Nightmare Realm Summoner

"Honestly, I think you should just keep the monster. You know what to do with it more than I do," the old human man within the crowd said to Alex, running a hand through his graying beard in thought. "What would I even do with it? Where would I sell it? Valley Ford?"

Alex resisted the urge to cough into his fist. He didn't think anybody was going to be selling to Valley Ford in quite some time.

There were a few people nodding along with the man. Alex did note that none of the people nodding were the Outworlders. They all knew just how valuable loot from a monster this powerful was. None of them wanted to give it up… but it also didn't look like they'd say anything if Alex decided to keep it for himself.

The urge was there. Alex couldn't deny that it existed. Claiming every single bit of the monster… the thing was probably worth hundreds of credits. Maybe even thousands. He still wasn't exactly sure as to what the scale of credits was, but he knew the Gorgonaga was expensive. It was a Region Boss. Pieces from that weren't going to sell for peanuts.

Two options laid before him. His town wasn't that big. There were less than two dozen people here, and less than half of them were combatants. A lot of people would have taken everything they could.

But if he took everything now, the benefits the rest of his town gained would be minimal. They'd get stronger, but not as much as they could have. And then when the next monster came — and he knew it would — more of them would die.

Even if they won the fight, the town would be weaker. And in the next fight, or perhaps the one after that, they would lose. Alex had already gotten enormous benefits from killing the Gorgonaga. Taking literally everything was just the act of a greedy hoarder unknowingly slitting his own throat with the jeweled knife he'd found.

The town might not be big, but that's a good thing. I have resources that almost nobody else does. Access to the Mirrorlands and the ability to send everyone in the town right there by swapping locations with the Mirrorlands version of the town.

Everyone here is loyal. They're basically offering me a ridiculous amount of money purely because they don't know what to do with it. They've fought together. They trust each other, and for some godforsaken reason, they trust me. If I help these people catch up and grow stronger…

I could have an entire town of monsters. Why would I throw that away for just a little bit of extra money now?

"There's no need to worry about where to sell anything," Alex said. "I've dealt with that issue. I'd like to introduce you all to my merchant friend, Finley."

He paused for a moment. Then the corners of his lips tugged down. He cast his gaze around the town. There was no sign of Finley anywhere. He certainly wasn't in the crowd. A few moments of silence dragged by as everyone looked at each other, then back at Alex.

There's no way he died, is there? Is he actually that unlucky? I thought he was kind of immune to taking damage because of his merchant status!

Alex cleared his throat.

"My friend, Finley!" He raised his voice this time, letting it echo through the forest clearing.

A pile of rubble a few cabins away shifted. There was a crunch as a wood beam jerked out of the way and a soot-covered head popped out from beneath it, eyes darting around wildly. Then, limb by limb, Finley extracted himself from within his hiding spot.

The merchant cleared his throat and brushed himself off as he strode toward them. The dust and grime covering him slipped away like a cloak to fall to the ground as he walked. His clothes straightened themselves out and the wrinkles within them vanished. The man's hair slicked itself back and a confident grin crossed his features. By the time he'd arrived by Alex's side, he looked every bit the part of a salesman that worked in a high-end car dealership.

"My apologies," Finley said, dropping into a half-bow. "I was taking a nap. I — uh, did the Region Boss decide to call the attack off?"

Alex stared at him. "No. We won."

Finley stared back. "You won? After buying smu—"

"Yes," Alex snapped, cutting Finley off before his purchases could be aired out like dirty laundry. "We won."

"How? That's impossible. You should be a smoking husk. This little town had no chance of winning!" Finley said in awe. He glanced back at the crowd, then cleared his throat. "I mean, congratulations. I always knew you had it in you. And it seems you've chosen me as your merchant. I can't believe it. But there's only one word to describe this. I'm… lucky."

