NT: Chapter 106

Barter's shop turned out to be situated in a corner near an alleyway in Ayizan's Bazaar. It was built into a small nook in the monolithic stonework and seemed to be chock-full of various items that were both fantastical and technological in nature, many of which seemed to be unknown to me, but some of which Oz seemed to recognize, such as the small black and silver metallic tube with the stud on the side, or the odd-looking, gray and black TV Remote that seemed to only have two buttons and a dial on it.

"Huh, Lightsaber and Phaser. Neat." Mused Oz.

"I don't know what those are." I frowned.

"You really need to watch more Movies and TV." Smirked Oz.

"My life is already exciting enough, Oz. I don't need to spice it up with Movies and TV." I insisted.

"Suit yourself." Shrugged Oz.

As we continued to peruse the wares on offer, I couldn't help but notice the next weapon close to the lightsaber and phaser was a relatively standard Magnum Pistol, though it seemed chambered for fifty caliber bullets and seemed to be made with an odd-looking Optical Sight and a large, hand-sized trigger guard. My powers of Analysis told me that not only was it capable of firing fully automatic, but the bullets it was meant to take, including the clip currently in the weapon, were both armor-piercing and explosive. Just what sort of opponents were whoever made this fighting that they needed both of those, I wondered.

"The M-Six-D Magnum Pistol. There's an interesting story behind that. I acquired it from a Soldier who traded it for a way to escape the impending doom that was coming to her Earth. Of course, she never seemed to realize that her Earth wasn't doomed, and that they would pull off a last-second victory, but a deal is a deal." Came a rough voice from behind me.

I turned to see a Man in an odd, brown and orange suit, with salt and pepper hair, and a mustache that put me in mind of a walrus. The grin he wore and the glint in his eye were anything but walrus-like, however. Those were downright wolfish, predatory, like he expected to get the best of any encounter and was already trying to size me up for the inevitable bout of horse-trading. This, then, had to be Barter, the operator of this little shop. I nodded at him as he approached, emerging from what seemed to be a back room.

"You must be Barter, then." I offered.

"I am. Welcome to my Exchange Shop. Here, you can find items from across the Multiverse, though not for sale. The trick is in the name, Barter. I only trade, never sell. If you want to buy, go bother someone else's store." Confirmed Barter.

"Well, I'm in the market for a trade." I grinned.

"Oh? What for?" Questioned Barter.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure exactly how much what I have to trade will be worth to you." I frowned.

"Well, what's the nature of your trade? I rank items less valuable than anything else, unless said items are of the highest quality, so be warned." Cautioned Barter.

"You don't trade items?" Queried Oz.

"I do, but when you get to be my age, things are less valuable than knowledge, or more esoteric trades." Pointed out Barter.

"I guess I can see that." Mused Oz.

"Well, I do have knowledge to trade you. About the current Champion Arena Team." I hedged.

"Oh? Something pertaining to the fights or the team itself?" Asked Barter.

"The former. You may wish to make a bet on them losing to a newcomer." I nodded.

"The inside scoop, eh? That could be worth something. I have a rather sizable debt with one of the House Bookmakers working for Dola that I need to pay off, and it just so happens that such a bet might be a decent way to get free of it. For that, I would be willing to offer you a couple of things. You strike me as a Chi Adept, Psychic, and Sorcerer, am I right?" Nodded Barter.

"I am. Do you have something in mind?" I questioned.

"I have a few things in mind, actually. The first of which is a pair of Gloves. Gloves of the Hin Fist, they're called, developed by Halflings on a Plane not too far from this one. Of course, they won't proliferate outside of their isolationist monastery for another four or so years, but the Compass and Clock doesn't tend to follow linear time. I can offer you a pair of the Gloves that will allow you to hit harder and more accurately with your martial arts attacks. If that isn't your speed, I can offer you a training manual for the Spirit Thief Style of Mystical Martial Arts, which I acquired from a Woman named Hui the Brave who arrived here from a land known as the Jade Empire in a Single-Universe Multiverse. It will allow you to affect the Chi of your opponents with Dim Mak strikes and even leech Chi from them for your own use." Offered Barter.

"Sounds interesting. What else?" I queried.

"You seem like you're a user of the Circles of Magic, rather than any more free-form school of Sorcery, yes?" Asked Barter.

"Primarily. Of the Seventh Circle, in fact. I do have a few other, more minor spells and cantrips that I can cast free-form, but none of them amount to more than a third-circle spell of the Circles of Magic in terms of power." I admitted.

