.

Instead of the arrival area just outside the city, she stood in an inhospitable frozen wasteland. Wind whipped violently across the plateau, throwing ice in Maya’s face. A thick layer of snow covered everything.

Mountains rose steeply to every side and plunging rifts split the stony landscape around the plateau. Maya saw a few mountains that were torn in half, cracks running right through them all the way to the ground far below.

Like the other areas, the leypillar sat in the center of a small outpost, comprised of a handful of ice-covered buildings and a few traders' shops. And, of course, the leaderboard and quest list. Unlike the other zones, every single quest on this list was gold.

"How high-level is this zone?" Maya asked. The cold seemed to bite right into her will stat, just standing there.

"The highest that has been unlocked so far. I think it’s level 40 to 55. This is where Shardlord and Domitius play. I've only recently started coming here myself, it's a little high-level for me without a group."

"And so you're bringing me?"

"No. We’re bringing her." Sevard's voice was a low, angry growl. "I happen to have done quite well with one of the factions here."

Sevard started toward the plateau’s edge, where a narrow stairway carved into the stone descended to the ground.

"You don’t know what tricksters can do."

"And I don't care." Sevard said.

"But if she has high luck, she could probably convince your allies to turn on you. It's an insanely overpowered class."

Maya hesitated, dizzy at the thought of coming close to the edge, much less descending that narrow stair with nothing between her and a terrible fall.

He took her hand and started down the stair, keeping himself between her and the edge while she stayed right up next to the cliffside. She tried very hard not to look down, or over.

"So, that's why you're such good luck? You're a trickster too, aren't you? That's why you couldn’t answer when I asked about your mage class specialization, because you're not actually a mage.”

Maya’s foot slipped on the ice-covered step and she grabbed Sevard’s arm, clinging to it as she suddenly couldn’t not see the chasm right beside them. She backed against the cliffside, trembling and hyperventilating. She hadn’t quite appreciated how far down it was, how narrow the steps were, or how much further they’d have to go to reach the bottom.

And then they’d have to climb back up later.

“I can’t do this,” she gasped.

“Relax. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a game.”

“Maybe for you.”

“It’s okay. Just talk to me. What's it like being a trickster?"

"Like dancing between unavoidable disaster and implausible fortune.”

He took a step down, slowly, one arm around her shoulder, the other gripped tight in her left hand.

“That’s good. One down.” He was trying to sound casual, but Maya didn’t find it comforting.

“But seriously. What are we doing here?”

“Setting a trap for that crazy woman.” He coaxed her down another stop, and she inched downward.

“If it's too high-level for you normally, it'll only be worse with me along. Tricksters’ luck doesn't go only one way. It can make things very bad for me as well as very good.”

“I told you, I don’t care.”

She slipped again, but Sevard was holding her close and steadied her before she could more than stumble.

“Listen to me. Right now, my luck is very bad. All those rare powerful monsters you were so happy to fight, they weren’t coming to give us loot. They were coming to kill me.”

“Good thing I’m here to protect you, then.”

“But this isn't a low-level area. If you don't want to be one-hit by whatever uber boss is hiding in these frozen cliffs, we should go somewhere easier. Somewhere safer."

They were almost halfway down now, and as much as Maya hated the idea of going back up at least if they turned back it would only be one trip.

But Sevard shook his head. "Not until I get my amulet back. I told you, it's the most valuable thing I own. I'm not letting her keep it."

Maya sighed. "Tricksters have one weakness. Their luck is penalized every day. Your amulet decreases the power of all debuffs, including the trickster class’s luck debuff. There's no way she’ll let it go. So whatever her luck was at earlier, she'll be even higher now that she has your amulet. You couldn't beat her before, what makes you think you can do it now?"

"I told you. I've been working on reputation here. High-level zone, high-level allies. It's the only place I could think of where we might be able to get one over on her. And once we kill her, that'll give us enough of a head start to get well away before she respawns. She'll never catch us."

