The first group we deliver to turns out to be working somewhere else, as somebody’s cousin, whom they left behind to accept the delivery, called it. The second group, unfortunately, is at home, but not the kind of people you want close interactions of any kind with, if you catch my drift, nor are they tolerant of the transformed.

The third group turned out differently.

Z: What is that feeling?

P: Your aura sense. That’s what superheroes feel like. In their iron rank version, anyway.

Z: Odd.

P: I count three.

L: Do we need to run?

Z: If they would be stealing only from us, I’d say so. But if our bosses can kill us, they can also kill them.

Nevertheless I hand Zora my mana-draining staff after she has stopped the vehicle.

As I am leaving the vehicle, Zora being ready to back out and away, three men exit the old factory hall we have been told to deliver to.

To their credit and my surprise they don’t react to my new transformed status.

One of them greets me. Returning the favour I reveal my foreign nature.

#1: I hope you do not take offense at me not offering my name or asking after yours. The people we are dealing with must have a reason for employing intermediaries.

P: I understand your concern.

#1: I trust you have both the dimensional bag and the ritual materials?

P: I suppose so, the stuff is shipped so well packaged that we cannot verify its content.

He holds a key up.

#1: Let’s check.

At that point not all getting out of the vehicle seems foolish, so I give the prearranged sign for little danger. Lidija emerges and hands him the cylinder, while Zora simply lifts a fridge out of the car.

#2: They have a sense of humour. Could you put the dimensional container onto the pallet?

He hurries to open Zora a door.

The first man opens the cylinder with badly concealed eagerness. It reveals first and foremost a roll of spirit coins packed into transparent plastic foil.

#1: This has cost us a fortune, but it is a necessary investment for the looting rituals

#3: We have run out of them.

P: Do you need any help with those rituals?

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#1: No, not at all. The #PracticalRitualist channel really gave us a solid base.

I am unable to speak. Those people are watching my YouTube channel.

Maria comes to my rescue.

M: Do you have anything for us to pick up?

#1: Young lady, I appreciate your readiness to speak for your employer’s interest, but our share of stuff we sell to them is high enough. Depending on a single supplier is bad enough.

#3: Do you want me to kill the monster now?

P: You have a living monster here?

I am not happy that my armour is used as a car right now.

#1: Just a lesser monster.

P: Would you allow one of us to kill it?

I get a searching view.

#1: If you are also ready to loot it for us afterwards …

Does he suspect a looting power or does he just want to save a few coins? Do I care?

I put my hand forward for him to shake it.

I am asking Maria and Lidija to stay in the car with the children.

--

Zora is not happy with her task, but determined to not falter during her first few steps to power.

A hedgehog shaped monster is inside a cage made from clear plastic with a lot of scratches on the inside. A handle on top allows me to expose the monster after unlocking a small external lock.

P: Remember, burning this hall down is not an option.

Zora is ready. She ducks under the monster’s first salvo. Her attempt to impale it on her knife allows the monster to return the favour. Only its right hindquarter is slightly grazed. It does not flee, like a normal animal would have done, but jumps at Zora, aiming for her face. She blocks it with my staff.

P: Yes, squash the little bugger!

She grunts in annoyance. The little bugger has managed to grab the staff. Being much smaller it is now clinging to it, advancing towards Zora’s hand.

That next sound is a squeak not a grunt. She hurls the staff away. I materialize my assault rifle.

The monster screaches and charges her. She countercharges ready to end it with her knife.

Its pelt of spines changes its colour from growing light green to ready brown. It lifts its pelvis into the firing position. She trust her scutes and just slaps a hand over her eyes and turns to the side. The monster fires. Zora reaches it and the knife finds its target.

I drop the gun and hasten towards her. She squeals. A few spikes have slightly penetrated the thinner scutes on her arms. Her somewhat damaged shirt allows me to verify that her torso looks unblemished. But her face. Two spines stick out of the protective hand. But they haven’t penetrated deeply. No, the issue is in the pieces of her face her hand did not cover.

She got a spike penetrating a cheek and is bleeding out of her mouth.

Shit, shit, shit.

P: Hold still, close your eyes. I have to shine a light into your mouth.

Z: Yeeek. Nnnnng.

P: Stop talking. You are making it worse.

I can feel pain and fear in her aura.

P: It is stuck in your tongue. The jaw is not affected.

Her teeth are not human at all. And of course I am only thinking about the consequences for her nutrition. Not that it matters much as she has reached iron rank. But I will ask Lidija to search the net for research on the nutritional requirements of the transformed.

P: I have a magical ointment that will heal the wound but I will have to pull the spine out before I apply it. Don’t worry there are no barbs on these things.

She holds still and I yank it out telekinetically.

Z: Iiiii …

P: Open your mouth!

I use a conjured spatula to smear the rest of the content of a can of ointment on her tongue and cheek. She gags.

Z: That stuff tastes like a mixture of eucalyptus and chili.

P: Keep your mouth open! … All healing.

She glares at me until I conjure her blankets, one of which she wraps around herself.

The leader of the superheroes storms into the room.

P: A little complication. Do you have a washroom?

He just points.

--

After Zora’s return I loot the monster.

#1: Thank you. Vuk will lead you to your car.

Number #3 puts a finger before his lips, points to his ears and leads us once around the whole hall back to our car.

There number #1 is expecting us

He points to his ears and slips Zora a piece of cardboard.