"Well, I can offer you a selection of spellbooks from other worlds that hold spells that are less limiting, or limiting in other ways. Maybe not the ones from the Wizarding World, as those tend to require foci to use, but I can offer you some from Nirn, which can keep being cast so long as you have the mystical power to use the spells with. Or perhaps you'd prefer a Copy of the Karkuthi? I recently managed to win a copy off of the Sorcerer Supreme of a Multiverse around four jumps above this one. That Multiverse is close enough to my own Multiverse of Origin that when the cosmic bindings holding them apart are dissolved, the results will be catastrophic for both of them." Offered Barter.

"Catastrophic how?" I questioned.

"It doesn't matter. You'll likely never find out, and the Champions of both Multiverses fix it in such a way that the event fades from all but the most Omniversal of minds." Waved off Barter.

"Huh. Good on them." Chimed in Oz from where he was looking at a rolled-up, old-style map that seemed to brim with divine power and the energies of mystical travel. Oz reached out to touch the map, but Barter stopped him.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you. This particular Multiverse has a number of entities that wouldn't look kindly on you using the Supreme Being's Omniversal Map. You don't have nearly the power or the backing to avoid a smiting." Warned Barter.

Oz swiftly withdrew his hand from the map, though I couldn't help but note what Barter had said. The name implied a sort of overall creator deity, something which, as far as I was aware, didn't exist, no matter what the Church said.

"Supreme Being?" I queried.

"Some Multiverses have them, and some take to travelling the Wider Omniverse after creating their proprietary multiverse. Those are few in number, though. The sorts of Supreme Beings that exist tend not to play nice with others, after all. That particular map came from a Supreme Being from a Single Universe Realm, which isn't uncommon, but seldom spawns Supreme Beings. Of course, that particular Supreme Being didn't want anyone using his map, which turned into a whole thing, another reason for your friend not to touch it." Answered Barter.

"Right." Huffed Oz.

"All right, I get it. What else can you offer?" I asked.

"For your psychic powers, I can offer an Alteran Crystalline Database containing Touch-based Alteran Psionic Healing Techniques, or I can offer you a copy of the Shaded Sutras of the Temple of the Cobras, which will allow you to psionically shroud your presence from various beings. Both came from this particular Multiverse, though in very different circumstances. The fellow who traded me the former didn't understand what he had, thinking it merely a pretty rock, while the latter was traded to me by a former Oberst of the Wehrmacht who bartered it for a set of new identification as the war was ending." Informed Barter.

"All right, say I want the Copy of the Karkuthi, the Copy of the Shaded Sutras, the Gloves of the Hin Fist, and the Training Manual for Spirit Thief Style?" I questioned.

"I would need something more than just the inside scoop on the Arena for betting. What other information can you offer?" Queried Barter.

"How about a Copy of a training Manual for the Ansatsuken written by Master Goutetsu?" I asked.

"You would willingly part with such a thing?" Questioned Barter.

"I would." I nodded.

It was the truth, after all. I had grown beyond what the Manual could teach me in terms of techniques and training methods. Now, what I needed was experience with the stuff I had learned to truly master the style. Besides, I had already made copies of all my training manuals for the various Martial Arts Styles I had obtained. Parting with a copy of the Ansatsuken Manual of Master Goutetsu was no big loss.

"That would be worth more than just the extra item. Quite a bit more, actually. Such manuals are exceedingly rare." Mused Barter.

"Hey, if you've got extra stuff, I might want a little something." Opined Oz.

"No." Refused Barter.

"No?" Queried Oz.

"You must trade something for yourself. Those are the rules." Insisted Barter.

"Nuts." Huffed Oz.

"What will you give me in trade for the copy of the training manual and the knowledge of the Arena?" I asked, dragging the conversation back on topic.

"That Jacket you're wearing. How would you like it to be as tough as a suit of Magical Armor?" Questioned Barter.

"I dunno, there's already a lot of enchantments on it. Can you even add more to it as it is now?" I queried.

"Even if I can only add a basic suite of defensive enchantments, I have alchemical coatings that can increase the power of said enchantments." Offered Barter.

"Done." I nodded.

"Excellent. Now, if you'll step this way to settle up, we can get started on trades." Intoned Barter, moving into the back room.

I followed him in as he explained his back room was under a scalable time dilation effect. He could make it so that one hour in here equalled one minute outside. He would have my items and jacket ready in ten minutes of waiting outside. I agreed, handing him the copy of the Ansatsuken Manual I had in my jacket's expanded pocket, along with the Jacket, before telling him that Sucullus told me that I would be able to defeat the current arena team tonight. That seemed good enough for Barter, and he soon had the Copy of the Shaded Sutras, Gloves of the Hin Fist, Spirit Thief Style Training Manual, and Copy of the Karkuthi before ushering me out into the main shop area.

