Getting rich and returning home (chapter 7)

Chapter 7

Back in his crystal cave, now adorned with fewer crystals than before, Ted could be seen sitting, diligently working on a white gem. It was shaped into an oval, about the size of a chicken egg. The crystal's edges were rough and jagged, and Ted blew on it gently to disperse the dust before using a fur belt to wipe it clean. "It's still jagged," he thought, determined to perfect the stone.

Within the cave, assorted items shared space with his fur bed – a supernaturally round rock, peculiar tree branches, and strange fruits. A fireplace emitted a faint trail of smoke. "Hopefully, this gem can handle it; otherwise, the only item left is that metal cube," Ted murmured as he glanced at a strange metal cube which laid next to his bed, he then continued to smooth out the crystal. Eventually, he achieved the desired shape – which was some what smooth, round oval.

"Okay, Lady Luck, please," he silently prayed, picking up a sharp, pointy rock with a smooth handle. Employing his spiritual force, he began to scribe the runic letter 'R,' resembling 'r' luck didn't seem to favor him. Cracks appeared on the crystal the moment he started to write the letter 'g,' before he quickly threw it away, as it shattered into thousands of pieces, leaving Ted to facepalm in frustration.

"Well, that just leaves me with that metal cube," he sighed, the disappointment fleeting as determination overtook his expression. Picking up a chunk of silver alien metal shaped like a cube next to his bed. Ted prepared for another attempt.

As he carved the riftgate rune on the cube, Ted focused intensely, giving it his undivided attention. Oblivious to the fact that he had already completed the first letter and was onto the second, he started feeling the burden. 2WHOOO" He exhaled sharply, sucking in another breath before continuing to carve. Unaware that his legs were growing numb, he pressed on until he finished the letter 'g' on the large metal cube. The runic letters shone brightly for a few seconds before dimming.

Staring at the now solidified rune, Ted was at a loss for words. He didn't know whether to feel joy for finally completing it or frustration for the hours wasted. "It's finally done, but not before spending a large amount of time refining tha—" He stopped himself, taking a deep breath. "It's done; I can go back home now. God, I missed taking normal showers and eating chips," he exclaimed unknowingly, attempting to get up but stumbling due to a leg cramp, groaning as he rolled around on the jagged floor of the cave while staring at the newly made runic item.

[ Name: Rift-Gate (low) ]

[ Type: Enchantment ]

[ Rune-Slots: 1/3 ]

[ Description: metal cube made with an alien metal for an unknown purpose but now, thanks to a rune carver, it opens temporary rifts to distant locations, allowing near-instantaneous travel,as long as the user been at the location before, however, there is a 30% chance to teleporting to an unknown location,

[ Durability: 100/100 ]

-scene change-

Still in the cave, Ted was prepared to leave. "I took everything of value, all the diamonds, rubies, emeralds—everything. And I know where that fund is going once I get back," he envisioned the wealth that would accumulate once he sold some of the gems. Then he paused, reconsidering, "Well, some of them could be used as items to carve runes on, so maybe I shouldn't sell them," he mused, staring at the metal cube in front of him. "Alright, you hunk of metal, please send me back to where I was before I arrived in this damn world," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and visualizing the place he was before being transported.

As if teleported to the top of Mount Everest, a frigid cold momentarily enveloped him before he felt the cold, hard asphalt under his feet upon opening his eyes. He looked around at the night sky, hoping it was Gotham City, with its modern buildings and cars. "Yes," he exclaimed, immediately finding an alleyway. He used the spatial pouch to retrieve the clothes he had removed in the Gemworld.

He donned his old but still intact clothing before stowing his fur pants and the cube inside the spatial pouch. He pondered, "I was worried it wouldn't allow me to place the cube inside, considering it uses space energy particles. So, I thought it wouldn't work, which reminds me that I would never use the spacial elemental particle again." The sensation he felt while controlling space element particles made him feel light, frigid cold, and, most troublesome of all, he couldn't breathe at all. He nearly passed out the first time he tried to create the dimensional pouch, his body even had to adapt to holding his breath longer, and just remembering the sensation caused him to break into a sweat. After composing himself, he quickly returned to Old Mike's shop, not forgetting to buy himself a medium-sized pizza and a pack of chips, which he started to eat, as it had him muttering, "Fucking chips," as he placed a slice in his mouth while walking towards the shop before opening it.

"Huh, you're already back?" Old Mike's confused voice could be heard as Ted thought, "Right, it hasn't been even an hour," answering Old Mike, "Yeah, I just went out to get some pizza," he said, closing the door behind him. As he passed by the shelves of items on his way to his room, he paused at a particular item, a mask with two lines running through its eye holes. "Hmm," he pondered, picking up the mask.

[ Some time later ]

Inside a luxurious party where prestigious people adorned themselves in expensive and branded attire, a figure stood at an imperious 6 feet and 3 inches tall. He had very long white hair, deep purple eyes that seemed almost lifelike, unnaturally smooth skin, and wore a black suit with a T-shirt, the quality of which contradicted its simplicity.

"God, this is unbearable," he thought to himself, nodding to an older woman about the age of 56 who was giving him what even an ant would interpret as a lustful look. "But I have to endure this so that most of my gems will be bought at a high price," he said, ignoring the woman. Then, he "accidentally" bumped into a gorgeous woman with short black hair, bright emerald eyes, and a figure that would make any man start to worship her.