Chapter 24

Chapter 24

From what I could tell, it started with a sign: Water - 500 Selve.

A gloomy off-yellow light projected from a nearby streetlamp that was flickering. At least we still had power, though there was no guarantee of how long that would last.Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

The ground was littered with crushed gallon containers and ejected navy caps, the pavement dark with wasted water that had seeped between cracks. Not far from where I stood, a man was engaged in some sort of flailing. There was a pile of 24 packs that was now half-crushed, and a crowd of people swept in like vultures trying to grab them.

A man sporting something dangerously close to a bowl-cut was being held down by two stronger looking men. He was screaming something that sounded like Give it back!

It wasnt hard to put it together. Bowl-cut was a scalperlow but enterprising, and had put together the fact that Selve was a currency and figured out how to use the trade window. From there, he tried to sell water for Selve, probably figured out rapidly that it didnt work, and the crowd of desperate people didnt take it so kindly when he rescinded his offer.

Im not sure who started throwing the Molotovs and why. That piece of the puzzle was a little more obscure. But there was a mess of broken glass everywhere, more than a few buildings on fire, and a growing accumulation of smoke that stung my eyes. If I didnt have the mask on, I probably would have panicked. I didnt do well in crowds, let alone mobs. As it was, I took everything in and decided it was definitely time to leave.

I kept to my usual pattern of low profile. Head-tilted down, hood down, casual pace. I passed more than a few brawls breaking out. There would be a state of emergency called tonight, if there wasnt already.

An electric current of warning arced through me, and I took a quick step back. A big guy sitting on the hood of an old trans-am was five beers deep and hurled another empty at me. The movement was almost lazy.

With the gnolls, Id been mostly subtle, not wanting to alarm them or draw attention to myself. This was a good test case for how direct I could be. I reached out with

Stop throwing shit.

Nothing. Another bottle shattered behind me.

I tried again.

Look how the bottle shines in the streetlight.

He did, pausing to examine how the light came through. A small smile of wonderment played across his lips.

Then he threw it at me anyway, much more accurately now that hed taken time to aim.

I moved my head and the bottle exploded against the stone-brick behind me. A shard of glass fragment hit my pant-leg, leaving a small stinging pain.

It has to be something the target would naturally consider doing. I used the gnolls pre-existing rivalries to turn them against each other. But I know next to nothing about this guy. Will something generic work?

I tried one final time.

Sure are a lot of buildings burning. Did you leave the stove on?

As a quick check, I pulled up my quest screen:



Quest: The Kinsley Accords

Primary Objective Gain loot and levels as you fulfill your contractual obligations.

Primary Objective Extended Explore the dungeon, venturing at least to the fifth floor. (3/5)

Personal Objective Remain unidentified by other Users.

Threat Level: (S-L)

EXP GAIN (M)

Time Limit: One Week.

Reward: Increased relationship with Kinsley, Merchant.

Reward: Progression towards Vocation ???

Still safe. My personal objective was unchanged, neither failed nor achieved. The only real change was the progress towards the extended primary objective.

How was it? Kinsley asked, her voice neutral.

I did a slow scan, checking all the corners, making sure I wasnt missing anything vital. Not bad I said slowly, I think I made out pretty well, actually. But I guess we wont know until we see how much everything was worth. Do you have booze?

Yes? Kinsley cocked her head. Was it that dangerous? She sat at the small fold out table, her voice curious. But there was something about her tone I didnt like. Something under it.

Yeah. I considered exactly how much I wanted to reveal. More than I bargained for, and a trap that could have killed someone easily right off the bat. I was underprepared. Even with the stuff I bought. Need to make sure that doesnt happen again. After that, we have to talk business.

Sure. Again, she was strangely short. Disinterested.

I needed a new crossbow, but that was largely secondary. Before Id set foot in here, I intended to push up the timeline. With the rate that things were deteriorating, the sooner we could get Kinsleys shop online, the better. Id pitch her on the idea in a way that ensured my cut. Work out the details later.

But first, I had to determine what, exactly, was wrong.