Having escaped from the Strangers' Administration HQ, Alex and Gene moved along with the crowd through the streets. To avoid detection, Gene draped a spare cloak over Alex, hiding his red coat beneath.

"Hey, Gene... I can call you Gene, right?" Alex asked timidly.

"Sure, all my friends call me Gene."

"Alright. So Gene, what was all that about? I thought you said I would be safe in the cell."

"The situation changed."

"Specifically?"

"The City Guards, they want the Administration to hand you over. You know the City Guards, right?"

"The Atra City Guards? I read about them from that journal left in the cell. Was that yours?"

"It was from a friend, part of his investigative journal on how the world is dealing with Strangers. That was part of a draft he wrote while he was here. I thought it'd be helpful to you."

"Well, it was informative I suppose, but are the City Guards that bad?"

"Their cells are unsanitary, they have no qualms about torture, and they feed you the same thing fed to pigs. You wouldn't like it there."

"And the Administration? They weren't just going to hand me over were they? The journal said that they were at odds with the City Guards."

"And they still are, but this time the City Guards are applying political pressure. I won't go into details but I'm sure you can imagine what a mess that would be. That is why I decided to save everyone the trouble and bust you out."

"But now we'll be fugitives won't we?"

"For a little bit, yes, until the Sight Jacker case is dealt with at least, that's the City Guards' stated reason for wanting you for in the first place, so I'm sure they'll leave you alone once everything is done."

"Okay, I guess... And thanks, for busting me out. I don't think I'd like staying at the City Guards' place."

"No problem. We Strangers need to look out for each other," Gene gave Alex a gentle pat on the back. "Now turn right here, into the alleyway."

Alex did as he was told, thought he was surprised at what he had just heard.

"You're a Stranger too?" he asked after entering the alleyway.

"Yes. I arrived into this world about ten years ago. It was New Years Eve back home when I was spirited away."

"New Year Eve... that's the-"

"Same as you, I know, and as does every Stranger I've come across. Everyone disappeared around New Year Eve, or New Years if they're from the other side of the world. I reckon we were all spirited away at the same moment, but arrived at different times, as far back as five hundred years ago it seems."

"Yeah, I remember reading about that. I wonder what happened."

"I'm sure we all want answers to that question, but now we have more immediate problems, so focus on that for now. We'll have plenty of time for that once we get out of this."

"Alright, I keep focus. And again, thanks Gene. I thought you were scary before, but I guess you're pretty nice after all."

"Hey, like I said, we Strangers need to watch out for each other. But sure, you're welcome."

***

After taking various twists and turns through the ever winding alleyways, to the point where Alex was sure he would never find the way back, the two arrived at a district tucked away from the rest of the city.

"So this is the slums, it's not as... well, bad as I thought."

When Alex heard from Gene that they were heading to the slums, he had imagined it to be a place with half collapsed housing with terrible sanitary conditions, filled with the miserable poor and malnourished. However, as far as he could see, that was not the case. Though the housing weren't excellent they were serviceable as a warm home, and though it's indeed filled with the less fortunate, most seemed healthy and leading relatively happy lives.

"Thanks to a certain 'wealth redistribution organization', the slums of Atra are considerably well off compared to the ones you'll find elsewhere. Of course, if there's a choice, I rather such a place wouldn't be needed at all, but that how it is."

"And by 'wealth redistribution organization', you mean the Thieves' Guild?"

Gene smiled, very much amused. "Well, aren't you savvy?"

"That's how it is with most fantasy settings."

"While there's some truth in them, I wouldn't recommend relying on these 'settings' too much, in the end they're fictional."

"I know, I'm just... Sorry, I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm not saying you did anything bad," Gene placed his hand on Alex's shoulder. "I know you're a bright kid, Alex. I was only saying it just in case. I've seen kids who can't distinguish reality from fiction and got themselves into trouble, I rather not see that again."

