"I'm back." Mat entered an alleyway between two buildings. With the sun high above and the constant running around looking for buyers of his monster loot, the shade was a huge breath of fresh air for him.

"Thanks for tagging along with me." Mat chugged on the water bottle Tyler gave him. The taste of fresh water on his tongue was like the beach on a morning sunrise. Cool and refreshing.

"No problem, bro." Bob said from beside Tyler, taking off the hood from his face. Mat had met up with the twins in the alleyway. "Me and Tyler were just planning to lay around all day on the bed, so it's pretty nice exploring the city like this. Right, Tyler?"

Tyler only gave away a sheepish nod. Bob and Tyler were both twins- though not identical. It was pretty easy to tell, given that they had pretty different aspects to themselves that didn't make them feel at all like twins. Like how Bob was this short yet pretty easy-going going dude, in contrast to Tyler's shy and socially awkward gait. The only thing similar to them both was their short curly hair.

Mat brought along the twins with him as he walked around Garafeit to find a merchant willing to trade in his loot for coins. Given that Nian, Ruan, and Youmu were all taking a rest day from their most recent mission, and with Kun taking care of things he wasn't willing to disclose, Mat only had Bob and Tyler to guide him around the city. Sure he could have brought Laro, or even Flo, but with that the redhead elf still asleep back at the hotel and Flo doing her own private things, Mat opted for the better options.

"By the way, was your hand always like that?" Bob pointed to Mat's green arm.

"No, this is just my magic at play." Mat wrapped it in bandages up to the elbow to hide the green glow of it. It looked pretty weird, but the green glow would probably look a lot weirder to the people around the city. If he didn't cover up, he'd sure have gotten eyes on him on the streets.

"I saw how that ghost-eagle-something came out of your hand- back in that fight of yours with sir Kun." Bob said. "That was pretty cool, not gonna lie."

"Thanks."

Mat then caught the whiff of cooked meat and seasonings with the breeze passing by. The smell was similar to that of liempo, or grilled pork belly. One of his favorites.

"Anyways, want to go grab lunch?"

"Yes please." A stranger's voice echoed along the alleyway.

Mat turned to where it came from. There was a person in tattered clothes and ragged hair down the far side of the alleyway. Mat didn't know who it was, and the twin's expressions said the same thing. Soon another person came out on the other side. As they stepped closer and closer, Mat could make out a gleam of light in their hands, gleaming against the sunlight above. They were carrying with them a knife.

Bandits.

"Oh shit." Mat looked around. It was a fairly abandoned neighborhood, with no crowd outside to see the commotion unfold. Still, it was two to three, with Mat and the twins having magic at their hands. Mat was confident he could take on a few measly bandits. And with the twins by his side, the bandits were probably the ones who needed help after he's done with them.

But soon, the bandits brought out the one thing Mat was afraid of. Magic.

One of them summoned floating knives like a psychic, and with a gesture of a finger the bandit sent a knife speeding through the air and zipping by Mat, put to a stop by the wall next to him with a clank.

"The next one won't miss."

"Okay, I guess it's not going to be that easy." Sweat dripped down the side of Mat's cheek. Still, it was three to two. He could handle a few magic users here and there.

But the problem was, Bob and Tyler were scared shitless. They were quaking in their shoes.

"You okay?" Mat whispered to Bob.

"Not in the fucking slightest."

"I thought you guys were adventurers?"

"Yeah? We're support adventurers." Bob gritted his teeth. "You know- healers, trappers, enchanters, that stuff. We don't have experience in actual combat. We're not even official adventurers yet."

Mat let out a sigh. "Then do what you can then- I'll handle the fighting. Why'd you pick this alleyway to meet up again?"

"Because I can't show myself in public, genius."

"Why?"

"I stole from some people here in the outer city. Many know my face."

Mat slapped a hand on his forehead. Apparently, bringing along the twins was the worst possible thing Mat could have done. If it were Flo at least, all he had to do was put up with the constant silence they had going on. Now, he had to deal with two magic-using bandits who were out for his money and stuff.

Mat brought out his green hand. Through the bandages, he couldn't make out the glow, but he knew what he needed to do. As the bandits grew closer, he needed to act fast.

Mat let out Juggernaut. Green mist seeped out from his hand to form the mana body of Juggernaut's soul. The mist coalesced into Juggernaut up front, swirling to a stable materialized soul that clinked as the black armor met the asphalt. Green miasma oozed out from the gaps of the armor, and with Juggernaut bringing out his spear and cutlass, he was itching to fight.

"What the fuck is that?"