Finley cringed as he said the last word. He glanced up at the sky as if waiting for a bolt of lightning to fall from the heavens themselves. No such thing happened. He remained there, un-smote. The merchant cleared his throat. Then he adjusted his lapel and turned back to the crowd with a flourish as if they hadn't just seen everything he'd just done.

"Well, allow me be the first to congratulate you," Finley said with a glowing smile. "My name is Finley, of House Starlight. Not to be confused with House Starfallen. The similarity in our names is entirely an unfortunate coincidence. It seems you are all in need of an outlet to sell your hard-earned spoils of war. I would be honored to be of assistance—"

The air beside them popped as Rhyss snapped into being.

"And I will ensure all prices are appropriately regulated according to Infinium standards," Rhyss finished.

The smile on Finley's face drooped.

"Of course," Finley said. "And—"

"We will also endeavor to set up an Auction House connection for any of our more valuable items," Rhyss continued. "But that may take some time to create, so I would suggest that all citizens of Mirrorwane hold onto any excessively valuable materials."

Finley glared at Rhyss. "I would be happy to assist with that."

"I suspect such an act would be appreciated. A sponsorship to connect to the Auction Houses is always of immense use."

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Finley froze. One of his eyes twitched. Then he adjusted his collar. "Of course. I would be pleased to offer one as a token of goodwill in exchange for a small cut of the proceeds."

"Of course." Rhyss smiled. "Please, continue. I would not wish to obstruct operations that help the town."

The blood in Alex's veins prickled. Rhyss didn't smile. Something told him Finley had just gotten pushed into agreeing to something pretty important.

I don't even know what the hell just happened, but getting an Advisor was definitely the right move. Mythic boons are fucking sweet.

Finley cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I'll happily buy any parts and materials off you. There's always a market for them. The rarer and stronger, the better. I can assure you all that components from a Region Boss are in very high demand. Especially this early on."

"Will demand lower later?" Claire asked.

Finley waggled a hand back and forth in the air. "Somewhat. For something like this? No. Region Bosses are incredibly valuable. They'll drop a bit as more die and the world grows. Initial growth periods for a newly Initialized world are explosive."

"And there's one more thing to take note of," Alex said, stepping back into the conversation. "You don't have to sell your components. Investing them in yourself is also a viable option. In addition to Finley, I've also brought one more person to the town. Mite is a Bioengineer. We saw him make the Teleporter, but that isn't all he can do. If you want to invest your parts in him in exchange for getting some gear, then that's also an option."

"What kind of gear?" one of the Outworlders asked.

"Honestly, no clue," Alex admitted. "Talk to him about it. I'm just giving you options — and a reason to use this opportunity for yourself. I think the town should take a portion of the resources and give them to Mite. He can put them to use making buildings. But everyone should take some for themselves as well. God knows there's enough."

People started to nod. Alex had more than made his point, which meant there was no point pushing the matter further. There was just one more task to accomplish before he could retreat to the Town Hall and meditate.

He raised a hand to get everyone's attention.

"Before we get caught up in the details, there's one more thing we have to decide," Alex called. "The Visualization. Mite currently has it."

"What exactly is a Visualization?" one of the humans, a man with short blonde hair, asked.

Alex nearly slapped himself in the forehead. He hadn't known what a Visualization was just a short while ago. There was no reason the people here would have known better. "They're basically ways to make your Mind Palace a lot more powerful. I think. I'm honestly not fully clear on the matter myself."

"If that's he case, don't you want it?" Abby asked. "You did kill the Gorgonaga, after all."

"No. I don't need it," Alex said. "And I already took the Aspect Gem."

"What about Claire?" Aaron suggested. "She was fighting it the longest. I think it's only fair."

"I also don't need it," Claire said.

Alex blinked. He glanced at her.

Shit. She already has a Visualization. When did that happen? I swear she said she didn't know much about them. I don't think she was lying… so it must have been recent. I don't think she killed any super powerful monsters when I wasn't watching, which means it has to have been willingly given.

Realization struck him.

Rin.

