As it turned out, organizing a day out on the town with a baron’s daughter wasn’t the simplest thing in the world. There was planning out which parts of town to visit, learning the town’s power dynamics, and more importantly, figuring out which outfit to wear.

“I can’t believe the way this makes me look. I don’t look that fat in it, right Rowan?” Olivia grumbled, glaring down at her simplistic dress like it was at fault.

“Of course not.” Rowan’s answer was immediate and determined. He didn’t know a whole lot about relationships, but he definitely knew the right response to a question like that. “You look great, no matter what you wear.”

“That sure sounded sincere,” Olivia laughed.

“Well, I did mean it,” Rowan said calmly as he squeezed her hand and, for the first time, it was Olivia who blushed first.

“Hero Rowan, Miss Sutton,” the chamberlain’s voice sounded from outside of the carriage. “We’re here.”

Rowan opened the door and let Olivia out first. Although he had been joking, this was as close to a date as they ever had. It was just going to be the two of them. The chamberlain was just there to escort them to the right place.

“Thanks,” Rowan said, ducking out of the carriage. “So, this is it?”

“It is. We’re in the outer parts of the town,” the chamberlain said. “Rest’s Remorse isn’t a big town but still large enough. I would imagine that the combination of you and Miss Sutton should be enough to handle any trouble that comes your way.”

That was true. Rowan still had trouble remembering that he was only a few levels away from rare while Olivia was already there. And having a rare class wasn’t something that happened to everyone. The other rare tier people in the city all had their own mercenary groups or companies.

“And this dress is absolutely necessary?” Olivia asked. “Not even the poorest commoners dress this badly in the barony.”

The chamberlain had a sad little smile as he climbed back onto the carriage. “The Rest’s Remorse is on the frontier. Survival is a struggle here. When the two of you are ready, just walk up to any guard and let them know to admit you.”

—

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Rowan said after just ten minutes of walking around.

There were two types of people in Rest’s Remorse and zero middle ground. The first were mercenaries, fighters, and crafters. They looked well-fed, happy, and overall confident in their lot in life. They strode down streets with a sense of purpose and destination. The second, and far more numerous, were the downtrodden, people who looked so poor, weak, and starved that it turned Rowan’s stomach to even catch a glimpse of them.

“It doesn’t. Even a monster wave couldn’t have done this.” Olivia gripped Rowan’s hand tighter. “This town isn’t that poor.”

Rowan realized that Rest’s Remorse, at least on paper, was his. It was his responsibility to do something about the crippling poverty he saw.

“Let’s keep walking. I want to see more of the town,” Rowan said. He had to first figure out if this was an isolated instance of poverty, whether they were on the wrong side of town or if there was a wealth gap like this everywhere.

The two of them gradually made their way from the outskirts of the town to the center. While Rest’s Remorse was not the most beautiful town Rowan had ever seen, the houses were still built in neat little rows. Every building built out of stone that was weathering the conditions of the frontier without any issue. Almost every home looked fresh and perfectly fit for habitation. But no matter where they went, they saw gaunt, haunted-looking people.

“Where are the children or the elderly?” Rowan asked. After a couple more minutes of wandering the streets, there were quite a few things different about Rest’s Remorse. The most striking of which was the fact that most of the starving figures looked to be around his and Olivia’s age, or slightly older at best.

“Hm? Could you repeat that?”

“Children and elderly. I haven’t seen many of either. I saw maybe two kids the entire time. And the only older person I saw was that one older man at the general store we passed.”

“Frontier towns aren’t exactly geared towards families or the elderly,” Olivia admitted as her teeth worried her lowered lip. “The people who come here are those looking to prove themselves.”

“So, all of these people…” Rowan trailed off, daring a glance at an alley where a man just a few years older than him sat, looking blankly at the wall across from him.

“Most likely combat class commoners. A lot of people aren’t happy taking up a crafting or lifestyle class. Even if they have a bad heart card for it, they still try to become fighters,” Olivia said.

“Isn’t that how mercenary bands grow?” Rowan asked. Rest’s Remorse seemed to be half populated by mercenaries.

“Yeah. Still, they can’t take everyone. It’s not easy to take someone with a common heart card to the uncommon tier. Getting them trained enough to kill a higher tier monster takes time and resources. Besides, if they don’t have a good heart card, it’s unlikely they’ll have good cards in general.”

“Why don’t they leave then?”

Olivia turned to Rowan. “Travel is expensive. The three-week carriage ride we took? That would have cost enough to feed an entire family for a year.”

