Aaron woke up in a little different circumstance than his typical Wednesday. He opened his eyes to find not the comfortable, if small, college apartment he had grown used to, but instead a polished mirror floor. Looking to the left he saw a wall of similarly polished marble. “Why is the mirror on the fucking floor? Did I just wake up in some fanservice anime?”
“Not quite” replied a voice that put nails on a chalkboard to shame. The hair on the back of Aaron’s neck stood to attention and seemed to tingle with every word. Old habits swept around his shoulders like the embrace of a friend’s greeting. Slowly turning in place, his gaze passed over crown molding, sort of. The molding seemed to change size across the length of the wall growing larger and smaller seemingly at random. The air tasted slightly of cherries and the world seemed tinged pink. The wavy lines of the space aside, there was a group of lounge chairs around a comfortable hearth. In the largest of the armchairs sat the source of the reply.
“Did I surprise you, Aaron?” The man’s face was framed by angular features, although Aaron’s eyes seemed to skate over anything more specific. One moment the man appeared clean shaved, the next he sported a perfectly groomed goatee.
Aaron quirked a brow and gave the stranger a half smirk. “I end up surprised a lot recently. What’s your name stranger, you have me intrigued.” Aaron’s voice had a moderately high tone to it that always upset him, but it was the only one he had to use.
The stranger answered Aaron’s smirk with one of pure predation and the glee of the hunt, “My name is my own, but you may call me the Dealer until you find something more suitable to call me yourself.” The Dealer’s voice had shifted in tone, becoming similar in quality to the call of a fox horn carried by hunting knights in the fantasy movies of Aaron’s childhood.
Sitting lightly on the arm of the chair across from the Dealer Aaron smiled genuinely for the first time in a while. “Alright then Dealer, I’m sure you have a suitably impressive speech planned for this wonderful moment, but I have one simple question before you monologue.”
“This conversation, or rather a version of it, is happening with every sentient being across your world. And no, I cannot read your mind.” The voice settled into one a high-level businessman might use while on a conference call. Level and even, leaving no room for doubt as to the amount of experience behind it.
The smile vanished from Aaron’s face as quickly as it had first appeared. Not a dream then, but that doesn’t make sense. “Explain this shit now or let me go.”
The Dealer’s smirk never even flinched. “Your world is interesting to us, and we have decided to reward your people for their entertainment value.”
Oh fuck, Aaron heard every syllable but only a few mattered: interesting; reward; entertainment value. This is bad.
The Dealer’s smirk deepened as he continued, “We decided to introduce some of your world’s creative productions into your reality matrix. You’ll find elements like RPG style quests when we finish our conversation. Your world’s society has been collapsed and all technology class 2 and above has been removed. We’ve introduced monster populations and many other surprises for your people to entertain us with. This is the tutorial so to speak.”
Well, that was a lot to take in, Aaron reached back to memories in Charleston and pushed a familiar, if dusty, “I Believe” button. “Let’s assume this isn’t some insanity or dream for a minute. Why would I want to entertain you?”
The rumble of the Dealer’s answering chuckle was pleasant in Aaron’s ear, “You won’t have to do anything differently than you have already fantasized about a thousand times over. The deepest imaginations you’ve ever dreamed of can be a reality. Your potential is unlimited, and we only wish to see what happens.” The Dealer paused, clearly reveling in the drama of the moment, “Your society lacked the ability to bring this to pass, do not assume that is true of all societies.”
One hell of a first contact then I suppose. “So, what kind of deal have you come to make Dealer?”
“Your world’s class 2 and above technologies have been removed from the reality matrix. In compensation for the value of not only the technology itself but all knowledge about that technology, which is now useless, you have been assigned soul coins according to how much you are personally affected.”
“Can you give me an example of a technology I’m familiar with to help me follow?” Aaron said.
“The nuclear powerplant aboard US Navy aircraft carriers you worked on would be class 4. A similar diesel power plant would be class 3. A simple hydraulic power plant would be class 2. Electricity is lost to your people.”
