"That was awesome!" Yikes slapped Severance across the back, using enough force to make him stagger.

Severance wore an embarrassed smile. "Well..."

"Ha, did you see their faces afterwards?" Whatsit chortled. "They so deserved it!"

They'd just gotten out of the dungeon, and Severance was increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of attention the other players were giving him. He might have encouraged a certain player to spend the rest of the fight on the floor, and he might have failed to lend any sort of aid to a certain healer, whose own stubbornness soon had him laid out on the floor as well, but that was it. It wasn't like he'd done all that much. Although, the Raid had been a lot easier to finish without them participating.

The three friends from the diner crowded around him, which had the added benefit of keeping the others from getting too close. Most just grinned and waved at him before continuing on their way, though Angelo made sure to glare heatedly at him. It was nowhere as murderous as the stare Mr Bandaid threw at him, though.

Severance pretended not to see it. It was strange, but he was no longer bothered by the other healer's actions. What did it matter? The guy was an idiot and had all the capabilities of a wet noodle.

"Hey, thanks for the help," Sheesh said.

"No problem." Severance meant it, too. It might have been annoying dealing with entitled players, but at the end of the day, he was happy to have found the three teens from the diner in game. Even better, he was able to help them out.

"Hang on, I'm going to send you a friend invite, 'kay?" Yikes opened his System menu, his hands moving across invisible screens. His friends followed suit, and within moments, Severance had three new friends in his friend list.

He stared at the fading notifications in a kind of a daze. First, it was just Awesome Dude, and then there was Chad and Momo, although he didn't really spend much time with those two, but that was okay, they counted as friends, right? But now he had three more people who actually wanted to be friends with him.

It was... Severance didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he couldn't stop smiling.

Then he noticed the dark figure lurking nearby. It was Rasin, and he leaned against the white marble pillar of a nearby building, his dark clothing blending seamlessly with the shadow. He wasn't even looking their way, but Severance instinctively knew that Rasin was waiting for him.

He didn't really want to leave his new friends so soon, but he knew Rasin wouldn't be here without a reason. Besides, he figured his new friends had to deal with their level 30 clan quest now anyway.

"Sorry guys, I have to go."

Sheesh, Yikes, and Whatsit took it all in stride. They told him they'd see him later, a statement that made him smile all over again, and then they were gone.

Severance walked over to where Rasin waited.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Severance," Rasin greeted him with a warm smile. "Do you have some time to spare?"

"Sure." It wasn't like he had anything else to do now, anyway.

"Very good. There's an errand for you and I to do."

"Where's-?"

A System chime cut him off, and a notification revealed itself. Severance rolled his eyes at the sight of it.

Quest Received: Complete Rasin's Errand

Really? This was actually a quest?

"Two Bridges," Rasin answered, but not before giving him an inquisitive glance. "Ser Abelard is finished with the commission. If you're ready, I'll bring us there."

Severance nodded his assent, and the clansman immediately clasped his shoulder. The world around them shifted into a teleport.

When Severance's vision cleared of dizzying white spots and the sense of displacement faded, he found them standing in the center of Two Bridges. Tall buildings with countless sky bridges surrounded them on all sides, though if he looked up, he'd see an open square of clouded sky.

"Hmm." Hand still on Severance's shoulder, Rasin took a look around, gaze sharp. "Place seems a little quiet."

Players and Elionans still wandered the streets and sky bridges, but there were less people than before. It wasn't a huge difference, really, but Severance couldn't help but feel that there was a sort of hush hanging over the city.

"I don't see as many Valkyries around, either," Severance observed.

"Yes, that is a bit odd. Come, let's head to the Merchant's Quarter, but keep an eye out." Rasin set out, his stride somehow relaxed despite being quick. Severance found he had to work a little just to keep up.

As they walked, Rasin asked, "How did the dungeon go?"

