Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

“What the HELL was that!?”

Oliver sighed. He knew that, after tonight, Tyrone's life would be forever changed... And the more he told his friend, the greater the impact would be. But, after everything he had been through, the man deserved answers. At least, some answer.

“That was a portal. One that is both temporary and fairly short range, so we need to get moving before the cops search the area.”

Oliver recognized the house as the same one his Scarper Charm had taken him to the last time he used it... Escaping from cops... From the same warehouse. He almost wanted to laugh at the similarities, but shrugged it off as he headed for the door. Glancing back, he shook his head when he saw Tyrone still staring wide-eyed at where the portal had been.

“You like waffles, right?”

Tyrone shook his head slowly before turning with a confused look on his face. “What? Waffles? Why would you ask me about waffles after-” He waved his hands vaguely. “-after all of whatever just happened?”

A small smile played across Oliver's face. “Because a question like that is so at odds with the situation that it would shock you out of the stupor you were stuck in. And because I would rather try to explain things over food. Apparently, fighting for my life works up an appetite.”

“So, come on. We can hit the Waffle House across town since it's open all night.”

Tyrone hesitated for a second before following his friend to the door, though the slightly confused look remained plastered across his face. “Ok... But why Waffle House?”

“Because all the weirdos show up there after midnight, and no one will pay any attention to how crazy our conversation sounds.”

Oliver was already cutting into his waffle by the time the questions started. His friend looked more uncertain than he had ever seen him, but that was to be expected after everything that had happened to him.

“So... A portal? Like, a magic portal?”

Oliver chewed carefully as he considered how to respond. “Well, first off, I need to know... Do you really want answers? Because I gotta be honest Sweet Tea, I can't predict how knowing will change your life. Maybe you'll be able to live with it and move on. Or maybe it will bring more questions.”

“Or maybe... It will open your eyes to things you never wanted to see. Just being my friend nearly got you killed, man. I'm honestly not sure if answering your questions will put you in more danger or not. “

“I can guarantee that, if some of this stuff got out, it would be more dangerous for me. But I owe you some answers after all of this. So, if you want to know, I'll try to explain things.”

Tyrone ate slowly, clearly thinking over what Oliver had said. The last thing he wanted was to cause problems for his friends, but he couldn't imagine just pretending like tonight never happened. After a moment, he looked up from his food. “You said if things got out that it would be bad for you... So... Things will be fine as long as I keep my mouth shut, right?”

Oliver chuckled softly and shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn't say things will be fine. I'm sure some other shit will pop up before I know it. But yeah, as long as you keep it just between us, things shouldn't get worse. It's more just that I'm worried about drawing extra attention, though Hardeman has done a lot to make that happen anyway.”

After a moment to consider, Tyrone nodded. “My lips are sealed. And I've got your back if you need it, bro. Not sure how I could help, but you know what I mean.”

“So... Portal?”

Oliver finished the piece of bacon he was chewing on before he spoke. “Yeah, it was a magic portal.”

“Fucking hell man!” Tyrone exclaimed, only to look embarrassed at the looks they received from the few other diners. He lowered his voice and leaned in. “Magic is real? Like, how real? Did you make the portal? Could I learn magic?”

Oliver smiled in amusement as his friend struggled to contain his excitement. With everything that had been going on, he had almost forgot that one important fact: Magic was cool as hell. “Ok, chill man. Yeah, magic is real. And yeah, I made the portal.. Sort of.”

Seeing the questioning look, he hesitated before deciding to go with the truth. “It wasn't really my magic that made it, but a magic item, one that is very limited on uses. And yes, magic items are real.”

Tyrone seemed to mull over his words for a minute before holding up two fingers. “Two things. One, if magic and magic items are real, then why hasn't it shown up on the news or the internet?”

“It hasn't shown up on the news because most people, at least I think it's most people, can't really see magic. As for the internet... People talk about magic on the internet all the time, but most people don't really believe it, you know?”

He nodded, clearly accepting the answer as he lowered one of his fingers. “Ok, that's fair. But point number two... You said the portal wasn't your magic. Does that mean that you can do magic?”

