The next week flew by in a blur.

  They fell into an easy rhythm of attending night dives with Cypha, delving into the junkyard in an attempt to scour and sell whatever components they could, taking advantage of the fresh drops. Despite Clark Hallewell’s initial interest in them, he hadn’t shown up to attend any of their other excursions, for which Evantra was grateful.

  They had amassed a small war chest, saving up about 1,000 ectocredits, after reserving or spending the rest on cheap stims, ammo for Evantra’s machine pistol and components for the drone. It seemed as if Noelle had just about repaired it, after further consults with Benjamin in Second World.

  During the dives, she had encountered more teethlings, lesser elementals, and a couple of mimics. She was quickly realising one of the limitations of the abilities she had gained. Despite having near-unlimited flexibility, her progression was limited by how many catalysts she could acquire, as well as identifying the respective creatures to kill to obtain the skills that she needed. While she had been extremely lucky in finding the creatures that she needed to fully unlock the potential of the catalysts she possessed, she had yet to find any further ones that she could use.

  Even after countless hours of fruitlessly searching the web, she hadn’t been able to identify even a whiff of the strange objects she had found in the laboratory. Mentions of “relics” or the “occult artefacts” mentioned in Millie’s grandmother’s book were non-existent, which was a surprising departure from the usual misinformation plaguing topics associated with rituals.

  Millie’s mother, Adeline, had agreed to speak to her in a couple of days, and that was her next shot at learning something more about the rituals.

  The bottom line was that she had hit a wall in her progression.

  The magical girl games she had played seemed to be true to what information was available online. Magical girls seemed to level and advance as they faced adversity, pushing themselves and the limits of their powers.

  Evantra found herself wishing for a similar, straightforward path to power.

  In the meantime, Evantra decided that she would focus on “progressing” the other crucial facets of her life.

  “Miss Tran.”

  Tai Tran, the twelve-year-old girl minding the counter at Gale’s Gunstore didn’t bother to look up and acknowledge her from the task she was absorbed in. This time, she was cleaning what looked to be an assault rifle, the length of which rivalled the girl’s total height.

  “Twenty ectocredits.”

  “I haven’t even told you what gun I’m after.”

  The girl paused in her cleaning, casting a deliberate glance towards her holster, then towards Evantra, and back towards the holster again.

  “Thirty ectocredits for interrupting me.”

  To the young girl’s surprise, Evantra snatched the payment device and swiped her ectocard.

  “Do I have your attention now?”

  Tai paused in her cleaning, raising an eyebrow while peering over the horn-rimmed glasses adorably perched over her button nose. Her eyes flicked to the holster at Evantra's side, then back to her eyes.

  “I’m surprised that you haven’t shot yourself. Would you like a bullet-proof vest just in case?”

  “You’ve certainly inherited your father’s sales sense, haven’t you?”

  The little girl seemed to bask in her words, as if they had been praise.

  “What do you want?”

  “I’m looking for upgrades,” Evantra waggled her eyebrows at her.

  “Be specific.”

  Evantra scratched the back of her neck with a sigh.

  “I’m looking for something that I can use at range. The Nagantra’s accuracy drops off after—”

  “It has an effective range of 150 metres. Do you want me to change that to yards for you, dumbo?”

  Evantra stared at her, doubting her ears. She was sure she caught the whisper at the end of the girl’s sentence.

  “Pardon?”

  “It has an effective range of 165 yards. Do you need me to repeat myself?”

  I definitely caught her the first time around.

  You aren’t gaslighting me, little Tai.

  It seems your father has been hard at work imparting his best sales tactics.

  I see you’re taking the bullying approach.

  “I’m looking for an assault rifle, something that I can use at range. Light enough for me to carry.”

  “Hmm, what about the Izanami SCAR.”

  “No upselling, daughter,” Evantra gave the girl her best impression of her father, Minh Tran’s voice. Like clockwork, operating solely by instinct, the girl made her reply.

  “The Liberty Astral M5. Low recoil, foldable and portable, and reliable in numerous terrain conte— WAIT YOU TRICKED ME.”

