Chapter Forty-Four: The Best In The Business.

[Rod, are you okay?]

“Yeah, I think so.” But I didn’t move, my body felt heavy, and my mind swirled like a drain, my thoughts fading faster than I could form them. My hands clenched and unclenched reflexively as if trying to grasp the fleeting fragments of the memory. Of all the memories so far, this one had made the least sense. My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of what I had seen. Sure, it was when I met Peckolin, but the memory had barely shown me anything. I didn’t feel like I knew myself better or knew any more about what kind of person Candar or Peckolin were.

[Then perhaps,] Crystal said. [Now that you are back from your little break, we can go back to the task at hand?]

I shook my head one last time, trying to clear the lingering haze. The air felt cooler, tinged with the faint scent of iron and earth from the terracotta walls around me. I could hear the distant echo of dripping water, adding to the mysterious ambiance of the room. “Alright, how does this work?”

[It's straightforward; now that we've cleared this room, you've unlocked a new interface. An interface is like my parchments that float around, allowing you to see what I say. This new one creates a pattern of lines, and the Aerlyntium items will pop into place along the lines. Currently, you only have 20% of the room space cleared to build in.]

"Okay, let's experiment then. Take out the merchant stall and place it here against the wall."

[Sure thing, but you have to place it. I can't do that for you.]

Suddenly, a merchant stall, ten feet tall and twice as wide, shimmered into a ghostly existence. The wood looked worn and aged, its surface etched with countless scratches. The faint scent of old spices and weathered wood filled the air, evoking memories of the bustling marketplace at the entrance. I ran my fingers over the stall's surface, feeling the grooves and indentations left by years of use, the rough texture grounding me in the surreal moment. Like Crystal said, it moved along these green lines that formed boxes. I could mentally move it from one line to another quickly. I mentally shifted the stall in line with the wall closest to me. A tiny wisp of paper scroll appeared near the stall, fluttering gently in the air like the ones Crystal generated. My fingers itched to examine it, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

The wall was nearly 100 feet high and made of the same terracotta material as the rest of the city. An iron grate was embedded in the terracotta wall, rusty and ancient. Below it, a dry river bed stretched out, its stones smooth and polished from long-gone water flow. My mind immediately went to the "river" item I had picked up.

“Crystal, I’d like to place an item down: the river item.”

[Sure thing.]

The most surreal experience of my life happened in the next moment. I was immediately enveloped by a block of water, maybe 20 feet long and 5 feet wide. The water was cool to the touch, its surface shimmering with an ethereal glow. I gasped, expecting the icy rush to fill my lungs, but instead, I breathed in fresh, crisp air. My heart raced with the surreal sensation of being submerged yet completely dry. It was even more translucent than normal water but moved quickly without dispersing. I fell over from the shock and involuntarily gasped for breath; instead of the deluge of water flooding my lungs I was expecting, I was met with fresh, breathable air.

I took a moment to collect myself after the shock of not drowning. And then moved the water into place. The strangest part was how the water remained solid, almost like solid ice, staying perfectly in place. I ran my fingers along its surface, feeling the chilly, smooth texture that paradoxically felt both solid and fluid.

It was as if the water had frozen in time. I decided to lay down the river spots, except after the second one, I reached the end of the space I had cleared.

“Okay, let’s put the river back for now, thank you." I walked over to the merchant's stall, which was too big, and finally looked at the paper scroll. I was about to reach out to the scroll when it suddenly unfurled on its own with a soft rustling sound.

The parchment was yellowed with age, and faint glyphs glowed along its edges. As I reached out, a tingling sensation ran up my arm as if the scroll itself was alive with ancient energy. I hesitated, a mix of curiosity and caution warring within me. As it opened, a faint, musty smell wafted up, like old books in a forgotten library.

Merchants stall 1 of ???

0 % Complete

Slot

Amount

Alice

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

0/1

Lantern

0/1

Banner

0/1

Barrel

0/1

Butcher's Knife

0/1

Next to each item in the list was a grayed-out image that looked quite similar to each item. At this point, it was clear what I needed to do.

"Crystal, Elizabeth, gah, whatever you want to be called. Can you summon Alice for me?"

[Sure thing.]

And there she was, a matronly-looking woman with a big smile and fierce eyes. She appeared translucent at first, her form shimmering like a heat haze. I placed her next to the merchant stall, and with a soft pop, she solidified into a matronly woman with a warm, inviting smile and eyes that sparkled with fierce intelligence. My heart skipped a beat at the sheer magic of it, marveling at the seamless transition from thought to reality.

