The tent was empty again when Hunter awoke. He spied the empty bag which once held Jaspen’s treatments was on its side, the vessels which once held the pills and ointments were standing empty beside it.

  He stood from his sleeping bag, threw on his t-shirt, and found his ring at the bottom of the bag. He was always worried about it accidentally slipping out from under the cloth he used to secure it to his arm while he tossed himself around at night. There was some worry at first that he’d accidentally touch the ring with his foot and unintentionally summon some items while he dreamt, but as far as he could tell a solid intention was required to activate the ring. So far, there hadn’t been any cause for concern.

  Tying the cloth strap around his upper arm once more, he secured the ring underneath it. There was actually a thin layer of cloth seperating the ring from his arm, as he didn’t trust that the ring was secure enough without folding the cloth around it before tying it to his arm. He would never have thought of doing it until he’d realized that he’d already done it. He’d experimented and found that an extra fold of the cloth would stop it from working, but he’d take whatever extra security he could get.

  Hunter checked outside the tent, hoping to see Jaspen resting on the chair and watching the camp. He had no such luck. The camp was busy, and it was brighter than he was used to at this time in the morning. He looked to the sky and noticed that the sun was higher.

  He’d slept in.

  Why hadn’t they woken him up?

  Hunter hoped Jaspen was okay, but figured he’d felt good enough to either walk around the camp or get back to work. Maybe he left with the others. He was sure that they’d want to keep an eye on Jaspen, to make sure that he was fit enough to work and that he wasn’t harrasseds by others.

  After his experience the previous day, he briefly considered following them. Not for his own protection, but for theirs. Some of them, the ones from Sabletown, were likely to be more skilled martial arts than he was. But Hunter was strong and wasn’t exactly unskilled, so he knew he’d be useful in a scrap. The more numbers they had, the less likely they were to be targeted.

  But then he considered how the Peacekeepers would consider a large group of non-loyalist slaves, wandering around the plains.

  He’d talk it over with them when they returned. They were all due to meet soon, anyways. Hunter stretched after waking up and then sat down for a long cultivation period. He reviewed what had happened the previous day, pleased to find that the memory of fear had no hook on his mental state. There was some caution about offending Atuza, but Hunter realized that it might be difficult to do so. The man was strong, and based on his aura and his killing intent, he might even be the second strongest cultivator Hunter had ever encountered.

  It was pure luck that Atuza was straightforward and felt no true loyalty to the Peacekeepers. He wasn’t naive enough to think that the man could be considered a friend. Hunter didn’t get that impression at all. The only reason Hunter believed that Atuza hadn’t reported him or killed him was because Atuza found him to be interesting. Maybe he thought that Hunter had the potential to be a strong rival, one day.

  Hunter didn’t really like the feeling. He was simultaneously flattered and disturbed. The man was obsessed with fighting, and based on his killing intent— and what a horrifying thing that is to consider— he’d slaughtered many people in his lifetime.

  Killing Intent. Vital Intent. His Epiphany.

  He’d felt like he’d learned a lot during his short period of insight. He retained some of it, but he knew that some of what he’d realized had already slipped away. Hunter swore to find a pen and paper. He’d keep it stored and use it to write down whatever he learned the next time he reached such a state.

  He did his best to review what he remembered, and he started to feel something strange. The more he thought about synergies, and the layer beneath them—no, it was parellel to them. The other half of them. Simultaneous to them.

  It wasn’t deeper than desires, but it completed the idea. The charge wasn’t just a desire, it was an intention.

  One thing he noted while observing the new synergistic formulas he’d managed to invent was that he had no idea why they worked. Knowing about intentions wasn’t enough, apparently. He’d seen something last night that connected etheric intentions to something deeper, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was.

  Without a way to test his new formulas, he couldn’t tell what their specific effects were. He could guess, of course. He noticed some which were familiar, and were improvements to old formulas. Hunter wished for a free month and a lab with which to experiment in. He hadn’t craved pure research time for a while, he realized. Everything had felt so desperate, every day.

  Apparently, the epiphany had changed that.

  Hunter decided that he’d take some time to cultivate later, but he wanted to meet with Os first. He left the tent and started for the market, keeping an eye out for anyone watching him. All he could see were pale, miserable, hung-over slaves desperate to avoid the bright glare of the Seedhan sun. He imagined the provisions tent would be busy that morning. Anyone who could afford the extra hydration would be begging for it.

  For the first time since he’d discovered the market, Hunter made it before the crowd. Everyone was either sleeping off the previous night, or suffering for their celebrations. He could smell the barbecued meet, and was overjoyed to find that there were only a handful of people waiting.

  He remembered that he had some skewers in his ring, still. He would take as many as he could afford and add it to his collection. He’d hand them out during the meeting.

  The small line moved quickly, and Hunter approached. The smell was intoxicating. The heat from the barbecue and the early morning sun was almost overwhelming, and he wondered how the man did it. Hunter observed the pitmaster and realized that he wasn’t even sweating.

