Author's Notes:

Ah, the memories, this was my first crossover with DJ A String's The Dungeon Master of Equestria!

Did some editing, again, if any of you sports spot something off, tell me and I'll get to it.

Konrad sighed in content as he relaxed in a hay-filled bed with his bedroll rolled out on it for extra padding. After chatting up the guard and getting him to relax, Konrad went to the inn, where he managed to barter this room for a few nights in exchange for giving the brown earth pony caretaker a warhammer. The mare had wanted and needed a weapon to defend herself, and since she could heft it with fair ease she felt it suitable, and worth a few nights in her establishment.

Konrad also had to admit that the mares were quite beautiful, at least the innkeeper and her barmaid were. Up until he'd entered the inn of Dock End, he'd never seen a female of this world. They were more or less like back home, varying in body shape and size if the petite barmaid and the curvy innkeeper were indicators. But since they were all earth ponies he couldn't tell if there was a distinctive body shape preference between races yet like how there was back home.

{Good job kid. That hammer would've fetched more if it was sold to a sundry shop, but getting some lodging was a good move.}

'Thanks for the compliment Avarice. But you heard the guard when I asked; there isn't a shop here in Dock End. They rely on a small caravan that comes out here to buy lumber to get anything they can't provide themselves.' Konrad was rather irritated at that. It meant he'd have to barter food from the locals, and they mostly only grew what they needed as this town lived off it's lumber, not it's crops.

{Hm...good point. But then that just means there's no real competition....}

'A monopoly? I'm pretty sure that's illegal. Besides, we don't have anything save what we looted and what we came with, remember?'

{Oh, I remember. What I haven't gotten around to telling you is the real special ability our hammerspace has. Didn't you wonder where that canteen came from? Or where the water in it came from? What about that healing potion we had when we hadn't even touched the loot yet?}

'Yeah, of course I did. What're you saying?'

{What I'm getting at, is that so long as something isn't considered “owned” by someone or something, our hammerspace can reach out into the world, and snatch it. First-come-first-serve.}

Konrad was astounded at this info, and he decided to give it a try. He reached into his coat, and when he grabbed something, he pulled it out to reveal a bag of gold bits, the currency of Equestria. “...Why didn't we do this before?”

{Slipped my mind, sorry. Those are bits that are lost, out-of-circulation and such from getting misplaced. You'd actually be doing the country's economy a favor by reintroducing them into it.}

'So there might not be much, or, if it's like my world; there's probably enough to make us rich numerous times over.'

{Or, if they're out of print, then they're not viable as currency, but can be traded in for current currency.}

'Things got a lot easier.' Konrad gasped as he dropped the small sack and clutched his stomach. 'Ow, ow, bitch, ow!'

{We need sustenance, preferably meat. Our Plaga is currently forced to feed on our host body. From the feeling of it, we've just lost half the liver.}

'Great! I kinda want this host to live as long as possible since it is my original body! Could you please keep me updated?' Konrad hissed a shrill, disconcertingly insect-sounding hollow growl as he grabbed the sack and stumbled downstairs, getting the attention of both the innkeeper and the barmaid. He plopped into a seat, and dropped the sack of coins on the table. “Found my bits. Had to dig for em. I'll be needing food. Anything but hay, grass or flowers.”

“Um...anything?” The petite orange barmaid in a smock asked nervously, as Konrad was an intimidating figure, and strangers to town were rare too.

“Yes, so long as it's fruit or veg, I'll eat it. Raw, cooked, don't care, too hungry.” Konrad practically shoved the bag of bits into the still frazzled mare, and slumped onto the table, seemingly dead. Getting the urgency of the matter, the barmaid rushed into the inn's larder to fetch the customer much needed sustenance.

{This is what you get for not eating for several days.}

'Shut it, we were pursued. I have an excuse.' Konrad grumbled back in their mind, only sitting up when the cute maid dropped a platter of fresh fruits and veggies in front of him. “Thank ya kindly.” Konrad lowered his bandana mask to a bib and promptly began digging in viciously, shocking the mares both with the ferocity of his hunger, as well as the alien look of his face. They assumed he was an earth pony, but he had no snout to speak of.

“Will that be all?” The orange maid asked as she nervously combed her curly green mane with a hand.

“Yeah, good work.” 'Probably shouldn't have given her all that money...there's a lot here.' Konrad's tune changed when he was half through the platter and still going strong. 'Never mind, geez...how much do I need to eat?'

