A new day in game
Few opened the stalls in hope of some lazy player would purchase the weapons or equipments for starting the massacre of monsters. Pure wish! Unless the item was good and necessary, who would spend coins so early in the day? Those who had finished the tasks, handed them over as soon as the shops opened , and started a new line of accepting tasks.
It took few minutes but a explosive news flooded everywhere. Why were the players experiencing a debuff- movement reduced by 20% and attack speed by 10%. And the debuff was on countdown, it would take nearly an hour for debuff to go off. And soon the matter spread. Some had debuff of movement reduced by nearly 50% or even needed 2 hours for debuff to go off. How could they play like this?
They asked in game forum, they perstered GM, they seemed advise from NPCs. When few received the answer, they didn't know should they curse or cry. They were hungover. They had tasted so much alcohol the previous night that the effect of alcohol was not gone yet. Solution to it was simple too, drink hangover soup. It looked unappetizing, had bitter astringent taste and costed a pretty penny. A loss in every way but a necessary purchase. The shopkeeper didn't forget to promote another product - sober up potion, sold exclusively, well not exclusively, but definitely cheaper than potions shop, at his shop.
Even after hangover soup, debuff didn't go off completely for few. Slowly, yet surely, players collected data and found the truth.
It was the punishment for not sleeping in hotel room or using sleeping bags or sleeping inside warded rooms. They would be bitten by critters who were very much active in nights. In few villages, it was due to foul gas released by the plants. In few, the cesspool were working to convert everything into non smelling manure.
Whatever the reason was, the ultimate outcome was the players would suffer unless they found good solutions.
Renting a hotel room was a privilege of rich and experts, don't even think of it.
Maybe they should buy night bags. What! Were NPCs in game were also looting now? How could a lousy sleeping bag cost so much? Fine. Just rent it then. Better rent fast or else they too would be out of order.
Few made quick money by renting few and handing them over to even higher price. What do an hour of debuff matter in the face of coins and credits? They would take time in the morning instead of clearing the task segment in the evening, maybe even set up some stalls near village exit.
It should be said that players were very adaptable. The desire to play didn't subside on facing such problems too.
Few 'problematic villages ' were now facing another problem. They could not buy potions and other necessary items at all or buy it small amounts. How could they finish the task in such scenario? Moreover, they had to extra careful while facing the monsters from now on as the blessing of goddess of Fate had faded completely and they would face death penalty.
Inspite of reminders in the game forum and by NPCs, few had just moved as previous day and had to revive later in foundation of rebirth. Their names were immortalized as first in the village to die and revive. Few though felt it was an honour and showed it to all. Some even went further and showed the death penalty.
It was doozy. Like said before, loss of XP was half the level. The debuff in one case was fatigue -50%, loss of stamina increased by 30%. In the other one, debuff was mana recovery slowed by 50%. Yet another had constitution decreased by half directly. Common among all other than XP lost was loss of other items. One lost some junk, one lost few coins, one lost a piece of equipment, one lost few apples. Basically, death would pull not just your life, your XP but something from your body or inventory too.
The craze was so high that, even such death penalties didn't stop the players. Even in troubled villages, the players found various solutions to progress.
In Artha's village, Zoya put a big notice in front of her shop. Potion sale fixed at 8 per blessed immortal (4 HP and 4MP potions). Anymore, the price would be doubled or even tripled.
Similar notices appeared in few shops, Zumi's being an exception. He wished to get more customers but these were still poor. By the look of state of things, they would remain poor for some time too. But that's okay too. The occasional visits from some of these blessed immortals gave him something to create new stories. He was a part time bard and part time story teller by the pub. Having few interesting stories would get him few bowls of alcohol.
The mentors Molvin and Alkus did their best to brainwash the players by telling them it was initiative to increase battle power and awareness of the players. This was the right time to develop them because dying now was not that painful.
Though players found it hard, there was a silver lining too. They were earning more coins and there were more tasks too. Few places even gave standing order of few materials.
Artha didn't have any debuff, so he went on the usual way. He wanted to pester Zoya but there were lots of players in shop, she would be irritated, now would not be the right time. He went to blacksmith, chatted with the apprentice. He had to off load around 500 level 0 training staff. The apprentice didn't have much ideas, but he told the tasks needed to be done even before he would be considered for becoming an apprentice blacksmith.
Then before he was halfway to the chicken coop monster map, he got calls. The guilds could not be patient anymore. This time he was offered more and more advantages to join the guild or workshop. He hardened his heart and said no to advantages but yes for sale of potions, with conditions applied.