Chapter 67 – Rewards
“Come on, you have to be a little excited about the rewards.” Tobias said.
“I am. I just think you might be a lot more excited than I am.” Matt replied, trying to keep the laugh out of his voice. “It’s kind of weird how we are walking to Theil’s office rather than teleporting. I had no idea the exchange was so… massive.”
Tori was escorting Matt and Tobias to Theil’s office for them to retrieve their rewards and conduct some business. The plan was for her to go with them to their representative and Weltgan would take Tobias afterword so Matt could meet with Lyrenthea.
“Yeah, neither did I. I mean, I knew there was some System shenanigans going on after seeing how the forge room opened from Theil’s office, but this is nuts.” Tobias was like a kid in an amusement park. Everywhere they went, there were new sights and sounds to grab his attention and he hadn’t stopped chattering about everything he saw.
Matt was also stunned by not only the Exchange but also the different species walking around. It was easily the most people he had ever seen in one place and was even more of a discordant sight given how varied they were. Everything from 4-meter-tall ogres to gnomes that barely reached his hip height. But, for all the variance in the people, the foot traffic moved smoothly as they walked down the hall.
“Here we are.” Tori said after leading them down a side hall which was nothing but doors on both sides. Theil had an office about a quarter the way down and, besides the number, only his name on the door made it look any different than the others.
Raising his hand, Matt knocked on the door and was greeted by Theil a moment later as he opened it. The elf had a broad smile on his face that grew slightly strained as he noticed Tori standing just behind them. “Matt, Tobias and the Eternal Warden.” He stepped back and bowed deeply at the waist. “I am honored by your presence.”
“Thanks. It’s good to see you again Theil.” Tobias said as he led the way in and took a seat, Matt sitting next to him, with Tori lounging on the couch in the corner. “Been keeping busy?” He said, making small talk and hoping to comfort the clearly flustered elf.
The tactic seemed to work as Theil brightened considerably. “Not as busy as you two it would seem. Both of you have become a bit of a sensation in my branch. Honestly, I have had more people trying to poach you to their book than I knew even worked here.” He laughed slightly. “Not that I would ever let it happen without your explicit consent.”
“Glad we can help?” Matt said it as a question. He then promptly decided to follow up and get answers for himself. “How does all this work? Representatives, our accounts, all that stuff.”
Theil blinked owlishly at him before sighing. “Well, the better you perform, gaining credits wise I mean, the more rewards I get. For instance, I receive a bonus based on your total income from your class and activities. I can also get additional income if I opened an investment portfolio for you and helped grow that.”
“So, like a normal bank.” Tobias said, nodding along as Theil explained. “Can we take loans and such?”
“Well, yes. But I don’t recommend that since the terms are terrible in the lower grades and once you get into the higher grades and levels, it won’t really matter.” He then glanced to the corner where Tori sat. “There are always alternate sources for income if you run out of things to fight.”
Tori cleared her throat. “Ahem, we will save that discussion until they are a bit older.”
“Of course. Let’s get down to business.”
“…To defeat the Huns…” Tobias sang under his breath.
“Ohh, I liked that one!” Tori said, earning a very confused look from both Matt and Tobias while Theil’s face just had the normal odd expression when dealing with Matt and Tobias.
“Anyway.” Matt said, turning back to Theil and shooting a glance at Tobias on his way. “How did we do?” He was anxious to see what the rewards process looked like and how that would translate into actual, usable things.
Theil rotated his screen around and showed 2 columns, one for Matt and one for Tobias. Numbers started appearing in the section that was above their names, calculating and tallying by line item. To give them a total at the bottom. The whole thing reminded Matt of something he had seen when walking through the accounting section at his old assignment.
“Well, this is all based on contribution.” Theil began. “So, the total ‘reward’ is set on the value of total enemies slain, materials harvested, and time to complete each wave. Then there are the bonuses, things like average damage delt, average level disparity, number of casualties and so on.” He paused, seeing a line appear on Matts side of the screen. “And, apparently, Icons defeated in solo combat.”
“Oh, yeah that was really not cool of the System to do that.” Matt said. This earned a snort from Tori, a chuckle from Tobias and a very incredulous look from Theil.
