"You're using your own blood?" Finley asked, squinting at Alex like he was an idiot. "That won't work. You need a Visualization in your bloodline to activate the scroll. Unless you're descended from some ancient civilization and lying about being a Nativeworlder, that isn't happening."
Alex just shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've got a plan."
I can't exactly say it out loud. Berith might be listening to me, but I refuse to believe he can straight up hear my thoughts. If he can, my plan is already screwed.
"I see," Finley said. He cleared his throat. "I should mention I have more of those scrolls. For when you need another one."
"Your faith in me is astounding," Alex said dryly. "I've got 40 Credits left to work with. I want to save some of them for the Memory Stones. Maybe 10 or 15. So I've got somewhere around 20 to 25 that I'd like to spend now. No point holding onto anything before the Region Boss. Do you have something that can heal injuries or recover energy? Health and Mana Potion type shit?"
Finley stared at him for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Yes. I have regenerative potions and pills. The energy-restoring ones really aren't particularly useful. The low Stage ones are almost entirely ineffective — and your body would melt from the inside out if you used a higher stage one."
"Pills?" Alex blinked. "What, are people going around popping drugs?"
"Pills don't shatter when you drop them," Finley said dryly. He waved his hand and a metal tin around the size of a large phone appeared in the air before him. "Let's see glass do that. The potions are cheaper, of course. Just don't spill one while you're drinking it."
"On second thought, the pills sound great. How much do they heal and what do they cost?"
"Ten pills. 5 Credits. They'll heal just about any normal wound over the course of a few seconds, but the pills will strain your energy." Finley paused for a moment, then amended, "Physical energy, not magical. You'll feel tired. Use too many of them in a short period of time and you'll eventually just collapse. And, needless to say, they don't cure death."
"Noted," Alex said. Something like that actually sounded incredible. "Will they regenerate limbs?"
"Depends if you've got the limb to stick back on. If it's eaten, no. They can re-attach limbs, though."
"Perfect. I'll take 20," Alex said. "That's 10 credits, right?"
Finley grinned and nodded. The two of them clasped hands once more, and Alex's ring heated as more Credits were removed from it. Finley flicked the box of pills over to him.
Alex snatched it from the air and slipped it into a pocket. He had 30 Credits left to play around with. Even with 15 saved for buying Memory Crystals, another 15 could go quite a ways. His foot tapped against the ground in thought.
Let's see. I need to focus on the immediate future. Things that will help us defeat the Region Boss. What would give me the biggest chance of doing that?
"Question," Alex said after a few more seconds of thought. "Can a connection be broken? After it's established, that is."
"Yes." Finley narrowed his eyes. "You're getting near the end of information I should be giving out for free, but I'm not too shy to admit that you've saved my ass, so I'll give it to you for free. Any part of your body is permanently yours — even if someone else has it. You can intentionally burn it away if you spend enough energy."
That could be a problem. I really hope Berith isn't paying attention right now. I don't know how much vision of the outside world he's got.
"Even after a Visualization is made?"
Finley stared at Alex. There was clear warning in his eyes when he answered. "Once a Visualization is established, it cannot be taken away. It is yours. But that does not mean there will not be other consequences."
"So I'd just have to form it quickly," Alex concluded. He dug through his thoughts for a moment. He needed more. There had to be something he could get that would really tip the scales of the upcoming fight. Every Credit was quite useful, so 15 of them could go quite a long way.
His head tilted to the side as an idea struck him. "Say, how long does it take to view a Memory Crystal?"
"It depends on the Crystal. Time flows faster within your mind than outside of it," Finley replied with a shrug. "Lower quality Crystals tend to let more time pass while they're being viewed."
Alex chewed his lip for a second. "Do you have any Crystals with… uh, shows? I'd imagine someone would have tried intentionally splitting a memory to sell off at some point."
Finley blinked in confusion, then inclined his head. "…yes? They are fairly common among the elite of families. But such things are largely useless. They will not teach you anything meaningful."
"What about particularly long ones?" Alex paused for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. "Like… romance ones."
Finley sent him a flat look. "I have a lot of Memory Crystals. You're going to have to be much more specific than that."
"The romance ones that don't really seem to have an end. Ever. You know what I'm talking about, even if you don't want to admit it," Alex said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Two oddly hot yet entirely devoid in personality guys and a girl that couldn't make a choice between them to save her life. That kind."
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"You're about to fight a Region Boss. This is what you want?" Finley asked. "You're serious? Do you have nothing but rocks rattling around in that skull of yours?"
"Look, do you have it or not? My preferences are none of your concern."
Finley let out a heavy, weary sigh. "Yes. Yes, I have them. What do you think? If there's one thing that's a constant in the entire universe, it's that. What kind of—"
"Long," Alex said.
Finley stared at him.
"Long," Alex repeated. "Really, really long. I'm really trying to get the best bang for my buck here, you know. Especially if it only works once."
"Yes, I go the idea." Finley's gaze bore into Alex's. He waved a hand through the air and a single, large Memory Crystal shimmered to life before him. The light within it was not particularly bright. "Keep in mind that Crystals with larger memories are also considerably more expensive. Not stronger. Just more expensive."
"I don't need the judgement," Alex said crossly. "How much is it?"
