After a quick a brisk walk and several flights of stairs Ozzy met Colber in the top deck, the heavyset man clasping his hand and pulling him into a hug as the rest of the firelight district busied themselves settling in and loading up the supplies they’d brought with them.

  “What are you doing here?” Ozzy asked, happy to see the man was doing well.

  “Just enjoying my new promotion!” He said with pride. “After some of the testimonies from the crew and the reports they forced us to put in and then interrogated us over it came out that I did one hell of a job driving that little swamp wagon. So they promoted me!” He finished, clapping his hands together with glee.

  “Talk about a promotion well earned I don’t think we’d have made it out of there with a worse captain. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten the shot I needed either.” Ozzy said.

  “Bah!” Colber waved the praise away. “It was a team effort, we’re all equally responsible for getting out of there. Just make sure you send Norman my way whenever you see him, I haven’t heard from him since the healers swept him up when we got here.”

  “Will do!” Ozzy said and returned Colber’s little salute as the big man walked off to prep the swamp train to leave.

  With nothing better to do he figured he’d go and find Emil. Chances were he’d be able to figure out something for Ozzy to do or someone for him to meet. That was practically his life at this point, go here and meet this person, it was like he was living out some perpetual fetch quest system.

  “What was that all about?” A sly voice tickled the back of Ozzy’s neck and he turned to find Lyriq, the fox woman watching him intently.

  “Just saying hi to Colber.” Ozzy said, his joy at seeing Colber fleeing as he got the feeling Lyriq was trying to catch him in the act of something.

  “You mean the Captain? You seem very buddy buddy with him, how did that happen?” She asked, her easy tone belying the probing intention of each sentence.

  “We did some work together and got along fine. Is there an issue with me being friends with him?” Ozzy asked, his tone growing slightly bothered as he moved to take a seat at one of the top deck’s tables. If he had to listen to this lady yap, he would at least be comfortable.

  “Of course not!” Lyriq looked affronted he would even suggest there was a problem with it, though her eyes danced just above her mask of expression. She was good at this, but she didn’t quite have her poker face down. “I just think it’s interesting.” She didn’t finish her point, waiting for Ozzy to ask her.

  “Why’s it interesting.” Ozzy forced out, inwardly rolling his eyes at having to play along with this lady’s game.

  “It’s just strange that you know him is all, Norman said he met you several weeks ago but also mentioned picking up a lost human in the northern swamps halfway through the fishing expedition he just came back in pieces from. Said that the person they picked up was all buddy buddy with Emil and even Colber in the end.” She said, looking thoughtfully up at the undercity as if she hadn’t already made her mind up about where Ozzy was from.

  “That’s a really weird way of saying I’m excited to get to know you.” Ozzy said, now really wanting to go and find Emil so he could figure out just what the hell their story was going to be.

  Lyriq’s face went red, and for a moment it looked like she might backtrack and apologize for being super nosy, buuuut that all went right out the window when Florin started coming up the steps of the top deck.

  “Well, I think it’s weird that they’re letting someone with no history in the district on our expedition.” She said, donning a haughty expression as her friend came to stand beside her, though the elf had nothing to say to him.

  “Don’t know what to tell you, I’m just a friend of Emil’s, I know Norman, and I know Colber. It’s a small world out there. Good talk though!” He said, getting up as he wiped the dust from his hands and moved to go downstairs.

  “You’re not the guy they found in the swamp?” She asked, a strain doubt entering her voice.

  “All I know about that guy is that they’re not talking about him much on purpose.” Ozzy shrugged, half-truths for the win.

  Lyriq yelled back an awkward apology at Ozzy as he walked away, Ozzy just waved over his shoulder, happy to be done with the awkward confrontation.

  ***

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Despite several unsuccessful minutes of bumbling about the train like a moron, he’d yet to find Emil, he did however run into Patrick of all people, the meat merchant from the hunters guild, who was currently busying himself setting up a cafeteria of sorts on the train's second segment. The monster of a man still lugging around his massive cleaver and looking very pleased to be out of the city.

  “Hey Patrick! I didn’t realize you were a member of the district.” Ozzy said, stopping his wanderings to chat.

  “Great to see you Ozzy, and yes, surprises most people who learn about it too. There’s this one hunter named Harry who was downright cross with me this morning when he found out. When he realized the neighborly prices I give to Emil and some of the other members were just an act to pull in other hunters he was ready to report me to the finance office!” Patrick said, slapping his side as he let out a hearty guffaw.

  “And did he?” Ozzy asked.

  “He sure tried, so long as the money’s flows those coin clipping bastards could care less what we do down in the market.” He said, a greedy twinkle shining in the big man’s eye. “What can I do you for though? You look even more lost than you at my stall.” He stated, chuckling at Ozzy’s expense.

  “I’m looking for Emil, or Liza.” Ozzy said, looking around as some of the other district members funneled into the cafeteria.

