“It’s a bit smaller than I expected.” Amber said.

Drew quickly turned his head towards his wife.

“Boof!” Freya added.

“You too, Freya? Look… it’s not the…” Drew started.

“Good things can come in surprising packages.” Sindra interrupted with a serious tone.

“Indeed.” Spock concurred.

“Not everything is about the…” Drew began.

“Let’s just head in and check it out.” Amber said.

Drew’s head dropped low and he let out a sigh. Why does it feel like everyone is teaming up on me? Drew picked his head back up and looked at the new merchant store that his wife was entering. The word ‘building’, would be generous by any stretch of the imagination. What stood in front of him looked like a cross between a large shack, and a Hobbit hole. It wasn’t exactly what he’d expected from a C Grade company in the Multiverse.

Drew followed the others into the ‘building’, the interior was much nicer than the expectation he had in his head after seeing the exterior. Instead of a damp, crowded cave, it was rather spacious with beautiful hardwood flooring. The ambiance was a mash-up of a hunting cabin, and a ranch-style American home, or close enough to it that he couldn’t tell a difference.

“Oww! Watch it, you kicked me!” A somewhat masculine, but unknown voice called out.

Drew and his party looked around the room, searching for the origin of the voice. The store was empty, there were no shelves, no check-out, or anything. It was a mostly empty room, with nothing to speak of. Where did that voice come from? Drew thought to himself. Sindra leaned in close to him and whispered into his ear.

“Down there, by your wife’s foot.” She said in a hushed tone.

Drew followed Sindra’s directions, and sure enough there was a small being on the floor, sitting on its rump. Freya quickly spotted it and began to growl lightly, which brought Amber and Spock’s attention to the creature as well.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there.” Amber quickly apologized for kicking the tiny creature.

It propped itself up, and stood tall, puffing out its chest. It whipped down its clothes and tilted its head up to peer at his wife.

“My, you’re a tall one. My name is Junior Arlna Junior, and I’m the manager of this branch office of The Arlna Consortium.” The creature addressed the group, head held high.

“Erm, we’re newly integrated, so I apologize if this comes across as crass, but are you a Garden Gnome?” Amber asked. She was clearly trying to remain polite and cordial, but she couldn’t hide her excitement from Drew. He saw the stars in her eyes, and the bubbly elation that threatened to break her surface demeanor.

“Oh, have you heard of us before? How delightful, I am indeed a proud member of the Garden Gnome race.” The small man said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Now that Drew took a better look at the creature, he did look very similar to the Garden Gnomes of Old Earth. On an average human, the Gnome would stand slightly above shin height, but not quite to the knee. He wore a pointed green hat, and had a large bulbous nose. He had a long brown beard, with just a hint of white speckled throughout it. The clothing he wore looked like the attire a professional tailor, shoemaker, or similar would wear. From Drew’s standpoint, the clothing actually looked pretty snazzy.

“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Arlna. My name is Amber. To my left is Freya, and to my right is Spock. Behind me is my husband, Drew, and his co-worker Sindra.” She said to the Gnome.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you m’lady, as well as the rest of you. Is the Settlement owner amongst you?” The Gnome asked.

“Yeah, that’s my husband.” She pointed at Drew.

The gnome walked to Drew and held out his hand in greeting. The geometry of performing a handshake was difficult due to the difference in height, so Drew knelt down on the floor and gently shook the little man’s hand. Even though he was trying to control his strength, he still managed to lift the gnome up and wave him like a race-day flag while attempting to shake his hand.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’m not used to people of your stature.” Drew said, embarrassed. The Gnome, for his part, appeared slightly dizzy as he fumbled before correcting his stance.

“That’s quite alright m’lord. My father, the owner of Arlna Consortium wished to convey his thanks for this business opportunity and looks forward to a bright and long-lasting relationship with you people.” The Gnome said.

“Eh… just call me Drew. I’m not a lord or anything. Please convey my appreciation to your father as well. The offer he sent us was very generous, and I look forward to working with you. Your company came highly recommended to us.” Drew said.

