Once, the markets of Gnome had played host to traders from across the known worlds. Goods brought in on steam-powered dromonds made or broke merchant families on a daily basis. The fruits of empire were laid bare to the jewel in her crown that was the eternal city.

The tradition had continued throughout the centuries, even as the empire crumbled. Mind you, the quality suffered a bit. And as the trade routes shifted to account for things like major mountain passes being surrounded by walls of black oblivion, and the whole industry of money-changing and currency speculation was destroyed overnight by the universal coin shift, one could easily say that the markets of Gnome had lost their luster.

Which isn't to say that they'd been forgotten.

In fact, as Chase moved through overturned stalls, smashed tents, and past small, open shops that showed shelf after shelf of wreckage and abandoned goods, she knew that the rumors she'd heard had been true. This was one of the first places targeted by the rioting mobs fleeing the dragon. Almost everything edible, or of that right balance between portability and profitability had been taken.

But Chase wasn't here looking for salvage, or wealth, or food. She was looking for a particular black-and-white beastkin... and failing.

“You're sure he ran down this street?” Chase asked, pausing to perch on an overturned sausage-inna-bun cart.

“Positive,” Carmina curled her nose. “Gods, the smell still lingers. Old grease over bad meat.”

“You're tracking him by smell?” Chase raised an eyebrow.

“No! No, no, no.” The catgirl waved a hand around at the gray-stained street, and the gutters choked with sodden ash and grime. “It's rained since then, and everything smells like burnt anyway. Except for places like this, where the odors were too strong. Like that filthy cart you parked your bottom on.”

“I don't smell a thing,” Chase sighed. “You're sure you're out of biscuits?”

Carmina threw her hands up. “You just ate like two hours ago!”

“I know. That was pre-breakfast,” Chase said, folding her arms. “And I did a vision after that, it took it right out of me.”

That was a bit of a lie, but she was feeling hungry from all the walking she'd done since then. Her stamina was down, and she was cold. With most of the ash out of the sky, Gnome had lost its insulating layer. Winter was grinding down... this part of the land rarely saw snow, but the chill could bite deep at this time of year.

“Yeah. A vision. Looked like a power nap to me,” Carmina sneered.

“Not my fault it knocks me out for a while,” Chase hopped off the cart. “So let's try this again. Where did he go after he ran down this street?”

“He didn't.”

“Didn't what?”

“He didn't go anywhere. He came around the corner there.” Carmina pointed back the way they'd come, where the main via branched into smaller lanes and wound through the entrance of the district. “I went ahead to cut him off at the next junction. But he never showed up.”

“What was stopping him from cutting east or west?” Chase looked around at several of the alleys and gaps that led into distant plazas.

“We planned for that. I had a clear view of the next street to the east, and Ga—” she shut up for a second. “The western street was covered.”

“He could have tunneled under them,” Renny pointed out. “He did that when he escaped.”

“He broke through a wall, that's different. He would have had to dig up the cobbles. And there's no way to do that, not here.”

“Why not? I've seen him go through solid stone,” Chase pointed out.

“It's... oooh, just trust me. It's complicated.”

“Actually not very complicated,” a cheerful voice called, and instantly the three of them started in surprise, looking around to see who had snuck up while they were hashing out panda evasion methods.

A man stood before them, clad in heavy overalls. The only part of his flesh showing was his face, peering out from a heavy leather cowl that attached to his tunic. Tools and bottles and bits of cloth stuck out from his pockets, and he bore a mop over one shoulder.

He was smiling widely, but his face rolled with sweat, skin waxy and drawn over his skull. Old for a human... if that's what he was. Hard to tell with the cowl sitting the way it was.

“Can we help you?” Renny asked.

“My word, a golem! Haven't seen any of you in quite a long time,” the man knelt down, and offered a hand. “Want an ear scratch?”

“Hold on, you've seen golems before?” Chase asked, as Renny ran over and offered his head to the man's gloved fingers.

