Ch 36 Flyers

  After meeting with the Sergeant, I went back to the Guild. I sent a text to everyone about the new community hall and training simulators. That they got discounts on the simulators. 50% off. Least I could do for guildmates. Even Kate and Jamie could use them, I checked.

  I needed to stop by a camping store for outside chairs. I didn’t think there were any in the store, or at least not enough I could purchase with credits right now.

  ‘Status,’ I thought to myself.

  I think this is one of the lowest amounts of credits I’ve ever had. Since the first day at least. I’ll just have to wait a few hours.

  “Raven, how much currency do I have?”

  “User has estimated 420 thousand in US currency.”

  Not too bad. I could buy quite a few things with that.

  “Remind me, do I need to be in the dungeon to make bags with 50 times capacity?”

  “Confirmed. Outside dungeon user cannot make deep capacity containers.”

  There goes that try. Meh, too bad. I still had a few messenger bags for the guild. I’ll make sure to pass them out to everyone.

  Checking my watch, it’s close to 7 p.m. Sun is still up, so my sense of time is still off. But it’s getting close to July. Just a week or so until the 4th. I’m a little worried about what people are going to do. Especially when there is alcohol for sale in the system store.

  Don’t think about it now. It’s not your problem. Just maybe a heads up to somebody and remind them. Maybe Oscar. He’s part of the guild now.

  I messaged him, just a quick text. ‘Is anyone preparing for the 4th of July?’

  I didn’t get an answer back. He might be in the dungeon with his chosen team. He found a low-ranked healer, and they were doing experiments to level him up. Healing the goblins in the dungeon. I felt bad for the poor guy. That must be pretty gruesome. I’ll wait and see if it’s effective.

  I got back in Sky Trail.

  “Raven, find a large camping store. Or outdoor equipment store. I want a lot of outdoor furniture, especially chairs. Get me there, please?”

  “Processing. Confirmed. ETA 45 minutes.”

  “Alright, thank you. I think I’ll take a quick nap. If I don’t wake up by the time we get there, let me sleep for an hour and a half total, okay?”

  “Confirmed.”

  I sat in my recliner and closed my eyes. Some days I just wanted to postpone everything. Today felt like I was one long stressor. So a nap would do me good.

  *

  I blinked awake. The sun had set. We were in a parking lot. I checked my watch, it was getting closer to 9 p.m. than 8.

  “Raven? We here? How long did I sleep?”

  “User slept approximately 90 minutes. User was awoken at specified time.”

  I rubbed my face. Groggy as hell. I think I needed to try and get real sleep tonight.

  “Thanks, Raven. Is the store still even open?”

  “Confirmed. This store closes at 10 p.m.”

  Good to know. I had an hour to shop around. I exited my van, yawned, and stretched. I was given a side eye by a worker from the front of the store. But I made my way in.

  I grabbed a flatbed instead of a cart. Easier to stack things on. I went to the outdoor section first off. It was also the gardening section. Apparently this was a home renovation store. Not sure why Raven picked it, but I’ll go with the flow.

  Walking around the gardening section, I understood why. It was the end of June. Quite a lot of their outdoor furniture was on sale for a decent discount. I found a few things I liked the look of and piled them onto the flatbed. From benches to swing sets to egg chairs. Even a couple of dining sets and couches. When the flatbed was getting too heavy, I waved a worker over.

  “I want all this, but I’m decorating for an entire apartment outdoors, so I need more. I need another flatbed. Could you bring me one, please?”

  The worker looked from me to the flatbed cart I had loaded up already. Everything was flat-packed, fortunately. But still. She looked at me and simply stated,

  “We have more of these in the back if you’d like them.”

  I slowly smiled. “Why yes, yes I would. Thank you very much, miss. That would be very helpful.”

  She called over another two guys. Then started a list of everything I picked out. One guy was going to the back to pull them, another went to pull this flatbed to the front, and she went to get another flatbed for me.

  I was still smiling. “Raven, I can store these in my inventory, correct?”

