The pool hall cleared out in a hurry after the fight, leaving just the couple, their attackers, and a few old hands who seemed unconcerned about the whole thing. Oliver, knowing it was likely someone had called the police, took a seat on a stool to wait for them while he kept his eyes on the man still writhing in pain on the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Poli still had her guy under control, and Oliver chuckled at how easy she made it look.
It was only a matter of a few minutes before a pair of officers charged through the door, looking ready for the worst. The rather calm and controlled situation surprised them, and they exchanged a few quiet words before splitting apart. Oliver watched as the older officer, his uniform straining to contain his girth, checked the one on the floor before using his radio to call for an ambulance.
Glad he didn't have to worry about that one anymore, Oliver turned to where Poli was talking casually the other officer. Tall, broad shoulders, a square jaw, and incredibly handsome... A small pang of jealousy ran through Oliver as he saw Poli laugh at something the Officer said. Walking their way, Oli caught just the end of their conversation.
“...if you had told me you liked to play pool, I would have invited you out a while ago, Ramirez.” Seeing Oliver approaching, the Officer voice turned gruff and short. “Maybe keep you out of a fight, too. So, this guy managed to drag my girl into trouble?”
Oliver stopped in place, his mind racing at the words. Was there something between them? Did this guy have a thing for Poli too? Already frustrated from assholes messing up a good date, he struggled with how to respond.
Poli let out a groan and shook her head, cutting in before Oliver could respond. “Come on, Franklin. Dealing with these idiots was enough; I don't need you giving my boyfriend a hard time too.”
Oliver's concerns washed away instantly. With a bright smile, he stepped over and took Poli's hand in his. “To be honest, I would have preferred to avoid trouble like this. I just didn't expect someone would actually be that stupid.”
Franklin snorted in laughter before giving them both a smile. “When dealing with people, you should always expect an idiot or two. Its like a rule of life or something. Now, are you going to introduce us Ramirez? Or should I just call him 'the boyfriend'?”
With an amused smile, she offered a quick introduction. “Oli, this is Officer Franklin Pierce. Franklin, this is my boyfriend Oliver. Oliver Silk, since I know you need it for the report.”
Franklin covered his face to hide a smirk, suppressed laughter in his voice. “Oli and Poli? Really?”
Oli and Poli shared a look, knowing this would be all too common an occurrence in the future. They wouldn't show it, but both were secretly pleased.
After talking with Franklin and his partner, who Oli learned was Officer Blunt(and greatly appreciated the irony of Pierce and Blunt being partners), the questions and paperwork over the incident only took a few minutes. Sitting in his truck together, Oli relaxed into the seat for a moment. “I really enjoyed our date, Poli. I wish it didn't have to end.”
Poli stared at their hands, fingers interlaced, for a minute. “I... I don't really want it to end either. How about we go to my place? I know we're both trying for something serious, and I definitely appreciate that about you, but it doesn't mean we can't cuddle and watch a movie... Or whatever else we decided to do.”
Brushing a hand across her cheek, Oliver leaned in and kissed her. Her soft, full lips made him want to devour her, but he kept the kiss gentle, almost chaste. “As you wish.”
Poli erupted with laughter as he started the truck. “Did you really just quote The Princess Bride on our first date? After our first kiss!”
Oliver woke to a dark mass of hair tickling his face, Polina's face pressed into his chest like she was trying to hide from the world in his embrace. Wrapping his arms around her gently, he just lay there until he felt her begin to stir. “Morning sleepyhead.”
Poli grumbled as she snuggled closer to him. “Can't we just stay in bed all day?”
He chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. “We can. Or we can get up and I'll make breakfast.” Glancing at the clock, he corrected himself with a laugh. “Lunch. I can make lunch. It's up to you, though.”
With a sigh, she pushed away from him. “Lunch does sound good. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen; I'll join you after I go to the bathroom..”
As they climbed out of bed, Oli snagged her for a quick kiss before heading for the kitchen. Her house was a nice two-bedroom with a modest yard that felt comfortable to him. The kitchen was modest, with a little breakfast nook overlooking the backyard. With a quick look through the pantry, he started pulling things out for their meal.
Poli joined him just as he started cooking, his cell phone in her hand. “Someone texted you while I was coming out of the bathroom. I think you've got like 20 unread messages or something.”
“You mind checking those for me? My pass-code is 0729.”
Oliver, focused as he was on the food, barely heard her amused snort before she spoke. “You know, most guys wouldn't dare give their new girlfriend access to their phone like that. Gary, Ed and Marty are your roommates,right? Looks like you got a bunch of texts in a group chat from each of them, all pretty much along the same theme of assuming you came home with me and congratulating you on 'hooking up with the hot cop'. And a bunch of hearts and kissy faces with our names in the middle.” Oliver could hear the smile in her voice as she scrolled further. “Marty says you had a package come in. Asked if you ordered bricks or something because it was heavy. And... Ed and Gary want to know if you're going to a party with them tonight.”
