Before he could even react, Dick slapped metal shackles on Steak’s wrists.

“Come on, follow me. Resist and I’ll just cut you down,” Dick said as he yanked the chain toward him. “On second thought, resist as much as you can please,” he chuckled.

“I’m serious, I didn’t know that what I was doing was illegal or bad!” Steak pleaded.

“You’re going to play it off as ignorance, huh? Besides, you’ve already admitted that what you did was bad,” Dick let out an ugly snort.

“Ugh,” Steak couldn’t say anything back.

Dick pulled Steak out of the dark alley that he was in and brought him out to the main street, parading him around like some kind of captured animal.

“Don’t worry folks!” Dick called out to the onlookers. “Stay calm, I’ve captured this damned criminal who dares to break our peace,” he said.

Most of them didn’t say anything and just watched with blank expressions on their faces. The only ones who cheered were the drunkards that weren’t really sure what was going on.

Despite the embarrassing humiliation trial that Steak has been subjected to, he didn’t feel a shred of nervousness or fear of being taken away by the local authority. He felt more surprised by the fact that he didn’t feel surprised at all. It was like his body or he himself was used to this kind of treatment. That emptiness inside of him was a familiar feeling.

“Wait!” That unstable voice of a teenage boy was all too familiar for Steak. In just one awkward word, he managed to go to a low and high-pitched tone. “This guy is with me!” Rook grabbed Steak by the shoulder which was several inches above his own head.

“And who is this ‘me’?” Dick turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

“Rochester O’Kelly, sir, and I work for the M.O.C.,” Rook tried to puff his chest out as he spoke.

“M.O.C.? Haven’t heard of them. Besides, I don’t care what kind of little street gang you’re a part of, this big motherfucker did something bad, so naturally he’ll get punished for it,” Dick scratched his head.

“What?” Rook was shocked. “How have you not heard of them if you’re part of the Town Guards? Don’t tell me you’re also one of the last batch of humans who got sent here,” he said.

Before Dick could say anything back he was interrupted by a deep, commanding voice.

“You, young sir, are correct. I’ll take over from here officer Dick,” Roald, the imposing man Steak met back in the white room, said.

Roald wore the same armor as Dick, except for the bright colored short cape on his back. And, instead of a sword on his hip, he instead had a large warhammer slung across his shoulder and a baton on belt.

“Captain! What do you mean? It’s pretty clear this Steak guy is pretty sketchy. He’s hanging around some kid, and it hasn’t been a month since we all got here,” Dick complained.

“Mr. O’Kelly, was it? Do you mind showing me a permit to operate given to you by the Murder of Crows?” Roald asked Rook, ignoring Dick.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Rook meekly said. He pulled out a wood emblem the size of his palm. It had the same crow-like mark that the tattoos of the three who chased him in the forest two weeks ago had.

Roald transferred a tiny portion of his Mana into it, confirming its legitimacy. “Everything seems to be in order,” he said.

“No way, how’d a guy like you get involved with Murder of Crows?” Dick asked Steak, utter confusion in his voice.

“It’s none of our business Dick. This area wasn’t part of your designated patrol route,” Roald reprimanded his subordinate and removed Steak’s shackles.

“Captain, eh? You’re moving on up quickly,” Steak commented, rubbing his wrists.

Roald stared into Steak’s eyes momentarily. Confused by the gesture, Steak tilted his head to the side like a clueless dog. This made Roald let out a deep sigh.

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“I got appointed to command a small team of my own. Most of us are from the same batch that met briefly in the white room,” Roald started. “You’re welcome to come join us if you find any trouble with the current company that you hold,” he glanced at the seemingly innocent-looking boy next to him.

Behind Roald, Dick glared at Steak. He then proceeded to motion with his fingers, pointing at his eyes then at Steak. It was as if he was saying ‘I’ve got my eye on you,’ to him. The whole sequence made Rook shudder not from fear or intimidation, but from cringe.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’m gonna be welcomed much over there,” Steak said.

“The offer stands until you do something really bad, ignorant of it or not. Take care,” Roald said, dragging Dick along by the collar of his breastplate.

“Now that they’re finally gone, let’s go grab something to eat and talk business,” Rook said.

