Raven snarls at me. “Yuki,” they say slowly, humming in anger, feather cloak standing on end. “Your weapons grow sharper and so do your prices, again?”
Gingerly, I nod. “Indeed. Surely this is still worthwhile.”
“Halve the increase,” Raven demands.
Nodding gently, I wave a hand. “Done,” I say. “Let none say I’m unkind to you, Raven. I heard Aviary has been having some trouble recently.”
The sumeen gives me a dangerous hum as they lean back in their chair, tilting their head. In sync with them, every raven in the cages does the same. “Yes,” they hum quietly. Low and full of hidden anger. “Yes, quite some. Bloodline has been sponsoring an upstart.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “An upstart?”
“Crybabies,” they hum, saying the word as if it was an insult. The den breaks out in snickers, the run-down shithole of a building filling with mocking snickers. “A new gang to give us trouble. Contesting our newly gained territories. And every time one of my little birdies dies, we lose another set of your gear, even when there’s no visible runes. The bodies are looted, every. Time.”
“How bothersome,” I reply empathetically. At the same time, I place the bag of gear I brought on the table - gear that has been… recycled. Definitely not taken off the bodies of any little birds we dispatched. Nope. I would never sell Raven the same things over and over again. Not me.
They eye the bag, humming, then placing down the coin. “Make more,” they say, “and you’ll be rewarded. I need weapons to crush these upstarts. Give me your best, Yuki. Do not disappoint.”
“What kind of reward?” I ask gently.
Raven gives me a long, displeased stare. “Monolith,” they say finally, and suddenly, a hush falls over the den.
“The mono, boss?” one of the goons dares to ask, and instantly, Raven raises a hand. Dark feathers dart through the air, nailing the poor woman to the wall by her cloak.
“Yes,” Raven hums. It’s a low hum, a promising hum. “Yes, a mono token. We’ll squeeze the guards and get you in, Yuki. Just bring me more weapons. Simple, right?”
The sumeen makes those last words sound almost pleasant, but I don’t miss the threat under it. They’re on edge. Can’t take a betrayal. They’ve gone from fighting on one front to two fronts, and that’s trouble. Raven’s scared, and that makes them desperate.
Nodding quietly, I give my agreement. “Yes, Raven,” I say.
“You’ll still owe me for the token,” they threaten. “But only a small favour if you deliver here.”
Again, I nod. “I will do my best, Raven.”
“No,” they hum with a shake of their head. Then, they lean in real close. “You will not try, Yuki. You succeed. Or I’ll have to dispose of you, understood?”
I don’t have to fake the shiver that runs through me. They might think it’s fear, but really, they’re just in my personal space. I step back, just slightly, and Raven hums in malicious glee at that. “Yes, Raven,” I reply, timidly.
“Good,” they say, finally getting out of my face and waving a long limb. “Go, Yuki. Go and bring me more weapons.”
Obediently, I leave. As soon as I’m outside, I let the smile blossom on my lips, as I run my fingers across the chits, rubbing their pleasantly smooth surfaces, toying with the magic in the coins.
If I’d known gang wars were so profitable, I should’ve engineered one earlier.
- - -
This time, I find Anna outside their humble shack, biting her lips. It makes sense - it’s been three days since I visited. Running a territory is busy work, even when I don’t need to sleep too much. Perpetual pursuit courses through my veins, suppressing such simple needs.
When I approach, she instantly turns vigilant, drawing a dagger. “Who are you?” the feryran demands. I’m tempted to think of her as young, but she’s really only a tiny bit younger than me, so I try not to.
Instead, I just drop my [Obfuscation].
[Obfuscation 4 > 5]
What a lovely skill, I think happily. “Just me,” I tell Anna.
“Yuki,” she breathes, still using that silly alias. I smile and nod.
“Snow,” I tell her.
Her forehead crinkles. “It’s the same word, but it sounds different,” she says quietly.
“It’s a different language,” I explain.
“Ah,” she says. Then pauses, then gives a thin smile. “Snow, then?”
I shrug. “Yes, Snow.”
As soon as the name-related silliness passes, it finally sinks in for her. I watch as her eyes widen, grey orbs fixated on me. “You’re alive,” she breathes, and I nod. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”
“Sadly, yes,” I nod. “But I got better. You should’ve seen the other people.”
Anna giggles, and dashes at me, as if looking for a hug. I awkwardly step back for a moment, then stiffen as she slams into me anyway. With controlled motions, I pat her head twice. “Alright, uh, I’m okay hugging you, but please try to ask.”
“Oh!” she gasps, quickly pulling away. “Sorry, I-”
“You didn’t know, yes, yes.” I sigh softly. “It’s alright.”
A small flush of shame creeps onto her face, turning her silver skin bronzen. “Uh, my brother. Trey, he’s… awake. But I’d still like for you to treat him.”
I nod slowly. “Alright.” Until now, I’d left before he woke up. Anna told Trey of some vague doctor, so he wouldn’t be scared. She didn’t want me to see them too vulnerable. Maybe worrying about my death changed it? What a curious critter she is.
