I didn’t bother trying to meet up with éclair. It was around noon, and I really didn’t want to keep bothering her. Worse, I still didn’t know why she was teaching me. Sure, I enjoyed it, and it was helpful, but… maybe I was just being paranoid, but everything had a cost. I just didn’t know what her price was.

  Inside the lower district, I made my way to the checkpoint, where I was immediately waylaid by the people manning it.

  “Ah, it’s you. The girl that hangs out with the Raiju.” One of them said. The group looked slightly on edge, but not like they were ready to shoot me, like with éclair. Though, the bloodied bandages I wore didn’t exactly cut a good figure.

  “I’m guessing your alone for a change?” The speaker asked, his eyes drifting to my bandages.

  “I am… is Black Hawk here?” I asked, trying not to bring attention to my wounds. Just a bit of activity, even with the ice, saw blood soaking through my bandages. I’d need to get them changed sooner than later.

  “He’s off duty and our captain is currently on patrol, but we can give him a call. That is, if you want into our territory.”

  “That would be great.”

  “Alright…” He waves someone down and points towards the house. A few words and a shared nod, and he was right back.

  “So, anyway, is that it?” He asked.

  “Well, I suppose, but…” I trail off. “I never got the chance, but I wanted to apologize.”

  “For what?” He asks, and I could tell he was genuinely confused.

  “For me calling emergency services on you. At the time, I didn’t realize what that meant.”

  “Pshaw…” He says with a wave of his hands. “We’re done and over that. You meant well enough, and even if it was traumatizing, the food was good, and we were treated fairly well.”

  “Is… that so? Wasn’t one guy saving himself for marriage? Or something?”

  “Oh, that guy? Well, apparently, after he calmed down a bit, realized maybe he had a shot with one of the nurses. Haven’t heard much but word is, he managed to ask her on a date.”

  “That…” I really didn’t know what to say to that… “I still feel bad. If I had known, maybe it would have been better to wait for your doctor or healer to show up.”

  “Really, it’s not an issue. I mean, yeah, we were traumatized at first, but well, it could be worse. And honestly, living in the lower quarter helps you realize the value of life, ya know?”

  I just nodded alone. Admittedly, I couldn’t peg if he really meant that or if it was a case of Stockholm Syndrome rearing its head… Which just makes the nurses and the hospital all the more terrifying. Making me think, that maybe it was a good thing I didn’t visit in my current condition, injuries be damned.

  “Well, that’s, uh, good to hear.”

  “Its fine. Really. I mean, before coming here it wasn’t like we had rosy lifestyles anyway.”

  “Really? I mean, I’ve met a quite a few rabbits by now, and I’ve noticed there was a trend of sorts.”

  “A trend? Well, I can’t speak for other rabbits, but for us? There’s a reason we stay here and with the Wizard Gang. Most, if not all of us grew up in the streets in some way. That or, we have a very healthy skepticism of the government and police. We’ve all been on the wrong side of the law, and usually not by our own fault. I mean, who’d choose to ignore the city hall and live here of all places?”

  “That, that makes a lot of sense.” Had my life been a bit different, would I have felt the same? Would I have found my way here if I had chosen to ignore the city hall when I first arrived? “I didn’t really consider that. I was just told that you had nowhere else to go because of the city services and all.”

  “Not everyone wants to be indebted to the city. Much better to have some measure of control over our lives.”

  “I can’t disagree with that. Not at all. By the way, I didn’t get your name.”

  “Ah, my name? Names Casa, Casanova!” He says with a wide smile, his teeth sparkled in the noon sun. And I wasn’t sure if that really was his name or not.

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that… “Uh, well, My name’s Prima. Prima Belle.”

  “Pleasure to meet you Prima, and I was wondering, would you be up for a date? Maybe later, tomorrow? Sometime soon?”

  “A date?” I had to ask. “You can’t be serious…”

  “Oh, I’m deathly serious. Pretty young lady like you comes strolling into the lower quarter, even if it was with the Raiju in tow, I couldn’t help but notice. I mean, I’d be a fool not to shoot my shot, ya know?”

  “Ah… well…” I hesitated, unsure how to deal with this exactly. It didn’t help that the peanut gallery was hooting and hollering.

  “Look at her blush!”

  “Oh! She somehow is even cuter like that!”

  “A frosty exterior, a warm heart, Ugh! I feel like my heart might explode!”

