Through the Market’s Chaos

The streets of New Asemeri's market district pulsed with life, an ever-moving current of merchants, traders, and weary citizens haggling beneath the neon-lit spires. The scent of grilled meats, synthetic fruits, and hot oil mixed with the metallic tang of the city's infrastructure.

Tlandar followed Akashma closely, hood raised, as they wove through the maze of vendors. He had never walked through this part of the city before. The underground shelter had been his world, but up here, people still lived as if nothing was happening outside the walls.

Or maybe, they were just pretending.

Akashma's pace remained steady. "We need supplies before we board the train."

Tlandar nodded, his gaze flickering over the stalls. Exotic fruits from off-world colonies. Plasma-heated cookware. Energy rations. Everything one could need, and plenty of things no one would ever need.

And then—

A booming voice cut through the market noise.

"Ah-ha! You there! You, the one with the hood—yes, YOU!"

Tlandar and Akashma turned to see a broad-shouldered vendor, his long coat patched with mismatched fabrics, his eyes gleaming with an unmistakable mix of mischief and opportunism.

"Fortune smiles upon you today, travelers, for you have encountered Mogul Raskar, master of rare goods and unparalleled bargains!"

Tlandar raised an eyebrow. Akashma merely sighed.

A Merchant of Questionable Deals

Mogul Raskar spread his arms wide, gesturing to the chaotic mess of wares laid out on his stand—half of which looked like they belonged in a junkyard rather than a market.

"Step closer, my fine cloaked friends! I sense a journey ahead, a mission, a great undertaking!" He rubbed his hands together. "**And for such endeavors, one must be—how do we say?—prepared!"

Akashma crossed her arms. "We're only buying food."

"FOOD?!" Raskar gasped, pressing a hand to his chest as if wounded. "Why limit yourselves to mere sustenance when you could acquire items of EXCEPTIONAL VALUE? Observe—!"

He reached under his stall and yanked out a strange metallic box, rattling it. "A Genuine Shadow Legion Anti-Tracking Field Generator! It will make you undetectable to enemy sensors! Works 80% of the time!"

Tlandar frowned. "What about the other 20%?"

Raskar coughed. "Technical details. Not important."

Akashma exhaled. "We're not interested."

"Ah! But wait! WAIT!" He spun around dramatically, knocking over a stack of what looked like refurbished plasma cartridges. "Perhaps THIS!"

He held up a small vial filled with blue liquid.

Tlandar squinted. "What is that?"

Raskar leaned in. "A POWERFUL elixir." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Salgaran battle-forged stamina enhancer. Take one sip, and you can march for DAYS without rest!"

Akashma sighed, rubbing her temples. "You're lying."

Raskar blinked. "Am I?"

She stepped closer, yanked the vial from his fingers, uncorked it, and took a sharp whiff.

Her expression immediately soured.

"It's… fruit syrup."

Raskar hesitated. Then grinned.

"EXACTLY! A delightful and energizing beverage! Wakes you up better than any military-grade supplement!"

Tlandar huffed out a quiet laugh. He couldn't help it.

Akashma simply handed the vial back. "No."

Raskar sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine! You drive a HARD bargain! But before you go, at least allow me to provide you and your fine companion with ACTUAL goods."

He turned to the more reasonable section of his stall and pulled out sealed meal packs, energy bars, and a small container of purified water.

"Only the finest travel rations! The best in the district! For YOU, a SPECIAL price!"

Akashma eyed him suspiciously, then gestured to the food. "We'll take these."

Raskar clapped his hands together. "Ah! A wise decision! That will be—"

He started listing a price far too high.

Akashma merely raised an eyebrow.

Raskar sighed. "Fine. HALF."

Akashma handed over the credits. "Pleasure doing business."

Raskar saluted. "And may fortune favor your travels! If you ever return to the market, you know where to find me!"

Tlandar shook his head as they walked away. "That guy was something else."

Akashma smirked. "Welcome to New Asemeri's market district."

Boarding the Train

The maglev station in the market district was crowded, but efficient. The trains moved like streaks of silver, sliding smoothly along their elevated rails, silent but fast.

Tlandar stood near the boarding platform, adjusting his cloak, his new supplies slung over his shoulder.

He exhaled, glancing toward Akashma. "Where exactly are we heading?"

"To the south gate station," she replied, watching the arriving train. "We need to move quietly, but we'll be faster if we take the maglev first."

Tlandar nodded, shifting his weight. "And after that?"

Akashma's amber eyes flickered toward him. "Then… the real journey begins."

The train pulled into the station, its sleek doors sliding open with a hiss.

Tlandar took one last glance at the market behind him.

Then he stepped inside.