Chapter 65: Preparations I

When Leo woke, his veins thrummed with lingering excitement. Every detail of the meeting was burned vividly into his memory. Major fragments. His tentative understanding with Sol. Core fragments.

He sat up, unused to how soft the mattress was underneath him and how much it gave way when he moved. Leo exhaled and forced himself to relax. He still had the auction to worry about, he reminded himself. He needed to focus on that, get the fragment, then he could concentrate on Sol and the existence of other fragment types. One thing at a time. He couldn’t afford to get distracted with the masquerade so close.

That, and being too excited would draw unnecessary attention to himself. The [Fragmentholder] still didn’t think he was ready to tell Allan or Spade about the dreams—not until he had more information and could say with confidence whether or not Sol could be trusted.

Leo rubbed his eyes, surprised to find that he actually felt well rested. [Dreamscape] really did function exactly like a regular dream.

“Sleep well?”

Leo turned to find Allan reading at the table, a mug of tea in hand. He’d already gotten dressed and it looked like he’d woken up a while ago. On closer inspection, the sunlight slipping through the thin crack in the curtains was quite bright. Leo must’ve slept in more than he thought.

“What time is it?” Leo slid off the mattress and realized he hadn’t changed his clothes. Memories of the previous night surfaced in flashes. It was faint, but sure enough, there was a recognizable dull throb pounding at his skull. He winced and rubbed his head.

Allan looked amused. “It could be worse,” he said. “You were pretty far gone.” He set his book down and rose, moving to check Leo’s shoulder.

“I really wasn’t that drunk,” Leo muttered. He shifted so that the [Healer] could better see his arm. “Can I finally take this thing off?” he asked hopefully. The sling was quickly becoming a hassle, and he’d definitely need full mobility by the time the auction rolled around.

In response, Allan raised his hand, an ultramarine glow exuding from the center of his palm.

[Allan has activated the [Mend] spell]

After a few minutes, the glow faded and Allan nodded, satisfied. “Okay, it should be fine now.” He began removing the makeshift sling, and Leo exhaled in relief. He rubbed his shoulder and rolled it around a few times. There was no pain, but the area was still a bit stiff—probably because he hadn’t been able to move it properly for the past few days.

Turning his head, Leo studied the room and frowned.

“Where’s Spade?”

Allan shrugged. “She left earlier, said she’d be back this evening. We have to buy weapons and she doesn’t need to.”

Leo nodded slowly. That made sense, though he was a bit doubtful of how well her sword was holding up. It looked quite old, but then again, there weren’t any visible cracks on the blade and the [Executioner] was quite meticulous about its upkeep.

Leo rose and smoothed out his clothes so that they were a little more presentable. Still wrinkled and obviously worn, but he’d take what he could get. “You eaten yet?”

“Just breakfast. Their tea’s very good.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“It’s nothing like what Irving had,” Allan said wryly.

A weird feeling rose in Leo’s chest at the mention of the man, the image of him sitting at the window, watching the incoming tide, still firmly engraved in his mind. He shoved it down.

“Okay. Food first, then we head out.”

Allan nodded, and with a final sweep of the space, the two exited the room and made their way downstairs.

—

The Blue Cup did indeed have very good food. Leo hadn’t thought he was all that hungry before, but then again he was used to his stomach never being full. He ended up eating an extra plate of fruit and swiped a few extra loaves of bread to shove into his bag for good measure.

Freshly full and rejuvenated, he and Allan made their way to the main street, where the constant bustle of the crowd and the yells of merchants acted like a beacon.

Leo frowned down at the weapon rack in front of him, squinting between the spears and axes and swords that gleamed dully in the dim light. The entire shop smelled of sharp metal, and every inch of the space was covered in a wide array of weapons.

They’d passed by a number of stores on the street, far more than Leo would expect to find in one city, but they’d settled on this one because it seemed to have the widest selection and because it was less packed than some of the other places had been.

Reaching out, Leo picked up one of the smaller daggers and carefully weighed it in his hand. Its blade looked sharp and it felt decently sturdy, but the balance wasn’t as easy as the warden’s dagger.

He set it back down. He would stick with the warden’s dagger for now as a main weapon, but he wanted to get some proper throwing knives too. The kitchen knives had worked out better than he’d thought they would, but that certainly didn’t mean they were good.

Turning, Leo noted Allan testing the weight of a double-sided axe. He raised an eyebrow.

“Sticking with axes?”

Allan shrugged. “Might as well, right? You’re keeping the knives,” he pointed out.

Leo snorted. “True.” Especially after gaining the [Dagger Proficiency] skill, not making use of it felt like a waste. Besides, even if it had been out of convenience at first, he felt comfortable with knives and liked how they didn’t get in his way like a bigger weapon would.

As Allan continued testing the axe, moving on to a few practice swings, Leo’s eyes shifted behind him.

