We Lease The Kraken! - A LitRPG Pet Shop System Story.

Jeremiah paused and considered what he wanted to tell the large baker.

He obviously wouldn't say anything about the System itself. While Ulrick seemed the decent sort, he had just met the man less than an hour ago. Jeremiah still didn't fully understand all the implications of Sarah's work, but he grasped enough that he knew it wasn't something he could tell others about carelessly.

So then, what could he tell the man?

Jeremiah chewed on the question before answering.

"I'm… looking to buy or rent a building in the area," Jeremiah said.

Ulrick's eyes widened, and he rubbed his bearded chin. "Oh? Are you looking to set up your own shop?" he asked.

Jeremiah looked out the bakery window. "Something like that…" he muttered.

Ulrick nodded. "Well, I don't want to disappoint you, lad, but this isn't the greatest of places to start a new business, as I'm sure you're now aware," he said, nodding to the gash in Jeremiah's cheek.

Jeremiah sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know…but I'm in a time crunch, and everyone wants me to jump through hoops to get anything done."

Ulrick folded his arms and nodded again. He knew how frustrating the city's bureaucracy could be.

"Someone recommended this area," Jeremiah continued, "and well… you know the rest."

Before Ulrick could respond, the bakery door opening drew both men's attention. They turned to see a small, black-haired head peeking in from the outside. A long black scarf dangled from his neck until it dragged on the ground.

Ulrick frowned and waved the boy in. "Stop standing there with my door open, boy! You're gonna let all the air out!"

Mani flinched, then quickly slipped inside, the tri-metal bell ringing sharply as he passed.

With a grin in his eyes, Mani rushed to the seated men. He stopped in front of Jeremiah and patted his arm.

"Jerry!" the young man said. "I saw you take out those punks. That was awesome! I didn't know you could fight?"

Neither did I…, Jeremiah thought to himself.

Mani's eyes flickered to the gash in Jeremiah's cheek, and he turned away. "I… sorry for ditching you like that. That wasn't right." The boy said, his voice soft and slightly muffled by his scarf.

Jeremiah sighed and rubbed his eyes. "No, Mani, you did the right thing. I should have run as well. It was stupid to try and talk my way out of it like that."

It was Ulrick who finally broke the awkward silence that followed.

"You know each other, then, do ya? I assume Mani is the lad who recommended the area to you, then?" he asked.

Mani flinched, and his eyes jumped between Ulrick and Jeremiah

"That's right!" he said, the boy's cheerful energy returning full force. "Jeremiah! Ulrick is the one I was bringing you to see! He knows everything that happens in the Crossroads. If anyone can find you a place, it's him." Mani folded his arms and nodded in a near-mirror image to Ulrick. Was the baker the one the boy had picked the habit up from?

Ulrick threw his head back and laughed. "Now, lad, I wouldn't say I know everything," the man said. "Though it helps to keep one's ear to the ground." He then turned to Jeremiah and gave the young man an appraising look. "If young Mani here was the one helping you, I guess that makes you Merry's new resident, then?"

Jeremiah blinked, his eyes widening slightly. "You know Mrs. Grim?"

Ulrick again laughed, "I would hope so! I did my own stint in the Tell Tales apartments. That place has an odd habit of attracting those with nowhere else to go. Though that's true of the Crossroads in general, I've come to see."

"I see…" Jeremiah said, unsure of how to respond to that.

Ulrick slapped his legs and stood, then walked behind the bakery counter. He rummaged underneath for a moment before pulling out a rather old model smartphone and turning to Jeremiah.

"Let me give you my email, lad, and you can send me the details of what you're looking for. I'll keep my eyes open and send you a message if anything comes my way," he said, holding out the phone.

Jeremiah stared at the device, then looked up at Ulrick. "While I appreciate the gesture, Ulrick, I had to ask, why? We just met, and I doubt I made a great first impression."

Ulrick chuckled, "If the lad," he thumbed to Mani, "vouches for you, that's good enough for me. One thing the Tell Tales will teach you is that you can't always judge things by how they first appear. I've yet to meet anyone Merry allows under her roof, who isn't good people."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Jeremiah frowned, and Ulrick shook his head. "If you need a more concrete reason, then think of it as an apology for dragging you into my mess."

Jeremiah stared at Ulrick, looked down at the device, then turned to look at Mani. The young boy grinned at Jeremiah under his scarf and gave him two thumbs up. Jeremiah turned back to Ulrick and sagged, grabbing the offered smartphone. He quickly entered his contact information and returned it to the smiling giant.

"Thanks…" Jeremiah softly muttered, feeling his cheeks flush.

Ulrick grinned wider; something Jeremiah was quickly learning was the man's default expression. "No problem at all, lad. We here in the Crossroads need to look after each other, or others will strip it clean of what's left."

Jeremiah considered the baker's words. He was tired of being led around by the nose, be it by the city, the System, or Mero. He refused to keep dancing on other's strings with no say for himself.

Yet… Jeremiah couldn't deny he felt out of his depths, in a way.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to rely on others sometimes. Jeremiah thought to himself, even as something inside of him snarled at the idea.

