《So You Don't Want To Be Evil?》


 Chapter 1: Welcome to Allaria

    I really hate my life.


    Eric sighed, staring up at the ceiling of his room. He hated his life, hated it with an actual vengeance that he was sure very few people ever did.


    And it wasn''t even his fault that he hated his life. It was totally the fault of everyone else in his life, who had screwed him over every single day of his miserable existence. They were the reason why he was where he was in life, a social shut-in who still lived at his parent''s house.


    Right now, he was just counting down the time until his eighteenth birthday. Summertime was just beginning, and he had just barely managed to scrape through his last year of high school.


    Most people his age would be preparing for the next stage in their lives, applying for universities and colleges, looking for jobs, enjoying time with friends, that sort of stuff. Eric, though? He couldn''t care less about that sort of stuff. He was the definition of lazy, and he wasn''t exactly looking to change anytime soon.


    The one thing he was planning on doing over the summer was stay in his room all day, and waste away the remaining days of freedom he had on his computer. He wasn''t exactly looking forward to doing anything else, anyways. Any enjoyment he had of the outside had vanished years ago.


    He sighed, rolled over onto his back, and regarded the mirror in his room.


    The person who stared back at him did not look particularly healthy. His skin was pale from lack of sunlight, and his dark brown hair resembled something akin to a small thorn bush. His dark brown eyes were currently rimmed with dark circles from lack of sleep, and he was bordering on the skinny side.


    Well, five minutes until midnight, and my eighteenth birthday. That''s something, anyways.


    He blindly felt around his bed, pulling out a crumpled up manga volume from under a blanket. He idly thumbed through it, suppressing a yawn.


    Four minutes left. Three minutes left.


    He regarded the manga in his hands. Some sort of cliche fantasy story that he had bought off the shelves of the bookstore on an impulse. It was like every other fantasy story.


    The hero is some random, good-looking guy from another world. Comes into this amazing fantasy world. Gets super powerful. Girls start falling for him, everyone loves him, and he saves the world.


    Not the most original story to read, but it was the kind of story literally everyone loves, because secretly, everyone wishes they were that hero.


    One minute left.


    Eric yawned, rolling over and looking out the window, getting ready to go to sleep.


    It was at this moment that something amazing happened to Eric. Of course, Eric may not have been the best choice to experience what happened to him, but in all honesty, the powers that be probably didn''t care when they picked him.


    Eric himself couldn''t have said what exactly happened to him. He had been staring out the window when it happened, which was the only real reason why he was able to witness it, but suddenly, he saw a bright flash of light, like a lightning bolt, flash from the skies, shatter his window, and hit him.


    And then all he saw was white.


    <hr>


    When Eric came to, he was lying in a grassy field, staring up at a nice, blue, clear summer sky.


    ''''What¡­.?'''' he frowned, sitting up, taking in his surroundings. He was on a clear, grassy hill, which sloped down on all sides into a wide, grassy plain. The plain wasn''t exactly flat, but instead curved up and down with gentle hills. The hill he was on was the highest, high enough that he could make out everything for quite a distance around. Most of the area around him were grasslands, with the exception of one side, which seemed to end at smooth, white beaches, leading to a large ocean, which stretched farther than Eric could make out. As he looked around closely, he could also see a large forest in the distance, on the other side of the hill.


    At the base of the hill, around a hundred feet down, was what appeared to be a large, paved stone path. It wound through the land for what seemed like miles, before finally ending at a large city.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The city itself looked like something ripped straight out of one of Eric''s many fantasy stories. It was huge, with a large, circular stone wall surrounding it. Eric could make out the roofs of houses behind those walls, but what really caught his eye was the large, glimmering, white castle at the center of the city.


    The city seemed to also be set next to the ocean, with a large, wooden dock. Eric could see ships moored there.


    Additionally, the city seemed to be at a sort of crossroads. Eric could make out other paths leading to the city, and sprawling farmland in the distance.


    Eric took all of this in, slowly. He rubbed his eyes, blinked, then looked again. Then he pinched himself.


    Then he started laughing hysterically.


    Eventually, he managed to control his laughter, taking a deep breath. ''''Okay,'''' he managed to gasp out to himself, ''''Think, Eric. For all you know, this could just be some vivid hallucination.''¡¯


    He got to his feet with shaky motions, rubbing his eyes and taking a good look around again. A gust of wind blew, and he shivered. He was only wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt when he had been transported, and despite the sunny day, it was quite windy on top of the hill. Not the most promising start to this adventure, but whatever.


    Eric walked towards the edge of the hill, looking down. It was a steep ledge, and it didn''t look like a super easy way down, especially for someone like him, but Eric was determined.


    He ended up managing to make it down the hill through a combination of tripping and stumbling. It was lucky that the grass was both soft and dry, because he wasn''t wearing any shoes.


    Note to self: get actual shoes as soon as possible. And better clothes.


    He finally reached the bottom of the hill, stepping onto the stone road, which, due to his lack of shoes, hurt his feet a lot more than the soft grass did. Hopefully, he could reach the city before he got any blisters, though considering the distance he had it was going to take a while.


    He took a moment to look around the trail, the full weight of what was going on finally hitting him. Most people in this situation would probably panic, wondering what their friends or family might think, now that they''ve abruptly vanished. They may not know what to do, or how to survive.


    Eric, however, was fully prepared. He knew exactly what he needed to do to survive this, because he had read dozens of stories with this exact same scenario. He couldn''t care less about the past life he had left behind, and he decided, in that moment, to commit himself fully to making the best out of this situation he was in.


    Besides, if any of the stories I''ve read are any indication, what I''m about to experience should be way better than my crappy old life!


    So thinking this, Eric grinned and headed off for the city, eagerly preparing for any possible scenario that could happen.


    In most stories, when a person first gets transported into a fantasy world, they will almost always encounter someone significant first. This situation is almost always a random encounter, and could happen at virtually anytime.


    This is what Eric was thinking as he jogged down the wide, stone, path, his excitement allowing him to ignore the burning pain in his feet. He kept a careful watch around him, making sure that whatever his first random encounter was going to be, it wouldn''t take him by surprise.


    Unfortunately for Eric, he could be as alert as he wanted, but he was ultimately an average eighteen year old with no particular skills, so he was, unfortunately, taken by surprise.


    He hadn''t even realized he was being followed, until it was too late, and he found himself on the receiving end of a wooden staff that seemed to emerge from nowhere, right in front of him.


    The staff struck him dead-on, right at his chest, and he fell back, hitting the stone road hard, desperately gasping for breath, unable to move at all.


    As he lay there, gasping for breath, someone stepped up to him, looking down at him. He couldn''t really make out who they were through his blurry vision, so he decided to instead focus on the fact that his chest felt like it was going to cave in at any moment.


    ''''Sheesh,'''' the figure said, a tone of disblief in their voice¡®''One jab is all it takes to take this guy out? I told you all he wouldn''t be worth it.''''.


    As Eric''s vision slowly cleared, he found himself looking at a young woman. She looked to be about his age, maybe a little older, a bit above average height, with shoulder-length, dirty blond hair. One hand gripped a simple, gnarled wooden staff, as tall as she was. It was her attire that stood out, however. She wore a red robe, covered in what looked like golden designs. It fell past her knees. Underneath, she wore what looked like plain brown boots, and plain brown pants.


    The robe greatly contrasted with the rest of her average appearance, and she wore it a bit loosely, like it didn''t quite fit her. She glared down at him, raising her staff so that it was above his face.


    ¡®''Exactly what Elain said, Talfryn,''¡¯ Another voice said, and another figure stepped into the corner of Eric''s vision. The voice was clearly female, but the person talking was wearing what looked like heavy, black and grey, plate armour. They seemed to be more on the short side, however. Eric couldn''t make out any distinguishing features, but he did notice the spikes on the shoulder guards of her armour, as well as the massive greatsword she held in her hands. The thing must have been taller than she was.


    ''''I didnt target this one because I felt like we should rob him, I targeted him because he looks interesting. Seriously, who walks down the road to the biggest city in Allaria in...a shirt and pajamas. He doesn''t even have any shoes on!''''. Unlike the first two, the person speaking didn''t bother entering Eric''s gaze, but their voice was distinctly male.


    ''''Hm, what kind of shirt is this anyways?''¡¯ the woman who had been addressed as Elain asked. She kneeled down, setting her staff to one side, clearly deeming Eric not enough of a threat to need it. She poked his bruised chest with her finger, causing him to cough in pain. ''''Looks like....honestly, I don''t even know what that design is.''¡¯


    The design on the shirt was that of a video game controller, but it wasn''t like Eric could tell them that, in his current state.


    ''''Doesn''t matter,''¡¯ the man called Talfryn said, ''''Just knock him out. We can talk with him later, I guess. When he doesn''t look like he''s going to die. Hurry up and put him to sleep, Elain, before someone bumps into us on the road.''¡¯


    ''''Yeah, yeah, gotcha.''¡¯ Elain muttered. She raised one hand over Eric''s face, and whispered one word. ¡®''Sleep.''.


