A short debrief later, and he was done. Tyr walked free from Gerald's study feeling a bit exhausted after answering all those rapid fire questions. Promising not to use restricted artifacts, but other than that, no oath was asked of him. The first thing he did is make a beeline for the room dedicated to the exchange of contribution points. Which was in a basement, rather than the upper floors where the guilds and association functionaries did their business. Most of those were nigh empty, regardless.
Wearing a shiny new golden badge and doing his best to avoid making a complete ass out of himself by strutting it around, even if he wanted to. People would first look at his face, and their eyes would gradually be drawn toward the badge at his waist. Assessing looks would become impressed ones, respectfully nodding to him or avoiding any sort of contact entirely. Whether out of fear or respect, he didn't know. Apparently there was quite a bit to be said about someone who reached the gold ranking, especially at such a young age. To become gold was to be close to having the status of a national hero. There weren't many of them around, but the real hero worship wouldn't come until he'd achieved platinum or higher. Which wouldn't happen for many years, hopefully never.
Located on the first level of the secured basement, a tremendous vault door made way toward a series of alcoves not unlike a bank. Separated from the rest of the underground bunker by plates of enchanted orichalcum bolted into the stone walls. Based on the welds and rivets, like most of the city, this hadn't been built by human hands. There was even some scuffing. A sign that long ago someone had tried to pry loose one of the plates and become a wealthy man. Unfortunately for them, they'd failed.
If anything, the basement looked more like a converted prison than anything else.
“Hi there, my name is Tyr--”
“No need, sir. We've been notified that you'd be visiting. This floor is for class 1 adventurers, you'll want to follow me.”
“Can't I look around?” Tyr asked. The man shrugged, but indicated that all of the same stuff could be seen on the next level below. Not that there was much to see or hold. There were no items in this place. Rather, the walls were rife with labels and catalogs, and glowing holograms of weapons, armor, potions, and the like. All sorts of magical things, and those that were not. One could even buy goats and other livestock here, if they had a mind to. Properties and real estate, too.
At the end of the vault-like facility, the floor opened up to rich carpet. Machines along the walls and a whole host of people tending to them. Flicking switches and pulling levers. Felt covered tables sat in the center, with well dressed gentlemen dealing out cards or throwing dice. It was altogether too loud... “What is this place?” Tyr asked.
“It's a casino, sir.”
“Huh, it takes all sorts, I suppose.”
“We can stop if you'd like, I was ordered to provide a guided tour. Essentially, this is all a big long break for me so I wouldn't mind in the slightest.”
“No thanks.” Tyr replied much to the mans disappointment. “I'm not much for gambling.”
“Probably smart, these places aren't designed for you to win. And yet, every day, it's at maximum capacity.” The man shook his head, perhaps remembering something unpleasant from the past. Adventurers didn't play with coin, here, but rather contribution points. Thought they could exchange gold for points, and the ratio was much more favorable than the reverse. Some kind of revenue driver, maybe. The eyes of men, women, and otherwise lingered on him for a brief moment before seeing his badge and snapping back to their games. Tyr didn't recognize a single one.
He was hastened into a familiar looking platform, one of the carrying kind. An elevator like those he'd used in the past, but this one had no seam whatsoever. The earth at its edges undulated like a caterpillar, looking like wet clay. Not even air could enter the tube they were transited through. Pressurized to the point of making Tyr's jaw ache until his ears popped.
The next floor was a bit less ostentatious. There was no casino and only one large entryway rather than a collection of doors. Eighteen golems, nine on each side, stood at attention on the edges of the room. Based on their make, these were rather recent additions. Bodies of hard stone with crystals jutting out here and there. Not human made, likely dwarven. Each one was impressive, designed with various capabilities, but all for fighting. Tyr wouldn't be surprised if all the money he'd ever seen in the world was still not enough to commission such a construct.
Inside and past the heavily reinforced wall, the hall was totally empty. Not a single soul to be seen except for the attendant to his left. Something was in the walls though, Tyr doubted it was truly alive- but they were crawling about and watching. More mechanical constructs, less humanoid in nature. As with the first floor, the second was set with all manner of displays and posters advertising various items. Guild commissioned artisans who sold through this medium. Alchemists, blacksmiths, runesmiths, apothecaries, engineers, scribes, jewelers, leather workers. Well, anyone seeing it would get the point. There was a lot of gear, consumables, and less easily understood things. No more goats, though, but for some reason the attendant took it upon himself to inform Tyr that he could still purchase them here by request...
It was divided by classification among vocations, but instead of the supermarket appearance of the first floor – this one was less dense with signage. With a single plinth in every room that could be perused to scroll through thousands of items. Magical beasts and even anchoring stones could be purchased. Just to experiment with it, Tyr bought a 'tincture for healthier hair' and downed it in a single gulp. Nothing happened.
