The temple grows, along with his options.

One after the other the rooms unlocked, each without a sacrifice, each putting small dents into John's experience and cash pools. The study, upon closer inspection, was a rather cozier version of the one wherein he had crossed paths with Vanessa Hawthorne, complete with a fancy table, cushioned chair, and a loveseat flanked by bookshelves. Tomes on magical theory, artifact smugglers, and sex (the last of the three making up the vast majority) filled these shelves, and he expected he'd soon find a more diverse set of subjects once he finally got control of his Gamer's drive. The Armoury was far less impressive: a series of lockers and a single, massive iron chest.

Temple item: Gamer's storage box: has a maximum capacity of 20 slots per temple level. Can distribute contents to summoned monsters along with their regular gear fully equipped if the Armoury is attended.

John nodded, already knowing who'd end up here. "Thumalk," he called, and in a flash the twitching elf was at his side.

"Yes, my Master?"

"Please, just... just call me John, or something."

"Something? Master is the finest word I can imagine, for your beauty has enlightened me to new heights of admiration, adolation... and arousal, unlike anything I had ever known before with my so-briefly betrothed."

"I'm... I'm sorry, what?"

"I long for you, John Newman," Thumalk whispered, his thin body growing near, "and I would let you, no, invite you to take me as your toy whenever you tire of your wives-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I'm not... um, that's not my thing, you know?" John tried to not look at the elf or his tiny erect penis, and shoved the lithe man away when he got too close for comfort. "Just... try to keep yourself in check while you're attending the armoury, and uh... don't ever talk to me about sex again." The elf's face betrayed how heartbroken he had been left, but he offered only his sad nod and tried, and failed, to whistle a happy tune as he walked into his new home, earning another tired glance from John to the fell fae responsible for Thumalk's state. She only grinned back and waved. He pumped the bonus stat point from unlocking the room into Wisdom, and prayed he finally locked down any future deception or rebellion of hers.

The Waypoint Chamber followed this, and proved even more unimpressive than the armoury: a room lit by blue-fire sconces showing off a series of landing platforms much like the one in the foyer, though each was made of plain black tiles except the one that showed a simple drawing of a house. My waypoint to go straight home instead of back to the school bathroom... There was nothing there that could help Tricia, however, so he left it alone for now. The last chamber to earn his attention was whatever a 'psychosphere array' could even be... and when the bricks melted away, he understood even less. The psychosphere was, perhaps too predictably, a massive, globe-like blue crystal of a rough, even pointy-looking surface. It spun violently in the center of some kind of silver gyroscope, the entire configuration on a pillar of tubes leading down to a wide console bereft of any buttons, showing instead a shifting hurricane of colors, shapes and sounds that lit up on its smooth copper surface, each one too ephemeral or conjoined for John to tell what it was even trying to convey. The array room left naught but nine square feet before this console, the tiny space flanked by vacuum tubes pulsing with light.

"Fairy."

"Yeees, Master?"

"You're going to man the psychosphere array." Fairy was silent, and John looked at her to see a shocked, and then bitter, expression. "Understood?"

"Shouldn't one of these fat breeding sows of yours do it? I can still be useful in a fight, after all."

"Can you?" There was more anger in his voice than he intended, but she nearly hovered away as if batted by his hand. "You'll still be useful this way... just as an advisor, a second sight of eyes, a translator. These are all things you can do with the psychosphere, if I'm not mistaken."

"So... that's it then? Will I... get shifts, or..."

"What, to come back to my world, maybe find some new way to betray me? No thanks." John didn't bother looking at Fairy as he walked towards the fountain, and she hadn't the free will to try and cut back at him before hovering sadly to her new station in eternity.

<I wish he just opened a door with my face at this rate...>

<I heard that.>

"Fuck you, Master!" John rolled his eyes as he walked past the fountain, which now sprung with gorgeous, crystal-clear water in much the same way as the one in his sanctuary. The fountain prompt confirmed he completed its task, and he reviewed his sheet with all the small changes that now came from unlocking his rooms. He had nearly made it to the absurd list of loot he had yet to account for when the television fell from the wall with a sudden, explosive ****. John leapt back as it shattered on the ground and brought the entire back wall of the temple with it... only to reveal, beyond the falling dust and crumbling bricks, the promised main hall. John stepped over the debris with wide eyes, his pregnant wives standing by to be sure of the end of falling debris.

"This is..." It was nothing like the foyer, but looking back he saw that the old, hewn bricks of his temple's entrance had been polished, aligned perfectly, and painted white with golden trimming. He followed this redesign out into the courtyard, a massive, sunken forum, the middle of which sported a statue of one nude John Newman, in exactly the anatomically-correct shape he was in today, flanked by four shallow, square pools of blue water that interrupted the forum steps. All around it, more sealed doors, these now made from neatly laid and cut bricks in square arches, made themselves apparent. The domed ceiling, a plain white canvas, begged for a Michaelangelo. "... amazing..."

The shattered wall finished transforming into the smooth transition between foyer and hall, and so served as a signal for Tita to gaily giggle as she daintily stepped over the debris that, even as she walked, had already begun to vanish under the withering gaze of the lone cleric spirit. John ignored her as she sat herself in a pool, though he raised an eyebrow as Alysha followed... and then gracefully sank herself in the diagonally opposite pool at its diagonally opposite end, staring at sealed doors or anything else that wasn't John, his statue, or her new, hated roommate. Captain Woofroot leaped and bounded around John twice before finding his own pool of water, only to slurp up its contents. Skill level plus one, so 1100% faster... so eleven minutes here is one minute more that I'm not helping Tricia... how many real minutes can I really spare? John thought to abandon his temple tour now, but the fact remained that he sacrificed a chance at leveling up again to unlock these rooms and these new capabilities; he would be a fool to potentially pass up on more opportunities behind these brick walls.

He had taken the arrangement of arches to mean seven rooms, but soon he realized that the main Hall was merely another core: three of the seven, notably larger than the rest, were expansions yet to be unlocked, as foretold by the statue of himself at its center.

MAIN HALL
The heart of the temple, and yet not its true self. All traffic must flow through here like blood from centers to extremities. Should the body be fully realized, then and only then shall the mind of the Temple be opened.
PROGRESS: 0/8 [4 rooms, 2 wings, 1 room in each wing]
Construction Rewards: +2 to all summoner spells/abilities including the temple, +20,000XP, access to the temple's inner-sanctum

He reviewed his options, one by one, noting the requirements for the wings as he looked at what appeared to be the western and eastern halves of the temple. He started with the west:

PRAETORIUM MAGUS
The western wing of the temple, dedicated to knowledge and the arcane practices of a mage. The way shall become clear by root and flask.
PROGRESS: 0/2
Construction Rewards: +1 temple level, +3,000XP, access to the temple's western wing

HARMONY GARDEN
[Requires a healing spell to unlock.] A bountiful garden that grows a number of useful plants and fruits, as well as plants which can be used to create fruits loaded with certain spells known to the Gamer. Tended by a cleric spirit.
Construction Option #1: 2,000XP, $1,000
Construction Option #2: Surrender a level 10 or higher summon
Construction Reward: +1 temple level, +1 cleric spirit

ALCHEMY LABORATORY
[Requires knowledge of alchemy to unlock.] A densely-packed laboratory for all forms of alchemical applications, from wholesale creation to transmutation. A generous materials chest is included, and all tools and materials are included when assessing potential projects.
Construction Option #1: 1,200XP, $900
Construction Option #2: Surrender a level 8 or higher summon
Construction Reward: +1 temple level, +3 to your alchemy skill

Satisfied, he then reviewed those on the east:

PRAETORIUM MILES
The eastern wing of the temple, dedicated to martial prowess and adventure. The way shall become clear by blood and sweat.
PROGRESS: 0/2
Construction Rewards: +1 temple level, +3,000XP, access to the temple's eastern wing

TRAINING PIT
[Requires a combat style to unlock.] A simple dirt arena in which a summoner can spend his own XP to convert their minion's training into experience.
Construction Option #1: 1,500XP, $500
Construction Option #2: Surrender a level 8 or greater summon.
Construction Reward: +1 temple level, raise a minion of lower level to your level or to level 12, whichever is lower

THE FORGE
[Requires knowledge of craft to unlock.] The center for constructing the tools of war and magery, be they of steel or wood. A generous materials chest is included, and all tools and materials are included when assessing potential projects.
Construction Option #1: 1,200XP, $900
Construction Option #2: Surrender a level 8 or higher summon
Construction Reward: +1 temple level, +3 to your craft skill

Such were John's somewhat limited options, at least unless the wings presented even more rooms he could open. A garden sounded nice at best, and he knew nothing of Alchemy, leaving only the eastern wing and its offerings. He needed allies... and turning one of his minions into something a bit more viable for the coming fight sounded more useful than the other rewards by far. As his summons conducted their quiet rivalry, or blithely ignorant joy, he pressed a hand to the training pit and gave it all the XP and cash for which it thirsted.

TRAINING PIT unlocked!

The neatly stacked bricks then neatly unstacked, each line of bricks fading like a knock-off Tetris effect until the pit was revealed. As promised, it was little more than a circle of dirt surrounded by two-row stands and contained in an old-looking rope. On entering, John realized the strands of that rope, that once seemed to mediocre, glittered with shards of what could be emerald or something rough green gemstone. An interface appeared, showing him his summons:

PLEASE CHOOSE A SUMMON TO INCREASE TO OPEN THE TRAINING MENU:
Captain Woofroot, Level 1
Thumalk Luna'sheek [rename pending], Level 1
Tita, Level 2
Fairy, Level 4
Alysha, Level 10

Alysha would barely be improved, and her Glorylust ability almost made it tempting to keep her at ten for now. Tita would take too long to un-impregnate and bring into this battle, as much as he wanted a potent mage by his side. Thumalk was a mess thanks to Fairy... and that left Fairy... and the source of the pleased, innocent grumblings from the forum. Captain Woofroot rolled around in his pool, barking happily at John when their eyes met. John couldn't help but grin, and wonder what a level 12 shrub could do.