Oliver struggled to suppress the smug smile that was growing on his face. As much as he was worried about his secrets getting out, it felt good to finally have someone to talk to about it... And to show off a bit in front of his friend. “Yeah, I have one spell I can do right now. I can't really show you though; Not just because it could cause a scene, but because it's dangerous for anyone nearby.”

Tyrone was nearly vibrating with excitement. “Holy shit man! This is crazy! If I hadn't seen that portal, I wouldn't believe any of this.”

“So, can I learn magic?”

Oliver hated to rain on his friends enthusiasm, but he could only shrug apologetically as he answered. “Honestly, I have no idea if you can learn or not. It's not exactly something I know how to check. Plus, the, I guess you could call them 'training materials', aren't easy to get a hold of.”

Tyrone nodded, clearly disappointed by the answer. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. How did you get yours?”

Oliver hesitated. He didn't want to lie to his friend, but answering that question meant revealing the existence of the system. “Sorry man, but answering that one opens up a whole other layer of stuff... One that would be a lot more dangerous for me.”

Tyrone leaned back, his eyes wide at the heavy tone in Oliver's voice. “Ok, my bad man. You've already made it clear how serious this shit is, so I ain't gonna push you on any of this. But what about that bitch from earlier? Why did all this shit happen?”

Oliver sighed in relief that his friend wasn't pressing things. “Well, I'm pretty sure she was hired by Hardeman to get a hold of me because of Carl disappearing. I mean, I doubt he actually hired her himself. He probably had someone else do it so he could keep his own hands clean.”

“Ok, I can understand that part... But man, you've got magic! Even if she was freakishly strong, why were you worried about her coming back? Hell, how did she get away from you anyway? Or did you let her go?”

“You sure you want me to answer that? I promise it will fuck with your head if I do.”

Tyrone nodded quickly. “Yeah, I'm sure. I need to know what to expect if she tries to fuck with me again.”

“She won't try again, T. I made some very explicit threats about what would happen if she did.” Seeing his friends unwavering gaze, Oliver sighed again. “Ok, but try not to freak out.”

“I was worried about her coming back because she could probably kill me in a fair fight. I only won our little showdown because I surprised her and cut off one of her arms.”

Tyrone nearly choked on his eggs when he heard that. After a moment of coughing to clear the wayward food from his throat, he glared at Oliver. “You cut off her arm... And you were still worried she would be a problem? How the hell does that work!?”

With deep breath, Oliver decided to just lay it out there and show his friend that the world was much scarier than he had every realized. “Even with everything I've already told you this is going to be hard to believe, but... She's a vampire. She's stronger, faster, and tougher than me, drinks blood, and has been around since World War 2 at least. So, yeah, she could have still been a problem.”

“The only reason she left was because we made a deal. I give her arm back and stop trying to kill her, she fucks off and leaves me and the people I care about alone.”

Tyrone sat there, slack jawed, as Oliver finished eating. He had thought things were crazy enough as it was, but hearing what was just said... “Vampires are real? Does that mean things like werewolves and shit are real too?”

Oliver shrugged lightly. “Probably. I haven't seen any, but it wouldn't surprise me at this point.”

“What happened man? A couple months ago, you were as vanilla as it got. You went to class, hit the occasional party, and had relationship problems just like everyone else... And now you're fighting vampires? Or have you always had this secret life of magic and danger?”

“It's complicated, man. Like I said, there's a whole other layer-”

“That would be more dangerous for you.” Tyrone interrupted. “Yeah, I got that man. But there are two things you need to think about, bro. For one, no one would believe me if I actually tried to tell them this shit.”

Seeing Oliver actually consider that point, Tyrone pressed on. “And two... I don't call you 'bro' for nothing. I've got your back, even if it means dealing with a literal vampire bitch. I ain't gonna tell anyone shit. And maybe, with all the shit you're getting hit by, you need some help. Even if I can't actually help you deal with any of it because it's all crazy, magical bullshit, I can still try to help come up with ideas. You know, brainstorm the problems and offer a different perspective. Or at least listen when you need it, bro. This is some heavy shit you're carrying. You ain't got to face it alone.”

Oliver sipped at his coffee as he thought about what his friend said. He made a good point. Several of them in fact. But that thread of worry that he would somehow draw the wrong attention and end up dead... Or worse, locked up by some government agency and experimented on...