“Riiiiight. Moving on.” Theil pivoted back to the screen. “So here we have the total points awarded for this event to the city. The points go to the city because that was the focus of the event. Then we have your individual contribution scores. These are pretty much all your actions that you did for the city both before and during the event.”
Matt Looked to see that the contribution followed similar categories to the overall city points. What he also saw was the difference between himself in Tobias. The difference wasn’t so much in points as it was in how those points were earned.
The categories that Matt earned contribution were focused on the fighting part of the event. He has categories like enemies slain, time fighting, allies saved, planning sessions, leadership and the like. Tobias had categories more focused around the preparations made. His had number of weapons designed, number of weapons produced, upgrades made, enchantments completed, and repairs made to name a few.
After the totals finished rolling in, and Tobias ended up taking the lead for individual contribution, Matt asked the obvious question. “So, what do we do with these?”
“That my dear prime is the fun part.” Tori said. She gestured at Theil who once again summoned the doorway that had originally led to the forge. They walked down the short hall and emerged into a room not completely dissimilar to the one he had seen before.
“You might notice some differences.” Theil said as he pointed out some of the major changes. “You will notice the purchase pads are still here, but the conversion units are not. Instead, you have access to your stored items, a sort of stasis field keeps everything stored from deteriorating indefinitely.”
Just as Matt was about to step up to the terminal that would allow him to access the shop, a familiar demon appeared. “Ah, there you are. Matt, I owe you compensation. What, did you forget?” Weltgan asked after Matt showed a very confused face.
“Well, no. But I didn’t think you would follow through. No offense but… ah… there isn’t any way I can say that in a non-offensive way.” Matt cut himself off halfway through his sentence. “What do you have for me?”
Weltgan smiled. “Well, there was some conversation while we were watching your performance. Why do you use that little axe thing?” he asked.
Matt summoned his tomahawk and stared at it. “This? Well, I wanted something that worked as a weapon and a tool. Also, melee weapons aren’t really a thing where we come from. Most fights are finished without seeing the enemy, engaging with artillery, aircraft and such.”
Tori and Weltgan shared a look, then a nod, then turned back to Matt in a very synchronized and creepy way. Tori was the first to speak. “You need a proper blade. Well not a proper blade but one that is more suitable for the press of melee. Weltgan?”
“On it.” The demon said as he approached Matt and gestured him to lift his arms and produced a tape measurer from… somewhere. “Arms up, I need to take some measurements.” Suddenly, Matt was being manipulated and measured from several angles by several identical copies of Weltgan.
“Arm out straight.”
“Here, hold this.”
“Ok, now bend. Now point.”
Suddenly the copies all disappeared after a few moments of badgering Matt with a dozen requests all at once. The original Weltgan stepped back and looked at Matt while he rubbed his chin, muttering to himself. “Hmm, no training… hits hard… crude movements… maybe we do… What about…. Yeah, and say 2 thumbs.”
Tori cocked an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”
“I think one of these, or at least something like it.” Weltgan said and summoned a book to his hand. He opened it and pointed to a picture. “They called it a lange messer its halfway between sword and knife. I’m thinking no curve, short and thick blade, long handles. Oh yeah, that’s it.” He smiled and snapped his fingers once more.
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In the middle of the room a complete forge appeared. Not a forge like what Tobias had or the forge pads that summoned things but a medieval looking smithy. Suddenly the copies were back and making a hell of a racket. Bellows whooshed, hammers rang, and water hissed. The actions inside the forge were a blur for a brief moment until Weltgan walked out holding a box.
“Matt, if you please?”
Matt reached forward and opened the box. Inside was a short sword the likes of which he had never seen. He pulled it out and inspected it properly, allowing the light to catch it from every angle. The blade was a single edge affair and ran as long as his arm. The spine was thick and perfectly straight, the hard end of a blade as wide as his thumbs side by side. The odd part was the grip being long enough for 2 hands and the rather long quillons. He used identify a moment after finishing looking over the blackened blade.
Messer of the Wrathful One. (Epic)
A custom messer type sword made for the pilot, Matthew Shultz by Weltgan, The proverbial hammer. The blade and hilt are made specifically to compliment the amateurish, albeit effective fighting style employed by Matt with the use of his affinity and domain.
