I was kissing ass while we walked towards the city, arm in arm.

  “So I bet you’ve thought up a brilliant yet subtle cover story for us, right?”

  “Of course, I’m a noble lady from far off lands and you’re my dedicated manservant.”

  “Har har, very funny. Although accurate so far. How much are you paying me anyway?”

  “My graceful presence is payment enough.”

  “So payment in nature then?”

  “You wish, you’re not that smooth.”

  “Oh really, well you can have your pick from the wealth of options available. Jeb’s good with his hands, Barry’s a real provider. Elias has the dark and brooding thing going on for him.”

  “Yeah messing around hasn’t been the same since Jerry left. And Elias is taken anyway.”

  “Hey screw you, that’s just low and no shit, who’s he with?”

  “So insecure, it’s not a good look with the ladies, you know. Jill snatched him up, they’re trying to keep it secret and failing.”

  “How does that even work? He doesn’t care about others, not really - he’ll tell anyone who asks the same. And you set me up for that one.”

  She mimicked a biting motion before responding. “You’re too easy. I don’t know, it’s weird. Anyway Jerry only had eyes for Kris, poor boy.”

  “You just wait until the inevitable peasant revolt drags you down from your high horse… Wait, really?”

  “Sounds like fun, and yeah it was tragic. A love doomed to never flourish. It’s why he was so gloomy all the time and even worse after she died. He confessed during the games, he never had a shot but even if he did, well, he ruined it then and there. Struggling for your life isn’t exactly the height of romance. Do take note of that please.”

  “And here I thought all the losses had gotten to him. Must’ve been a helluva crush. Also who pines after their boss?”

  “Same story as usual, another person latching on too fast so they can escape dealing with the change. Bet it made her feel real special.”

  “Worked for her and Mel though. And what do you think I’m doing?” She faked a warning glare so I quickly changed the subject. We’d reach the outskirts soon enough. “Seriously though, what’s our backstory?”

  “How he grovels, good. We’re mostly going to try and blend in, but if someone presses us we’ve been wandering after our village up north got destroyed during the eclipse until we found this place. We pooled what remained of our meager belongings and came looking for a new life here.”

  “So pretty much what happened? I figured you’d go for something a bit more creative.”

  “I would’ve, but I kept it simple for your sake.”

  “How considerate of you. I don’t mind memorizing a new story, you can have some fun.”

  She stopped and looked me in the eye. “You’ve been given plenty of written orders and have followed none of them to the letter. Having it chewed out for you is basically a guarantee you’ll do something else.”

  “Hey that’s not fair, I’ve just gone above and beyond. It’s not like I’m stupid or anything, when I disobey orders I do it willfully.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, bad boy.” She pouted, “You’re aware those orders essentially came from me, right? I was trying to keep you safe, make sure you’re strong and well equipped, you know?”

  “I was not. Shit, well sorry.”

  She laughed. “Got you again, since when am I giving orders? Dumbass.”

  Now it was my turn to fake a glare.

  “Don’t pout, how are we supposed to have fun otherwise?”

  Inappropriate comments sprang into my mind, about how her wit had grown and she really was twice the woman she used to be and I couldn’t keep up by half, how I could go for some nuggets and a few more choice references to her previous condition. I had to go easy on the banter, the favela was all doom and gloom and we weren’t supposed to stand out too much, also didn’t want to be skinned alive.

  No one approached us and we circled the outer city, taking in the sights. The place was a fucking mess. We managed to extract some info out of a local after we bribed the old lady with a few burgers. I picked up on someone scooting off from the corner of my eye. So much for staying incognito. Jen assured me it was fine and expected, by shushing me like a baby while pretending to weed my reaction for red flags. I chuckled.

  They named it Freeport, imaginatively subdivided into the outer and inner city. It was essentially hell on earth. Burgers or bites thereof functioned as the local currency and deflation had spun out of control, with most citizens in various states of near-starvation. People didn’t trade the cokes, both because they needed the calories and potable drinks were in short supply. Bilge from the inner city fouled the best springs and streams whereas wandering about cost too much energy of the nonmagical kind. However, people remained generally resourceful when providing for themselves.

  Some pressed wrappers together as a business, others broke and shaped regular stone into bricks or did all kinds of creative stuff with plastic cups. All of those involved insane amounts of manual labor. They even had a tailor, who bought old strips of fabric and sold the same but stitched together into new clothes. We walked the stamped mud streets, admired the ramshackle plastic-sheet architecture and delighted in the pungent aroma particular to a garbage collection strike.

