Meg sat on a large white boulder, basking in the sun, and watched a young woman and her son carry buckets of water to the camels. The furry critters raised their heads, sniffing the air, and bellowed with delight. The woman and her son emptied their buckets into a wide shallow bamboo trough that had been set up the night before. The camels crowded around the trough and for a moment she lost sight of their caretakers. The boy emerged from between two camels with his bucket and then his mother followed. They made two more trips then set the buckets down and gave out pets to any camels who were interested.

Meg loved the furry beasts and watching them gave her the same jolt of joy that watching a cat video did. But her mind was turning in circles, poking and prodding at her dilemma, and it had no time for camel gazing. She turned her eyes to the camp’s cooking fire where Master Leroy and the caravan master sat talking amicably.

In her pack were three snakeskins of low quality and she intended to sell them to the caravan master. She was sure she could convince him to buy them from her but she wanted to get him alone and offer him some wine before making him the offer. It felt a little manipulative and greasy, like something a used car salesman might do, but she wasn't about to miss her shot at her first sale. Plenty of corporations took clients out to bars and restaurants to hash out deals. This wouldn't be any different.

Master Leroy finally stood up and bowed to the caravan master then headed off into the desert. No doubt looking for a bush to do his business as her employer had done minutes ago. The caravan master lingered at the fire for a moment and then carried his plate and cup toward his yurt.

Meg slid off the rock and shouldered her pack. Her scales vibrated with excitement and she shook her tail to vent some of the overwhelming exhilaration that raced down her spine. She jogged after the caravan master and caught up to him seconds before he reached his door.

"This is a lovely yurt," Meg said.

He turned slowly, looked at her with his dark empty eyes, and smiled. "Thank you," he said. "it was a gift from my father in law."

"He had good taste," Meg said. "so did his daughter."

He was a dark tan man but beneath his beard she thought he might've blushed.

"I have been blessed in marriage," he said. "would you like to come in and meet her?"

Her plan was already derailing but there was no time to back out of it now. She smiled and bowed her head. "I would be honored," she said.

He stepped aside and gestured at the door. "Right this way."

Meg ducked her head and stepped into a spacious room that was divided into four sections. In front of the entrance was a hand carved table with a lovely lace tablecloth draped over it and two chairs. To her right was a large bedroll with a thick camel hair blanket and pillows that looked as fluffy as the clouds. The rear of the yurt was dedicated to a large shrine with candles and scrolls tucked neatly into the shrine’s shelves and drawers. A large carving of the Grand Elder dominated much of the shrine’s surface and a pair of incense burned with the scent of jasmine in his honor. The left hand side of the yurt was filled with tools and provisions and other odds and ends that made life easier for the nomads.

A small woman with dark skin and flowing brown hair sat at the table with a baby swaddled in her arms. She looked up with eyes as dark as silt and furrowed her gorgeous brow. Then her husband entered and her confusion turned to joy.

"This is Meg," he said. "the one who helped our camels."

The woman gasped and climbed out of her chair. The baby squirmed and fussed and she bounced him gently in her arms as she approached Meg.

"I am Shaynala," she said. "Farook told me about your morning adventure. I am grateful for your help. Those camels are like my children."

A NEW FRIEND: (Met SHAYNALA) +3xp Social

"I'm just glad I could help," she said.

"Please have a seat," Farook said. "would you like some tea?"

Meg fumbled with her pack and said "Actually I thought we might share some wine."

"I would love some " Shaynala said.

Farook raised both his arms with his palms up and looked at his wife. "It isn't even noon," he said.

"And I've been up all night with the baby while you slept like a camel," Shaynala said. "take the baby and let us girls enjoy our wine."

Farook sighed and took the baby from his wife. He leaned down and kissed the child on the forehead and smiled. "I will tame the wind before I tame your mother," he said.

“May your child be just as spirited,” Meg said.

Farook looked at his wife and his smile shifted to a silly grin. “She will be twice as proud as her father and twice as wild as her mother.”

“Grand Elder give us strength,” Shaynala said, laughing.

Meg found the wine in her pack and set it on the table. Shaynala pulled the stopper out with her teeth and raised the jug to her lips then drank deep. With a loud AHHHHHHH sound she wiped her lips on the back of her hand and offered it to Meg.

"That is strong stuff," Shaynala said. "you have good taste."

Meg took a drink herself and thought she had swallowed fire. "I was telling Farook you had good taste as well. This is a lovely yurt."