With swift steps, the thief slips inside the house, and I follow her. Trey is sitting upright, wrapped in blankets up against the wall. There’s no true bed, but he lays on raised platforms, under a shielded roof. His eyes snap to the door. “Anna!” he calls in a childish voice, ringing like a hammer on metal. “You’re back! I was-” Then, he spots me, and his eyes widen.
Moving inside, the older sister quickly kneels next to him. “Hello Trey. This is Snow,” she explains, gesturing at me. “The healer who has been taking care of you.”
“Hi,” I say, raising a hand awkwardly.
The kid still stares at me, wide-eyed. Then, he yells. “You’re a hea-?!”
Anna smacks her hand onto his mouth, making his strands of silvery hair sway. “Shhhh,” she says, pressing a finger to her lips. “Remember what I told you?”
“Right!” Trey whispers urgently, gasping at his own inadequacy. “It’s a secret!”
I watch their antics with my usual expression. Dull, almost painted on, tilting my head just a little as it goes on. The needles in his chest are almost used up, just their tips still sitting in his skin. The holes have widened a little, probably since he moved, but they’re not big enough to be too troublesome, all of them already scabbed over, new metal already crawling to replace the broken skin.
Very slowly, I approach, and kneel next to him. Trey watches me, bug-eyed.
“Anna said you might die,” he whispers conspiratorially.
“Indeed, I did,” I lie.
His eyes widen even more. “What?” he asks quietly, barely restraining his voice.
In reply, I just give a shrug. “I decided death wasn’t that nice after all, so I got back up.”
[The Embrace hums in amusement.]
Looking at the notification, I smile at the boy. “In fact, death seems to have taken a liking to me. Maybe next time, they’ll be nicer.”
Trey stares at me as if I was insane, stuck between believing and doubting every word. I see him swallow heavily as I take a good look at his vessel. I tilt my head as I watch.
The cracks are mending, but it’s slow and more jagged than when I forge my own. His natural regeneration probably isn’t quite strong enough. Still, if he finishes it, he can start levelling, and if he starts levelling, he can put points in heart and vessel, hopefully healing.
Nodding to myself, I reapply the suppression loop, giving him a slightly improved version that’s just a little more efficient. Then, I refill the needles, making sure they’re properly in place, and aligned with the skill’s lattice. Trey watches in fascination as my mana moves, giving small gasps.
I watch as Anna smiles at her brother’s wonder. She seems to be so pleased to see him smile. It’s almost infectious. Almost.
Checking everything twice to make sure it’s done properly, I nod to myself. Then, I reach into my coat, pulling out a small item. “Trey?” I say carefully.
The kid looks at me, nodding quickly. “Yes, doctor?”
Finally, the title makes me smile. What a silly kid. With a small gesture, I place the item into his hand. “This,” I tell him, “is a core.” Instantly, Anna’s eyes widen. It’s not just a normal core, of course. I’ve modified its structure, basically carving formations on its inside with mana. It was a huge pain, and I broke three of them in the attempt, but Raven was nice enough to ‘deliver’ more of them to me. Truly, what a benevolent gang boss.
[Inscription 22 > 23]
[Solidification 22> 23]
[Job up! Core Controller 2 > 4]
Trey nods, having no idea what a core is, evidently. I don’t bother explaining. Instead, I just nod at him. “You can give this to your sister whenever you can feel the sickness coming back, yeah? She can feed it some of her own mana, and then that’ll be used to keep you healthy.”
It took me most of my free time these last three days to actually make it work, but seeing the kid’s eyes widen, and the way Anna’s mouth drops open makes it almost worth it. The mana and practice I gain from it makes it fully worthwhile.
“We… Snow, we can’t-”
“In fact,” I say quietly. “I’d ask you to head to the island two to the east of here. The one recently taken over by Crybabies. Find a spot there.”
Before Anna can protest, before the wonder in Trey’s eyes fades, I rise to my feet, my single arm dangling by my side. I look at both of them one more time. “Be kind to yourselves,” I tell them. “It’s okay to cry.”
Then, before another word is spoken, I wreathe myself in [Obfuscation], pouring mana into the skill while keeping a tight rein on it.
[Obfuscation 5 > 6]
I step outside and take a breath of the cold air. It’s snowing tonight. Soft flakes drift down, and I pull off my hood, letting them rest in my hair, turning even its dark roots a pure white. For a moment, I just stand still.
Breathe in. Out. Back in. Let myself enjoy the few seconds of emotion before my Abiding Apathy swallows it, and the smile on my face returns to my base, deadpan expression. Some part of me mourns the joy.
In response, my mana roils. I walk across the streets, east, to the inn. My own vessel cracks again, my mana suffusing its sides, slowly turning it more forgeable.
[Vessel Construction 7 > 8]
[Class up! Vesselsmith 4 > 5]
With even more mana, I reinforce my loops. The attunement loop presses down on my vessel even tighter, keeping my mana sealed and controlled. The cruncher squeezes my bones, making each step through the fresh snow a terrible ordeal. And yet, I walk, bearing it happily, perpetually pursuing my way forward.
I have more work to get done.
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