Money (That's What I Want)

After all the meetings were over, The Magician dismissed the crowd back to the main building for room assignments and card upgrades. John, who found himself needing to use the bathroom after holding it in the forest for so long, told them to go on ahead. Thankfully the restrooms in the airportesque building were clearly marked.

He felt a wave of relief as he stood in front of the urinal, absentmindedly looking at his sheet in the meantime. He noticed that all of his skills didn’t fit on his sheet anymore, and decided to revisit the oft-ignored customization tab. Now that he had unlocked more features, he guessed it would have more options. It turned out that he was right, there was an option to expand the sheet and theme the background based on his equipment and skills automatically. At the bottom of the list of customizations was an “undo” option.

Huh, that’s interesting. May as well try it, I guess, John thought, tapping the automatic customization option. His character sheet appeared in front of him, restructured, with a mahogany red and leathery brown pattern that replaced the old dark blue.

That actually looks pretty good. It’s more space efficient and bigger. Being able to see all my active perks and equipment is a pretty nice feature. I should have done that earlier, John thought, as he zipped his fly. He washed his hands and dried them with the air dryer, pleasantly surprised by how well it worked.

Making his way outside, he noticed the late August sun lazily crawling its way toward the horizon. Checking his phone, he realized it was about six in the evening. Man, we were in there longer than I thought. I better get my room assignment quick, I want to get back to the apartment before Jenny comes home. Cook up something to celebrate the first gig on her contract. Maybe I should pick up something on the way back to the apartment. Set up a waypoint between the dorm and the apartment too.

He set off for the main base, not bothering to travel across the rooftops when it was so close. Jenny probably won’t be home for a few hours. I don’t have to rush, John thought, taking out his phone and texting her to ask for a timeframe.

John: Hi babe <3
John: My tests are all over and I’ve got some stuff I want to talk about nothing serious just some good news and some better news :P When are you gonna be home?

He walked with his phone out for a few minutes, then figured she was probably busy with a show or something. Either way, she probably wasn’t already home. Maybe I should be quick, just in case.

He was so lost in thought that he bumped into the shaggy homeless man who walked in front of him to block his path. “Hey kid, I don’t know what you’re doing in this part of town, but you better give me your wallet if you know what’s good for you!” The trench-coat wearing thief brandished a long kitchen knife at him, thrusting it menacingly in the air.

The would-be thief expected John to cower in fear, maybe even to run away. What he didn’t expect was laughter. The man in front of him would have terrified John as he was before… but now the mugger was a joke.

“Wow, this is amazing. I mean, there are over a hundred thousand people in Springfield. Granted you’re in a really bad spot, but still. The chances of this are astronomical,” John replied, not bothering to pull his guns on the man. He looked around the deserted street and into the nearby industrial buildings, but found no witnesses. He took the Echo Stone out of his inventory and discreetly dropped it to be certain, but sure enough, the man in front of him was the only outline.

“What the hell are you talking about, kid! Are you high or something!? I’ll just take it from you!” the knife speared into his duster… and broke upon contact. John was surprised the man had the Strength to break the blade, but wasn’t surprised that it did break.

He pulled Ivory on the man, slapping the Shard of Mercy onto it. Deciding to have a little fun, he Jumped behind his assailant. “Nobody will ever believe you,” John whispered into the man’s ear, knocking him out with a shot to the back of the head.

What do I do with him? I can’t just leave him here. Should I call the cops on him? But then they’d probably be able to track my number… wait a minute, I’m on an Abyssal phone company, no they won’t John took his spare shirt out of his inventory as he thought, tearing the sleeves off and tying the man’s wrists together with them. I wish I could use the shroud for this, but I can’t leave magical stuff lying around.

That settled, he took out his phone and dialed 911, “Please help! I’m getting cornered by a mugger near the alley on 51st and West Broadway!” He immediately hung up, dragging the criminal to the nearby alleyway. “Man, I liked this shirt,” John put the ruined garment into his inventory, sinking into the shadows thanks to his duster just as he heard a siren approaching.

Hiding invisible will do me better than making a break for it, John reasoned, waiting for the policeman to walk into the alleyway. A slightly overweight African-American patroller rounded the corner, service revolver at the ready. The officer froze when he saw the tied-up mugger, recognizing him from a recent police sketch.

John took the opportunity to slink away. Man, in broad daylight. Didn’t think that could happen in this town. It’s probably not common. He stuck to the shade the buildings provided for a block or so before emerging, the base a few buildings away. Weird Stealth didn’t level up. Wait a minute, it’s at max? Mana Bolt is too? I should have paid more attention. Maybe I’ll use the SEP on one of those…

He looked back to his skill sheet and decided against it. Fist was only one level away from max, at least he assumed as much based on how slowly it levelled up. Jump was a little further behind, but not by much, only needing four levels.

Crap, I passed the building when I was sneaking away from that cop, John realized, backtracking. He entered the barrier the building resided in, making his way through the front doors shortly. The air conditioning inside felt nice compared to the summer heat. This coat is amazing, but sometimes I wish I had picked something a little lighter for my main armor.

He made his way to the stairs, stopping mid-way up when he felt a vibration in his pocket… and then three more. Looking at his notifications, he had two texts from Amy and two texts from Jenny.

Jenny: I’m happy for you Johnny! We should celebrate tonight
Jenny: My last show is at ten I’ll be home right after
John: I might have a little something planned
Jenny: Can’t wait <3

Amy: We all picked roommates. The three of us picked each other and you if that’s alright.
Amy: If you want someone else we can probably work it out or something.
John: Nah, that’s probably fine. I was going to make a barrier for it anyway. I’m gonna talk to the secretary now.
Amy: Cool!

He slipped his phone back into his back pocket, stepping onto the second floor. There was much less commotion than the day before, most of the secretary’s clones unoccupied. Apparently, his detour had spared him the crowd of people. As he approached, one looked up and said, “How may I help you, sir?”

“I need a card upgrade and a dormitory assignment. I’ve been told that Amy Tensung, Grace Aria, and Abigail Firenzia requested me and each other, so I’d like to share it with them,” John took the plastic card out of his inventory, sliding it across the counter to the smirking woman.

“My, my, aren’t you popular. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. It also says your due for a meeting with Mrs. Buildwell on the thirty-first floor. She’s to be your equipment developer. Here’s your new card.” A different clone handed him a silvery metal card with his code name and numbers emblazoned in a shinier metal. “Your room is on the tenth floor, room 1012. I’d suggest meeting with your R&D partner first. They don’t typically like waiting. Lab 3120.”

“Thanks! Oh, I also meant to ask for a handbook.” The lady was quick and to the point, something John appreciated. She laughed at that before handing him a piece of paper with a QR code on it.

“Oh, you’ve been speaking with The Magician. You can download our app with that code. Just make sure not to lose your phone. Or use its self-destruct function if you do,” the secretary explained, still giggling.

“My phone doesn’t have… yeah okay. Thanks for the help! Have a nice day,” John decided not to press the subject, if apparently that was a common feature on Abyssal phones. He scanned the QR code and called the elevator, not intending to walk up twenty-nine stories. He stepped in when it arrived, pressing the button for the thirty-first floor. Upon closer inspection, he noticed this elevator only had buttons for floors one to forty. A redhead with a giant wrench was sprinting toward the slowly closing doors, and she yelled,