  We also found a few actually interesting places to visit, like the old world curios shop. I picked up a few real pens, one for Jeb and one for Breathless to thank them since both complained about rune pens, and a zippo lighter to replace my empty Bic – all for the price of three burgers.

  “You want to go clothes shopping? My treat,” I asked, proudly flicking my new lighter over and over to her great annoyance, which made it all the better.

  “Rags and wrappers aren’t really my style, but I’ll keep the offer in mind, you don’t mind if I cash it in later, right?”

  “No, no, of course not. Wouldn’t be polite to say something like that when I know you won’t take me up on it.” I’m definitely going to regret that.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Most of the nicer but ultimately uninteresting shops were close to the only gate leading into the inner section, our next stop. The whole wall was a mud and brick affair with no System masonry involved, so a pushover. We stopped at a corner before reaching it so I could have a smoke while Jen sneakily jotted notes on piled wrappers pinned to a small board, backlit by the gentle flare she carried over her shoulder. Supposedly the inner city had a restaurant. Hence the scribbling, getting business out of the way as enjoying a decent dinner unburdened was all properly date-like. After finishing up she wanted a smoke too and we chatted in the meantime.

  “The guards will probably have questions at the gate for us. Any plans?”

  “Just let me do all the talking and we’ll be fine.”

  “You expressly don’t want me to speak? I cry inequality.”

  “Of course not, I’m the brains of this operation and you’re just muscle.”

  The statement came out way too sincere. “Hold on, you’re not kidding are you? That bitch.”

  “Took you long enough to figure it out. Recon was always going to happen but we couldn’t send Elias down since he stands out way too much, also it wouldn’t be fun with any of the others. So I suggested you. Had her phrase it as a vacation thing because you kept moaning about the rocks and in turn she whined at me. Remind me what you said again, ‘that bitch’, was it?”

  I exaggerated a deep hurt. “Is our love even real, or is this merely another one of your evil machinations?”

  She patted me on the head. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it too much, alright?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t answer the question.”

  We were entering earshot. “I know, now be quiet.”

  The guard hailed us, crossing the doorway with his shitty spear like it would make a difference. He was dressed in a clashing outfit of old-world wear but at least it was in perfect repair. Mending? Well it makes sense, bet they have all kinds of cantrips here. “Hold. Not many new faces around here, but you’re one of them.”

  You don’t say? Jen easily talked us past him. He said it was a fifty to enter so Jen paid him sixty for the trouble, which set his back straight and he looked us over a little more closely. Then he immediately threw the hook for his sales pitch.

  “If you’ve got money to spend, then you’re in the right place-”

  Jen interrupted him, “Oh really? Is there any good shopping? A restaurant maybe? Something fun to do? I’m sick and tired of walking day in day out.”

  “There’s plenty, it’s all in districts so you shouldn’t have trouble finding the shops, follow the main road and it’ll take you to The Place, where you can eat. Castle’s off limits though. If it’s entertainment you want…” He overstressed ‘entertainment’ and glanced at both of us. “…then we have something for all tastes.” Fucking hell, really? How about I entertain myself by turning you into a goddamn pincushion? “What’s wrong mister, you think you’re tough?”

  Jen stepped on my foot and interjected with batting eyelashes even before I stopped myself from telling him to bring it. “He doesn’t like it when I talk to other men. Don’t worry about it, thanks for your help.” He did his best impression of not being a thug and called out our legitimate passing through the half open wooden doors of the gate.

  Jen turned to me after we passed it and leaned in. “He wasn’t wrong you know, you looked like you were planning on starting a fight.”

  “Sorry about that. He just pissed me off, I wasn’t going to do anything.”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do and I’d cheer you on while you kicked his ass but it’s dangerous here. They have more Ascendants than we do.”

  “Not exactly a tall order, but you’re right. Ah well, dinner or shopping first?”

  “Dinner!”

  The inner city had paved streets and most buildings were a mix stone and wood, reminding me of preserved antique village houses. A cartoonish castle dominated the skyline with four corner towers, connecting smooth crenellated walls and a fuck-off sized arched doorway. It gaped like an open maw with neither doors nor a portcullis.

  We eventually arrived at The Place. It looked nice on the outside but the interior decoration lacked any panache. The dining area was all wooden chairs and tables. Ceiling-affixed flares emitted warm light, complementing the crackling fireplace. It sufficed, even if the medieval style failed to appeal to either of our tastes.

