Chapter 40 - Caught in the Act

Mari had managed to amass a significant fortune before meeting Emilee and the others. She had kept this wealth a closely guarded secret, knowing that if she were to spend it all at once, questions would arise about its origins. Not that they'd care, but she didn't want to be perceived as someone who kept secrets, even though she was, and that, in itself, was a secret she wished to keep. Therefore, any purchase she made had to be concealable, lest her companions discover her hidden treasure. This was at least until after the tournament, after which she did not care. If they abandoned her then, she had hopefully at least reached her goal.

On that particular morning, Mari woke up to the bustling sounds of the market and decided to venture out for a look around. Outside, she spotted Trev doing the same, heading towards a bag stall. Mari decided to hide and keep a discreet eye on him, until he made a purchase and left the market, which luckily for Mari didn't take too long. Once he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and embarked on her own shopping expedition.

With about thirty silver coins, earned through an unexpected windfall from a jackpot event, Mari knew she had to make wise investments on the last day before the tournament. Even though they intended to spend the day grinding for levels and rewards, she needed to ensure she had the largest advantage possible. While she recognized that money couldn't solve everything, it would undeniably grant her power. As a skilled archer, she needed to bolster her arsenal, to push her edge further. Her newly acquired charged shot was helpful, but she craved more variety and potency in her ammunition, especially with her formidable opponent, Elena, in mind. This was given the unlikely event she couldn't sway Elena to not participate, because with Elena's new jump ability, Mari felt her chances of winning were slim.

In her search, Mari stumbled upon exactly what she was looking for, an ammunition dealer's stall. They were offering an array of shots, both reusable and single-use. She had only the basic shots that came with the bow, and after much use, some of them were starting to become worn. She had about thirty normal fletched shots with blunt metal tips, but these were nothing compared to the sharp tips she was used to in competition. Her accuracy and skill stemmed from her extensive practice with the bow before the apocalypse, as she was a semi-professional archer.

Entering the stall, she figured this would be a perfect way to spend her money, as they would blend in with the rest of her arrows. She deliberated carefully and settled on five sharp-pointed arrows at two silver each, one single-use poison shot at five silver (which would revert to a regular shot after use), one incendiary shot for five silver, and one electric shot for ten silver. Though these purchases emptied her coffers, she believed they were worth it. If she didn't acquire any more items during the day, she planned to invest her remaining two item points into enhancing her charged shot. These two things in combination would give her the best chance at winning tomorrow.

As Mari was on her way back to her room with her new acquisitions, she encountered Trev returning from the hotel. Caught in the act, she couldn't escape his keen gaze as he noticed the handful of new arrows she held.

"Hello Mari," greeted Trev with a smile. "What have you got there?"

This was her worst nightmare. Mari's heart raced, and she felt anxious about divulging her secret purchases. She prayed that Trev wouldn't pry too much. She considered him to be a considerate man, so he was unlikely to, but there was always a chance.

~~~~

As Trev was returning to the market to give the ring back to Luna, he stumbled across Mari with a handful of what looked like new arrows. After asking about them, Mari paused for an unusually long time.

"Uh, I just spent some money I had before we met to get some new arrows. The ones I have are getting worn out," replied Mari awkwardly.

Mari squirmed slightly, and Trev knew something was off, but he chose not to pry further if she wasn't willing to share. He accepted her explanation and changed the subject.

"Awesome, see you in an hour or so for a day of grinding," said Trev cheerfully.

"Yes," she replied, nodding and managing a smile.

Trev nodded back and headed for his destination, Luna. He approached the stall where the beauty was laying back in her chair, reading something on her HUD.

"Hello Luna," said Trev quietly.

Luna nearly fell off her chair, but quickly gathered herself before dismissing what she was reading.

"Back… So… Soon," she stuttered. "Unhappy with your wares?"

"No nothing like that," smiled Trev.

Luna sighed with relief loudly.

"Good, I would hate for my first customer to be unsatisfied, what can I do for you then?" Asked Luna.

Trev pulled the ring out of his pocket and presented it to her. Her eyes lit up and she broke into a big smile.

"I found this in the bag, is it yours?" Asked Trev.

"Yes… I have been looking for that! Thank you! I have missed it," she squealed, her excitement overflowing.

Trev handed her the ring, and Luna took it with glee, quickly putting it on and embracing it like a mother would a child. She rushed over and gave him a hug, but due to her height, all she did was attempt to smother him with her chest. Realising what she was doing, she quickly released him and stepped back.

"Thank you again, most others in this game would have kept it," she said.

"You're welcome. Nah, I am not like that," smiled Trev, gasping for air, then turning to walk away.

"Wait! You don't want anything in return?" Questioned Luna.

Trev turned back around and placed his hand on his chin as if he was thinking.

"No, not really," he replied.

"Ok, let's just say I owe you a favour," she smiled, bowing slightly, as if to thank him for a third time.

Trev accepted her favour and bid her a farewell. A favour? What could he do with that? He knew she had a powerful ability so maybe he could ask her to help with a boss fight. What were the limitations of this favour? Could he ask her to do him a personal favour? That was likely off the table, and besides he wouldn't want to offend Elena. Even though they were not official in any way, she likely would still be jealous. Dismissing his perverted thoughts before he opened the door, he straightened himself up and re-entered their room.

Elena was now dressed, and she had her blade out laying across her lap, with a blood-red stone in her hand. She must have been accessing her HUD, because at first, she didn't notice him.

"What are you doing?" Asked Trev.

Elena jumped, and Trev smirked as he was able to scare her, a rare occurrence. She smiled back before speaking.

"Trying to figure out how to socket this stone I found in the dungeon yesterday, into my weapon" she replied, still reading something.

Elena was the polar opposite of Mari when it came to openness. She didn't hide anything, and what she knew, Trev knew too, about the game anyway; but they hadn't really delved into her previous life just yet.

"Awesome! Figured it out?" Asked Trev.

"No, not yet. But I have something else I want to talk to you about," she said, dismissing her HUD and putting the items down.

Trev sat beside her and looked her in the eyes.

"Go ahead," he smiled.

"I know you might think I'm crazy, but after you fell asleep last night. I had an experience…" she explained.