“Truly? May I inquire who recommended you, I was under the impression that your world only recently underwent integration.” Junior asked.

“Oh, it was Sindra, she’s the winged woman standing next to me. She said she’s had pleasurable interactions with your company previously, and that you treated your customers fairly.” Drew answered, pointing to his companion.

The Gnome shifted his head and looked up to Sindra for the first time. His little pointed hat raised slightly, and his beard moved as the tiny man’s jaw was left agape.

“A Valkyrie, and B Grade no less. What brings you to this newly integrated world, m’lady?” Junior asked.

“An incursion event. The Baleful Lady sent my sisters and I to secure this settlement while her Champion undergoes trials within her realm.” Sindra replied.

“Truly!? An incursion event, and in my lifetime no less… What an exciting opportunity. Do you know the disposition of the invading parties yet?” The Gnome asked, almost visibly shaking from excitement.

“Not yet, I only arrived a couple hours ago. There’s been no contact yet.” Sindra shook her head.

“I see, I see. That is most interesting, and your goddess sent you here so quickly after integration, she must value her Champion immensely. Is he around currently?” Junior asked.

“Yes, you were just speaking with him.” Sindra snickered, pointing back towards Drew.

The Gnome quickly did a double-take between Sindra and Drew.

“I see.” Junior coughed into his hand.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but is there a reason that your store is so… bare?” Amber asked.

“Ah, yes. We left everything on the system default settings for the interior until I had a chance to speak with… Drew, was it?” The Gnome asked, and Drew nodded his head.

“Right. In order to better serve our customers, our stores come in several pre-configurations, so I’d like to ask some questions about your needs so Arlna Consortium may better serve you.” Junior said.

“Uh… sure, I guess. I don’t have a lot of time though, I’m supposed to be heading to The Halls of Reflection shortly.” Drew said.

“I’ll keep it quick then. Am I correct in assuming your primary export will be Processed Mana Crystals?” The Gnome asked.

“As far as I know, yeah. Our scan from the Pillar came back with several nearby resources, but we’re currently lacking the workforce to exploit them fully. We do have several people in Sanctuary that have crafting professions, but they’re still learning the ropes. We do have a couple of people with unique professions from my understanding, but I don’t know how well their products will sell.” Drew grimaced thinking about the taxidermist.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“I see, and these unique professions, what type of goods do they produce?” The Gnome asked while stroking his beard.

“Ah… well, one guy is a taxidermist. He preserves and stuffs local beasts and monsters for trophies and displays, but some of his stuff is heavily inspired by the culture of the old world. We also have a gentleman making casual workwear in a more traditional style from prior to integration. I’m not sure about the others yet.” Drew replied.

“Interesting. I’d be highly interested in any goods your people produce that reflect your culture and history. I believe they’d be lucrative exports, but I cannot confirm anything until I see them and have them appraised. Do you have any thoughts on what type of goods you’d like to see in stock on a regular basis here?” The Gnome asked.

“That, I’m not sure about. We had a fair amount of technological luxuries prior to The Descent, and I know many people miss those. Running water, air conditioning, TVs, all those would be awesome but I guess they aren’t necessary for survival. Soap and toiletries would be nice to have, and possibly training manuals or anything that could help people speed up their progress in their classes and professions would be excellent.” Drew rubbed his chin, trying to think about what people would actually want, and be able to afford.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what kind of goods exist in the cosmos, so it’s difficult for me to say. We’re currently fine on food, and we have a crop harvest right around the corner. We have a Soulsmith that is currently cranking out tools, construction materials, armor and weapons, but he’s pretty overworked. Things that reduce stress would likely be good sellers.” Drew shrugged, unsure of how good his answer was.

The Gnome was busy writing down notes in a little paper pad. Little being the key word, it was about the size of the tip of his pinky finger.

“I think I understand your general needs. Have you thought about how you’d like to pay your citizens, how you’ll collect taxes, or anything like that?”

