Alex stared nervously at the parlor doors. He had yet to actually get close enough to step through them, yet, and mostly stood off to the side, pining like a teen for his first crush. His fingers mindlessly traced the lines of his bootleg tattoo. He always wanted to get a real status tattoo, the kind that could show the world that he wasn't an NPC. He had magic, he had power, and people should respect him for it.

The only reason he wasn't striding in with his head held high was because he wasn't sure this was the right thing to do. Technically, he couldn't afford to get a status tattoo in the first place, let alone replace the one he already had. But Zack had been absent for over a week now, and the dungeon was suffering because of it. If Zack never came back, their business might crumble before it even had a chance to really take off.

Alex wanted a fallback plan, just in case things didn't work out. He had enough money to get a new status tattoo, and Greg knew a guy who could help him forge adventurer paperwork. All he had to do was take this first step, and he could start a new life as an adventurer…

Only, he wasn't sure that's what he really wanted. In the short few weeks that Dungeon Inc was operating, Alex found that he enjoyed the work it entailed more than any other job he ever held. Sure, there was the customer service stuff that he could live without, but the customers were a lot friendlier to him than at any big box retail store. He hadn't encountered a single Karen yet, let alone one that would blast him through a merchandise display at the slightest insult. Plus, he enjoyed spending time with Zack again.

It was almost like they were back in college, with Zack's wild creativity infecting Alex's waking moments. He just saw the world in such a wild way, it almost made Alex jealous.

But Zack was gone again. Archie wasn't able to wake him up, and wouldn't tell the others where Zack's core was hidden. The dungeon was operating on a fraction of the usual power. The Medibolds had to be carefully monitored, in case they were injured or ran out of mana. The spider warren had to be shut down, since Zack wasn't around to micromanage the stronger enemies. That meant, once again, they could only have a single group running the dungeon.

The business was suffering, but they were still turning a profit. The unique position they were in meant they had next to zero upkeep costs. They paid nothing for water, electricity, or even rent on the building itself. So far, the city hadn't even stopped by to ask them about the business yet. That might change as they continued to grow.

If they continued to grow. There was no guarantee Zack would wake up again…

Alex sighed and prepared to turn away from the tattoo parlor. If there was no guarantee they could keep the business running, he should be pinching pennies. This wasn't the time to splurge on something personal. As he turned, though, he caught sight of another mall patron watching him. A tall, skinny elf eyed him up and down, a silver-blond eyebrow raised curiously.

"Um, hi?" Alex said, as he locked eyes with the strange man. Elves always had the weirdest colours to their hair and eyes. This one peered down at him with toxic green jewels.

"Hello there," the elf said, the corner of his cheek cocking in a half-smile. He rested his left hand on the pommel of a dagger sheathed at his hip, revealing a status tattoo of his own.

Alex's breath caught as he recognized the number twenty-seven. Adventurer. "Um, I'm sorry. Do I know you?" He asked. "You've been staring at me for a bit."

"Oh, no, I imagine not," the elf chuckled. He combed his long hair back with his fingers, and turned to face the tattoo parlor. "Are you going in?"

"I, uh, don't know," Alex mumbled.

"It's scary at first, but I can't imagine it being much worse than the bootleg on your hand," the elf chuckled, pointing with a sharp nose at Alex's exposed left hand. "Don't bother covering it up, you've kept it on display this whole time."

Alex caught himself just before trying to cover his status tattoo, and instead stuffed his hand into his pocket. He pretended to fish around for something, before reaching into a different pocket and pulling out his phone. He turned his back on the elf and pretended to check the screen.

"It's okay to be scared," the elf said, practically breathing down Alex's neck.

The sudden words nearly made Alex jump. The elf had closed the distance between them in less than a second, so quickly that the air didn't have time to properly displace.

"I'm not scared," Alex said, not giving the strange man the satisfaction of seeing him squirm.

"Oh? Strange. Everyone is scared when they get a real status tattoo," the elf chuckled, pulling away a little bit. "It's one thing to have a bootleg show off your mana bar, another for the whole world to see you for what you really are. Take me, for example. Level twenty-seven. Anyone above me can see that I'm beneath them, while those below me are scared I might turn my power on them. It upends the whole of society when everyone knows where everyone else stands compared to them."

