“I can send you straight there, if you’d like,” Porter offered. “It would be no effort at all.”

“That would be quite convenient,” Elijah said. Avery shot him a sharp glance, but shrugged and inclined her head slightly in agreement.

“Thank you again for all your help,” Porter said, curling his fingers upward. Blue motes of energy gathered around his palm, spiraling and swirling into a small vortex. “If the time ever comes where you feel that I can aid you, please come visit once more. Kat and I are in your debt.”

The light leapt from his hands and enveloped the assassins. Elijah’s vision warped and a warm breeze rustled through his hair. His feet slammed into hard ground and he staggered, nearly losing his footing before he caught himself.

They were standing in the shadow of a small building, nestled in an alley across from a bustling marketplace. Stalls of varying shapes and sizes lined the streets, with thin pathways between them leading up to the larger buildings along the edges.

The dull roar of chatter filled the air, meshing with the smell of freshly baked goods and sweat. It was a cacophony of sights and sounds that Elijah wasn’t entirely sure if he loved or hated.

“This is… a lot.”

“Indeed,” Avery said with a grimace. “It was unwise to ask the wizard to teleport us.”

“Why?”

“He could have sent us anywhere. We were not prepared for where we arrived. When possible, we should ensure that we are in control of the situation.”

“Judging by how easily he teleported us, he could have done whatever he wanted,” Elijah pointed out. “Our problem isn’t trusting the guy whose apprentice we just saved. It’s not being strong enough to take risks.”

“That, I agree with you on,” Avery said. “But risks should always be minimalized. There is no reason to put ourselves in needless danger.”

“Risks forge us into something greater. What’s life without a challenge?”

“Death, when one of your worthless challenges kills you.”

Elijah snorted. “Sourpuss.”

“Idiot.”

Elijah opened his mouth for another insult, then cleared his throat. A young boy had stopped at the corner of the alley and was watching them with wide eyes.

“Maybe we should take this elsewhere,” he suggested.

“Not a bad idea,” Avery allowed.

A woman emerged from the crowd and grabbed the kid’s shoulder, pushing him away from the alley quickly after sending a concerned look in their direction. Elijah and Avery exchanged glances before exiting the alleyway and heading into the bustle of the market.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Any idea where to look first?” Elijah asked, squinting at a nearby wagon where a shopkeep was arguing with several old women.

“Somewhere that looks reputable. We don’t want to get cheated on a deal because we don’t know any better.” Avery nodded at a large ornate building at the edge of the market. “A place like that one, maybe?”

“Big places are more likely to pay less,” Elijah mused. “They’ll probably take more of a share for themselves because they’re an established name in the area.”

“Still, that might be worth the reduced risk,” Avery said. “We could always spend a few hours wandering around the market to find the best possible price, but is it even worth the effort? We could be out actually getting stronger.”

“I’ll agree with you there,” Elijah said. “Fine. We’ll go to the fancy building and get raked over the coals.”

They made a path for the large building Avery had indicated earlier, slipping through the crowd as quickly as they could. Even though the sun was well below the horizon, it was still uncomfortably hot in the market.

“Somebody didn’t tell these people they’re supposed to go to bed after sunset,” Elijah grumbled, narrowly avoiding running over a little boy that sprinted in front of his feet. “Why is everyone out this late?”

Avery just shrugged. They burst out of the crowd a few moments later and strode up to the front of the large shop. Two long, coiling dragon statues twisted up the pillars at the entrance, forming an archway just below the roof.

The windows were made of stained glass, and another huge statue stood in the shadow of the archway. It was of a towering shirtless man with flowing long hair holding a beautiful stone plaque. The words Daniel’s Delights were carved into it in an elegant script.

“I cannot put into words how much I hate that,” Elijah said, squinting at the statue like it had personally insulted him. “Can I kill it?”

“No. We’d have to pay for it,” Avery said. “But if it met with an unfortunate accident, I think everyone in a dozen miles would sleep better.”

The door opened of its own volition as the two drew up to the entrance. Elijah wrinkled his nose at the statue and stepped inside. To his great horror, the inside of the building was somehow even more gaudy than its exterior.

Golden shelves lined with goods held within opulent glass cases lined the walls, and there were at least ten clerks scattered throughout the store. They each wore what Elijah could only describe as poorly fitted golden togas. Most of them were already talking with customers, but a large man whose sheet was far too small for his body approached them.

“Welcome to Daniel’s Delights,” the jovial clerk said, thrusting his chest forward just enough to get a little too far into Elijah’s personal space.

Elijah took a step back and cleared his throat. “We’ve got some monkey rocks we want to sell.”

“Cores,” Avery clarified. “Twelve of them, to be exact. Would you be interested in purchasing them?”

“There’s always a market for cores, but the amount I can pay you depends heavily on the quality,” the clerk said cheerfully. “What level monsters are they from?”

“Five to seven,” Elijah said. “Fresh picked.”

“The freshness does not matter. Cores do not degrade. Come with me. I’ve got a magical scale that will help us determine exactly what I can offer you two fine gentlemen.”

Avery’s eye twitched, but she said nothing as the two of them trailed the clerk to a counter at the back of the store. Avery handed him one of the cores. The man studied it for a moment, then pulled out a small box and set the orange stone inside it, closed the lid, and pressed a button on its side. A faint orange glow emanated from the box as it started to hum.

“Forgive me, I’ve forgotten my manners,” he said, flashing a wink. “My name is Gibbus, and I’m a trainee clerk for Mr. Delights. Could I ask your names?”

“Joe,” Elijah said without an instant of hesitation.

“Jane,” Avery said.