It was the middle of the afternoon when Synthia, Iggy and Christoph made it to Doras an Tsaorsa. Realizing how conspicuous they would already look carrying a half-dead man into town even without the rare zeitcycle, the two hid it in some shrubbery outside of town. Synthia made sure to keep the keys in her robes.

She stretched out, her body aching with fatigue from the long ride. Her earlier exhaustion from fighting Drea weighed her down as well. The sooner they could put Christoph on the mend, the better. They'd also figure out what to do with the dangerous weapon gluing itself to Synthia's back without support.

Doras an Tsaorsa was a rather dismal place. The skies around it seemed gray, all colour sucked out from the surroundings like the Mioja. Muddy roads and old factory buildings were propped up all over town with brick apartments beside them al, standing like giant boxes.

Iggy, a little stressed from watching over Christoph and feeding him recovery potions, looked Synthia's robe up and down. She had taken a potion herself to quickly heal the wound that had formed at her temple. "Okay, you're not going into town looking like that."

"Huh?"

"You look suspicious. You need to look more like me, blend in."

Synthia chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is that right? Have you... ever been to a place like this? If anything, you're dressed wrong, and I doubt any of your other clothes will fit in here."

"Huh?"

Synthia walked over to Christoph, pulling a gray traveller's cloak out of her bag and pulling it over him. She also wrapped the Mioja in white cloth, ensuring it was completely concealed. Making sure it was wrapped tight enough, she nodded to Iggy, indicating her to help pick up Christoph. She resumed speaking as she slowly picked up Christoph's injured side.

"Wilvur told me about places like this... harrumph! These are hotspots for temporal distortions."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that this is where they mine time. Except it seems this place has all dried up."

Shuffling into town, they ignored any passersby and trudged on. Synthia picked up that, true to her prediction, everybody present was wearing rather ragged clothes. Iggy was attracting stares for her fancy, if somewhat muddied, attire.

They seem a little eager, Synthia observed in her head. Iggy, for her part, was rather oblivious to the stares. Making a note to keep an eye out for any muggers, Synthia trudged along carrying Christoph.

Making their way to the local hospital, Synthia and Iggy continued dragging Christoph along. They nudged open the door and trudged inside.

Looking around, they were in a waiting room. A reception desk was set up a few steps ahead. The place seemed to be cleaned rather infrequently, dust kicking up as the girls stepped forward. They shared a skeptical look, wondering if admitting Christoph here would save his life or be a death sentence.

Still, they made their way over to the receptionist, eyes searching for a gurney to place their companion on. They found none.

"Yes," the receptionist droned, picking dirt from under her nails. Synthia slammed some lepta on the counter, bills and coins wheeling about. She indicated Christoph.

"This man needs emergency medical treatment. I don't know how much longer he has left."

Life seemed to return to the receptionist's eyes for a moment, though only briefly. "You'll have to wait for a while then."

Iggy clucked her tongue in annoyance. The receptionist's eyes narrowed. "I can make you wait even longer if you'd prefer."

Synthia placed a hand over the money, sliding it forward. "Look, this guy's dying. We've come a long way and he needs attention now. I'm paying for it, isn't that how this country's health care is supposed to work?"

The receptionist shrugged. "Depends on how much you can pay."

"How much is it then?"

The receptionist leaned back, shrugging. "Can't say. How serious are his injuries?"

Trying not to snap at her, Synthia took in a deep breath. For once, she had to be the calm one. "Life-threatening, and it's not a joke. Please, just get your doctor out here, or surgeon or whoever. The nurse, I don't care, just somebody who can help him."

"I'd say the wait would be about 4 hours," the receptionist said. "The doc who's supposed to be in is down by the pub."

Both girls were stunned. "But it's still the afternoon," Iggy pointed out.

"And the afternoon is Doctor Reigan's favourite time to drink. So you can sit and wait for him to come back."

Christoph groaned. Synthia could practically feel his life force sapping away by the second.

