Vin walked into the elven living room and took in the eyesore of that common area. Maeve''s magic light orb lit the place well enough to see all the furniture was still against the walls with plants. The clearing in the middle of the floor was occupied by the skateboarding half-dragon, who had improved a lot on their own.


    The few survivors from the music shop were still there. As well as the Artisans who sat in various areas around the room while the Adventurers gathered around Maeve''s desk. The two priestesses and the mute, feather-dressed Ravenour woman were there too. Her pale lavender hair somehow looked even longer, and her smile was bright when she saw and smiled at him. Vin stared back at her, discerning a subtle signal: her brain''s frequency. One that, if tapped into, could allow a telepathic connection like Gideon and Tristen. He believed he could always do this, but having Astral Ichor in his body made the ability more pronounced.


    Nonetheless, it was best not to freak anyone out unnecessarily. Especially not her, someone so important to their ranks. She was probably brought there on Maeve''s orders because having a healer meant they no longer needed to hunt for medical supplies.


    Vin peered at the ongoing meeting, knowing they were likely discussing how to get a hold of food and weapons. Hopefully, it was a fruitful conversation because they had less than twelve hours before night. This fact sent a freezing shiver through Vin''s body, making him quake. It wouldn''t be long before the nightmares that sought him would overrun that city.


    ''We''ll survive,'' he thought while pondering his situation. ''Every time those things hit my mind, I was already beaten down or outright feeling like shit. They know where I am now, but if I keep my head on right, they won''t be able to track us after we leave the city.''


    Vin was confident of this fact. The issue was keeping his mental defenses up while dealing with the problematic Ravenours and the Elven knights who wanted him dead.


    Tristen wandered over to Vin while he was lost in thought. The pink-haired individual stood there, gawking at his attire while holding the skateboard Vin traded a Ravenour for on their first day in that city. Antsy tugged at his own basic elven garments and raised a brow, saying, "There wasn''t anything like that in the wardrobe, where did you get those clothes?"


    "You also brought back skeleton hands last night," he said, scanning Vin''s body. A moment later, his head tilted, shifting gears again, "Did you get to skate a lot while you were out? Will you show me how to do tricks now?"


    Gideon walked to his rambling companion and adjusted their unbuttoned shirt while chastizing him about his image. Tristen was told to watch himself because soon, Maeve would be queen, and their conduct would affect her reputation.


    The slick-haired Ravenour glanced at Vin next, lowered his eyes, and said flatly, "Good Morning."


    "Last night..." Gideon said while turning his back, "I admit I overreacted. Nevertheless, don''t let what happened at the market happen again."


    The tall guard began walking to the meeting, but Vin calmly said, "Wait."


    Jazzy stopped, turned around, and met the Human''s gaze as they cracked their knuckles and asked, "Where do you want it?"


    "What?" Gideon said with a scowl.


    Vin walked up to the brute, staring them down, clarifying, "You didn''t think i''d let you get away with choking me, did you?"


    "Get away?" Jazzy scoffed. He was a member of a race of warriors with stone-like bodies, so he wasn''t afraid of a Human attacking without magic. He beat his fist against his chest and told him, "Don''t hurt yourself."


    "Sure," Vin replied lamely, lowering his stance and rewinding his arm. He twisted his body, hurling his fist in a hook precisely where Tristen had hit them the night before. He didn''t hold back when he struck Gideon''s injury, making them grunt in pain and clench their side.


    Vin watched them drop a peg or two, then extended a hand to the guard, adding, "Call it even."


    Jazzy looked up at him, clenching his jaw, withholding his anger. It appeared like he could lash out at any moment, but they eventually clasped Vin''s hand, replying, "Just don''t do it again."


    Gideon collected himself and walked off. Vin knew he had to listen to the meeting, so he glanced at Tristen and told them, "We''ll have to talk later."


