As the sound of the clanging bell faded into nothingness behind us, I felt a sense of relief wash over me as my bubble of sensory awareness expanded out into the world beyond the Dronrowth shopping center.
It was raining.
It wasn't much more than a drizzling shower, but it was a pleasant sight. As I stepped up off the stairs, I was greeted by bright skies and light rain. It was a good way to start off the day.
Through my [Telekinesis], I lifted the bronze helmet from my body, stepping out into the open air. The drops of water pelting down against my form let me drift into a relaxing bliss. It reminded me of how much my old body loved the rain, how the slick wetness along my skin seemed to make everything else melt away. If nothing else, I was glad my new body still retained that love of water.
"Fuck," Sigura grumbled, narrowing her eyes at the falling rain. Her eyes drifted towards the pair that had come to guide us.
Pack Rat reached into his sleeve, pulling out a pair of long, purple-topped umbrellas. He handed one to the grateful Incognito, who was also glancing around with an expression that seemed far from anything resembling relaxation or relief.
"I have packed enough for the rest of you," Pack Rat spoke, reaching back into the sleeve with his spare hand. "The forecast for today was unfavourable, and so I took the liberty of preparing myself in case of such weather."
Fareel's grin could've stretched off his face as he jumped out into the rain, throwing off his hat as he shook his head side to side, embracing the rain much like I had.
"I'm fine, too," Toya said, placing both hands into his pockets as he stepped out into the light shower, the drops splashing against his skin, sliding down along the surface before being absorbed into his mass.
Streiphen reached out, taking a pair of offered umbrellas from the elderly Roden, who smiled down towards him in turn. The boy held out the spare umbrella towards Sigura, who was in the process of taking a deep breath to mentally prepare herself.
Fareel burst into a fit of gurgling laughter at the sight of Sigura's sour expression. Even if she was a Chimera, she was still a Nekari. Even if she was only a Halfblood, water was never something her kind had taken well to.
"You could at least pretend to be sympathetic," Sigura spat, snatching the umbrella out of the sheepish Streiphen's hand. He didn't let the comment bother him as he stepped out into the rain, the water falling lightly on top of his umbrella.
The comment only caused Fareel's laughter to become more erratic as he skipped out into the streets.
Sigura's eyes turned from the amused Fishfolk towards me, her expression pleading. Her sight darted from person to person, and I knew she was looking for some excuse-
"Can't we just wait out the shower?" Sigura asked, looking towards Pack Rat. "We're not in a rush, are we? 'Sides, Yuri's mech will rust if it gets too wet."
Had that been an excuse she'd come up with now, or one she'd already prepared? As much as I didn't want to wait out the shower, I had to admit it was a good argument.
"[My bronze helmet won't rust,]" I countered, turning towards her. "[If you want, I could have the helmet hover above you as we walk. Besides, if my Aera is flowing through my mech, the metal will be more resistant to change.]"
"But the rest of it will still rust if it's iron, won't it?" Incognito asked. Pack Rat snickered at the man's comment. Was he not fond of the rain either?
I didn't know if the rest of the mech was made of iron. While much of it was made of steel, I had no way of knowing what these alloys were fully made of. I couldn't rule out the possibility of-
Streiphen walked over, planting his other palm against the side of my mech. He looked up towards me, his face partially hidden from a direct line of sight by his umbrella.
"Umm... There's a lot of iron in it. So... it could get all rusty."
Several pairs of eyes turned to land on the boy, the sound of his voice giving way to a dawning silence, one punctuated by the patter of falling rain.
"You did not make that claim with any hint of hesitation," Pack Rat noted with a smile, stroking the end of his beard.
"How in the Gods' names could you possibly know that, pipsqueak?" Sigura asked, crossing her arms.
"Umm..." the boy shrunk under the pressure, looking away with a sheepish expression, hiding from the crowd of eyes behind his umbrella. "It's a Skill..."
"[Does your group have anything that can help combat against rust?]" I asked the pair, hoping to take some of the focus off of Streiphen.
"Indeed we do," the Roden confirmed with a nod. "You are not the only provisional Anvil Caster that works with metal among our ranks, Miss Yuri."
Other [Inventors] or [Tinkerers]? I could feel my body perk up as my mech straightened. My mind burned with a greater desire to see the place these people called their base.
