She decided, more or less on a whim, to get fast food on the way. She wasn't exactly hungry, and there was the restaurant in the portal, but her Dungeoneer body wouldn't care much about the difference in nutrition or quality. Apparently, though she'd never seen it, she'd get some kind of alert if she had a serious nutritional deficiency; she'd not read anything at all about Dungeoneers getting fat from eating bad food.
So the only guilt she got from eating at McDonald's was looking at the woman at the drive-through that took her credit card. As she sat and waited for the transaction to go through, Michelle considered the place's aura. It was... more meager than she remembered, and the teenager behind the window felt the same. Fast food places had never been ideal workplaces, but they had been a robust business. Maybe Jerry's place had become a wide-spread enough competition that it bothered them, or maybe some other economic force was to blame. Given how screwed up the world was, now, it would be weird for any business to survive untouched.
Either way, she got her meal, shoving most of in her Inventory as soon as she was away from the window. Privately, she'd been interested for a while in seeing if she could better control her Inventory, so even as she drove back towards the Pearland Alpha portal, she split her attention, trying and usually succeeding at pulling single fries out of her Inventory, despite them all being lumped together with the rest of the bag as a single item. Practically speaking, it was a useless skill, but she liked the idea... or hated the idea that a system that was now part of her body was so stupid that it couldn't do things like that naturally. Together with driving, it kept her mind more or less occupied.
The parking lot for the Pearland portal was almost empty of traffic, but there were a number of parked cars. At her level, it was simple to pack up her entire car into her Inventory, but she hated the idea. It was massive and ugly, and she tended to dislike having dirty things in her Inventory, even though it shouldn't have mattered. Everything was kept separate, and most things didn't seem to age or decay much. Even so, she preferred someone else to handle corpses and the like, when she had the option.
Either way, she parked, got out, stretched, and locked up, noting the national guard tower that overlooked both the parking lot and portal, and the blank stare from the guard who watched her approach. Like a lot of things, it seemed at once a terrible job, and a boring and stupid necessity... and she couldn't help wondering why the guards remained human, despite the portal being right there. Why most people did.
Not that the Alpha Portal was a good place to get your first levels and class now. There was some kind of gauntlet for that, apparently, but it wasn't exactly advertised. Jerry honestly didn't have a real Dungeon anymore. Just the Run.
The exit lane for the Portal was no longer staffed, though they kept it around. The Dungeon tax assessors had always had their work cut out for them, but it was worse since the Earth administrators had taken over. The value of things was no longer as simple as item level and type; between a rise in crafters, and all the Chinese Neotech, there were a lot of high-value, low-level items. But since Jerry's portal, like a few others, was no longer a source of random, taxable items... they had moved the workers around to better serve other places.
Of course, it didn't help that Administrator Handy was deliberately undermining everything. That woman was only the latest in a long string of problems for nations around the world, but she certainly was doing tax assessors no favors.
Passing into the Alpha Portal left Michelle in a long entry hall, at the top of a short flight of stairs, all done up in 'Moderately well-off shopping mall' style. Overhead, the ceiling was arched glass showing a fake sky, one that she knew matched the time outside, though it was fake. Hanging from the ceiling were numerous lights, though she wasn't sure those were what kept the light level in the hall even at night, or if it was dungeon shit.
On the right side of the hall were numerous doorways, at least a third of them cheerily labeled "Applebee's Friendly Neighborhood Restaurant", with "Hotel Rooms Available on Request" in smaller letters beneath. Those doors were, predictably, nearest the ends of the hall on both sides. Towards the middle of that wall, slightly gated by a desk staffed by NPCs, was the entrance to the workrooms, quiet spaces with tools for crafters, with easy access to market terminals to trade for materials. The same could also be used by others, for meditation, private study, or Sage work, but it was hard not to think of the area as the crafters' corner. A separate desk a little further down with only a couple entrances behind it promised "Arena Battles", but she hadn't heard much about that one way or another.