{Meat's more fulfilling, we'd have to binge on this stuff just to satisfy our Plaga rather than actually feed it. We'd best get hunting.}

'Hunt what? I didn't see a single animal the whole trip here.'

{Again, despite your skill, your lack of observation astounds me.}

'Hey!'

[ ? ]

“So they lost him then.” Luna sighed at the report of her sergeant, who just got back from debriefing the trackers. The only reason she was still here was because she'd decided she'd wait for the rest of her forces to arrive before leading a march into Bullgaria rather than march ahead of them with a smaller task force for scouting.

“Yes, your Majesty. They reported losing him at the Trough River. They searched up and down the bank for miles yet found no trace of him leaving it. If he simply let it carry him, he'd be all the way in buffalo territory by then and we have no jurisdiction there.” The Sergeant reported, getting a growl and temple rub in response out of the mercurial goddess of the night.

“Damned tribal autonomy. I told Tia we'd have been better off annexing everyone, but no~ she had to insist on preserving cultures. What good is preserving culture if it limits our ability to protect Our Little Ponies? Thank you Sergeant, I'll have to inform my sister and Star Swirl of these developments.” Luna dismissed, moving to doing some paperwork with another sigh as the yellow stallion left her office, only to perk up in surprise as a wisp of smoke billowed in from the nearby cracked-open window, and flashed into a scroll that landed on her desk. “Ah! Star Swirl has responded at last. Old colt must have finally gotten back from whatever little trip he'd been on this time.”

Luna picked up the scroll sealed with a blue wax seal with the imprint of two stars swirling around. She broke it and promptly began reading, only for her eyes to widen as she became worried. She then bolted from her desk and slammed the door open. “Sergeant get back here! I have need of your trackers still!”

[ $ ]

After having eaten all the food offered him, Konrad then excused himself from the two gobsmacked mares' company and stated he was going to have a look around the village. He actually did, and found the quaint little place rather charming. It also had a surprisingly high population of about 50 or so, who all bunked in the 5 large communal homes, and farms. Visitors like him, and the two guards who only get rotated out of the village every month stay at the inn.

It was a budding village looking to be a town in the near future, it just needed more capital than lumber to get going fast. And Konrad decided it'd be his first venture. 'This place has potential. Untapped, hidden gem levels of potential, I feel it.'

{Good instincts too. Rookie, I have high hopes for you. Do this, and you'll prove yourself a Merchant.}

Konrad grinned viciously at Avarice's praise, and then after having spoken to a good number of the population, learned a few things. There was in fact a hunting ground a good distance west of here, but any hunted game was merely skinned for leather, the rest was generally used as fertilizer, bloodmeal and bonemeal. The standard game was deer, which apparently were as dim-witted here as they were on earth. There were also rabbits, which were occasionally culled to check their numbers so they didn't storm the farm fields in a wave of death.

This gave Konrad his source of food, as apparently nopony here had any love for the little garden killing beasts, and would actually pay him if he brought in pelts they could use to make leather straps and such. But that was just for food and making a bit of profit on the side, no, what he was focused on was something the village was earnestly interested in.

Him setting up shop here.

He openly stated he was a Merchant, a provider and procurer of various goods, quite willing to serve the small budding village. Konrad convinced the leaders of the town, essentially the Innkeeper, Logger and two Farmers that basically formed the pillars of Dock End's society, that he was keenly interested in seeing this place get more life, and capital in it. His coat allowed him to display an ability they admitted only imagining seeing in big cities in allowing him to provide stock without wasting space.

So, by the end of the day, Konrad found himself given permission to run a stall at the start of Dock End on the only road in and out. If he proved himself a benefit to the village, then he'd be allowed a proper building. So it was with zeal that Konrad promptly set about purchasing a chair, a comfortable one, setting it next to the road, and promptly taking a seat, before setting up a sign that said “wake for service” and promptly conked himself out, planning to hunt at night where he could use his enhanced vision to find rabbit dens, and then flush them out.

Life went on like this for a while for Konrad. He spent nearly a week sitting there during the day, getting woken by villagers looking to buy something, and him able to provide with the tricks of his coat. Thankfully, it just meant that what they asked for was likely abandoned or considered without ownership. Soon though, he noticed the ponies seem a little strained. He had several hundred bits from the week, so that meant he'd bled them near dry without them realizing it. And since he basically only used his room at the inn for the first couple of days, and he hunted at night, he was an enigma sucking bits out of the town. Not good.