Sitting on a crude, crooked wall shelf were a number of smaller blades. The former [Thief]’s gaze settled on a set of throwing knives in the back stored in a plain canvas holder.

He stepped over and slid one out. It was light and easy to handle, but it had enough weight to not feel flimsy. He flipped it experimentally and caught it again in the same hand. It spun evenly in the air, and Leo grinned.

—

Half an hour later, Leo and Allan exited the store with their new weapons in hand. Allan had been able to trade away his old axe, albeit not for much given its condition, but it was still nice to save money when they could.

The bag of gamils didn’t feel much lighter than before, which said a lot. Leo was still half expecting some guards to show up and arrest him; it felt wrong for him to have so much money on hand, like the very act of possessing the coins was illegal.

And yet, despite now having more money than all his previous meager savings combined, this was probably nothing compared to the prices they’d see at the auction.

“You did say we’d probably end up stealing it,” Allan pointed out quietly. The two navigated down the crowded street, the bustling crowd and yells of vendors providing a cloak of noise to hide under.

“Yeah, but it’d be easiest if we could just buy it.” Leo sighed. “I don’t know, maybe I’m getting worked up over nothing. It’s like, I keep thinking all of it’s gonna disappear, you know?”

He carefully didn’t specify what he was talking about, but Allan nodded in understanding. He smiled wryly.

“Slum paranoia,” he said. Leo snorted.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Yeah, you could call it that.”

Before he could say anything else, Allan’s pace slowed. Leo frowned at the [Healer], turning to see what he was looking at.

Further ahead on the street, a small crowd had gathered behind a simple table laid out on the edge of the sidewalk. A single chair sat in front of a grinning man with a missing tooth and a thick beard, and in the center of the table was a deck of cards.

The person seated across from him groaned, her head in her hands while the man seemingly comforted her to no avail. Without looking up, she rose and practically shoved the chair aside in her haste to leave, the group following after her. They were probably friends.

With the group gone, that left the chair vacant and the table empty save for the bearded man. Through the thrum of the crowd, Leo heard his voice call out.

“Gather ‘round for the chance of a lifetime! Try yer luck! Easy to play and easy to win!”

Leo and Allan exchanged knowing looks.

“We shouldn’t,” Leo said. “This is a bad idea.”

Allan’s face was one of perfect innocence. “I think,” he said, “we can have one bad decision per day. Besides, this is way less risky than it was back in the slums, with your new spells and all.”

Leo stared, trying to project disapproval, but he could already feel a grin stretching across his mouth.

“I thought I was supposed to be the reckless one.”

Allan smiled. “Not reckless at all. Besides, you’re not the only one who likes money.”

Leo snorted, but didn’t disagree. It was easy to forget sometimes with the way he looked and acted, but Allan was more of a ‘slum rat’ than he was. He’d been the one calling the shots that first year while Leo was still reeling from his escape from Adrya.

Right now they were far away enough that the man hadn’t noticed them yet. They exchanged looks, a silent agreement passing between them. Leo smoothly handed Allan the coin bag, then they turned and walked in separate directions.

Leo moved easily through the crowd, activating [Fade into Background] as he blended into the many passersby and made his way behind the table. From there, he slipped into a store and pretended to browse the shelves, keeping the table in view through the front window. No one gave him a second glance.

Allan, meanwhile, continued forward at a slow pace. As he approached the table, Allan glanced over as though just noticing it, and Leo could see the bearded man gesture to him.

“What about you? How’s a handsome young lad like you want to try his luck?”

Allan blinked like he was surprised. He shifted his weight, just the right combination of curious and hesitant.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, live a little! In times like these, what’s life without some risks? I mean, what’s a few cards next to the whole system admin disappearing, ey?” the man joked. He was clearly used to this; he had the charming, casual demeanor down to a science.

Allan bit his lip, and after a final pause, he slowly sat down in the chair. Leo kept his eyes down on the shelf, but listened closely as the man began to explain the rules.

“I like things simple, you see, and this here’s a very simple game! I pick up a card, and you just have to guess if it’s odd or even.” He held one up as an example. “Make a bet, and if you guess right, I’ll double it. Guess wrong and I keep your money. Easy, right?”

Leo snorted to himself while Allan nodded. He’d seen similar games in Sindrey—though this version was absurdly basic—and there was usually a trick to it. He double checked that [Fade into Background] was still active as the man shuffled the deck and Allan pretended to mull over his initial bet.

Leo couldn’t see exactly how much the [Healer] ended up sliding over, but it was enough to make the bearded man raise an eyebrow and whistle.

“See, I knew you had a betting heart deep down,” he said. “I’ve got an eye for these things.” Allan laughed sheepishly.

“I guess so. I just thought I should make it worth it, you know?”

