The Copperweaves clinked softly in his pocket with each step.
Ten percent return on investment for one afternoon's work. Not bad. Not bad at all. Alucent found himself walking a little straighter as he made his way through Eryndral's residential district. The borrowed robe still dragged on the cobblestones, but somehow it felt less ridiculous now. More like a uniform.
First real money I've earned since... well, since dying. That's got to count for something.
The satisfaction was still growing when the shouting started.
"Get back! Everyone get back!" A woman's voice, sharp with authority and edged with something that sounded like panic.
That's Raya. What the hell is she doing in an alley at this hour?
Alucent followed the sound down a narrow side street that smelled like steam and something else. Something wrong. The shadows stretched long between the buildings, and the gas lamps here flickered more than they should.
The scene hit him like a slap.
Raya stood in the center of the alley, her rune-stitched dress and leather apron making her look like she was ready for work. But her stance was pure combat. Balanced on the balls of her feet, hands raised, eyes locked on the thing in front of her.
That's not a man anymore.
The villager—if that's what he'd been—swayed back and forth like he was underwater. His eyes were hollow, reflecting light that didn't come from the gas lamps. When he opened his mouth, the voice that came out sounded like it was being filtered through broken glass.
"The void... calls... must... answer..."
Void Rune Corruption. Jesus, I've read about this in fantasy novels, but seeing it...
"Stay calm," Raya called over her shoulder to the family huddled against the alley wall. "I can handle this. The Runebanishment will work."
Will it, though? Because you look scared as hell.
A young woman broke away from the group, her rough laborer clothes patched with the same Leatherthread he'd seen at the cottage. Freckled face streaked with tears, but her jaw was set with determination.
"Please," she begged, "that's my brother. There has to be a way to save him."
Liora. Don't know how I know that, but it's definitely Liora.
Raya's hands moved in complex patterns, channeling Runeforce into symbols that glowed briefly in the air. The Runebanishment ceremony looked impressive. Professional. Everything Sir Vorn would approve of.
It also wasn't working.
The possessed villager's hollow eyes fixed on the glowing runes and he laughed. The sound made Alucent's teeth ache.
"Traditional... methods... failing... as always..."
Well, that's ominous as hell.
The corruption pushed back against Raya's cleansing energy, and Alucent could actually see the Runeforce being twisted, turned from golden light to something that hurt to look at directly.
She's fighting this thing by the book. Textbook responses to a non-textbook problem. No wonder it's not working.
The possessed man lunged.
Shit!
Raya dodged with moves that spoke of years of practice. Her leather apron flapped as she spun away from grasping hands that moved too fast for a normal person. The Void Rune corruption was enhancing his strength, his speed, his aggression.
Traditional methods aren't cutting it. Need something different. Something—
His hand brushed against the rune-etched stones he'd picked up from the cottage ruins. Smooth river rocks with simple stability runes carved into their surfaces. Probably worthless for serious rune work.
But worthless for traditional rune work might be perfect for non-traditional solutions.
"Raya!" he called out, pulling the stones from his pocket. "Keep him distracted for ten seconds!"
"What are you—" She ducked another swipe and shot him a look that could have melted steel. "I don't need help from—"
Less talking, more improvising.
Alucent pressed his makeshift carving tool to the first stone, scratching new lines over the old stability runes. Not elegant. Not textbook. Just simple geometric patterns designed to disrupt rather than enhance.
Sonic pulse. Basic physics. If you can channel Runeforce to reinforce structures, you should be able to channel it to create vibrations. Dissonance. Something to shake loose whatever's riding that poor bastard.
The stones began to glow with that familiar golden light, but this time it felt different. Harsher. More volatile.
The possessed villager spun toward him, sensing the new threat.
"You... dare... interfere..."
Here goes nothing.
Alucent slammed the stones together.
The sound that emerged wasn't quite sound. It was something that hit the ears and the bones and the spaces between thoughts all at the same time. The possessed man staggered, his hollow eyes suddenly showing confusion instead of malevolent certainty.
It's working. The corruption is losing its grip.
"Now!" Alucent shouted. "While it's disrupted!"
Raya's expression shifted from annoyance to understanding in about half a second. Her hands moved in new patterns, channeling pure Runeforce into a Healing Rune that blazed with clean, uncorrupted light.