'I have to get these bits back into the town, so how...wait...idea.' Konrad didn't wait another moment as he stood, flipped the sign over to “not-at-home”, and went over to the lumber mill. The Logger, a big stallion as tall as he was at seven feet, only made of a couple hundred pounds of rippling tan-furred muscle rather than skinny pale skin, was a jovial and otherwise optimistic stallion with his blonde mane and tail shaved down for safety to avoid them becoming a hazard in getting caught in the mill's saw blade. Said blade ended up getting repaired with metal Konrad had provided recently in fact. “Hello, Logger.”

No, really, his name was Log Runner, so he just shortened it to Logger.

“Ah, well if it isn't the chap who helped me fix the mill's blade! What can I do ya for? Haven't seen ya away from that chair all week.” Logger commented cheerfully as he handily hefted a whole tree log into the guide for the blade by himself. Earth ponies scared Konrad with their unnatural strength sometimes.

“It's not what you can do for me, but what we can do for the village.” Konrad reached into his coat in a gesture nearly second-nature by now, and took out a large sack of bits, paid to him by the villagers who bought “his” wares. Hey, they weren't owned by anyone before him, so they were very well his. “I'd like to commission a small building where my stall has been. Nothing fancy, could even just be a one room shack. I just want a roof over my head so I can still run shop if it rains, and also so I'm not sleeping out in the sun.” 'Thank gog I'm essentially dead, and can't be bothered with things like heat and cold.'

“Well...I see where you're coming from, but on scheduled rain days we just usually stay indoors. Then again, since the war started around seven years ago, most pegasi have been more involved in war efforts than civilian, and the weather's gone a bit wild...alright then.” Logger took the sack, and judged it's weight. “About...500 bits in here?”

“Give or take a few. That's most of all the money I've made since setting up shop.” 'I'll have to pull some more lost coin out if I plan on making a deal with that caravan come next week. I don't want to be here forever, just get this place rolling and hope it takes off.'

“Well, that'll get ya a small two-room house. You say ya want it where you've been napping everyday?” At Konrad's nod, the stallion set the bag down on a nearby table before he idly kicked a lever that got the mill going. “Okay then. Me and the boys will have that cabin up by the end of tomorrow.”

“Much appreciated.” 'Earth ponies are so industrious. Why are there so many here and not in the cities?'

[ $ ]

Star Swirl inexplicably sneezed into the scroll he'd been reading on an observation of the three pony races and their regional preferences. “Hmph, that was odd.” The pale blue stallion of advanced yet magically extended age stated as he straightened his pointy bell-riddled star-patterned hat, and moved a lock of his white mane out of his amber eyes.

The blue star-patterned robe he wore billowed out around his stool as he was sat at his desk in his private chamber atop his own personal tower in the middle of relative nowhere just north of Canterlot, near the frozen tundras of northern Equestria. The wizened Archmage was doing a bit of light reading in between his recent study on a spell he just couldn't seem to grasp, even if he was the one who began creating it on a whim, and researching what he'd suspected upon receiving a letter from his student Luna regarding one of her soldiers becoming charmed with a servile notion towards a sense of debt.

This interruption into his reading made Star Swirl grumble as he rolled the scroll back up and returned to his research on the subject. Ah, yes, he'd already reviewed the section he'd relayed to Luna, about the potential dangers involved in compulsion magics, and especially the most dire part of her letter involving the unfortunate stallion Moss Stone having been forced to divulge information as “payment” for having his life saved.

Contract Magic.

Whether it was verbal, written, or implied, contract magic had the ability to bind both parties to an agreement or exchange. Contract magic was considered illegal for one base reason; it was a classic ploy used by vile fiends of the ages such as Grogar the Terrible, who made contracts of power in exchange for tribute. Many a dark mage or cruel monster had Grogar to thank for their powers. However, since Grogar's eldritch city of darkness; Tambelon had vanished centuries ago, his ilk and by extension his means were long forgotten.

At least, to those who are negligent in their reading. The nerve, hmph, that Star Swirl was one of the few ponies alive to remember the horrors of Grogar's machinations and his dark city of twisted and unnatural evil. To Star Swirl, this meant that whoever Avarice the Merchant was, he had powers that could be easily compared to Grogar. If he could grant power, or take it with a contract...what would that mean? What would he gain should he manage to trick some poor pony out of their strength? Speed? Special Talent even? Star Swirl considered this Avarice a threat, and informed Luna as such.

