The afternoon sun beat down on the cobblestone, its heat drying the ground. Jodie’s sandal caught on something, and she stumbled forward but steadied herself with ease. She glanced back. The spot was empty. Had she just tripped over her own feet?

  As Jodie squinted at the spot, she pulled on the straps of her backpack, causing it to slap against her back. She should have some time before the market closed for the day. But it wasn’t enough time to be this focused on how she’d tripped. Passersby shuffled past on their way, not even sparing a glance in her direction. Though one man, his back slumped against the wall and one hand clawed around a bottle, pointed and laughed.

  Scoffing, Jodie turned and walked forward. Hector had entrusted her with getting supplies—well, not just her, but she doubted Lincoln would be of much help. The selfish gutter rat was all about himself; sure, he looked like he cared. But did he?

  Jodie made her way down the street, heading towards the plaza. It was a place they used to visit every day, just a short while ago, before the farm. It was like everything had gone wrong since that day. She picked her way through the street, ignoring every beggar who thought her a good mark. Logically, they should have been begging outside the slums, from people who had something to give. But if they did that, they’d be hanging from some lamppost by the end of the day.

  Poor bastards.

  After a few minutes of her sandals slapping against the cobblestone—and her pretending she couldn’t see those calling out to her, Jodie made it to the market.

  She hadn’t been here much; her mother preferred to do the shopping alone—whether it might have been in Jodie’s interest to tag along hadn’t occurred to her mother. Now Jodie regretted it, but she’d made her bed. Now she had to sleep in it.

  I should probably get some supplies for a tent, and maybe a few pots. I’ll just ask one of the many merchants what they’d need if they were going out of the city. They probably won’t ask too many questions.

  Jodie shouldered the backpack and made her way through the market, her eyes scanning the area for anything that seemed useful. As she passed stall after stall, the fountain where they’d gathered in the past peeked through the spaces. It seemed so distant now. If she went there and sat down, no one would come, no one would be waiting. Her chest tightened a little. Why had so much changed?

  No. Focus, Jodie. We are here for a reason, not to get lost in thought.

  Her shoulder knocked into someone, and she staggered slightly. Jodie glanced back, raising a hand in apology. The man who’d walked into her grumbled and marched off, muttering to himself while holding his back in pain.

  “At least I’m having a better day than he is,” she said, shaking her head. She paused as her gaze snagged on a bundle of large cloth and some pegs. Was that what she was looking for? She walked over to the stall. Peeking past one of the hanging curtains, Jodie called out. “Hello, are you still open?”

  A scraggy-faced man, perhaps no older than thirty, shuffled past a curtain of rope. “Yeah,” he said, his voice gruff and heavy. “What are you looking for, lass?” Dressed in brown pants and a white shirt, the man didn’t look pleased to see her. Had she disturbed him? Jodie stepped back, passing through the curtains and back out into the afternoon air. The man followed.

  “I ask again, what do you need, lass?” The man reached into his pocket. He dragged out a pipe and brought it to his lips, the scent of lavender spilling into the air. Jodie frowned, but turned to the display.

  “I was looking for something to set up a tent,” she said, glancing at the man. “I was also wondering if you had anything I could use to cook”

  “A tent? I could do ya. How large do you want it, two people, four people, or are you looking for something that could host a squad? I can’t do anything bigger,” he said, bringing a small red stone to the base of the pipe. It sparked, and smoke twirled from the pipe’s opening. A mana stone.

  Jodie nodded. Even as her eyes focused on the stone, she thought of what Hector would need. The Collar Gang wasn’t going anywhere, not in the short term, anyway. So they’d be down there for quite a while. “I need—”

  “Jodie!” a voice said, cutting her off. She turned, brushing her ginger hair aside as it blew into her face. Standing a short distance away, dressed in dark red robes and holding a waterskin in his hand, was the man she’d met at the festival. What was his name again?

  Better yet, what is he even doing here? I thought the Phoenix Company barely left Central. Why is he out here? He can’t be here about the Hilda Festival; the cleanup finished days ago.

  “I can see you don’t remember me too well,” he said, placing the waterskin into his breast pocket and making his way over. Sagging burn scars coated his hands like melted gloves. What had happened to them? The man reached forward for a handshake.

  Jodie fidgeted with her fingers, glancing at the stall owner before shifting her gaze down the market. The last time she’d talked to this guy, he’d tried to recruit her. Not that she wasn’t flattered. But she had the dojo—well, at least for a few more years. And now she had the mercenary group Hector had suggested.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The man glanced down at his hands, lips pulling into a frown. He tucked them back into his pocket, then glanced away and chuckled sheepishly. As if embarrassed. “I forget about the scars sometimes. I’m sorry. Wymon,” the man said, pointing at himself. “That’s my name, by the way.”

  Ah, yeah, I remember now. Still doesn’t explain what he’s doing here.

  “To be honest, I was actually here on some business,” Wymon said, glancing around the market. The stall owner glanced at him and took a deep drag from his pipe, a hint of interest manifesting in his eyes. Wymon’s lips pulled into a smile. He nodded at the man, then glanced back at her. “It’s lucky I bumped into you as well. Have you given my offer any more thought?”

  Jodie shook her head. Why did he think that she’d just change her mind after a few days? The Phoenix Company was not for her. Simple. “No, I haven’t. And if I’m honest, I don’t plan to,” she said. Tugging on her backpack strap, Jodie turned to the stall owner. “You don’t have any pots or pans, do you?”

  The stall owner’s gaze lingered on Wymon before moving to Jodie. “Not here, lass. If you head a few doors down, you’ll find Sible’s stall. He should have something like that.”

