“Unexpectedly, you were right,” Davis commented, “That was an interesting place.”

“Told you,” said Veles as he carefully inspected the bottle of liquor he held, “You get free samples, enjoy good drinks, and then you buy top-notch stuff for cheap. It’s a win-win situation.”

Davis could only vigorously nod to this. Their recent visit to the shop funnily called ‘Patocius’s Throat Burners’ was truly an interesting activity. They got to taste various wines, beers, and other strong alcohols—obviously, they had to purchase something first, but still, each coin was well spent.

As for the bottle in Veles’s hand, it contained a high percentage of alcohol and should be a drink made of the IIlus tree’s sap, a renowned tree known for releasing highly toxic fog from its bark that causes serious hallucinations.

As to why he brought it? Well, poisons and healing potions might have their effects almost nulled when he drinks them, but anything that affected the brain would do wonders for him.

So… he wanted to test if it could help him with his dreams. Yes… just for that.

“Those poor guys are still following us around,” Davis smirked. “Are we going to take any action?”

Veles smiled and lightly shook his head, his mana slowly covering the bottle as it got sucked inside his storage ring, “Might as well have some extra fun. They’ve found nothing on us anyway, and we can make their day even more miserable.”

For the past five hours, Davis and Veles did nothing except walk around and explore the city. They didn’t use any transportation available, nor did they have a goal in mind. This highly irritated the two stalkers who had been following them since the beginning.

Even now, when Veles glanced back, he could see their annoyance and lack of interest in whatever their mission was. And he was sure he could make it much worse…

Glancing around, Veles checked their current location. For the past hour, they were traversing this residential arena with nothing special about it, just a classic city neighborhood with houses close to each other—a perfect place to perform a little stunt.

“Follow me, and keep using your senses on the ground. Take heavy steps and tell me if you feel anything hollow under your feet,” said Veles before smiling, “And try to act more suspiciously…”

“Describe how to act ‘more suspiciously,’” Davis asked with a smile, understanding that something interesting was about to happen.

“You know, sudden glances at random directions, looking at everything with eyes narrowed and like that,” Veles calmly explained and practically did just as he told. His gaze snapped to the window of a two-story house where an older lady almost had a heart attack while receiving his sudden attention.

Springing into action, both of them walked with hurried steps. They avoided the main roads and focused on narrow back alleys. This went on for another ten minutes, and when Veles glanced back from the corner they just made, he noticed their stalkers had become more active and excited.

“Hey, there is something under here,” said Davis, his leg doing some stumps down. “Probably a cellar, a deep one at that.”

“How thick is the floor?” Asked Veles.

“Ah,” After a second of thinking, Davis replied, “Not much, barely a meter between us and the cellar.”

“Great. Can you start collapsing a layer and try to make the ground around here unstable so they end up crashing down when they take a step?” Veles asked.

Davis’s eyes lit up. He immediately went to work. During this short period of time, Veles had already moved around so as not to disturb him and scanned this little alley to make sure a stray ward wouldn’t disturb what he was about to do.

“Done,” Davis said and took a couple of steps back, grinning.

This alley’s ground was made of a simple pavement, and from what Veles could tell, Davis had left just a layer of shaky bricks. Taking another corner, they waited, and indeed, just a minute later, two figures followed their exact steps, not making it very far...

The floor beneath their feet collapsed, followed by their panicked screams. Not giving them any chance, Veles held a pinky-sized vial in his hand. It was filled with what one would call purple glitter. He coated it with his silver mana and teleported it directly into the hole. He didn’t even need to check if the vial had exploded. He just turned around and started walking.

“Let’s get away from here,” said Veles while hurrying away.

Not far behind, Davis asked, “What was in that vial?”

“One of Tora’s mixtures that are supposed to cause a serious sneezing,” Veles replied and glanced back, “It lasts for hours, and if not cured on time… Well, a death by sneezing isn’t a pleasant one.”

Veles noticed Davis having a small shudder just thinking about this effect, and even he must admit it was terrifying. Sneezing your brains out wasn’t a delightful way to go… if one thought carefully, it would be slow and painfully end. Though Veles was sure these two in the hole would wiggle their way out of it.

After all, both of them were Fifth Stage warriors, and as far as Veles could tell, they should be capable of escaping that hole easily and have enough time to get help. That was also the reason why Veles didn’t want to face them directly—it would be a close fight, and the last thing he needed right now was extra injuries.

“Where to now?” Davis asked. Ten minutes after losing their pursuers, they still strolled through this normal residential area.

