The walk down to the store was... normal. There were other Avatars chatting as they walked down the sidewalk, cars moving through traffic or parking along the road. The streets were cleaner than usual, and all the damage from everyone suddenly trading places with their body-doubles was repaired.
It was a little eerie to me, ironically. How could they just walk around like everything was normal? And so many of them as well. There may have been more people moving around now than before, especially considering dawn was a few hours off. Shouldn't they have been working on their dungeons? Not like I had any room to talk.
On a side note, I couldn't see their Auras anymore. I assumed it was because I wasn't using my real body, the one that had the Aura Perception enhancement. However, I could still feel their emotions when I concentrated on them. It was a little confusing, because I'd assumed the two effects were connected. I would definitely have to look into the true reason later.
The store I went to was sort of an all-purpose super store. The groceries weren't great, but thankfully I wasn't here for food. Then again, the computers weren't that great either. Maybe I should have looked for a dedicated store instead... At least Geni seemed happy enough when I told her about the different options available.
The prices were odd though. Fractions of CP. I wasn't sure what I expected instead, but since all the Spells on the Interface cost a minimum of one CP, I'd assumed fractions were impossible. I'd have to stay cautious of a scam, but at these prices, I might actually be able to get a lot of what I needed without exceeding my 'budget'.
I got distracted when I saw an Avatar restocking the shelves in another aisle. Something about it was off... I shivered. There was no life. That doll wasn't being controlled by a person. I knew from my brief study of my Avatar that they could be programed to carry out tasks, but... Seeing a mannequin walking around and working without any sort of human supervision creeped me out.
Although... Could I like, get a job or something? If I just lent my Avatar to someone in exchange for CP, I could earn a passive income. I shook my head. Even if I didn't have to do any actual work, the idea of talking to some stranger for the interview was enough to make me drop the thought.
With just two CP, I was able to get a few computers and a bunch of parts Geni asked for. I think she wanted them as a reference so she could make better ones...
Buying the stuff was easy. All I had to do was think of what I wanted, and a trade option would pop up on the Interface. Unlike before, the other person didn't need to accept the offer. I think because they made the arrangement ahead of time. That meant no haggling- which was better, in my opinion. I could see the price and what exactly I was getting, and when I accepted, the items were moved directly into my Bank.
I ended up ducking into the clothes aisle to avoid bumping into a small group, and wondered if it might be worth buying some. Especially for Corina... The Fairies would end up left out though. Unless I could find some children's dolls with clothes that could fit. Maybe there were some Fairies that specialized in tailoring. There were so many old fairytales about shoemakers, so it seemed quite likely.
The clothes here were significantly cheaper to buy than what I could Craft, but they were also pathetic, quality-wise. No, maybe anything would feel disappointing compared to my Arachne silk stuff. The lack of enchantments didn't help. Maybe it would be better to grab a tailor Creature and buy bolts of silk instead of a few poorly fitted clothes... I shook my head and left for the jewelry section without any new purchases. After Spellbooks, a tailor would be the first thing I invested in. Or an armorer.
I was disappointed in the jewelry as well. It was cheap, sure, but most of it was glass, plastic, or iron with colorful paints. The stuff that was real was pretty enough, but it was also small and expensive. There wasn't any Moonstone, either. None of it caught my eye, even when I thought of buying something as a gift for my Creatures. It would be a hundred times more efficient to ask Corina to make a Moonstone deposit inside my dungeon somewhere, even if it took a little while to form.
There was another Avatar in the section. I did my best to keep my distance and ignore him, but I noticed something odd. Occasionally he would reach out and grab something, then stuff it into a bag he was carrying. That wouldn't have been so weird, since the bag was one of those reusable grocery bags. But with the Bank menu, there was no need to bring everything to checkout. He could have just bought it and stored it away without all the trouble.
I had a good idea of what was happening, but I was still a little incredulous. Everything in the store, from the most expensive diamond ring to the shelves they were stored on was listed in the Interface as Owned by someone. Without Trading, these items could never change Ownership. I decided to ask if he had a way to overcome that. I didn't normally like confronting people like this, but it did happen sometimes. And maybe I wanted to vent a little frustration.
I hadn't talked using the Avatar yet, so I was surprised when my voice came out slightly distorted. "What're you doing with all that stuff?"
He flinched at my voice, but he turned towards me with a grimace. He scanned over me for a moment, even checking something on his Interface. Then he growled out threateningly. "None of your business. Get lost, girlie."
Apparently he wasn't intimidated by me. I grinned a little. Maybe I could relieve some stress after all. "Come on, I just wanna know what you're thinking. All that junk is useless without the Owner making a Trade, right?"
He didn't bother to answer. He glared at me for a moment, before making some kind of decision. He reached into his jacket and drew a gun, before pointing it at me.
I felt a jolt of surprise and terror as I looked at the muzzle of the pistol. Never mind if this wasn't my real body, or if it would even be able to damage the Avatar. I lashed out instinctively. Only, instead of slashing with my nails or throwing something, a long spear of smoky black ice coalesced to the right of my head and shrieked forward like a bullet.
Even I was surprised, so it's no wonder that the thief wore a shocked look on his face. He dropped his gun, grabbing at the lance embedded in his torso with both hands. "Wha- what is... I thought you couldn't use magic outside the Dungeon..." He looked up at me with a terrified expression. Probably. It was a little hard to tell with the dolls.
The few people nearby who'd noticed something started chattering animatedly. Unlike me, they seemed completely aware of how little danger they were in. Rather than a life and death struggle, it was like they were watching a street performance. Some of the things they were saying...
I would have blushed if I could have. I wanted to be anywhere but here. I was confused and a little pleased with myself, but mostly I was embarrassed. Too many people were looking at me, and if this continued as it always did when I got in a 'fight', I'd most likely be talking with some really annoying people soon. Not relaxing. So I left.
Nobody bothered to stop me. I didn't look to see if anyone else felt the need to stop the thief. I just escaped at a brisk walk, acting like nothing had happened. I went the wrong direction on the way to my apartment, intentionally. It's not like I had experience losing stealthy pursuit or anything, but better to try than not.
There was actually a nice little park with a duck pond in it I knew. I sat at a bench there, looking into the surprisingly clear water. The cold I felt had nothing to do with the chill morning air. That had not gone the way I'd expected. Even forgetting whatever lunacy drove the thief to draw a gun, or why he was trying to steal in the first place.
I opened the Interface to the Magic Menu.
|
Magic not available at this time. |
Was it dumb to assume we couldn't use magic at all, just because the Magic menu didn't work? Not so much, if everyone else's reaction was any sign. I put the Interface away and closed my eyes. As always, Gentle Clean was the easiest spell to use for testing purposes. Without the Magic menu, I could only work from memory. It was enough. I felt the mana leave my Heart, and opened my eyes to see a fine mist scatter around my Avatar. This would have been a lot faster than showering.
I giggled to myself. Leaning back, I let my tension fade. It was difficult, without any physical method of relaxing. But I'd finally managed it; listening to the birds bickering, the water murmuring. I closed my eyes again, not thinking about anything in particular. I never truly managed to fall asleep, but I saw the dawn and the rising sun.
That was when I finally ran out of patience. I was sure any fatigue I'd built up was gone, though the stress from meeting that thief probably wouldn't fade for a while. Now, I was shyly looking forward to playing with my Creatures. I walked back to my apartment and used the Avatar menu to return to my home.
