I was almost drooling as I approached the loot chest, setting it to only display new items. The haul was even better than I expected as I sorted through everything.
Rico’s Loot.
New Inventory.
1. Copper coins, 1,876.
2. Silver coins, 512.
3. Gold coins, 19.
4. Small gems, 12.
5. High-quality gems, 4.
6. Fine gems, 1.
7. Gnomish War Hammer of Undead Slaying.
8. Padded leather armor.
9. Wand of Magic Missile.
10. Reciprocal Contract.
11. Apothecary writ, 5.
12. Summoning figurine, 2.
13. Notice of cessation, 1.
14. Ability scroll, 1.
15. Equipment requisition, tier 1, basic.
16. Arena entry certificate.
17. Arena upgrade certificate, 5.
18. Gnomish gratitude enhancement.
Wow, there was a lot to go over, and I didn’t know where to start. Minerva stood quietly nearby after mentioning that she was willing to answer any questions I had regarding the loot. First off, I looked at the gold coins. They felt heavy in my hands, and I tried to figure out how many ounces nineteen of these were.
The high-quality gems were pretty, but I had no idea how to put a number on their value. As for the fine gem, it was a beautiful round ruby that was just over an inch in diameter. It hadn’t been cut, but even without that enhancement, the gem seemed to pull you into it, and I almost didn’t want to look away.
Next up on the agenda was the war hammer and the set of armor. I pulled out the armor first, and as I expected, it was an exact copy of the armor I wore while piloting the mech. It had a gear cost of 25, which matched what the other set I wore cost.
The war hammer was on another level entirely, and the system granted me some information on it as soon as I held it in my hands. It had been sized up to fit a human, but it felt lighter than it should. Giving it a test swing, I could tell the lighter weight wouldn’t affect the damage the weapon dealt. The weapon seemed to hit much harder than its size and weight would indicate. It was made from an odd metal alloy that was almost bronze in color, and the hammer’s handle was wrapped in soft leather to make it easy to grip.
Gnomish War Hammer of Undead Slaying. Gear cost, 50.
This weapon has been enhanced by the artificers and mages of the gnomish people. Enchantments on the weapon make it lighter to wield while also increasing the impact damage. Forged to combat an undead threat, the weapon has been blessed and causes additional radiant damage to any creature with the undead subtype. Once per day, the wielder can cast the spell Turn Minor Undead.
With the addition of this weapon to the loadout pool, your Basic Mace Skill has been upgraded to Basic Crushing Weapons.
As I held the hammer, I could feel more information leak into my brain from the newly upgraded skill. It wasn’t much different than using my mace, but there were some subtle nuances that would help me use the hammer more effectively.
“Minerva, does this happen with other weapon types? If I grab a longsword and then a scimitar, would a basic sword skill upgrade to handle it?” I asked.
“Yes, but only for the basic version of the skill. To progress any further, you will need to focus on each variant of a weapon separately. Did you have further questions about your rewards?” Minerva asked.
I’m sure I will, but I’m not done yet, give me a minute,” I replied, not wanting her to cut me off before I had a chance to go through everything.
Next on the list was the magic missile wand. It was the same as the other wands I’d used and held twelve charges. Thanks to the gnomes, I now knew how to recharge it, so if a summoning had a long downtime, I could at least do something productive by charging up the wand. The gear cost for the wand was ten, which Minerva said reflected it being based on a simple, tier zero spell.
Just holding the next item in the chest, the Reciprocal Contract, caused another system prompt to appear.
This reciprocal contract is between the being known as Rico Kline, and the gnome known as Fitzfazzle. When activated, this contract will summon Fitzfazzle for an enhanced duration and the gnome will be equipped in standard gear. This is a one-time use, consumable item unless you acquire a summoner class, which would cause the contract to become permanent with a long cooldown time between uses.
As this is a reciprocal contract, the being known as Fitzfazzle can now choose to summon you directly, but just as with your contract, there is a long cooldown time between summonings. If you equip this contract as a single-use, consumable item, the gear cost is 15. Ten mana is required to activate the contract when it is used as a consumable, single-use item.
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I could summon Fitzfazzle to help, but I had no idea what version of the gnome I would get. Minerva was no help and simply said the gear that the gnome would be equipped with would match my current tier and rank. So, I figured he wouldn’t show up with the newest generation mech but would instead likely show up with normal weapons and armor. Despite that, it would be cool to see Fitzfazzle again.
Minerva confirmed it was an item that would function on Earth, but I was reluctant to use it until I found out what my class was going to be. I didn’t know what the system would choose for me, but according to Minerva, it would pull from my experiences as a summoned being, as well as my background from Earth. I hoped and prayed that Insurance Adjuster wasn’t a class that the system recognized.
