Chapter 56

Orion

Day 42, Day 5 on the Road

Kronfeldt

The lunch break was a storm brewing on the horizon, just about to break. Already we had burned through half our burger buns and meat, and the line outside showed no sign of slowing. To make matters worse, there were three troublemakers—customers demanding discounts and extorting my cashier, agitating the fragile order of the midday rush.

A hulking gnoll, nearly seven feet tall and carved with muscle, loomed over the counter. He was dressed in plain red linen, arms crossed, pestering Nax, my cashier, the poor boy just trying to keep his composure. Nax stammered, repeating that prices were firm.

“Listen here,” the brute growled, his voice thick with menace, “everyone on this street pays us a protection fee. You’re lucky the ol’ Boss ain’t here to collect himself.” His two lackeys, another gnoll and a frogman, chuckled low behind him.

"Who are those guys?" I asked Slink, the rat vendor and former owner of my stand who had joined me after accepting my job offer yesterday. He glanced up from the grill, assessing the three intimidating customers.

“Hadrelian’s men,” he muttered. “If I were you, I’d pay.”

Slink’s advice hung in the air as I plated another burger, but something within me rebelled. I left my station, stiletto dagger in hand, and approached the gnoll, pointing the end of the blade directly at him.

"If you're not paying, get out. Let the other customers order, or I'll call the guards," I said, my voice flat and emotionless.

The crowd stilled, a hush falling over them. It was like I’d crossed a line I hadn’t known existed. The gnoll’s smile widened, slow and dark. “You’ll regret this.”

Without another word, the trio pushed their way through the crowd, their red tunics vanishing into the city. The silence lingered a moment longer before business returned, albeit with a newfound tension.

The rush pressed on, but the strain was starting to show. We were down to our last buns, and the bakery next door was working frantically to keep up with the demand. For his part, Slink was holding steady, pleased with the flood of customers. But my two cat helpers, Nax and Fleetpaw, looked like they were on the verge of tears.

This is why they have child labor laws, I guess.

Even though I was cranking out smashburgers as fast as possible, I still hadn’t hit level 10. And as we approached our final bun, I told Nax to tell the waiting customers to "buzz off". Competitors along the street watched closely, likely taking notes. If I couldn’t serve everyone, it wouldn’t be long before "Burger Queens" popped up beside us.

Luckily, I had bought up all the potatoes and tomatoes.

Still, my business was thriving, and I made decent money despite the disturbances. My current coins are as follows:

Second mints: 33

Third mints: 168

My coin purse was getting heavy. I’d need to see Sophie to exchange them, but I hated being in her debt.

“Take a break, both of you,” I told the cat boys, handing over two Thirds, half of their daily pay. They scampered off, eager to enjoy their free time in the entertainment district and spend their hard-earned money.

“Slink. You stay here and take the deliveries. We’ll prep for the dinner rush in two hours.”

I handed the previous owner the cellar key he knew well from his former days running the stall. A nod of acknowledgment followed as my attention turned to the horizon, scanning for the familiar figure soaring high above.

Before leaving, I grilled the last bit of venison into a meatball, blowing on it lightly. As if on cue, JD, my dark blue jackdaw friend, swooped down and perched on my shoulder. I dipped the meatball in green ketchup and held it up. JD pecked the meatball out of my hand in a swift motion, his sharp beak snapping up the prize and devouring it.

Slink watched the bird with apprehension. “Lord Clark, that’s a jackdaw… a harbinger of death,” he muttered, his voice low with wariness.

Harbinger of death? That sounded metal.

“JD’s the one who helped me clear your debt, Slink,” I reminded him as I stroked the bird’s head.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“A deal with a demon,” Slink whispered, stepping back in fear. “You shouldn’t trust it.”

“Superstition,” I shrugged. “I’ll be fine. Can you watch the stall while I exchange some coins?”

As I walked away, Slink’s voice followed, faint and pained. “Of course, Lord Clark. This was my stall once...”

“I’ll be back for the dinner rush,” I called over my shoulder, ignoring the rest of the sentiment. I couldn’t solve every problem.

For now, I wore a cat mask from Baxby’s General Store to blend in with the street, dodging runners screaming “Gachapon!” thinking I was Sophie. I needed to find her and exchange these mints. But first, I stopped by Baxby’s again, buying parchment and charcoal for a Second.

From my pocket, I pulled a tuft of Sophie’s black hair, offering it to JD. The jackdaw examined it and then pecked my head, annoyed, as if I were a fool for suggesting it.

Guess I can't use him as a bloodhound.

He launched into the air, circling high above. As I watched, I felt that familiar spark ignite within me—a new skill unlocked. I reached into my palm, and there it was: a new card.

Familiar: Contract

The jackdaw wishes to form a familiar bond with you.

Tapping this card will establish a familiar link with the jackdaw

A jackdaw? If I were metagaming, it didn’t seem like the most powerful familiar. Wolves, bears, and even the harpy eagles I’d seen in the forest—seemed like better choices. And then there was Rudolph, my mount, a sturdier ally. But I couldn’t form natural connections like Astrid had with animals. This was likely one of my few chances to bond with a familiar at all.

So far, I had made the best of my class and skills, and this would be no different. Without further hesitation, I activated the card.