Coming to a decision, Synthia grabbed the money and thrust it back into her pocket. "Thank you, but we'll have to go somewhere else. C'mon."

"Why even come in here then?" the receptionist muttered.

"Oh, piss off you stuck-up bitch," Synthia shot back, ignoring the indignant gasp as she and Iggy carried Christoph back out again.

"What do we do?" Iggy asked as they trudged forward. "Drive somewhere else? Probably shorter than waiting for Doctor Hammered to show up."

At a loss, Synthia stopped for a moment. "I... I think that we should..."

Dammit, why did any of this have to happen? It was supposed to be simple. Just grab some ancient relic nobody's sure even exists and then gather the rest. That was it. But now she was supporting a half-dead man and couldn't make heads or tails of what to do.

Iggy was watching her quietly, waiting for her to come to a decision.

Shaking her head, Synthia sighed. They'd hit a dead end, and it may end up being literal in Christoph's case.

"Trouble, perhaps?"

The girls jumped, looking behind them at the deep voice that had resounded. A slight man in a torn, pinstriped coat stood before them. He laced his fingers together, eyes gleaming from beneath his bowler hat.

"Then follow me." His surprisingly rich voice reverberating from his lips once again, stringy mustache dancing as he spoke.

Iggy made to walk forward and obey his request, trusting him blindly, but she stopped once Synthia snorted. "You? How do we know you don't have anybody waiting to jump us?"

"You don't, but I assure you, this is a town without thieves. Only businessmen. Besides, do you have a choice? Does he?" The man turned on his heel, sparing not another word. With no recourse, Synthia and Iggy gave each other resigned expressions before following after him.

The man led them to a narrow alley between apartment buildings, slipping through like he was made of water. Taking the lead, Synthia rotated the group sideways so they could all sidle through. The smell of old mortar and brick pressed in on them, front and back.

Squeezing out, the girls were astonished by the sight that awaited them.

As opposed to the dreary outside they had seen, they had now entered a bright marketplace hub. There were considerably more people here than there were at the front of town. Carpets hung on stands on one end, peddlers indicating earthenware pots. A dancer was even performing in front of a tavern, blowing kisses to nearby men as she whirled about in a gold marching uniform. The entire place was surrounded by large buildings, no easy way out other than where they had entered to be found. It wasn't quite a bazaar but seemed to function like one.

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"I already regret this," Iggy said.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Synthia said. "Hey, pinstripe dude! We've got a man dying over here. Please tell me we didn't follow you for nothing."

The slight man snapped his fingers. From the crowd, a bulky man in carefully tailored took hold of him and slung him over his shoulders.

"H-Hey!"

Waving them over, the slight man kept walking ahead of the girls alongside his apparent bodyguard, hands behind his back. Synthia and Iggy had no choice but to follow.

Synthia began interrogating the man. "Look, I really need to know, is he—"

"Yes, yes, he'll be fine," the man said. "I assure you, he shall receive the best medical care I can provide."

Iggy balked a little at a drunken man stumbling past, happily belting out some incoherent melody. "How?"

"Because the best doctor in town is on my payroll," the man explained. "Doctor Reigan and that other fool they hired are paid to do nothing. They laze around and are on a permanent paid semi-retirement, only occasionally checking in to do some work if at all. Perhaps once a week at best. Amazing, given both are only in their forties. Ah, here we are!"

They had arrived at a wooden building. Bare bones and rustic, the place looked more like a glorified shack than anything else.

"Do not let appearances deceive you, my young ladies," the man said, pulling back the curtain and letting his bodyguard step in first. "Although perhaps retain a degree of caution. Not everybody in here is of such fine distinction as myself."

Synthia clenched her fists. She could feel the Mioja grow heavy on her back, and some part of her itched to draw it out in defense. She resisted the urge, however, and walked into the building.

