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Riley stared at the video that Brant had recorded.

She had to have played the video a hundred times by now.

“Again.”

Three huge monitors were before her, taking up the entirety of the wall. This was the underground room beneath Riley’s Joint, a place where Brant and she did most of her work. The behind-the-scenes tasks such as posting on the Deepweb, Surveillance and sometimes even amateur Cybertech Enhancements.

And of course, spying on her potential clients.

She watched as Artemvian turned his back to Brant and did something with his hands, whispering. Abruptly turning in a direction and always careful to keep the camera angle on his back, Artemvian moved with purpose, unlike before when he was just walking South.

Then heeconfronted the John Doe.

The target must have been a Freak, a Special or some kind of genetic experiment gone wrong. Figured that a bounty posted by one of the Pharmaceuticals wouldn’t be your typical thug. But this was all things she’d seen before, what she hadn’t ever seen was what Artemvian did.

The rapid deployment of the Mana Shield. Some kind of spell to keep the John Doe in place. Bright glow of something like fire, shooting forward like a lance.

“It doesn’t matter how many times we watch it, boss. He knew I was there, kept the angle to his back the entire time the moment things got real.” Brant shivered. “But I saw it boss. He used a Mana Shield to keep the guy in place. Then used Fire. He’s an Elementalist, a strong one at that.”

“I’m not sure he’s an Elementalist.” Riley muttered, her eyes glued to the video. “He’s a Mage for sure though.”

“He used fire!”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Which was conveniently not caught on footage.”

“I saw it!”

“There are five different schools of Magic for Mages. Biomancers. Elementalists. Mentalists. Spatials and Outliers.” Riley countered off on one hand, “So explain to me which of the five can do what he did?”

“A strong one. Any one of them can use a shield.” Brant answered. “And I saw him use Fire. He’s an Elementa-”

“How’d he find the target then?” Riley interjected.

“...Maybe he’s an Outlier.”

“As a matter of fact, which of them can use a Shield to hold down a Freak or a Genetic Experiment? Stop three bullets straight on?” Riley crossed her arms, continuing her thought like she didn’t hear Brant at all. “This guy is one of two things. Not a mage or an extremely talented one.”

“I want you to put out a request to the Voyeurs. Footage of the incident. Anything.”

“You want them to keep watch on him? They’re going to charge an arm and a leg, Boss.”

“No.” Riley shook her head, a smile starting to play across her face. “Just the footage.”

“...Boss, do you think he’ll come back?” Brant made a face. “Are you going to take him on as a client?”

Riley grabbed a hold of the mouse over Brant’s shoulder and replayed the video. “I’m counting on it.”

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Artemvian woke up as the sunlight shone through his window and across his face, tickling him awake from the darkness of sleep.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Rise and shine, Artem.” He said to himself dryly, looking at the clock.

Everything in this world was so convenient.

No need for a physical cumbersome key. A simple card sufficed. Why carry around metal coins? Some plastic cards would do. And if you didn’t want to carry around cards, you could put everything on your phone.

Artem leaned over, automatically reaching for the ‘tablet’ that Riley had let him borrow the day before.

After hauling the werewolf corpse –which turned back into a human on the way– he had been paid with 25 plastic cards, each containing 200 ‘doilies’, the currency of this world. Riley tried to explain to him how a blockchain cryptocurrency worked but Artem didn’t bother. Right now, he needed money and it mattered naught how they were untraceable, as long as they were untraceable.

But it would be handy to learn for the future in case people tried to find him.

“Only if I end up making a name for myself.” Already Artem was switching on the tablet which he’d used till 4AM yesterday, staying in bed with its blue light flickering across his face. He hadn’t even needed to cast Magelight, the thing produced light on its own.

Next to his bed was the ‘gun’ which he had taken from John Doe. He had spent precious few hours trying to figure out how it worked to no avail. All he could figure out was that it must have some trigger mechanism, like a crossbow. He could have broken it apart but didn’t want to waste it.

“I’ll ask Riley about it later.”

Then instead of washing his face, brushing his teeth or starting his day; Artem leaned back in bed and turned on the tablet, turning on ‘Meowtube’.

He snickered and chuckled.

“Ahahahaha! The cats of this world are hilarious.”

He scrolled through countless videos, some of them only seconds long. It was only when he felt hunger pangs that he rolled out of bed.

“Barely a day in this world and I’m already addicted to it.” He grumbled.

