Chapter 09-02

“Alright I did some thinking about this car.” Obsidian said as she and Alex walked down form their second story hotel room. It was likely that they weren’t going to get to sleep in something as nice for a few days so both of them had fond feelings for the room as the left it behind.

“Sure?” Alex asked wondering exactly where this was going with the conversation.

“I think this truck belonged to a villain.” She said with conviction.

“What?” Alex said rolling his eyes.

“I’m telling you this was definitely a villain’s truck. Only a villain would put this level of weaponry into a mode of transportation.” Obsidian said smacking the hood of their SUV with her open palm.

“Nah, I’ve met plenty of heroes that would use something like this. Back in the day they were all the rage.” Alex said shaking his head.

“Hey! You guys mind helping me out?” A man asked walking up to where Alex and Obsidian prepared to get into their vehicle.

Both of them took a combative stance for a moment. This odd man asked them about uranium. Alex nor Obsidian really knew where someone could just pick it up, but Alex knew that they processed it in Winter’s Garden and it was sold within those city limits, but that was the gist of what he knew.

“Daniel Warp. Interesting man.” Alex said a few minutes later. They’d gotten into the car and were driving away but a quick check over his shoulder showed that Daniel was already long gone.

“This could come in handy.” Obsidian said holding his business card in her fingers. It would seem that the man ran a business where he could pop in and drop off supplies if a Super was in need, or for the right price he would perform an extraction from a dangerous situation. Alex had heard about these types of companies when he was an admin but had never needed to use one with all of the power he had at his fingertips.

The drive from Ridgecreek to Creek’s Edge was a solid six hours. Alex had been hoping to be able to exceed the speed limit some in order to shave off some of the drive time. This did not end up being possible because of the state of many of the roads between the two points. It was almost easier to consider the trip off road with the difficult terrian that they had to circumvent, but the truck did a good job getting them to the small town.

What they found was a single general store and a couple of dozen houses. Alex pulled into the parking lot of the store and shut the truck off. They were going to have to make the rest of the trip by foot. Snow fell heavily around them. After a quick check of his phone Alex realized that they were indeed at the start of winter. The area would likely have a few heavy winter storms shortly, but with the shift, that was all up in the air.

“Let’s get something to eat then make the rest of the trek. If we get on the trail soon we might be able to make if before sundown.” Alex said opening his door.

“That sounds like a plan boss.” Obsidian said getting out of the truck as well.

They walked into the small store. It was a general store, Alex noticed that they had a fabricator right out in the open. Most locations that had crafting machines usually had them hidden off in a back room. The crafting skill was something that a lot of players took but didn’t invest much time if any into their development. In the past it was far easier to make money as a hero or villain then just buy what you wanted or needed.

The building was log on the outside, but that was just aesthetic. The inside was a modular sleek approach to the untamed north. It also wasn’t just a general story. The upper floor was a three-room inn. The lower floor had a bar with four stools and there were two tables for sit down eating.

Alex sat down at the bar with Obsidian following his lead. They only had to wait for a moment before a man came out from a back room to stand behind the counter.

“What can I get for you?” The man asked. He was cheerful enough, but he did seem to have the attitude of someone who had done the same thing for a long time.

“Do you have any kind of special?” Alex asked with the intention of having an easy order.

“Sure do, we’ve got Cryostem stew with a little bit of frost boar.” The man said with a smile.

“Alright, that sounds nice.” Alex said with a nod and unsure if it was edible let alone nice.

“Same.” Obsidian said, “I gotta hit the head.” She then said to Alex motioning towards the bathroom with her head.

“Wow, you are so lady like.” Alex snorted.

“I can be.” Obsidian said gesturing with her hand in a very seductive way as she walked towards the bathroom.

“To be fair, that is not very lady like.” Alex said and emphasized the word lady.

Alex sat in silence for a few minutes. When the shopkeeper returned with their food he decided to try and make conversation while looking down at the meal. It was a white ceramic bowl with frost around the rim. Inside there was a light blue liquid that seemed to be actively shifting between liquid and solid.

