The morning was hot. Hotter than it had been in weeks. It was early as well, with the sun still hiding behind the buildings in town unless you stepped into the middle of the street. Jasson and Petra stood in the shadow of one such building as carts and carriages rolled in the street behind him.
At least I have shade and the wind is blowing, Jasson thought, Now, let's see if this is right…
Jasson held up the business card, double checking the text. That shop owner Jasson had sold the dollar bills to had given it to him, telling Jasson to look up his son in Stalt.
Jasson had forgotten the whole exchange until that morning, when he'd found the card while cleaning. It had fallen in a corner of the bathing room. It probably fell out of his pocket when bathing after he killed the spiders. It was worn, washed, and dried. But still legible.
"Tabul's Crystal Emporium and Pawn," Jasson looked up from the card and said, "Tab__'s Cry__al __por_um and Pa_n."
There was a flyer on the door, and Jasson tried to read it. He gave up and pulled out TrainSlate to read it. Maybe it said that they were out for lunch or-
"Eviction Notice," TrainSlate read out the flyer on the door, "Due the end of August."
Jasson glanced at Petra, who was tapping her foot with a frown.
"Well crap," Jasson tucked his phone away, "Thanks for humoring me, Petra. It looks like he's not here, so let's just lea-"
Suddenly, the door burst open and a man charged out wildly. Petra skipped back, leveling a crystal at the man but he collapsed to his knees.
"I'm still here!" The man said, "I'm still in business! Please! Come inside! What do you need? Mana crystals? Swords? Mana crystals? I sell them all! Don't leave!"
"I was looking to sell something myself. Although…" Jasson said, looking to Petra, "Didn't you say you wanted crystals?"
Petra eyed the man and said, "I don't need them immediately. I was just curious what he would offer for prices."
"Oh thank the gods," the man took out a hanky and blew in it, "I'll sell you the cheapest Mana crystals around. I'm Tabul, by the way. I run this establishment, at least for now."
Tabul grabbed Jasson by the arm and nearly dragged Jasson into the shop. Petra trailed behind, cautious.
Inside glowed in a subdued light, barrels and barrels of mana crystals glowing dimly. In fact, you could say that the shop was overstuffed with mana crystals. Like a fast food advertisement embellishing the size of their portions, every barrel in the shop was overflowing with cheap mana crystals. There was even a broom and dustpan in the corner, shyly hiding a small pile of crystals swept up with the trash.
"Please," the man motioned to a barrel, "I kept buying them from my father so he could keep our family business afloat, but my largest buyer left Stalt suddenly. They're small, but I can offer you the whole barrel for two hundred gold. Thousands of crystals for a mere two hundred gold if you buy right now. No false bottoms, just something to keep me afloat for now."
Petra said, "But-."
"Alright," the man said, "One hundred and fifty gold. They're low quality, but great for grinding into potions. Or construction, which was what they were slated for anyway. Mix them with bricks and an occasional earth crystal, and you get a building that can defy gravity itself for a hundred years! One hundred and fifty- no one hundred and forty gold only! Right here, right now, special deal just for you."
"Would you be willing to trade instead?" Jasson said, "We want to keep our gold easily spendable."
The man's face dropped, along with his shoulders and likely hope.
"Trade," the man shifted, "I don't know. I need gold as well, and I don't know when I'd be able to sell it."
Petra stepped forward and said, "We stumbled across some good fortune, but we don't want people to know about this. If you can keep it a secret, we will trade with you. I'm sure you'll be able to find a buyer quickly."
Then the man shifted and said, "Look, I don't want any trouble. Okay? Go sell your cheese elsewhere."
Cheese? Jasson thought.
"Not cheese," Petra reached into her locker, "Crystals."
"Hey," the man raised his hands, "I don't deal in the new stuff either. It may be less harmful than some smoked cheddar, but- by the ten and the ones remaining!"
