The glass windows of the closest Department of Awakened Activities did no favors for the building’s temperature, especially in the early morning chill of Colorado. Kim rubbed her hands together before blowing into them.

They had built rapidly these offices around the country, leading to poor infrastructure and stark interiors. Not to mention they operated like the DMV. The lobby of the building was practically empty save for the ticketing stations and counters. The room had no decorations — just a concrete floor, bare walls, and a full front of windows.

The woman behind the counter specially measured each of the small, individual mana cores using a special device. She finished, storing the mana cores and pressing a few buttons on her computer. Kim and the employee both sported huge, puffy jackets for the morning air.

“Alllriiight, 1152 in cash.” The woman said even as an automatic till worked to dispense it. The woman folded it and tied it together with a rubber band with deft hands, pushing the bundle of money and the receipt into Kim’s hands. “Be careful now.” She smiled, before looking over Kim’s shoulder and yelling for the next ticket number.

Kim sighed in relief, stepping out of the way and counting the money.

Today she would find out whether or not the past few weeks were a waste.

Satisfied with the count, she pushed the wad of cash into her pocket and walked out. She had a few more stops before her appointment for a rank evaluation today. Luckily, they were all in walking distance.

10 years ago, the area she was walking through was farmland.

Today, skyscrapers cast the street into shadow, hiding the sun and filling the city with a chill. This was the Awakened District, an area where industry that revolved around the gates flourished. Half the people on the street here wore armor or even carried weapons.

It was like a fantasy land and earth blended together.

It made the entire city feel fantastical, like a place that didn’t or shouldn’t really exist. So much had changed so quickly. Kim passed by big brand name stores. In the Awakening's aftermath, large corporations were the first to suck up the new sectors of business that emerged, already having control of large segments of infrastructure and industry.

The upper class of Awakened having practical limitless wealth resulted in weapon and armor that was half utility and half fashion statement. Power was money. Designer stores littered the block, minimal interiors showing the few goods they kept on hand.

Most of the stores featured armed loss prevention — and they were armed with more than just guns.

Kim slipped right by these. They even cleaned the streets in this part of the city, even if it still smelled like trash. She took a detour down a street that looked like it led to nowhere before sliding into a door along the side of one of the fancier, more sleek shops. A bell chimed.

“Kim!” Benny said from where he stood, putting down the oil and polishing rag and closing the display case. “Here to give me more referrals, huh?”

His shop, as always, smelled like a mix of the bloody tang of iron and the smell of the alley that cut it off from the rest of the world. It was a pawnshop of sorts, covered in shelves and cases of goods. If you didn’t know better, you could mistake it for the mall ninja shops selling replicas of swords from cartoons and comic books.

Benny turned, reaching out to embrace her in a hug, which she met. He was huge — probably six foot something tall and three feet wide. He slapped her on the back.

“Hey Benny. Nah, I quit that job. No more gearing up noobs.” Kim said, stepping back and looking at what he polished in the display case.

Armor produced fast and to fit fashion trends meant that lots of it fell out of vogue, and quickly. Most of the equipment in here had seen better days. Chipped blades, worn leather and rusted edges sat on display around the walls. To the apex of awakened, these were simply toys that were quickly outgrown. For someone like Kim, their trash could be a lifeline, or a stepping stone to advancement.

“Spear finally fall through on you?” Benny asked, his face turning to a frown.

“Holding steady. Still worth every penny. Nah, I’m here looking for a… friend this time.”

“Ah!” Benny said, moving across the room with surprising speed for his age. “What do they use? A fellow spear wielder?” Even as he asked, he unclipped a case, pulling out a spear of a red mana-alloy metal. It was much nicer than Kim’s. She looked at it longingly, then at the paper price tag on the case.

799.

Not today, at least.

“I don’t think they’re big on spears. He fights a lot more… personally. A slashy kind of guy.” Kim said. Sounding not so sure herself as she perused the freely hanging weapons on the wall.

Awakened weapons forged of metal alloys allowed for more proficient casting of Skills. The more advanced ones even featured unique effects — like the ability to be dismissed and recalled, or to enhance themselves with thermal or kinetic energy. Those typically came as drops from clearing resetting gates.

Benny sealed the weapons rack, moving across the room to a display of swords.

“How about this?” He asked, pulling a saber from the wall and swinging it. The wind whistled.

“No… even more personal.”

“Ahhhh, what class is he? Vanguard-Brawler? You shoulda said so! I just got something in— this morning, actually, sec.” Benny half jogged to the back room, face full of joy.

He brought the sword with him.

Kim stared in concern at the sound of metal clattering on the floor. Benny went into the back room with a sword, but came back out of the back with a case. It looked like a gun case.

“Very lightly used.” Benny said, raising his eyebrows and setting the case down. He raised one finger. “But, very high quality. Go on, go on, open it!” He gestured with his hands.

Kim popped the case open. Like a pistol case, it was full of foam insulating a weapon. A second hole in the foam held the sheathe, complete with a loop for the belt.

The blade was pure ivory white.

“How much?” Kim asked, lifting the blade up and testing a finger to it.

It drew blood instantly.

“Ah, for you, my friend, I’ll sell it at price. I got it for 6—“ Benny looked at Kim’s facial expression souring. “5 — 500. 499. No more!”

Kim smiled, her face tired, and started counting out the money.