Levy crossed his arms on the counter in front of him before plopping his head down on top of them. Aurelis glanced over at him, but didn’t comment, keeping her focus on the food cooking in front of her. Levy lifted his gaze for a moment to look over at Aurelis before leaning his head to the side as he began to trace over the marks on the map laid out in front of him.

“You gonna pout all morning or get a plan sorted out?” Aurelis finally spoke up, raising a brow at Levy.

Levy grumbled and lifted his head, pulling the map in front of him as he glared over to her.

“I wish I knew where I was going.” He growled, resting his head in his hand.

Aurelis sighed and pulled the bacon, eggs, and veggies out of her frying pan and onto two plates. She set them down on the counter next to Levy and stuck a fork into each meal. Levy frowned and turned away from her. With a gentle nudge, she pushed one plate towards him before pulling her own closer.

“I know you just want things to be clearer,” she started, fiddling with her fork. “But Moonblight’s a start, isn’t it?”

She seemed hopeful. Levy wished he could share the feeling, but he’d grown so frustrated with his lack of answers. A clear path would be a start. There was a moment of silence before the two of them started to dig into their food, Levy clearing his plate in no time. As Aurelis finished hers, Levy double-checked the route on his map before getting up from his seat and packing it away into his rucksack.

“Leaving?” Aurelis asked, grabbing their cleared plates.

Levy nodded before watching her discard their dishes into the wash bin. Then, she made her way around the counter so that she stood face-to-face with him. With a gentle touch, she set her hands on his shoulder and looked him once over. He gave a gentle smile and put a hand on hers.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got everything.” He reassured.

“You have enough ammo? Enough rations? Tent’s packed up nice?” She asked, a stern expression painting her face.

He sighed and calmly moved her hands from his shoulders, keeping a careful hold of them as they dangled between them.

“I’m buying more ammo and rations before I leave town and my tent is packed just fine.” He replied.

Aurelis sighed and pulled him into a tight hug as if she didn’t really want to let him go. Levy returned the gesture, holding her gently.

“I’ll be alright. I promise.” He said softly.

With one last squeeze and a deep inhale, Aurelis let her grip on Levy loosen.

“You better be.” She said firmly, though her expression was compassionate.

So Levy left The Sandy Spider, Aurelis, and Titus behind, making his way into the city to gather a few supplies - and maybe a bit more coin - before traveling. His first stop was the market for rations, which, to his surprise, didn’t cost much. Maybe he’d just picked the right store on the right day, but he got enough food for the trip to Moonblight, plus some. After that, he filled his water at one of the local fountains for only a few coin. His two pouches would likely last him long enough to make it to one of the towns he planned to stop at on the way. To finish his errands, he stopped by Gale’s Gadgets and Weaponry; a small shop with few regulars, but quality goods.

“Good to see ya, Gale.” Levy said with a smile, opening the door to the shop.

An older woman with long brown hair, dusted with streaks of grey, clipped up behind her head sat in a chair behind the shop's front counter. One elbow was resting on the table, her hand holding up her head while the other held a half-eaten sandwich. Her light green gaze immediately lifted from her food to the man that stood before her.

“Levy, honey!”

She stood and opened her arms wide in a welcoming gesture before beckoning him forward with a wave.

“Been out for a while, have we?” She asked as he approached.

She sat back down, scarfing down the rest of her sandwich as Levy let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, it has been a while. You have any more of those custom bullets?” He asked.

Gale let out a hearty laugh before leaning over in her chair, head ducked under the counter.

“Always straight to business, you are.” She hummed.

Levy shrugged innocently, even though she couldn’t see him, and waited as she fiddled with something below. A series of mechanical whirrs and clicks sounded before she resurfaced with a small pouch. She set it down on the counter in front of Levy, waiting for his inspection. With a grateful nod, he picked it up by a drawstring and pulled it open, pouring six of the bullets into the palm of his hand. He carefully set the pouch down, the remaining bullets gently clattering together, and lifted a single one between his fingers, looking it over meticulously. Then, he smiled.

“Excelent work, as always, Gale.” He said, returning the ammo to its pouch.

Gale gave a proud nod and leaned forward, sliding the pouch towards him. She paused for a moment, keeping her hand over the top of it. Levy looked from the bag to her.

“40 coin and it’s yours.” She finally stated.

Levy’s jaw dropped. Only 40!

“I can’t accept that.” He replied quickly. “You deserve more than that.”

As Levy untied his coin pouch from his belt and started to pull the metal squares from their container, Gale shook her head. Quickly, she plucked the bag of ammo from the counter and plopped it into the hand where Levy had been counting his payment. He looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowed in determination.

