Dark Dealings | Hyper Object Bonus Chapter 1

Patience had never been one of Meshi’s strengths. Glaring at the back of Ike’s head only kept his mind busy for so long, and it hadn’t done anything to hurry his companion along. Neither sighing loudly nor muttering had any effect either. He resigned himself to crossing his arms sullenly from his perch atop a chair worn smooth from years of use, keeping himself ramrod straight to avoid letting his pressed shirt touch anything in this dingy hall.

As the seconds ticked by, Meshi’s attention wandered. His foot tapped a rhythm-less tune on the scuffed, mismatched tiles. Dust swirled and collected in the corners of the hall. Even the stale air smelled like neglect. 

Beyond the twin lights near the staircase, flickering in tandem and triggering a sharp pain in Meshi’s forehead, the hallway was quiet and still. Cracks in the plaster walls followed invisible fault lines, leaving the paint edges peeling and curling in the building's humidity. Beneath this layer of paint was a slightly darker shade of gray, equally warped. 

Despite it being the official City Hall of Ulteck, this building was hardly larger than his own family’s estate back in the Oppri. The first floor was crowded with unkempt townspeople seeking an audience with city workers over trash disputes or permitting or whatever these dirt-dwellers cared about, but at least there were exterior windows to let in light. Only closed doors lined the undecorated second floor.  

What a disgusting place, Meshi thought. It’s a government building, and this is the best these people can do? The tip of his boot squeaked on the sticky tile. He frowned and peered back through the window coated in fingerprints – the only door with a window – that led into the officer’s office, where Ike and Ike alone had been invited to enter. 

Ike spoke animatedly, sweeping his arms around the room, leaning in at key moments in whatever tale he was spinning to deliver a dramatic line. On the other side of the desk, the treasury officer was in stitches, completely transfixed by the man opposite him. When Ike leaned back in his chair to undoubtedly tell the punchline of his joke, the red-faced treasury officer smacked a hand down on the desk. The man’s laugh carried all the way to where Meshi sat. 

The treasury officer whose name Meshi didn’t bother to learn hadn’t given him a second look when they’d trudged up the stairs. Even though Meshi knew the officer was expecting them, the man made a big production of smoothing his tie, hiking up his pants, and shuffling through paperwork before greeting them. Finally, this oversized public servant extended a hand to shake Ike’s, stretching himself up to full height even though Ike dwarfed him in size, and ushered him into the office, waving dismissively at Meshi and the lone chair outside. Ike shot Meshi a look, half apology and half warning, before following him inside. 

How can he stomach that? Meshi wondered. That guy’s clearly not important. He’s nothing, worthless, a glorified secretary for the mayor. Ike smiled and nodded enthusiastically as the treasury officer spoke, giving off every impression he was genuinely interested in whatever the idiot was saying. Sure, Meshi could suck it up for a bit to get what he wanted – he’d grown up in the Oppri and spent grueling hours studying etiquette like everyone else – but Ike made it seem natural. Like he didn’t mind giving them more of his time and attention than was warranted. Like he really did care about these people. 

Meshi’s lip curled at the thought. 

Another peal of laughter. Meshi leaned forward to try to catch Ike’s eye through the smudged window, but Ike was off on what looked like another rambling story. He huffed and absently reached down to pluck at the woven gold strand around his neck. The pendant sparkled even in the hallway's dull light. Meshi ran his thumb over the intricate design that protected the orange gemstone fragment within, tracing the pattern as he’d done countless times before. 

Have they noticed you’re not there anymore? That their precious heirloom has strayed far from home? He wondered. Probably not. They’d have to believe the family could fall victim to theft, and nobody would dare steal from the high nine. Meshi squeezed his fist around the stone. Even if someone did discover the fake, the blame would assuredly fall on me. Another tantrum, they’d say. Anger flared in his stomach as his family’s taunts played through his head. Half-shaper. Premature princeling. Hyper runt. Those bastards are so full of themselves. 

