The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter Seven - Differences

Tora, Noromac, and Voleria made it to the city before everybody else in their year group did. They had never seen a city so large as this, nor did they ever really see a city. They lived in a town of Prodigies, Jack Prodigies, and they, for the most part, kept to themselves. The only time they interacted with normal people was during shipments of food, clothing, and things of that sort. They were in a lot of shock at the sight of so many people at one place, they were completely on edge. Voleria was uneasy mostly because it had to be heavily covered which limited its field of vision. It wouldn't due to have people see a walking mass of insects held together by spider webs.

Their instructions were to walk the main road to the Hall of Vera to meet their guides. Their guides would walk them to where they would stay, answer any questions they had, and provide a line of communication between them, the Vanguard, and the High Council. After entering the walled city they immediately, had many opinions about the whole place.

"This place smells pretty damn rotten if you ask me," said Noromac as they walked down a street to get to the main road.

"Yeah, it's quite foul," piped Tora. They started to walk a bit faster.

"Some of me kinda likes this place," buzzed Voleria. "So many people to eat, so many animals, so many opportunities to feed."

"Don't even think about it," snapped Tora at Voleria. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" A man slipped a hand into her bag, but Tora's training prevented him from stealing anything. The man ran off before he could take anything.

"What if I eat the ones who are committing crimes?"

"That's fine I guess," mumbled Noromac, "but try not to get caught. We are supposed to kill only one person, and he hasn't arrived yet. I'm sure that if the Vanguard learns about you eating people before Equinox gets taken care of they'll put a bounty on you. All of you." He had his pockets dug by a pickpocket. He let him walk off with what he got since the only things in his pockets were small river stones. Even so he started to get a little jittery. People really are terrible, and with this many people out here, he can't keep focus on everything that was happening around him. There was simply too much happening.

"Sounds like fun!" buzzed Voleria, happily.

"Yeah," remarked Tora, "they'll probably turn you into potion ingredients and talismans with every single bit of your bodies. I'll try to get one so I can remember you"

"Not fun."

As they walked they saw people do things that required sleight of hand, things that only basic magicians did, and the showing off of freaks. They could see the many movements of pickpockets. They saw people breathe fire in at least three different ways. Only one of them was magic. They even saw twins conjoined at the head. They were tense. They trained to pick up subtle hints, for singular encounters, reading body movements, and all of this movement was overwhelming them more and more. They needed to get away from the main road and into a back alley. Anything to get away from the crowd.

They quickly dipped into a side road in between shops and started to calm down. Voleria slowed down with its buzzing, Tora was less tense, and Noromac stopped with his jittering. They walked parallel to the main road in the side streets and alleys. They walked without care now. Soon they met a group of five people who were blocking their exit of an ally. They wore hoods, and they openly carried daggers on them.

"Excuse me, sorry if I'm interrupting a show or something, but we are trying to get somewhere," said Tora

"Oh, I'm sorry little miss," said the tallest of the hooded bunch. "but you guys seem like you might have some valuables in your bags. I was thinking that they were a lit'l heavy and I was wondering if you would like us ta carry 'em for you." He pulled a rather large knife from a scabbard at his hip. "If it ain't too much trouble fo' you miss?" Others came from the other end of the ally.