Day One in Nexus.

The words resonated through my mind, strident and loud. Quickly I snatched my hand away and looked around.

Had anyone else heard that?

But no one was paying me the slightest heed, and my tension eased. Well, no one except the bard standing not one yard away. He was looking at me strangely. “First time in Nexus?” he asked.

I studied him in turn. The bard was garbed in courtly attire—silk shirt, suede pants, and an embroidered waistcoat. None of his clothes were clean though. Tattered and frayed, they all appeared a little worse for wear. Only the flute that he toyed with in his hands looked expensive. He was carrying neither weapons nor armor.

A civilian, I thought, not bothering to analyze him.

The bard’s clothes were not the most striking aspect though. What I found more interesting were his unusual features. While he was as heavily muscled as a human, his face had a distinct elven cast. His ears peeked through flowing locks, his eyes slanted upwards, and his chin was sharply pointed.

A half elf?

“What makes you say that?” I asked idly in return.

The bard chuckled and rapped his knuckles against the statue behind him. “Your reaction to the Adjudicator, what else? Nearly everyone responds the same way the first time.”

“It is a bit overwhelming,” I admitted. I glanced up at the looming structure. “Do you know what it is?” Unconsciously, I’d lowered my voice.

Intellectually I knew there was little point in trying to conceal my words from the Game’s overseer, but it felt impolite to be speaking about it—him?—while standing so close.

The half-elf shrugged. “I don't. And the way I hear tell, no one does. Like much else of the Game, the Adjudicator remains a mystery.”

I nodded thoughtfully and made to swing about. But before I could leave, the bard stuck out his hand. “I'm Shael.”

I hesitated for a moment before reaching out and clasping his hand in turn. I made no attempt to introduce myself though. I paused. “If you don’t mind me asking, Shael, what are you all—” I gestured behind him, including the other musicians in my question—“doing here?”

My new acquaintance sighed. “I don't know about them, but I'm here because there's nowhere else for me to go.”

I waited for him to go on.

“The Triumvirate don't like straddlers in the safe zone,” he explained. “Usually, the knights will expel anyone appearing idle. But for some reason, they give the Adjudicator a wide berth.” He chuckled darkly. “Maybe they find him intimidating.”

“So why don't you just leave?”

Shael barked humorlessly. “And go where? The rest of the city is even worse. And leaving the sector is not an option. I can't afford it.”

I blinked at him.

The half-elf picked up on my confusion. Gesturing to the crowd, he explained. “Haven't you noticed how wealthy everyone here is?”

I nodded. I had observed that the players were more richly dressed than those I’d encountered in the valley, but I'd assumed that was normal for players of higher ranks.

“Well, I'm not sure how you got here,” Shael said, “but Nexus is for the rich. Only the rich. Everything here is expensive, including teleports into and out of the sector.” He sighed again. “The short of it is I can't afford a portal out.”

“How expensive?” I asked. I didn't ask him why he didn't leave the sector by other means. That much was obvious. Like the valley from which I’d just come, Nexus was a closed sector too.

“The Triumvirate charge five hundred gold for a portal. Though hardly anyone uses them if they can help it,” Shael said. “But even the cheapest mage will ask for three hundred gold to open an exit portal.”

I exhaled a carefully concealed breath. Three hundred gold was a lot, but thankfully with the money I had in the bank, it was well within my means. At least I wasn't stuck here.

Meanwhile, the half-elf had not stopped speaking. He seemed quite talkative. Perhaps he was simply starved for conversation, or perhaps he was always this verbose. “… I'm just about at the end of my tether and almost inclined to try one of the dungeons to escape.”

My ears perked up. “What do you mean?”

Shael didn’t answer immediately. He studied me from beneath suddenly hooded eyes for a long moment, almost as if he sensed my keen interest. “Look, friend, you look like a likable enough chap, but nothing in Nexus is free, including information.” The half-elf lowered his head. “And I'm desperate.”

I waved aside the bard’s embarrassed explanation, and to be honest I would rather pay for the information. It was a simple transaction and would mean I owed Shael nothing else in return. “How much for what you know about the dungeons?” I paused. “And the safe zone?”

