The knife-wielding Volunteer was amenable to my suggestion. After further preparation we left Purgatory. I followed his lead in boarding the Platinum Line back out in the direction of Elysian Spires, leaving the MAR Master Terminal behind. We then transferred to the Gold Line and rode it down until we reached Eden West.

I still didn’t know his name, and he did not appear eager to share it. The sleeves of his coat obscured the ID tag on his wrist, although he did flash it at the station to pay the fare. It would have just been meaningless numbers to me.

He indicated that he had some sort of transit pass–unlimited travel for a set period. If I wanted, I too could purchase one at the Master Terminal. For now, that was another 20 Crypt.

We rode in silence in the rear of a half-empty train car. Several Citizens in crisp linen suits sat or stood up front, away from the dangerous riff raff come to do the dirty work. Daylight shone so warm and bright through the windows it was hard to believe it was artificial as we pulled into a more idyllic station than I expected.

Now arriving at Eden West Station.

We deboarded and I followed my temporary companion through an urban yet thoroughly domestic environment. A gentrification, a neo-suburban reclaiming of a dense historical section of an industrialized city. The truth was that there had never been any urban blight to reclaim. Not in a place like this. It was a thoroughly planned community with chic, walled-off homes and private gardens. Intentionally designed, connected by elegant walkways. There was only a mirage of historicity here.

We passed through multiple blocks until we reached the edge of an enormous park, stretching far to the left and right opposite a pedestrian-friendly street.

“Here it is. Grand Central Park.”

Strange musical notes carried in the air. I looked through spring foliage and flowering trees to glimpse a quaint, old world amusement park. An elegant carousel with bobbing animals completed its melodic revolutions. A golden drop tower ride plunged beyond the treetops. Scents of popcorn and cotton candy assaulted the nostrils.

And the laughter of children.

What?

Crossing the street, I followed the other Volunteer on a path winding through the immense park. And indeed, through a wrought iron fence off to our left I saw what looked to be multiple parents holding the hands of their children, enjoying the amusements. One child in a spring dress held a red balloon by the string, a joyful expression on her freckled face.

▶ This is… I had no idea. There are children in The Collective?

My companion grunted.

“Could be. Don’t trust everything you viddy.”

▶ What do you mean by that?

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. This mesto gives me the creeps.”

We crossed over an arching red bridge. Below, I saw couples enjoying dragon-themed paddle boats in a small lake. An unexpected anxiety gripped my heart. I suddenly wanted to change the subject. Distract myself.

▶ Tell me again what you’re farming and how I can help.

“Kappas. Turtle chellovecks.”

▶ Turtles?

“Like I said, they keep spawning ‘round here and try to eat the koi fish out of the ponds near the gardens. Have a taste for human flesh too. But the veshch they love most… is cucumbers.”

▶ Cucumbers?

Without looking back at me the man materialized a small green vegetable in his hand and held it aloft. Nothing remarkable about it. Just an ordinary cucumber.

“They can’t resist. They’ll even beg for them. They can learn human language, you know. So oomny yet so gloopy.”

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▶ What frequency are they?

“Common.”

▶ Why farm them? You said you don’t have a bounty, so you can’t be getting paid.

The man stopped in the middle of the footpath and turned to eye me suspiciously.

“I’ve got my reasons, haven’t I? Every so often the kappas drop something of value. That’s what I’m after. Don’t care about any cards or fraggies. We can split the Crystals for all I care. But any materials they drop is mine. Got it?”

▶ Fine by me. Then you’ll help me dispatch the minotaur?

He nodded and we continued. The winding path carried us deeper into the park. The trees were larger now. The foliage denser. A grassy ramble with scattered picnickers and kite-flyers gave way to something older. We crossed another bridge over a small creek and I noticed several decorative stone lanterns dotting the trailside. I now saw no Citizens anywhere.

The short man raised a hand in the air, then silently motioned to a large felsic rock off to one side of the path. I followed him and we sat down. Peering through jutting bamboo he pointed to a series of ponds connected by elegant wooden bridges and stepping stones. Wide lilly pads covered the surface and brilliant orange and white fish flashed underneath.

Beyond the ponds and past a stretch of manicured lawn was a walled garden with a stone archway. I could see green hedges beyond. The hedge maze! I could also glimpse caution tape and a security barricade warning off Citizens, but I saw no Polizei bots. My companion spoke in a hush.

“There. You viddy that ripple?”

I turned my attention back to the nearest pond. I noticed nothing unusual. Nothing that couldn’t be attributed to a leaping fish. I shook my head.

“There’s a kappa in there for sure. They can breathe underwater, so we gotta lure it out. Don’t wanna spar a kappa in the water. They can drown you, bite you, even try to ultra violence you.”

Ultra violence? Maybe I didn’t want to know.

▶ So we use the cucumber to get it on dry land?

“Just right. If there’s just odin I don’t need your help. But if we run into a pack I could use you. Just need a peet first.”

To my surprise, the man materialized a travel thermos out of his inventory. He unscrewed the cap and took a swig. It smelled like freshly brewed herbal tea, and I could see a trail of steam rising from the top.

▶ Are you serious?

“It’s a lucky chasha of chai, innit?”

▶ Lucky chai. Is that anything like a Tincture of Fortune?

“That it is. But it lasts a lot longer and tastes a lot better. Need to increase my odds of finding what I’m after. Don’t wanna be out here all day cutting open turtle shells.”

I waited patiently while the man finished his hot tea. He didn’t offer me any, not that I felt thirsty now or ever. He seemed invigorated by the drink and ready for action.

I recalled the Tincture of Fortune increased ‘the probability of obtaining Crystals and discovering items of higher rarity for 600 seconds.’ I wondered what exact benefits this other concoction conferred.

He put the thermos away and stood up, suddenly brandishing a large knife I had not seen before. Not a throwing knife, but a sturdy 6-inch blade. I tensed at the sight, but the man turned and was staring at the nearby pond again. Curious, I carefully reached out and tried to highlight the weapon without touching it, seeing if I could learn what it was through this method.

[Hybrid Hunting Knife]

Realizing what I had done, he quickly moved the knife away from my reach.

“Keep your grubby system functions away from my nosh, right? Now stay hidden and watch what I do. If it’s an ambush, come join the spar.”

With that, he quickly moved off through the bamboo thicket towards the first pond. He was nimble, as advertised, and his small stature made it easy for him to navigate through the environment. I watched as he held the knife behind his back with one hand and placed the cucumber on the ground, taking several steps back and waiting.

This time I did detect increased rippling in the water, followed by subtle splashing. Seconds later, a slimy green object broke the surface of the pond. It was a head… of sorts. A round, human-sized reptilian head, complete with sharp, hooked beak and round, flat eyes that held a predatory gleam.

Most disturbing to me was the top of the head. It was hollowed out like a dish, like someone had partially scalped this creature. The indentation in the skull was full of fluid, or water, that sloshed about ever so slightly as it swam toward the edge. I had the impression of a raw egg yolk in a bowl. Stringy black humanoid hair hung from the sides of its crown, dripping with pond water.

“Kyūri? Kyūri?” the creature chirped, cautiously emerging from the murky pool.

I saw now that it was the size of a small person, a bit larger than my companion but not as tall as me. It walked on two legs with a hunched posture. Its hands and feet were webbed claws, and the slickness of algae clung to its green skin and chelonian shell.

The creature cocked its head to one side. I heard the wetness of its feet slapping against the grass as it scuttled toward the other Volunteer.

“Kyūri?”

A system notification chirped.

[{common} entity detected - Kappa]