    He had to postpone any lessons. Learning how Maeve planned to get all those Ravenours out of the guarded city by night was more important. Large warriors were already gathered around their ruler, so he stood in the back and listened. He tried to be low-key, but their eyes latched onto him when he arrived, and there was a visible part of the crowd. Even though Maeve was given a clear view of Vin, she didn''t look his way often unless referring to him directly.


    From what Vin could tell, Gideon had already debriefed her about their mission the day before. He later learned that the green apple-eyed Ravenour, Casty, used complex pathways to escape the market. Unfortunately, not everyone could keep up, and more than half of their group died. Even with those losses, the number of Ravenours found was in the forties, most of them being Artisan.


    Vin also learned what happened while he was indisposed. First, Gideon shared the locations of the two Ravenour hideouts they found. Afterward, Casty delivered the recruitment handouts while a man named Alton, one of the survivors of the music shop, went to gather the healers.


    According to the handouts Casty distributed, the few Adventurers they had left would tackle the Sun Market at 3 pm, 7 hours from now. There was a higher risk of increased security and danger of being seen since they were going during the day. However, they had to be ready to escape the city by nightfall, and the plaza had plenty to take.


    Maeve had hoped to arm the troops before plundering supplies, but Vin and Gideon failed to find a weapon shop. This topic caused a furor among the brutes, who weren''t used to raiding without their blades. However, Maeve made it clear that even if they had swords, they would be annihilated if spotted. Casty''s knowledge of the market and stealth were the only way to succeed. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Next, the royal displayed a map of Watervein and pointed to their exit. Since they had to avoid the main gates, they would use a ladder to scale the city''s northwest wall, then slip into the surrounding forest.


    Vin expected to be put in charge of making the instrument of their escape. However, she had already assigned that task, among others, to the Artisans at the two other hideouts. No one would get off doing nothing.


    The meeting proceeded with little pushback. Minus the concerned whispers when the Ravenours discovered the Eternal would not lead their task force. Vin was the only one capable of quickly finding the missing citizens, so the gallant Gideon would lead in his place.


    The slick-haired guard stepped in front of Maeve, took a solemn knee, and declared, "I may still be inexperienced, but I promise I will not let you down, your Highness."


    Vin recalled everything that happened under Jazzy''s so-called command. He was about to bring the man''s poor leadership to light when his mind was pricked, and Gideon pleaded, "Please."


    "I know you''re thinking about the previous evening, but that was only my second time operating away from Maeve, and I''ve learned a lot."


    "That''s an excuse," Vin retorted.


    "It''s my attempt to convince you," Jazzy responded. "Maeve will begin searching for a general to replace Kaelix soon. I want to prove that I am qualified."


    "Please, let me fight to meet her expectations."


    Vin acknowledged that Gideon was a man capable of learning. While he wouldn''t immediately become the reliable general Maeve needed, he had resolved to walk that path. Nevertheless, it would be ludicrous to let an amateur lead a team to their deaths. So, Vin promised not to say anything if Jazzy agreed to use a plan he devised.


    The guard agreed, and so it was decided that Gideon would lead the mission. At the same time, Vin would continue to find the Ravenours hiding in the city.


    Everyone had a role except for Tristen, who was deemed a liability. The pink-haired Ravenour wasn''t worthless; Maeve merely knew he was prone to losing himself in extreme situations. Antsy didn''t fight the decision, but he turned to Vin and said, "I don''t have any other duties, so I can assist you with searching for survivors."


    "I can skate without falling now, AND I have the Center Gravity enchantment, So-" he said, his mouth sinking into a frown. "I can help..."


    Maeve glanced at Vin, hinting that the youthful Ravenour''s fate was in his hands. Tristen was progressing fast, but Vin couldn''t afford to slow down and match their speed, so he told them, "Not yet. You still need to learn the foundations of y-"


    In an unexpected instant, Tristen snapped forward at Vin and shouted, "THEN TEACH ME!"


    The guard drew his claws, displaying his fangs as he breathed heatedly. His entire body was tensed as if primed to strike.


    Vin''s eyes opened in shock, then dropped back into a listless glare. He''d never seen them so aggressive. Evidently, Gideon was also surprised, resting a calm hand on his friend''s shoulder and telling him, "There will be a place for you. Right now, you just have to be patient."


