Edric arrived at the merchant district, flashing his job file to the guards at the gate. They inspected it before waving him through, their eyes scanning the streets warily. The tension in the air was thick. The lockdown had made everyone on edge.

  Inside, the merchant guild buzzed with activity, though it wasn't that lively, instead filled with chaotic energy Edric had expected. Instead, workers moved in hushed urgency, their faces drawn with exhaustion. He recognized that look. It reminded him of overworked office workers back on Earth. The kind that were in overtime without any extra pay.

  Taking a seat in the waiting area, he folded his arms, watching the employees shuffle about, going from one room to another.

  Then, someone plopped down beside him.

  Edric turned to see a man, lean but well-built, dressed in a loose-fitting tunic and pants. The attire had a monastic feel, something from a temple, and he carried a long wooden staff carved with intricate runes. His body language was loose, relaxed as he stretched his arms wide and took space.

  The man grinned the moment he caught Edric sizing him up. "Hey there! You on this job too?" His voice was full of energy, the complete opposite of the drained workers around them. "Name's Kael!"

  Edric hesitated. Should he give a fake name? Or pretend to be the silent, brooding companion? After racking his head, he decided to screw it.

  "You can call me Ed." His voice was low, measured.

  Kael, unfazed by the lack of enthusiasm, leaned forward. "Didn’t expect someone else to take this one. Pretty sweet gig, right?"

  "I guess," Edric muttered. Thinking to himself, agreeing internally. The reward was pretty sweet.

  Kael nodded. "Found it at the East Guild. A job paying this much? Had to take it."

  "Same here," Edric admitted. Why am I even talking to this guy?

  Before Kael could fire off another question, a guild employee called them into a meeting room.

  Inside, a large table dominated the space, a detailed map of Magnus spread across it. Behind the table stood a merchant, dressed in fine green robes, his face slick with sweat. He looked like a man being crushed by stress.

  "Good, you're here," he said, his voice tired. "Let’s get on with it."

  He placed a marker on the map. "I need ten crates of medicinal herbs transported to District 10. You’ll escort the carriage from the east gate, follow the outer wall, and take this route inside." He traced a drawn path with his finger. The path started from the merchant guild, then slowly to the outskirts near the outer walls.

  Kael leaned in. "Sounds easy enough." he grinned.

  The merchant gave him a deadpan stare. "There will be thieves. And possibly worse."

  Kael grinned. "Relax, Ed, and I can handle it." He said, wrapping his arms around Edric.

  The merchant sighed, clearly unimpressed. "Don’t joke around. After delivery, you’ll guard the cargo overnight. The client will pick it up at dawn. Understood?"

  Edric and Kael nodded.

  "Good. The job starts in an hour. Wait in the lounge until then," the merchant gestured his hand to leave the room like pests.

  Edric slumped onto a couch, rubbing his temple. Kael, of course, sat beside him again.

  Why is this guy stuck to me like glue? Edric was a bit unnerved by how close his companion sat, a bit too close for comfort.

  "So, where are you from?" Kael asked casually. His hands were playing around with his staff.

  "A different planet," Edric deadpanned. Not a lie technically.

  Kael stared at for an awkward second. Then he leaned forward and burst out laughing like a siphon.

  Why is he laughing like it’s the best joke in the world? Or is this those sarcastic laughs?

  "Alright, alright," Kael said between chuckles. "Guessing you meant another continent. I meant quite a few people like that. But you don’t look…. What to put it…" He scorched his chin, trying to come up with a word.

  “Exotic..” Edric interrupted.

  “Yeah, that's the one,” He snapped his finger. “So what’s it like?”

  Edric hesitated. "Can’t say. Lost parts of my memory in an accident."

  Kael’s expression softened, his eyes widened. "Damn… That sucks, man. Can’t imagine how that felt, but I’m sure it’s a bit lonely."

  Why is he looking at me like a sad puppy?

  "So, why are you here then?"

  Edric leaned back. "Trying to get answers. But the lockdown ruined my plans. Needed money, and ended up here."

  Kael nodded thoughtfully. "The source of your problems, huh?"

  Edric hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Do you know much about House Veyra?"

