[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zp4Lnjc.png[/img][/center]
[b]//A6 - Outside an Inn[/b]
[b]“I wouldn’t say [i]that[/i],”[/b] Millie said. She rotated her right foot, still recalling just how frenetic their descent yesterday had been. None of them had expected quite that number of monsters, nor that level of aggression. With Allen being their only frontliner, they had been overwhelmed so quickly that it was mostly due to Sumiye’s magical prowess that they had managed to escape. [b]“Well, if you’re worried about Sumiye, it’s not usually as intense.”[/b]

Allen nodded energetically. [b]“Really, Miss Sebi, I’m su-”[/b]

[b]“I’m sure she was just chaperoning her daughter,”[/b] Millie said, silencing her friend with another smack on the head. But the foxkin wouldn’t stay quiet for long, especially not when Sumiye emerged from the stable next.

[b]“Good morning, Sumiye! Did you sleep well? Your mom’s not going to go with us anymore, but you’ll stick with us, right?”[/b] He bounded up to the exorcist-paladin; the lad certainly had more of the affect of a dog than a fox, with the way his tail swept from side to side. [b]“Oh, and we usually go there every other day. Today’s a rest day, you know? Where we work and such so we can fund the next trip!”[/b]

Which meant, of course, that this group of adventurers didn’t yet make enough money to sustain themselves indefinitely off of the bounty of the Abyss.

Millie stared at Allen’s back, then shook her head.

[b]“Thanks, Miss Sebi,”[/b] she said. [b]“Though you helped us more than we helped you, I feel. If you two weren’t with us yesterday, well…”[/b] It was a bit dour of a topic, even for the relatively realistic carrier, so she changed it. [b]“But if you're not thinking of being an Adventurer, what’re your plans in Oratorio? I could introduce you to this merchant I work for, if you need a job.”[/b]

Gams arrived by then, waving a burlap sack that was at least half-full. [b]“Got sum for everyone,”[/b] he said. [b]“Bread ‘n milk. Roasted corn for cheap too.”[/b]

Breakfast, it looked, was here.
[sub][@Asuras][/sub]
[hr][b]//A11 - Market Plaza[/b]
For Talia, the Underpass wasn’t anything entirely noteworthy. It was more than she had witnessed in the past, but it wasn’t so much more that it overwhelmed her. Of course there were places where the outcasts amongst the outcasts lived. Of course there were places where the most wretched of the beggars and lepers could stay. Of course the rich and affluent would design a city such that those who could not afford to walk upon the Royal Road would literally have to walk through sewage. It was uncomfortable, but that was it.

And it was forgettable, once the din of the Adventurer’s District welcomed her.

The atmosphere changed in the blink of an eye as the darkness of the tunnels gave way to the colorful, bustling streets and avenues. Here was where ambition was tested, where adventurers descended in search of glory and immortality. In the light of late morning, people were heading off to the markets for supply now, or hustling for side businesses in order to afford the funds for their next trip. More well-armed, well-known adventurers cut through the masses with their individuality and their polished arms; only those who pierced beneath the surface could return with artifacts that pulsated with magical power, and in the Ichor-Blessed’s own gaze, she could sense a kernel of [i]divine[/i] power as well.

To steal such artifacts would require skill, knowledge, resources, and planning that she simply didn’t have, however…but thankfully, Talia was in a position to obtain at least the third on that checklist.

The markets awaited her, merchants selling everything and anything an adventurer could want. And in a place where purses were loose, perhaps the Backstreet Queen could even come away with a net profit. 
[sub][@OwO][/sub]