Like magic, an appraising lens appeared in Tabul's eye as he leaned forward to inspect the crystals Petra was holding. Four crystals glinted a fierce orange, vibrant color much purer than the pale red healing crystals from that same place. Petra smiled, tilting her hands so the light caught them and sent dancing reflections around the room.
"Fully natural Fire Crystals," Petra plucked one crystal and handed it to Tabul, "Good for a thousand years, unlike the more common monster ones. Used in everything from luxury home heating systems to high-powered war mages. One of the most in-demand crystals since the beginning of mankind."
Tabul looked at the crystal in his hands, slipping into a professional air as he analyzed it.
Tabul said, "Amazing! These really are natural. And so large! A single one of these is easily a hundred gold. What- what do you want for them?"
"Just that barrel of mana crystals," Petra said, "We'll go elsewhere for gold."
Tabul lit up and said, "That's perfect! Take any barrel you want with crystals smaller than an inch- no. Just take any barrel full of Mana crystals. My treat. It's not like I was going to sell them anyway. I'm going to go reach out to a contact my buyers."
Tabul took the rest of the crystals and disappeared into the back. Petra walked directly to the barrel filled with the biggest mana crystals, and Jasson snorted. Really going for the best bang for her buck. Jasson followed and gave the barrel an experimental shove. It didn't budge.
Jasson said, "I told you we should have brought Clara."
"Shut it," Petra said, "I'm no weakling. Just help me get this barrel into my locker."
How big is her locker? Jasson thought.
Jasson groaned and positioned himself on the other side of the barrel. Petra opened her locker as close as possible, then bent down. They heaved and lifted the barrel a scant inch before collapsing.
"This isn't going to work." Jasson said, "We need leverage or wheels."
"We'll be fine," Petra fiddled with her Locker ring, and the locker widened, "Here, let's walk it in. Just push the barrel to one side and we'll wobble it closer."
They pushed, rotated, and spun the barrel as the occasional crystal tumbled out.
Until they heard a cough.
"Excuse me," A man said, "You wouldn't happen to be committing a crime, would you?"
Petra stiffened and whirled on the man, saying, "How dare you accuse me of something like that?! We are in the middle of a simple business dealing, with the owner in the back."
Unfortunately, Petra whirling to face the man left Jasson alone with the barrel, which immediately crashed down and slammed into Jasson's face. Jasson collapsed, rubbing his sore nose as he looked up.
The man was a smartly dressed guard, breastplate shining with the city crest. He looked like a sharpened pencil, despite being relatively bulky. Everything about him felt pointy and paper-related.
"Thank you for your answer," the guard pulled out a notebook, "I have been instructed to consider statements like yours as a denial of guilt. For the purpose of record keeping, I need get your names and addresses as well as your statements."
"There is no crime here," Petra stepped toward the guard, "We have done nothing but make a fair trade with this shop owner. Now get out of our way, you prick."
Petra turned back to the barrel and said, "Break's over Jasson. Come on, help me get this in."
"I will take that statement as hostile denial of guilt," The guard nodded, jotting something down, "If you have the time, I would like a statement from at least one of you once you have finished. Carry on."
Jasson got back in position as Petra said, "We don't need your permission to carry on doing anything."
Jasson and Petra wiggled the barrel into the locker as the guard stood, barely moving. Finally, the whole barrel was through the magic circle and encompassed in the void. Jasson groaned and stepped away, eyeing the guard again. He'd just been standing there, perpetually ready to write down their statements.
"Are you ready to give your statements now?" the guard said, "Or do you need a moment to rest? I am told that many people-"
"All right," Tabul said, walking in, "These will be more than enough for- oh! Dockson! It's good to see you. How's your mother?"
Jasson glanced at Tabul. So they knew each other?
"She is feeling better," Dockson said, "She managed twenty three ounces of food and liquid yesterday."
Jasson raised his eyebrows and thought. Specific, aren't we?
"Good, good," Tabul said, looking between Jasson, Petra, and Dockson, "Dockson, were you…questioning my clients again?"
