***
After waiting a few minutes while some other customers left Ancient Armour, Alan deactivated the armor’s invisibility. He’d had it on for 20 minutes, leaving the armor with 400 energy.
The shopkeeper barely blinked when Alan appeared out of nowhere, simply looking at him, arching an eyebrow.
“Back so soon?”
“Yes, I have proof of illegal activities.”
“Oh, and where is this proof?”
Um, where is the proof? Alan asked.
Remember I am recording your actions. I have created screenshots of the bomb you saw in the shop compared to the bomb that was set up in the hangar.
Two images appeared before Alan, depicting the same bomb, in the two distinct locations. There were also two video files attached.
“Um, do you have a computer or something that I can upload a few files to?” Alan said.
“Certainly.” The shopkeeper bent over, fiddling with something beneath the counter. “Your AI should now be able to connect to the store’s servers.”
Did I ever mention you?
No. Connected to a masked server. Uploading files now.
"Um, okay,” Alan said.
Files uploaded.
The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, and he motioned his hands before him, moving through digital screens only he could see.
“Hmm, yes, this will do quite nicely. Thank you for this information. Now, I’ll trust that you won’t disclose this to anyone else, especially none of the military police or one of the information brokers.”
"What? But—”
“As a bonus, for this exemplary work, and your discretion, I’ll throw in any item you find in here worth up to a thousand credits.”
Alan narrowed his eyes. “Before or after the tutorial discount?”
The shopkeeper smiled sweetly. “Why, after, of course.”
Alan mulled it over. On one hand, whatever was going on was likely illegal and something should be done, yet, on the other hand, this was a substantial amount of money, and he did need to get a replacement weapon still.
Accept the offer, Eve commanded.
What? Why?
It is highly unlikely the shopkeeper is a simple salesman. I will explain more once we are in a safer location. The information provided by the Thought Emporium has been quite enlightening, allowing me to make previously unseen connections, as well as a great deal of history to draw upon.
Not one to question Eve, Alan nodded at the shopkeeper. “All right. Deal.”
Two messages popped up:
Shady Dealings, Complete!
Reward: Revenant Power Armor, 5000 credit item of your choice, a Black Coin
Level up!
The shopkeeper grinned, putting his hand into an unseen pocket, bringing out a pitch black metal coin with a cloaked figure on one side, a pile of miniature metal cubes on the other. The shopkeeper flipped the coin at Alan, who caught it without a second thought. When Alan tried to examine it more closely, the images distorted, showing no detail.
“You’ll find that there are a number of shops in the Game that will buy and sell more unsavory items, including those acquired through… different means. Simply show them that coin and they should be willing to take a look at whatever it is you want to sell, from items to information to favors. The stores will also sell you an expanded range of items. I’ll upload the names of a few of these unique stores to your AI. Should you distinguish yourself as a customer, various other locations may open up to you.”
“Thanks," Alan said. "Uh, where are the, um, additional items you sell? If you don’t mind me asking of course.”
The shopkeeper grinned, leaning forward, and whispered, “Changing room third from the left. Walk through the mirror. Take the item you want, then leave the shop, invisible, as I doubt anyone saw you coming in.”
The shopkeeper then leaned back, and, patting his belly, said, more loudly, “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Um, yeah, you too.”
Alan entered into the designated room, then walked through the changing room mirror that covered the back wall. The mirror turned out to be a hologram, a projected image. He entered a small space about the size of a few supply closets squished together, extended behind the five changing rooms. Now that he knew what was back here, he could recall the dimensions of the changing rooms seeming a bit off.
The space was dimly lit. Each shelf had a digital price tag displayed, ranging from 100 to 100k credits along with various items. None of the items were labeled, but when asked, Eve displayed descriptions of the various items that had been in the database the Thought Emporium provided. All but a few of the items were known. On the left there were a few packaged items which were most likely mass produced, but illegal to sell.
One shelf held numerous kits intended for a non-standard class. Alan examined a basic thief’s kit, which contained a set of lock picks, a weak laser cutter, and other miscellaneous but no doubt useful tools. Another was labeled as a basic hacker kit, another an assassin’s kit. Each cost 5000 credits. If Alan had wanted to be any of those classes, he’d have picked the package up immediately. But he didn't yet know what class he wanted, so he continued on.
On the next three shelves there were numerous weapons, from bandoliers of grenades to modified shotguns. None of the weapons looked especially dangerous or illegal to Alan, but he assumed there was some reason they were being sold back here. Come to think of it though, he hadn’t seen anyone in the main trading hub selling grenades or rocket launchers or other explosives.
Many of these weapons are built illegally to target specific species or are made by unlicensed weapons manufacturers. Eve let Alan know.
Oh, you need a license to create weapons?
Yes. There are many guilds and regulating agencies within the Game that enforce many such laws in “civilized” space. Such politics are not necessary to learn about now while we’re undergoing the Tutorial.
Um, okay.
Along the next few shelves there was an assortment of items, from armor to weapons to tools to machine parts. Alan couldn't tell how they were different from ordinary items until he realized they all still had a label on them, such as “Owned by AlienPwnage” or “Owned by US.Agent.33AE2″. He decided he didn’t want one of these items, despite how they cheap they were, as he’d have trouble explaining where he got it.
Any ideas, Eve?
This weapon seems suitable.
Eve highlighted a small blade embedded in a weapons rack next to the far wall. Alan walked up over to it, examining its description.
Modified Laser Knife (Rank C):
Once a laser wire cutter, this tool has been modified into a powerful knife. Capable of cutting through most materials once the laser field has been activated. Power required to activate the laser blade is quite high, with energy leakage.
Regular damage: 15-20 Laser damage: 225-335
(+100 bonus shield damage modifier, +500 penetration while laser activated)
20 Energy, 2 Energy/sec used while laser is activated, 1 Energy/min regen.
88/100 Durability. Energy Melee Weapons (Basic) Recommended, 4500 credits
Uh, that seems rather OP. I also don’t have the recommended skill, Alan sent.
The highest damaging human sniper rifles Alan had examined did around 75 damage, although there were bonus multipliers if you got a headshot. The higher end alien laser rifles available at the Hub did 300-400 damage a shot, but cost tens of thousands of credits. Most alien weapons were energy based, using cold fusion batteries, thus didn’t require ammo. They just needed time to recharge.