Chapter 22: Market Mayhem
Noise, heat, bodies, and coin closed around Rei in Ashfall's market.
He moved anyway, robe hem kept clear of puddles, foxes close enough that he could track them by feel. Jinx ranged half a step ahead, nose working, tail held high like she'd claimed the lane. Vesper stayed tucked in Rei's hood, weight warm at his collarbone, steady as a hand on his sternum.
A passive overlay flickered as he passed under a cloth awning.
END OF BETA: 14 DAYS, 22 HOURS
Six days, gone. Not in a blur. In repetitions. In holds that left his forearm burning. In a breath rhythm he could keep when the world crowded him.
Rei turned into a side lane where vendors sold things built for use: leatherwork stitched with ward-thread, sealed kits, clasps and rings that looked plain until you felt how they sat against the body. He kept the objective small on purpose.
Protect his hands during casting. Carry supplies without snagging his sleeves. Find a way to identify the Unidentified without putting his name on a public ledger today.
And then the practical exam.
A vendor with grey hair and a blunt mouth held up thin glove-liners reinforced along the tendons with flexible bands.
"Spellhands," the man said. "Stops you from tearing yourself up when you get ambitious."
Rei slid one on. Closed his fist. Opened it. Rotated his wrist. The leather moved with him instead of dragging. Support where lightning punished impatience. Freedom where shadow needed finesse.
Jinx hopped up, nose inches from the stitching, and stared at the vendor like she expected him to justify every thread choice.
The vendor leaned back a fraction, expression unchanged. "That one bite?"
"She approves with intimidation," Rei said.
Jinx sneezed, offended, then planted both paws on the counter and held the stare. Her tail whipped once.
Rei eased her down with two fingers under her collar fur. "We're behaving today."
Jinx's tail thumped once. She stayed near his boot, energy contained by choice.
Vesper shifted under the hood, warmth settling Rei's breath without him needing to think about it.
The vendor watched the foxes another second. "You keeping them for show?"
Rei met his eyes. "They keep me alive."
"Good answer." The man tapped the tag. "Two silver."
Rei paid.
[PARALLEL INTERFACE]
INVENTORY UPDATE
Item Added: Spellhand Liners (Uncommon)
He added a low-profile field pouch—flat, three compartments, clasp that sat at the hip instead of the front. It stayed out of the path of his hands when he tested a casting stance in the aisle.
[PARALLEL INTERFACE]
INVENTORY UPDATE
Item Added: Low-Profile Field Pouch (Common)
Two purchases. Done. Rei moved before the market tried to turn it into a day.
He cut toward the appraisal counters at the edge of the craft district: narrow windows with iron grilles, a line of people holding their hopes like packages. A sign board listed fees in careful script. Another warned about fraud in sharper language.
When Rei reached the front, he placed a sealed glass vial on the counter with care.
Amber liquid. Still. Unidentified.
It had been in his inventory since Grey Hollow, refusing to become anything more than a question.
The attendant's eyes flicked from Rei's fox features to the vial. "Sealed. Full read costs full fee. I log the request either way."
"I want a safety check," Rei said. "If opening it is a mistake, tell me that much."
"Safety check is one silver," the attendant replied. "Active curse structures and volatile bindings only."
One coin for an answer. A record for a price.
Rei slid the vial back into his pouch. "I'll return later."
The attendant's expression flattened back into routine. "Next."
Rei stepped away without wasting breath on irritation. He had a practical exam scheduled. He had supplies. The vial could stay sealed until he could handle it on his terms.
He turned into the wider thoroughfare toward the academy blocks.
The crowd shifted from browsing to purpose. More uniforms. More measured pace.
Then a different rhythm cut through everything.
Hoofbeats.
Heavy. Confident. Unconcerned with foot traffic.
Heads turned. Vendors leaned out. A couple of students moved to the edge of the path like they wanted distance.
Rei slowed without stopping. Jinx's ears pricked. Vesper stayed steady under the hood.
The hoofbeats drew closer, and then a voice hit the street like a thrown bottle.
"MOTHERFUCKING UNICORNS!"
Rei stalled for half a step.
The sound carried memory before context. Too loud for a city that prized control. Too familiar to dismiss.
Rei angled his gaze toward it.
A rider cut into view on a pale horned mount that looked like it held sunlight in its coat. The horn was clean and sharp, and the animal moved with smooth arrogance, as if fences existed only to be judged.
The rider sat like she belonged there.
Becca.
Helmet off, hair shoved back, gear strapped across her like she'd collected it from every stall she passed. The same posture. The same willingness to take up space and dare the world to complain.
She was flanked by a small group—three, maybe four—moving with the tired coordination of people who'd agreed to follow a hurricane because standing in its path felt worse. One of them held a lead rope looped over their wrist as if the unicorn would accept restraint out of politeness.
Becca leaned down toward them, talking fast, hands moving like her words needed backup.
"I'm telling you, if there's a stable registry, I want it," she said. "Names, breeds, the ones that think they're better than me, and the ones that bite."
The group responded in short lines that sounded like damage control.
"Becca, lower your voice—"
"People are staring—"
"Do we even have permission—"
Becca waved them off like she was clearing crumbs. "Permission is a negotiation. We're negotiating."
She guided the unicorn to a stop near a tack stall. The mount tossed its head, horn flashing, then settled with bored patience.
Becca hopped down, boots striking stone. She pointed at one of her people. "You. Find the stable office."
She pointed at another. "You. Find feed. If anyone says unicorns don't eat here, tell them I'll pay extra."
They dispersed with resigned efficiency.
Becca turned back toward the street with a grin already forming, ready to hunt her next objective.
Her gaze swept the crowd.
It snagged on Jinx and Vesper like a hook.
