Chapter 207. Exploring the Tier.
“Why are you here? I thought you were going to do your own thing,” I asked, shocked and more than a bit concerned that Gary wanted to be roomies.
“Just pulling your chain Rico, you need to relax a bit more. I was just checking in on you to see how long you were planning to stay in Somhagen. You rented this joint for two nights are you going to be here longer or leave early?” Gary asked.
“How did you know where I was staying, or even how long?” I asked, confused.
“I’m a being that makes deals all around the various worlds. Do you really think I wouldn’t have some way to track you down? Tracking one person down in a single world, in a single city was easy as goblin pie. So, big guy, what’s the verdict? Are you sticking around for two days or longer?” Gary asked.
“Two days is what I’m planning on, I’m waiting for something I’d ordered to arrive. I also have a few other errands to run. What have you been up to? Wait, scratch that, I don’t want to know,” I replied.
“Two days, eh, I can wrap things up before then. Oh, and yeah, you’re smart for not wanting to know what I do,” Gary said. His whole demeanor changed at the end. Gone was jovial, happy go lucky guy. In his place was the being of pure evil that I knew him to be. He jumped off the bed and headed toward the door, his fake smile returning as he waved goodbye.
“Hey, you burned the bedding. I’m going to have to pay for that you know,” I blurted out when I saw the foot shaped burn marks on the comforter.
“I bet you are real fun to have at parties, Rico, here, this should cover it. Like I mentioned earlier, try to lighten up. See you around, buddy,” Gary said, tossing me gold coin as he left the room. I shut the door behind him, and made sure it was locked this time, not that a locked door was going to stop Gary.
I didn’t know if he was just messing with me, or if he was concerned that the length of my stay might cause some kind of problem with his plans. After his little visit, I was a bit too amped up to sleep, so I grabbed my things and headed back out for a walk. The restaurant was still going strong, so I figured it wasn’t too late to explore the second tier of Somhagen a bit more.
Once outside, the air had a nice, crisp chill to it. Not enough to make you want to bundle up, but just enough to make you not feel too hot and sweaty when walking around in all the gear that I was wearing. I examined the shops as I made my way through this ring of the city. It was only the second tier, and while smaller than the first, it was still a rather huge place to explore.
Two main roads circled the tier and the outer circle was where most of the shops and businesses were located. I kept walking, jotting down anything of interest for tomorrow. By the time I made it all the way around, and back to the arena, I had found four shops that might have items I was interested in. Even better, I’d located the Contracted Summonings office on this tier.
I was still owed one gold for the last contract I’d completed, and they had treated me fair enough. The guy I worked with on the first tier of the city, Pakrinas, wasn’t here, and he hadn’t recommended anyone specific for me to see. I’d just have to take my chances with whoever was working tomorrow.
Passing several groups of people as I walked, I found myself feeling a bit lonely. Back home, I had the people at Refuge, but here, in a strange city, I was by myself. It would have been great if the summoned beings could somehow coordinate visits, but that didn’t look like it was an option. Maybe next time I’d try to bring Melvin with me, he might enjoy a trip through the city, though I was trying to save him for another chance to visit Earth. Hopefully our next visit home could be made without me spending the whole time in a dungeon.
When the main road finally led back to the inn I was staying at, I was ready to call it a night. Exhausted, sleep came easily and before I knew it, the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in window blinds woke me. I took advantage of the washroom inside the inn, finding it rather unpleasant to wash without hot water. Maybe at the higher end, and much more expensive places, would have magical water heating of some type.
Chilled a bit, but still alive, I paid a silver for a plate of breakfast. The food was once again very good, with a savory sausage that I thought was made from pork, grilled peppers and onions mixed with eggs, and fried potatoes. On the side I had a small pastry with fruit inside, kind of like a pop tart if they were actually good and didn’t taste processed to death.
The young woman who had served me last night wasn’t there, and I figured that she wouldn’t be working from sunup to sundown. For the morning shift, it was just the bartender who took the orders and called you over when your food was ready. Only a few people were seated when I arrived, leading me to believe that they did most of their business in the evening.
With a full belly and a full schedule, I began my day. My first stop was at the closest shop I’d scoped out. It was a simple, smaller shop that seemed to specialize in clothing, but when I had passed by last night, I had spotted some adventuring gear in the back. As I entered, the door creaked, alerting the pudgy, middle-aged human man behind the counter.
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“Hello there, you’re an early riser. What can I do for you?” he asked.
“Hi, I’m looking for any magical gear and summoning figurines you might have,” I told him.
“Summoned being” he asked with a blank expression.
“Yes, the name’s Rico,” I replied.
“Go look in the back, prices are marked,” he said, brushing me off. His demeanor changed drastically when he found out I was a summoned being. It surprised me since the city basically existed because of us. Sure, the majority of the shops were geared toward the full-time residents, but there probably wouldn’t be any residents if we didn’t show up and participate in the economy.