“I was planning on buying a bunch of crafting tools,” said Veles after pointing forward, “Down this way is a so-called craftsman’s street. It’s a place filled with numerous small businesses that engage in a wide variety of crafts. Hopefully, I can get all the stuff I need there.”

“You surprisingly have a lot of information about this place…” Davis commented.

“I’ve told you that I took a night stroll the first night I couldn’t sleep. That’s when I visited this area and met a few people who were kind enough to provide me with general information,” Veles explained.

In truth, that night, he’d visited a corner restaurant that served nothing but a spicy traditional dish made by the brown wolfkin tribe. It was a nice little place that worked just during the night, and it basically gathered a strange group of exceptionally informed people who didn’t shy away from sharing their knowledge…

“You have something specific in mind that you need to buy?” Davis asked out of pure curiosity.

“Many things like anvils, hammers, vials, and some other fine tools.”

“Crafting something?” Davis expectedly asked. “I mean, you probably can create highly quality stuff,” he pointed at his spear. “This one still serves me well. I don’t get how it didn’t break after all this time.”

Veles nodded. “The materials I used on that spear aren’t simple. They are extremely durable and can withstand a lot of damage. However, while I was imprisoned, I had no way to utilize mana, so I couldn’t give them any proper enchantments.”

Then he pointed at his ring, which didn’t look the same as in the beginning. There wasn’t the image of a dead tree placed on a hexagonal plate anymore; instead, it looked like an ordinary silver ring. The ring could easily change its shape, and Veles didn’t want any extra attention on it.

“Inside the ring are a couple of beginner books for artifact enchanters. They contain runic combinations to apply basic strengthening spells and some techniques for applying mana to an object. If I combine that with my experience, I can make very interesting things.”

“Great,” Davis said, “I hope you can upgrade my spear… When I was fighting that armored dude, I noticed how lacking it is.”

“Sure, I will work on that,” Veles replied, “I will also get you a couple of javelins since you obviously like throwing that spear. And there are a few extra things I might add…”

“Nice,” Davis said. He then rubbed his chin and continued, “You know, I’ve been thinking… What if I had a magical flask that could hold a lot of sand or earth in it? Won’t that give me much more space to maneuver around?”

Veles looked at him, impressed. “You are absolutely right. If you haven’t noticed already, you can refine any earth you touch, making it easier and less costly to manipulate with your abilities. As for sand, I’m not sure if you even tried manipulating it, but it should be much harder than flinging around chunks of earth; it’s a much more refined process, after all.”

“How familiar are you with Elementalists?” Davis asked. “Ever since I received the class, I’ve been pondering on how to improve myself. I have a lot of… stupid ideas, and I’m not sure if they would cause me any harm or not.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I know plenty. But look, the only thing I will tell you is to try and fail,” Veles switched his tone to a serious one, “No matter how stupid this idea of yours is, just do it. If you get seriously injured during the process, you will learn a valuable lesson and improve on it. There is no improvement without a sacrifice…”

Seeing that Davis didn’t like his answer very much, Veles continued, “Let me tell you about my first time ‘teleporting’, as people call it,” Veles stopped and gestured for Davis to listen, “There are many ways to use spatial affinity and move from one place to another. But the most prominent one that I use goes like this: You coat yourself with a thin layer of space lock that stabilizes a space around you to prevent your body from getting cooked due to fast motion, then you poke a small stabilized wormhole or let’s call it a space tunnel to the other place you want to go, then you let the wormhole’s natural pull swallow you before spitting you on the other side. Simple right?”

Davis spent a few seconds thinking before nodding, signaling Veles to continue.

“Well, that’s just a theory. In practice, one must consider many more specifics. Like, will the space lock hold all the way? Does the wormhole have enough energy to sustain itself before spitting you on the other side? What about the stabilization itself? Getting stable wormhole isn’t as easy as it seems…”

Seeing that Davis was quietly listening, Veles started with his experience. “My first wormhole almost got me killed… I didn’t stabilize it, and the spatial lock I’ve covered myself wasn’t enough. So, when it swallowed me, the wormhole had a much stronger pull on the lock, and it basically started twisting my body, breaking my bones. Then my protection burst apart just as the wormhole spat me out. That motion managed to cause me severe burns. What’s worse, the hole in itself was overfed with energy, so it stayed active even when I was outside, further twisting the fabric of space around me. So due to instability, I was in an unknown place, far away from my destination, my bones were broken, my flesh burned, and all the energy I had was spent to escape that still raging wormhole.”

He could see that Davis had a general idea of what had happened, so Veles just added, “It was a very traumatic experience, trust me. But because of that, even after all this time, I like to be extra cautious with my own abilities. If I hadn’t lived through that, I would’ve probably ended up swallowed by chaotic space a long time ago due to carelessness.”