    Tristen slapped the hand away and shoved the towering Ravenour back a few paces, "Easy for you to say!."


    "You''ve always been given the most responsibility! Always the favorite!"


    "And you!" Ansty yelled, pivoting back to Vin. He shoved the skateboard into Vin''s chest, complaining, "For the past week, I had to take YOUR place as the teacher and train people on how to use equipment from YOUR world. Do you know how difficult it is to teach something when you are just as clueless!"


    Casty, one of those trainees, shied away from the altercation.


    "You''ve been no help at all!" he continued. His eyes lowered dipped in woe as he vented, and his tone crumbled into a melancholy mutter, "I thought you loved skating? Why don''t you want me to learn..."


    Like a time-lapsed video, Vin saw every time Tristen had asked him for support. It was a miracle the young Ravenour didn''t blow up at him sooner... It''d been over a week since they''d met, and he hadn''t taught him anything. Vin became just as annoyed with himself and mushed his face while swearing. After a minute of reflecting, he conveyed, "I haven''t been ignoring you on purpose."


    "There''s been a lot on my plate since we met. Took longer to adapt to this planet than I thought."


    Tristen took an invulantray step back.


    He felt immense guilt when he realized that the person before him had recently been victimized by the assimilation of his word. The Human was in a foreign place, deprived of anyone he knew, forced to fight unknown enemies, all while upkeeping other obligations. The light-haired Ravenour covered his mouth, his wings and tail falling limp as he breathed, "I''m sorry. I forgot that-"


    "..."


    "It wasn''t meant as an excuse or to make you feel bad," Vin clarified, moving away from the increasingly aggravated Ravenours and to the house''s center. He stood on the skateboard with his right foot at the tail of the instrument and his left near the middle. "I won''t always be able to train you directly, but I should at least give you fundementals to practice on your own."


    "Watch my footing," he directed. The following steps would pass quickly, so Vin planned to demonstrate several times. He pushed down hard on the board''s tail, then immediately jumped up and slid his front foot up to the head of the instrument, causing himself and the skateboard to fly up. The eyes of the spectators followed him as he rose high off the ground and landed.


    Casty, stammered, "I-it jumps?"


    Vin reset his footing to repeat the technique, "It''s called an ollie. You''re the one that jumps, but the board follows when you snap the tail back and slide your feet forward."


    After executing the skill several times, Vin told them, "Once you master this, we''ll move on to the next skill."


    Tristen wordlessly bowed in thanks, took the skateboard, and immediately began. The guard''s underwhelming reaction to getting what he desired suggested he felt terrible, but Vin respected his eagerness to learn.


    Casty held a jealous gaze over Antsy, and learning from his previous mistake, Vin didn''t overlook her. He fixed the cracks on his handmade longboard and gave it to the bright Ravenour, cautioning her, "It''ll be more challenging to ride since you orgianlly began learning on a skatebaord, but you''re good on your feet so i''m sure you''ll manage."


    Casty accepted, her apple-green eyes sour as she resolutely declared, "I''ll do my best, sir."


    "I know," Vin replied, motioning for Gideon to follow him. He took a prompt leave, thinking it was bizarre that he''d only known three Ravenours without black hair, and two were interested in skateboarding. He wondered if the other trainees were compatible with skating or if they dreaded each training session.


    ''The whole reason I refused to teach them myself was because I thought it would be an advantage humans had over the other aliens, but that''s not the case.'' He walked toward the home''s rear exit, believing that a Ravenour on a skateboard wouldn''t benefit the brutes when they raided human settlements. It would be a one-sided battle either way, so maybe it was okay to actually train them.


    ''Whatever. Right now, let''s focus on making a plan for Gideon.’


    ''After that, I need to tell Maeve I lost my powers. Then I have to go back into the city to search for her missing brutes.''


    Vin sighed while he opened the home''s back door, Gideon close behind, ''Busy...''