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[Skill-Eater] Chapter 67: Mayor
🕑 Added 2024-07-29 17:01:01 +0000 UTCInside, two people were addressing various aides, who went rushing out the door shortly after he entered. When they left, only a woman and man remained. Edge knew them both from the feed, although he’d never met them in person. The woman’s name was Dialla, and she was the Mayor of Puppet Town.
Though she was uncored, you would never know it by the way she carried herself. The authority and self-assurance radiating from her posture. She was one of the town’s oldest residents, with a puppet body well into its forties.
Dialla had long chestnut hair with streaks of gray and dark brown eyes. There was a series of scars running down one side of her face. Trophies earned from fighting off a group of convicts who had been preying on the settlement’s shipping lanes.
Standing beside her was Earl. He was the man in charge of the local peacekeepers, but everyone called him the sheriff. Earl was one of the town’s heavy hitters, a stage-two warrior with an earth attuned core. He had dark skin, bright green eyes, and a broad chest. Even more than most core-bearers, every inch of his body radiated power.
Earl the Earthhammer was a legend on the feed. He was probably even more dangerous than Warren, although he was known to have a friendly disposition to everyone who managed to stay off his shit list.
His signature weapon was strapped to his back. A massive war hammer made of high-grade stone that was shiny and black, like obsidian with tiny silver flakes. He wore heavy leather armor adorned with a variety of magtech devices, enhancing his already impressive lethality to terrifying new heights.
Edge’s heart began to race when they both turned to regard him, giving him long, lingering looks without saying a word. Do they know about Skill-Eater? Is this going to be some manner of interrogation. He tried not to look anxious, although the sheriff likely had a skill that would let him know Edge was uncomfortable.
“Relax, Edge. Have a seat.” Dialla smiled and took the chair across from him. The sheriff set his weapon down on the table with a hearty thud. He plopped down in a chair and offered Edge a welcoming grin, while the mayor kept talking.
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to ambush you. When I heard Emily say your name, I figured that it would save us both time to take care of this now. Say something, Earl. You’re making him nervous.” She felt silent and let the sheriff pick up the conversation.
“We’re trying to have a friendly little chat with all our new residents. Since this has become a life and death situation, the old way of doing things isn’t going to work going forward. We wanted to let you know that if you follow the rules, you won’t be evicted just because you can’t afford a room. Camping on the public green will be free from now on, along with passing through the gates.”
Dialla smiled and chimed in. “We’re also providing rations to the poorest among us, so that no one dies from magicyte depletion syndrome. I won’t sanction people starving to death. Not with our last lives on the line.”
“But you don’t have to worry about that, do you?” Earl turned to look him in the eyes, staring at Edge with a probing gaze.
“You’re not one of the uncored anymore. You not only found a rare core that’s not in the registry, but a pair of uncommon skills as well. An unheard-of windfall for a fresh tourist, at least before the planet changed. What did you find, one of those mythical reliquaries that everyone likes to speculate about, but no one has ever seen?”
In that instant, Edge knew that he was being tested, even if this inquisition was far friendlier than his last. He forced himself not to react to the word reliquary, willing himself to forget its meaning until he started to believe it.
“I’m not sure what you mean. But I did find some unexplored ruins and was lucky enough to come across a sealed chest. I think it was one of the ancient ones seeded by the System during the early days, moved onto the plains from somewhere on the frontier.”
Earl stared at Edge for a long while. He eventually nodded like the story had been in line with his expectations. “Quite the lucky find either way. I’m glad to have more core-wielders in town, regardless of the details. Something tells me that we’re going to need all the help we can get before long.”
It seemed that his answer had satisfied their curiosity, because they both smiled and stopped probing the issue. The mayor reached into her pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Edge. Inside was a voucher, worth three thousand credits at any shop in town.
“That’s all that we wanted to speak with you about. That, and to thank you for what you did out there. Trapper’s crew is a core part of our economy. We need the resources she brings in if we’re going to survive what comes next. Not to mention, she’s a model citizen and a good friend.”
Something in the mayor’s expression told Edge that there was more to the matter, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. He just listened as Dialla kept talking.
“As a token of our appreciation, we wanted to give you some creds to help you gear up, in the hope that you’ll be willing to contribute more in the days ahead. We were also wondering if you were looking for work.”
“Emily suggested that I talk to Trapper about joining her crew. I think I’ll head over to her place now.”
“Wonderful. That’s just what we were hoping to hear. I won’t keep you any longer, but it was nice to meet you, Edge. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing more of each other soon.” While that was the last thing that he wanted, he smiled and pretended that it was great news. He was genuinely thankful for the credits though, so he didn’t have to fake his gratitude.
They said their goodbyes and then he walked outside. Edge started heading across town to the hunters’ district to talk with Trapper, reflecting on his day along the way.
Another three thousand credits with an easy explanation. That’s going to come in handy. I’ll decide how to spend them after I see about getting a job.
Comments
Bryan Dickerson
It has a two day digestion period too. It is finished in chapter 80.
Cinque Culver
So, I haven’t read through to the end yet so I am not sure if it gets addressed but, I keep wondering what happens to the second Shadow Step skill Edge/SE consumed. No mention of digesting it this far in the System Notifications that were shared either.
Gunmetalrhino
Hmm, not necessarily. He could easily hunt with Trapper's crew in the day and then do solo hunts at night to practice and gain skills. It would be a brutal schedule but possible.
Sam
I would much rather him be a solo hunter than joining Trappers crew, they will just be tying him down if he ends up sticking with em for a long period of time.
Bryan Dickerson
That's a really good point. Right now, he isn't going to use any skills that would reveal his secret around them while he gets trained up, but he will need to think the matter through again soon.
Blackjack
I honestly don't understand his plan. He is going to join trappers crew but also he needs to keep his abilities a secret. Which would inevitably expose his secrets, if he hunts around other people. There's no way he'll be able to keep it a secret. 🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️ even if trappers crew don't turn him in. It just doesn't seem like a smart decision.
