Mahya took Cloud upstairs for a girl's talk, Al muttered something about energy absorption potions and disappeared into his lab, Rue sprawled out on his beanbag for a nap, and I got started on cooking. The amount of food we went through was staggering—I was always restocking our supplies. Luckily, during my time in China, I’d bought a massive stash of takeaway boxes. With the way things were going, though, I was starting to worry that even that stockpile would run dry.
Maybe I should ask Cloud to collect the empty boxes from the residents?
I set six of my largest pots on the burners, loaded them up with beans for chili, and turned to the stereo. After all the heavy moments earlier, I needed something upbeat to lift my spirits. I connected the crystalline disc with my playlists, queued up the bounciest one, and let the music take over as I dove into cooking.
Two hours later, I was in full swing, chopping bell peppers, singing and dancing right there by the counter to Ricky Martin’s Livin' la Vida Loca. As the chorus hit, I spun around, singing at the top of my lungs:
"Upside, inside out
She's livin' la vida loca
She'll push and pull you down—"
Halfway through the spin, I caught sight of Mahya and Cloud standing on the stairs, barely containing their laughter. Mahya was shaking with silent laughter, trying to stay quiet, while Cloud held a hand over her mouth, giggling. The second Mahya noticed I’d spotted them, she lost it, bursting out in full laughter. I stuck my tongue out at both of them, which only made them laugh harder, and turned back to my peppers.
“Instead of just standing there laughing, you could help me cook,” I called over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around.
They joined me, and I handed each of them a cutting board, a knife, and a pile of peppers to get them started.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Cloud.
"Better. Thank you," she said. "What is this music? I’ve never heard anything like it. And how is it playing? I thought after the Fall, nothing worked. And what are you cooking? I’ve never seen this vegetable before. How does it cook without fire? And how is there light in here without any flames—"
I held up a hand to pause her flood of questions. "Electricity might not work after the Fall, but mana does. Everything here runs on mana now. It’s called Magitech—a combination of technology and mana. Mahya here is a Magicaneer, which means she can make old-world tech work on mana or create completely new things using it."
Cloud’s eyes widened as she looked at Mahya in awe. "Truly?"
Mahya nodded. "Yes. It’s a blend of engineering knowledge and mana. If the nobles in this city stopped thinking only of wealth and power, and actually focused on progress and improving life here, Magitech could develop here, too."
Cloud sighed, shaking her head. "That will never happen. They’re too busy fighting each other for more power. And we in The Shambles? We’re just cheap labor. To them, we’re expendable."
Mahya and I exchanged a look.
"Are they really fighting each other?" I asked.
"Yes, all the time. They’re constantly recruiting more enforcers from The Shambles to battle on their behalf. The enforcers who patrol The Shambles and work the fields are under the prince’s control, but each noble house has its own enforcers they send to fight against the others. When the current prince killed the previous one to seize power, the fighting became even worse. Half their enforcers were killed, and they even fought in person—until the prince executed some of them. That’s when the fighting finally died down a little."
"What was going on in The Shambles while they were busy with their wars?"
"It was actually much better," she said. "They were too caught up in their own problems to bother with us. All their enforcers were busy fighting each other, so they didn’t have time to come to The Shambles to rape and rob. The prince was also worried that the other enforcers would kill his field workers, so they stayed in The Shambles the whole time the fighting went on. It was good—they even repaired some houses."
Mahya and I exchanged another look.
"How long have I been here?" Cloud asked.
"Since yesterday at noon. So, a full day," I replied.
Her voice softened. "My mother must be terrified, probably thinking I’ve been killed or kidnapped."
"No need to worry. I sent Flower to let your mother know you’re safe and here with me."
Cloud sighed, then said, "I should go home and reassure her." She mumbled something I couldn’t catch.
"What was that?"
"Can I… come back here?"
"Yes, of course," Mahya said warmly. "You’re welcome here as long as we’re in the city. I’ll also talk to John about what you asked, and we’ll see if we can find a solution."
I looked at Mahya, raising an eyebrow in question. “Later,” she sent me telepathically.
"Let’s finish cooking, and then I’ll take you home," I said.