Just wait until they can see what I’m capable of. 

Meshi’s stomach churned. Ike was in there yukking it up with this guy, wasting their time, when they needed to get back on the hunt. This was Meshi’s only chance at the life he deserved, the life he was entitled to. If his family discovered he’d smuggled himself out of the Oppri before he finished his mission…

No. That wasn’t a possibility. He wouldn’t let that happen. 

Beginning by taking a deep breath, Meshi forced his jaw to unclench, then rested the pendant on his open palm. He willed it to move, mentally reciting the elementary steps that had been beaten into him his whole life: Reach out to the Hyper. Feel its energy. Separate that energy into strands. Find one and pull. 

The orange gemstone lay inert in his hand. He took a deep breath and willed himself to focus only on the Hyper, shutting out everything around him. Submit to me. Let me shape you. SUBMIT TO ME!

One of the lights outside the treasury officer’s door popped loudly, then winked out. Ike and the treasury officer looked up at Meshi in unison. He reddened and stuffed the pendant back down the front of his shirt out of sight as the men exited the office. 

The treasury officer looked up at the empty light socket and shrugged. “Hm. Oh, never mind all that, we’ll get one of our maintenance shapers up here to sort it all out. Now here’s the man of the hour!” Meshi stared at the man blankly. 

Ike placed a hand on Meshi’s shoulder and nodded his head toward the officer. “Sorry for makin’ you wait. Lost track of time chatting with Mr. Blaisen over here, what a funny chap he is.”

“Ah, enough of that, I told you to call me Chandt,” Chandt replied. “I’ll say, you sure won me over, kid, and I bet you anything the Mayor sees it like that too. Might finally do some good for this city, courtesy of your esteemed friend there and yours truly.” Meshi allowed Chandt to seize his hand and pump it up and down twice. “I’ll let him know you’re on your way. Just down the hall, there.” 

Whistling happily, the man walked back into his office. The moment the door shut, Meshi bolted to his feet.

“What did you offer that man!?” 

Ike held up his hands. “Nothing much. We struck a reasonable deal.” Meshi glared at him. “Look, you see the state of this place. They’re running barebones Hyper infrastructure all over, hardly have enough shapers to keep the town lit. A half dozen auto Hyper generators tuned into their system, a one-time job, would completely transform the place –”

“Six Hyper generators? Do you have any idea how much a single one of those costs!? Would have been better to ship down a gaggle of low-level shapers on the next train and put them to work out there,” Meshi grumbled. 

“We don’t trade in people, kid. They needed upgraded machinery, we need information, right?”

“Hardly seems like a fair deal. Damnit, Ike. Six Hyper generators. This is why I should be the one doing the negotiating.” 

“Don’t start with me. Our last stay got cut short because of your stellar negotiatin’, you remember? You should be thanking me. I got us an audience with the mayor. He doesn’t have to know that what we can actually offer is… overstated.” Ike winked at Meshi, who snorted in spite of himself. He nodded reluctantly. 

The pair turned the corner and headed down the hall away from the treasurer’s office, which was starkly lit in contrast. Ike straightened Meshi’s collar, then kept one hand on his shoulder as they walked, whispering as they went. 

“You need anything before we head in? Feeling confident? Remember what you need to say? This guy sounds like a real piece of work, but ain’t they all like that? You got this, no problem.” 

Meshi reddened at Ike’s fussing and swatted his hand away. “Don’t mother me,” he snapped. 

At the end of the long hallway, wide double doors separated them from the mayor’s office. The hinges sparkled too bright, and Meshi’s eyebrows shot up when he realized they were made of gold, as were the doorknobs and door plates, and the light scones flanking the doors. He looked meaningfully at Ike, who rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to knock. Before his fist connected with the wood, a warm voice oozed out around the cracks in the doors. 

“Enter.” 