  It was so exaggerated. “Please, you must be exaggerating.” I try to pivot, but…

  “No!” He even takes a knee. “I mean every word my lady! You are beautiful, graceful, like a white swan on a moonlit lake! Like the fresh powdered snow glistening in the morning sun! Your every movement oozes natural grace and bearing worthy of a princess!”

  Each word just put me further off kilter. His sincerity was clear, and it didn’t help that so many people were jumping on the bandwagon.

  “So, please, go out with me!” He says, with such earnest eyes that, it almost felt like a travesty to say no, but…

  “Alright, you had your fun.” A voice cuts through the nice. At once, everyone quickly stands at attention, Casanova included. The speaker, the owner of the voice was…

  “Roman!” One of them shouted. “She was looking for an escort into the base!”

  “Yeah, I can see that. Nice to meet you again, name’s Roman.” He gave me a nod, with his arms crossed over his chest. He was currently wearing his uniform. A black leather armor, with gold accents. His gold vambraces were especially eye catching.

  “Ah, Prima. Prima Belle.” I respond and bow. “As they said, I wanted to enter the Wizard Gang base to practice with my rifle.”

  “Of course, you’re allowed entry into the base, in part due to your help with the lost sheep episode, and also for reining in the Raiju.”

  “Just trying to keep the peace.” I answered back.

  “Which is why you’re allowed into the base, and honestly, with how the Raiju has been visiting our training grounds nearly every day, well, you almost won’t need an escort soon enough!” He laughs.

  “Really? I don’t think I’ve visited the training grounds, was that the incomplete stadium?”

  “Got it in one!” He says with a winning smile. “The outer ring of the stadium, where the kiosks and shops were located at one point had been converted to training spaces, specifically workout machines and such. The internal, the stadium part was set aside for spars. You should visit sometime, well, when you get your uniform.”

  “I’ll have to keep that in mind, but for now, I want to focus on my weapon.”

  “A rifle, right?”

  I nod. “It is.”

  “So, you’re working with Berry then? He’s a good guy, won’t steer you wrong.”

  “He hasn’t yet. Though, I did see him gun someone down the last time I was here.”

  “He does that if you don’t follow the rules enough times. Makes for a good deterrent, usually.”

  I wasn’t going to ask what he meant by usually, instead… “Well, either way, if you could escort me to the base that would be great, oh, and Casanova.”

  I bow.

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  “I’m sorry, but I have to reject.”

  “Ah, shucks, but no problem.” He gives me a thumbs up. “Just had to shoot my shot, as I said. No hard feelings.”

  With that, we separated. I followed Roman, and we left the checkpoint behind. Blessedly, as we walked, Roman didn’t strike up a conversation, but it didn’t prevent our walk from being interesting. The further we went, the more signs of fighting that we came across.

  The road was pockmarked with explosions. Buildings were torn apart, scaffolding rent and scattered. Barbed wire looked chewed through, and already, new barbed wire was being laid down. Alleys that had been filled to the brim with landmines were completely bombed out. The smell of blood hung in the air, along with gunpowder, and a myriad of other scents I couldn’t even being discerning.

  Once we arrived outside the central part of the gang’s territory, I was given a better view of what had happened. Mountains of corpses were set aside and being manually dissected. Many gang members were wounded or sporting bloody bandages in some form or another. Yet, everyone was smiling and laughing. Smoking or drinking without much care.

  It looked like they were hit hard by the full moon, but they didn’t seem bothered by it. If anything, based on their mood, it was almost jubilant. I kept my mouth shut until we were inside the base, and Roman left me to my devices. I went straight for the community center. Inside behind the desk, was Berry, and he looked to be spraying down some bowling shoes with deodorizer. On seeing me, he made an acute observation.

  “You look like shit.”

  “I feel like death warmed over and frozen, before once again being warmed over.”

  He stifled a laugh behind a cough. “Right, well, do you need medical attention?”

  “Not right now.”

  “Right, ice type. Well, the range is free if you want to get testing.”

  “Thanks, I’ll do just that.”

  I took position as he started setting me up. Putting down boxes of bullets, which I had some cash on hand for, and helped set aside targets for me to use. As he went to work, I summoned my rifle, only…

  There was a bit of pushback. Like knives in my veins, followed by an odd, distracting prickling in my being that I couldn’t quite place. My ice came easily enough, but it was at a low hum. This, however, was almost too much. It took all I had not to draw further on the ice, knowing that doing so would just exacerbate the issue.

  Which really meant, it took an awful long time for the rifle to form into being.

  “You alright?” Berry asks, having noticed the oddity.