“Did I do something to offend you?” I asked, the annoyance I was feeling seeping into my voice.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, buy something or get out,” he barked.
“Wow, is that how you treat all your customers?” I replied, walking toward the adventuring gear in the back.
“No, just you good for nothing summoned beings…” he muttered under his breath as walked past.
“What’s the deal with you? That’s a pretty dumb attitude for someone who makes their living from summoned beings,” I said.
“I’ve just had my fill of your kind, that’s all,” he grumbled.
“What happened? I’m pretty sure you weren’t always this pleasant,” I said.
“What happened? I’ll tell you what happened. A summoned being is the reason my son’s dead, that’s why I’m such a pleasant person toward you and your kind,” the man snapped back sarcastically.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but I had nothing to do with it. If I’d been there, I’d have done everything in my power to protect him,” I said.
“That’s what the summoned being was supposed to do, but as soon as things went south, he cut and ran, using something to end his summoning session before he’d done what he was supposed to do. What good is a contract if your kind can just break them whenever they feel like it,” he said.
“What was he supposed to do? We do have an item we can purchase that lets us leave a summoning early, but it’s something I don’t use unless my summoner is forcing me to do something I don’t want to, or if I’m about to get tortured,” I said.
“The summoned being was supposed to escort my son and his friends while they took a shipment to Lampac. There was an attack, and before the first blow was struck, the summoned being disappeared. My son, and half the others were killed, and my shipment stolen. Now I’ve got to run this place all on my own, and without Jonik, my boy, I don’t even know why I keep trying,” the man said, his story pouring out of him along with tears as he recounted the events.
“How do you know what happened, were there survivors?” I asked.
“Yes, two of his friends lived through it, though both were badly wounded. It was a contracted summoning, and the contractor gave me a refund, so that’s how I know for sure the summoned being ran away,” he said. The man’s gaze was on me, but I could tell he was somewhere else, reliving that horrible day.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked, feeling compassion for this man who had lost his son and was struggling to keep it together enough to run his shop.
“Not sure what you can do, what’s done is done,” he replied.
“If you ever need to contract for a summoned being again, I’ll take the job and promise that I’ll see it through to the end,” I offered.
“I appreciate it, sorry for my behavior. My wife would give me a stern lecture if she knew I was acting this way,” he said looking at, and seeing me, and not just another summoned being, for the first time.
“You know, I believe you would do what you’ve claimed. If I ever have need of a summoned being again,” the man’s face scrunched up as he said summoned being. “I think you’d be perfect,” he said.
A summoning contract between the being known as Clayton Yon, and the summoned being known as Rico Kline has been proposed. The duration of this contract would be for 1 summoning of indeterminate time. Price can be negotiated should you desire to accept this contract.
“I didn’t know I could do that,” the shopkeeper, who was apparently named Clayton, said.
“I didn’t either, but I stand by my word, I’d be glad to help you if you ever need it. Just give me a minute to consult someone,” I replied. I wasn’t sure how to summon Tzes’zod in these sorts of situations, but it appeared that just having the need, and expressing my desire to have his help did the trick.
A moment later, a glowing blue portal appeared, and Tzes’zod exited. Thankfully, he was in his Gimblewalt guise and didn’t terrify the poor shopkeeper by appearing in his true, undead form. Straightening his obnoxiously green jacket, Tzes’zod cleared his throat dramatically before beginning.
“Hello Rico, how can I assist you today?”
“Hey Gimblewalt, the system has offered a contract between me and Clayton Yon here. Can you advise me if there’s anything I should be wary of?” I asked. Tzes’zod took a moment to examine the potential agreement. He was on retainer and had system access to any potential deals I was working on.
“Everything seems in order, it’s a simple summoning contract with no hidden strings attached. If you aren’t averse to working with this gentleman, I see no reason to avoid it. Any fee you negotiate between you is just icing on the cake as this would take the place of a regular summoning and grant you normal rewards. I doubt the sums of coin we’re talking about here are enough to warrant my services further,” Tzes’zod said before tipping his hat at both me and shopkeeper and stepping back through the portal.
Tzes’zod had left kind of abruptly, but I didn’t mind, my concern wasn’t about negotiating the fee, it was about any hidden dangers. After hanging out with Gary, I was a bit paranoid of suddenly offered deals. The system felt the need to confirm what Tzes’zod had said about the fee I could charge, giving me a prompt as soon as my negotiator left.
Please select the fee you wish to request for this future summoning. You will also be entitled to all the normal system rewards.
I selected one copper for the reward, and only because the system wouldn’t accept zero. This guy had been through the ringer and lost his son, I wasn’t going to squeeze him for more coins when a few silver or even gold, wouldn’t change my life much.
The being known as Clayton Yon has accepted your proposed fee. In the future, Clayton Yon may summon you once when needed.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever need you, but if I do, thank you for offering to help, and for not charging me an arm and a leg,” Clayton said.
“I’ll be there if you need me, Clayton, now, what does your shop have to offer that you think I might be interested in?”