Oliver slept better than he had in weeks. Being able to catch up with his friends, and not having to worry about keeping secrets from them... Was a relief, especially after how crazy the last job had ended up. And, now that he was back, he intended to sleep in and relax for a few days... Which only really lasted a few hours; then he got bored of just laying around.
That's how he found himself in Tyrone's office, sitting around the desk with all four of his friends the next day.
Spread across the desk were more gaming books than Oliver even knew existed- all of them having come straight from Marty's collection. High fantasy, superhero, dystopian, powder-punk, weird west, space opera... every genre he could think of, plus a few he hadn't even thought of.
“You're going to have to walk me through this, Marty. What are all these for? And why are you cluttering up my desk with them?” Tyrone asked, staring wide-eyed at the stacks of books.
Marty chuckled softly as he, Ed, and Gary started to rapidly thumb through book after book. “What, never played a TTRPG? Sorry, that stands for-”
“I know what it stands for.” Tyrone interrupted with a glare. “Like Dungeons and Dragons, right? I mean, I've never played any, but... that still doesn't tell me why you brought so many. Aren't these all different games? I thought you wanted to brainstorm ideas for the whole Bounty thing with Oliver...”
“Exactly!” Marty exclaimed, tapping the open book in front of him. “And this is where we start!”
Flipping the book around, he laid it in front of Tyrone as the others looked on in amusement- he was the only one that hadn't been dragged into one of Marty's games before, and, thus, the only one that didn't see where this was going. T was one of the best partners for video games, but, between classes and football, he didn't really have time for the long table top games that Marty preferred.
“Take a look at this, T, and tell me what you think.” Marty smiled smugly as he tapped the page.
Looking down at the book in front of him, Tyrone frowned for a second before a look of understanding flashed across his face. “Magic items...” Glancing back and forth between Marty and Oliver, Tyrone nodded slowly. “You're going to use these rpgs as references while querying the Bounty system, trying to find what is possible and useful for Oli.”
His gaze turned to the sheer variety of genres present as he spoke his thoughts aloud. “That's why you brought so many different books. He said the thing is Multiversal. You expect there to be worlds or Universes that kinda parallel these game settings... And once you know what is possible, it will be easier for Oli to plan out his purchases. So, we're helping him gear up? Nice.”
Marty quirked an eyebrow at his friend, smug smile firmly in place as he gestured towards the book again. “Other than special items, what else do a lot of these games have? Come on, T, I know you know this.”
Tyrone sighed, shaking his head. “Ok, don't be an ass, man. Don't forget, I've never really played these games... But I do remember some of the crazy stories you guys have told. Magic. Spells, specifically. Also, some high technology bullshit. And guns. I get it, ok?”
“We could also reference some of the video games we play; that should probably be T's focus, since he hasn't gotten to play any of these with us.” Ed add without even looking up from his book- which surprised Tyrone and Oliver a bit. It wasn't often they saw their goofball friend being so serious and focused.
Marty nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion. “Yeah, that's perfect. Especially since Oli has already fucked up. We've gotta get his shit straight... Hopefully before he gets himself hurt.”
“Hey, I already explained my logic!” Oliver chimed in with a frown of annoyance. “I don't want to get caught out by some sort of elemental resistance- or immunity- when I'm dealing with some weird alien or something!”
“Yeah, that's decent logic... for later. Elemental resistances and immunity are typically late game-”
“This isn't a game, bro!”
“-and, even if you run into something with a resistance... You still have physical damage from your guns. Not to mention that Blood Aura thing, which is just a health drain.” Marty continued as if Oliver hadn't interrupted him. “There are more important things to cover for now. Threat assessment, utility- like fly or slow fall, which you could have used already... Defensive abilities and recovery. I'm not knocking the healing spell you grabbed, which was a good call, but that's not nearly enough. Poison and disease- or any status effect- removal is critical to have before you need it.”
“I'm immune to diseases. I got that blessing, remember?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Marty sighed at his friends naivety- a rare thing for Oliver, and kind of endearing at times for someone who is usually so composed... But this wasn't something they wanted to play around with. And he know Oli would get it with a single question...
“That's true... But are the rest of us immune too?”
