After the scammers run off, Shaanti and Naveen finish eating.
The shopkeeper refuses to take any more silver points. "You saved me trouble today. Eat, and go enjoy the fair."
Shaanti nods, drags Naveen up by the wrist, and they head deeper into the market. The Diwali crowd is thick — lanterns, stalls, kids with sparklers, the smell of jalebi everywhere.
"Where are we going?" Naveen finally asks.
"Don't know," Shaanti says. "Shishta Nand said 'take you for a walk.' Didn't say where. So we're walking."
They turn down a narrow lane between two cloth stalls. The noise dulls a bit here. Strings of marigolds hang overhead, half the bulbs are out. It feels… off. Too quiet for a festival.
Naveen stops. "This isn't the main market anymore."
"I know," Shaanti says. Her gut's buzzing. "Feels like one of those 'side quest' areas the system throws in."
They pass a stack of empty crates. Something moves behind them. Fast.
Naveen notices too. He doesn't say anything, just shifts slightly to stand at Shaanti's side.
"Who's there?" Shaanti calls out. Her voice is steady, but she's already scanning for exits.
No answer. Then a small sound — like a choked breath.
Shaanti steps around the crates. Huddled there is a girl, maybe 10 or 11. Dust on her face, dupatta wrapped tight around her shoulders like armor. When she sees Shaanti, she scrambles back, eyes wide.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Shaanti says, crouching down. She keeps her hands visible. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
The girl shakes her head hard. Tears start spilling. "Don't… don't come near. They're going to sell me."
The words hit Shaanti like ice. Naveen goes very still behind her.
"Breathe," Shaanti says softly. "No one's selling you. Not while I'm here. Who said that? Who's 'they'?"
The girl can't speak, just points with a trembling finger toward the darker end of the lane. Two men are standing there, watching. When they realize they've been spotted, one of them starts walking over, fake smile plastered on.
"There she is!" he calls out. "Our niece. She runs off sometimes. Thank you for finding her."
Shaanti stands up. Slow. She moves so she's fully between the girl and the men. "Funny," she says. "She didn't call you 'mama.' She said you're going to sell her."
The man's smile twitches. "Kids say things. She's not right in the head—"
"Don't," Shaanti cuts him off. "I just dealt with scammers 10 minutes ago. You think I can't spot traffickers?"
Naveen finally speaks. His voice is quiet, but it carries. "Leave."
The two men look at him, then back at Shaanti. Two-to-two. But Shaanti's already pulled out her silver points, holding them up. "I'll make this really loud," she says. "Market's full of people celebrating Diwali. Cops are around for crowd control. You want me to start screaming 'child traffickers'? How fast do you think this lane fills up?"
The men glance at each other. The bluff is working — or maybe it's not a bluff. Shaanti would absolutely scream.
One of them spits on the ground. "Not worth it." They turn and walk away fast, vanishing into the crowd.
Shaanti waits a full minute before she crouches again. The girl is still shaking.
"Hey," Shaanti says, gentler now. "You're safe. I promise. What's your name?"
"…Meena," the girl whispers.
"Meena. I'm Shaanti. This idiot behind me is Naveen." She doesn't look back, but she hears Naveen exhale. "We're not leaving you here. Do you have a home? Someone we can take you to?"
Meena nods, then stops. "They'll come back."
"Then we don't give them a chance," Shaanti says. She pulls off her own outer scarf and wraps it around Meena's shoulders. "We're going to the main market. Lots of light, lots of people. Then we find the guards. Okay?"
Meena looks at Naveen, then back at Shaanti. She grabs a fistful of Shaanti's sleeve and doesn't let go.
Shaanti glances at Naveen. "You good to help me get her out of here?"
He doesn't answer. He just moves to Meena's other side, so the girl's between them now. Protected on both sides.
Shaanti thinks, "System, you better be counting this as rescue points, not attack points." Then she says out loud, "Come on. Let's get you somewhere safe."