  Kael whistled. "Who doesn’t? Shame about them. The mighty lions of the kingdom, brought down overnight."

  Hmm.. Perhaps I can get something from him…

  "If they were so famous, why doesn’t anyone talk about them?" Edric asked eagerly.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Kael leaned forward, lowering his voice in a hushed tone. "Fear."

  Edric’s gaze sharpened, his spine went stiff.

  "Veyra wasn’t just another noble house," Kael continued. "They were more popular than the royal family. Money, loyalty, warriors, they had everything. People loved them, and so they flocked like geese to live there. Four years ago, something happened. No one knows exactly what. The estate was declared dead. Reports of… casualties in the House estate and their owned land."

  Edric frowned. "Casualties?"

  "Some say a dragon wiped them out. Others say a plague. Some whisper of a curse placed by rival houses. The truth? No one knows."

  Edric studied Kael carefully. He knows more than he lets on. A bit too much.

  "What do you believe?"

  Kael tapped his fingers on his staff. "Could be all of the above. They had plenty of enemies."

  "The king didn’t intervene?"

  Kael snorted. "The king isn’t stupid. His young and cunning, sure. But even he knew their worth keeping as allies. It could’ve been the queen—she’s from House Serpha. Or maybe one of the princes. Or a collateral branch of Veyra betrayed them."

  Edric narrowed his eyes. "You’re well-informed."

  Kael smirked. "I read. My step-father was a scholar, taught me a thing or two."

  Edric considered this. "So, the estate… what’s it like now?"

  Kael’s face darkened. " I haven’t been there myself in years, but according to rumors, it's dangerous; Monsters, toxic land, and bandits. No one knows which is true. Not to mention the government placed a gag order on any info about Veyra." He paused. "Wait… you’re not actually thinking of going there, are you?"

  Edric gave a noncommittal shrug.

  Kael groaned. "Don’t! It’s a death trap."

  I underestimated this guy. Despite his carefree attitude, he’s sharp.

  Their conversation continued until a guild worker entered.

  "The job is starting. Get ready."

  Edric and Kael stood up, making their way toward the mission site.

  They wait at the east gate, and the workers carry the crates and put them in a carriage. Kael, beside him, stretches his arm and swings his staff. Horses stood ready, their handlers whispering to calm them. Guards checked weapons, exchanging wary glances.

  The sun hung high, but the tension in the air made it feel colder.

  "Well," Kael said, rolling his shoulders. "Time to earn our pay."

  The trip went smoothly at the start. Edirc sat next to the driver while Kael stood on top. Taking glances in case of danger, the road following the wall was a dirt road, looking used, and made its way into a small forest path.

  Then a sudden *BOOM* , smoke covered the entire field, guard panic, the driver stops the horses, Edric trys to look around but with no luck, he couldn’t see a thing. He started panicking and flaying his arms, then

  Kael then jumps into the air with his staff, summoning wind currents that blow away the smoke in an instant.

  Wind currents? Is his ability Wind?

  “Who goes there?” Kael lands in front of the carriage. As the smoke disappeared, 6-8 men came into sight. All wore the outfit, a snake tattoo in their bicep and face covered in masks. Looks to be a gang. Edric didn’t expect people this early.

  Edric wrapped his index finger on the trigger, ready to shoot, but he trembled. I haven’t used this thing in a while. What if I kill someone? Edric's fears grew more and more and froze him stiff in place.

  The gang members hesitated only for a second before charging- Kael was getting ganged up by 2-3 people at the same time. One of them snuck passed Kael and lunged at Edric.

  Edric body reacted before his mind could - he stepped back, his kicked to the front but the gang member doged. His hand still frozen at the trigger.

  Move. Shoot. Aim

  His finger hesitated at the trigger

  Damn it

  The attacker was almost on him. He raised his machete in a stabbing position.

  Kael, still grinning, stepped back in between them. Twirled his staff, cracking it against the gang member with a thud. The attacker staggered back but still got up

  Kael shot Edric a quick glance “Hey, breathe, you got this”

  Edric forced himself to move, raising his gun.

  Kael, meanwhile, surged forward, swinging his staff in wide arcs. He danced between his opponents, winds surging out in every strike. When one gets knocked down, another one comes to take their place.

