For as chaotic and primitive as the Zones were, Walldaun itself had been immaculately built. Younger than many of its residents, it was specifically designed to be as organized as possible; from its surrounding wall, a perfect square, to its roads, a perfect grid, to its districts, perfectly segmented. Fountains were equidistant to one another, street lanterns exactly parallel. Even the heights of buildings and the colors of streets were precisely picked and carefully coordinated. The architects and engineers left no detail overlooked. The day they completed their work, the city stood as a faultless display of human engineering.

Today, having spent a few decades housing humans, that perfection had waned. They’d added sections to the wall, paved new roads, built new structures, and slabbed all manner of colors all over the place. The once uniform, caramel city now hosted mismatched neighborhoods and a menagerie of pigments. Not everything had altered, though. While some residential districts were torn down to build towers and others turned into hybrids, the general layout of most districts remained unchanged. So while Walldaun could no longer be called perfect, sometimes it still retained an air of eerie exactness.

Kaiz could feel it now as he wandered into an unfamiliar district. District 19, to be specific. It was a production district, largely focused on metallurgy from what he couldn tell. He’d passed a host of forges and refineries during his walk. The same forges and refineries. A few had signs or some colorful decoration to set them apart, but many looked like exact replicas of each other.

He consulted his directions. According to the miniature map he’d been given, he hadn’t missed a step. Even though the workshop on the corner, next to the warehouse, across from the parking lot, behind the adjacent street lanterns, looked indistinguishable from the one he crossed nine minutes ago, it was different. Supposedly.

One way to find out.

He crossed the street, dashing through stopped traffic, and walked up to the building. There were no notable signs or demarcations. It seemed like the standard two-storey, maroon bricked workshop. On closer inspection, he did notice one tinted window on the second floor, however. His instructions didn’t make mention of it, but he took note. If this was the correct place, it would serve as an easy identifier.

A dozen seconds passed as he surveyed the building, looking for anything unusual, but there was nothing else out of the ordinary. At least not that he could tell. He’d have to double check the other workshop on his way back, but first he had to finish his business here. He took a sharp breath, straightened up, and knocked. A light knock, too light apparently. Nothing happened, he heard neither a call nor anyone approaching the door. He knocked again, a bit harder. No response still. He knocked thrice and for the third time he went unaddressed. After five full minutes of knocking and waiting, he rang the doorbell instead. Almost instantly, someone answered.

They had a gruff voice, if a meek tone, “What do you want? We’ve paid our due.”

Sound transmission?

Kaiz raised an eyebrow, “I’m not here to collect anything. I’m here to drop off a letter.”

“A letter? You one of Viz people?”

His eyebrow fell back down, but then immediately raised again.

What are you getting us involved with Viz…

“Yes. He sent me to hand it to you.”

The door flung open, releasing a respectfully tall and uncomfortably wide man on to the street. Kaiz’s other eyebrow rose at his appearance. The man was a tanlar. He had the build and aura of a soldier, but his boyish face screamed innocence and naivety. Kaiz didn’t fall for those features though. His eyes sang a different tune.

He looked down at Kaiz and extended his hand. Kaiz’s pupils shifted between his open palm and lapis blue eyes. This didn’t feel right to him. Whoever the man in front of him was, his body, face, and voice just didn’t match. Not to mention the fact he was an untitled yet somehow comfortably living within the walls.

“What are you waiting for! Hurry up, we have work to do.”

Ah. Not his voice.

That didn’t make this interaction feel any less strange to Kaiz, but in the end his instructions were refreshingly clear and simple. Find the workshop, hand over the letter, and leave. So he did just that. If there was a mistake somewhere, Viz could complain to himself. And get someone else to run his errands while he’s at it.

Three weeks had passed since Kaiz locked himself up in his home. He would have liked to wait at least a month before re-emerging, but Viz had barged in and practically begged him to run a few errands. Kaiz wanted to say no, but, in truth, his experimentation hadn’t progressed in the least during that time. He needed new research material anyway, so he might as well kill two lizards with one stone. Now, in the very same district he robbed on his last job, Kaiz walked as a would-be customer.

