“Come here, you little monster,” Akemi said, squatting in the grass in the center of the farm as she scooped up Mutt. The pika’s stomach felt as hard as asphalt. “God, you must have a black hole inside you or something. Your digestive system defies the laws of physics.”

“Eep.”

“Yeah, likely story,” she responded, bemused, as she made her way back to Gabriel’s enclosure. Sunlight was nearly cracking over the horizon. She was running out of time.

Gabriel made a sound low in his three throats when he spotted her. “You’ve returned.”

“Sure have.”

The rooster eyed her like a gargoyle, stoic and tense. It was unnerving. When she plucked the runic egg from her inventory and pressed it to the lock, he clucked in astonishment.

“You retrieved the key. The livestock guardian did not consume you,” he remarked, flabbergasted, as if that was the most likely outcome. “I am impressed, human.”

Akemi scoffed. “Don’t act so surprised. It was just a snake.” After a few moments, the lock clicked open and fell to the ground, releasing the gate. The rune painted on its center faded. “I’ve had to deal with more than a few pissed off farm serpents in my lifetime.”

She scooped up the lock, thinking it might come in handy later.

You have acquired a [Runic Lock x1]

Gabriel immediately thrust the gate open with his third head—one which he seemed to use more as a weapon than anything else—and walked gallantly into the field. He raised his feathered chest high, and pointed his heads towards the rising sun. He looked far more majestic than a rooster with three heads had any right to look.

“Free again,” he said, slowly, then turned to look reverently at Akemi. “Thank you, my friend. Would you like to assist me in devouring Frank, or should I walk that path alone?”

“I would love to—”

A notification popped into her field of vision, interrupting her.

Some notifications were muted while you were engaged in combat.

You have two (3) missed messages in your accomplice panel.

You have one (1) new entry in your Inventory

Her skin pricked with excitement. Kobe. He had gotten back to her. She did a cursory look at her inventory before she whisked open the accomplice panel. As she had thought, it was the tax collector’s salary, freshly deposited. She grinned. Easiest six hundred she’d ever made.

Now, onto the goat.

Kobe: Fine. I agree to your terms. Jore needs some money for ingredients anyway.

Kobe: So you want to avoid being peeked on by a high-level mindshaper? There’s three main options. One, you can get the Heroic class Mindshield, which is a foil to Mindshaper. They have innate skills around blocking mental intrusions. But, seeing as your reputation is abysmal, there’s a fat chance of that happening. Two, you take Mindshaper yourself—which you already seem to have done—and get a counterspell from that. But I think that’s a Rank Eight spell so… that brings us to option three.

Kobe: Have loads of cash.

Akemi rolled her eyes. She quickly shot back an answer.

Akemi: Define loads.

“You were saying?” Gabriel interjected. He looked eager to leave, practically salivating at the thought of it. Who was she to keep him waiting? If she had been locked up by some guy named Frank, she’d be eager to cluck his ass to death, too.

“Go on ahead without me,” she said, waving her hand. “I’ll sit out the fun this time.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“I understand.” He bowed his head. “But before I go, let’s join ties.”

You have a new invitation in the accomplice panel: Gabriel.

Akemi’s jaw dropped.

“You can use the accomplice system? As a rooster?”

He huffed. “Of course I can. I can speak and communicate intelligently. I can move. I can kill. All beings beyond a certain level of sentience are able to use the System. You simply see less and less of my kind these days. The Runic Duke made sure of that.” He snapped at the air angrily, and flourished his wings. “After I’m done here, I will continue to rid the realm of such heroic imperialists, as is my birthright.”

Akemi blinked slowly. “...Right. Okay then.”

Gabriel bowed. She watched, stunned, as his three heads began their slow parade up the hillside. Farmer Frank had another thing coming.

Maybe Pyre had a point about this planet’s biodiversity.

To say it was overwhelming was putting it mildly.

Kobe: Probably something in the realm of 300 silvers.

Akemi perked up as she saw the message float in. Her tax collector salary was six hundred. If she took out Bamo’s share, that would still leave her with four hundred and fifty to spend on the necessities.