Sigura groaned at the sight of my excitement, a gesture that only led Fareel to chuckle louder.
"Fucking... fine, alright, we'll go," Sigura grumbled, unfurling her umbrella as she took the first step outside the base. I could see her wince as a bit of water on the ground splashed up past her sandal and onto her exposed foot. "... Lead the way."
With a leisurely pace, Incognito and Pack Rat stepped through the abandoned streets, leaving Dronrowth behind. Fareel ran ahead of us, rolling and jumping through puddles as he came close to them, relishing in the abundance of water. More than once, Sigura had moved behind other members of our travelling band, avoiding the water he splashed up in his wake as though it were acid, glaring at him with venom in her eyes.
"It's a shame about what happened to this place," Incognito mused, a forlorn look in his eyes. "There used to be some real nice shops around here, too."
After her latest attempt to scurry away from the wildly amused Fishfolk, Sigura turned her head towards the shorter man. Or rather, what she could see of him beneath the umbrella.
"What happened to this dump anyway? We've seen signs of fighting all over this place," Sigura asked.
"The Disciples," Pack Rat mumbled darkly, his eyes seething with restrained anger. I could see the emotion boiling within the twin globes, hidden as they were by his visor.
"They're a group of criminals," Incognito explained. "Killers, thieves, kidnappers, and just about everything else you can think of. The worst of the worst. Even among criminals, they're outright antisocial. They don't pay respect to any of the underworld's rules, and they're notorious for not bowing to anyone. They came here a while ago, refused to pay tribute or respect to any of the groups running the territories around here, and caused a lot of chaos. Even criminals need to have etiquette, but they take the time to ignore just about every rule they can."
Toya let out a bitterly amused huff, a sound lost to the rain.
Pack Rat nodded in agreement, glancing at the ruined shells of buildings towering over us on either side, a grim reminder of what must have been a sprawling city street.
"Hrr... They are a living nightmare. Just when many believed all hope was lost, and that we simply needed to hide until they left the city, one of them was slain. One victory among an endless sea of defeats."
Incognito chuckled darkly, his face turning skyward as his eyes closed.
"If you could even call it a 'victory'. It was a slip-up by the Disciples, and one of the private Adventuring Guilds around here managed to actually kill one of them. And in return-"
"They were annihiliated," Sigura finished, looking back towards the Half Elven man. "The Miracle Workers, right?"
"You are well informed. You have heard of the incident, hmm?" Pack Rat asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
I was a little shocked to learn that Sigura knew something about this city and hadn't shared it with us. She shrugged nonchalantly, even if her face held a tinge of sadness behind the apparent apathy.
"I... saw the memorial stone," she admitted. "I came across it on the day we arrived, after I gave my stalker the slip."
Incognito smiled slightly at the comment, yet said nothing.
This was all news to me. I'd seen the damage and strange things lingering throughout the slums. The puddles of blood, the spiderwebs around the court we'd met the Darkling, and the indent of a fist in the shopping center. I'd assumed it was all the work of in-fighting or regular Caster conflicts, and not due to a greater force coming to the city.
It was a harrowing thought. The fact that Casters like that existed wasn't something I wanted to consider. There were people like us, who had been harmed by magic, people like the Chimera Organisation, who ruined the lives of others with magic, and people like these 'Disciples', who did nothing but destroy through magic.
Through that destruction, new problems had formed. A loss of infrastructure. Children becoming homeless. The circulation of dangerous drugs. An endless cycle of damage and issues.
More than ever, the thought of leaving this place alone dragged my gut down into an empty abyss. If we left this place as it was, things wouldn't get better. If we didn't fix this place, it would linger. It would allow more problems to fester and form, allow-
Heat. Bodies. People.
All thoughts of the slum were ripped from my mind as a much more present problem appeared before us. I needed to focus. Tackle one issue at a time. Apprehension gripped me, holding on tight as we grew further from the safe, empty land we'd called our own, and towards something foreign and dangerous. The unknown.
"Are you... sure this will be okay?" Streiphen asked, looking up at Pack Rat. The sound of crowds drifted echoed in the distance, replacing the still silence and the idle sound of falling rain. I felt the cold bronze helmet slide over me, protecting my body.
