You shoo everyone back out of the chamber, still sniggering.

“Well, that was an excellent way to pass the time. I'm not sure I believe you-”

You're cut off by two things; Firstly, Mercy's bark of laughter.

“It's true... enough. I'll take you there one day.”

And secondly, the notification that wood has been added to your stockpile. Not as much as you'd expect from an entire team's work, but precisely the thirty you need for a tree. You stand there, unsure as to the providence of your new stocks, until Sapphire comes riding into the room on Hyena.

“Did you get the advance team's wood sir?”

“I did. Exactly what I needed. How did you know?”

Sapphire waves her hand, opening her menu to you.

Quest Completed!

Help your liege gather 30 wood for his current goal

Reward: Gem-Set Amulet

“We started getting these, after you accepted the quest about the tree. Feathers has one about protecting the lair until the full moon passes. She'd never tell you, but she's getting worried sir.”

You frown at the quest.

“And it's all... working correctly?”

In response, Sapphire reaches into her leathers and fishes out a simple, golden amulet – a disk of gold with a sapphire set into it.

“Seems to be sir. It took my – the sapphire you gave me. It says it will take enchantments well, but that's all.”

Mercy grunts, and shows you her own quest menu. At the very top sits

Quest Accepted!

Provide the catalyst for forming a corrupted essence for Redscale!

Reward: Is what he offers not reward enough?

You go to close it, but something catches your eye; a brief glimpse of a word on a greyed out, failed quest.

Lio

With terrible force you find your gaze dragged downwards, past dozens of collapsed quests; Some the black of complete, some the white of active, and past great swathes of the grey of failed quests.

The one other quest open in her list is grey.

Quest Failed!

Protect the people of Lio! 173/1965 taken to safety!

Reward: Absolution

She snatches the menu away from you, her face morphing to one of demonic fury complete with black horns and red skin, but before the situation can deteriorate a soft cough from the door drags all of your attentions to Amanda.

“I... wasn't going to say anything, but I have a quest too.”

Quest accepted!

Find a new class by the setting of the full moon!

Reward: One class specific and level appropriate item

You find yourself trapped between the soft, hopeful smile of the apparently quite blind Amanda and the simmering rage of Mercy. A quiet ping flicks your eyes to the still open quest list of Sapphire.

Quest Issued!

Distract Amanda so that your Liege can talk to Mercy!

Reward: Your liege won't have his head shoved up his own ass!

Your eyes widen. Sapphire's do too. Mercy flicks her eyes over the quest faster than either of you can react. Ever so slowly, the tension bleeds from the room as she relaxes. Her skin fades back to pale green and her horns uncurl. Sapphire puts her bow away, causing you to jump a little – you hadn't even seen her draw it. Then Hyena steps back from behind Mercy, causing both of you to jump. Apparently neither of you had seen him move either.

“Come on Amanda; sir doesn't know anything about classes – lets go and find Feathers. Between us and you I'm sure we can think of something great for you.” Her voice isn't quite natural, a kind of forced calm cheer sitting heavy on her words. Amanda glances, unsure, between the three of you. You force yourself to relax.

“That's amazing Amanda; but Sapphire is right. I know it must mean a lot to you but, well, drakes don't get classes and it's still a little hard for me to think of them as anything but creative ways to die. Go have fun plotting and once you've decided on a path I'll do everything I can to help, OK?”

Amanda nods slowly, and with one last glance between you and Mercy turns and leaves with Sapphire.

You've barely registered their leaving when something picks you up with bonecracking speed and wraps around your neck. You whip around, trying to get a sight line to breathe flame, and something else pins your body in place. After a moment's panic, something hot, and wet, hits the side of your neck.

You freeze.

Mercy has wrapped herself around you, curled up against the far wall, and is sobbing. Great, silent sobs wrack her frame as she holds you like a drowning woman to driftwood. After a moment's indecision you carefully wrap your neck around her shoulders.

You don't know how long you stay there, just holding her, until she speaks.

“One thousand eight hundred people.”

You do the maths in your head and frown a little.

“Seventeen hundred and ninety two civilians. Eight players. Apparently the gods were so furious with them for 'hacking' that they even went after them in the realm of the gods, some sort of judgement between the gods so they were banished never to return. I was level nine. Because of my... heritage, I got the experience for 'luring away the faithful', 'causing the gods to smite their own' and two thousand kills. That's when I got the rest of my name.”

A gesture, however small as she is still wrapped around you, and Mercy's character sheet unfolds in front of you.

Mercy Taken Vengeance Owed, Level 45 Halfbreed

Disavowed, Succubus, Dryad, Explicit

Experience to Level Up: N/A

Attributes

Strength 43 Dexterity 40 Endurance 69

Charisma 70 Manipulation 98 Appearance 185

Perception 32 Intelligence 42 Wits 74

Skills

Brawling 78

Melee 30

Survival 64

Athletics 54

Medicine 20

War 12

Awareness 5

Dodge 65

Larceny 64

Stealth 67

Integrity 48

Performance 35 (+35 in erotic situations)

Presence 40 (+40 in erotic situations)

Resistance 56

Survival 76 (+45 in forests)

Linguistics 35

Socialise 41

Lore 52

Occult 63

Feats

Disavowed – You, who was given divine purpose, has offended the gods themselves. They have disavowed you. Experience and learned feats are beyond you.

Halfbreed (Succubus) – You are descended from the hellish succubi. Half of all points you spend on Performance and Presence skills will instead be spent on erotic specialisations. Each stat point you spend has a 1/20 chance to be redirected into your social stats. Each stat point you spend has a 1/10 chance of being redirected into your Appearance. Grants access to Daemonic and Corrupt Mana without side effects. Grants a natural mana pool refilled by sexual acts; however if this pool drops below half you will be driven to sexual acts until it is above half again. Allows you to travel the hellish pathways as a neutral party. You will learn new Succubus feats every 10 levels.

Halfbreed (Dryad) – You are descended from the Wood Nymphs. Gain a bonus specialisation in Survival (Forests) equal to your level. Each stat point you spend has a 1/20 chance to be redirected into your social stats. Each stat point you spend has a 1/10 chance of being redirected into your Appearance. Grants access to Druidic spells. Grants a natural mana pool refilled by natural and meditative acts. Allows you to designate a Tree as a Home, granting benefits according to the tree and the strength of the bond. You will learn new Dryad Feats every 10 levels

Halfbreed (Heavily Magical) – Both your parents were from heavily magical, or heavily opposed, forces. Without a stabilising core, your access to each side of your background is balanced against the other. Your available powers and your physical appearance will change based on a variety of factors.

You read it slowly as Mercy calms down, until she eventually scrubs at her face and looses enough that you can pull back and look her in the eye.

She, of course, looks merely sexily ruffled as opposed to someone who has just come out of a hysterical crying fit, but you think, on balance, you can forgive her absurd appearance stat.

“I don't know what to say.”

She laughs, a little hiccupily. “Don't. Just. Lets just make this tree, yeah?”

You nod, and she lets you out of her bosom.

You turn towards the centre of the room, and open your menu.

Livingwood Tree – 30 wood

Place?

You hit yes, and an almighty CRACK splits the air. Where you expected an outline, or perhaps just a progress bar, now sits a misty, tree shaped glow, shot through with purple veins.

“Is... is that meant to happen?”

“I have no idea,” you reply. “Let's go find out.”