"I'll be careful, I promise," said Alex sincerely, feeling the genuine concern in Gene's voice. At the very least, I don't want to do anything that would cause him more trouble, Alex told himself.

"Good, very good," said Gene, smiling. Not every Stranger of this age was as quick to understand, not that he blames them; they were at a difficult age with the added frustration of being lost in another world after all. Still, it's good to have someone easy to handle.

Eventually, the two would arrive at a bar, the building well maintained for a place in the slums, and right in front of the bar, a sign was placed, saying "Thieves' Guild Hideout".

"......" Alex had no word for how he felt about the sign. For a joke it was far too cheap for his taste, and for a trap it was far too stupid. He wanted to yell, "What kind of hideout would have a sign in front of it!", but he didn't, he felt that if he did, that would be the true trap.

"Up until about four years ago," Gene started speaking after he felt the timing was right, "the city of Atra was plagued by a notorious crime syndicate. They dealt in assassinations, illegal substances, and human trafficking amongst their many other crimes. It was the Thieves' Guild that helped bring an end to them. While the syndicate may be fearsome, the thieves had a larger network, and by joining hands with the Adventurers' Guild and with the unofficial endorsement of the Cygnus Royal Family, the syndicate was snuffed out."

"So you're saying the Thieves' Guild are like heroes here and therefore has no need to be discreet."

"They're more considered the lesser of two evils, and they're discreet alright, don't let this place fool you. This is just one of many of their hideouts throughout the city, and rather than a true hideout, it's more of a front desk for the Thieves' Guild. If you want to hire them for a job, the first step is to come here."

The two strode into the building. Gene does so confidently while Alex hid behind him, cautious of the place and the scary looking figures skulking about in the shadowy corners of the bar.

"Master, how are you?" Gene addressed the large bald man behind the counter, presumably the barkeep.

"Better than you, Sword Saint. Word on the streets is that you've gotten yourself into some big trouble, again," the barkeep replied, his mug grumpy, though he shows no sign of being unwelcoming.

"Heard that already have you? Your ears are longer than the elves."

"I like to keep an ear out, that's how you survive in our business."

"Then I assume you know what I need?"

"That depends, perhaps if you make me laugh."

"Alright. Why does the chicken cross the road?"

"..."

"To get to the other side."

The barkeep was not laughing, his mug as grumpy as ever. "Come back in twenty minutes," he then said, his expression unchanging.

Alex was confused but he doesn't dare say anything, he could sense eyes glaring at him from the shadows and he was too intimidated by them to make a sound. It was only after they left the bar did he dare speak up. "What was that all about?"

"That was the codeword you use when asking for a smuggling service."

"That was dumb."

"Yes, so dumb you almost couldn't believe it's an actual thing." Gene was grinning as if he had said something profound. Alex does not share the feeling.

"So, what are we going to do for twenty minutes?"

"I suppose we could always go see the black market."

"......"

"What?"

"No, I mean, you said it so casually, I almost couldn't process it. Just so we're clear, we're talking about a market selling illegal goods and not a bunch of stalls lined up on a street right?"

"Err... Yes and no."

Turns out, the black market in Atra is indeed a market selling illegal goods... in the form of stalls lined up on a street in the slums.

"I'm surprised the City Guards haven't raided the place yet," Alex expressed his disbelief.

"They don't come here. There's a secret agreement between them and the Thieves' Guild to ignore this area."

"They're rather corrupt aren't they?"

"That they are, in fact, their cell conditions are so bad because they're actually embezzling funds for renovations."

"How do they get away with all that?"

"The City Guards are the arms of the corrupted rich and of noble birth, and so they have strong backing and ties. It is also the true reason why they despise Strangers. The increase of their numbers in the Adventurers' Guild and the Strangers' Administration had been upsetting the balance of power within this city."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing you guys caught me first, huh."

"You have no idea. Oh, and speaking of which, I have something for you."