Meshi and Ike exchanged a look before following the voice’s order. Inside, an explosion of purple and red and gold momentarily blinded them. While the room itself was quite large, taking up nearly half the floor, it was so stuffed full of ornate furniture that the pair had a hard time navigating to the enormous desk at the far end. A low onyx table, flanked by overstuffed armchairs and footstools, sat to the right of the entrance, illuminated by a tall golden lamp draped in gauzy fabric. Along the left wall rose bookshelves that reached the ceiling, overflowing with books. Between the many volumes, each one with a crisp, unbroken spine, were golden and silver paperweights, taxidermied animals, immaculately dusted plaques, and any number of oddities that gleamed brightly in the well-lit space. Nearly every inch of the forest-green, silky wallpaper was decorated with golden-framed portraits nearly as tall as Meshi, floral or milk-glass lighting fixtures, decorative swords and rifles, and meticulously sketched maps of deep caverns.

Crimson curtains tied back with golden rope revealed a wide picture window directly behind the desk, spanning the width of the room, where the mayor lounged in a throne-like chair, watching them take in his office. Two attendants, both of whom looked as if they could best Ike in a fight (not that Meshi would say that out loud), stood on either side of him. They were dressed in gray pinstripe suits with matching caps, unconcealed Hyper stakes holstered at their hips. 

Meshi and Ike padded across the thick, plush carpet in silence until they reached the desk. Petyr Neygin, the mayor of Ulteck, was a stocky, grizzled man with a strong jawline, neatly trimmed black hair tinged with gray, and disproportionately wide shoulders accentuated by triangular shoulder pads in his bespoke purple suit. Meshi caught himself lingering on the faint scars running across the man’s neck and forehead, and mentally shook himself. 

“Sir, thank you for –” Ike began to say. Mayor Petyr frowned and waved a hand at him. Chunky rings glittered on each of his thick fingers. Scars on his palm mirrored those on his neck. He pressed his fingers against his thumb, then turned to Meshi and flashed a broad, toothy smile. 

“Welcome to my humble city. Please have a seat, dear Meshi. We’re quite pleased to have you here, though it may not look like much for someone of your status.” The mayor bowed deeply. Humble my ass, Meshi thought. He dropped into one of the chairs next to the desk and blanched at the height difference – his chin was now only slightly higher than the top of the desk. 

“Oh goodness, my mistake,” Mayor Petyr fawned. He turned to one of his identical attendants and snapped, “Do get our guest a more suitable chair.” 

The man hurriedly picked up a high-backed chair and presented it to Meshi, who gladly traded his low seat with the new one. He pretended not to catch the smirk on the Mayor’s face. Ike opted to remain standing when the attendant offered him the low chair. 

“It seems as though introductions aren’t necessary, since you are already aware of who I am and my family, and I, of course, am well acquainted with your good work, Mayor Petyr. I must say, it is my sincere privilege to finally meet the operator of Ulteck City,” Meshi said. 

“The honor is all ours. Yes, and how are things topside? Still waging war with the Staufrites?” Mayor Petyr smiled blandly over his interlaced fingers. Blood raced through Meshi’s veins, and he fought the urge to clench his jaw. 

“It is a shock to hear you are not keeping abreast of current affairs, my dear Mayor. Surely news from the Oppri reaches you, even down here?” Meshi replied. 

“Ah, of course, do forgive me for prying. All the little details tend to lose their way before reaching us.” 

Meshi paused, mind racing through the possibilities. Ike’s comment before about his negotiating stung, but they were in his world now. “One cannot be blamed for inquiring. It’s not every day one of your status is in a position to take audience with a royal ambassador. The Staufrites… won’t be proving a threat to us.” 

“How reassuring to hear. I daresay the Oppri has more pressing matters to attend to anyway. Now, onto the task at hand, hmm? It strikes me as odd that my office was not given advance notice of your arrival. We would have rolled out the red carpet if we’d known an ambassador was gracing our fine city. Unless… this is an off-the-books visit?” 

