Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

Oliver was exhausted. It took the police nearly an hour to locate the wayward idiots. The search for Carl and Jess, however, was still going on despite the sun starting to rise. He felt a little bad when search and rescue were called in, knowing that there was nothing for them to find now that those two were safely stored in the warehouse. He didn't regret doing it, just that many of these good people would upset when they failed to find them.

He was nearly asleep on his feet when Polina got word that they could leave, him having been detained while the 'investigation' was still going. Apparently, one of Carl's goons cracked the instant someone started questioning him – though why they still took hours to release him, he couldn't understand. Even Polina was confused by the unnecessary delay.

Slumped in the passenger seat, his eyes drooped on the drive back as he struggled to stay awake. He stared blankly at the house in front of him as Polina shut the car off. “I thought you would want to stay with me today, especially after last night. If you don't want to-”

He cut her off with a tired smile. “No,this is good. I sleep better with you anyway.”

After the insanity of the night before, the radiant smile on her face was a welcome sight. Dragging himself inside, he quickly discarded his costume and climbed into her bed. Pulling his girlfriend close, he was asleep in an instant.

Howls rang out behind him as Oliver ducked into a doorway. He flinched in pain when jagged shards of wood stabbed into his bare feet, the remnants of a shattered door scattered across the stone room. Darting around broken furniture, he raced through the building and out another door. His heart pounded in his chest, fear and adrenaline fueling him.

Movement in the corner of his eye , there and gone again before he could turn, drove him on faster than before. Fire raged through the center of this strange medieval looking town,causing shadows to shift and flicker, seeming to reach out towards him as he sprinted past. Oliver turned down an alley, trying to distance himself from the inferno that seared his skin even at such a distance. He made it barely a block before something again moved just in his peripheral vision, a blurry figure there and gone in an instant. Something... Twisted. Wrong.

He turned and ran like his life depended on it.

And found himself running straight towards the fire once again.

Oliver turned down another road leading away, only for the same thing to happen again.

Movement on the edge of his vision.

Turn.

Run.

INFERNO.

Like something was herding him, driving him towards the flames.

He could feel the panic rising in his chest as he stood frozen in the street. Smoke drifted all around as he gasped for air, and it felt like a great weight was pressing down on him. His legs trembled and his body sank lower under the pressure. Just before his knees fully touched the rough stones of the road, he surged back to his feet with gritted teeth. His face contorted as he pushed down the panic, he imagined locking the feeling away in an iron chest, wrapping it in chains, and dropping it into the depths of his soul.

Fear was healthy. It could keep you alive and caution against disaster. But blind panic wasn't just useless, it was dangerous.

Turning away from the fire, Oliver squared his shoulders and marched down the road. A flicker of motion to the side cause his fear to spike and made him want to turn and run again, but he ruthlessly squashed that feeling. Instead, he turned to face where the movement occurred, fists clenched. And charged towards it.

Reaching the spot where he thought the thing had been, he was almost relieved that he didn't see anything... Until something slammed into him from the side. The thrashing, indistinct thing wrapped around him with many flailing limbs – far too many to be natural. He felt one wrap around and pin his left arm, then another his right arm. Then both legs.

Yet more wrapped around his throat to strangle him even as others clawed at his eyes. He screamed in agony as his eyes were plucked from his face and the world went dark.

But, as he struggled to fight the thing that was slowly killing him, a warm and gentle breeze carried whispered words to him.

“It's ok Oli. I'm here.”

Oliver clung to the lifeline of comforting words as they pulled him from the depths of the nightmare, his racing heart slowed as a hand gently brushed through his hair. He opened his eyes to find his head in Polina's lap, her forehead creased with worry.

Seeing him awake, she visibly relaxed, though her hand never stopped caressing him softly. “Hey Oli. I was starting to worry; you were really freaking out in your sleep. I kept trying to wake you up, but...”

He exhaled roughly as he clasped her hand tightly. “Yeah, I think so. Just...a nightmare, I guess. Kinda freaked me out.” Seeing her worried frown, he tried to explain his dream to her. Not just what happened, but how real it felt... And the pain and fear the seemed to permeate the entire atmosphere of the strange city.

She listened attentively, nodding along with his explanation. After he had finished, she sat quietly for moment before speaking hesitantly. “I'm not an expert or anything Oli, but it could definitely be some sort of trauma response. Like your mind is trying to process what happened last night. Other than it being a city instead of a forest it's pretty similar, don't you think?”