On the far end of the hall, in big plastic-looking letters, was the word "NEXUS" over a set of fogged glass doors. That, she knew, led to a meeting area where Alpha portals from around the world could all meet up. Flanking that entrance, on either wall, were doors that led to other Alpha entrances near Pearland, which was probably nice if you had friends nearby. You weren't supposed to use Dungeons for travel, by national and international law – that was one of the rules Handy was flagrantly breaking, but Jerry didn't. Michelle had heard that she could travel to other entrance halls like this one, but not leave any of them, and she didn't really doubt it.
There was, however, an entrance to the Handy Gathering Spot in the Nexus, along with one of Trinity's Sanctuaries. Those she knew she could leave through, if she trusted either of those Administrators. But, none of that interested her, today or in general. The Heavenly Marketplace was at least more interesting, but it wasn't for today.
Much of the left side of the hallway was taken up with comfortable seating and such, with no doorways behind them. There were even coffee servers and other cart-based foodstuffs, all but one of them human-run, most of them local. The single NPC server offered coffee and donuts, not different from many of the others, and rarely seemed to be busy. More so than the nexus, this area was a nice place to just crash for a while, or that was the idea. Only towards the middle of the wall, across from the workroom desk, was there a wide, solemn entrance, door-less and shadowy. A teleporter, of course, as most things here were, but one where you only disappeared once you passed into shadow.
Above the entrance was the symbol of the Run, partially covered in text.
Stationed on either side of the doorway were NPC attendants behind little podiums, always and forever smiling politely and sincerely. Michelle pursed her lips and hurried down the steps, not so much because she was eager to get into anything, as because it felt more natural to hurry down steps than to take them slowly. Even though there was no one behind her, she didn't like the idea of just standing there, not when there were areas to the side where she could wait.
In the end, though, both the stairs and the hall were fairly short. It didn't take long before she was standing there, daunted once again by the entrance. Jerry hadn't done himself any favors with his branding; there was nothing but the symbol of the Run itself to give people an idea of what they were in for, and she didn't suppose most people understood it as a glance. And the Run's subtitle, or motto or whatever... it wasn't exactly inviting. Gave the wrong impression.
Or perhaps it was exactly the impression Jerry wanted it to have. She didn't know, and it wasn't worth thinking about. Maybe she'd ask someday. Maybe.
Today, she went up to one of the two attendants, who focused in on her in obvious stages as it became clear she was approaching – from politely ignoring, to politely watching, then turning her head, and then turning fully to face her.
"Hello! Welcome back to the Fool's Run." The NPC smiled. "How can I help you?"
Michelle measured the fake woman for a moment, before answering. "Was my last match counted as a win?"
The NPC glanced down at the podium before her, making no move to touch it, before looking back and answering. Michelle was sure there was no display there, and it was merely an act "Yes. Administrator Alpha didn't want you to be punished for what your teammate did. You and the rest of your party can pick up your rewards with me, or at any kiosk inside, or you can keep them in your account to pay for future Runs."
There were a lot of things that she still felt weren't well explained, but all of that made sense, so she shifted topics. "What do I need to materialize things stored in cards?"
As though they were speaking about something private, the NPC waved her hand over her podium, and Michelle could see and hear the sound deadening bubble pop into existence around them. "There are numerous options depending on what your interests are," the NPC answered. "There are several class features that you can request at level up that use Run cards as a medium, mostly as part of the Soulforged and Soulrunner classes. There is a card modification station for home use, which is still in beta. Not all of its features are fully ready as of yet. There is also an accessory for your deck that will let you store outfits and equipment sets as cards, for both your Avatars and Dungeoneer body. Currently, there is no way to manifest your Avatar outside of the Fool's Run." She held out one hand, and a bracelet and choker appeared in midair, all in the translucent blue of Jerry's holograms. "We do have items to let you bring Mobs and Minions out of their cards, and others which let you designate and store Dungeon Pets as a sided mob or minion. Be aware, however, that Dungeon Creature intelligence is a regulated quality. If you bring an intelligent Minion, its AI level may be sealed, similar to your Sword and Skill. And of course, your Mobs and Minions will be restricted to using your Takes for the round."
Stolen novel; please report.
That told her that the NPC was aware of more than just the basics about her, and not stupid about what it meant. The thought of just having an intelligent creature like that standing around in the hallway doing nothing bothered her, but only a little. It was still just an NPC. "What's the advantage to doing either of those, if they'll be sealed?"