We continued working, answering Cloud’s questions here and there. Soon, a massive batch of chili was ready. She helped us divide it into lunch boxes, and I stored everything away.
"Alright, let’s get you home. But first, let’s find you some better clothes, and clothes for the other women," I said.
We headed upstairs to the second floor. Mahya led her to the guest room, and I handed over all the women’s clothes I had collected from the castle and restored, along with a small void band.
“Make sure she understands how valuable it is and that she should keep the ring hidden from everybody,” I sent to Mahya telepathically.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” Mahya said, tapping my shoulder reassuringly.
I gave Cloud as much food as would fit in the ring and led her outside. The moment she stepped out and saw where we were, her face went pale, and she started trembling.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The… monster,” she whispered.
“What monster?”
“It’s big, green, with stones and trees stuck to its back and arms. It’s incredibly strong—it broke through the wall and destroyed houses here.”
“Oh, you mean the scraglin brute? Don’t worry, I killed it.”
She whipped around to face me so fast she nearly stumbled. “You… you killed it? How… how did you manage that?”
“I have my ways. But trust me, it’s gone,” I said, reassuring her. “If you’d like, I can repair the wall, though I was considering leaving the opening as an exit—for anyone needing a way out of the city.”
Cloud looked around, still visibly shaken.
“I promise, I killed the monster,” I assured her. “I swear I’m not lying. We’ve been here for days and haven’t seen a thing. This place is safe now.”
As we approached the barricade, I initially considered dismantling it, but then changed my mind—I didn’t want this area to become overrun with people. The barricade stretched between relatively low buildings, mostly one-story with a few terraces above, and all of them were abandoned.
“Wait here,” I said to Cloud, and went to check the houses. Most were half-destroyed, filled with piles of rubble. The fourth house, however, was different. The back wall facing our area was still intact, and an opening on the other side led to an alley. The alley entrance was unblocked. I flew back over and thought for a moment about what to do. The house was well out of the way; it didn’t seem likely anyone would stumble upon it soon, but I still didn’t want easy access to our side.
After a couple of minutes, an idea came to me. I gathered stones, cast Fuse Stone, and built a staircase leading up to a second-floor window. Then, I channeled Restore to fix the wooden shutters.
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Returning to Cloud, I said, “Come on. But don’t tell anyone about this passage. It’s a secret for now, at least until I say otherwise. Got it?”
“I promise,” she replied.
On the other side, I walked with her for two blocks until we reached an area with people around.
“Give us three days, then come back, okay? We’ve got some things to sort out. And I know Mahya already told you this, but keep the ring a secret—even from your mother. It’s a loan, and if anyone finds out about it, they’ll take it from you, and you won’t be able to give it back. Understand?”
She looked sad for a moment, then nodded. “I promise.”
I planned to give her the ring eventually, but if thinking of it as a loan helped her keep it secret, I was all for it.
When I returned home, Mahya and Al were waiting for me in the living room, both grinning like they were up to something.
“Ready for some mischief?” Mahya asked.
“What did you have in mind?” I replied.
“Did you keep the vests from those enforcers we killed?”
I pulled out the vests to check. We had four blue ones with two crossed swords embroidered on the chest—the pair Al had taken down while they chased kids with a whip, and the pair Mahya had killed while they were beating a woman.
“These look like the prince’s enforcers’ vests,” Al said, examining them.
The other vests were different. The three who assaulted the woman had blue vests with a leaf motif on each side, and the ones who robbed the merchant wore red vests with two blue stripes across the shoulders.
We changed into the enforcers’ clothes and adjusted our glamors to look local. Mahya as a man was amusing—because of her chest, she had to add some padding around her belly to make everything look more uniform. The trouble with glamor was that it altered appearance but couldn’t change body shape.
After a minute of adjusting, she sighed. “No, this is uncomfortable. You two wear the red vests, and I’ll stay invisible.”
When night fell, we left Rue to guard the house. Mahya and Al wrapped their arms around my shoulders while I hugged their waists. With our invisibility spell active, we headed toward the wealthier section of the city. I flew us above the streets, choosing one of the larger, guard-heavy mansions. In an alley nearby, Al and I dropped our invisibility, letting the guards catch sight of us—and the vests we wore—before shooting them with sleeping potions.
