4. House Shopping

Alex sat on the couch in his apartment, scrolling on his phone. The articles on the AG app were filled with useful information, and he found himself wanting to spend hours at a time reading through various articles. The most recent one was a passing fancy that made him curious about how Sam’s class worked.

At the thought of the teenager, Alex looked up from the article and into his room. Sam was lying on his bed with his head hanging off the end; he was tossing a Mana Stone up and down and watching Valtherion follow it closely, trying to stay within range of the stone to [Mana Siphon] without actually touching it.

That’s an interesting way to train.

Alex snorted and returned to reading the article.

‘Experience is given to Awakened through the intent of the task. Noncombat personnel are able to gain experience by performing a task with the intent of getting better and improving. It’s a matter of mindset and will. Someone who is out in the Rifts, trying to gain experience through combat to eventually get a fighting class, is not likely to gain experience when they go home in the evenings and cook dinner; however, someone who wants to get the Chef class might be cooking with that very goal in mind. The latter would gain small amounts of experience from each dish that they made. So far as we can tell, combat classes tend to gain experience at a much, much faster rate.’

‘As a warning, it’s not encouraged for someone who wants to become a combat class, to attempt to accelerate their early experience by trying to complete tasks from safety in their off time like I mentioned for the Chef class. Like many things we are discovering about the System, a lot seems to be based off of intent and actions. If you want to be a warrior or fighter class of some sort, you should do everything in your power to only gain experience through those means, or else your options at level ten may not be what you are expecting.’

‘A final note on this topic is that you can gain some experience through training. Though again, just like with the non-combat classes, it needs to be done with purpose and a desire to train for combat. The experience gain is much slower, but it has been confirmed that you gain small amounts by training and practicing.’

Even though Alex was happy with his progression and had no desire to change his class to a noncombat one, it was an interesting concept. He let a [Mana Thread] snake across the floor and touched Sam with it.

Boo.

Sam yelped and didn’t catch the crystal on the way down. It hit him in the forehead and rolled away on the floor, trailed by Val.

“Hey! Not cool.”

Alex laughed.

I’m reading something on noncombat classes. Did they make you go fight in Tianluo, or did you gain all of your experience through healing?

Alex could feel hesitation and tension from Sam through their connection, but after a moment, he got a response.

“It was just healing. I wasn’t allowed to leave the city.”

Hmm, okay. We don’t need to talk about it anymore. I was just curious.

He sent along feelings of comfort and reassurance.

“No, that’s okay. I want to talk about it- to you, I mean. Not to Sarah.”

Even from across the room, Alex could see Sam wrinkle his nose, which caused him to laugh again. Ever since Christmas, Sarah had been trying to corner Sam into telling her more about himself and his life before the Rift. She was subtle about it, or at least Alex had thought so, but Sam clearly picked up on what she was trying to accomplish.

Alright then. I know you don’t have a lot to compare it to, but how quickly did you level from only healing?

“It was slow, but some things made it go faster. If the sect warriors were hurt bad, then I’d get more experience. I could see the blue light rise up from the healed wound, and there were easily two or three times more when I did something hard. The other time I saw more was when I pushed myself or tried new things with the healing skill.”

Alex thought about that for a few moments and nodded.

I see. That makes sense. So you got more experience when you were pushing yourself or pushing your capabilities in some way. Thanks, bud.

He broke their connection and turned back to the article. It annoyed him that such a well-informed article was one of the ones marked to have been written from Rylan’s information.

Just before he was about to start reading again, he saw a text drop down from the top of his screen.

Mary Powell: Hi, Alex. I’m here.

Fuck, it’s already 3:00pm?

“Sam, we’ve got to go. The realtor-lady is here.”

Sam rolled off the bed, grabbed the green sweatshirt off the coffee table, and put it on as they walked toward the door.

“Come on, Val, bring it with you, or I’m going to leave you here,” Alex called as he put on his own jacket. He grabbed his spatial bag from the small table by the door and attached it to his belt. It felt a bit odd to be wearing a leather satchel the size of a popcorn bag on his hip when he was also wearing blue jeans and an REI all-weather jacket.