Becca stopped so abruptly the unicorn flicked an ear at her, annoyed.
Her eyes went wide.
Then her voice shot up again.
"Oh my GOD you have FOXES!?"
She crossed the space toward Rei without hesitation, hands already out as if the universe had granted permission.
Rei held his ground and let the moment play out on his terms.
Jinx met Becca halfway, tail whipping, head up, practically vibrating with interest. She leaned into the first scratch like it was her due.
Vesper stayed in Rei's hood and watched Becca with calm scrutiny. When Becca reached up, Vesper allowed the touch with slow tolerance, eyes half-lidded, as if accepting tribute.
Becca made a noise that belonged in an animal shelter. "You're so pretty," she told Vesper, then immediately turned to Jinx. "And you're a menace. I can tell."
Jinx sneezed, then pressed her forehead into Becca's palm harder.
Becca laughed, full and unfiltered. "Yes. Yes, you get me."
She scratched behind Jinx's ear with both hands now, fully committed. "Where did you get them? Did you tame them? Did they pick you? Are they bonded? Are they going to bite people for you?"
Rei kept his voice level. "They decide who gets bitten."
Becca froze for a heartbeat, then laughed. "Respect."
She looked up at him properly for the first time, eyes bright, mouth open as if she'd already planned a dozen questions.
Rei let her look land. He kept his breath steady. He let a small edge of himself surface, the part that had survived Becca's chaos for years by meeting it with timing.
"You are still yelling about unicorns," Rei said. "In public. In a new world."
Becca blinked.
The grin faltered.
Her gaze sharpened, scanning him again, searching for the thing her brain had skipped.
Rei tilted his head a fraction. "Some traditions deserve to live."
Becca's eyes widened slowly as recognition caught and locked.
"No," she said, voice dropping into stunned clarity. "No way."
Rei's mouth twitched. "Way."
Becca stared at him, then at the foxes, then back at him. Her hand stayed on Jinx's head like she needed contact with reality to stay upright.
"Rei?" she said, and his name came out like a test and a prayer at the same time.
Rei answered with a small nod. "Hi, Becca."
Her face shifted in a second—shock, relief, disbelief, then joy sharp enough to sting.
"Are you kidding me?" she demanded, voice rising. She stepped in and grabbed his shoulders with both hands as if checking he was solid.
Rei stayed still and let it happen. Becca handled fear by taking hold and refusing to let go.
"You're a fox," she said, like she'd just noticed. "You have actual foxes. You—"
Her eyes flicked down, caught the glove liners, the field pouch, the way he'd set himself up like someone preparing for something serious. Her expression tightened.
"What are you doing right now?" she asked.
"Practical exam," Rei said.
Becca's head snapped toward the academy blocks. "Today?"
"In a bit." Rei's voice stayed even. "I'm on schedule."
Becca's jaw worked like she wanted to argue with reality. Then she looked back at him and her eyes went hard in the way they did when protectiveness took the wheel.
"Okay," she said. "Great. Love that."
Rei recognized the tone immediately.
He lifted an eyebrow. "Becca."
She pointed at him. "You're not going into an exam after six days of whatever this is without backup."
Rei replied without heat. "Walk with me. Keep your volume under control until I'm done."
Becca opened her mouth.
Rei looked at her.
Becca's mouth closed with visible effort. "Fine," she said. "I can be normal."
Rei's gaze stayed on her.
Becca narrowed her eyes. "Normal-ish."
Rei accepted the compromise. "Good."
Behind her, the unicorn shifted, hooves clicking. One of Becca's faction members jogged back toward them holding a rolled paper and wearing a mildly panicked expression.
"Becca," the runner said. "Stable office says—"
Becca held up a hand without looking away from Rei. "Later."
The runner stopped short, stared at Rei's fox features, then at the foxes being petted like royalty, then decided they had walked into something above their pay grade.
Rei adjusted his glove liner and started toward the academy blocks. Jinx trotted at his side. Vesper stayed tucked in his hood. Becca fell into step on his other side, still petting Jinx with one hand like she refused to stop.
Rei kept his pace steady.
They reached the academy approach lane. The crowd thinned into uniforms and hard thresholds. Ahead, a slate board stood on a brass post beside the exam doors, inked fresh enough to look wet.
PRACTICAL WINDOW — NOW SEATING
Lane Assignments: Posting Momentarily
A bell tone rang once from inside the building—clean, sharp, and final.
Becca leaned closer, voice low enough to keep the attention off him. "After you're done, you're telling me everything."
Rei nodded once. "After."
He spoke softly to the air in front of him. "Skills."
The overlay answered.
[PARALLEL INTERFACE]
REI HIKARI — SKILLS
TAILCAST (Conduit Boost)
Dream | Shadow | Ember
ENHANCED FORMS (by school)
Restoration: Warm Stitch (Self), Field Wrap (Other)
Conjuration: Foxfire Wisp, Wardling Shard
Fire: Ember Needle, Cinder Veil
Lightning: Sparkstep, Bolt Thread
Ice: Frost Lace, Rime Guard
Earth: Stone Pin, Gravel Skin
Wind: Wind Shear, Slipstream Mantle
Soulcraft: Soul Tether, Echo Ward
Becca craned toward the text like she could bite it. "That's unfair," she said.
Rei let the overlay fade. "It's work."
Becca studied him for a beat, then huffed, satisfied in the way she got when she heard an answer that meant he'd stayed himself.
"Good," she said. "Stay annoying and clever. I missed that."
Warmth tightened in Rei's throat. He kept it contained. "I missed you too."
Becca's grin returned, bright enough to cut through everything else. "Go pass your exam, fox boy."
Rei faced forward. The doors waited. The bell's echo still sat in the air.
Becca was here. The day had changed shape.
Rei stepped toward the practical window.