“So, the people, they travel all the way to the frontier, use up their savings if they had any, and end up like this?” Rowan asked, taking in the town with a whole new perspective. The shiny buildings and well-paved roads looked like death traps.

“It wasn’t this bad in the frontier town my family ran,” Olivia said. “Or most other frontier towns. There are usually safeguards in place. Work for those who failed or at least an opportunity to earn their way back to their families. What’s happening here… I don’t know.”

“So, the best and the most promising get recruited into the established companies. And everyone else just slowly withers away?” Rowan asked.

“No.” Olivia paused in her step as understanding dawned on her face.

“What is it?”

“Normally, people in a frontier town go out and hunt demons. They’d kill a few corrupted beasts and slowly build their strength that way. But that doesn’t work anymore. No, it wouldn’t. Not with an impending demon invasion. It’ll be easy to find uncommon tier monsters and a group can even find rare tier demons with a bit of effort. But common tier creatures? Those are scarce now.”

That made a certain amount of sense. In essence, Rowan realized, without a group, strong cards, or a ton of training, an average commoner with a beginner fighting class was completely stuck. They couldn’t leave unless they had money, and they couldn’t make money unless they were willing to risk their lives at finding the occasional common tier creature.

“Wait.” Rowan picked up on something he had vaguely heard but ignored at the time. “You said that for them to get an uncommon class, they had to kill a higher tier monster. Why is that?”

“Because they have common tier heart cards,” Olivia explained. “Advancing your class beyond your heart card’s tier requires a catalyst. In this case, a common class slaying an uncommon tier beast would be enough. That’s why the [Blood Reaver] is still at rare. He hasn’t found an epic tier demon that he can defeat yet.”

Rowan nodded along as dots began connecting in his head. “One more thing, when we left, Kayden told us to be careful of the monsters in the frontier. That they had different cards. Why did he say that?”

Olivia glanced around them to make sure no one was listening on. “Because some monsters on the frontier have killed. Not just their own but people. We don’t know if everything in the world has a system but if a monster kills a person with a card they could use, it’s added to their deck.”

Rowan realized what Olivia was saying. The common tier combatants trying to forge their own path were literally feeding themselves and their cards to the monsters in the town’s vicinity.

“We should get what we need and go back,” Rowan said, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden.

The idea of a date was gone from his mind and the parts of town he was looking forward to exploring simply filled him with a quiet dread now. For her part, Olivia nodded too, just as eager to put all the unpleasantness behind her.

That, unfortunately, did not work out.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“What do you mean, the apothecary is gone?” Olivia asked. There was a slight edge to her voice as she glared at the man who blocked their way.

“I mean, the old woman packed up and left after the demon invasion,” the man drawled, looking far too nonchalant in the face of an angry Olivia. “She sold the store to me, and I don’t deal in herbs.”

“Then where can I find some? You can’t tell me there was only one single apothecary in this entire town.”

The man stared at Olivia blankly, shrugged his shoulders, and then closed the shop’s door in her face. The closed sign stared back at her as she fumed, and Rowan thought for a moment that she was about to bust down the door and drag the brand-new shopkeeper out into the street by his beard.

“Come on, he’s not worth it,” Rowan said, tugging on her hand.

“I can’t believe this. Is there anything in this town that’s the way it should be? Mercenaries don’t care about hunting monsters, shopkeepers are leaving, and the life here is little better than a slum,” Olivia complained.

Rowan was coming to understand more and more that Rest’s Remorse was nothing but trouble. The standing army was all but destroyed, the town filled with factions in a naked power grab, and no one seemed actually interested in improving things.

He dipped his head down and started walking back.

A man, or boy, really, stepped out of one of the many alleys, setting himself in Rowan’s and Olivia’s way. “Hey. I saw you were looking for the old apothecary, right?”

Olivia said nothing, simply eying up the boy. Rowan didn’t have the same tact. “Correct. We need some potion ingredients. You wouldn’t happen to know where we could find some of those, would you?”

“I might,” the boy scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his scrawny chest. “What’s in it for me?”

“Let’s skip the tough act,” Olivia said, not thinking much about the boy’s bravado. “Five gold and you take us there. I’m feeling generous and don’t want to waste my time.”

“Twenty,” the boy snapped back, his eyes dipping to the coin purse hanging off Olivia’s hip.

She snorted. “It’s four now. Even here, that’ll get you a solid couple of days’ worth of food. Don’t push it. We don’t need to ask you for directions.”

