Me and Mahya moved things between our Storages, working to clear enough space for her to store the boat. Leaving it out wasn’t an option—the masts would stick out too much. She handed me a small crate, which I stored.

“What did you want to talk to me about regarding Cloud?” I asked, glancing at Mahya as I stored another stack of supplies she passed over.

“Oh, right.” She paused, her brow furrowing as she handed me jars one after the other. “She wants to be a healer, not a mage. I promised her I’d ask you about helping her unlock the class.”

I shrugged, storing the jars. “I have no idea how.”

She tilted her head. “How did you unlock it?”

“I leaned into what I already knew from medicine,” I explained. “Pretty much forced my mana to do what was needed. It was in the middle of an emergency—a biker was dying.”

“So, if we get her some medical knowledge, she might unlock the class?” She handed me another stack of supplies.

“Maybe,” I admitted, scratching my chin thoughtfully as I stored the items. “But it took me years of study. I’m not staying here for years just to teach her.”

“No, we’re definitely not staying here for years. But maybe she doesn’t need the same depth. Maybe if you give her enough understanding of the body and show her how to influence it with mana, she can unlock the class.”

I nodded slowly. “Possibly. But remember, it was different on Earth. The whole looming integration thing made it easier to get classes.”

She sighed, picking up a box and holding it out to me. “I know. But do you have any other ideas? If you only teach her spells, she won’t unlock the class.”

“No, but she’ll still be able to heal. That’s what she wants most, I think,” I said, glancing over at her as I took the box and stored it.

“True,” she replied, a small smile tugging at her lips. “We’ll need to ask her what she really wants.”

With that settled, I nodded, and we returned to the steady rhythm of her handing over supplies and me storing them away, making space bit by bit.

We all got up late the next day, still worn out from almost twenty-four hours of looting. In the middle of breakfast, Cloud arrived. She looked tense, casting frequent glances over her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she fixed her gaze on the floor and said, “The Council of Mothers wants to meet with you.”

As soon as she spoke, I felt a subtle nudge from my Luck—a gentle warning, like the one I’d felt in front of the lord's spire in Lumis. Not a strong one, like at the Gates to Faerie. I studied her more closely and noticed she was avoiding our eyes. She’d always looked down now and then, but usually, she'd glance up while talking to us. This time, she kept her gaze stubbornly fixed on the floor.

“Something's up,” I sent to both of them telepathically.

“What?” Mahya asked, her mental voice curious.

“I don’t know yet.”

“When do they want to meet us?” I asked Cloud, keeping my tone neutral.

“If you agree, I’ll take you to the meeting,” she replied, still not looking up.

“Should we go?” Al asked, glancing between us.

“No problem,” I told her. “But let us finish eating and get organized first. Wait for us in the alley next to the building with the passage. Okay?”

She let out a sigh of relief, nodding quickly before leaving in a hurry.

“What’s going on?” Al asked, frowning as he watched her go.

“The moment she invited us, my Luck gave me a gentle warning,” I explained. “It wasn’t a strong warning, but something’s definitely up.”

We finished eating quickly, and I cast Clean on everything before turning to Rue. “Rue, buddy, I’m going to close the house. I want you to stay here, invisible, and let us know if anyone stops by while we're gone. Okay?”

He licked my cheek, his tail wagging enthusiastically. “Yes, Rue be spy.”

“Exactly! This is a very important spying mission,” I said with a grin.

His tail whipped back and forth even faster, practically a blur of excitement.

“Go check that nobody’s around,” I told Mahya.

She returned after a few minutes. “Coast is clear.”

I closed the house and we headed out. In the alley beyond the passage, Cloud was waiting for us with another woman. This woman looked different from the usual residents of the slums. She wasn’t malnourished and stood tall, exuding confidence. On a hunch, I used Identify.

Peace Agarwi

Rogue level 4

They both bowed to us, and Cloud introduced the woman at her side. “This is Peace. She’s the representative of the Council of Mothers. She’ll lead you to the meeting.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Mahya asked.

Cloud’s eyes darted sideways, and she shook her head. “I was only tasked with bringing you to the council. Peace here represents them. My duty is complete.”

