-----E-----

„Hm, I could make a chestplate for the two of you with this.“

„That would be great, how much?“

„It would be 120 silver in total.“

„What? That much? You know I almost died getting these scales!“

Vincent and I found the blacksmith‘s shop. The store had full of weapons, armor, and gear to buy. The blacksmith was a middle-aged man with black hair cut short. He was well built and was not the guy you would want to wrestle with. He has a few scars on his face, I wonder what happened to him?

„Tell me, what was the creature these scales came from?“

„Well, if I told you then you would not believe me.“

And there he goes again. The same exact story just like the last time.

„Wow, that is incredible that you took down a giant spider with your blaster alone.“

„Yup, so you think you can cut down some of the price?“

„That's not going to happen, because these scales come from the wolves on Mount Kamlin. And now because you lied, I am not going to lower the price at all.“

Wow, this guy is much more knowledgeable than the merchant.

„Yeah, okay, you know your stuff old man.“

„I am not that old. Do you want your armor or not?“

If we buy it at that price, then we would be left with only 22 silver. I think the job Vincent got might be useful then.

„Yeah we want it.“

„Alright, the armor should be ready in a few days, come back later.“

We got outside and glanced around.

„So, what should we do while we wait?“ I asked.

„We could scout out the way where the locator shows us.“

„Okay, sure, there is nothing else to do right now.“

Vincent took out the locator and turned it on. He turned around a few times until the locator was showing more radar signals to the southeast. Directly opposite of Mount Vallow, damn.

----------

The night was approaching, and we were walking in the woods the entire time while following the locator beacon.

„How far is this anyway?“

„Wilmer didn‘t tell me, but he did say this could take a few weeks.“

„What the hell? Why are we here doing this job if it takes us weeks? We could be in Tyrida in a few days if it were not for this job!“

Seriously? A few weeks? Yeah, we might need the money, but is it worth all that time?

„Oh, shut up, I have already taken the job so we have to finish it.“

„I really don‘t understand you sometimes.“

We started making camp for the night, I would be on the first shift.

Vincent slept near the campfire, while I was sitting next to a tree.

I placed my shield beside the tree, and I was looking up at the moons.

How am I here again? Was it all because of this shield, or was it because of Vincent? Well, Vincent did lure me to the planet. Because of my name which was on the door back at the ruins. Why the hell was it even there? I still don‘t get it. How am I even supposed to find out why it was there?

I suddenly heard something strange next to me. It was a faint whirring sound. It sounded close, but far as well.

I quickly turned towards the shield and I saw a hand reaching out for it.

„What the?!?“

I jumped to my feet and was about to yell towards Vincent, but then someone spoke.

„Wait wait wait, don‘t yell,“ a quiet voice said.

I saw two hands sticking out behind the tree. There were gauntlets on those hands, and they were glowing with red energy.

This guy has no weapon in hand, it should be fine. But just in case I pulled out my sword.

„Who are you, come out and show your face,“ I said with a low voice.

The person came out, and I was surprised.

This person was a young girl. Maybe 13 or 14? She had those gauntlets on, probably some kind of artifact. She wore an outfit that resembles an archaeologist, she had straps around her and on them looked like some sort of grenades and other weird gadgets, they were colored all differently, like rainbows. And she also has a small bag next to her. Her hair was unnaturally red with faded blue, It was cropped short and stood up in styled spikes.

Just seeing those colored grenades made me think. What dad gave her grenades to play with?

„Sorry, but could you not wake up your friend yet. I want to talk to you alone.“

„Hold on, first of all, why are you strapped with grenades?“

„Don‘t worry, they won‘t explode, they need to be given some energy first before they get dangerous,“ she said with a friendly smile.

I was still worried.

„Okay then, talk,“ I said and steadied my sword at her.

„I copied your map room key.“

Map room key? Wait . . .

„The map on my shield?“

„Yeah, and if you yell, or attack me, then I will send this information to others.“

What the hell? How could she copy my map? And now I don‘t want to wake up Vincent because I can‘t talk about the map around him. I don‘t want him to know yet.

„Could we talk further away then. I don‘t want to whisper all day.“

„Okey-dokey,“ she agreed.

She happily hopped away from the camp and was humming a tune while at it. She will end up waking Vincent with all that jumping.

I grabbed my shield and followed her.

„This should be far enough, who are you and how did you copy the map?“

„Ooh, an introduction. I haven‘t had one of those for some time,“ She said all friendly-like. „My name is Nia Unknown-Name, glad to meet you.“

„Nia sounds normal, but Unknown-Name? What is up with that?“

„I don‘t tell strangers my second name.“

„Okay? Well, my name is Ethan . . . Shield.“

„Why the pause?“

„Nothing, now tell me, did you actually copy my map, or was that just a bluff.“

She moved her hands in front of me and did some motions, and all of a sudden a holographic screen came up. She selected a few options and showed me the exact map that I had. Even the names on there that I put showed themselves.

„Shut that off, I don‘t want others to see.“

„Relax, there is not a single person around,“ she said and saw my eyes go towards Vincent. „Wait, he doesn‘t know, does he?“

Uh-oh.

„Just tell me how you did it,“ I tried avoiding talking about Vincent not knowing.

„Wait wait, if I wake him up, and showed what you were hiding, would he be surprised or would he be like „Yeah, I knew that.“?“ She said and tried to impersonate a man‘s voice.