Incognito laughed, a sound that lit a fire of rage within me. What was so damn funny? We were monsters entering the world of people. Why shouldn't we be-
"For looking strange?" he grinned, looking down towards the grey-skinned body, one with a white horn protruding from his forehead and stars in his eyes. "You might get some weird or dirty looks, but nobody's going to try anything. Worst case scenario, people'd call for adventurers or cry out to the Piggies for protection. Chances are, they'd be hoping for a spectacle more than they'd believe they were in real danger."
"Rest assured, you will be safe at our side," Pack Rat confirmed.
Streiphen let out a long sigh, brightening a little despite the evident fear in his eyes. Despite the words of reassurance, Toya only seemed to get more worried, his shoulders hunching into themselves as we began to leave the desolate ruins behind.
"If anyone tries anything to hurt us, I will personally fuck them up," Sigura told the boy, eyes forward.
Like all of us, I couldn't help but believe she was worried too, even if she wasn't showing it. I couldn't imagine she held no fear in her heart, going this way with us. It was a feeling we all shared.
The sound of footfalls on stone and idle chatter reached us, yet none of us faltered. I was gripped by the desire to boldly step forward while shutting off my senses. To let the others guide me without needing to be worried about what we'd see, or what would happen to us. Somewhere within me, I found the courage to keep my 'eyes' open.
We continued to walk, following the two people we knew next to nothing about, leaving the wilds and ruins behind as we stepped forward into civilisation.
We crossed the threshold.
I felt... felt... thankful for the light shower of rain. If anything, I wished it was far heavier. The sound of a torrential downpour would've helped to drown out the sounds of the people around me, a worrying sound that sent my skin crawling. Even if my heart begged for retreat, I couldn't just leave my allies behind. My mind kept me moving forward, even if my body continued to quiver out of sight.
Despite the rain, the streets were far from empty. They weren't as packed as I'd expected a city street to be, but that was understandable, since many other Humanoids weren't fond of the rain. Regardless, there were still more of them than I was comfortable with. More than I wanted to be seen by. These weren't Chimeras, or thugs, or street urchins. These were regular people.
Many were wrapped up warmly, wearing furred coats and jackets to keep out the worst of the chill. Most carried umbrellas of their own, shielding themselves from the rainfall. Those that didn't had hoods up, while others carried glowing rings or staves, creating invisible barriers around themselves that the rain bounced harmlessly off of. One of which was a Polar Bear Adept standing on two legs, wearing a specially tailored suit and black bowler hat. He gave our group a wide berth as we passed him.
He was far from the only one, too.
Most people we passed found their eyes drawn to us. I could imagine it was hard to avoid seeing us, given the size of my body. The looks of the civilians around us were filled with shock, awe, wariness and curiosity. As far as my bubble could 'see', I couldn't find a single look of outright disgust or hatred. Had I been overthinking things? Maybe those in the city were more adjusted to... unorthodox bodies? Or... maybe that was wishful thinking, and I was misinterpreting their expressions.
We walked through the light shower, garnering many looks as we walked through the populated streets. Some children walking with parents pointed in our direction. Not just at my hulking metal mech, but at our two guides.
Sigura repositioned herself among our group once again, not to avoid Fareel, but to nudge Toya with an elbow. His head turned, eyes staring up at Sigura's cocky grin.
"See? These people aren't so bad to be with, are they, Jiggles? We haven't been confronted a single time. We're taking another step closer to safety and a normal life. We're getting attention, and we aren't being hunted for it."
"[I believe Sigura's right,]" I spoke up, a mote of annoyance poisoning my voice. "[We've been received more warmly than we should have reasonably expected, Toya.]"
Among the numerous stores along the street, I saw a familiar emblem that no part of me had ever realistically expected to see again.
An open book, the pages spread for all to see. Emerging from within was a faceless worm-like head, one covered in a sharp silver shell, the ends of which coalesced into a point at the forefront of the creature like an arrowhead.
Bookwyrm.
The sight of the shop sent my skin rolling with shock more than seeing real civilians and streets again, thoughts drowning out the words around me. There had been one of these in the town closest to Addersbrook, too. I'd known it was a widespread chain, but to even go as far north as Scander...? It...
I felt my mech vibrate beneath me, only for Sigura to walk over, her expression twisted with concern as she laid a hand against my side.
