THE MOMENT
"Is there anything you would like?" Dread asked. She and her friend, Jenny, traveled between the vendors as they browsed the wares at the small bazaar. The outdoor space only had a half dozen stalls, it wasn't a major hub by any means and that's why the girls chose it. Even with so few vendors, there were more of them than customers. They were close to the end of their excursion and they had reached a conclusion. Dread didn't see anything that interested her but, according to the Halloween event, they were required to spend. The only choice was to ask Jenny if there was anything she wanted to purchase.
"Not really...," Jenny shrugged as they stopped in front of the final merchant; a weapons dealer. "I guess we'll try somewhere else?" she shrugged.
"Come forth, claim the legendary magic sword, and forge your destiny!" the rotund man waved the two teens closer with a broad smile.
"Legendary...?" Jenny was interested and moved closer. So far, he was the first NPC to use that descriptor and she hoped it meant something.
"Behold!" the vendor pulled out a white katana sheath from under his wooden counter and drew it out partway before setting it down for display. "The legendary magic sword, Unique #57, La Espada."
"What?" Jenny giggled. She reached down just enough to tug the blade out further. The 'metal' was dull and matte grey. She reached down again and pushed against it with her finger and the soft material gave in. '...that... is clearly a rubber toy sword...," she said with a smile. It wasn't like he was trying to cheat her; he was just an NPC. But, it did make her wonder how or why it was labeled as a 'legendary'.
"You should scan it...," Dread recommended.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks!" Jenny nodded and the quick motion caused a translucent blue visor to appear over her eyes.
"Whoa...," The rubber katana's golden power was apparent through the visor. It was definitely more than a toy; but, it wasn't a Unique either. If it was a Unique Soul, she would have been able to see it in the aura. This was something in between and she had to know more. "I'll take it! How much?" she asked.
"100k points," he replied.
"Oh wow...," Jenny expected it to be expensive; but, it was even more than that. On average she made about 5k per run. She almost had enough to cover it, so she wasn't worried about missing out; it was just a mild form of sticker shock. Dread used the brief silence to buy the sword.
"I'll buy the toy sword for my friend..," Dread said.
"Thank you!" Jenny hugged Dread from the side as the Vendor made the exchange. "But, wait!" she held her hands out to stop him, then turned to Dread. "I mean I know you've been in the AlterNet for way longer than me; but, you know I can't use swords, right?" she asked. Dread smiled at her, then encouraged the vendor to continue with a wave and a nod.
"I am aware that engineers can't use swords," Dread nodded. "I also recognized your curiosity about it; you want to study it," she said.
"Yeah....," Jenny nodded. She had to admit that was very true; and, part of her appreciated that Dread noticed it too.
"You were also correct in calling it a toy," Dread added.
"Huh?" Jenny asked. But, she understood as soon as the vendor gave her the sword. The weapon disintegrated and was added to her inventory. She saw a small line of text in her vision that explained the item she received and Dread explained it at the same time.
"Anyone can equip it. That's why it's tagged as a 'Toy'."