I slowly got up and brushed off my trench coat and chest before turning around, my cape flared off from my shoulders and spread out before shaking lightly to get off anything. I coughed up blood and then collapsed. No looking like I powered through that without a scratch. Tao and Ito held on to me and had me down several potions one after the other. The same ones I had given them to keep for themselves.

With a quick swivel my eyes locked with the unknown old man, “First…I have some requests”

Everyone looked to me and then back to the man, although they were happy, they didn’t stop their friend from asking certain questions and having his own goal for completing things.

God bless.

“Sure…ask away…here’s a seat, need a drink?” The tailored and well-toned old man smiled and waved his hand, from the air a large comfy chair fell and landed neatly in front of the desk he sat at.

Tao and Ito shared a look before hauling me over to sit, “No drink, just an ash tray please…”

The keeper nodded and with a wave over the desk an ornamental glass ash tray appeared.

With a flicker the cigarrete caught an ember, with a deep breathe a suckily sweet smell diffused out into the air. I didn’t ask anything for a while, when my smoke got near to half way down I turned around and waved for Ito and Tao specifically to come grab a seat.

“You know…you flipped on a coin just waltzing up and not even asking who I am?” The old man gave an abashed and sarcastic smile, but I could tell from his eyes he thought I knew why.

“You took my friends and were the last person I saw, unless…of course you were one of the bosses, and by me going and doing what I did that defeated the next boss which was the prerequisite to defeat you…a two for one deal, with your battle being me against everything as the cost. Though, with the fact I received rewards that wouldn’t make sense…with the duration I was gone as well, and seeing the state of Ito and Tao I knew this was to be a hospitable environment and not some dingy dungeon where they starved if I failed due to an unforeseen time…”

The old man raised his hand, “You wayyyy overthink things, you know that?”

“Yeah…” I turned from him in my seat, taking in the actual scene around us. Countless items went off into the distance that were inlayed and hung from walls I couldn’t see the end of. Looking up as I blew and scattered some smoke with my hand, it also extended into the abyss of a ceiling. This place must be vast.

“I am Wish, a shop keeper of sorts who controls the remote to infinity. Funny analogy that, but I heard you like them.”

“So your also all seeing…interesting…a god then.”

“No, not a mortal”

I almost dropped my cigarette as I turned slowly in my seat back to him while Ito and Tao gave each other confused looks.

“That…explains a hell of alot.”

“Explains wha…” Tao shushed his brother quickly, strange flickering bits of light in his eyes.

“Did you save me?”

“No…no I didn’t, in fact you were right in thinking that by the laws of ‘the game’ so to say, you would be brought back to safety once the quest was over. However, that isn’t true”

I didn’t retort and merely nodded for him to continue, taking a second to sit a little deeper in my seat as the pain I had pushed away went to the forefront of my brain, my ribs convulsing at sudden breaths I took.

Wish didn’t seem to continue either, so we sat there for a minute as I contemplated some things.

“I chance encountered meeting you by the greatest of luck didn’t I”

“Yes” Wish said simply

Everyone almost leapt up from their seats, “What the fuck!”

“Don’t what the fuck me you damned children!” Wish smiled.

“Ah”

With that everyone looked up, nodding sagely as if that made perfect sense before sitting down. Though, I saw a single drop of sweat come off Wish’s forehead.

“Than…”

“Shh…shh…yes, you are quite lucky! Well done, you have been granted access to this place, quite lucky indeed since you would have been trapped in purgatory as that is a place outside of the city, one of the other planes connected to all places…”

I tapped in morse code with my cigarette over the ash tray T-h-a-n-k-s before setting it half smoked inside.

Why would this God of sorts, or great in fact, stick his neck out for me? My guess, was that he had an agenda as well. Who knew what that was, but for now I would simply have to count my stars I was lucky enough to be saved by it. Though what he would ask in return might be a problem, it be better to be most likely the only living mortal in purgatory.

 “First, I’d like a bath in something simple” I think my general attitude of talking to this old man, whoever he truly was, came about from the knowledge I wasn’t some ‘chosen one’ but a pawn in whatever game they were playing. I wouldn’t demand a lot, but I was human, I had human wants. Shouldn’t be much to a god.

The shop keeper raised a brow, “Sure we have the fountain of youth…primordial springs…a lot of options…” I cut him off quickly, “No just something simple is all, I don’t want to taint the smell of your ‘shop’ is it?” I looked around to the infinite looking amount of items displayed upon far reaching walls, and the items going up into an abyss known as the ‘ceiling’, “I do this out of respect…as well as comfort is all.”

“They’re right…you really are humble, thank you for respecting my establishment” He smiled and waved his arm, from out of thin air like a mirage, a bath house appeared not far away. Several half nude women were coaxing me to follow them in, I shrugged and followed them through. Over 40 minutes later I stepped out with kiss marks all over my face and a cheeky grin on my lips. Okay, this guy was cooler then Enigma.

