Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

Oliver maintained a calm exterior despite the urge to roar in anger at someone going after his friends. Internally, he raged. He raged at this mysterious woman that was threatening people just to get at him. He raged at Carl Hardeman Sr, because he was sure that unscrupulous asshole was the real source of these threats.

And he raged at himself for not seeing what these people were capable of before now.

Oliver was so damn sure that Hardeman wouldn't cross lines like that. Bribery, intimidation, and political maneuvering? Sure. But kidnapping and possibly worse?

He should have known better. Carl Jr. didn't hesitate with violence when he thought he could get away with it... Or when he thought his father could get him out of it. And where else would the bastard son have learned it from if not his father?

So Oliver blamed himself for not seeing this coming... And not dealing with the man before things could get so bad.

It didn't take him long to figure out who was taken. Oliver's friend group was small, and a few calls and text messages were more than enough. Simple, innocuous messages 'just checking in', and most of them responded quickly, happy to chat with their friend. Everyone responded quickly... Except for Tyrone.

And dropping by Tyrone's apartment just confirmed it, as his roommates hadn't seen him in a couple days. He wasn't the sort to just run off for a few days; he took his classes, and his place on the football team, too serious to just disappear without a good reason. And he always let people know when he would be gone, so they didn't worry.

His roommates were just starting to worry.

And so was Oliver.

With just a little over a day before the 'meeting' with Eve, which just screamed 'It's a trap!', he knew he needed to prepare. He was walking in blind, no idea who would be there or how many he would have to deal with. Or if they were armed.

He knew they expected him to just give himself up, just as he knew that was the worst option. People that went this far couldn't be trusted to hold up their end of the deal. They are just as likely to kill Tyrone to remove any possible witnesses. If he wanted to save his friend, he would have to do it himself. He need to prepare for the worst.

If his friend wasn't in danger, Oliver would almost be looking forward to it.

Oliver slipped out of the house after telling Polina he was going to run a few errands. He couldn't risk her getting involved, both for her sake and for Tyrone's. Climbing into his truck, he quickly searched through commissions as he drove, picking out some of the best paying ones he could easily accomplish in a day. Between the commissions and the auction he was thankfully able to hold in just a few more hours, he thought there was a good chance he could pull off a rescue... Assuming more problems didn't pop up to surprise him.

Considering the situation he was in, he wouldn't rule that out until everything was already over.

Rushing from store to store, Oliver loaded his truck down with everything he could send off for credits. When his truck was full, he found a secluded spot and, after being completely sure there were no cameras, he rapidly fired off commission after commission. 500 credits here, 800 there... Bit by bit, he added more and more credits to his balance.

He knew if anyone was paying close attention to him, they would surely find it a bit suspicious. But a bit of suspicion was worth it if it saved his friend. And it was only suspicion, after all. He was careful to make sure no one saw anything.

With daylight running out, he finished a few more commissions and grabbed some stuff for the auction before turning towards home. In just eight hours, he had more than doubled his credit total. With almost 90,000 credits, and an auction still to come, his odds were looking better and better.

Hopefully.

“Hey hon! I thought you were just running a few errands?”

Oliver smiled apologetically at Polina before he hugged her. “Sorry love. I was filling some orders for work and I got a little carried away. I know that's not a good excuse, but I just felt a little pressured to get as much done today as I could.”

Polina leaned back from him, a concerned frown marring her features. “Your boss isn't riding you too hard, are they?”

Oliver chuckled softly and waved it off. “Nah, nothing like that. It's more that... I guess you could say that I'm putting pressure on myself. Wanting to make sure I can take care of the people I care about.”

Pulling him down on to the couch, Polina snuggled up close to him with a tender smile on her face. “You don't need to push yourself Oli. But thank you for wanting to take care of me. And my mom. Just take it easy and don't stress about it. You're already doing great.”

“You've already worked so hard lately, why don't you just relax tonight? I can cuddle with you while you play a video game or something.”

Picking up the game controller, he kissed her softly before starting up the game. While he doubted he would truly relax, he needed to at least bleed off some of the tension he was carrying. He knew he couldn't run into this filled with anger and worry as that would just make it that much harder.

Maybe playing a game would distract him for a bit. At least until Polina was asleep and he could open up the auction house.

Silk(Host): I would like to thank everyone for attending. This auction is going to be a big one, so I hope you all are prepared!

Silk(Host): First up is a dessert package that I put together myself! It includes an assortment of cakes, cookies, pastries, and other sweets! Enough for twenty people, more if you are willing to share. Or less, if you prefer. How you enjoy it is up to you. Lets start the bidding at 100 credits.

Oliver gently brushed Polina's hair, he having fallen asleep on him as he played games, and watched as the bids climbed. This was just the opening item, and the one he expected to do the worst. When the crowd wound down and the bid sat comfortably just over 11,000, he called it and quickly moved on to the next.

Silk(Host): Congratulations to Orvak the Gluttonous for winning the Dessert package! I hope you enjoy it.

Silk(Host): With our warm up auction out of the way, let's move on to something a little more exciting. Our next item is a relic steeped in history and possessing a useful power to increase the durability of any construction it is incorporated into.

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%

Silk(Host): I imagine more than a few of you will find a use for such an item! Bidding starts at 5,000 credits!

As the bids climbed once again, Oliver briefly skimmed and ignore most of the barter offers he was sent. While some of them could clearly be useful in the future, his immediate priority was rescuing Tyrone. Anything that didn't help with that could wait... Plus, he already had a plan for the credits he earned.

Silk(Host): Congratulations to The Architect! I hope this relic serves you well.

Silk(Host): The remaining lots will be a return to a popular previous auction – Guns! All three lots will be comprised of an assortment of guns.

Silk(Host): First up we have a small collection. A single rifle, a single shotgun, two revolvers, and four pistols. With appropriate ammunition, of course, and a guide for proper maintenance of each. Bidding starts at 7,000 credits.

Silk(Host): And, of course, the seller bears no responsibility for any actions or misuse of these weapons by the buyer.

Oliver smiled grimly at the frenzy this lot had caused, and knew the next two lots, both with increasing numbers of guns and ammo, would causing an even greater reaction. He knew selling so many guns would have a large impact on whatever world they ended up, but that was on them in the end. People would find a way to do what they wanted, his auctions just made it a little easier.

And he had his own worries to focus on rather than the possible repercussions on another world. That's why he kept a few of his favorite guns, just in case.

Wrapping up the final auction, Oliver sighed in relief at having it done. Checking his credit balance, he nearly whistled aloud when he saw his total. After all the commissions and work he had done, 180,000 credits looked like a small fortune. If it wasn't for wanting to progress to the higher bounties, he couldn't image actually doing them. Auctions and commissions payed so much better, at least for know. He had no idea how much the bounties could pay in the future, especially when he consider his previous tinkering with the system.

He doubted he would ever take on a bounty like the Excalibur one he played around with when trying out the Post function for bounties. And a hundred million for a bounty seemed a bit excessive anyway. Better to focus on what was actually possible for him.

Oliver let out a disappointed sigh. His current balance looked like a fortune, but wasn't really much for what he was trying to do. Just raising all of his attributes to 18 to match his Intelligence and Willpower would cost him a good chunk of it. With just a little mental math, he calculated the total cost to be 75,000 credits, leaving him with just a little over 100,000 once he was done.

And raising all of his attributes to 19 would add another 63,000 on to the cost.

138,000 credits gone in a night, all so he would be strong enough, fast enough, and maybe even lucky enough to save his friend.

And if it worked, he would consider it money well spent.