As Alex opened the door and turned to close it, he held open one side of his unzipped coat for Val to fly into its cover. Locking the door, the three of them descended the apartment stairs quickly to meet with Mary out front.

They introduced themselves to the realtor that Elana had recommended a few days prior when they were leaving the New Year’s Party. She’d gotten back to Alex quickly, eager to talk about a large sale and help him find what he needed. After introductions, they piled into Mary’s Escalade, Alex and Sam slid into the car's back seat and buckled up.

“Wow, it’s been a week or two since I’ve been into this side of town. There’s a lot of military here now. I guess that announcement they made wasn’t any kind of joke.” Mary said to break the silence with some awkward small talk.

“Yeah, I’m just glad that they’re not forcing everyone who’s awakened to participate in all of this,” Alex said noncommittally.

“It’s all so surreal.” There was a somewhat awkward pause before her voice bubbled up with excitement and changed the talk to a topic she was clearly comfortable with. “Alright. We’ve got three house tours lined up, Mr. Moore. I’ve got one in mind that I think will be a winner. It’s in your price range, and checked all of the boxes you gave me on Wednesday. The only downside is that all three options are outside the designated Safe Zone. Unfortunately, the announcement from the President was so sudden that we had to broaden our searches. Do you want to go straight to the option I think will be best?”

Alex and Sam looked at each other. When Alex saw Sam’s grin, he could tell that the teen was just excited to go shopping for a fancy house.

Who am I kidding? I’M excited to go shopping for a fancy house.

“Best for last. Always, the best for last.”

They didn’t have anywhere that they needed to be, and Alex was looking forward to doing some looking around at what his money could buy. He’d spent the last two days talking to one financial advisor after the next, followed by an investment counselor and more.

Now it’s time for the fun part, damn it.

He was surprised at how much of a headache it was to find his money worries gone suddenly.

God, what a stupid thing to complain about. My past self would definitely slap me right now.

“First up,” Mary said as she began to drive. “it is a very new smart home. It’s a 10,000-square-foot gorgeous house of modern architecture…” She continued to talk about the house and answered Alex’s questions about the buying process of such a large home. When they arrived at the mansion, Alex refused to continue to think of these buildings as simply homes if the other two were anything like this.

Alex couldn’t help but laugh and break down into nearly hysterical giggles as they toured the insanely nice house. Mary’s description was spot on, down to the sleek and sharp design of the house, with floor-to-ceiling windows that reminded Alex of the Voss Estate. It had state-of-the-art features like the full smart home system, alarms, a home theater, and even an infinity pool that overlooked the valley. It was a six-bedroom hou- mansion with five baths and an in-home gym that was connected to the garage.

Even though the house was gorgeous and more than anything Alex would have dreamed of a few months ago, it wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. It checked many of the items off of the list that he’d sent to Mary, but there were a few more that he desperately wanted if he was going to invest this much of his newfound wealth.

They got back into the car and drove another 45 minutes to the second showing. They passed through two checkpoints set up by the Hunters Association, and Alex kept feeling a nagging sensation like they’d be stopped and arrested for something. But the military personnel simply waved at them as they drove through.

I know that they’re doing this for the monsters and not for the people… it just feels so dystopian.

When they got to the next house, they saw the difference immediately. Where the first option was the peak of modern design and technology, the second option was larger and older.

“This is a historic manor built in the 19th century. It sits on 15 acres of manicured grounds, complete with a hedge maze and private lake. The house itself is 12,000 square feet, with eight bedrooms, a grand ballroom, and a modest library. The previous owners modernized the kitchen and master bathroom but maintained the original hardwood floors and intricate moldings throughout. It’s a beautiful piece of history, but it might require more maintenance than you’re looking for, and the layout isn’t ideal for the ideas you had about training.”

