Ozzy glared up at Gustav and as the man lifted his arm from around Ozzy’s shoulders and took a stumbling step back. His blood leaving a red stain across Ozzy’s shoulder.

  “Apologize and heal your hand, you’re bleeding all over the place.” She snapped and turned to Ozzy, extending a hand to shake his only to put it down as she saw the state of his hand. “Heal his hand as well.” She said, straining to hide a tone of barely held contempt behind gritted teeth.

  “I can heal on my own.” Ozzy said, willing to endure the pain if it meant not having to interact with Gustav any further.

  He’d met some men like that in the army. Old grunts who thought it was their calling in life to test the toughness and strength of the recruits that came into their units, hazing, belittling, sometimes downright abusing them. Personally, he’d never had to deal with it, but he’d seen it, and he got the exact same vibe from Gustav.

  “However you want to do it, come with me. I’ll take you to Emil and Liza afterwards,” She said.

  Not responding Ozzy followed her out of the cafeteria, allowing himself a single moment of satisfaction at the way Gustav’s “test” had played out. It didn’t pay to dwell on something like that, but he’d be a liar if he said justice wasn’t sweet.

  “I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, Gustav is a problem but he’s also one of our better healers.” She said with a sigh and took Ozzy down a level.

  Together they entered the living quarters area of the trains where the halls were set up much like a hotel’s, save for the hallways being much narrower and much dimmer. They didn’t stop until the very end of the hallway where rather than doors being on either side of the hall like there had been the whole way down there was a single door where the hall ended, signifying potentially the VIP suite.

  “I’m Lucy Lyle, current head of the firelight district and our resident ranged attack specialist. Though from what I hear that might soon be changing.” She said, smiling back at him as she opened the door to a spacious room by swamp vessel standards and yet a tiny room by every other standard of living.

  Rather than simply being set up with a bunk or two and some floor space for leaving your things on the room had a desk, real bed, and even a singular shelf for storing the occasional knick knack or trinket. He needed to figure out how to get into one of these rooms, then he’d be able to effectively store all of his belongings. The clothes he had on, and the extra pair he had in his storage bag.

  “Apologies for the casualness, normally I’d have met you in my office back in the district but—” She gestured at the surroundings, “this is probably the most privacy we can expect on board.” She said.

  “It’s no issue, It’s genuinely a pleasure though.” Ozzy said not quite making it to a smile with the steady throbbing of his hand but hoping he at least looked pleasant. He really should have taken the healing from Gustav.

  “Good,” She nodded in appreciation, “I wanted to lay eyes on you before letting you come on this trip but due to some, unfortunate, happenings, I didn’t get that chance. I also wanted to thank you for bringing Emil and Norman back home in one piece. The district wouldn’t have been the same without them.” She said.

  “Emil’s the closest thing I have to family here and Norman is a friend. We were all more lucky to get out of the swamp than anything else though.” Ozzy shrugged.

  “I’m glad you recognize that, but I’m nonetheless grateful for your help. I heard Gustav shouting about you being the newest member in our district but this will make it truly official.” She said as she handed Ozzy a ring, it was a slim simple thing, made of white gold save for a simple flame motif of red crystal.

  Accepting the gift graciously Ozzy put it on, admiring the way it stood out on his hand.

  “The ring should help you blend in with the older core users, though from what I understand you’re very new to your powers, is this correct?” She asked.

  “Yes, I’ve only had my cores for a week, but I’m more than familiar with the weapons I summon.” Ozzy said.

  “I’ve already heard plenty about how efficient you are with those powers. The reason I brought you in here was because I had a specific favor to ask of you. At certain points in our journey we will be separating from the main group and combing the swamp in patrols. At two points during this trip I want to take my entire senior group out for trainings, which means I will be leaving you, the greenies, and Norman behind. Ostensibly Norman will be in charge but that’s not always how things go, especially around Lyriq and Florin. I just need you to stick around and babysit.” She said.

  “That sounds simple enough, why did you have to bring me down here to ask that though?” Ozzy asked, feeling like there was something Mrs. Lyle wasn’t telling him.

  She sighed. “I was trying to work up to this. Norman told me you’re a cosmic stranger.” She said, searching for a reaction on Ozzy’s face. Truth be told he’d already thought Liza had told her.

  “Is there a problem with that?” Ozzy asked, more fishing for information than truly asking.

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  “Yes and no, it’s obviously a secret you need to keep but there are holes in your story.” She said.

  “Well I know that, Lyriq was just about ready to interrogate me on the top deck earlier all because I knew Colber.”

  “I’m not surprised by that either, there are several very astute individuals on board with us and they’re all drawing their own conclusions about you, your mysterious arrival, your night with Trinidad, even your help in bringing down Cerinakus. We can’t ask them to stop or they’ll know there’s something valuable hidden behind the mystery, even just from all of the clues they know there’s something valuable hidden behind it all. What we’re left with is re-direction.” She said, pulling a fountain pen and journal from a dimensional bag and scrawling a note down.

  “What did you have in mind?” Ozzy asked, his interest peaking.

  “We lean into the truth and throw a spin on it just as crazy as what really happened.” She said, a sly grin crossing her face as she looked up from her journal.

  ***

  “That is the single stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Emil grumbled, looking between Ozzy and Lucy like they were crazy.