Of the three major inner marketplaces, District 7 had the largest. Unlike the other two, District 7 had a waterway terminal, and it bordered the outer wall. It’s convenient, easy-to-access location made it the most populated of the markets by far. That increased traffic didn’t translate to increased affluence, though. The majority of the consumers didn’t have five darkgold to their name, whether they were titleds or tanlars.

The shops reflected that. They sold much cheaper goods than the other two. Practicality was the name of the game, luxury goods were scarcely spotted. It wasn’t as scanty as the wallmarkets that operated outside the walls, but it came close. With the notable exception of weapons and armor.

The entire marketplace had been founded on the backs of mercenaries and adventures buying and selling gear, and that part of its history lived on. Excluding items of the highest quality, made from metals like zahlur or ordinite, District 7 had everything you could possibly need.

“Gloves? You crazy, kid?” The old man serving as clerk looked at him like a fool, “You’re in the wrong district if you’re looking for shit like that.”

Kaiz brushed it off, “Where can I find some then?”

He looked at Kaiz even more dumbfounded, “You don’t know?”

I wouldn’t be asking you if I did..

“I do not. I’ve bought armor here before, I wasn’t aware that gloves weren’t available.”

The clerk scoffed, “Gloves ain’t armor, they’re fashion. Noble’s fashion.”

Kaiz raised his hand to show the obvious glove on the obvious non-noble.

The clerk just rolled his eyes, “Enchanted gloves, you dimwit. I swear you academics, ain’t got an ounce of sense if it ain’t in a book.”

Kaiz sighed. He wore one of the academy’s uniforms, something he pilfered years back, so he couldn’t begrudge the assumption, but the clerk’s attitude overall rubbed him the wrong way.

Welp. Sorry Viz can’t d—

“Oh. Kaizer!”

“Hmm?”

Kaiz turned to see Josslyn, glowing excessively blue, hurling towards him. She moved much quicker than anyone seven feet tall and over a hundred fifty kilograms should have. Kaiz only had the briefest moment to react and he spent it in shock rather than in action. She grasped him in a bear hug before he could move. His elbows smashed into his body, trying to meet with one another. The mass of meat and bones in the way was of little consequence in their joining.

“Ahh! My ribs! My ribs!” He bellowed in pain.

“You’ve been slacking in your training.” She shook her head as she released him, “What did I tell you?”

Kaiz, too busy coughing his lungs out, didn’t reply.

“Knowledge is good, practice is better.”

“I haven’t be—” He coughed again—” Slacking. You caught me off guard.”

She patted his back to help with the coughing, “Caught you off guard? You’re in the middle of my store! Your excuses are weaker as well. Shame.”

Kaizer clung to the side of a display case. His ribcage hurt in every direction. He knew nothing broke, but that was no solace. Images of a time where bruised skin and broken bones were all he knew flashed into his mind. The shivers that followed felt more like muscle spasms. They very well might have been.

“It’s good to see you Kaizer.” Her smile was warm. And comforting.

Kaiz almost felt bad for avoiding her. Almost. Her earlier attempt at killing him stunted that particular line of thought. Her propensity for aggression would never be missed.

My ribs..

Even though he dedicated the bulk of his brain power to complaining about the pain, he didn’t fail to notice Josslyn was exceptionally dressed. She had long been grossly rich and disgustingly powerful, but that rarely translated to her clothing. She wore high-quality armor, but never high-quality cashmere. Yet today she was dripped in the most expensive clothes he’d ever seen her wear. A beautiful, flowing green gown, pristine white gloves, a rose gold necklace with bright red rubies, and a cashmere scarf. She looked stunning. She even combed her unruly brown hair and packed it into a bun. Her fierce, toned features hadn’t disappeared, nothing could hide the fact her face looked more chiseled than a statue, but they were remarkably muted. She looked less like the war goddess he knew and more like...no, she still looked like a war goddess. A royal war goddess, maybe?

“This is perfect timing! I’m taking some new recruits to the Screaming Sands soon. You can come with.”

His eyes grey wide in panic.