  The menu was a fixed three course meal. First they gave us garnished cheddar as an appetizer, followed by noodles and veggies in broth, couldn’t quite call it ramen. The final dish turned out to be cooked mystery Errant meat, which tasted like chicken, in a tomato sauce and complementary beer for drinks. Used to be they made the money off the drinks.

  It was probably the most they could do with alchemized burger parts and easily the best meal I had in months. We ended up overstaying and having the whole course thrice over. Had no problem overeating nowadays even after we’d finished healing, there didn’t seem to be any apparent benefits or downsides to it and thus nothing stood in the way of our indulgences. The establishment ran 24/7 so we ended up staying ‘til the morning hours just having fun. The affair cost me a ridiculous 180 crystal, plus 35 in tips, and won us a personal thank you from the proprietor.

  There were quite a few shops around selling actual equipment and tools, both man and System made, along with various amenities at fairly exorbitant prices. We searched around but discovered little of interest, aside from the ‘skill shop’. I hadn’t been paying overly much attention to the goods on display or shopping logistics aside from the hundred crystal I shelled out for the few things Jen bought – she wrote everything down anyway.

  We stayed a lot longer at the skill store, mostly because Jen slowly browsed the full verbal catalogue. After a few minutes, I nodded my head towards the counter and rolled my eyes at the guard who’d rocked his chair to lean against the ‘No touching the merchandise’ sign. He grinned so I pulled out my pipe, motioned at him and then pointed my thumb outside while tilting my head the same way. He accepted my offer and we made small talk during a shared smoke.

  “You oughta hold on to that. Tobacco ain’t cheap here.”

  “Nothing seems to be, not that she’ll let it stop her. Any good blends?”

  “A few of the big brands, but nothing special really.”

  “Got to be honest, you guys have a sweet operation going on here. Mind giving me the lay of the land, as a favor? We’re new, wandered in yesterday and this looks like the place to be.”

  He explained the power structure, a mix of mob tactics and oppressive tyranny. Throne dude was ‘The Destroyer’ and I barely contained my laughter at the stupid name. Apparently locals were in the habit of taking nicknames, probably as a way to distance themselves from the past. ‘The Destroyer’ led the main gang and joining them meant a decent life, so guard duty or monster hunting if you were lucky.

  There was also a working class, slaves in all but name. No pay except for food and shelter, which was still an improvement over living outside the walls and also explained why all the slaves were well-fed if not well-treated. Some of the workers were free though but they were primarily business owners who mostly employed slaves but paid them a small stipend. The idea was to give the indentured hope they could buy their freedom someday and use any skills they picked up on the employers’ dime to eke out a living. The whole entering slavery ordeal was entirely voluntary, anyone was free to fuck off and never return if they didn’t like it unless they were in debt.

  Roman style indentured servitude, maybe I judged a bit hastily. Still, fuck ‘em. We have enough enemies without turning on each other.

  For the rest it was the usual organized crime portfolio, so protection rackets, gross violations of old world human rights, excessive violence and debauchery. Basically, the local crime syndicate was well-organized in all the wrong ways.

  Arguing pulled us back inside but it turned out to be a heated haggling session. Jen pretended to get a new hobby for the sky high price of 375 crystal. She didn’t even get the skill sheet, was just allowed to look it over and touch it. She spent a long time scribbling in her notebook after we found a corner secluded enough to mislead our tail. Finally, we checked out the various offers of ‘entertainment’, clustered around a red-lit central square in front of the gateless castle.

  It was definitely the low point of date night but unavoidable, all the bigshots partied there. We counted six Ascendants when making the rounds, and it took us leaving the inner city to shake off the lingering misanthropy. We retired to an inn with reasonable prices and proceeded to skip town immediately once after confirming our not-so-hidden follower had left. They really should’ve used an assassin for that but the energy drain is probably too expensive a price for idle curiosity.

  I helped Jen a bunch since the climb up was rough on her. She kept joking about how she was giving me an opportunity to show off and not really struggling while I aped her comments about insecurity. We agreed it had been fun, even if there were some low low’s, and we should do this again sometime soon. The next morning she’d woken up early, I liked to sleep in even if I didn’t need to, and left me breakfast together with 475 crystal on the dresser and a note, ‘Cab fare. P.S. Coffee soon!’.

  Ha ha, very funny. Nonetheless, it put a smile on my face. Also holy shit, coffee!