“Course, ‘course!” The man set the deck down in the middle of the table, then picked up the first card and held it in front of him so Allan could only see the back. From Leo’s angle, he could make out a 9 through the store window.

Leo activated [Visual Illusion] and projected the word “odd” to Allan. The [Healer] furrowed his brow, pretending to think, then finally answered, “Odd?”

The dealer flipped the card over, revealing the 9. “Not bad,” he said. “That’s one win for you. How about another?”

Allan nodded, and the bearded man picked up the next card. 4. Leo did the same thing as before, and once again Allan answered correctly. This happened a third time, then a fourth.

By the fifth in a row, the dealer looked impressed. He didn’t seem remotely bothered by the amount he’d lost so far even as he slid more coins over to join the steadily growing pile on the table.

“You’re a real natural at this,” the man said. “Tell you what, I’ve got an offer. You can walk away with this money right now and I’ll take my loss. Or, you can stay for one more round. Same rules, but if you get it right, I’ll triple what’s already in the pot. Since I like you, if you get it wrong and you only need to pay double. So? You up for it?”

There it was, Leo thought. Allan pretended to think hard.

“Okay,” he finally said, keeping just enough eagerness in his tone to properly mimic a naive young man excited about the possibility of winning big. The dealer nodded and reached for the next card. 12.

Leo projected ‘even’ to Allan, but he wasn’t done yet. He remained focused, because after the [Healer] answered and the man began to flip the card around, he caught it.

In one quick, smooth motion, the man swapped the card with one hidden in his sleeve, the action hidden by the flourish of the flip and so fast that most would be none the wiser.

Not today, Leo thought. Just as the man set the card down on the table, Leo activated [Visual Illusion], this time projecting the original 12 card onto the dealer’s own vision.

Sure enough, the man blinked down at his swapped card, which was a 7, still seeing the illusion Leo had projected.

“Wha—”

“Oh thank goodness,” Allan said, releasing a sigh of relief. He reached forward and grabbed the man’s hand with a beaming smile, pulling him out of his surprise.

As he moved, Leo noted that he casually knocked the deck over just enough to be seen as an excitable accident. With the swapped card now hidden among the scattered deck, the [Fragmentholder] released the illusion.

“Thank you, I didn’t realize how much fun this would be,” Allan said. The dealer nodded slowly, but he still looked like he was trying to figure out what had happened.

Allan frowned, furrowing his brows with concern. “Is something wrong?”

That seemed to finally snap the man out of his stupor. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath.

“Nothing, nothing,” he said. He turned and grabbed the promised coins, sliding them, albeit reluctantly, over to Allan, who quickly deposited them into the bag before rising from his seat.

Leo didn’t hear what he said to the bearded man or what he said back. He was already slipping out of the store and back onto the street.

—

It wasn’t until they were a few blocks away that Leo finally allowed his grin to overtake his features. Allan’s smile bordered the edge of smug.

“Okay, you were right. That was way easier than I thought.”

Back in Sindrey, they’d done similar things a few times—albeit without the help of spells. It had actually worked fairly well, between Leo’s stealth and Allan’s ability to project earnestness, but they ultimately had to stop before they became recognizable. One incident a dealer could chalk away to a fumbled sleight of hand. More than that and they’d get suspicious.

Leo stretched his arms and sighed. “Feels like old times,” he remarked. Allan smiled in agreement. “How much’d you end up getting anyway?”

Before Allan could answer, a commotion drew both their attention away.

Across the street, a group of guards surrounded a harried looking man. His eyes were wide and frazzled, and he didn’t hesitate to shove at the guards and jab his finger at their faces as his voice rose in growing hysteria.

“—is dead!” he was yelling. “There’s no Administrator left! It’s the end! It’s the end and you fools don’t even see it!”

The guard in front of him frowned, her mouth a line of grim determination.

“Sir,” she said. “If you don’t stop causing a ruckus, we’ll have no choice but to remove you.”

The man laughed, the sound harsh and sharp.

“Ruckus? Our god is gone and here you are caring about ruckus!” His hands flew together, clasped in prayer. “Oh forgive us, no wonder we were abandoned. It’s too late for salvation now. We—”

He didn’t get to continue, because the guards apparently decided they’d heard enough. They surged forward, immobilizing the man despite his frenzied shouts and struggles.

When Leo looked around, he saw that no one passing by gave the man a second glance. They simply kept their heads down and continued walking as if this was just another everyday occurrence.

Maybe it was. It had now been a week since the notification appeared. The man wouldn’t be the only one with those thoughts, and the guards seemed more than ready to remove him for “disturbing the peace.”

Leo swallowed as the guards dragged the hysterical man away. His former good mood had quickly soured, and he suddenly found he couldn’t stand being out in the street any longer.

“Let’s head back to the tavern,” he said quietly. Allan nodded in agreement, and the two left without another word.