Zeke and I crossed the street, easily moving around stalled and abandoned cars.
Once across, we found ourselves facing several blue-armored figures that moved to block our path. The suits had massive shoulder pauldrons and greaves that thundered with every step on the paved ground. Each of them also carried a blocky looking rifle with a short barrel several inches in diameter.
“Halt and be recognized,” stated the closest figure in a deep, synthesized voice.
I stopped and held my hands away from my body. “We’re not looking for trouble. We heard that there’s a Shop at the Cathedral of Learning.”
I really didn’t want to fight any of these guys. Their heavy armor looked like powerful, high-level gear.
The first figure looked us over for a moment, then removed its helmet to reveal a scrawny teenager who appeared all too pleased with himself.
“Relax,” the kid said as he waved an armored thumb back over his shoulder to point at the towering limestone building. “The Shop is just inside.”
“Is that where you got the armor?” I asked.
“Yep!” the teenager exclaimed. “It’s just like the marine armor from a tabletop game we all play.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied, surprised by the teen’s enthusiasm. I’d take his word for it.
One of the figures at the back leaned forward. “Knowledge is power, guard it well.”
The solemn effect was ruined when he high-fived one of the others.
The helmetless teen waved Zeke and me past, so we left the group and headed up to the Cathedral itself. Zeke glanced at me, rolling his eyes at the kids and their antics. As we reached the rear entrance of the gothic-style building Zeke pulled open one of the heavy wooden doors.
The chaotic babble of a large gathering boiled out of the door the instant it opened, and we found a tightly packed crowd of people that nearly blocked the entryway. Those nearest to us recoiled as the door swung open, and fear filled their expressions, even after they saw it was just the two of us.
Zeke looked at me for direction as the people stared at us apprehensively. I shrugged at Zeke, so the big man pressed his way into the crowd, and I followed him inside. As I stepped through the doorway and into the stale air of the densely packed room, a notification displayed in my vision.
You Have Entered a Safe Zone (Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh)
Mana flows in this area are stabilized. No monster spawning will happen.
This Safe Space includes:
Village of Oakland, Pittsburgh City Centre
A School (+10% Skill Progression)
The Shop
I dismissed the blue box as the smells of massed humanity filled my nostrils. Despite the fact that the Commons Room was nearly an acre of green slate floor under a four-story vaulted ceiling, the room was filled with warm air generated by the presence of so many people packed tightly together, and I picked out the scents of unwashed bodies, sweat, and fear.
I was focused on sticking tight to Zeke as he pushed our way through the masses. I barely had any attention to marvel at the solid construction of the towering building, the blocks of limestone and massive arches holding the gothic ceiling aloft.
It took several minutes for Zeke and me to push our way to the far end of the hall. It was painfully obvious that the people hiding here had not made any efforts to increase their experience.
At the back of the room, wrought-iron grates led to a bank of elevators. On the wall above the heavy and decorative grating were inscribed the lines of an oddly appropriate poem.
“Here is eternal spring; for you the very stars of heaven are new.”
Beneath the inscription at the base of the iron wall sat a silver pedestal with an emerald crystal ball floating above it. Despite the crowd that filled the hall, the area around the pedestal remained clear. Zeke plowed his way to the open area, and I stepped up beside him as we considered the floating crystal.
As I watched, a young blond woman strode up to the crystal and placed her hand on it. Then she abruptly disappeared.
One second, she was there, and the next, the woman had completely vanished.
Zeke and I shared a look, but no one else nearby reacted to the event. A few minutes later, a woman materialized in the space next to the crystal. Only the blond hair clued me in that this was the same woman who had vanished earlier. In place of ripped jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, the young woman wore a skintight jumpsuit that highlighted her athletic figure.
“Is that the Shop?” I asked as I stepped over to the woman.
“Yeah,” the blonde replied. “Just put your hand on it, and it’ll teleport you.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
The woman nodded and slipped off through the crowd. Somehow, I doubted the blonde would be one of the people who stayed inside, playing it safe.
I stepped up to the floating crystal and eyed it with suspicion before I slowly placed my left palm on it. I barely felt the cool, glassy surface before I found myself transported elsewhere.
The murmur of the crowded cathedral was silenced instantly, and the stifling warmth of the packed room dropped to a refreshingly cool temperature. The cleanliness of the fresh air was a noticeable change from the packed interior of the Cathedral of Learning.
I found myself in the entrance of a lengthy hall filled with display cases and oddly shaped mannequins. As far as I could tell, each mannequin was unique in shape. While some were humanoid, many others had multiple arms or legs. They were clad in everything from woven grass and cloth to futuristic-looking power armor. The more primitive figures were armed with wooden or metal melee weapons, while the more advanced figures carried glowing energy blades or sleek and deadly looking rifles. Behind the display cases, more weapons and armor hung on the walls in orderly arrangements. The place felt like a charming mix between a museum and a convention dealer hall filled with merchandise.
The atmosphere of the location relaxed me, despite my intentions to keep my guard up as I looked around.
“Ah, a Hunter from the new Dungeon World,” said a cultured voice. “Greetings, Adventurer.”