    Purple light seemed to gather in the palm of her raised hand, before slowly brightening into white. And for the second time in roughly 15 minutes, Eric passed out, again.

 Chapter 2: Nefarious beginnings

    When Eric woke up, he found himself lying on a hard, wooden floor. His back hurt, and his chest still felt sore, but at least the pain wasn''t extreme.


    He sat up slowly, looking around. The room he was in was small, dimly lit, and in an overall poor condition. The old wooden walls looked worn, some of the boards rotting. The room looked like a storage room, with several wooden crates scattered around.


    Eric took a quick moment to look himself over. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he had been transported, but they now looked significantly more dirty then they once were, like he had been dragged through the mud.


    Which, considering the circumstances he had just experienced, was very likely.


    He got to his feet slowly. As he did, his legs buckled slightly, and he braced himself on a wooden crate for a moment. The room he was in had no windows, but there was a flimsy wooden door in front of him. He made his way to it, trying the doorknob.


    The door didn''t open. Despite the poor quality of the door, it still had a lock, and Eric doubted he had the strength to break it down, dispite how weak it looked. Because of this, he instead knocked on the door, as hard as he could. ''''Anyone there?'''' he called out, surprising himself at how hoarse he sounded.


    He had just finished speaking when he heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and the door was opened by the same young woman who had knocked him out earlier, Elain. She gave him a rather dispassionate glance.


    ''''Oh, you''re up.'''' she said, ''''Great. Took you long enough.''''. She had abandoned the rather expensive robe she had been wearing earlier, and was instead wearing a plain brown shirt and brown pants.


    ''''Yeah, guess I am...'''' Eric said weakly, ''''You''re....Elain, right?''''. She gave a brief nod. ''''Yup. So you remembered that, at least.''''.


    ''''R-right. Listen, where am I?'''' Eric asked. Things were not going how he had imagined they would go.


    ''''Like, right now? You''re in a house.'''' Elain said blandly, ''''I really don''t feel like telling you the rest of it. Don''t know you well enough. Anyways, now that you''re awake, the rest of my party wants to meet you, so move it.''''. WIthout another word, the marched away from the door, turning to the right and vanishing down a hallway, leaving Eric with no real choice but to follow her.


    <hr>


    As Eric followed Elain through the halls, he took some time to try to see just what kind of house he was in. The house was clearly in poor quality. It was small, around two stories tall. It was made pretty much entirly out of wood, and Eric could see that entire sections of the walls had rotted out, exposing other, empty rooms with nothing in them. While the house itself was dark, gaps in the walls let in light from outside.


    They emerged into what looked like an entrnace hall, though there was virtually no furniture at all in it. A staircase lead up to the second floor. Elain ignored the staircase though, instead opening another door, gesturing at Eric to follow her.


    The room they entered was a bit more furnished than the other rooms in the house. An old couch dominated the middle of it, the colour a faded green. Two chairs were on each side of the couch, plain wooden ones with very thin cushions on them. Not very comfortable looking. A single wooden table rested in front of the couch, with a lit lantern on it, providing some light to the otherwise dark room.


    Sitting on the couch was a young man. He looked around the same age as Eric or Elain, perhaps a bit older. His hair was blond, a bit past earlength, and more on the messy side, like he had rolled out of bed in the morning and hadn''t bothered to fix it. His eyes were a pale blue, and he was wearing dark robes. They looked rather impressive, black with purple designs on them, in the shape of skulls and other weird symbols Eric couldn''t make out.


    Behind this man was the other woman from earlier, the armoured one. She still wore the armour, with the helmet on, though her massive sword was sheathed, resting against the wall next to her. She herself leaned against the wall, watching Eric from behind her visored helm. Even with it on, Eric could still tell she wasn''t exactly relaxing, at the moment.


    He heard the door shut behind him, as Elain stepped into the room behind him, closing the door, before plunking herself down on a chair, wincing slightly.


    For several awkward moments, no one spoke. The man sitting on the couch gave Eric a friendly look, and for several moments just stared at him, like he was trying to figure out what to say. Eric, for his part, just stared back. Finally, before the silence could go from awkward to uncomfortable, the man spoke.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ''''Well, I uh, suppose I should apologize for the rather rude kidnapping from earlier,'''' he began, ''''But we didn''t really have the time to well, have a proper discussion. I hope that we can have one now. I''m Talfryn, by the way, and the person behind me, she''s Siana.'''' he added, giving Eric a broad smile.


    Eric took this all in, before nodding. ''''R-right. And I''m Eric. And like I was asking Elain earlier, where am I?''''.


    Talfryn smiled. ''''Well, right now, we''re in Carnasca, the capital of Allaria. Great place, absolutly wonderful. Have you been here before?''''


    ''''Well, no, I...haven''t.'''' Eric said slowly, ''''Right, capital of Allaria. And uh, where in Carnasca are we right now?''''


    ''''An abandoned house in the slums.'''' Talfryn said promptly, ''''We''re experiencing some....financial troubles right now.''''. From her spot on the chair, Elain snorted. Talfryn ignored her, continuing to smile at Eric.


    ''''Okay, right,'''' Eric said, continuing to speak slowly, trying to figure things out, ''''And....why and how did you kidnap me? Was it to rob me?''''


    Elain scoffed at that. ''''Like we''d rob someone like you. You have nothing on you worth anything.''''. ''''But,'''' Talfryn added, jumping in to the conversation quickly, ''''We are curious as to what someone like you was doing, wandering by themselves, on the road, with no traveling supplies and essentially in their pajamas. Were you escaping from some bandits? Robbed, perhaps?''''


    Eric frowned. ''''No.'''' he said flatly. He decided that telling these borderline strangers the truth of his situation wasn''t exactly a smart move, so he kept his answer simple.


    ''''Alright then.'''' Talfryn said, maintaining the smile on his face, though Eric thought he could see a hint of annoyance on his features as well, ''''You going to go into specifics on that?''''


    ''''Not really, no,'''' Eric replied again, wondering if it was possible for him to open the door behind him and run out before they could chase him. ''''You probably wouldn''t believe me, anyways.''''


    Elain laughed. ''''That''s probably the most cliche line I''ve ever heard. Honestly, just tell us. Or else Siana here is just going to beat the answer out of you.''''. At those words Siana looked up briefly, giving Eric a look from behind her helmet.


    ''''Okay, right, good to know.'''' Eric said nervously. He had never been one who could hold up very well under intimidation, so he cracked pretty much instantly. ''''What if I told you....that I''m from another world?''''


    For several long moments, there was silence in the room. Talfryn raised an eyebrow, Elain just gave him a blank look, and Siana continued giving Eric her helmeted stare.


    Then Talfryn shrugged. ''''Seems pretty believeable. Surprising, but believeable''''. Elain nodded in agreement as well.


    ''''Wait....what?'''' Eric asked, confused, ''''Seriously? You guys buy that?''''


    Talfryn gave him a funny look. ''''Why wouldn''t we? Dimensional travel is a thing, you know? I''m honestly surprised you didn''t know that, thought everyone knew that. It''s rare, but not unheard of.''''.


    Beside him, Elain nodded. ''''So you aren''t human then, that''s for sure. Humans aren''t exactly native to any other dimensions. What are you then? Demon, faerie? Come to mess around with us humans for a bit? First time, probably, considering how bad of an act you''re pulling right now.''''. Talfryn nodded in agreement.


    ''''I''m a human! Seriously!'''' Eric blurted out, ''''I don''t know what dimensions you guys are talking about, but I''m from this planet called Earth, and theres a bunch of other humans living there, but we don''t live like we''re in the Middle Ages anymore or where whatever you guys where.'''' he rambled.


    ''''Ooookay, whatever.'''' Talfryn said, waving a hand vaguely, ''''I understood about half of what you said, and quite frankly, I''m not in any real mood right now to try to decipher everything else you''ve tried to say. I''m going to assume, then, that you''re some kind of faerie or demon until proven otherwise. In the meantime.....'''' he frowned, ''''Was there anything else we were supposed to do here with...Eric, was it?'''' He asked Elain.


    She shook her head. ''''Nope. Kidnapping him was kind of a split second decision, in case you forgot.''''. ''''Yeah, true.'''' Talfryn muttered, ''''And honestly, I kinda don''t know what we should do with you from here. Alright then. Elain, put this guy to sleep and dump him on the streets, I guess. We''re done here-,''''.


    ''''No.'''' Standing behind Talfryn, Siana spoke for the first time since kidnapping Eric, ''''He knows too much about us. We can''t just let him go, theres a chance he''ll rat out on us to the city guard, or the Guild. We should kill him.''''.


