With his guide-guard close beside him, Kaden and Sara made good time through Omnor. Kaden chatted the whole time, stopping them to ask about random houses, architecture, offered to have a sparring match with the guard, offered to let Trinity have a sparring match.

Sara walked quietly with her guard.

Kaden was definitely having more fun. “Let’s say tomorrow I want to go out and see the town. How do I ask for you three again? I feel like we have a relationship now. I don’t want a random guard threatening me, I want the threat to come from the heart. Or to the heart. You want to try and stab me in the heart? I’ll give you one free stab. Every stab after that, I get to stab back. Anyone?”

No one wanted to take him up on it.

The Emporium was the largest business at the core of a four block ring. It rose at least seven stories into the black sky, with with fairy lights circling the building on wafts of wind that changed the smell from rotting leaves to angry skunk.

The stone was glistening white with sparkles, and illusions formed constantly before the broad double doors with rows of guards. Guards who looked a lot less intimidated than the two Kaden had his arms around. “Are these your work buddies? Introduce me! I knew a lot of people at Beast Control. Great place to work, if you don’t mind beasts.”

“Now hear this!” A wider, stronger, taller guard said.

He looked more like a captain kind. Or the kind who might one day be captain. The kind who would probably want to be called Captain.

“Captain? I’m Kaden Birch.” Kaden offered a hand. “Your guards did a great job. Brought me right here with almost no problems.”

[Emir Cook - Head of Security]

Emir Cook is not known to have a sense of humor, unless it is in picking punishments for those who try to steal from the Emporium. He delights in authority. The kind of authority you’re mocking.

Level: 35

Class: Imperator

HP: 4,000

Mana: ???

Kaden waited, hand extended. “I was looking to buy something here. A few street thugs ambushed us earlier, but no harm done.”

A bead of sweat formed on Cook’s forehead. “Those were undercover asset protection officers. You entered Emporium territory without purchase rights, they were assessing the threat. My men.”

Kaden let the threat hang in the air. He’d stood face to face with the Senior Sister, a Centurion who had seen ages come and go. “What did they find? Because you’ve got ten levels on me. I can’t be that much of a threat. Your men had me outnumbered three to one.”

Another bead of sweat formed on Emir’s forhead, perhaps having a heated conversation with the first one. Another joined it, probably with a different opinion. That bead of sweat called for immediate backup, but the first had run away leaving a trail down his face. If the others moved quickly, they might catch it before it—no, the sweat leaped to its doom off of Emir’s chin. “Know this. I deal with the threats directly. Personally. And if I have to deal with you, it will be permanently.”

“Understood,” Sara said.

Kaden took a Wand of Elements out. “Is there a good place I could sell this? I took it off the corpse of the last level fifty one I killed.”

“Gelvin’s Armory.” Emir spoke at a near whisper.

“Thanks.” Kaden took Sara’s hand and began to peruse the Emporium. Every floor held different delights. Armor. Spellbooks. Condensate in four different elemental flavors. Wands—so many wands, most of which looked gnomish.

“Why were you aggravating them?” Sara asked.

If anyone would understand, if anyone could understand, it was Trella, who had survived so much alongside Kaden. “I’ve never been here, but I know this place. This is the Saint’s Hall, in the shape of a city. Ms. Anderson was wrong. Your mom was wrong. You don’t make an example. You make every example. The moment we show weakness, it’s over.”

“Or you bring a level fifty down on us.”

“That will happen no matter what, but this way? They’ll be more respectful. We’ll have a chance to talk.” Kaden stopped, looking at swords. “We have to buy something. The question is, what? I don’t need swords. I don’t need armor, and Remembrance—the more I use it, the stronger it gets. I wasn’t swinging that hard at the first guy.”

Sara had recently upgraded all her weapons for second tier quality ones, and her armor. But she approached the inner portal. “Level four. The only things I want will be on level four.”

They took the interior Portal to the fourth floor. Spells. Walls of spells in every college and magnitude. A mage in dark green approached. “How may we enlighten you? Our Skill Scrolls are guaranteed. We have all Colleges and a library of utility spells.”