“Not for a very long time, didn't I just say that?” The man mopped his brow as he straightened up. “And the reason you can't dig here is because the cattlecombs are right under the streets.”

“Oh, that's where the dungeon is!” Carmina said. “I remember hearing about it, we were going to visit when we got some spare time.”

“You an adventurer?” The man's eyes widened. “We got plenty of dungeons here! The Cattlecombs, the Horroreum, the Hole in the Wall... And back when we got that big lot of adventurers in, there were people farming them night and day! Business was booming! Best time the markets ever had. It was like stories of old, once again. That's where I saw golems, folks would bring them in to sell... little ones, mainly. For like pets and house servants. Only a few smart ones though, and most of those were toy golems like your buddy here.”

Chase paused.

It was awfully cold for him to be sweating so much, even in his heavy garb.

PER+1

“I'm sorry, we've been remiss,” she said. “My name's Chase, this is Renny and Carmina. Who are you, sir?”

He blanched. “Oh, I'm nobody special. I'm Vitaly, the janitor.”

“Janitor of where?” Carmina looked around between the buildings. None of the ones on this street were particularly large.

“Of the markets. It's a hereditary title. My father got it from the Senate, back when there was a senate. One of us has been here ever since.” Vitaly smiled. “The city pays us a stipend. Has to, it's the law! It's more trouble to get rid of us then it is to pay us, so we're not going anywhere.”

“Bet it's kind of hard to collect with the Duke gone and the city toasted,” Carmina said, and Chase winced. Charisma was a thing Carmina didn't seem to care about.

But Vitaly shrugged it off and kept smiling. “She's been through worse, Gnome has. Isn't the first time she's changed hands. I'll pick up and clean up in the meantime. Already got a start.” He pointed down the street, at a pile of rubble that had once been some kind of glassware shop. “Want to help me out? I can give you the two drachma tour after we're done.”

Carmina rolled her eyes and opened her mouth... then squalled in pain as Chase stomped on her foot. Hard.

“Absolutely!” Chase said. “Do you have any food? I'm pretty low on stamina.”

“I think I can scrape up something,” Vitaly grinned and led the way.

“Helping!” Renny cheered, and between the four of them they got most of the broken glass that was left up and away. It was hard, tricky work, and only Chase's dexterity saved her from some serious finger cuts. As it was, her feet got a bit torn up... though it was nothing her healing spells couldn't sit right.

“You a worshiper, then?” Vitaly asked, after she healed a particularly nasty gouge on her heel.

“No, not really.”

“It's just that you're using divine magic. Sorry, I assumed you were a cleric.”

“Oh. Oh no, I'm an Oracle of Hoon. There's not much worship involved there, it's a different relationship.”

“Hoon!” The man's face lit up. “I love that guy. So glad he survived the godswar.”

“The what now?” Chase asked.

Vitaly mopped sweat from his face again. “Ah... old history. There used to be far more gods. Then they fought, and only a dozen remain. Eventually there will be more, I'm pretty sure. Gnoman's history is full of times where gods ended and were... found. Between you and me I'm pretty sure the world creates them. Or something does, anyway.”

“Uh huh...” Chase was starting to have doubts about Vitaly. There was no way he was a simple janitor. “I did see Cymbal's weapons, last night.”

“Oh yeah! The Basilica, right? Just over the Cacophony?”

“The what now?”

“That's the name of the dungeon over there.” Vitaly shrugged. “Still proud of my city for that one. Took a lot to put paid to gods in the olden days, but Gnome managed. Built our city over her bones. I'm sure we can add some dragon bones to the pile. Probably some already down there!” The old man laughed, and thumped his mop against the cobbles. “But I owe you lunch, don't I? I should see to that.”

“Yes, please,” Chase nodded. Her belly felt like it was collapsing. Gods, she was thin! If her mother saw her in this state, the woman would be duty-bound to shove sandwiches down her throat for a few weeks.

