Idea

Increasing my pace, I tried to make it to the coal cart quickly. While it’s true that probably none of it had sold, on the off chance that some noble may have made it popular, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. There was a way to make money, I just had to combine things I knew about this world with that of my old.

With an idea such as this, I’d also need one more thing to make it work. I’ll need to bluff the best I can in order for this to work. This plan should be the perfect way for me to help Flint and Allirea. This was the only way I could save them.

This hope was what kept me going. This was the only thing I could think of to make good on my word. The only way I can even try to keep this warmth budding inside of it. This was the last shot I had to make things count.

I could finally make out the coal cart and the exhausted man running the shop. My hopes had kept true and heaps of coal were still kept in his cart. It was as though they hadn’t ever been touched since the day I had first seen his shop. However, the man looked far worse for wear.

It was as though his very soul had been sucked out from his body and a husk was left sitting there. The pep he had last time waiting for my return looked to have faded entirely. He was suffering from just sitting there.

The price for his coal had gone from its initial fifty to twenty. But when I totalled my money, I really only had four hundred copper all together. If I wanted to get away with this plan, I couldn’t afford to waste it all on coal. After all, I still needed something to eat.

I could always go back to Flint’s home, but to rely on them to feed me after everything would be far too embarrassing. The only way I could even afford food and execute my plan was if I negotiated with the tired man. I’d need to ask him to lower the price far more just for me.

If I couldn’t get him to do that, this plan, like everything else, would be useless. I needed to act fast. I have to get through everything as fast as possible so that I can go help Flint and Allirea. If I can swing this well enough, I may even be able to help the man later on as well. So for now, please go along with it!

I approach the cart, trying to make my presence known to the seated man by making my steps louder. He looked over to the source of the sound to see me. The recognition of my face caused him to push over the stool he was sitting on in tears.

“Yer… yer finally back!” He spoke, with a little bit of hope.

“I’m sorry I took so long.” I replied, hoping to get even friendlier with him.

“Nah, it’s okay. Are ya here to buy something, then?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Great. One piece will cost ya twenty copper.”

“I’m sorry, but I need twenty three pieces.”

“Twenty three! That’s great! Yer total will be four hundred sixty. I can finally feed my remaining child thanks to ya.”

The comment he had just made caused a searing pain in my chest. If he said “remaining child”, I could only assume the worst for the others. The words made it more and more difficult to look at him. Nevertheless, I preserved through with my plan.

“I’m sorry but I can’t afford that much. Can't you halve the price for me? I am buying quite a bit after all.” I attempted bargaining with him.

“Halve the price?” He responded, confused by what I had just asked of him.

“Instead of four hundred sixty, I’ll only pay two hundred thirty for the coal.”

“But if I do that, I can’t feed ma’ son for any more than three days.”

“Think about it, three days is a lot better than one.” Each word cut my throat as it exited.

He was taken aback by my words, but he pondered on them nonetheless. Eventually, he relented into the deal I had been offering. The pain of what I had done had been causing my entire body to start going limp. I couldn’t give up yet. If I can succeed, I can pay him back for this.

I took the coal from the man and gave him the reduced price we agreed on. I ran off from him, hoping he wouldn’t see the great amount of shame clouding my face. I just needed one more thing. I needed rations for the next couple of days.

With food I should be able to finally get everything I need to pull this off. This was the last thing I needed and only one store could help me in this situation. I needed the pity of the storekeeper I always bought groceries from.

I hated being pitied, but I had to endure it if it was all to help Flint and his family. This was my only goal left now. It was the only thing I had left to me. I needed to take care of the family that treated me so kindly up until the end.

Reaching a familiar stall, the lady at the front looked at me with joy on her face. The request I was about to ask of her was going to be selfish, I know it was, but I needed her kindness to once again come through for me.

“Hey! It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you!” She exclaimed at the sight of me.

“Yeah that’s right.” I returned her greeting.

“So, out for more errands for Flint?”

“Um, no sorry. Flint actually kicked me out.”

“Aw, what a shame.”

“Please, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but this is all I have” I showed her the remaining one hundred seventy copper I had. “I know this was very selfish, but could you give me food for at least the next five days?”

“Oh, umm, I don’t know about that.”

“Please, I really need it.”

Seeing my sorry excuse for begging, she gave in to me. It was obvious to anyone she pitied me. But right now I couldn’t care less. The plan was working. Everything I needed was falling into place. Taking the small bag of vegetables she prepared for me, I thanked her for her generosity and took off.

I needed to find an alley where I could hide and work on what I wanted. There was one corridor I could think of off the top of my mind and it was the same one I had met Celestia in front of. That one should be perfect for me to work in.

I quickly ran back in the direction I had come from so that I could reach it faster. As I approached the garden, I looked down the street where the jewelry shop was. I could see a man in fine clothing entering the shop. His clothing was far finer than that of the people I normally saw on the streets. He was likely a noble.

He would be the perfect target for me. I’ll have to scout the jewelry store again each day to see if he comes back. I know I’ve seen other nobles enter that store since they try to lessen the price for the wares in there. They know the prices for the jewelry are inflated in that store, but they try to wave around their power to get a discount.

Continuing my way to the location I was headed to, I finally arrived. I peered inside the alleyway and made out a familiar face. It was the girl with pine green hair. The same one who had travelled with me and was sold with me at the auction.

Seeing her, I swiftly approached her to say hello. She noticed me as my footsteps began sounding in the corridor. At first she was fearful, but when saw who was walking, her fear faded away.

“Hey!” I called out to her.

“Oh, it’s really you!” She responded, surprised by seeing me.

“How have you been doing?”

“Okay, I guess. How about you?”

“Actually, I was released recently. Same for you?”

“I’d be damned if I was. I ran away from those devils.”

“Any news about your brother?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him. I heard he had broken out but was also captured again.” She responded to me with a forced smile.

Her smile's ugliness was shining through. This expression, was it the same I made in front of all those people? The same expression I gave to Cordelia and her parents? Did I really let something this ugly be the last thing I allowed Flint and Allirea to see? The thought caused the anger at myself to build more than before.

“That’s a shame.” I reply, trying to hold back my anger.

“Hey, since you’re free, have you considered joining the revolution?” She questioned.

“Uh, no I haven’t.”

“You should consider it. Once they liberate this kingdom we’ll finally be allowed to live.”

“I’ll think about it, but where would I go to meet them?”

“You can meet them close to the gate in the middle of the night. From there, one of the members will escort you to some place. They'll see if you’re suitable to join.”

“I’ll check it out then. I don’t have much else going for me.”

“Please do! Well then, I’m going to go now. I have to go help them with something. Bye!” She waved at me as she left.

I waved to her as well while she was leaving. While joining the revolution would help me get closer to Flint and Allirea, I don’t think doing something like that would be able to protect them. As opposed to joining the rebellion, this plan should work far better for my goal.

Reaching into the bag of coal, I grabbed a piece and placed it in front of me. With this I’ll be able to help them. I opened up the books on fire and earth magic. While I had learned a bit, I needed to skip to the pages which would serve to help me with this.

Seeing the spells and what I would need to imagine to use them, I decided it was now or never to see if this was going to work. First, using my left hand, I used earth magic. I imagined the coal being crushed by strong rocks around it. With this, rocks appeared around the coal and began crushing it intensely.

I needed to act fast or else all my energy would go into just earth magic. With my other hands I imagined heating up the rocks. Like that, the rocks surrounding the coal began to heat up until they had become red. I held it for as long as my body could manage.

The strain had started becoming so great my entire body was convulsing. It was as though I had been possessed and was fighting with a ghost for control of my body. Even after all this, I kept holding on. This was the last idea I could think of to help Flint. This had to work or else I would have nothing left. Please work!

Finally, my body gave in and caused me to fall to the ground. The aching in all my muscles was too profound and it felt as though I was about to have a heart attack. The heated rocks I had managed to conjure up had vanished, leaving only steam in their disappearance.

The steam was blocking me from seeing the result of my efforts. But as a gust of wind came blowing, the steam cleared away and I could make out the shimmering of what was most definitely not coal. The crystal carbon structure before me was not coal, nor was it graphite or graphene. It was a diamond.