"Okay, this place is perfect," Xain said, rubbing his hands together as he stood in the heart of the city square. The area buzzed with life—vendors shouting over one another, the murmur of countless conversations blending into a steady hum. People moved in clusters, most drifting toward an elevated wooden platform where a brightly dressed woman stood, her outfit splashed with colors loud enough to grab attention even without her voice.
"If you're here for tickets, head to the stalls on my right! If you're feeling bold enough to participate, stalls on my left!" she called out with the practiced cheer of someone who'd been repeating the same lines all day. She gestured dramatically with both arms, her smile seemingly a little too wide to be genuine, but Xain could tell that it was, and it did the job—lines formed quickly on either side.
Larkin stood beside Xain, arms crossed as he scanned the crowd. "I bet it'd be pretty easy for the two of you to pickpocket in a place like this," he muttered, eyeing the distracted faces and loose purses with casual interest.
Zee's face lit up with a grin that was far too eager. She flexed her fingers like a musician warming up before a performance. "I haven't stolen anything in a while, and there's so much to steal," she said, her voice humming with excitement.
What was drawing the crowd? That would be the Tournament of Greatness, of course—scheduled to start tomorrow. The stalls lining the square were split between those selling tickets to eager spectators and those registering participants hungry for glory, coin or both.
"Maybe we should get tickets," Larkin said, scratching his beard thoughtfully as he eyed the ticket stalls. "I mean, it'd be interestin' to see this tournament everyone keeps talkin' about."
Xain shot him a flat look. "We're doing this because we're having coin problems. Could you please not make them worse?"
Larkin shrugged, already halfway into rationalizing his decision. "I mean, how much could one ticket be? Besides, you two are stealin' stuff anyway—just grab some extra. It'd be nice seein' somethin' for a change instead of all the nothin' we've been doin' in this city."
Before Xain could argue, Larkin had already started toward the ticket stalls, disappearing into the crowd with an easy, careless stride. "You go steal stuff like Zee is. I'll check the ticket prices!" he called over his shoulder without looking back.
Xain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning. "I guess let's do—" he started, then paused, realizing Zee had vanished. Her excitement to steal had probably pulled her into the crowd while he was still talking to Larkin.
"Alright. I guess I'll go pickpocket some people," he muttered with a shrug, stepping into the crowd himself.
As he wove through the bustling crowd, his sharp eyes scanning for a mark, Ercale's voice slithered into his mind with that familiar, indifferent tone. *What are you doing, ape?*
Xain didn't miss a beat, sidestepping a distracted merchant while replying mentally, *Pickpocketing. We're running low on coin.* There was a pause. Not long, but just enough for Xain to sense something unusual—was Ercale being... judgmental?
*Why are you stealing?* Ercale's voice dripped with mild disdain. *If you need money that badly, just go to the Adventurers' Guild. Or take a bounty. Something less... pitiful.*
Xain slowed, weaving between two pedestrians, his brow furrowing as he processed the suggestion. *You need a license to hunt bounties,* he muttered inwardly, *and I think you have to be part of the guild to take up requests,* he explained, half-expecting Ercale to already know this.
*Huh. Is that so?* Ercale mused, as if Xain had just told him water was wet. *Back when I was around, you didn't need anything like that. You just said you were an adventurer and did what adventurers did.* A thoughtful pause, then a casual addendum: *Though… a lot of people did die doing that, I suppose.*
*Yeah, I mean… you were kind of a big reason for that.*
*Hmm?* Ercale's response was a soft, questioning hum.
*Most people probably became adventurers just to try and beat you. Y'know, being a Demon Lord and all.*
Silence. Just long enough for Xain to wonder if Ercale had withdrawn from the conversation entirely. Then, finally, a reply came. *Yes. Yes, that would be correct.* Ercale admitted, his tone unreadable. And he left it at that.
Xain didn't bother to dwell on it. *Anyway,* he pressed, *why are you even telling me to do adventuring or bounties?*
A sigh echoed faintly in his head, laced with exasperation. *Because stealing is pathetic. I know you're a thief, but still—you house me now. Do something a little less disgraceful.*
Xain arched a brow, snorting under his breath. "Oh, so murder and destruction are fine, but stealing's where you dip the line?" he muttered aloud before realizing it, though thankfully the general commotion of the square ensured no one paid him any mind.
*One,* Ercale corrected sharply, *it's draw the line, not dip the line. Two, I'm not saying murder and destruction are better—I'm saying stealing is something a bottom-feeder would do.*
Xain's jaw went slack in disbelief. *You literally stole the eye of Violet Absaar from Eirisse!* he snapped.
*First of all,* Ercale countered with the smugness of someone who thought they'd won before the argument began, *she's dead. Nothing belongs to her anymore.* *Second of all…* a pause, then a small grunt of frustration, *I just realized I'm repeating myself. Bah! Whatever. With Violet and the rest of Winter's party dead, anything they owned belongs to me.*
Xain pinched the bridge of his nose. *That doesn't make any— You were their main enemy!* He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. *You know what? Just go back to... whatever you were doing and let me get some coin.*
Ercale said nothing, marking the end of their conversation.
Shaking off the frustration, Xain exhaled sharply and refocused on the crowd. His eyes darted from face to face until they finally landed on someone.