  “Oh they’re-” Patrick began but was cut off as a tall man with shiny black swept back hair and a fancy mustache stepped out and away from the group that had just entered.

  “I’ll help be the boy.” The man said, holding a hand out to shake Ozzy’s.

  “Gustav” Patrick said by way of greeting, nodding respectfully towards the man and he nodded back.

  Ozzy took the man’s hand, shaking it and finding a grip that would have felt more normal coming from a hydraulic press. It ground the bones together in his hand and didn’t stop when Ozzy looked the man directly in the eyes and raised his eyebrows.

  “Quit being a prick Gustav” Patrick said over Ozzy’s shoulder, genuine annoyance in his voice.

  “I have to properly meet the boy.” Gustav said, his face lighting up in a kind smile that only made him seem psychotic in the circumstances. A thought which was very quickly reinforced as the sensation went from very uncomfortable, to pain.

  Gustav’s face didn’t so much as twitch as he put enough force into the handshake to break normal human bones. It didn’t shift either when Ozzy pulled back, trying to escape the handshake only to find Gustav’s grip and position nigh immovable. With a great deal of frustration Ozzy resigned himself to wait until Gustav was done with whatever domination ritual he was doing. Then the first bone in his hand gave.

  Flashing hot pain seared its way through Ozzy’s hand and up his arm. The feeling was completely unmitigated by adrenaline or the natural dampening of pain caused by combat. Every burning nerve ending was front and center in his mind as he snarled in pain.

  Someone else might have collapsed from the pain, they might have pulled away harder or even cried out for help. Ozzy’s hands weren’t defenseless however, and with more mana than he’d ever pushed into the power he activated powder strike.

  Gustav’s eyebrows rose as he sensed the precursors of the attack, then his eyes went wide as it landed. As the powder ignited and rapidly expanded Gustav’s first instinct was to clamp down harder on Ozzy’s hand which was an effective way to pulp the remaining flesh and bone in Ozzy’s hand but proved to be a terrible way to try and contain an explosion.

  An explosion rocked the cafeteria, flash banging everyone in the room and sending four fingers and a chunk of hand flying out like fleshy shrapnel. Taking a step back from the man Ozzy raised his mangled hand to examine it. There was practically no shape left to it, his fingers and palm practically having been flatted together into a very gross looking cylindrical amalgamation of flesh and bone.

  In front of him Gustav examined his own hand, or more accurately, the lower half of his palm and thumb. Everything was simply gone, a fair trade in Ozzy’s eyes. He didn’t know what this guy’s problem was but he’d practically ruined Ozzy’s hand just the same.

  Breaking the stunned silence of the cafeteria was Patrick, belly laughing and pointing at the shocked Gustav. A moment later and the rest of the men and women in the room joined in, even Gustav began to chuck, lowering his hand as he fixed Ozzy with a wide grin.

  “To our newest member of the Firelight!” Gustav shouted, waving his mangled hand about and pointing at Ozzy.

  For the life of him he had no idea what the hell was wrong with this place. Why nothing couldn’t just be civil and normal was beyond him. Who the hell initiates a new member by breaking their hand and almost starting a fight with them?

  Sauntering up to Ozzy Gustav wrapped an arm around his shoulders and began leading him towards the whooping and laughing group of core users until a shout tore through all of the good vibes Gustav had just started.

  “Guuustaaav!!!!” A woman shouted, shattering the festivities as she stalked towards the group, looking ready to pound the man into dust. Which Ozzy couldn’t say he wouldn’t be completely against.

  The woman was small, at least by this place’s standards at about a head shorter than Ozzy. What really set her apart however was how slim she was most of the people here were built. Leaving Ozzy looking like he’d never been to the gym a day in his life despite Ozzy having been on the stronger side of the spectrum back on earth. This woman was petite with a capital P however, though what she lacked in size she more than made up for in sheer presence.

  “What did I tell you about the newcomer Gustav?” She demanded.

  “Not to do the handshake test…” He said, standing at attention like a recruit being grilled by their drill instructor.

  “Exactly, thank you so much for reminding me, and what did I just walk in on you doing?” She asked indignantly.

  “Welcoming him to the district.” He said, lying straight through his teeth.

  The woman held up a single blackened finger in response. “I told you to leave him alone.” She said angrily.

  “But mam, I always do the test.” He excused himself.

  “I don’t care.” She barked, her words striking the group like a weapon. “He’s been fighting every day for the last week from what Liza tells me. We’re lucky the two of you didn’t end up fighting.” She said, going from glaring at Gustav to looking apologetically at Ozzy.

  Gustav rolled his eyes. “I’m nearly tier tw-”

  “He’s one of the ones that killed Cerinakus.“ Gustav’s haughtiness and self-aggrandization were cut short as the woman spoke over him, her words freezing the Gustav who looked down at Ozzy with new and concerned eyes.