Shaynala looked around the large room with a smile of nostalgia on her face that made her look older than she was. "My father made it for us," she said. "he was not a wealthy man but he was a wonderful craftsman.”

“My father is a craftsman as well,” Meg said. “Though he builds with words instead of wood.”

“He must be very proud of you,” Shaynala said.

Meg made a mental note to call her father when she was done and said “I hope so.”

“There is no doubt in my mind,” Shaynala said. “Your selflessness this morning would make any father proud.”

They sat at the table and traded the wine back and forth. Meg took small baby sips and felt the wine rush through her in waves of fire that made her scales itch. Shaynala drank enough for two and never showed it. Farook sat on their bedroll with the baby, glancing up occasionally to quietly judge her as he entertained their daughter. She wanted to transition to the snake skins but she wasn’t sure how to do it.

How did you turn a friendly chat into a sales pitch? Meg scratched at the scales on her neck and thought back to her childhood and the great lengths she would have to go to in order to convince her parents she needed something. There was no way she could take a week to prepare a detailed powerpoint and even with a belly full of wine they would think it strange if she grabbed onto Shaynala’s leg and begged her.

She cast her eyes around the room, hoping for inspiration to strike and smiled when it slapped her in the mouth. “I see you have a lot of tools,” She said.

“Oh yes,” Shaynala replied. “We must carry a lot to deal with the emergencies we face on the road.”

“Our ancestors lived differently,” Farook said. “But modern conveniences have made things easier for us and no camel has ever complained about the extra weight.”

“Do you ever tan hides?” Meg said.

Shaynala swallowed more wine and giggled. “Sometimes Farook will give me a good spanking but with the baby there hasn’t been much time for that sort of thing.”

Farook’s eyes bulged out of their sockets and he stared at his wife with his mouth open and speechless. Meg hastily took the wine from her and drank a little deeper than she normally did. “I have three snake skins,” She said. “I’m not an expert but I think they’ll make lovely belts.”

“Are they the ones who hurt my babies?” Shaynala said.

“They sure are,” Meg said.

Shaynala slammed the wine jug down and pushed up the sleeves of her dress. “Show them to me,”

Meg held back a smile and pulled the snake skins out and held them up for her to see. Shaynala squinted then took one from her and studied both sides of the hide. She inspected the other two then leaned back in her chair and smiled.

“May the devils take their souls,” Shaynala said. “If I had the time you and I would go into the desert and wipe the rest of them out!”

Meg picked up the wine jug and timed her movements carefully. She took a deep drink and let out a small burp and extended the wine jug. Shaynala accepted it and as she raised the jug to her lips Meg spoke.

“We might not be able to kill every snake in the desert but I could sell them to you,” She said. “You can get revenge by turning them into belts. Every snake in the desert will know the cost of messing with your herd when they see Farook wearing their kin around his waist.”

“I thought you had more honor than this Meg,” Farook said. “Did you come into my home, praise my wife and offer wine just to sell us hides?”

Shaynala scowled and clapped her hands at him. “Do not insult our guest,” she said. “If we were in her shoes would we not try and do the same? Why just yesterday you sold Master Leroy slippers that you hadn’t worn in years and he is an old friend.”

Farook’s eyes flashed with anger and he pointed a finger at Meg. “That droopy-eared jackass put her up to it,” He said. “I’ll run him out of camp.”

Meg swallowed hard and reached for the snake skin. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone,” She said. “The idea just came to me because I don’t have a use for the skins. I thought you would need them more than me. I’ll put them away and we can be friends again. Okay?”

Shaynala put her small hand on top of Meg’s and stopped her from putting away the skins. “Nonsense,” She said. “My husband is frugal and stingy and we can always use hides. We are friends now and will remain so after the sale.”

“Don’t you dare,” Farook said. “The next spanking you receive will not be pleasurable!”

Shaynala gripped the edge of the table and stumbled to her feet. “This is still my caravan love,” She said. “And if you want to talk like a bully I will make you sleep with the camels. We will buy her hides for ten copper each!”

Farook’s jaw dropped and he looked pleadingly at Meg but her mind was busy crunching all the juicy math that had sprung up in her head. Three hides for ten copper pieces came out to a total of thirty copper. With her commission she would make nine copper and have to give the other twenty one to Bruce. It was more than they had planned on and she felt awful about taking Shaynala’s money in her current state.

“Are you sure?” Meg said.

“Yes,” Farook said. “Think about this, are they really worth that much?”

