“Thanks again for the upgrade,” WaterJet said. She lovingly cradled the blue ceramic pitcher in her arm like a newborn while they walked through the outdoor bazaar back to the guild hall. “But are you sure giving LaughTrack that boot is a good idea? He’s already faster than Hermes without them.”
“Oh, you guys have that myth on your Earth too?” Billy asked. He enjoyed learning about the mythologies of different Earths. WaterJet shook her head.
“Probably not, I was talking about an ex-guildie. He joined another guild but he’s got super speed. In derby he would get three laps before anyone else got one,” she said.
“Only three? LaughTrack killed everyone on an Earth in less than a minute; that seems a lot faster.”
“Oh right, you don’t know how the AlterNet works,” she said with a smirk. “Hermes is a lot faster than that but there’s a limit to how far ahead you can get. It’s usually three laps, but different rules can be agreed to.”
“Huh,” Billy stopped walking. The flow of people behind him started going around him and WaterJet. “I bought him this…,” He held up a single brown leather boot. “…because I thought it’d help your team if he got more laps.” Billy shrugged. “But if he can already get the max without it; it’s just redundant.” He looked at WaterJet. “Will this help him in any other way besides speed?” She shook her head.
“Negligible stat boost, nothing special.” Billy sighed.
“I probably should have asked you before I bought it. Is it any good for you?” He asked her. WaterJet shook her head.
“I’ve got good boots for my spec.”
“I’ll be right back,” he said. Billy wiggled his fingers at the air and opened a black portal. He walked through it then WaterJet waited several minutes for him. Finally, he came back without the brown boot.
“Where’s the boot?” she asked.
“Gave it to a friend of mine,” he said. WaterJet smirked; one corner of her blue lips tugged upward.
“You don’t seem like the type to have friends.” Billy nodded.
“I’ve got one.”