  “Confirmed. Each single piece does not weigh more than user. User may have to separate some pieces outside of containment boxes before storing, however.”

  I nodded, that made sense. I didn’t actually think I could store an entire couch, no matter that it was flat-packed, into my inventory. I walked around some more, picking out different pieces and pulling them off the shelves.

  I was not going for cheap pieces. Nor the most expensive. I was going for sturdy. Not pretty or decorative. Heavy duty, can take weight, sturdy. Even the cushions I chose were the ones that could survive storms.

  Everything was a hundred or a couple hundred. But I thought it worth it. To have sturdy furniture that could withstand all those running the dungeon and stay outside in the training yard.

  That’s about when I found the 14-foot umbrellas. I couldn’t decide whether or not.

  “Raven, tell me yes or no. Do we need 14-foot umbrellas?”

  “Confirmed. Above level 1, those running the dungeon are less likely to get burned by sunlight. But heat exhaustion is still prevalent.”

  That decided me. I was going to buy twenty 14-foot umbrellas.

  The female worker came back as I stared at them. I pointed at them and smiled. She looked between me and the umbrellas. And her smile strained.

  “We have more of them in the back.”

  I slowly grinned. “How many more?”

  *

  Once I finished up with my purchases and loaded everything into my inventory — having to unbox some things to load up — I paid thousands of dollars with my fancy business black card. The three of them had their eyes wide open when the purchase went through.

  I decided to go back to the community center to unload the furniture and start putting it all together. Maybe I’d get some help with that. By the time I arrived it was after 11, however. A couple of people were using the simulators and a few people were standing around watching.

  I started near the edge where the bunkers ended and began unloading the flat-packed furniture. Making sure all the pieces were together. Once I had a good row, I started putting the stuff together. A few people wandered over to help. Then I unloaded some more.

  Word spread around, so I ended up with a crowd. Until I had all the furniture unloaded from my inventory and all of it was being put together.

  That was when I pulled the last pièce de résistance. 50. I repeat. 50. Fourteen-foot umbrellas.

  I laid them out one by one. People were staring at them. Some people gaped. There was literally enough umbrella coverage to shade the entire open space.

  Once I laid them all out, everyone was staring. So I grinned and said, “What? They were having a sale!”

  That got me a few laughs, then a few chuckles, until almost everyone was laughing and putting furniture together. People were placing everything haphazardly, but avoiding near the simulators and the middle. Which worked out perfectly. It’s like everyone knew that was going to be the sparring ring.

  “Raven? Can you mark off the center as a sparring ring? Just wood posts and rope? With entrances on all four sides. Make it a circle, please?”

  “Confirmed. 50 credits spent.”

  That was a good price for it. I watched as the circle materialized in the middle. A circle roughly 20 feet wide, with the four entrances about five feet wide. The rope was fairly low, maybe three feet high. A clearly defined marker, but easy to step over.

  People noticed it immediately and started positioning the chairs to face the circle. None of the umbrellas went over the circle now. But basically everywhere else had shade.

  “Raven, do I have enough credit to double the bunkers for a second level?”

  “Confirmed. Would user like to purchase?”

  “I need to add stairs and elevators as well. A set of stairs on each end, and an elevator in the middle. Do I have enough?”

  “Confirmed. Price of staircase is 350, elevator is 500. Do you wish to purchase?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Do it. Make it a second level.”

  “180 minutes until completion. 83,200 credits spent.”

  Okay. I had more than I thought.

  “Raven, how many credits do I have?”

  “User has 155,450 credits.”

  I blinked. I forgot I was making income. But that much. I had mathed it out earlier even. But the startling realization still hit me.

  I looked at the open stretch on the right side of the square and exhaled.

  “Alright, Raven. Eight-bed units. Ground floor first.”

  “Confirmed. Please state design parameters.”

  “Entry opens directly into living area. No exterior corridor. Kitchenette along one wall. Enough counter space for eight people. Real sink. Cabinets. Storage scaled to occupancy.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Dining table for eight. Not foldable. Solid. Chairs sturdy.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “One full bathroom off the living area. Toilet, sink, shower. Not cramped. Self-cleaning. Pristine tag per renter per day.”