Shael licked his lips. “I can't tell you much,” he said, suddenly more hesitant.

I shrugged. “I'll settle for what you know.”

“Five silvers?” the bard suggested tentatively.

I withdrew two gold coins from my coin pouch and placed them in the bard's palm.

Shael’s eyes widened, darting from the gold coins to me. “You are rich,” he breathed appreciatively. Then added offhandedly, “Despite how you’re dressed.”

I glanced down at my leather armor. It was dusty and scratched in places, but still serviceable. “What's wrong with how I look?” I asked in a puzzled tone.

Shael smiled, his confidence returned as he slipped the coins out of sight. “No offense, friend,” he said, “but no one wealthy goes about dressed for war in the safe zone.” He paused, “Well, except for the knights, but they’re just soldiers.” The half-elf eyed me critically. “And your gear… I'm no expert, but—” his voice lowered conspiratorially, forcing me to lean in—“it screams… noob.”

I jerked back and scowled at the bard.

Shael spread his hands. “I meant nothing by it,” he reassured me. Spreading his arms wide, he gestured to the players in the square. “But that is how everyone will see you.”

I bit back a retort. Shael was right. I was under-leveled for the sector, but there was something else about the bard’s manner that struck me as off. Reaching out with my will, I analyzed him.

You have failed a perception check and are unable to analyze your target. This entity bears a Mark of Moderate Shadow.

My eyes widened in alarm, and my gaze shot back to the bard.

Shael shrugged apologetically. “Sorry,” he replied. “I recognized you as a fellow deception player. That's what drew my interest in the first place.”

“You analyzed me?” I asked sharply.

He nodded, confirming my fears. “It's rude, I know, but I didn't think you would sense it. Most players can't.”

I blew out a troubled breath. Damnation. My deception skill was relatively high, and I'd been hoping it would foil most players’ attempts to identify me. But already, it seemed I’d exposed myself.

Will he realize there's a bounty on my head?

“Look, Michael,” Shael said suddenly—deliberately using my name. “I can see that me knowing your identity troubles you. You have nothing to worry about though. I don't care who you are or what you've done. I've had my own run-ins with the factions, and I know what it's like to run afoul of one. I won’t tell anyone. Promise.”

I took a calming breath and let my tension dissipate. Shael knew who I was, and there was nothing I could do about it now—not in the safe zone. “You've seen my class and level?” I asked with forced indifference.

The bard nodded mutely.

“What level are you?” I asked.

“Level one hundred and twenty,” Shael replied solemnly, making no effort to avoid the question. “And before you ask, my Class is red minstrel.” He made a face. “It's not particularly combat efficient, but I get by.”

He could be lying, but without being able to analyze him I had no way of knowing. Done is done, I thought. Setting aside the matter and letting no sign of my ignorance of his Class show, I turned the conversation back to my original point of inquiry. “Tell me about the dungeons.”

Shael grinned. “Nexus has many of them. Which one do you want to know about?”

I shook my head. “We'll get to that. But I am more interested now by what you implied earlier.”

The half-elf stared at me blankly.

“Can the sector be exited through a dungeon?”

“Ah,” Shael breathed. “I was only being half-serious. Technically, it is possible. Some dungeons have multiple exit portals and can lead to different sectors.”

I frowned, knowing it wouldn't be that simple. Shael’s phrasing implied otherwise. “But?”

“But,” Shael continued, “such dungeons are rare and multi-leveled. Not to mention exceedingly tough to get through.”

“I see,” I murmured and squirreled away the information. If I ever needed to exit the sector in a hurry and undetected, it was useful to know I had a path out except using the teleports in the safe zone. “So where can I find these dungeons?”

Shael shrugged. “I don't know.”

I glanced at him sharply, wondering if he was holding back.

The bard marked my disbelief. “I'm not lying,” he protested. “Most of the nether portals in Nexus are volatile. The few that are stable lead to dungeons under the control of the factions. And knowledge of what lies within them is closely guarded by faction players.”

My frown deepened. “What do you mean by volatile?”

Shael sighed. “Just that. I'm sure you received the Game's welcome message on entering Nexus?”

I nodded.