Alex's jaw and shoulders tightened. That was exactly why he wanted a status tattoo. He wanted people to know he wasn't just some NPC they could push around. He wanted everyone to see him for what he really was.

But what was that, really? Did he even deserve to have a real status tattoo? Did it matter whether or not he even had one?

The elf put a hand on Alex's shoulder, and Alex pulled away, wheeling on the stranger. When he looked down, the elf had a hand outstretched, like offering him a shake.

"The name's Salazar. Salazar Gonzalez," the elf said, that half-smile cocking once again. "I'm a silver tier adventurer with the Toronto guild."

"Um. Alex. Alex Hale. I'm not affiliated with any guild," he muttered, accepting the handshake.

Salazar had a tight grip, the kind that reminded Alex of his grandfather back before he died. It was the strong grip of a working man, as the senior used to call it. Alex's eyes darted once again to the sinister dagger sheathed at Salazar's hip, wondering whether it was only for use against monsters or if the elf had used it against people.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Alex. Are you affiliated with any of the universities? Or have an adventuring license?"

"No." The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop himself, like they were pulled from his lips. His eyes bugged and he clapped a hand over his mouth, worried he might say more on the matter. As he looked at the elf, he noticed Salazar's hand was glowing with silver-green light.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry about that," Salazar chuckled, wiping his fingers on his shirt to banish the light. "Sometimes my spells get away from me. Lucky for you that was just a simple truth telling spell, nothing too sinister."

Alex blanched and check his hand for any sign of the elf's Aether. Finding none, he relaxed a little. This conversation was taking a turn for the worse the longer he stuck around. He needed to get away, and fast.

"You're in luck, Alex. You see, I'm actually stopping in to this parlor to get my own tattoo refreshed," Salazar continued, as though he hadn't just used interrogation magic on Alex. He held up his hand to show off his tattoo. It was the Waterloo variant, a triangle containing his level number and surrounded by red, green, and blue bars to represent his health, stamina, and mana respectively. There was a very noticeable dip in his mana. "That's the one thing they don't tell you at the universities. Since aetherology is constantly evolving, the tattoos we get have to evolve with it."

"Why would that be lucky for me?" Alex asked.

"Well, since you asked." Salazar looked around, as though checking to see if anyone was spying on them. He leaned in close, and whispered his next few words. "I've been asked to test an updated patent. Would you like to have it, too?"

Alex felt ice flood his veins. "Is that… Is that legal?"

"Of course. Well, not strictly," Salazar chuckled. "You'd still have to pay for it, but right now it's only available to bonafide adventurers. If you go in there with me, not only will you have access to the new design before anyone else, but you'll get the adventurer discount."

Alex chewed his lower lip, all thoughts of getting away slipping from his mind. A unique tattoo that nobody else would have and a discount? He stared at the storefront again, at the sign listing the Waterloo and Yale variants for sale.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"What's in it for you?" There had to be a catch. Why was this random adventurer, who just happened to be appear while Alex was standing in front of the tattoo parlor, offering him such a deal?

Salazar checked his nails, as though the question was beneath him. "Why does there need to be anything in it for me?"

"Because nobody does stuff for free."

"And I'm not doing anything for free. I'm getting paid to get this tattoo, and you'll be paying for it with your own money. Besides, I know the owner. With tattoos this early in rollout, he gets a stipend for every person he brands."

"You expect me to believe you're just offering me this… Because you want to?" Alex asked, incredulous.

"Yes. Contrary to popular belief, we adventurers aren't bad people. Our job is to serve our communities through any means necessary. If that means protecting NPCs from monsters, then we gladly throw our lives on the line to do so. And if it means helping someone who will obviously break the law in the name of learning magic, putting his own safety at risk, then that's what I'll do." Salazar cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms, as if to ask Alex if he were wrong.

Again, Alex subconsciously covered the mark on his hand. It felt burned into his skin, even though he had it for years. Despite Salazar's apparent honesty, Alex just couldn't shake the feeling there was something dangerous about him. But it was such a good offer…

"Look, if you want the tattoo, come in with me now. Otherwise, I can't help you." Salazar turned on his heel and strode towards the shop.

In a split second, Alex made a decision. He couldn't turn down this opportunity, and jogged to keep up with the elf. When Salazar passed through the threshold, Alex was right there beside him.

