There wasn’t much to think about. It would be a longer and likely more difficult summoning, but receiving an extra gold coin for completing it was a solid reward considering my last contract was only 17 silver. The details of the summoning were sparse, but it didn’t seem to have any huge red flags. As an added bonus, I’d probably complete this summoning series with just this one summoning.
“Anything else I should know about it?” I asked, just to make sure Pakrinas wasn’t holding back anything.
“Not really, save for the summoning being marked as urgent. When that happens, you can usually count on it being the next summoning in your series. The normal system rewards for these longer contracts tend to be a bit better as well,” Pakrinas advised.
“Let’s do it,” I agreed, accepting the quest. The system confirmed my decision.
The contract has been accepted by both parties and will be activated at your next summoning session.
“Cool, anything else you might have for me?” I asked.
“Not right now, the one you’ve just agreed to should keep you busy for a while. What tier and rank are you now?” Pakrinas asked.
“I’m tier one, rank five.”
“Your next visit here will be at the second tier of the city. I don’t oversee that tier, but my cousin, Bactras will be working there. The details of your contract will be forwarded to him, and he can get you paid. Just like here, our offices on the second tier are near the arena. There’s no need to return to the first tier to collect your compensation. If I don’t see you again, it’s been a pleasure working with you Rico, and I wish you the best in your life,” Pakrinas said.
"Thank you Pakrinas, I appreciate all your help, and the fact you’ve dealt with me fairly,” I replied.
“Stay safe and remember to mind yourself when offered a contract. Our company is well respected, but not all that work in the city have the same scruples,” Pakrinas said as I left.
The new summoning sounded like an interesting one, but I still had more to do here in Somhagen before I needed to return to my personal space. I had mapped out several shops that were most likely to offer summoning figurines. As for other gear, I would probably not get much in the way of upgrades until I hit tier two.
Since I was close by, I hit the arena gift shop first. I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t let me past the ticket booths if I wasn’t purchasing a ticket or participating in the arena, but I walked right through without any trouble. The little gift shop looked the same as before, and I noticed the clerk was the same dwarf that I had worked with during my last visit.
The shop was doing a brisk business and the dwarven clerk wasn’t alone at the counter this time. A halfling man in a rather dapper suit was helping customers right alongside the dwarf. From the way they were dressed and the interaction between the two, the halfling was the boss and my dwarf friend didn’t seem too fond of him.
Unsure how to approach things, I perused the small rack holding things that were geared to appeal to the summoned beings. Once again, there were a few overpriced items, like a wand that may have been the same one I had seen before. What I homed in on were the mystery boxes that could contain anything, or nothing.
I gathered the four mystery boxes that were in stock and waited for the dwarf to finish up with his current customer. Whenever the halfling was free, I made sure to look like I was shopping some more. I didn’t want to have to deal with an unknown person at this point, and the dwarf and I had an agreement already.
“Sir, can I help you?” the dwarf asked once he was free.
“Yes, thanks, I’m considering one of these mystery boxes, what kinds of things can they contain?” I asked, while sliding a few silver coins over.
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“They can have anything, sir, some of the choices are truly marvelous,” he replied, glancing toward his boss to make sure he wasn’t looking. The dwarf pushed back the coins, looked at the boxes, and subtly shook his head no.
“Got it, thanks for your assistance. I think I’ll pass this time.,” I replied before taking the boxes back to the rack that I had grabbed them from. The dwarf seemed scared to take a tip from a customer while his boss was watching. From his reaction, I suspected that all four of the boxes were duds.
The arena gift shop wasn’t going to work, but it was far from the only place in town that offered what I wanted. Three other stores on this tier were reported to contain summoning figurines. They were considered a useful consumable by most summoned beings, and it was common for them to have at least one in their loadout. With my cost reductions, and needing only one mana to activate them, the figurines were much more valuable to me.
The first shop I stopped at specialized in spell components and alchemy ingredients. They kept a few figurines on hand as they were used in the creation of some different magic items. With only three figurines in stock, all of which were inexpensive, lower ranked ones, I bought them all.
My next stop was a larger store, that reminded me of an old department store. They offered just about everything you could think of, but their selection of summoning figurines wasn’t that great. I bought all of what they had, and one pair of figurines stood out. They were different from just about anything else I’d see so far.
These new figurines were more than triple the price of other figurines of the same tier and rank, but I still purchased them. Not only did they cost me more coins, the figures also were double the gear cost of other figurines. Because of their oddity, the system granted me a bit more information on them when I had completed my purchase.
1. First aid station, Tier 1, Rank 5. Gear cost, 10, This figurine will summon a well-stocked first aid station that will remain in place for up to one hour.
2. Ballista emplacement, Tier 1, Rank 5. Gear cost 10. This figurine will summon a ballista, simple fortifications, and a supply of appropriate ammunition. The ballista will remain in action for up to one hour.
Both the new figurines didn’t come with any minion to operate them, but I figured the first aid station could be used at home if we were ever in a bad fight. The ballista was more likely something I could use during a summoning. He might not have the proper skills, but maybe Rupert could figure out how to use the weapon. I was excited to see what new types of figurines might become available as I reached the higher tiers.
My final stop was a smaller shop, but they had a decent stock of figurines. About half were lower tier offerings, but there was one veteran figurine that I was looking forward to seeing in action. I picked up a total of five figurines from the last shop, and all told, I had a dozen figurines to work with now. Many I’d take home, but I felt comfortable keeping a stock on hand for my summonings as well.
I had accomplished everything I wanted to in the city. My shopping was done, and there wasn’t anything the information broker on this tier could offer me that I couldn’t find the answer to in Refuge’s database. The things that I couldn’t find in the database were going to be far too costly for me to afford. Information on leaving my status as a summoned being was still out there, but at five hundred gold for the answer, I wasn’t going to purchase that answer anytime soon.
Before returning to my personal space, I stopped at a bench in front of a bakery, enjoying the wonderful smells as I organized my newest finds. The system kicked in to help me to keep track of things. Several of the shops had duplicates of various figurines, but I had purchased them all. If I had multiples of the same figurine, I could always take one home and leave the rest in my loadout.
Consumable Summoning Figurines.
Tier 0, Rank 0.
1. Dire rat (2). Gear cost 5 (4).
2. Deadspore fungal patch. Gear cost 5 (4).
Tier 0, Rank 5.
1. Orc commoner (3). Gear cost 5 (4).
2. Wild Razor Boar (2). Gear cost 5 (4).
3. Gnome technician. Gear cost 5 (4).
Tier 1, Rank 0.
1. Zombie pair. Gear cost 5 (4). Veteran.
Tier 1, Rank 5.
1. First aid station. Gear cost 10 (9).
2. Ballista emplacement. Gear cost 10 (9).
After sorting through my finds, I was getting anxious to return to my personal space. I was looking forward to my next summoning, curious and excited to see what I’d be doing that would grant me a gold coin just as a bonus. Before I left, I forced myself to calm down and enjoy a final stroll through the city. My visits here to this tier were over, and I wanted to take everything in and commit it to memory.