The boy began to protest, trying to make himself look bigger, but some of his self-preservation instincts must have twigged because he quieted down quickly.

“Fine, four.” The boy didn’t look pleased, but he did turn around and start striding down the street. “Follow me.”

The two did, though they left a healthy enough distance between them and the stranger.

“You don’t think he’s leading us straight into an ambush, do you?” Rowan muttered, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the figure in front of them. The boy navigated through the town like he owned it, taking them through side paths and slanted alleys. It didn’t escape Rowan’s notice that they were heading closer and closer to the town’s wall.

“I don’t think so. And even if he is, I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s what, fourteen? Look at him, whatever ambush team he can put together won’t be able to do a thing to us,” Olivia whispered before raising her voice. “I’m rare tier, and you’re almost there yourself.”

Rowan was tempted to point out that he was without his spear, but Olivia’s lack of concern did make sense. Doubly so since he knew she made sure to pack a few nasty potions when leaving the manor. At the time, he had wondered if they were meant for him if the date went the wrong way. Now? He was glad she had done so.

“Fine, fine. We do need those ingredients. You really think a shop this far out made it through unscathed when it was this close to the wall?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

Their guide didn’t continue walking for much longer, slowing a little as he entered one of the last few streets that separated them from the wall.

Here, the destruction was even more pronounced.

The streets were in disrepair. The paved stones were cracked or entirely missing, and there were even a few deep furrows in the ground where combat had happened. Likely the handiwork of some massive beast.

The houses, too, were almost entirely ruined. A couple were gone entirely, with only the foundations there to prove that they once existed. Surprisingly though, there were also some houses in okay condition. Rowan thought he saw faces peeking out of empty window slots, but when he took a second look, there was nothing. Then, he saw their destination.

‘Ophis Apothecary’ had definitely seen better days. The board with its name on it barely hanging onto the building’s façade and one of the glass windows was cracked.

The boy shot them a glance and knocked on the door. The house exploded in noise. There a clatter and cursing echoed out.

“Clarke? Is something wrong? Did someone else catch a fever?” A bedraggled looking man rapid-fired his questions as soon as he saw who stood in front of his shop, his eyes searching the boy for injuries. When he didn’t find any, he smiled in relief.

“No, Mister Ophis, I just have some customers for you.” The boy tried to put on a gruff front but when he looked back at the duo that had followed them, he didn’t look nearly as self-assured.

Olivia stepped forward, nodding at the man in greeting. “We went to Tasha’s Cauldron, but the store’s closed. She sold it and moved out of the town, and the new owner isn’t open yet, or in the same business.”

The man hadn’t expected her to be so upfront with him, but he recovered quickly enough. “Ah, well, can’t say I’ve got as good a stock as Tasha. Still, I should be able to help. Please, come inside.”

Olivia paused long enough to hand off five gold coins to the boy who’d led them there. Rowan smiled when he noticed that her heart had softened after the tough negotiating tactics earlier. Surprisingly enough, the boy joined them inside the apothecary.

Rowan entered the shop last, taking time to examine their surrounding while Olivia chatted with the shopkeeper. The very first thing he noted was that it definitely didn’t look like any store he was familiar with. Even the glimpse he caught of Tasha’s Cauldron’s interior was far more in line with what he expected. There were shelves and drawers that contained all kinds of merchandise.

Here, the front room was furnished with cots and sickbeds, some more comfortable looking than others. The entire collection was definitely not purchased at once, with different styles, colors, and even sizes.

More alarmingly, two of the beds were occupied, by a boy and a girl around their guide’s age. Rowan shuffled closer to them and checked to make sure that they were still breathing. They were. Both were pasty, drenched in sweat, and shivering. But they were in a deep sleep, not even stirring from the commotion in the room.

Rowan refocused on the conversation between Olivia and the shopkeeper, Ophis, just in time to get an explanation for what he was seeing. “I’m not a trained doctor or anything, no. Don’t have a class for it, either. Still, I am an apothecary, so I can at least provide treatment.”

“I suppose this is because of the recent demon attack?” Olivia asked, eying the trio of teenagers. She likely wouldn’t admit it, but Rowan suspected she regretted being so harsh with Clarke before.

“Oh, no. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for ages. Lots of young folk come through without enough money for proper treatment. As I said, I try, but I can’t always help them all. Things have just been worse since the attack, but they’ve always been bad,” Ophis said. He didn’t shy away from those facts, but his eyes did flit over to check on his patients.

