Just as he’d done many times before, Lucian woke up on a fishing boat slowly drifting to the harbour. His eyelids opened like two black walls slowly parting, and he found himself staring into a gray mist. He felt it land on his face carefully, tickling him slightly as if small shocks appeared all over his face.

Pushing himself up to a seated position on the boat, he got his arms out from under his back, and fully extended his legs. The sound of waves washing up against the boat created a calming sound. He could feel something stuck beneath him, it was his support staff.

Support Staff 0

Allows spells to be cast at +5 meters distance.

It didn’t seem like much, but that extra five meters was the difference between life and death for a support. That didn’t mean it was any good. No, it was still the weakest staff in the entire game, and the faster he could get it swapped the better.

There was a faint mist all around him, but he could see the outlines of other small fishing boats, all drifting towards the harbour. It was a bit like an apocalypse, and Lucian had always found it slightly eerie.

He could see the outline of small fishing boats at the edge of where sight was blocked.turned to drifting towards the harbour.

At the very edge of what the mist allowed him to see, there were many small fishing boats drifting towards the harbour. Lucian found the sight creepy, thinking of it a bit as an apocalypse.

His hands felt the rough dry wood as they gripped the paddles and turned them towards the water. He thrust, sending the boat forward. Every second counted. The paddles were heavy in the water, and in the air they felt light. He continued the motion at the fastest speed he was capable of, and felt the muscles in his arms burn.

A boat speed by him, on it a large muscled man grunting, a warrior. One of their perks granted them more strength from the get go, which resulted in them almost always being the first ones to the harbour. Most rogues jumped off their boat and swam to the harbour, actually, Lucian saw a dark shape slithering at an extremely quick speed. That must be a pro.

The perk’s advantages manifested themselves in many different ways and that’s why it was so important to pick them wisely. As Lucian levelled up he’d get to pick more perks, both combat oriented ones and other orientations.

When he saw the planks of the harbour, he stood up, grabbed his staff, and jumped off, abandoning the ship. It would sink in a few minutes, and then disappear as if it was never there. Other players were also washing up, but Lucian didn’t stop to watch. He didn’t have time to.

There was a niche trick true tryhards did, and he was off to do it. Whilst the starting staff couldn’t be sold, it could be exchanged for another starting staff. Lucian rushed over to the merchant area, and spotted a store with a sign depicting a pyramid. A relic store, perfect.

Just as Lucian was about to push the door open, the door swung open towards him and he was face to face with a man he knew all too face. His face had a thick red scar going from the chin, over the nose, and to the forehead.

“Just-Saved, what are the odds?” The man said, patting Lucian on the shoulder.

“I can say the same to you, Scarface,” Lucian said smiling. They had won the game together many times, but they went way back. They’d met each other when they’d started playing, back when Scarface still stumbled, an act rarer than pigs suddenly flying. Today Scarface was one of the best rogues in the entire world.

“I see that you’re doing the exchange trick,” Scarface said, “down to team up after this?”

“Sure,” Lucian said.

“I’ll meet you at the edge of the woods, I’ve gotta fix something first,” Scarface said and walked away. He was off to get his blades sharpened. It was free if you could do it yourself.

The best players only partied with the best. Doing anything else would hold them back. For most people getting to join Scarface was a sign of true skill, and it alone could make someone’s entire year. For Lucian though, it had become so ordinary that he didn’t think twice of it.

He entered and greeted the Merchant. The AI in the game was practically indistinguishable from a real human in conversation, but there were certain prompts that set off a certain reaction.

“I’m here to exchange my starting item.”

“Sure, hand it over,” the merchant said, a short white beard man.

Lucian handed over the support staff to the man’s smiling face, he couldn’t help but feel that he was getting ripped off. Merchants in this game were professionals at doing just that. The man walked to the back and shortly after came back with another staff, one that had been created the second he’d asked the question.

Support Staff 00

Support spells are 20% more effective

The staff was a must for any Support that tried to be Pro. A person without it would instantly be discounted as trash. With that fixed, Lucian walked out of the building and headed for the outskirts of the town, to the forest, to wait for Scarface. He stood just at the edge of the forest, surrounded by small forming groups.

It took a few minutes before Scarface came out. Lucian saw the blades hanging off his waist, they’d gone from dull to so sharp they cut through his sight. If Scarface wasn’t his trusted friend, his gut would go mad, screaming at him to get away.

“Did you see the archer over there?” Scarface asked as they walked into the forest. Lucian knew exactly who he was talking about. All the best players, and only the best players, could pick a unique facial sign. Scarface had picked a scar, Lucian blank white eyes; and there’d been an archer with a small heart on her left cheek.

“Her name is Cupid,” Lucian said. “She’s the one that sniped Strength through the heart from ten miles away.”

“That’s scary,” Scarface said, “I saw her stare at you. She didn’t look too happy.”

“I might have turned her into a frog a few rounds ago,” Lucian said innocently.

“Hahaha, a pink frog?” Scarface asked.

“Always.”

“Hahaha.”