Drew practically blanched at the thought of payment and taxes. He had no idea! How would any normal person have thought of that stuff?!.

“Er… no. We’ve been pretty preoccupied with survival.” Drew replied.

Junior nodded his head.

“May I suggest a contribution system then?” The Gnome asked.

“How would that work?” Drew asked, tilting his head.

“It’s fairly standard practice for new settlements on recently integrated worlds. Citizens produce goods and services and are rewarded contribution points, which they can exchange for currency, or for goods and services at our branch office here.” The Gnome said.

“Alright, and what’s the benefit of using the points at your store rather than turning them into currency, and how does the currency system work?” Drew asked.

“They’d receive a slight discount here compared to the currency price. As far as currency goes, it’s broken up into Grades, much like everything else in the Multiverse. It starts at F Grade coins, and then moves to E Grade, then D Grade, and so on. The denominations are based on the number of one million. So, one million F Grade coins would equal one E Grade coin.” The Gnome explained.

“I don’t see any issues with that, are there any hidden fees, or anything like that?” Drew asked.

“Everything is done via The System, but for exchanging contribution points into currency there’s a slight fee of one point five percent. That goes directly into our company’s coffers to cover the cost of running the contribution program.” Junior answered.

“That fee is very fair, most exchange fees can run anywhere between three and five percent.” Sindra said to Drew.

“Huh, that is very fair. Are your people going to make enough money on such a low fee?” Drew asked, worried for the little Gnome.

“Oh yes, we will be fine. We make a little profit from it, but it’s more than enough to make sure our families are fed and our employees are paid fairly.” The Gnome said, nodding his head.

“Drew, it’s almost time to leave.” Sindra said.

Drew nodded his head.

“I apologize, Junior, but we must head out. I don’t have any kind of settlement manager for Sanctuary yet, but Sindra is staying here, and I think she’ll be able to answer most questions for you while I’m gone.” Drew said.

“I understand, I believe I have most of the information I need. The Arlna Consortium thanks you again for this opportunity, we should have the store configured and ready for use in a day at most. If your people need anything, please let us know.” Junior bowed.

********************************************************************************

Drew’s group was walking towards a newly erected Gate. Some of Sindra’s subordinates had constructed it over the course of the morning. It only allowed travel to and from The Halls of Reflection, and Sanctuary, but it would allow for faster travel than hoofing it the old-fashioned way. The Lady could summon them directly to her realm, but it required a fair amount of energy to do so. A Gate was far more economical, especially in the long run. Travel took longer than summoning, but nowhere near as long as using multiple Gates throughout the Multiverse.

Much like a non-stop flight with an airline, the usage of the new Gate would still be far more expensive to operate than having multiple stops, but currently, The Lady was going to foot that bill. In the long run, it would be up to Drew and Sanctuary to cover the costs of outgoing travel, but Drew didn’t foresee needing to go to the Lady’s realm that often.

As they made their way to the Gate, an unnamed Valkyrie appeared instantaneously before Sindra, almost out of thin air.

“Report Soldier.” Sindra said sternly. The unnamed Valkyrie slammed her fist into her chestplate.

“Ma’am, an increasing amount of seismic activity has been detected in the local vicinity.” The Valkyrie said.

“I see. Take your sisters and scout the surrounding area, report back immediately.” Sindra ordered. The subordinate saluted again, and disappeared from sight as quickly as she’d arrived.

Drew looked over to Sindra with a cocked eyebrow, his body language asking the question that didn’t need to be voiced aloud.

“No, it’s likely fine. We have everything handled here.” Sindra said to Drew. He nodded his head, and they continued towards the Gate.

The Valkyrie wasn’t mistaken, there was seismic activity, and it was quickly increasing in strength and speed. It’d only been five minutes, and yet the ground near Sanctuary seemed to be undergoing some kind of strange minor earthquake. Drew could see the citizens stop their work and begin to look around and take shelter away from the nearby buildings.

By the time Drew’s group had almost reached the Gate, the Valkyrie reappeared.

“Report.” SIndra commanded.

