David stood in the middle of the laboratory, his exhausted heart beating like thunder. The room felt narrower than the corridor had, crowded with alchemical implements and runic schematics.

  He had paid no attention to any of that, though. He was laser-focused on the enigma of a person in front of him.

  “What am I?” The girl stared in shock, fear loosening the grip on her. Hope crept into her eyes. “You… you don’t know?”

  “I don’t.” His voice came out steady enough. “But apparently you do know something about me. I’ll ask again. How much did you see?”

  She steadied. “If you’re not one of his… then why approach me? Why chase me down to this academy? I did nothing wrong.”

  Silence stretched. He tried to follow her thought process and failed. “Do what? I am just a student who wanted to say hello.”

  “A student.” Her face went blank. “None of the students I know have Ishterian living weapons. Or act like killing machines while looking like a child. Do you take me for an idiot? You just want to wring information out of me.”

  The unfamiliar name rang out in David’s head. “You mean my claws?” He said, seeking confirmation for what he already knew: She had seen his secret.

  His instincts whispered the simple solution: silence her, blame the intruders, walk away clean.

  There was a precedent for that; He had done the same thing with Hiveo… But did he want to do it again?

  He lifted his hand. “These ones?” He let the claws grow out a fraction, careful not to feed the predator too much, lest he lose control.

  She flinched, then forced her shoulders square. “How crude. You don’t even know what you have.”

  “Explain then.”

  “No.”

  “Listen,” he said, tired down to bone, “I’ll cut to the point. You’re some kind of monster preying on humans. A weak one, because you’d already kill me if you could. If I get rid of you here and now, I’ll probably be rewarded with a badge of honor. The only reason I haven’t yet is that you might give me valuable knowledge.”

  She scowled. “So you can hand me over to the city guard once you’ve learned what you wanted?”

  As she spoke, a magic circle sprung to life next to him. He had no time to analyze its purpose: She was talking to keep him distracted.

  He moved. Two steps and a lunge. The claws—little more than sharp nails—raked across her face. Blood streamed down her cheek and neck. The forming spell snapped out with a soft, empty pop.

  “Don’t underestimate me,” he said, “and answer my questions.”

  “I’d rather die.” She pressed her palm to the cuts, hissing from the pain.

  Annoyance rose like heat. He couldn’t leave her be. Killing her would fix everything, but she was a monster. A sentient one. She knew about the claws and where they came from. He could never forgive himself if he wasted a one-of-a-kind chance to learn more about the true nature of this world.

  “So dramatic.” He exhaled. “I’m offering you a way out. As I see it, if I don’t kill you here and now, we’re both in check. For either of us to get rid of the other would mean to take themselves down.”

  She went still, then her eyes opened a fraction wider. “So we could work together, and keep living our own lives?”

  “Exactly. But that hinges on convincing me that I shouldn’t murder you.”

  “Sounds like you don’t have the guts to kill me. Am I too human for you? Too pretty?”

  “Try me.”

  She paused for a moment, then spoke without calling his bluff. “What’s in it for me?”

  He hesitated. Coercion had a short shelf life. “You want to learn more about human tools and magic. I could help with that.”

  “How exactly? You’re a child.”

  “You’re not as smart as you seem if you still believe that.” He let a corner of his mouth lift. “And I have powerful friends.”

  “Friends who would kill me the second they knew more about me. Great offer.”

  “They don’t have to know.”

  Silence again, different this time. She looked past him, then back, thinking it through.

  “I can give you some information,” she said at last, “but I won’t say anything about my people, even if it cost me my life.”

  “Let’s say that works for now. What connection do you have to today’s attacks on me?”

  “You waste no time… I provided information.”

  “On me? Why?”

  “It was my people that orchestrated the attacks. After you approached me, they just wanted to check your background, but the more they found out about you, the more convinced they were that you’re some pursuer chasing after us.”

  “Utterly ridiculous. Can you call them off?”

  “They had already left the city the second I told them the attack went south.”

  “So you can communicate over distances. Interesting.”

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  “That’s not…” Her mouth tightened. “My turn—”

  “Hold on. This is no way to have a conversation.” He cut in, moved to a corner workbench, and pulled two chairs free. He set one facing her.

  She slowly rose from the ground, watching his every move, and sat. Under the drying smear of blood, the skin of her cheek was already smooth again.

  “And your wounds closed already.” he exhaled deeply. “Seems like we have a long talk ahead of us.”

  David spent a long while talking to the girl who had introduced herself as Ualani.

  He had mostly used the time to promise he was the best person she could hope to meet about tools and the kinds of science humans had developed, and to map out what mattered to her.

  “Before we move on to an agreement, let’s establish some things first,” he said. “You look like a human, but unlike actual humans, your mana is centered in the brain. So you’re either a shapeshifter, or you’re capable of mind control.”

  She tightened her lips in silence.

  “Since you are at the academy, alone, your race trusted you to further their interests. You must be at least good at whatever it is you’re doing. And because I am still alive, that means you lack offensive means. So… a parasite?”

  She flinched, a small, involuntary motion that said more than words. It was all but a confirmation.

  “Great. A race of parasites taking over human bodies. But why? Humans are nothing special. You’d have much more use taking over a bristlemane.”

  “You think we— I don’t know that?” Her voice broke, her frustration clearly heard.

