Alexei did, of course, have a game plan that he was determined to follow.

For a start, staying in the city for any extended length of time was probably a bad idea.

While he hadn't been the most well-known initiate of his class he was still an initiate, and much like the barkeep had said the night before, he was at least somewhat recognisable.

Staying in the city would only make him a target. He wouldn't be able to find any work after his disgrace, either.

No, he'd only stay for one or two nights at the very most. Long enough for him to take care of a few things.

After realising that he could make almost unlimited water it occurred to Alexei that there were many people in certain areas that would pay hand over fist for a steady and unlimited supply of the stuff.

Towns in areas that simply didn't have enough water to go around.

Farms in areas of drought that needed to save their crops.

He could very easily make a living by exploiting areas like that.

To do that, though, at the very least he'd need a horse and cart to get from place to place, and perhaps a servant to help him in his daily duties and routines.

He'd also like to join the Merchant's Guild, it would give his business more legitimacy, but doing that in the same city as he had been ousted from the academy would likely be difficult if not impossible.

Alexei finished the final few mouthfuls of the hearty stew, thanked the barkeep who responded with a silent nod, and stood up with a stretch.

His front was still damp from the mishap with the water up in his room, but he was dry enough that it would likely just seem as if he had been splashed by an overeager boater making their way through the city's many waterways.

Alexei left the pub and popped his collar up so that his face was at least slightly obfuscated.

In the middle of the night the street that The Trout's Gills was on looked gloomy and dangerous. In the sparkling light of the morning sun, however, it looked just as beautiful as any other part of the city.

Alexei felt almost happy as he walked along the winding paths of the city.

Being gifted such an abysmal ability had been a blow. Being kicked out of the academy had been an even bigger hit. But when he thought about it, it was probably for the best.

Almost everyone who went to fight on the front died, and all things considered, Alexei didn't really want to die. 

Before long he had wound his way through the streets of the city and found himself at the market.

The market district of Alandria was located in the northern section of the city, where the riverways that made up the majority of the city were slightly less common.

It was a massive area, stretching wide and far with stalls both on solid ground and on pontoons in the river.

The stall he wanted to go to, the slave seller, was on the far side of the district.

Slavery was still a hotly contested topic across the kingdom, but by and large, it was agreed that as long as the slave in question was a beastkin then morally speaking there wasn't much wrong with it.

Alexei wasn't sure if he truly agreed with that, but when push came to shove he needed the help and there was no other way that he was going to get it quickly.

The morning was still fresh and the sun had only just risen over the hills of the surrounding area, as such the marketplace was mostly empty.

Alexei was able to move through the tightly packed lanes of the district with ease until, eventually, he came to a large tent that dominated an area at least three times as large as any of the stands around it.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself against the terrible conditions he was no doubt about to witness, before stepping through the entranceway.

The thing that hit him first was the smell.

A heavy mix of sawdust, ammonia and other things that Alexei didn't want to think about.

The interior of the tent was dingy and dark, lit only by a few small flickering candles.

"Well well, it's not every day we get an ex-initiate in the building," Came a scratchy and high-pitched voice from somewhere behind the counter that made up the back of the room.

The voice made Alexei's arm and neck hair stand up on end, and the words that had been spoken made him wish he had more of a weapon than just an orb of water that he could summon into being.

"I don't know what you mean," Alexei replied, keeping his voice level.

"Of course, of course," the voice said, though Alexei could tell it was only playing along for his benefit, "Well, whoever you are, why have you come into my shop at this time. You wish to peruse my wares?"

"Yes, I do," Alexei said, unable to suppress a shiver at the lilting tone of the voice.

"Good, good," It went on, "Come through to the back, you will see, you will see!"

Alexei swallowed hard, his mouth had suddenly become very dry. Nevertheless, he pressed on and moved through into the gloom.

Stepping past the threshold of the tent's backrooms was a night and day difference.

The temperature dropped sharply and his ears were assaulted by the moans and groans of many different beastkin.

Alexei felt a flare of rage bubbling up from the depths of his belly, but fought hard to suppress it. This was just a fact of society. There was nothing he could do to make it better.

In fact, he figured that by purchasing a slave that he'd actually be doing them a benefit by getting them out of this… horror.