[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/uAjjAG1.png[/img]

~ [i]Virtual Reality: The Bazaar[/i] ~[/center]

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she was off. Her legs carried her across the cobbled road of the market planet and down busy streets framed with shops of all variety; from canvas topped caravans to futuristic establishments that varied in height stretching as far as the eye could see and further from one pole to the other. NPC and player owned shops littered ever square inch viable for a store to be located in, and every day countless would close and new ones would open. Every minute a real estate battle was waged across the face of the otherwise peaceful planet.

Every store you could possibly imagine was located here, which was to be expected from one of the largest market places in the Virtual Reality. Weapons, armour, real estate, accessories, auction houses, merchant guilds, item identifies; anything that could have been found in any self respecting market was to be found in an innumerable supply on the planet wide Bazaar. It was no surprise it was named as such.

The prices of plots of land stopped being measured shortly after the inception of the planet. Anyone who had a decent amount of cash could likely afford to rent a decent space and set up shop, yes, but the fierce competition in relation to the prices made in nigh impossible. Shortly after it had been coded and added in, The Bazaar moved to an auction based system for most all of its land. The wealthier of estate agents managed to keep themselves out of it, though they were a minority, so almost all of the land up for rent was bid on. Every day, different areas would rise and fall in value depending on whether or not there was a large amount of competition; the fluctuations being one of the main reasons no one bothered to keep track. 

Once a plot was rented, the person you rented it from would collect from you every three months. Algorithms had been set in place to determine how much rent was to be given, but the complex equations that were used had long since bored most everyone. Now they simply accepted it. If you couldn't pay, you were kicked out and your land was auctioned off once again. If you weren't gone by a certain time, your avatar was killed off. The entire planet was a PvP Dual Zone, but had remained one of the most peaceful places bearing that specification in Virtual Reality; much to the surprise of everyone.

Her legs in the real world strode across her slightly outdated omni-directional treadmill. These kinds of hardware were the reason she barely had the money to keep herself afloat IRL. She had to rely on her winnings and money from selling items obtained from quests and kills to pay for food and rent, and even then she was still a couple months behind. If she was being honest, that was probably the main thing that kept her going on the Quest. Not even just the prospect of winning, though that definitely was a part of it. She had read Ready Player One countless times. Wade - Parzival - after obtaining each key and passing each gate, had been awarded credits and experience points. Even if she didn't win, that might have been good enough. 

But she really, really wanted to win.

Each step she took led her towards the one shop she wanted. Probably one of the most respected establishments on the face of The Bazaar. On the left side of her vision, the screen for her inventory was displayed, and the item description for the item she had picked up was displayed. The swords her foe had wielded were considered one item, and bore the name [i]Telrond's Fangs[/i]. High damage scimitars with a paralysis enchantment. Two similar looking snake designs made up the hilt and pommel, their heads as the guard, and led off into the deep, rust coloured blades. Both had serrated blade, and a button mirrored on either side just below the guard. Below the specifications, a description sat.

[i][center]The legendary blades of the Snake King Teldrond. The blacksmith whom forged them paid great attention to their lethality, and the blood of it's enemies stains the steel forever; as wished by the King.[/center][/i]

The sounds of merchants and customers bartering and idle chatter of passers by quieted down as the cogs in her head turned. Strings of calculations formed in the mind of the genius girl in an attempt to figure out how much she'd get for the weapons before she reached her destination. She might have been setting herself up for disappointment, considering how tarnished the metal was, but a unique trait like that should have raised the price at least somewhat, right? And they were the weapons of some King! That had to have made for some increase in value. Not that she'd ever heard of a [i]"Snake King Telrond"[/i], but he sounded... Kingly..?

It was only moments after that her Avatar stopped in front of her chosen shop. The establishment was made of brick, which looked worn in places, and two windows sat either side of the door displaying different weapons of varying qualities and design. Broadswords, great-swords, rapiers, scimitars, axes, hammers, daggers. It was a two story building, with windows lining the top looking more like that of a home than a shop, and the sloped roof created a small area of shade from the beating sun reminiscent of a desert market. In between the door and top set of windows was an elegant sign, bordered with ornate blades. 