The inside was no less remarkable than the outside. Round wooden tables were placed everywhere, an information board on the other end of the room. Stairs leading up to the second floor could be seen to the right, but Synthia found her eyes drawn to the man carrying Christoph. He stepped through a door to the left.

"Do not worry, your friend is being sent for proper treatment," the man said. "So long as you do something for me, he will be set upon the road to recovery."

Iggy chuckled darkly. "And here's the catch."

Synthia stepped forward. "What do you need me to do, Mr...?"

"Blanc," the man answered. "Mr. Blanc, if you would be so kind. And good, my estimation of you was correct. You are no ordinary traveller and quick to get down to business. An adventurer, perhaps?"

"Sort of, I guess. Why do you need me of all people to run your errand?"

Blanc laced his fingers together again. "Regulars are all tied up and, forgive me, I noticed I could request your services without necessarily paying you. Consider this a favour for a favour."

Synthia looked at the door the bodyguard had gone through and then back at Blanc. She noticed Iggy giving her a pointed look but took it in stride. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

Clapping his hands together, Blanc's jovial demeanor grew more pronounced. "Wonderful! I will be setting you up with a partner. Fear not, it is a simple job. The aeternus fields where this town harvested time has been afflicted by a variety of temporal distortions. Do you fine ladies know what we do with it?"

Nonplussed, the girls shook their heads. This seemed to be the reaction Blanc was hoping for.

"Aha! Then allow me to show you a little product we create here for some extra revenue. Stay back though! People have been known to lose fingers when not operating these properly."

Synthia and Iggy were slightly annoyed by the charade but still paid attention to his demonstration. Realizing that she was stepping into a shady part of the building, Synthia stepped further to the side. She hoped her eyes hadn't turned gold. If Blanc had noticed them or her shifty demeanor, he didn't show it.

Walking over to one of the tables, Blanc picked up a copper tube. Sliding up a metal sleeve revealed a clear glass container inside it. Trapped within was some sort of distorted pocket of energy, circling around furiously inside the glass. It reminded Synthia of the Mioja.

"This, my lovely young ladies, is the solution to garbage contamination! You simply place any and all items you wish to throw away inside it, like so..."

Opening the top of the tube, the sound of sucking air whistled through the room. Taking a piece of paper, Blanc dropped it inside. It crumpled up and faded to dust in the blink of an eye. Not a shred of it was left.

Synthia grew impressed. "Whoa! That's a cool toy you've got there!"

Shaking her head, Iggy sighed. "It's a regular garbage disposal tank, Synthia. They don't have too many on this continent, but it's quite common in other parts of the world. You've just gotta be careful when using it."

"Synthia, you said her name was?" Blanc popped the tube shut. Realizing her mistake, Iggy's face grew red with embarrassment as Synthia gave her a not-so-gentle nudge in the ribs.

"Yeah, yeah, you've got us where you want us and all that." Synthia was unfazed despite her name being unwittingly handed over to this shady back alley dealer. "You knowing my name doesn't really matter when you've got our friend there. Just don't mention me to any government agents and I won't mention you, Mr. Blasé or whoever you really are. Who am I working with?"

Blanc chuckled. "You are very direct, I'll give you that. Livian, Evarius, get out here! I've found your third partner."

A pair from the other end of the room walked over. One was an olive-skinned woman, her gaze tense and vigilant beneath dark bangs. Her hair was tied into a short ponytail. Although it was the elf beside her that made Synthia and Iggy almost take a step back.

In some ways he looked like any other grizzled hired hand with a salt and pepper stubbled chin, crisp crew cut, a broken nose and hulking frame. Hell, he even had a distinctive scar running down his right eye. What balanced it all out was his regal composure. While aged and weathered through whatever his line of work had shown him, he possessed an air of quiet confidence. A steadiness that both assured and intimidated in equal measure.

Scratching at his ears, the elf named Evarius looked down upon Synthia and her own less-pointy pair. "So this is what you've turned to Blanc? Hiring any little girl who comes your way?"