Maya doubted he really understood what they were up against, but it was becoming harder and harder to maintain a conversation. She focused on not slipping as they descended into the dark rift.

Maya felt any hint of determination fading, timidity creeping over her with every step downward.

Then they reached the ground, and she sagged against Sevard in relief. Even though her will seemed stuck at 2 of 18, at least now she was on solid ground. She giggled in nervous relief, forcefully ignoring the idea of a return trip.

Now they moved faster, past dark openings almost, but not quite, concealed by the shadows of the cliffs to either side. Dozens of openings. Some ground-level, some higher up. And each one they passed gave Maya a deeper and deeper sense of foreboding.

"Is this safe?" she whispered.

"Of course not. That's the point. We're almost there."

Maya felt herself losing strength long before they reached the end of the chasm, and Sevard had to support her in order for her to keep walking. A quick glance at her stats showed her will had dropped to one.

Apparently it was important in high-level areas, just as Dalra had warned. Imagine that. The high-level crafter knew what she was talking about.

"Just a little further. You can do it."

"I'm not sure I can," Maya said shakily. She could swear she heard snarling, rustling. Almost saw flickers of light, of eyes watching hungrily, never quite clear enough to be certain.

"What lives here?"

"Your cousins, the fey-harpies. Unlike player harpies, they have proper wings instead of just feathers, and can actually fly. There are also very, very territorial, and not very welcoming towards strangers."

"Then why are we here?" Maya hated the way her voice trembled. Stupid will stat.

"Because, they are my allies. Or, at least, one very particular clan is. The rest, well, they leave me alone. It's taken a lot of work to get this far. Like I said, they don't like newcomers. If you weren't a harpy and you weren't with me, they'd probably have attacked you by now. But since you are both of those things, you should be safe."

"Don't say it. I do not need my luck tempted any more than it already is." Maya felt on the verge of collapse. If not for Sevard's arm around her, she was sure she'd have already fainted.

Maya glanced around fearfully, sure that a feathered menace would come screeching down and attack her any moment. But the sky remain mercifully free of fey-harpies. Either they were less aggressive than Sevard had indicated, or tempting fate wasn't quite enough to overcome his affinity grinding with them.

Maya couldn't convince herself that it was the former. If they weren't being attacked, it was definitely because of Sevard and not because of Maya.

Then something black detached itself from the wall and dove, streaking toward the pair of them with uncomfortable speed.

Maya did faint, then. Or at least she blacked out and collapsed, waking to Sevard shaking her and laughing.

"It isn't funny," Maya complained.

"It kind of is. Maya, allow me to introduce you to Nightfeather, fifth of his name. Nightfeather, this is my friend. Please, take no offense."

Maya nodded and smiled nervously as Sevard helped her to her feet, but she decided not to speak. If she said anything with her luck this low, she was sure she'd end up offending someone, negate all Sevard's hard work gaining reputation, and get the pair of them thrown out. Or killed.

"I was just explaining to Nightfeather here that we need his help dealing with an enemy." Sevard smiled nastily. "I've described her to him, and he says he has no allies matching that description."

"We know none with head feathers of purple,” Nightfeather said in agreement.

"I was considering making my head feathers purple," Maya said without thinking.

Sevard facepalmed, but thankfully Nightfeather just looked confused.

Maya tried very hard to resist any other urges to speak. Stupid luck, messing with her even when everything was peaceful.

"As I was saying, Nightfeather has agreed to help us. He will fight with us against Zarene. Now I just need to go back to the leypillar and lure her here. If she's anything like I think, she won't hesitate to chase me now she knows you're here too. And once she's dead, we can go on to a real destination without worrying about her being right behind us."

"You should have been more watchful, then." Zarene's voice came from behind them. “How many times are you going to let me sneak up on you? I thought you were supposed to be the rogue?”

Maya spun, then hesitated in confusion. Zarene's form was as tall, slender, and well endowed as ever, but her golden skin had turned dark enough to be nearly invisible against the shadow behind her, and the glowing purple hair had been replaced with long gleaming bronze tresses in a very different style.