  “Confirmed.”

  I thought a moment.

  “Two bedrooms. Four beds each. Bunk style. Built-in frames, not freestanding. Wall-mounted.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Each bedroom gets a half bath. Toilet and sink only.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Between the two bedrooms, add a separate shower room. Designed for quick turnover. Good drainage.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Each bed gets its own wardrobe. System-locked to renter only. Capacity sufficient for armor and personal effects.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Sound dampening in walls. Floors easy to clean. Lighting warm but bright enough to work by. No wasted space, but not cramped.”

  “Confirmed.”

  I paused.

  “Structural frontage per unit?”

  “Twenty-four feet.”

  “Good. Eight units total. All facing the square.”

  “Total cost per unit 14,000 credits. Eight units total 112,000.”

  “Okay, good. How long until it’s built?”

  “Estimated time 165 minutes after current production is finished.”

  “Okay, I can wait that long. How many credits do I have left?”

  “42,250 credits remain.”

  “How much would a second level of the rec room cost? I want it enclosed, with a set of double-wide stairs and four full bathrooms. But otherwise a plain open room. Painted blue-grey, of course.”

  “Calculating. Cost is 18,800.”

  “Do it. Estimated time?”

  “50 minutes after current projects are completed.”

  “Alright. Just let me know when everything is finished. Put the stairs off to one side of the rec room, alright?”

  “Confirmed.”

  With that, I decided on a little downtime for myself. I still had those telepathic horse books to finish reading, and there were plenty of couches in the community center. I nabbed a comfy-looking plush beige loveseat for myself, stretched out a bit, and pulled out my e-reader. Then resumed my reading where I left off from my dungeon montage.

  *

  It was hours later when Raven notified me that everything was completed. I yawned and stretched again, sitting up and putting away my e-reader. I went upstairs to look around. The bathrooms were along the stairs wall, which was a good idea. But the rest of the room was completely blank, just as I hoped.

  “Alright, Raven, you said the dodging simulators were the most basic. What aren’t the most basic simulators I can afford?”

  “User can afford intermediate simulators that allow for multi-instance training. Allows multiple users to enter together and train against multiple monsters. Includes traps and environments that can slow or leave blank damage on users. Users can test skills in simulators without damaging others. No damage will be done to any user inside simulator, but damage and pain will be simulated. Simulator will also have recordings of user’s performance after simulation is complete. Cost of intermediate simulator is 8,000 credits.”

  I whistled. That sounded fancy and expensive. I wanted it for myself.

  “Okay, how much would it be to run a simulator? Per person, I mean?”

  “50 credits per person to run simulator. At minimum.”

  I whistled again. But I thought it would be worth it. I would make no money off these. But people would be able to train better at least.

  “How many can I afford now?”

  “User currently has 24,560 credits. Can purchase four simulators. Would you like to purchase?”

  “Yeah, space them out so people can see what they’re doing. I’ll bring up some chairs or something later, I guess. Need to make a sign too.”

  “Purchase confirmed.”

  Then there were suddenly four very large floor mats in three corners of the room. The last was mostly center placed. They were almost 8x8 ft, taking up a lot of the available floor space. I’m glad I only purchased four now.

  “So 560 credits. Can you make a sign? For each one? And one downstairs that these are up here?”

  “100 credits each to explain what these simulators are and do, and the price of.”

  “Alright, that’s fair. Just put the downstairs sign by the stairs. People will get curious. Put spectators allowed too. Maybe I should buy a TV or something so people can watch replays?”

  “User is underfunded. Cannot confirm purchase.”

  “It’s for later, I guess.”

  I saw the signs at each simulator now. They were fairly large, with everything explained on them. Including all the options. Which there were more than a few of.

  I walked away. I was tired and hungry. I went downstairs and to the interface. For some reason I was craving biscuits and gravy. No idea why.