Meshi kept his face carefully blank. He tipped his head to the side and shot the Mayor a sly grin. “We nobles are permitted to travel freely.” 

“Indeed, you are, though I’d question why a traveling noble would venture from town to town deep in the sub-terra levels, where danger lurks and unrest brews. Surely such a journey would be unwise, given the importance of your prestigious position and power? I’d imagine the Oppri or the Council would want to keep tabs on your location if nothing but to put their minds at ease. Especially when a noble from the High 9 was involved.” Mayor Petyr leaned an elbow on his desk and tapped a finger against his jaw. A necklace swung back and forth across the open space above the first button of his shirt. Its pendant was a goddess with a sword driven through her chest, the piece large enough for Meshi to clearly see the miniature mouth open as if crying out in agony. Meshi continued to stare back at him neutrally. The Mayor nodded finally and leaned back. “Well! Far be it from me to question the Oppri. I assume you’ve come to my city in need of some… particular assistance?” 

“Very astute. I am seeking information.” 

“There isn’t much more valuable than that! I know you’re quite young, but you are aware of how business is conducted, I trust…?” 

“I am prepared to negotiate a fair term with you in exchange for the information, yes,” Meshi replied. The Mayor’s face split into another wide smile. He slammed both hands palm-down on the desk and chuckled.  

“A lad with sensibility! I like it! You’d do well down here in the lower levels, my boy. And it just so happens that I’ve got a list of needs right here. What’re the odds? It’s just a few additional equipment purchase requests, labor law adjustments, you know, nothing too big. I know you talked with my treasurer – sweet guy, love him to death – but he doesn’t quite understand what this town needs to thrive.” Mayor Petyr opened a desk drawer and withdrew a stack of papers. Without glancing back, he held the stack behind him. One of the attendants took it and handed it over. 

Meshi flipped through the documents. Nothing out of the ordinary, he thought, perusing the boilerplate language he’d read hundreds of times already. Machinery, food, resources. Not even a single auto Hyper generator on the list. This is simple. Besides… Meshi glanced up to see the Mayor offering a weighty fountain pen for his signature. Maybe this buffoon doesn’t even know about blood seals. I can sign off on these no problem, and this backward town will have no idea they’re shit out of luck. 

“By all means, please read them carefully. But before we droll on about all the non-important details, signatures, and whatnot, I’m dying to know. What do you need from me?”

Meshi set the stack of documents back on the desk. “I need every reported instance of chaotic Hyper fluctuations and resonates within the last 10 years. We’ve received an increasing amount of reports on shapers losing control of their Hyper.”  

Mayor Petyr leaned forward with genuine surprise across his face. He squinted at Meshi. “That seems a bit below your level of attention, to say the least. Shapers’ skills fluctuate as they age, if they’re sick, or become a drunk, or any number of things. Why would the Oppri send you to investigate? And if you’re truly on an unsanctioned trip as I suspected, why would you care?” 

“Because I can get things done!” Meshi snapped before realizing he had lost his composure. Mayor Petyr simply grinned, his wide smile boring deep into Meshi’s mind. He’s playing me! Ike glanced down toward Meshi, ready to move in an instant, but the boy’s calm demeanor returned almost instinctively.

Meshi shifted in his chair and fixed his gaze on the crystalline clock perched at the corner of the mayor’s desk. He counted five ticks of the second hand, imagining the Hyper strands buried in its housing twitching to keep the time. Finally, he sighed exaggeratedly. 

“I have a personal investment in the case,” Meshi began, hiking his voice up an octave and pointedly avoiding eye contact with the mayor.  “See… people have been getting hurt. Worse than hurt, even. Losing their lives to unstable Hyper outbursts. I can’t stand by and watch this happen any longer – it-it’s not right! If there’s something the Oppri can do to locate the source of these issues and fix it, then I’ll put myself on the line to help.” 