"You doing alright, Yur?"
I could remember it vividly. Wandering through shelves with the scent of old books drifting all around me. Being able to spend as long as I could idly flicking through the pages of whatever caught my fancy. Coming to a gut-wrenching decision as I was forced to choose between the many works crying out for my attention. I thought of my comics, something that had made the move from Lucan bearable, something that had always-
"Yur," Sigura repeated, tapping my mech once again.
"[Sorry... I'm fine,]" I told her. "[Just thinking about... books.]"
There was no way I'd be able to relive that experience. Not with the size of my body, at least. Maybe... I could get someone else to buy books for me, instead. It wouldn't be the same, but... it would be something. A compromise.
"I'm not sure this is the sort of attention we should be happy to get," Toya muttered, looking around at the civilians glancing in our direction.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
While I usually felt the desire to give Toya the benefit of the doubt, he was being overly dramatic. We were Chimeras. Looks like these were the best we could hope for, in reality. Streiphen waved to a few passersby, his eyes filled with wonder. Some of them even waved back. I was annoyed that Toya was taking this meagre acceptance for granted.
"You should be glad their first damn reaction isn't to get pitchforks and start throwing [Fireballs]," Sigura snapped, her eyes narrowing as she moved away from me, back towards Toya.
"I'm not..." the Slime-like man hunched up, looking away. "That's not what I was trying to-"
"Hey, look over there," Incognito said, pointing off to our left.
The eyes of my allies followed his finger, which was pointing towards a purple restaurant, if the emblems of assorted foods surrounding the name were any indication. The name of the restaurant itself was what really caught me off guard.
"Fancy... Freakies?" Toya asked, his worry giving way to bewilderment.
"Yeah!" Incognito grinned, evidently pleased with himself. "If you've never been to Fancy Freakies before, you haven't lived. They cater for everyone, and I mean everyone, regardless of what you are. The food there is really good, even if some of it can be a little pricey. Our [Doctor] swears up and down that its the best restaurant in the city."
"You have your own [Doctor]...?" Toya intoned, raising an eyebrow.
"Really??" Streiphen interrupted, looking up at Incognito with literal stars in his eyes.
"Really," he confirmed with a nod. "Just, uh... don't be too shocked by how crazy their menu options get. When I say they cater for everyone, I'm being serious."
It was such a normal thing... First Bookwyrm, and now a restaurant? After the life we'd been living in the facility, followed by the faint sense of normality I'd been adjusting to in the abandoned streets around Dronrowth, this felt almost... surreal. Dream-like. Even if I wasn't capable of eating at a restaurant, it still shook me.
A very small part of me looked back at the moments after the escape, believing that it truly was a dream, some sort of punishment to tease us with freedom before ripping it away. That small part insisted this couldn't be real, even if everything else insisted it was.
"Like what?" Streiphen asked, an eyebrow raised.
Pack Rat snickered to himself as we passed the restaurant, grinning widely. I saw what looked like a bouncer garbed in black on the other side of the door, a bored looking Lapin with sky blue fur yawning into an open palm.
"Hrr... Once, we brought an old provisional to the restaurant. We had gone there for an interview, to see whether they were worthy of joining our ranks. They had proven their magical abilities prior to our meeting there, and so they believed themselves adequate."
"Oh, I think I know which story this is," Incognito said, his body suppressing a shiver that ran down his arms.
"He had not been to a 'Fancy Freakies' before, but he did not believe anything on the menu would shock him."
"Yeah, it's that story," Incognito nodded.
"Well?" Sigura asked, glancing down towards the Roden's umbrella, which completely obscured his mischievous grin.
"The restaurant offers blood from various races, all harvested legally, of course, and various forms of foods and sauces deemed poisonous to many. I will never forget the paling of his face. He believed we were trying to kill him with a meal."
"Blood?!?" Toya asked, his expression full of shock as he whirled towards Pack Rat.
The Roden laughed, repositioning the umbrella to hide his grin. The rain was beginning to ease off, and I suspected he wouldn't need to have the luxury of its protection for much longer.
"Hrr... For some, it is safe to drink. It is not unusual for Orcs or Gnolls to drink it alongside a serving of meat, or for them to pour it over their food."