“Consider it a favor for a friend,” Shaynala said. “If we lost even one of those camels it would have cost us fifty gold!”

A weight lifted off of Meg’s shoulders and her conscience gave out a sigh of relief. With that context her sale didn’t seem like such a rip off anymore.

“Your gratitude is most appreciated,” Meg said.

“I am sure it is,” Farook said with a frown plastered on his face.

Shaynala opened a drawer in the shrine and pulled out a medium sized chest of black wood and even blacker iron. She opened it with a key from the same drawer and Meg heard the clinking of coins as Shaynala rifled through it. She counted out thirty copper then locked the chest and put it away before she returned to the table.

She put the coins in Meg’s hand and smiled. “I’m going to ravage my husband like we were young now,” She said. “I hope you’ll visit again soon.”

Meg dumped the coins into her pack and leapt out of her seat. She bowed and carried her pack over to the door. “Keep the wine,” She said, stepping out into the chill morning air. Behind her she heard Farook pleading with his wife and then the sound of laughter spilled out of the tent and she ran away before the sounds became any more intimate and wanton.

GOING, GOING, SOLD: (MADE YOUR FIRST SALE) +1 REPUTATION WITH CARAVANERS, +75xp,+3xp SOCIAL +3xp MERCHANT

Meg stopped running and sat down against the white boulder she had slept on the night before. The sun beat down on her and the constant wind danced over the sandy dunes and rustled her scales. She leaned back and shut her eyes and waited for the pounding of her heart to cease. It had been ages since a jog had exhausted her and she longed for the high athletic skill heavy armor gave you.

She brought her stats menu up with a thought and perused it. She was one point away from leveling her social skill up and only a hundred xp away from reaching level two. Not bad for a few hours of playtime but she knew it was a drop in the bucket. The game was notorious for its level creep. Eventually the xp required would double and triple and quadruple until the numbers were too big to deal with mentally.

The urge to keep going was strong. On pure instinct alone she wanted to map out the next fifty levels, pick out the best skills to focus on and what level unlocked their best abilities. She wanted to spend hours with her chat just coming up with a game plan that was so laden with math she would see numbers in her sleep. But that wasn’t what she was doing anymore. She had promised herself she would start fresh and go with the flow.

Meg closed the stats menu and ran her fingers through the coarse red sand beneath her. The tiny granules of sand sifted through her fingers and rejoined the desert and she rubbed her back against the rock, felt the sun on her scales and the wind on her horns. It was enough to ground her and her mind crawled out of the palace of infinite numbers and back to the world around her.

A message popped up from her head moderator BitWilly. She opened it and read the simple reminder.

TWO HOURS UNTIL SUBSCRIBER ONLY MODE

She opened a text box and wrote THANK YOU then closed the messages and stood up. On the other side of the rock she saw her boss, Bruce, trudging through the dunes, his long hair blowing in the wind. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled and he jerked his eyes up and saw her.

“How did it go?” He said.

“Better than we hoped for,” Meg said.

Bruce jogged over to her and leaned forward against the rock. “How much better?” He said.

She stacked the coins on the rock between them and he snatched them up and counted quickly. “He bought them for ten copper each?” Bruce said. “That’s a silver a piece, there is no way he’ll make any kind of profit by making them into belts. What a sucker.”

“Actually his wife bought them,” Meg said. “She said it was the least she could do given that a single camel cost them fifty gold and I saved two of them.”

Bruce counted the coins again and the smile that spread across his face bordered on mania. “You did well,” He said. “We’ll celebrate with some wine.”

Meg raked her nails across the scales on her neck and said “I uh, sort of left the wine with them.”

“What? Why?” He said.

“She gave me the money and was about to jump her husband in a marital way so I panicked,” Meg said.

“Disgusting,” Bruce said. “Who would sleep with that bearded moron?”

In an odd way Meg felt like she had to defend Farook. He wasn’t as bad as Bruce made him out to be and she liked Shaynala a lot. Compared to some of the early female npcs of the last game she was practically a treasure.

“His wife is very beautiful,” Meg said. “And they love each other deeply.”

“I wonder how much she would love him if she saw the glory of Yueliang City and the men who built it,” Bruce said.

“Don’t even think about it Mr. Sleaze,” She said.

“I am not stupid enough to seduce the wife of the caravan master,” He replied.

“According to her she owns the caravan,” Meg said.

“Really?” He said.

“Is it so odd that a woman would run a caravan?” Meg said. “And consider your answer carefully Brucey baby.”