"The raid?" Severance rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating a little. Should he say? He wasn't exactly proud of how he acted in the dungeon, but he couldn't deny how satisfying it'd been. Normally, he wouldn't even think of getting another teammate killed, but he'd just been so annoyed with the guy.

What would Rasin say to that? Would the clansman think poorly of him?

I probably shouldn't have done that. He groaned softly.

"That bad, hm?"

"Well," Severance risked a peek to see that Rasin wasn't even looking his way. The Veiled man was watching their surroundings as they traveled. "We got through it in the end. But I had a terrible cohealer. And then there was this guy from the Chosen-"

"Oh?" Rasin abruptly turned his head, his ebony gaze finding Severance's. His entire manner remained as mild as before, yet there was an intensity in those eyes that hadn't been there before.

He's worried, Severance realized. He gave an uncertain smile, feeling awkward. "It's fine. I'm not sure what his deal was, but he kept trying to get us killed. So uh..." He shrugged. "I sort of... helped him die? It was a lot easier to finish the fight after that."

Silence.

He snuck a peek, only to see Rasin with a hand pressed to his mouth. The man's shoulders shook in silent laughter.

Baffled, he watched with widened eyes, trying to understand what, exactly, was so funny about this. Purposefully killing a teammate wasn't really looked upon with approval. Especially if one was a healer. Their role was to keep people alive, not kill them!

"Good for you, Sev. Just wait until Maun hears about this." Rasin broke out into another round of chuckles.

With a resigned sigh, Severance lifted his gaze to the heavens. He should have known that his clan would approve of such a thing. And Maun... ugh. He'd never hear the end of this.

They passed a pair of Valkyrie on the street. Both women moved with urgency, like they were in a rush to get somewhere. They didn't even glance at Severance and Rasin.

Trouble? Severance wondered, but Rasin didn't show any concern, so he relaxed. If there was danger, surely the Veiled man would sense it.

The Valkyrie turned a corner and vanished from sight. There were only a handful of people nearby now, talking in quite murmurs. Severance regarded them warily, unable to tell at this distance if they were players or Elionans.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was glad Rasin was here. The city didn't feel friendly today.

"So," he said, trying to break the silence that had settled over them, "Did Parvath tell you about Ervante?"

Rasin hummed. "He did. We were discussing that this morning, actually."

"And?"

Now Rasin turned his head to look at him, his brows lifting. "And what?"

That wasn't quite the response Severance was hoping for. "What are we going to do about him?"

"'We' aren't going to do anything," Rasin said mildly, though his eyes were dark. "You just need to focus on your tasks, and make sure to let us know where you're going. I and the others will handle Ervante."

It was the same thing Parvath had said the day before. Severance hadn't put much stock in it then, but now... he found himself wondering what exactly the Veiled were going to do.

"Are you going to kill him?"

A rumbling chuckle came from deep within Rasin's chest. "It's no easy matter to reach a high-ranking Trader, Severance. We can't just make all our enemies disappear in the dark of the night."

"So? I don't think that's something Agadhi cares about." Severance still remembered how the clan Leader had just bulldozed his way through several people in Ascendance. He demanded a path be cleared, and when certain players refused, he simply stepped over their bodies.

"He does care, because he's not a fool. Sure, sometimes he'll take a calculated risk, but this case, we need to be especially cautious. Ervante is quite powerful, and those backing him are even more so."

"You mean the leaders of the Free Traders?"

Rasin glanced sideways at him. "They're part of it, yes."

"Then, who's the other–"

"Ah, here we are," Rasin lengthened his stride, forcing Severance do speed up. "The Merchant Quarter."

Severance narrowed his eyes. He'd noticed they were approaching the market, but Rasin's sudden interruption seemed both intentional and unnecessary. Still, he decided to let it pass. For now.

The Merchant's Quarter had the usual bustling activity, with nothing appearing to be out of place. There even was another pair of stern-faced Valkyrie standing watch at the far side.