Artemvian quickly washed his face and got dressed, leaving the inn, which this world called hotels, with a couple of Doily Cards in his pocket. Within minutes he was outside, walking the streets of Nero City and heading towards Riley’s Joint. During the day, Nero City lost some of the charm it had during the light. All its faults and flaws were visible.

Young teenagers squatting in corners, smoking substances that Artemvian could only guess at. Women wore clothing far too revealing and as a matter of fact, men wore the same type of clothes obviously designed for women. He saw a thin woman with more bone than skin lead a man into a building with bright pink lights. People with wild hair ranging from purple to yellow, all wearing some kind of eye-covering like his own sunglasses, laughing at something known only to them.

Quickening his steps, Artemvian strode into Riley’s Joint.

Besides an elderly couple enjoying a glass of wine at a corner table, the place was empty. Brant stood behind the counter, cleaning a wine glass and widened his eyes when he saw Artemvian walk in.

“B-Boss! He’s back!”

“Nice to see you too.” Artemvian muttered, taking a seat at the bar. He took out a Doily Card and slapped it on the counter. “Breakfast. Now.”

“That’s not how you pay for things.” Riley pushed the curtains aside leading to the back office and stopped in front of Artemvian, taking the card and giving it back to him. “Those things are not actual Cash… think of them like a Voucher.”

Taking out another tablet, she tapped the card against it which made it beep. “See? This is how you pay. Also you’re supposed to pay after you eat, not before. Who knows what you’re going to end up with.”

Artemvian grunted. “Hungry.”

“Typical. Renaissance man devolves to a neanderthal using monosyllabic speech the moment his stomach is empty. What’s next? You forget how to use forks and knives?”

Artemvian ignored her, his gaze fixed on Brant who walked out from the back holding a plate laden with food. Meat, cheese and vegetables stuffed between two pieces of bread. Artemvian took a bite, decided he liked it and proceeded to take careful bits, talking in between.

“How much.”

“On the house.” Riley stood in front of him, watching him eat. “What kind of Mage are you? Brant thinks you’re an Elementalist,” She hooked a thumb at the young man who smiled at Artem, “But I got my money on Outlier.”

Kind of Mage?

What were they talking about?

“I saw you use fire, so I just thought…” Brant trailed off as Artemvian stared at him.

“Well?”

Artemvian swallowed. “Not sure what you mean. If you’re asking whether I’m a Mage, yes. I am. A pretty good one in fact.”

The fact that these two were talking about Magecraft so casually was reason enough to believe that Mages were common enough in this world and widely accepted. So Artemvian wouldn’t need to hide.

Good. He had enough of hiding who he was back in the Empire.

“So you don’t want to answer. That’s fine.” Riley brought out her computer. “I’m assuming you’re new in Nero City?”

“Yes.” He answered, taking the last bite of his food.

“Then these are the list of things you need. A new identity plus the forged papers to go along with it. You need an actual bank account for tax purposes, because eventually someone's going to start asking where you’re getting your doilies from and walking around carrying doily cards is an easy way to get mugged in a dark alley.” Riley started typing on her laptop. “You’ll need your own place to stay, preferably one with good security… and lastly, someone you can trust.”

Artemvian picked up a flat piece of food, brittle to the touch and popped it in his mouth. It crunched audibly and he tasted a hint of vinegar? Salt?

He whispered, taking another bite. “These? What are these called?”

“Chips. Potato chips. Salt & Vinegar.” Brant lifted his head higher. “I made them myself.”

“Potatoes.” The former Historius Daemonus Inquisito’s voice had a measure of respect, reverent even. “Wow. Potatoes.”

“You must be a Potato-mancer.”

Brant made a face. “I’m not-”

“Hey, are you listening?” Riley snapped and the woman’s voice made Artem focus.

“I heard you.” He said, sighing as he put the chips aside. They were good but not that good. He had to focus on what Riley was saying. “You’re saying I need gold, -er I mean money. Money and a place to stay. Plus forged identity papers and a friend.”

“We’re not friends.” Riley said without missing a beat.

He opened his mouth to say something witty but the tone in her voice and the look on her face made him pause. Then he shrugged. “An acquaintance.”

“You need a broker.” Riley put her hands on the counter, leaning forward. “I actually don’t care what type of Mage you are. I decided it doesn’t matter.”

She put out a hand, obviously for a handshake. “How would you like to make a deal with me, Artemvian Moneti Delacreu?”

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