The Saiyan Gamer


Chapter 15: Mossgrove City

"How did they just disappear?!"

Turles had never felt so worried in his entire sixteen years of living. His heart pounded in his chest so violently that he thought his rib might break. His closest friend had gone missing right under his nose. Just like that, with a click of the fingers.

And on top of that, his uncle had betrayed him and tried to hurt his friends. By friends, Turles was referring to Luna and Sprout, as the harsh Saiyan girl flying by his side was by no means his friend, although somewhere deep down he wouldn't have wanted her to die either.

That fight had been hard, emotionally and physically, but he managed to put his uncle down. The idea of killing him hadn't even crossed his mind, as Turles hadn't actually ever killed anything other than animals before. Even the idea of killing another Saiyan made his stomach feel queasy. He simply knocked out all of the ones that attacked him and was going to knock his uncle out, before the newcomers came in.

Turles himself had never heard of them, but after they killed Gune and vanished with Sprout, Leeku revealed that she'd heard of the Juggernaught crew. They were pirates known all across the planet for their heists, where their targets ranged from rare items to actual Saiyans. The idea that Sprout was over there, wherever there was, stuck with them and probably being tortured for the egg made his skin crawl, like a million crystal-ants were running across his skin. He'd known that this was a bad idea, and look where it got them all.

"Hey, calm down!" Leeku shouted at him, interrupting his panic. "As long as he doesn't give them the egg, they won't kill him."

"They'll torture him!" Turles yelled back, flying a little bit faster. "What if he can't take it?"

"He's stronger than you think!" Leeku replied, although there was clear uncertainty about her tone. She gritted her teeth as she increased her speed to catch up. She wasn't going to let him die, she was still indebted to him.

Turles didn't reply, because not very deep down, he was unsure too. Sprout didn't present himself as a 'weak' Saiyan, having the personality that you'd expect from someone who was at least a second class. Yet from the day that they met, Sprout was revealing new ways and reasons to believe that he didn't have a high power level.

Not that it really mattered to Turles, he was still going to be his friend regardless, but in situations like this, it certainly did matter. Pirates weren't known for their morality or gentleness, and while he had never met one personally, he'd heard plenty of stories of their ruthlessness.

And apparently, this Juggernaught crew was the worst of the lot.

"Their leader couldn't have been that strong, or else he would have just killed us all, right? Instead of grabbing Sprout and leaving?" Leeku suggested, trying to calm Turles down.

"Or maybe we were too weak to even matter to him," Turles said. "Besides, we're both beaten up. We're going to be at an extreme disadvantage if their entire crew is waiting."

"If we don't move in now, we'll lose Sprout forever," Leeku snapped back, tactfully taking out 'and the egg' from the sentence.

"Why did you have to take us on this fucking trip anyway? You could have gone alone!" Turles turned to her, anger flaring.

"Don't look at me!" She narrowed her eyes, fist clenched and ready for a fight. "You're the one who took us to that run-down town to meet your crazy uncle!"

"He isn't crazy!"

"You're right, he's dead!"

"GUYS!" Luna screamed from below them, stopping Turles just as he was about to fly into the outspoken, impudent girl.

"The land is about to end, and we are quickly approaching. I'm going to need one of you to carry me," Luna called up to them. Turtles narrowed his eyes at Leeku, before flying down and lifting her off of the ground. It only took a few more minutes before they saw people flying in all directions, and then smoke ascending on the horizon.

Turles blasted off at the highest speed that he could muster, leaving Leeku in the dust. It only took him a few moments until he was approaching the wreckage of the Juggernaught, with the majority of it underwater, and the rest in flames.

"He's here…" Luna said, eyes wide. They both began to scan the smoke, but it didn't take them long to find him.

Hanging by his hair, Vishra gasped for air, but Turles wasn't even sure how the man was even alive. His left leg was gone, severed at the knee. His other leg looked completely crushed and twisted in ways that made him wonder how it was still attached to his body. His arms were in a similar condition, if not worse.

The most shocking thing for Turles was that Sprout was the one holding Vishra's mangled body by his hair. His lips were twisted into a smirk of pure delight and satisfaction, which reminded Turles suddenly that Sprout had been a purge child. He'd killed millions, if not billions of humanoids. It was hard to remember when they were just hanging out, or doing chores, but now, looking at Sprout killing another Saiyan with a delightful grin, it showed him just how different they were.