He peeked up at the mayor without raising his head. Mayor Petyr’s steely gaze bore through him.

“How noble of you.” The mayor leaned on one elbow and waved his bejeweled hand in the air. “There have been a few instances of injuries, if my memory serves me. Although all reports are sent to the ministry each quarter without delay. Surely you already have access to those?” 

Meshi stopped bobbing his knee and leaned forward, placing his fingertips on the edge of the desk. “I’m not talking about those reports.” 

Deep twin lines appeared between the mayor’s eyebrows. Then, he blinked and smiled again. “For the safety of our people, huh?” 

“Yes. We’re just here to make sure everyone is taken care of.” 

Mayor Petyr pushed his chair back and stood, circling his wide desk to face Meshi. He leaned one hip against the edge of the desk as he spoke. 

“I’m afraid we don’t possess the information you’re seeking. There’s nothing we have beyond what’s included in our reports. But don’t despair, my young friend. I have information that will certainly strike your fancy and aid your magnanimous investigation. Are these terms acceptable?” 

He reached out a hand. Meshi hesitated, then grasped it. Mayor Petyr squeezed harder than needed as they shook on the deal. 

With a snap of his fingers, one of his attendants disappeared into a back room behind a garish tapestry depicting naked, winged women dancing around a waterfall. He returned moments later, struggling under the weight of an oversized lockbox. Mayor Petyr took his time searching through his many pockets to fish out a large key as perspiration beaded on his attendant's forehead. The Mayor unlocked the box, shifting his weight to hide its contents from view, then produced a thick folder stuffed with documents. 

Meshi accepted the folder and nearly ripped the cover off to page through its contents. The other attendant offered the mayor something while he waited. Thick smoke obscured the pages on Meshi’s lap, and he swallowed to dull the cough brewing in the back of his throat.

The folder contained page after page of private, personal information on the inhabitants of Ulteck city. Bank account balances, medical histories, political affiliations, arrest records, you name it. After that, there were handwritten spreadsheets that took Meshi a bit of time to realize were balance sheets for local businesses, but the column names were inscrutable. There were blueprints and funding receipts for new city works projects. Diagrams of neighborhoods. 

“What the hell is all this?” Meshi snapped. 

“I would have expected a high-9 noble to display a bit more decorum than that. Not to mention brains. This, my lad, is information more valuable than any Hyper reports you could find. Skeletons in closets. Dirty laundry. Family secrets, shady dealings. A veritable paper highway of sin and shame, implicating every individual and their family in Ulteck City and beyond.” Mayor Petyr grinned widely around his stubby cigar. 

Meshi furiously flipped pages, ears reddening with each new section devoid of anything useful. 

The Mayor, clearly mistaking Meshi’s rage for enthusiasm, chuckled. “Yes, I know. I do have a bit of a reputation for striking extremely fair deals. The best deals, if I do say so myself.”

Ike edged closer to Meshi to read over his shoulder. Meshi shot him a look of utter fury, then threw the whole folder to the ground. Paper floated under the desk and around his chair. 

“This is nothing. Garbage. Useless. What the hell do I care about the general store overcharging on sanctioned goods and pocketing the difference? Or which business is paying off your chippers? Where’re your shapers? Where’s any mention of your Hyper refinement process or incident records? That’s what I asked for!” Meshi kicked the papers at his feet into the air. “How does any of this petty dirt help me? We had a deal.” 

Mayor Petyr tapped ash onto the carpet, calmly watching Meshi’s tantrum.

“We had a deal indeed, and I kept my end of the bargain. Information to assist the Oppri’s investigation into incidents concerning its citizens. This is what I have to offer, and make no mistake, this is a very generous offer.”

Meshi jumped out of his chair at the mayor, getting within inches of his face before both attendants reacted. He put a finger in the mayor’s face and screeched, “You’re going to regret messing with me! Do you have any idea who I am, how much power I have? One word from me, and I could have the Oppri’s top enforcer down here to sort you out. I’m sure they’d just love to hear how you’ve siphoned the city’s resources into this ugly office.”   