Familiar: Jackdaw “JD” - D

A clever and adaptable creature, distinguished by its dark blue plumage, silver mane, and striking pale eyes. This particular jackdaw has a taste for eyeballs and dried meat. Razor-sharp vision makes it a keen hunter and forager.

With eyes closed, the wind rushed past and the city’s heartbeat pulsed beneath my feet. The card thrummed in my hand as I dove deeper into JD’s consciousness. Control wasn’t fully mine, but his thoughts brushed against my own.

"Hunter Monkey wants me to stalk pretty girl. Me, dog?"

Even with the promise of his sharp vision, seeing through his eyes felt like peering through fogged glass. His head jerked left and right as he scoured the city streets, flitting over rooftops, until the haze cleared. Below, I could make out one figure in a white fox mask walking through town, but their exact location was still a mystery.

“Come back to me,” I urged silently, and JD obeyed, diving down to land on my shoulder.

I tore a scrap from the parchment I’d bought earlier and scribbled a quick note:

“Wher R U?.

Snd msg back↵

-Rye”

Tying it to JD’s leg with twine, I reached into my pack for a piece of pemmican. JD snatched it up, beak clicking, and took off with my charcoal pencil in his beak, vanishing into the city once more.

As I moved through the town’s heart, there was a familiar twinge on the back of my neck again—an awareness that I was being followed. It wasn’t Fleetpaw or a runner this time. Ducking into a nearby alley and then a sewer tunnel, I slipped through the dim passages, trying to lose whoever was on my tail. But as I reached a storm grate, my escape was blocked by metal grates.

Turning back, I saw them—three figures looming at the entry: two gnolls and a frogman. Recognition hit. These were the same ones who had tried to strong-arm my stall earlier.

“Aye, look what we have here, fellas,” the larger gnoll said, his voice dripping with glee. “The cook with the loud mouth. You wanna threaten us again with that little knife of yours, cook?” He stepped forward, long sword in hand, flanked by his companions—a frog with a crossbow aimed at me and a smaller gnoll wielding a morning star.

The lead gnoll, now armored in a bronze-visored helm, grinned. His sword gleamed in the low light. The other two were less protected, one wearing light leather, the other clad in mismatched armor.

The frogman croaked, “I saw him carryin’ a sack of coins. We’re gonna be rich.”

“Should we make him beg, or—”

Before the morning star-wielding gnoll could finish his sentence, a throwing knife whistled through the air and dug into his throat. His body fell, blood spraying from the wound. Beside him, the frog-like creature crumpled a second later, a bolt of iron piercing through his skull. The impact, aided by a Deadly Shot and the knife's armor-piercing edge, left two new air holes in the side of his bronze cap.

The leader stood frozen, too stunned at the sudden collapse of both his men to react.

His voice quivered, “Once Hadrelian finds out—”

Like a flash, I vanished into the shadows, my Shadow Walk passively activated. In a heartbeat, I was upon him, driving my stiletto into the crease beneath his arm, forcing it up to his collar. He screamed, red gore spilling from the wound and pooling in his armpit as I wrenched the dagger free. With the last of his strength, he swung his sword at me—wildly, almost drunken—but I met the attack with a Parry, redirecting it with a precise motion that left him staggered. That fleeting moment of dazed confusion was all I needed. I twisted my wrist, aligning the dagger with the slit in his visor, and thrust forward, making his helmet seep at the seams like a freshly squeezed blood orange.

Turning back, I retrieved the throwing knife from the other gnoll's throat. His eyes were wide with panic, hands futilely trying to stem the flow of blood. I grabbed his morning star and smashed it into the boss gnoll’s helmet, cracking the metal with a sickening crunch—and did the same to the frog—before dropping it beside its original owner. Then, using the frog’s crossbow, I shot the last living gnoll in the throat, finishing him with a final bolt to the face, before placing the weapon back in the frog's hands. Dragging their bodies, I made it look like a Mexican standoff gone wrong.

Frantic urgency kicked in. Three Seconds and Seven Thirds were pocketed from the bodies. There was more loot, but time was running short. Sticking around wasn’t an option—not with bystanders or, worse, a guard potentially on the way.

My hood was up as I slipped from the sewer pipe, the shadows folding around me like a cloak. I moved with purpose—not too fast to draw attention, but not slow enough to linger. Horror gnawed at the back of my mind. What I’d done… those beastkin weren’t just mindless creatures. Time among them had confirmed what I feared: they had thoughts and feelings, no different from humans. Before, they were just random monsters who had arrived on my shores to destroy my home and family.

But if I kept moving forward, if I didn’t stop to think, I could run away from those doubts. Hesitation was death. Doubt meant defeat. I had to believe that.

Those men weren’t innocent people. I can’t afford to die or get captured. Even if I had to leave a heap of corpses behind, I had to return to Cass and Thornhill in one piece.

Just when I thought my troubles might be behind me, a familiar caw broke through the stillness. JD returned, perching on my shoulder with a ruffle of his dark blue feathers. I reached into my pack and fed him a piece of pemmican, the small price for his service.

With trembling fingers and my heart still throbbing in my chest from my little skirmish, I untied the twine wrapped around his leg and unrolled the scrap of parchment. On the reverse side of my message, hurried words were scrawled in response:

“Buyn slaves @

merc guild

- Soph ♥”