Right. Trickster’s mask.

"Ah, Zara” Nightfeather said, nodding deeply. “My good friend. What brings you here? Have you come to join the ambush? We are waiting for one with purple head feathers who is in the enmity of my acquaintance here."

Maya did not miss the fact that Nightfeather referred to Zarene as his friend, while Sevard was only called an acquaintance.

Not good, not good, not good!

Sevard seemed confused for a moment, until he spotted his amulet glinting on Zarene’s chest. His hands clenched into fists as he glanced between her and Nightfeather.

Zarene laughed, bowing to the fey-harpy leader. "Oh, that one would never come here. I know her. She's far too weak to brave these treacherous lands. You could wait the rest of your life and she would never appear here."

"That amulet is mine," Sevard said, anger tinting his words.

"Wrong. It used to be yours. But if you walk about with your PvP flag on all the time, you can't be surprised when someone comes along and takes it from you. You knew what you were risking. There's no need to be bitter, just because you lost."

Nightfeather scowled fiercely. "I do not want you to fight. If you must fight, go elsewhere. Or I will have my people kill you all. This is not my fight, and I do not wish to harm either of you, but if you cannot make peace then I will end your conflict here."

"I only want my amulet back," Sevard said, his words clipped and abrupt. "That's all. I don't seek enmity. I just want what's mine returned to me."

Zarene grinned, obviously having the time of her life. "He only wants what's his. Typical. Isn't that just the way it is though? Everyone's so selfish. Running around, chasing their own gains. But it is rather hypocritical of you to condemn my avarice while indulging your own. After all, isn’t that the only reason you have this little trickster here? I've seen you, Sevard. You’re no hero. No more than I. But at least I don't pretend to be something I'm not."

Maya laughed aloud. "Ha! Is that what you call it? Because you don't look like someone who's entirely honest. Why would you need change your face? Who needs two different disguises in an hour? Not honest people, that's for sure."

She wasn't sure what made her so bold. Perhaps her will was finally regenerating. Or maybe she’d just slipped so far past rock bottom that she didn’t care any longer.

Zarene waved off Maya's accusation. "You're only saying that because you haven't yet realized how essential it is to separate parts of your life from each other. Rest assured, I am not hiding from fear, nor acting with any intention to deceive. Compartmentalization, that's all. To succeed in this world one must speak many languages and make many friends, not all of whom are compatible with each other. It's just the way the world is. You'll see. If you don't give up and run away before then."

"I won’t be running away. No matter who you are or what you say. I'm done running."

"Then we'll have a lot of fun."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Sevard snarled. He drew his knives and took a half-step toward the shadows.

Nightfeather screeched, baring claws longer than Maya's forearms and rearing back. “You will not fight here!” He no longer appeared genial, the fierce expression on his face an unflinching threat.

Maya would've backed down, but neither Zarene nor Sevard seemed inclined to do so.

"Give me back what you stole," Sevard said in a low angry voice, not advancing, but not sheathing his weapons either.

"Gladly. If you work for me for one year, I'll give you back your precious little trinket at the end."

Maya thought that sounded awfully close to the actual value of the amulet, even at Sevard's inflated hiring rates. As far as she could figure, Zarene had far too good an idea of the amulet's value.

Sevard shook his head. "I'd need considerably more payment than that, if I'm to work for you full-time."

"Oh, you misunderstand me. I wish to contract you, not have you follow me around like a puppy. I just have a few simple things I need you to do, and the rest of your time is your own."

"And what are those simple things?"

Zarene grinned wickedly. “Simple.” She nodded toward Maya. "Help me make her life miserable. Don't work for her, work against her. That's all. You don't need to hunt her or anything, I'll be taking care of that, but if you do happen to see feel free to kill her or whatever her current target is. Or just harass her."

Sevard didn’t answer for a long time.

Nightfeather glowered at them as though about to kill someone. Hundreds of fey-harpies hovered above them - and when had that happened? - their wings thundering as they waited and watched.

