Edward and Huey - Escape to the Space Port 2

As the three companions exited one of the many narrow alleyways they had traveled through, they entered a street that was adjacent to the market Lino had told them about. When they walked across the street into the market entrance, both Huey and Edward had to stop their eyes from staring at everyone, and everything.

"This is it, stay close, but don't make it look like you're sticking too close." 

Lino led Edward and Huey into the heart of the market, where the air buzzed with excitement. Colorful stalls lined every corner, overflowing with exotic foods, shimmering fabrics, and trinkets from distant worlds. It was a riot of sounds and colors, a stark contrast to the dark alleyways they had just navigated. Lino felt a surge of energy as the vibrant scene enveloped them; laughter and chatter mixed with the sizzling of street food, enticing aromas wafting through the air.

Lino noticed Edward's eyes widen in awe, taking in the kaleidoscope of life, while Huey darted forward, drawn to a stall displaying swords, daggers and other weapons that glimmered in the night light. For a moment, the weight of their earlier confrontation faded, replaced by the intoxicating allure of the marketplace. Lino allowed himself a brief smile, appreciating how this bustling environment breathed life back into his spirit. Yet, a nagging feeling lingered in the back of his mind—amidst the joy, danger always lurked, and he couldn't shake the thought that they were being watched.

"Stick close," Lino urged, waving at Huey to come back to join them. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure they weren't followed. "We can blend into the crowd here."

"But what if we run into those mercenaries?" Huey asked quietly, his eyes wide, darting around as he took in the sea of alien shoppers bustling about them.

"I see nothing but opportunity to hide in plain sight," Lino remarked as he threw his hood up over his head. "They'll never notice us if we move with them. Just act natural. Those weren't mercenaries, by the way. They're hunters, more or less specialized soldiers of the city."

Edward raised an eyebrow, about to ask for details about what Lino had just said, but then was distracted and his eyes widened in wonder. "Okay, this is incredible! Look at them!" He gestured at a towering centaur helping its child pick out brightly colored baubles, while nearby, a mermaid-like being plucked and then exchanged a shimmering scale for some food that smelled especially good. 

The mermaid wasn't of the tradition sense you would think, she had gill-like organs on her neck but was still breathing normally, a multitude of scales ran up and down her arms and legs, minus one that she had just plucked out. The missing scale was already being replaced with a new one, it slowly pushed itself into place among the rest of the old scales.

As soon as it fully grew into place it hardened and gained a similar sheen to the ones beside it.

"Huey, quit staring..." Lino lightly kicked Huey's heel, prompting him to quit eyeballing the mermaid's scale regeneration.

Huey shifted his stare to a wolf-like vendor who was calling out to an eager customer, until he was distracted by an large set of antennae and translucent set of wings on a otherwise human looking girl with not so tiny assets walking several feet away, on her way to look at a stand full of what looked to be hand bags. 

"There's so many... different looking people here. I don't know where to look." Huey tried not to bring attention to them like Lino had asked, however, the task was nearly more than Huey could handle.

"Indeed," Lino said, a hint of a smile crossing his face. "The market is a melting pot of cultures, even for 'blue' bloods like me. Just keep a low profile."

As they moved deeper into the throng of shoppers, Lino couldn't help but feel and enjoy the energy of the place. The chaos provided an exhilarating cover. Vendors shouted prices, creatures of all sizes negotiated trades, and vibrant decorations hung above, creating a sense of unity among the diversity. 'Ah, this is how it should be.'

Huey marveled at a young woman with feathery wings flitting gracefully through the crowd, and Edward grinned and whispered under his breath to Lino as he spotted a pair of lion-like twins wrestling playfully near one of the stalls. "This place is insane. I'm starting to think the market escape idea isn't so bad after all. So much going on. Not a single...'person' here is looking at us either."

"Let's not tempt fate, don't talk a problem into existence." Lino warned, his voice steady as he scanned the area. "We need to reach the spaceport and our ship without drawing too much attention to ourselves. There must really be only monkeys on your planet, you guys are acting like you've never seen a single beast man before now."

"Fair enough, there is all kinds of animals where we come from, by the way. Speaking of...what's all that meat I smell from? What kind of beast men are on the bottom of the food chain here?"

Lino's thoughts drifted back to the round item nestled in one of his pants pockets at the mention of which beast men were at the bottom. He leaned over and whispered to the two humans. "Only non-sentient creatures end up as food here. That's the number one rule of law around here... although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the nobles decided to add blue bloods to their diet, those sick bastards."

Lino had stopped for a moment to whisper to the two, he did not want anyone overhearing the next thing he was about to say.

"First step of dealing with said bastards was getting this artifact in my possession, but luckily I don't need to figure out how to wield its power. Only the great feathered dragon of legend or one of its Oracles can truly unlock what it's capable of." 

"Oh? What's this about an Oracle? What's that?" Edward said, his curiosity piqued. He exchanged a glance with Huey, who looked equally intrigued, but both fell silent, allowing Lino to continue in a hushed voice. They most certainly did not want to let slip that they were Oracles themselves. Even Huey had enough sense not to announce that little fact.

