"What happened?" asks a familiar voice.

I turn my head to see Gareth and the twins; the two girls keep their eyes down and shoulder hunching over as they try to make themselves look as small and unimportant as possible. New but drab cloaks hide their distinctive ears and tails. They appear as nothing more than travellers overly prepared for a sudden spring shower. They stand a step behind Gareth’s broad shoulders covering their forms partially from the front blending in with his presence.

"Justice."

He raises an eyebrow at my words.

With the shadow of a grin, I elaborate.

"Slavers of great cruelty are dead and a great many people are now free and safe."

"Safer now the job is done." Adds Jerrick.

"Is that so? It is nice to see you again Jerrick but what about mercy." Replies Gareth with a frown.

"In this instance, it is a greater kindness to the oppressed to ensure their abusers can never hurt them again." I respond.

"It is what you were paid for." interrupts the Child raising their voice with a scowl.

"Exactly." Says Jerrick with a smile.

"I tried but they refused. Anyway, in these circumstances, any consideration to them would only worsen the already fragile position of their enslaved."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Responds Gareth coolly.

I give a half-smile that quickly turns to a frown. I see what Gareth thinks of me and I look to the ground for it is too painful to match his gaze.

So, this is what it is like to feel ashamed of yourself?

"We will look for another place then?" I ask.

"Right, of course." Replies Gareth.

"Get off your high horse, bootlicker." Spits out the Child staring daggers at Gareth.

"What?" he answers eyes widening in surprise.

"What does a freeman know of the lot of slaves? How dare you judge how we get our freedom."

"I wasn’t".

"You own a sword, and armour and can use them. I didn’t even have the right to my body this morning. So, take your morals and choke on them."

"Enough." I shout at the Child. "Enough." I repeat with a whisper as my shoulder slump, and I sigh.

"I am sorry, Gareth. How about you go on ahead and I will catch up. Meet at the gate at dawn if anything happens. Clear?"

"Yes." He responds.

Gareth walks away the twins trailing behind him soon disappearing from sight.

"That was awkward but time for payment." Demands Jerrick with a half-moon smile he looks handsome if cruel as he stares down at the child.

"Let it go, Jerrick. They need the coin more than we."

"No, I will pay." Responds the Child.

"Yes, you will."

"You seriously want money for murder?" I ask looking him in the eye.

"What are you saying August? It is for the best. We got rid of the scum that impinges upon our great society. We get paid."

"Can these relationships of taking from those who work and giving it all to the rich be thought of as great. If this is the greatest society we can create all I can say is that I think you are wrong. I can think of better; I have imagined it. Further, I have seen people do better elsewhere. Lands where people do not own bodies. But I do not think them the greatest for they too divide between those who own land and the people who work. I do not envision a utopia. I understand a land of the best people is only imagined. My imperative is that the work continues that we are never content or happy with our relationships that so long as a single body suffers from injustice we act on our responsibility to that person."

"Not even philosophers speak such hogwash. You will hurt your head with all this rambling. No need to be so concerned with politics. Leave it for the Nobles, they know best."

"Everyone knows they lie as easily as they breathe."

"Do you have a better way? Can you lead us?"

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"No, I do not seek to lead. How can I understand a person’s life better than themselves? Let us work together, helping each other as necessity demands; planning together for our mutual future. Can you see how we are all political? No one is fit to lead, our traditions no matter how powerful or old favours the few at the pain of the many. The sword always to tyrants, slavers and genocidal."

"Our future?" scoffs the Child. "What do you know!"

"We are more alike than you think." I say gently.

"Alike?" responds the child. "We are nothing alike. When did you beg in the cold? When have you walked invisible, untouchable like I am air? I only know I’m alive because Paddy or Erica kick me and it hurts. I exist when nice smelling folks give coin or when the guards take my coin before the end of the day."

"I know we have our difference." I try to placate them.

"Sometimes I get so angry looking at you thin, fancy fucks I could burst!"

I am speechless.

"Take your charity and choke. Just give me all you can spare to live then I will use the money to make my life with my hands. I will not be held at the convenience of your sympathy to live."

"Don’t get argue now. You used us. How just do you think you are?" argues Jerrick loudly.

"I’m not fighting for justice. I am securing a safe place to sleep at night, I am struggling to make sure my belly is full at the end of the day. I will make that world one body at a time. Spare me your morality, I am battling my oppressors for my life."

"That is the politics of slaves and workers. A struggling for life." I whisper.

"And exposure to death." Interrupts Old Man Bey. "Enough out of you Child."

"You can leave now Magi." He adds.

"Go, Magi. Take the money and go." Says the Child.