“Before we go,” I sent telepathically to Cloud, including Mahya and Al in the conversation, “please return the ring. I need it.”

Cloud’s face paled, and her gaze shifted nervously. “It’s not here. You said it was a secret, so…I hid it.”

“Fine. Bring it to me after the meeting,” I replied, keeping my tone steady.

She looked even more uneasy, but nodded in agreement.

“What was that about?” Mahya asked, casting me a curious look.

“Just a hunch. Did you Identify the woman?”

“Of course. I always do. Very curious indeed,” Mahya replied, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

“The situation here seems more complex,” Al said, his brows knitting together.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Peace said something, motioning for us to follow, and we fell into step behind her.

She led us to a small, one-story building, opened the door, and gestured for us to enter. Inside, seven women sat on sofas arranged around the room. All of them looked well fed. Two of them, too well fed. Once we stepped fully inside, the door shut behind us. Glancing back, I saw six more women standing with folded arms, blocking the exit.

The eyes of the women on the sofas grew unfocused. When they looked at me and Al, they remained impassive. But when they looked at Mahya, a flicker of worry crossed their faces.

“What does your profile show?” I asked her.

“Bladesinger,” she replied, keeping her expression neutral.

We stood in the center of the room, no seats offered. They used Identify on us, so I returned the favor.

Storm Desarin

Warrior Level 7

Glow Basun

Warrior Level 6

Reed Joshir

Mage Level 3

Song Agarwi

Archer Level 4

Dream Sahvin

Rogue Level 4

Vine Singhar

Assassin Level 7

Wave Joskar

Assassin Level 6

I glanced back at the women blocking the door. Four were assassins, and two were rogues, including the one who’d led us here. Each of them was between levels 4 and 6, and all of them shared last names with the women sitting.

The silence in the room remained unbroken, and they still didn’t offer us a place to sit. Not one to indulge their power games, I pulled a couch from my Storage and sat down. Mahya and Al followed suit, settling beside me. The moment the couch appeared, every one of them zeroed in on the ring on my finger, their gazes sharp.

The silence stretched on, thick and heavy. I could’ve waited them out all day, but Al had other ideas. Slowly, he straightened, his posture shifting as an air of regal disdain settled over him. His expression transformed, his features hardening into a princely mask he wore so well—the kind of lofty superiority I hadn’t seen from him in ages. His nose lifted ever so slightly, and his gaze swept over them with a cool, almost dismissive indifference, as if they were mere servants beneath his notice. I wasn’t sitting beside Al anymore but beside a prince who grew up knowing he was at the top of the food chain.

He cleared his throat, each word dripping with condescension. “You requested our presence, and we chose to indulge you, magnanimous as we are. Now, enlighten us—what matter could possibly justify such a summons? Speak plainly and swiftly. Our time, after all, is a privilege you can scarcely afford.”

The effect was immediate. Every one of them stared at him, utterly baffled, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion. They clearly did not expect to be addressed with such lofty disdain. Al held their gaze with calm authority, seemingly unfazed by their reactions, as if he were used to such awed silence.

"I love it when you’re a prick," Mahya said, her tone full of amusement. "Of course, only when the situation calls for it," she added quickly.

“You are no messengers of Zyrran,” Reed, the mage, said, her tone sharp with accusation.

Al rose slowly, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. “If you called us here simply to relay what we already know, I must insist you not waste our time again.”

“Sit down!” Reed snapped.

Al raised an eyebrow, his gaze sliding over her with utter contempt, as if she were nothing more than a bit of filth clinging to his shoe. “Who are you to command me?” he replied, his prick persona in full, flawless form. He radiated an almost visible wave of superiority, regal demeanor, and haughtiness.

She fired a mana dart at him, and he sidestepped it with the grace of a dancer. In a flash, his sword and shield materialized in his hands. Mahya and I sprang to our feet—her sword already in her grip, while I held my palms facing each other, lines of lightning sparking between them.

