C+3

  Paige “Maelstrom” Knochenmus was tired. General, bone-deep tired. She suspected it was the manifestation of her rage.

  It had been days since she had come this route, and days more since she realized that she had probably accomplished her objective of finding the most bugs in the game, especially as all the other players on this server were idiots who didn’t travel outside their starting location. Surely none of the others had discovered all the strangeness in the wilderness. She was certain that most of them hadn’t even been to the Keep, let alone attempt it.

  Unfortunately, killing each of the other players, in turn, did not end the simulation. Paige wondered, briefly, if killing them all in a single day might force the server to glitch and shut down, thereby allowing them to exit. She could probably do it, too, unless a player started in the Tower. That would be more madness than waking at the keep. Paige hadn’t even been to the Tower for how overpowered it was. Although she had walked around it, a barrier prevented entry and Paige did not have the key. She didn’t even know what key unlocked the barrier, although she suspected it came from beating the Keep.

  Paige had decided that she would maximize her equipment. But level 3 equipment was expensive {The full set of level 3 gear that Mal could equip cost 347 coins: a Long Sword for 81, Plated Leather Chest Armor for 158, a Full Shield for 14, and a Closed Helm for 94. Although she had considered buying the shield, she thought it would be out of place to have a full shield and only studded leather armor}. She had not yet found a good source of consistent money in the game. It was not quite a bug, but she still recorded it as so.

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  She realized she was probably the only level 3 in this test, since none of the other players had even been to the Bay, and that was likely the only way to get the ten experience points necessary for level 3. She had asked the Captain about that a few times when she woke up each day. She was probably the only player who had unlocked the global chat, not that she would announce that fact.

  So, now she had decided to cycle through the locations again to scour for income. She started at the Bay. It had been a long day of walking, even with her Rough Terrain Boots, but she had been to each location and inquired of a friendly individual toward the prospect of jobs. All while avoiding the other players. And here she was, back at the lighthouse, watching that harlot Flor take her jobs. She considered that fifteen coins weren’t much, and wouldn’t even really put a dent in her armor purchase, outside of the shield, of course…, but still it grated on her that she had come all this way to lose out on one well-known source of income.

  It bothered her that items were perpetual, but coins were not. Each day she had to buy items that she would then sell the following day at a loss.

  Paige ensured that Flor and Sparks and Mags didn’t observe her, then scanned Flor. It was an ability she had unlocked when she scanned Global Chat that allowed her to see another character’s summary. Paige observed that Flor had become a level 2 Brawler. But, based on Flor’s equipment, that level-up had been accomplished only recently. That might have made sense if Flor had recently beaten the Monument.

  Well, someone is making progress, at least. Where is her coward of a partner, Alastair? Paige hadn’t seen him anywhere, so she decided that she would let Flor be, for the moment.

  Maybe I should try level 5 of the city Carillon again. That would probably give me enough coins and loot to get a new sword. {Or maybe she shouldn’t have killed and ostracized the other players who might have helped her out.}