  Noticing the look Hunter was giving him, the man merely grunted.

  “Ice element is my specialty. 1 ticket per skewer. How many you taking?”

  Hunter looked at the pile of skewers that weren’t being grabbed that morning.

  “Any deals for buying in bulk?”

  The man scowled, and Hunter took the hint. He didn’t have many tickets left.

  “I’ll take 8.”

  The man gathered eight of the skewers in a small pile next to the rest, and waved the next man forward. Hunter picked them all up and started towards Os’s tent. He remembered that he’d found the tent in a different location, and went to find it. He’d store the skewers in his ring once he had some privacy.

  Hunter found the tent and frowned when he didn’t see the bodyguard standing in front of it. He worried that Os had decided to start work a bit later, but was pleased to see that the man in question was within.

  “Hunter! Give me a moment.”

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  A subtle hum he hadn’t noticed in the background suddenly quited. Its absence felt strange, as if the whole camp was quieter.

  “Ah, you can feel the difference? That’s a rare gift. This formation has a function which shields its presence of etheric senses.”

  “I didn’t notice it when it was on, but I could tell that something was different when you turned it off. Like the voices of a crowd being muffled behind a wall.”

  “This is top grade stuff. No one below Elemental Initiate should be able to notice it. I know you’re not an initiate. You’ve got some secrets, then. I won’t pry, I won’t pry. Come in and let’s get straight to business.”

  Hunter entered the tent, and then he felt the background hum return.

  “Where’s the guard?”

  “Gave him a break. That’s what the formation’s for. It’s expensive to run but I won’t notice the dent in my finances for the short time i’ll be running it. He’ll be back later. I’ll let him know you were missing him,” Os said. Hunter was about to object, but he noticed the gleam in Os’s eyes and the cheeky grin forming on his face.

  “Right, he and I have built quite the repoire, haven’t we?”

  “You’re practically brothers! You can tell by the way neither of you so much as acknowledge eachothers existence.”

  Hunter huffed in amusement, and Os let out a small chuckle. Then he waved his hand, and the table was covered in a variety of items.

  Weapons, pills, ointments, and sheets of paper with symbols scrolling across them, emitting a potent etheric charge.

  “How are they doing that?” Hunter asked, pointing to the animated symbols.

  “Who knows? I’m not a talisman specialist. These are higher-grade stuff. I heard the movement is a product of both the depth of skill from the artist, and the inherent properties of the paper itself.”

  “Looks expensive.”

  “They are. What you see before you, Hunter, is a sample of my wares. Some of which I’ve officially procured from the Peacekeepers. Some of which i’ve unofficially procured from the Peacekeepers—”

  Panic spiked. Hunter held up his hand.

  “Os, before you say anything else, you should know what happened to me after I left your tent last night.”

  “Oh?” Os said, his brows furrowing in concern.

  “Atuza intercepted me. He heard our conversation.”

  “Atuza?” Os said, his eyes bulging. His skin paled, “Why would be he have been listening to us?”

  Os’s reaction was enough for Hunter to confirm his own suspicions about just how dangerous Atuza was. Os seemed enigmatic in a way, and Hunter was tempted to believe that the man was untouchable.

  Apparently, there were limits to Os’s confidence.

  “That’s not all. He interrogated me about what I knew about Mouse. He told me that you two have business together, and he implied that I was part of it. He seems to believe your goals run perpendicular to the Peacekeepers.”

  “Did he threaten you? What else did he say? Hunter, this is not good.”

  “I got the impression that he didn’t care. He just wanted to find Mouse. I got the impression that he was looking for a challenge, and that he believed Mouse was the only one who could give that to him.”

  “He didn’t care, you say?” Os said, he’d been in the process of returning his items to his storage ring, but he paused as he considered Hunter’s words. “Goodness, I owe you an apology, Hunter. How did you escape the man with your life intact? Atuza isn’t known for his good nature. What did you tell him?”

  Hunter shook his head.

  “I imagine he knows about the salvage, and that you have some expertise surrounding them. Nothing I told him would have implicated you or your business.”

  Os sighed in relief.

  “Once more I find myself in your debt, Hunter,” Os said. He waved his hand across the table, and the items returned.

  “This was meant to be a showcase. Now it’s something else. Let me tell you what i’ve decided.”

  He invited Hunter to sit. Hunter took out a meat skewer and offered one to Os, who took it with obvious gratitude. After Hunter was seated, Os smiled.

  “You’ve proven to me that you are a man I can trust, Hunter. I have a few regular contractors, but most of them do menial work for me. There are a few among them whom I give more meaningful contracts, and very few among those who I actively invest in. I want to count you among the latter. Are you interested?”

  Hunter nodded.

  “Tell me more.”

