"What is that!?" Gabriel exclaimed. Once they reached the outskirts of the city.

"That thing? That's the Pearl-harness. The thing which invention won my grandpa and his colleague naming of the Singularity.

At the canyon's edges, structures rose up and wide; they were releasing a tether toward the center of the canyon. They were tall towers with buildings around them and looked a little bit like power generators. There were seven of them in total, each connected to a sector of the city.

"Wut? Your grandfather named it? Wait, don't tell me Strazz is short for Vairstrazz?" Gabe asked.

"Yes. As it seems, he and his dwarf colleague discovered that power could be absorbed from the pearls, star, you name it, and it's what is currently feeding all the braziers in the city. But I don't know much more than that, ask my uncle, when and if you meet him, he manages it. Doubt they'll let you pass, though. They're in turmoil, the harness needs a lot of work to keep up with the Mana from the pearl, and it has doubled its production rate in the last month or something. Anyway, that's the rounding center. They are waiting for us there, and it still gonna take a bit to reach all the way over there, so let's not stop," Sigmund cut the explanations there.

Gabriel and Olivia had asked to do a city tour, and Sigmund had accepted; starting their journey from the canyon's left side, their destination was instead all the way on the opposite side of it.

Gabe had Liz on his head, gawking at the many giant humans that made her feel, once again, like an insect and thus himself, feel like a hobbit. Holy sh- could there be hobbits? No, come on… or could they?

The city itself had somehow western vibes. Like with Larry's family out of the way house, everything was made with turtle shells.

Buildings, sidewalks, benches, railways, staircases, everything, though if there was something really striking, were turtle mounts.

Yes, there were huge, gigantic turtle mounts.

They were parked by the buildings, the road was not really a road, since it was just the natural dirt and rock that justified the western feeling. While turtles had all the same cobalt and green skin, with occasional red or brown, while there were only two... Is models the right word here? Land turtles or, in this case, tortoises, which walked the earth, and sea turtles, which... swam in the air.

Their shells' color, unlike their epidermis, was not of an established hue. Some of them had a rainbow shell, precisely like the buildings' weird color mix suggested.

I have no idea how they can make bricks and metal out of turtle shells, but that, he said, pointing at a tuned turtle shell that had what looked like a cockpit in it, is awesome!

"You use those to move around places? Are they even efficient?" He asked.

"Those? Of course, they're not. They're just for show; what they actually do is be of use when they shed. The peel is used for fancy shits, so it is for the rich people and turtle lovers. Though they are handy for the old, they could never function as earth's cars… those would be reaaaal fun to have, even here!" Sigmund exclaimed.

"Well, at least the flying ones are of use, no?"

"Not really. Flying umbrellas are getting cheaper and cheaper as wyrms and wyverns skin gets easier to farm; of course, only elites can hunt in the Wyrm Dungeon, but the demand doesn't beat the supply by all that much."

"So, your umbrellas are made with actual dragon skin?" Gabriel asked.

"Dragon skin, so to say. Dragons have scales; wyrms and wyverns don't. It would take an army, not a group of Veterans, to take out one real dragon. Weird questions, dude. Your family bought a spot in Alter recently?"

"Yeah," interjected Olive, "Rose was surprised too, my family brought his family over, buying spots from the Reevers, so I'm giving him a crash course. He's practically a child."

"You are both tied to the Reevers then…" Sigmund lost his voice for a second or two before continuing as if nothing had happened, "if you have ties to the Starryskies too, then? Thank Odin pop didn’t find that out!" he chuckled.

What did just happen? Are these Starryskies the ones Larry has a grudge with? Thought Gabe, turning over to the lizard, finding none.

"Liz?"

Lizzy was gawking at the turtle with the cockpit installed into her shell, and she was a flying turtle.

"Yeah, I'd love to take a ride on that. But we're going to the Turtle island; maybe we'll get one ourselves!" Liz turned over him, eyes excitedly wide.