Enchantments: Imbue Weapon, Soul Bound, Self-Repair, Grip, Balance
“Wow. Weltgan this is… this is too much.” Matt said.
“No, that is to much.” Weltgan laughed as he hiked his thumb over his shoulder to the identical blade behind him that was around 4 times the size of the one Matt was holding. “I am kidding of course. It was nothing to make a weapon like this, especially at E grade. Honestly, I probably could have summoned it but… I like to make a show of it sometimes.”
Matt gave him a skeptical look “Are you sure? I have heard several times about balance.”
“Don’t worry about that Matt.” Theil said. “What is a monumental task for a mortal is often hardly worth mention to a god. The System will not see this as an imbalance. It might alter some future challenges to meet your new power, but I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“Listen to him, he hasn’t steered you wrong yet.” Tori said, earning another deep bow from the elf.
“Thank you, Warden. Now if we can continue to your individual rewards.” Theil summoned a tablet and touched a button. That button summoned boxed in from of both Matt and Tobias. These boxes were different than the other look boxes Matt had seen. Where the others were rather fancy, at least at higher levels, these were beautiful in their simplicity.
Matt reached forward and opened the gold box. Inside he found 3 things, none of which he had seen before. A scroll that looked like it came from a museum, a small 3-sided crystal pyramid and a polished bronze plaque. He naturally identified all 3.
Imprinted Spell Template (N/A)
A spell template that when used, generates a spell custom made for the user. The user has no input on the type of spell that is made but will receive a design perfectly balanced for their use.
Construct Equipment Replication Token (N/A)
Use this token on any piece of personal equipment and have a matching item instantly equipped to your construct. Note: This token will not generate accessory equipment needed for operation.
Title: Lord (N/A)
Congratulations! You have your first official noble rank. This rank is recognized System wide and is the cornerstone for developing down the path of nobility.
“Theil, has anyone ever declined a title granted by the System?” Matt asked. A moment later, the small metal plaque in front of him shimmered and the description updated.
Title: Lord (N/A)
Congratulations! You have your first official noble rank. This rank is recognized System wide and is the cornerstone for developing down the path of nobility. This title automatically applied. No refunds. No exchanges. No trades.
“FFFFFFfuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…” Matt began to groan before Weltgan suddenly spoke up.
“To the hells with the title, your lordship. That spell template is the real gem in this pile of treasure. You could trade entire solar systems for that. Good ones too, ones with habitable planets.” The demon was pointing excitedly at the scroll.
“Well, I got a title, a lord same as Matt.” Tobias began, holding up each item. “The second appears to be something for generating an AI and the third is actually the coolest.” He held out a small, palm sized box.
Matt watched as Tobias pushed some mana into the box and then place it on the ground. After a moment, the box expanded into a much larger version. Matt could now see the details of what looked like a 3D printer.
Portable Component Synthesizer. (Epic)
Generate any single, one material item that can fit within the box. Can also generate chemical compounds into any vessel that can fit within the box. Time to generate varies based on complexity of item and how quickly mana is channeled.
“That is super cool. What’s the first thing you are making?” Matt asked, trying to ignore the fact that none of his rewards had any rarity.
“Probably a lot of different types of gun powder.” Tobias said. “It’s the same issue we ran into with Lisk. I can make completely new things but just converting powder types is surprisingly difficult. WE haven’t had the means to make modern nitrocellulose powders.”
Matt was about to keep pushing but felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Tori glaring at him. “Use. The. Spell Scroll.” She punctuated each word with a not so gentle shake.
“Ok, ok. I’ll use the scroll.” He said as he stored the other two items. He opened the scroll, unrolling the ends from each other. “Oh, fuck.” He said before freezing up.
Where he expected to see words or symbols, Matt instead saw a golden glow on the exposed scroll. Then felt a familiar sensation to when he absorbed the icon essence. Rather than pain, he experienced a sort of probing. It was almost like the codex in how it seemed to flit through his mind.
After a few moments, the scroll vanished in a puff of golden smoke and Matt was left standing in a very strange pose with his arms stretched out like he was holding an invisible newspaper. Half a second after that, he began to breath and move again.
