Chapter 36 - Jumping on the river

By the time they departed from the orc camp, the late afternoon sun painted the horizon with hues of orange and purple. After discussing their plans with Tallack and agreeing to accept her offer after the tournament, they embarked on their journey back to the river rest stop. The day had been fruitful for their progress and gear; Trev had acquired a new dagger and Emilee had obtained a staff. Though the dagger was not Trev's ultimate goal, it was an improvement over his previous chain weapon and was an evolution Corp item, so it could be upgraded. Their successful hunts had rewarded them with one hundred and twenty copper coins, a bag filled with common fragments, and about six uncommon ones.

As they made their way back to the rest stop, they encountered a few creatures along the path. By a stroke of luck, Trev's dagger inadvertently pierced through his electric shield during combat, charging the blade and delivering electrifying blows to his foes. This unexpected synergy proved to be a lethal combination at their current level. Just before sunset, they reached the familiar rest stop, and after entering the market area, they bade farewell to Emilee and Mari, who headed to their room. Although Trev had nothing to sell, something had caught his eye and he had asked Elena to stay with him, mostly so she didn't pull the same antics as yesterday.

Below the evolution TV screen, which was playing a commercial for the earth tournament tomorrow, a new door had opened. This door was the final enigmatic entrance within the rest stop, and a crowd had gathered within it. Intrigued, Trev and Elena ventured inside, their eyes widening at the sight that greeted them. One side of the room was adorned with vending machines offering food, water, potions, and other consumables. On the other side, five vending machines stood, each assigned to a different rarity with its colour to match. This included a striking blood-red machine, presumably dedicated to the fifth rarity level of items. Checking his HUD, Trev verified that fifth on the list of rarities was now filled with the word, legendary.

Excitement buzzed in the air as people crowded around the machines screens, particularly the legendary one. Elena curiously pushed her way to the front of the gathering to look at what everyone was clamouring over. Meanwhile, two embossed circles on the floor grabbed Trev's attention—one with a coin slot beside it and the other unadorned. Stepping onto the plain circle, a message appeared before him:

[Waypoints not yet unlocked]

It was a fast travel system, another staple of the gaming world. He then stepped onto the other circle, revealing another message:

[Event entry not yet open, please come back later]

So, that was how they were going to get people to the event. Trev had wondered how that was going to happen.

Curious about the legendary vending machine, Trev joined Elena to explore its contents. As he approached, he noticed something familiar—the fragments from the sixth rain earlier that day, were displayed as the currency accepted by the machine. On the screen, Elena scrolled through various awe-inspiring pieces of gear, their prices ranging from as low as five fragments to as high as one hundred. Having gathered quite a few common and uncommon fragments, Trev decided to browse the machines for any appealing items he could purchase. The uncommon loot, while not as impressive as the legendary offerings, still held sturdy options. However, with only six fragments to spare, his choices were limited, so he deferred that decision for the time being. Instead, he turned his attention to the common vending machine, ready to reward himself for a day's worth of carrying around the fragments.

Trev skimmed through the selection, though nothing particularly stood out as a must-have item. Each piece would be nice to possess but wasn't essential for their current quests. As he began browsing the abilities section, Elena joined him, eager to know what he was up to. As they scrolled together, Elena suddenly urged him to stop when she spotted a force ring named [Leap Slam]. This ability allowed the user to leap into the air and forcefully land at a set distance. While it initially seemed risky, the ability boasted a unique feature—total negation of fall damage.

"Can you buy it for me?" asked Elena with sparkly eyes.

Trev didn't mind, he had over a hundred fragments, and the ring cost fifty, he was happy to buy something for her if she really wanted it. He clicked on the purchase button and began feeding the fragments into the machine. Elena watched with anticipation, reminiscent of a child about to win a prize at a fair. As the machine acknowledged the transaction with a beep, a small ring box emerged. Trev retrieved the ring, and Elena held out her left hand, signalling for him to put it on.

"Which finger do you want it on?" Asked Trev.

"This one," replied Elena, wiggling her ring finger.

With a smile, Trev slid the ring onto her finger, causing Elena's face to beam with happiness. Trev was totally oblivious to what he had just done, and why she was smiling so much.

"Can we go test it?" she pleaded eagerly.

Trev couldn't resist Elena's enthusiasm. He enjoyed this playful and carefree version of her, a side that had been hidden until now, likely due to the burdens of their previous world. In this unfamiliar realm, she felt comfortable being vulnerable and sharing her joy.

"Sure!" he replied with a smile.

"Yayy!" Elena cheered, giving him a kiss on the cheek before dashing outside.

Trev picked up his bag and followed her; the vending machines weren't going anywhere. Outside, it was dusk, but it was still light enough to see quite well. Elena, who was waiting for Trev before she tested the ability, was facing down the river on the river bank. She readied herself once Trev came into her view and activated the ability. Like gravity didn't apply to her she flew forward in the air, getting about two metres high and three metres in distance, and this was just at a standing start with no assistance.

"Did you see that?" she asked, approaching Trev with a wide smile.

"Yes! Impressive. Now try running and jumping when activating the ability. Push your limits," suggested Trev.

"Good idea," she nodded, turning back to face the river bank.

Taking a running start, Elena jumped while activating the ability. Her speed and jumping height were already quite good, but this elevated them to the next level. With the run up, she got about four metres high and six metres in distance, a drastic improvement. The only issue was that she was losing about a fifth of her force per jump, but that would come back with combat.

"Where did she get that?" asked Mari, sounding kind of annoyed that Elena had a new ability.

"Oh hello Mari, I didn't see you there, where did you come from?" asked Trev, turning to face Mari.

"I saw you out the hotel window and came out to see for myself," she replied, looking angry.

Trev wondered if he had pissed her off. She hadn't got an item since they had been working together, yet he bought Elena an item. Maybe instead of spending it on himself, as an act of good faith, he would buy her one.

"How about we get you an ability too?" Trev suggested with a smile.

Mari's face brightened with excitement, and she eagerly replied.

"I would like that!"