To illustrate her point Meg cracked her knuckles and flexed her claws. Bruce watched the sunlight glint off the silver tips of her claws and swallowed a lump in his throat.

“I believe I earned nine of those coins,” She said.

“Except you left the wine,” Bruce said. “That will cost you.”

“Nothing,” Meg said.

Bruce looked at her claws then up at her. “You cannot intimidate me,” he said.

“Intimidate you?” She said. “I’d never dream of it.”

She drummed her claws against the rock and smiled at him with all her sharp white teeth. “Nine copper for the skins plus one copper for my daily wage. That leaves twenty copper in your pocket.”

“But the wine!” He said.

“Shaynala loved the wine and because of it she loves me,” Meg said. “And if she loves me you’re less likely to be thrown out of the caravan. A good friend can be worth more than gold right?”

Bruce glared at her for several seconds then dropped his gaze to the coins and separated ten from his pile and put them on the rock. “Don’t think I’m praising you but you’ll make a fine merchant one of these days.”

WHAT IS OWED IS OWED:(SUCCESSFULLY INTIMIDATED YOUR BOSS) +3xp SOCIAL.

SOCIAL SKILL LEVEL 2

“Brucey baby this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” She said.

“I would prefer a profitable one,” He said, shoving the coins into his jacket.

Meg glanced over at Shaynala and Farook’s yurt and said “I think we’ve got some time before we start traveling for the day. Wanna talk about your business?”

“Only if you put your claws away,” He said.

She sheathed her claws and added her profits to her coin pouch. The number went from thirty to fifty and a little thrill ran through her that she couldn’t extinguish. Progress always felt good and she wished the real world was as simple and tidy. Bruce came around to the front of the boulder and sat down on the ground and she joined him.

“What did you want to know?” Bruce said.

“What business are you in?” She said.

Bruce nodded and stared at the stitching on his shoes. “In Yueliang City I was in the garment business. I sold clothes, did custom tailoring, and I sold the fabric needed to make your own. But these desert people have no fashion sense nor the foolishness to spend money on clothes. How am I to sell ball gowns and silk suits if there are no midnight balls or masquerade parties?”

“I thought you could sell anything to anybody?” Meg said.

Bruce’s shoulders slumped and he picked sand off his jacket. “I can or I could,” He said. “Leaving my home and being stuck in this rocky nightmare has thrown me off my game. How does one leave behind the past and embrace the unknown of the future. I was supposed to live a life of luxury in one of the greatest cities in the realms. Not argue with caravaners about camel crap!”

Meg put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed in what she hoped was a reassuring and non threatening manner. “We just need to identify what the people here need,” She said. “In Yueliang they needed fancy clothes. Here they need tools and camels and water. And who knows what they need in the cities.”

He pouted his lips and said “I was born into money. I don’t know how to serve the poor. If one of these dirty caravaners came into my shop back home I would chase them out with a broom.”

Meg stifled the urge to slap him in the back of the head and instead picked up a handful of sand and smeared it over his jacket.

Bruce scowled and brushed at the sand and dirt she had smeared on him. “What in the nine tails of the fox do you think you’re doing?”

“Now you’re dirty too,” She said.

“This is an antique jacket,” He said. “It’s worth three camels and a goat!”

“Out here it is only a jacket,” She said. “I need you to teach me how to be a merchant and you can’t do that if you’re constantly throwing yourself a pity party. We know what the nomads need and when we get to the city we’ll find out what they need. Somewhere along the way we’ll find something we can sell. Got it?”

Bruce gave up trying to get rid of the mess on his jacket and nodded. “You’re right,” He said. “I sound like a braying ass.”

Meg grabbed his wrist and raised his arm and sniffed the air. “At least you don’t smell like one.”

Bruce yanked his hand away and tried not to smile but failed. “There is always a silver lining,” He said.

“That’s right,” Meg replied. “The trick is ignoring all the gray in the clouds while you focus on it.”

PEP TALK: (CHEERED UP YOUR BOSS) +3xp SOCIAL

“I do have some ideas,” He said.

“I would love to hear them,” Meg said.

Bruce scooted sideways and leaned in close and dropped his voice to a whisper. “You’re right about camels and water. Those two industries are gold mines out here. But we’ll never waltz into them without some serious capital and extreme luck.”

“What about tools?” She said.

“According to my sources it isn’t a very profitable field,” He said. “Anyone with a shop can buy tools from a blacksmith and sell them. If we’re going into tools we’ll need a prime location, like a mining town before it booms.”

