“Woah! Now that is a city!” Kandy’s eyes gleamed as the strange architecture of the city in the distance came into view.

“You said you weren’t from the village we met at, so is this your home?” he asked.

“It is one of my homes,” Jabari casually answered.

“Woah.” Kandy looked up at his friend and nodded emphatically. “So you have multiple homes? You know, I knew something about you was different, but I didn’t realize you were rich.”

“I am not rich. My… family, however, is.”

Having noticed the pause before Jabari said the word ‘family’, Kandy raised an eyebrow but did not speak. After all, he knew all too well the trouble that the word could represent.

Jabari continued. “I would prefer that they remain unaware of my presence at this city. As such, our plan is to enter, find an Ambassador Center, tattoo you with the Crow’s Mark, and continue on our way. We should be able to do so in a single day with plenty of time to spare for errands.”

“In and out. Like a raid. Got it.” Kandy nodded. That was the mindset the Mountain Dagger Bandits had operated with for their village raids. They typically attacked as soon as the sun set, acting with speed so that by the time the sun rose, they had completed their business and were in the safety of their camp again.

It sounded like this would be a similar situation. Just with less murder and robbery.

As it turned out, despite Jabari’s desire to enter and leave the city as quickly as possible, there was a slight hiccup about the first part of that plan.

There was a long queue at the gates, complete with dozens of families, entire caravans of camels, horses, soldiers, and merchants with wagons filled to the brim with goods, and even a few strange bird-men.

Jabari impatiently tapped his foot and Kandy took in his surroundings as the queue slowly moved forward. All the while, those in view of Kandy stared at him. It was like being in the elven forest with Beth again, only he’d swapped out the Queen Mother of a clan of forest elves for a giant, dark-skinned warrior.

And those staring at him were no longer elves, but other humans… and those strange bird-men.

Something about their appearance really unsettled him, though he couldn’t really put his finger on why. Perhaps it was their black beak… black feathers… or the beady black eyes.

Part of it was definitely how cleanly their crow wings folded neatly behind their human backs. And how their crow heads and necks cleanly transitioned into a human body.

Kandy shuddered. Something about that just wasn’t right.

“Hey, is there any way we can find someone to, uh, hide my identity a bit? It’s a bit weird being stared at all the time.”

Jabari shrugged. “Of course we can. I guess as long as your face, neck, and hands are covered, your hair is similar enough for others to not immediately be suspicious.”

“Do you know of any good clothing shops in the city, then?”

“I do, but for now, be quiet. Let me handle the guards.”

They’d made it to the front of the queue inside, and the frontmost guard was waving them forward.

“You. Warrior. Present your Crow’s Mark.”

Jabari dutifully turned and presented his upper left arm to better display his Crow’s Mark. Upon seeing it, the guard’s eyes lit up and he immediately bowed.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“It is my honor to have met such an esteemed warrior. You may enter at once. If you require any assistance, please visit the nearest Ambassador Center.”

Jabari curtly nodded, then strode through the city gates. As he did so, he heard a disturbance behind him.

He turned around and saw that Kandy was struggling against the guards and pointing at him, shouting, “I’m with him, dammit! I’m with him!”

“Is he with you, esteemed warrior?”

“He is.”

With that, the guards let go of Kandy, who exaggeratedly wrested his limbs from their grips and huffed as he readjusted his clothing.

Jabari rolled his eyes and motioned Kandy forward.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you. Not telling them I was with you?” Kandy sniffed indignantly.

With a smirk, Jabari said, “It was just a little payback for pushing me so hard during our race.”

“...Right.” Kandy was still a bit miffed, but he let it pass.

The two walked down the main street for some time before turning into some populous side alleys. It seemed that Jabari knew where he was going, so Kandy did his best to ignore his growing annoyance at how each and every person they passed on the street stared at him.

Eventually, he couldn’t bear it anymore. “So where can we get some stuff to cover me up?”

“Patience, Kandy. There is a specific place I would like to bring you, for they have the best items. Unfortunately, they are close to the center of the city. While we are discussing plans, however, do you have coin or will I have to cover for you?”

“Well, that depends. I have some things that can probably be sold for coin. In the right place, at least,” Kandy hesitantly spoke.

“What do you have? Show me.” Jabari glanced about, then motioned toward an empty alleyway.

Once in the alleyway, Kandy looked up and down it to make sure there were no busybodies sticking their nose where it didn’t belong. Once confident in their privacy, Kandy lowered himself to a squat and pulled out a few of the items he’d forged while training under Philo.

“I mostly have weapons. Three daggers, a two-handed sword. A set of knight’s armor. A few spears… that sort of stuff.”

“The designs of these items are quite different from what I am used to. Especially the armor.” Jabari pointed.

Kandy nodded as he pulled out a stuffed replica of a small white dog. “I’m looking forward to seeing the types of weapons your world has. Anyway, this is the last item I have. It’s, uh, a pomeranian.”

“A what?”

“Type of dog. Do you guys have dogs here?”

“Hm. I have never in my life seen something like this creature.”

“Yeah, figures. Doesn’t seem like the kind of world where dogs would exist. But yeah, this replica could probably go for a bit. Maybe to some rich person who wants it as part of an art collection?”

“What did you use it for?” Jabari questioned as he picked up the stuffed animal.

“Punching, mostly.”

“Hm? Why would you punch something so innocuous?”

“Innocuous, huh.” Kandy’s mind wandered to the suffering and anguish he’d suffered at the hands of the owner of that cute form.

With some effort, though, he was able to pull his mind back to the present. “Well, what do you think? Is any of this sellable?”

“The three daggers are quite mediocre in make. They are probably not sellable.”

Kandy groaned. “Alright, fine. Just know that their creator is very disappointed in your judgment.”

“Their creator? Who would…oh.” Jabari stared at Kandy. “It seems you are a better warrior than blacksmith.”

“It’s fine, I made those daggers fairly early in my apprenticeship. I’ve improved since.”

Jabari looked back down at the rest of the items and pointed at the sword and set of armor. “It does seem so. These two pieces are far superior to those daggers. I also can’t be sure without testing them, but I think they might be the best pieces of equipment I’ve ever laid eyes on in my life. Where did you get them?”

Kandy uncomfortably shifted. “So… you know how I mentioned my apprenticeship?”

“Yes, though you didn’t mention your teacher.”

Jabari reluctantly moved his gaze off the sword and armor to look at Kandy when the latter failed to respond.

“...You stole these, didn’t you?”

Kandy’s lips twisted into an apologetic smile. “Define stealing.”

A loud smack sounded from the alleyway.