“Seismic activity is being caused by two peak C Grade beasts five miles to the south.” The Valkyrie said.

C Grade!? I’m not even in D Grade yet!

“Territorial fight?” Sindra asked.

“Most likely ma’am.” The Valkyrie nodded.

The quake grew stronger, and Drew’s group turned their eyes to the south.

What in the actual fu…

“It’s beautiful.” Spock said.

Drew and Amber turned their pale faces toward Spock, questioning the type of drugs the man was on, and where they might find some. Drew turned back towards the south.

A mountain, in the shape of a bear stood on its hind legs, rocks, and trees growing from its back. It stood so tall that it was clearly visible above the local trees surrounding the area. Those same trees barely came up to the beast’s ankles. It took a step forward and all the timber beneath its foot disappeared without a trace. It opened its large maw and several seconds later a pulse of air swept through Sanctuary, carrying the unmistakable roar of a beast that sounded like rocks grating upon each other.

Facing the mountain was a chicken. Not a Dicken either, but an Actual chicken. It looked like a silver laced wyandotte chicken. The glaring difference was the beast’s size. It stood close to equal to the height of the bear… mountain… thing. Arcs of lightning danced about its silver laced feathers, its head cocking as it observed its enemy.

“Big ones.” Sindra grunted.

Drew could only mutely nod his head.

The Mountain Bear swiped with its right paw, and the giant chicken tilted back slightly, the car-sized claws of the bear missing the chicken’s neck. The Chicken leaned back and to the left slightly, and then flipped into a karate-style kick with its right foot. The talons of its foot raked into the stone and trees that made up the bear’s armor. Large divots the size of small school buses tore through the armor, and blood pooled and fell from the wounds.

The bear roared in anger and took another swipe at the Lightning Chicken, one of its claws nicking the chicken’s chest. The giant chicken bled slightly from the wound as a couple of drops hit the ground below, flattening several trees. The Chicken jumped straight up, and flipped, kicking the bear with both legs before landing. The Mountain Bear flew backward and hit the ground, tearing up the countryside as it slid.

The ground of Sanctuary faltered, and a new quake hit the settlement as multiple citizens fell on their asses. The bear stumbled to its feet, causing aftershocks, and reached down and picked up a… fucking bridge, and held it like a stick. Apparently the bear wanted more reach to deal with the chicken’s kicks and found an improvised weapon in the form of… That’s an entire fucking bridge! And he’s using it like a stick!

The hair on the back of Drew’s neck shot up, and a chill went down his spine, as a bright blue ball of light formed in front of the chicken’s beak. Another pulsewave of sound crossed the countryside, and with it brought a most familiar sound.

The old sound of dial-up internet blasted through the air, except it was much louder, and Drew saw several citizens holding their heads in agony as their ear drums likely ruptured. Drew looked back up to the chicken, and the small blue ball of energy was now a massive sphere. The ground quaked as the bear walked towards the chicken, it swung the bridge with its massive power and…

*ADIN ADIN ERK PRSHHHHHHHHH* The Dial-up tone finished.

*BUR-GURK!* The giant chicken clucked.

The azure sphere of power blew outward like a real life Kamehameha Wave. The scene turned, Drew could no longer see, he was blinded by the light. Seconds later his vision returned somewhat splotchy, with several bright colored lights as his eyes tried to repair themselves from the damage.

The Mountain bear stood, its entire upper torso completely vaporized, little plumes of smoke came up off its remaining bottom torso, and then that torso fell, causing another quake to Sanctuary. Somewhere out in the vast Multiverse, Son Goku must be smiling.

Drew turned his head to Sindra, and she made eye contact with him.

“Not to worry, if it comes close, I’ll take care of it.” Sindra said with a nod of her head, clearly confident of her ability to kill that thing.

Drew, Amber, Freya, and Spock headed to walk into the now opened Gate.

“I need a damn vacation.” Drew muttered to himself.

“Same.” Amber agreed.

“Indeed.” Spock also muttered.

“Boof!” Freya added.