  “No, I’m sure you have your reasons.” He shrugged. “But the sooner you trust me with the basics, the sooner we both benefit. As you can see, I’ll unravel it sooner or later. Worst case, I could just dissect you.”

  She scowled. “You ask for trust, yet threaten violence.”

  “It’s called coercion. We humans are good at that.”

  “And you call us monsters. Fine.” She folded, finally. “We’re… ‘parasites’, as you so kindly put it, and we can no longer hunt among the tribes.”

  “Pissed off the wrong guy? Person? I’m sorry, I have no idea how to refer to them other than monsters.”

  “Ishtar.” She said it like the word would answer all his questions.

  “Elaborate, please.” He stifled a yawn, “I have never heard that word before today.”

  “It’s the strongest tribe in the world, and they almost wiped us out before humans had first arrived here. Their leader is known among your kind as the King of Rage.”

  “So that’s why you were scared of my claws—erm, the living weapons?”

  “Wouldn’t you be?”

  “Probably. But enough about that. You can heal yourself.”

  “Yes. Heal and modify the host body.”

  “Is that why you don’t seem to require sleep?”

  “Are we making a deal, or is this an interrogation?” she snapped.

  “I need to know what you can offer me, before I propose the terms. Now answer.”

  “Yes, reducing the need for sleep is among the first modifications we make to our bodies.”

  The academy didn’t teach such knowledge. Supposedly, it required sacrifices that were just too great. But for David, it could be a priceless opportunity. A rare skill that promised self-sufficiency.

  “Is it something you’d be able to teach me?”

  “Are you serious? You’d have to kill hundreds, maybe thousands of your own kind to learn it properly.”

  So that’s the sacrifice they spoke of.

  “I’ve heard so, but it got me thinking.” He bluffed. “Couldn’t I just practice on something else? Monsters or animals?”

  She thought for a second, before answering. “Up to a certain point, I think.”

  “That’s fine then. I think I know enough.” He straightened in the chair, his head pulsing like a struck bell. “I’ll let you live, introduce you to a powerful person, and help you learn the secrets of human craftsmanship.”

  “Enticing. And what must I give in return?”

  “Firstly, you teach me about the tribes of this world, excluding your own. Secondly, you tell me what you know about those so-called Ishtar living weapons. Thirdly, help me learn healing magic.”

  “You don’t realize what you’re signing up for.”

  “Believe me, I do. I have struggled to survive since I was nine. This is barely a challenge.”

  “You still look nine.” She looked at him for a long moment, fingers squeezing the edges of her sleeves. Faced with silence, her bravado faded and she started fidgeting.

  Ualani looked around, her eyes scanning her laboratory. She took a deep breath, and facing him, finally said the words he was waiting for. “I accept.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you.” Relief came out of him with a long sigh, his shoulders sagging. He rose with effort, weariness and pain in every muscle. “We’ll come back to this later. Just remember: if I find myself attacked again, or someone mysteriously learns about my secret, you’re going down with me.”

  He kept the dizziness out of his voice as he stepped back toward the door, leaving Ualani to her own devices.

  The next two days dredged on slowly. David was stuck at home resting, only attending the academy lessons. His body was much more messed up than he realized and it would take weeks to get back to top form. Even today, Aura wanted to prevent him from leaving their room, but she was busy finalizing the buyout of their new house.

  So, as soon as she left, David put on his boots, grabbed the cane-head artifact and went out. He had to, as it was the day he was to meet with a master enchanter.

  He could say many things about Diana, but whenever she promised something, she delivered and fast. Almost too fast, for his current schedule and state.

  The meeting took place in an unassuming tavern in the refugee district. David walked in, asked the barkeep for room thirteen, then went up a flight of stairs.

  When he entered, the master enchanter was already there, sitting at the only table in the room. He was an older man, with a white bushy beard and a scowl.

  “A kid?” He spat. “Get lost, I am waiting for someone.”

  “That someone is me, my lord. I’m Marco.” David bowed, unsure of the man’s status. “I brought an artifact for you to inspect.”

  “Figures they wouldn’t come themselves.” A look of understanding came across the man’s face. David didn’t correct him. “Be quick about it, let’s see what you have.”

  Once David pulled out the cane-head, the artificer took a good look, twirling it in his hands and looking at it from every direction for a good few minutes. A set of magic circles appeared and completed, and finally, the man returned the item to him.

  “It was made for blunt weapons, and if memory serves me right, it used to be the standard for Ka-relan armies back in the old world. Its enchantment releases a small shockwave when struck.”

  “What’s Ka-relan?” David asked, trying his best to sound like a curious child.

  “That’s not for you to know.” The man shook his head as he got up from the table. “Tell whoever sent you, that it’s permanent and mana efficient. Not very unique, but still a medium grade artifact.”

  Seeing as the man was about to walk out, David decided to squeeze as much of the conversation as possible.

  “My lord, I was also instructed to ask how expensive it would be to enchant a robe for protection.”

  “Barrier generation, or passive protection?”

  David wasn’t sure how to interpret the question, so he decided on the safe route. “Could you give me a price for both, my lord?”

  “2.000 and 20.000 silver respectively. Move aside, kid, I have places to be.”

  And just like that, the man left in a hurry, leaving the stupefied David behind. Inspired by the recent attacks on him, he had wanted some protection, but the prices were… astronomical and far outside his reach.

  I’ll stick to chainmail.