It wasn't a bad difference, but it was an odd one. He too liked to fight, and even kill animals. He knew that his Dad had killed plenty of Tuffles in the war, even if he hadn't killed in years. Most Saiyans had killed at least once, and Gine often reminded Turles that they, as a family, were very unique in this new generation, as neither he nor his brothers had gone on purges.

His father was a heavy objector to the idea when it was first proposed by his long-time war partner Vegeta. He'd changed drastically over the course of the war and didn't want to bring war and unnecessary violence onto other worlds, simply to make the next generation of Saiyans stronger and more effective at killing. Unfortunately, he'd lost the vote, and it became normal to send children on these 'purges', not even sure if they'd return.

Turles was glad that he hadn't been sent. Even the idea gave him shivers whenever he thought about it. When he had his uncle at his mercy, even within his rage, he knew that he couldn't bring himself to kill him. He wasn't sure if anything could get him to kill anything other than an animal.

And on the contrary…

He stared down as Sprout dropped the battered and broken body into the burning ship, which slowly sank into the sea. His grin only grew bigger, and Turles wondered what exactly he went through on that Planet that made killing so easy. So effortless.

"Holy shit…" Leeku said, having caught up to him a few seconds ago. Her mouth was wide, and her eyes were calculating, looking over Sprout's floating form over the burning remains, with what Turles could only identify as lust. "He's much stronger than we thought."

"No shit…"

"Wait, is that a girl hanging on his back?"


"... And that was how I escaped, destroyed the Juggernaught, and killed Vishar within an hour."

They all stared at me in a mixture of shock and amazement, and I couldn't stop the grin from spreading on my face. They thought that they were coming to save me, only to realize that I didn't need saving. I wasn't weak, and would never be again.

"So you helped him escape?" Turtles asked, looking at Zaria with mixed emotions.

"Yes," She replied simply, standing more behind me than next to me. I listened as I munched on some fish that I'd stored in my safe place. My body was healing with every bite, as usual.

"Why would you get him captured in the first place, just to help him escape after?" Leeku asked, suspicious.

"Didn't have a choice," She replied, her voice still scratchy.

"Hm, alright," Leeku crossed her arms and turned out into the ocean from the land, at where the Juggernaught sank. "Well, you may not be strong, but you got that magic thing, and that's pretty useful, so you can stay."

"She was going to stay anyway," I told Leeku, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Leeku said, although her tone lacked the usual bite. "Let's go."

"The ship must have been heading to Mossgrove, because we're not very far from it now," Luna informed us. I looked at my map, and to my surprise, she was right.

"Good. We can get this over with finally," Turles grumbled.

"Leeku, what happens if when they find out that we have the heir, they decide to just kill us and take it?" Luna asked as we began to fly away, with Zaria in my arms and Luna laying across my entire back.

Leeku was silent for a few seconds, before saying, "It's a risk that we're going to have to take."

I frowned in response. "I guess."

"Before we go onto the island, we're going to need to clean off first," Turles said, reminding us all that we were covered in blood, dirt, and ash.

After stopping, washing the blood off our faces, hands, and legs, we arrived at the edge of the water, with Mossgrove City being an island that was just on the horizon.

"This is going to sound insane, but I think Sprout and I should go alone," Turles said, a frown on his face.

Zaria turned to him in surprise, and I noticed, followed by a rush, that now that Zaria had all of the dirt off of her, she looked very nice. In confusion, she asked Turles, "Why?"

"Obviously Luna can't go. Leeku looks beat up, no offense, but your clothes make you look poor as hell," He clarified, although he clearly didn't like the idea. "Because of Sprout's healing, he looks normal now, and I didn't take too much damage. They won't take us seriously if we look like some bums."

"Maybe, but I think it's too dangerous of a risk," Leeku said quickly. "We're safer together. Besides, Saiyans look beat up all the time. We can just say that someone tried to steal our item and we had to fight them back."

"Maybe…" He frowned, clearly nervous.

Suddenly, Turles paused, his eyes going wide, and he turned to Zaria and tilted his head. We all waited in silence, with only me knowing what was actually going on.

"You can go into people's minds?" He asked, shocked. "Wow. And you can do that? Okay."

"How did she…" Leeku stopped herself, shaking her head. "Doesn't matter. What did she say to you?"