“So…” After a minute of silence, Davis shrugged and said, “If I end up half dead somewhere, it would be your fault.”

Veles just deadpan looked at him, “Whatever, I couldn’t care less…”

Despite this, Veles could tell that Davis took his words seriously.

“We are here, by the way,” Veles gestured at the sight in front of them. It took a drastic switch from a previously empty and quiet neighborhood. The street before them was colored with people who were busily going their own ways. This scene goes as far as the eye could see. Not giving that feeling of a craftsmanship street, this place looked more like an open market.

“Yeah…” After checking the crowd, Veles added, “I would keep my hands near my pockets here.”

Davis—absent-minded ever since Veles told him about his experience—blinked and carefully scanned the place. “Ugh, I can already tell that navigating here will be a problem…”

“I agree, just don’t get lost…” said Veles before striving forward. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to spend much time here.

***

A tall man with unusually purplish-colored skin, blood-red eyes, and slightly pointed ears slowly climbed the stairs. He wasn’t dressed in anything special, just a simple brown T-shirt and brown pants that strangely matched his long purple hair.

He held a simple white letter in his tattooed hand. “From Dalia, I haven’t seen that girl in ages…” he mumbled quietly as he opened the door in front of him. His first thought was to make a stupid joke, but seeing a little seven-year-old girl sitting in the lap of a man who was supposed to be on the receiving end of his joke, he stopped himself.

“Hey, Contractor, you got a letter,” he said, gaining the attention of a human with round golden glasses that covered his green eyes.

“From who?” The man with glasses frowned and asked. “If it’s another one of those offers, throw it away.”

“It’s from your daughter, Dalia,” the purple-skinned man smirked when he saw the glassed bastard’s smile. He did not want to tease him because of the little girl, so he just placed the letter on the desk and casually sat on the nearest sofa.

“Uncle Freg-grrd-” the little girl sitting in the lap of a glassed guy struggled as she tried to pronounce the purple-skinned man’s name.

Seeing her almost biting her tongue, he smiled gently, “Just call me Freg. It’s fine. One day, you will learn it.”

The little girl bobbed her head adorably, then brought out the piece of paper she had previously drawn on, “Look, Uncle Freg, isn’t she beautiful?”

He was no stranger to this unusual little girl, so he acted as he always did.

He gave her a thumbs up and replied with a toothy smile, “Indeed she is! But where did you see this lady, and who is she?” The picture the girl showed him was a simple child’s drawing of a woman with knee-long black hair who wore a long white sleeveless gown. Despite it being drawn poorly, Freg couldn’t understand why the lady in the drawing had no face…

Hearing his question, the little girl fidgeted a little, “Egh, I’m not sure. I saw her in my dreams…”

“And she got no face?” Freg just went with the question.

“No she doesn’t,” the little girl replied, tilting her head, “But she is very beautiful!”

Freg didn’t want to push the little girl for details—he knew about her strange dreams, which wasn’t unusual for her. In fact, all the children of this glassed bastard had their own quirks. He’d grown accustomed to it a long time ago.

“Why the sour look?” Freg asked. He noticed that the glassed guy was frowning more and more as he read the letter.

“Dalia is having serious trouble. Somebody is trying to drive her away from Acelia City…” The man with glasses said.

“What’s the problem with that? You know that none of your children have ever been saints; it’s probably gang wars, and she got cough in it…” Freg said.

“No, this is different. She said that the professional teams were attacking her estates and that the city officials had backed them up. It’s a classic strategy that those nobles use. And on top of that, she has a feeling that demonic cults are somehow involved.”

After hearing the last part, Freg’s face also fell, “That might be possible if you take into account all the reports we received as of late.” Freg then spent a full minute pondering, “Yeah, chances for that scum being involved is very high…”

“What about your kind?” The glassed man asked. “The recent circumstances have allowed gaps to form, allowing many to cross here…”

“Michael,” Freg said the glassed man’s name seriously, “If you think they would work alongside demons, you are delusional. You should’ve learned by now that we devils cannot coexist with demons—it’s just impossible.”

Michael gently leaned back into his chair, doing his best not to disturb his daughter as she worked details on her little drawing, “Fregregor, I’ve told you that times are changing; both devils and demons come from the same place and you and I know that they aren’t the nicest of a kind. You are the one who knows that nothing will stop devils from achieving their goals, even if it means they have to shake hands with the demons.”

Hearing the slightly longer version of his name, Freg leaned back into the sofa and clicked his tongue, “Ungrateful brat, treating wise words of your elders as a joke. If I say they won’t, then they won’t.”