"Those are grown turtles. If you could tame one that big, you'd be eligible to hunt for wyrms, and anyway, you would need at least the Tamer class for that, weren't you a healer?" Sig asked.

"Well, actually," started Gabriel, launching a look that meant, 'I know what I'm doing,' at Olive, "that's just what I found myself with. I could always change midway. Though, Tamer, eh? Don't think it would fit well with me. I've got Liz here, and it's already too much of a bother."

The inevitable bite arrived. "Ouch! I was kidding, you little bi- ouch! Okay, okay, okay!" Her bites had become better even though his Resilience had amply increased.

"Come on," said Sig with a smirk, "there's still so much to see, and we definitely need to pass through a shop or two… you guys can't really meet my friend looking like that… I mean, Olive, you're fine, though not dressed as our forms suggest, at least you are justified by your race, but Gabriel… you just won't do. You look like a dwarf-sized sandbag… I don't know how many shops for little sized sentients we can find, but there should definitely be some, given that we've got a decent mix of cultures in here."

Dwarf sized sandbag… hahaha… son of your father indeed.

"Well, the problem is I haven't really got any mo- ouch!"

"I've got your money, Gabe, remember? Now let's go. Lead the way, Sigmund, if you please," Olive said after kicking Gabe in the calf.

I swear each and every female in my life is an abuser! I swear on the blood of my unborn child, I'm gonna marry the first normal girl I find!

"Yeah, Olive. As a matter of fact, I did. Thank you for your assistance, very!" He said, aggressively gnashing his teeth at her.

"You guys really are weird. Anyway, let's ask around."

Walking through the city, the two hobb- ahem, humans, looked like horror toddlers following their emancipated teenage dad.

Looking for a shop which dealt in leather armor and clothes their size took them a while; they had to ask around for a couple of bars and inns, where Gabriel's clothing got more than a few laughs out of the customers while at the same time, the couple got to know how well known the Vairstrazz family was.

Not only Sigmund's great-grandfather had been the mayor of the city and the co-creator of the star-harness, but his uncle was also the main curator of the device, while his father, Larry, was one of the veteran wyrm and wyverns hunters of which Sigmund himself had told them about. He hadn't mentioned his father being one, though.

Bragging about things is not something this family does lightly. I like that.

They entered the first leather armor shop they found.

"Nonono, Gabe, you look like a salad; what the hell is wrong with you?" Said Olive, very critically.

"Salad… you've got blue salad over here?" he asked, looking at the clothes he was trying on, "How does that work? Is it good?" Asked Gabriel back.

"Yes, kelp salad from the Deep. Many a kind are blue, actually. You even at it at the inn. But you probably don't remember it," added Olivia, disinterested as he got back inside with the leatherworker, an Elf going by the name of Dozen.

"Because I work as if I had a dozen hands," he had clarified with a smirk, eyeing Gabriel's new and vastly improved fit body.

As it seemed, his muscles were still growing and acclimating themselves with his Attributes.

As long as you keep them to yourself, you could be called Thousand for all I care. Ouch! Liz!

Shit, lizard, that was not homophobic! That's simply a finely tuned homosexual radar! He justified himself as the lizard bit him. I swear you are more mum-like each passing day...

"You know," added Dozen, "if you would tell me what do you need the armor for, I could better guide you to the correct one."

"Oh, you are right, Dozen. We are heading for Turtle Dungeon. Though it's the first time for Daniel to actually enter a Dungeon, and he's very low-leveled, we have protection, but we would like to be sure of his… survival," Olive said, turning to grin at Gabriel.

"Actually!" interjected Gabriel, "That would be my second time, I think…" Gabriel turned toward Liz, "That was a Dungeon, no? The one with the ants, you were supposed to make one bite of, remember?"

Liz got up on her feet, menacingly.

In all responses, Gabriel backed away, "What are you doing? Don't you dare bite Mr. Dozen's armor! It's not ours!"

Deflating a little, Liz whipped her tongue at him and turned the other way.

"That was her 'I don't know," Gabriel said, turning to Olive.