The sign read [i]"Yawarakai-Te"[/i], meaning "Tender Hands" in Japanese, or so the owner had said. Aelkhine had never really bothered to question if that was true, though she did ask what the significance was. The owner was a player named [i]"Sidroagos"[/i], a play on the Greek for Blacksmith since it had already been chosen, and he claimed that, in the story Yawarakai-Te is present, it is considered the finer of two blades in a contest; quality being one of the things the man prided himself on. It only made a marginal amount of sense to the girl, so she just smiled and nodded.

The moment she walked in, he called out to her.
[b]"Hah, well if it isn't Chester herself. What? You fuck up your bow again or something?"[/b] he smiled and placed a sword he had been polishing behind him. It was beautifully crafted, and had a delicate flower pattern engraved into the blade to mimic the flower design on the hilt. 

[colour=Pink]"Nah Sid, I'm here to sell this time."[/colour] she took a few steps towards the counter, and produced the two blades from her inventory, [colour=Pink]"And stop calling me Chester."[/colour] Alekhine added, feigning annoyance.

[b]"Let me beat you at chess, and maybe I will~"[/b] the Avatar reached down and picked the two blades up. A window appeared facing him, and he began to turn them over; taking in each detail. Being one of the best Blacksmiths she knew, Sid could definitely tell quality from garbage and [i]probably[/i] wouldn't rip her off. She could never be sure. 
[b]"Now where, pray tell, did you get these, Little Missy? I've never seen something to do with a Snake King Telrond before."[/b] he glanced up curiously, before stepping back and scanning them some more.

[colour=Pink]"Some guy I killed dropped 'em. They really messed some people up, so I thought you might like them."[/colour] with one in each hand, Sid gave the blades a few practice swings. He muttered some terminology that Alekhine could barely hear, probably in relation to their quality, and then rested one on the counter. In a second, he raised the other and slammed it down blade first onto its side. 

The loud, metallic ring echoed through the shop as the blade bounced off its twin. Neither of the two Avatars flinched, and instead the girl smiled.
[colour=Pink]"So, whad'ya think?"[/colour] there was a slight tone of pride in her voice, probably in relation to the way the swords had cut through their opposition like a hot knife through butter.

[b]"Well for starters, they're balanced well. The metal is hard, and the blade is sharp. The enchantment is somewhat unique, and the lore is good enough to raise its price somewhat. Plus, the design is quite unique. The rusting of the blade is gonna lower it a bit, but..."[/b] he paused, and rested them on the wooden counter, [b]"Since its apart of the blade's lore, it wont be as much. Now, I'm gonna say...[/b] he fingers lightly drummed against his counter, right next to the swords. She could almost swear she heard gears turning in his head as he calculated the amount he'd be willing to give her for them.

[b]"7000."[/b] Sid suddenly said, laying his palm flat. That wasn't as much as she was hoping for...
[colour=Pink]"8000."[/colour] Alekhine heard herself say, eliciting a smile from the shopkeeper.
[b]"7500, final offer."[/b] 

His eyes focused on the girls hand as it reached out towards the swords. He was about to protest, thinking that she was going to take them back, but was silenced as she pressed the button on the hilt.
[colour=Pink]"10,000, daggers included."[/colour] Once the button was pressed in, a small dagger with an odd purple tinge to the blade emerged from the guard with a click. Alekhine simply smiled as he removed it, and turned it over in his hands.

[b]"You sneaky little... 'Aight, you win, Chester. 10,000."[/b] he tapped the air, and a window popped up. The next second, she heard a [i]ding[/i], as her credit count jumped by 10,000. Alekhine took a step back, bowed mockingly, and then flashed him a smile as she turned.