  But I wanted to poke through the interface myself for once. Not just go through Raven. A lot had changed apparently. There were multiple options now of the same meal set. But there were ratings of the meals. By different user IDs. No reviews. Just ratings.

  I picked out a full meal that had a picture. It looked really good. I pulled out my coffee bottle and bought the full meal for 4 credits. It was a loaded plate. Freshly baked biscuits with homemade sausage gravy. I could tell this was a little old granny cooking. It was absolutely delicious. I was completely full by the time I was done. Two large buttermilk biscuits were enough to do me in. The amount of gravy slathered on was more than enough to drown the biscuits. I stowed my plate and drank some more coffee.

  Now what?

  I built two bunker floors. I built a base level of eight bedrooms. I was going to build a level of four bedrooms based off the eight-bedroom style.

  I was literally, honestly bored.

  I had been so busy today that I had been focusing so hard to get the community center up. Now I was just waiting on funds to finish it.

  But what to do in the meantime? Run the dungeon? I shuddered at the thought. I really didn’t want to go back in there right now. Go talk to Lucas? He might need some cheering up. Craft for the guild? Sell to DMC? Sell to the Guard?

  Deciding to do something completely random, I pulled out my phone and called my parents.

  It rang a couple of times, then Dad answered.

  “’Lo, sonny boy. Not like you to call like this. Something the matter?”

  “Hey, Dad, no. I’m just in the middle of a project and had some downtime and realized I hadn’t called to check on y’all. Was wondering how y’all are doing, what with all that’s going on?”

  “Hah! Been a few weeks now, and now you decide to call? You been busy, boy? We’ve been having the time of our lives, I’ll tell you what! My workshop hasn’t seen such a makeover since my grandfather was a lad! My woodworking skill is through the roof! If I can think it, I can make it! Your mom has been quilting up a storm! Buying out damn near the whole fabric store! She ain’t even using that fancy machine of hers anymore, says it’s faster to be done by hand now! We’ve been driving near daily into town to the stop to sell our products! Been getting lots of credits from it too! You need any, let your dad know, I’ll lend you some! Even cash! Now that’s credit flowing in, we ain’t hard up for cash no more either! Your mom has been thinking of getting some silkworms and growing some flax, and getting the skills to make thread and cloth herself! Just to make better products! Hells, I’ve been buying the same wood from the lumber yard for nigh on decades and I switched to buying it from this dang system! It’s so much better! Now tell me, what have you been up to, son?”

  I paused for a breath. Glad they took crafting skills. It settled something in me, to know they were happy and content.

  “Well, I started a guild. To run people through the dungeon here. I became an enchanter. I made some wands and expansion bags. I’ll send you some. They’re great for holding more than they let on. Do you need more supplies for anything? I know there are few shops there, but I can buy up a bunch of stuff here and drive out there. It’d be pretty easy for me. Just a couple days, just a small visit. Get you a lot more supplies. There’s a skill called Inventory. I’d suggest one of you take it next level up. It lets you keep all your stuff on you at all times. I bought a camper van from the system store. It’s self-driving. So I could even sleep on the way there.”

  There was silence for a moment.

  “Boy, what have you done, that you need a break from the city? You were always gung-ho about the big city life. And now you want to visit? It’s a seven-hour drive to get here. You can’t get here and back in a day, even in a self-driving van. You’d be bored to death! Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  I laughed a little. “No, no kind of trouble. I did a thing, and it got me some attention. Some big attention. I just want it to die down some. I didn’t want recognition for it. I just wanted it to get done. So I did it. And now I’m kind of stuck. I need to wait it out. I’m just on hold for a bit. There’s nothing for me to do for the next week or so. So I thought I might come see you. That’s all. And I have plenty of money and credits, thank you very much. I even own a building now.”

  My dad laughed at that. “Hah, you? Own a building? That’s fantastic! Wait til your mother hears about that! She’s in town right now, with all the other ladies that picked up a hobby craft as a skill. They take turns hosting, as not to outright bungle the store into debt. Anything you can bring would be a blessing, though. The one store here can’t keep up with the demands the ladies and others have. I mean literally anything. Any craft material. At all. But sure. Come visit. You might have to sleep in your van, because your mother has taken over half the house with her projects, though. But seriously, anything for crafting, anything at all would help. For any craft, you name it.”