Oliver nodded along as she read it off to him, excitement blooming in his chest at the mention of a package. Shaking his head at Marty's description, he started pulling out plates for their food. “It's mostly just printer paper I ordered for work, it shouldn't be that heavy. Well, I guess it is a lot of paper...”
“Do you want me to answer them about the party?”
Despite her simple, curious tone, he hesitated. Would she want to go to a college party with him? Despite how much he would enjoy that, he had already considered the possible complications. Just like he explained to his friends, there were a lot of ways it could go wrong. Assuming she was even interested.
Her arms wrapping around him from behind drew him from his pondering, and he couldn't help but lean back into her. “It's ok if you don't want to invite me along, Oli. I can imagine that a lot of college kids would have a problem with a cop showing up to their wild party.”
“I've thought about that, but I do actually want to bring you. I'm not really worried about their what any of them think, I just don't want to put you in the difficult spot. Though usually nothing illegal happens beyond a little underage drinking. Most of them aren't dumb enough to bring drugs to a big party, or if they do, I've never seen it.”
Kissing the back of his neck as she disengaged from the hug, she took a seat in the breakfast nook. “Well, it's up to you. But if you really want me to go, I promise to only step in if I see something seriously illegal or dangerous. No checking IDs or waving my badge around, just going to a party with my boyfriend.”
Oliver's heart fluttered at being called her boyfriend again. Setting a plate in front of her, he took his seat across from her with a bright smile. “I guess we're going to a party tonight. I'll need to run home for a change of clothes and to get some work done today, but I can come back for dinner before the party if you want.”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“It's a date, Oli.”
Climbing into his truck, Oliver opened the Commissions tab and froze in shock- the list had changed! Scrolling through page after page, he searched his memory for anything for any connection to what he was seeing. After more than a dozen pages, he resorted to skipping ten pages at a time. After more than a hundred pages he stopped, having finally saw something familiar.
Paging back slowly, he found the first set of commissions he had ever read. As he processed what he was seeing, he groaned at the realization. “It's sorted newest to oldest. Wait...I got the system last Sunday, and this is Saturday... Does it update the Commissions page on the last day of the week? I guess it could just update on this day each month, but that doesn't feel right. There's nothing special about today...”
Brow furrowed in thought, Oliver started driving slowly. He already had a plan today, though the new commissions meant he could potentially expand on that. By the time he reached he reached his destination, a single idea was forefront in his mind. “Multi-Dimensional... With all the variables that can factor into the development of other dimensions, couldn't time itself be one? Then would the day or time of the new commissions popping up even matter?”
Shrugging off the question, he knew it didn't matter. It wasn't like the system was going to suddenly answer him. And finding answers to something like that would likely drive the greatest scientific minds to madness.
With another mystery set aside, Oliver quickly looked through the new commissions for any he could easily fulfill at the hardware store he was sitting in front of. Not wanting what he was doing to be too visible, he discarded any that required bulky materials before finally finding one that looked perfect.
* Nails. And Tools- Damned goblins winged our blacksmith in a raid, and we're in a rough spot until he can work again. We're running out of nails, and some of our tools are wearing down or breaking. 1 credit per nail-we'll take as many as we can get. 50 for a pair of sturdy hammers. 40 for a pair of handsaws. 40 for a good wood ax.
Adding that commission to the one for fertilizer, and this could be a profitable day. Grabbing a large cart, he started through the store, reading the signs to find the right aisles. Turning down the right aisle, he debated how many nails to buy. Looking at the prices, he quickly checked his bank account, frowning at how little money was left. Pulling up his current credit total, he muttered to himself. “You've got to spend money to make money, right? It's been almost a week since my last transfer, and the system did say that its secure...”
With just 783 credits to his name, Oliver exchanged 500, hoping that $5000 in his bank account would be enough, at least for now. He quickly loaded up 8 of the big 50lb boxes of nails, each holding 500 nails. 'They did say they'll take as many as they can get', he rationalized. Marching further into the store, he collected the pairs of hammers and handsaws, the ax, and finally swung around to grab four more bags of fertilizer to round out his shopping trip. Making his way towards the checkout, he spotted a section with a bunch of first aid kits and supplies. Remembering how well the Siege Supplies commission paid, he quickly loaded up on some more just to pad out his payday.
The cashier gave him a strange look as he was checking out. Scanning the bags of fertilizer, the older man tried for a casual tone as he spoke. “A bit late in the year for a garden, isn't it?”
Oliver shrugged as he swiped his card, catching a hint of suspicion from the man. “I wouldn't know really. I'm just the errand boy, picking up what is needed for different jobs. Today it's tools and fertilizer, tomorrow I could be running out for burgers and barbed wire, or a load of dirt, or who knows what. Kinda boring, but easy work for a college kid like me.” Oliver gave the man a friendly smile on the way out, trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on his back.