“Um... Sir...?”
“Huh?” Tyr turned toward the attendant nervously ringing his hands. “Where do the items come from?”
“Through gates from partnered facilities, or from the bottom-most floor. Our vault. But, uh... That decoction. It is a conditioner. You are not supposed to drink it.”
“I just drank shampoo?”
“Well. I believe there are differences between shampoo and conditioner, but yes. I suppose you did, sir.”
“It wasn't that bad, honestly. Certainly not how I figure shampoo would taste. Not that I have much experience with that. I don't, uh... I don't drink shampoo, I know what it is and how to use it...”
“Yes, sir. Very good, sir...” The attendant coughed awkwardly.
“Is this listing right?” Tyr asked, pointing at the screen. “I can buy a fire breathing horse?”
“A marcher scalding, sir, but yes. I suppose you could. You cannot stable it inside the city, naturally.” The man smiled anxiously, unsure of how to act around a class 2 adventurer – not just a gold ranker. He didn't love his job overmuch, but there was a youthful exuberance to Tyr flipping through the tablet that he missed. More than that, the young man would show him things and laugh as if there was some great jest in it all. Even offering to buy him something from the catalog. Bribes were more explicitly against policy in this place though, so he politely declined.
Tyr knew that most of these items couldn't possibly be available for adventurers of lower ratings. There were so many things. A floating ship made of storm clouds, for example. But for a whopping forty thousand contribution points, he'd opt for something simpler. Essentially, if one needed something – they could find it here, things no human could possibly make. With a limit. There were 3 classes of adventurer, and class and ranking did not give face to one another. A diamond ranker could be a class 1, while a steel ranker could be a class 2. While that would be bizarre, it was possible.
“Damn.” Tyr shook his head. “I'm not nearly smart enough to look at this stuff and make a proper decision. What do you think, Carlton?”
“It's Carson, sir.” The attendant cleared his throat. “You have more than enough contribution points to buy most anything in this catalog. I have never worked with a single individual with such a large budget, personally. Therefore, I'm unable to make realistic recommendations.”
Tyr had a mount in Okami. Armor, plenty of weapons. He didn't have much in the way of jewelry, but the spellbreakers ensured that he couldn't wear much of it anyways. Any band larger than the flat surface of a dimensional ring wouldn't fit. He had a communication amulet, and didn't need potions or reagents for healing...
The spellbreakers were an all purpose focus, so again, he needed no wand or additional material or augment to his armor. There were wyvern eggs for sale, and he was tempted to give that a go. But if he'd need of something to fly around on, he'd choose a gryphon. Nala had taken him on her back many times and he wasn't so fond of soaring through the sky. As exhilarating as it was, it made him sick. Added to that, flying dicks and seated rods were far less expensive. There were even temporary charms to allow for a wings transmutation should he opt for that, but he didn't.
“Wait, what's a 'flying dick'?” Tyr asks.
“I believe that is a disc, sir. Are you perchance dyslexic?”
“No.” Tyr replied flatly, staring back at the man. “I'm Harani.”
There was a long pause before the attendant managed to respond. “...Very good, sir.”
“So there isn't a flying dick?”
“I do not believe so, sir.”
“Damn... Not that I want to go cruising on a flying dick, but there's nothing aesthetic about a disc - you can buy these things anywhere. Would've been nice, y'know, mix it up?”
"Okay..."
Most of the animals purchasable required an inspected 'up-to regulation' stable to keep them in. Or an aerie, in terms of something like a wyvern. Something he didn't have. Nor was he willing to part with all ten thousand points to buy an egg that might not imprint on him, and there were no refunds.
He had ample materials for forging, and didn't get the benefits of enchanted foodstuffs like others did. There were recipes for all sorts of things, as well. Presets for armor, weapons. All craftable items, really, but they utilized human runes. Something he wasn't comfortable enough to begin spending points on for more than the design itself. Magic bags of holding were unnecessary for him. His royal ring held more than they did, and he could forge superior dimensional rings at will if he needed to..
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Scrolling through the tab of various categories, he reaching the bottom.
(+) RESTRICTED – ALLOWANCE APPROVED BY AUTHORITY OF GRAND ARCHIVIST GERALD NATOW IN CONCERT WITH REDACTED
“What is this?” He asked the attendant.
“It's a tab for restricted items. But don't worry. If you see it, you can buy it, or else it would not appear when accessed by your badge.”