No, no nonono. Gods, please no.

“I, uh, can’t. I’m working on a special project. That has a deadline. And. I have partners. I can’t just leave them behind.”

“Oh. When’s the deadline?”

“End of next month.”

“Hmm.” Josslyn contemplated for a moment. “That works too, we can move the trip back a month.”

What?! No! Leave me be woman!

“No, no, no. I would never ask that of you. I’m sure you’ve spent months planning that. And what about the recruits? They’ve been waiting for this opportunity their whole lives. I wouldn’t want to ruin that just so I could attend.”

“Oh it’s nothing. You were the first pup I ever trained. You know how important firsts are to a lady.” Her smile was a bit devious this time.

Kaiz’s brain scrambled for a solution. Any solution.

Think, you bastard! Think!

He ran through every combination of lies he could. Damn the consequences. There were few things worse than training under the Emerald Javelin. When they first met, he was desperate, ready to do anything to survive. It was under her tutelage that he realized calling starvation ‘painful’ was a gross misuse of the word. He was eternally grateful for everything she taught him, but he’d be damned if he did it again.

And damned he seemed to be.

She patted his back again, “It’ll be nice to catch up. You—”

Kaiz heard nothing. He’d collapsed.

Over an hour later, he awoke. Disoriented. He rolled to his side and tried to blink some clarity back into his eyes. Before his vision went from squiggly lines to blurring images, he realized exactly where he was. He was in bed. A familiar bed. A bed he knew too well. The memories of not only what just happened but what had happened years ago rushed back.

Nice to see you again Oli. Been a couple years since we’ve seen each other. How’ve you been?

The bed didn’t reply. It being a bed.

I’ve been pretty great, though seeing you again probably suggests otherwise. Life’s pretty good now. The fear of death is still around, but it’s on my terms now. Turns out Otto wasn’t as sketchy as we first thought. He’s a bit...quite the bastard, but he was good to me.

Silence.

Things are looking up.

A sign fell from his lips as Kaiz rolled out of the bed. He looked around. Nothing had changed. Just a bed, a desk, and a mirror. It was odd how nostalgic it made him. He spent some of the most painful years of his life here. Yet, now, he felt a fondness for the space.

He walked up to the mirror. The face that greeted him always surprised him. It never felt like his own. He’d grown used to the ashen grey eyes, big pink lips, and curly hair. It was the sharp jawline, sunken cheeks, and a chin lathered with stubble that threw him off. They made him appear grown, sharp, and intense. Kaiz wouldn’t necessarily say he wasn’t those things, but it felt like just yesterday he was a scrawny little boy.

He touched his face; squeezing his nose, tapping his eyelids, and pinching his ears. They were all his. He was himself. As far as he knew anyway.

What am I doing?

He shook his head and walked towards the exit. Thankfully, his old room didn’t connect directly to the store. He could discreetly make his escape. Hopefully. He slowly opened the door and peek through.

Looks like coast is cle—

He froze. The coast was not clear. Josslyn stood a mere few meters away from the door, holding a titled man by the neck. She’d lifted him several feet off the ground with one arm alone. Kaiz could feel her fury from behind the door. He looked around and the pieces fell into place. There were two tanlar women on the ground. One had her dress partially ripped, exposing her underwear. It was a familiar scene.

Kaiz’s old room exited at the back of Josslyn’s store. Behind her store there was an alleyway between two rows of shops. A common place for crime to occur.

This works though.

Kaiz wouldn’t thank the would-be rapist, but he had given him an opportunity to quietly slink away. Kaiz would take it. While Josslyn berated the man, seemingly choking him to death at the same time, he tiptoed through the door and around to the front. Once back on the sidewalk, he dashed away.

His escape didn’t mean actual freedom, though. Josslyn was one of the few people that knew exactly where he lived. Hiding couldn’t save him. It would only make her more enthusiastic when she found him. It did mean he had more time to think of an excuse, however

How did this happen? She’s never in town this time of year! Does it have something to do with why she was so dressed up?

