Mark followed the dog sized scree through the bustling streets of the outer city. The inner city was huge, but surprisingly there was very little traffic in and out of there. Out here, on the other hand, once they entered the market district it was all Mark could do to keep track of the diminutive Tinker. As it bobbed and weaved its way through the press of bodies.

Mark didn’t have that luxury, or the need if he were being honest, he simply walked forward, the crowd parting around him. Moving farther into the tangled mass of people and stalls, they passed several that he wanted to stop at. The Tinker just kept moving, eventually entering an ally that had ‘trap’ written all over it. With a sigh, Mark put his hand on his Broken blade, and followed.

The ally dead ended at a door, with a burly man in a suit standing guard in front of it. Mark looked the man over, he was huge, but not as thickly muscled as Mark himself. He noticed the man shifting slightly when he was given the once over but stayed put. Hand resting close to a hand gun of some kind holstered at his waist.

“What business do you have?” he asked in a smooth baritone, maintaining a professional demeanor.

“I am a Tinker of the hive,” Tinker started with its usual introduction. “Mr. Buys and Sells is expecting me.” It puffed up again, projecting confidence maybe, or pride? Mark wasn’t really sure.

“And this one?” the guard continued, jerking his chin in Marks direction. His eyes had never left Mark, even when addressing the Tinker.

“Surface dweller Mark is my Adventuring companion, and the one on whose behalf I have been working with Mr. Buys and Sells.” The scree answered amiably.

“I see,” answered the guard, putting a hand to his ear. Mark could see an ear piece in that ear, he was likely contacting someone inside the building. “Mr. Tinker here to see you sir. He has a… Friend with him, big guy, green… Yes sir.” Dropping his hand from his ear he looked back to the pair. “You can go in, but mind your manners big guy.” Having spoken he stepped aside, the door zipping up into the ceiling as he moved. Without pause, Tinker entered the doorway, walking down the corridor. Mark only hesitated for a moment before following.

“Tinker, what is going on here?” he asked suspiciously. This place had a real black-market vibe that he didn’t like. The corridor they had entered, was made from bricks, and Mark could see peep holes every so often. It felt like a kill trap.

“When we arrived at the surface dweller city, Landing, I wasn’t allowed to enter any of the shops because I am a scree.” Tinker said, still moving forward. “Surface dweller Terra told me about this place. She said Mr. Buys and Sells will work with anyone.” That made Mark feel better, if Terra had vouched for this guy than it was probably alright. “She said if anything happened that you would deal with it, surface dweller Mark.” It added.

“Yea, that sounds like Terra.” He said with a sigh, deciding to just go with it. A short walk and a flight of stairs later, the pair were being ushered into an office by another burly guard. A heavy-set, middle-aged man sat behind a desk. He didn’t bother to rise when they entered, not even looking at them. He just continued to scribble notes into a data pad with a stylus.

“Well, if it isn’t my good friend the Tinker,” he said, after a full minute, setting his stylus aside. “I have been collecting the goods you asked for my friend. When you didn’t come back for so long, I thought I was going to have to send one of my boys to…” he trailed off when he lifted his head and saw Mark frowning at him. “See if you were doing ok.” He finished with a forced smile, standing up and extending a hand.

“Mr. Buys and Sells, at your service, Mister...” he said leadingly. Mark waited a beat, before extending his own hand to shake. He was careful not to use too much force. Even if this man gave him bad vibes, it wouldn’t do to crush his fingers.

“Mark Lee,” he answered shaking the man’s hand briefly.

“Mr. Lee, I expected you to be quite the character. Tinker here has promised me a big harvest, if I would gather the materials you requested. Normally I would have refused such a request, but I’ve never encountered a scree like this before and he offered collateral. Still, I didn’t expect that you would be a… forest troll… Please, allow me to show you what I have gathered.”

With a wave, a door opened and a… footlocker, walked in on six spider legs. It was odd, but that’s exactly what it looked like. A four foot long two foot deep and tall, metal footlocker, sitting on a platform that had six spider legs propelling it along. Another platform walked in behind the first, this one almost identical to it. The largest difference was that this one had a blacked-out glass window in the lid.