"There he is." Rasin headed right for a very noticeable merchant who was as wide as he was tall. "Ser Abelard!"

The very large man turned, spotted them, and then his rosy cheeks stretched into a wide, beaming smile.

"If it isn't old Rasin!" His voice boomed across the Quarter. If the entire place didn't know they were there before, it sure did now.

With a warm laugh, Rasin reached out and the two men grasped each other's forearms. "I heard you got some things for me."

"Or you or the boy?" Ser Abelard looked over at Severance and winked. "I'm glad to see you again, lad. Come inside my shop, both of you."

They did as the merchant bid. Once more, he lowered the rolled-up fabric walls and created an enclosed space for privacy. Ser Abelard retrieved a wooden box from a shelf and carefully presented it to Severance.

"There you are, lad. These should last you for a lifetime, and they'll only improve as you break them in."

Severance eyed the box, then glanced at Rasin. This was for him? When the Veiled man nodded encouragingly, Severance carefully took the box. He didn't know what to expect, other than it might have something to do with the Ell's Tears that he dropped off a few days ago.

Holding the box with one arm, he lifted the lid. His eyes widened.

Resting on a soft piece of navy cloth was a pair of war fans. Their ribs were formed out of blackened metal, strong, slender and elegant. They tapered to straight, dagger-like points that extended several inches past the fabric, sharpened on either side to a deadly edge. The most eye-catching feature, however, was the glimmering blue gem embedded in the joint of each fan.

The Ell's Tears.

Wordlessly, he picked up a fan. It had some weight to it, thanks to the metal, but it wasn't clunky. With a flick of the wrist, the fan snapped open. The motion created only a whisper of sound. Between the ribs was a silky fabric, thin yet sturdy, and the color wasn't quite black, but a deep hue that seemed to change every second. Like the first set of fans, these had a silver, razor-sharp filament edging the fabric. This, he knew from experience, was able to cut like any blade.

Severance tilted his head, unable to take his eyes away. The fans were beauty and elegance and danger all in one package.

"Windwalker's fins," Ser Abelard said. "That's what the material between the ribs is. One of the toughest, yet most delicate materials to work with. It was a real joy to have the opportunity to use them this time."

Severance looked up. "Fins? Like... from a fish?"

"Windwalkers are more lizard than fish, lad. Although, they like the water as much they do land. Makes them a difficult thing to hunt."

"Not so difficult," Rasin said, smiling. "Only took me a couple of afternoons."

"Which is an extraordinary feat, my friend. I know of few hunters who can manage such a thing."

"You hunted those things? For these fans?" Severance was stunned. Why would Rasin go to such lengths for him?

"I did," Rasin confirmed. "Olen suggested the materials, and I had plenty of time on my hands. I was happy to do it."

"I—thank you." Severance dropped his gaze to the fans. Warmth filled his chest, and for one ridiculous second, he wanted to hug the man. Apart from Fenn, no one had ever done such a nice thing for him. "You even put the Tears in."

Ser Abelard nodded. "They're the foci. They'll help you use your skills more efficiently."

"That's awesome. Thank you."

"My pleasure, lad. I always enjoy working with rare materials." Ser Abelard positively beamed; pride was etched deep into every fiber of his being.

"No, it's our privilege," Rasin smiled. He pulled out a small pouch, heavy with coin, and passed it over to the artisan.

Ser Abelard tucked it away without a word, still beaming away, and raised the walls of his stall. Once sunlight bathed them, there was no need for discretion. His voice boomed out to the market once more: "Take care, and please, come again!"

Severance carefully placed his new war fans into Inventory and promptly got a notification.

Quest Completed: Complete Rasin's Errand

You have gained Windwalker's Tears, +1 Intelligence, +1 Agility (when equipped)

Upon reading it, he only had one thought. If this was what he got for doing errands with Rasin, then he'd never complain about getting errands for a quest again.