Xylus followed Victor out after they finished eating and cleaning the dishes. Victor sported a loose v-neck shirt and pants. Xylus just walked out in what he was wearing.

  "We'll probably have to figure out clothes for you…" Victor muttered as he accessed the boy. "We'll head into the city for some stuff for you. Once we're done with that, we'll go outside the city and run around for a bit."

  "W-we're going outside the city? Why?" Xylus asked.

  "Don't worry. I'll be with you." Victor gave him a reassuring pat. "Let's go. We'll need to figure out and assess what you are capable of doing. Think of this as a test."

  "Test?" Xylus repeated. Victor nodded.

  "I'm going to put you through some stuff and see what you can and can't do. Using that knowledge, I can train you on what you need to work on and build a good foundation for you to work up on before the Academy entrance exam.”

  "Oh okay." Xylus nodded like he fully understood what Victor just said.

  "Come on. Let's buy you some stuff." Victor waved. Victor led Xylus back down the forest path. A branching path snaked off the main path as Victor followed it. It led into the city. Victor led Xylus off the forest path and into the city. The city was bustling with people.

  "Woah." Xylus' eyes darted in every direction. He hadn't ever seen this many people before.

  "Stay close, Xylus." Victor pulled the kid closer to him. "I don't want you to get lost in this place, alright? The city is different from where you came from." People were going about their days. They all saw Victor and greeted him.

  "Hello, Mr. Victor."

  "How are you, Mr. Victor?"

  "Thank you for disciplining my child, Mr. Victor."

  Victor was well known to these people. Victor greeted all of them as they passed by. They made their way into the Market District and the smells of foods and foreign smells greeted his nose. Victor led him to a stall where a lady and a man were chatting away with people. They had clothes laid out in their stall and when they saw Victor, they immediately greeted him.

  "Ah, Teacher Cross, what brings you here?" The woman asked. Her eyes moved to the child and she gave a small head bow to him. "And you have a child with you. Is this one yours?"

  "Oh, no, Mrs. Carlisle, this one's the latest one under my care." Victor answered.

  "Ah, Teacher Cross, great to see you, again." Mr. Carlisle spoke. The two shook hands and Victor looked at Xylus.

  "Greet Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle, Xylus." Victor gave him a small pat. Xylus nodded and stepped forward.

  "Hello, Mr and Mrs. Carlisle." Xylus gave a respectful bow and the two chuckled.

  "Ah, dear, you don't have to bow so low for us." Mrs. Carlisle spoke. Xylus straightened his back and Victor moved forward. "We're just vendors. No need to be polite."

  "It's good to have a polite kid, huh?" Mr. Carlisle asked Victor.

  "He's polite now, but I hear he's a troublemaker." Victor smiled. "That's why I took him in."

  "What're you planning to do, young Xylus?" Mr. Carlisle asked. "Are you here to take the Academy entrance exam?"

  "Y-yes, sir. How did you know?" Xylus asked, confused. The jolly man laughed and nodded.

  "Most kids your age come all around the continent to take their chance at Myst Crevice's Academy. I've seen some kids from other continents come here, too." Xylus nodded at Mr. Carlisle's explanation.

  "So, what do you need from us, Teacher Cross?" Mrs. Carlisle asked. "Stuff for the boy?"

  "Yes, the boy came here with nothing but what's on his back. I want him to give him some clothes so he has stuff to wear while he's here." Victor nodded.

  "Ahh, so how did you come about this one? A parent asked you to train him?"

  "Ah," Victor scratched his head as Mr. Carlisle came around the stall. "This one actually came from Wrystfall."

  "Oh, all the way from the South?" Mrs. Carlisle glanced at the boy. Xylus looked at Mr. Carlisle as he knelt down in front of him.

  "I'm going to take your measurements. Can you stretch your arms out for me like this?" Mr. Carlisle demonstrated what he wanted and Xylus stuck his arms out. "Thank you, my boy. You're very obedient. Teacher Cross must be wrong about you being a naughty child." A thin string of silver thread came out of his hands as he began to measure. He started to list off the measurements to his wife, who scribbled them down.