Now then, after having gone over the scroll again, Star Swirl found nothing further of note, feeling Luna properly appraised of the danger, and returned to reading for pleasure, only for yet another letter to arrive via smoke travel, and he sighed. An old buck's work was never done.

[ $ ]

Konrad was sitting on the dock of Dock End’s river, trying not to snicker at the irony of the name at the moment. He decided to go fishing today, his cabin still under construction in the village. ‘Ah...so peaceful, so quiet...you’d never think a war was happening barely a few days southeast of here.’

{War is often like that Rookie. It’s everywhere, but in places like this, so removed from the grand scheme of things, it’s easy to forget the world’s troubles.}

Konrad looked at the slowly flowing river that managed to push the mill nearby, and the sudden yank of his fishing line drew his attention. ‘Bite!’ Konrad quickly grabbed the pole and yanked, getting the fish hooked, and began pulling in the line by hand. It was one of those ancient things, just a stick and a long bit a wire, but hey, these folks got their occasional fish craving handled. “Oh~! Red Snappah!” Konrad quoted an old machinima by Oxhorn and sniggered as he held the flopping them in his hands. “Now...raw or cooked?”

The Plaga that was the real Konrad practically shot an extending “Alien” like mouth out to bite a chunk out of the fish from under the bandanna, killing it instantly.

“Raw it is!” However, before Konrad could properly chow down, he began choking, his Plaga mouth extending out of his own human one to spit something into his hand. “Ugh...what is it?”

He held out a purple-ish d6 that seemed to contain a galaxy inside of it. While holding it, he heard a voice call out:

This is for anyone who needs help or just wants a friend. Summon the Dungeon Master of Equestria if you’re ever in need.

“What the hell? Magic die?” Konrad blanked out for a few moments, and then jumped up and danced with nonsensical joy. “A magic die! A summons! I feel like I’m playing some sort of role playing game all of a sudden.” Konrad considered summoning this DM to help him, but he figured he’d save it for a rainy day as he sat back down facing the water.

A thunderclap sounded in the distance, and Konrad looked up to notice a storm front rolling in. ‘Huh, said rainy day might happen sooner than planned.’

“Freeze!” Konrad froze, but only in shock as he slowly turned his head around to see several pegasus soldiers, all garbed in the rank-and-file basic bronze and leather armor all aiming spears at him. “You are to surrender for questioning, unders suspicion of using forbidden magic!”

{Rookie...I don’t know about you, but we’re kinda between a bad spot-} The river. {And a sharp place-} The spears. {So, whatever that little trinket you found is, I’d suggest you use it to at least buy time to get out our boomstick.}

‘Yeah...good idea...how do I do that?!’

{I don’t know, roll it or something! It’s a die, nothing complicated!}

Konrad rolled from his seated position onto his back, throwing the die at the soldiers who jumped away on instinct while Konrad got himself upright.

When the die touched the ground, it bounced up into the air and turned into a portal, sending out an elf clad in strange robes and a tattered brown cloak. He held a staff in one hand, a spellbook in the other. He spoke with a voice that commanded respect, as if he knew much….. Stuck up elf…..

“What the hell?!” He said, staring at the guards that were pointing their spears at him. “I swear, it’s like no matter where I go, Celestia’s finest hate me.”

“H-h-halt foul…. thing!” Said one of the soldiers.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” He said, pointing his staff at the soldiers. “Sleep.”

In an instant, they were all out like a light.

“Now,” he started, turning to me. “Who summoned me?”

Before Konrad could even blink, or respond, several flaring red lights shot up from the incapacitated soldiers into the sky, bursting in a display of light all too synonymous with “OVER HERE!” “Uh...Konrad, or Avarice the Merchant. I appreciate the save, but I think more of them might be incoming!” Konrad reached into his coat and pulled out his Chiappa. ‘Shit, shit, an actual battle! I’ve never killed something sentient before!’

“Wait, did you just say, the Merchant?” He asked, ignoring both Konrad and the lights. “As in… the guy who sent me to Equestria? OH HO HO! I HAVE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!”

“Wait, WHAT?! Hey! Point that thing somewhere else!” Konrad shouted as he dodged a bolt of magic that came flying at him, only to start floating randomly, flailing his arms about trying to get down.