"That, or Vamps," Incognito added. "You can never tell the weirdos who just like the taste from the people who actually need to drink it. Only the brave or stupid ones drink it in Freakies, but it happens. Sometimes people will get it coloured, too, to attract less attention."
Sigura let out a sigh of relief as the air became warmer and the streets became brighter. As the last of the rain petered out, she folded up her umbrella, fastening the strap that held it in place as she held it out to the Roden.
The sound of chatter and the sight of people playing only seemed to intensify as we went further into the bowels of the city. My awareness landed on a group of teens running along the sidewalk. One took a deep breath, holding the air in their cheeks before blowing outwards. The motion was augmented with magic, creating a gust of wind that sent the hat of another child soaring into the air.
His eyes widened with shock and annoyance as he turned to complain to his friend. Another looked up at the hat with an expression as stony as the path beneath their feet. The ground rose in a pillar, allowing them to reach up and grab it, before letting the pavement sink back into place as he handed his friend the garment.
Sigura scowled at the sight, shaking her head back and forth as she walked.
We approached a long white wall with metallic fencing along its length, one with an open gate in the center. The words 'Snowbark Memorial Park' hung on a metal arch high above, an arch I had to duck slightly to go beneath.
"You are leading us through the park?" Pack Rat asked, raising an eyebrow at Incognito.
The man shrugged, grinning to himself as he folded up his own umbrella.
"It's not the fastest way to the base, but it's definitely the most scenic. The rain's gone too, so there's no harm in it, right?"
The ground was softer here, a damp combination of dirt and grass that reminded me of the world beyond the city walls. Unlike the wilderness, we were safe here. There were no monsters, or wayward adventurers, or dangerous exposure to the elements. The park was everything calm and controlled about nature, with none of the risk.
I gingerly lifted the front of my helmet. Not enough to peel it free and expose my form to the impressionable civilians, but just enough to let some of the chill winter air tickle my body.
The sky was brighter now, clearer. Even if I couldn't look up and see the sun, I could see the impact it left on the world below. The shifting shadows of trees swaying in the gentle breeze told me exactly where the sun was positioned. Without towering buildings blanketing us in shadow, the state of the sky was clear to see.
The others were looking around, their expressions relaxed. Toya still had that look of irritated apprehension in his eyes, but at the very least he wasn't complaining about the park, too.
I saw Sigura stiffen as she looked off to her left. A Half Elven child with a sharp glow around him was playing with what I presumed was a pet. It was waist-height compared to the boy, a ball of dark blue fur with a pair of stubby three-toed feet. Its face was mostly buried beneath fur, yet a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth left ajar made the mouth perfectly visible. I saw a small, glowing pink band wrapped around its left leg.
"They let Wuffles out in a public park?" Sigura asked, giving the creature a wide berth.
"It's legal," Incognito responded. "They just need supervision from an [Empath], or something enchanted with Emotion Magic."
"What? Why?" Toya asked, brows furrowed as he looked towards the Half Elf without any glow. "Why would a pet need emotional supervision?"
Pack Rat snickered at the concern that echoed my own.
"Wuffles are... temperamental. You do not wish to see an angry Wuffle, I assure you."
Ah. So they could get aggressive? I'd known a friend in Lucan with a territorial Dog. I could understand the sentiment, even if I'd never had a pet before. If I got situated and stable, was that something I might want to invest in? Pets carried with them an innate responsibility, but maybe... something low maintenance, like a Goldfish? Maybe a plant, instead? That could work, but... right now, it would only serve as additional baggage. I'd worry about that another time.
While I was musing about pets, I caught sight of something hard hidden within bushes, resting beneath the shade of a tree. It was a trio of silvery shells, each with a spiral pattern on the sides. They were a familiar type of shell, even if the colour differed from what I was used to. I felt thankful to the Street Snails, even if only for that brief moment of inspiration that had led to the helmet that protected me now.
"Never seen a park with its own shrine before," Sigura commented. "Are those Golems ever used for anything?"
I tore my vision from the resting animals, looking towards what seemed like a small temple. It was formed of brown stone, a dome-like structure with a bed of moss, flowers and vines sitting atop it, coating the roof and walls. The open entrance to the 'temple' bore a symbol above it, a white leafed lotus with a golden center, vines encircling it. The mark of Nature's Temperance.