"It's advantageous to know the attack pattern of your own Mobs, and those of your allies," the woman answered after only a beat. "Minions and elites may be forced to a lower AI level, but their personalities and memories will be intact. If you work with them, they will come to better understand your orders, even if they don't understand the situation themselves. Additionally, if you do unseal their AI during a round, they may be vastly more useful than a base Minion of equivalent intelligence, especially if they understand your allies and their Takes. Also... it has been noted that there is a psychological aspect to entrusting your Zone to an entity that you understand, even when its intelligence is lowered. Many Runners find it hard to trust Minions until they have had time to get to know them."
That made a certain sense, especially given how NPCs were still, essentially, disposable. That only changed when people went out of their way to care, and even then, they were hardly protected by the law, or anything else. The US still considered them possessions, not animals or pets, and they weren't alone. That there were human-looking NPCs made things awkward, but it still didn't change the fundamentals.
A lot of lawyers, judges, and lawmakers, in a lot of nations were arguing about that every day, according to any news feed she bothered to check. But, for most people, there was no getting past the fact that they were fake. She'd even seen one article that thought they were beneath androids, since androids didn't simply vanish into thin air when you were done with them. Which said something about how they must view Dungeoneers, as well.
All in all, it didn't sit well with her, but it wasn't something she could do anything about.
"I can customize my Minions inside, right? To almost anything?" That was another aspect that seemed gross, and which she as equally powerless to change.
"You can customize Mobs and Minions in many ways, including starting stats, and all appearance-related features. Personalities are more difficult; you can create a personality blank with various features, but it will grow and change depending on how you use it, unless you seal its ability to self-modify. Personalities and personality blanks can be copied and stored as layer cards, but not freely modified."
Not that Michelle didn't already know that some people created custom sex pets with people's faces and bodies, and some poor copy of their personality and history, but it was horrible to think about. And it was weird as fuck to realize she technically had that ability, herself. Still, as she stood there, grateful now for the sound bubble, she considered – not the sex pet thing, but at least bringing one of her Minions out, getting to know it. And, if she was going to do that, making it look a lot less generic was a good starting point. In fact, even if she didn't bring it out.
"What does it cost for one of the..." She gestured at where the bracelet and choker had been displayed.
"Minion and Mob Pet Support items?" The woman blinked at her, and Michelle found herself facing an interface window that probably only she could see. The costs were... expensive, but not terrible. The same window also showed a home card modification station... but the price on that had a couple more zeroes on the end than she was willing to pay.
"Right," she said, looking away. "What does it cost to use the modification station? In here?"
"Practice and modification rooms all use the same facilities, and they all share the same, nominal cost," the woman answered, and her interface updated with a low hourly rate. Or a slightly higher hourly rate with an NPC assistant.
"Right," Michelle said after a moment. "I guess I'll take a practice room with an assistant for a little while."
The woman nodded at her, and the window minimized rather than vanishing – a sign of Neotech, not that she should have been surprised. "Practice rooms will be on your left," she said, gesturing down the shadowy hallway. "Any practice room doorway will lead you to your own isolated instance. Once inside, you can invite others to join you if you wish. The room will reset when you leave, so make sure not to leave anything behind."
Michelle thanked the NPC and turned, noticing the bubble fade quickly away, and took a slow walk into the shadows. As often happened, she could feel, not just see or hear, the moment of transport, and a good ten feet ahead of her, what seemed like a black door whisked open, showing the Fool's Run lobby.
Like the Alpha entrance hall, there were a lot of places to just sit (with snacks available for purchase), this time mostly on the right of the doorway she found herself in. There were more people here, of course, but that didn't take much; a place like Pearland didn't exactly have a whole lot of people just sitting in the lobby, no matter how many cars were in the parking lot. They might be eating, or Running, or crafting, or something, but just sitting around? They could do that anywhere.