The next item was also strange. It looked like a hand-written prescription for five of something called compressed minor reagent power. This was one I needed Minerva’s help with.
“You had to know I was going to ask about this. What is it and how does it work?” I asked.
“They’re very useful items, especially for someone that hails from a world such as your own. These are simply pills that have all the ingredients for a mana potion, save for one, a connection to actual mana. When you ingest one of these pills, it will link with your core and replenish up to twenty mana to your mana pool. Each pill has a gear cost of one if you choose to add them to your loadout.
“Be aware that you need to have at least one mana in your mana pool to activate the pill, otherwise it will do nothing. Since these pills merely contain the precursors to a mana potion and no actual mana themselves, they will survive the return to your home world. Once you ingest them, the mana they infuse will quickly dissipate back on your home world, so plan their use carefully. As for where you can exchange the script, there are several apothecaries in the first tier of Somhagen that can assist you,” Minerva explained.
I now had a way to refill my mana back home. It was only five pills, but I could probably buy more at the apothecary in Somhagen. I’d have to see how expensive they were and maybe stock up on a few for both my loadout, and for back home if it wasn’t going to break the bank.
Next on my loot list were a pair of summoning figurines. I’d used one before when I summoned the merfolk on earth. The two I’d received this time were for a tier zero skeleton warrior, and a tier one advanced ghoul. Both could be used back home, and the figurines only required two mana to activate. If I wanted to equip them to my loadout, the tier zero figurine had a gear cost of two, and the ghoul was five. Apparently, single use items were cheaper than something that was persistent.
Another scroll was my next item, the notice of cessation. When equipped in my loadout, I could use this scroll to end a summoning early. It wouldn’t penalize my rating, but rewards would be pro-rated. At only a gear cost of five, it would be a good way to avoid any of the summonings that forced me to serve an evil summoner. These were also for sale in Somhagen, though the cost would quickly become prohibitive as they were priced based on the tier of the summoned being.
The ability scroll was another item that I’d seen before. I activated it, giving me another free ability slot. After gaining tier one, I gained a slot, and I still had one open from my time at tier zero. I would gain new slots every five ranks, but Minerva claimed that while rare, there was a good chance that another one of these scrolls would drop for me as a reward at least once before I hit tier two.
As for the equipment requisition. I could turn that into the appropriate shop in Somhagen and get a complete, basic set of tier one gear. At tier one, it wouldn’t be anything that great, but it would fill in all the stuff I was missing and possibly include upgrades for the gear I already had. Minerva said the exact type of gear I would receive would be determined by my class, which we would unlock after I finished with my loot.
The arena entry was something new that was available now that I had access to the first tier of the city. A summoned being, and anyone else that could make it to Somhagen, could compete in a tournament that was run every few weeks. The format for the tournament is always different, but it typically boiled down to something resembling a gladiatorial combat, with various twists. You could only enter the arena at each tier once, and the top rewards were supposed to be extremely valuable and powerful.
While my odds of me reaching a high rank in the tournament weren’t great, Minerva encouraged me to enter, especially since my entry was free this time. The cost at the higher tiers varied, and I’d have to weigh whether it was an option for me in the future depending on my class. Some classes just weren’t suited for combat, and you couldn’t expect a scribe to battle against a barbarian warrior.
The five free upgrades were only useable at this tier and would grant me some kind of advantage in the tournament. Exactly what that advantage was wouldn’t be determined until the start of the tournament, as the parameters of each tournament were different.
“Any idea what this is?” I asked Minerva as I pulled the final reward from the loot chest. It was a small, ornate wooden box that held whatever the gnomish gratitude enhancement was.
“You are being honored by the summoner who you were contracted with. His people would have pooled together wealth and mana to craft whatever that box contains. Open it and find out,” Minerva said. I knew I could just open it without asking Minerva, but I was kind of like a kid at Christmas, not wanting to open the last present because that meant I was done with the gifts.
With a little apprehension, I opened the box. There, nestled in the velvet lining of the box was a brass key. Grabbing the key, I could see it was engraved.
To Rico, you helped to save our people and for that, we are eternally grateful. May this gift return the favor and save you when you need it most.
After reading the inscription, the system explained my reward.
Key to a MESS.
This key will summon a gnomish MESS for you to pilot. The loadout and functions of the MESS will be determined by your tier and rank. This is a single use item, and the MESS will remain until it is destroyed or your current summoning ends.
“I take it that you’re pleased with your rewards?” Minerva asked.
“That would be an understatement. I didn’t expect all this, just maybe more coins and a cool bit of gear,” I replied.
“Excellent, now that you’ve had a chance to peruse your rewards, let’s see about having the system assign you a class.”