“What collateral?” Mark had to tear his eyes away from the strange spider trucks. In order to ask Tinker the quiet question.

“Mr. Buys and Sells said he would get me the things I requested, but I had to make payment on a gathering mission. He also said if I failed, I would have to build things for him for five years. I agreed because I knew surface dweller Mark really needed these items, and besides I like to build things.” The scree answered, its modulated voice as loud as ever in the small room.

“I see,” Mark said, he turned his attention back to the man he was increasingly certain was a criminal.

“Yes,” Mr. Buys and Sells cleared his throat. “Let me show you what I have collected, before we even think about price.” He moved forward to the closest spider trunk and typed in a code on a key pad that Mark hadn’t seen earlier. Once the code was entered, the lid opened up and the front folded down. Revealing a portable drone work shop.

“As requested, there are four drone chassis in here. Each having a set of; turbines, legs, tires, and propellers. Not to mention a slew of recording equipment, lights, weapons, trackers… all on this convenient walking platform. Next,” here he moved to the other spider trunk. Keying in a code the glass on top went clear, then the lid lifted off.

“A portable reptile hatchery and grow out cage. It has adjustable climate controls and built-in food preparation centers. Suited for the first few months of any large reptile’s development, especially when the owner is on the go.” he continued his explanation for a time, before looking back at the Tinker. “This is to your specifications, is it not, Mr. Tinker? Now, shall we discuss payment?” Mark just stared at the two walking containers. It was more than he’d expected. Tinker had outdone himself, he just hoped that the little ant man hadn’t promised more than he could pay.

“Adequate,” the Tinker said. Its tone hadn’t changed, but its demeanor did. “We have brought an assortment of items for trade; from animal furs and claws, weapons, and even a high-quality prosthetic. I am aware that you wish our services as well but before we talk about…” what followed was a high intensity bartering session, the likes of which Mark had only seen on television auctions.

When they first got here, he had assumed the Tinker had gotten mixed up in something it didn’t understand. After listening to it haggle with the ‘Mr. Buys and Sells’ character, Mark had to admit he had underestimated the little scree. He also picked up on the fact that the merchant really wasn’t interested in their goods. He was interested in something else, in fact he likely would have refused everything outright if Mark hadn’t been present. He seemed to know something of trolls, and having one in his office put him off his game.

Not knowing how to contribute in this situation, Mark just stood there, arms crossed. He thought to play into the anxiety the merchant held for him, maybe improve their pricing. He watched quietly as Tinker sold his things; the stuff from trapper’s Mountain, everything he’d picked up in Swamp rat valley, other than his robe. His Billy club, everything with any value that he’d picked up but hadn’t used was being traded away for these two trunks.

He even put the mark III up for sale, though he kept the ten power cells. He’d need those power cells for his new drones. He patted the weapon he’d picked up to replace the mark III absentmindedly. It was a simple piece, and an old design. When made from modern materials, however, and coupled with his interfaces aiming function, and his strength… Mark couldn’t wait to give the new tool a work out in the field.

At his gesture, Mr. Buys and Sells, who had been adamantly insisting on sixty units of something or another, accepted Tinkers counter offer of fifty units. Mark didn’t know what they were haggling over, but it looked like his unintended movement had gotten them a better deal at least.

“Very well Mr. Buys and Sells,” Tinker said and shook the man’s hand. “Surface dweller Mark and I prepared before coming here, so we will leave immediately. Please ensure that all our agreed upon items are present when we return. We will have fifty units of jungle poppy, and any extras…” it trailed off, and the merchant picked up where it had stopped.

“Yes, friend Tinker, any extras will be exchangeable for additional equipment. And, as standard in these deals, you are free to keep or exchange anything else you find as well. Your entry fee was covered by that lovely rifle as well, so you don’t need to worry about added cost.” With a relieved expression, the merchant ushered them out of his office and closed the door behind them.

“What just happened?” Mark asked, as another burly man in a suit took them further into the maze-like building. He hadn’t been listening closely enough it seemed, because he would never have agreed to trade his rifle for an ‘entry fee’ to anywhere.

