Dark Fate: Book 2 – The First Night
: Chapter 20

I nodded silently at Shadraus. He had gone through a lot, because he had been loyal to me. That wasn’t something I was just going to throw away, not after suffering a betrayal like I had from that bitch. That he was the overseer for the System Shops on Earth only made it all the more interesting. After all, the System Shops were incredibly important in the functioning of the System, and keeping people from just dying off at the start.

I took a breath, and said, “So, I remember how the shop worked the last time around, but are there any changes?”

Shadraus chuckled, and shook his head. “No, no changes. Same as before. You can change local currency to coins, and vice-versus. You can use the coins to buy things from the store, and you can sell things you loot to the store for coins. And there’s a bank that you can use to store items and gold, which can be accessed at any System Shop.”

The lich paused, and then said, “Really, the only change I’ve made was little things, like changing the location of a few of the shops. Like this one. I wanted to make sure that I put it somewhere closer to where you started last time, so you would have a chance to get an edge.”

I grinned. “Well, thank you for that, Shadraus. Unfortunately, I only have a little in the way of possessions at the moment, and haven’t had a chance to really build up any funds. But, since I’m here, can I set up my bank account?”

Shadraus laughed, and said, “Oh, it is already set up. I can’t look into the account, because the System doesn’t allow it, but as the administrator of the local system, I can tell you that your account has been active since the System came online, though it is marked with unresolved error flags. If my personal account is anything to go by, you have ‘inherited’ a large portion of your wealth from the last time through.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “Oh, shit. That will definitely do a bunch to help me establish myself.”

The lich laughed again, and then pointed to the medusa. “Vema, go and bring one of the tablets for my friend, so he can see what he has.”

“Yes, Master.” She bowed, and then turned to walk out of the room.

I raised an eyebrow at Shadraus. “So, a lich, huh? Not to sound too much like, well, you, but I see you have a lovely collection going on here. But, from my knowledge, a Lich doesn’t usually have, shall we say, the equipment to truly enjoy such a collection.”

“Hahaha! Oh, yes, that caused me a great deal of concern, I promise you, but thankfully I was able to summon and bind a very skilled enchanter. She made a unique item for me.”

The lich held up his hand, and I saw an ornate ring upon it, which looked as though it were made from celestial silver and hellforged steel. I wasn’t an expert on magical metals, but I knew enough that combining the two materials into a single item either resulted in them destroying each other (and sometimes a large portion of the surrounding area), negating each other’s abilities, to the point where it was basically a more expensive version of silver and iron, or, if you were skilled or lucky enough, an item with powers to change or negate certain things. Set upon the ring was an onyx gem which glowed with a sickly green internal light.

“What does it do?”

The lich chuckled, and the next instant it looked as though a wave of fire were passing over his body, but the flames did not burn, or even scorch his clothing. Instead, where they passed, a body of flesh and blood remained, and now I could truly see the face of my old companion as he had been before I turned back time. And then the fire spread again, and this time he retained the same basic face, but his features were more masculine, and he had bulked up like a warrior. Another wave of flame, and an elven maiden looked back at me. Finally, the flame erupted again, and once more I was looking at the lich.

My breath caught in my throat. Such things were supposed to be impossible. The System REALLY did not like it when creatures pretended to be something they were not. It was part of what made shapechangers like incubi and doppelgangers so effective. Their ability to literally assume new physical forms that could be felt and touched were rare exceptions to the rule.

Oh, sure, illusions, glamours, and temporary (or not so temporary) shapechange spells existed. But all of them had a feeling of magic that people who knew what to look for could sense. I may not have been a mage in my last life, but I had learned how to sense most glamours, at least at this close a range. And, if I hadn’t seen the spell effects as the change happened, I would not have been able to tell that any spell had even been cast, much less that there was an active effect on the lich!

“Incredible. And this is a real transformation, not an illusion?” Shadraus nodded. I couldn’t help but express my admiration for the item’s effects. “Simply amazing. Well done, my friend. Well done indeed.”

Further conversation was halted by the Medusa’s return. She bowed and handed a crystal tablet to me. Quickly looking it over, I was pleased to see that it was the same style as I was familiar with from the last timeline. With that in mind, I used my mana and System ID number to access my account.