Like the entrance hall, the main door to the Run was in the middle of one side of the lobby, in this case, on her right. The opposite end of the hall was another set of entrances from outside, and the left wall proudly proclaimed that its many doors all led to practice spaces. There were a lot of those; to make it look slightly more organic, the wall had many rounded ins and outs to it, looking almost fractal. There were many paths leading to the area, with tall planters blocking line of sight, perhaps in case people wanted to sneak in without being obvious. She didn't exactly know why they would, but she supposed Runners got competitive, in the higher ranks.
It was easy to see that most of the people in the lobby were grouped up, which was only to be expected. The Fool's Run was a team event, and running with randos was... well. Not exactly a great plan. Several sets of eyes turned towards her, and she saw many expressions change to show mild interest, but when she finished scanning the crowd and turned to the left, she didn't hear or sense anyone following or even seeming to care past the first few moments. When she found her way to a door, one that seemed like a restroom push-door, she found that the world behind her quickly faded away, even before the teleporter took her.
The next room was a little familiar, though she hadn't come to a practice room before.
Really, it was backwards. She emerged in a relatively narrow room with a railing that looked down on a section of green, like she was high above that detached section of the world, or looking down on a relatively close, scale model. That model included the grassy plain and pavilion that had been the meeting and starting place for her first match; it was only after they had passed through that place and split up that they all went to little rooms like this, to prepare individually before entering the field. The wall above the field, naturally, was painted to look like fake sky.
There was a little more space in this prep area than the real prep room, and more comfortable seating, but the principle was the same. In the middle of the railing was a slightly outset bump, as though when she stood there, she would be somehow more "surrounded" by the fake world below – but there was even less of that. In the center of that overhang was a tablet for interacting with the field below. Seating was on either side of center and set back slightly; on the wall opposite the tablet contained what looked like a big stone tomb set into the wall, only this time, there were six, all cracked open, all with the word 'VACANT' in green letters above. She supposed since this room might not be individual, it might need more storage.
She wasn't sure why it was six instead of five or ten, but she supposed three on three might be a decent group size for practice. Having all teams built with an odd number suddenly seemed inconvenient, but then, almost any combination of team members would have at least one out of their element in a single-team practice. Only the Top and Bottom were really designed to face off directly.
Opposite the entrance was a metal door with a plaque above that said, "ENTER FIELD". The indicator next to it was green, not that there was any reason to lock it.
In between moments, Michelle became aware that an NPC had spawned in seated on one of the padded benches to her right. She did her best not to feel spooked as she turned to look; really, she would have expected the assistant to already be there when she arrived, but appearing a few seconds late wasn't anything terrible.
The assistant looked much like the ones outside, a pretty brunette with an attitude that was pleasantly positive but too perky for her. Her wear was some kind of coarse woven, matte green cloth vest over a white sleeveless shirt, with a knee length pencil skirt in the same green, she stood up and bowed, just slightly.
"If you'd like to explore on your own, you can ignore me," the assistant said after just a moment too long of silence. "Otherwise, just ask and I'll help you with any tasks or requests you may have."
Michelle nodded at that, feeling relieved to not immediately need to engage, and she moved towards the tablet and looked down. It was obvious, again, how artificial the field was, but then, the Run had never hidden behind the pretense of being a real world. It was a battlefield, pure and simple, and nothing mattered beyond its borders.
Her thoughts didn't want to coalesce now, not with the NPC behind her, but she felt something there, bubbling beneath the surface, something she wanted to address and couldn't, yet. Something about the whole situation, the Run and all its details.
It was all weird and fake, but she knew all that. It's just that something about it was...
"Also," the assistant said from behind her, and Michelle turned, "Administrator Alpha offers an invitation to speak with him if you like. Now, or another time of your choosing. He won't be offended if you don't take it."
Michelle considered that, before simply saying, "Not now," and turning back to look down at the pavilion below.
Administrator Alpha. The first of many letters. Somehow, the subtext of the name translated even to the part of her mind that spoke and thought in Japanese. Just as each of the official Administrator names had come with subtext – often notably not positive. She just shook her head, not fighting back the wry smirk.
"I'm looking to change a few things," she said the empty air in front of her, knowing the NPC behind had started to come forward the moment she spoke.
"Of course," was all the NPC had to say, as the two of them got started.
slowly is me pressuring myself to not wait and see people's reactions before I continue writing. Because that's a thing I caught myself doing previously.