“Town’s too far. We brought gear,” Malik said, tossing a bundle of equipment at Lucas.

“Thanks,” Lucas answered, somewhat warily. He wasn’t used to people being this friendly. Until recently, it had been fairly common for people to add “Nancy” to his nickname just before they attacked him, so he was naturally cautious and somewhat put off by the gesture. “‘Preciate it, man.”

“Don’t let him steal the credit, nya. It was my idea!” Valerie insisted.

“But my money!” the Dwarf snapped.

“Well . . .” Lucas took out two gold pieces and passed them to Malik. “Here. This should cover the expense.”

Malik looked at the money. Lucas knew that it was far more than the going rate for the gear, as each piece of gear would cost only a single silver coin, but he had handed over two gold ones instead, which equated to 20 silver or 200 copper.

“Didn’t realize lying around doing nothing paid so well,” Nick commented snidely.

“That’s because it doesn’t,” Dawn said patiently, adding a slight smile. “Lying around all day doing nothing is what you do when you have enough money to not worry about getting paid.”

“The woman makes a point,” Malik agreed. “We don’t have time to lie around and wait. Let’s go kill some racist Imperium scumbags!”

Lucas didn’t bother saying anything as he watched the chattering group start off toward Lady Xun Guan’s mansion, which was a short five-minute walk away.

The large mansion had a mortarless rock facade and looked like a small fortress situated on the crest of a forest-covered hill. The surrounding woods set it apart from the other nearby mansions and manors, which were encompassed by simple farmland. Those same Imperium farms, where non-Humans were forced to till and work the fields, were one of the hallmarks of the area. New players could pick up a variety of quests which involved freeing the serfs and allowing them to return to the forest or helping to restore the natural order of the land by killing the guards and overseers. It was the same save-the-world plot that every MMORPG force-fed its players at some point or another.

The most annoying aspect of the quest Lucas had accepted was that it prevented players from wandering around and exploring either the surrounding area or the mansion. It was naturally designed to streamline the experience and prevent newbies from getting lost, but that meant that players were basically “locked in” and couldn’t do anything else until it was completed.