“Boss, we really had to let ‘em go? Coulda killed him.”

  “Too much light,” Moons replied. “If the noble wants the kid, they get him from them. We know who they are, so send the word to let them know what happened. If she wao avoid this, she should have paid upfront.”

  The thug remained silent. He hadn’t seen Moons like this before, but then again, he couldn’t bme him. The one known as Adam was someone who was crazy strong, someone who had pletely pummelled the likes of Viper and Python, who were not unknowo the likes of Moons.

  “Who was it that brought them to us?” Moons asked.

  “Gee.”

  “Sink him.” Moons growled quietly, before a thought passed through his mind. “No. Don’t sink him. It’s bad luck sinking him whe with someone like the Sister. Deal with him, and make sure he doesn’t e back.”

  “Alright, boss.”

  Meanwhile, Kitool led the way out, while Adam and Vonda escorted the four. The trio were heavily injured, and moved with the speed of those who were such.

  “Manager Vonda, would you mind?” Adam asked.

  Vonda prayed, pg a hand onto their shoulders, healing them with her magic. Due to her particur worship, her healing was greater than healing from other priests who did not worship Mother Soza as their primary Goddess.

  “How about you, Alex? Do you need any healing?”

  “No.”

  “Alright…” Adam gowards Cobra and the others. “So, if you’re Cobra, and you’re Viper, then…”

  “Python,” the young woman replied.

  “Of course.”

  Adam eyed each of them up. They were all simir enough in appearance, lightly tanned skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and they each wore simir outfits. Cobra’s hair had been cut short, while Viper’s hair was almost in a bob, and Python’s was shaved at the sides, and fairly short up top.

  “So, what’s your story?”

  “Let’s head back first,” Cobra said, her voice cold and stern. “We’ve got to make sure our brothers and sisters are okay.”

  “Sure.”

  Oool had led them out of the alleys, Cobra took point, leading the way through a differe of alleys, making their way towards another area which y in the shadows. The houses here were in a terrible state, boarded up, the wood rickety and rotten, and the people around were as hungry as they were dirty. The homeless arou a small fire going which they bunched up around, though some of the streetfolk stayed away from them.

  Cobra stumbled her way to a building, her eyes holding a vicious gre towards the others around, before she knocked on the door three times, before opening the door. “We’re back.”

  Adam stepped in after the trio, noting the number of children around, over a dozen, as well as two more young women and a young man. Each were in quite the state, not quite as dirty as the others around, but equally as malnourished.

  “This is quite a lot of siblings,” Adam said.

  “Pardon the mess,” Cobra said. “Julia, put on some kip for uests. You’ll have to excuse us, we’ve got no drinks to share.”

  “Don’t worry about it…” Adam said, noting the looks from the children, half curious, half apprehensive, wholly afraid. “Good m, everyone.”

  “…”

  Adam smiled awkwardly. “My name is Adam. I’m a… friend of Cobra’s.”

  “He helped us get Alex back,” Cobra informed. The air in the mood lightened slightly at her words, but the tension of apprehension tio g in the air like a low stench.

  Adam tio smile awkwardly. “Kitool, why don’t you get some ingredients to make some food. Sister Vonda here, she knows how to create food from magic, but it doesn’t taste very niothing against her, of course, just that’s now how the magic works. Although…”

  Adam pced a hand over his amulet, praying lightly, before g his hands together for a moment, before unravelling his hands for the children to see.

  Mana: 19 -> 18Spell: Goodberry

  Ten berries formed within his hand, each ripe red, like cherries. The children’s eyes shot wide open in awe, while Cobra’s suspicious eyes remained vigint against the stranger.

  “Why don’t you each take a berry, and don’t worry, I do this a few more times, one for everyone.” Adam said, while a few of the children stepped up towards him.

  Cobra held out a hand to stop the children. “You pray to Lord Sozain?”

  “I pray to Lord Sozain, Baktu, one might say, but I’m not a fan of death.” Adam motioned his head to Vonda. “Sister Vonda here tempers me. Well, she tries.”