Sam laughed and ran up the stairs. It made Alex smile to see the teenager let loose a bit and act goofy. Something about the ridiculousness of them shopping for a several million dollar home had Sam pretending to be a butler and pretending to dance through the ballroom.

They finished the tour as planned, but Mary could tell that Alex wasn’t as interested in the second option as he was in the first.

Alex knew Mary was good at her job, and it was even more evident as she read the mood between him and Sam as they got into the car. The teenager had lost some of his steam over the last hour of walking around the large estate. Mary dropped just a bit of her professional demeanor and sounded more excited than she had when describing the prior properties.

“Alright, gentlemen, just like you asked… we’ve got the best for last! We’re heading back to Montclair, which isn’t all that far from your current apartment but, unfortunately, is outside of the designated safe zone. This property is quite special and only came up on the market in the last day or two. Like I said before, it’s hitting most of the things that you wanted me to find and it’s just a bit out of the price range you’d sent me, but I think you’ll find it’s worth it. Do you want me to walk you through it now, or should we wait until we get there?”

Alex looked at Sam and saw him perk up. He shook his head and said, “Let’s wait.”

Mary smiled, hearing him speak for only the second time that day.

The thirty-minute drive was filled with small talk, and Alex wanted a bit more background on the house before they got there.

“It belonged to the Harrington family - old money, very prestigious. But with all the changes happening in the world lately, especially with the recent announcement about Safe Zones, they decided to move closer to their business interests in Europe. They're motivated to sell quickly, which is why such a stunning property is available at this price. It's a rare opportunity, especially for someone looking for a place that can accommodate a team of Awakened individuals like yourself.”

They got to the house a bit later, and Alex started laughing as soon as they turned into the driveway. It looked like something out of a movie, long and straight with thick, trunked trees on either side of the gravel road. The front of the property was blocked by a few dozen yards of trees to either side, but past that, they could see flat and open grass to either side of the trees. Sam made a few sounds of amazement and began to laugh as well.

When they got to the house, the driveway pulled into a roundabout with a stone fountain in the center that was currently not running. There were stone steps leading up to large wooden double doors. The building looked similar to the second house, with the old manor style estate, stone and brick building with ivy climbing up the front left corner of the house.

They parked, and Mary began to talk as they walked through the house. “The manor has been recently renovated and strikes a great balance between our first two options. It’s got large ceilings and open rooms that are the signature of older construction, with many modern amenities and convenience. It’s on about 20 acres, with a mix of beautiful open grass, like you saw out front, a personal garden in the courtyard, and a natural woodland area for privacy.”

They walked into the foyer, and Alex ran his hand through his hair. It had a high ceiling and a large chandelier hanging overhead. Directly ahead was a cozy greeting area with comfortable chairs and a coffee table for guests. There were also stairs leading to the second floor at the far end of the welcoming room with a dark wood railing that matched the floors.

“The house itself is an impressive 15,000 square feet. You’ll notice the exterior is a combination of stone and brick, partially covered with ivy on lattice to give it a timeless sort of feel. There are nine bedrooms in the main building. Two are downstairs in the west wing for any house staff you may decide to hire. The west wing also has a master suite with a balcony upstairs, an office, and a second bedroom.”

Wait… House staff?

“If you’ll follow me this way,” Mary said as she took a left and walked into a dining room. “Here is the dining room. I know it’s a bit more formal than you’d described, but that can be changed with just a bit of work and redecorating. What you’ll really be interested in is this way.”

They walked through the dining room and into an enormous kitchen. The appliances all seemed brand new to Alex, with several stoves, two fridges, and an oversized island countertop in the middle. The countertops were some sort of stone, and clean white cabinetry surrounded most of the kitchen on different sides. However, most noticeable was the glass door they could see leading out into a courtyard.

Sam wandered over to the door to look through as Mary continued to talk. “The kitchen is almost brand new. At the far end, there’s a walk-in pantry, and past this is the laundry room and hired help housing suites. They have their own kitchenette and bathroom within the addition to keep their personal living quarters separate form the main house. Before we head into the courtyard, let’s walk back to the east wing. There’s a nicer entrance from over there.”