[colour=Pink]"Pleasure doing business with you, Sidney~"[/colour] an expression somewhere in between annoyance and wonder crossed his face as he waved to her back. He picked up the swords, and carried and placed them in his inventory.

[b]"I swear to God, one day I'm gonna beat you. Then we'll see who finds it so funny..."[/b] he went to turn, then stopped as she called to him from the storefront; just about to open the door.

[colour=Pink]"No you wont~"[/colour] was the last thing he heard from the girl as she stepped out onto the cobbled street once more. The sun hit her first, causing her to squint, but she quickly turned away. The streets were just as busy as when she had arrived, not that she had been inside for very long, and so she began to push her way through the jumble of players and NPCs towards the nearest teleporter; map open on her right.

[center]~ [i]Virtual Reality: Homeworld[/i] ~[/center]

The sound of a teleporter activating resonated through one of the many private residences owned by Alekhine. That was another thing that drained her finances; keeping her homes up the scratch. It was hard enough to keep her in reasonable condition IRL, but she had around 4 in Virtual Reality that she had to care for just as well, if not more so.

It was a cottage she had had built for her in Crapstone, Devon, England. It was out of the way of the rest of the village, but was still in reasonable distance. She wasn't entirely sure why this was where she chose to have a home built, but it was pretty cheap and the area was nice. She didn't spend much time there, anyway. It was just a place to have. 

However, it was the only home she owned on Homeworld; ironically, given its name. It had become a minor version of her Quest base of operations, and housed some pieces of information that she had gathered. It was all in one room, in the basement. Her Avatar quickly jogged down the stairs, and through the door to it.

On the other side was a slight small, but seemingly comfortable room. A television sat on a large cabinet, holding many different movies - from action to Disney - and straight across from it was a large leather sofa sat on a pattered Crimson rug, which sat on the laminated wooden floor. Behind that, two huge chalk and pin boards sat, respectively; framed by two more TV's with their own dedicated stack of video game consoles. To the side of those were two large bookshelves, which held row upon row of video games specific to the consoles beside them.

The boards were littered with notes about the first Quatrain. And they all pointed to one thing. The Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell. In her mind, Alekhine had solved all but the last line, maybe the last two lines. However, she was sure she was close - very close - to figuring out the answer. Hopefully closer than any other Avatar had ever been.

From her inventory, she pulled out the envelope. It was brown paper; faded in some places from sunlight, and had some small stains around the corners. A red wax seal sat on it, keeping it shut. Alekhine took a deep breath, then broke the seal and pulled out the letters.

Except there was only one letter. As soon as it was out of the envelope, she took a screenshot of it, and began to print it off both IRL and in the Virtual World. A printer off beside one of the games consoles came to life and began to churn as it painted ink across the face of the paper. As it did, the letter in her hand caught fire, and burnt into ashes in a second.

Though, she didn't need the print off to be disappointed. She had already read what was on the letter. On it, a map of Philadelphia was drawn, and around the location of the Independence National Historical Park a large ink ring had been drawn. Alekhine let out a defeated sigh, and picked up the paper to confirm it. 

Sure enough, that was what she saw. There was nothing on the back of the letter, either. She had checked. Nothing in the envelope, too. What had she expected? If someone truly figured it out, there was no way she would have been holding that envelope. Who was she kidding? She had actually believed that maybe, just maybe, the answer would have been there. So much for being the first to complete the first riddle.

She shook her head, and slapped herself in the face. What was she doing?! She hadn't even [i]been[/i] to the Independence Hall yet! Through her excitement and confusion, she had utterly neglected to go to the sight where she knew the riddle pointed to and examine it. In seconds, she had bounded up the stairs to her personal Teleporter, and selected the closest one to the Park. 

On the way, she changed her outfit to something casual - a shirt, jacket, jeans and trainers - and began to make her way to the Park. It wasn't like she was gonna find the answer immediately, but it was worth a shot to look around. An activity she had, like a fool, forgotten to do.