(-) RESTRICTED
(+) Skillbooks and Lexicanums
(+) Depleted Spirit Essences
(+) Monster Essences and Elemental Cores
(+) Automata
(+) Restricted Tomes
(+) Foreign, Unknown, and Unsorted Artifacts
“Skillbooks...?” Tyr was aghast at the selection. Shiftily eyeing the unconcerned attendant who didn't bat an eye when Tyr scrolled the the black books made available to him. The other stuff was all rather mundane. Various parts of chimera along with their venom, golems that he could not afford, old books and tablets regarding the orik and fomorian races, as well as some he did not recognize by name alone. Like the spira kin, alfen, and aslan. Tyr had figured based on dialogue that alfen must be another word for 'elves', but he had no interest in them given all that he'd heard. Well... Other than their uh... Never mind.
The rest just appeared to be old junk and garbage. Some orik hand cannons, but Tyr didn't find them particularly attractive. He was certain that he could make them himself without spending the points, though they'd probably be inferior. Mana cannon designs were far cheaper in comparison and converting them to a handheld platform didn't seem overly hard. The problem was aesthetics, and this was a conviction Tyr was intent not to betray.
“Of course. You need special permission to view them, but they are very popular. Dangerous, though, or so I'm told. Many of those offered here were crafted by known mortal races and verified. Like skillbooks, the guild doesn't normally dole them out and people cannot always keep those they find, because they can have unfortunate side-effects on the mind. A psychological evaluation is typically needed beforehand...”
“Man...” Tyr chuckled. “You're extremely helpful. I hope they treat you well.”
“I hate this job more than anything I have ever known... Sir. Every day the simple act of rising in the morning because more difficult, I am afraid that I'm not sure how much longer I can go on.”
(-) Skillbooks and Lexicanums
-Blade Treatise (Siegfried of Kriegstad) 850pts
-Lightning Style Swordsmanship (Basic to Intermediate) 600pts
-Runesmithing for Dummies 850pts
-How to Not Be Another Shit Author (ITS FREE!) 0pts
-Learn Goblinese Fast! 124pts
-The Law of Attraction 69pts
-Damn Son, Where'd You Find This!? 420pts
(+) Depleted Spirit Essences
(+) Monster Essences and Elemental Cores
(+) Automata
(-) Restricted Tomes
(+) 'Black Books' *CAUTION
-Is Mayonnaise an Instrument?
-Anthropological Studies of the Orik
-A Collection of Translated Erotic Novels From An Unknown Race
-Does Brazil Actually Exist and Why You're About to go There Regardless
-Cat Girls are not a Fetish, They are a Lifestyle
-Amogus, A Necessary Evil?
-That's One Thick Ass Boy! A Biography
-A Treatise on The Hacker Formally Known as 4Chan
(+) Foreign, Unknown, and Unsorted Artifacts
“What the hell?” Tyr stared at the list of things in confusion. The vast majority of it seemed completely useless, leaving him in awe at the fact that they were restricted at all. “What is all this?”
“All knowledge pertaining to foreign worlds on the opposite side of an astral gate is considered restricted by the association. For certain reasons I am not at liberty to discuss, and others that I am not made aware of.”
“Alright. That's fine, I guess. I feel like the people who wrote most of these were only a stones toss from insanity.”
“You are almost assuredly correct, sir. Hence the obvious restriction, I suppose.”
In the end, Tyr opted to purchase 'Is Mayonnaise an Instrument?' because it was free, five combat related skillbooks, and a reference ledger for all the known runes. It didn't contain the draconic runes he was most familiar with, the book actually printing itself out and materializing in thin air to leave those pages blank. Perhaps they should be there, but he was not allowed to see them. Not that it mattered, he had a primer on those somewhere in his ring courtesy of Abaddon. There were other free books, but he felt nervous picking them out. Especially after the message displaying on the screen alerted him to the dangers of skillbook usage. How they could force information into someones mind, possibly making them a different person. If he avoided anything indistinct and stuck with practical / fundamental things – he'd be safe from that.
(-) CART
-Siegfried of Kriegstad's Blade Treatise
-(2) Lightning Style Swordsmanship (Basic to Intermediate)
-Runesmithing for Dummies
-Is Mayonnaise an Instrument?
-Encyclopedia of Ancient Runes
-Lexicanum on String Instruments
-Panther Style Swordsmanship (Intermediate to Advanced)
-Elemental Theory Lexicanum (consumable skillbook)
-Blueprint Design and Construction Suite - Tablet Mod
-Currency (20kg Enriched Mana Stones – No Exchange Penalty)
“What's Brazil?” Tyr asked, eyeing one tome in particular. Was he really going to go there? Was this another word for heaven?
“I've no idea, sir.”
“Ah...”