“Of all the many Kingdom sectors, Nexus lies closest to the nether and that makes it different. Many of its portals are unpredictable. They can randomly appear—or vanish.” Shael shivered. “Worse yet, the portals that open generally lead into the nether itself, creating rifts. When that happens, dark creatures spill out into the city.”

My eyes narrowed. “Creatures from the void?” I murmured. “You don't mean stygian beasts, do you?”

“Ah, you've heard of them I see,” Shael said. “Then you know how hard they are to kill.” His gaze flickered over my armor. “Especially for fighters without magic.”

I nodded slowly. “And these beasts can appear at any time in the city?”

Shael bobbed his head. “It is one reason why Nexus is shielded. It stops the creatures from escaping to other Kingdom sectors.” The half-elf grinned suddenly. “But there's no need to look so worried. In three of the city's four quarters, it is almost unheard of for the beasts to appear, and when they do the faction soldiers make quick work of them. It's only if you venture into the plague quarter that you have to worry.”

“The plague quarter?” I asked, not liking the sound of that.

Raising his arm, Shael pointed southwards. “It lies that way, through the safe zone’s south gate. For whatever reason, the plague quarter is the most unstable region of the city. Rifts there are not uncommon.”

“Is that why it’s called the plague quarter?”

Shael smiled. “Yes, but apart from it being afflicted by a plague of stygian beasts, the quarter is also prone to actual outbreaks of disease, courtesy of the cursed marsh in its southernmost region.”

I nodded vaguely, still deep in thought about what the half-elf had told me. “What about the other three city quarters?” I asked finally.

Shael pointed to his left. “The Light quarter lies through the west gate.” He gestured to his right. “And through the east gate is the Dark quarter.” He jutted out his chin. “And of course, the Shadow quarter can be found beyond the north gate.”

So, the factions had divided the city amongst themselves, and in the manner I’d come to expect—by Force affiliation. “What about the safe zone itself?”

Shael rolled his eyes. “What else? The safe zone is the haven of the rich. It holds the merchant houses, the auction, every major bank, and the mansions of the Powers.”

“Then there is nowhere for a traveler to stay in the safe zone?”

“There is one hotel, the Wanderer’s Delight. It is expensive, though.” He paused. “But perhaps you can afford its rates,” he finished with a hint of question and his voice.

I ignored the half-elf’ probing and wondered which direction to explore first. I would have preferred to stay within the safe zone itself, but from Shael’s explanation, that sounded too expensive.

Scratching my chin, I let my gaze rove from east to west. The south gate, and the plague quarter beyond, as interesting as it sounded, would have to wait for exploration later. Right now, I needed somewhere safe to hole up.

“What faction do you belong to?” Shael asked, following the direction of my gaze.

“Why?” I asked distractedly.

“Because you are not getting into any of the Force quarters without being pledged to one.”

I broke off from my musings to stare at the half-elf. “What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

“The factions strictly control their parts of the city. Access to the Force quarters is restricted, even for faction players. And if you don't belong to a faction, forget about getting in at all.”

My heart sank. The half-elf could be lying, but I didn't think so. It tied in with the rest of what I knew of the Forces.

“So which faction is it that holds your allegiance?” Without waiting for my response, Shael went on. “I can't tell. You bear Marks from all three Forces.”

I didn't answer.

Shael opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could, one of his fellows called out from behind. “Shael! Envoy Livitus just sent word. He's looking for a band of musicians to play tonight. You interested?”

The half-elf closed his mouth with a snap and nodded to his companion. “Coming.” Turning back to me, he shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, I must go. The opportunities to earn good money are few and far between.”

I nodded in understanding. “Go You've earned your two golds already.”

The half-elf bowed elaborately and spun about. Shael took two steps towards his companion then paused and glanced over his shoulder at me. “If you’re ever in need of a friendly bard again, you can find me here.” He grinned. “I'll do nearly any job for a price.”

I nodded.

Shael hesitated. “And if you're looking for a job yourself or for the most up-to-date information on the dungeons, try the bounty hunters guild and the information brokers in the plague quarter. They're both situated close to the south gate, so you won't have to venture far into the quarter.”

“Thanks,” I said.

With the final wave, Shael dashed off.