"She said if needed, she can make us invisible. But not four of us…" He told Leeku, who looked back at Zaria, scanning her over again, before nodding her head.

"I'll go," I volunteered. "I'm the least damaged, so it's less suspicious, right?"

We all shared a look, with Turles frowning and Leeku staring at me with a blank expression. After a second of silence, Leeku turned in the direction of the island and sighed.

"Alright, let's go."


"Wow…"

I stared in wonder at the sight ahead of me. We stood at the border of the massive city, and I couldn't help but be amazed, and maybe a little terrified.

The buildings reached high into the sky, and they looked to be made entirely of metal and glass. I wondered briefly how they weren't knocked around by the wind. Most of the Saiyan houses that I'd seen didn't go past a second floor; and even on Planet X32, there weren't buildings nearly this big.

This was not at all what I expected.

"Stay focused. We're about to come to the gate…" Leeku whispered from beside me. She, and the rest of my friends, were invisible to me, and hopefully everyone else.

"Okay okay," I groaned quietly, before looking down at the giant wall in front of me.

There was a line of people waiting to enter the city, some Saiyans and some not. I was surprised to see some aliens that didn't look at all like Saiyans. They were rare in the small crowd, but they stood out.

One was large and wide, far too wide to be a Saiyan. It had dark yellow skin, and its face was flat and somehow sharp. Both of its arms bulged out and were probably each larger than me.

On the other end of the spectrum, a blue alien that couldn't even reach my stomach stood a few people ahead of me. Its skin was scaled and wet-looking. No one else seemed shocked at the sight, but I couldn't stop myself from staring.

The only aliens I'd seen were the ones that I killed on Planet X32, and Saiyans. While Turles did tell me that there were other aliens on this planet due to Saiyans taking home 'trophy wives', it was still interesting to see. I suppose that also meant that the large, muscular alien was a woman, which made it even more peculiar to look at.

"Next in line."

As I approached the gates, the voices of the guards became more clear. There were a lot of them, each standing in front of their own individual doors that led into the city. The main wall blocking off the outside from the city was huge, but a much smaller one sat in front, and on top of that wall, stood a few figures.

They looked to be entirely made of metal but in a Saiyanoid form. They certainly moved like they were alive, as they marched along the wall and looked down at the people above. In their hands, they held a strange object, which I couldn't see properly from my angle far below. From that distance, I couldn't use Observe either.

I looked away from them quickly, now focusing on the guard that was a few people in front of me. He was a Saiyanoid too, but like those metal things, I couldn't see a tail. On his back, he had a rather large metal backpack. His hair was short, brown, and he had a blank expression on his face. I used Observe on him, and then the item on his back.

Level 5

Branch

Species - Tuffle

Gender - Male

Age - 25

HP - 166

Reputation - Neutral

Power Level - 100

Branch is the son of two Tuffles fighters who were slain in the war. Because of that, he has a particular hatred towards Saiyans, which isn't unusual among the Tuffle race.

He has no current feelings towards you.

He is currently happy that his shift is about to end.

OoOoOoo

Nanite Backpack

Description: This is a nanite battle suit that is currently morphed into the shape of a backpack. It can morph into many things, limited only by the user's creativity and the number of Nanites available.

How exactly could a creature so weak go to war with the Saiyans? I wondered to myself as I stared at his power level. It was as low as mine when I first landed on the planet. On top of that, he was only a little bit taller than me, which was saying something. If this was the average Tuffle...

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed.

There was a strange hum that my ears were picking up from the object, but my attention was quickly diverted when I saw the guard wave the female Saiyan that was in front of me forward. I didn't need to use Observe to see that she was a Saiyan. Her tail was proudly wrapped around her waist, for everyone to see.

When the guard's eyes dropped to her tail, his previously expressionless face twisted, his lips turning downward sharply and his eyes narrowing dangerously. For a second, it looked like his backpack rippled, before settling down.

"State your business in Mossgrove city, Saiyan," He spat the words out. I was barely able to hear it over the loud chanting of the people around me.

"What do you think?" She replied, shaking a bag that she held over her shoulder. "Shit, and I thought Tuffles were smart."

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," The Tuffle replied. His fists clenched and shook, likely from anger.

"Or what?" She asked, taking a step closer to him. "You gonna do something about it, tough guy?"

