Around the group of teens huffing something glowing, Alex tore through the Kensington Park. Night was fast approaching, and all the little groups met in circles in the small green space. To anyone who caught a glance it appeared that he moved as fast as someone sprinting at full tilt. With Running at Level 8, and with [Blazing Hot] turned off to just enjoy the run, Alex felt like he could go forever. It felt good. A little taxing, but not at all exhausting.

His Core had improved with his constant cycling of Essence from using his Skills and good food healing him up with [Feast & Mend]. Though he surely had gained muscle, he'd also leaned out, and the constant exercise from the deliveries were making a real physical difference.

I wonder if I went to the Adventurer Guild now what my rank would be…hmmm…I know they're just markers and power can't just be measured like that…but I wonder. Bronze Rank, finally?

There was just one final test as he approached the street Nino's was on, and he readied [Phantom Step] – Level 4. Might as well have dessert after the main course of Skill upgrades was oh so deliciously confirmed.

The Cookie Monster lookalike street sweeper was fast at work. Alex hadn't met the four-foot-tall hairy blue monster, but they had exchanged waves and thumbs up plenty of times. Plus, he just had a good feel about the Monster worker. How bad could he be if he was allowed to sweep and work in one of the busiest neighbourhoods in the city?

He picked his spot about twenty-five feet out and activated [Phantom Step].

Dorge, not 'Sweeper', not 'The blue one that does a good job', Dorge sprinkled just a touch more Essence into his [Sweep] and felt immense pride at the extra filth particulate that went into the waiting dustpan. A quick [Search Particulate] found nothing of any value in the garbage, so he [Send to Mound]ed and started another pile. The garbage disappeared and teleported miles away to the dump. Long as filled his quota, his scary Boss would be satisfied and pay him. He would make it.

The sun was just about to set, and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to find something good to bring home to Marnia in time before his shift was over. Twelve long hours of sweeping the constant accumulation of filth the humans that ruled the land tossed away like nothing. It wasn't nothing. He was used to it, of course, and all the better for him! Marnia, though, was always happiest when he brought her home a little extra something.

A tiny Relic found meant that she could fill her [Compactor] Skill faster, and they could have another child. They'd get there eventually. It was a wonder that he landed this job as it was.

Dorge was minding his business, slipping around the giant humans as they lumbered past, sweeping as he did, when he felt a burst of Essence at his back. Couldn't surprise ol' Dorge. No, no, as a [Garbage Garmen], one learnt to watch their back. Teleport Skills were rare, and he was not looking forward to seeing what kind of brute was about to harass him for sweeping as Dorge the Sweeper had grown accustomed to.

He spun, ready to take a shove from one of the drunk humans. Instead of an angry, extremely oily face, it was that pizza boy he had seen causing trouble beaming at him.

"Ah, pardon me, sir!" Dorge said in his best approximation of the characters he and Marnia and their children watched on their salvaged TV from the dump where their HovelHome was. Marnia said Dorge was getting real good with his English words.

"Uhhh, hey," the pizza boy said in that strange accent. "Listen, I see you around a lot, and I'd figure I'd introduce myself. I'm Alex."

"Dorge, sir! Pleasure to meet you!" Dorge did his best approximation of a butler bow. Something else he learned from those picture things on the tv. Marnia said his manners would get him to sweep places with better pickings.

"Dorge? Huh," Alex the pizza guy seemed to consider something, looking down the street and counting on his hands. After a moment, the boy seemed satisfied and turned back to Dorge. "You sweep a lot, yeah? Do you like it?"

"Oh," Dorge extended his arms and put on that face humans did with their teeth showing. Thing about Garbage Garmen were they had teeth just like the humans did. Dorge wasn't very smart, but he was pretty sure it helped get him the job. "Dorge love sweep very many much! Dorge sweep all day if can."

"Nice, cool, yeah," Alex said, and Dorge aped the mouth movements the nice human was making to practice later. 'Cool' was a new one. Marnia liked new words almost as much as Relics to make more children. A female [Garbage Garmen] was demanding, especially his. "Do you like…get paid? Credits? For working?"