Chase rather thought she'd be okay with that. But thinking about her mother made her think of Greta, and her head throbbed. Too little sleep, too many problems.

“I'll be right back,” Vitaly said, and headed off down a side street.

“Poor guy,” Carmina said as soon as he was out of earshot. “He moves so carefully, I'll bet his joints are bad.”

“Yeah,” Chase said, watching him go. There was some truth to that. He took his time, moved slowly and deliberately. But there was no sign of pain. She'd had enough elder relatives that she knew how someone moved when the arthritis got too bad, or one of the other indignities of age finally caught up with them. None of that was on exhibit here. “He's more than he seems. But I don't know what. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I should care.”

“I know. Our plate's pretty full, isn't it?” Carmina said.

Chase's stomach growled. “Don't talk about plates, or food, please,” the halven grimaced. “Bad enough I had to walk all over this ridiculously big city, now I had to help pick up glass, too.”

“It was fun! We're helping!” Renny offered.

“Says the golem who doesn't sweat or get tired,” Chase sniped back.

“We do! Eventually. I mean I never have personally, but I know it's possible. It just takes a very long time and usually we don't.”

“Must be nice,” Carmina snickered. “Almost makes up for not having genitals.”

“Why would I want those? They just seem to cause trouble and get stinky,” Renny shrugged.

“Never change, Renny,” Chase smiled and eased herself down on a fallen crossbeam. “We do have a full plate. Three problems that I can see, maybe four, and they aren't getting any better.”

“The dragon,” Carmina held up a finger.

“Dragons, if the prophecy's right. Though one might not be a problem, just her shadow. Something she'll do or trigger...” Chase chewed her lip. “Then there's the dragon cult. I still don't know their deal, and that bothers me. Lastly, the Inquisition.”

“We mainly steer clear of those guys,” Carmina shrugged. “Darnell switches guilds when they get too close.”

“Darnell?”

Carmina's muzzle twitched. “Gah! Forget I said that. Pwner. Pwner switches guilds when they get too close.”

“Darnell? That's his player name?” Chase said, leaning in.

“Look, he's killed people for less, so seriously, forget about it.” Her ears twitched. “But yeah, it's his real name.”

“You know about this whole thing?” Chase gestured around, one sweep of an arm encompassing city, sky, pretty much all of reality. “The game?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Carmina said, sitting down on the beam next to her. Renny hopped up on Chase's other flank.

“And?”

“And what?” The catgirl shrugged. “It is what it is. But who cares? I'm still me, I still have fun. So long as they don't turn it off before I'm dead, what does it matter?” She grinned. “Besides, I'm sleeping with a player. Maybe he can keep me around if they DO turn it off. Somehow. He's smart, he'll figure out a way to do that.”

But there was just a bit of doubt in her voice. Chase had heard that tone before, back in Bothernot. She filed it away for future use.

“I'm impressed that you two wanted our abilities badly enough to save us from imprisonment,” Chase told her, shifting the subject. Now that she was away from Pwner, she could safely try to milk the beastkin for information. “Do you really need information that badly?”

“We need a face,” Carmina said, simply.

“You... have faces?” Renny pointed out, confused.

“No! A talker. Someone people trust and open up to, or who can mingle. That was our problem in Arretzi. We didn't have anyone who could schmooze.”

“For... what precisely? What are you working towards, here?” Chase asked.

“Okay, just so you know Dar—” Carmina snapped her mouth shut, then continued. “Pwner. Just so you know, Pwner told me what I could and couldn't tell you. So all I can say is that what we want is our mutual enemies dead or hurt enough that we don't have to worry about them.”

“You realize that sooner or later we'll be dealing with Cagna, right? That she's not going to be too happy about being kidnapped by someone she's out to arrest?” Chase spread her hands, and put on her best conspiratorial look. “Can you give me a little more? Something I can spin to placate her, so she doesn't get tempted to take matters into her own hands?”