  “Are they safe to eat?”

  “I would hope so, since I’ve beeing them for a while. They’re berries made of magic. Though you might feel hungry, you won’t o eat anything for the entire day, save for the single berry.”

  “Queer magic, that,” Cobra said. “Never heard of it before.”

  “I pray to Mother Soza to provide more food,” Vonda offered. “As Adam said, it will not taste good, but he has the ability to fvour it, and it will fill the group up.”

  Cobra eyed up the pair suspiciously. It was awkward sihey were priests, but she had to look after her siblings.

  “I will procure food,” Kitool said.

  “Viper, Python, why don’t you help Kitool here. I’m sure you know what the kids will enjoy eating, or what will be healthy for them, and she’ll he help carrying all the food back.” Adam slipped a hand into his pouch, tossing out an obsidian gem.

  Kitool caught the gem, waiting for the pair of women. They gowards their sister for permission, and she nodded.

  “So… what’s the story with you all?” Adam asked as the trio set out.

  “Viper and Python are my cousins,” Cobra said. “Our parents passed away when we were young. We were left to fend for ourselves. Everyone here has a simir story. We’ve been w at the pits to make some , but it hasn’t helped.”

  “The pits?”

  “It’s a pce to fight underground. We kept winning, but then no one wao fight us. We…” C the children. “We tried to find other work, but it’s been hard. We haven’t beeing much for the past month.”

  “I t seventeen children and six adults,” Adam said. “Expeo feed so many mouths if you don’t have a proper job.”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Adam pced the berries onto the table, taking oo eat himself.

  Health: 73 -> 74

  “I’m Executive Adam. I’m a smith, alchemist, and a warrior. You might have heard of me, I pced third in the Noonval Tour st year, and Executive Kitool, the young woman who went to go buy some food with your sisters, she pced sed.”

  Cobra narrowed her eyes. “You fought iour?”

  “I usually urple armour.”

  “You’re Purple Adam?”

  Adam shrugged his shoulders gently, sighing at the name. “Yeah… I’m Purple Adam.” ‘It’s better than Unrivalled…’

  Cobra took a berry, eating it, before noting how she felt slightly rejuvenated after eating it. She o the others, who reached for the berries, biting them in half before the rest to another.

  “o share,” Adam said, before reag for his amulet, creating more berries.

  Mana: 18 -> 17Mana: 17 -> 16

  “I’m not sure if they’ll work if you share them, but there you go.” Adam watched as everyone picked up a berry to eat, including Julia, who had brought over a rge pot to begin cooking. “Hold o me your hands.”

  Trick: Tricks

  Adam reached over to cast a spell against the young woman, before the dirt and grime disappeared from her, scattering away onto the floor. The young woman eyed up her hands, noting how they had bee.

  “Thank you,” Julia said, though her eyes remained suspicious on the young man.

  Adam nodded, smiling politely. “Were you all born i Port?”

  “Yes,” Cobra replied.

  “Do you have any attats to the city?”

  “We were born here.”

  “What about to the people of East Port?”

  “Not much. Sometimes they show their kindness, but we still grew hungry.”

  “Fair…” Adam slowly nodded his head.

  “You’re looking to hire people for work?” Cobra asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What kind of work?”

  “We work for the Enter. We need some muscle, hence why I’m ied in you snakes, but also youo train into crafters, guards, bourers, so on.” Adam sed the group as they ate, while Julia began making a fire. Adam could have used magic, but decided against using too much, just in case it offended her.

  “You work for an enter?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Cobra narrowed her eyes, even more fused.

  “What I’m you all is a deal you probably won’t find anywhere else,” Adam said. “You stay here and grow hungry, or you join the business. We’ll deal with your housing, your food, your education, and so on and so oers, numbers, a trade. If any of you have an affinity for the Divine, we teach you priestly magics.”

  “…” Cobra’s eyes remained focused oranger before her, who used so much magic, as though it was sed nature to him. ‘What?’

  Surely nothing will g.