NOT GOLD NOT SILVER

     I could feel their eyes on me with every step I took. They were around every corner, blending into the crowds, lurking in the shadows – everywhere. The district Captain, Liora, was making sure I wasn't up to anything suspicious. Her men were tailing me, thinking I never noticed. Amateurs. They might as well have been banging pots and pans together while screaming on top of their lungs.

Connections, now those were the real currency in this city. Not gold, not silver… connections. Knowing who to trust, who to bribe, who to blackmail. That's what kept you alive. It's not what you know; it's who you know and how well you can play the game. I'd learned that lesson the hard way.

"Barton said hi," a student whispered as he passed by the bench I was sitting on.

Seeing the suspicious student dropping a small piece of paper, I leaned in and took it. The scrambled writing was instantly recognizable as Barton's. Only his handwriting could be this bad and weird, like some otherworldly creature trying to communicate in their language.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to decipher the words. Tilting my head to the right, then to the left, I rubbed my chin. After five minutes, I managed to make out four words, and then the whole sentence clicked.

"Found the redhead," I read aloud. "Come to Rusty Chalice at midnight."

I ripped up the paper and stuffed it into my pocket. With Liora's men tailing me day and night, it wouldn't be easy to get out and meet Barton without raising suspicion. It hadn't even been a full day since my talk with Captain Liora, and she had nearly half her men watching me.

I crossed my legs and leaned back. "Damn… everything is so complicated."

"Is it?" Mira entered my peripheral vision, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I think so too."

I lifted my head and scooted over to make room for her. "Didn't realize you were there. I thought you'd be hanging with your friends."

"You are my friend."

"Yeah. A friend that every boy and girl in the school jokes about," I said, shoulders slumped. "Man, I'm being branded as a weakling, and it's only the first week of school."

"You'll get over it, I believe in you." She sat down beside me. "How do you feel? Yesterday was… intense. I'm glad that freakshow is dead."

"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "Thankfully, he didn't die by my hands."

"That would be self-defense if you killed him. You wouldn't get charged with any criminal offense, Axel. You know that, right?" She leaned closer, her eyes searching mine.

"It's not about that. It's about my sanity." I explained, running a hand through my hair while averting my gaze from her. "Killing someone is… messed up. Taking a life shouldn't be that easy. It's horrible."

"Aw, you bubble-hearted small bear," she said with pursed lips. "You are so cute."

"Oi, knock it off," I said with a small smile. "People will hear that. I'm already at the lowest level in their eyes, don't make me fall even lower."

"Okay, okay. Sorry." She replied, holding her laughter. "I won't tease my bubble-hearted small bear."

Students began to rise from their seats and head back into the school building. "The next lesson is about to start. We should go too," I said, getting up and brushing off my pants.

"Okay." She stood up and stretched, her smile slowly fading away. "This is our last class, right?"

"Yup."

"Phew. I'm pooped. I'll sleep as soon as I get home. I still haven't shaken off the tiredness of yesterday."

"Yeah." I nodded as we walked toward the building. "Same here. Damned James gave me nightmares…"

[New Quest: Reach Rusty Chalice.  

Upon Completion: 1AP]

'Huh…' I thought, looking at the translucent box that appeared near my face. 'New quest. Cool.'

Suddenly, someone shoved me back, breaking my focus. Not knowing what was behind the translucent box, it turns out I was staring right at a girl's chest. Of course, that wasn't my intention, but her boyfriend must've thought otherwise. He pulled the collar of my shirt and moved his face closer to mine. Damn – he was like 6'3 or something. What were they feeding him with, the whole bakery?

I held my hands up in surrender and chuckled nervously. Though this seemed to anger the idiot more… just my luck.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." I replied. "I didn't mean to look at your girlfriend."

"She's my sister," he said, his grip tightening. "Keep your dirty eyes off her, or you'll regret it. Got it?"

"Yep. Never laying my gaze on her again," I said, nodding. "Can you please let me go?"

"Without a punishment? How would you feel if someone checked your sister with their dirty eyes, huh!"

"Hey, leave him alone!" Mira said, trying to get his hands off my collar. "He apologized. Didn't you hear him?"

"Get off me, bitch," he snarled, smacking her with the back of his hand and sending her to the ground.

[Upgraded Dagger]

A black smoke appeared in my hand, swirling around like it had a life of its own. It formed into a dagger, the hilt adjusting to fit my grip perfectly. Just as I was about to bring the dagger near the idiot's neck, I noticed that a circle of students had formed around us, watching the scene play out. Their eyes were wide with anticipation, whispers and murmurs spreading through the crowd.

Before I could make a move, since I was hesitant to show my newly conjured dagger to others, Mira cast an air spell that sent the 6'3 monster flying backward. He gritted his teeth, smiled angrily, then brushed the dust off his pants.

"You two aren't worth it," he sneered. "Idiots…"

I quickly got rid of the dagger by opening my palm and letting it go. The weapon turned into black dust before hitting the ground.

"Thank you," I said, walking toward Mira. "You saved my butt."

"Think twice before staring at girls' private parts, you dumbass." She replied without looking at my face, then stormed inside the school building.

"Wait, I didn't…" I scratched the back of my head. "It was an accident… the box – the… ugh."

"He is a weakling and a pervert," a boy whispered. "How low can he get, huh?"

"Ugh…" a girl grunted. "Disgusting. He has no shame."

"Weirdo."

"Idiot…"

"Let's keep our distance from him."

'Great,' I thought to myself as I opened the double doors of the building. 'Now I'm being branded as a pervert as well. Perfect. Per-fucking-fect.'