“So, I don’t mean to offend you, but what is the deal with the settlement all the way up here?” Alex said lifting his spoon. He waited before taking the first bite though.

“No offense taken son,” The man said shaking his head, “We are farmers mostly.”

“Really? Up here?” Alex asked in surprise.

“Cryomonta grows year-round up here as the temperature doesn’t get much above thirty degrees. One time we had a summer day that got to thirty-eight, but that that is the highest on record.” The man explained.

“And what is Cryomonta used for?” Alex asked dipping his spoon into the food.

“Well Cryomonta is a plant that can be broken down into three pieces. We waste nothing. The cryostem, cryoseed, and cryoleaf are used all around the world. The stem is a wonderful food that provides buffs for many people. The seed and the leaf are key components in the health and energy serums. At least the tier one versions.” The man said crossing his arms.

“Huh, neat?” Alex said scooping a taste of the meal into his mouth. It was surprisingly good. Granted it was very weird because it was very cold, but the flavors were amazing. It was like eating ice-cream stew, but in the best way imaginable.

“What brings the two of you up here?” The shopkeeper asked.

“We are trying to hike many of the trails on Tolorona’s top one hundred hikes.” Alex lied without missing a beat.

-+3 Anti-hero points

“I’ve heard of that list. We are still number two.” The man said with an annoyed grunt, “You’ll be going up Frozen Tusk path then?”

“Yes,” Alex quickly checked the path that Function had set, “That is where we will be going.” He tried not to sound awkward.

“You’ll want a thermal pack for your armor. I’m surprised you didn’t get an ice debuff already.” The man said shaking his head. He walked over to a shelf in the shop and picked up two items. Walking back over to where Alex was eating he placed them on the counter.

“Ice debuff you say.” Alex said clearing his throat.

“Sure, it reduces movement speed and if you get to the fourth rank it will start to reduce your health. You’re lucky. These are my last two. I’m waiting on a part for the fabricator. Some company is scooping up all electrical components.” He said shaking his head.

­-Economy Quest

-You know that there is a high price on electronic components. It might be a good idea to get to the bottom of what is going on so that people can get what they need. This may be the only fabricator for miles and from the looks of it they use it for a great many things.

-Discover where the electrical components are going.

-This mission has unknown rewards.

-Accept?

-Yes | No

Alex knew that this quest wasn’t actually being given to him by the shopkeeper, but he was the trigger for it. He went ahead and accepted the quest, even if he didn’t do anything right now he felt like it was something that he should look into at some point.

Obsidian returned and started to eat her own meal. Alex picked up one of the thermal packs and looked it over.

-Item

-Thermal Pack

-When Equipped to your super suit this thermal reduces cold base ill status debuffs.

-(Reduce chance for Ice debuff but 90%)

“We’ll take them, how much.” Alex asked.

“Three hundred,” the man said but paused for a moment, “Each.”

Alex looked at the man and then at the devices. For a moment he considered just having them brave the cold and take their chances. He did have a regeneration power. He also wondered if Obsidian’s power would help her combat the cold. Then again if they had to use all of their energy to stay alive, what would happen if they ran into trouble.

“We will take them.” Alex said tapping his phone on the pay plate for the food and the items.

-630t Charged

Alex and Obsidian finished their meals. They enjoyed every last bite of the weird food. When they were done they got up and walked outside of the store. They each held a thermal pack on their hand. They pressed them to their chests at the same time.

Two metal bands unfolded form either side wrapping themselves all the way around their bodies until the reached the other side of the device. The bands pulled tight and a slight red glow issued from the seams of their suits. The weirdest thing was that Obsidian didn’t wear much more than a shirt and a skirt. Her suit actually transformed to be more winter like. She gained thick leggings and a purple jacket. The whole outfit was topped off with a woolen hat that was died purple on the inside.

With their new heat they headed away from the shop, locked their truck on the way, and found the marked path for the Frozen Tusk Path.