Risky as hell. If this backfires, we could kill him instead of saving him.
The two energies—disruption and healing—crashed together in the space around the possessed villager. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the man screamed.
Not the glass-filtered voice of the corruption. A human scream. Raw and terrified and completely, utterly alive.
He collapsed.
Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Please—
The man's chest rose and fell. His eyes, when they opened, were brown and confused and blessedly normal.
"Liora?" he whispered. "What... what happened?"
The young woman rushed to him, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. "You're back. Oh gods, you're back."
Easy solution. Messy execution, but it worked.
Raya stood over them, her expression cycling through relief, exhaustion, and something that might have been grudging respect.
"That was..." she started, then stopped. "That was completely against protocol."
But it worked.
"Protocol wasn't cutting it," Alucent replied, pocketing his modified stones. "Sometimes you need to think outside the textbook."
Liora looked up from her brother, her determined gaze fixed on both of them. "I don't have much, but..." She pressed a small pouch into Raya's hands, then another into Alucent's. "Twenty Copperweaves. It's all I can spare, but you saved him. You saved my family."
Two dollars total. A dollar each. Not exactly a fortune, but...
Alucent hefted the pouch, feeling the weight of the fabric strips inside. Combined with his earlier earnings, he was up to twenty Copperweaves total. In his old world, that would have been pathetic. Here, it represented progress. Proof that his skills had value.
Money earned through problem-solving. Through helping people. There are worse ways to make a living.
"Thank you," he said simply. Because what else could you say to someone who'd just handed you their last two dollars for saving their brother's life?
The sound of slow clapping echoed from the mouth of the alley.
Oh, come on. What now?
A figure stepped out of the shadows, and Alucent's first impression was money. The man's frock coat was cut from Frosted Silk that probably cost more than most people made in a month. The velvet waistcoat underneath was tailored to perfection, with wide lapels that screamed wealth and influence.
Thread-scarred face, though. That's interesting. Someone who works with Weavefibers personally, not just trades in them.
"Impressive work," the newcomer said, his voice carrying the smooth confidence of someone used to controlling conversations. "Unorthodox, but effective. I appreciate efficiency in problem-solving."
Great. Another player entering the game. Just what I needed.
Raya tensed, her hand moving instinctively toward something at her belt. "Jorin. I should have known you'd turn up. Shadebinder possessions are good for business, aren't they?"
Jorin. Trademaster. And from Raya's reaction, not someone to trust.
Jorin's smile was all calculated charm. "Now, now. I'm merely an observer tonight. Though I must say, your young friend's approach to rune work is... refreshingly practical."
He's evaluating me. Like a potential asset. Or threat.
Those calculating eyes fixed on Alucent, taking in the borrowed robe, the improvised tools, the way he held himself. Jorin was clearly someone who made his living reading people and situations.
And right now, he's reading me like a balance sheet.
"We should go," Raya said quietly, not taking her eyes off Jorin. "The family needs rest, and we've done enough for one night."
Translation: Get out before this gets complicated.
Alucent nodded, but not before noticing how Jorin's gaze lingered on the pouch of Copperweaves in his hand. The Trademaster was clearly making mental notes about who was paying whom, and for what.
In a world where Weavefibers and Runetokens drive the economy, information about cash flow is probably worth its weight in gold.
"Until next time," Jorin said with a slight bow. "I suspect our paths will cross again soon."
I really hope not.
As they helped the recovering villager to his feet and made their way out of the alley, Alucent could feel Jorin's eyes on his back. The encounter had solved one problem, but he had the distinct feeling it had created several new ones.
Twenty Copperweaves in my pocket. Two successful rune jobs in one day. And apparently the attention of someone who trades in secrets and influence.
The ring on his finger pulsed once, warm against his skin. Whether it was approval or warning, he couldn't tell.
One step forward, two complications sideways. Story of my life.
But as they walked back toward the main street, leaving the shadows behind, Alucent found himself thinking about the look on Liora's face when her brother opened his normal, human eyes.
Maybe some complications are worth it.
The Copperweaves clinked softly in his pocket, and for the first time since his arrival in this world, he felt like he might actually have a chance at surviving it.
Now I just have to figure out what Jorin wants, and why everyone seems so interested in a ring I can't even take off.
Easy solutions. Right.
Nothing about this is going to be easy.