Pondering it for a moment, Oliver shrugged mentally. It was pretty similar, though something about it still felt off. Still, it was the only explanation he had. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. I didn't think it had really bothered me that much, but its not like I've ever dealt with that sort of situation before. Not really a fan of being chased through the woods. Its exhausting.”

Seeing his cheeky smirk, she shoved him playfully with a laugh. “Yeah, try not to make a habit of it, ok? Even if it did practically get me out of work for the night.” Climbing out of bed, she stretched with a groan. “Come on, it's almost dinner time. And you need a shower.”

Oliver levered himself up carefully, expecting to be sore after all that had happened. The lack of pain surprised him for a moment, but he attributed it to his higher Vitality, once again thankful for all the benefits the system had brought him. “I'll need to run back to my place for clothes.”

Oliver regretted lying to her, knowing he had several changes of clothes tucked away safely in the warehouse. But an outfit appearing out of thin air was a conversation he wasn't quite ready to have with her.

She spoke over her shoulder to him as she headed towards the shower. “Check the top right drawer of my dresser. I think you left some clothes here last week.”

Oliver froze when he opened the drawer she mentioned, seeing that it all it contained were his clothes. “I... have my own drawer here? Isn't that like one of those relationship steps people say comes just before moving in together or something?”

“Did you say something Oli?” Polina's voice echoed out from the bathroom.

Smiling to himself, he closed the drawer. They may not be at that stage yet, but he found that the idea didn't really bother him. If anything, he kinda liked it. “Just talking to myself hon. I found my clothes right where you said!”

Oliver smiled across the table at Polina, enjoying the sight of her in her uniform again. The night before had been far too hectic for him to truly appreciate it, and he was reminded of just how lucky he was to have met her.

“Eyes up here, handsome.” He could hear the humor in her voice, a small smirk on her lips. “You really like me in uniform that much?” She asked, taking a small bite of her salad.

Oliver nodded seriously and quickly chewed his food. “You're beautiful all the time, but the uniform really highlights your strength and confidence.” Returning her smirk, he lowered his voice just for her. “I think that is extremely attractive. It's just one of the many things I like about you.”

The light tinge of pink in her cheeks as he took her hand warmed his heart and helped wash away the lingering worries from both the night before and his strange dream. He sat for a moment, just enjoying holding her hand.

Squeezing his hand in return, she gently disengaged it before pointing at his food. “As much as I like your flirting, Oli, we really need to eat. I still need to drop you off at home before I head to work.” Pointedly taking another bite to emphasize what she said, they hurried to finish their meal.

Exiting the restaurant, she leaned into him, enjoying the last moments of their impromptu mini-date. “I know you said your job pays pretty well, but are you sure you don't need a little help replacing your tires? Once the investigation wraps up, whoever did it will have to pay for it... But that could drag out for a while, depending on their financial situation. Especially since most of them are just college kids...” Shaking her head at the idiocy of that group, she pressed on. “I really don't mind giving you a hand if you need it. Not that I'm saying you need it. I mean...”

Oliver chuckled softly as she struggled to frame her offer and hugged her tighter. “I'm good on money, I promise. And I'm not saying that just because of some male ego thing; You definitely beat the ego out of me at the gym. Remember?” Her throaty laugh at the memory of them training together sent shivers down his spine, though he wasn't sure if it was from excitement or fear at the idea of it happening again.

He stopped her just before they climbed into her car. Holding her hand and looking deep into her eyes, he spoke without thinking. “It means a lot to me that you had my back last night, Poli. You mean a lot to me.” Blushing slightly, he glanced down at the ground to collect his thoughts. “I'm not the best at this sort of thing, but I don't want to be an idiot that messes up something good like this. So you don't have to worry so much about what you say or how you say it. I trust you Poli.”

She sighed softly, resting her head on his shoulder. “That... means a lot to me, Oli. I know you're not going to bullshit me because of ego or anything like that. And I trust you too.” Kissing his cheek softly, she patted his chest with a smirk. “But I've also seen how much trouble you manage to get into when I'm not around, so don't blame me for worrying a little. Considering all the trouble that seems to chase you,” They both chuckled at that little joke. “we're doing another gym date soon. You better make sure you're ready.”