116: A Company of Fools: Shapers Market I

"Lady Baset has decided that to prepare you all for the Grand Royale at the end of the year she is going to take your class needed to know where to buy more cultures to splice with, so she rented out that boutique which is the most exclusive in the city for the day. Your class challenge is to make it to the boutique by yourself before the end of the day." The guardsmen explained.

"You're shitting me?!" I groaned and lowered my head.

"Nope. This is the truth." He said with a wicked gleam in his eye. " I'll admit I'm surprised to see you by yourself, you're usually with your teammates…who left earlier…did you three have a falling out?"

"Just a slight disagreement that's about to go nuclear!" I growled then turned to stomp out of the building.

"Oh and you can't use your evos once you leave the college! Thanks to your tattoo, Lady Baset will know if you cheat!" The guard called out in a sing-song voice. I waited until I was outside again then threw my head back and roared.

"FUCK A DUCK!"

I panted lightly then turned to look down the road that lead to the front gate. Any of my evos could get me there in a matter of minutes, particularly Alpa'nagia and Grimm-Guard but after that I'd basically be walking the rest of the way.

"Bone-lasher, let's go!" I yelled as I summoned him back. I hopped on his back and Bone-lasher raced towards the college gates. Like I estimated it only took him a few minutes to reach there. As we neared the set of guardsmen and their titans moved to stop Bone-lasher and I so he slowed down to a stop in front of them.

"Who are you?" The first guardsmen asked, his voice sounding a little weary and bored.

"Chase Kingston. I'm in Baset Paragon's class." I replied then showed them the tattoo for good measure. The guard took one look at the tattoo and his demeanor changed.

"Oh! He's one of the paragon's students!" The guardsmen exclaimed then motioned for his titan to step out of the way. The other guardsmen followed suit with his titan and then stepped to the side as well. "Since you're in Lady Baset's class you know you'll have to disembark your evo and proceed on foot or request your Steed carriage."

"I kno…wait we can use a steed carriage!?" I exclaimed. The guardsmen both nodded and then shared a sideways look. "Ahhh! That doesn't help me either, I still don't have a carriage…"

I dismounted Bone-lasher and he returned to my crystal. I took a quick at the city beyond the gates. The college was situated in the wealthiest part of the city so everything looked elaborate and expensive, even the manhole covers to the sewers looked like they cost more than the United States defense budget.

"You wouldn't happen to be able to give me directions to this boutique would you?" I asked the guardsmen. He shook his head then made a broad sweeping gesture with his hand motioning towards the rest of the city.

"Lady Baset wishes you to find the Venus culture boutique by yourself and experience the city. The college is in the heart of the City though so it wouldn't be hard for you to find it even if you just start walking aimlessly." He said.

"Gee…thanks…" I said sarcastically then walked around the guardsmen and started down the sidewalk.

Since I had no idea where to go I did the rational thing and wandered aimlessly. The streets nearest to the college had very little traffic and looked more like college dorms or houses for professors to stay at while they taught at Andromeda, really upscale houses that looked more like manor homes. Once you got away from those neighborhoods and streets the city changed drastically from the cozy rich suburbs to a bustling metropolis.

Tall skyscrapers like the streets, nearly block the desert sun. The sidewalks were filled with people dressed in expensive clothes hurrying from one place to the next. Everyone was moving at a hurried pace, I found myself almost having to hog just to keel up and not get trampled.

This also didn't leave me very much time to sightsee or get my bearings, not that trying would help me find the Venus culture boutique.

'I'd better ask for directions. I'm not going to find the place just wandering around…' I thought.

"Ummm…excuse me can you…" I started, trying to flag down and dressed in an expensive silk shirt and dress pants as he passed by me. His eyes glanced down at me for a split second then he turned his nose up at me and kept walking.

"I have no money to give to you beggar!" He exclaimed.

"Beggar!?" I snapped then looked down at my clothes. Since I was late getting up I hadn't really paid attention to what I was putting on as I got dressed. I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. While both were faded and looked a little worn they were nowhere near bad enough to call me a beggar over. "I was just going to ask for directions you asshole!"

I tried to get directions a few more times but every time I approached someone they either brushed right past me and called me a beggar or pushed me out of their way. After the fourth rejection, I had enough and stormed into an alley to get away from all the pompous assholes.

'Even the alleyways here look expensive…' I thought as I leaned against a gold-plated dumpster and watch the self-important assholes pass the alley to their destination.

[Thisssss place isssss sssssstrange ssssstar sssssshaper.] Alpa'nagia said through our telepathic link. [Ssssso many tall buildingsssss. Much bigger than the onessss in the village.]

[I know, it's even bigger than the ones back home. I think the only city back home that compares would be New York.] I replied.