  “This is getting annoying,” Kael muttered as two more rushed him from his blind spot.

  Edric clenched his ja.w Come on, focus

  One of the gang members with a spear aimed at Kael, Kael is too busy fighting to notice it. But Edric does.

  Edric's breath steadied. Come on, you got this.

  He fires.

  *BOOM*

  With a high chime, a green ray burst from the gun. The green ray hits the attacker, his spears clattering to the ground.

  Kael looked back.“There it is” he called out, with a smug expression“Took you long enough.”

  Edric took a deep breath. No more freezing up. Edric calmed down and got an idea.

  “Hey! Kael, think you can make a vortex?” Edric called out Kael. As he made his way up the carriage, and stood on the roof.

  “UH?” Kael thinks for a second,“Ohh, sounds fun. Be ready to shoot”.

  Kael swings his staff clockwise, fast enough to create a vortex. The vortex grabs the attackers one by one. Kael rotates his staff up, sending each attacker flying one by one.

  Edric focuses his vision, his vision blurs as he activates his ability, and only the attackers are visible.

  Edric raised his gun.

  One shot. Another. Then another.

  Each bullet struck true, sending the airborne attackers crashing back down.

  Within seconds, the fight was over. The last thug hit the dirt with a heavy thud, groaning.

  Kael spun his saff in his hand, letting out a whistle. “Whew, that was satisfying.”

  Edric holstered his gun under his pants, letting out a sigh in relief.

  Kael nudged him, “Nice thing you got there. I knew you got this.”

  Edric glanced at the carriage drivers; their shocked expression began loosening up, and some were checking the crates for damage.

  Edric got an idea, “Hey Kael, do you think these guys has some loot on them?”.

  Kael smiled, got Edric's intention as clear as day. While the carriage employees were distracted, Kael stripped the attackers of useful loot, mostly money,

  “Here’s half,” Kael gave a bag of coins and items to Edric. The carriage drivers didn’t notice anything, thankfully.

  After they checked everything, the trip resumed operations.

  The rest of the trip wasn’t exactly peaceful, but it wasn’t as dramatic.

  More bandits tried their luck, but by then, Edric and Kael got in rhythm. Kael dealt with close combat, his wind magic knocking them off balance, while Edric provided ranged support, taking down anyone who got too close.

  The wagon kept rolling, and by the time they neared District 10, they had left behind a trail of unconscious attackers. After that , the bandits seemed to stop coming altogether. Edric grew tired and dozed off with the rhythmic rattle of the cart.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, they finally arrived at their destination.

  The drop of point was an abandoned warehouse. The merchants unloaded the crates while Edric and Kael took their position outside.

  After unloading the merchants left for an inn for the night. Edric and Kael stood outside the warehouse alone.

  The night was quiet, too quiet.

  Kael let out a yawn. “YAWN. Alright, I’m gonna take a nap, wake me up in 3 hours, and we can shift”. He slumped down, leaned his back against the wall, and quickly his consensus faded.

  Kael slept in one corner of the warehouse door, Edric on the other side, and sat down to relax. His muscles still carried a faint ache. He massaged his feet, then–

  What an eventful day. I wonder..hmm

  Edric opens his status window. He noticed all his abilities had leveled up.

  [Markmanship Level 5->8]

  [GhostStep Level 3->5]

  Even Ghoststeps leveled up? I didn’t even use it. Edric reads its description. Now I can use it for 5 seconds. Edric observed his status window for a while. He then takes off his hood and meditates for a while. A habit he did on earth.

  Midnight drew near, and nothing strange happened.

  Edric put on his hood; it was almost time to wake Kael up. He shakes Kael a few times, “Yawn, time already.” Kael stretches out and sits up.

  Then all of a sudden, Edric felt something from the warehouse.

  *THUD*

  A loud thud came from the warehouse. Kael and Edric looked at each other. Edric then opened the door to see a shadowy figure. It came through a hole in the back. Once the figure saw the light, it darted to escape.

  Without notice, Kael ran towards it,

  Why does something always happen..

  Edric followed suit, not knowing what would occur….