“My mind has changed do to a sudden bout of hospitality…” I whispered, but Tao and Ito smiled silently in return while the shop keeper shamelessly spoke, “Of course…” as he nodded in a grin I think meant that even if he was embodiment, he was a male one truly.

I rubbed my long wet hair back from in front of my eyes, and relit my smoke that had sat in the ashtray when I left.

“First question…can you turn Frog back to the size he was.” I pointed to a large swath of mist that exploded out next to the desk, revealing a larger than an adult Frog.

Wish smirked but it was hard to tell as he swiveled from his seat and walked over to Frog and began to pet him. Strange, but then again he was a cute not-so-little bastard wasn’t he, Frog ribbited several times and Wish whispered something to him I couldn’t hear even being mere feet from them.

Tao brought me from my thoughts, “About this…why did you do so?” Tao asked from the side.

With a nod to Frog, I let out a sigh before explaining “Simply…because I couldn’t fit all of the talismans on him while he was small, to contain the ‘curse spirit’ I found that it could be within any space within the compound…with my extra dimensional space outside of that of the reality I was in…it was the only type of trick I thought I could grab it with…for example, what if it didn’t follow me into the well? By pulling it into Frog, the talismans would act as a buffer, and when Frog spit it out…well it would see me and go after me…however…”

I looked down to my watch finally, the mishmash of things that Frog had acquired were layed out before his eyes.

‘Hard skin…earth tremor…ceramic eyes…’ Etc. Etc.

“It was something you were gambling on” The shop keeper looked at me before nodding his head, “Well done…about changing his size…equivalent exchange will be needed” He was flipping through a book on the desk, for some reason I got the impression that the pages were never ending.

“Like?” Ito asked while eyeing the large monstrosity next to them.

“All of its acquired abilities…except for the dimensional space of course, I can’t take that away even if I tried.”

“Done”

“Oh?...”I  looked at my watch and found only ‘Inner Dimensional space’ was the skill under Frog. The ‘curse of gluttony’ was gone, but I wouldn’t ask about this because simply put the shop keeper might have used the act of ‘equivalent exchange’ to remove it for him. Frog shook and I quickly stood up only to see him *puff* into a large mist cloud and then felt something small land on my head. I reached up and Frog wiggled into my hand.

I nearly choked up.

“I am so sorry to have put you through that…thank you…so much for always being beside me”

“Ribbit” He turned from me and hopped onto the table, stretched and got into his usual tucked in comfortable lay out.

“Alright…second question…” I took a second long drag before I got ready to wheeze out my thoughts and nodded to the shop keeper.

“Ah…that question yes…you were right, each time you were sent back a little bit it was to show you what ‘would’ occur due to certain actions. The students ‘disappearing’ out of thin air, in fact were being drawn and pulled towards the door into purgatory where the well was…and correct…the third boss was indeed cadence who had sacrificed herself to seal the door…but inevitably was pulled into the semi purgatory, because it was the place in which she ‘crossed over’. The fort was indeed tailored after the church, as well…if you had dug into the earth through the central room, you all would’ve found a door going into the past, which just so happens to have been the very gate way Jaeger used to go into the past. Though you were knocked unconscious and dragged there.”

“I see…was my choice of going through the door and not Tom and Cadence forseen by you?”

“No…in fact, that was quite selfless…and the fact the Boon of Mystery helped you in your choices several times tells me…you aren’t like the others who received the boon in the past. In fact…it seems to have a mind of its own…but that doesn’t matter, it is still mysterious and untamable.”

“The reward I get for completing that last part was cashed…merely the reward before it…can I choose a reward equal to what I receive, and trade it here?”

“I can’t see why not?” The shop keeper furrowed his brows but nodded.

I opened my watch and clicked on the Boon of mystery which currently said,

‘Boon of Mystery: Receive your reward for completing ‘Help Tom and Cadence close the door to purgatory and protect the school and students. Through your great mind, and selfless spirit receive a fitting reward’

It had simplified its previous quest, interesting.

The watch lit up for a second before a sword appeared in my hands.

With a look at the watch again, I raised a brow,

‘Sword of Truth: When attacking, choose to gain a truth from the person you attack. If they lie to the question you ask, they will burn in flames of judgment.’

“Yeah, I'll trade this.” I sat it on the desk in front of the shop keeper. 

“You…you want to trade this?” The shopkeeper's mouth opened wide.

Ito and Tao eyed each other before asking at the same time, “What does it do” 

The shopkeeper waved his hand, “Nothing…just a bit godly, but he made his choice so…Jaeger…oh great Jaeger, what is it that you want from my wares.”

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Ito and Tao slapped their foreheads, the shop keeper had never been this amiable to them, and Jaeger had never been here to see that and as such Jaeger thought the Shop Keeper was a ‘humble old man’.

“Fuck!” They shouted, “Our pockets burned at the idea that Jaeger just gave away a legendary item.”