Faster than should have been possible for a man his size, Mayor Petyr forced Meshi back into his chair and towered over him, one hand planted on the chair’s arm and the other grinding the cigar out onto the chair’s back near Meshi’s left ear. 

“You slink in here with the Oppri’s authority, stringing it around my neck like a noose, but you forget where you are. This is my city, boy. I run this place. I sit at its throne.” Ike sidled closer to Meshi and rested a hand on the back of the chair next to the new cigar burn. Mayor Petyr’s eyes narrowed at him, but he took a step back and smoothed his purple suit. “I gave you what I promised when we shook hands, you brat. Now it’s time to uphold your end of the deal.” 

The two attendants shifted to stand on either side of him. Meshi felt Ike tense behind the chair, but he didn’t turn around. He continued aiming a glaring snarl in the mayor’s direction. Snorting softly, Mayor Petyr snatched up the fountain pen and the stack of request documents and waved them under Meshi’s nose.  

“Act as petulant as you like, lad. You won’t be leaving here without fulfilling your end of our bargain.” 

All semblance of control over this situation had vanished. Every inch of the opulent hoard stuffed into the office crowded in on him, suffocating him. He set the papers on his lap and awkwardly signed them one by one. The mayor lit a new cigar while watching, growing more excited with each signature.  

“There. You have what you want.” Meshi dropped the fountain pen onto the stack of signed papers. Ink sputtered out of its tip, but the mayor didn’t so much as blink at the stained paper. “We’ll be going now…” Meshi started to stand, but the mayor grabbed his arm to keep him in place.

“Just one moment, boy. Aren’t you forgetting something? We both know a signature alone won’t get us very far.” 

One of the mayor’s attendants was on him in an instant. Meshi felt Ike’s hand leave the chair as the other attendant wrestled him away. A metal wristband closed around Meshi’s wrist. The attendant wrenched Meshi’s shackled arm out in front of him and slipped on a scratchy, oversized glove. Each of the glove’s fingertips was connected to a glass tube. Flexible hoses ran from each of those glass tubes into a container the attendant held in one hand. 

Meshi wrenched his head to the side to find Ike. The other attendant had him on his knees, pinned by a Hyper stake jammed under Ike’s jaw. Ike’s eyes were wide with shock. 

“Ow!” Meshi hadn’t been watching the attendant. With a press of a button, needles pricked each of his fingertips, deep enough to draw blood. He tried to jerk his hand away, but there was nowhere to move. Meshi watched helplessly as his blood filled the glass vials and spilled over into the tubing that carried it into that container, out of sight. As quickly as it’d been placed on his hand, the attendant was ripping it off and handing the entire contraption to the mayor.

“A royal’s blood. The most valuable currency any of us non-high-niners possess,” The mayor mused. He was seated at his desk once more. Meshi massaged his pricked fingers, otherwise frozen in place, as Mayor Petyr poured a few drops into a stamp mold and pressed a rubber stamp into it. With excessive flourish, he stamped the first page next to Meshi’s signature. 

That sheet of paper eroded outward from the bloodstamp, the paper burning away with an invisible flame. Meshi sputtered in horror, watching the fake-silk layer vanish to reveal a completely different document beneath. 

“Ta-da!” Mayor Petyr held up the new document. “Incredible, no? Silkworm skin has so many wondrous uses.”

“You lied to us from the start! You always planned to trick me!” 

Mayor Petyr tutted softly. “That’s rich, you accusing me of lying. Barging in here, prattling on about the safety of the people. The world operates differently down here, little royalty. This exchange would be considered a nice way of doing business. Your ignorance and naivety are not my fault.” 

Meshi’s chest felt heavy, rage and shame churning in his guts. He swallowed hard and spat, “I may be a royal, but my influence is limited. So what if you have my blood seal? You’re still as powerless as you were before.”  