“So, you make potions?” Olivia asked as she went to the far side of the room where it looked more like a typical shop. There were hundreds of small drawers that covered the space from the floor-to-ceiling. She looked back at the shopkeeper, who gestured that she was free to explore. Olivia opened one of the drawers and made a small sound of approval.

“Potions? I can’t make those. Don’t have the training or the recipes. Besides, my class lends itself more to salves and tonics. No instant effects for me, just slow recovery and boosting the body’s natural processes,” Ophis replied.

“Really? You can’t make any potions, yet you’ve managed to keep a small clinic running?”

“Potions are nice, but you don’t necessarily need them.” When Ophis saw Olivia’s affronted look, he seemed to realize who he was talking to. “Oh, it’s much better to have them, of course! I’m just saying I’m doing my best regardless.”

“Hmmm,” Olivia hummed. “You know, if you’re willing to offer me a discount, or if we can come to some sort of an exchange deal, I’d be willing to brew some potions for you.”

The man blinked, clearly not expecting the offer. “How good are you at potion crafting, young lady? That’s not exactly a profession that’s easy or cheap to get into.”

Rowan let out a laugh, drawing attention to himself for the first time. When he realized everyone was looking at him, he launched into a quick explanation. “It’s nothing. She’s just a rare-ranked alchemist.”

Ophis said nothing. He glanced at Olivia’s clothing.

“Ugh, these stupid clothes,” Olivia grumbled. She dipped her hand into one of the small pouches she carried, bringing out a potion. “Here, you can try this out on one of them.” She motioned at the two sleeping teens.

Ophis accepted the potion cautiously, and even uncorked it to sniff at the bottle’s opening. “Excuse me for just a moment.”

He went deeper into the shop, past all the drawers and into a different room, before coming back with two small beakers. Rowan noted that instead of following Olivia’s suggestion, he chose to split the potion into two servings.

“The potion won’t be as effective if you do that,” Olivia said with a slight hint of disapproval.

“They’ve already taken several tonics. This will do nicely to give them an extra kick and will even boost their healing beyond their current injuries. It will work,” Ophis replied.

Olivia shrugged in return, letting him work. Clarke, however, looked like he was about to try and stop the shopkeeper before the two exchanged glances and the boy reluctantly backed down.

The potion spoke for itself. After the liquid was painstakingly fed to the two slumbering teens, their cheeks grew rosy, and their expression relaxed.

“Well, I have to say, you definitely weren’t lying.” Ophis sighed in relief, even as he stood to offer Olivia a bow with an apologetic smile. “I meant no offense, but too many people try to come in here making similar claims.”

“They do? And what happens? What does your potioneering guild do?” Olivia looked genuinely taken aback.

Ophis laughed. “We don’t even have a branch of the potioneering guild here. You’ll find all kinds of false potions being sold here. Out here, laws are far more… lenient. And the consequences of a bad potion resolve themselves.”

Rowan shuddered as he realized what Ophis meant. “What do people use for healing?”

“Still potions. Just that they’re a scarce resource on the frontier. All the mercenary companies, not to mention the mayor’s men, have a stranglehold on potions.” For the first time, Ophis’ words turned bitter. “It’s almost impossible to get your hands on a potion without a connection to one of the factions that have taken root in Rest’s Remorse. And they don’t care about our lives.”

Olivia frowned. She was about to say something when Rowan stepped forward and grabbed her hand. “You wanted to buy potion ingredients, right?” he asked.

“I… yeah,” Olivia said as she went to picking out the potion ingredients with Ophis looking on.

Rowan stepped back to the edge of the room and let his mind wander.

On paper, the system was designed in a way where anyone could advance. As long as a person put enough effort in, they could improve and better their station.

But the heart cards complicated that. Where some people would hit their ‘limits’ early with a common heart card, people like Rowan could rise all the way up to epic unhindered. And the nobles exploited that complication, adding more and more layers until the promise of the system was a distant fantasy.

A commoner had to travel to the frontier to get a normal chance at fighting an uncommon monster. But once there, they had to risk their lives without any potions or fallback options. It was either life or death.

Rowan remembered his own beginnings, when he struggled to even pierce the hide of a corrupted boar. Unlike most people, he had an epic tier baron teaching him how to fight. What did the commoners have?

As Rowan looked over the two patients still in their slumber, a question started to rise in his heart. What could be done about this? More to the point, what could he do about this?