Ten minutes later, he returned with my Jacket and began to close up shop, following Oz and I out and toward the exit of Ayizan's Bazaar. When asked, he simply claimed he was going to be headed to Dola's Casino, and that if we were smart, we would place similar bets on ourselves as well. As we made our way through the Bazaar, past a number of beings who were bartering with various shopkeepers and stall owners, I couldn't help but admit he was right about that. Eventually, Oz and I passed by the last throng of people, crowding around an odd-looking Man in a Turban who was dancing while selling various materials with names like Lorimar Iron and Menos Bronze, before we finally made it to the stairs up to the door corridor.

"Weird guy." Mused Oz.

"That's Mister Moti. He comes from a Multiverse far enough away from this one that getting there is nigh impossible for most people. I wouldn't worry about him." Explained Barter.

"If you say so." I shrugged.

Then, all three of us headed up to the exit, where Fufluns was waiting to take us to the Arena. After a brief moment of explanation, Fufluns accepted that we would be making a quick stop at Dola's Casino first before heading to Bellona's Arena. He guided us to a door made of white marble and with a red and yellow velvet doormat, opening it up and letting us inside to enter Dola's Casino. Inside was a fairly richly appointed Casino, the equal of any you might find in Las Vegas, with plush red and yellow patterned carpets, various tables for gambling, white marble walls, stucco ceilings set with lights chased in brass and gold, and a lot of people gambling.

Overseeing it all was a woman in a White Traditional Slavic dress, accented with red and yellow floral patterns. Gold jewelry studded with jade, pearls, and other gemstones adorned her ears, fingers, and throat, and a crown of flowers was woven through her brown, braided hair. My mind immediately came up with a name, Dola, the West Slavic Goddess of Fortune and Fate. We weren't here to see her, however, but to place bets with one of her employees. Fufluns led us past a poker table where a talking Pug in a black suit and tie was playing Texas Hold 'Em against a frustrated lanky Man in a red suit and his bearded Friend smoking the crumpled cigarette, much to the amusement of the Japanese Brunette in the leather catsuit. From the bickering, it seemed the Pug's name was Frank, while the two losers were Lupin and Jigen, and the Woman was Fujiko.

Regardless, Fufluns led us past that table and to a window to place our bets. I put down a wager of fifty million dollars on myself, at five-to-one odds, that would net me a quarter of a billion dollars if I won. By itself, that wasn't a big deal, mind you. There were a lot more valuable things than money, but it would push me over the edge to two billion dollars in Net Worth, something that was very neat. Oz, meanwhile, put down six hundred dollars on the same. I looked at him with a curious glance, to which he shrugged before saying anything.

"Been hoping to make a bit of extra cash, and Xander gave me three hundred from him to bet too." He responded.

"You could have asked me for cash if you guys were running low." I pointed out.

"Yeah, this way we don't owe you." Answered Oz.

I just shook my head at that and waited for Barter to finish his business. Unfortunately for Barter, it seemed that he was going to need to wait for someone to authorize his transaction, as the lowly clerk at the Bookie window didn't have the authority to take bets for more than cash or small items. He waved us off as a manager made his way over, looking at the clock before nodding.

"You won't be able to challenge the Champion Team for at least ten minutes. I should be done by then. Consider this trade completed." He insisted.

And with that, Fufluns led Oz and I back out of Dola's Casino and into the Corridor of Doors. As we followed him, we passed a Dark-Haired, Older-looking Woman in black clothing that seemed to be the sort of thing that a Victorian Noble Lady might have worn back in the day. My mystic radar pinged off her as I watched her make her way over to a door painted in red laquered wood the color of blood, entering a dark area lit by blood red light. Fufluns just shook his head as he saw that.

"I wouldn't go barking up that tree, were I you. That's a Red Court Vampire and she just entered Camaztoz's Blood Bar." Informed Fufluns.

"Vampires have courts?" Questioned Oz.

"Sometimes, though I've never heard of a Red Court." I frowned.

"They're one of four major groups of Vampires from a Multiverse not unlike this one, around one jump diagonally to the right and forward from here. Nasty business, the Red Court, very unlike the various Vampire Breeds you have here." Explained Fufluns.

"I'll take your word for it." I opined.

"Ditto." Agreed Oz.

Odd Omniversal Vampire Aside, Fufluns led us around another corner and toward a door that was made of thick oak with brass fittings. He opened the door to reveal a wooden arena, more fighting pit than actual arena, with stands going up in tiers of various people of all types, waving banners and cheering on the fighters. Looking into the arena, I saw a Persian Man in his early twenties battling it out with a strange Creature that had no eyes and was covered in slick, shiny black chitin. As the Creature lunged for the Persian, it let out a hissing roar, a second set of pharyngeal jaws extruding from its mouth.