The tattoo parlor wasn't too big. It was one of the smaller storefronts in the mall, with enchanted mannequins up against one side showing off various tattoo designs—including both the triangular Waterloo status brand and the triple circle Yale design. A goblin in shredded jeans and a black vest sad on one of the red chairs at the back. His face was covered in silver piercings, and he was casually flipping through a magazine.

"Tom, so good to see you," Salazar called, striding over to the reclining goblin.

Tom looked up from his magazine, his face splitting into a grin. "Sal! Long time no see!" He leapt off his seat and offered a fist up at the significantly taller man. "You haven't been around since your last crop of trainees. They around here?"

Sal rapped his knuckles against the green skinned man. "No, no, they've all gone to their own respective guilds now. I'm actually here on personal business."

Alex watched as Sal leaned in close and whispered something into the goblin's oversized ears. As he did, Tom turned his yellow eyes on Alex, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, sure, I can do that," Tom said, shooting Sal a thumb's up. "Hey you, kid, you got cash?"

"Um, yeah?" Alex mumbled, pulling out his wallet. He reahed for his debit card and waved it around.

"No, not plastic. Cash. Paper money. Or plastic fibers. Whateverthefuck they make cash out of these days," Tom said. "I'm doing this one as a favour to Sal, so it's gotta be under the table. No digital trail."

"How much?"

"Two-fifty."

Alex cringed. It was still a better cost than a status tatoo would normally go for, but it was a sizable dent in his earnings from dungeon inc. Gingerly, Alex checked his wallet to see how much cash he had on him. "I've got two-twenty," he grumbled sadly.

"Fine. Two-twenty it is. Pay up," Tom said, making a come here motion with his fingers.

Alex blinked, his suspicions rising. He looked from Tom to Salazar, worried this might be another trick. The elf was already seated in one of the chairs, checking his nails in boredom.

"Don't mind the kid," Sal sighed, rolling his eyes. "They're all suspicious of everything these days."

"I'm not a kid," Alex said, far too defensively.

"And I don't care. You're acting like a kid worried we'll kidnap you or something," Sal stared at Alex from under raised eyebrows. "I'm a community service worker, and Tom runs a legitimate business. We have literally nothing to gain from hurting you. I brought you here as a favour, and Tom is giving you a massive discount as another. Either you take it, or you walk out that door and try again once you've worked up the courage."

"And this deal won't be waiting for you, if you do," Tom added. He wagged his fingers again, tapping a booted foot impatiently.

Alex licked his lips. They were feeling painfully dry suddenly. His heart felt like it was hammering in his throat, it was beating so fast. Why was he so nervous? Surely this was a good thing, right? Only he couldn't escape the feeling that there was something dangerous about both of these other people. Salazar was a high level adventurer, and Tom had permits to apply legitimate status tattoos. They had nothing to gain by helping him. So why were they so insistent on it?

"Going once," Tom warned, raising a finger. "Going twice."

"Okay, fine!" Alex blurted. Despite the suspicions edging at the corner of his mind, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. He tugged the cash from his wallet and slapped it into Tom's still-waiting palm. "Two-twenty, in cash."

"Good man," Tom chuckled, pocketing the money. "Sal, get yer bony ass out of my chair. Kid, get in."

Sal eagerly moved to obey. Alex considered for a moment protesting. He wanted to see Sal get the brand first, just in case, but couldn't shake the feeling that arguing now would be a bad idea. Tom already had his money, so if Alex continued to protest how they did things, he was liable to get thrown out without a refund.

Wordlessly, Alex plopped himself down on the chair. Tom quickly buckled his left arm down to keep it from wiggling during the procedure, and tsked in disgust at the bootleg brand.

"I should be charging you extra to remove this crap," the goblin growled. He shuffled over to a wall covered in tools—some at goblin height, others very clearly out of reach. He grabbed two objects off the shelf, and a paper stencil off a stack beneath them, and returned to Alex's side. "Which back alley dumpster did you get this garbage in, anyway?" He climbed a stool to better see Alex's hand and shook his head in disgust at the brand.