For a second, there was no sound…

And then her body began to sway. I stared at it until she tilted to one side too far, and collapsed onto the ground. My eyes didn't leave the body, and more specifically, the massive hole in the back of her head.

H-How…?

Looking back up at the Tuffle, I noticed that his scowl had turned into a sickly smirk. Just over his shoulder, I saw a small object made entirely of metal, and then watched as it melted back down into his backpack. How did that thing just kill her?

The world around me continued as normal. Conversations didn't even pause, nor did the line process. The guard looked up at one of the metal things and then pointed at the body before he turned his attention to me. With an expression that was once again blank, he waved me over.

I was used to death. In fact, I thrived in it. But seeing something with such a low power level kill a Saiyan like it was a walk in the woods, froze me to the spot. I stared back at the Tuffle as his eyes met mine, unable to take a step. What am I getting myself into?

I didn't have to take the step, because a rather large alien behind me pushed me forward, and I stumbled until I was right in front of the guard. He looked down at me, and at the corner of my eye, or perhaps my imagination, I could see metal snaking up his shoulder.

"Put out your hand," He ordered me. I hesitated but did it anyway

In his left hand, he pulled out a very small sharp device. I used Observe on it immediately, deciding that if it was anything that could kill me, I'd be out of there.

DNA Tester

Description: This device is used to determine the alien race of those whose blood fills it. Only a small drop of blood is required.

Wait, why does he need that? I wondered, but one look down reminded me that I had put on the cloak that Leeku gave me yesterday before we left. No wonder he didn't have the same reaction when he saw me. That isn't going to last, though.

"So, what is a kid like you doing in Mossgrove?" He asked me, his eyes drifting down to my hand. He lowered the sharp device down to my skin, gently pricking it. "Up to no good?

When had my throat gotten so dry? Probably too quickly, I replied, "Just looking around…"

"Boredom, huh?" He replied, although it clearly was rhetorical. He withdrew the DNA tester and lifted it up. As the description said, it was only a drop, and he held it up above his head. I held my breath as he shook it gently, and watched as it turned from red to blue.

Slowly, he looked from the blood to me, his expression still emotionless. I stared into his face, waiting for his anger to pop up again, but instead, he smiled. It wasn't a large one, but it was there. He reached out to me, and I didn't stop him as he ruffled my hair.

"Alright kid, have a good stay," He said, leaving me standing in complete shock. "Sorry you had to see that by the way. And be careful, there are a lot more Saiyans than usual hanging around."

Through my confusion, I started walking. I tried to process what had just happened, but it only led to a headache. After walking for who-knows-how long, I turned around to make sure that he hadn't tricked me, and to my surprise, he was talking to the next person. He didn't hate me…

Before I could think any further on it, I felt a gentle push on my back from an invisible force, reminding me that I wasn't actually alone.

"What the fuck was that?" Leeku asked, her voice just as confused as I was.

"I have no idea…"

Once I made it well into the city and hid in an abandoned alleyway, the rest of my companions became visible again. I leaned against the nearest wall and relaxed my tense muscles.

"Alright, we're in the city. Where do we have to go to sell the egg?" Turles asked Leeku, who crossed her arms.

"I.. I actually have no idea. I didn't expect this place to be so huge," She replied, a small frown on her face.

"All of this is quite new to me too," Luna added, sitting down at my feet. "We're a long way from caves in the woods."

I didn't speak up, knowing that I had nothing to add. My mind was still firmly on the incident at the gate. I was brought out of my thoughts by the feeling of Zaria entering my head.

'The Juggernaught crew often sold things at places called auctions…' She informed me. The message obviously carried through to the rest of the group because they all turned to me. 'Rich people go to them to sell and buy expensive items anonymously. Normal shops don't have the money to buy those things.'

"So we have to find an auction…" Leeku said slowly. "What do they look like?"

'I'm not sure. I wasn't able to go to any of them…'

"Ah, how helpful," Leeku grumbled under her breath.

"I didn't realize that you had any useful facts," Turles said, earning a hard glare from Leeku.

"We could try asking around?" I suggested quickly, trying to break the tension between the two. "Or find a map."

"We should split up too, to cover more ground," Luna decided. I looked at the rest of the group, and they all nodded.

"Meet back here when the sun goes down," Turles suggested, and we all agreed, before going our separate ways. Turles went north, I went west, Leeku went south, and Zaria and Leeku turned invisible. I wasn't sure where they went, or how they'd gather information, but I figured they'd find a way. Luna was smart enough.

