It was late at night and Hugo was trying to get used to the fact that he had free time. He wasn’t dating anyone and he didn’t need to study. He had caught up with the general math knowledge he needed as a formation student, Rasmus had even stopped tutoring him. Cryptozoology and History were still a pain, but they didn’t require as much time as they used to. Right now he was listening to a student concert in the auditorium. The performers were standing in a ritual that let the audience feel the same emotions that they felt.

It was nice, at least most of it was. The only problem was that the violinist was incredibly nervous and that emotion kept bleeding through every so often.

After the concert was over, he walked over to someone he knew.

“Hey Alice,” Hugo said. He hadn’t talked to her in a few months, he figured she had to have forgiven him by now. She wouldn’t still be mad about him beating up Mattias now that she wasn't dating him anymore.

“Hugo. Excuse me,” she said and got up to leave.

“Oh come on. Don’t be like that. I promise to laugh at your jokes,” he said.

She shook her head, “I don’t want to associate with ravim dealers.”

Hugo stepped back, instantly offended, “I am not a drug dealer. Just because I am poor doesn’t mean you get to shit all over me. I was just trying to be nice.”

“Oh, you aren’t a drug dealer? Yeah right. How does Oskar get his ravim if not from you? That milk toast of a man doesn’t know anyone outside these walls, let alone how to get ahold of criminals,” Alice said and started walking up the steps.

“Wait, back up. Oskar isn’t a dealer. Who told you that?”

She turned back around, her hands on her hips, “Everyone is talking about it. He may get popular in some crowds, but quality people like me know that he is just trash.” She tilted her head dismissively and left.

Hugo just stood there, shocked. He didn’t want to admit it but he was wondering if Oskar really was a dealer. His roommate had gotten a lot more popular in the last month. Could this be the real reason why?

He had to find out. Today was a Fourthday, so Oskar was at a party right now. He was going to go talk to him right now.

Hugo found the party by going outside and listening for it. It was honestly a bit silly that they pretended that it was a secret with all the noise they made. It was on the library roof this time and it seemed like half the student body was up there. There was a large open area where a few people were dancing, but most of the students were crowded around the outside edges. It was going to take forever to find him.

Particularly since Hugo refused to walk around the edge of the roof where the crowd was thinner. His fear of heights was inconvenient. Eventually he decided to ask for help when he saw someone he knew.

“Hey James,” Hugo said, “I’m looking for Oskar, have you seen him?”

“Hugo, good to see you. I thought you never came to these parties,” James said.

“I usually don’t. I was just looking for Oskar. I need to talk to him,” Hugo said.

James nodded, “Yeah I have seen him tonight, he is around here somewhere.” He looked around for him but didn’t see him. “But oh, I do know someone who is here. Mia wants to talk to you.” He shouted over to a girl near the drinks. “Hey Mia, this is Hugo, the other bottle guy.” He pointed down to Hugo.

Hugo sighed. He didn’t want to talk to someone else right now. But there was no point in trying to run around looking for Oskar. He could look for him while he listened to what Mia wanted from him.

“Hello, Hugo. I am Mia,” she said and stuck out her hand to shake. After the introduction she said, “I am the other one providing bottles for these degenerates.” She laughed and continued, “I like your bottles, especially the newer ones. I was never able to get my caps to seal on like your screw tops, so I had to do stoppers instead.”

“I have seen your bottles. They look nice, very artistic,” Hugo said. He was still scanning the rooftop for Oskar.

“You should see the bottles I am making these days. Do you know what vacuum means?” Mia said.

“Huh? No, I don’t know that word.”

“It means nothing. The absence of something. My vacuum bottles have a section of nothing between two layers of glass. It makes it so it keeps heat and cold in better.”

“Sounds complicated,” Hugo said.

“Oh it is. It really is. At first I was making two bottles, one inside the other and sucking out all the air with bellows. But then I thought, why not create them all together? Lots of broken glass, yadda, yadda, yadda, and I finally figured out how to do it all at once,” Mia said and leaned in. Hugo realized she was already tipsy, “Don’t tell anyone, but the trick is to create a thick walled glass, and then just fail to create the middle bit. It’s brilliant. I might get a thesis out of that little trick.”

Hugo nodded, but he had already stopped paying attention. He had found Oskar. “You will have to tell me more about it someday. But I got to go, ok?”

He shoved past a few different people and tapped Oskar’s arm before he got out of sight.

“Hugo! Good to see you. Decided to make your debut back into society tonight? Picked a good night for it. Tonight is a chill party. Not too crazy like Seventhday parties usually get,” Oskar said, “Do you want me to introduce you to some of the upperclassmen? I know some of the movers and shakers.”

“No, none of that. Listen, I need to talk to you, right now. Can we talk in private?” Hugo said.

Oskar chuckled, “I doubt it. There isn’t anywhere private tonight. But we can try, follow me.” He led them back to the stairs and they ducked behind some shelves of books. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Alice told me something terrible tonight,” Hugo said, “She said you were a ravim dealer.”

“You want some? Honestly I never expected you to be the type. Always so straight laced. Sure, I can give you a hit. First one’s free, but you gotta pay for the rest, just like everyone else, alright?” Oskar said with a smile.

“What, no!” Hugo furiously whispered, “I don’t want ravim. You shouldn’t have it either. It’s terrible.”

Oskar laughed, “It’s fine. I don’t sample the merchandise. Too expensive to be honest. But the rest of my friends would be seriously bummed if I stopped providing it.”

“What if you got caught? You need to stop right away,” Hugo said.