Pulling up at his house, he was relieved to see his roommates were out, likely grabbing lunch. Checking his phone, he saw a text confirming this and asking if he was joining them. Firing off a quick apology for missing it, he put away his phone and sent off the two commissions sitting in the truck bed.
Siege Supplies
Foodstuffs-0lbs
Medical Supplies-assorted
Calculating value...
Transferring...
Transaction complete.
Commission reward: 1985 credits.
Nails and Tools
Nails-4000
Hammer-2
Handsaws-2
Wood Ax-1
Transferring...
Transaction complete.
Commission reward: 4130 credits.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer-160lbs
Transferring...
Transaction complete.
Commission reward: 1600 credits.
Oliver restrained himself from fist pumping in excitement. 7715 credits in one day. Plus the bit that he had left from the transfer earlier, and he had almost 8000 credits. Before he could consider what to do with them, he remembered the package inside filled with paper for another commission. Hurrying inside, he found the package in his room where his friends had left it for him. As he opened the package, he searched through the tab for the right commission and read it again.
* Noteworthy- Paper has become far too rare! How can a government operate without proper paperwork? I can offer 1 credit per page of decent quality paper. No scraps or damages! (Repeatable)
Double checking that nothing was missing, he quickly sent off the last commission for the day.
Noteworthy
Paper-5000 sheets
Transferring...
Transaction complete.
Commission reward: 5000 credits.
His breath caught in his throat. He had already calculated the amount, but actually seeing it... “It was listed as repeatable, so maybe...” Pondering to himself, he quickly opened the Commissions tab and skipped pages to where he had just seen it listed. Not seeing it where he knew it should be, he scanned a few more pages before closing the window. “Like I figured, they list it as repeatable expecting multiple exchanges to complete it but pull it once they get enough. I guess there is a limit on how much I can milk the easy jobs.”
Brushing off the stray thoughts, Oliver focused on his total credits. With nearly 13,000 available, he went over his options for how to spend them. Upgrading his attributes more was already a strong option, but the next locked tab presented a serious temptation. It's 10,000 credit price tag, while manageable, would limit what else he could do if he wanted to keep some credits in reserve for emergencies.
Oliver leaned back at his desk, taking his time to consider the pros and cons to both choices. The locked tab was a complete unknown, and a fairly large gamble at this point. Only the benefits he had gained from unlocking the previous tab seemed to imply how useful each new tab could be. Though, he reminded himself, those benefits had additional costs as well. If this one followed similar logic, spending most of his credits just to unlock it wouldn't provide any immediate gains, but maybe in the long term...
Increasing his attributes, though... He could see the possibility of increasing Intelligence, and perhaps Willpower. Maybe they would help him with his college classes. Luck was another option, but its effects were less obvious. Vitality to be healthier, maybe? Spirit was another mystery, and he wasn't sure how it would help him. Strength and Agility likely wouldn't matter either. Its not like he played any sports or worked in manual labor.
Something tickled at the back of his mind when he started to dismiss Strength and Agility. Wracking his mind to track down the errant thought, Oliver scratched the back of his head and froze when it hit him-not unlike a recent blow to the head. He huffed out a laugh as he stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I've had assholes attack me twice in a week. So, either Luck to try and avoid it-which didn't seem to make much difference before, but who knows?- or Strength and Agility to be able to fight back. I'm starting to wish I had taken those martial arts classes like mom suggested when I was little.”
The possible benefits from the locked tab versus the guaranteed benefits of increasing attributes... When he took into account the recent conflicts, especially the likelihood of Carl causing more issues, it became an easy choice. As to what attributes to raise... Oliver delved into his experiences with both video games and tabletop role playing games, and pointedly reminded himself that this was his life. There were no re-spawns, no extra lives. No second chances.
So Oliver asked himself, what do you do when you have no knowledge of what enemies or challenges are coming, no idea about possible builds or strats, limited information on what your attributes even do, and you're playing on hardcore difficulty with a single life? A balanced build, prioritizing survival, until you can gather more information.
With his approach ready, he did some quick mental math. Increasing Strength and Vitality from 11 up to 13 to match his Agility would cost a total of 10,000 credits, leaving him with a healthy credit reserve. On a whim, he spent another 1,000 credits to increase Luck to 11, leaving him with just 2,000 credits for emergencies, which he found acceptable.
Finalizing his choice, he felt the warm current running through his body again, this time more intensely. His entire body vibrated in place, he immediately regretted purchasing all of the upgrades at once as what felt like a full-body workout the first time ramped up to a higher level. When it finally ended, he collapsed into his seat, a deep ache running through his body before slowly fading away after a few minutes.
“Note to self: Only increase one stat by one point at a time. I should write that down.”