    ''''W-wait, w-what!?'''' Eric yelled francticully. Talfryn gave Siana a look. ''''Really? I mean, now that you brought it up, letting him go really isn''t an option, but at the same time, let''s not think of killing him just yet. How about we recruit him?''''


    Siana folded her arms. ''''Recruit him? For what? He looks pretty useless, if I''m going to be honest here.''''


    ''''As a loyal criminal follower of ours, Siana.'''' Elain explained patiently, seemingly catching on tp what Talfryn was getting at, ''''We can just have him do meager tasks, and we can keep an eye on him so he doesn''t rat us out.'''' Talfryn gave Elain a nod of approval. ''"Exactly.'''' he said.


    ''''W-wait, h-hold on. Criminal follower?'''' Eric stammered, starting to unconciously back away from the three of them.


    ''''Oh, yeah. We should probably explain what we do.'''' Talfryn said, his friendly smile returning. ''''Me, Siana, and Elain here are a group of adventurers. Or were, I guess. We''ve all got our liscenses revoked around....two weeks ago? Bunch of random criminal activities. But we still need to eat, so we decided to join up and give crime a try. Of course, there''s only the three of us, but with you, we''ll have four!''''.


    ''''And we''ll finally have someone to boss around.'''' Elain said happily. Siana gave a brief nod. ''''I agree. You two are right. He''ll do for any meager tasks, I suppose.''''


    ''''W-wait, no, please! I don''t want to be involved in any crime, or anything!'''' Eric protested weakly, ''''I just wanted to go on adventures and stuff!''''.


    ''''Too bad!'''' Elain proclaimed, smirking triumphantly, ''''You''re with us now, whether you like it or not!''''.


    Eric decided that now was better then never, and turned, making a break for the door with the intention of fleeing.


    He hadn''t even made it two steps before Siana tackled him from behind.

 Chapter 3: Welcome to the Club

    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I HAVE TO GO WITH HIM?" Elain yelled, glaring at Talfryn. They had just about wrapped up the meeting. Eric was sitting in one of the chairs, nursing the fresh bruises he had gotten from Siana''s football tackle. Siana herself had long since vanished somewhere, and Talfryn was currently going over a list of duties.


    "First of all, Elain," Talfryn said patiently, "We need more food, unless you''d like to starve. Second of all, we need someone to keep an eye on Eric, in case he runs off."


    "Wonderful. It feels so nice, knowing I''mtrustedhere." Eric commented sarcastically.


    Talfryn turned his patient gaze onto Eric. "And third, because I feel some bonding between us would be nice. Considering the fact that we are a team."


    Elain groaned. "Than why don''t you go with him? Does it look like I want to go wander around outside for two hours, buying groceries?"


    "I''m putting the finishing touches on our first job," Talfryn explained, "That we''ll be doing tonight, by the way."


    "Wait, are you serious?" Elain exclaimed, her previous annoyance at Eric vanishing, "Why didn''t you tell us this earlier?"


    "Mostly because I only really managed to think up most of it today," Talfryn said apologetically, "But trust me, this plan will work. I''ll explain it once you, Siana, and Eric return.".


    Elain sighed. "Fair enough. Alright, let''s get this over with. Come on, Eric.". Without another word, she got up and headed for the door.


    "Wait." Eric said. Elain paused, exhaled, and turned around. "What?"she asked.


    Eric gestured at his torn, filthy clothing. "In case you didn''t notice, I kind of need some new clothes."


    <hr>


    "This clothing itches." Eric complained, clawing at the collar of his shirt with one hand. Before they had left, Talfryn had tossed some clothing his way. He now wore a plain brown jacket, white shirt, brown trousers, and leather boots.


    The clothing wasn''t in the best condition, but it was still much better than the filthy clothing Eric had been wearing earlier.


    It also itched about ten times more.


    "Get used to it." Elain muttered, not bothering to even glance his way. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing earlier, but she also had her wooden staff in one hand.


    Eric, meanwhile, appeared to have been delegated to the duty of shopper, because Elain had tossed him two large, leather bags before they left the house.


    They were currently walking through the city slums, and Eric had to be honest, but his intial opinion on Carnasca wasn''t very good. All around him, the streets were flithy, and most of the houses looked to be in various stages of disrepair. It was still the afternoon, yet the only people Eric saw on the streets were the occasional begger.


    ''''City sure doesn''t seem as impressive from the inside as it does from the outside.'''' he commented. Elain shrugged. ''''Yeah. Carnasca''s been going downhill recently. Capital city of Allaria, but it''s honestly going down the drain. Half the nobility are corrupt, and Carnasca has the largest criminal underworld in all of Allaria.''''.


    She extended her staff into the distance, pointing at the glimmering white castle, large enough that it could still be seen over the rooftops. ''''Royal family doesn''t really care what happens to the lower class. I think they''ve been thinking of tearing down the slums, in all honesty, but they''re too lazy to get around to doing it.''''.


    Eric frowned, digesting this new information. It seemed that every passing minute he spent in this new world caused his perception of it to change, and not nesscarily for the good. ''''Huh. Sounds great.'''' he commented.


    Elain shrugged. ''''We get by, I guess. Better than a good chunk of people in this city.''''


    ''''Oh, right, about that. Can I ask you a question?'''' Eric asked curiously.


    Elain gave him a look. ''''Depends on the question.'''' she replied carefully.


    ''''It''s about your past life as an adventurer,'''' Eric began cautiously, ''''Like, what was it all about?''''.


    Elain raised an eyebrow. ''''Do you really think that''s the kind of thing I''d just tell someone I met less than a day ago? I really prefer to not think back on it.''''Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ''''Of course, sorry.'''' Eric said nervously, ''''Alright, I uh, have a couple other questions too.''''


    Elain shrugged. ''''Shoot.''''


    ''''Alright. First of all, what you did to me, when you guys kidnapped me....that was magic, right?''''


    Elain gave him a funny look. ''''Of course it was. What else would it be?''''


    ''''Right. Good to know. How does it work?'''' Eric asked.


    Elain stared at him. ''''You''re being serious right now?''''. ''''Very.'''' Eric replied. Elain stared at him for a moment longer, like she was trying to figure out if he was messing with her or not, before sighing.


    ''''Guess it doesn''t really matter whether I tell you or not. Alright, listen up. I''m going to make this as brief as possible. Magic users, like me, cast magic by manipulating Mana. Mana is a sort of energy source that exists all around us, in this world. Magic users are able to shape Mana into various spells. Magic isn''t something that anyone can learn. You''re born with it, or you aren''t. There are two types of magic: Talents, and Affinity. A Talent is usually a single, unique ability, something that is usually specific to the person with the Talent, though sometimes Talent abilities will share similarities. Affinity, however, is the ability to cast a wider variety of spells. The difference with a Talent is that the spells created and cast by one Affinity user can very easily be taught and cast by other Affinity users, as long as they are storng enough to be able to actually manipulate enough Mana to cast the spell.'''' Elain finished, rattling off the speech like she just wanted to get it over with, ''''There''s a bit more to it, but thats all you really need to know, for now.''''.


    ''''R-right.'''' Eric took a few moments to digest this information, before speaking again. ''''So, you have an Affinity, than?''''


    Elain nodded. ''''Pretty much, yeah. I''ll be honest and admit I''m a bit below average, but I can cast most beginner spells, so I''m not useless in a fight.''''.


    ''''Right. And you used spells to kidnap me, right? Which ones?'''' Eric asked. He was finally starting to understand what was going on, with this new world. He was now extremly grateful for all the fantasy stories he had read. ''''I know you used a sleep spell on me, but how did the three of you sneak up on me? Teleportation? Invisibility?''''


    ''''Invisiblity, as well as something else.'''' Elain said promptly, with a hint of pride in her voice. ''''The spell is called Silence Field. It''s my newest spell, and I wanted to test it out. It let''s me cover a small area with an invisibility field, but I can also prevent any sound from leaving the field as well. It''s how the three of us were able to sneak up on you.''''.


    ''''Huh. Neat.'''' Eric commented, ''''Does anyone else have magic in your group? Like Talfryn?''''.


    ''''Yeah, Talfryn''s got magic too. Not like mine though, his is a Talent, not an Affinity. And don''t ask me what it is, he likes to keep it secret. Ask him yourself, if you''rereallythat curious on it.''''.


    ''''Gotcha.'''' Eric said.


    They walked the next few minutes in silence. They had been walking for around five minutes now, and the surroundings around them were gradually improving. Buildings seemed to be in better condition, and he could see more people on the streets, walking around or minding their own buisness. Most of them were dressed in similar clothing to him and Elain.


    ''''We''re in the Living District of Carnasca, now.'''' Elain said, ''''You''ll see more people when we enter the Shopping District.''''


    ''''Alright, fine with me.'''' Eric said, before deciding to use the oppurtunity to talk some more. ''''So, Elain, you from around here?''''


