Avilien: Tutorial islands

Tale of woe

Luke, accompanied by the others, escorted an emotional Nagori back into the plaza of Lunthoria. A clear glass café overlooked the fountain, and a few merchant stalls, the café called Niddans served great food at reasonable prices. Nagori clung to Luke's arm as they entered through the sliding doors and she wouldn't let go, even when Luke found them all a nice table to sit at with four wooden chairs. Table situated by the window Luke had to help Nagori sit down as she wouldn't let go. He was eager to find out why she was an emotional wreck but didn't know how to ask the questions. He wasn't very good at this friendship stuff.

The café was quite full, but not a single player was in the area. Split sat across from Nagori and Trinity along with Targoon eyeballed him. As a hapless romantic, Split couldn't bear to see a girl cry, but like Luke, he didn't dare ask in case he got jumped by her guides.

"I'll be back in a moment. Going to grab us all some food," said Luke, followed by a nervous laugh and a scratch on the back of his head as Nagori glared at him with saucer round eyes filled with tears.

At the till and counter, there were fridges behind and through an open door was the kitchen, where a few people prepared food in white uniforms. A man the size of Split with a huge face full of beard greeted Luke with a wave, and upon doing so, the menu for the café opened before Luke's eyes. Able to browse the wares and sell off all the useless junk from defeating some early morning Bruntusks Luke amassed a small amount of wealth.

So far, Luke had a total of one silver and forty-seven copper. Nebs was already making a note of it as he took control of the floating shop menu to scroll down to game guide food from Luke's shoulder.

"Sir Luke," said Quinn as he tugged at Luke's jeans from down towards the floor where he stood.

"What's up, little guy?" asked Luke as he wrestled for control of the shop menu and had to move Nebs' paw away.

"If it is not too impolite or too much trouble, may I have a Salatooth steak?" Quinn smiled as his eyes grew large.

"Hey, quit that!" roared Nebs as he looked down at Quinn. "I'm the adorable one. Don't steal my m.o. Right benevolent master?" Nebs shrunk to the size of a kitten and made a sad expression with his two front paws raised.

"Both of you can have whatever you want, in moderation. Now stop trying to take control of the shop menu, Nebs." Luke had to pull Neb's paw away again.

"Why does Miss Nagori have two game guides? Did she also save a guide?" Quinn raised a good question as Luke looked back to take note of Targoon.

Failing to notice the little lizard Luke remembered that it belonged to Lance. His mind now started to race with questions. The one more prominent, where was Lance? Had he been deleted? Was that why Nagori was in hysterics and sobbing her heart out? It made sense the more Luke thought about it. He needed to hurry up with his purchases and ask. With a tap and scroll on the blue shop menu, Luke paid for three coffees, three cooked breakfast, another ten Mukdon spuds as Nebs already devoured the last lot. Two Salatooth steaks as they were expensive. One sizzling bowl of ignited fenrail and a bowl of grotesque orange-spotted larva. For each food item Luke bought, he made sure it would fill the entire hunger bar. The cost was shy of what he had earned that morning, so on average; he needed to slay four Bruntusks a day.

Back at the table, Luke clicked his holo watch and then started to lay out all the food and drinks. Nagori, Trinity, and Targoon drooled over the food as the smells wafted up their noses. Snapped out of her trance and teary state Nagori looked at the plate of Bruntusk sausages, Mattock toast, Gruntusk strips, and Mukdon beans and then at Luke.

"This... I can't eat this. It must have cost around twenty-five copper. Luke, how did you afford all of this? Haven't you been in the game for like a day?" quizzed Nagori as her hands itched to move towards the knife and fork that appeared from thin air at the side of the plates.