Uh oh. The last time Dorge got questioned about payment, it was by his Boss, who suspected Dorge was up to no good. Dorge denied it all of course, and besides, how was Bossman, the man with the red tattoo and a clipboard, supposed to ever find out about Dorge's [Search Particulate] or the most important Skill the Garbage Garmen's kept secret from everyone, [Send to Hovel]?

"Hey, hey, hey, relax," Alex the pizza guy said, crouching down to Dorge's level. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything, I'm just asking! You do get paid Credits right? You're not doing it for free?"

Dorge calmed himself, forcing his blue bristlefur back into shape. It seemed this Alex wasn't snooping on Dorge's schemes.

"Yes do, sir!" Dorge said, itching to get back to sweeping. He had learned that it was better to play along for the humans, though. "Bossman pay 5 Credits day for work. 5 Credits! Very many much, Dorge say."

Alex's mouth that upside down thing humans did and looked around the street. Up close, Dorge could sense that this human was stronger than most would have guessed. Still a long way to go, but Dorge was a Garbage Garmen, and they learned to pick out the strong ones as well as the one's that might cause trouble for them later. Alex was still growing, but Dorge knew he would be very, very strong. Strange Core too, like there was a mirror or something behind his—

"Ok," Alex whispered again, shaking Dorge from his thoughts. "If I were to, let's say, ask you to look out for a certain kind of person, could you? Say for some Credits? I'll pay you every week regardless, and if you see something, you just give me a nod and a thumbs up, like this."

That's what it was called. Dorge liked giving a 'thumbs up' to people. It was one of the few things that seemed to make them like Dorge.

"Oh, yes sir!" Dorge said excitedly. Credits could be used to buy Relics, which could give Marnia a faster path to filling up her [Compactor], and she wanted more children so badly. "Dorge can do!"

"Great, Dorge, that's great," Alex said. "How much a week?"

Well that stumped him. His brain wasn't good at numbers. Marnia was better suited for that. He thought for a second and counted on his three fingers for some time before reaching his conclusion.

"I do for 2 Credit week, sir!" Dorge said proudly. It was a lot of money, but if this Alex wanted to borrow Dorge's eyes, he best be paying.

"2 Credits a week?"

Dorge had him. It was a steep price, yes, but surely a powerful human like this could pay the hefty toll. Dorge put on that thing humans called a 'smile'.

"What is that? What are you doing? Why are you scrunching you lips and showing me two teeth?" Alex asked confused, looking at Dorge's face. "Is that a…? You know what, don't worry…," Alex thought seriously for a second, shaking his head. "I don't think I can do 2 a week Dorge."

"Ah, sir, 1 Credit week!" Dorge said. He almost had him, but 1 Credit a week was fair. "Dorge do hard work 1 Credit a week for sir Alex!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Alex pinched his nose with his weird finger and that long one humans used to sniff and point and pick at their behinds with. And they called themselves clean! Ha! Dorge knew better. He picked up their trash.

"Look Dorge, I'll be honest, but it's not my business," Alex continued. "5 Credits a day for sweeping, what is it? All day? That's too low. You should ask for more Credits. But also, you're a Monster so, just stay on the safe side and ask in a couple months for a 1 Credit raise."

That was too many words for Dorge. When Dorge didn't answer, Alex continued speaking, finally saying something Dorge could indeed follow.

"I need you to look for…well, they always have clipboards, OK? And they usually try and blend in and wear suits and nondescript clothing, but they always stick out because you can always sniff out a Tax Guilder, yeah? So, clip boards, trench coats, and anyone you think works for the Tax Guild. Can you do that, Dorge? And a mouse on a carpet! Him too!"

Dorge knew who Alex was talking about. The Tax Guild. Technically, Dorge's boss, but he only ever met the Bossman, who got paid by the Tax Guild to keep the streets clean. Once Bossman had learned how good Dorge was at sweeping and garbage, Bossman had fired the other five sweepers and given a 1 Credit bump! Ha, dumb Bossman. Now Dorge did the whole neighbourhood.