The three of them step back into the Diwali lights, Meena clutching Shaanti's sleeve, Naveen silent but solid at her side.
They don't make it ten steps into the main market before trouble finds them again.
The two men from the alley come back — and they brought three more. Five total now, blocking the path back to the lanterns and noise.
"Thought you were smart, huh?" the loud one from before spits. "You can't walk away from us."
Meena freezes and buries her face in Shaanti's sleeve. Naveen shifts, stepping half in front of Meena without a word.
Shaanti clicks her tongue. "You guys really don't learn." She pushes Meena gently behind her. "Naveen, keep her behind you. Don't let go."
"But—"
"No buts. I've got this."
The men laugh. "You? You're just a—" One of them looks her up and down. Thin frame, loose kurta, hair tied back. "You look like you'd snap in half."
That's when Shaanti grins. Sharp. Wrong.
"Yeah," she says. "I do look weak, don't I?"
They don't know about the potion. The one she chugged before leaving the haveli — the "emergency disguise" one Shishta Nand left in her inventory. It didn't just change her clothes. It swapped her whole frame. Broader shoulders, taller, voice dropped. Male persona.
The system called it "Male Destined Mode." Stupid name. Useful effect.
She rolls her neck. Something pops.
First guy lunges, thinking she's easy. He's wrong.
Shaanti ducks under his swing, drives her elbow into his ribs, and uses his own momentum to send him into the crates. Wood splinters. He doesn't get up.
The other four stop laughing.
"Wha—"
Second guy tries to grab her from behind. Shaanti stomps his instep, slams her head back into his nose, and spins to sweep his legs. He hits the ground hard.
It's fast. Brutal. Efficient. Nothing wasted.
Third and fourth come together. One has a knife. Bad idea. Shaanti catches his wrist, twists until the knife clatters down, then uses him as a shield to slam into number four. Both go down in a heap.
The leader — the loud one — just stares. "You're— what are you?"
"Underestimated," Shaanti says, breathing hard. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
That's when she notices the rip. Her kurta's torn at the shoulder and along the side, sleeve half hanging. A streak of red cuts across the fabric. Not hers. Guy number two's nose did that.
She glances down. "Ah, dammit." But she's not worried. Under the torn kurta is a plain undershirt. Male persona means flat chest, different build. Nothing's exposed that matters. The potion's holding.
Naveen's staring at her. Actually staring. Meena's peeking out from behind him, eyes wide but not scared anymore. More like… awed.
The leader takes a step back. "You're not normal."
"Nope," Shaanti says, cracking her knuckles. "Still want to try, or are we done here?"
He runs. The other two conscious ones drag their friends and scramble after him, disappearing into the dark.
Silence. Then the Diwali noise rushes back in.
Shaanti exhales and adjusts the torn sleeve, trying to make it look less bad. "Well. That happened." She looks at Meena. "You okay? They didn't touch you, right?"
Meena shakes her head fast, then whispers, "You… you were amazing."
Naveen finally speaks. "Your clothes."
"Yeah, I know," Shaanti says, tugging the fabric. "Got a little ripped. System's cheap — doesn't give me armor, just a new hitbox." She checks herself over. "But see? All covered. Potion's still working. I'm 'male' right now, remember? No issues."
She ties the loose fabric into a quick knot so it stops flapping. "Come on. Guards are that way. And after this, those guys won't show their faces in this market again."
She holds out her hand to Meena. Meena takes it without hesitating this time.
Naveen falls in step on Meena's other side again. Quiet. But when Shaanti glances over, she catches him still watching her. Not the torn clothes. Her. Like he's trying to recalculate something.
Shaanti smirks to herself. "Let the system log that. Defense points. Rescue points. And maybe a little 'don't mess with me' bonus."
The three of them head toward the lit stalls, Meena safe between them, Shaanti's torn kurta streaked with red that isn't hers.