"You are probably talking about Ant Dungeon. Yeah, it was a dungeon. But… this one is something entirely else, a proper, 'one mistake means death,' type of Dungeon."

"The Ms. is right," added Dozen. "I suppose you come from Yggdrasil's roots. Beautiful place. But the Dungeon there are low-level ones, for Armor Dungeon Tier 3 is the recommended level."

"Armor Dungeon?" Gabriel asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I used the ancient name for it. It was much harder back then."

"Anyway, does this full-black work and pleasure suit fit your tastes?" Dozen added.

Gabriel looked at the suit the elf had taken out of the closet. He was very pleased with it. "Yes," he said, satisfied, "let's go all black then. I hope you know what you are getting into, Oli. Cause when I go all black, it starts being difficult to resist me, can we afford you going all crazy sexy-lady?"

"My Goddess, how will I resist the urge of letting you plunge me!"

"Was that sarcasm?" Shouted Gabriel from the other room.

"You don't say..." She silently said.

"No, really, was that sarcasm? I've actually failed to recognize it over the sound of your sloshing waters down there," he added, opening the velvet curtains of the booth.

"Gabriel!" She exclaimed, manifesting a cloud of poison around her outstretched hand.

"Alright, I was joking! Jeez!" He retorted, hiding back behind the curtains.

"Pervert…"

I actually heard that, though. You did too, right, Liz? The lizard, evidently sharing in his traits or Perks, sighed but nodded.

"You seem a really intense couple. Have you been traveling together for long?" Asked Dozen, as he opened the curtains to show the new black leather-clad man to the girl waiting in the lobby with a fashion magazine in hand, though calling it armor was a bit much.

The suit was a practical wear made of a tight sweater and tight pants.

"For long? Definitely not, but intense? Yeah, she can really be intense. I'd say she broke something in me, on multiple levels," said Gabriel.

"Come on, Gabriel... though black does look good on you. We'll go with that."

"Even Brill would be okay with me on this, right, Brill?" Brill, the salamander, was sitting on the backrest of one of the couches in the shop's small waiting room. He looked at Olive, then disappeared without making as much as a sound.

Gabriel turned to Olive, "I'd take that as a yes," he said with a grin; Olive just rolled her eyes back and took out her ManaCard.

"You don't even want to listen to its qualities before you buy it?" Said Dozen.

"You didn't ask, Gabe? Right… Why do I even ask... Please, Mr. Dozen, do tell us," Olive invited, exasperation visible from the look of her wild hair.

Dozen elegantly nodded, then taking a large breath he launched in a long-winded pitch, "This is a Tier 2, mobile leather armor, it's style intends a double use for civilian standards outing. It is made of turtle skin, with a light carapace addition on key parts, it's almost invisible," he added in a hushed voice before continuing, "It was dyed with a Tier 2 Deep borne squid Ink to give it its current color. About Resistances. It has Class 2 resistances to cuts and pierces, it doesn't favor blunt damage, but neither is it resistant to it. It is extremely well suited even for some nearby Vulcan dungeons, as well as base gears for Wyrm Dungeon, given its ability to greatly lessen the possibility of being poisoned or suffer from smoke, with its mountable cover mask; which will be sold separately." Dozen added the last part with a quick speed up in his pitch. "It has been inscribed all over the skin facing fabric for a Class 1 resistance to Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind elements, common in Turtle dungeon; Higher Elements are of course not supported, and last, but not least, given the Class 2 resistances, regenerative abilities have not been added to it. In that case, the price would have soared dramatically. If you like, I could add it, but it would take ten days, and the cost would be… quadrupled. Would you like me to add regeneration to it? I could even add Class 0 Higher Elements resistance to it; however, the price would double again. More than that, I can't do, at least not with the quality of the product. So?" Dozen didn't even stop to take a breath while talking.

"I-I think we'll buy the standard version for now," said Olive.

"Very well, come this way." Dozen smiled knowingly; Gabriel rolled his eyes.