Blanc chuckled. There was no warmth in his tone. "Come now, Evarius! You know I can easily parse through who's qualified for a job or not. You two are to go with her to the aeternus fields. The other fine young lady can stay here."

Iggy seemed on the verge of gagging at his slippery attitude. "I think I'd rather go on the job."

Looking around, Synthia pulled her aside for a moment. She excused herself to Blanc as they walked a good distance away. "I'm sorry, but you need to keep watch here."

Iggy was repulsed. "And stay with this creep?"

"He's got Christoph." Synthia placed a firm hand on Iggy's arm. "We need to make sure he keeps his end of the deal. You need to make sure. Just take this one for the team, I know you can do it."

Looking back at Blanc who had been staring at her eerily, Iggy shook her head. "Fine."

"Awesome!" Synthia flounced back to the others. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"I'll explain on the way," Evarius said gruffly. "C'mon."

Giving Iggy a wave, Synthia followed Evarius out the door. The woman named Livian trailed behind them, sparing a blank glance in Iggy's direction and making her jump a little.

Once they had all left, Iggy patted her hands at her sides and gave Blanc a nervous smile. The slight man nodded and practically creeped up the stairs. Seeing nothing else to do, Iggy strode over to the door the bodyguard had taken Christoph through. It opened with a creek and closed with an even louder one as she pulled it shut behind her.

...

Evarius led the way out of the hidden market. They marched to the opposite end of town, and Synthia whistled as she saw the vehicle they were headed towards.

It was a large crimson truck, with a spacious cabin up front and a generous flatbed in the back. The bulky, pockmarked frame was propped up two feet above the ground with thick tires caked in dirt. Evarius clambered up into the front, turning the ignition. The car rumbled to life. His features stretched wide as he smiled, scars lifting a centimeter or so up. "Well little girl, it looks like you're about to be in for the best ride of your life, that I guarantee you. Make sure you take it all in."

Synthia made to climb up into the seat beside him but found herself shoved to the side by Livian. Stumbling, she glared at the woman as she climbed up, sitting herself in the front. Synthia had to sit in the back.

"Blanc is a fool if he thinks we need to settle for amateurs on this gig," Livian said. She kicked her dirty boots up on the dash before Evarius swatted at them. She pulled them back down.

"I remember you looked way worse before your first job," he said. "And besides, we're going up against shreddermoles. Even a pipsqueak like her should get this done."

"I'm right here," Synthia grumbled.

"Let's just get this done then, grab our info and leave. I've had it with this dump." Livian leaned back, chair stretching out and almost squishing Synthia along with it. She scurried to the other side of the seat bench.

"We've only been here for an hour," Evarius said, exasperated. He looked at Synthia in the rear view mirror.

"You ever deal with shreddermoles, kid?"

"No, but they're usually the first type of enemy the heroes fight in the stories I read," Synthia said. She clenched her fists, getting excited despite the circumstances. It was beginning to feel like a real adventure again.

Snorting at the starry look in her eyes, Evarius wheeled them away from Doras. "Well, this ain't like your stories, so just be prepared to do some pest control. Shreddermoles are nasty little things, but they're still living creatures. You're gonna be killing them, you know?"

Faltering a little, Synthia scratched the back of her head. "I guess I'm still an amateur. I'll try my best."

"Ugh," Livian groaned. Synthia wondered if she could kick her at the angle she was at.

"That's okay, I guess," Evarius said. "Just so long as you don't slow things down too much. Come on, time to do a little clean-up. It's only ten minutes away."

Synthia found herself quickly taken in by Evarius. Christoph was affable enough but incredibly stern, almost like he was trying to be a mentor. Evarius, on the other hand, saw their relationship as simply being partners on a job, and she liked the feeling. She still wanted to kick Livian though, who had begun snoring despite the supposedly short journey.

With the afternoon growing late, the three made their way in the massive truck. The depressing aesthetic of Doras an Tsaorsa was now at their backs.