“Bah, so what if I got caught? They busted a guy with a distillery last month. He just had to clean blackboards for the rest of the year. No biggie.”

“Ravim is different. It dulls your thinking and messes with your mana. You should know that. And even if you don’t think the punishment will be bad, you should stop selling anyway. If someone like Alice has heard you are a ravim dealer, you are just days away from getting caught,” Hugo said.

“Alice is part of my target demographic. Rich nobles are the ones that buy my ravim. Of course she heard about it,” Oskar said, unconcerned.

Hugo sighed and backed up. He knew he wouldn’t be able to convince him so he just said, “Look. Just don’t keep it in our room or bring me down with you.

...

Hugo was honestly glad that a few days later was the end of the month. He was forced out of the academy again, but happy for the distraction this time. The environment in their dorm room had grown cold. Oskar and Hugo didn’t talk about it, but both of them knew that the other wouldn’t change their mind. Hugo wasn’t willing to budge when it came to drugs, but he also didn’t want to push Oskar away.

It was a bit tough thinking that he might lose his friend. Hugo didn’t have many of those. Now that Lenna had left, Oskar was pretty much it. He was acquaintances with several others in the formations class, but Oskar was his only true friend.

Shaking his head, Hugo tried to put the worry out of his head. Today was a great day to be out in the city. The first harvest festival was tomorrow and the town was gearing up for fun. The second harvest festival would be in a few months and would be a much bigger party. But this one was still fun.

Many of his favorite childhood memories were in the city center on a festival day. With the harvests coming in, from the land and the sea, food was very cheap. This time of year allowed young Hugo to finally afford a treat, or to try out a new delicacy. He had loved trying out new foods, always insisting that his father try some too.

Adult Hugo walked along the booths set up in the city square. Much more than a standard market day, the city was bustling and full. Hundreds of stalls had been set up, extending past the edges of the market square. He knew from experience that there would be even more tomorrow.

The smell of smoked riga sprats brought back one of his most cherished memories.

His last harvest festival with his father had been when he was eleven. He had saved up for months, doing odd jobs for the neighbors. Together the two of them had wandered the food stalls, searching for old and new favorites. He split a honey crispel with his father, a lemon drop for himself, liver sausage rolls for his mother and father.

Then came the smoked riga sprats. They were a delicacy in town, wildly popular. The small fish were only available this time of year, and Hugo had missed out the previous year when they sold out before he got there.

This particular year, Hugo had insisted that they stop at the fish monger’s stall as soon as they saw it. Hugo spent the last of his money on a jar for the three of them to share. It had been hard to part with his hard earned money, but the riga sprats were so popular he was sure he would love them.

He hated them.

The small sprats were intensely fishy and salty. They hit the back of his throat and almost made him throw up. The reaction had made his father laugh out loud. When he recoiled from the smell, his father laughed even louder and didn’t stop for ten minutes.

That was the last time he heard his father laugh like that. It was still one of his most cherished memories.

Today, Hugo walked up to the stall and got in line. The sprats were as popular as ever, and he would have to wait in line for a while. There were three people working the fish monger stand, perhaps he wouldn’t have to wait forever.

He took a deep breath of the pungent odor. He never did learn to like the taste, but he bought some each year after that, to remember his father. Perhaps he could give them to his roommate when he returned.

A crash rang out, and Hugo jerked his head up. The whole table full of fish had been knocked over. A man in shoddy armor jumped over the table and continued onto the stall nearby. He reached in and grabbed their cash box and kept going. A closer examination showed that he had two other cash boxes tucked under his arm.F

The man was stealing in broad daylight. It was honestly shocking. As much as Hugo was inured to crime from growing up in the narrows, he didn’t think anyone would be so brazen to just jump in and steal like that in broad daylight. It was bizarre.

The way that the man shouldered people aside and the speed that he moved made Hugo think that the thief was soulmarked. Cries of “thief” and “stop him” rang out, but Hugo doubted that anyone nearby could do much.

Except him.

He was a mage now, his strength and speed were much higher than the others in the market. He could do something about this. Without further thought, Hugo leapt after the thief.

Hugo’s soulmarked strength lent him a sudden burst of speed, and his dexterity helped him apply it. His focus narrowed as he ran. The yells and shouts of the marketplace faded away, only the thief and obstacles existed.

The thief in front of him jumped over a stall table, then out the back again. Hugo jumped and tucked his legs, going through the stall in one motion. The thief pushed off a different stall, collapsing it, but redirecting himself in the same motion. Hugo was forced to make a wider turn since he wasn’t willing to destroy things in pursuit.

In less time than expected, they were already out of the market. Hugo put on more speed now that he had a straight away. The thief tried to duck into a side alley, but Hugo was too fast.

With a flying tackle, Hugo knocked the thief down, both of them sliding past the alley way. The cash boxes tumbled away. Both of them rolled to their feet, wary. Now that Hugo had stopped the thief, he immediately regretted chasing after him. This wasn’t his fight.

The thief disagreed, and attacked Hugo with a series of kicks and punches. Hugo was forced back, defending himself as best as he could. His life in the narrows afforded plenty of practice defending himself against stronger opponents.

The market thief saw that he wasn’t going to get rid of Hugo so easily. He reached into a pocket in his threadbare armor and threw a cloud of dust at Hugo. He mumbled a word at the same time, and the dust turned into a fireball. The man must have the ritual domain.

Hugo leaned back, out of the way of the fireball. In his fear, he lost his balance and fell to the ground. The thief took out another handful of dust.