We became invisible again, took their weapons and a couple more vests for future use, and then I hugged them both and flew us over the wall.
It took us half the night to clean out the place. The mansion was enormous, and we left all the servants and residents asleep, in their underwear.
After switching to new vests, we found another luxurious mansion, took a couple more vests and weapons, and cleaned it out as well. By the time dawn broke over the horizon, we flew back home to inspect our loot.
From the two mansions, we gathered an impressive haul: luxurious furniture, carpets, clothes, food from both the kitchen and pantry, jewelry, paintings, and weapons—so many weapons. We had everything from swords to guns, crossbows to spears. I asked my house to create additional storage rooms, and we stashed most of our finds there. Mahya claimed all the guns and ammunition, while I took charge of the food. After a few hours of sleep, we repeated the operation. On the second night, we hit a different part of the city and emptied three more mansions. Practice makes perfect. I had to ask my house to create two more storage rooms—or rather, storage halls.
On the third night, we targeted another part of the city, emptying three more mansions. Signs of our work were already showing—enforcers were on high alert. The moment they spotted us, they roared and charged, weapons drawn and faces twisted with anger. Not that it did them any good. We shared a quick nod, then leapt back, turned invisible, and sent each one of them to sleep without a struggle. As we made our way back, flying over the city, I noticed the streets were emptier, eerily quiet, and fights were breaking out below, shadows darting through the alleyways as dawn crept in.
Cloud arrived in the morning, her expression tense and shoulders stiff. After a quick hug with Mahya, she spoke in a rushed voice. “I have to head back quickly. I can’t stay. I’m not sure what’s happening in the Silk District, but the field workers stayed home today.” She glanced nervously over her shoulder toward the door. “I’ll return as soon as they go back to work. I can’t be away for long when my father’s around. Women’s business is confidential, and he mustn’t suspect anything.”
“Why?” I asked, frowning as I tried to catch her eye.
Cloud looked down, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. “Because the rich recruit some enforcers from The Shambles.” She lifted her gaze to meet mine, her face hardening with resolve. “What they don’t know, they can’t reveal—and betray their own people.”
I hesitated before asking, “What about Flower? He’s a boy.”
She shook her head, a small, wry smile tugging at her lips. “He knows you’ve been helping people, but I won’t tell him about the passage. If he doesn’t see you around for a few days, he’ll assume you’ve left.”
“But his mother told us he’d help us. Isn’t that considered women’s business?” I pressed, raising an eyebrow.
Cloud’s expression softened, but her tone remained firm. “She still believes her child is pure and would never betray anyone. But the mothers here… they’ve learned their lesson. Women’s business stays secret.”
After Cloud left, we exchanged a few weary glances. Without a word, we headed to bed, grabbing a few hours of sleep to recharge before our next round of nightly activities.
At dinner, Mahya said, leaning back with a satisfied grin, “I have to admit, your sticky finger strategy is very effective.”
“My strategy?” I protested, raising an eyebrow. “Let me remind you, you were the one begging me to find ammo in Vegas, and Al wanted his drugs.”
Mahya’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned forward. “What about Lumis?”
I scowled, crossing my arms. “The asshole stole Rue and the core. I just gave him a taste of his own medicine.”
She gave me a half-hug, patting my back lightly. “Relax. I’m not judging. On the contrary, I’m saying it’s very effective,” she assured me with a smile.
“And very lucrative,” Al chimed in, raising his glass with a smirk.
“That too,” she added with a nod, glancing at him with a knowing grin.
On our way to another part of the city, we passed by the main palace, surrounded by enforcers on all sides, their vests in every color of the rainbow. The prince’s enforcers formed a dense ring around the palace, their stances rigid and weapons at the ready.
“I wonder what’s going on here,” Al said telepathically.
“Let’s stay and see,” Mahya suggested.
We waited for ten minutes, watching as both sides brandished their weapons, holding them aloft in tense silence. Despite that, no one made a move.
“Land on the nearest roof,” Mahya finally said. “Let’s give them a little… encouragement.”
She shot and one of the prince’s enforcers dropped to the ground, and that was all it took—the powder keg ignited. Both sides charged, shouting and clashing in a full-on battle.