“Sounds great, I’m sick of those nutrient bars back in the shack,” Steak said.

***

In a dirty noodle shop in one of the alleys of Spawnharbor’s red-light district, Steak and Rook ate their food on stools and tables caked in dried mud. Steak assumed that it was made out of wood under all of that dirt.

“You’ve only sold one cigarette!?” Rook shouted, his mouth still filled with food.

“Quit spraying in my direction, man,” Steak wiped his face. “Yeah, I sold it to that Dick guy, the one that had me in shackles. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sell much with this curse still on me,” he said.

“Ah, was it? Fine, I’ll handle the selling part of it, but I’m going to have to cut your share,” Rook said.

“Oh, and you’re probably going to have to pay for this meal as well. The Credits I received reduced the debt that I have, but I can’t really spend any of it until it goes past zero,” Steak said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rook said, slurping away their money problems.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s all this ‘Murder of Crows’ business? Why’d Dick seem all surprised to hear us associated with them?” Steak asked.

“Firstly, don’t ever say the group’s name in public like that again. I won’t warn you twice,” Rook pushed aside the bowl, his appetite gone. “They’re one of the five influential groups here in Spawnharbor. You’ve encountered two of them, first is the M.O.C. and second is the Town Guard. These groups sort of act like a pseudo-government to keep peace and order in this large town in an unknown world,” Rook explained.

“Then why’d the guys chasing you have the same emblem tattooed on their bodies as that badge of yours? They looked more like criminals than public servants to me,” Steak said.

“That’s because they are,” Rook leaned in closer. “The M.O.C. are a large criminal group. They control this part of town, earning their coin through prostitution, loan sharks, and even murder. It’s just that the other four groups of Spawnharbor have agreed that they’d let it slide as long as their mess doesn’t reach their side. Besides, it’s their ‘services’ that bring the most amount of Credits,” Rook whispered.

Steak let the information stir around his brain for a moment. From what he understood, these Murder of Crows guys are bad people that get to do bad things because they earn a lot of money. However, Steak didn’t understand where the money came from in the first place, especially with Spawnharbor being the only town in the immediate area.

“Where the hell do Credits even come from?” Steak asked.

“Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting you’re a newcomer,” Rook said. “They come from Quests or Opportunities. People can give out these Quests to other people without spending a single Credit. The Credits seem to come from the system itself,” Rook explained.

“Isn’t that easily abused? Like, what if you gave me a Quest that’s easy to do and just make infinite Credits like that?” Steak asked.

“Of course people have tried that five years ago,” Rook rolled his eyes. “The System is pretty invasive, it or they can read our thoughts and intentions, without us even knowing what our true intentions are. It also gives out the appropriate amount of Credits. So, if a butcher wants some meat, he can create a quest and have other people bring him meat for it. There’s a chance that a quest might be created. But if there’s none then the butcher would have to pay out of his own pocket,” Rook explained.

Steak scratched his head. “That still seems a bit confusing,” he sighed.

“Don’t worry about it too much. Just think of it as an entity printing money to help the economy,” Rook said.

“Yeah, I might stick with that,” Steak said, still not fully understanding the whole concept of the Quest system.

Rook chuckled at the sight of Steak’s confused expression. It was the first time that the kid actually acted like a kid, and it was also Steak’s first time seeing him like this. This made him wonder what kind of life he led to get to this point.

“You know,” Steak started. “There’s nothing crow-like to you at all. You’re more like an owl,” he said.

“What the hell does that even mean?” Rook giggled again.

***

Spying around on one of the corners of the alley was the toothless member of Murder of Crows. His two lackeys were behind him, trying to push him out of the way to see what he was looking at.

“Stop that, will you?” The toothless man whispered.

“Is that the boy? The gall of him to show up around here,” the lanky man said.

“Mmm, I want some noodles too,” the fat one said.

“Will you two be quiet? I’m trying to hear what they’re talking about. I’ve heard Credits a couple of times, you guys think he’s carrying a hefty amount on him?” The toothless man asked.

“Well, he should have some. That boy’s eating something that’s not a nutrient bar for once!” The fat one exclaimed.

“What he said!” The lanky one seconded.

“Alright, let’s tail him a bit more and see what he’s up to,” the toothless man said.