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“First…give my boost ability to Tao…if my guess is correct, then he is the one that gave me that skill but in the end I never used it…and my abilities allow me enough advantage…so, since it was probably amongst the list of things you could ask them to choose and then give me…I’d like to give it to him instead”

“Jaeger wait hold…” Tao’s body glowed momentarily before he heard a *ding* sound and could only guess that the skill had been transferred.

“Go on…” The shop keeper inched his body into his seat to get comfortable before setting his hands on his lap.

   “I’d like to choose several materials to boost my cape, following the materials I have come across…it isn’t hard to decide, but merely that I feel that aren’t worthy to absorb…now that I’m stuck with knowing that what I choose will affect the direction it takes in the future.”

“About that…they way to keep time bound means…” Wish turned his head slightly away.

*ding*

*ding*

*ding*

*ding*

*ding*

*ding*

My eye’s swiveled down to my watch practically screaming at me in one tone.

‘It was all gone’ all that I had gained. I felt my back and the skeleton within the cape was vanishing.  The skills, abilities, vanishing.

“Is there any others you would like to give away?” Wish slowly waved his hand towards everyone around.

I set my cigarette down and felt butterflies in my stomach.

“All those plans I had if I lived…fuck” I covered my face with my hands, “Give…give uh.” My words stopped.

Ito and Tao looked to each other and then me, “What is it?” Tao asked after a minute.

“I don’t have anything left to give” I said after a while.

Wish nodded solemnly, “I’ll count the other since you said it before it kicked in”

I nodded and sighed.

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Took a while to just sleep, relax, eat what Wish summoned after some humble ask’s from yours truly. A cup of coffee, pancakes, a good sixed breakfast. It had been a long, long time.

He never mentioned when we would have to leave, and as much as I could get right now I just wanted some time.

For now the team was safe. I lived up to what I had promised Enigma. Kinda.

Even if the spirit counted as the 4th boss that left 3 more. If they were harder then the last it could get real bad.

“I’ll give you this Jaeger” Wish said as I lay myself into a beanbag and nearly nodded off again due to the food even in the face of 4 cups of coffee that went with it, “I will allow you to keep two things. That would seem to be a fair exchange as I balance it.”

The group sitting in their own beanbags, I was surprised to find they had never tried other then the two stoners were lazed back until they heard Wish’s words.

Kito was the first to speak, “What say you Jaeger?”

I thought of the cape having long vanished from my back. The lyre that had burst into mists. The skills one after another that up and vanished a part from what I came in with.

“I want the cape again, but this time…no evolution. No crazy changes. I can add things to it in time but not as it was. Not like that. If I can, and you would have my humble askance of it. I would also like to keep the property of it matching the elements I pull in. If that would be okay and not count towards the total” I flicked my lighter off and on as I stared up into the vanishing area where the ceiling may or may not be.

Wish walked over to his desk slowly. Flipping through his book until the sound of page flipping stopped.

“There is something for that. The cape of the Wanderer. Befitting of such a man as yourself. It too has the ability to be manipulated by a thought as well as conforming to the properties of the wearer but it comes at a cost.”

I turned my head to his direction, “Go on?”

“Those spatial arms of yours will be taken. There will be no pain, they will instead envelop themselves as the driving force for the cape. Simple as that.”

Everyone looked over to me as I swiveled their head in their direction for approval but in it’s place was faces that returned the question.

“Do I need the spatial arms? If I can manipulate the cape as well…I’m not really losing extra hands, they did save my ass a lot but so too did the cape.” I flicked the lighter on and brought a cigarette to my mouth, “Alright, I’ll do it”

He nodded and I felt something begin to sprout from just below my shoulder blades. The feeling in my spatial arms was almost a slowly numbing feeling as if I was simply losing the ability to ‘feel’ through them and in its place was the cape. A grey cloak so dark it was nearly black. Oddly the connection felt more true than the Cape of the Dimensional Traveler I had before. Or whatever it ended up being called.

The cape had a seam running down it from where it met at my shoulders that severed it in two. With a thought they separated as one whole and sprouted off to the sides like two wings.

“Good…good.” I stood up and flexed them and pushed them against the ground beneath my feet to see if they could carry my weight. I slowly lifted from the ground a couple inches before I hit the ground with a thump after it was unable to support me. Good enough.

The benefit of getting control over it and that it could share the properties to me was greater then I had even asked for as it almost felt like they were a two in one. Wish had blessed me.

That only left one thing.

“I’d like the Limit Breaker Boots back please”

With that Ito’s boots vanished and in their place was the ones I had once had. These were just too useful. They would literally save me from splattering myself against a wall. Helped with efficient movement, learning to compensate spatially for movement. They were just too vital to me.

“Thank you. As for a trade for the sword, I’d like to look at a list of options.” I lit my smoke and sat across from Wish at his desk and he handed me a large sheet. Everyone crowded over my shoulders and as I gawked and then lowered it down onto the desk the face of Wish smiling met my eyes.

“A lot of options” He said with a grin. 

Kito slapped her hands over my mouth, “For educational purposes…”