“Well?” tori asked, looking at him curiously.
“You are not going to believe this.” He said before reading off the System message.
New Spell Created: Flames of Retribution (Legendary)
Cast Type: Gesture and/or phrase (Unassigned)
Type: Domain – Damage/Absorption
Cast the spell to create a widespread area of invisible flames that deal damage to enemies within. Has a negation effect for skills and abilities used by enemies within the domain. A portion of damage dealt of mana absorbed will be transferred to the caster in the form of mana. While the flames are phantasmal, they will share your affinity and the effect(s) it has on enemies.
“Soooo, Matt. How big is your domain right now?” Tobias asked after hearing the spell details.
Taking a moment to think about it, Matt had to guess. “Um, maybe like a few hundred meters if I really stretched it. It would be pretty thin at that point, and I wouldn’t get much feedback from my primary trait.” He paused, looking from face to face.
Tori was grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Tobias had gone slightly pale. Weltgan was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Theil was rubbing his temples and scrunching his face like he had a migraine.
“Well, this changes some things.” Tori said, finally breaking the silence.
Tobias seemed to snap out of it. “Yeah, he’s borderline a walking war crime.”
“Now, now. There is no need for name calling.” Tori said. She summoned a tablet to her hand and began scrolling through a list. “But we now have a shopping list of things that you need to buy with your contribution points.” She quickly took a few things off the list and added some others. “Buy all these.”
He took the tablet and looked over the list. There were several books, only some of which had mildly insulting titles, but all seemed useful. Then there were 3 sets of crystals and a device that looked like a candle stick with handlebars. The crystals were sets of 3, each having a beginner, intermediate and advanced level. The sets were: Short swords and their use, Domain manipulations and finally Passive aura control.
“Ok, and what do I do with the rest of the points?” Matt asked as he purchased all the items on the list and watched them appear on the pad to his left.
Tori shrugged. “I would say invest them. Theil here can help with that. Honestly, he can make you rich beyond your wildest imagination with a little time.”
Matt chewed that one over for a moment then came to a decision. “How about this, Theil, take 10% of what I have left, and can I donate the remaining amount to Frank so he can buy city upgrades?”
Theil poked around on his tablet and, after a little reading shared what he found. “You can donate them to the city fund, but he will know they came from you.” He then added on. “Also, if you let me invest and enroll you in a savings plan, you could have a little over a half a trillion by the next event. Not much in liquid but its easily convertible.”
Tobias added in from where he was scheming with Weltgan over a tablet. “Put in half of mine and convert the rest to regular credits.” Seeing the look from Matt he shared a little more. “What? A mad scientist needs funds otherwise he’s just mad.”
Weltgan laughed at that. “Ha! Just mad. Oh, I’m borrowing that one for when my friends ask about your little projects.” He settled down a moment later. “Speaking of, you mention something called phosphorus. Does it have to be white?”
*****
Franklin sat across from his representative, stating at the city management screen with Razlin sitting behind him. The god hadn’t given much guidance but had offered some words of general wisdom. The problem Franklin was faced with was one of cost. He had the lists for what to purchase but was just in the middle of 2 of them and was having a hard time choosing what to do.
The points had been split half for the city and half for the individual contribution. He had already thrown in a good amount of his own to try an increase his total but didn’t have much of an effect. Just as he was about to commit to buying some upgrades, a new line item appeared, followed shortly by another.
“What are they doing?” Franklin said leaning closer to the screen like it would provide the answers. He was shocked at the amounts but after reading the names, he figured it was to be expected from the strange humans that seemed perfectly ok with throwing nearly 15% of the city’s contribution back into the pool.
“They are mighty generous.” Razlin commented. “They also know what they are doing. I doubt wither of their patrons would allow them to be completely selfless.”
Franklin looked at the screen, then back to his budgets. He shuffled through the papers until he reached the one, they had only hoped for. The 11th list they made where they went all in on the key items. They wouldn’t get everything offered but they would get everything they ever wanted.
“So, Frank. What is it you want?” The dwarven representative asked.
Smiling, Franklin pushed his list over the desk. “I want it all.”