Too Stubborn to Die

Aaron looked around. There were bright lights and red velvet everywhere, all of it trimmed with gold. He had to admit that the entire auction hall was presented very nicely.

Only a moment earlier, they had appeared in a dingy back room, but within seconds of arriving, assistants had rushed in and led them through a corridor and a gaudy balcony.

It had all happened very fast, and he realized that it was just he and the others who had fought on the final floor who were on the balcony.

“This place is extra.”

He stepped up to the balcony’s golden railing and looked out. They were overlooking the auction stage, but he quickly noticed the others below. Soohyun had spotted him and was waving, and a moment later, Terry whistled. He was sitting sandwiched between two girls, and he did not miss the opportunity to point that fact out.

“This place is massive,” Aaron muttered as he looked around.

It was an absolutely massive theatre hall, at least several times larger than anything back on Earth. Then again, everyone was here. Since all you needed to do was clear at least one floor of the dungeon to qualify for the auction, and the dungeon was open to the entire universe, attendance was high.

There were many levels of balconies, with only the highest being personal balconies. And the bottom few levels were huge audience floors packed tighter than economy seating on a budget airline.

People were still being transported in, too. As seats were rapidly disappearing, more patrons were teleported into them.

When he looked up, he quickly spotted the other universe-tier elites he had seen on the platforms before being lowered into the final boss fight. Aaron had already known they had all passed the final floor since their group came fourth, and as such, all had obviously all earned their own impressive balcony to enjoy the auction.

“Hey, pal. Take a seat and relax a moment,” Voidrin said, somehow already sipping on something and puffing a cigar. “We earned it.”

“Where’d you get that from?” Aaron said as he turned to eye Voidrin.

“Our old pal,” he replied, clicking his tongue and glancing over to a stiff assistant by his side.

“Oh, mate! Douglas! Didn’t think I’d see you here,” Aaron said and gave him a friendly hug, which was met with a groan. “So, you’re like our waiter then, are you?”

“Unfortunately, you are correct. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, could you please make an order, or dismiss me?”

“Same old Douglas, huh? Well, it wouldn’t be the same if you were all cheery. Good to see you too, mate. Bet you never thought you’d see me here?”

“Correct, I didn’t. But the multiverse is, as always, full of surprises.”

“He didn’t think I’d even beat a trial,” Aasron told Voidrin, brows bouncing. “But I proved him wrong. He’s still sour.”

“I’m not sour,” Douglas pruned up.

“Haha! He’s definitely sour,” Voidrin agreed.

“Right?”

“I’m not sour! You surprised me; that’s all. But we’ve been through this already. Now, unless there’s something you desire to order, I shall move on. I am busy as always.”

“HEY! Let me! I would like to order some ales for me, and my friend A-ran, Doug-las!”

“Ales it is,” Douglas nodded. “And for appetizers?”

“Ohoh, food! I AM HUNGRY! How about you surprise us, Doug-las?!”

“Fine. A surprise it is. Though I’m not sure that is possible with your friend here,” he said, looking pointedly at Aaron. “But I shall try.”

“Not bad, all of this, huh?” Voidrin leaned back, kicking off his boots and resting his feet up on the railing.

“I’m lucky my ogre gut dulls my senses,” Aaron said as he took a seat between Mo’han and Voidrin.

“I haven’t taken these things off since before the dungeon. Gimme a break, pal.”

“That makes it so much worse.”

As Aaron settled into his chair, he spotted several droids with giant lenses for heads floating about. And got a feeling that they were being watched, and probably on Centurion Prime.

Lucky I didn’t sit with the girls. Aaron thought, moving awkwardly. He was suddenly very aware of his short shorts.

However, luckily, Lagora, Talia, and Elmira were all sitting together on the other side of the booth, with Lord Draxas between them and Mo’han. He didn’t need to worry about which of his actions might be taken out of context. In fact, he couldn’t wait to be back on his world where the nosy denizens of the multiverse couldn’t watch him.

My goodness, it’s good to be out of that dungeon. Only a little longer and we’ll be home.

A moment later, the loud crowd quieted down as one of the little elephant assistants with comically large eyes walked onto the stage and tapped a mic.

“Ahem, quiet now. That’s better. You’ve all done well to make it here. The auction will begin shortly. The auction will take place over three stages, which are indicative of the rarity of the items for sale. And each stage will end with one specialty item! Plan your spending accordingly. Your system interfaces should soon notify you of how many auction points you earned. They will also provide some details on items that were for sale, should you need additional information.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Auction Points: 866

“Wow, more than I thought,” Aaron said as his points appeared.

With that many points, he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about most of the people in attendance outbidding him. However, considering the whopping bonuses that were handed out toward the end of the dungeon, who knew how many points the other top parties had earned? He wouldn’t be surprised if some of the other top elites had over a thousand points, which meant he had to be a little conservative unless he spotted them spending.

The last thing I need is to miss out on something good.

“And now, we shall begin the dungeon auction!” The assistant announced.

Immediately, the curtains were pulled back, and items were on display.

“Can I get one point? One point to start the bidding.”

The bidding started fast and furiously, skipping back and forth across the room. But it was only Elite and Epic gear to begin with. Mostly armor and weapons, with a few rings.

