The number on the parking pass was 312A. The numbers were similar to how a hotel worked with the first number being the floor and the other numbers being the exact space. Unlike a hotel however, the letter referred to either side of the parking garage. As I drove past the barricade and turned onto the ramp, the path split into opposite directions. A was on the left side, so that’s the way I turned.

Vehicles of different types from trucks and sports cars to strange ones that looked like they came from a fantasy movie filled every single space. It was like driving through a parking garage in the middle of a big city like New York or Los Angeles. How was it that so many of them were here, when the only other driver I had seen was Grinny? With this many vehicles how was it that I had seen nobody else on the Dragon’s Highway? I asked Tooty about it and she actually gave me a straight answer.

“Milo, the best way to describe it is like a video game server. Each version of the Dragon’s Highway is a perfect match to the other, but it is a separate place. Garage zones act as a central point for all drivers to congregate. When you return to the highway, it may not be the same “server” that you were on before, so you may find more drivers the next time you embark.”

I turned onto the second level. “Can I be attacked by other drivers?”

“Not on the Dragon’s Highway. However, once you reach the other floors DVD is allowed.”

“DVD?”

“Driver versus Driver.”

“Of course.”

I arrived on the third floor and parked the beetle at the end of the line of vehicles. The numbers 312A were painted in blocky yellow font on the ground and the wall. Before I turned off the car, I looked over my menu to see if I had any achievements. To my dismay there was only one.

“Achievement: Well That Was Random

You have survived your first random encounter.

Your reward is: A “Look at Me I’m Random” Bumper Sticker

This is your first enchanted bumper sticker. Unlike regular bumper stickers, this one provides your vehicle with an added benefit. This particular sticker will give your car a randomized but small benefit when applied. Note: This item can only be applied at a garage zone, but you do not need a Mechanitaur to do it. It’s one you can apply yourself.”

This was the second bumper sticker I had earned so far. The first I had received after defeating the queen I gave to Harvey because there was no reason to keep it. It made me wonder why that one wasn’t enchanted when it had come from a much harder challenge. It was probably something I would never understand, so I pushed it out of my mind. The last thing I did before I left was access my inventory menu which then allowed me to open my glove compartment and take out all my gold.

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My footsteps echoed as I walked from the beetle to the nearest staircase which was helpfully pointed to by a sign on the roof. The entrance to the stairwell was an open archway without a door, however the stairs themselves were the same rusted metal ones you would see at a normal parking garage with railings that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in many years. I walked down four flights of stairs until I came to a green door with a push handle on it.

I opened it and entered a place that could only be described as an actual mall. A concourse hallway stretched out before me and each took a 90 degree turn forward. On the outer wall were rows of store fronts with glass windows that had displays of different items. One window had a sleeker version of the rocket launcher I had on my car. It was smaller and had four launch cylinders instead of six. Another one had several different mannequins that wore outfits ranging from the same kind of racing suit I wore, to leather armor that resembled a baseball umpire. The mannequins themselves weren’t human. Their heads had extra things like horns or pointed ears and the body types varied tall to short and muscular to skinnier than a supermodel. Much like the rooms in Harvey’s House, these stores did not have words above them, but used pictures to describe themselves with the clothing store using a t-shirt symbol and the one with the rocket launcher using, well, a rocket.

Directly in front of me was an information desk with another dryad woman sitting there. This one had her vine hair done tied into an amazonian-like braid and wore a blue, yellow and pink tye-dye button down shirt. The top two buttons were undone in a way that I had to force my eyes to keep looking straight ahead. The dryad woman had her feet on the desk and was rapidly moving a pencil inside a dark notebook.

As I walked up to the desk, the dryad shut her notebook and looked up at me. For a moment I thought she was going to have the same cantankerous attitude as Havarti, but the woman smiled wide at me and spoke in a bubbly tone.

“Welcome to the Dragon’s Mall. I’m Lindel. To your left and right you will find many shops to equip your vehicle. Behind me are the sleeping quarter.” Lindel pointed her pencil behind her towards a door. “If you continue down either side you will find the eating area. We have five places, each with their own specialties. You will also find the Mechanitaur reception area and on either of the far corners of the mall you will find our entertainment rooms. Do you have any questions?”

Lindel sprang so much information at me at once that it took a moment for me to process everything she said. “Um, do your entertainment rooms change too?”

The dryad chuckled. “No, that only happens with the starting garage zones. Since they don’t see that many drivers, the change tries to stave off boredom for them. Here we have a museum, which is free to enter, and a casino.”

“A casino?”

“Yep, a good place to try and earn more gold so you can do more shopping.”

That was another place I know my mother would never let me enter, but I had to admit it did sound enticing. Maybe I would check it out later, but first there was the quest. “I do have one more question. How do I get the scabbard for the Slayer Sword?”

“Visit the museum.”

I waited for Lindel to say more, but she didn’t. “Anything else?”

Lindel shrugged. “Visit the museum. That’s all I can say.”

“Thanks,” I said, sighing.

“Anytime.” Lindel opened her notebook and continued her rapid pencil movements. I wondered if she was drawing something. “If you need anything else, let me know.”