Carmina's ears went flat. “Don't get me started on the Doge's dog.” She looked away. “She's no threat. Just doesn't have the levels. My man's got thirty or so on her, and that's before you get into his side jobs.”

“What's he do, anyway? I know he's an Alchemist, but beyond that...”

“He swaps them around as needed, goes back to the guild for whatever fits the mission. He's got a bunch,” she was happy for the change of subject, happier still to be boasting. “Mercenary and Scout make Bounty hunter, and Alchemist and Assassin when he needs to be a Plague Doctor, and...” she caught herself. “Bunches of other stuff. Never you mind what.”

“Does he have any dragon plagues?” Renny asked.

“He'd need a sample of dragon blood first, is the problem,” Carmina sighed. “We're hoping Barriano can do that, at least, before he gets his people cooked. Get some blood on the ground or on a weapon that I can swipe,” she grinned. “It'd be nice if the Knight and the dragon take care of each other, save us a lot of trouble afterward. Well, the dragon, anyway. Sir Barriano won't be much of a challenge for my man.”

Afterward. Afterward is significant, Chase knew. They were planning for an afterward.

Chase wasn't sure she wanted to stick around for an afterward. She had a feeling that after Pwner and Carmina got their use from her, that she and her friends would be a loose end. Once she was no longer useful, their... alliance... was probably going to be gone.

No, she'd read too many Jinkies books that dealt with this exact situation. If she trusted someone with a past history of homicide and betrayal, then she'd deserve what she got.

And I don't have a good failsafe for this one, yet. Unlike the other one I'm managing...

She checked her party status while she thought, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness!”

“What?” Carmina looked at her, puzzled.

“What?” Renny echoed, looking up at her, glass eyes flashing in the sunlight.

“Ah, nothing important,” Chase smiled. “Everyone's alive and intact, is all.”

Across the plaza, the sound of metal striking metal rang out, and Chase jumped. “That's new!”

Twelve more times it pealed out, as they sat and listened.

“That's the clocktower,” Carmina sneered. “You never heard it before?”

“I heard something like it before, the first time we were in Gnome. I didn't have a chance to ask about it,” Chase said, shrugging. “I haven't heard it since, though.”

“Yeah... it hasn't struck since the dragon blasted the city,” Carmina's ears flexed as she thought. “Huh. Good point. I wonder what changed?”

“I told you, the city endures!” Vitaly's voice boomed from right behind them, and Chase managed to control her surprise.

Carmina and Renny, not so much. They were diving for cover before they realized who it was, and Chase giggled a bit as she stood and greeted the old man. He bore a sack, and the smell of food managed to overpower the charred stench of Gnome, for once.

“Oh, oh thank you,” she said a few minutes later, her face full of bread and vegetables. “This is lovely. Where did you get it?”

“A friend of mine owed me a favor, so I called it in,” Vitaly smiled, sweat dripping down his brow. His skin looked a bit more flush now, the walk had probably done him good. “That's how things work around here,” he continued. “I find good people, and we help each other out. You helped me out, so now there are sandwiches.”

“It's kind of like magic, when you think about it,” Renny pointed out. “You do work, and then poof, there's food!”

Vitaly laughed and laughed, between bites of his own sandwich. He ate just like he walked, measured and unhurried.

“Friends do help friends,” Chase nodded. “That's the way it should be. That's actually why we're here. We're looking for one of our friends who went missing.”

“Oh? You think he went missing around here?” Vitaly looked around. “What's his name? Why was he here?”

He, Chase noted. He assumed that her friend was male. That was an interesting coincidence.

Or was it?

“Yubai,” she said, watching his eyes carefully. “Yubai Gold.”

He paused for a moment, and his eyes were still as deep ponds. Something about them...

Vitaly laughed then, breaking her gaze. “No thanks, I don't need that stuff!”

“You don't need gold?” Carmina was curious. “Just how rich ARE you, old man?”