Oh my god, this kid.

„Yeah, he doesn‘t know, okay? Now, tell me.“

„Fine,“ she said with a sigh. „These gauntlets let me hack other artifacts. There, you happy?“

„Uhh, what?“

Hack? She can hack other artifacts and copy whatever is in them? Now that‘s something I would not have expected to be around here.

„Do you not know what I mean? Basically, I can copy programs, or I could use them for my self, or make the artifact user use his randomly, or completely steal the energy from the artifact.“

That is powerful.

„Did you do something else to my shield?“

„Nope. Just wanted to see what you had, and was lucky to find that map of yours.“

This Nia girl is something. She jokes around with others while she checks out their artifacts without them knowing.

Those gauntlets do not have screens, does Nia just make them appear like she showed me with the map?

Why did Nia tell me that she copied my map? There is something that she wants, right?

„What do you want?“ I asked.

„Could you maybe first stop holding that sword, I won‘t run you know?“

Nia is just a kid, and I felt weird having my sword pointed at her. I put my sword away.

„There, we good now?“

„Yup,“ she smiled. „Now back to business. I want part of the loot that is in that artifact vault.“

Artifact vault? This is some sort of treasure hunt, of course, there is going to be a vault there. Are these map keys rare? If she threatened me about revealing the map to others, then it must be. I don‘t really care for half the loot. I want to get out of this star system.

„Sure, go right ahead.“

She tilted her head curiously.

„Strange. No one has said that before. Is your head okay?“

„Yes? Why wouldn‘t it?“

She walked around me in circles and was thinking hard while gazing at me.

„I like you, can I keep you?“

That caught me off guard.

„I‘m sorry? What?“

„I like you,“ she said with the biggest smile yet.

I was confused. No one just likes you because you gave them what they asked you for. Well, this was just some kid.

„You know what? I think I am going to join you on your adventures.“

Okay, what the hell.

„Yeah, sure, how about ABSOLUTELY NOT!“ I denied.

She stopped smiling. Then I saw tears.

Oh god. Please don‘t cry. I can‘t handle kids who cry.

„But, but, I can be useful,“ she said while wiping off her tears.

She is a kid! I can‘t just have her around in dangerous areas. But . . .

I looked over at her gauntlets.

She has those. They can be really good to have.

„Fine you can come with us, but . . .“

„YAY!“ Nia yelled and interrupted me, and immediately stopped her crying.

Those tears were fake, weren‘t they? Damn it.

„I am going to tell your friend about me!“

„Wait, no!“

„Don‘t worry, I won‘t tell him about the map.“

Nia started hopping towards Vincent, then was standing over him.

„HELLO!“ She yelled at the top of her lungs. Does she want every creature to know where we are?

Vincent woke up with a startle and took out his blaster quickly, and pointed towards Nia‘s head.

„Who the hell are you!?“

„Hold up Vincent! She is not an enemy!“

„Oh, your name is Vincent! Hi, my name is Nia Unknown-Name.“

„Unkno . . . What?“ He was really confused, I could tell. „Ethan, who the hell is this girl?“

„Someone who can be useful to us.“

„Wait, I can be useful?!“ She smiled happily.

„Huh?!?“

I told him that she wanted to be with us and that she could hack other artifacts. But I left out about the map.

„So you can hack other weapons, and use them?“

„Yup!“

Vincent thought for a moment.

„I guess we can have her around. But Ethan, I did tell you that we shouldn‘t trust people this easily. I don‘t trust her at all for what she can do.“

„It‘s fine, I trust her. But I do have a question, why are you out here alone, don‘t you have any parents that are worried about you?“

Nia‘s smile faded away for a split second, but then it came back almost instantly.

„Nope! I don‘t have a home or parents!“

Vincent and I looked at each other, then back at her.

„So you live everywhere?“

„Basically!“

„Can you please quiet down,“ Vincent said with irritation.

„Okay,“ she said with the most cutest sad tone ever.

What happened to her? Does she live by stealing from others? I would assume so. I had a sad thought about her being left in an alley, and scavenging for food in the bins.

„Anyways, enough about me, tell me about yourselves.“

Vincent and I told about our lives, which were mostly lies. We still shouldn‘t say we are from space. That should still be a secret.

„Cool! So what are you two doing now?“

„We have a quest to follow this locator,“ Vincent said and showed her the locator.

„Hm. Can I maybe have that for a sec?“

Vincent looked thoughtful.

„Only for a few seconds.“

„Thank you.“

Didn‘t Vincent just say that he did not trust her?

Nia took the locator and began waving her hand around, then a screen popped up.

„Let me see, let me see.“

She started looking intently at the screen. Like a kid watching happily at a TV. Then she opened up a map. I first had an instinct to cover the map so Vincent didn‘t see, but it was a different map this time.

„Here it is!“

„Wait, what?“

We looked at the map and there was a blinking dot southeast of us.

„Is that where it is?“ Vincent asked.

„Yup!“

„That could take us just one day to get there! Not a few weeks!“

„But, Vincent,“ I started.

„What?“ He looked at me.

„That is in the Dynami Empire‘s border.“

He gazed back, inspecting the land.

„Shit.“

„Vincent said a bad word!“

„Shut up. You‘re annoying.“