Strange Behaviors

The day of reckoning had arrived. The police and military forces were busy maintaining order both inside and outside the city. The Nafriton gate and market street was crowded, attracting beasts magical and merchant.

*THWACK*

The mountain lion roared as it flopped backwards. It growled as it shook its head and unstably climbed to its feet. Sharp eyes locked on to Aayla's position. Low to the ground, the mountain lion stalked towards her.

With her shield gleaming in front of her, Aayla stood gallantly in front of a trio of frozen students. The nearby merchants had long fled through the back of their stalls. Why hadn't the police unit caught up with her yet? Of all the times that Captain Figgins had an urgent matter somewhere else in the city.

She scowled as she wondered why on Tellus those idiots behind her weren't running yet. At least the merchants were smarter. If that big cat got through her then those Nafriton students could become Nafriton ribbons. Looks like she'll have to be a bit rough.

Aayla patiently waited, keeping her eyes locked on the beast. An electrical charge accumulated on her left hand. Suddenly, the beast tensed. Then violently pounced forward. Half a beat later, she stepped forward as well.

Sharp claws raked over the shield with an ear-splitting screech. Aayla took several steps back before shoving the mountain lion to her right. Before the beast could regain its balance, Aayla leaped towards it. When her palm hit the beast's side, an electric shock zapped it.

With a shriek, it fell to the ground and spasmed for several seconds. When the twitching mostly receded, Aayla grabbed a metal rope tied to her belt. She had the mountain lion hog tied in less than 10 seconds.

The mountain lion was furious when it regained its senses. It violently thrashed on the ground, but soon calmed down due to exhaustion and the previous zap. A trace of fear flashed through its eyes as it glared at Aayla.

At this moment, her current unit finally caught up. Panting and swearing heavily, they surrounded the mountain lion. It had already escaped from them before. They silently cast amazed glances at Aayla. Even they didn't approach magical beasts as confidently as she did.

Hellish training awaited them back at headquarters for this. That's even with Aayla's apprehension of this beast. If she hadn't or if a civilian was injured… the police officers shivered in fright. Who said that she had medical issues?! That she was just some spoiled brat?! Those liars! She could take down magical beasts with little mana.

"What on Tellus took you so long? I had enough time to wrap this pretty kitty up in a nice bow in the time that it took for you to arrive."

One of the officers retorted. "How on Tellus did you get here so fast? That's beast's speed is too fast without mana, and the market is way too crowded."

Well, it's because the market was too crowded with carriages and people. The mountain lion would have to avoid the carriages and large groups of people. Coupled with its fear, confusion and previous exhaustion, Aayla could use a couple of tricks to keep up. Ramona's nightmare inducing training was clearly paying off.

Trickles of sweat slowly made their way down Aayla's face. She pulled out a small towel and lightly wiped her sweat away. The shield disappeared back into the bracelet with a swish. Light gasps and oohs sounded out behind her.

When Aayla turned around, she saw the small group of students staring at her with bright eyes. They huddled behind the counter with their heads barely peaking over the top. One of the students flushed bright red. Aayla internally cringed. Great, more people to spread more rumors on campus.

"Hey, you three! Yeah, you hiding behind the counter," Aayla pointed towards the group. "Forest Waypoint Police have the situation under control. Civilians should leave the scene."

The trio quickly nodded their heads like bobbing chickens. They scampered off pulling their red-faced companion behind them. Peals of laughter escaped their lips as they discussed their brush with danger. It's not every day that they saw someone take on a magical beast up close.

Many had wondered where that mysterious Aayla Glowery had run off to. The conservatives said that she was finally expelled. The progressives argued that she must be receiving treatment. Now they knew, and couldn't wait to share it with their friends.

Aayla scratched her head as she started to imagine the new rumors. Darn it. This is why she should have stayed on campus. Actually, now that she thought about it, Nurse Rouse probably would have kicked her out today. So, she probably would have gotten into some trouble anyways.

Soon after, another unit arrived with a wagon and large cage to safely transport the mountain lion. It violently twisted and turned as it tried to gouge the officers with its claws. The police officers silently cursed. Why did they have to insist that all incidents inside the city belonged to their jurisdiction? Aayla simply did her best to keep the curious crowds at bay.

As the wagon left, Aayla waved goodbye to her previous unit. She had to go back to headquarters to await her next assignment or Captain Figgins. Whichever found her first. Slowly meandering through the market, Aayla was not in a large hurry to get back. She wanted to enjoy some alone time before the rumors and strange gazes started up again.

"Healing potions! Get your low-grade healing potions here! Only 81,299 tiur per bottle, or 214,699 for three! An absolute steal ladies and gentlemen!"

"Best staffs and wands in all of Saintlenee province right here! Guaranteed best prices around!"

"Looking for materials! Looking for materials! Mana cores, magical beast parts, herbs, ores, you name it we want it. We offer the highest prices around!"

The hawkers were vigorously advertising their wares. Each stall was exuberant and bright. Occasionally, she would see crowds of people gathered around a stall. Usually, some adventurer was excessively bragging about their adventures to sell an overpriced sword or something.

A few of the hawkers stood out like red paint on a white canvas. She had spent the past several days trawling through the various markets, but she had never seen them before. That's not so strange given the size of Forest Waypoint. However, these merchants were a bit odd.

Merchants here registered their stalls in the same space for long terms, so they new their neighbors well. However, these merchants didn't seem very close with theirs. Also, they didn't really seem to care about their sales. These few would give their merchandise away much more often than other merchants.

They seemed particularly focused on the students. Either ridiculous sales or wild tales pulled customers to their stalls. Each time a patrol came nearby, they would dampen their shouting and craziness. Sometimes, she would see these strange merchants point to secluded alley ways.

Aayla kept careful watch, but the students always seemed to come out unharmed and excited. The entire situation was just so strange. Aayla highly suspected that they were scammers of some kind. She settled on one young looking merchant who looked less experienced.

After watching him in the shadows for a while, Aayla decided to get closer. Unfortunately, the buzz of the market kept her from listening in on his conversation with his customers. She fiddled with the tips of her hair. Aayla really didn't want to get dragged into anything strange, but at the same time she was dying to figure out their little scam.

Eventually, she decided to act. She would 'just happen' to glance over and find something interested, talk to the merchant, then leave. Later, she could talk to Ramona about it. Putting a bored stare on her face, Aayla casually browsed the stalls.

She slowly meandered over to her target. Aayla swept her gaze over her target's stall. Various artifacts covered the table. Her face nearly collapsed when she saw the prices. What kind of scam is this? These prices were way too good! This man is either insane or wanting to go out of business. No wonder the vendors next door were glaring at this stall.

"Um, sir, are these prices correct? You're not going out of business, are you?"

"Hahaha, unfortunately, I might be young lady. Ever since the lock down started, the students who have been driving my business haven't been in town. If all doesn't go well the next semester, then I'll be forced to move."

Aayla chatted with the man for several minutes on light subjects. She internally frowned. This guy was way too slippery. Aayla didn't dare to poke too hard for information. Just what was his plan exactly? Everything seemed alright on the surface, but something just didn't seem right. She couldn't put her finger on it though.

As she decided to simply buy something and go, the conversation took a slight turn.

"Ai, I haven't been running my business for long, but so many others have been here for decades. The stall owner before me had been here all her life. Her ailing health, the general unrest and the recent lack of business forced her to shut down. She moved in with her family to help pay for her grandchildren's schooling. Really, what is the government doing letting the situation deteriorate for so long?"