  “Hey, I had zero part in planning this, I don’t even know what a leaf child is.”

  “It’s someone who was born high enough up in Myreluck to see the leaves. I hear they don’t start until the seventeenth platform.” Lisa said, looking thoughtfully at Ozzy. “It would explain a lot, the strange abilities, aversion to violence, even his general incompetence with life beneath the city floor.” She mused, Ozzy frowned but said nothing in return.

  “Then people will just hate him because he grew up all the way up top.” Emil said, confused as to why they were even thinking about this.

  “They might hate him but the college of science doesn’t put rewards out for leaf children.” Lucy said, trying to reason with Emil.

  After explaining her plan to Ozzy Lucy had suggested they talk it out with Emil and Lisa, to which Ozzy had promptly agreed. He was after all less than knowledgeable when it came to the many staggering intricacies of this place.

  “We’ll only tell the district, at least until he’s strong enough that the college can’t reasonably take him.” She added.

  “And when would that be?!” Ozzy asked, his ears perking up at the thought.

  Lucy turned a remorseful expression on him, “When you’re a little more than halfway through tier two…” she said.

  “Fantastic.” Ozzy muttered, leaning back in chair with a sour expression.

  After deliberating for a few more minutes, they all agreed to the plan, some less enthusiastically than the other but it had been settled. Being disliked was way better than being hunted.

  The story they’d be going with in a nutshell was Ozzy had disgraced whatever household he belonged to up in the upper city and been cast down as a result. His familial head literally flying out and tossing him into the swamp to die, only for Emil and Norman to chance upon him in the swamp where they all helped each other out and became bros. The idea was to keep everything exactly the same save for his origin, which was simple enough that Ozzy almost felt like it’d work.

  Once Lucy left Emil and Liza dropped their game faces, slouching on their pushed together cots and giving Ozzy tired looks.

  “Why the long faces?” Ozzy asked, sitting on the floor with his back pressed up against the door.

  “What’s wrong with our faces?” Liza asked, sitting up in confusion and looking over Emil’s face with concern.

  Ozzy laughed, nearly doubling over with mirth as he caught the confused and concerned looks in their eyes as they looked at each other like they’d caught diseases. He continued laughing as Liza got off the bed and slapped his arm lightly.

  “Are you calling my wife ugly?” Emil asked, trying to look stern over a half-baked smile.

  “No, never,” he managed to get out, trying to take a breath through the laughter. “It’s a saying, it means why do you both look bummed.” He barely managed to get out.

  “Liza for some reason seems sorry for you, I’m just tired because I had to get up early enough to sell some of the loot we got yesterday. Miss too good for magic boots over here didn’t want the ones I got her.”

  Liza turned over, play striking him in the ribs and shoulder. “You pulled those boots off of a corpse! They were still bloody! Of course I didn’t want them!” She said, venting her frustration on him via a series of combination attacks on his torso.

  “Never get married Ozzy, and if you do marry someone who’s not strong enough to pick on you.” Emil said, halfheartedly trying to block Liza’s attacks, though not too much success.

  “He weighs all of fifty pounds wet, he’d have to marry a pixie. Someone like Trinidad could throw him across a platform.” Liza said, cackling as she got through Emil’s defenses and booped him on the nose.

  “Seriously, it’s a good thing he can’t take fall damage!” Emil joined her in laughing at Ozzy, who sat on the floor and glared at both of them, really hoping the cots would just give out under them.

  They laughed and goofed off for a while longer, enjoying one another’s company until they heard a sharp toot from what had to be the swamp trains horn. It was just about time to set off then.

  “We’re gonna have to get going, Lucy want’s everyone on the top deck as we leave.” Emil said but before Ozzy could get up, he pulled a shard that was filled with swirling colors of every hue and saturation. “I got it this morning, wanted to give it to you as congratulations for joining the district.” He said, offering the shard to Ozzy.

  “Dude thank you,” Ozzy said, turning the shard over in his hands as he examined it before scanning it. “I can’t believe you did this, how much was it?”

  “Not all that much,” Emil said, and Ozzy knew he was lying, “it’s a shard of transformation though, I figure you might get a power that lets you do more with those guns of yours.” He said, smiling broadly as he watched Ozzy scan the item.

  *BEEP BEEP*

  Items identified:

  Shard of Transformation

  Rarity — rare

  Absorb? Yes/No

  Trusting Emil’s judgement Ozzy clicked yes to absorb the shard and felt as a wave of power flowed into his soul. The room lit up around them, a kaleidoscope of colors dancing across the walls as power swelled within his chest, overflowing his mana reserves and making him feel like he’d slept enough for a week. There was truly nothing quite like absorbing a shard.

  *BEEP BEEP*

  Power Bestowed!

  Furry Form

  Rats have long since maintained many advantages due to their form, being able to flee, remain unnoticed, and survive a myriad of environments. Furry form will allow you to slip into that form free of mana cost for heightened mana and health regeneration, at the price of greater vulnerability. Exiting Furry Form will however requite a small flat mana cost.

  Ozzy sighed, inwardly as he shared the screen with Emil and Liza. He hadn’t gotten an ability to transform his guns and make super cool weapons but one that would let him turn into a rat for recovery mode.

  Emil and Liza began to laugh again.