Standing in front of the temple was a pair of Elementals, both formed from living mud, moss and plant-life transmuted into smooth, flawless skin. Dryads. The male and female pair were both scantily clad, only wearing leaves and vine wraps to shield their gendered regions. The two wore stiff expressions as they chided a man in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, one with sparkling skin and a silver pompadour so shiny it looked more like metal than hair.
With a quick check using my [Honed Vision], I found my awareness locking onto the top of his head. It didn't just look like metal, it really was genuine metal. Was it a strange fashion trend in Scander, to have metallic wigs...?
On either side of the entrance sat two large clay Golems, each with round bodies, blocky limbs and a dome-like head. Their faces lacked a mouth or nose, and consisted only of two round clay protrusions with a golden glassy segment in the middle for eyes. Their heads were angled downwards as if thoroughly inspecting the grass, both left inert.
"Mainly cleanup," Incognito responded. "They're able to fight, but people don't usually cause trouble in the park unless they're robbing someone. Those Golems only step in to fix up trees, plant flowers or remove people damaging the place. Usually just by picking them up. I don't think I've ever seen those Golems throw a punch."
"Shame," Sigura commented, looking forward as we continued along the winding dirt path. "They don't seem like they'd be bad in a fight, even if they look slow."
"Maybe you should try and fight them yourself?" Toya commented, a note of unfounded bitterness in his voice.
"If we're not busy later, maybe I will," Sigura grinned, sticking her hands into her pockets. I saw a flash of anger in her eyes, one she worked to conceal.
Her hands didn't stay in her pockets long. As we turned the corner past a bumpy hill within the park, our group came close to a large, artificial lake that sat in the middle of the park. Sigura's hand snapped out of her pocket, grabbing the scruff of Fareel's shirt before he could dash away.
"You can go to the damn lake later," the Half Nekari Chimera grumbled. "We don't have time right now."
The lakeside looked peaceful. I saw Humans fishing by the lakeside with boxes of bait laying next to them, Tritons with fin-like protrusions around their ears, elbows, and knees and patches of scales along their brightly coloured skin, and a group of Fishfolk all wearing round, full fish bowls atop their heads.
It was only after seeing them that I got a frame of reference for how different Fareel was from the rest of his kind.
The Tritons were a Humanoid folk, albeit with Fish-like features such as fins, and gills on their necks. The Triton man closest to our group by the water's edge had webbed hands, with similar webbing between his toes, visible through the slip-on sandals he wore. He had a heftier build than other Tritons I'd seen in books, with luminous orange skin and a reddish, bulbous face. My knowledge of sea life was far from experienced, and I couldn't tell what fish he resembled.
The Fishfolk were different. On the sliding scale between Man and Fish, they sat comfortably on the far end. They looked more like Humanoid-sized Fish that decided to get up and walk on land. In place of webbed hands and feet, they had long, flexible fins. The Fishfolk I could most easily identify had patches of red and white along his body, reminiscent of a Koi Fish. He was sitting with the Human, both 'hand' fins curled around the wooden length of a fishing rod.
Was... was that a normal thing for Fishfolk to do...? Surely he wasn't going to eat the fish, was he? Would that be too close to cannibalism? He must have been doing it for sport. If not, then-
My thoughts were going wildly off track. If I'd still been capable of having a [Silent Heart], I wouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing, but I'd need to be vigilant without it to aid me. I could hear the others speaking again, but my focus was elsewhere.
Fareel didn't seem exactly like a Fishfolk, yet he wasn't a Triton, either. Was he a Halfblood...? I'd never heard of a Triton/Fishfolk Halfblood before, but they were both undersea races. It was far from impossible. Those by the lake that had seen us gave Fareel a long look, one I couldn't help but see as disapproval, or... disgust? It was the most appropriate look from others I'd seen so far, even if I was slightly misjudging it.
"-around here, anyway?" Sigura asked, her voice piercing through the darkness of my somber train of thought.
"Hrr..." Pack Rat murmured, a sound that might have just been to clear his throat. It was hard to tell. "Our group specialises in protection, and the transportation of merchandise."
"We've done some protection rackets, but we do legitimate protection for the most part. A lot of what we import and export is illegal, but we've gotta make our money somehow," Incognito continued, slipping his hands into his pockets. "The boss likes to keep things as workable as possible. We smuggle a lot of things in and out, but he keeps his hands clean of drugs and cursed artefacts."
"That's... still no different from a [Bandit] group," Toya muttered, his voice so quiet I wondered if anyone else had even heard it. His face was scrunched up as though in pain, eyes locked on the ground as we walked.
"We're nothing like [Bandits]," Incognito countered. "We're businessmen. Our work is a give and take, not just a take. If we ever have to fight or rob people, it'll be from enemies, not civilians."
The reassurance did nothing to ease Toya's expression.
"You still fight people, don't you?" Sigura asked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm at my best in a fight, and I still have to get back at those Big Tooth bastards. They fucked with Yuri, and I'm going to be putting them in their place."
Pack Rat sighed, while Incognito simply gave a shrug.
"Fighting and intimidation is all part of the job. If we get caught slacking, other groups'll see that as weakness and start moving into our territory. It's a shame that Big Tooth sprung up when they did. It was just an unlucky consequence of how things played out. They were dealt a bad hand, and had no confidence in it."
A bad hand...? Was this about the Disciple attack? I wanted to be charitable in my thoughts towards these people, but the description was vague.
As much as I might've had to worry about in relation to these people's methods and intentions, I couldn't argue with the results. We were capable of walking around a public park teeming with civilians without a single instance of confrontation. It was a pleasantly refreshing experience.
The one person who looked anything but pleasantly refreshed caught the attention of some locals.
A pair of young women in clothes far too light for the weather waved in Toya's direction. Both wore short sleeved shirts and skirts, each with a bag slung over their shoulders. Both had a round blue badge above the breast of their shirt, like a dark blue bubble with a lighter baby blue ring around it.
Their skin, hair and features all glistened with the same colour, with both of their bodies being a bright pink. They were... some form of sapient Slime, by the looks of it. The two smiled at him as they passed, responding to the wave Incognito gave them in turn.
The strained look on Toya's face only became more prominent. He took a deep breath, trying to mellow out his expression as our group came close to the park's exit.
"It just... this all feels wrong. I feel like I'm lying about who I am, doing all this."
"The Copy Slime girls?" Incognito asked, glancing over his shoulder towards him. "I wouldn't take it poorly. All those Slimes from Oozania are into people, true Slime or not. Doesn't matter to them if you're a Chimera or a Human, they just like everyone."
"[I had no idea there would be such a variance in race within a city like this. It's so much more different than our old village,]" I said, feeling my body shiver in place.
Sigura smiled, patting the side of my mech with a reassuring approval.
As strange and unusual as this city as a whole was, that strangeness made it feel... easier to fit in. With how many races I'd seen in the park alone, it gave me a sense of hope that we could truly fit in here, given some time and effort.
"Divastyr's a melting pot," Incognito told us, a bright smile on his face. "Azteria, Salem, Selvania, Pagonia, Lucan, Rengrasia, Zeradonia. People come here from all over for all sorts of reasons. No matter your specialty, there's something here for everyone. The city is still expanding and shows no signs of slowing down, either. Trust me, if you give this city some time and a bit of respect, you'll fit in perfectly fine."
Sigura nodded, a look of determination burning bright in her eyes. Was it because she wanted to work hard to fit in and be accepted? I wasn't sure.
Once again, I was forced to duck as we arrived at the opposite end of the park, slipping underneath the metal arch to avoid smacking it with my helmet. I stepped out alongside the group, the ground beneath our feet transitioning from soft, damp dirt to pavement and stone.
I followed the others, leaving the park behind as we returned to the jungle of towering buildings.
Incognito and Pack Rat led us down a side street, one that was spacious enough for me to fit through, yet not nearly as populated as the others we'd seen. The people we encountered were few and far between, all keeping to themselves.
The street was quiet, and the city's shadows washed back over us as we moved deeper in. While it wasn't nearly as bright as the park, it wasn't devoid of light, either. Strips of sunlight found ways into the street, slipping through cracks between alleyways or peeking over the roofs of shorter buildings, making their presence known wherever they could.
"Here we are!" Incognito announced as we took a left, the alley opening out. "Home sweet home!"