"That's the first step in ending the hardship of my people, luckily, the elder is one of those Oracles..."

As they forged ahead, the bustling crowd thickened, wrapping around them like a protective cocoon. Lino didn't want to carry on talking about the orb or Oracles anymore, incase they were overheard by the increasingly dense crowd. "As long as we keep moving like we belong here, we'll be fine. Distracting ourselves with the sights will let us blend in more effectively. Focus on walking and pretending to look at the wares...not the patrons, Huey."

Suddenly, a massive drake-like figure passed by, causing the ground to tremble slightly with each step. It nodded at Lino, who gave a wink back to the large beast man. He looked much less human than Lino, his head was much more reptilian shaped than Lino's.

"Whoa," Huey breathed, watching as the creature stopped to haggle with an octopus-like vendor. "How does that even work?" Huey was watching the octopus man stir several pots behind his back without looking as he talked to the drake.

"It just does!" Lino misunderstood Huey's question and chuckled, feeling more at ease now that he thought Edward and Huey were fine within the vibrant chaos. "So many unique traits and customs here. It's part of what fuels the energy of the market, by the way, I'm surprised that you two are so pure, neither of you have any visible traits I thought the monkey clan would have... you almost look like the pure old ones from the stories. I thought you would be a bit more hairy, or have tails! If I didn't know you were from Simel I would have thought you were Atlas from the legends. What beast clan ancestors do you guys have back home? And how did you get the jump gate working again?"

"About that...Let's wait till we get out of here before we discuss anything else, okay? I thought we were trying to be covert." Edward reminded Lino that they were supposed to be sneaking.

Lino clamped his clawed hands over his mouth for a moment and whispered in a much quieter tone, "Right, right, sorry Edward, I just got excited for a moment there! Come on, we're almost near the entrance to the port." 

As they drew closer to the adjacent spaceport, the sounds of engines rising and ships taking off intensified. Lino could sense the excitement thickening in the air, mostly attributed by the young kids near by, playing with all manner of spacecraft type toy models if they had them, others trying to get away from their mothers firm grips so that they could sneak a peak at all of the ships nearby.

"There!" Lino pointing towards the docking bay. "Our ship is just ahead! That old dragon face Booster Lee should be waiting for us."

"Booster? Is that like…a person?" Huey asked skeptically, trying to picture a man with a dragon's head. It was easy after witnessing the massive drake that had passed them by earlier.

"Exactly! He's THE person. You can always trust a dragon in a tight spot," Lino replied, leading them through the last stretch of the market.

'He wasn't joking...He really means a dragon-man, okay then.' Edward rolled his eyes. He was having a difficult time not staring at every single person in the market. Huey was already doing that enough for the two of them.

The three finally left the market and walked the small distance to the port entrance. The did not stand out even at this point, as fair amount of other market goers also headed to and from the port.

Ships capable if traveling the stars loomed ahead, some glistening in metallic hues and others painted bright colors. The tall walls of the port reflecting the backdrop of cobalt sky and neon lights. Lino's heart raced as they approached a sleek, green-and-gold colored ship. It was rectangular for the most part minus the front of the vessel that turned into a slight wedge -Booster's Starship.

"Let's move! We need to get aboard before any of the lord's people spots us," Lino urged, urgency now fueling his steps.

As they neared the hatch of their vessel, Lino felt a surge of relief wash over him. They had made it through the market unscathed. The doors parted vertically and the three headed in. As he stepped inside, Lino's heart swelled with determination. "Get ready for takeoff! I've got the orb, and a surprise!"

Booster Lee, an imposing dragon man with shimmering red and black scales, turned to face them, his eyes fiery yet welcoming. "You made it back just in time. I was starting to wonder." He cracked his neck and half unfolded his wings, before pressing them into his back again. 

He looked very similar to Lino in regards of human to animalistic traits, his hair was short and black, slicked to the side slightly. Several scales could be seen here and there on him.

"Arriving fashionably late...that's just how I roll..." Lino replied, flashing a confident grin.

"...Well, I did run into a small snag. The camouflage function on my armor failed... Luckily, these two came to my aid."

He activated his Meta ability and stretched his two arms, wrapping them around Huey and Edward's shoulders and pulling them in for a hug.

As they stood there, Lino looked side to side at Edward and Huey, their faces full of curiosity as he pulled a glowing orb out of his pocket with his tail. "Whatever lies ahead, we can face it together, my new friends." he said, taking a deep breath. "Now, let's get out of here."

With that, Booster walked towards the cockpit, sat down and flicked several levers. The ships dash came to life and Booster immediately activated the thrusters, the ship moaned and then blasted into the sky. As the market shrank into a distant blur beneath them, Lino felt a sense of hope for the journey ahead—a leap into the unknown future, filled with potential and promise, especially now that he had managed to get his hands on not only the most powerful gene manipulator there was, he also had acquired two extremely powerful Armorers...or Pugilists? Metas? He wasn't quite sure what these two were.

They had a long trip ahead of them to get properly acquainted, he would ask them soon enough.