"Yes, sir," Dockson said, "I was waiting for them to finish loading the barrel of crystals before I took their statements. Documentation is vital to tracing suspicious behavior before a crime. Only the guilty have something to hide."
"You can't keep doing this," Tabul said, "I'm trying to run a business here. People don't like getting questioned about everything."
"It is my job," Dockson said, "I must inquire after suspicious individuals to ensure their tasks are legally legitimate."
Petra looked about to explode. Jasson stepped between the two and said, "I would be happy to help you. Do you need to see my Adventurers License?"
"No?" Dockson frowned, "That's a great idea, though. Some kind of required token for all citizens…"
Jasson shifted, then said, "Uh…no. Just for adventurers. Besides, it's not much."
Jasson held out his wooden rank, dark wood swinging on the end of his lanyard.
Dockson took it and said, "All adventuring ranks carry a unique magical signature. Made by tenth magica specialists. Easy to tell if they're fake or not."
Dockson handed the tag back, "But they're not unique identifiers. Just proof that they're real and consensually given."
Jasson took his rank back and glanced at Petra. He didn't want her getting in the face of a guard like this.
"And they get recycled whenever someone goes up in rank," Petra interjected, scowling, "so there's no way to associate a rank with any individual. No point in looking and checking on it."
"You're right," Dockson sighed, "And I don't know how we would mass produce them for all citizens. Ah, well, it was a good idea."
Jasson frowned. Dockson seemed well-meaning but…
"Well," Tabul clapped his hands, "I believe that my business dealings with these two unrecognizable people is finished. If you would leave, I'm closing up shop for the day."
Jasson sagged with relief, then helped shoe the other two out of the shop. The morning outside felt even warmer than before. Tabul followed them out a few seconds later, dressed in moderately suspicious-looking clothing with a wide-brimmed hat.
Once outside, Jasson got between Dockson and Petra and said, "Why don't you go ahead and go home Petra?"
"P-e-t-r-a…" Dockson wrote down, "As in rocks?"
Dockson stared patiently at Jasson, and Jasson sighed.
Jasson said, "Do you really want a statement?"
"Of course," Dockson motioned to Petra, who was already walking away, "She may go, though. Just yours is enough."
"Already going," Petra waved behind her, "You have no right to keep me anywhere. Be sure to grab a quest from the guild, Jasson."
"I remember," Jasson sighed, then turned to Dockson and said, "You really like your documentation, don't you?"
"It is the only way I have to gather evidence," Dockson said, "A document trail is the most reliable way to build a case and ensure innocence or guilt in the convicted. Additionally, if I gather enough, my Captain might take my case seriously."
Jasson raised an eyebrow. That was almost convincing.
"Case?" Jasson said, "What are you investigating?"
"I'm not," Dockson sighed, "Not until I get the official go-ahead. And there's never enough evidence. Or witnesses."
A chill danced up Jasson's spine as he said, "Tell me about these…incidents."
Dockson lit up like a WeTuber asking you to like and subscribe as he said, "Of course! Every citizen deserves to be well informed. And, honestly, it's nice to have someone show interest. You see, eleven people have gone missing."
Dockson flipped through his notebook and said, "All near populated areas, on the edges of dense amounts of people. Unpopulated areas outside of Stalt. Abandoned warehouses. One was near a major portion of the Sewers."
Jasson stepped back to avoid getting tickled as Dockson waved his quill wildly and said, "And in all of these areas, monsters are becoming a nuisance. Or even a threat! If it were rats or slimes, then I'd say they were just multiplying off of eating the bodies. But things don't add up. On Tuesday, I recorded the Baker on…"
Dockon devolved into conspiratorial levels of detail, and Jasson started to scroll as best he could with a poor signal. He occasionally picked out something interesting from what Dockson was saying, but most was a verbal journal of what Dockson had been doing all week.
Oh dear, Jasson thought, I am going to be here for a while.