“What about food and shelter, like an inn?” she said.

Bruce considered the idea for a moment. His eyes glittered with the same madness she felt when thinking about crunching numbers and mapping out her progression. And then it faded. “It could work but I’m not thrilled about the idea of having to serve food and fluff pillows. Customers are forever ungrateful but it gets worse in the hospitality business. My cousin once had a guest leave a shit on the floor because they forgot to put a mint on his pillow.”

“What about real estate?” She said. “We buy a crummy shack, fix it up and sell it for three times what we paid for it.”

“Another capital heavy industry,” Bruce said.

“You must have some money squirreled away,” She said.

“Of course I have money,” He said. “But I don’t want to spend it all on a longshot. We have to be smart about this.”

Meg stroked her chin and searched through her mind for all the different ways a person could make money. Most of them were too vague to be of help but a few did stick out to her.

“No matter what trade we go into we need a building right?” She said. “That building costs money and I assume we’ll need to buy most of the products we plan on selling, whether it is food, tools or whatever, right?”

“And possibly people to help,” He said. “Though employees are the most expensive part of any business, we should avoid hiring employees if possible.”

“How much do you think a building would cost in one of these desert cities?” She said.

“I’m not sure,” He replied. “But Master Leroy mentioned his rent was high. To buy a good space in Yueliang City it costs at least one million gold.”

Meg cringed and turned her brain off before she galloped back into math mode. “All we need is a space for our wares and a little room for us to sleep,” She said.

“We will not be sharing quarters,” He said.

“If it saves us money we’ll share a bedroll, got it?” She said.

Bruce blushed and looked away. “Some things are worth spending money on,” He said.

“Are you afraid I’ll use you as a scratching post?” She said.

Bruce crossed his arms and said “If I wanted you in my bedroll I’d compliment your scales and have you out of that tunic in ten minutes. But let us focus on the task ahead of us instead of our sleeping arrangements.”

“Agreed,” She said. “It’s obvious that we don’t know enough to make a solid plan. How about we talk to Master Leroy about real estate prices and talk it over at dinner tonight.”

“I leave it in your hands,” He said. “Master Leroy doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Out of the corner of her eye Meg saw the yurt door open and Farook stepped out into the daylight. He fussed with his shirt then smoothed his hair over and glanced at the door behind him and blushed.

“Everyone listen up!” He said. “We move out in thirty minutes. No exceptions.”

All at once the camp came to life and men and women hustled to pack up their belongings. Yurts were broken down and rolled up. Men and women loaded everything they owned onto the camels and lined them up in a long train three camels wide and over fifty camels long.

“Do you need help packing?” She said.

Bruce shook his head. “I packed after my trip to the desert,” He said. “While you’re sniffing out information, find out what route we’re taking. If we know where we’ll be stopping we might be able to make some more coin along the way.”

Meg slapped him on the back with a grin and shouldered her pack. She felt warm and light like anything could happen. The whole game lay ahead of her with all it’s dangers and rewards and in a breath she felt like she could consume all of it and mold it to her own desires. In her mind as she hurried off to find Master Leroy she had already obtained Heavenly status and was the most famous merchant in the game.

High above her a shadow passed over camp, fourteen feet wide and sixteen feet long. Meg skidded to a halt and jerked her head up. A wailing shriek tore through the air and the camels bellowed and stamped and their owners struggled to calm them. The shadow passed over again and this time she saw what made it.

Her stomach sagged and her heart pounded. Above the creature’s golden head, written in red, was the title: DIRE EAGLE. It had been forever since a red title had scared her but she was no longer a heavily armored knight and red meant the target was usually three levels higher than her. There was no way she could fight a level three Dire Eagle and survive. But she couldn’t run away either.

“Ready your arms!” Farook said. “Protect the camels with your lives, you flea bitten dogs.”

QUEST ACCEPTED: DEFEND THE HERD:(DEFEAT THE DIRE EAGLE)

Meg shrugged off her pack and raced over to one of the taller boulders that dotted the landscape. She flexed her claws and climbed to the top. She was ten feet in the air and hoped it would be enough to draw the gorgeous bird’s aggro. What she would do once she had its attention she had no idea.

“Over here you big dumb bird!” She said, waving her hands above her head.

The eagle made a lazy circle of their camp and screamed. Its eyes spotted her at the top of the rock and it pulled its wings tight to its body and dove. Meg flexed her claws and shook out the tension in her tail, fully expecting to die a horrible death in front of the millions of people watching her play.