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  "Yes, he came from the South." Victor nodded. "The Order actually requested I take the child in. It seems like they wanted him to have a better life so they thought I would be a great fit for him." Xylus looked at Victor. He was about to tell Victor that's not at all what they had said, but Victor gave him a knowing glance.

  'I know it's not true!' Victor's glance told him.

  'I would know a liar from a Priest.' Xylus thought.

  "Alright, that's all." Mr. Carlisle stood up. "I believe we have a lot of clothes we could easily adjust to his size. How many do you want, Teacher Cross?"

  "Three or four outfits with enough undergarments to pass for a week." Victor told them.

  "Alright, that can be done." Mrs. Carlisle nodded. The two began to pick out clothes. Mrs. Carlisle resized the clothes quickly with her magic and then set it off to the side. Eventually, there were two piles of clothes just for Xylus.

  "Xylus, could you run down to the stall near the fountain right there and ask for a large sack?" Victor asked, handing him two silvers. "That should be enough to get you a sack of your own."

  "S-sure, by the fountain?" Xylus repeated the instructions.

  "Yup, by the fountain. I'll pay for your clothes here. Come back when you're done."

  Xylus nodded and took the two silvers and stuffed it in his pockets. He moved through the crowd and quickly got lost in the sea of tall people. He struggled to push through and eventually popped out near the fountain.

  "Which one was it again?" Xylus whispered. "The stall near the fountain… There's like three stalls near here." He wandered around, looking for any indication of a 'sack.' He wandered over to one of the stalls, noticing straps attached to some sort of sack.

  "Hello, little boy. What do you want?" A big man asked.

  "Do you sell sacks?" Xylus asked. "I was told to buy one."

  "Ah, you want a sack?" The man raised his eyebrows. "Do you even have the coin?"

  "Y-yeah. I want a large one."

  "Well, that's gonna be expensive. It's gonna be three silvers." The man told him.

  'The kid probably doesn't even know how to read based on how he looks. I can make more coin on him, easily.' The man thought to himself.

  "Oh, I only have two silvers…" Xylus frowned. He looked at the large sack and noticed a tag on it.

  'Wait, it says it's only 12 copper? Why did he say it's three silvers?' Xylus thought. He clinked the silvers in his hand and pointed at the tag.

  "It says a bag is only 12 copper. That's kinda expensive for a bag like this." Xylus spoke aloud.

  "You dare insult my wares?!?" The man loudly shouted. "You're just a poor boy who doesn't know any better. It doesn't say 12 coppers! It's three silvers for you! If you don't have it then buzz off!" The man tried to swat him away. Xylus took a step back, almost running into someone.

  "Watch it!" A woman snarled at him. She gave him a dirty eye as she pushed him out of the way. Xylus bounced into the stall. The fat man immediately grew angry and moved over.

  "What're you doing?!?" The man shouted. He grabbed the kid as he gripped the coins hard. "Poor kids like you would probably end up stealing and ruining my business, huh?!? Get out of here!" The man picked the kid up and tossed him. Xylus screamed as he flew backwards.

  "Ope!" Victor grabbed Xylus as he held the clothes in one of his arms. "What're you doing kid? You're taking forever." He set Xylus down and looked over to the fat man. "Didn't get the bag yet?"

  "Well, I was trying to get it but this guy says they're three silvers." Xylus pointed at the fat man. Victor raised his eyebrows.

  "I thought they were 12 coppers." Victor moved past Xylus and towards the fat man. The fat man gulped.

  "W-w-w-w-w-wait! T-t-t-t-t-the kid was with you, Mr. Cr-Cross?!?" The fat man took a step back. "If I had known that, I would've given him t-t-t-t-the sack. I-I-I-I-I thought he was s-s-s-s-s-some poor kid t-t-t-tryna steal from me!"

  "C'mon, Boris. Why would he steal from you?" Victor smiled. "Just gimme a bag and we'll be on our way." Victor pulled out twelve coppers and slammed it onto the table. The fat man scrambled over and grabbed the largest bag. He opened it and Victor dumped the clothes in and took the bag. "Thanks, Boris."