The sound of rushing water cut through the howling wind.
Jin stopped walking. He listened carefully. The sound was heavy and constant. It was not the wind blowing through dry brush. It was a large, fast-moving body of water.
He looked ahead. The twin moons illuminated a wide, dark ribbon cutting across the rocky plains. The map from Cloud City was perfectly accurate. They had reached the river checkpoint.
"We stop here," Jin announced.
He walked away from the muddy riverbank. The ground near the water was too soft. It was covered in thick reeds and slick stones. It was a bad place to sleep. A sudden flood or a massive water beast could drag them into the dark current.
He found a flat patch of hard, dry dirt exactly twenty feet away from the water's edge.
A cluster of tall, jagged boulders formed a natural half-circle around the flat ground. It blocked the freezing northern wind. It provided excellent cover from the open plains. It was a highly defensible position.
Jin stopped in the center of the rocks. He touched the small, grey spatial pouch hanging from his leather belt.
He pushed a tiny thread of his Level 4 Aether into the opening. His mind sifted through the massive pile of stolen bandit loot stored in the compressed space. He ignored the gold and the glowing cores. He looked for practical survival gear.
He found two large, heavy canvas tents.
He pulled them out of the pouch. The heavy rolls of fabric hit the dry dirt with a loud thud. They were dyed a dark, muddy green. They smelled like old smoke and dust. They used to belong to the bandits. Now they belonged to him.
Jin went to work. He unrolled the thick canvas. He pulled the heavy wooden support poles from the center of the fabric.
His Foundation Level 4 muscles made the labor incredibly easy. He drove the thick iron pegs deep into the hard earth with his bare hands. He pulled the thick ropes tight. He set the first tent up in less than three minutes. He set the second tent up right next to it.
He stepped back and looked at the camp. It was efficient. It was safe.
He walked to the riverbank and gathered an armful of dry, white driftwood. He carried the wood back to the center of the camp. He arranged the thick branches inside a small circle of stones. He pulled a piece of rough flint and a small steel knife from the spatial pouch.
He struck the flint twice. Bright orange sparks fell onto a handful of dry river moss.
The moss caught fire instantly. A warm, bright flame crackled to life. It pushed the heavy, cold shadows back against the rocks.
Luna stood near the edge of the firelight.
She watched Jin work. She was still shivering violently. Her pale blue dress was a ruined, bloody mess. She hugged her thin arms across her chest. She looked exhausted and deeply uncomfortable. The dried blood on her face was stiff and itchy.
Jin looked at her. He reached into the spatial pouch one more time.
He pulled out a simple, rough grey tunic. He pulled out a pair of thick wool pants and a large, clean cloth towel. He tossed the bundle of clothes through the air.
Luna caught the clothes against her chest. She looked at the clean fabric.
"The river is fast, but the edge is shallow," Jin commanded. His voice was completely flat. "Go down to the water. Wash the dead blood off your skin. Throw that ruined dress away. It smells like a slaughterhouse. Put those clean clothes on."
Luna nodded quickly. She did not argue. She hated the bloody dress more than anything else.
She turned around. She walked slowly toward the dark, rushing water of the river.
Nyx did not sit by the warm fire. She stood near the edge of the tall boulders. The dark shadows wrapped around her cloak perfectly. She was practically invisible in the night.
"I will secure the perimeter," Nyx stated in Jin's mind. Her telepathic voice was sharp and alert. "I will also procure fresh meat. The dried salted rations in your bag are insufficient to maintain your physical recovery."
"Do not go far," Jin said out loud.
"I never do," Nyx replied.
She stepped backward into the deep shadows. She vanished completely. There was no sound. There was no rustle of fabric. She was simply gone.
Jin sat down on a large, flat rock near the fire. He held his hands out toward the dancing orange flames. The heat felt incredibly good against his cold skin. He took a deep breath.
He listened to the splashing sounds coming from the river. He made sure the splashing was steady and normal. He listened closely to ensure the merchant's daughter did not slip and drown in the dark water. The splashing continued quietly.
Ten minutes passed.
A heavy thud sounded directly behind Jin.
He did not flinch. He knew the sound. Nyx stepped out of the shadows into the firelight. She dropped a large, dead beast onto the dirt near the flames.
It was a river-drake. It looked like a massive, thick-scaled crocodile, but it had six short, muscular legs. It was the size of a large dog. Its dark green scales were wet. Its head was neatly severed. Nyx had already drained the blood to prevent the smell from attracting other predators.
"High-density protein," Nyx reported. "It is a low-tier beast, but the meat is rich in aquatic Aether."
"Good work," Jin said.
He drew his small steel dagger. He rolled the heavy beast onto its back. He made a long, precise cut down its pale underbelly. His corporate mind treated the butchering process like a simple assembly line. Cut the skin. Peel the scales back. Extract the usable material.
