They walked through the Night Market, glancing around at the countless stalls and strange goods being sold.
Kaelira looked around with wide eyes.
"So this is what a black market looks like."
She glanced at the people passing by.
"When I heard about a black market, this was exactly what I imagined."
She smiled.
"This is my first time seeing one."
Pythia glanced at her.
"I've been to a few."
Aldric scoffed.
"Of course you have."
"It's kinda your whole M.O."
Pythia interrupted him with a faint smile.
"Yes."
"So you've told me that countless times already."
"At this point, I no longer see the point in reacting to the same remark every time."
Aldric stared at her.
"Yet you still—"
Ryke glanced around the market.
He decided it was better not to get involved.
Meanwhile—
Draven suddenly stopped in front of a nearby stall.
His gaze settled on the goods being sold.
*Damn, that smells good.*
He took another breath.
*Now that I think about it...*
*I can feel it.*
*I'm hungry.*
Draven looked toward the man behind the stall.
"So, how are these sold?"
The man smiled.
"One silver coin for one."
He gestured toward the goods.
"As you can see, they're Sugar Rodents."
Draven stared at them.
"Rats?"
He looked at the small creatures.
"They smell good..."
"But it's kind of messed up since they're rats."
Kaelira suddenly appeared beside him.
"Sugar Rats?"
"It's been a while since I've had one."
She took a breath.
"I can practically taste them just from the smell."
Pythia stepped closer.
"So they're Sugar Rats."
"I've read about them."
"They're rodents that eat only sweet things."
"They're quite rare."
She glanced at the stall.
"It's also mentioned that they taste good."
Kaelira nodded.
"Yeah."
"That last part is true."
"They're really tasty. A delicacy."
"Tender..."
"And they practically melt in your mouth."
The merchant nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked between them.
"So, are you going to buy some?"
Aldric stepped forward.
"What's this?"
"We don't have time for this."
He glanced at the Sugar Rats.
"Though I'll admit..."
"They don't smell bad for rats."
Draven looked at the merchant.
"Alright."
"Give me ten."
The merchant's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
"That'll be ten silver coins."
He quickly gathered the Sugar Rats and placed them into a bag.
Draven handed over the coins.
The merchant accepted them and finished bagging the food.
Kaelira looked toward Draven.
"Master, can I get one too, please?"
Draven picked up one of the Sugar Rodents by the stick and handed it to her.
Kaelira happily took it.
"Thanks."
Draven then glanced toward Pythia.
"Do you want one?"
Pythia nodded.
"Yes, please."
She took one from Draven.
"Thank you, my lord."
Kaelira had already taken a bite.
Her eyes immediately widened.
"Mmm!"
"It's so good!"
She took another bite.
"It's even better than I remember."
Draven watched her for a moment before taking a bite of his own.
He chewed slowly.
*Wow.*
*I wasn't expecting it to taste this good.*
Pythia took a bite as well.
"Hmm..."
"It's good."
Kaelira looked at her.
"Right?"
Aldric sighed.
"Give me ten as well."
He pulled out a small pouch.
It was one of the pouches he had taken from the men they had drained earlier.
He reached inside and took out the coins.
The merchant quickly counted them.
"Ten silver coins."
Aldric handed them over.
The group continued walking through the market.
Aldric held one of the Sugar Rodents by the stick.
He took a bite.
"Hmm."
He chewed for a moment.
"It's actually good."
Ryke stared at him.
Then he looked toward the food.
"Can I get one, please?"
Aldric glanced at him.
"Sure."
"Two silver."
Ryke's eyes widened.
"What?"
"What a rip-off!"
Aldric nodded.
"Yeah."
Ryke stared at him.
Aldric continued walking as though nothing had happened.
Ryke remained frozen for a moment.
Then—
he sighed.
*This bastard...*
Draven glanced toward him.
He picked up another Sugar Rodent and held it out.
"Here."
Ryke stared at it in surprise.
"...For me?"
Draven stared.
Ryke hesitated before taking it.
"Thanks."
He looked down at the Sugar Rodent.
Then—
he took a bite, chewing slowly.
*That was actually nice.*
*I would've almost felt sentimental...*
*If I didn't know all too well what this guy was capable of.*
His eyes shifted toward Draven.
He remembered the earlier scene.
Draven had snapped Nia's neck without hesitation.
*Yeah.*
*Never mind.*
He took another bite.
*This tastes good, though.*
The group continued walking through the Night Market.
Ryke quietly ate his Sugar Rodent as they moved through the crowded streets.
The farther they went, the more unusual the things being sold became.
Ryke kept glancing from one stall to another.
Weapons.
Strange-looking artifacts.
Containers filled with glowing liquids.
Aldric suddenly stopped.
Ryke nearly walked into him.
"What?"
Aldric pointed ahead.
"That's the place."
Ryke followed his gaze.
At the end of the street stood a large building with a faded sign hanging above its entrance.
Aldric looked toward it.
"They deal in all kinds of goods."
"At least that's what those guys think."
Ryke stared at him.
"What guys?"
"What are you talking about?"
Aldric glanced at him.
"Those two dumbasses at the entrance."
"When I hypnotized them, I also read their minds."
"That's where I found out we could sell the vehicle here."
Ryke's eyes widened.
"You read their minds?"
"When?"
Kaelira looked at Aldric.
"Yeah."
"I didn't see you do that."
Pythia nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm..."
"It was most likely the moment he hypnotized them."
"At that split second..."
She smiled faintly.
"Nothing less than impressive."
Aldric scoffed.
"Impressive?"
"How insulting."
"Those bastards didn't even put up any resistance."
"Morons."
Ryke stared at him.
*What the hell?*
*I remember it happening instantly.*
*So he didn't just hypnotize them...*
*He read their minds in less than a minute.*
*That's crazy.*
Kaelira looked toward the building.
"So they buy stolen vehicles?"
Aldric smiled.
He glanced toward Draven.
"Let's get this over with."
Draven nodded.
"Yeah."
The group approached the building.
As they reached the entrance, two men standing outside immediately looked toward them.
One of them stepped forward.
"Looking to buy?"
Aldric shook his head.
"Sell."
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Sell what?"
Aldric glanced toward Ryke.
Ryke immediately understood.
He stepped forward.
"A vehicle."
The man's expression changed slightly.
"What kind?"
Ryke hesitated.
"It's... a motor."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"A motor?"
"You're not giving me too much to work with here."
Aldric folded his arms.
"You can inspect it yourself."
The man looked between them.
Then—
he stepped aside.
"Well then, bring it out."
Draven glanced around.
They were still standing in the middle of the street.
"Though this is the black market..."
He looked toward the man.
"I don't think this is how a business should be done."
"We're still standing in the street."
Silence.
The man paused.
Then he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, kid."
"Guess you're right."
"That's on me."