  He’d be dumb not to explore the offer. The support would be welcome. The less visible his dealings for supplies, the better.

  Besides, having a weapon would be nice. He and Aera had done some weapons training in the past. Not a lot, but he knew the basics of wielding a sword and a spear. He wasn’t sure he could match someone who had devoted themselves to the learning how to use the weapon, but having one was better than not having one, as far as Hunter was concerned.

  That the cultivation aids would help went without saying. The medical supplies would also be a boon. He considered the pricetag of everything arrayed before him. Os must be a very wealthy man.

  Hunter wondered how much of this the Peacekeepers knew about. Os had mentioned that some of his supplies was unofficialy procured from Peacekeepers. He hadn’t questioned it at first, assuming that there were some amongst their ranks who were keen on secret dealings.

  But maybe it went a bit deeper than that. If the Peacekeepers were half as cutthroat as Hunter assumed they were, then he was sure that some of them would offload goods they found on their dead foes among the merchants.

  They could dispose of the body somewhere among the plains, keep what they wanted, and profit from the rest. There would be no official trace of their conflict, save what others knew of their undercurrents.

  “First, I’d like you to take on a few jobs to get to know the various merchant routes. I do business with other camps, and some people who would rather stay anonymous.”

  Hunter smirked.

  “Atuza did say that you had quite a network.”

  “It disturbs me that the man knows so much about my business, but some of that is to be expected. Its disturbing, but not alarming. And, if you are to be one of my men, you’ll come to find out the breadth of my network for yourself. The weapons are a necessity, i’m afraid. If you agree with my terms of employment, then you’ll be made a target by my rivals. You’ll have to bare my seal, my clients and partners won’t see you if you don’t have it. You have an advantage that my other contractors don’t.”

  He eyed Hunter’s ring.

  “How much space does that thing have, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Hunter looked behind him.

  “I can sense if anyone nearby is listening. Another function of the formation.”

  Hunter shrugged and considered what he had, and how much it felt like that space occupied.

  “About 40 cubic meters.”

  Os whistled.

  “Is that impressive?” Hunter asked.

  “You won’t find many on the market with that much space. And what you will find will be astronomically expensive. Where did you say you found it?”

  “It was a gift from an Adept.”

  “Figures. Only an adept would have that kind of wealth this far out from the core worlds. You must have done quite a service for them if they gave you that.”

  “I think it was more like a peace offering,” Hunter said, trying to remember the circumstance around the gift. June had given it to him during their first major conference, just prior to decimation of the Peacekeeper fleet.

  “You must have quite the background then,” Os said.

  “Maybe i’ll tell you about it someday,” Hunter said. He meant it. One day, he hoped to trust Os enough to tell him about Oberon Enterprises and Skyhold.

  It occurred to him in that moment that if he was going to escape the Peacekeepers, there was no reason he couldn’t bring others along with him. Having a connection to someone like Os, who Hunter assumed would find a way to be successful wherever he went, could be a very valuable connection for the corporation.

  Hunter knew that Trey’s ambitions weren’t limited to Skyhold itself. He would want to build Oberon to be bigger than it ever was before.

  Maybe Os could be a piece of that. But Hunter wanted to be more careful with who he trusted, he couldn’t afford a misstep. If Os could be trusted that much, he would sew the seeds of it now and reaping the harvest later. Os was probably thinking the same thing. He saw value in bringing Hunter in. Most likely a lot of value. Atuza had said that he rescuing him from the fight had cost Mouse a lot. If both Os and Mouse had made that decision, then it meant that they both saw Hunter’s potential.

  Os’s motivations he could understand. If Atuza was right, both he and Mouse were working against the Peacekeepers interests, somehow.

  So they saw Hunter as a kindred spirit. But was that enough to justify Mouse’s involvement?

  Instead of guessing about it, Hunter decided to ask one of the men in question.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Os said. “Do you have anymore questions?”

  “I do,” Hunter said, leaning forward. “Why did Mouse save me during he fight?”

  Os shook his head and scoffed.

  “Look, Mouse and I might be partners, but only tangentially. We tolerate eachother because our interests are aligned. He acted on his own that night. Honestly, Hunter, i’d been trying to hold the man back from acting for a very long time. I guess that seeing the Peacekeepers overplay their hand, and to do so by picking out one of the newest slaves, I think that Mouse figured enough was enough.”

  It wasn’t the answer that Hunter expected, but it made sense. Mouse had never been meek. He’d been waiting.

  What had happened to Hunter was merely the final straw on the camels back.

  “What do you mean when you say that the Peacekeepers overplayed their hand?”

  “It’s a long story, and not for you to worry yourself over. Now, I believe we were talking about the risks of business. Now let’s talk about compensation.”

  Hunter nodded, willing to let it go for now. But he felt that there was something that Os was holding back. It felt like it would not be prudent to pry further. He smiled and leaned back in his seat.

  “What did you have in mind?”