“WHY?!” The elf asked. “Why did you send me here?! What reason?! Why did you think it was just okay to mess with us con goers and such?!”

It started to feel like the air around Konrad was trying to choke him…. and was succeeding as he started to feel a lot of pressure around his throat. Only to remember he didn’t need to breathe anymore aside from keeping his host body alive. He could revive it if worse came to worst. “I...don’t...understand….”

“What do you mean you don’t understand?!” The elf screamed at him. “You sent me here! I can…. I can….. You’re…. not him. Are you?” The elf asked as he noticed the differences in appearance between this Merchant and the Merchant that he thought he was.

Konrad felt the air around him release it’s grasp and set him down gently. “Well! That was a fine how-do-ya-do you bleedin’ wanker! I should shoot ya fulla holes for that stunt!” Konrad aimed his shotgun angrily at the elf, forgetting his pacifism in his anger for a moment, only to suddenly jerk away when he realized it and shoot the dock to the right of him. “Oh...shit...almost did something I’d regret there….”

“You bet.” He said. “If you shot me, I woulda decked ya in the face with my staff. Or used telekinesis again. Man, I’ll never get used to the Gamma Dragon rules.”

“DnD? That’s really convoluted. Well...I’m not sure what’s going on, what with them claiming me using illegal magic. I’m just a...humble Merchant.” Konrad had to chuckle. “Regardless, I’m on the run from Equestria’s more upstanding elements. I got here, looted a battlefield, traded a debt for information on current events, and next thing I know: I’ve got pegasi after my ass. I know it’s sexy, but could they not be chasing it?”

“Ooookay,” The elf said, finally turning around and noticing the magic flares. “So, someone wants your butt. I’m gonna guess it’s Celestia. But enough of that. Shouldn’t we get out of here before those reinforcements get here? I’m pretty sure they want me now, too.”

“Well, if they do I bet it won’t bug ya none considering you got Dark Side powers. Let’s go, got a cave nearby we can hide in for the moment.”

[ $ ]

“Home sweet home! Take a seat anywhere! What’s mine is yours!” Konrad joked as they walked into the cave. It had a small entrance, but opened up rather quickly into a surprisingly well-structured cavern that seemed artificial. In fact, a carved entrance with ancient runes deeper in informed the elf that this was the entrance to a crypt, and Konrad had shamelessly piled it’s riches and a vast assortment of odds and ends about the entrance cavern, to note he was specifically sitting on a throne that had moldy cushions, gesturing for the elf to take a seat on a rickety stool.

“What the hell?” He said before taking a seat on the ground. “This is a crypt! A place where the dead are buried! And that’s Elvish! Why is there Elvish here?! Who the hell are you?!”

“Hell if I know anymore! I’m Konrad Skinner, I’m Avarice the Merchant. I’m a Stranger, a familiar face! As for this being a crypt, when you’ve got questionable abilities with questionable clients of unknown levels of trustworthiness and a questionably stable parasite that’s replaced your actual self, you find it hard to find a place to feel safe. I WAS getting a cabin in the village, but with the soldiers after me, nothing’s likely going to be so open as before. So close to getting Dock End a proper merchantry too.” Konrad bemoaned, running his hand through a pile of gold next to him, watching it run down to the floor in boredom.

“But why a crypt?” The elf asked. “Why not just a different cave?”

“Why bother? This place is perfect! Well hidden in plain sight, easy to reach yet hard to find, and filled to the brim with riches! I was going to invest all this into the village, I ain’t got a use for it. But now I’ll have to move on, but I don’t know how to get this place noticed, or even if they’re allowed to desecrate it as I’ve blatantly done.” Konrad informed as he took some coins from the pile and jingled them about. “As for me getting it all out….” Konrad put the coins in his coat, and then pulled out an ancient and rusted sword out that was blatantly too large to fit. “I have my ways.”

“What the?!” He yelped. He calmed down after a bit and started talking again. “Ya know, I thought that I was the only one with a ‘Magic Satchel’.” He said, pulling out a bag. “Although, yours is a bit different.”

“Heh, a bag of holding? I’ve got more than that, more than all the bags of holding could ever hope for. See that statue over there?” Konrad gestured to a small golden statue of an elf women, clearly in a very lewd pose, possibly a fertility idol or something. “Watch.” Konrad reached into his coat, and just over the statue, his hand appeared as if from thin air, where it then grabbed onto the statue and pulled it into nothingness. When the elf looked back to Konrad, it was now in his hand. “Fancy as all get-out.”