The path ahead of us expanded outwards on either side, revealing a long wall with purple painted stone and metal fencing, a design similar to that of the public park. The metal railing along the wall stood tall and proud, a brighter shade of purple than the darker stone beneath it. We arrived at a closed metal gate, one with an arch just above it. Words were woven into the metal, clear for all of us to see.
'Velvet Star'.
"Sounds like a fancy ice cream, or a hotel. What the fuck is all this, anyway?" Sigura asked as Pack Rat stepped up to the wall. He pressed a hand against a glowing glass panel, one with a familiar looking piece of blue and pink crystal behind it. My attention went to the gate as it slowly, gently pushed itself open. "You're a criminal group, aren't you? Why's your base so damn gaudy?"
Incognito laughed, stepping forward onto a bright orange dirt path, leading us through a spacious grassy garden area, one that reminded me more of a noble's estate than a criminal organisation's hideout.
"Hey, your first thought was still something fancy, right? That's a win in our book. It's nice though, isn't it? The boss cares about appearances, and we wouldn't be much of a protection group if we couldn't even protect ourselves, now would we? 'Sides, how would we get things delivered to us if we lived in some warehouse or an underground hideout?"
The path beneath our feet was winding and soft, flanked on both sides by rows of coloured flowers arranged by an artisan's hand. The colours of the flowers on both sides of the path matched, going from dark purples to lighter shades of blue and red as we progressed deeper inside.
"You don't have any secret entrances?" Toya asked, his expression shocked and bewildered, eyes darting around the courtyard. "No guards or lookouts?"
"We do," Pack Rat smiled. "You have simply not seen them. Our base may be visible to all, but it is not without its guardians."
I heard the gates gently close behind us, a noise that caused Toya to glance back over his shoulder. Without any blood in his system, his expression couldn't pale, yet the panic in his eyes betrayed everything he felt.
Streiphen skipped ahead, sniffing at some of the flowers as we progressed, sighing contentedly.
Then, the main building came into view.
It was a behemoth of a structure, one that had a design like a checkerboard, adorned with square panels of dark and light purple, each complimenting the other. The building was lined with dark, tinted windows, none of which I was able to see through, even with the help of my [Sensory Zone]. I saw no chimneys on the building's roof, the surface's lavender tiles completely unbroken.
This 'Don' had a fondness for purple, if he was the one who'd designed all of this. I didn't know much about colour theory, but I knew it was meant to represent regality and refinement. Was that the kind of person he was? Or wanted to be?
At the entrance to the main building stood a pair of Dolls in suits. They both had slim builds and stoic expressions, mimicking Humans with their forms. Both were dressed identically, with dark purple pants, and a shirt bearing the same design as the building itself, albeit on a smaller scale. The outfit was completed by a white undershirt, black tie and slicked back silver 'hair'. The pair bowed as our group approached.
"Welcome back, Master Pack Rat. Master Incognito."
Their voices were hollow and metallic, spoken with a sonorous yet haunting tone, completely in unison.
Toya trembled at the sight of them, taking a long, deep breath, clenching his fists by his side. Fareel and Streiphen seemed unnerved by the Dolls, which I could understand. Our last experience with Dolls had been under far worse circumstances than this.
High above us, I saw a Gargoyle crafted from black stone, idle and unmoving. Below it sat a pair of ornate wooden doors, both painted with a dark purple edge and a lavender interior. The doors were both carved with designs of twisting vines and blooming flowers protruding from the front, pushing outwards towards us.
Sitting just above the masterfully crafted door was a star. A five pointed star, one with a lavender center and five darker purple points extending outwards from it. The symbol of the organisation, I guessed. I was glad they'd tactfully avoided making it a six pointed star.
"We're really doing this, huh?" Sigura spoke, breaking the terse silence that had hung over our group like a looming shadow.
The twin doors began to open, a creaking sound that somehow managed to sound old and grand without being irritating. Even the very sound of the doors opening felt like a calculated move. All of this had been done for the sake of appearances. This entire base carried a unified air of class, an identity of its own.
The doors slowed their movement, coming to a gentle stop as they reached the end of their journey, permitting us entry into the halls beyond.
Incognito stepped forward, a smile still stretched across his face. He whirled around, gesturing for us to enter with a single arm, bowing slightly like a mock [Butler].
"Ladies first!"