“Nah, I'm not rich. That just brings trouble. It's better to make friends with rich people. Oh man, you saying that brings back memories,” he turned back to Chase. “Used to be dozens of guys lined up, back when the dungeons were booming and the adventurers filled every corner of the market. They'd be selling gold dawn to dusk, then they'd troop out and work all night. Never socialized, never said a word that wasn't to do with business, just stood in one place all day and shilled coins.”

“Yes, that sounds like him!” Chase said, smiling. “We rescued him from some trouble earlier, but he got into more.”

“Those lot...” Vitaly tapped his knee. “They were still around, even after people fled into the night. They came to the empty markets, and something was different with them. They jumped at their own shadows. I remember one, this little rat man, spent most of his time just feeling the cloth on his stall. Like he'd never really seen cloth before.” Vitaly put his sandwich down, and wrinkled his nose. “A few of them pissed their pants. I'd wondered how they went so long without bathroom breaks before, but whatever sustained them, they lost it. They were... I don't know. Reborn? That's a good word for it. Reborn, and so frightened.”

Ghosts of dread worked their way up Chase's spine. Speranza's voice whispered in her memories. Think of him as mentally retarded, she'd said.

“When was this?” Chase asked.

“I told you, back when the markets started emptying.”

“I mean, how many years? It was years, wasn't it?”

“Oh... about twenty, all told.” Vitaly looked at her, and though his face was friendly, though his eyes were placid and calm, she could tell. She could tell it was an act. It was all an act.

“You know, don't you?” she asked. “About the players?”

“Now there's a dangerous word,” he said, taking another rbite of his sandwich.

“Our friend is one. But he's different. He's like what you describe... well, he can take care of himself, mostly. Except we're worried that he's in danger. This city is a dangerous place.”

“It is,” Vitaly said simply. “For some more than others.”

Chase closed her eyes.

Well, when in doubt, she DID have a few tricks, now didn't she?

“Silent Activation, Fortuna.”

There was no skill up, and when she opened her eyes, Vitaly had shifted, just a bit. He was leaning on his mop now.

He saw me. Well, that's fine. “Could you humor me?” She asked, as she slowly, slowly pulled her card case from her pack.

“I don't know. I'm not much for jokes, sorry,” Vitaly smiled.

“Could you draw a card? Any card.”

“Ohhhh....” Renny said, leaning forward.

“What? What's this?” Carmina looked confused.

“Who was your god again?” Vitaly said, putting the sandwich aside.

“Hoon.”

“Very well, Chase Berrymore of Hoon, I'll draw your fortune for you. Friends do favors for friends, after all.”

“They do.”

Vitaly reached out, and carefully, glove creaking, he found a card and flipped it over.

The five of hearts sat before Chase, and her shoulders sagged as she felt relief.

You are now a level 8 Medium!

CHA+5

LUCK+5

“I don't understand,” Renny said.

“I do,” Chase said. “I remember the last time I saw that. Thank you, Vitaly.” She took the cards back.

“Oh, you're welcome,” he said, his eyes following her hands as she worked, and his own hand firmly on the handle of the mop.

“Well. If you see Yubai, please tell him we hope he's doing all right, and that we're happy to help if he needs it. We would like to save the city, because she's in a lot of danger and a dragon's at the heart of it.”

Vitaly's face was unreadable. “Gnome's handled dragons before. He won't burn the important parts.”

“Nebs thinks that Gnome can't handle this one. And neither can the world. Got that one from another Oracle.” Chase told him.

“Hmmmm... Prophecies are often wrong,” Vitaly said. “The world changes.”

“And not always for the better,” Chase replied. “Those strangers, the ones who sold gold and woke to a new world, what happened to them, I wonder?”

“One day they were there, the next they weren't,” Vitaly said. “Gone in different ways, I suppose.”

