It was the slight bump into her side that alerted Cass that someone was trying to get her attention. The Whistling Sailor was the name of the tavern in the beginners town of Runaway Cove and it was pack to the brim. It was to be expected when the monthly ranking broadcast was about to begin. Cassandra, Cass to everyone that knew her, had her head on the counter appearing to be drunk. In reality there wasn’t anything strong enough in the town that could get past her resistances. Ignoring the slight bump she continued on with her one person pity party.
It was the second bump that got on her nerves. Can’t a woman just be by herself with out anyone bothering her these days. Fed up she sat up and threw a glare at whoever was bumping into her. It turned out to be some newbie tank that was standing next to her at the bar. His back was to her and he seemed oblivious that he was intruding into her personal space. A certain gleam entered into her eyes as she debating on teaching him a lesson her would never forget. A lesson that none of the newbies would ever forget in this god forsaken town. It never payed to mess with a beta-tester.
Her imagination was stalled however when blaring horns sounded from the numerous in-game displays throughout the tavern turned on. Cats rolled her eyes and slumped back down until her head was on the bar again. What a crock of shit, she thought. Turning her head she glanced at her mug and noticed that it had run low. Even the service from the NPC bartender could be better. She lifted her hand up with her head still on the bar while she heard the announcer on broadcast do his usual song and dance. She felt the bartender approach and tapped on the counter for another. A new mug appeared to replace to mostly empty one on the counter.
Rolling her eyes at herself she sat up once more and grabbed the new drink. While she wasn’t much of a drinker, the ale at this particular tavern was delicious. It was made using apples from a nearby orchard. It tasted like an apple cider in the real world and was one of the reasons that she was currently in the little shit hole of a town. The other reason was currently on the screen in front of her. What a jackhole. A sneer appeared on her face. Looks like someone is hitting the juice real hard.
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It was at this point that she noticed that the whole tavern was quiet. So quiet that you could her a pin drop. An odd occurrence for a bunch of new players, but to be expected when the game board leader was talking. Everyone in the game knew who he was and worshipped the ground that he walked on. But Cass knew the truth about him and all his little hanger-ons. She used to be one of those sycophants in the beginning. They were all beta-testers that started the game around the same time. Now he probably didn’t even remember her name. The name of the player who gave him the one thing that made him the best player that World Quest had ever seen. The legendary sword, Dragons Breath. What a mistake that was. It was also a curse and her burden to bear.
Unbeknownst to most players, when a legendary weapon is found it can only have one owner. No player may have more than one. It may be given away, but the giver is then cursed by the weapon for forsaking its power. The curse is to never be able to advance again. Cass had no knowledge of these facts when she gave the Dragons Breath to her guild leader after she found it in a dungeon. For the past 2 years in-game she has been stuck at level 99. Never to get to level 100. All the players around her would have that opportunity. Her not so much.
You might be asking yourself, why doesn’t she quit the game or just start over. The answer is not so simple. To start over she would be penalized by the game’s AI. She would lose any advantage that she earned by being a beta tester. Most of the game had been picked clean by the players at this point. It was only in the expansion pack that players had the opportunity to gain serious experience. The catch is that you had to be at level 100 to even be offered that expansion. So Cass was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As for leaving the game altogether, she was stubborn like no other. She wouldn’t give that horse’s ass the satisfaction of seeing her brought so low. All her money was currently tied up in leasing the full dive equipment and the only currency accepted as payment by the manufacturer is in-game gold. So here she was, practically wasting away with nothing to show for it. Scrounging for every little coin to make her monthly payment. Yet knowing that she will never be able to payback what she owes and will be stuck in this vicious cycle for the rest of her days. Life really sucks ass sometimes.