  “Yeah, well, is it supposed to feel like that?” I asked, he frowned. So, I explained what happened last night.

  “Mm… sounds like a dispel, or rather, a counter spell. You don’t see it often with monsters, or creatures, but the more intelligent they are, the more likely you’ll see it. Counter spelling is actually a simple process, in theory. Anyone can do it, but most of the time, you’ll see magic users and mages doing it. Makes fighting them a pain, but unlike them, you’ll adapt to having your magic countered. Which means, it gets harder to counter you, and thus it really isn’t an issue.”

  “And what would it be like for a normal magic user?”

  “Depends on the severity. More specifically, the scope of the spell. Something like summoning a soul bonded weapon could cause serious backlash to an ordinary magic user. Not quite enough to cripple, but it wouldn’t be something they could just brush off.”

  I nod along, though… “That is good to know, and what about the pain? Or rather, this odd, existential pain I’m feeling in my gut? Being? It’s hard to describe.”

  Despite my poor explanation, he does catch on quickly.

  “It’s probably soul damage from the rebound of having the manifestation cancelled. Very minor soul damage, but soul damage regardless. A little pain, or resistance when calling to your weapon is normal. You’ll also feel a bit off-kilter until it repairs itself. Shouldn’t take long for it to heal.”

  “Soul damage? Is that serious?” It sounded serious, and I knew, based on the knowledge etched into my brain thanks to that grimoire of necromancy that soul damage was no joke… at least, for normal people.

  “Not particularly. You took soul damage by forcibly summoning your weapon, despite it being disrupted or nullified. Though, damage might not be the right word, it’s more like a pulled muscle. Damage of that level would be minor, even for a normal person.”

  “Alright, that does make me feel better. But can soul damage be dangerous for us?”

  “For us? Depends… which isn’t a great answer, I know, but it really does. Monsters or others of our kind that can damage souls are rare. Exceptionally rare, but the uniform absorbs the brunt of that damage typically. Not that you have one, but that’s how it goes. So, it isn’t really a threat to us, most of the time.”

  “So long as I have a uniform?”

  “Yes, though…” He trails off…

  “Though?” I press.

  “Even if your uniform does protect your soul, it only does so when equipped, and even when equipped certain magics, abilities, or items can tax or even wound your soul beyond repair. Which is essentially death.”

  “Can’t they be revived? I mean, I literally saw someone get gunned down and brought right back to life.” I ask.

  He coughs into his hand, blushing slightly before pressing onward.

  “Again, it depends. As long as some pieces of soul remain, you can revive them with a gold coin. That, or if you have sufficient knowledge in the workings of the soul, but that’s rare.”

  “You guys have people that can though, right?”

  “Yeah, which is why I know of it. Our kind tend to be very difficult to kill for good. The only real way to permanently kill us, is to completely erase the soul. And before you can ask, when the body is totally destroyed it can be rebuilt with a gold coin without issue, soul erasure though, is a whole other ball game. Even the mascots can’t completely bring people’s souls back. Sure, they’ll get back up, but they won’t be the same person you know. And no, I’m not going into the whole existential arguments surrounding it. Just know, the mascots don’t suggest you use a gold coin to rebuild a soul.”

  That… That was both incredibly heartening and terrifying. A gold coin could revive without question, that was the good news. The bad news was, the soul.

  “I imagine soul death is rare?” I ask.

  “Incredibly rare.”

  That was good news, at least. “Well, thank you and sorry for grilling you.”

  “It’s no problem, I do have to get back to work though.”

  “Ah, you do that and thank you again. Sorry for keeping you.”

  He just waves me off and leaves me to my business. It doesn’t take me long to fall into a rhythm. I load, shoot, eject, and just keep shooting away. Moving between different bullets, just losing myself in the act. It felt right, comforting to shoot my rifle, to have it in my hands.

  As the day wore on, I took a brief break to eat and drink, something non-alcoholic to my chagrin, as I had more work to do and I didn’t feel like bleeding to death. A quick bathroom break after the greasy pizza I unwisely chose to eat, slid right in and out, like a certain castle’s burgers. Then I got back into it.

  Shocker… the public bathrooms here were in really good shape compared to the bathroom’s back at my home.

  As I shot. I thought. I processed everything that had happened in the last… twenty-four hours… It felt like it was so much longer. It really did.

  I thought of Leo, and what I was going to do with him. He was a possible ally, but also a threat. It didn’t help that he kept reminding me of a certain someone. I couldn’t help but think that Leo was still harboring ill thoughts. If so, I didn’t blame him.