Another smile spread across the mayor’s face. He inhaled deeply and blew smoke at Meshi again. “Maybe right now, but I have a good feeling about you, my boy. You’re going places, mark my words. And I’ll be right there with you every step of the way, thanks to your kingdom’s – or should I say, your – generous donation. Now, I’m feeling particularly generous, so I’ll bestow another gift to you and this brute of yours.” Another plume of smoke stung Meshi’s eyes. “I’ll give you until the gloomtoads croak to leave my city.” 

He already has his contracts. What’s the worst this tyrant can do to me? Meshi thought bitterly. He held the mayor’s gaze, refusing to squint against the smoke. 

“Or what?” He challenged. 

“Your one-time blood donation becomes a more permanent one.” 

Meshi half-reached for the stake hidden beneath his coat but stopped himself. It was a bad idea. They were outnumbered. It’d be a pretty embarrassing way to end this journey, bleeding to death in some low-level mob boss-turned-mayor’s office surrounded by golden baubles. 

CRUNCH. Ike gripped the stake pointed under his jaw in his fist and forced it down, twisting the attendant’s shoulder in the process. The man howled – the first sound he’d made the entire interaction – as it popped out of the joint with a loud crunch. Both the attendant and the crushed Hyper stake clattered to the floor. 

“Let’s go Meshi. We’ll be taking our leave now, sir. Thank you for the information.” Ike all but bowed to the mayor while ushering Meshi out of the room. 

“Go on, then!” Mayor Petyr called at their retreating backs. “Go make it big out there, little prince Meshi. I’m looking forward to our continued partnership!” 

***

“ – cannot understand why the Oppri doesn’t bulldoze these disgusting lower levels and turn them all into a giant mine. Look what happens when bottom-dwellers gain a little bit of power! Disgusting, aggressive, no sense of decency or modesty!” Ike shushed Meshi for the fifth time since they’d hustled out of City Hall. People crowded shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets the deeper they went into the city, and Meshi was oblivious to the glares his ranting was receiving from all manner of strangers. 

“This is serious, Meshi. He has your blood. If word gets back to the Lord’s Table about this, it won’t be good for you,” Ike cautioned. 

“It won’t. And once I find the Hyper Ob – the stone – none of this will matter. I’ll send an enforcer to personally deal with that buffoon in office.” 

“Don’t you think you’re being a tad reckless?” 

Meshi flung out his arm to smack Ike’s shoulder, but miscalculated and slapped someone walking in the opposite direction. The victim shoved Meshi, but stopped when Ike appeared next to him. 

The stranger moved on, and so did Meshi and Ike. Curling his lip, Meshi brushed off his clothes violently, patting himself off as if covered in sludge. 

“Point taken. Well, no use letting this setback ruin our visit. There’s still plenty of time before we need to leave, and food is the best remedy for a disheartened traveler after all.” Ike scanned the stalls on the other side of Ulteck City’s singular river running parallel to the main thoroughfare. “If memory serves, this city is famous for its fried grox tongue. It’d be a crime not to indulge!” With a cheery grin, Ike strode forward toward the cluster of carts emitting fragrant smoke. Meshi reluctantly followed. 

Halfway across a bridge spanning the dark, churning water, Meshi pressed a hand to his chest and came to an abrupt stop. His face drained. 

Shit! My pendant – someone must have stolen it! Meshi whipped around wildly. A man loitering against the wall of a closed business lazily scanned the street they’d just been on, then stooped to pick something up. 

The day’s disappointing events and his barely-contained frustration finally boiled over. There was no time to alert Ike – the big oaf was practically floating toward the meat smells in the distance – so Meshi muscled his way back across the bridge alone, howling, “Hey! Hey, you, stop! That’s mine!” 

The lanky man smirked at Meshi and quickly darted off in the opposite direction down the street. Meshi immediately picked up his pace, trying to close the distance in his pursuit.

When he returned to the sidewalk, Meshi was immediately reminded that he didn’t have the same commanding presence as his companion. His shoulder smacked against a woman whose attention was elsewhere, sending him spinning into the safety railing near the river. Jostled strangers glared at him from every direction, coloring his desperate chase with shame and annoyance. The thief was neither coordinated nor fast, but the crowds filling the street, unwilling to yield to Meshi’s perceived rudeness, kept him just out of reach. 

Nothing mattered but retrieving the stone. Elbows in his side, curses hurled his direction, full-body shoves from the burlier citizens – he endured it all with his vision narrowed on the moving target threatening his destiny. 

The thief darted down an alley. Meshi followed, breaking from the crowded street and sprinting as fast as his lungs would allow, finally gaining on the man. Without thinking, Meshi reached into his coat, released the Hyper stake, and activated it. The thin streak of Hyper extended from the stake’s small opening at its base, propelling through the air in its signature spiky form. The man howled as it pierced the tendon on his right ankle. That orange glowing pendant bounced out of his hands. Meshi loomed over the thief and struggled to catch his breath, watching with grim satisfaction as the man writhed on the ground beneath him. 

He retracted the thin rod of Hyper back into its housing, stuffed it snugly back in his coat, and kicked the man square in his back. Then he lifted his foot again, sending it squarely down on the man’s face. SNAP. The thief howled as the bone in his nose snapped. 

Blood splattered across Meshi’s loafer, but he didn’t care. The injured man’s cries of pain muted into groans with each fresh assault until he stopped moving altogether. Ike flew into the alley.

“Hey! Meshi, knock it off, the guy’s down, your pendant is right there!” He panted. When Meshi kicked the unconscious man again, Ike wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him back. 

Meshi growled in frustration, pushing Ike away and accidentally nudging the pendant farther from them. When he leaned down to grab it, the orange stone pulsed brightly and shook. He grasped the chain and held it up slowly. The pendant flicked forward, toward the opposite end of the alley, then fell limp. 

“Did-did you see that?” Meshi asked excitedly. Ike carefully leaned the thief upright against the wall, using the bottom of his coat to wipe blood from his closed eyes and mouth. “Ike, forget about him. The pendant – it moved! It reacted!” 

Ike’s eyes trailed down the man’s body to where blood was seeping at his ankle. Ike ripped a small patch from the man’s shirt and wrapped it around the fresh wound, now noticing the puncture marks. He stopped. It was strange. The openings were perfectly aligned along the tendon, marking a perfect shot if that was the intended target. Ike shrugged the thought away, focusing on securing the makeshift bandage. He watched Meshi turn in a circle, then take measured steps down the alley, the pendant held in front of him. Face alight with excitement, dried blood on his shoe forgotten. 

“There, look. That sign, what’s it say? Last Light? We can catch the train there.” Sure enough, the pendant jerked twice more in the direction of the sign. 

“You really messed this guy up, Meshi,” Ike said in a low voice. Meshi shrugged without a second look. 

“If I hadn’t stopped him, we wouldn’t have had this pendant guiding us to the Hyper Object. That’s the goal. Our only goal. You do want me to find it, don’t you?” Meshi asked. “C’mon, let’s go check the train times.” 

“But we haven’t eaten yet,” Ike protested. It was no use. Meshi’s focus had shifted. 

Rubbing his grumbling stomach, Ike followed Meshi toward Ulteck City’s train depot, keeping an eye on everyone Meshi bumped into along the way. Hopefully, this next town has a decent place to grab some grub, Ike thought to himself, retrieving their luggage from the lockers at the station. Meshi’s pendant was resolutely motionless again, but his demeanor had completely shifted. He bounced on the balls of his feet and excitedly babbled on about what he’d do when they found the stone. 

According to the map, they’d need to take an overnight trip to reach Last Light by morning. Whatever waited for them there would reveal itself when they arrived.