C+3

  Your rage has increased by 1.

  It was untenable to wake up. Almost as if she wasn’t allowed to do so. But still, five in the morning seemed earlier than she liked, even though she had begun to associate that time with realizing that she was either on a boat or somewhere going toward an island. The rough wood platform bed felt uncomfortable, but that was additional encouragement to start the day.

  But today was going to be a big day! She’d both finish the Monument and then also head to the Lighthouse!

  Still in the quiet of her room at Brawler’s Rest, she pulled up her interface and called Kester. The dapper chipmunk came out from under her bed and gave a large, stretching yawn.

  “What do you think about trying out this Advanced Puzzle Interface?”

  “Probably no harm in it,” he answered. “Is there a reason you needed me to make that decision?”

  “Not really. It’s just that I didn’t notice the party interface. Can you see if I can add Sparks without being in proximity?”

  Kestor ran around in a little circle on the floor then looked up and said, “She’s in your party already. Why would you think she wasn’t?”

  “There was a notification last night that she’d died. Or, you know, jumped off the cliff like she does every night. I thought it would remove her from my party.”

  “Not unless you specifically remove her. Can I go back to sleep, now?”

  “One moment. Can you think of anything I need to accomplish before going to Widow’s Siege or the Lighthouse?”

  “Just make sure you can pay your way if you need a good or service, otherwise it’ll be a wasted day, right?”

  “Good call. I’ll chat with you somewhere along the way. Enjoy your nap.”

  “Oh, I will,” he said. He climbed under her bed and disappeared.

  She pulled back up her interface, which now had a tab for puzzles. She had wanted to do this last night but had forgotten in the other goings on. A small table appeared in the menu, with puzzle type in the left column followed by a column of listed attributes and modifiers. The numbering system was strange for the modifiers. She recognized the numbers but didn’t recognize how they were related. The next column listed tools, but all those columns were empty.

  Not knowing what to do with the information before her, she focused on the top puzzle type: Combat. The coloring of the interface screen changed into the background presented when she was in combat, including a gem puzzle and all the other broken-out sections. She also saw the text:

  Conduct tutorial?

  I might as well. Maybe I’ve overlooked something useful.

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  The background solidified, followed by the highlighting and fading of each field while a voice droned in her head explaining what each section did.

  “This is your overall interface, which shows the current game time, the money in your purse, your current health and energy level, your rage (if equipped), the members in your party that are in close enough proximity to affect the outcome of the combat, and the gem field.”

  He mentioned rage if equipped. What does that mean? Could I unequip it? That could solve so many problems. How do I do that? She realized that she had missed several of his comments since the tutorial did not stop. She rushed to fill in the gaps and realized it must only have been how the gems swapped.

  “Combining three red gems equates to attack,” said the voice. Three gems combined and a badly drawn image showed a figure throwing a punch. “Combining an increased number of red gems allows for stronger or combination attacks.” Four gems combined and the figure appeared to throw a left then right jab. Then five gems combined and the figure threw two punches followed by a kick.

  The tutorial continued describing the blue-blocking gems and the green-healing gems. It then moved on to the bones.

  “Combining three or more bones creates a skull and crossbones which allows for a significantly more powerful attack, but it comes with a cost. You get to figure that out on your own. Hahaha” The laughter sounded almost robotic in forcefulness.

  So great, she thought sarcastically. The tutorial doesn’t tell me the one thing I need help understanding the dynamic of. How typical are game tutorials?

  The tutorial then gave another quick nod to the party members, who waved like the cartoons did in real combat. “…But remember. While you can have party members help you, so can your opponents. And one final note, if you are on a Player versus Player, or PvP server, remember that other players can attack you unless you are in a safe location.”

  The tutorial ended abruptly and faded back to the general overview of the puzzle interface, although there was now an additional option next to the Combat field for “test puzzle.” While her curiosity considered checking it, and even some of the other tutorials, she didn’t want to go down this rabbit hole today. {Which was silly. She had all the time in the world.}

  Instead, she sent a party message to Sparks.

  Party - Flor: Good morning. I’m up, going to get food, then I’ll be at the Monument in a couple of hours.

  Party - Galoots: Who is this?

  Who is Galoots?

  Party - Flor: This is Flor. You can see my name right there by my text.

  Party - Galoots: Oh, ur Alastair’s wife. He mentioned you yesterday. You’re going to the Monument today?

  Party - Flor: Wait, who is Galoots?

  Party - Muted. Muted.

  Party - Galoots: I’m Galoots. From the Monastery. Can I meet you to go to the Monument? It sounds more exciting than the stupid farms.

  Party - Flor: It looks like you already have a party. I’m not sure I’m inclined to wait for you to get to the city, but how about you join us at the Lighthouse?

  Party - Muted. Muted.

  Damit, that’s probably Alastair.

  Party - Flor: Everyone wait a second. Let me unmute Alastair. Okay, there. Alastair, I muted you. You know why, right?

  Party - Alastair: Yes, but that doesn’t mean you get to steal my party members.

  Party - Flor: I’m not trying to steal your party members. Galoots invited himself to my next location.

  Party - Galoots: I’m a she.

  Party - Flor: She, sorry.

  Party - Alastair: Fine. How about we mute each others’ party until later? I don’t feel comfortable being cut off by you completely.

  Party - Flor: Done. It’s nice to meet you, Galoots. We’ll meet in person someday. Enjoy your trip to the farms.

  Party - Galoots: Dang it!

  Flor selected her options and muted both Alastair and Galoots. Maybe she would chat directly with Sparks instead of using the group function. Would staying in the party with Alastair and Galoots prevent them from adding other party members, or would it be like the old sprite rpgs where you could have two or three parties running around while remaining in a larger party group?

  Flor - Sparks: Not sure where you are, but I’m on my way shortly.

  She needed to let out some stress in the carillon, but she figured today was too important for that. She dropped into the Brawler’s Rest cantina to grab a mealy apple, a chunk of rough bread, and a mug of water. She downed them quickly, not savoring as there wasn’t anything to savor, then got up and started toward the temple.