Lyndsay turned her head, looking to either side of her. As always, the game menus aside from the option to logout were locked down. Her health and level were visible on the upper edge of her vision. Similar to each time she had started the game before, she was in the middle of a quietly chattering queue at a small port, between a close set stretch of barriers, forming a narrow corridor advancing towards a building just off of the docks. Everything looked new, yet slightly ramshackle as if built in a hurry.
"Hey, you need to wait your turn. Just be patient. Don't make me call the guard."
The voice came from a woman a few places behind her, protesting at someone pushing forward. As the line moved onward, Lyndsay drew closer to a small entryway that protruded from the imposing wall that seemed to be built of stripped and crudely shaped tree trunks. She saw a cloaked person enter as another player was being spoken to by someone inside a small booth, the guard at the door waving them through into what she knew would be an office of sorts. The guard motioned the next in line forward, causing Lyndsay to shuffle forward in turn, jostled by those behind her as the queue ahead got shorter. Half-a-dozen people largely obscured the booth she knew would be in front of the gate which led into the burgeoning township.
The man in front of her adjusted his belt whilst stepping forward, tilting the handle of a dagger that hung there towards her. Cautiously she peeked forward at the guard still a few metres distant at the head of the queue, ostensibly protecting both the woman seated at the desk interviewing the line and the entry into Beachhead. Slowly, carefully, Lindsay reached out her hand to the sheathed dagger in front of her. Withdrew it. Hid it up her sleeve.
Pickpocket skill unlocked.
Pickpocket experience has increased by 40.
Brigand class unlocked.
Brigand class experience has increased by 40.
You have gained 1x Dagger.
Ha! So the levelling system does still work here …
She had learned that stepping out or trying to push ahead would earn a reprimand from the soldier stationed next to the book-covered desk at the front of the line, and had heard that there were penalties imposed on those who disregarded the warnings, ensuring the players' adherence to the flow of the game. But stepping backwards? She turned slightly, allowing the player behind her, an elderly man with a slight hunch, to move in front. All she got was a thank you, the guard having no response, seeming not to have cared or noticed. Looking behind her, the line stretched back a few dozen more people. She let a handful move forward until a broad-shouldered woman with a coin purse on their hip was in front of her. She let the dagger drop from up her sleeve, catching it by the handle, leaning forward and tapping the person on the arm, asking them a question as she gave a quick slash with the knife. ”I’m sorry, can I have my place back?”
The reply, “No, don’t make me call the guard” went almost unnoticed as more notifications popped up for her, but made her feel a little better about her theft.
Pickpocket experience has increased by 84.
Brigand class experience has increased by 84.
You have gained 1x Old Coin Purse.
You have gained 17 Copper.
You have gained 6 Silver.
She took another step back, a red-headed man with a moustache moving forward, casting a curious look at her.
Pickpocket experience has increased by 84.
Brigand class experience has increased by 84.
You have gained 1x Old Coin Purse.
You have gained 24 Copper.
You have gained 3 Silver.
Another few steps, muttering "Hi, sorry, I'm waiting for someone" to defer any suspicions, a man with a pince-nez perched on his nose and open book in hand moved past her absentmindedly.
That’s new. Starting items are meant to only be randomly generated amounts of money and simple clothes and weapons. She paused, confused. Was there an update? She knew that books needed to be activated and opened to have their worth shown, and this varied from simple experience bonuses to lore drops through to even unlocking new skills; seeing one be actively read was not something she thought possible within the game. Mentally shrugging, she reached out to take one from the open satchel slung over the man's shoulder, it disappearing from her hand as the skill registered the ownership exchange.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Pickpocket experience has increased by 180.
Brigand class experience has increased by 180.
You have gained 1x 101 Ways To Survive In Unknown Lands.
Unable to access her inventory to look at it further with the menus being locked down, she took another few steps back, her mind beginning to wander, stopping behind a woman in a dark brown robe, their head hooded and bowed.
Pickpocket experience has increased by 1,984.
++PICKPOCKET HAS REACHED LEVEL ONE++
Brigand class experience has increased by 1,984.
You have gained 1x Old Coin Purse.
You have gained 7 Copper.
You have gained 3 Silver.
You have gained 1x Maegister’s Key.
Well. I can definitely level up, but ... this seems a lot more serious than I expected. These are all real people, so they must have the items as part of their character creation and that means I’ve just taken things I probably shouldn’t have. She fell back into step with the queue, moving forward as she thought. But that’s kind of the point of stealing so I shouldn’t get into trouble for this. But that means staying here to farm experience will likely get some attention soon, especially if those who have lost things mention it and the Quaintise developers look into what happened to the items. But then … my taking items shouldn’t be an issue as I'd be able to do this outside of here as well, so this isn’t an exploit, it’s just me playing the game. I wonder what would happen if I attacked someone here, if this place has the PvP restrictions that the -
“Hello there, thank you for waiting. May I take your name please?” The woman at the desk, sporting a tight bun and a formal air was looking at her from across the counter.
Oh shit, I should have been paying more attention. Well, I guess I got one skill already. Lyndsay raised her head and focused on the woman. "Rebelle" The woman at the desk took a moment to write something on a piece of parchment in front of her.
"It seems Rebelle has already arrived. Did I mishear you? What was your name?"
Lyndsay groaned to herself. "Xena?"
"It seems Xena is already here. Did I mishear you? What was your name?"
God this must be a tedious job. Cursing at the unforeseen problem of someone managing to take her name whilst she was remaking her character she tried again with a little exasperation. "Lyndsay?" Distracted by the sudden conversation, she swept her eyes from the woman’s face to scan across the desk, moving over the pieces of parchment and rolled up scrolls, before returning to look at the woman with a smile.
"Welcome to Beachhead Lyndsay. You will be formally brought up to date in the next room. You’re looking to start a new life here?” Though not expressly forbidden, it was tacitly encouraged to avoid any outright references to the game actually being anything other than a true reality. This led to some interesting questions when it came to confirming certain game options such as whether you had in fact meant to restart your account.
“Yes, thank you. I felt I was messing around too much before now, so I’m hoping to make the most of a new beginning.” Lyndsay smirked proudly in her head. I can do the double-talk dance too.
The woman looked at her warmly before looking down to check off something on a piece of parchment in front of her that was somehow able to display a scrolling list whilst remaining in place on the table. Lyndsay put her hands on the desk and leaned forward, showing curiosity and watching as the woman glanced back up at her and the soldier moved forward, reaching for his sword. Lyndsay stepped back slightly, one hand raised, the other sliding off of the desk. “Sorry, just curious about the behind the scenes aspects. I’m sure you get it all the time.”
Pickpocket experience has increased by 49,612.
++PICKPOCKET HAS REACHED LEVEL ELEVEN++
Brigand class experience has increased by 49,612.
++BRIGAND CLASS HAS REACHED LEVEL THREE++
++YOU HAVE REACHED CHARACTER LEVEL TWO++
Congratulations! Don't forget to assign your character points!
You have gained 1x Satchel.
You have gained Cryptic Codex.
You have gained Quaint Colophon.
Her face twitched as she struggled to keep her face passive whilst a small fanfare played out in her head on a trumpet. In an attempt to pass off the shock as fear, Lyndsay nodded towards the sword and spoke with a worried tone. “Have you ever had to use that here before?”
“Once or twice.” The guard stepped back as the woman at the desk cleared her throat.
“Curiosity is generally a good thing, though I’d recommend keeping it tempered by social expectations. At least until you move on from Beachhead.” She drummed her fingers on the table. "If you’re ready to begin your new adventures, please step through the door and present yourself to Sergeant Miller.”