“What. The hell. That shouldn’t be possible. That…. That….. Ugh…” He facepalmed, with the audible slap echoing throughout the cave.

“Don’t think too hard about it, I just accept it as it is. The only limitation is that I cannot use that on anything except things either I, or nobody has claim to.” Konrad said with a nod and set the statue down at his feet. “Just as well, actual stealing, from the living at least, is something I abhor and will never resort to. I’d rather die….again.”

“So, let me get this straight.” The elf started. “If I were to call dibs on, oh I don’t know, that pile of gold in the corner?”

“Can’t touch it now. You own it. Simple as that. Unless you say you don’t want it, or give it away to nobody, then that nobody becomes me.”

“Ah, okay. Well then, I’m not claiming it.”

“That’s fine, then it’ll go to the village. I’ve got ideas, but I’ll need a little extra help getting this all moved to town.” Konrad said as he gestured to the vast wealth in the cave. “I can’t just warp it all there, not with those soldier boys aiming spears at my rear.”

“Oh, how I know how that feels. Well, kind of. Back in my Equestria-”

“WHOA! Hold up! YOUR Equestria?! I kinda get Multiverse theory, but you’re saying that you’re from another version of this universe?” Konrad asked in surprise, getting the elf to blink in confusion.

“Uh, yeah.” He said. “What, am I the first Displaced you’re meeting?”

“I know I must seem dumb to ask, but what the blooming fuck is a Displaced?” Konrad asked gruffly as he picked up a coin and tossed it. “There, that coin is now displaced, what special meaning is there to the term?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” The elf said. “It’s just what someone called people like me. Apparently it’s those of us that have been sent to Equestrias by the Merchant. That shady guy that sold us stuff. I also heard about some kind of lottery, but apparently it’s not common.”

“Pfft, yeah, right, not common he says. If there’s enough of us to earn a capital lettered title just from existing, I think it’s beyond common. Because this means I’m a Displaced too. Damn. There went any consoling thoughts that I was unique. And also this explains you trying to kill me on the dock. Bastard probably used me as a scapegoat. For all I know, I’m going to be attracting hundreds of Displaced looking for revenge.” Konrad grumbled as he shifted in his throne. “Ugh...that’s a later topic. I don’t want to think about it. So, let’s keep things simple for now; like what the hell is your name? I’ve been thinking of you as “the elf” since you popped up.”

“I honestly forgot my original name.” He said. “I did create a new name for myself though. In fact, got it after becoming king of changelings in a different universe. I’m Dox.

“Well that isn’t an odd name, but better than all these word-names ponies have. Well then Dox, mind stirring up some trouble to buy me time for some charity work?” Konrad asked as he gestured again to all the treasure.

“Ugh. Fine, but you owe me.” Dox said. The reaction to the words was violent, as Konrad spasmed and gasped as he clutched his chest. “Yo, you okay?”

Konrad’s eyes shined brightly, and they began to keep glowing as an audible snarl entered his tone. “Ya had to enact a debt...now we’re in contract. So now, neither of us can get out of this without backlash. I HAVE to deliver this treasure, and you HAVE to help me now. Watch words around me Dox...words have binding power when I’m involved.”

“.....Okay then. Let’s get to it.” Dox said.

[ $ ]

The village of Dock End was as it normally was. Ponies were going about their business, going to and from the logging mill with wagons of felled trees, or tilling fields. There was even construction on a new cabin in the village, what with the fact that there was only like, five buildings.

The ponies were busy working on their own things when suddenly a figure appeared on the northwest horizon of the village, on the road. The figure stood there for a bit before the figure summoned a large ball of fire and sent it flying down the road.

This in turn alerted all of the soldiers in the village, who promptly ran out of the buildings that they were hiding in and swarmed the strange figure. When he was completely surrounded, they heard him speak.

“I don’t normally do this kind of roll, but…..” The figure said before screaming: “CHAOTIC EVIL BITCHES! YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” And proceeding to run away from the village, the soldiers following in quick pursuit.

Along the way out the figure cast a few beams of magic to keep the soldiers from getting too close. It even threw one of the soldiers back at the town, all the while screaming like a madman. It’s safe to say, that one soldier wasn’t able to rejoin his brothers in arms in the pursuit.