    Elain gave him another look. ''''Remember what I told you about not pressing my life as an adventurer?''''


    ''''Yeah, but-,'''' Eric didn''t get to finish his sentence before Elain stopped, turned, and stepped up to him, looking him fact to fact. It was than that Eric realized how tall she really was. He himself was a bit above average height, around 6 feet even, and Elain was tall enough to look him eye to eye.


    ''''The same applies to my personal life. I already told you, I''m not in the mood to share anything personal with you until I''m sure you aren''t going to just backstab all of us. Got it?'''' the look she gave him practicallydaredhim to protest.


    Eric nodded. ''''R-right.''''. Elain nodded, before stepping back, relaxing slightly. ''''Good, now come on. We don''t have all day.'''' she turned and headed off, leaving Eric with no choice but to follow.


    <hr>


    The Shopping District was quite busy during the afternoon. The houses in the district were in much better quality than the houses in the slums or the Living District. Eric could see a variety of shops, as well as several stalls. A thick crowd milled around the place.


    ''''Alright, here we are. Stay close, and tell me if you see any guards.'''' Elain muttered, nervously darting her eyes around.


    ''''Uh, why?'''' Eric asked curiously. He gave a quick glance around the crowded district, but could see no one that looked like they could be a guard.


    ''''Well, me, Talfryn, and Siana are all sort of criminals, in case you forgot'''' Elain explained, ''''Not like, extremely bad ones!'''' She added quickly, upon noticing Eric''s horrified look, ''''The city isn''t going to go out of their way to watch us, but the city guard know what the three of us look like, so we usually try to stay out of their way.''''


    ''''Alright, good to know, I guess. But is it really safe for you to just be out here?'''' Eric asked, now anxiously glancing around.


    ''''Here? Sure, it''s not a huge deal. The city patrols here often enough, but we can usually just blend right in, so it isn''t a big deal. Anyways, that''s beside the point.'''' She reached into her pocked, pulling out a small, leather pouch. Something jingled in it as she opened it.


    ''''Alright, let''s see.....60 silver. Not a lot, but it should be enough. Here. You can hold the money, as well as the shopping list." She passed both over to him.


    Eric glanced down at the list. It had a bunch of basic groceries on there, and he actually recognized most of the food, with a few exceptions. ''''What''s uh.....a silverback trout?'''' he asked.


    Elain gave him a glance, than sighed. ''''Ugh. Forgot that you don''t know anything here. Give me that.." She snatched the shopping list from out of his hands. "Alright, follow my lead."


    <hr>

 Chapter 4: Fish and Stones

    They spent the next hour wandering the various stalls in the Shopping District, buying groceries. Elain ended up doing most of the buying, however. She bartered for prices, picked out purchases, and paid the price, before handing the food to Eric to put in one of the bags.


    With nothing much to do himself, Eric ended up looking around the Shopping District, taking in the sights. The places seemed to sell everything. He could see stalls that sold a wide variety of weapons standing next to one that sold jewlery, and another that sold what appeared to be herbs.


    Naturally, he just had to ask Elain some questions.


    "You think I could get like, a sword or something?" He asked Elain, as they stood in front of a fishmonger stall.


    Elain responded by tossing an entire wrapped up fish at him. He fumbled with the fish and the bags in his hands for several long moments, nearly dropping both. Elain observed him struggle for a moment, before responding.


    "Do you have any proper weapons training?" She asked.


    "Well....no." Eric admitted.


    "Than don''t even bother with a sword. You''ll probably just end up stabbing yourself." She replied.


    "Alright, fine. But there has to be some weapon I can use, right? Something to defend myself with?" Eric asked.


    Elain seemed to ponder that for a few moments, before responding.


    "Magic items, than. Most of the weaker ones can be used by anyone, and all you need is a bit of concentration."


    "Alright, cool! Than lets go get me one!" Eric said excitedly.


    Elain laughed, holding up the coin pouch, which was now two-thirds empty. "With this much money? I doubt we could afford anything. However," she said thoughtfully, "I suppose it wouldn''t hurt to take a look inside one. Who knows, we might find something cheap." As she spoke, a tone of wistfulness entered her voice, and Eric knew he had hit a weak spot.


    "Well, what are we waiting for? Let''s go!" He said eagerly.


    Elain smiled slightly. "Alright, alright. We passed a magic store a while back. Let''s go."


    <hr>


    The magic store Elain had been refering to was a few minutes walk behind themm and so small that Eric had no idea how Elain had managed to notice it. It was tucked into a corner, no real decorations marking it, aside from a small sign with the words "Arreus Magika." on it. A dusty display window was next to the front door, showing off a dusty skull, an empty glass vial, and what looked to be a clear, glass orb behind the window.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I''m going to be honest here," Eric commented, "This doesn''t seem to be the best store in the area."


    Elain nodded her head in agreement. "But we might get something cheap here," she replied, "Worth a shot.".


    "True. And besides, places like this, they almost always have something cool hidden inside, if the stories I''ve read are any indication." Eric grinned.


    Elain rolled her eyes slightly, before walking up and opening the door.


    <hr>


    As they stepped inside, they found themselves in a small, dark room. The only light came from the display window, which let in dusty, afternoon light. It illuminated three rows of wooden shelves, with various items piled on them. At the back of the room was a small counter, hidden in shadow.


    "Hello?" Elain called out.


    She had just finished speaking when Eric suddenly heard movement from behind the counter, and an old woman emerged. She was over a head shorter than Eric, with wrinkly brown skin and a shock of grey hair.


    "Oh, what''s this? Customers?" Despite her age, her voice was bright and cheerful.


    "That''s right." Elain smiled politely. "We were here because we were wondering if you had any cheap magic items on sale. We were looking for some for him." She nodded at Eric, who smiled and tried his best to look polite.


    The old woman nodded. "I see.". She walked up to Eric, looking at him curiously. "Do you have an Affinity? Or a Talent?"


    "Nope!" Eric said brightly.


    The woman nodded. "I see. Well follow me, you two. We''ll see if we can find anything." And with that, she wandered off down the rows of shelves, pointing at various items and rattling off descriptions.


    Eric tried his best to listen politely, but soon found his eyes wandering to the various items on the shelves. A wooden wand, a leather bound book, a a strange stone made of some shiny black material.....Eric gave the last one a curious touch.


    "Hello." A voice suddenly spoke in his mind, a voice as cold as ice, sounding like it was being whispered right into his ear.


    "Shit!" Eric yelled, stumbling back, accidentally knocking the stone off its perch, causing it to fall to the ground with a clunk.


    Hearing the noise, Elain turned, an annoyed look on her face. "Eric-," She began.


    "The stone! I-it talked to me!" Eric stammered out, pointing at the stone that was now innocently lying on the floor,


    "What?" The shopkeeper exclaimed, spinning around and walking back over to Eric, her motions quick. "Thisstone?" She picked up the black stone, extending it to him.


    Eric nodded. "Y-yeah." He said shakily.


    "Than you must take it!" The shopkeeper proclaimed, "For the stone has chosen you as it''s master!"


    "Alright, alright, hold on." Elain said, walking up to the two of them. "I don''t think Eric should just take the stone. Sentient magic items have a tendency to be dangerous. Besides, it''s not like we have money-,"


    "I''ll give it to you for free," The shopkeeper proclaimed, shoving the stone into Eric''s hands. It felt cold to the touch. "I am not one to come between an item and its master."


    "That''s fine and all," Elain replied, "But-," She abruptly froze as she stared out the window, behind Eric, all colour vanishing from her face.


    "Elain?" Eric asked nervously, "What is it?" He followed her gaze out the window, and found two men in armour on the other side, peering in. One had an arm extended, finger pointing at Elain.


    "It''s the city guard." Elain groaned, "They found us."

 Chapter 5: Shadows and Cold

    ''''Oh? What is it?'''' The shopkeeper asked, walking up next to Elain and Eric and peering out the window. ''''Oh, it''s the city guard! That''s funny, I haven''t had them show up at my door before....,''''.


    Elain was already moving for the door, one hand closing around Eric''s wrist and dragging him after her. ''''Let''s go let''s go let''s go let''s go.'''' she rambled, a panicked expression on her face.


    They hadn''t managed to make it to the door when it was opened from the other side, the two guards from earlier stepping in. Up close, they looked pretty intimidating. They both were wearing similar uniforms, a combination of chainmail and leather, sheathed swords at their belts.


    ''''Excuse me, miss,'''' One of them began, moving so that he blocked the door, ''''Could you please come with us? And you too, sir.'''' he nodded at Eric politly.


    Elain froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Eric was sure he had a similar expression on his face. Than, after a moment of hesitation, Elain nodded.


    ''''Right, yeah, sure.'''' she slowly lowered the staff in her hand. Behind them, the shopkeeper had backed up a few steps, watching the scene with what appeared to be curiosity on her face.