“It’ll be plenty, honey.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

Eventually, Levy let out a sigh of defeat, tucked the ammo pouch where he stored the rest, and slid 40 coin across the counter. He gave her a grateful smile before turning and heading out the door. All things considered, he figured he’d done pretty well in terms of retaining his coin. After everything he’d bought, he still had twenty-five left. With luck on his side, he wouldn’t have to spend another coin until he got to Moonblight.

“Leaving town so soon?” A sniveling voice called from behind Levy.

Levy grumbled and turned around, watching as Giles and his gaggle of goons crept out of the shadow of an alleyway. The group was larger than the one he’d brought by the tavern the other day and all of them were armed.

“What do you want?” He glared, resting a hand idly on his pistol.

Giles sneered and took a step forward, glaring back at Levy.

“Remember? I said I had business with you.” Giles spat.

“Really?” Levy let out a chuckle. “I thought that was a bluff.”

With a scoff, Giles approached Levy, stopping inches from his face to look up at him with a fierce glare. Levy kept his gaze neutral as he looked down at the arrogant man. Though they kept their distance, Giles’s posse approached as well.

“You’re far too confident for your own good.” Giles snarked.

Giles lifted a hand to grab Levy by the collar of his cloak, but before he could, his adversary caught him by the wrist, holding him back with ease.

“You’re one to talk.” Levy commented.

Giles scoffed and relaxed his hand, dropping it to his side as Levy let him go.

“Personal gripes aside, I need you to come with me.” Giles crossed his arms, face turned up in a smirk. “Someone seems to think you’re special and they want to have a chat with you.”

Levy furrowed his brows. Though he was curious, he was sure that Giles wouldn’t give up any information on his employer. Then, he frowned.

“Please tell me it’s not who I think it is.” He growled under his breath.

Levy rolled his eyes and turned, taking a few steps to leave. As he did, he waved a dismissing hand over his shoulder.

“Tell ‘em I’m not interested.” Levy said.

Giles turned up his nose and ran towards Levy, grabbing him by the shoulder.

“My employer isn’t one to take no for an answer.” Giles snapped.

Levy whipped around far too fast for Giles to react in time as he grabbed the man by the forearm, ripping his hand from his shoulder. In one swift movement, he swept Giles’s legs out from under him and flipped him over onto his back. With a gasp and a thud, he landed hard against the road. Levy stood, looking at the shocked expressions from the crowd that now stood before him. They were frozen, looking around at each other, unsure of what to do as their leader recovered.

“Don’t just stand there!” Giles groaned in pain, rolling over onto his stomach. “Get him!”

Levy looked from Giles as he staggered awkwardly to his feet to the flabbergasted group. In an instant, the chase began. Levy moved first, ensuring himself a headstart as the crowd stumbled after him. A few stopped to help Giles to his feet while the rest followed hot on Levy’s trail. To Levy’s benefit, the path he was following was clear of people save a few bystanders here and there. Using his magic subtly, he was able to pick off a few of his pursuers. As he turned a cover, he glanced over his shoulder and the slightest purple glow danced over top of one of the goon's shoes. Before she knew it, she was face-first on the ground, trying desperately to figure out what had tripped her. Another, he yanked the back of their shirt, stopping them in their tracks for a moment before they decided to catch up and pick a fight with one of the other cronies, figuring it must have been one of them. Slowly, but surely, Levy brought the chase down to him and about three others.

“Nowhere to run now.” Giles smirked, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose.

Levy glared. He was right about that much, but maybe he didn’t need to. He quickly drew his pistol, aiming defensively at the ringleader. Suddenly, one after the other, the lackeys on either side of Giles dropped to the ground, unmoving other than the rise and fall of their chests. Shocked, Giles looked to them before looking back to Levy, looking at him in fear.

“How did you do that?” He sputtered.

Eyes wide, Levy met Giles’s gaze.

“I didn’t.”

The sentence had barely left his lips when he watched Giles drop into an unconscious heap on the ground. Levy glared, pistol at the ready as he scanned his surroundings. Surely, this new adversary had to be nearby. He just had to make sure he was ready when they made their appearance. Head on a swivel, he searched every nearby alley, watching the tops of nearly every building. Then, something caught his eye. It was subtle, but the sun hit something just right to cause an unusual glint. Something from the clock tower. He turned, taking aim with his pistol. With the tower nearly a quarter of a mile away, the chances of him hitting were nearly impossible, but it was his only chance at getting away. Then an odd, stinging sensation ripped into the front of his neck. He dropped to his knees, fighting desperately to maintain consciousness, but he was no match. He collapsed.