Piper arrived at the Dancing Gnome Inn a short time later, with Wisp leading the way. As it turned out, she’d only been a few blocks from the building. But as usual, she hadn’t recognized any of the streets. If the Holy System didn’t offer her some sort of pathfinding skill soon, she might end up lost forever someday.

  “Remember,” Wisp said. “Two meals.”

  “I know,” Piper replied. “But maybe you can help me with something else, too.”

  Wisp’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Did you change your mind about the heist? If so, I know the perfect place.”

  “No.” Piper shook her head. “Like I said, I’m not going into a life of crime. But I think we can both make some good coin from it.”

  Piper walked across the street, making sure to avoid the largest piles of horse dung. Even with the cleanup crews that emerged at night, the entire city stunk like a barn. And the roads were a quagmire of mud and waste.

  The more time she spent in this city, the more she considered renting a room on a rural property. Though to be fair, she hadn’t entered the walled part yet. She was too afraid one of the guards manning the gates would see through her illusion. Maybe things were better inside there.

  Pushing open the inn’s front door, she stepped inside. The main floor was almost completely deserted. There was an older man nursing a drink in the corner, and another hulking man passed out and snoring loudly; a tipped-over mug of ale lay beside him. But there was no sign of Ophelia or Lukas.

  “Wait here,” Piper said to Wisp. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t you dare try to go back on our deal,” Wisp said. “It doesn’t matter that you were only a street away from the inn. You promised to buy me lunch for taking you here.”

  “I just want to find my friends.” Apparently, Wisp wasn’t the trusting type. Not that a thief could likely afford that luxury. And she did look hungry.

  Piper bounded up the stairs and arrived at the room she shared with Ophelia. She placed the key in the lock and turned it until she heard a click. Then she pushed the door open. Inside, there was no sign of her friend.

  With a sigh, she placed her bow and quiver in the corner. Once they were propped up, she cast [Veil of Lies]. Both demonic weapons disappeared from sight. If anyone looked there, they would only see an empty corner.

  Then, before leaving, she retrieved the moonstone from under the bed and hung it around her neck. Since she’d learned that the tailor had reacted to the symbol of Infernus and not the gem, she wanted to start wearing Ophelia’s gift again.

  Locking the door behind her, she descended the stairs to the main floor. As she did, she glimpsed the innkeeper bustling around in the kitchen. The woman had started dinner, and she flitted between kneading dough, cutting vegetables, and turning meat on a spit.

  Piper placed her hand on her hips and tried to think of where to find the others. Where would they have gone?

  She hurried over to the back door and glanced out at the courtyard behind the inn. There, she finally spotted Lukas and Ophelia. The earth mage had summoned a mud elemental, and Ophelia was hacking away at it with her wooden sword.

  For a moment, she watched them with a slight smile playing across her face. What Ophelia lacked in skill, she made up for with enthusiasm. She seemed utterly dedicated to slaying the elemental. And Lukas was gamely playing along as he controlled the creature.

  Finally, after a minute had passed, Ophelia stopped and looked in her direction. Her face lit up with a big smile, and she rushed over to the doorway.

  “Pip!” she cried out. “How’d your quest go?”

  The mention of the quest made her smile fade. “Not great.”

  “That bad?” Ophelia pressed her lips together. Then she stepped forward and drew Piper into a crushing hug. “I’m sure you did everything you could.”

  Lukas approached while they were talking. The curly-haired young man leaned on his staff. “Did your quest not go well?”

  Piper exhaled and looked away. “It was to clear out a ratfolk den.”

  “Ah… I see.” Lukas nodded his head. “I’ve never completed one of those quests myself. However, I had a group member who did one once. Poor Philomen drowned himself in wine for weeks afterwards.”

  Ophelia’s gaze alternated between them. “Is anyone going to fill me in? Or do I have to start poking?”

  “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

  Piper looked up at Ophelia who was playing with her braid. “Have either of you eaten?”

  Lukas grabbed his money pouch and squeezed it. The leather bag made no sound, indicating it was completely empty.

  “I’m sorry,” Piper said, frowning slightly. “I probably should have left some money for you.”

  “There’s no need to apologize. The innkeeper provided us with a hearty breakfast.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s grab some lunch and ice cream.”

  “Ice cream?” Ophelia’s eyes lit up. “What are we waiting for?”

  Piper held up her hand. “Also, I should probably tell you that I invited a thief to come with us. Before you say anything, she’s helped me in the past. Just make sure she doesn’t… borrow anything from you.”

  “A thief?” Lukas rested his staff against his shoulder. “Should we really be consorting with that type?”

  “She’s not all bad.”

  Lukas shook his head. “I’d rather stay here than besmirch my good name as an aspirant. What if she commits a crime in our presence? All of us could be thrown in the stocks. I’d rather stay here and practice my magic.”

  At his words, Piper hesitated. She still didn’t know much about the Arissian Empire. What if, by hanging out with a thief, they were all painted with the same brush? Then she dismissed her worries. Wisp wouldn’t do anything while they were having lunch.

  At least I hope.

  Turning around, she headed back inside to see Wisp creeping toward the slumbering man. She looked at the girl in disbelief. At least to her credit, Wisp immediately stepped back and looked guilty.

  Piper rolled her eyes and motioned for Wisp to follow them. As soon as they were outside, she turned around to scold the girl. “Were you seriously going to rob someone in the inn that I’m staying at?”