I turned and found myself standing only a few paces from a quadrupedal figure. At first glance, I took the creature to be a centaur, but the anatomy wasn’t quite right. The figure stood as tall as I did and had a thickly muscular humanoid torso clad in a tuxedo-like ensemble, complete with white ruffled shirt and a golden cummerbund. Below the cummerbund, thick chestnut fur covered the lower half of the creature, down to just above the knees of the four cloven-hoofed legs. The fur reminded me of sheep’s wool, despite the difference in color. Adding to the sheep parallel, the creature’s forehead sprouted curving, silvery ram’s horns that spiraled out to sharpened points. Despite the horns, the creature’s face looked remarkably human.
I’d just come face to face with my first actual alien.
“Greetings, shopkeeper,” I stammered. “I’m afraid I don’t know the etiquette for this place.”
“That is no difficulty here, my friend,” exclaimed the ram man. “I am Ryk of the Silverhorn Clan, and this Shop is one of many operated by the clan. Here you may use Galactic Credits to buy almost any item your mind can imagine, as well as purchase information or Class Skills directly from the System.”
“What if I have materials to sell?” I asked, conscious that my inventory was currently full of monster parts and that I was otherwise somewhat light on funds.
Ryk perked up. “We will buy. Crafting materials from a Dungeon World will sell very well.” The ram man gestured and directed me over to a large metallic table. “This table has a built-in stasis field that will preserve your items while we perform an appraisal and agree on a suitable price.”
I pulled monster bits from my inventory and placed them on the table. Ryk hadn’t lied about the stasis field—none of the monster meats or organs leaked anywhere on the table despite how bloody and gooey some of them appeared. All of the parts appeared freshly harvested, preserved b
y the System within my Inventory.
Except for one of the last items I pulled free.
When I drew out the bones of the mother bear, the femur looked as if it had been gnawed on by something with tiny, but very sharp, teeth. It reminded me of a chewed up doggy bone.
The marred femur also grabbed Ryk’s attention, and his brow furled in confusion as he leaned over the table to closely examine it. “Did some wild animals get to this beast before you looted it?”
“No,” I said as I shook my head. “I killed it with an explosion and got to it only a few minutes later.”
“Hmm,” muttered the ram man as he peered at the bone. “No aura on the bone. That should be impossible.” He looked back at me with his eyes narrowed. “You may have attracted the attention of someone or something very powerful, my friend. You should be careful that your actions do not offend.”
“How can you know that?” I asked.
“Shopkeepers typically have very high appraisal and analysis skills,” he replied. “If I am unable to determine a source, then significant power has obscured it.”
I thought back to the chilling sensation of being watched when I had been rearming myself. It had happened right after I looted the bear, so I strongly suspected the events were linked.
“Well,” I said with a slight shrug, “I doubt there’s much I can do about it. Not now, anyway.” I gestured to the table. “How much is this all worth?”
Ryk looked over the piled meat, bones, organs, and other assorted bits of monsters for a moment before he looked back at me. “I can give you seven thousand Credits for all of it.”
I looked at the shopkeeper, who clearly expected me to respond. It reminded me of my experiences browsing some of the open-air markets when I had been deployed overseas. It was an insult to most of those shopkeepers if you didn’t take their haggling seriously.
“Seven thousand seems pretty low,” I said cautiously. “I was thinking more like twelve.”
The ram man’s eyes grew wide, and he exaggeratedly clutched at his chest. “Twelve thousand! I would go broke to pay out that much. Nine thousand Credits is a much more reasonable price.”
“That still seems low, how about ten thousand?” I countered.
Ryk shook his head reluctantly, having dispensed with the previous theatrics. “I can’t do more than nine.”
“I’ll go for nine thousand Credits.” I nodded.
“It’s a deal then,” said Ryk.
A notification appeared in front of me. When I accepted the prompt, the materials on the table in front of me glowed before they disappeared as the goods were teleported away by the Shop.
As the table cleared, the Credit balance in my Inventory scrolled upward. Between the items that I had just sold, my bonus for the world first kill, and the various small amounts I had looted, I now had just under twenty thousand Credits total. I hoped that was enough to get System-registered weapons and some armor.
I closed my Inventory screen and looked at Ryk, who waited patiently for my attention. When he saw that I was no longer absorbed by my status screens, he motioned for me to join him beside one of the glass cases that lined the room.
“I presume you are now looking to spend some of your newfound Credits?” Ryk asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m looking for weapons and armor.”
“Well, please take a look through the displays,” said Ryk. “Each case will display the item’s statistics next to it, along with graphics showing the item in use and recommendations from experienced Adventurers.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
“And if I might offer a suggestion,” continued Ryk. “I would recommend that you not neglect magical abilities or Class Skills.”
I thanked him and browsed through the massive collection on display. Weapons were the first thing on my mind, and there were so many that I was almost overwhelmed. If I could think of it, the Shop had a display for it.
There were all types of melee weapons, from knives to swords to polearms and everything in between. There were firearms of all classifications, from pistol to carbine to rifle and matching sections for energy weapons. Then there were more esoteric weapons that shot out nets or chemicals or spat balls of toxic sludge. I even found one odd melee weapon that looked like a large tentacle on the end of a handle.