  Then there was his father, Mr. Torres. The man that I met at the mall, the man that gave me my watch. There was no way he was helping me out of the goodness of his heart. The man, in many ways combined with his old manor, and aged good looks, fit the description of a classic vampire to a tee.

  He had a goal, and I was just a tool to achieve it. The problem was, I could tell he didn’t just want me for my skills. Worse, I didn’t even know how to begin tackling that topic. Not now.

  Then there was the revelation of how business was done. At least, on the higher end of the spectrum. To think, they resolved business disputes with old fashioned bloodsports. Fights to the death, or near death. Though, I didn’t have all the details, so there might be more nuance to it. In the end, I’ll have to wait and see.

  It was intriguing, but I didn’t doubt for a second that backroom deals and underhanded tactics were completely off the table. The only issue was, I needed a fighter.

  I could probably fight myself, but… I sucked at fighting. My master said I had no talent for fighting, and he was right. I could go through the drills, I could, to an extent, use my skills to fight, but when it came to a fight between a trained fighter and I? Well, I was going to lose, no doubt about it.

  Even if I abused my magic to strengthen my body, I don’t think I could bridge the divide. Not just in physical prowess but just in terms of height and muscle mass. Perhaps if I increased my talent for fighting…

  No… I didn’t think that was the way to go. For now, regardless, I needed to build up my support. Get more soldiers, and bridge the gap in that way, and increase my prowess when it comes to a magical fight. As it was, I didn’t need to worry about getting a fighter or having to bridge the gap just yet.

  As for my immediate plans… I might as well start living in my warehouse again. It was roomier, even if I missed the bath, and even if it was harder to get shopping done. Having to drive everywhere would really make moving around the city more difficult, and drive my costs up… But it would be worth it, especially with a big event coming up.

  That is, if Grim could be trusted, and I was certain she could be.

  Plans in mind, I began working down a checklist as I shot, and in doing so, at some point, I felt something click. It was a minor thing, yet it felt so right. I let out a turbid breath. Rolled my shoulders.

  It took me a moment to realize what it was, and when I did…

  “Oh…” I muttered, looking at my hands. I was cycling my energy. All of it through my body with minimal leakage. As a test, I ran it through at full throttle, and very little leaked out. The immediate area around me, the ground, the stall, all had frost growing on it, but it didn’t go much further.

  There was a still a small sensation, a prickling of what must be my soul, but otherwise, it seemed like I had done it. Odd, how spending the day plinking down the range helped it settle in for the final bit.

  With another breath in and out, I slowed the speed of cycling to a stop. Soon enough, I was back to normal. I didn’t even have to control it anymore, nor did I have to think about it. At this point, my body was just doing it entirely on its own. I had to force it out if I wanted to do it wrong.

  It felt… nice. Like my blood was simultaneously burning and freezing. Frigid, yet scalding hot. My whole body tingled all over, and it took a few minutes for the sensation to pass, but still, with every heartbeat, I felt the energy in my blood be carried throughout my body. To all the blood vessels, the organs, everywhere. Strengthening them, empowering them in a way that it couldn’t have before.

  With anticipation, I picked up my rifle and I ran through some tests.

  Conjuring a bullet took about one second. It didn’t pull on my soul, like conjuring the rifle had, so it wasn’t slowed down at all. The exact energy cost was variable, with explosive rounds being the costliest. However, the expenditure had been severely reduced, if only because all the waste was gone. The bullets no longer cracked into existence after forming into a larger crystal with plenty of icy mist surrounding it. Now it was crisp and clean. A bullet sized chunk of ice would form and instantly form into what I wanted.

  If I put more oomph into the bullet, it took about three seconds for it to become empowered. Thrice as long, and easily twice the cost. The bullet shimmered a bit blue. It felt tougher, but… not much heavier.

  As a test, I charge for longer and… ten seconds for the final form. A beautiful sapphire bullet came into existence. It felt plenty sturdy in my hand, and it did have more oomph, but… It still didn’t feel that heavy in hand. Penetrating power went up, bullet durability went up, along with the velocity and all, but… the actual weight of the bullet didn’t seem to change all that much.

  Which was a bit of an issue. Sure, it felt more solid. Had greater durability and penetration at full charge, and they could almost compare to a normal bullet. That was about it though. Then again, what was I really expecting? With a sigh, I started to clean up and head home for the night, with plans to move into my warehouse in the following days.