  Wisp crossed her arms. “I saw a new dress I wanted the other day. That oaf would have helped me to pay for it.”

  “No crime while I’m with you!” Piper said, slightly too loud as a few passersby turned in their direction. In a lower voice, she continued, “Or the deal is off.”

  “I suppose I could try to not steal anything. But no promises.”

  With mounting frustration, Piper set off toward the market—only for a Wisp to stop her after a few steps and point her in a new direction. After being corrected, she set out at a steady pace.

  Soon, the delicious aromas of spicy meat and baked goods filled the air. She hadn’t had a proper breakfast, and her stomach rumbled angrily. She couldn’t wait to get something to eat.

  The entrance to the market had two guards in armor holding halberds. Their bored gaze slid over Piper and Ophelia before landing on Wisp. Then their expressions hardened.

  “No trouble, young lady,” the older one drawled. He had a shock of white hair sticking out of his helmet. “Do you hear me? Or do I need to knock some sense into your head?”

  “Who, me?” Wisp said, pointing at herself and looking innocent. “When have I ever caused trouble?”

  The guard took a menacing step forward. “Emperor help me, I swear I’ll arrest you again myself.”

  Wisp pressed a hand to her chest. “I promise to obey all the laws, Gregoir.”

  “Blasted girl,” the guard said before motioning them through.

  Piper raised her eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Clearly, they were familiar with Wisp here. And she’d been caught more than once in the past. How many times had she ended up in the stocks?

  Upon entering, the market spread out in front of them. It had three rows of stalls, the fabric on them dyed a riot of colors. There were blues, yellows, and reds. All thrown together in the most garish patterns imaginable.

  The first row of the market mainly had bakers, offering fresh bread, pies, and pastries. The middle was mostly made up of stalls selling cooked meat. While the last row offered dried goods.

  Piper immediately made her way over to one of the bakers on the side. Perched on the table were dozens of delicious-looking meat pies. Her mouth almost watered at the sight of them.

  She placed a copper on the table. “I’d like three pies, please.”

  The woman, who was nearly as wide as she was tall, gave her a warm smile. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun, and she had a touch of flour on her cheeks. “I’m honored to have an aspirant at my stall. And it’s one copper for four pies.”

  “I’ll take the extra one,” Wisp said, cutting in. “It’s only fair.”

  Ophelia glared at the young woman. “Oh no, you won’t. That pie has my name on it.”

  Piper shook her head. “We’ll figure it out later.”

  The woman took the coin, gave her a confused smile, and then handed them four pies. She gave one to each of the other young women and then took two herself. With the pies in hand, she made her way through the crowd to a bench near a burbling fountain.

  Sitting down, she placed one of the pies in her lap and bit into the other one. The taste of spicy pork flooded her taste buds. While it was hard not to wolf down the meal, she took her time enjoying the delicious pie.

  The other two girls didn’t seem to share her mindset, and their meat pies disappeared in moments. As they stared at her like hungry wolves, she sighed and broke the last pie in half. She then handed a piece to each of them.

  As she continued to eat, she watched people as they approached the fountain to fill up their water containers. Some carried wooden buckets, while others had richly decorated clay pots. In the past, she’d always thought fountains were nothing more than decorative, but people in the city used them as their main water source. Not that she could blame them with all the waste that made its way into the river.

  Once they were all finished eating, she led them over to the ice cream stand. The frozen treat cost far more than anything else she ate. And unless she started to earn a lot more coin, she wouldn’t be able to afford many more bowls.

  But today, she needed something to improve her mood. She walked up to the stand and placed down three copper coins down. The woman glanced at them and then set about scooping up three bowls of the icy treat. Then without a word, she slammed them down on the table. The entire time, she glared daggers at Wisp.

  Piper had a feeling that her new friend had a history with the woman. However, she didn’t want to bring it up.

  After the bowls had been dished out, she handed one to each of the young women. As she spooned the ice cream into her mouth, she almost gasped with pleasure. It was a yummy blend of fruit and sugar she hadn’t tasted before.

  I doubt there’s anything better than ice cream in this world.

  They ate slowly in front of the stall before returning the bowls. Then they headed over to the benches again. Piper sat down and leaned back to stare at the expansive blue sky. As she watched wispy clouds drift across the horizon, she felt completely at peace for the first time in a long while.

  Glancing over at Wisp, she pressed her lips together. “Would you be interested in joining an aspirant party with me?”

  Wisp doubled over with laughter for nearly a minute before straightening up and wiping away a tear. “Wait, are you serious?”

  “Yes,” Piper said, scowling. “Why wouldn’t I be serious?”

  “Because I don’t want to die?” Wisp replied. “It would be faster and easier if I just turned myself into the guard with all my stolen goods. That’s a much better death than being eaten by a monster.”

  “You wouldn’t have to do any fighting…”

  Wisp held up her hand. “Not interested. If you ever need any help in the city, I’m happy to help for a price. But you couldn’t pay me enough to become an aspirant.”

  Piper twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Her plan had been to cobble together a group of aspirants, where she fought the battles alone. That way, no one would be hurt, and she could use her class to its full potential. However, it looked like her idea would be harder to execute than she thought.

  For now, she would have to stick with Basil’s group. But she planned to take a few days off first. Hopefully, they would do the same. She suspected all of them could use some downtime after their last quest.