    The two guards exchanged glances, before one of them slowly approached. ''''Drop your staff.''''.


    Elain nodded again, slowly lowering it to the ground. However, right as the staff touched the ground, she suddenly moved, faster than Eric would have though possible for someone like her, and touched the guard in front of her.


    ''''Sleep.'''' she said, her face knit in concentration. Eric saw the man''s eyes close, and without further ado, he slumped over, out cold.


    The other guard backed up, surprise on his face. ''''Damnit!'''' One hand went for the sword at his belt, and he pulled it out with a rasping of metal, before backing out the door. ''''Help!'''' he called, ''''Violent criminal!''''.


    ''''Ah, great,'''' Elain muttered, ''''Come on Eric, we need to leave. Now.''''. She grabbed Eric''s arm again, and yanked him towards the door.


    ''''R-right, yeah.'''' Eric sputtered out, following her out.


    They bolted out the store, passing the guard standing outside. He yelled out, swinging his sword at them, but Elain responded by whacking him in the face with her staff. The man cried out and staggered back, allowing the two of them to flee.


    As they fled, Eric risked one quick glance back. He saw a small group of guards turn the corner, moving their way, as well as the shopkeeper, now standing at the door to the shop, watching the two of them run off, a strange expression on her face.


    <hr>


    ''''Can''t you run any faster?'''' Elain muttered, bolting down an alleyway. Eric had no idea where they were. He was too busy focusing on keeping up with Elain to try to take in his surroundings.


    ''''N-not r-really, n-no.'''' he panted, his steps faltering.


    Elain sighed, giving him a quick look. ''''Fine. Looks like we lost them anyways.'''' she said, before leaning against a wall in the alleyway. Eric, meanwhile, chose to lie down on the ground. It was probably extremly dirty, but he was too tired to care.


    ''''C-couldn''t you have used y-your magic to get us out?'''' he asked, panting for breath.


    Elain shook her head. ''''I don''t exactly have an infite store of Mana. I already used up a lot of it earlier on today, when I kidnapped you. I used Silence Field and Sleep, than. Than I used Sleep again, to take out that guard. Both Sleep and Silence Field cost me a lot of Mana to cast. I have enough Mana left for one spell, and I''m going to be honest here, it isn''t one that''s going to be very helpful here.''''This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ''"Great.'''' Eric muttered. It was than that he realized he was still holding the black stone from the shop. He unclenched his fist, studying the stone. It was small enough to fit in his palm, and pure black. It felt ice cold to the touch.


    ''''Still holding that?'''' Elain noticed, sitting next to him. Eric nodded. ''''Yeah. You mentioned earlier that this kind of thing is dangerous. Why?''''


    Elain frowned. ''''The stone spoke to you, right? That''s usually not a good sign. Sentient magic items are rare, but they''re almost always not good news. They''ll could try to manipulate you, and even end up killing you. It''s usually a good idea to just toss it.''''


    ''''Right....'''' Eric idly turned the stone in his hands, ''''But still, something like this could still be useful, right?'''' . Elain nodded slowly. ''''Maybe. Let''s focus on getting out of here first, before we deal with the stone.''''. She got to her feet, and, after a moments pause, extended one hand out to Eric.


    ''''Thanks.'''' Eric took the hand, letting her pull him up. As he stood unsteadily, he paused. He could hear the faint sound of footsteps, coming closer to their location.


    ''''Hey, do you hear...footsteps?'''' He asked. Elain frowned, than her eyes widened. ''''Crap.'''' she looked around the alleyway. It was narrow, about five feet wide most, strewn about with trash. Up ahead, it turned right. ''''Alright, let''s move.'''' She pointed down the alleyway. Eric nodded, and the two took off.


    Up ahead, however, they found themselves looking at a very unfortunate situation. The alleyway abruptly ended at a tall wall, blocking their route. Eric groaned. ''''Now what?''''.


    Elain studied the wall for a moment, than nodded. ''''Alright, I got it. Boost me up to the top of the wall, and I''ll pull you up with me.''''


    ''''You serious?'''' Eric asked in disbelief. Elain nodded. ''''I am. Now hurry up, we don''t exactly have all day.''''


    Eric nodded. ''''R-right.'''' he moved to the wall, his back to it, distinctly aware of the footsteps, increasingly growing louder. ''''Alright, come here.''''.


    Elain nodded. ''''Stick your hands out, I need a foothold.''''. After Eric complied, she walked over, putting one foot on his clasped hands.


    ''''Now boost me up.'''' she ordered, ''''In 3....2....1.''''. At those words, Eric pushed upwards, as hard as he could. Unfortunately, he had underestimated how heavy Elain would be, and barely managed to get her a few feet high. ''''Y-you''re kind of heavy.'''' he muttered.


    Elain ignored him, and managed to use the momentum he gave her to jump a few inches higher, grabbing the edge of the wall, pulling herself up. ''''Alright, now hurry up and take my hand!'''' she exclaimed, sticking one hand out.


    Eric nodded, and after a moment to catch his breath, reached up to grab Elain''s hand. He missed by a good inch, and landed back in the alley.


    ''''Shit!'''' Elain swore. Behind them, the footsteps were getting louder, and Eric could hear voices as well. He desperately looked around the alleyway, trying to find a spot to hide. Unfortunatly, there wasn''t any. Aside from a few shadowy corners, there wasn''t a single place to hide.


    ''''Step into the shadows''''A voice spoke in his head, like the one back at the shop, cold as ice. Eric froze in surprise.


    ''''Eric?'''' Elain hissed from her spot on top of the wall, arm still outstretched. ''''Hurry!''''


    ''''Step into the shadows'''' The voice spoke, again. Eric swore he could hear a hint of annoyance in it''s voice. In his other hand, the black stone had suddenly grown ice cold.


    ''''Right...yeah, okay.'''' he muttered. Behind him the footsteps were growing even louder, and he had only a few seconds left before the guards would round the corner. Elain continued to crouch above the wall, hissing at him to take her hand.


    Ignoring all this, Eric decided to listen to the voice, and stepped into the shadows at the base of the wall.


    Nothing seemed to happen to him. Or so he first thought. As he entered the shadows of the wall, he heard Elain let out a gasp of surprise from above him, just as four guards rounded the corner. Eric froze, his breath caught in his throat.


    The four guards paused and looked directly his way, but seemed to look right through him. Than they flicked their eyes up. Eric followed their gaze, and found that Elain must have dropped to the other side of the wall, because she wasn''t there anymore.


    ''''They aren''t here!'''' One of the guards called down the alleyway, ''''Come on, maybe we took a wrong turn.''''. Without wasting another moment, the four men turned and left the alleyway, leaving Eric standing there.


    ''''You''re welcome'''' The voice said in his head. This time, there seemed to be a note of satisfaction in it''s voice.

 Chapter 6: Plans and Questions

    ''''So, let me get this straight.'''' Elain asked quietly, sneaking a peak around the corner of a building, ''''The stone talked to you, and told you to hide in the shadows?''''.


    ''''Yep.'''' Eric said, pressing his body against the alleyway wall. After his miraculous escape from the guards, he had stepped out of the shadows, and had, according to Elain, ''''Appeared out of nowhere.''''. She had helped him up and over the wall, and they had continued their escape.


    ''''Tell me what you saw happen again?'''' Eric asked.


    Elain nodded, still peering around the corner. ''''You kind of just stepped into the shadows at the base of the wall and vanished. There really isn''t much to say. It was instantaneous. And than the guards came, I hid, they left, and you reappeared out of the shadows. All clear, by the way.'''' With those words she turned the corner, gesturing at Eric to follow, which he did.


    ''''Right,'''' Eric said, ''''So what do you think happened?''''


    Elain shrugged. ''''Well, from what you told me, it appears this stone is sentient. It probably used it''s abilities to help hide you from the guards, because it wanted to preserve itself as well, and assumed that staying on you was a preferrable option to being confisticated by the guards.''''


    As she spoke, Eric thought he could hear a faint chuckle in his mind. ''''This one is smart. I like her''''


    He yelped, clutching his head. Elain turned her head. ''''What''s wrong?'''' She asked, and Eric thought he could hear a note of concern in her voice.


    ''''Voice spoke again.'''' Eric said, now rubbing his head, ''''Damn, that feels weird. Like I''m getting brain freeze or something.''''


    ''''Really?'''' Elain rasied an eyebrow, ''''What did it say?''''


    ''''Uh....'''' Eric frowned. ''''Something about how you''re smart. And it likes you.''''


    ''''Huh.'''' Elain said, her mouth curving into a frown as well, ''''That''s....annoying. So it can hear us. Try talking to it?''''


    Eric nodded. ''''Hello?'''' he asked, bringing the stone up to his mouth as he spoke.


    Nothing happened. ''''No voices.'''' He reported to Elain. She nodded. ''''Guess it prefers to talk when it wants to. Well, whatever, we can discuss this more later. Come on, let''s head back to the hideout.''''