***

"Maybe you were better off looking like a salad… should have kept my mouth shut," she commented with a sigh once they were out in the streets.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna repay you, sooner rather than later," he said seriously.

"Now I get the sign," she added, raising her head and looking at the sign which said: 'Dozen's. A Dozen times better, but for a prize.' A little pouch fuming Mana at the right end of it.

Sigmund had been waiting for them outside, he had gone to buy a new sword sheath for his greatsword, well, more than a sheat a case on which to plug his sword, it attached to his back and he could plug or unplug the sword at by its side, and simply detach the giant piece of metal by pulling it laterally.

"Hey, you look decent. If it wasn't for that weird half-grown shave and the… thin eyebrows, you would look almost presentable," he said very knowingly.

"Thank you, Sid. I'm almost grateful for your candidness…" Gabe answered, with a yap from the lizard.

"Yeah, you laugh all you want, you're me, and I'm you; if I look shoddy, it reflects badly on you too!" He said to the lizard, giving her the tongue. The lizard clenched her jaw in thought.

***

Halfway across the city, they noticed something new, which took their attention right away. Contrary to the less original but more bursting with life Cradle, Kanceldom was certainly less flashy but just as varied. Among the "varied" was something definitely unusual: a Destiny seller.

"Alright, now I'm intrigued; what should a Destiny shop sell?" Asked Gabriel as they passed in front of it.

The shop had a definitely suspicious look to it; it figured a black background with a shiny road full of question marks.

"Yeah, leave that be, it's barely legal, and it works only through other people's suffering," Sig said, with the certainty of youth's idea.

"Is that so? But what does it do, exactly?" Asked Gabriel.

"Well, if it is what I think it is, then, it's somebody's Blood Magic shop, with all that it entails," Olive explained.

"Blood magic… nice or yikes?" Gabriel asked.

Sigmund looked at him weirdly, "Is he alright?" He asked Olive.

"Deep down, we know he's not mentally stable, but we try to hide it," she said, all serious.

"Yikes then?" Gabriel shrugged.

"If you like your potions coming from someone's blood, be my guest, I prefer natural shit, though," Sig said, staunch.

"Yeah, right, like youths don't take drugs over here, I bet people take monster's blood as drugs too, am I right?" Asked Gabriel.

"You are… surprisingly right, Gabe, did you already know?" Olive asked, sincerely surprised.

"Well, wyrm blood is used as an enhancement actually, quite strong too, but personally, I don't know much about it. Rose would tear me limb from limb…" answered Sig.

Gabriel chuckled.

Their next stop, after gawking around some more, was finally the "rounding center," which was nothing else but a bar, it was called 'At Dikez,' and below the signboard, another smaller shingle dangled; it was definitely written in another style and wasn't as solidly built, it red 'Rounding Center.'

Sigmund took a deep breath before pushing batwing doors open with enough strength to make them attach to the wall.

Alright, there's probably some device to keep them firm, but really… what the problem do the people have with doors in this fucking world? Even Liz judged that it was wise to open the door normally, as she shook her head.

Wow, agreeing on something once in a while!

"Siiiiig! Where's ma boy!?" Shouted what must have been the assistant to the bartender, given the youthful appearance.

"Dikez! Where's my ax!?" Sigmund answered back.

"Right here, Mundo!" Dikez raised the ax up and jumped out of the counter. What happened later made Gabriel shake a little.

Sigmund prepared for a descending cut with a slow draw of the greatsword and a big grin on his face.

What the-

They collided. Dikez unleashed his uppercut with his gigantic double-bladed battle-ax, sparks, and a definitely eerie high-pitched sound, at least for Gabriel's enhanced ears, filled the room.

Even Olive faltered for a second, but after that, the two big boys, Dikez being much broader at the shoulders than him and with short wavy hairs, gave themselves a bear hug, then both tried to see who could lift the other up in a test of resistance.

Gabriel grinned; memories of a few real friends came at him. Friends he had left behind while leaving with his mother to find a suitable city to house their restaurant.

