The sun hit like a dance, following the many who walked beyond it, mirroring the path of infinity and its undying push to be all and everywhere.
Elliot walked with Nile as he talked. "Look at these bums. They're all addicted to spice. They're about to bleed red. God damn, these fools make the blood of gold look weak."
"Elliot, never take drugs. They're a distraction from the real world. And never drink—the dulled brain makes people addicted to the color of purple."
"Purple? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Grapes. Wine. The taste of wine—it's unchanging, it's beautiful," Charly said, smiling, hands up like a dancing horse longing for more of pure bliss.
"NOW, now. I told you not to slumber on wine, bum. This stuff makes you hungry, and that makes you fat. You have no right being fat while we have Elliot with us." They both looked at me.
I looked at myself.
"Yea," I said, putting my hands to my head, a little ashamed of feeling skinny.
"Ha ha aha," they all laughed. I followed pitifully.
"Now, where were we?" Nile asked.
"We were just about to listen to what Elliot had to say, an idea to make more," Scar said.
"So, Elliot, what's your plan?"
"So, I went over what you guys said, and my thought…"
I explained that the village's activity was bigger than it seemed. There was more to worry about, and that meant we had to be careful, not act stupid if we stole again. Then I moved to the reasoning behind why they had only gotten two crystals. This gave them an idea of where I was going before I explained fully.
"So, the key—we use that. But not only that—you want to follow them wherever they go?"
"Yes. My thought is this: why do they split up in different directions? They already have a grasp on every place. Two, where they refine the crystal—just today you told me—they only select certain villagers to join the refinement. Most are old men. Second, if they do, most must be going to the same place. Third and final: if they are separating, they're not just running these operations to make money. Their reason for refining into drugs isn't for the village—it's for something bigger. The primary conclusion is that they're not guarding this place. It must be a place hidden to the eyes, almost empty, as if it's part of nothing more than an illusion. It's a place that stores immense wealth, maybe even used for experiments."
"That's a bold claim. You might be right. My uncle said all those chosen to refine chaos crystal are usually blindfolded. And when they are, they're in a large factory. My understanding—there must be a hidden underground place," Nile said.
"Why would you say that?" I asked, wanting to know his conclusion.
"Because there's never a day when the refinement work goes aboveground. Not in the cold, not in the rain. They're told to meet at the center of the edge of the village. This is from my uncle; one of his old friends told him," Nile explained.
"So, they go to an underground depot that stores all the core resources," I said.
"And they must be holding a bunch of crystals underground, refining them there," Nile added.
"Now that we have a clear idea of what they might be doing, we should focus on how to get the chaos crystal," I said, looking at the three of them.
Silence started taking shape. I waited, a few seconds passing, stretching with tension.
Then Charly started to speak. "There's a problem."
"What is the problem?"
"I'll tell you, Elliot… we don't have the key anymore."
"What? How did you lose it?" My face twisted with disgust and grim fear.
"What now?" I asked, waiting for them to give me hope, some plan—we could still execute a plan to find it and get even more.
Another long second passed. The silence stretched like a wall.
"Okay, don't frighten Elliot. I think we can get the key back—and even make more—but it will be more challenging."
"What do we need to do?"
"Let's go meet our Benefactor, Runic Artesian."
...
Memores resurfacing, entering the old rusty shop—the sign with nuts and bolts made sense: Runic Boldwin.
I could read a little over the following two days. As Memores resurfaced, I could now understand some words, and with my intellect, I came to understand what they meant. That did not mean I could read—I was more of a guessing game than a real reader.
I remembered this place. One of the first places I'd looked for a job. The path to the store was wide, composed of many mechanical junks in the corner. The ground was wooden, layered with dirt, and the smell of smoke hung in the air.
"Old man Bold! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Nile shouted, all cocky, laughing with a smirk.
"NOW, what did I say about calling me that?" the Runic said, stepping out. Each footfall was loud. The giant was big, most of all a man in his fifties. His face had wrinkles, and his dark hair was streaked with white—age was catching up with the Runic.
"Come on, it was all jokes, nothing more."
Boom. Boldwin's feet came down like a stomp. His hand wrapped around Nile, tossing him aside.
"Now, now… did I not tell you to fuck off?"
"Hu… boy… did not!"
"We will do it again… we will—"
"Who is this slum rat doing in my place?" Boldwin said, turning to me. His large body radiated vitality, but his presence alone gave me a fright. And after all, I had no clue what a Runic even was.
"Now… what do you want?" he asked, letting go of Nile as he began explaining himself, telling Boldwin he would steal more chaos crystals.
"How many can you even steal? You told me a hundred—a hundred! Do you know how much that costs me? I have a job, a job I must meet—not for the Alden soldier, the goddamn smugglers who told me to get a hundred to build what I need. These fucks overcharge me, leaving barely any to get by for the rest of the shit!"
"Come on. This time we have Elliot. We only need the key—the key. And we promise we can get you a hundred crystals. Promise."
"A hundred is not enough… a hundred fifty. But why should I trust you? Hu?"
Silent pause.
"Because they have me," I said, looking into his eyes.
"Do you know why I did not choose Will?"
"Yes… because…" Nile started.
My thoughts rumbled with fumes—are they talking about Will, the bleeder that works with me?
"SHUT IT! The reason I chose you… because I pity you. All you are, a disgrace to the blood of gold. We are barely hanging on, but in your eyes, I thought you could succeed in taking one soldier. I would do it myself, but they watch me, monitor me like watchdogs on spice. They never stop annoying. Now… are you killers? Because Max is a killer, a thief that not only succeeded in my other tasks I assigned him, but the tasks I hated—the things that need to get dirty."
"We can get you two containers—that should be over two hundred crystals, right?" I looked into his eyes. My spirit was calm, my mind ready, and full of fear.
"You think you can do that? Hu? YOU—a nobody, a disgrace, with a face dead to be killed—now tell me."
"We can do it," I said firmly, looking him in the eyes. I was a man in my past; I had lived a short life, but my knowledge, grit, and perseverance were fully alive, and I would do what I must.
Boldwin looked into Elliot's eyes. His face filled with an unknown feeling, his heart pumping a little faster than usual. This child gave him fear—he had murder in his eyes—and Boldwin liked that.
"Okay… let's make a bet. Two hundred crystals. If you fail, I will ask for your hands in compensation—a good resource for my new experiments. And if you succeed… two gold coins, thirty silver."
"Three gold coins and fifty silver," I said, reaching to grasp his hand for confirmation.
"Okay… three gold coins for fifty silver."
"Deal."
"Deal," Boldwin said, shaking my hand. So did Nile, Scar, and Charly. They all looked at me with disbelief at what I had done and what it cost.
I knew this deal was barely fair, even with my understanding. Even if these crystals were the lowest of the low, they were still worth more than three gold—probably over fifty, maybe a hundred.
Walking out of the shop, I was first. But before we could even leave the vicinity, I felt the hands of a young kid on my shoulder.
"What the hell did you just do?"