Around the corner of the inn, Konrad poked his head out, and glared at the hissing soldier holding his leg as Logger and a couple of the other villagers helped him up and started carrying him to the inn. ‘No! Damn it! That was the best spot!’ Konrad tightened his grip on his Chiappa angrily, before he took a few steadying breaths. He may not need to breath, but it was still cathartic. ‘Where am I going to drop the loot now?’

{Where you originally planned to.}

‘But there’s a soldier in there! He’ll see me drop it and might claim it as stolen or some other bullshit, and then there goes the village’s capital! This place would never get on the map then!’

{I’ll deal with the toy soldier.}

‘No killing!’

{Wouldn’t dream of it….}

Avarice coughed, before spitting out Konrad’s human teeth, licking his bloodied lips as the mutation replaced his human mouth with an insect one. “Bleh...great, mouth’s gone. Sorry kid.” ‘Ew...win some, lose some.’ Avarice then chittered his mandibles still surrounded by the flesh of Konrad’s mouth, thankfully all hidden by his convenient bandanna. “Meh, better for eating anyway.”

Avarice stormed into the inn, getting their attention by shooting the ceiling.

[ ? ]

“EAT IT LOSERS!” Dox shouted as he shot YET ANOTHER magic missile next to a soldier. He was aiming at the soldiers, but he had no intent to kill them.

All in all, this was almost as fun as that time that Urahara asked him to help set up some explosives for training….. and he put some in his pants…… Ah, that was funny shit right there.

[ $ ]

At the thunderously loud bark of the shotgun’s buckshot being fired into the ceiling, all the ponies had screamed and ducked out of instinct rather than ingrained fear. ‘Odd, how even across time and space, intelligent and instinctive response is so similar.’ “Alright you ungrateful whelps! I provided my services to your town and you sell me out?!”

“It’s nothing like that Avarice! They’re soldiers, our country’s soldiers, we couldn’t just turn them away!” Logger defended, only to yelp in pain as Avarice took an old throwing knife from his coat and threw it into his shoulder.

“Quiet! There’s something called Friendship, and I was bothering to learn your names! For a Merchant, that’s pretty damn close to trusting! I won’t be coming back, but I still plan to hold up my bargain with you all.” Avarice then looked at the injured soldier laying on a table the villagers had placed him. “Watch you little cog, as I demonstrate my benevolence.”

Avarice then took off his pack, opened it, and turned it over. Promptly, a pile of gold began forming as a waterfall of gold coins, various treasures, and other valuables spilled forth. Within a few minutes, he’d made a pile big enough to fill a good portion of the floor, before he pulled his pack back upright, and closed it. Avarice’s new mandibles clicked in amusement and satisfaction at their gobsmacked faces. “Adieu.” With that, Avarice bolted out the door and into the woods to the east, readying the d6 to contact Dox.

[ $ ]

“OW OW OW! SCREW YOU GUYS! I’M OUT! PEACE!” Dox screamed angrily as he quickly teleported away.

He reappeared right next to Avarice, in the cave, now empty.

“You’re welcome,” Dox said. “Now I’m bloodied as HELL! That hurt, just so ya know.”

“Well, hot damn. I thought you were a mage/warrior dual class, but since you took so much I’m guessing you’re just a mage then. Staff threw me off. Well, I’ve got some healing potions that’ll-.” Suddenly, as Avarice reached into his coat, Dox keeled over backwards, landing in a boneless heap. “Uh...did he just...SHIT!” Avarice quickly fished out a fistful of potions, and began desperately pouring them into the unresponsive elf. “Shit! SHIT! Don’t die on me! Debts aren’t settled when people die! FUCK! I got the first Displaced I met killed!”

“That’s what you think.” Said a different voice. “I’m kinda unkillable. As long as I still have a character to use, I’m alive.”

Avarice turned to the source of the voice only to find a non-anthro alicorn standing at the mouth of the cave. It just stared at him and said, “Sup.”

“YOU ARSE! YOU GOT ME WORRIED FOR NOTHING! DO YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE I WAS TO INFECTING YOU TO RESURRECT YOU?!” Avarice screamed angrily as he smacked the stately alicorn stallion across the face with the butt of his shotgun. “I would’ve cursed you with undeath damn it! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Yeah. That would have pissed off both me AND the guy whose body that actually is.”