“This is a golden opportunity,” I said, grinning as I nudged Al. “Let’s empty the palace.”
I found a balcony on the top floor with French doors wide open, and we slipped inside, clearing out the palace in a sweep, occasionally sending guards to sleep as we went. On the floor below, we came across a towering man with waist-length black hair, wearing only pants and holding two swords. When the potionball hit him, he didn’t budge; instead, he turned, roaring, his frantic gaze scanning the room.
“Damnation,” Al said. “He’s an alchemist.”
I shot him with a bolt of lightning. His eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the ground like a felled tree.
“Well, that works,” Mahya said.
We pressed on, eventually reaching a vast room that looked like a laboratory, filled with test tubes, beakers, and intricate alchemical tools.
“No wonder they’re attacking the palace,” Al commented. “It’s an alchemist’s lab. That must’ve been the guy you took down. They probably think he’s the one robbing them.” He sounded almost gleeful. “I’ll take all this. You two keep going; there’s bound to be more treasures further in.”
The palace was massive, and it took us most of the night to clear it out. Outside, the fighting continued, the sounds of shouting and cursing filling the air. Besides the main palace building, there were several smaller structures nearby, each still surrounded by guards despite the chaos outside. We were curious about what they held, but our Storage was nearly full. We had to go back and empty it first.
We flew home quickly, and the core created more storage halls as we unloaded everything we could. Mahya asked me to make a cradle sturdy enough to hold her boat without scratching its hull. With Storage mostly emptied—except for the food—we returned to the city. Dawn had broken, but our invisibility kept things less risky, and we wanted to strike while the iron was hot. The fighting outside the palace hadn’t let up. As I flew over, I spotted the alchemist I’d struck with lightning the night before, now fighting alongside others who didn’t wear enforcer vests. The opposition also had many non-enforcer fighters mixed in.
The buildings we were interested in were still heavily guarded, but that didn’t pose much of a problem. Good night, bad kids. Now, the only question was how to break through, since thick chains and massive locks secured the doors.
“Maybe melt them with red lightning?” Mahya suggested.
“I can try.”
“Don’t melt the locks,” Al interjected. “Aim for the chain—it’s thinner.”
It took nearly a thousand mana, but the chain began glowing red. Al struck it with his sword, and it snapped apart. Inside, we found a huge stockpile of food—boxes and barrels filled with grains and legumes, crates of vegetables, and shelf upon shelf of preserved fruits and vegetables in jars. Enough food to feed The Shambles for a year at least. We moved quickly, my mana field allowing me to store everything within a twenty-meter radius. As we emptied the place, a few guards burst in from time to time, but they quickly went to sleep.
When the storage area looked abandoned, we stepped outside and I saw a ring of guards closing in around the building, guns drawn, moving slowly.
“Don’t shoot them,” Mahya warned. “They might fire back. Al, grab John.” She patted my back. “Up we go, good sir.”
We rose into the air and shot at the guards from above. Mahya had been right; as soon as the first guard dropped, the rest started firing wildly toward the door.
In the same manner, we cleared out the other four buildings. Three of them had food stores, while the fourth one served as the armory. Inside were rows of guns, crates of ammunition, and two floors below ground level full of weapons and equipment. We even found pre-integration electronic weapons that no longer functioned and two vehicles without wheels. When we reached this treasure trove, Mahya squealed with excitement, forgetting to speak telepathically as she exclaimed out loud.
By the time we finished, the sun was setting, and the sounds of battle had died down. In front of the palace lay piles of bodies.
“Look at the left of the fountain,” Mahya said.
I spotted the alchemist’s corpse, the one with the swords.
“A lot of people died,” I said, my chest feeling heavy.
“They were bastards,” Mahya replied without a hint of remorse.
“Yeah… but they were still people,” I said, glancing away.
“I’m sure they killed far more in their time,” Al said.
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “It’s just… I’m a doctor. I knew from the start that what we were doing would lead to a lot of death. But it’s hard to see.”
We had amassed a huge supply of food, stacked high in our Storage. I found myself hoping Cloud would return soon so we could start organizing its distribution. As far as I was concerned, this food belonged to the residents of The Shambles.