That hit Aaron like the gavel of a god. Humanity had mastered electricity for long enough that few Americans lived without reliable access to something electric. Everything from shaving to communication used electricity. Hell, we can’t go outside without using electric lights half the time.
“Okay so it’s a complete wipe for most of my generation then. So, what is your opening offer?”
The Dealer chuckled darkly, “I like you, your personality aside, your life is affected to the extent that I am willing to provide you with 500 silver soul coins. A generous amount if I do say so myself.”
“I’m sure every negotiator wishes to set not only the currency they deal in but its value as well.”
The dealer’s face became bashful as he replied, “What currencies would you have this transaction occur in then? The US Dollar? The peso? CAD?”
“Let’s start with a USD amount and convert from that final number to your soul coins.” Replied Aaron with a smile, genuine once again.
“I will give you four million USD for all property class 2 and above as well as any knowledge you have acquired related to it.”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Six.”
“Done.” As the word left the Dealer’s mouth, Aaron felt everything he knew about his old life as a nuclear mechanic flow away. Before Aaron could react with an appropriate amount of drama, the Dealer continued as if nothing had happened, “Now that our first transaction is complete may we haggle more politely?”
Aaron swallowed, “Okay, I’ll behave.” He may have been shaken but that wouldn’t get in the way of a good deal, and to get one of those, he needed more information. “What are the other kinds of soul coins?”
“There are Steel, Silver, and Gold coins that are relevant to your situation.” answered the Dealer.
“And what is the conversion rate between them?”
The Dealer replied, “One hundred of a lower coin is equivalent to one higher coin. Most of the transactions in your life going forward will not even use silver coins. I anticipate that you will likely be working with silver coins when we move on to our next set of deals.”
That made sense to Aaron, “So if you offered me five hundred silver coins based on four million USD that makes for an exchange rate of eight-thousand US Dollar to one silver coin.”
“That would be the rate I used correct.”
“I’d argue with that if I had any clue how those were actually established. With six million USD that makes seven hundred and fifty silver coins.”
“Correct.” Replied the Dealer
“Now what?”
“We rebuild your life to be based around class one and class zero technology.” Replied the Dealer.
“I’m guessing that means my days of teetering on the edge of an agricultural life just ended. Time to lean into that manic phase. What can I do that would fit into the ranching lifestyle?”
“You can take the rancher class and stake a claim for yourself. I will sell the class to you for one hundred silver soul coins.”
“What other classes can I chose from?”
“Anything you can imagine, I can trade. A combat class such as archer would cost one hundred silver soul coins as well.”
“Okay, and I assume a class like a medieval knight would be more?”
Nodding, the Dealer replied, “Indeed, the knight class is three hundred silver coins.”
“Then I accept your opening class offer in return for your earlier acceptance of my own offer.”
A warm feeling swept through Aaron’s body. Suddenly all the knowledge and research, as well as practical experience he had with ranching, slight though it may have been, solidify and strengthen, filling the gaps left behind by the Dealer’s earlier magic. He just, knew more. “Odd, okay so maybe this isn’t a hallucination. If you can trade me knowledge, then surely you can trade me property on this new world?”
“Of course, what would interest you?”
“One hundred acres of pasture-land with reliable water access would be a good start.”
“I can provide you with that and transport you to it at the end of our conversation for another 100 silver soul coins.”
“The class is that valuable?”
“No, any class would be that valuable. Classes are not a simple advancement structure. The simplest structure would be cultivation. Cultivation allows for the individual to begin with nothing other than their trail and develop their own abilities. This is not to say that cultivation is simple to master, it just has a significantly lower starting cost.”
“I see,” replied Aaron, “I will give you seventy-five silver coins.”
“Unacceptable.” The Dealer’s voice was firm and unyielding.
Aaron let the silence sit and sink into the room like the sweet smell of the hickory wood smoke coming from the hearth keeping them so comfortably warm. “I will give you eighty-five silver coins and one lamb per lambing for five years.”