"Ten Credits," Finley said. His voice made it abundantly clear that he did not think much of Alex's shopping habits. "For something that, I remind you, will not improve your combat abilities in any manner whatsoever. It will, however, be long. And immeasurably infuriating."
Ouch. 10 Credits for this shit? This better work. If it doesn't, I might end up killing myself before the Region Boss even gets a chance to take a bite out of me.
"Perfect," Alex said. "And you just use it by breaking it?"
"Yes," Finley said through another sigh.
"And how long do you think this will last? How long would I have in the real world as well? Is it going to end up using like a whole hour or anything crazy like that?"
"You have an entire Town depending on you. A Region Boss breathing down your neck. And you are concerned about this?"
"Just answer the question," Alex said. "You're a terrible merchant, you know. You're supposed to want to sell things to me."
"I would be considerably happier doing it if I had more customers!" Finley snapped. "Damnation. No, the memory will not last an hour in the external world. Perhaps five minutes at most. It will be longer for you, though. I trust that is sufficient?"
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Alex grinned. "Perfectly."
He extended his hand.
Finley stared at it like he was being offered a rotting fish. Then, reluctantly, he reached out and shook. Alex's hand heated as more Credits left his spatial ring and entered the merchant's.
He extended his hand, gingerly taking the Memory Crystal from Finley. Then he squinted at it for a moment. He couldn't put it into his own ring. The Crystal was magic. It could explode.
"Err… do you have a spatial ring that can hold magic items? I need to put this somewhere."
"At least you aren't going to use the damn thing in front of me," Finley said flatly. "5 Credits. It'll be the same size as your current one but stabilized so magical items can remain within it. Just don't put anything too powerful in or it might eventually break."
"Perfect," Alex said with a grin. "That leaves me with 15 Credits, too. Let me get the ring as well as four of the big domain-related Memory Crystals and three of the small ones."
Finley shook his head, muttering something under his breath as he extended his hand one final time. Alex took it and the two of them shook. His ring heated, then cooled as the last of his Credits were siphoned away.
A pitch black ring shimmered to life before Finley. It was joined by a small hill of Memory Crystals as the rest of his purchases floated over to him.
Alex plucked the ring from the air and slipped it onto a finger.
Stabilized Lesser Spatial Ring (Rare)
Bonded Effect: The Lesser Spatial Ring contains a 3 x 3 x 3 foot cube of extradimensional space folded within it. Inanimate objects can be stored in this space. Magical items are stabilized, though sufficiently powerful ones can erode the ring until it becomes destabilized.
"Perfect. How do I send the Memory Crystals into…" Alex started. No sooner than the thought passed through his head did every single one of the Memory Crystals before him flit into the ring. He blinked. "Wow. That was easy. Nice."
He sent the metal tube into the ring with another thought.
Finley just shook his head again. "Well… I can't complain too much. That was a lot of Credits. Enough to pay off my most pressing debit. I trust you've got at least something of a plan to deal with the Region Boss? I'm going to need you to spend a whole lot more Credits in the future, so getting yourself killed now would be incredibly problematic."
"I'll do my best not to disappoint too hard," Alex said with a chuckle. He held a hand out and summoned the Visualization Scroll with a thought before vanishing it again. The ring really was quite easy to use.
Finley ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just get it on with. I hate this place. Lead the way back to this town of yours. I will follow."
Alex grinned. "One moment. I've got to do something in my soul first. Keep an eye on me, would you?"
The command was more for his monsters, who still stood flank around them, than it was for Finley.
Nonetheless, the merchant's eye twitched.
"You're going to do it now?"
Man, he really does think the worst of me. I'm hurt.
"Don't worry," Alex said with a grin as he lowered himself into a seated position and braced 'his arms against his legs. "You said it shouldn't take too long."
"You're hopeless," Finley said. "And I am cursed. How are you the one I have to rely on?"
Alex didn't bother gracing that with a response. He was already sinking into his Mind Palace. The faster he did this, the less chances there would be for something to go wrong.
Darkness stretched out around him as the lake that was his soul appeared beneath his feet. His basin still rose in its center, no power remaining to harvest within it. Three pillars loomed around him, two of them flanking the gate to his Domain.
And, between the other two, was Berith. The chained demon lounged against the massive white restraints, boredom evident in his posture.
Alex ran his thumb over the new Spatial Ring. It was still there… and he could feel the faint magic within it. The ring would work in his soul just as well as it would outside it.
"There is nothing for you to do here," Berith said. "Why are you here? Have you come to bargain?"
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Hm. Doesn't seem like he saw my conversation with Finley. Maybe he's limited to certain things or has to be intentionally watching. Either that or he's faking it. Either way… doesn't matter.
"No," Alex replied. He approached Berith until he was a dozen paces away from the demon. Alex took extra care to make absolutely sure he was well outside of striking range. He really wasn't going to want to be disturbed once he got things started. "I know what the cost of that will be. Not interested."
Berith snorted. "Then leave. I am bored."
"Don't worry," Alex said with a grin. "I'll take care of that for you."
He extended a hand. And, with a thought, he activated the Spatial Ring on his hand. A Memory Crystal materialized in his hand. A large one that promised a particularly extended, pleasurable experience.
An experience that he strongly hoped would be long enough for his purposes.
"What are you doing?" Berith asked, his eyes narrowing.
It's a damn good thing he can't dodge.
Alex reared back.
Then he threw the crystal at Berith with all his might.