The fifteenth day of the eleventh month, the longest month of the year, was a grueling day of sorrow and misery. A day where the ruthless preyed on the naïve. A day of lies, scams, and trickery. A day that was cherished by the wicked and despised by the less fortunate. A day that brought man’s ugliest traits to life. That day was market day.

Like many other market days, it started with many of the local farmers arriving in the southern district an hour before dawn, all of them hoping to set up shops at pristine locations. There was never a need for the people of this dungeon city to venture far, as Heizer’s fertile soil always provided crops of superior quality, regardless of whether the farmer was an ascended of the 1st rank or an awakened. Farmers of the 2nd rank or higher would have been the exception had there not been a ludicrous bounty placed upon their heads, a bounty that dwarfed the one placed upon the Kenworth impersonators. A peculiar yet fascinating tale best saved for another time.

Indeed, farming was quite a competitive field. There was only one way to thrive in this dungeon city, and that was to exploit the lazy nature of its citizens, a fact that the young Alberto had been completely unaware of.

He arrived an hour past dawn and had set up shop at the central district, one that was quickly and effortlessly shut down by the city guards. After a few long minutes of threats and warnings, the young man had finally moved his shop to the southern district.

Five hours had passed since then, and Alberto had failed to sell even a tenth of his harvest. Defeated and dejected, the young man slouched in his chair, glaring at all the empty stands. Their fortunate owners were celebrating their success with drinks served by a nearby tavern. He then gazed upon his own; potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, and coffee beans. He sighed as he closed his near-empty box of coins, his meager earnings only made possible by the empire’s high consumption of coffee.

With nothing more to do but wait out the remaining hours, the young man shut his eyes and sunk further into his chair to bask in the cool autumn breeze. But the arrival of a new customer had denied him that simple wish.

Behind him stood a towering behemoth of leather armor and a large crimson cloak, his scars covering every inch of his dark caramel skin, a shaggy brown beard, and unkempt hair; both showing hints of grey. Many would assume, at first glance, that the man was a battle-hardened warrior, but that had been far from the truth.

With a great sigh, Alberto had gradually gotten up to greet this new customer. “We’ve got a special sale today.” He declared, using his hands to showcase the potatoes, tomatoes, and coffee beans. “10c per pound of these comes with one squa—”

“I want your seat.” The man had interrupted Alberto before he could finish.

“Excuse me?” The sudden demand caught the young man off guard.

“Give me your seat.” The man demanded once again, a light smile plastered on his face as he gazed at the young Alberto. “You give me your seat and I’ll make you a rich man by noon.”

Alberto scoffed at the idea and almost outright refused the offer. Almost. A momentary glance at his meager earnings had given him a second thought. If he and his wife were to make it to spring, he’d need every single copper he could get. No matter how slim the chances, if the man’s words were true then he would take it. With a sigh, he reluctantly handed over the chair.

“Great choice.” The man praised Alberto as he took a seat in the young man’s chair. “All you have to do now is stand here under this shade and look pretty. I’ll do everything for you.” He then placed his feet on the stand, an act that displeased the young Alberto, before pulling up his hood and rooking himself back and forth.

And so, for the next few minutes, the two men continued in the silence. One of them standing as he waited out the remaining hours while the other attempted to lull himself to sleep. Having failed to do so, the man was first to break the silence.

“So tell me, foreigner.” He took his feet off the stand and sat up straight, grooming his beard as he did so. “What brings you to the empire?”

“What makes you think I’m a foreigner?” Alberto asked, curious to learn how the man could tell.

“Your lack of respect for coffee.” The man ignored the baffled Alberto in favor of questioning him again. “What brings you to the empire?”

“Why do you want to know?” Alberto went on the defensive.

“I’m just curious.” The man spoke, turning to show the young Alberto his welcoming smile. “Excluding wanderers, very few choose to migrate. With all the sanctions in place and the propaganda spread about by the Unified Kingdoms, it’s too much of a pain to move so many choose to stay. I just wanted to know what makes you special.” Noticing that the young man was still unwilling to share, the man took out a large silver coin from his spatial ring and tossed it his way. “We’re gonna be here for a while, might as well get to know each other in the meantime.”

Alberto gasped when he saw the coin, quickly snatching it from the air and storing it into his box. The man had given him a coin worth half his land, and it would be more than enough to get them through ten winters. It was from then on that the young Alberto took the man seriously. After a few moments of hesitation, Alberto had finally answered the man’s question. “My name is Alberto, and my wife and I have come to the empire to start a new life. Happy?” The man nodded with a smile.

“And which kingdom did you migrate from?” The man continued to pry.

“Where and why we left is best forgotten. There’s no reason to talk about it.” And Alberto was quick to deflect, hastily changing the subject to something other than his past. “Mind sharing how you plan on making me rich before noon?”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Oh, that?” The man chuckled as he placed his feet back on the stand, once again displeasing Alberto. “No reason to talk about it. Just stand there and relax, enjoy the view.” He stretched before attempting to lull himself to sleep. “I already told you, I’ll do everything for you.”

And so the two men returned to their previous silence. Alberto waiting out the hours until noon, an hour and a half away, while glancing between the large silver coin in his box and the streets of emptied stands and chairs. Their owners were celebrating their success. He saw the group chanting as one of them mixed his liquor with coffee, a combination that somewhat disgusted him to think about. It was then that he noticed something out of place. Amongst the crowd of rushing pedestrians and drunken farmers were three women, all of whom were wearing the wanderer’s band, carrying what appeared to be an unconscious child.