    <hr>


    After several more long minutes of hiding in alleyways and blending in with whatever crowds they could find, Eric and Elain finally found themselves in the slums again. Eric never thought he''d be more happy to see rundown buildings in his life.


    It was only than that a question that had been nagging at him for awhile now popped up.


    ''''Hey, didn''t you say that Talfryn, Siana and you were small time criminals?''''.


    Elain nodded. ''''What about it?''''


    ''''Than why were some random members of the city guard able to instantly recognize you? Doesn''t make a lot of sense, since you guys aren''t major criminals.'''' Eric pointed out.


    Elain nodded again. ''''In most cases, yeah, they wouldn''t be able to recognize us, but the Carnasca City Guard have access to powerful mages. One of their spells essentially creates a mental network, which allows for multiple members to share information between each other. In this case, the faces and names of every criminal believe to live in the city is implanted onto this network. Because of this, everytime a city guard spots a criminal, the network activates, and notifies them that they''re looking at a criminal.'''' She explained.


    ''''Wow,'''' Eric said, ''''That sounds....creepy? Or just plain weird.''''


    Elain nodded in agreement. ''''Additionally, since you were seen with me, they''ve probably put your face onto the mental network as well, assuming they got a good enough look at you. Which they might not have, so hope you''re lucky.''''This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ''''Wonderful.'''' Eric sighed, ''''I suppose the best part of today is that we managed to escape with the groceries. Or atleast one bag.'''' he held up a single brown bag of food.


    Elain frowned. ''''What happened to the other one?''''


    ''''Dropped it somewhere during the chase. Honestly, I was panicking hard enough that I didn''t notice until only a few minutes ago.''''


    ''''Great,'''' Elain sighed, ''''Just great.''''


    <hr>


    ''''Oh! You''re back!'''' Talfryn said, stepping out into the entrance hall with a smile, as Elain and Eric entered the house, shutting the door behind them. He looked them up and down, taking in their dirty appearance, the smile fading. ''''What happened?''''


    Elain sighed. ''"The city guard. That''s what happened.''''


    Talfryn grimaced. ''''You serious? Dangit. Did they get a good look at Eric?''''


    ''''Not sure, don''t think so. We were running the whole time. Why, is it a problem?'''' Elain asked, slumping against the wall.


    Talfryn nodded. ''''Somewhat, yes. But if they didn''t get a good enough view of his face to put him on their mental watchlist, we should be fine. Anyways, this shouldn''t affect tonight''s plans by a major margin. Anything else happen that I should know about?''''


    Eric took the opportunity to speak up. ''''Yep. Some old lady gave me this talking stone.''''


    Talfryn raised an eyebrow. ''''Come again?''''.


    Eric proceeded to give Talfryn a brief explanation of his experience. Talfryn listened attentively, not commenting once. As Eric finished, Talfryn sighed.


    ''''I see. Well, again, it shouldn''t impact what happens tonight. Keep the stone on you, though. From what you''ve told me, it seems to be quite the useful item.''''


    ''''Sure.'''' Eric nodded. ''''Right, now that that''s all settled, why don''t you tell us what this plan actually is, Talfryn?'''' Elain asked.


    Talfryn nodded. ''''Sure. Let''s go to the living room, Siana''s waiting for you guys there.''''


    <hr>


    The living room hadn''t changed much, with the exception that Siana was still sitting on the couch. Like always, she was clad entirly in her armour, right down to her helmet. Eric was seriously starting to wonder if she slept in it. She didn''t even glance up as Eric, Elain and Talfryn entered.


    Talfryn took a seat on the couch as well, leaving Elain and Eric to take seats at the two chairs.


    Talfryn took a deep breath, before he began speaking. ''''Alright, allow me to explain just what exactly we''re going to be doing tonight. As you all know, I''ve been thinking of trying out some....unscrupulous activites, in order to make some gold. The first stage of those plans commences tonight.''''


    Elain rolled her eyes. ''''Enough with the theatrics, Talfryn. Just get to the point.''''


    Talfryn grinned good-naturedly. ''''Alright, alright, I''ll get to the point. I''ve been reaching out into the criminal underworld, here in Carnasca, and I''ve found a place we can start. There is a certain individual in this city, goes by the name of Brion Patterson. He runs a small pawnshop in the Shopping District, but he''s also involved in the black market trade as well. He''s rather small time, as criminals go, but he''s big enough to be making a decent amount of money out of his buisness.''''


    ''''And what are we going to do?'''' Elain asked curiously, ''''Rob him?''''


    Talfryn laughed. "Far from it. We''re going to offer our services to him.''''


    ''''Wait, what?'''' Elain asked, her eyebrows shooting up, ''''You mean we''re going to sell our team out to him as what? Bodyguards?''''


    ''''Bodyguards, mercenaries, people he can use for dirty work, that sort of thing. I looked a bit into Brion. He keeps his buisness as small as possible, largely because he''s too afraid to expand, since he''s the only one currently running the buisness. I believe that with our services, he may be more inclined to expand his enterprise.''''


    ''''Right...'''' Elain nodded, ''''I think I see what you''re getting at.''''


    ''''But how exactly do you plan to get in contact with him?'''' Eric spoke up, ''''Are we going to his shop?''''


    Talfryn shook his head. ''''We are not. I''ve been asking around, and I''ve found where Brion is going to be tonight. There''s a fight club, held near the docks every week night. Brion attends there quite frequently. We should be able to go there tonight to meet with him.''''


    ''''Gotcha.'''' Eric said nervously, ''''But what if Brion refuses your deal?''''


    Talfryn smiled mysteriously. ''''He won''t, trust me. I''ve taken precautions to ensure that he will accept our deal.''''


    ''''Right...'''' Eric said, deciding to not press Talfryn on what these ''precautions'' were. ''''So whose going?''''


    Talfryn spread his arms. ''''Why, all of us.''''


    Eric''s eyes widened. ''''Wait, me too?''''


    Siana finally spoke from her spot in the corner. ''''Absolutley not. He has no combat experience. He''ll be a liability, at best.'''' She folded her arms.


    Eric nodded in agreement. ''''In most cases I''d be insulted, but I do agree with her here.'''' He told Talfryn.


    Talfryn smiled easily. ''''Doesn''t matter. We won''t need you to fight. Besides, that magic stone of yours might be some help, who knows? And if tonight goes the way I expect, we''ll need all the help we can.'''' The last part was clearly addressed at Siana as well. Eric couldn''t tell what her reaction was, since she didn''t move at all.


    ''''Well? Any more questions?'''' Talfryn asked.


    ''''One more,'''' Elain spoke up, ''''What should we bring with us?''''


    ''''All your equipment. Including your robe.'''' Talfryn said. Elain''s eyebrows went up. ''''Seriously?'''' she asked. ''''Seriously.'''' Talfryn said. Elain nodded. ''''Alright.''''


    ''''Good. Anything else?'''' Talfryn asked, glancing around at everyone in the room. When no one responded, he rose from his spot on the couch. ''''Alright than. We leave in an hour. Everyone, get ready.''''

 Chapter 7: Shady Dealings

    ''''Alright, stay close.'''' Talfryn muttered, ''''We don''t need any trouble right now.''''


    They were walking through the docks. It was nighttime, dark enough that the only reason why Eric could see where he was going was thanks to the street lamps. The docks themselves were as flithy as the slums, dirty streets with the ocean on one side and a collection of pubs and taverns on the other.


    ''''You know,'''' Eric commented, ''''Is this entire city just a giant mess?''''


    ''''Well, some of it is.'''' Talfryn admited, ''''Most of the areas the nobility frequent are in pretty good shape, but no way we''re going to frequent those parts. Anytime soon, anyways.''''


    Eric nodded, glancing around the dock. Dispite the time, the docks were still rather busy, largely with drunken sailors and other unsavory types. Eric saw a couple glance their way, than immediatly give them a wide berth, probably due to the armoured figure that was Siana.


    ''''By the way, Talfryn,'''' Elain spoke up for the first time, ''''Does this fight club allow us to bring in weapons? Because....'''' she nodded in Siana''s direction. As usual, Siana didn''t even bother glancing her way.


    ''''Right,'''' Talfryn said, ''''About that. Siana, you''ll probably have to wait outside, unless you''re willing to give up your weapons at the door. I would prefer if you went in with us, however.''''


    Siana was silent for several long moments, long enough that Eric was starting to wonder if she was going to stay silent. Finally, she spoke. ''''Very well. I suppose surrenduring my sword shouldn''t be too much of a problem, than.''''


    Talfryn gave her a relieved smile. ''''Thank you,'''' he said, ''''Elain, you''ll probably have to give up your staff as well. I''m not sure if that''ll limit your abilities as a mage, but....''''