  Evantra stared at the girl as she snapped out of her stupor, her attempt to deceive her succeeding.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “My impression was pretty good, wasn’t it? You gaslit me. It’s what you get.”

  “I don’t know the meaning of that word,” the girl harrumphed.

  “You’re doing it again.”

  “Tsk.”

  Tai hopped off the box that she was standing on and hurried into the back room. After a brief exchange in Vietnamese, her father emerged with her in tow, a beaming smile on her face.

  Minh hefted the case in his hands, planting it on the desk before her. With a slight flourish, he opened the case to reveal the weapon inside. Just as Tai had promised, it was in its folded state, and with a practised whip, he unfolded the weapon. Clicking into place, Evantra admired its sleek silhouette. It seemed as if Liberty’s newer range of assault rifles was a departure from the bulky, heavy options that they were best known for.

  “I see Sig Sauer’s hand in this. Some of the old guys must still be around, otherwise this would be twice the size and weight like the rest of Liberty’s crap. How’d you manage to get her to give it to you straight?”

  “I pretended to be you. Caught her off guard.”

  Tai stewed beside her father, shooting Evantra a glare, to which she returned a smirk.

  Evantra swiped her e-card, transferring 1,000 ectocreds for the weapon and three magazines. This time, she didn’t have the benefit of a trade-in or the delivery of bread to rely upon.

  Minh laid a rose, along with the weapon, on the table. Tai’s eyes widened in a momentary break of composure as she stared at it.

  “100% organic, pretty impressive, huh Tai?”

  The girl nodded wordlessly.

  “We aren’t running a post office here. There’ll be a charge for the next thing you send here.”

  Evantra grinned at Minh.

  “Couldn’t afford to ruin the surprise. Thanks again for the favour, Minh. Miss Tran, you should ask your dad for a bonus the next time you close a sale. Closers get bonuses.”

  “Closers get bonuses,” the girl whispered with reverence, her eyes lingering on the organic rose from Demeteria corporation. Most in Wisptown and even the outskirts in Bastion, it would have been seen as a wanton waste of money on a luxury. That much was clear from Minh's expression, assuming it wasn't brought by her introduction of performance bonuses to Tai.

  Evantra understood romance better than the rabble. As frugal as she was, that was the whole point of getting someone a flower, in a world bereft of them. It had been pricey, but seeing as Trevor still refused to tell Evantra how much he had paid for her treatment, she had to resort to new tactics.

  ---

  “So, old man. You excited for the date?”

  “Watch it, kid,” Trevor said gruffly, as he adjusted his dress shirt and suit jacket, “you were calling me ‘Officer Foster’ just a week ago.”

  “Yep, took me only a week to figure out that there was a wholesome, cuddly, teddy bear under that gruff, mysterious, detective exterior and moustache,” Evantra replied, her voice entirely level.

  “Whatever happened to respect—”

  “You trimmed, great. You got the flower—”

  “What flower? Evantra—”

  “As I was saying. You got the flower, fantastic. Now all you need to do is not talk about her ex-husband, her ex-boyfriends, your work, or me in any way, shape or form. This date is about her. Got that? Safe topics include but are not limited to: Lucas, flowers, cocktails, fancy bars that you’ve been to in Elsecaller City – pictures are recommended for inspiration. It’s been her dream to open up a joint.”

  “Y-yep.”

  Beads of sweat had surfaced across Trevor’s forehead, even with the air con in his police van on full blast. Evantra grinned at the officer. Then she revealed her surprise, shoving the rose into his hands as he stared blankly at her.

  “There. Now you’re all set. I’m glad you managed to squeeze this in. You’ve been busy lately.”

  Trevor’s expression darkened before he shook his head.

  “Did you get the weapon?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re really intent on coming along? Raids like this to flush out Veilcreatures can be full on.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. There’s still a participation reward, right?”

  Trevor let out a sigh before returning his attention to the rose.

  “Never mind that, we can talk about it later. This isn’t organic, is it? Evantra? Evantra wait.”

