Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

The end of the bounty was, at least in Oliver's mind, a bit anticlimactic.

“What's the word, H?”

Oliver sat in a small cafe just a block from the hotel he and Sophia had hidden away at for several days. Even as he sipped at a plain black coffee, his eyes swept the area for anything out of the ordinary. Until the job was done, he was still on high alert and ready to act.

“Show is over, Silk. I've got teams waiting to bring you both back as soon as you tell me where to send them.”

It took a moment for the words to fully register. Oliver exhaled slowly as some of the tension left him. “You got the mole and wrapped everything up already?”

Henley grunted, a note of annoyance slipping into his voice. “Yeah, we got the mole. Even found out who was behind the whole thing. The short version... Corporate greed and bullshit. I've been told I'm not to say much more about it. In part because of the lawsuit that will be launched, and in part because this whole mess is now part of a FBI investigation.”

Oliver's breath caught in his throat. The last thing he wanted was to end up under scrutiny from a government agency.

“I don't know how he did it, but Mr. Hall managed to keep you out of their cross hairs. I guess mostly they're concerned with chasing the idiot mercs that decide a college campus made for a good war zone. But, seeing as they already skipped town, most of the attention went with them.”

“Now, where the hell are you so I can get my people moving?”

It didn't really surprise Oliver when a small army rolled up to the hotel. Even with their attackers on the run and the threat gone with them, Henley wasn't taking any chances. With two dozen security people focused intently on their job, the trip across town was as quick as it was peaceful.

Oliver nearly chuckled at the audible sigh of relief from Sophia when they reached her father's estate.

The pair were quickly ushered inside and down to Mr. Hall's office. The moment they cleared the door Mr. Hall was there to embrace his daughter, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“I'm so glad you're ok, pumpkin. I was terrified something would happen to you...”

His words cut off as Sophia hugged him fiercely. The two held each other silently for a moment before she leaned back slightly and gaze him a bright smile. “I know, dad. I was worried too.”

A small smirk crossed her face as she nodded at Oliver. “But you insisted on extra security, remember? He didn't let anything bad happen to me.”

Her smile faded into a glare directed solely at Oliver. “Unless you count making me patch up a gun shot wound. Definitely not something I ever expected to do. Or would ever want to do again.”

Oliver waved off the stunned look on Mr. Hall's face, an easy smile hanging on his lips. “It was barely a graze. A small one. I would have tended to it myself if it wasn't so hard to reach.”

Mr. Hall slowly let go of his daughter and extended his hand. As the two men shook hands, he spoke with a voice heavy with gratitude. “I can't thank you enough. You kept my little girl safe, and even got shot protecting her. How can I ever repay you?”

“I just did what you hired me for, sir. And I'm glad I did. Sophia is a good person.”

Oliver let the father-daughter duo heap gratitude on him for a while longer, figuring they needed to let out some of the emotions that had built over the course of the stressful week. As the two started to wind down, it was actually Mr. Hall that broached the subject of payment. Slowly pulling a small wooden box out of his desk, he glanced at Oliver as he set it on the desk.

“I really am very grateful for all that you've done, but... I'm curious, why did you ask for this as payment instead of money? Not that I have a problem with it, as it doesn't mean much to me. It's just an interesting collector's item, after all.”

With a flick of his wrist, Mr. Hall opened the box to reveal a six inch dull iron spike. Holding the box out for Oliver to inspect, he spoke with a smile. “It is an interesting piece, though. One of the original spikes from the Transcontinental Railroad! Maybe not as glamorous, or valuable, as the four special spikes, it's still an incredible piece of history...”

“Well, one of thousands of such pieces really.” He added with a chuckle.

Oliver smiled politely as his attention was pulled away from the conversation to a pair of surprising system prompts.

Transcontinental Railroad Spike(Relic): This plain looking spike was part of the original construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Steeped in the aura of decades of industry and progress, this Relic provides a small boost to the durability of any construction within which it is incorporated. Estimated durability increase – 10%

Local Bounty: Safeguarding Sophia completed.

Processing reward...

Claim Relic( Transcontinental Railroad Spike)? Or Exchange Relic for 10,000 credits?

(Claim/Exchange)

Oliver ignored the prompts for the moment as he closed the box. With a small smile, he shrugged off Mr. Hall's question. “I just have a bit of an interest in things like this. And I'm sure finding a buyer wouldn't be too difficult if I decide I need the money.”

Mr. Hall nodded in understanding before a contemplative look flashed across his eyes. “Well, it's all yours. I was wondering though... Would you be interested in more work? I'm sure we could find a spot for a man of your talents.”

While Oliver appreciated the offer, staying here conflicted with his plans... And would make his relationship with Polina even more difficult. For a moment, he humored the idea of moving her across the country to settle down doing security work. Shrugging off the flight of fancy, he knew it was time to leave.

There was still a lot of work to do. He needed to decide which reward to take from the bounty, not to mention another long cross country drive. Maybe there was a Bounty he could complete on the way? He could fill commissions while he traveled, at least.