She stumbled momentarily, her feet finding purchase on the ground, then blinked rapidly as if adjusting to the sudden light. Her expression shifted from confusion to recognition, a warm smile spreading across her face as she took in her surroundings. Her sharp and observant eyes scanned her surroundings before settling on me with a curious, almost appraising look. Then, a crystal popped up above her head.

Alice's eyes darted around wildly, her voice rising in pitch. 'What, what's happening? How am I not dead? I ran out of runs… Wait, is that my stall? Where's my banner? Hey, who are you? What's going on?' Her panic was contagious, making my heart pound. I put my hands up in a placating gesture, trying to calm her.

“Hey, it's okay. I’m a penitent like you. I’m not exactly sure how you are here except that it involved that Rellum guy.” I scratched the back of my head, feeling the weight of her confusion mirrored in my own. “I got a quest to activate something called an Aerlyntium. And that Aerlyntium contained… well… you.”

“But, I died. The Goblin King grabbed my heart out of my chest and crushed it in front of me as I died.” Her eyes glistened with tears, and I blanched at the vivid, horrifying description. “It was my 100th run. Rellum, brought me back?" I rubbed my hands together, my eyes lighting up with a brilliant, albeit greedy, idea forming. The thought of saving these people and having them indebted to me filled me with a mix of excitement and ambition.

I could save all of these people, and they would be beholden to and grateful to me: discounts, free money, an extra hand for making my way through the dungeon.

"What's past is breakfast, my dad always says. Let's move on from that existential stuff. You got a new lease on life, and I plan on breaking through this floor to the 3rd. Maybe I can score everyone an exit off this floor, get y'all back on track to finishing or moving on from here." I said.

"What's your name, lad?" She said.

“Rod. Rod Argent, at your service. As soon as I get more of these Aerlyntium things, I’ll get your shop set up nice and proper-like.” I said

"Well, Rod, if you're serious about this, I have a couple of special requests." She said and then continued after I nodded assent.

“I would like to claim the center aisle spot. It always gets the most traffic and would benefit my business.' She glanced around, her eyes calculating, as if she could already see the bustling market in her mind's eye.

“And what exactly is your business? “

"Goblin Steaks! The best in the business. I actually started the fad. We hunted them so much; it's part of the reason I lost so many lives. I'd clear the dungeon floor, kill all the goblins, butcher their bodies, prepare the meat for storage, and then sell them here in the hero's market. And then, when I ran out of material, I'd let the floor reset, go get more, rinse, and repeat. Of course, I had only realized near the end that I was digging a hole for myself."

I grimaced, the idea of goblin steaks turning my stomach, but I nodded. “I only have access to about 20% of the room. I'll have to clear multiple floors before I can meet your requests, but I'll get there eventually."

“Oh, okay then,” she said, her voice tinged with desperation. “Do you have any money? My inventory is gone, so I will have to find my corpse in the boss's room, which will take a while.”

I grimaced. “How much do you need?”

"Not much, maybe 50, should be enough before I can get with some of my old contacts if there are any around.” She sighed. “There was no way I could get back into the dungeon without any gear. At least they gave me my shop apron." She held her hand expectantly, and I tried to hide my grimace.

“Here you go.”

"Don't you worry, this is a kindness I won't forget. I'll be able to scrounge some food and return here within an hour.”

[I'm glad to see you learn from your mistakes. You didn’t even lie and say you didn’t have any gold. You aren't even complaining anymore. Still, what's your angle? This isn't like you.]

I wasn't even worried about telling the truth here. My plan benefitted me, and it benefited others. "A little bit of it is greed,” I admitted to her. “This will help me greatly, but I should’ve realized a while ago that listening to you was a good idea.” The realization felt like a turning point, a small step towards something better.

[My last host didn't make it past the 3rd floor because he made the same mistakes. And wasted all 100 of his attempts. And after he got through this floor in record time. He was stubborn until the end. Now stop dawdling, and let's store everything in the vault and sell some stuff.]

You would think I would be angry that I had a limit to the number of runs, the fact that Crystal had kept this from me, or even that Crystal wasted one of those runs on a tantrum. But I wasn't mad; the new opportunity was everything I had wanted it to be.

Our trek back to the entrance was tedious. The maze's twists and turns were familiar yet no less frustrating in the dark. The air was damp and cold, and the faint rustle of unseen creatures set my nerves on edge. Even with the torchlight flickering, I felt like I was groping through a thick fog. Sure, I had the torch, but I was flailing around in the dark compared to the flute. After 10 minutes of stumbling around, I returned to the entrance.

I yawned as I returned to the entrance. I really was tired. I felt like I could sleep a week, but I didn't know how much it would cost me this time. I decided to pay Klericho a visit, as he was the only friendly face I knew. Hopefully, he could help me figure out why I was so tired or at least help me figure out what to do about it.