“Mr. Buys and Sell’s organization has taken control of a teleportation pad to a hard quest zone. They charge for access. The quest zone has these plants called jungle poppy, I’ve been there before, and we just have to go collect the plants. We don’t even have to do the quest, fifty is a lot however, and it will be difficult to get that many in one trip.” The scree explained as they entered a courtyard. There was indeed a teleportation pad in the center, flanked by armed guards. Tinker moved towards it without hesitation, Mark following behind, feeling at a loss for how quickly everything had taken place.

“Are we on a time crunch here?” he asked the swiftly moving scree.

“No, once we are inside, we have as long as we want” it said.

“Then why are you in such a hurry?” Mark asked, climbing up next to it on the pad.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Because, surface dweller Mark, I don’t trust Mr. Buys and Sells not to change our terms if we don’t move quickly.” It said placing its hand on the sphere. With the customary flash they were gone.

When the light faded, Mark found himself standing on the pad in what looked like a tropical rain forest. Or, it looked like what he pictured a rainforest to look like, he’d never actually been to one before. The air was hot and humid, and the trees were lush and had a tropical feel. Fruit and nut bearing plants could be seen from here. It was the opposite in many ways from Trapper’s Mountain.

“Why would you work with someone like that, and what kind of name is Mr. Buys and Sells?” he asked, turning back to the tinker. The little guy was getting a small drone out of its bag. Mark recognized it as a recon drone, likely the only one it had with him. They hadn’t brought all Tinker’s drones with them to the market, so they didn’t have much to work with now.

“We got good terms because you frightened him, surface dweller Mark. He would have gotten over it rapidly however and wanted to get a fair deal. And I work with him because no one else will deal with me.” The drone took to the air, and Tinker pulled out a tablet to follow its movements. “Come on surface dweller Mark, we need to hurry if we are to avoid the quest sequence.”

“Would you just call me Mark, please Tinker.” Mark said for no less than the hundredth time. “Also, what do you mean the quest sequence?”

“Very well… Mark” it said, with a blank between words. As if it had actually said ‘surface dweller Mark’ but had caused the translation device to censor the words. “The quest sequence is the event that triggers the quest. In this case, there are two furred children, who are being chased by lizard people. Like your trogs, only smaller. We need to hurry or we will get tangled up in the quest line.” It said, already moving away.

“Hold on a minute Tinker, I still need to finish two quests, might as well do this one while I’m here right?” he said, calling after the scree. “You want to do it with me, or should we split up for now?” Tinker stopped and looked back at him, twitching its antenna in annoyance.

“We should split ways now then… Mark. It will take many days, if not weeks to track down all the jungle poppy and this environment is hard on my system.” It did look uncomfortable with the heat. Mark felt bad, having brought it up. However, he really did want to do the quest while he was here.

“Ok, we will split up. What does this plant look like, and how do I harvest it? We can cover more ground if we separate anyway.” Tinker showed him a short video on its tablet, of an orange/ purple plant being harvested. “Got it, thanks buddy. We’ll meet up at some point before we leave.” With a bob of its head, the little ant was gone.

* * *

“Quest sequence, huh?” Mark moved around, keeping his eyes and ears pealed for any sign of trouble. Thinking back on his time in the Swamp. If he went back there now, would he encounter Lu, surrounded by trogs? Right then, he resolved to never go back and find out. His mind was brought back to the task at hand when he heard a scream. Rushing forward, he readied himself for combat. Soon enough, a pair of fur covered children ran into view. A pack of small brown lizard people on their heels.

Bringing up his new weapon, a slingshot, he put a hardened steel ball into the pad and pulled the elastic cord all the way back to his ear. Taking aim at the lead lizard, using the reticle provided by his interface, Mark loosed the ball. It flew faster than an arrow, slamming into the three-foot-tall lizard with the crack of breaking bones.

Mark looked on as the creature collapsed. He had been skeptical at first, this was a slingshot after all, a child’s toy. He’d failed to take his strength into account though. Human average was six, he had twenty. With this slingshot being constructed of materials far superior to those found on earth, it could stand up to the force he could bring to bear. Aiming was going to take some practice. He was a great shot with a rifle, and his aiming reticle would help a lot, still it was a new weapon.

