The burly man stared at Ryker. His face turned red. His eyes burned with anger.
'How dare this kid insult me like that,' he thought. His hands closed into fists. His eyes moved to the sword hanging at his side.
'Wait. He's probably an adventurer. Or maybe one of those noble kids going to the academy.' The man's anger cooled slightly. He wasn't smart, but he knew better than to fight nobles. Those fights never ended well for him.
Stella stood up from the floor. She wiped her eyes with shaking hands. "I—It's okay. Like he said, he just brought up some bad memories for me." Her voice cracked. She tried to smile, but it looked forced.
'Yeah right. You're the real cause of all this mess,' Ryker thought. He watched her try to fix the situation with her lies.
"If you say so. But you watch your back, kid." The brute's voice was full of rage. He turned and stomped away, his heavy boots echoing in the street.
'Is that something to say to a kid? And nobody's even questioning it...' Ryker watched the man disappear around a corner. He sighed and let Stella cry some more before they started walking again.
The air between them felt heavy now. Uncomfortable. Ryker didn't mind. He actually preferred the silence.
"I know you didn't really mean what you said. You were probably just angry." Stella spoke again, her voice soft.
This time Ryker wanted to grab his sword and end her constant talking. But he held back.
"Yeah, probably." His answer was short. He looked around as they walked. The buildings were getting older. Dirtier. They'd been walking for a while now, and this looked like a bad part of town.
"Are we there yet?" Ryker pointed to a shop ahead. It looked run-down, with broken windows and peeling paint.
"Just over there." Stella pointed to the same building.
As they got closer, Ryker understood why she couldn't come here alone. This place felt dangerous. The kind of place where people disappeared. For a young girl like Stella, it would be even worse. Not that she seemed to care. This was her world.
Stella knocked on the door. No answer. She pushed it open anyway.
Thick smoke hit them in the face. The smell was awful. Ryker covered his nose with his sleeve.
"What is this smoke?" Ryker coughed, waving his hand to clear the air.
"Probably drugs. Something worse than cigarettes." Stella walked through the smoke like it was nothing.
'Of course she'd know about that,' Ryker thought. His opinion of her dropped even lower.
Their footsteps creaked on the old wooden floor. The smoke made everything look fuzzy and strange.
"Good day. How can I help you?" A man behind the counter looked up at them. He smiled, but his eyes stayed cold. Empty.
He was young, maybe early twenties. He looked like someone who once had a future. Now his eyes were dull, his skin pale. Probably from too many drugs and bad choices. But Ryker didn't care about his story.
He just wanted to finish this deal and get back to the forest. The academy would reopen soon, and he had hunting to do.
"We want to exchange some valuables..." Stella pulled out her hidden items and placed them on the counter.
The man's eyes went wide. His casual smile disappeared completely.
Now Ryker understood why she came here instead of going to the regular shops in town. Along with the beast core he'd given her, Stella had jewelry and accessories that were clearly stolen. If she tried to sell these in town, she'd be beaten to death. These probably came from her customers. Maybe even her friends.
'I knew this girl was trouble,' Ryker thought. He watched the shop owner examine the items. As long as Ryker got paid and could leave, he didn't care if other people got their things stolen. That was their problem for being careless. Besides, they probably had a good time before losing their jewelry anyway.
"Hmm. Everything here is worth only 70,000 credits." The man named his price calmly.
Ryker's heart sank. Just these items and his core were worth so much? Was this guy high on his own drugs? Something felt very wrong here.
"Oh no, you can't price it like that. Look at the items more closely." Stella's voice turned sharp with annoyance.
The man looked at Ryker with a strange stare. His eyes seemed to look right through him. Like he was studying him.
"120,000 credits. But only because it seems fun to destroy." The man's smile turned cruel. He quickly bagged the items and pulled out a huge pile of money. He handed it to Stella.
"Nice doing business with you, San. You can keep this item wherever you like." Stella gave Ryker a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Her eyes looked almost demonic.
Ryker just stood there, confused.
'What are these two talking about? And what's with those stares?' He turned to leave, but suddenly felt a strong hand grab his shoulder.
"Hey, where are you going? Can't you see I already paid for you?" San's smile turned nasty. His grip tightened on Ryker's shoulder.
But something felt wrong. San's smile began to fade.
"You... Get your hands off me." Ryker twisted around to look at San. His eyes were cold and dangerous.
San felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn't what he expected at all.