"Huh. Xenomorph. Neat." Offered Oz.

"I don't know what that is." I sighed again.

"You really should watch more movies, you know." Smirked Oz.

"I'm getting real tired of that response." I grumbled.

With that, I turned back to the fight that was ongoing. As I did, I saw the Persian manage to flip up and around the Xenomorph Creature and plant a dagger into the base of its spine. As he pulled the blade out, however, a spurt of sizzling, green fluid burned into his arm, causing him to cry out. Meanwhile, the Xenomorph Creature, in its death throes, lashed out with its tail and slammed into the Persian's chest. The Persian flew backward, and it looked like he was about to land in a heap against the wall, breaking his neck in the fall, when suddenly, I felt a sense of Deja Vu wash over me as I watched the Persian plant a dagger in the base of the Xenomorph Creature's spine before leaping out of the way of the thrashing tail.

I blinked, taking a moment to parse what had just happened. I had to confirm with my Mystical senses, but when I did, I realized that the Persian had literally rewound the last few moments of the fight in order to avoid getting his neck broken. Looking over at Oz, it seemed he hadn't noticed the temporal shift. I figured that meant that the only reason I had was because of my Psionic Defenses being always active and allowing me to retain my memory of the prior events with a moment of concentration. That was a terrifying power, though, and seemed to be a function of the gold-hilted dagger that the Persian was carrying.

"That's one hell of an artifact." I muttered under my breath.

As I did so, however, a Woman in bronze armor, seated on a throne at the very top tier of the Arena Stands, raised her hands and called out for quiet. As she announced the Prince of Persia as the Victor of the bout, a name and title burned into my brain. Bellona, Fire-Eyed Roman Goddess of Battle. This arena was hers. Furthermore, as she stood, I noticed a trio of fighters standing just off to the side of her. Two were clearly alien, while one was dressed in completely concealing armor, so that I couldn't tell if he were Alien, Human, or Demon.

The first had mocha skin, a ridged forehead, and odd armor made from a strange alloy. He carried a large, two-handed, bladed weapon that seemed to me to look extremely unwieldy, as well as a holstered pistol of some sort of advanced technology. The Second was less covered and obviously less humanoid, with scaly skin, a fanged maw, and bony protrusions on its skull. It was garbed in a metal pauldron with some sort of mesh chestwear. A pair of odd technological bracers were at its wrists, while the Pauldron had a short, stubby nozzle of some description attached to it. Lastly was the Armored Figure, covered head to toe in advanced armor painted in blue and orange. A Jetpack of far more advanced construction than the Secord Jetpack from the Thirties was mounted on his back, and he carried a sword of an odd-looking metal that hummed with vibrational frequency, alongside a rifle stowed across his back in a magnetic clamp.

This then had to be the current Arena Champion team, Korg, Son of Rel'gak, Kad Bralor, and Nak'an'uub. I had no idea which of them was which. However, as Bellona sat back down, Oz and I looked around to try and find a functionary. We found one in the form of a four-armed Shokan Woman in leather armor. She looked familiar, and it took me a while to place the resemblance. This was Sheeva, General of the Shokan's Second Field Army under Prince Goro. What was she doing here? Was this some alternate version of Sheeva who served Bellona instead of Goro, and thus Shao Khan? It seemed likely, given where we were. I walked up to her, Oz trailing behind me, and prepared to speak, only for her to interrupt me.

"You wish to test your might in the Arena." Intoned Shiva.

"How did you know?" I queried.

"It's written on your face. I've served Lady Bellona for years, now. I can tell the look when new combatants wish to sign up." Smirked Sheeva.

"Well, I wish to test my might in the Arena, yes. My friend here, however, wants to take the shooting trial." I affirmed.

"Your names?" Asked Sheeva.

"Ulysses." I introduced.

"Oz." Added Oz.

"I will have you added to the list. Unfortunately, the Prince of Persia is still making his way through the bouts. Until he chooses to bow out or is slain, it's his turn. In the meantime, you may try your hand at the Shooting Trial." Nodded Sheeva.

"All right." Agreed Oz.

"Go around the pit to the right, and you will find the Hall of Trials there. The Shooting Trial will be the third door to the left." Explained Sheeva.

"I'll just head over there, then." Remarked Oz.

"Good luck." I offered.

"Not coming with?" Questioned Oz.

"No. I think I ought to stay here." I responded.

"Why?" Queried Oz.

"I want to get a look at my competition." I answered.