He threw that issue to the back of his mind and moved on to his primary goal for the day. Finally buying a book. Or rather a series of books, each bearing the title ‘The Mystery of Runes’. After about half an hour of scouring the district, he was left bemused.

They’re seven gold at Adolar’s, but 11 gold at Randal’s?! That’s more than a darkgold! Why such a huge price gap? Adolar is usually the more reliable one too.

Getting burned by a book vendor was an all too common occurrence. Everywhere outside of an officially sanctioned library had a strict ‘no previews, no refunds’ policy. Kaiz would love to visit one of the libraries, but they didn’t allow his kind in. While he could fool the average guard’s senses, the libraries manually checked for titles. The sensors they used were foolproof. He could only make do with the various book vendors around.

The other three don’t have complete sets, but they sell each individual book for about 50 bigsilvers a book. Assuming they had all six, that would be 300 big silvers. That’s 12 gold. Knock off one tenth for buying the full set...that’s 10.8? Huh. Still slightly more than a darkgold. So Randal’s is the proper price? Why is Adolar’s so cheap then?

Kai felt like some foul play must have been at hand, but on the other hand, rune texts were massively unpopular. Runecrafting, in general, was seen as obsolete. The newer, more advanced forms of magecraft had it beat in about every notable way. It was possible Adolar was just tired of having them rot away on his shelf. Plus, he couldn’t see someone as seasoned as Adolar being so obvious. He was the oldest of the book vendors.

Four gold coins is a lot of money. It would pay for at least three months of living expenses…

...

Fuck it!

In his heart, Kaiz was a penny-pincher. He couldn’t overlook the better deal. He could only hope that his judgement of Adolar’s character didn’t backfire on him.

He waltzed into his shop, with more than a hint of faux confidence, and purchased the books. He only bought half the set in the end. Partially in fear of being scammed, but also because the books were quite thick. The reason he wore an academy’s uniform was to limit the chance someone exposed his identity as a tanlar. That also meant he didn’t have a large bag or rucksack on him, only a small satchel with a change of outfits. He’d have to carry the books in a bundle. One such bundle wouldn’t be too large an issue, but Kaiz hated having both of his hands occupied.

“Thank you, sir.”

Adolar chuckled, “The pleasure’s mine. Be sure to come back for the rest!”

Out of the store, Kaiz made haste. Now that he had merchandise on him, he wanted to get back to safety. Though whether there was a place he could truly call safe was debatable.

As soon as he returned to the familiar setting of mud and poverty, he found a covert corner and switched clothes. It wouldn’t do to be seen wearing something expensive. That often led to problems he didn’t want. The walk back would be long. His home hid in the tiny forest to the north, at least an hour away at walking pace. Kaiz wouldn’t actually walk the whole way though. He was in a rush.

Thirty minutes later, sweating a little, he approached his little hideout. Eagerness gnawed at him. He couldn’t wait to dig into the books and forget all about what just happened. Unfortunately, he’d have to.

To many, colorful would be an apt description for the lawless ghetto that Kaiz called home. For Kaiz himself, however, it was the opposite. Home was monochromatic. It was in the actual city he saw color. Color rarely reached the slums, especially of its own accord, and if it did, it was usually white. That wasn’t the case today. Today, a green-tinted woman stood suspiciously close to his tree.

She had short, braided red hair that only went down past her ear. It contrasted against her dark brown skin, skin she apparently wasn’t fond of revealing as she covered her entire body, ankle to chin, in some sort of dark purple bodysuit. Kaiz could recognize the linen in the dress she wore on top of it and the silk in the robe she wore on top of that, but some fabrics she wore looked foreign to him. They still bore an air of affluence. Not to the level of nobility or Josslyn’s outfit, but she’d stand out in a crowd. She most definitely stood out in the middle of a forest.

“Books?” She giggled, “Think reading will save you?”

You don’t sound as good as you look.

Kaiz slowly put the books down, “What do you want?”

“Lookin’ for the chimp that lives in this tree.”

The grin on her face was beyond mocking, but it didn’t even register in Kaiz’s mind. All of his thoughts were about escape.

She crossed her arms, “That you?”