“I have Chrono Mana.” Kaden said. “Sara has Storm Mana.”

The Mage’s placid expression grew more strained. “Our selection is limited, but we likely have something for you. Have a seat? For the Madam, we have all known College spells.”

Narrow tables lined rows of scroll racks, and customers with other mages examined scrolls with only a glass barrier that would prevent the scroll activating. Kaden selected one and scooted over to let Sara sit next to him.

One thing he loved about Omnor, they didn’t regard Sara’s Horror as that far out of the normal. In fact, they treated Trinity as more dangerous, which proved they simply didn’t understand how dangerous the Horror could be.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The Mage returned with two trays of scrolls. “Chrono Mana is unusual. Uncommon, and honestly not that effective. However, for the sir:”

Three scrolls, all dark brown and blackend like they’d been burned.

[Moment of Eternity]

Tier Four Spell. You do not meet the requirements for this spell.

Burn Mana to stop time. The cost is dependent on the area affected. The longer time is stopped, the greater the cost.

[Untaken Path]

Tier Three Spell. You do not meet the requirements for this spell.

Pay an enormous mana cost to reverse a single action. You may not re-choose, only inflict the alternate path. The cost is dependent on the severity of the fork.

[Relive the Moment]

Active/Passive Spell

Passive: You may examine the river of time you have passed through from the same persepctive.

Active: Begin mana burn from the moment of activation. At cancellation of active, you may examine your path through time from different angles.

Kaden didn’t even qualify for the best spells, though he intensely believed he would reach level seventy five. The ability to stop time would be a game changer. If it were like [Moment of Speed], it would start out weak, but in time, make him a force of nature. [Untaken Path] could be the secret weapon that let him make it to seventy five. Undoing a critical mistake? Priceless, even if he couldn’t use it.

Relive the Moment felt like a utility spell, not a key battle ability. “How much for [Moment of Eternity] and [Untaken Path]?”

“A hundred thousand gold and fifty thousand gold.”

Kaden kept himself from choking. And reminded himself that fifty gold to repair the farmhouse had been unthinkable. That twelve gold for Trella’s beakers had been a scrape. And now, fifty thousand was a huge sum.

Not unimaginable. “I’m looking to make a purchase to say ‘I’m sorry I had my mutant beast eat one of your security guards alive,’ but I don’t have the gold for that.”

Sara had already decided. “That one. Shocking Grasp. How much?”

“Three thousand gold. Madam is a summoner. Is a melee spell best suited?”

Kaden couldn’t help laughing. “You’re talking to the world’s only melee summoner.”

*I can’t afford that.* Sara’s mind-message was filled with defeat.

“We’ll take it.” Kaden directed his thought to the [Authority of Vichor]. This purchase was critical to buying their way into the city, which would get them to the market. Fifty thousand gold? A hundred? Out of the question.

You have assigned a debt.

Your purchase is under review.

Vichor has accepted this debt.

Spend wisely.

Kaden didn’t recall being nervous, but now he was. Food was absolutely a debt he’d assign. Lodging, too. Everything else would be a matter of conscience. It wasn’t like Kaden was poor. Just that he had specific goals for his gold.

The Mage handed Sara the scroll. “You’ll need to use that here for me to honor the guarantee.”

Sara unrolled the scroll, reading it. Then reading it again and again. A moment later, the scroll flaked and crumbled to dust. “Excellent. I now have Shocking Grasp.”

[Shocking Grasp]

Mana becomes lightning that courses through your fingers, or other conductive objects. This spell inflicts minor damage but will [Paralyze] the target. The length of paralysis will depend on the level of this skill.

Kaden didn’t mind. The more dangerous Sara was, the safer they all were. Her swords would conduct [Shocking Grasp] and even a split second of paralysis could be enough to turn the tide of a battle. “Now that we’ve made a purchase, could you explain how this city works? Is it all based on businesses?”

The Mage was all smiles now. “Omnor has no council, it has no city guard, it has no noble ruling class. The city is divided into two hundred and fifty six sectors based around individuals who enforce order.”