"Smart. Better to know what you're getting yourself into." Nodded Oz.

"I thought so." I confirmed.

And with that, Oz headed off to the Hall of Trials to try and beat the record of Colton White from Empire City, New Mexico. In the meantime, I turned to regard Sheeva. She cocked her head at me, crossing her four arms over her chest as she did. What she said next surprised me and sent me scrambling for a response.

"No. You are too young, I would break you." Intoned Sheeva.

"What? No, you've got it wrong. Not that I don't think you're attractive or anything. The Amazonian thing is pretty hot, but that wasn't what I was thinking." I hurriedly tried to offer by way of response.

"Relax, Earthrealmer. I was merely jesting, though I will note your interest if you survive the Arena." Grinned Sheeva, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

I could only groan at that, which predictably made Sheeva grin wider. It was only now that my downloaded information told me that the Shokan were a race that descended from intermarriages between Outworlder Humanoids and two different, intermarried, breeds of mystical predators, those being Dragons and Zouyu, both of which were predatory mystical beasts that had Human-like intelligence and could shapeshift. I shook my head, refusing to think of the potential for Amazonian sexy times and instead focusing on the task at hand.

"I was just thinking about how you must be from an alternate timeline is what I meant." I ground out.

"I suppose that makes sense. I am told my counterpart in this timeline is serving as one of Prince Goro's Generals in the Army of Outworld. Strange that you would know about that." Allowed Sheeva.

"There's more to me than meets the eye." I shrugged.

"Is that so? How much more?" Asked Sheeva.

"Enough to beat the Current Arena Champions." I intoned.

"I see. That is intriguing. All right, I've decided. If you survive the Arena, come find me. You'll get your chance to handle my Hot Amazonian Body then." Smirked Sheeva.

Then she walked off, leaving me still trying to come up with a response. Fortunately, the Prince of Persia was soon to bow out, and it would be my turn in the Arena. Unfortunately, I would not start facing off against the Champion Team. It seemed I would have to prove myself in a few preliminary bouts before I would be allowed to face them. The very first one I would face would wind up being one that most new combatants would have trouble with, just from the lack of weak points. I would be facing a Large Golem made entirely of Bronze, apparently based on the Colossus of Rhodes from another Multiverse, which did battle with a Nascent God of War and almost won.

As the giant of bronze, clockwork, and magic made its way into the Arena, I looked up at it. It had to be at least fifteen feet tall, in the image of an ancient Greek Hoplite. I frowned, preparing to fight as Bellona stood up and announced the beginning of the bout. Then, with an oddly robotic bellow, the Bronze Golem surged forward.

And the first of my Arena fights began in earnest. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Ulysses gets a couple of upgrades from Barter and finally makes it to the Arena. Notably, he now understands that the Compaas and Clock doesn't just cater to people and beings from other multiverses or planes, but alternate timelines as well, thanks to running into an alternate timeline version of Sheeva. This version is from a version of the MKX timeline, which means she's a lot less bloodthirsty, though still fairly predatory. Meanwhile, Oz is going to try his luck at the shooting Trial.

Other nineties stuff this chapter includes mentions of the Circles of Magic from Second Edition Dungeons and Dragons, The Ansatsuken from Street Fighter, Alterans from Stargate, the Wizarding World from Harry Potter, Frank the Pug from Men in Black, the Temple of the Cobras from the Shadow, Oz and Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mister Moti from Legend of Mana, and Outworld, Earthrealm, Shao Khan, and Sheeva from Mortal Kombat.

Eighties Stuff this chapter includes mentions of Klingons and Type Two Hand Phasers from Star Trek TNG, Xenomorphs from Aliens, the Yautja from Predator, Fujiko Mine, Lupin III, and Jigen Daisuke from Lupin the Third, Lightsabers from Star Wars, Barter from DC Comics, and the Map of the Supreme Being from Time Bandits. Two Thousands Stuff this chapter includes mentions of the Gloves of the Hin Fist from Neverwinter Nights, Mandalorians from the Star Wars Novels, Comics, and Games, the Karkuthi from Marvel Comics, the Colossus of Rhodes from God of War Two, Nirn from Morrowind, Red Court Vampires from the Dresden Files, the Prince of Persia and Dagger of Time from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the M-Six-D Magnum from Halo, Colton White and Empire City, New Mexico from Gun, and Spirit Thief Style Martial Arts from Jade Empire.

At any rate, the next chapter will include Ulysses' Bout in the Arena against the Bronze Golem, and we'll also see how Oz did in the Shooting Trial, then Ulysses will have one more bout before facing the Arena Champion Team. I'll also have more images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .