Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

Several miles away from the compound, the false smile dropped away in an instant when Oliver finally removed the demon mask. Slowly he flipped it around, staring blindly into it's eyes before he tossed it into the warehouse.

“Should have just killed her husband and moved on...” He muttered dully. “But no, of course I had to get involved with the fucking cartel, buddy up to a drug lord, and exchange favors with him to protect an innocent family.”

With a snarl, Oliver spun, slamming his fist into the tree with a curse. His body tremble as he fought the urge to lash out again, and slowly he pulled his hand away. Staring at his bloody knuckles, he let the throbbing pain focus his mind.

“And because I'm punishing myself, giving in to destructive impulses... because of emotional turmoil...” He sighed softly and pulled out a first aid kit. “That's something I haven't done in a long time...”

With slow and controlled motions, he cleaned the scrapes and applied an antibiotic ointment before wrapping the entire hand. Once that was done, he shook his body like a wet dog and patted both of his cheeks. “Ok, focus up Oli. She said she needed time, and you're giving her that. Do the damn job you agreed to...”

He tilted his head at a sudden thought, then nodded firmly. “If what the Duke said is right, there is some potential profit to be made here...”

Plan forming in his mind, Oliver changed into clothes more suitable for his trip through the jungle before he pulled out his drone and started moving.

The drone swept across the abandoned farm, and Oliver took in the scene. While the owners had fled, taking many of there possessions, they hadn't wasted any time cleaning up after the attack. Broken fence posts, a barn door that hung precariously from the frame... and the corpses of slain livestock. Goats, chickens, and even a pair of cows lay scattered across the open field behind the house.

The truly strange thing was the complete lack of blood... Which reminded Oliver of what the Duke had said.

“My men are... a bit superstitious... but I do no believe such a thing exists. Chupacabras are a myth, nothing more.”

Oliver had wanted to laugh in the man's face, but had restrained himself. He wouldn't have believe either if not for the System and everything he had experienced since. But now he knew such things were really possible. And with a bunch of livestock, slain at night and drained of blood, while none of the human occupants were touched... He was inclined to agree with their superstitions.

And all he needed to do to secure the Duke's assistance was find them and remove the problem.

Finding their trail through the dense foliage was easy, thanks to the reports from the farm workers and the speed of his drone. He knew flying the drone in would be tricky, but he was confident in his ability... The fact that the drone was a sphere only the size of a grapefruit, and completely smooth, also made it unlikely to snag on anything- it had already proven several times to be a very valuable acquisition. With a deep breath, he sent the drone down the trail.

Facing monsters was certainly easier than dealing with his own problems and emotions.

Despite hearing some of the tails and myths about them, the chupacabras were nothing like what Oliver had expected. 'They look like the bastard spawn of an iguana that fucked a kangaroo.' He thought, struggling to suppress a snort of amusement...and disgust.

They ranged from three to four feet tall as they stood on their hind legs, and he watched as one hopped around much like a kangaroo did- at least that he had seen on nature documentaries. Covered in green, scaly skin, they had a row of sharp spines that ran down the center of their back. As he watched, the largest of them, which Oliver assumed was the alpha, let out an impressive yawn, displaying a pair of pronounced fangs backed by rows of razor sharp teeth.

'Don't get bit...' Oliver reminded himself unnecessarily.

Shaking off the sense of repulsion he felt at the sight of the monsters, Oliver steadied himself on the thick tree branch and pulled his trusty FAL from the warehouse. Considering their appearance, he doubted they were able to climb... Of course, if things went as he expected then he doubted he would need that particular advantage. But better to be cautious, just in case.

Carefully lining up his shot, Oliver waited only a second before pulling the trigger. Blood splashed across the grass as the alpha crumpled in a heap. A moment of chaos ran through the pack, vicious snarls echoing of the surrounding trees. Then, as one, the pack turned and charged in his direction, not an ounce of fear among them as they were intent on destroying whatever had foolishly attacked them.

Oliver smiled as the predators did exactly what he wanted.

Even with their odd hopping movement, they were faster than he expected... But not fast enough to affect his plan- and clearly not smart enough to notice the leaf covered net that they landed on. With a simple shove, he knocked the stack of carefully balanced bags of rice off the branch. In an instant, the rope tied to them went taut, yanking the net- and the chupacabras caught inside- from the ground.

Two quick shots eliminated the pair that had avoided the net before he stored away the gun and swiftly descended the tree.

“Well, I only got five of you. Better than I expected, but worse than I had hoped.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “At least I got a good split of males and females. Should be worth more that way, right?”

The rope groaning under the weight of the creatures quickly reminded him that he wasn't quite in the clear yet, so Oliver hustled over to the net. When one of the monsters tried to snap at him through the net, he didn't hesitate. Pulling the baseball bat out, he cracked it over the head and, while it was momentarily stunned, grabbed it by the snout. Flexing his Will, he felt a moment of resistance from the creature before he managed to mentally shove it into the warehouse.

“That's one. Who's next?”

Donning his suit once more, Oliver made sure the demon mask was securely in place before he strolled casually into the compound again. Ignoring the confused and distrustful looks from the guards, he ambled unhurriedly towards the villa. He paused to wave cheerily at Emilio, chuckling at the man's undisguised scowl before making his way inside.

Emilio joined him seconds later, scowl still firmly in place, and the pair walked silently up to the office. Taking the same seat he had used before, Oliver waited quietly while the Duke finished whatever he was doing on the computer.

“Back already?” The Duke asked as he turned to face his guest, a teasing smile on his face as he continued. “Not second guessing our deal, are you? Did my men's superstitions make you reconsider?”

Oliver shrugged, an amused smirk flashing under the mask. “Oh, not at all. I just wanted to let you know that the problem has been dealt with.”

The Duke's eyebrows twitch minutely, the only indication of his surprise at the declaration. “Truly? What did you find? Was it like I thought, one of my competitors trying to create problems for me?”

A small chuckle escaped Oliver's lips as he shook his head. “No, my friend, it was not any of your competitors. It was as your men feared. Chupacabras.” Oliver marveled again at the fact that the name for the creatures wasn't translated in either direction by the system. Perhaps proper names weren't translated? Or maybe they were only translated in specific circumstances... He would have to experiment and see.

The Duke scoffed, a look of disdain on his face. “Friend you say, but friends should not lie to each other. Especially not in serious matters such as this.”

Silence stretched between them as Oliver considered how to respond. Minutes passed before he nodded slowly. “I can see why you would say that, but I did not lie.”

He quickly held up a hand, cutting off the Duke's response. “You don't believe in monsters? Well, here is one.”

Oliver waved vaguely at himself before holding his hand out to the side. With a flex of his Will, he pulled the corpse of one of the Chupacabras from his warehouse. The Duke's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the body and, as it flopped limply, splattering droplets of blood across the fine hardwood floor, Oliver casually waved again. “And here is another... Though this one is obviously dead.”

“The world is a far stranger place than you know, Duke.”

While the Duke and Emilio were stunned at the sight of the creature, Oliver grinned broadly. “Before I leave, perhaps you would be willing to part with a bit of your product? I believe I may have a few interested buyers...”