That ball might not have been fired with the speed of a bullet; but it was still fired with enough force to drive itself into the lizard’s body, dropping it. Mark pulled another ball from a pouch, set it to the string and fired again. The hardened steel balls were about as big as a marble, and he had hundreds of them, spread out in several pouches. Mark regretted losing the mark III rifle, but it was too limited on ammunition. Now, even a stone could potentially become a lethal projectile.

His second shot took the second lizard down as well. The sling shot was as quiet as the energy weapon had been, so it took until the second one fell before the remaining five lizards caught on. Without waiting to discover the source of their dead, they turned and fled, leaving a variety of weapons behind. Mark stood up and moved forward, trying to intercept the kids before they got too far away.

“Whoa, calm down guys.” He said, doing his best to seem non-threatening. For someone his size that was a hard sell, but either the tone of his voice or the quest programing, caused the kids to come to a stop. They looked at him, shaking in terror. “It’s ok guys, I’m a friend. See, they’re gone now. Come on over here, ok? Tell me what happened.”

He didn’t approach the kids, only waiting for them to decide if they would come to him. While he waited, he looked them over. A pair of boys if he wasn’t mistaken, again. One looked nearly human, tuffs of fur on his ears and arms the only sign that he wasn’t. The other boy was covered in black fur, from the tips of his pointed ears, to the end of his long thin tail. He looked like a humanoid leopard, complete with long canines and claws.

The kids couldn’t have been older than ten. Yet they eyed him warily, not daring to get any closer. That was, until he pulled out a ration bar and offered it over. The offer of food did what his words couldn’t, and before long they both sat beside him munching on the dried meat and trail bars.

“Did you really kill the kobolds with a slingshot mister?” the more human one asked, looking at the weapon in question, “My dad gave me a slingshot on my birthday, but… I couldn’t even hit anything, let alone kill kobolds with it… our mom told me I shouldn’t shoot living things unless I was hunting anyway.”

“Our mom?” Mark asked catching the choice of words. “Are you two brothers?” he asked the question with a smile, not wanting to scare the boys if it was a taboo subject. They didn’t seem to mind though, only nodding.

“Yep, our mom is a were leopard, who moved in with my dad at Passthrough town after my brother’s dad died.” a few more questions revealed the human looking boys name was Aaron and his brother was Tim. Aaron was half human, where Tim was a were leopard. They had left Passthrough town with their parents to visit family in the were leopards’ community, when the kobolds had attacked. The boys were told to run while their parents held the rest of the kobolds off.

“How long ago was this?” Mark asked the scared kids as they ate.

“A few hours ago, maybe?” Aaron said, “Can we save them?” he asked hopefully.

“Maybe, do you know how far away Passthrough town is?” he didn’t want to drag these kids along with him on a kobold hunt.

“It’s only, what do you think Tim? 20 minutes’ walk from here.” the leopard boy nodded; he hadn’t spoken the entire time. The distance surprised Mark, they were really close to the town and they were still being attacked like this? It was bold of the kobolds, or they had numbers… they could also be stupid, but no point planning for them being stupid.

“Ok boys,” he said making his decision. “Since we are so close to Passthrough town, I will drop you off there before going out to save your mom and dad, ok?” they argued, but in the end were too tired and scared to resist the idea of going home.

Mark followed as they led him to a large river, they then followed it downstream. Until they came to a split in the river, where Mark could see a small town nestled in the fork. They kept walking, coming to a bridge made of wood and stone, suspended high over the river. Four human men and women stood on guard duty at the foot of the bridge. Initially they lowered their weapons towards Mark, but the boy’s intervention had them raised again soon after.

Following one of the men across the bridge, Mark was taken to a large building in the town center. Where he was ushered into an office and asked to wait. There was a map on the desk, and without anything else to do, Mark checked it out. A river split the middle of the map, running fairly straight except one area where it split around a raised area. It merged back together again afterwards and continued off the map.