Maya couldn't tell if Sevard would agree to Zarene's offer or refuse. She didn't know him well enough. She wanted to believe he would say ‘no way’. But…

"I'm a rogue and a plunderer,” Sevard said slowly, “a thief and a backstabber. But I'm a mercenary, not a bastard. Organized trolling is not on my resume, nor do I intend to add it. I couldn't care less about your little trickster rivalry; right now Maya is under my protection. If you want to get her, you have to go through me." Sevard laughed tightly, his firm expression unchanged. “Again.”

It warmed Maya's heart to see that. If the situation weren't was so dire, she may have cheered. Though he may present as a bit self-serving, Sevard was actually a good guy. Which made her feel even more guilty for the lengths to which he'd need to go in order to retrieve his prized possession. She would find a way to make it up to him. Somehow, someday.

Zarene and Sevard looked like they might attack each other at any moment.

"She can't do anything to me," Maya said. "I turned off PVP. It's okay. We can just go."

"That's true. I can't kill her. But I can kill you. And something tells me that with you out of the way, my friends here will be much more inclined to do as I wish." Zarene gestured with one hand to the storm of fey harpies surrounding them. "You see, while Nightfeather doesn't want to see us fight, there are certain matters of honor that are universal. And between you and I, it is no longer a simple matter. You've chosen to stand between me and my rightful prey." She raised her voice. "I have said that I have no quarrel with you. I've said that I will let you go if you keep out of this. I have offered to pay you if you join me. I have given you every opportunity to stand aside."

Nightfeather nodded slowly, considering Zarene’s words.

Maya's heart plummeted. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Which, she supposed, was the point. The Trickster would stop at nothing to make her give in.

That thought was enough to steel her resolve. "Sevard, just turn off PVP. You don't have to fight. Just opt out and she can’t do anything to you."

"I won't run. I'm not going to hide. I haven't turned off PVP since I started playing, and I'm not going to start now." There was steel in Sevard's voice, unshaking. Even if Maya thought it was stupid, she rather admired the sentiment.

"Take your quarrels elsewhere!" Nightfeather bellowed. "This is not the place for them. If you will fight, if you kill each other, do not do it here. If the small one must die for this to happen, we can help."

Zarene giggled and clapped her hands. "Yes! That will be perfect. Please do. I cannot touch her myself without going through ‘your acquaintance’ here, as he refuses to stand aside for me, and she is protected from my attacks anyway. But you can kill her. Please do. Please. I would so love to see that happen. I desire nothing more from this day. Show me."

Maya flinched and braced herself. She had low luck and no relationship with these people. Zarene had high luck and a high reputation. Maya was dead. No two ways about it.

But Nightfeather did not attack. Somehow, he still seemed torn.

"Sevard wishes her protected. You wish her dead. I do not interfere between you. You must solve this yourselves, far from here. Go. Return when you have put your differences behind you, or not at all."

Sevard sighed deeply. "I thank you for your help. Maya and I will be leaving now." He smiled wryly. The cold edge hadn't left his voice. "If you ever do see the purple head-feather miscreant, please slaughter her for me."

"Thank you for not killing me." Maya bowed as she spoke; it just seemed thing to do. Then she hurried after Sevard.

The moment they were clear of the meeting area, the oppressive weight of the zone began to press down on Maya's will again.

The fact that Zarene followed them at a casual distance, a wicked grin on her face, didn't help.

"Are you sure she won't just attack us the moment we're out of their territory?"

"Not if she knows what's good for her. The fey-harpies own this whole chasm in one way or another. If she attacks me before we reach the town, they'll find out. Doing something like that would severely damage her reputation. They’re huge sticklers for protocol. They may have odd ideas of what that protocol looks like, but if you break it you get on their bad side. She may be crazy, but I don't think she'll risk that."

"Speaking of risk, why are you doing this? You could've walked away. You could've turned on me to regain your amulet. Why?"

"If you expect me to say that I'm just a nice guy, then you don't know me."

