King and Eli entered the highway.
It was littered with dead cars. A total abandonment. Some had been involved in accidents, proof in the crumpled metal and shattered glass scattered across the asphalt. Others had just stopped functioning, their doors hanging open, the engines had gone cold.
There were no people at the moment, but the duo remained cautious.
They traveled for thirty minutes, and as they approached the Merchant's Hall, they spotted the first signs of life, a few number of players heading to and from the building.
King watched them all with caution.
Fighting each other wasn't typical at this stage of the game, but there was no telling what kind of person had logged in. Killing players did offer runes, after all. Eli kept a firm grip on his rifle, and as they galloped toward the hall, the number of players increased.
Some were already checking out outfits they'd bought. Others were testing their new gear, swinging swords, adjusting fitted armor, casting low-level spells. A few were more socially inclined, trying to form alliances, they clustered together in small groups and whispered urgently.
Some paused their activities, to observe the two riders.
"Those horses look nice," one whispered to another.
"Idiot. Can't you see the old man has a rifle? You wanna get shot?" his partner retorted.
They arrived at the hall's entrance and dismounted, tying the horses firmly to one of the iron poles that fenced the building.
And they entered.
The Merchant's Hall was buzzing with activity.
Dozens of players crowded the interior, moving between merchants who lined the walls like market stalls. Each merchant specialized in a specific type of item, consumables, armor, supplements, inventory expansions, outfits.
The noise there was overwhelming. Voices overlapped as transactions happened in rapid succession.
King scanned the room quickly.
"There," he said, pointing toward a merchant wearing a top hat. "Just past him, to your left. That's where you can get extra bullets."
"Understood, Master King," Eli replied, and departed toward the shop.
King kept moving forward, passing several busy stalls until he arrived at the empty Emote Merchant's shop.
The merchant was appalling, a slightly hunched figure covered in black rags and bandages. His face was barely visible beneath the wrappings, and his eyes bled red.
As King approached, a name hovered above his head.
[MERCHANT KEALE]
King interacted with him, and he responded.
"Ah, my first customer!" Keale's voice was raspy but cheerful. "Very few people stop by my shop. What can I get ya, good ser?"
A grid materialized in King's vision, rows of emotes with awkward, cryptic titles. King swiped through them quickly, scanning left to right until he found the item.
[ARCBEARER'S HELLO]
Cost: 2,000 Runes
It was expensive. Absurdly so for an emote, which was exactly why no one bothered coming here. Only a fool would waste their starter runes, and an extra thousand on top of that, on something cosmetic.
But King had 100,000 runes.
He made the purchase.
"What's he doing there?"
"Isn't that the guy who sells emotes?"
"What a fool. He's wasting his starting runes on emotes?"
Whispers rippled through the nearby players who'd been watching.
"He might have a plan," A blonde haired man countered. "Emotes can be pretty useful later on."
"Exactly, Later on." His partner said, emphasizing that they were still useless early game.
The blonde man, an experienced player who'd put in hundreds of hours into ALLGoDS before the world ended, narrowed his eyes.
"I'm gonna take a peek when he's done. Have a good look at what that merchant sells."
He knew better than to dismiss anything in this game. Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.
After making the purchase, King felt the emote settle into his core, a faint warmth spreading through his chest as the system registered it.
He turned to leave...
And spotted the man staring at him.
Blonde hair and beards. Twin axes strapped to his back. His gaze was tough as steel, sizing and assessing him, King looked back with the same glare.
The man looked away quickly, then whispered something to the girl beside him. She tried to steal a glance, but King saw right through both of them.
He dismissed the thought of their gossip away and kept moving.
His next stop: Merchant Theodora.
She sold clothing, but none of it was just for fashion. Every piece came with stat boosts when equipped.
"What may I get you, my young sir?" Theodora asked as a grid displayed her inventory.
King scrolled through the grid, siting various interesting item, but he was particular in his choice, the Grand Magus Oathcloak.
Cost: 10,000 Runes
Effect: +5 Speed, +10 Mind when equipped
King bought the item, but didn't equip it yet. He wasn't going to let anyone see what he was buying. The starter rune amount was 1,000. Walking off with a 10,000-rune cloak would draw suspicion and possibly hostility,
He was going to avoid excessive attention, well until his starter build was completed.
"Have a nice day," Theodora said as he walked off.
He had to one last stop at the Merchant Nephim, who sold spell books.
"Welcome, my good sir! What may I get you?"
King was particular about what he bought. He wasn't swayed by flashy descriptions or high-tier names. He cared about usefulness. Merchant Nephim wasn't his ideal source for spells in the game, but he needed something for basic survival until he achieved his target build.
He spotted an item.
[BASIC CONSTRUCT SPELL BOOK]
Effect: Create several mana-based constructs. Scales directly to your Mind stat.
Cost: 1,000 Runes
It was simple. But with creativity, it was versatile. Defensive, offensive and utility. All in one.
He purchased it, and it affixed into his inventory.
"I guess that's it," King muttered to himself, turning toward the exit.
Waiting for him outside was Eli, who'd finished his business a while ago.
"That took a moment," Eli said as King approached.
"Yeah. Had to check a few things out."
King untied his horse and mounted it.
"So. Temporary goodbye from here."
Eli gave a slight bow. "Stay safe, young Master."
"You too, Eli. I'll keep in touch."
King nudged the horse forward.
"Hyah!"
The horse broke into a gallop, carrying him east.
He placed a marker on the location.
His target...
Barlan's spawn point.