After spending the rest of the daylight hours training and hunting, Edge was ready to unwind by attending an event he’d always wanted to see with his own eyes but hadn’t had a chance until today.

  He made his way across the districts, walking down Main Street toward the center of town. When the blocks on either side fell away, he broke into a broad grin, running his gaze across the crowd while deciding what he wanted to do first.

  The town square had been transformed for the Night Sky Market. Strings of brightly colored magelights were wrapped around the rooftops and the branches of trees, stretching out above their heads. The starry sky was visible between them, multiplying the motes of light his eyes could see from thousands to innumerable.

  As was tradition, everyone had dressed in their finest clothes. Quite a few people had painted their faces or were wearing elaborate masks, adding to the mystique.

  The entirety of the square and several adjoining streets were filled with stalls, featuring everything from tasty treats to goods for sale to games where prizes could be won. A band was playing on a stage Dialla had erected on the public green. Hundreds of people were clapping along while drinking from the benches ringing the platform, and others were grooving on the dance floor.

  Edge laughed at the good cheer filling the air—a direct challenge to the fear exuded by their dire circumstances. He walked into the crowd, eager to join the fun. The lights above indicated what kind of booths were set up below, and he decided to get something to eat before checking out the wares on display.

  He found Sasha and Riller standing at the back of one of the lines and decided to join them. He didn’t know what kind of food the vendor was selling, but he trusted their judgement and didn’t mind a surprise. Whatever it is, it smells delicious.

  “Good evening, Edge. Fancy meeting you here. I like the outfit, who did you steal it from?” Riller cracked a cheeky grin while gesturing to the stylish leather clothing Edge was wearing. On that note, he took a closer look at his friends’ finery. The crew’s scout was wearing a green silk shirt and baggy denim pants in a style he’d never seen before.

  “Looking good, Riller. I’m sure Momo will be suitably impressed,” he teased back. The curly-haired archer blushed and then nodded to Edge, conceding that he’d won their exchange.

  His eyes widened when he ran them across Sasha. The strawberry-blond hunter was dressed to kill—a crimson ensemble with a short skirt, high heels, and a light jacket in complementary colors. The fabric caressed her exquisite curves and left little to the imagination, but what her dress did conceal only heightened Sasha’s beauty.

  He forced his gaze back to her eyes, laughing at the self-satisfied smirk on her face. They shared a look with more than a little heat to it, and the trio made small talk while they waited in line.

  The stall wound up selling deep-fried fish sticks. They were crispy and juicy and tasted every bit as good as they smelled. Edge didn’t get a lot of fish in his diet, since the crew always had plenty of red meat or poultry on hand from their hunts, which made the treat all the more enjoyable.

  They hit up two more vendors and then went their separate ways. “See you later.” He waved and then muttered to himself, “I hate to see Sasha go, but I love watching her leave.”

  He decided to check out the market before dancing the rest of the night away. While he walked, he eavesdropped on the people ambling by, chatting while they browsed the endless wares. It would be easy to spend hours here, he mused while threading his way through the crowd that was flowing around the stalls on display.

  Some of the bigger booths were run by the settlement’s prominent stores, but most of the stands had been set up by individuals who were looking to barter or sell used equipment and various resources they had collected in the field. There were also people selling the service of their skills—everything from cosmetic alterations to on-the-spot repairs to magic-augmented deep-tissue massages.

  It was a cheerful, bustling scene—full of excited voices, exuberant pitches, and theatrical salesmanship. Some people were hunting for deals. Others had brought treasures of their own and were hoping to receive more value through trade than they would for a Credit exchange.

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  He was pleased to see that many of Puppet Town’s residents were picking up the gear they needed to start hunting in the plains. It told him they had adapted to their new lives as pioneers on Ord and were optimistic the settlement would still be here four days from now. Edge admired their resolve to see the crisis through, since their determination resonated with his own.

  He wasn’t looking for anything specific, but it was fun to peruse the wares. The stalls were filled with everything from borderline junk to true rarities and unique pieces in need of a buyer. Some of the crafters from the Forge were selling high-end weapons and armor—pieces the other party had never picked up, or they had crafted on their own initiative.