"Dorge know, sir. Dorge know Tax Guild. Yesssirrry!" Dorge bobbed his head forward and back like that up and down thing on the TV. "1 Credit week?"

"Ah, that's the thing Dorge. 1 Credit a week? Seriously?" Alex shook his head. "No. I'm giving you fifty Credits a week. Here," something dinged in Dorge's head, but being somewhat slow, Dorge didn't believe he heard the man correctly.

"Fif---fif-fifty?" Dorge said, amazed. "Sir say fifty?"

The man spoke too many words again, but Dorge couldn't focus on them. He just tried to decipher what the notification from the System was saying. After parsing it out, he nearly passed out. Marnia would think he did something bad! He would need to explain slow. Not too slow, but she would want all the particulars of the encounter.

[Dorge's Credits: 8 -> 58]

"First week up front, deal?" Alex's big hand was in Dorge's face now. The thing was the size of Dorge's head. He also couldn't hardly put two words together, still not believing what a boon it was to meet the pizza boy and apparently landing a second job. But he had seen the ways humans did business on the TV, and Dorge liked their fancy clothes, so he always paid attention to those bits.

"Deal, sir!" Dorge released the broomstick, which never toppled over near Dorge, because it knew better, and clapped his blue three-fingered hand into Alex's.

"Perfect!" Alex the human shook his hand and stood, smiling down at Dorge. "Dorge, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you around. Gotta go meet someone."

And then the pizza boy's Essence burst, and he was twenty something feet down the road, in front of that pizza shop Dorge wanted to try one day when he and Marnia had enough money. Hopefully the owner wouldn't kick them out like all the others.

He was reeling! Fifty Credits a week to look out for some Tax Guilders and tell his new friend Alex? What a deal! Dorge had great eyes, able to pick out any particularities, and would do the task the pizza boy had given him well.

Dorge wiggled as he swept. He was ecstatic at his new job, and when the sun dipped below the horizon, he knew his shift was over. It was time to go home to their HovelHome under the massive garbage pile at the dump and tell Marnia the good news. She was going to give him all the eyelash kisses he wanted.

System, I love this upgrade. Dorge is cool too.

Alex phased right in front of Nino's. His meeting with the friendly but simple Monster went well, even though he had almost gone on a full rant about how little Dorge was paid. He still felt like he was getting one of the Monster, but if he offered any more Credits to Dorge, he suspected the Monster would've had a heart attack.

Phantom Step Level 4 was going to work tremendously during his Dungeon runs as well. Previously, he was able to pick a direction and teleport ten feet in that direction. He could even stack the Skill to shoot himself like a cannonball. Level 4 brought this Skill up from insanely useful to a downright perimeter port.

Now he could pick any spot in a twenty-foot three-dimensional circle around him, and [Phantom Step] there. It could he eleven feet straight ahead, or he could just choose a spot near him and instantly be there a moment later. It cost a bit more Essence, but it was a worthwhile upgrade. With his running upgrade it would make him an unstoppable speed demon of pizza delivery.

Nino's sign said closed, but when he tried the door it opened right away. The front room was dark, and there wasn't the overpowering smell of dangerously delicious food. Still, it always smelt like something yummy was in the air, and if Alex had to guess, Nina had cooked bread and something else a few hours ago. His nose was getting pretty good at the smells.

"Alex, vieni qua, vieni qua!" Nino called from the kitchen and Alex bustled over.

Nino, sans Nina, was laying out cold cuts onto a plate. It looked to be over a kilo of cured delights. The small table where he worked was also laden with slices of sliced mozzarella, olives in oil, and sliced tomatoes.

"Is Francesca here already?" Alex asked while walking into the kitchen. Even though it was an off day, it was nice to be back.

"No, no," Nina neatly folded the last of the cured pork slices onto the plate before looking up. Alex blinked, and Nino was standing in front of him, clapping his shoulder and beaming. "But she come! You came too, very good. Help me bring to back. She should be here soon."

"To the garden? What?" Alex snatched up the olives and tomatoes while Nino grabbed the plate of cold cuts, already starting down the kitchen towards the back door.

"Si, of course! You think she fly? Bah! I came by boat. Never fly in my life." Alex had never seen Nino with this much excitable energy.