The three of them said their goodbyes before Jeremiah and Mani headed for the door.

——————————————————

Ulrick sat at his office desk, frowning at the monitor.

Years of experience had taught him that even in a place like the Crossroads — especially here — a shopkeeper should never skimp on their security system. He had invested a fortune, and more than a few favors, to ensure his bakery was protected against any threat.

"So what exactly are you…?" he muttered, rewinding the security footage again. The video paused just after he had thrown the Oddfather's punks through his front door. Jeremiah entered, followed by… something.

'Something' was the best way to describe it. Despite Ulrick's bakery being equipped with top-tier technology capable of detecting — and countering — mundane jammers, cloaking devices, and more magical and esoteric threats, all he could see in the footage was an odd distortion trailing silently behind the boy.

That alone was worrying. So when the young man turned and spoke to the distortion — both parties' words equally 'warped' as the image of whatever was there — Ulrick's frown deepened.

As a mage himself, Ulrick was familiar with the esoteric community of Prima City. So it hadn't been too much of a surprise to feel the touch of something on the young man he had met today, more so after learning that Merry Grim had taken the boy under her wing. That woman was well known for sheltering the most… interesting people from time to time.

If not for that fact, Ulrick would have put the young man out of his mind then and there. A person didn't last long here in the Outskirts without knowing where they should or shouldn't stick their nose.

Again, Ulrick played the footage back, trying to spot anything that might clue him in on what he was looking at. As he did, something strange happened.

The footage played out much as before, but when the door opened for the second time and Ulrick walked back into the bakery after wrapping up the business with the thugs, the odd distortion turned and looked at him before vanishing.

Not at the Ulrick in the security footage. Not even at the security camera.

No, the distortion turned and looked at him.

A shiver ran down the large baker's spine.

Yet… Ulrick found his frown slowly shift into a grin.

Interesting, indeed.

——————————————————

Jeremiah walked up the stairs of the Tell Tales apartments, heading toward his own, Mani trailing behind him. Today had been… something, and despite it being only 3pm, according to his HUD, Jeremiah wanted to do nothing more than crash back into his bed and sleep the rest of the day away.

They passed a few of the building residents as they climbed the stairs up to the third floor, and Mani stopped to exchange a few words with each of them. Ulrick's words about the apartments, that they seemed to attract those who had nowhere else to go, rang through Jeremiah's mind.

Despite being here for several weeks already, Jeremiah rarely spoke to any of the residents other than Mr. Roger, Merry, and her triplets, Mani, Stella, and Alan. He had never really considered that they all might have their own stories to tell, so lost in his own problems and grievances. From there, his mind wandered to Samantha and the dozens of unanswered texts she'd left him, though those had slowly dwindled over time, and to Ryan, who had also tried to contact Jeremiah a few times. Possibly to apologize, not that Jeremiah ever gave him the chance.

Jeremiah wouldn't say he hadn't needed this time away from people… Yet he couldn't help but wonder who else had he been neglecting while he was lost in the sea of his own misery?

Maybe… maybe it was time to make a few calls.

Jeremiah sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He and Mani finally reached their floor and turned the corner into the hallway. Mani ran forward, heading toward his own apartment, while Jeremiah walked forward at a more steady pace.

As he approached his door, he paused and turned to the one opposite. Mero's advice from earlier played through his mind.

'You need to have a talk with whoever gave you that 'octopus.' Sooner than later.'

Jeremiah frowned, then, after a moment, walked to Mr. Roger's door and knocked.

He waited a few moments before knocking again, yet still no answer came.

"If you're looking for David, I'm afraid you just missed him. He left for work not too long ago," came a voice from down the hall.

Jeremiah turned to see Merry Grim standing in front of her door. The young mother, who seemed to be perpetually cleaning something, was wiping her hands on a cloth as she ushered Mani into their home. She met Jeremiah's eyes and smiled.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Jeremiah asked.

Merry shrugged. "Not sure. He's a sailor by trade, and his tours can last a few days to several weeks. Did you need him urgently? I could give him a call for you."

Jeremiah shook his head. "No, ma'am. Though I would appreciate you telling him I would like to speak to him when he's available."

Merry frowned and narrowed her eyes, glaring at Jeremiah like a scolding mother. "Jerry, I told you before, knock it with the 'ma'am.' You're gonna make me feel old." Her glare turned softer, making it clear she was teasing him. "Call me Merry, dear. You've been nothing but polite since you arrived. I hope you're finding Tell Tales a fine place."

Jeremiah nodded. "Yes, ma' —… Merry. I'm… enjoying my stay so far. Thank you."

Merry's grin widened. "I'm glad to hear there. Have a good day, Jeremiah, and stay safe." She waved, then walked into her apartment and closed the door.

Jeremiah stood in the hallway for a moment more, contemplating the day's events. For better or worse, Jeremiah knew that his days of simply wandering through events were over.

Whatever he did, though, be it with the System or in his own life, Jeremiah knew he could only take things one step at a time. And right now, his next step was a good, long nap.

He turned around and opened his door, taking a long look at what was quickly becoming home, then walked inside, shutting the door behind him.