Michael gently placed his palms on the ears of his daughter, then said as his mannerism completely changed, “Fuck you, you old fossil. If the grandfather didn’t treat you like his own brother, I would’ve released you a hundred times over!”

“You wouldn’t dare, you asshole,” Freg rebuked back, “Without me, you are just another talentless Summoner,” he then crossed his arms and snorted, “In fact, release me. Do it!”

Michael just smirked and burst out laughing, “No, I don’t think I will do that. You must suffer more!”

Freg shook his head at their usual bickering, “And I’m the devil here? Whatever... What are you going to do with Dalia’s problem?”

Michael stopped covering his daughter’s ears and ignored the little girl’s bewilderment, “You will go there and help her.”

“What about that rule of strict upbringing?” Freg asked, “Are you going against your ancestor’s wishes?”

Michael sighed, “I was planning on calling to a family gathering soon anyway. You know that it isn’t only Dalia who suffered from these attacks; Randal, Patricia, and Laruna did, too. It’s enough to take it as a direct attack on the whole family, and it might be—I must be prepared for that.”

“I understand,” Freg seriously nodded, “Should I go immediately?”

“Considering it will take you at least a week to go there using the portal station, you should,” Michael replied.

Freg just made a face and lazily starched his arms. “Then off I go.”

However, just as he was about to stand up, Michael said, “I almost forgot. Have you ever heard of a family of Sorcerers with spatial affinity? The ones able to teleport while being a Fourth Stage?”

“No?” Freg replied and stopped for a moment to think, “I never even saw another creature having the ability to teleport while at the Fourth Stage. I mean, moving so fast that it looks like they are teleporting, yes. But having the ability to manipulate space? That’s reserved for a Sixth Stage’s minimum and the nobody below that stage can perform spells for that purpose either.”

“I thought the same, but Dalia said that Tora is currently with her and that she brought back a Sorcerer with spatial and strange shadow affinity and the Elementalist with strong Earth affinity.”

“So, little Tora is there too…” Freg said, “But the Sorcerer with dual affinity? That’s rare…”

Michael glanced at the letter again, “Ah, and he is an awakened psychic.”

“What an abomination,” Freg said. “You want me to remove him if he is a threat?”

“Only if necessary. First, make sure to dig deep into his background. Dalia didn’t provide me with any details on that front,” Michael replied.

“Sure, I get it,” Freg stood up, but just as he was about to leave, the little girl stopped him.

“Uncle Freg, are you going to visit big sis Tora?”

“Yes, little one. Why?” Freg asked. He could tell she wanted something of him.

The girl looked at her drawing for a second, “Can you tell this lady not to be sad?”

“Come again?” Freg blinked, not understanding where she was getting at.

Knowing something was wrong, Michael leaned forward and asked her, “Lilu, this lady you are drawing. Where did you meet her?”

“Ah,” the little girl named Lilu shifted uncountably like she’d been caught doing something wrong, “When I sleep, I sometimes visit sister Tora… But recently, this lady stopped me when I tried to do that.”

“She stopped you? How?” Michael pressed further, “Can you tell me more?”

“Mhm,” Lilu nodded, “She said that it’s dangerous for me to go near, and then she guided me back.”

“She didn’t try to hurt you?” Michael asked, his voice a tinge colder.

“No, she even helped me move easily,” then the little girl looked Michael in the eyes. “Daddy, don’t hurt her. She looks very sad.”

“I won’t, but you will have to wear that necklace when you go to sleep. Can you promise me that?”

“Yes! I promise,” Lilu replied and then went back to her drawing.

Freg and Michael made strong eye contact—no further words were needed.

“I will check it,” Said Freg, then stormed outside the room.

Dealing with the Vivid Dreamers could be, no pun intended, a pure nightmare. To Freg’s knowledge, there wasn’t a viable way to deal with them. But he could dig something around.

Going directly to his room, he didn’t waste a moment and started preparing his gear. It would be a long journey, and he must be ready for the possible challenges.

But nothing could prepare him for the next one…

“Hey, old man!” the last voice he wanted to hear right now reached him. And without even giving him a chance to reply… “Are you deaf? Meh, who cares… Anyway, I’m coming with you.”

Freg wanted nothing more than to run away from the owner of this voice. This weirdo was the worst to deal with of all Michael's children.

“No,” Freg simply replied and kept preparing his stuff.

“I didn’t ask. I just informed you,” the voice said before turning around and leaving…

Freg helplessly sighed. This simple mission to assist Dalia suddenly tuned into something a hundred times harder…