THE MOMENT
"The school has a dungeon?" Tama asked first; but, the question was on Vivi's mind too. They, along with Riot and Petunia, were walking out of the city towards a wide open area that resembled a park. They exited the city gates, but they were mostly there for decoration. Rows of colorful vendor stalls on either side of the street guided any travelers straight to the derby park.
"Not exactly," Riot explained. She nodded forward at the park. Tama could see at least four derby tracks with hints of more in the distance. Two of the nearest tracks were occupied by other students. "But the derby tracks have a dungeon mode. Every lap is like going deeper into the dungeon and there's monsters and treasure and it's way fun!"
"It'll be good practice," Petunia added with a nod. As she bobbed her head, she caught a whiff of cooking meat at the same time she heard a soft sizzle. Her stomach grumbled.
"Hold on," she called out to the three girls that kept walking. "I'm hungry," she said. She moved to the closest vendor, and she wasn't surprised to see Riot join her; she almost never said no to food.
"Is it real food?" Vivi asked. She and Tama came up behind Riot and Petunia and looked over their shoulder at the selection. The stall wasn't very wide, but it had several trays under warming lights. Each tray offered different sandwiches individually wrapped.
"I don't think so," Petunia replied. She pointed at the NPC tag that floated above the vendor's head, then shrugged. "No nutrition, but it'll hit the spot for now," she reached for the same burger bin that Riot pulled out a couple of packages from. "Vivi? Tama? Want anything?" Petunia offered.
"Uhh.. flaming sword?" Vivi asked. She pointed at a box of weapons and armor pieces with a large sword sitting on top. A magical flame enveloped the sword without burning any of the equipment beneath it. Petunia and Riot shared a giggle, then Riot shook her head.
"That's the 'Buyback Box'," she said. "Only the player that sold it can buy it. If they don't come back for it, it gets broken down and the nanos get recycled." Vivi looked at the prices of the meals, then at the expensive equipment.
"How does he afford to buy equipment?" she asked. Riot shrugged and pointed at the tag above his head.
"The AlterNet handles all exchanges for NPCs. It gives them whatever they need to make any purchases since the items get recycled anyway."
"Just these," Petunia gestured at the three burgers, then handed the grey-haired man her node.
"Thank you for your business," he said. He took the node from her, but only held it for a second before giving it back.
"He didn't even charge you?" Vivi asked. Petunia shook her head.
"He's the register too," she shrugged. The girls moved on from the stall and continued towards the park. Petunia and Riot began eating their burgers.
"So,.. since we're heading to practice in a dungeon...," Vivi said. "..is it because of the announcement this morning?" she asked. Riot and Petunia nodded.
[/p Halloween will be here soon. - Riot] she answered with a Whisper while still chewing.
"I've never done dungeon mode before," Vivi said. "Neither has Tama and we're both super new. Do we stand a chance of winning?" she asked.
[/p That's why we practice. - Nia] Petunia said. Riot swallowed her bite and took a moment to explain more before her next bite.
"It's not a tournament or anything," Riot said. "It's just some holiday fun put on by the Fearleaders. We're not competing against other teams, just the dungeon itself. Think of it like a Halloween haunted house. It's not a competition exactly, but the better we do in the dungeon, the better loot we'll find."
"Oooohhh...," Vivi nodded with a broad smile now that she understood. "That does sound fun.”