“Gone or taken. Yubai was taken once,” Chase shook her head. “We're no friends to those who did that. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Well, that's good to know.” Vitaly stood. “Sorry I couldn't help you. There anything else you wanted?”

“I think we're good,” Chase said, smiling. She stood and offered her hand, putting it as far up as it could go. Vitaly shook it, and his grip was as hard as steel. “We'll see you later,” she said.

“I hope so,” The old man nodded, and then he turned without another word and started picking his way through the ruins, on to the next job.

“Well? Now what?” Carmina asked. “That didn't work out. How much time can we waste on one bear guy?”

“I wouldn't call it time wasted, but we are done here,” Chase decided. “Think the drugs have worn off yet?”

Carmina glanced down at the lootbag folded into her belt. “Yeah, I think so. Give me the word and I'll draw Cagna out.”

“Not here,” Chase said, heading north. “Let's go back across the river. We've got a Wizaard who's probably missing us by now...”

CHASE'S CHARACTER SHEET

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Chase Berrymore

Age: 15 Years

Jobs:

Halven level 11, Cook level 5, Archer level 9, Gambler Level 5, Grifter level 13, Medium level 8, Oracle level 17, Painter level 2, Teacher level 6

Attributes / Pools / Defenses

Strength: 71 Constitution: 40 / Hit Points: 111 / Armor: 10

Intelligence: 69 Wisdom: 126 / Sanity: 195 / Mental Fortitude: 55

Dexterity: 137 Agility: 66 / Stamina: 203 / Endurance: 0

Charisma: 221 Willpower: 57 / Moxie: 278 / Cool: 66

Perception: 114 Luck: 252 / Fortune: 366 / Fate: 50

Generic Skills

Archery – Level 1

Brawling – Level 8

Climb – Level 15

Dagger – Level 2

Dodge – Level 13

Fishing – Level 14

Ride – Level 10

Stealth – Level 19

Swim – Level 7

Throwing – Level 31

Halven Skills

Fate’s Friend – Level N/A

Small in a Good Way – Level N/A

Cook Skills

Cooking - Level 20

Dishwasher – Level N/A

Freshen - Level 12

Archer Skills

Aim – Level 9

Demoralizing Shot – Level 6

Far Shot – Level 1

Missile Mastery – Level N/A

Quickdraw – Level N/A

Rapid Fire – Level N/A

Razor Arrow – Level 8

Ricochet Shot – Level 21

Gambler Skills

Ace in the Hole – Level 2

Ante Up – Level 1

Assess Challenge – Level N/A

Cardsharp – Level 9

Deadly Dice – Level 1

Double Down – Level 1

Gambler’s Fortune – Level N/A

Hold’em – Level N/A

Grifter Skills

Feign Death – Level 7

Fools Gold – Level 4

Forgery – Level 11

Master of Disguise – Level 15

Old Buddy – Level 7

Pickpocket – Level 21

Silent Activation – Level 32

Silver Tongue – Level 34

Size Up – Level 9

Unflappable – Level N/A

Medium Skills

Bad Fortune – Level 15

Crystal Ball – Level 10

Focus Vision – Level 5

Fortuna – Level N/A

Good Fortune – Level 16

Palmistry – Level N/A

Séance – Level N/A

Stack Deck – Level N/A

Oracle Skills

Absorb Condition – Level N/A

Afflict Self – Level 1

Diagnose – Level N/A

Divine Pawn – Level N/A

Foresight – Level 46

Grant Vision Level 7

Influence Fate – Level 14

Lesser Healing – Level 50

Omens and Portents – Level N/A

Random Buff – Level 9

Short Vision – Level 16

Transfer Condition – Level 15

Painter Skills

Fast Dry – Level N/A

Painting – Level 5

Teacher Skills

Lecture – Level 24

Red Ink – Level 3

Smarty Pants – Level N/A

Unlocked Jobs

Farmer, Herbalist

Gear

Enrico’s Last Hand

Light Leather Armor