How the hell is she supposed to be coming here then?

"She boated, then? What? Is that why it took her a month?" Alex asked as Nino shoved the salami plate into his hands to rush to the front and lock the door. The old man was back in an instant with a cigarette lit in his mouth.

"Boat? Ma, Alex, no be stunad." Nino opened the back door which led to the shop's secret garden, and Alex followed.

It was always strange to be in a certain time and cross a threshold into a completely different one. Toronto had just turned to night as Alex stepped into the shop, but walking into the garden that was also a cemetery for Monsters, Liches, and Dungeon Bosses, Alex immediately picked up on the signs of early morning. It still baffled his mind that their garden was somewhere in Italy called Puglia. Not that Alex minded. He loved the garden.

The mediterranean sun was just peaking it's first touches on the sky. A gentle, cold morning breeze crisped the air. The plants swayed gently, covered in morning dew, and prepared themselves for another day of magical growth. The chickens clucked from the back, and the cows snorted and chomped. The giant tomato plant hovered over everything like a calm sentinel. Bird swooped and picked at grubs that surely gave them powers from the garden's soil, and it appeared that it was set to be another gorgeous day in pasture paradise.

"Ciao Alex, buongiorno," Nina called from the table with the red tiled inlay. She was sipping an espresso and had a little plate of 'S' letter cookies at the ready. "Excited to meet my niece?"

"Morning…err…evening Nina," Alex answered while placing his portion of food onto the table. "I am! Do you need me to text her directions from Union station or something? It's nice of you to set up dinner back here for her when she comes."

He was right after all, as well. Sitting on the table was a plate of freshly baked buns, just waiting to be torn into and stuffed with meat, cheese, peppers, and tomatoes. The sight made his mouth water. After his long slumber post upgrade and Chinese food, it had been all day.

"No, no, she find her way," Nina answered as Alex plopped himself down next to her. "Any second now…"

Nino too deposited his tray of meat and started darting around, weeding and setting things just right in the garden around them. The old man turned a stool exactly two degrees, yanked out something that looked like a small pebble from the ground before tossing it, and continued scanning the garden for any imperfections. The garden was perfect to Alex. Well, not perfect, because a garden is never mathematically perfect and precise, but it gorgeous by garden standard.

"He like to impress," Nina smiled over her espresso sip. "Bring me flower, clothing, anything really. Plus, he sit too long he get hyper," she winked at Alex. "I keep busy."

"Yeah, you know what that means when you say that, right?"

"Just because I old no mean I prude, Alex."

"Ok, yuck."

"Ma, no be like that. We all be busy in coming weeks. Lot to do." Nina said seriously, looking over the hills. Alex saw her searching for something out there.

'Eh!" Nino shouted, then pointed a giant old man finger. "She come! Look!"

"What?" Alex asked while turning around back towards the door to the shop. "Didn't you—"

"Guarda! Laggiù!" Look! Over there! Nino insisted, bringing Alex's attention back to the hills.

He squinted, looking where Nino was pointing. It was rolling hills in the early morning light as far as he could see. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Then he spotted what Nino was pointing at.

From the top of the hill, something ripped over and was moving so fast it kicked up a stream of dust behind it. Fast as a dirt bike screaming down a mountain, whatever it was, it was coming quick. If Alex had to guess, it was a mile or two out but was tearing over to landscape like a certain cartoon roadrunner.

Alex finally made out what was sprinting over the countryside, or rather who was, from the bright voice that boomed out and carried toward the garden. He was also just able to make out her tall form.

"Eh!" Francesa called while flying over ground. "Ciao! I just be a minuti!"

Oh my System…she's gotta be at least six feet and a couple inches!

Francesca, Nino and Nina's niece, ran toward the garden, carrying a backpack. The old Lich couple called back and cheered from their garden.

Alex scooped up a bun and gaped at Francesca as she made her way. The sun was just rolling over the hill for sunrise, and from what she looked like, and her Skills, he was very excited to meet her.

Damn, Snu might be a little pissed. How can anyone be that golden? Good Lord.

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