I walked aimlessly for a while, my mind still on the DNA tester, and what it meant. Was he kind to me because I was a kid? No, because he told me to 'watch out for the Saiyans', which meant that he thought that I wasn't one. And in that case, what did the DNA test tell him that I was? The answer came to me finally, after some more thought.

Bardock must have been wrong about my parents. Gine's book was very informative, and that made me come to two conclusions. Either my birth mother lied and cheated on Omato with another alien species, or one of my two parents was a half-blooded Saiyans and didn't know it.

I'm not sure how long I walked, lost in thought before I stopped and took a look around. I stashed my thoughts away for later, instead focusing on what I set out to do. I need to find the auction.

To my surprise, and immediate interest, I saw a small building opposite me. The outside was made of glass, so I could see hundreds of books on the inside, along with tables and chairs to sit down at. I went there first.

The moment that I walked in, my nose was hit with a pleasant aroma, similar to the flowers near Turles' home. It was quiet, extremely so. The only sound I could hear was the occasional flipping of a page, from the random occupants spread out throughout the small building.

They're all Tuffle. I realized after briefly scanning over them. Most of them were younger, closer to my age than not, and they were all deeply engrossed in their books. I ignored them, walking to the back of the place where I found the owner.

He was a much older Tuffle with a strange glass circle around his left eye. His hair was short and grey, and in his left hand, he held a small book.

"Where can I find an auction?" I asked him. The old Tuffle closed the book in his hand gently, before looking up at me.

"Hello young man," He said to me, his eyes meeting mine. "Mind keeping it down? The others are reading."

I looked back over my shoulders, to see that some of the younger Tuffles nearby were looking at me with frowns. I rolled my eyes at them before returning my sight to the owner, who was watching me with a raised eyebrow. In response, I said, "Does reading require complete silence?"

"No," He replied quickly. "But it often breaks the immersion."

Not quite sure what that meant, I went back to my original purpose, "So, the auction?"

"Ah, yes," He said, taking a step back and plucking a book from a wooden shelf behind him. "There is only one auction house in Mossgrove city. Has been here for as long as the city has been standing."

"Where is it?" I asked, my eyes lingering on the book in his hand. Carefully, he put it down in front of me.

"It's in here," He said, a brief smile flashing on his face before disappearing behind thick facial hair.

I reached out and touched the book, my eyes narrowing as I did, "Why can't you just tell me?"

"I could," He admitted freely. "But it wouldn't be as rewarding if you do it yourself."

Lifting the small book, I examined it. Its title was 'A Brief History Of Mossgrove City', and a very detailed drawing of the city wrapped around the entire book. I tried to open it halfway, but it wouldn't let me. After a few seconds of trying, I realized that it wasn't going to let me skip ahead, so I went to the first page and opened it up.

"Besides, you youths today need to learn more about your culture!" I heard the old man rabbling on as he walked off. His words vanished quickly as I began to read my very first book, and the world around me melted away.


Turles POV

The city was huge. Not as big as the city of Vegeta, but it was still impressive. Turles found himself wandering around for an hour or so, just staring at the buildings and watching Tuffles go about their everyday life.

His Dad didn't like to talk about the war and would avoid the conversation if it ever came up. But in the rare occasion that it did, he said that while some Tuffles were bad, not all of them were. Just like how some Saiyans were unreasonably violent, and some just liked to fight. No species was completely good, or completely bad.

Turles shivered at the memory of the Saiyan woman from earlier collapsing to the ground with a hole in her head. He wasn't sure what that backpack was, but it was dangerous. He'd had a good view of the Tuffle, and it had responded to his anger towards the woman. A weapon, small but extremely quick, had shot out of it and into her head before she even realized it was there.

That Tuffle was one of the bad ones, Turles realized, but as he watched families walking around the city, laughing and enjoying themselves, he saw that his Dad was right. They weren't all bad.

That didn't mean that he wouldn't be cautious though. Adjusting his cloak over his body, more importantly over his tail, Turles entered his first shop. It was a small thing, and inside were a few tables and chairs. The air smelled sweet, and unlike anything he'd smelt before. At the end of the store, he saw a short, fat man staring back at him with a large grin on his face.

"Welcome in!" He grinned at Turles, who lightly smiled back.

"Hi!" Turles replied as he approached the man.