[Boss behind you!] Bone-lasher warned me. I looked over my shoulder in time to see a small evo I've never seen before pulling my wallet out of my back pocket. The evo looked like it had the body of a little capuchin monkey, the head and tail of a raccoon and the coloring of a chipmunk.

The evo froze and looked up at me. My wallet was almost completely out of my pocket and the ferry little devil chittered softly then yanked my wallet out completely and started running with it tucked under its arm.

"HEY THAT'S MINE!" I barked as I turned and gave chase.

The evo ran down the alley using its smaller size, amazing agility, and the clutter that littered the alley to its advantage. I channeled volt attribute mana to give myself a speed boost and nearly caught up to the little bugger but it jumped onto the alley wall and used my face as a springboard to launch itself into an open window one story up.

"OW! That little shit!" I barked then jump up into the window. I grabbed the window sill with both arms and pulled myself up in one swift motion. I was quick enough to see the evo running across an office floor trying to get to the open window at the other end of the office. "GIVE ME MY WALLET YOU SHITHEAD!"

The evo looked over its shoulder and jumped, obviously surprised to see me. I launched myself towards the evo like a ram and tried to grab it but it jumped at the last second and used my back as a springboard to gracefully flip over a cubicle and land on someone's desk. I crashed headfirst into a cubicle wall, knocking over something and sending papers and office supplies flying everywhere.

I jumped to my feet, ready to keep chasing after the little thief and ran smack into an office worker.

"Who are you!" He demanded and tried to get in my way.

"Nobody important, move!" I replied and shoved him out of the way. The evo was jumping along the tops of the cubicles almost to the other open window.

[Bone-lasher track it! Don't lose it!] I told him as I ran towards the window myself.

[Yes Boss!] Bone-lasher replied and I felt my vision blur as a wave of energy shot from my body and I began to see the world as Bone-lasher saw it.

The evo made it to the window within a matter of moments, it turned and looked at me with a devious smirk then jumped out. Thanks to Bone-lasher's senses I already knew that the window led out to a busy street and that the evo managed to land on top of a passing steed carriage. By the time I reached the window and jumped out, landing in the street, the carriage was already fading out of view and making a turn.

[I still see it, Boss! Left!] Bone-lasher directed.

I followed his directions and ran across traffic to duck into another alley and run the length of its at full speed. I caught a glimpse of the carriage and the evo while it turned down another street. I continued to follow Bone-lasher's directions, just barely managing to keep up with the carriage and the evo as the carriage made its way further south and started to leave the more wealthy part of the city and into the more middle-class part.

The evo then jumped off the roof of the carriage and scurried down the sidewalk. I kept to the alleyways and backstreets, keeping close enough that Bone-lasher could sense it but not close enough to notice me.

There were a lot fewer people out and about in this part of the city and the ones that did not wear the same finery that the people in the upper city did. Their clothes were more like mine, working class, worn but not ragged.

The evo soon abandoned traveling on the sidewalk after nearly getting stepped on one too many times and climbed up the side of a building onto a roof. It jumped from roof to roof, swinging off clotheslines and power lines. By itself, it was pretty fast, I found myself channeling more and more mana just to keep up with it.

The evo soon slowed down and immediately down the side of a run-down apartment building and into an alley across the street from me. I rushed across the street two buildings down from the alley the evo ran into. I quickly climbed the fire escape up to the roof and jumped across the building beside the alley.

The alley was long and filled with trash, piss, broken bottles, couches, recliners, tables, and basically anything that was broken or disgusting could be found in that alley. In the end it was a dead end. However, trash wasn't the only thing in the alley.

I watched as the evo scurried up to a group of humans huddled near the back of the alleyway. There were four of them in all. Three adult men looked to be in their early twenties and dressed in oddly matching outfits: black jeans and burgundy shirts. They were surrounding one child that looked no older than twelve dressed in a ratty jumpsuit that looked older than him.

The evo came to a stop a few yards in front of the adults, my wallet firmly in its little paws. The child looked relieved to see the evo, while the adult looked a little peeved.

"Gadget! See! I told you he'd do it!" The kid exclaimed. One of the adults huffed and spat on the ground then pointed at the evo.

"That's it! One fucking wallet? All that waiting for one fucking wallet!" The tallest of the men shouted. The kid flinched and backed further into the wall.

"But it's definitely a wallet from a splicer from gold town!" the kid quickly exclaimed.

The shortest of the men walked over and snatched my wallet up, also picking up the evo that clung to it. He sneered then shook the wallet over his shoulder, sending the evo flying. Luckily the young boy rushed over to catch it.

The short adult opened the wallet and frowned as he pulled out a few dollars cash and a couple of rings.

"The fuck! There ain't shit in here!" He snapped.

