Chapter 80 – Floor 9: Part 1

The Town of Reesh was located in a valley next to a winding river. Mathew appeared from the elevator on the crest of a hill overlooking the small collection of houses. There were less than a thousand people, making it more of a small village than a town.

The houses were made of stone and thatch, and Mathew estimated that they were in the early medieval stage of their development. He could see horses and oxen pulling carts while farmers and peasants toiled in the fields around their homes or piloted small boats in the wide, slow-moving river.

The sky above his head was covered in clouds, and the air was filled with moisture. The ground was wet and muddy from the rain. It was a quiet day in an idyllic town.

They had no idea that a villain had come to conquer them.

Mathew raised the collar of his jacket and adjusted the scarf around his neck. He judged it to be springtime in this world. The chill of winter still had traces, and the budding green on the trees was matched by the seeds being planted in the fields below.

He made his way down the hill.

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Standing in the middle of the town square, little more than a fork in the road that led through the town on one side and the rickety docks on the other, Mathew contemplated how to go about conquering Reesh in a timely manner.

Did he just announce that he was here to take over? The few townspeople in the area had given him odd looks, but no one cared about who he was or why he was dressed so strangely. Unlike the other floors, there hadn’t been an announcement to the populace of a Champion’s arrival. It was up to him to make a ‘splash.’

He was saved by a large man approaching him. Wearing an old, faded leather breastplate that was too small for his frame, the man lumbered down the road toward him. In his hands was an iron rod, about three feet in length. A much shorter woman walked beside him, casting nervous glances at both Mathew and the man beside her.

“State your business, stranger, before I toss you out of town on your rear end.” The large man said, not bothering with an introduction or polite greeting. Mathew frowned. It had been years since someone had been disrespectful to him.

Even the traitors of the seventh floor who had gone over to the Outer Deity wouldn’t speak to him like that for fear of retaliation.

The woman cleared her throat, looking at the large man reproachfully, before speaking.

“I am Eleanor Goodwin, Mayor of Reesh. This is the lord’s Reeve. We ask that you state your business here. We do not normally have many travellers.” Mayor Goodwin said.

‘Reeve.’ Mathew thought, understanding the title. It was similar to a magistrate or local administrator who oversaw an area on behalf of their lord.

‘Perfect.’ Mathew thought. He wouldn’t need to go out of his way to find someone of authority.

“This town belongs to me now.” Mathew said, ignoring the large man and speaking directly to the mayor. She stared at him like he was mad while the Reeve flushed red in anger.

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“You piece of -” Mathew interrupted him with a Blessing.

“Halt Movement.” He said, waving his hand causally in the Reeve’s direction. The large man froze. His eyes moved rapidly back and forth in disbelief. Mathew walked forward and plucked the iron rod from the Reeve’s hand.

“You will go tell your lord or lady that Reesh is mine now. If anyone dares contest that fact, I will ‘toss them out of town onto their rear end,’ as you so succinctly put it.” Mathew said. He didn’t let the Reeve go immediately; the Blessing would wear off by itself in a minute or so. It was better to leave him frozen to understand the situation's severity.

Mathew didn’t enjoy repeating himself or making repeated demonstrations of his power.

“Mayor Goodwin, you will stop paying all taxes to the local lord and instead be giving them directly to me. If you have an issue with that, I would be more than happy to discuss it like I did with the Reeve.” Mathew threatened.

Seeing that the Mayor was still stunned, Mathew shrugged an began to walk away. Along the road at the edge of town was a hill, which he had marked when he had observed it earlier. This was his destination, where he would be making his home.

Every villain needed a lair, after all.

“Demon magic!” The Mayor shouted from behind him, finally rousing from her stupor. Her shout echoed loudly and Mathew didn’t slow his steps.

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Mathew stood at the top of the hill, ignoring the activity of the townsfolk behind him. The Reeve had fled, likely back to his lord or lady to report on what Mathew had done. He didn’t care. The ‘Buzz’ hadn’t activated once since he arrived here, so he doubted anyone in the area as strong as him.

He had a different goal for the moment than calming the populace.

He had decided that the easiest way to accomplish his objective was to project power and fear over the town of Reesh, and to do that, the Shop offered a perfect solution.

Opening his wristband, Mathew quickly perused the items available for purchase. They had changed over the years. As he had gained levels, the more mundane items were pushed to the back of the list to make room for magical items.

Finding what he was looking for, Mathew winced at the cost.

“Tsk. Three hundred thousand Aether?” Mathew muttered. If he had known the details of the Ninth floor beforehand, he would have saved some of his Aether. As it stood now, he was woefully short.

With a put-upon sigh, he opened another tab. Flicking through his inventory, he quickly found what he was looking for and pulled it out. It was a cube, glowing a bright blue even in the cloudy daylight. It filled his hand and felt warm against his skin.

“Crystalized Aether. What a waste.” Mathew whispered. He had picked it up on the Seventh floor from the remains of one of the players. This cube was worth at least four hundred thousand Aether, enough to purchase what he was looking for and a few other items.

Mathew held it for a moment, studying the Aether carefully, before crushing it with his hand. The crystal turned to dust in his hand before evaporating into a mist that swirled around him and was absorbed by his skin. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the spicy smell of the Aether before it vanished.

It was gone in seconds, converted and stored inside his status screen for his use. Turning his attention back to the Shop screen, Mathew made his purchase.

It was a tiny mansion inside a globe, similar to something you would buy in a giftshop on Earth. It was a one-time-use magical item that would be perfect for his needs. It would grow to full size upon command, a new home for him to use while he was on this floor.

The mansion was elegant but had a slightly sinister look to it, as if his Discipline was affecting his choice of items.

Mathew placed the glass globe carefully in the center of the hill and stepped back.

“Grow.” Mathew commanded. The glass shattered, and in seconds, the mansion took shape. Before his eyes stood a home worthy of a Villain and the new lord of the Town of Reesh. Mathew stepped into the mansion, observing the bare brick walls and wooden floors with a critical eye.

Unfortunately, the mansion didn’t come with items inside of it, but he should have enough remaining Aether to purchase something to impress the locals.

In less than an hour, the Mayor who approached the newly built mansion with a mob of townspeople were stunned by the changes. Where there had been a bare, grassy hill was now a building fit for a lord, filled with beautiful furniture and works of art.

Sitting on a throne in the main hall was a figure out of their nightmares.