The old Dhampir. She'd died and said she passed something along to Claire. The System must have recognized that as a bloodline. It was the only thing Alex could think of, but now wasn't the time to address it further.

If Claire said she didn't need the Visualization, then she didn't need it.

His gaze slowly drifted to Orchid. She was probably next in line. But Alex had no idea how things stood with her right now. If she was going to betray them or defect back to her family… there was no way he'd waste the Visualization on her.

Shit. What do I do? It'll be clear something is up if I don't offer it to her, and Orchid really was very useful during the fight.

"I don't need it," Orchid said before Alex could determine what his next line would be. Her words were measured and even, and he could feel her gaze boring into his skull as he spoke.

A flicker of surprise passed through him. Alex smothered it before anything could show on his face. For whatever reason, Orchid was giving him an out. That was rather odd. He knew her family was in trouble. That's why she'd wanted the Town Token. A Visualization would have been expensive, so passing up on it was a strange choice. She could have sold it.

We need to figure out what it is she's gunning for. Preferably after I get a chance to meditate. But if Orchid doesn't want this…

A thought struck Alex. The corners of his lips pulled up into a smile. The Visualization definitely wouldn't fit Mite, who was the only other immediate candidate in Alex's list. Mite was a builder, not a destroyer.

But Alex knew someone that the Visualization just might work for.

"Then I think I know who I'd like to give this to. During the fight against the Region Boss, one person in particular saved our asses," Alex said. "May grabbed the attention Gorgonaga all by herself. She stopped it from killing Claire and very likely taking me out afterward."

"Whoa," Aaron said, his eyes widening. "You want to give May the Visualization?"

"I do," Alex said. "Kids are better at adapting to things than pretty much anyone else, and she earned this."

"I'm not a kid," May protested. "I'm fourteen."

Older than I thought, actually. I figured she was twelve or thirteen.

"Does anyone have issue with that?" Alex asked. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Aaron glanced at May. "Do you want this? It could be dangerous. Actually, it definitely is. It's the System."

"Everything is dangerous," May said, setting her jaw. She glanced over at Orchid. "And Orchid will help me. Right?"

The older woman hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. "Yes. I will carry out my duties."

"Then I want it. If I can have it, I want to get stronger," May said. She looked back at Alex and swallowed as her hands balled into fists at her sides. "I attacked the Gorgonaga, but my magic didn't do anything. I want to be like Clare. And you. I'm too weak right now."

Nobody else said anything. Alex nodded.

I wonder if this breaks some sort of convention. A Visualization definitely counts as a weapon of war. Arming a teen with it feels a bit… well, better not to think about it. The world is different now. Better to give her a weapon than to have her die because she couldn't defend herself.

"The Visualization is yours, then," Alex said with a nod. "For future fights, I'll look into setting up a reward system based on contribution. For now… I think we've got some rebuilding and preparations to take care of. Everyone, make sure to speak to Mite to get your rewards. And as for me… I'll be back in four hours."

The town split up as everyone strode away to handle the tasks they'd been working on. Tension released Alex's back from its vice grip as he let out a relieved breath.

I didn't completely butcher the speech. Thank god. That was terrifying.

Claire's hand landed on Alex's shoulder. "Well done. For your first speech, that wasn't half bad. You definitely could have put some more drive into some things and been a bit more confident with some of your words, but you'll get there."

"Thanks. I'm just glad I didn't fall flat on my face. I'll take a fight over a speech any day." Alex let out a tense laugh. Then he shook his head and blew out a breath to steady himself. His heart was somehow still racing. "Can you keep an eye on Orchid? I'm going to—"

"Yeah. I've got it. She didn't do anything while you were knocked out. I doubt she'll suddenly try now. Just don't take too long."

"Oh, don't worry. I won't."

Alex turned on his heel and strode toward the Town Hall.

It was finally time to cash in the rewards he'd earned from the fight — and he was greatly looking forward to seeing what happened once he slotted the final Aspect Gem and unlocked the gate within his Mind Space.