He cut four thick, white slabs of meat from the beast's muscular tail and ribs. He found a few long, straight green branches from the riverbank. He sharpened the ends. He skewered the heavy slabs of meat onto the wet wood.
He propped the sticks over the hot orange coals of the fire.
The fat from the river-drake began to melt. It dripped down into the fire with a loud, satisfying hiss. A plume of white smoke rose into the cold night air. The smell of roasting, savory meat filled the small camp.
Footsteps crunched softly on the gravel.
Luna walked back into the firelight.
The terrifying, bloody doll was gone. The ruined blue dress was thrown into the river. She wore the rough grey tunic and the thick wool pants Jin gave her. The clothes were far too big for her. The sleeves hung past her fingertips. The pants were rolled up at the ankles several times.
But she was completely clean.
Her skin was pale and scrubbed pink from the freezing river water. Her long blonde hair was wet and plastered flat against her neck. She hugged herself to stay warm, but she looked infinitely better. She looked like a normal, tired human being.
She walked slowly toward the fire. She sat down on the dirt on the opposite side of the flames from Jin. She pulled her knees up to her chest. She stared at the roasting meat. Her stomach growled loudly.
Jin reached over the fire. He pulled a thick wooden skewer away from the heat. The white meat was perfectly cooked. The outside was charred brown and bubbling with hot fat.
He held the stick out toward Luna.
Luna reached out her small, clean hands. She took the wooden stick very carefully. She did not want to drop it.
"It is hot," Jin warned her plainly. "Do not burn your mouth."
Luna nodded. She blew on the steaming meat for a few seconds. Then, she took a bite.
She chewed rapidly. She swallowed hard. She took another massive bite. She had not eaten a single piece of food all day. The stress and terror had completely emptied her stomach. She ate like a starving animal. She devoured the entire slab of meat in less than two minutes.
Jin took a skewer for himself. He ate slowly. He chewed the tough, dense meat deliberately. He let the rich aquatic Aether flow into his stomach. He felt his Level 4 Foundation core absorb the energy.
Nyx did not eat. She stood near the rocks, watching the dark horizon.
They sat around the warm fire in silence for a few minutes. The only sound was the crackle of the burning driftwood and the distant rush of the river.
Jin finished his meal. He threw the empty wooden stick into the flames. He looked across the fire at Luna. The girl was staring into the bright orange coals. The warmth was finally bringing the color back to her pale cheeks.
Jin needed data. He was a manager entering a new market. He needed to understand the local economy.
"What did your father trade?" Jin asked. His voice was calm and steady. It was not a threat. It was a simple, practical inquiry.
Luna looked up from the fire. She blinked her blue eyes. She was surprised he wanted to talk to her.
She wiped her mouth with her oversized grey sleeve.
"Spices," Luna answered quietly. Her voice was soft, but it did not shake anymore. "And rare medical seeds from the deep southern coast. We were taking the caravan to Iron-Spire. My father wanted to sell the seeds to the large alchemy guilds in the city."
Jin nodded slowly. He processed the information.
"Iron-Spire is a wealthy market," Jin noted. "It makes sense to sell rare seeds there. Do you have family in Iron-Spire? Someone who can take you in?"
Luna looked back down at the fire. The bright flames reflected in her sad eyes.
"No," she whispered. "We did not know anyone in the metal city. I only have an uncle. But he lives very far away. He lives in Zenith City."
Jin paused. He stared at the girl.
Zenith City. The capital of the central continent. The exact location of the Genesis Zenith Academy.
His corporate brain analyzed the coincidence. It was highly efficient. He did not have to leave her in a random city. He did not have to dump her on the street. They were traveling to the exact same destination.
"We are going to Zenith City," Jin stated plainly.
Luna looked up quickly. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"If you do not slow us down," Jin continued, his voice completely flat and serious, "you can travel with us. But I do not carry dead weight. You must work for your food and your protection."
Luna stared at him. She looked at the scary dark woman standing silently by the rocks. Then she looked back at the cold, practical boy sitting by the fire. He spoke like a cruel merchant, but he had given her soft shoes, clean clothes, and hot food. He kept her safe from the monsters.
She did not want to be dead weight. She wanted to prove she was useful.
"I can work," Luna said quickly. She sat up straighter. "I am not useless. I know how to read complex merchant ledgers. I know the exact market prices of raw materials, beast cores, and basic herbs. My father taught me how to negotiate with guild quartermasters."
Jin nodded once. A slow, invisible gear turned in his head.
A ledger keeper. A market analyst. An appraiser.
Those were incredibly useful skills. Jin did not know the local prices of this alien world. If he tried to sell the massive pile of bandit loot in Iron-Spire blindly, the local merchants would cheat him. He needed someone who knew the exact value of the goods.
The liability just received a massive promotion. She was now a minor asset.
"Good," Jin said. He picked up another stick of raw meat to cook. "Tomorrow, you will appraise the loot we took from the camp. Go to sleep. We walk at dawn."