The island in the river was labeled Passthrough town, and had two bridges leading from it. One was the one he had crossed on his way in, the other crossed the other fork. There was an area up stream of the town, the same direction he had come from, that had an area near a sharp bend circled.

“Interesting, is it not?” asked a female voice from the door. Mark snapped a picture of the map with his left eye before turning to meet the owner of the words. It was a middle-aged woman, who had to be half were leopard. If the black fur tuffs that were turning to grey on her ears were any indication. She wasn’t wearing much in the way of clothes, a loose robe of thin fabric with a machete at her waist.

“What might that be?” Mark asked. Not wanting to play games, when lives were on the line.

“Our fair town of Passthrough. We are situated a week’s travel from the nearest settlement, in either direction. Build with the express purpose of people stopping to recover, themselves and their supplies, before continuing on to someplace better.” The words were spoken in a wistful tone, but her black eyes were sharp. Telling Mark, she didn’t agree with her own words.

“I don’t yet have an opinion of the place,” Mark said honestly. “I only just arrived, and was brought directly to this room. Are you the mayor or governor? I told those boys I’d get their mother and father back; I would appreciate you not making a Lier out of me.” Mark didn’t know what her problem was, but he didn’t really care either.

“Very well,” she said at last. “Yes, I am the town mayor. My name is Georgia, I just came from talking with Aaron and Tim. They told me a story; I’d like to hear one from you.” she said, not giving up the hard ass act.

Mark looked at her with a frown evident on his face, this was a first. During the last two quests he had undertaken, the people had been all too happy to work with him. Why was this quest different? What was causing this, Georgia, to behave this way? With a shrug, he decided honesty was the best policy.

“I came here with a friend to harvest some plants from this area. A merchant wants them in trade for some equipment I need. Not long after we got here though, I heard the boys in trouble. So, leaving my companion to search for the plants, I went to help the kids. There were five lizards, kobolds they called them. I killed two of them, the others ran. After talking to the kids and realizing how close to town we were, I decided to bring them back here before going after their parents.” There, that was truthful. Even if a bit distorted.

Georgia looked at him a long time, as if trying to smell a lie. Then, she walked over to the desk. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a clear bottle filled with clear liquid along with two glasses. Pouring a generous amount into each, she handed one across before taking a healthy gulp of her own.

“Close enough,” she said with a sigh, dropping into a chair. She motioned Mark to do the same before she continued. “Plant your after called jungle poppy?” at his affirming nod she continued. “It’s a plant common to this area, not as common as it used to be, we burn it when we find It.” she took another gulp. “It can be rendered down into a potent pain killer, it’s also very addictive. Quite a few of the dock girls are hooked on the stuff.”

Mark blinked at the news, then sighed. He hadn’t known for sure, but he had guessed it was something like that. Hell, it was in the name jungle poppy. With a grimace, he took a drink from his own glass. The taste of the hard liquor only made him grimace harder, must be a home brewed concoction.

“Your expression, at least, tells me you didn’t know. It also tells me you’re not too surprised.” The mayor said, taking another drink.

Mark just looked at her, wondering if she had a skill he could learn, or if he was just that easy to read. Could be a little of both; he had almost one hundred years of memories, yet none of them seemed to relate to real world skills. Why was that? He remembered doing things, yet whenever he did them here it was like the first time all over again. Realizing, that Georgia was waiting for an answer, he put his speculations aside and answered.

“No, I didn’t know. Yes, I suspected. But like I said, he wants it in trade for gear I need. If it’s any comfort, it won’t be staying in the area” he took another drink of liquor, his troll’s metabolism burning the alcohol away before it could do more than warm his belly and give his brain a tingle.

“It doesn’t,” she said. Draining her glass, and reaching for her machete. Mark wasn’t sure what she was planning, but he never got the chance to find out. Before her finger’s even touched the hilt, an alarm rang out across the town.

“Boats, there are boats coming!” In a river town named Passthrough, Mark thought boats would be a common sight. However, the way Georgia got to her feet and dashed from the room told him another story. With a curse, Mark drained his glass, and hurried to follow.