“Oh, great, so I still got SOMEBODY killed! That’s a relief! Not! Tell me there’s some sort of other sorcery involved in this to clear my conscience.” Avarice pleaded sarcastically as he gestured angrily at the bloody corpse on the floor.

“Eh, don’t worry. He’s still alive.” Alicorn Dox said. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you just helped res him. According to the big guy, it’d take weeks to do normally.”

“Oh, so those potions didn’t go to waste. Good. If there’s anything I hate more than killing innocents, or stealing, it’s wasting valuable resources.” Avarice calmed down as he sat on his still cushioned throne. “So...is that body just going to lay there?”

Just as he said that, it started getting up and fading away. Before fading away, Avarice could have sworn he heard it say, “Fuck you Dox, and fuck you, too creepy guy.”

“...I like him. We should invite him over more often.” Avarice joked, getting them both to laugh. “So! Alright, now that all the excitement’s over with, I can slip away while they’re dealing with things in Dock End. But before I do, I want a couple things. Firstly; how the hell did you make this?” Avarice asked as he brought out the d6.

“Well, I just sort of aquired the d6 and said an oath.” He said. “Honestly, it can be any item, and obviously the oaths are different. Just take something and say what you stand for or something like that and offer aid. I don’t know. Oh, and before you choose a coin, someone already has a coin.”

“Well, damn. Money is sorta my thing...wait a tick…” Avarice focused hard, reached into his coat, and then began tugging on something. “Mm! Thing’s stuck! Hold on!” Avarice tried pulling harder, only to make no progress. “Grab on my sleeve and pull would ya?”

“..... I’m not even going to ask.” Dox said as bit on the sleeve and started to pull. “Gwoss.”

“Hey, it was leather before I came here, just pull harder!” Avarice shouted as he could feel his prize loosening.

“Itphs Wowphs thin phsnake phskin!” He shouted through the material.

"It's normal cowhide, just deal with it!" Finally, with a crack, the prize came loose, jerking Avarice’s arm and elbowing Dox in the jaw.

“OW!” Dox screamed as he released the sleeve. “First the bad taste, now I taste blood! DAMN IT MAN!”

“Oh come off it, have a potion, it’ll grow back any teeth ya just lost.” Avarice idly said as he carelessly tossed a vial of the opaque red liquid at the alicorn, too involved in looking at his chosen icon. “Beautiful….” Avarice said as he held the ancient cold blue iron brazier torch up, it had a length of rusted chain connected to the bottom. Likely, that was what had been resisting the pull from it’s secondary mounting.

“That gonna be your token?” Dox said, wiping blood from his mouth and downing the potion. “Now say an oath, like what you’re offering and some instructions on how to call you.”

Avarice held the torch up, his mandibles clicking in excitement.
”If you seek a bargain, a trade, or an extra gun. Light this blue flame and call my name! Avarice, The Merchant!”

“That it?” Dox asked. “Dude, someone is gonna connect you to THE Merchant and come at ya, you know that right?”

“Let them come! Let them call! I will prove I am every bit greater than that swindler! I shall fend off any who attack me, and happily provide service to those who seek it. I can get my hands on anything that isn’t owned, what better honest Merchant is there?” Avarice asked as he cackled darkly, and then fished out a lit torch from his coat, casually passing it over the fuel-less brazier, which then lit a bright blue, before he threw it into the open air, where it vanished into nothingness.

“Great.” Dox simply stated. “I’ll keep an eye out for that, then. You still have a debt to fill.”

“ACK! DON’T SAY THOSE WORDS! NOW I HAVE TO PROVIDE A SERVICE!” Avarice shouted, upset that his powers were used against him. “Bah, fine. Better you than some twit out to get me. Call on me should ya need me, and I’ll be along. Sorry for making the summoning requirements a little difficult, but I don’t want my summons to be an accident made lightly.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I know a place that’ll work.” Dox said. “Hell, go ahead and call me if ya want. But, uh. Before I go, you need to say something…. apparently…..”

Then a portal opened up……

“Or that could happen. Later dude!” Dox said as he jumped into the portal.

“...Well, that happened. Alright then. Time to book!” ‘Hey! Can I have my body back! You got to be all cool with that summoning token thing!’ “Oh, put a sock in it. You’ve been piloting since we got here! Let me do some footwork!” ‘Oh, in that case, I’ll just be in here, daydreaming.’ “Lazy arse.” Avarice grumbled before sprinting out of the cave, heading west.