The amount of money in my account was, frankly, obscene. Especially since the System worked that 100 Copper Pieces (CP) equaled 1 Silver Piece (SP), and worked with the same ratio for Silver to Gold (GP) and Gold to Platinum (PP). Actually, in terms of actual funds, I had more money now, than I did before I turned back time. This was, in no small part, due to the fact that I had picked up some items that were, frankly, priceless and irreplaceable artifacts over the years, as I fought against all sorts of monsters, aliens, and men. Some I felt I could use, and kept in my inventory. Others were simply too dangerous to allow to get out into the general population, and not something I could use, even if I wished to. So, I threw those items in my bank. And it appeared that they had, for the most part, been lost. Seventy percent of the items I had in the bank were lost or corrupted, and the System credited my account with their value.

Looking up at Shadraus, I grinned. “I’m going to need to do some shopping, Shadraus. I have a team to outfit, and a base to get set up.”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I used the System Shop’s interface to appraise you all before I came out.” The lich must have noticed my expression, since he chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, you aren’t slipping. The System Shop has its own form of appraisal, unlike that of an individual’s skill. It can only be used inside a System building by an authorized user, and I cannot share what I learn. However, it did allow me to have a couple of my girls pull together a few things you might want for you and yours, appropriate for your level. You’ll replace them in the ‘Recommended’ section.”

I nodded. Starting gear were pretty much the only items that didn’t get locked by tier, level, class, and attributes. A Tier 1, Level 10 Sorcerer couldn’t use a sword locked to a Fighter class of at least Tier 1, Level 5, even if they had the [Sword Mastery] skill. While I could afford to outfit us in some of the best gear available, that didn’t mean anything considering that we wouldn’t be able to use it, probably not for a very long time.

With that firmly in mind, I switched the tablet to shopping mode. It functioned much like any shopping app or website would. Think Amazon, but run by the System, using only System goods at System prices. And those prices were always set at what the System valued them, no more, no less. Which, of course, is why the Merchant profession and physical marketplaces were still things.

That was just a portion of the listings that Shadraus had ‘recommended’ for me. I couldn’t help but grin as I looked over the options. Quickly, I purchased the basic armor sets for Talia, Hibari, and Rachel. My armor was already better than the basic stuff. I also grabbed the basic mace and a dagger as backup for the priestess.

Looking through the options, I decided to buy both the Magic Van and the Shadowsoul Transport. The spell compendiums and the Remote Tablet were no-brainers, but I held off on the Slave Collars for now. I could get them later if I really needed them. After that, things got a bit more complicated.

I purchased a pair of these fans for Talia. With her abilities, they would definitely push her forward into being a more effective combatant, perhaps effective enough that I could rely on her to look after things in situations where I wasn’t there. Thirty silver well spent.

These beauties were 1000 GP a pop, but I bought five each for myself, Talia, and Hibari. Throwing weapons with infinite ammo was never something to sneer at, but throwing weapons were generally overlooked, as a rule. Even better, these shuriken were clearly designed for people in the level 20 range as a niche weapon, but they were not level locked. They might rely more on the user’s DEX than their own stats for damage, but they definitely looked like they were worth the cost.

This wand was a basic item, but it cost 10 GP, an impressive sum for a low-level item. I immediately bought this for Rachel, basically giving her an unlimited, albeit slow, healing ability. It was of limited use in combat, but if we survived, then she could heal us, which freed up her MP for other things.

Each of my pets got a collar. This basically doubled their natural regeneration, and would ensure that they could come back from pretty much any wound that didn’t kill them outright. They cost 10000 GP each, but making sure my pets weren’t fragile enough to be stolen from me was important. I was not going to let some bastard take from me ever again.

These two items essentially gave me a guide to turning my new home into a defendable base of operations, and something I could feed to my pet dungeon to ensure it grew in a profitable direction. Together, the two of them cost me 200 GP. But they were necessary for my long-term plans.

Handing the tablet to the medusa after I confirmed all my purchases, I offered Shadraus my hand. “Shadraus, it has been a pleasure. Glad to see someone else that was loyal made it back with me. I really hate to buy and run, but I better see to securing my base of operations before people get over their shock long enough to start looting.”

“Of course, my friend. Enjoy your first night in your new home, and your new bed. And, if you happen to come across any catgirls, I hope you’ll send me one, for old time’s sake?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You know it, you old pervert. You know it.”