“I think that child over there is getting kidnapped. We should notify the guards.” Alberto told the man sitting beside him.

The man sat up straight, getting a good look at the trio and the so-called ‘unconscious child’ before quickly returning to his position “Ignore them.” He commanded as he went back to rocking himself back and forth. “They’re just wanderers. Who gives a shit what they do.”

Alberto hadn’t been the only one to notice the strange group, many before him had as well, for the trio had crossed the entire western district to get here. But unlike the young Alberto, few shared the same level of compassion he did, and even fewer would willingly act on it. As the man had said, no one gave a shit what they did.

“That’s. A child! Getting kidnapped! What do you mean by ‘ignore them’?!” Alberto burst out, shocked by what he had heard. He would never comply with the man’s absurd response.

“He probably stole, or something along those lines.” He yawned and stretched as he spoke. “Do us both the favor and just let it go.”

“No, I will not let it go!” The man let out an exasperated sigh, getting annoyed with the youngster’s defiance. The young Alberto grabbed his box and was prepared to storm out, but before he could do so…

“Restrain!” he’d been quietly and effortlessly brought down and detained. With a simple flick of his wrist, the man forced the young Alberto to stand on his feet. “I’m so very sorry Alberto.” There was no sincerity in his apology. “But you’ve forced my hand.”

“Mmph! Mmph!” Alberto had tried, and failed, to put up a futile and meaningless resistance. His cries and screams were muffled by his magically sewn lips and his limbs were unresponsive when he commanded them to move. The young man was erect and forced to stand still against his will.

“I gave you the freedom to stand around and do nothing but enjoy this wonderful view.” The man let out another exasperated sigh as he shook his head. “But that was just too much for you to handle, wasn't it? No need to worry. I’ll do it for you.”

And so the two men returned to their silence once again. One of them involuntarily standing against his will as he internally cursed the man beside him while the other continued with his failing attempts of lulling himself to sleep. A silence that lasted for only a few moments, as the arrival of another would soon shatter it.

Her sudden appearance had resulted in the young Alberto falling onto his rear. Keep in mind that the young man has no control over his actions.

“Audrey, look at what you’ve done!” the man yelled as he kept a straight face. “You’ve scared the poor boy. Apologize.” The presence of concern had been lacking in his tone as he continued to sway, and it was he who needed to apologize.

“No.” Her refusal was instantaneous.

“Okay, fine." The man's face briefly broke into a frown before it returned. "At least pick him up off the ground.”

“No.” Her refusal was once again instantaneous.

Ugh, where did I go wrong? The man contemplated for a moment before letting out yet another exasperated sigh, flicking his wrist and forcing the young Alberto to his feet.

“Thom is waiting in position.”

“Good. Now, how about you come ov—” He turned his head, frowning when he found nothing more than one of the many apartment complexes in the district. “Damn that stupid skill.”

Once again letting out yet another exasperated sigh, the man quickly gathered the mana residing within his core, channeling and guiding it all to his throat. “Mass effect: Whispered Words!” He then used it to cast a spell most commonly used by the hosts of many establishments, although to a far greater degree. He delivered a calling to the passing pedestrians and the nearby tavern, enticing them with the promise of a joyous event with games of fortune. Excluding the drunkards within and outside the tavern, many people ignored the call, for they had better things to do than to waste their time. But the few that answered only did so because they had nothing better to do than to waste their time.

And so the two men remained silent as a crowd gathered around them, thirty-six to be exact, all eager to find out what this game of fortune would be.

The man got up and stood on the seat, clearing his throat as he did so. “Ladies and Gentlemen, before you stands a man.” He took a moment to gesture to himself before continuing. “Who’s willing to give you what may be the greatest opportunity you’d ever get in your lifetime. A shot at winning more money than you’d ever make in your lifetime.” He paused for a moment, scanning the crowd to find many faces with intrigued looks. “And all it takes to take part is nothing more than a single copper.”

Using his arm, the man directed the crowd’s gaze towards the trio carrying a so-called ‘unconscious child’. “I’m sure many of you have heard rumors that a Kenworth impersonator was roaming the city.” Many nodded their head as if they’d heard the rumors, and none of them were willing to admit that they hadn't. “That child over there is the Kenworth imposter. He’s proven himself to be quite the cunning, resourceful, and extremely slippery mastermind.” That obnoxious brat was no mastermind. “And it’s only a matter of time before he makes his escape once aga—”

“Get to the point already!” An impatient drunkard yelled at the man, receiving a round of cheers from his fellows.

“I was getting to it, you fucking drunkards." He muttered those words beneath his breath, releasing what would now be his fifth exasperated sigh. "I’ve already informed all the wanderers in this city about his current whereabouts. The game we're playing is simple. We make a bet on whether or not the boy can escape. Now before you walk away from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…” The man took out a golden coin from his spatial ring, raising his hand to showcase it. The crowd let out sounds of whistles and gasps as they greedily gazed at it. “My friend and I,” He took a moment to gesture to the young Alberto and then himself. “Will bet 1ls and 1g respectively on the boy's escape. The money will be split evenly amongst the victors. By spending one copper, you’ll have the chance to win thousands.” He paused, smiling as he scanned the crowd once again. “Now then, who wants to play?”

“Give us your name and where to find you!” A woman hidden behind a large crimson cloak had asked the gambler’s question from amongst the crowd, riling up the fire that was their greed to a point of no return. The man's smile grew wider when he noticed her, watching her fade away as if she never there.

“My name is Daveed.” He paused and then bowed before the crowd. “And I am the master of the Wanderer’s Guild.”