    Elain shrugged. ''"Shouldn''t be a problem. I can use pretty much any magic item as a focus for my power, and honestly, comapred to my staff, my robe is a much better option anyways.'''' She gestured at the red and gold robe on her, the same one she had been wearing during Eric''s kidnapping.


    Eric gave it a curious glance. ''''What does that even do?''''


    Elain smiled proudly. ''''Couple of things. It''s pretty good armour, for one, blocks a lot of magic spells, and even some physical attacks. But the main thing it does for me is increase the rate at which I generate Mana. I can recharge my mana with it super fast, so it let''s me just keep throwing out spells without need to recharge. Main problem is that it drains my stamina while doing so, so I can''t exactly keep using it, or I might knock myself out, or kill myself, if I push too hard.''''


    ''''I see,'''' Eric said, ''''That''s pretty neat. How did you get something like that?''''


    Elain grinned at him. ''''How do you think?''''


    Just than, they passed by an alleyway. It was completely dark, shadows covering all of it, and Eric couldn''t see anything in there. Talfryn, however, stopped.


    ''''We''re here.'''' he said. WIthout another word, he turned and walked into the alley, disappearing into the shadows. Siana didn''t even hesitate, following right behind him.


    Eric gave the alley a nervous glance. ''''After you?'''' he asked Elain. Elain rolled her eyes, walking into the darkness, and after a momet of hesitation, Eric followed her.


    For several long moments, he could barely see anything. He was vaguely aware of Elain in front of him.


    Suddenly, however, a voice spoke up from the darkness. ''''What do you all want?'''' the voice hissed.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ''''We''re just here to see the fight.'''' Talfryn said from ahead, his voice calm and collected.


    ''''One gold coin each for entry,'''' the man replied, ''''So four for all of you.''''


    ''''Of course.'''' Talfryn said easily. Eric heard the clinking of coins being exchanged.


    ''''Alright, than.'''' the voice said, ''''Come in.'''' Eric heard a door being open, and light and loud noise suddenly cut through the darkness. Eric could see the rest of his team, bathed in the light, as well as a tall man wearing raggedy clothes, standing next tot he door with a cold expression on his face.


    Talfryn gave the others a nod, before stepping through the door. Eric and the others quickly followed suit.


    The room they entered was a small entrance hall, another door leading into the main fight club a few feet ahead. They had barely stepped in when they were accosted by a large man. He was huge, easily a head taller than Eric, and built like a bodybuilder. A large sword rested in a sheath at his belt.


    ''''Weapons.'''' he said shortly, pointing at Siana''s sword, than Elain''s staff. Elain quickly handed it over, seeming to want no trouble.


    Siana, meanwhile, unbuckled the sheathed sword from her belt, than extended it towards the man. ''''Do not damage it.''''


    The man gave her a look, before nodding silently, taking the sword from her. ''''Pockets.'''' he said next.


    Talfryn nodded, quickly turning the pockets of his robe and pants inside out. The only thing he had kept there was apparently the coin pouch. Elain had brought nothing, and Siana''s armour didn''t exactly have any pockets.


    Following their lead, Eric reached into his own pockets, turning them inside out. The only thing that he had brought along was the black stone.


    The man gave it a suspicious look. ''''What''s that?'''' he growled menacingly.


    ''''A good luck charm,'''' Eric stammered, hoping he looked honest, ''''Just one of those things I carry around all the time, you know?''''


    The man held his gaze for a few moments longer, before turning away. ''''Don''t cause any trouble.'''' he said, before turning towards a small chest behind him. He reached down and unlocked in, revealing a small collection of weapons. He gently put in Siana''s sword and Elain''s staff, before closing the chest.


    ''''Let''s go,'''' Talfryn whispered to the others, heading ahead and opening the door, holding it open for the rest of them.


    <hr>


    The fight club was nothing like Eric had suspected it would be. The place was lit by dim lanterns, set intot he wall at various points. A bunch of old, round tables lined the edges of the room, with a few chairs as well. In the center of the room was a large, hollowed out pit, a 20 foot by 20 foot square, and roughly 10 feet high, the top surrounded by a wooden fence, probably to prevent anyone from falling in. Two wooden gates stood at opposite ends of the pit. Eric assumed that was where the fighters would come from. Finally, a wooden bar stood at the far end of the room.


    The room was surprisingly full, with many of the tables full of people, excitedly talking with each other. Others sat at the bar, milled around the place, or gathered at the edge of the pit, loudly talking and placing bets, getting themselves ready for the upcoming fight.


    ''''Ugh,'''' Elain wrinkled her nose, ''''Lovely smell.''''


    Talfryn chuckled. ''''Just hang in there, we need to find Brion right now though. Wait here, you guys. I''ll ask at the bar.'''' With those words, he walked off in that direction, leaving Eric, Siana, and Elain awkwardly standing near the entrance.


    ''''We should probably move.'''' Elain suggested. ''''Right, yeah.'''' Eric agreed, joining her in backing away from the entrance. Siana wordlessly followed them. They ended up moving against the wall a few feet away from the entrance, wordlessly watching the rest of the room.


    Eric watched as Talfryn approached the bar, speaking to the bartender there, probably asking for Brion''s whereabouts. After a few moments of discussion, Talfryn nodded, before walking back over to the rest of the group.


    ''''Brion is in tonight,'''' he reported, ''''By himself, sitting in that corner over there.'''' he nodded across the room, to a table largely hidden in shadows.


    ''''Lovely,'''' Elain said, ''''Let''s get this over with, than.'''' Talfryn nodded in agreement. ''''Indeed.''''


    Together, the four of them walked towards the table Talfryn had pointed out.


    As they approached, Eric could make out a man, sitting at the table. He was bald, and a bit on the pudgy side of things. His clothing, while not necessarily expensive looking, looked well made, better than the clothing of everyone else in the club. He sat by himself, a large mug full of some dark brown liquid sitting on the table before him.


    Talfryn gave him a friendly smile as he approached. ''''Brion Patterson?'''' he asked. Brion looked up, his eyes widening as he looked at the three of them. ''''What do you guys want?'''' he asked. He had a deep voice, and there was a hint of concern in it as he spoke.


    Talfryn''s friendly smile never left his face as he took a seat across from the man. ''''What do we want?'''' he said, ''''Why, to help you, of course. We have an offer for you, Mr Patterson.''''

 Chapter 8: Fight to the Death

    ''''By the way, do you prefer we call you Brion or Patterson?'''' Talfryn asked, ''''Make this conversation a little easier, you know?''''


    Brion stared at the four of them for a long moment, before slowly taking a drink out of his mug. ''''Brion works,'''' he muttered, ''''What did you want again?''''. The look he gave them was full of suspicion.


    ''''We wanted to make you an offer,'''' Talfryn said, ''''We''ve heard of your little black market buisness you run on the side. Profitable, probably, and we want to help you out with expanding it.''''


    Brion gave him an incredulous stare for several long moments, before speaking again. ''''Alright, alright, back off a little, okay? Let me get this straight.'''' He paused, took a moment to gather his thoughts, before speaking again. ''''You guys want to help me with my buisness? Listen, I''m fine with how I am, thank you very much. I''m a small timer, alright? I sell weapons, the occasional magic item, jewelry, the simple stuff, you know? No one bothers me, I just sell the stuff and keep quiet, you know?''''


    ''''Keep quiet?'''' Talfryn chuckled, ''''Brion, I found you incredibly easily. I just asked around on the black market, and you came up as one of the sellers. You''re clearly inexperienced at this. You take no steps to cover your tracks, or hide your identity. No masks, none of that. You just assume that laying low is going to prevent anyone from slitting your throat or taking over your buisness, and let me tell you, that isn''t going to work.'''' He leaned forward a little, his voice taking on a more earnest tone.


    ''''W-what are you getting at?'''' Brion asked, a note of worry in his voice.


    ''''What am I getting at? That, no offense Brion, but you''re kind of an idiot.'''' Talfryn leaned back in his chair. ''''You take no precautions, and if I''m going to be honest here, you aren''t cut out for the criminal life. You''ve got no bodyguards, no protection, none of that. You''re just a man running criminal deals in your pawn shop, by yourself, thinking you can get away with it. I guarantee you, if you don''t accept our offer to help you out, someone else is going to be knocking on your door within the next week, and they won''t be nearly so polite as us.''''


    Brion swallowed nervously, his drink forgotten, sweat beading his forehead. ''''W-what do you want?'''' he asked finally.


    Talfryn''s smiled widened. ''''We want to help you, obviously. We''ll give you advice, bodyguard you, help you expand your buisness, all of that. We''ll basicully be your dirty work guys, I guess. What we want in exchange is....10% of the sales you make off your black market deals. That''s a nice round percentage, don''t you think? Leaves plenty left over for you.''''


    Brion still looked nervous, but he was saved from answering the question by the sudden roar from the crowd. The crowd in the fight club had suddenly come to their feet, yelling and cheering loudly as they clustered around the fight pit. Clearly, the fights had started.