As I walk away Old Man Bey grabs and arm and pulls me close.

"It is not about us, Magi, it is every slave and worker. We are excluded from care and broken for the dreams of nobles. It is time for miserable to unite and make a world for us." Old Man Bey whispers in my ear.

"How many will die for your utopia?"

"No one. There is no paradise. But one day there will be a place where not one of us starves. Where we can work, and it brings us pride and the hurt get to rest and they will speak of us and it will be stories of joy, not pity. That is my faith. And you are either with us or against us. The is no middle ground they have already won that battle."

"Good luck to you, Bey." I reply meeting his gaze and sharing a nod.

The Old man hobbles away on his crutches the Child slowing down to match pace. I watch them go as they shuffle away heads forwards until they disappear among the crowd.

"Angry one that Child. I get it but they will sway no one with such outbursts. Better to do business calmly, eh?" says Jerrick with a wide grin.

"The Child was as you say full of resentment." I respond coolly.

"We part ways here then, friend."

"Yes, another time Jerrick." I say with a smile hoping to never see him again after this living nightmare of a day.

He walks away and I am already leaving in the opposite direction without giving him a second glance.

Now how to catch up with Gareth and the Twins? A summon if done discreetly.

I walk into the nearest dark alley I come across forming the mana and summon a crow from the Gavilk plane loyal and as it appears on my arm, I realise it is useless to find people and inform me about it. I dispel it before I am caught.

Why would a summon have such a convenient usage? There are living beings, many of them sentient from different dimensions. Perhaps something from the Tiled plane artificially manipulated by Shepards?

Tracker would require Gareth to be here in order to place the tracker in the first place and would merely highlight direction when activated.

Am I overthinking this?

A simple ping spell would work if we had pre-arranged a sound to call out to each other on. If I did one now any Magi could respond and I would not know the difference.

"Fuck." I mutter as I stroll around the city an eye on the red smear cast by the setting sun.

I continue walking as the sun sets and the stars light up the night sky.

I wander the city with little mind to direction.

A group of young men and women approach faces red with drink. Their arms wrapped around one another as couples.

One of the young men liking his chances for fun moves close but I give him a stare and he shirks back and one of the young women gasps.

They stumble away back to their group, and I walk past them.

My eyes are wide with gnashing anger. My jaw clenches and I form a tight fist.

I want their blood, why not fight you flying fuck. Walking shitstain let me see you bleed and wail as I break your skull under my knuckles.

I walk on my sight colourless but fine in the dark even with little moonlight.

The anger fades and my feet sting but I plod down another street the fresh breeze coming from the river. I have walked to the other side of the city to the harbour area. Looking out into the dark waters.

Why do I bother? I try to get coin for myself to help us, but it is blood money. I do it to help others, but I am caught in a cycle of violence.

I am hated by Gareth and disdained by the people I tried to help. The only one who called me a friend is a hired killer.

A Magi of great potential now making ends meet one body at a time. Still, he at least had the courage to break from his family. Me? I pine after an unrequited love I refuse to admit.

"By the philosophers of old, do I hate myself."

I can’t even die knowing the pain I would cause Gareth, knowing how much life I would be missing out on that I want to seize. I still want to live. Please let me live. But how much easier would it be to die. I have hope knowing that one day it will be all over but not today.

"One more day." I whisper for the tenth time.

I walk to the nearest tavern I can find on the dockside. It is a wooden shack titled by wind and shoddy construction with a rusted metal engraving of a boat.

I walk inside and an emaciated woman sits on a stool her back bent by age as she slumps like a half-filled sack of wheat.

She is alone.

Although the wind blows terribly what little moonlight there are leaks between the roof planks of the ruined abode.

"Is this an inn?" I ask.

Her neck creaks as she turns her face to the door where I stand. Her wrinkles are eerily familiar to the lines of stone on windswept cliff sides worn down day by day. Bald patches dot her stringy grey hair that falls to her ears.

"Yesssss it is. Five silvers for a bed." She answers slowly each word stretching like an echo.

I walk over to her and drop all the coin given to me by the Child.

"A bed and bread in the morning."

"Yesss, nighty, nighty." She points to the rotting door.

"Sleep well." I reply before seeking rest.

I don’t sleep on the bed but on the floor, trusting that it will be cleaner. Hygiene is a problem that I learned as a Magi and an embarrassment that sticks ever since.

I gaze between the cracks in the roof at the little light beaming down from the crescent moon. I reach out to touch it. In all of the horror of the day, the moon changing yet remains constant independant of all of us. It is a small comfort and I watch until sleep takes me.