A line of people stood outside the city, waiting to enter. Black-robed mages hot on his heels, Ike sprinted toward the line. As he drew close, he slowed, then slipped in between two men leading carts. He worked his way between the carts, closing in on the gate.

“I think we’ve lost them,” Wisp said, a little disappointed.

Ike glanced over his shoulder. He caught sight of a tiny segment of Wisp’s face. “You wanted to eat them?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head at her. “You can’t eat all our enemies.”

“We don’t know until we try,” Wisp returned.

Ike peered over his shoulder. The black-robed mages fell back. They faded into the treeline. None of them even attempted to chase him and Wisp further. His brows furrowed. That’s strange. They’re humans. They could have removed their black garb and chased us into the crowd. Why retreat?

This city had a massive physical wall and a huge stone block closing off the gate in front of them. A bell rang, and the block slowly lifted into the sky. The crowd lurched forward. Ike glanced back at the forest, then forward at the city. He didn’t want to face the black-robed mages; they had high-level members, and he couldn’t sense the strength of all of the mages’ auras. But the city…

No. I’m being crazy. They probably just don’t want to make a mess in someone else’s city. After all, city lords are known for being arbitrary. I could see someone like Lord Brightbriar chasing off an incoming group of mages for not greeting him properly, with the way he raised his daughter.

The thought of Rosamund brought a tinge of discomfort, but Ike quickly pushed it away. There was no point feeling bad about it. He couldn’t undo anything he’d done.

Maybe I should just crush her head. But… ugh. It’s so useful to have a portable mana battery.

The incoming line moved forward. They drew closer and closer to the wall, then passed through it. For a good ten paces, they walked through a stone tunnel. The hubbub of the crowd echoed off the smooth stone walls. Guards clutching magic weapons looked over the incomers, but they only did a cursory check, not even bothering to extend their auras. They walked out of the tunnel and into the sun once more.

The sun poured down, and the cheer of a peaceful city sounded from all sides. Vendors hawked fresh bread and cut flowers. Mothers herded children. Old friends greeted one another, and dogs and cats chased each other through the alleyways.

Where they stood was the lowest level of the city. From here, the streets spiraled up, climbing to the apex of the city. There, a gorgeous golden pavilion stood. Sunlight sparkled off the water garden that surrounded it, full of peaceful lilypads and delicate lotuses. Carp splashed in the waters, and herons darted their beaks forth to catch them.

“Whoa…” Wisp stared, amazed. She licked her lips. “Those carp sure are fat.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Hey.” Ike elbowed her, but his heart wasn’t in it. The creeping sensation of wrongness lurked just under his skin. He looked around, but still couldn’t place it. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsatisfied.

“What? Something wrong?” Shawn asked sleepily from his shoulder.

“I don’t know.” Ike twisted his lip. He took a deep breath, then let it out. “I don’t know. It’s too peaceful. Too idyllic.”

“Aww, is Ike jealous that there’s no slums here?” Wisp asked mockingly.

“I…” Ike trailed off. Was that it? There were no slums, no discord. That was the problem, but was it a problem? Or did he just see it as one because he was so conditioned to expect it? There was a slum where he was from. In Clarina’s city, the New Republic had overthrown her parents because of the classism, or something. He hadn’t seen the foxes’ city in full, but he suspected they had a run-down section as well. But here, there was nothing of the sort. It wasn’t wrong. No, it was right. But it was so right that it felt wrong.

He looked the city up and down. In size, sprawl or height, it was much smaller than the city he’d grown up in. In fact, compared to his city, the cities on this side of the mountain were all far smaller. Only the king’s city could compare. Maybe that was all it was. A small city. One prosperous enough to stave off the inevitable consequences of mages living alongside mortals.

Ike sighed aloud. He glanced at Wisp. “Let’s take these furs off and go explore the city.”

“Find tasty things to eat!” Wisp danced toward the nearest alleyway.

“Tasty things that we pay for! We have money!” Ike called after her.

They walked on. The townspeople largely ignored them. Wisp pointed out food she wanted to try, and Ike bought it for her. Even with Wisp on a snacking spree, she couldn’t make a significant dent in Ike’s funds. He simply had too much gold.

Ike stopped in at the local monster parts store. Like his local one, the space was freezing cold, save for the small bubble of warmth around the store-tender’s collar. He sold off the remaining rooster feathers and the other detritus he had lying around. When he brought out the deer parts, though, the store-tender’s eyes widened. He put a hand on Ike’s shoulder and gently pushed the antlers back into his ring.

“Not here, friend. We don’t touch those here.”

“Why not?” Ike asked.

The man shook his head. “I know you’ve decided to risk his wrath, but not all of us are willing to test his patience. Sell them to the others who fear not the blood price.”

“The king, or…?” Ike prompted. Who is ‘he?’ The way he’s saying it, I’m starting to wonder if it’s a powerful monster, and not the humans’ king.

“The less said, the better.” With that, the shop-tender refused to explain anything further.

Ike shrugged. He took the man’s gold and left the shop. Newly enriched, he kept his eyes open for a skill shop, and before long, he was rewarded. A skill shop sat on the corner of the road. Multicolored skill orbs sparkled behind the glass, shining in the store’s low light. Ike gravitated toward the store, drawn by a power beyond his strength to resist. Wisp followed, chewing on a big chicken leg.

As Ike walked in, the proprietor blocked the door behind him. “No food inside.”

Ike glanced back. He grimaced at Wisp.

Unbothered, Wisp opened her mouth wide and swallowed the remaining chicken in one big bite, bone and all. The proprietor went pale. He gaped.

Wisp licked her fingers and nodded at him. “Can I come in now?”

“I…I suppose,” the proprietor allowed. He stepped back to allow Wisp to pass. She grinned at him and sauntered by, following Ike into the room.

“What’re we looking for? Attacks? Buffs?” Wisp asked.

The proprietor cleared his throat. “I’ll warn you, my shop doesn’t have much in the way of battle skills. Our city is a peaceful city of merchants, and we trade for skills. Most of our skills are non-combat oriented.”

“That’s fine. I’m looking for a non-combat skill,” Ike said.

“Wait, we are?” Wisp asked, startled.

“I am. I don’t know about you. I’m looking for something even rarer and more important,” Ike said.

She raised her brows and gestured for him to go ahead.

He nodded at the proprietor and took a deep breath. Here goes.