Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

For a moment, Oliver forgot to breath as he stared at the indistinct figure looming over what looked like a mass grave. Seconds turned to minutes, yet he detected no hint of movement from the figure- or from within the sea of bones, for that matter... The only sound in evidence was his own breathing and the pounding of his racing heart.

'Silent as the grave.' He thought, suppressing the nervous laugh that bubbled up within.

Knowing he couldn't just stand there forever, Oliver pulled his flashlight from the system warehouse and clicked it on, joining its light to that of the headlamp as he shined both across the figure... And he nearly leapt back in surprise as two red glowing orbs lit up on its head, lending an even more sinister cast to the twisted scene.

With no other changes in sight, Oliver ran through what to do in his head. Back away and block the stairs? He had nothing in the warehouse, and had found nothing around, large enough to effectively block the stairs- unless he want to carve a huge chunk out of one of the mushrooms, but how long would that take? Plus, he wasn't even sure that was necessary. After all, nothing had actually happened other than him being a little weirded out by the strange figure surrounded by bones.

Should he check out the figure? But that would mean either wading through all the bones or trying to walk across them, with no clue what could be lurking within. Or how stable the footing would be, if he tried to walk on them. For all he knew, the bones would be so old that they crumbled beneath his feet.

“Maybe not.” He whispered to himself, wincing as he realized how his voice carried across the stillness of the hall. Seeing no reaction within the room, he spoke aloud as he continued the thought, also hoping to bait a reaction from whatever may be inside. “The blankets and such hadn't fallen apart yet, so the bones may still be in decent condition... Fuck me, I'm running into too many things I have no clue about...”

His voice echoed dully around the massive hall, and Oliver watched for any reaction from the figure- or any movement around the room as a whole. After a minute had passed and still nothing had happened, he made up his mind. He knew it was a bit of a risk, but, considering the lack of reaction, he thought it to be minimal...

Of course, he wouldn't make a move without being careful about it. And giving the Rach a heads-up.

“Vadrin.” Oliver whispered as he started to ease down the steps again. “I'm going to check out something strange. If you don't hear from me in fifteen minutes, get everyone loaded up and take off.”

He could hear the worry in the diminutive Rach's voice, even over the radio. “Are you certain you do not need assistance? It is best not to take risks, friend Silk.”

“I should be fine, just being cautious.”

Vadrin's sighed, knowing their odd helper was capable but worried none the less. “Very well. Though we will circle overhead, just within radio range, for a time in case of a false alarm. I do not wish to abandon you here.”

Oliver simply grunted in acknowledgment, glad that Vadrin was taking his warning seriously... And equally glad that they would not just leave him at the first sign of trouble.

Slowly, he placed one foot on the mound of bones and shifted a bit of his weight on to them. The pile shifted and crackled under his weight, smaller bones being displaced of broken... But the larger bones held up surprisingly well. Keeping his flashlight trained on the figure, he bent down enough to touch one of the bones- even through the gloves of his hazard suit, the bones felt firm and dry.

He really had no idea what to make of this place.

Oliver carefully shuffled across the bones, often double or triple checking his footing before committing to a step. Minutes dragged by under his glacial pace, but, as he grew closer, more details of the figure became visible.

It was shorter than he had initially thought, perhaps only three feet tall- though the plinth it stood on, a solid block of some sort of metal, made it look taller. The figure stood on four thin legs, one pair set behind the other, supporting a humanoid torso. It's arms ended in six-fingered hands, each finger sporting sharp claws...

Then he spotted the wings.

Two pairs of crystalline wings sprouted from the figures back, so clear that he only barely saw them thanks to the light being refracted as it passed through them. They were undoubtedly bug-like in appearance, reminding him of dragonfly wings, or maybe mosquito wings? He couldn't be sure.

The antennae on top of the figure's head only added to his impression that it was some sort of bug person. Though, after meeting the Rach, that wasn't too big of a surprise.

Eventually, Oliver stood in front of what was clearly a statue, carved out of some unknown material. Staring up at the snarling visage, he took in the final details. The sharp teeth of some form of carnivore, the chitinous exterior...

“Some sort of predatory insect person?” He murmured to himself as he stared at the red gemstones embedded in its head to form the eyes. After a moment, he shrugged off his speculation. It didn't really matter what the people here were, as he was growing more and more certain that they were long gone.

Slowly he circled the statue, searching for any other clues... and found nothing. No dedication or description, either on the statue itself or on the plinth. With a shrug, he grabbed the statue and attempted to put it in the warehouse to take back for study later. A small smile split his face when the statue disappeared... Only for it to turn to an excited grin a second later.

Statue of Osquin Primarch (1 of 5) Collected.

Statue of Osquin Primarch(Relic): Under the weight of their own hubris and hunger, the history of the Osquin has been forever lost. Little remains of their people save remnants... and the statues of their Primarchs, scattered throughout the world. This statue bears the aura of a predator, and wards off the intrusion of lesser beasts. (May have reduced effects on more powerful creatures. May draw the ire of apex predators, inciting an attack. Ineffective against intelligent races.)

'Jackpot!' Oliver's mind practically roared. While the relic certainly had drawbacks, he knew it would sell for a decent amount... And, he had to wonder, what would the effect be if he collected all five? Could he even manage to collect all five? He had no idea how long they would remain on this planet, let alone if he could actually find all of them.

“No point stressing over it. One is good enough, any more would just be a nice bonus.”

His excitement washed away quickly as he refocused on what he was doing. Panning his gaze across the room once more, he wasn't really surprised that nothing popped out at him. Even the system had acknowledged that these people, the Osquin, were gone. While he couldn't guarantee the cause, he had a few guess... Not that it really mattered to him, anyway.

“I think we're good, Vadrin. Other than the wildlife, there shouldn't be any real issues... Though I'm not sure how much you will find here that is useful. Once I get back to the ship, I'll bring all of you out to have a look around.”

“It is good to hear that you are safe, friend Silk. We will remain on watch until you return.”

Smiling happily, Oliver turned to leave the mass grave... Only to pause as a thought occurred to him. Reaching down, he grabbed the metal plinth the statue had sat on...

When the strange metal cube disappeared into the system warehouse, his laughter echoed throughout the hall. This job was turning out to be even more profitable than he had thought.

And this was just the first salvage run.