The Dealer’s smirk widened into a genuine smile for the first time since Aaron sat down, “It’s always so nice when someone leans into the new matrix. I accept your offer.”
A screen appeared in Aaron’s vision.
You have gained, 750 Silver Soul Coins.
You have spent, 285 Silver Soul Coins.
You have entered a contractual agreement with, The Dealer, penalty clauses apply should you fail to honor your agreements.
You have, 465 Silver Soul Coins.
You have gained access to Unnamed Ranch.
Well okay then, taking a deep breath Aaron swept a hand through the screen and it disappeared. “I’m going to need starter stock. What would an adult female sheep cost?”
“Ten steel coins.” Replied the Dealer, his voice no longer shifted as it did before, in fact, it almost seemed to purr with enthusiasm.
Startled at the eagerness in the Dealer’s tone Aaron said, “You seem too pleased with that number.”
The Dealer’s reply to Aaron surprised him, “You see now that commerce is different than it used to be. The value of the property in your old life cannot be rectified to fit within the current economy. You will have to leave behind your old perception of value and develop a new one. While it is true that you are placed at a disadvantage by this it is not in my nature to be cruel, after all, my entertainment relies quite specifically on your success. I am your patron, and you, are my client.”
“I see, in that case I will give you five steel coins per sheep.”
The Dealer chuckled and countered, “Eight per female, or ewe, and seven per male, or ram. Let’s at least use the correct vocabulary, shall we? I know the class provided you with everything you would need.”
“Agreed. You say my success is in your best interest, why is that?”
“My kind are powerful, but even we have our limits. I am only able to watch the life of one mortal full time and I would hate to miss a single detail of my favorite character’s life.”
The casual way in which the Dealer used the word character did not do its significance justice. Aaron had to remind himself of the breathing patterns he learned in therapy after his time in the navy. Once his breathing was under control and he felt grounded, Aaron asked, “Why did you just call me a character?”
The Dealer patiently explained, “To me and my kind, your world is the equivalent of a novel. I am somewhat of a nerd to my kind in that I have only one character I watch at a time, but it is an oddity allowed to me in recognition of my achievements. Others will not have this level of interaction with their Watchers. We all will go by the name the Dealer and appear identical.” As he finished speaking, he seemed to come into focus in Aaron’s vision for the first time. No longer just a non-descript man in an armchair, Aaron saw the Dealer sitting with his legs crossed, draping one arm over the brown leather of the back of the plush chair. The Dealer reminded Aaron of a feudal lord holding court with a favored subject from the books he used to read more than he did a salesman, regardless of how many transactions they had already concluded in that vein.
“I’ll do my best to use the vocabulary you provide me with in our future deals. I’d like thirty ewes and enough rams to maintain their breeding rotation. What would you require in trade for that?”
“Two hundred and forty steel coins for the ewes, and two rams would be two hundred and fifty-seven steel soul coins.” Replied the Dealer his tone reminded Aaron of rich flavors and a lowness that made it feel round and full.
“I accept your terms Dealer.”
“Then I have one final offer to make you. I will provide you with the tools necessary to perform the functions of your class at the basic level. These supplies will cost you one silver coin and I’ll not haggle on this.” The Dealer paused, eyeing Aaron like a cat waiting for the mouse to twitch. He continued, his voice carrying the weight of finality, “This price is standard.”
Aaron swallowed at the pressure exerted by the Dealer’s voice. His skin crawled at the very idea of attempting to negotiate. Grimacing, Aaron tried to open his mouth to ask why there was no room for negotiation here, when there had been everywhere else. What he discovered was that the Dealer was simply making a point. Aaron’s mouth refused to open. It simply did not comply with his instructions, no matter how many times Aaron tried. He stopped thinking about countering and his jaw seemed to loosen. Tension he had felt a moment ago suddenly washed away as Aaron nodded his head in agreement.