  The biggest booth was the Contribution Point exchange run by City Hall. Emily was overseeing five separate clerks, helping them process every request that came their way.

  Points could be redeemed for countless items and perks, including upgraded housing, luxury food, and a wide range of resources used in crafting—even cores if you earned enough. The most popular purchases were skill gems from the settlement’s stockpile and gear that had been “donated” by the Crimson Claws. Edge was saving the rest of his points for aether refills and remodeling the lodge, so after bidding good evening to Emily, he continued on his way.

  He ran into Violet when he moved into the thrumming heart of the market. The quartermaster was contemplating purchasing some decorations for her bedroom. “Hey, Edge.” She waved when she saw him. “Having fun?”

  “I am,” he replied. “I’ve always wanted to see the Night Sky Market. This is a nice break from all the hard work and life-and-death battles.” They chatted for a few minutes before she said something that grabbed his undivided attention.

  “That reminds me, I saw someone selling Skill-Merger Tokens a few rows down. I would have bought them for you, but they’re too rich for my blood.”

  He was already running before she finished her sentence. “Bye, Violet. Thanks for the tip. Let’s hang out a little later.”

  He found the stall in question almost immediately. To his relief, the merger tokens were still there, due to their exorbitant price. The hunter selling them had been exploring one of the bordering biomes when he came across a sealed chest. When he realized who Edge was, he was willing to go a little lower, but he still wanted 75,000 Credits for the pair.

  He haggled the seller down to 70,000, just for the principle of the matter, but in truth he would have paid twice as much. There was only so much his Credits could do for him right now, while obtaining more tokens was critical for his ongoing development.

  Stage three was finally looming on the horizon, but he wasn’t going to reach it for a while yet. Until then, tokens were the only way he could free up some skill slots without Absorbing something from his collection, which he was loath to do unless he had no other choice. Even then, the strategic use of tokens let him create skills that were more powerful than the sum of their components, especially with Skill Bond facilitating the mergers.

  This time around, I’ll try to save them until I find something that would be good to merge with an existing skill. Although, if I come across an amazing power but don’t want to combine it, I can always free up a slot by merging two skills to make room for something new. I’ll give it some thought before the big battle and review my options.

  With that out of the way, Edge made his way through the section selling resources, looking for materials that might be useful later.

  He was happy with his current gear, but as he evolved and began fighting more powerful opponents, his equipment wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure. His scythe and naginata should see him to the middle of stage three, but his armor needed to be replaced before he hit peak stage-two.

  He didn’t have anything in mind, but he wanted to collect a range of valuable materials over the next few months. That way, he would have plenty of components when the time came to swap out his kit with something better.

  Edge was overwhelmed by the sheer number of wares on display, some of which he couldn’t even begin to identify. He hadn’t received training as a harvester or a lootfinder, and the science of evaluating crafting ingredients was above his paygrade.

  Wait a minute. That was when he realized he didn’t have to. He already had a convenient way to uncover the hidden gems mixed in with the dross.

  He activated Sense Treasure, swearing in surprise as the feedback from the skill lit up the market like a river of neon. He had never been near this many valuable resources at the same time, and the intensity was overwhelming at first.

  He eventually got used to it, grinning in wonder at being immersed within a sea of shining jewels. Of course, most of the hunters understood the value of their wares, but some items were either underpriced or a cut above the rest.

  Edge spent a decent pile of Credits and came away feeling like he’d gotten the better end of the bargain. Besides, whatever I don’t use, I can either give to my friends or sell to Ander’s people.

  He stored it all in his vault—relieved he didn’t have to carry the heavy load back to the lodge—then went to find himself a drink and someone to dance with, wondering if he could talk Sasha into sharing his bed for a few hours a little later in the evening.

  He was only days away from tackling his toughest opponent yet, but he didn’t let that distract him. If this celebration was fated to be his last, Edge was going down having enjoyed life to the fullest.