"Um, I'd rather not talk about it," Alex mumbled, as Tom got to work. He expected it to hurt, like it had when he first got the tattoo, but to his surprise, it didn't. The first tool Tom used looked like a pen, but wherever he poked Alex's skin with it, the existing tattoo simply vanished. It was like the ink was being pulled out of his skin. "How are you doing that?"

Tom snorted his derision. "Old school tattoos are done by piercing the skin and injecting you with ink. It's dangerous, since unclean tools can carry all sorts of diseases. Fortunately, they're easy enough to remove. This tool uses magic to draw the ink out of your skin, and since the ink is enchanted, the brand goes with it. Modern magical tats are different," Tom continued, once Alex's skin was devoid of his former status tattoo. He waved the second tool, a marker-looking device, in front of Alex's eyes. "Instead of injecting you directly with ink, we can simply draw it onto your skin. Enchantments in the ink itself gives it the necessary longevity, though they need to be refreshed every few years or so, depending on your mana levels."

"If you have a lot of mana, like me, the tattoo will last a very long time," Salazar added. "The brand I get today will last me… Five years, I'd say?"

Tom nodded. "You'll be lucky to get two years out of it," he said to Alex. Carefully, he peeled a corner off the back of the stencil and lined it up with Alex's hand. Once he was satisfied it was in a good place, he peeled the rest off and stuck it down. "Now, you might feel a bit of a tingle, or maybe even a stinging sensation. That's normal. It's just the brand connecting to your internal mana."

Alex nodded as Tom uncapped the marker and got to work. Carefully, he traced the stencil out on Alex's hand. He started with a large circle, followed by three lines under it. "I don't recognize this brand. What school is it from?" He asked.

"You wouldn't recognize this brand, it's new. It's from Oxford University, too. The Brits are looking to get into the aetherology game," Tom snorted. He blew on the ink to let it dry, then traced them over again.

Alex had to hold back a flinch as he felt the stinging sensation Tom warned him about. It felt like his skin was burning, as though the ink was melting into his very flesh. He gasped as Tom blew on it again, then carefully peeled the stencil off.

"Alright, all that's left is for you to activate it," Tom declared, crumpling up the spent stencil and recapping the marker. "You know how to do that, kid?"

Alex nodded. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on his internal mana, ignoring the pain in his hand. He pushed as much of his mana as he could muster and shoved it toward his aching hand.

Almost immediately, the ink began to react. The three lines each took on red, green, and blue hues to represent his health, stamina, and mana respectively. Most excitingly, there were numbers written within the bars, displaying his exact values of each! As expected, the number seven appeared within the circle, denoting Alex's current level.

Most strangely, though, was that something else appeared alongside the number. The shape of a flickering flame. Alex stared at it in confusion. That was his elemental affinity—fire. He'd never heard of status tattoos capable of showing that information before.

"That's quite interesting," Salazar said, staring down at the tattoo with a cocked eyebrow. "Already level seven, eh kid? And a pyromancer, no less."

Alex instinctively reached to hide the tattoo, even as Tom unbuckled him and ushered him out of the seat. Alex leapt out of the chair, doing his best to obscure the tattoo. Salazar made no move for him, instead grinning as he took the vacated seat.

"You're not going to arrest me, are you?" Alex asked, worried he might have just made a very big mistake.

"Why? Have you done any illegal adventuring recently? Burned any teddy bears?" Salazar asked.

Alex felt all the blood drain from his face, and blurted out his answer before even giving it some thought. "No, of course not."

The corner of Salazar's lips tugged in the faintest hint of a smile. "Of course not. In that case, be on your way. Unless you want to see what elemental affinity I have?"

Alex was already backing out of the tattoo parlor. He didn't want to stick around and find out. He didn't want to spend another minute in the presence of that strange man. He practically ran through the mall, trying his best to ignore the stinging in his hand. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn't dare check it, not until he put more distance between himself and Salazar.

As he finally made it back to his car, Alex allowed himself to breathe a gasp of relief. He collapsed into his seat and checked his new tattoo. His stamina bar had dropped a few points indicating the exertion of moving as fast as he had. The sight of it made him grin in delight.

He finally had a real status tattoo. Nobody would ever mistake him for an NPC again.

Now that he finally had a moment to breathe, Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the messages. There were two missed calls and one new text waiting for him. The message was from Chandra, and had exactly three words to it.

Zack is awake.