  “Sible,” Jodie said, tasting the name on her tongue. It was a nice name. She turned her head, glancing down at the busy marketplace, trying to see if she could spot it through the crowd. But no luck. “I’ll be taking one of the large ones; if you could have it ready for me when I get back, that would be great.”

  As the stall owner puffed out a sizable cloud of smoke, it curled up into the air, dispersing in the wind a moment later. He lowered the pipe and nodded, scratching at his stubble with his other hand. “I can do that, just don’t take too long. I have to pack up soon, and I won’t wait for ya.”

  Jodie smiled, turning to Wymon and nodding at him. She stepped past him, careful not to brush him with her shoulder, and made her way down the market. The man called after her. She didn’t stop. Instead, she wove through passersby. There was no chance of losing him, as a cultivator at his level was leagues above her. But it didn’t hurt to try.

  “Please, miss. You should reconsider,” he said, his voice not even growing the slightest bit fainter. The man was keeping pace.

  Jodie groaned. But her eyes narrowed as her gaze caught on a dull-looking metal. That had to be Sible’s. Slipping her way through the crowd, Jodie closed in on the shop when suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder. This guy was getting a little pushy.

  She turned on her heels, fixing to give him a good earful about touching people he didn’t know. But she froze. Standing there was not Wymon; the man was a little ways behind—confusion colouring his features. Instead, Emela stood there, in her usual white tunic and brown breeches.

  “Thank goodness,” Emela said, dropping her hand to her side as Nyx stepped next to her. “We’ve been looking for everyone all day.”

  Jodie nodded, her gaze flickering towards the fountain, which she could vaguely see between two stalls. Had they been waiting for everyone there? Jodie pulled on her backpack strap and combed a strand of ginger hair from her eye.

  “Sorry, something’s happened to Hector.” As Wymon stood a few feet away, Jodie kept what else she was going to say to herself. “He’s safe. You don’t need to worry,” she said before concern creased Emela’s features.

  Emela nodded. She glanced behind them, meeting Wymon’s eyes. The man put on a smile as his hand reached forward. “Friends of Jodie, I assume? I’m Wymon.”

  A smile tugged across Emela’s lips as she extended her hand and took his. The girl apparently didn’t mind the burn wounds in the slightest. “The Phoenix Company mercenary. I’ve heard about you from Jodie,” Emela said, turning her head back to Jodie, the prissy girl narrowing her eyes at her. As if to ask what the man was doing here.

  But she didn’t know. How was she supposed to know that he’d be in the slums after all this time? Jodie just shrugged her shoulders. While Emela said a few more words to Wymon, Jodie turned back to the stall. She was here for a reason, after all. It wouldn’t help if she got distracted.

  “So where is he?” Emela asked while Jodie picked up a metal dish. Its surface was smooth to the touch, with only a slight warping at the edges. Suitable. Whoever had made it put in a bit of effort, but clearly it wasn’t someone who worked metal for a living. Her father would have called it shoddy at best, and he didn’t even make kitchen equipment.

  “I…” Jodie’s eyes zipped to Wymon, who still stood a few steps away. When would this man leave? “I’ll take you to him. I just have something I need to finish up here first. You wouldn’t know anything about camping, would you?”

  Emela frowned and turned to Nyx, who shook her head. That wasn’t a surprise. Jodie knew little about the two girls—well, she now knew Nyx could fight. But that didn’t really change anything. If anything, she had to wonder if Emela could, too. Either way, she doubted both of them had ever considered camping. Even she hadn’t until life forced her to.

  “Miss Jodie,” Wymon said.

  “It’s just Jodie,” she replied.

  “My mistake.” He cleared his throat, his hand reaching toward his breast pocket. A frown pulled across his features, and his hand dropped back down to his side. If he was thirsty, why didn’t he drink? “Anyway,” he continued. “I know you haven’t considered joining us, but I feel you should at least come and have a look at our HQ. It’s in the centre of Middlec, and once you see it, I think you will change your mind.”

  “I doubt that,” she said. “Besides, I don’t have the time. As you can see, I’m a bit busy at the moment.”

  Emela nodded along while shooting a glance at Nyx. The black-haired girl didn’t even react, but then again, what was new?

  “Alright. But if you change your mind, I shall be in the area for a few more days. Come find me when you can.” Wymon turned. Weaving through the crowd, the dark-robed man made his way through the market. As he did, he reached towards his breast pocket and pulled out the waterskin, taking a deep swig.

  He was a thirsty man, it would seem.

  “Alright, he’s gone now.” Emela spared a last glance at the crowd before turning to Jodie. “Where is Hector?”

  — — —

  Standing over the [Talent Grafting] table in his Talent garden, Hector crossed his arms. A frown pulled tight across his face as his eyes scanned the three indents on the table. He’d gotten this upgrade quite some time ago and hadn’t gotten around to using it. Lack of Talents was the reason.

  If he had more Talents he could afford to waste, he perhaps would have fused something by now. Though that had changed with the last harvest. He hadn’t had time to check his list yet, but he was sure two of them could be fused without it being a pain to lose them.

  “System, summon Talent list.”

  ————————————————

  ///: Loading Talents… … …

  ————————————————

  Growth Touch

  Street Reader x2

  Vitality Resonance

  Awakened Soul x2

  Moonlight Marionette | (Mirae: [1])

  Primal Aspect | (Jodie: [1])

  Frost Needle

  Ember Pool x2 | (Jodie: [1])

  Mud Barrier

  Light Token

  Momentum Strike

  Meditation Circle

  Iron Skin

  ///: Note. Several Talents, though listed, are in the hands of other users and cannot be interacted with by the host.

  ————————————————

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