Some of the items had tags next to them with notes from Gerald himself. Several of the black books, somewhat alarmingly, were recommended by the man. Tyr did not pick out any of those, despite all of them being suspiciously free. Some of the skillbooks suggested, such as elemental theory, looked useful – but Tyr was nervous. He'd fill in some of the gaps he missed by skipping from the academy, but he feared pushing too far into skillbook territory. After all, he didn't have a lick of understanding of what had happened the first time he'd ever used them. Practical knowledge was ridiculously easy to obtain, but there was a detriment to skipping steps and missing out on some significance. He felt no different now, no hidden knowledge or skill inside of him after reading the previous three. Only the image of a woman lost at sea, the silver sword and golden horn. Their significance was wasted on him, and he didn't know how to use them even after the agonizing experience.
“Looks like...” The attendant looked over his shoulder in appraisal. “4,125 points. Not a bad haul, I think.”
“That's it...?” Tyr liked hearing that he still had a lot of points left, but coming to this place had been quite a pain. He needed approval and authorization first regardless of rank and rating to pass to the second floor. With no idea of when he'd be able to return. “...I feel like I should buy something else.”
-Basic to Intermediate Level Beast Mastery
-Anchoring Stone, Greater
-Raptid Essence, Greater
-Advanced Arcane Theorum
-Gravity Magic Basics
-Does Brazil Actually Exist and Why You're About to go There Regardless
-Chungus Bigg's Collection of Prefabricated Forging Designs
-Portable Dimensional Forging Facility
I've still got a thousand or so left, but I guess we'll start with that. “Thanks for your help and recommendations, Carltonson.” Tyr said, shaking the mans hand and oblivious to the strange look on his face.
“It's Carson, sir. There is one more thing, we unfortunately do not have the time or facilities to debrief you on quest completions. Slayer tasks completed in the dungeon will be credited to your account, and supersede the annual capacity for contribution points. As well as the gold reward for bounties, collectibles, and other tasks.”
“Oh?” Tyr asked. “I'm getting gold, too? How much? I thought the rewards were all in points to save all of you money?”
“Correct. Typically that is the case. However, there are for completed quests including the relay tower scouting. As the assumed captain and adventurer of the highest ranking authority in your team, this quest is paid out to you and you alone. Among the others. How you divide it to the members of your squad is up to you unless an official contract says otherwise.”
“Alright.” Tyr shrugged. “That sounds good. Do you give me my money, here?”
“It's already been transferred to your account sir, but...” Carsonton rifled through the satchel at his waist. A bag of holding, a cleaner and more easily organized alternative to a dimensional ring. Typically smaller, though. “This is an invoice for all posted rewards. Eleven slayer tasks granted you a bonus, billable hours for guarding the gate and a performance bonus as well. Three miscellaneous quests, a guild issued quest for the relay towers, and the reward for finding... Well, yourself. The reward was paid out to you since you were the last adventurer alive to leave through the gate. A technicality, I suppose, but nobody has disputed it and they never will – considering the damage that would've been done if the others had been caught inside.” Carlton cleared his throat, handing Tyr a slip of glossy paper.
“...Are you serious? This is my reward?”
“Yes, sir. Is there a problem?”
“It seems a bit much. Five thousand gold?”
“That is the purchase price for restricted items, if you look on the further lines you'll see that your invoice for completed quests was around thirty five hundred I believe. So... In total, I suppose that's a little more than eight thousand 'gold'. You'll be paid in marks, because we're in the republic, but it's about eight thousand in any case.”
“Why does it say eleven thousand, eight hundred down here?”
“Er...” Carlton eyed Tyr with concern again. But adventurers were known for eccentricity, not for being good at keeping track of their money. Regardless, Tyr was insanely wealthy for his rank. One of the individually wealthiest people in the entirety of the republic. Normally, these rewards would be split between dozens or hundreds of guild members, but it had not been the case this time. Thirty five hundred for quest completion seemed like a lot. Until it was divided fifteen times and tithed by the parent guild handling them. For one person to cash out over eight thousand gold credits, not republic marks, was a level of insanity few without decades of experience in the association could come to grips with.
“That's your overall bank balance, the invoice declares what we gave you so that you can compare it with how much money you should have. To eliminate any questions of a discrepancy. If I may, sir, I would advise you to keep better watch of your money. Or... I'm not sure, learn how to use a bank? No offense intended, of course.”
“Noted.” Tyr replied, squinting at the paper. He'd only had a handful of silver in that account before... He was sure of it. But the amount was too exact. Enough for even him to realize that this was all he had previously possessed from his past account. Liquid funds, at least – he couldn't know if any of the items inside were transited over. They'd all be in Amistad, in any case. A place he wouldn't be visiting any time soon, and he didn't want to. That closet was too full of his own demons and things he didn't want to confront just yet.
But eleven thousand gold...
Huh... Why am I even working this job?