Sam turned around wide-eyed, and Mary couldn’t contain her smile.

The three walked back through the foyer and into the right part of the building. “It’s shaped like a U?” Alex asked.

“Yes, exactly. The entrance and dining room are the base of the U-shape, and the kitchen and staff quarters make up the left side of the building. This living room heads straight back and connects to the home gym, which makes up the right side of the building. Connected to the living room,” she pointed across the large open room, past the double-wide couch and oversized TV, to a door. “is the garage. It fits four cars comfortably and five if you’re willing to squeeze them in.”

They walked through the living room and Mary explained that the furniture they saw currently in the house would mostly stay. There were a few things marked to leave with the sale, but part of the offer to get the house sold quickly was to sell it furnished. When they got deep enough into the living room, Alex looked to his left toward the inner part of the U-shape. The wall was almost completely glass, and I looked into the courtyard beyond.

“The courtyard is quite unique and adds a real bit of Zen to the house. It’s a mix of cobbled stone and grass patches with a small pond of water that backs up to the base of the 'U,' which is where the stairs travel over and upstairs.” The group walked toward the glass wall and into the courtyard. Alex’s breath caught as he took in the peaceful sight.

The courtyard was mostly open to the weather, though protected from winds on all sides except one by the building. It got sun, and he assumed that there was a nearby hose or sprinklers to keep it watered.

Well, what do you think? You wanted a space for a garden like Eura’s.

“I- wha- no. For real? I could have it here?”

Sam turned to Alex, with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Of course. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, Sam.

Alex saw tears begin to well up in the teenager’s eyes, and the blond boy rushed forward and gave Alex a hug. Mary, who was not privy to their conversation, paused in her speech to smile at them patiently. As Sam collided with Alex, they heard a muffled “Ouch” from within Alex’s jacket.

Sam tensed, and they both began to laugh as Valtherion vocalized his displeasure.

The rest of the tour passed quickly, but Alex could already tell that this was the perfect place for them. Even without seeing the upstairs, the gym, courtyard, backyard, and extra rooms were exactly what he was hoping to find.

Once the tour was finished, Alex let Mary know that he’d like to begin the purchase paperwork immediately. She laughed and said that Elana warned her he was a decisive person. She was even more surprised, though, when Alex mentioned that he’d like to make a full cash offer for the house to simplify the offer. She was a bit speechless until he asked if they might be able to offer the Harrington family a bit less if he was willing to buy it quickly and in cash.

Mary seemed to think that they would gladly accept the proposal. She stepped outside and left the boys to wander around the estate, as she called the seller’s agent to communicate the offer.

Alex and Sam wandered upstairs and into the master suite. There was a regular bedroom next door, and Alex told Sam it would be his if he wanted a place to stay. Across the hall from that was the study Mary had described, and Alex was pleased to see that even though the shelves were empty of books, they covered the two side walls. There was a large window behind a grand desk that overlooked the front yard of the property and several leather chairs in one corner. Alex was daydreaming about studying magic and filling the shelves with skill manuals when Mary found them.

“I’ve finished talking with their agent, and they agree that the Harringtons will most likely accept. Assuming that they do, we can proceed with the paperwork immediately and likely get the keys into your hands in the next day or so. I would just need you to meet me at the bank and sign some paperwork to make it happen. Would that work for you, Mr. Moore?”

Alex noted that Mary had regained some of her professional bearings after the statement that he’d pay the nine million and change upfront to speed up the purchase of the house. While he knew it was a significant purchase and almost 20% of the lump sum he’d received from the Guild, he felt it was worth it to own the house and the property and not need to worry about a mortgage or dealing with a landlord of any kind.

"I think that will work just fine for me, Mary."

Sam stepped up next to Alex as they looked out of the second-story study and over the long driveway. The entire afternoon had felt surreal, and Alex had a feeling that it would take quite a while to adjust to this new concept of wealth and financial security.

Home.