Her jaw nearly hit the floor, eyes going wide as Al’s sword and shield appeared. The rest fared little better—most shrank back into the couches, clutching the cushions as if they’d provide some kind of shield. A few exchanged nervous glances, their eyes darting between the lightning sparking between my hands and Mahya’s blade at the ready. They looked rattled, their confidence crumbling fast.

“We are leaving,” Al announced, executing a perfect turn on his heel. If he’d had a coat, it would have flared dramatically behind him. Mahya fell in line right after him, and I brought up the rear, casting Mana Shield just in case they got any more ideas. I didn’t forget to take the couch.

The women at the door jumped out of the way as we moved past. We exited, turned the corner, checked for witnesses, and turned invisible.

“What a bunch of self-important cows,” Mahya sent, her tone dripping with scorn.

“You were amazing,” I told Al.

“Years of practice dealing with nobles,” he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Home?” Mahya asked.

“No. I want to follow them. The mage has my ring.”

“I checked their hands—I didn’t see anything,” Mahya said.

“When she looked at my hand after I took out the couch, she pressed her hand to her pocket,” I explained.

“I can’t believe Cloud betrayed us like that,” Mahya said, sounding dejected.

“She probably doesn’t view it as betrayal. They are her people. We, on the other hand, are strangers,” Al said.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said. Still, I was disappointed. I didn’t expect her to betray her people or anything, but we asked her to keep one secret, and she didn’t.

We waited almost two hours for the “cows” to finally leave the place. Quietly, we tailed the mage until she reached her house, which looked far better than the others in the area—no cracks or grime anywhere in sight. I slipped in behind her through the door, though it closed before Mahya and Al could get in. No problem—a single potionball later, and she was snoozing away on a very plush couch. My ring was easy to retrieve, and all the clothes and most of the food I’d given Cloud were still inside.

I took a moment to glance around. Her house was nice, far more spacious than the others, with beautiful furniture and little knick-knacks lining the shelves. I didn’t touch a thing. Self-important or not, she had done nothing evil as far as I could tell.

We made it back to our area, and Rue came running, sending a wave of strong indignation through our bond. “When you left, lots women looking for our house!” he exclaimed. “Cloud helped women look for house. Rue was quiet and watched them look for house. They got angry with Cloud. Cloud promised house was here. They not believe Cloud and were very angry. Rue want to help Cloud, but Rue remembered Cloud tell a secret secret and not help her.”

“Short-sighted, self-important cows,” Mahya muttered, adjusting her previous description.

“Let’s just leave this depressing city,” Al said.

“What about all the food we collected?” I asked. “I still believe it should go to the residents.”

“Yeah, it should,” Mahya said. “Let’s distribute it at night. We’ll just put the food at the entrances to houses. I don’t know if you noticed, but we didn’t see even one enforcer the whole time.”

We slipped through the opening in the wall, and I opened my house on the other side, safely outside the city limits. I checked my ring, and besides the clothes and food, I found a collection of handwritten pages. After paying the mana to learn the language, I skimmed through them. Nothing particularly interesting—just lists of women’s names, notes on how many children they had, who still had a husband bringing in some money, and who didn’t.

I went looking for Mahya and found her in her workshop, busy dismantling one of the strange vehicles we’d confiscated from the palace.

“Do you know if Cloud can read?” I asked.

“Yes, she can. All the girls can. The women teach each other,” she replied, glancing up. “Why?”

“I feel responsible for Cloud. I’m thinking of putting together an overview of basic biology and the human body for her, maybe even flying over to Lumis to get her the Minor Heal spell. I saw it for sale there. She might not unlock the Healer class, but she wants to help people here, and they could definitely use it.”

Mahya sighed. “Yeah, good idea. When do you want to do it?”

“When we finish distributing the food.”

She looked at me thoughtfully. “Maybe you should go already. Al and I can start distributing the food, and you can join us when you get back. I want to get out of this place sooner rather than later, so let’s not delay.”

I nodded, deciding, “I’ll help you with the distribution tonight and fly there first thing tomorrow. Need anything else from there?”

She paused, considering. “Single-use scrolls. We have a decent supply, but more never hurts.”

Giving her a thumbs up, I went off to find Al to get his shopping list. With all the potions he’d been making lately, I was sure he’d want herbs.