Within each category, the weapons were divided into Tiers V through I, with V being the lowest. The weapons in Tier V were mass produced and tended to be cheaply made. On the other hand, those Tier V weapons were also the lowest priced. The quality of weapons increased with each tier as they became more unique and powerful. They also became significantly more expensive. Above Tier I, there were only individual unique items. These items were exclusively hand-crafted and were the most expensive of all. Nothing in that tier fell within my current purchasing power.
The Shop had a shopping cart type menu to track desired purchases, so I added a weapon from the energy weapons category. These weapons had a natural recharge rate, so even if I used up the stored rounds completely, the weapon regenerated charges over time. I really liked the idea of never running permanently out of ammo. All of the weapons in this category looked sleek and futuristic. It would be interesting to see how the weapons fired and not have to deal with any recoil. I eventually added a pair of beam pistols from the energy pistol category to my cart.
Silversmith Mark II Beam Pistol (Upgradeable)
Base Damage: 18
Battery Capacity: 24/24
Recharge Rate: 2 per hour per GMU
Cost: 1,400 Credits
Next, I browsed through the projectile weapons. The selection was as varied as the energy weapons, but I had a much better understanding of how firearms worked, given my life experiences and military training. It took some time, but I eventually found a System weapon that resembled my Colt and added it to my cart too.
Luxor Series III Projectile Pistol
Base Damage: N/A (Dependent Upon Ammunition)
Ammo Capacity: 12/12
Ammunition Types: Standard, Armor Piercing, High Explosive, Tracer, Hollow Point
Cost: 1,200 Credits
Of course, the projectile ammunition was all sold separately, so I bought two hundred rounds of Standard ammunition for the Luxor. I really wanted some of the more exotic ammo types, like armor-piercing or high explosive, but those variants were even more expensive.
Satisfied with my initial ranged weapon options for now, I decided to pick up a couple melee weapons too. I strongly believed in the principle of Rule #9 from a popular television show—never go anywhere without a knife. My axe had come in useful a number of times so far, so I took the time to pick out one of each.
Tier V Knife
Base Damage: 11
Durability: 140/140
Special Abilities: None
Cost: 600 Credits
Tier IV Hand-axe
Base Damage: 25
Durability: 200/200
Special Abilities: None
Cost: 1,500 Credits
Now that I had picked out an assortment of weapons, I needed to look at my options for armor.
The armor selections were also diverse. The options ranged from reinforced clothing and sets of powered armor, to energy shields that could be worn or deployed to protect an area.
I mentally checked off another forty-five hundred Credits when I added a mid-grade Adventurer’s jumpsuit to my cart. The dark gray set of overalls fit snugly and featured built-in armor plates over the torso, shoulders, and thighs. The plates were segmented and designed to allow freedom of movement. The suit came with a heavy-duty pair of boots that were also armored all the way up to the knee.
I picked up a shield generator belt and a couple of the deployable shields. I hadn’t encountered any ranged attackers yet, but I figured spending another three thousand Credits now would save me trouble later.
I also found a gear pack that seemed practical for the wandering type of adventuring I seemed to have fallen into.
I added it to the list of potential purchases that waited for my confirmation.
Adventurer’s Gear Pack (Human)
Designed to be compacted down to fit within a single System inventory space, this kit contains commonly used items like high tensile strength cable, a grappling hook, a camouflaged tarp, a sleeping bag, fire starter, water purifier, and five days’ worth of human compatible rations.
Cost: 1,000 Credits
When I sorted the Adventurer’s kit for the human variant, I stumbled upon another interesting human-centric Shop item and I pulled it up for a closer examination.
Human Genome Treatments
Genome Treatments are individually tailored for each client. Each treatment’s goal is to fix and optimize the client’s base genetic code, removing errors due to aging and radiation. Optional improvements include the removal of less-than-optimal genetic code and the addition of best practice genes.
Base Cost: 10,000 Credits
Removal of Genes: 2,500 Credits
Insertion of Genes: 2,500 Credits
Whew. That was pricey and out of my range for now with everything I was already looking to purchase. Maybe someday.
Before I forgot, I decided to follow the shopkeeper’s recommendation and looked up magical abilities.
I quickly found a Minor Healing spell for ten thousand Credits, and I blinked in surprise at the cost. No, the cost wasn’t a typo. Related spells at the same level also cost in the tens of thousands of Credits. Unfortunately, on top of the high cost, the spell also carried a prerequisite that had to be met before the spell could be learned. The requirement listed that the user must also possess “Base Mana Manipulation.”
Another search of the Shop for Mana Manipulation returned multiple results at a variety of prices. Some results seemed tailored for specific races, but I didn’t like spending more than I absolutely needed. I already wouldn’t be able to afford the Genome Treatment if I went with my current purchase selection for weapons and armor. That there were different options for what appeared to be the same things still bugged me.
Fist Full of Credits: A New Apocalyptic LitRPG Series (System Apocalypse - Relentless Book 1) Page 7