“Like Captain Cook?” Kaden asked.

“Mr. Cook is head of security,” the Mage said. “Now, if you are in good standing with one, you’ve made decisions about where you can’t go. If you’re a friend of the Emporium, you have to understand that Jacob’s Magical Market isn’t going to welcome you.”

Sara thought for a moment. “Do you by any chance sell maps that will tell where one is welcome?”

“We do not. But other, lesser stores, say, immediately southeast might.” He looked to Kaden. “I should tell you ‘hurry, these might not be here tomorrow’ but they probably will. My grandfather worked here and I recall him telling me there were four scrolls in the Chrono section. I note you didn’t ask about [Relive the Moment].”

“Would you?”

“I would have chosen something better than Chrono. Which I did. I’m a second tier Magmologist. It’s two thousand gold.” He spoke it like a secret that would entice Kaden to buy.

It wouldn’t. “Is Gelvin’s Armory a ‘friend’ of the Emporium?”

“Of course. Four blocks west, just beyond the safe zone of the Emporium. It was truly a pleasure doing business. Should you change your mind, we’ll keep these safe.”

Sara and Kaden portaled back to the ground floor, where the security guards gave Kaden a wide berth as they left.

“I’m shocked you didn’t try to buy that tier three scroll.”

Kaden shook his head and shared the logs from his purchase. “It’s weird. Like, I know what would be an abuse. Or I get a strong feeling about what would be. Buying the most expensive spell would definitely be. Buying [Shocking Grasp] was acceptable.”

“Prophets say the Blight’s about to surge. Ash Storm passing through in forty minutes!” A Guard’s call sent a shudder through the crowd.

“I want that map,” Sara said.

She quickly headed west three blocks, to a line where the city streets changed from black coblestone to rough cut red brick. The guards here were no longer mages, but dead serious swordsmen who stood every fifteen paces. Each was only level twenty, but [Identify] said they had [Mortal Strike]—and nothing else. The message was clear. There wouldn’t be an attempt to impress, only a direct action.

Kaden liked it so much more than the games the Emporium played.

Sara spoke quietly to one of the guards and then steered them to Joshara’s Everything Tent, which was neither a tent, nor did it contain everything.

Kaden was tempted to ask to speak to Joshara, but there really was a fine line between standing up for one’s self and deliberately provoking. Instead he put his ego in Inventory and listened as Sara bartered for a color coded projection scroll that would tell her where her Party held Favor and where it was not allowed. The scroll brought up a detailed map of Omnor. The center of the map held the volcano—and the Market, and was currently dark gray as in ‘no access.’ The rest of the map was lit in cool blue (‘uknnown and accepted but not welcomed’) to light yellow (‘unknown and not welcomed’) and one square that was hatched red, for the Emporium, where they were known, generally unwelcome, but allowed by purchase rights.

Sara scrolled the map to highlight one square in the far edge of the city that was brilliant purple and pulsed. “We’re declared enemies, and we’ve never set foot in the city before. Maybe this is where those security guards lived.”

Kaden motioned with his hand to draw it closer. “Xik’limee’deus’s Domain. It’s a Demon Lord. He has three blocks of his own.”

“There’s the Necrosium.” Sara pointed to a large oval like a cyst that grew off the market. “It’s close to Xik-lim—Xiklee—”

“Limey,” Kaden said. “We stay away from Limey. We go just close enough to return the Inheritance, everything else, we handle from this side of Omnor, including entering the Market.”

“That’s a reasonable plan. There’s the temple. If we need healing, without Eve, that’s the best choice. There is an Alchemist Enclave under the Mad Alchemist Shivanu. Of course, there’s a bigger problem.” Sara tapped the projection.

There was always bigger problem. Always. “What’s the bigger problem?”

“Your Necromancer is on the other side of the city. Safe passage is best obtained by purchasing rights. We can’t possibly afford to purchase rights through all of these.”

Kaden looked at the names and the numbers. “There’s always plan b. If you can’t make allies? Make enemies.”