'If only he knew…' I thought. Those rings were the main reason I chased after that evo. They were markups for Ascred order, while not what I intended to turn over to Caspian they were still valuable and slightly unstable thanks to me messing up the scribing a little.

"Wait! He can go get more! Better wallets!" The kid pleaded. The leader grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him off the ground.

"The only thing that useless evo will be getting is your dad so he can get us the money he owes our boss!" He yelled.

I channeled shock attribute mana into my hand and shot a lightning bolt at the adult that had my wallet and the rings. It hit him dead center-mass and sent him flying into the far wall. He slid to the ground unconscious.

The other two adults and the child all turned and gasped. I jumped down from the other roof and channeled float attribute mana into my legs and hands and landed lightly beside the unconscious goon. While the other two goons were watching I reached down and grabbed my wallet and the rings.

"Hey! Who the fuck are you?!" The tallest shouted. I ignored him and checked to make sure everything was in my wallet making him seethe at me. "HEY, IM TALKING TO YOU!"

"I hear you, I just don't really give a shit." I said glancing over at the two goons. The medium-sized goon stepped forward cockily and crossed his arms.

"You obviously aren't from here or you wouldn't be so calm about messing with three members of the red dragons." He said. "Nobody fucks with the dragon horde!"

"Wow! That was…wow! That was cringe as fuck!" I said shaking my head at him. "And what type of name is red dragon for a gang? Sounds like whoever came up with that read one too many fantasy books."

The entire time we were talking I was wondering why they didn't try to rush me, they had superior numbers and if one kept me busy the other could have gotten a spell off. It then suddenly dawned on me why they weren't attacking. They were normies. Every other splicer I have seen so far went to great lengths to show off their farm crystal but these guys were wearing large clothes that didn't show off anything.

"You think you're tough shit just cause you're a splicer!" The leading goon said.

"Definitely tougher than a guy that has to threaten a ten-year-old to feel like a big man. Why don't you put the boy down and take your ass whooping like a man." I jeered. The leader dropped the kid and then turned to face me fully.

"I got your ass whooping right here!" He exclaimed then pulled out a knife from his boot. Though short sword would have been a better term for it. The blade was at least fifteen inches long. "You splicers talk a mean game but your real power is your spells and those take time to cast! You're useless in close quarters!"

The leader lunged at me swinging the short sword at my throat. Channeling volt attribute mana again I took jumped back, dodging the blade. The second my foot touched the ground I dashed forward. Bobbing and weaving around the leader and his medium-sized goon. I snatched the kid and his evo up and jumped towards the alley wall to my right and kicked off it back towards the mouth of the alley. I skidded to a stop as I landed then set down the kid but kept a hold of his evo.

"Stay put for a second." I told him then turned and faced the goons. The leader was already charging towards me, moving his blade to strike. I channeled shock attribute mana into my empty hand and pointed two fingers at him like a gun. I pretended to pull the trigger and a lightning bolt shot from my fingers and slammed into the goon's chest knocking it back into the far alley wall and unconscious. I turned and aimed at the last remaining goon before he got any ideas and fired a lightning bolt at him. He hit the wall and fell unconscious as well.

"And they call themselves men? Fucking brainless twits is what they are…." I grumbled as I turned around to face the young boy I saved. He was looking up at me, his eyes twinkling with astonishment and wonder.

"Wow…." He breathed as he stared at me. His evo's annoyed chattering at being held by its scruff however snapped him out of his daze. "Hey look, thanks for taking out these red dragons but can you give me back my evo?"

"Yeah, nice try." I said with a chuckle. "How about you tell me what a kid like you is doing dealing with gangsters and why you had this little bastard put stealing wallets?"

"That's none of your business!" He snapped and tried to snatch his evo from my hand but I moved it out of the way before he got close.

"Fine have it your way…" I channeled freeze attribute mana into my feet and sent a pulse of mana toward the boy. A wave of ice froze the ground in front of me, icing over the boy's shoes and rooting him to the spot. "…I can just leave you here until those red geckos wake up and let them deal with you."

The kid tried to pull his legs free of the ice but he was stuck. He looked back at the goons I knocked out then back up at me, I could see that he was scared but he was hiding it well, almost as well as I did at that age but he had a few tells.

"You're bluffing!" He exclaimed defiantly. I threw my head back and laughed, loudly and heartily then looked down at the boy and smiled deviously.

"You don't know me nearly well enough to make that call kid. For all, you know, you could have just traded a lesser evil for a much greater one." I said. The boy looked less sure of himself now and his eyes darted around looking for an escape. Not wanting to torture the boy I sighed and shook my head. "Sadly in this case you're right though. I can't just leave a kid to get the snot beat out of him….I can however feed this little guy to one of my evos, piece by piece, for making me chase it over all creation."

"Gadget! No please! Okay! I'll tell you…"