  I chuckled. “Alright, Dad. I’ll be there tomorrow, just let me get some shopping done first. I’ve plenty of cash. You can sell it out or give it away, as you want. I’ll just give it to you.”

  “Hah, good lad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that we said our goodbyes. My heart felt so much lighter now.

  I placed a call to the DMC and asked how many wands they could take right now. The call was directed to Dumar.

  “Mr. Turner, you’re asking before dropping an innumerable amount of wands? May I ask what this is about?”

  “Yeah, my folks live out in the country, most of the town picked up crafting skills. They only have one hobbyist store. So I’ve been delegated to go on a crafting shopping spree and deliver the goods. It’ll just be a couple of days. But I wanted to get some more cash on hand after I made a large purchase. I’m a little low. So I wanted to check and see how many you could take as of now, and which ones?”

  Dumar paused. “We can always take some. But my funding has recently been raised, specifically for auto size and pristine wands. I do not doubt you have a plethora on hand. I can afford up to 400 wands total. If you deliver them now, I can make the payment go through in an hour. Do we have a deal?”

  “Yep, I have around 50 auto size wands and the rest will be pristine, is that alright?”

  “That is acceptable, yes. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Someone will be waiting for you at reception.”

  Then he said goodbye.

  I waited ten minutes, then ported to my spot at DMC. I just walked across the parking lot and headed inside. I looked at the woman in much more professional attire than I’ve seen before.

  I walked up to her and asked if she was waiting for me.

  Her reply was curt and positive. She motioned for me to follow her to an office on the first floor. It was a small billing office. She pulled out a bin and asked me to start the counting of wands. I complied. First the 48 auto size, which she bundled and tagged. Then she pulled another bin. So I started counting by 50s. She bundled and tagged every 50. Then two extra.

  She thanked me personally for coming in so quickly and finishing our business so fast, and complying with her so easily. I just said thank you for your professionalism; there were some who weren’t so quick on the uptake. She grimaced but sent the message off that all the wands were accounted for. She told me I would have my money transferred within the hour. I thanked her politely, then left.

  I ported back to the guild where I had left my van. I noticed how late it had gotten. A few stores would close soon, so I might as well hit them up first. I did have about 300k in my bank already. But I wanted to be prepared for all-out shopping. So I hopped into Sky Trail and asked Raven to take me to the closest hobby or craft store.

  *

  Which turned out to be a specialized crafting store for metalsmithing, aka blacksmithing. I was pleased with this. I didn’t even know if anyone back home had taken blacksmithing, but they might now. I walked into the store and asked for the manager.

  I was given an odd look, but they complied.

  “Hi, I’m an enchanter, but there is a small town of crafters that are derelict in all supplies of materials. I don’t know anything about this craft, so if you were starting from base up, what would you need to buy? Tools included. Don’t worry. Money is no problem.”

  The manager gave me a queer look, then started listing things off. I just said, I’ll buy them all. Even if it’s the whole store’s worth.

  He gave me a look and told me that would be at least 50k. I said no problem. He said I’d need a truck for it all. I said I have an inventory.

  He blinked at me, then started gathering and having the clerks box things up for me. I just stood there cheerfully. Once everything was boxed up and rung up, I swiped my black card and it went through. The manager’s eyes widened. I did watch this and started putting box after crate into my inventory. Even the anvil. They were all amazed.

  I said, “Hope you have an easy time restocking!” and left.

  Getting back into Sky Trail, I told Raven, less specialized this time. And off we went.

  *

  My shopping spree took several hours, late into the night. I even hit up the big box stores for what little they had. But I had a plethora of things. I decided I’d give my mom all the leftover fabrics I had as well.

  It was nearly 1 a.m., and I needed a quick nap. So I settled down in my van and let my skill take me.

  *