"Little Dike, where's you, dad, bitch? We need you hot and ready for tomorrow," said Sigmund, after they had finished without finding a winner to their contest of strength.

"Dad'll come back tonight; he's gone out with your pa, again. Wyrm activity intensifying," Dikez said.

"Alright, alright, where's Carla?" Sigmund asked while signaling Gabriel and Olive to get closer.

"Carla's still sleeping bro, who are the hummies? Surely not family friends!" Said Dikez before starting to laugh at his own joke.

"Actually, yes, as weird as it sounds, dad let them in. They are Commodo's friends."

"For real?" Dikez asked, surprised.

"In his defense, he was about to kill us before he knew that," Gabriel confirmed, beating his spear on the ground; everything else was still placed inside the backpack gifted to him by the dwarf. "I'm Gabriel, by the way. The girl too cute for her own good is Olive."

"Nice to meet you, hummies. You both friends with Com, uh?" Dikez asked.

"Yes, I worked for him, and Gabriel here has become one good friend of his, though just recently," Olive admitted.

"So, how's the little fellow?"

Olivia exchanged pleasantries with Dikez about Com, Gabriel instead, had tuned out of the conversation.

Come on, one good friend now... we barely knew each other, knowing the state in which his inn was for my fault, any amount of friendship has flown over the window. Would have been a fine friend, though… hell, maybe he doesn't hate my guts, and I'm just flashing myself!

You don't look at me like that. I'm not gonna ask for your opinion! He thought, diverting his stare from Liz, she wanted to have a say in it.

"Nice to know, so what you here for?" Dikez finished with Olive. Then they all headed to the counter. The big giant boy was already grabbing beers for them to drink.

"Well, we're gonna heal you up as you dice them down," Gabriel said, grinning.

"Wut? You guys healers? That's nice! I won't have to spend my salary on pots anymore! Nice job, Mundo!"

Yeah, nice job, stick-boy!" Added a female coming from outside the entrance.

She heard from there? Gabriel thought as she got inside.

The giantess was as tall as Dikez; she had two turtle shields that she had worn by putting her arms through the empty carapace's neck and tail holes. She was dressed with padded armor, probably turtle carapace had been interwoven inside turtle skin, giving it a stuffy look which put emphasis on her already heavy build. She was definitely a tank.

Her golden hair had been braided in three long braids, two at the site of her head and on as a tail, but free hair had been left outside the braids to make her shoulder cut look more feminine. Her green eyes could easily battle with those which appeared in Olive's face every once in a while, and she definitely looked older than the two boys,

"Fatty, you come from hunting, I see. Got anything good?" Asked Sigmund, a smirk on his face.

Carla dropped her regular umbrella, this one, definitely not a rifle, on a table and literally launched at the boy, grappling him and swiftly trying to take him in a joint lock position, but Sigmund was a swift one. She barely managed to grip him once. After a few fast exchanges, though, they chuckled at each other and hugged; then she went to arm wrestle with Dikez, no one won.

"So," Carla finally said, after sitting on a stool by the counter and turning toward Sigmund, "those are the new recruits? Kinda small, aren't they? Not close fighters, I bet."

"Healers, the both of them. Which is kinda good now that I think about it; who the fuck needs mages anyway!?" Said Dikez, he was getting excited.

"Never underestimate the help of a magician. Even support can shine with the right party composition. But, you are all heavy fighters, so unless those carapaces are as hard as diamond, we might not need any enhancing magic," Olive said.

"Well, hard as diamond... maybe a couple of Champions, but regular turtles? Nah. Anyway, you'll be wondering how we can break into those carapaces hu hu hu. You'll see, but ideally, you want your carapaces to be as intact as possible. Less damage the higher the income, right?" Said Dikez.

"Exactly," Sigmund replied, "but it's not like we are going to share our tactic to the whole world; we'll speak at night when the bar will be fully ours. No, let's toast to our new healers!"