The group experiences the stranger side of the Harvest Festival when they enter the tent simple called ‘The Rock.” The whole thing is weird. They also grapple with the idea of being the bad guys in order to get the dates they want for the Dance.
It's the day of the pre-Harvest Festival celebration! The Daring Dragoons decide to head to an attraction called "The Rock", which is blanketed off. There's an awkward moment where Bek trips and Zin catches her. Val decides to touch the Rock, which causes her to go stiff and rigid. Smash does the same thing, and when Isaac tries to move Val, her hand sticks to the Rock.
Val and Smash are mentally transported to a desolate battlefield, inhabiting the bodies of two opposing soldiers. The two collide with each other, knocking Val to the ground, which, in turn, sends her back through reality to the real world again. Smash, too, is overrun by enemies, and also reverts back to the real world. Isaac questions the barker, a man named Felix, but Felix just calls the guards on them. One of these guards is Jesse of Carlstown, who leads them away, and asks them to be cool. It is revealed, however, that the purpose of the Rock is to Simulate a real battle, so that those who wish to participate can do so with no risk to themselves.
Isaac buys from a jeweler an arm bangle in the shape of a dragon's claw, for Val. Smash is trying to beat Wraf in the Hammer game, and Zin asks Isaac to spike the drink of Big Humbert Honkus, so that he can't attend tomorrow's dance.
Trivia[]
The Rock is two gold pieces per person.
Nika figures out that it's a Virtual Rock (or VR) experience.