Chapter 17 - The power of Information

With Elena fully healed, Spruce led them back out into the bustling marketplace. Elena's mood was buoyant, as she had expected to be sidelined for weeks due to her leg injury. Yet now, her leg felt better than ever, filling her with renewed vigour. Spruce guided them toward a similar door nestled in the opposite corner, before coming to a halt.

"Please present me your watches, I will give you a single night pass to our hotel," his voice composed and businesslike.

Elena and her companions complied, presenting their watches as directed. From a pocket in his purple earth hoody, Spruce retrieved a sleek black circular object. He hovered it over each of their watches, then deftly returned it to his pocket.

"This pass will grant you access through this door and into your room between midday today and midday tomorrow. If you wish to extend, existing patrons get priority over new ones and there is no booking. Your room, room one hundred and one, provides essential services such as laundry, clothing repair, and food, in addition to standard amenities. Enjoy your stay," Spruce said, his weariness apparent beneath his friendly smile.

"Thank you!" Emilee exclaimed cheerfully, her enthusiasm filling the air.

Spruce nodded in acknowledgment and made his way back to his watch stand. Emilee eagerly opened the door to the hotel and Elena followed closely behind. They quickly located their room, the second one along the hallway. A fleeting thought crossed Elena's mind—was there already someone occupying room one hundred?

Emilee hurried inside but froze abruptly. "There's... there's only one bed," she stammered, her confusion evident.

Elena didn't mind the prospect of sharing a bed with Trev; in fact, she welcomed the closeness and the comfort it offered. However, if he were to overstep any boundaries, she would stab him in the eye with the hotel pen. Yet, deep down, she trusted Trev completely, knowing him to be a true gentleman who would likely offer to sleep on the floor.

"It's alright, I'll take the floor," Trev smiled, as if anticipating Elena's thoughts. "Once we earn more money, we can consider splitting into multiple rooms. But for now, we are broke again."

Unfortunately Evolution Corp had taken inspiration for the room's decor from their visit fifty years ago, as it looked like a snapshot from the seventies. The walls displayed a mismatch of beige and wood panelling, while the brown carpet underfoot lent a vintage touch. The bed was adorned with yellow sheets, and all the furniture was a dark wood and exuded a seventies-inspired aesthetic. The bathroom, although ugly with its monotonous beige palette, was still preferable to their alternative accommodations. The room, though dated, was adequately lit and boasted running water, a comfortable bed—enough to meet Elena's basic requirements.

They set down their belongings while Emilee let Mr. Bluebell out for a stretch. He wasted no time and promptly made himself at home, bounding onto the bed and settling down. After a brief discussion, they agreed that staying idle served no purpose, and it was best to venture out, gain experience, and earn more money to secure their accommodations for the following night.

Carrying only their necessary gear, they readied themselves to depart the hotel room eager to explore further and possibly scout the dropship location again. As they exited the hotel and rejoined the bustling market, a woman garbed in a long white silk dress caught Elena's attention. Her snow-white hair was elegantly tied up with a braided gold cord, and her pale, glistening skin seemed almost unreal. She was tall and possessed an immaculate figure and features—too perfect to be true. A gold dagger adorned her side, and another gold cord wrapped around her waist like a belt, while her unnaturally golden eyes briefly met Elena's gaze. Intriguingly, the woman lacked a health bar or level indicator, leaving Elena puzzled as to how she had concealed her status. In a matter of seconds, the woman vanished behind a thin pole of a market stall—one moment she was there, the next she was not, as if she had erased herself from existence, leaving Elena questioning her own perception. The brief encounter felt surreal.

"Are you alright?" Trev asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Did you see the woman in white and gold just now?" Elena inquired.

"No, sorry," Trev replied, shaking his head.

Elena turned to Emilee, who mirrored Trev's response with a slight shake of her head. The woman in white and gold was impossible to miss; it seemed inconceivable that they hadn't seen her. Elena questioned her own senses, wondering if she had merely imagined the encounter.

~~~~

Trev smacked the imp out of the air and against a wall with his Hardened Mantis Gloves, exploding its body in a splattering of yellow blood. He was glad that upon death, the blood also turned to ash; otherwise, he would have been covered in thick yellow blood from head to toe by now. The creature density of the area appeared to be constantly increasing, meaning that there were a significant number of targets to eliminate, so they were struggling to make substantial progress towards the dropship. The Drop ship must still be spewing out creatures Trev thought to himself, there was no other way.

Upon the next kill, above his head, a familiar gold glow emanated from his experience bar. They had levelled up. He pressed the information button on his watch, and text appeared, projected onto the wall.

[Level 3!]

[3rd pinnacle system unlocked: Information]

[Item, world, monster and game information now available]

[Heads Up Display (HUD) now toggleable]

[1 Item point available]

[Clap twice to dismiss]

Trev dismissed the message and looked around. Up until now, he had used his information scanner sparingly as it seemed energy was harder to come by then mana, and it tended to only work on people. However, this level-up suggested that it might have unlocked additional features. Activating his information scanner, he aimed the faint crosshair at his gloves by tilting his hand upwards. The gloves glowed with a blue outline, and the following information materialised:

[Hands - Hardened Mantis Gloves] [1 IP]

[Uncommon - Energy - Basic]

[Requires Level 2]

[Protection rating: 10]

[Damage rating: 6]

[-1kg to Energy weapon weight]

Trev removed his finger from the watch and the information disappeared. He now had a means to gather information on items and discern upgrades. Trev found the ratings and reduced weapon weight particularly intriguing. However, he decided to delve into these details later, when they were in a safer location. Soon after, another information button appeared on his watch, prompting him to press it. The text explained how to toggle and navigate the HUD using gestures on the watch's face. Curiosity piqued, Trev activated the HUD. At the top of his vision, he could now see his health, level, energy, and total damage and protection ratings. Additionally, there was an unfamiliar tab below the bars, its picture resembling a book, which he earmarked for future investigation. As Elena had already charged ahead, engaging another group of enemies, he changed his focus back to battle. Trev decided to leave the HUD active, as it made it easier to monitor his experience and health during battles.

After a productive afternoon of hunting creatures, they returned to the rest stop, their pockets now filled with eighty-five copper pieces—enough to secure another night's stay. They had also acquired a few rare drops and salvaged creature parts, which included such things as an imp wing and a mini-raptor claw. Once back in the room, Trev, feeling the weight of exhaustion, could hardly keep his eyes open.