Except.

She groaned. She had promised Kobe money, too. She’d just have to slightly… delay that payment. But hey, if banks could do it, so could she.

Akemi: And if I had access to that kind of money? What exactly would I be spending it on? Some sort of Mindshaper-repelling tinfoil hat?

Kobe: No. A spellbook, and several mana potions. The spellbook allows you to learn the skill prematurely, and the mana potions can temporarily enhance your mana ceiling so you can cast it. There are artifacts that carry the counterspells as enchantments, but they’re a rare find. I wouldn’t count on it.

Akemi: Okay… How about the spellbook, then? What kind of vendor would sell that? Do you have any recommendations in Grimguard?

Kobe: Of course. Any registered magistrate should do.

Magistrate. That was the title of the researcher who signed off that letter to the Viscount.

Akemi: Magistrates—what are they, exactly?

Kobe: Hm. I forgot how little you know. They’re appointed magical researchers. You can find them in residence at universities or government bodies. Grimguard Manor has one, of course, but I believe you might have burned that bridge. I’d suggest finding the one at the university nearby.

Akemi grimaced. A trip to a university certainly sounded high-profile. While she doubted Nocturne would track her personally, she wouldn’t put it past him to send someone else to.

Akemi: That sounds so… public. Isn’t there just like, an underground spellbook dealer I can buy this thing off of? I don’t exactly have much time. And I don’t want my purchase to be seen by anyone else, if I can help it.

Kobe didn’t respond, and Akemi fidgeted impatiently in the grass. The sun was bathing the yard now, shining a revealing light on the massacre left by Mutt. Blood and bones dotted the grass.

“Shit,” she mumbled. “We have to get out of here.”

She hastily made her way back towards town, dodging behind trees as early-rising villagers yawned their way out of doorways. Luckily, they were few and far between, and too tired to concern themselves with whatever odd figure was weaving in and out of the woods.

Within minutes, she made it back to the inn, slipped silently in through the doors, and closed them with a gentle click behind her. She let out a relieved breath, feeling the tension fall off her shoulders. She had done it—fed her dog, and freed a demonic rooster—all in a night’s work.

“By the gods,” N’og muttered. “Did the rooster bite your pants off?”

Akemi’s eyes snapped open to find N’og eyeing her in disgust. But that disgust quickly softened into an uncharacteristic cheeriness. His face seemed younger, almost. His disposition quieted.

“What does it matter? You’re my hero, with or without trousers. I slept the night through,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “First time since my daughter was born. It’s like I’m experiencing the world anew—the birds are chirping, and I don’t even want to kill them for it.”

“Well… you’re welcome,” Akemi said, standing there awkwardly. “So, if that’s all…”

“There must be something I can do for you,” he said, weirdly gracious. “Beyond the night’s stay.”

She thought about it. Money was always nice, but—looking around the decrepit, barely holding on inn—this guy didn’t seem like he could be extorted for much.

So her mind drifted towards more immediate needs.

“You got any extra pants laying around?”

—

I shouldn’t have sold off all my backup pants.

She glared at herself in the long, cracked mirror in the inn bathroom. These … pieces of clothing … could barely be described as pants, seeing as they were mirthling-sized, and rode all the way up to her knees. They were like extra long shorts, but much tighter. And not in the sexy way.

Whatever. She’d have another tax collector salary rolling in eventually, and if it didn’t come soon enough, she’d just have to rob some sorry Grimguard merchant.

Or Pyre. It was always fun to rob Pyre.

With her things gathered, she prepared herself to meet Bamo by the stables. By her estimates, it was nearly nine, and he’d be arriving soon enough. Kobe hadn’t replied to her, but it didn’t matter much. He had offered enough options, even if they weren’t favorable ones. She was hoping to not have to go anywhere near an institution of learning again in her life, but, alas.

As she headed towards the horse barn, she spotted Bamo waiting there, carriage ready. She gave him a mischievous wave, but he didn’t return it. What a moodkill.

She was about to shout out to him when another notification dinged.

Kobe: There is one more option.