Oliver sat back slowly, face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. Before he could speak- or berate himself internally for his oversight- Marty patted him on the shoulder and offered a reassuring smile.
“I get it, bro. You're original plan was basically to fly solo... Which, honestly, would have simplified the stuff you need to look for. But trying to cover us has just added a lot to it- which we appreciate. And I don't mean just you looking out for us, but also you bringing us in on everything.”
“Honestly, this is probably the coolest and most exciting thing I've been a part of.”
Quickly waving off Oliver's impending apology, Marty pulled out a notebook and a pencil. Glancing around at the group, his smile was bright as he readied himself to take notes. “Ok, guys, lets get this going. T, grab your laptop and start picking out magic and equipment from video games. Ed, Gary, start with the low level magic and items and work your way up. Oli, you do... whatever the system stuff is to look it up.”
“I'll take notes.”
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Oliver felt like he had been put through the ringer. Four hours straight of nothing but Bounty queries, everything from a simple light spell to the gravity hammer from Halo- which, apparently, was a possibility, if likely not exactly the same as the one from the game... and stupidly expensive.
Of course, aside from the video game stuff being a bit all over the place, everything else was strictly low level items and spells from the different game setting. According to the System, almost all of it was Rank 2 stuff and below...
And they hadn't even gone through most of the books they had available, and definitely not through everything that was possible with the system.
“Guys. Guys!” Oliver threw his arms up, stopping the never ending flood of options. “Look, we've been at this for hours... And we aren't even close to done. We'll never be close to done; this little exercise has just proven that without a doubt.”
“Yeah, I was gonna suggest we call it here in a few minutes anyway...” Tyrone added almost absently as he typed away on his computer.
Marty nodded, his enthusiasm undiminished. “I mean, yeah, but we all should have expected that. The point of this wasn't to examine every possibility, but more to get us a good baseline. With this data-” He waved the notebook in his hand. “We've got a better idea of what we're working with and what is possible... Which, admittedly, is a lot. But now we also have an idea on the cost.”
“Honestly, now that I've got this... Give me a couple days and I can have a list of spells and items you should prioritize. Or my assessment of what you should prioritize, at least. Ultimately, it's up to you Oli. You're the one that actually has to earn the credits and buy shit, right?”
Oliver nodded slowly, agreeing with his friend. Marty had been running different table top games for years; if anyone could come up with a decent priority list it was him... And, while he was sure they would disagree on some points, he trusted his friend's advice. “Ok, yeah. That sounds like a plan... And I probably should start on making some more credits.”
“Just don't go off on any Bounties right now, bro.” Tyrone interjected, a complicated look on his face.
Oliver turned, a look of surprise on his face. “I mean, I was planning to hang around for at least a week or two. Decompress from the last one and all that, but...”
Tyrone shifted in his seat, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Well, yeah, that's important. And so is Marty helping you hone in on some solid options for your Bounties... But you should stick around for more than a week or two. I mean, we still need to go over the stuff with the charity... And that's a good chance for you to do some Commissions and build up funds anyway, right?”
Oliver glanced around, seeing the rest of his friends look just as confused by the situation. It felt like Tyrone was rambling, which was a bit odd for their normally direct friend...
When a knock came at the door, Tyrone jumped up instantly. Snapping his laptop closed, he scooped up an armload of the books and started for the door. “Ok, grab the books and lets go guys! Hop to, fellas!”
“Not you, Oli. You stay there!”
Oliver turned, bewildered by the sudden exodus of his friends... Only to freeze in place, his mouth suddenly dry. Fear and anxiety spiked in his heart...
As Polina stepped slowly through the door, looking as beautiful as he had ever seen her... And about as nervous as he was.
His friends had set this up!
“Sorry bro, but I knew that both of you would drag your asses on this... But you both said that you wanted to talk. So... Talk.”
As his friends fled the room, Oliver wanted to say something... Anything... But... What? How much he missed her? How he still loved her?
At times, he struggled with normal conversation... What could he possibly say to start the conversation that meant the most to him?
But she beat him to it.
“Hey, Oli. Tyrone said you wanted to talked... I mean, I want to talk to you...” Poli hesitated for a second, shifting from foot to foot. Her eyes skittered nervously around the room, unable to meet his. “If... If you don't want to, I understand...”