Maya could tell he was trying to sound light, trying to grin, but that edge remained. It was like he was going through the motions; his heart wasn't in it.

And she couldn't help noticing that he didn't answer the question. But she didn't have it in her to press him for answers right then.

"So what do we do now?" she asked instead.

"Obviously, we go around this curve in the road, set an ambush, and kill her."

"What about your reputation?"

"I have less to lose than she does. And, quite honestly, I'm still furious with her. If I had the time, I would probably hunt her down the moment she respawned and kill her again. But, we don't have time for that, if we want to get a head start on her. I suppose this is the downside of your luck that you were talking about? You may get all the high-end loot and all the best monsters, but you also have crazy rivalries with fellow tricksters to deal with?"

"Something like that." Maya said. "This is actually my first time meeting another trickster. I can't say it's been a positive experience. If she's an example of what we're supposed to be like, then it's no wonder all the NPCs are terrified of us."

"Are they? I hadn't noticed."

"Oh, well I'm masquerading as a mage right now. So… they don't know."

"You can't trick NPCs. They can read your code, they know everything about you."

"Except when I'm hiding my class." Maya shrugged. "I don't pretend to know how any of it works, but as far as the NPCs are concerned, I'm a mage."

"Sounds like a very complicated profession. Better you than me."

They rounded the corner, and Sevard flattened himself against the wall, fading into the shadows as he drew his knives. Maya thought she saw him raise one eyebrow at her, questioningly, before he disappeared, but she didn't know what he was trying to ask.

Zarene strode around the corner with the casual speed of a high-level player. She stopped when she saw Maya standing alone, but by then it was too late. Sevard leapt on her from behind, stabbing both daggers into her neck and driving her to the ground. She didn't have her sword equipped, so there was a moment's hesitation while she pulled it out, during which Sevard slammed his daggers home a second time.

"We'll see how you like it when you're the one surprised," Sevard growled.

Zarene laughed, seemingly not bothered by being facedown in the snow with an angry man stabbing her in the back repeatedly. "You should know better than to mess with me, rogue. I'm unstoppable."

Zarene tossed her sword aside, then twisted and bucked backwards, tossing Sevard off her back and onto the fallen weapon. He grunted, but didn't otherwise react as she dove at him. For a moment, Maya thought Sevard had the advantage. He'd gotten in several good hits already, and his smaller weapons were better suited to this sort of close fighting than Zarene's sword.

They fought madly, rolling and wrestling between slashes, each trying to pin the other down, flattening the snow around them.

Maya wished she could do something to help. She could toggle PVP on, try a sneak attack of her own, but the moment she got involved Zarene would kill her even faster than Sevard had. And it would take 30 seconds for the toggle to take effect. That wouldn’t be soon enough to be any help.

Since no one had health bars, she had no idea how well the fight was going until it was over. Sevard abruptly fell limp, then faded away and disappeared entirely. Zarene paused a moment, presumably checking what she'd received, then flipped one of Sevard's knives in the air and caught it once before dropping it into her inventory.

"Not my kind of weapon, but it could come in handy." She turned to Maya, breathing heavily from the exertion but otherwise seeming unperturbed. "Well, here you are. All alone in the middle of hostile territory, full of the high-level allies of someone who very much wants you dead. How unfortunate for you."

Maya felt her will plummet, freezing her in place. She heard the thunder of wings before she saw the new arrivals. Unlike Nightfeather and his band, these fey-harpies were not solid color. Most had white as their main color. Some were speckled with black, or banded with gold. A few were ruddy brown with sunlight yellow highlights.

They were a beautiful, fearsome swarm. Each a foot taller than Maya, broadly built, with hands ending in vicious claws rather than human-esque fingers.

"Bye-bye, little trickster," Zarene sang tauntingly. "See you again soon."

Maya wished she could come up with a quick snappy retort, but before she could think of anything her world was consumed in a hurricane of flapping wings and slashing claws. She didn’t even have enough time to glance at her stats before her health hit zero.

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: 0 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 10h 12m 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