Gene moved Alex into a nearby alleyway, away from the black market stalls and the suspicious looking individuals perusing them. Once safely alone, from his pocket, Gene produced what seems to be a small rectangular metal plate, smooth on one side and the other adorned with the etchings of wavy patterns.

"Here." Gene handed the plate over to Alex.

"What's this?"

"It's your Adventurer's License, you registered for it, remember? Usually, it should not have been allowed for someone else to retrieve it for you, but, well, do you remember Sasha?"

"Sasha?" Alex searched his memory. Did he meet a person by that name? He had a feeling that he did.

"It's the receptionist that helped you register."

"Now I remember!" Alex remembered now, and though she had not introduced herself, he remembered reading her name tag.

"That's right. Anyways, she's the one who told me where you were staying at."

"Ah, so that's how you found me!" Alex remembered that day when he fought Gene and the painful experience that followed. So it was that seemingly nice lady at the front desk that betrayed me, thought Alex. Well, she was only doing her job I suppose, and thanks to her, the Administration found me before the City Guards.

"Anyways, she was feeling guilty about what she did, so when I told her about your situation, I went ahead and guilt tripped her into handing the license over."

"Won't she get into trouble?"

"Not if she doesn't get found out."

Alex was beginning to get a feel for Gene's character, and one thing he's figuring out is that the man they call Gene, isn't exactly a follower of the rules. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, Gene did break him out, saving him from the clutch of the City Guards. On the other, he's afraid of what might happen in the future if he sticks with Gene for an extended period of time. This man could be trouble as well, that is what Alex's "good boy" instincts are telling him.

Turning away from Gene, Alex observes the plate, both the smooth side and the side with the etchings, and found that there was nothing else on it, no personal information, no nothing. Though, his mystic sight did tell him that there's some kind of complex enchantment attached to the plate. [Blood Bond] it was called.

Alex's eyes went back to Gene and saw that Gene had taken out a needled from the pouch he wears at the back of his waist that was usually hidden and protected by his cloak. Then Gene began gathering mana at the tip of his finger on his other hand and conjured a small flicker of fire. The fire was small, pitifully small for the mana he had poured into creating it, as Alex could tell from his mystic sight. With that amount of mana, Alex could have easily created a fire ball twice the size of a basketball.

Gene proceeds to place the needle over his small fire, burning it, purifying it, and Alex knew where it was going next.

"Give me your finger," Gene said.

Alex gulped and then did as he was told. Carefully, Gene pricked Alex's finger and a small droplet of blood came flowing through. Gene then moved Alex's hand towards the plate and had the blood drop right onto the side with the etchings.

Upon contact with the blood, the etchings glowed with the light of magic, and the droplet of blood was absorbed into the light. Once all of the blood was absorbed, the light died down.

"The [Blood Bond] has been activated. Now the contents can only be seen when handled by you or a staff member of the Adventurers' Guild," Gene helpfully explained.

Alex turned the plate around to the smooth side, and indeed, words had appeared over the surface, showing the information he had filled on his registration form, and on one corner, two words "Novice Adventurer" can be seen. Somehow, having this in his hand made Alex feel a sudden elation, there's just something inherently fantastic and romantic about being an adventurer, albeit, a novice one.

"Keep it safe, it's not absolutely necessary, but it can be difficult to get around sometime without a proper identification. With this, at least the Adventurers' Guild can attest for you. Also, if you do lose it, there'll be a reissuing fee if you want to get a new one, and it ain't cheap. So just don't lose it."

"Yeah, I'll be careful," Alex said with a big grin plastered onto his face and promptly stuffs the license into his pocket, patting it a few times to make sure it stays there.

"Now, since we still have some time, shall we go take a look at the market? We won't be buying anything though."

"You made it sound like I actually want to buy something from the black market."

"Well, you never know."

"I feel like I don't want to know."

And so the two continued their window shopping... At the black market...

***