There were a few rings that were actually half decent and caught Aaron’s attention. But it was only the first round of items, and he certainly didn’t want to jump the gun just yet.

Perhaps more importantly, though, was that the balconies remained silent. The bidding was almost entirely confined to the lower floors, where the masses of early dropouts were.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one being cautious and waiting to see what else might come up for sale.

When they started selling resources, more of the middle-level balconies got involved.

It was good news for Aaron. He could hunt and find the food he needed and wasn’t too bothered about buying it. The more people who spent points, the less competition he had.

The final items of the first round of bidding were settlement items, and Aaron’s curiosity was piqued a little.

There were many items that could be used back in Dober. Including superior turrets. He mightn’t have been worried about the town’s security while he was there, but they would be helpful for keeping it safe while they were gone.

But it was the wormhole platform that really caught his attention. Even though it wouldn’t be immediately useful, it wouldn’t actually be that long before the local barrier was lowered and inter-sector travel was open. Not only that, but if there were others on their world, they could travel around it much faster.

But if nobody else has one, it’s just going to sit there until the barrier lowers…

The sector barrier would lower one year after the Tutorial. And since three months had already passed, plus however much time they had spent in the dungeon, that wasn’t so far away. Also, the Nexus Tournament was an entire year away, so he would certainly get a chance to use it before then, if he purchased one.

Tempting, but they’re also in the System Store. Might as well just save up System Credits.

Aaron wanted to save his points for things that would directly aid him, and settlement purchases weren’t quite as important. He hoped Talia might grab some, and she did, just not what he had hoped for.

It probably shouldn’t have come as any surprise that Talia jumped at the chance to buy a Gothic cathedral that doubled as a divine temple.

Dober is going to have one interesting skyline.

“And finally!” The auctioneer shouted. “We have a first-stage specialty item for sale.”

The curtains closed for a second and then reopened moments later. In the middle of the floor on a podium was a strange-looking fruit. It was the size of a melon, and Aaron could feel a heavy aura resonating from it.

“What the heck is that?”

“This is a Minor Fruit of Evolution! But do not let the name fool you. This is still an incredibly rare item. As many of you likely know, beastkind have to achieve certain thresholds when evolving if they wish to acquire true sentience. This can be difficult for many. But the Minor Fruit of Evolution changes all of that. It can make a beast stronger, smarter, change their body shape, and grant them with all new kinds of powers. It can grant them access to the same benefits that intelligent creatures have. Like this dungeon, for example.”

“I shall start the bidding at 10 auction points. Going once, going—there to the madame on the third floor. Do I hear 20 auction points?”

This went back and forth for a few minutes, quickly rising to 50 auction points, and that was when Zero started barking.

“What’s up, boy?”

Zero nestled his nose in Aaron’s palm and licked.

“Wait, no. You want that?”

“Woof!”

Aaron sighed. Zero had been a good boy. But who knew how many points the fruit would go for? And it was only the first stage of the auction.

Sheepishly, Aaron raised a hand.

“Eighty points to the man in the top balcony!”

Hushed chatter filled the lower floors. Most likely doubted the top floors would get involved in the first stage.

“Do I hear—yes! Ninety points to the lady on the top balcony!”

Huh?

Aaron looked over. It was Mala, and she was glaring at him.

It was kind of hard to tell whether or not it was some kind of payback. After all, the Fruit of Evolution sounded perfect for her. Even if she was already too evolved to make use of it, she seemed to consider herself some kind of beast queen, and no doubt had others she could use it on.

A couple of tamer-like people on the upper middle-level floors attempted to bid again, but gave up after the price went over 100 points.

Aaron sank into his chair. It was getting too expensive, but Zero was persistent and kept barking.

“Alright, alright. Fine.”

“One hundred and twenty points to the man in the top balcony! One thirty to the lady!”

“Argh! Seriously!” Aaron muttered and raised his hand again.

“One forty! One fifty! One sixty!”

“Zero! This is getting out of hand!”

A smug smile crept across Mala’s face, and she leaned back into her chair. Or at least Aaron thought it was smugness. It was kind of hard to tell, but the fur around her tusks definitely curved when she looked at him.

Aaron groaned. Zero had been a good companion, and he was strong anyway.

“Fine.”

“One eighty to the man in the top balcony! Going once! Twice! Gone! Sold to the man in the top balcony with the gorgeous shorts for one hundred and eighty auction points!”

“Did he really need to add that last part?” Aaron groaned.

“Look at money bags over here,” Voidrin said.

“A-ran is a noble friend. I always knew he wouldn’t be able to resist aiding a comrade. Zero is lucky to have such a commendable master!”

“Thanks, Mo’han,” Aaron said, forcing a smile and opening his System page.

Auction Points: 686

“Dammit. That was costly. You owe me, Zero.”

“Woof!”

“He seems happy, A-ran!”

“He better be.”

“We shall have a brief intermission. Then, we will start the second stage of bidding!” the assistant announced. “Please, take a moment to drink and eat. You’ll want your focus. The items in the next two stages are magnificent. True treasures brought to you from across the multiverse!”

“Does it seem like they’re trying to rub it in?” Aaron said.

“Maybe you should try to auction your shorts,” Talia said, leaning forward, and the girls beside her giggled.

“I swear, if I can get some decent shorts here, I’m going to!” Aaron declared. “I mean, pants! I want pants!”