"What would you like?" The man asked, pointing up at the menu above his head. Turles took a moment to look up and scan it.

"Coffee?" He said, unsure of what he was even asking for. The man picked up a small sheet of paper and put it in front of Turles.

"What kind?"

Turles, after looking over the multitude of different flavors, asked, "What do you recommend?"

Someone slipped into the room from a door in the back, moving to stand next to the Tuffle. She was older too, evident by the lines on her forehead, but she smiled just the same. "Caramel. It's our most requested."

"Alright," Turles said. "Caramel it is then."

Turles paid the man the cost of the drink from money that he'd stolen from his parent's room before he'd left. While the coffee was being made, Turles looked around the store and noticed someone sitting down at one of the corners, with their legs tucked up to their chest and their face buried in a small rectangular object that was in their hands.

A phone. Turles recognized that piece of technology after a few seconds of staring at it. His Dad had brought one home a few years ago, but neither of them knew what to do with it. Curiously, Turles walked over to the guy, not stopping until the Tuffle looked up at him.

"Ye?" He asked. His eyes were green with a splash of red, and Turles stared for a few seconds, mesmerized by the colors. His hair was a brunette and short, spiking upwards like a freshly cut lawn.

"That's a phone right?" Turles asked once he managed to stop staring. His eyes fell down to the object in question.

"Yeah…?" The Tuffle raised an eyebrow, before slowly lowering his legs to sit properly. Turles noticed that they looked to be a similar age, even if the Tuffle teen was about a foot shorter. "It's the new Rose V15."

"What does it do?" Turles asked the teen, who scooted over so that Turles could fully see the screen.

"Well, it's like a normal phone, but it has the best camera and you can do just about anything on it," He said, before tilting his head and looking directly at Turles. "What phone do you have?"

"I don't have one," Turles said sheepishly. "Not yet at least."

"Why not?" He asked, his discolored eyes widening curiously. "Strict parents?"

"You could say that," Turles chuckled nervously. Totally not because Saiyans don't know anything about that type of technology.

"Ah, parents suck sometimes," He sighed, before leaning back in his chair and sticking out his hand. "My name's Buckeye by the way."

Turles smiled lightly, before returning the handshake with extreme caution. If what his parents said was true, Tuffles were like eggs. Without any sort of armor, the slightest force could tear them apart. Thankfully, by the time the handshake ended, Buckeye's hand wasn't crushed.

"Turles is mine. Nice to meet ya," Turles said, a smile still on his face. And he meant it. The excitement of meeting someone else his age completely overshadowed the fact that Buckeye was a Tuffle, and he was a Saiyan. They could be friends, right? After all, not all Tuffles were bad...

Right?

"Here's your coffee, kid," The shop owner popped out from behind the desk, a small cup in his hand. He handed it to Turles, before looking down at Buckeye. "I see you've met my son."

"Yeah, he was showing me his phone," Turles said, before he brought the cup up to his mouth and took a sip. Flavor filled his mouth instantly, and his eyes widened in surprise. "This is really good."

"Thank you," The shop owner laughed loudly, before patting Turles on his back and walking back to the counter. "Enjoy your drink. Hopefully, we'll see you around."

Turles doubted that heavily, but he took another sip, before saying, "Maybe."

By the time he looked back down at Buckeye, the young Tuffle held a small paper up to him. Turles took the paper and looked down at it, to find a few numbers written on it. He raised an eyebrow at it until Buckeye explained.

"It's my phone number for when you get your phone," He said. "When you get it, text me or something. Or if you live in the city just swing by again."

Turles pocketed the paper, being careful not to crinkle it, before saying, "Thanks! Was nice meeting you, but I have to go now!"

"Alright," His new friend said. "See you around!"

Turles was about to open the door to leave when he remembered the reason for him entering the store in the first place. He turned back to Buckeye, who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you know where the auction house is?" Turles asked. Buckeye nodded, before putting his phone away and standing up.

"Yeah. I can take you to it if you want," He offered. "I don't have anything better to do."

That could be a bad idea… He wondered what his friends would think if they saw him hanging out with a Tuffle, but he dashed the thought aside after barely a second. They needed to know where the auction house was one way or another. So what if a Tuffle showed him directly?

"Sure! Let's go!"

As they walked out of the store, he decided that the odd feeling coursing throughout his body had nothing to do with the decision.