  She paused, turning back to look at him, sensing the tone in his voice. She watched as Trevor smiled, genuine gratitude in his eyes.

  “Thanks kid, you’re not all that bad.”

  Evantra snorted.

  “Tell me how much the treatment was when you get back! Have fun, but not too much fun.”

  Evantra exited the hovervan and made her way down the path towards the church, briefly checking the time on her phone.

  A small smile formed across her lips, recalling Trevor’s words to her.

  There was one final stop to make before her appointment.

  ---

  Carmen Alvarez was stunning.

  She was wearing an elegant red dress, paired with black heels. Beside Trevor in his black dress-shirt and jacket, they would make for a stunning pair. Just as Trevor had tamed the mop of hair on his head, Carmen’s own tumbled down her shoulders in waves. She had a light coat of lipstick on her lips, not even a touch overdone. Lucas was seated on the mattress behind her.

  “He’s taking me to a bar in Bastion. The Lilyville. I hear they have organic flowers.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Pendejo. Don’t play with me, you booked it for him, didn’t you?”

  Evantra just raised an eyebrow, as she teased an errant tangle free in Carmen’s hair. The woman raised a shapely eyebrow at her in the mirror, to which Evantra simply returned with a casual shrug.

  “Would you like to know what his initial suggestion was?”

  Carmen winced slightly, exchanging a knowing look with Evantra before smiling affectionately.

  “The venue wouldn’t have mattered in the end. Still, thank you, Eva.”

  “At least you’re not making me go on the date for you. Don’t shame all the abuelas out there with your horrible flirting skills. You’ve disappointed your ancestors enough already—”

  Evantra narrowly avoided a slap from the woman as she grinned at her.

  “I will say… you’ve certainly warmed up to him rather quickly.”

  “See? I told you. I do trust people. Trevor has substance.”

  Carmen’s face fell, and Evantra immediately regretted her words.

  “Sorry. Forget that, go and scout out our new neighbourhood while you’re at it, will you? The buyer’s daughter is coming down soon.”

  “I still don’t know how you managed to get such a premium on it…”

  “You can thank Noelle for that. She’s keeping a lookout for properties in the outskirts. If and when you’re ready… we can pull the trigger.”

  “What were you saying about lacking substance?”

  Evantra ignored her.

  “He’s going to be busy with all those Veilcreature appearances in the sewers lately. He let it slip that they’re planning a bigger raid with some backup from the outskirts to flush them out in a couple of days. So, make sure you lock down the second date and hold him to it.”

  Carmen blushed, but before she could eek out a reply, Evantra was already out of her immediate proximity, ruffling Lucas’ hair.

  “Ready to go?”

  The boy nodded, smiling up at her.

  They turned at a knock on the room door. Noelle was standing in it, peeking into the room.

  “Hey Carmen, are you excited for the date?”

  “Noelle!”

  Carmen beamed at the girl and rose from where she was seated to give the girl a hug.

  “Thank you so much for doing them, you have a talent.”

  Carmen held out her painted nails, which Noelle had kindly helped manicure. The girl blushed slightly at the compliment, averting her gaze.

  Evantra grumbled under her breath, giving Lucas a little nudge.

  “Who cares about nails, am I right—”

  “They’re pretty!”

  It seemed like Evantra wouldn’t be finding an ally in Lucas Alvarez.

  “Hey, um… Evantra? If you want me to look after Lucas while you go speak to Anastasia, I’d be more than happy to.”

  “No thanks.”

  Noelle stiffened, and Carmen let out a long sigh.

  “Eva—”

  “Anyways! We’ll be late, tell me all about it when you get back.”

  Evantra dragged Lucas past the pair of them, down the stairs at a quick pace, straight towards the Alvarez home.

  They had a client to meet, one Anastasia Vandemeer, the daughter of the eccentric elderly couple that she had spoken to, who were enthusiastic about purchasing a “rural”, Veiltouched house.

  Anastasia Vandemeer, the potential Ghostslayer candidate.

  (20 chapters).