    Talfryn raised an eyebrow. ''''Think on it, Brion. We''ll ask you after the fight. But really, why do you even come to these fights, anyways?'''' He rose to his feet, nodding at Eric, Elain and Siana to follow him.


    <hr>


    ''''Hey, good job.'''' Elain said. They were leaning against the railing, squished in with the rest of the crowd, watching the fight pit down below. An announcer had walked into the middle of the pit, walking around the perimeter and talking to the crowd, trying to excite them. Eric had largely tuned him out.


    ''''Seems like I ruined his night, however.'''' Talfryn noted, nodding in Brion''s direction. The man was currently still sitting at his table, not moving, but staring off into space.


    ''''You did pretty much threaten him,'''' Elain noted, ''''So I''m not too surprised.''''


    Talfryn shrugged. ''''Well, that''s fair. I could have been more gentle about the whole thing, but...'''' he trailed off as the fight club announcer started speaking in earnest.


    ''''Good evening!'''' the man boomed. He was a tall man, lanky, wearing a variety of expensive clothing that did not fit his skinny frame very well, ''''Welcome! For tonights entertainment, we have something...special, for all of you. But first off, please, give a round of applause for our returning champion, Berwyn Vaughan!''''


    Upon hearing that name, the crowd went wild, applauding and yelling loudly, as a man strode into the pit, entering from one of the pits. He was tall, and strongly built, with a thick mop of red hair. He was wearing what appeared to be leather pants and a leather chestpiece, made in such a way that it left his arms bare. A long, wicked looking spear was in one hand. He took some time to walk around the pit, soaking in all the audience praise.


    From her spot beside Eric, Elain sighed. ''Do we really have to stay to watch this fight? I am not a huge fan of needless violence.''''


    Talfryn shook his head. ''''We just need to stay long enough for Brion to make a decision, but I suspect we''ll be leaving within the next hour.''''


    Elain shrugged. ''''Alright, than. But let''s hurry up with it, alright? I''m attracting a lot of attention.''''. Eric could tell why. Elain''s red and gold robe looked expensive and regal, like something a noble would wear. In the fight club, where most of the crowd were wearing ragged and cheap clothing, she stood out.


    ''''They probably think you stole that off someone,'''' Talfryn noted, ''''But as long as you don''t stay in any shady corners, I doubt anyone is going to steal it off you.''''Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ''''That''s reassuring.'''' Elain said sarcasticully. Down in the fight pit, the announcer had decided to start the fight. He moved to the edge of a pit, where a ladder was promptly thrown down from him. He grabbed on, quickly climbing out of the pit.


    An expectant hush had fallen over the crowd. In the pit, Berwyn took his place at one end of the pit, his spear pointed at the gate on the other side.


    ''''Tonight,'''' the announcer proclaimed, ''''We have a special treat for all of you. Instead of fighting someone, our champion will be fightingsomething.''''


    In the shadows beyond the gate, Eric heard the sound of wheels scraping, and a low growl. Around him, the crowd started whispering among themselves.


    ''''Straight from the Eastern Isles, I give you....the manticore!'''' The announcer proclaimed.


    The gate slowly creaked open, and four men appear, pulling behind them a large, wheeled cage, lined with steel bars. Something big was in there. Roughly eight feet long, it had the head of what looked like a lion, the body of some large lizard, and a strange, spiked tail. It roared loudly, slamming it''s body against the bars.


    Upon seeing the creature, the crowd abruptly devolved into shouting once more, pointing at the creature, and loudly conversing among themselves.


    ''"Seriously?'''' Elain asked in disblief, ''''He''s going to fightthat?''''


    Eric frowned. ''''Huh. I always assumed manticores had wings.''''


    Elain shrugged. ''''Sometimes they do. Not all of them though.'''' She paused, glancing in Talfryn''s direction. ''''Hey, Talfryn, you okay? You look kind of pale.''''


    Talfryn grimaced. ''''I''m fine. Just didn''t...expect these guys to bring in a manticore as the fight opponent.''''


    Eric gave Talfryn a look. ''''Wait. Does this interfere with the plan in any way?''''


    Talfryn sighed. ''''Hopefully not.''''. With those words, he turned his attention back to the pit. Eric and Elain exchanged a concerned look.


    Siana suddenly stiffened. ''''Brion is getting away.''''. Without another word, she turned and walked off into the crowd, shoving aside several people who got in her way.


    Talfryn jerked his head up. ''''What?''''. Eric followed his gaze. Sure enough, the table which Brion had occupied was empty. Siana, however, had managed to catch Brion at the exit of the fight club, and was currently holding him in some sort of grab.


    Talfryn sighed. ''''Great. I''ll handle this.''''. Without another word, he jogged off towards the two.


    Elain groaned. ''''Wow. What agreatplan.''''


    <hr>


    In the pit, Berwyn had settled into a fighting stance, spear pointed at the manticore. Eric had to give him credit; the dude didn''t look scared in the least. He actually somehow managed to lookconfident.


    ''''Are you ready, Berwyn?'''' The announcer asked. Berwyn gave the announcer a grin and a nod.


    ''''Than let the fight begin!'''' The announcer proclaimed. At those words, three of the four people handling the manticore retreated back behind the gate, vanishing from sight. The last one, however, unlocked a padlock at the front of the cage, before quickly retreating as well.


    The manticore seemed to sense that it was now free. It roared, than charge forward, smashing through the now unlocked cage, landing in the middle of the pit. The crowd let out roars of excitement.


    Berwyn braced himself, levling his spear at the manticore, a look of concentration on his face.


    The manticore, however, didn''t bother to size Berwyn up or assess the situation. Half mad with rage, probably from being kept in a cramped cage for such a long period of time, it rushed Berwyn head on.


    Berwyn clearly had not expected that. The manticore leaped, probably in an attempt to avoid the spear. Berwyn, meanwhile, turned his spear up. It hit the manticore on it''s underbelly, sinking in, but that seemed to only enrage the beast, rather than kill it.


    It roared, swiping with one claw, hitting the spear with enough force that it actually managed to break it, leaving Berwyn holding half of a now broken stick.


    At that point, Berwyn seemed like he had enough. He turned and tried to run, which was a futile effort, considering the fact that he was in a pit with two closed gates.


    The manticore, meanwhile, had recovered from it''s injury enough to charge Berwyn. Eric suspected that in most cases it would have played with it''s prey a little longer, but that it wasn''t in the mood for that in it''s current state of rage.


    ''''And it looks like our champion isn''t off to a good start!'''' The announcer proclaimed, ''''Already without a weapon! How is he going to defeat this beast?''''


    Elain frowned. ''"They aren''t even going to give him a replacement weapon? Harsh?''''


    Eric gave her an incredulous look. ''''How can you even watch this?'''' he whispered to her.


    Elain shrugged. ''''I don''t like it, but in case you forgot, I''m an adventurer. I''ve seen enough violence that I''m used to it. I don''t like this, but I can watch it without throwing up.''''


    ''''And you aren''t going to help him?'''' Eric asked.


    Elain glared at him. ''''And have this entire crowd mad at us? Just watch the fight for now, he''s not in any real danger yet. I''ll see about helping him when he is.''''


    Eric sighed. ''''Fine.''''


    In the pit, Berwyn was doing an alright job avoiding the manticore. The manticore was fast and agile, but so was he, and it was clear now that the injury he had dealt earlier was causing the manticore more trouble than expected. It''s movements were slower, and it dragged the broken spear behind it whenever it moved, leaving a trail of green blood.


    It seemed pretty clear that Berwyn was trying to tire it out.


    Eric frowned, a sudden thought occuring to him. ''''Hey, what happened to Talfryn and Siana?''''


    Elain shrugged. ''''They''re probably reasoning with Brion somewhere, right now.''''


    Eric decided to take the oppurtunity to look. Looking for Talfryn and Siana seemed a better option to him than watching a death fight, after all.


    He found Talfryn and Siana with little trouble. They were sitting at a new table, Brion with them. Talfryn seemed to have resumed his earnest reasoning with Brion, who still looked scared out of his life.


    Eric contemplated joining them. Talking with Brion seemed like a much more preferable option to watching the fight. Suddenly, however, he was jolted back to the fight by a sudden loud roar from the crowd.


    Turning back, he saw a horrific sight. Berwyn was on the ground, pinned down by the raging manticore. It had somehow managed to get a hold on him, and it had it''s mouth open, saliva dripping on Berwyn''s face as he desperately struggled to break free.


    Eric turned to Elain, who was watching nervously, biting her lip. ''''Help him!'''' he demanded.


    Elain grimaced. ''''I-,''''. She never got to finish her sentence.


    Suddenly, Eric heard the sound of a door breaking. Metal boots clanked, and the sounds of yelling and swords being drawn was heard. The crowd, intently focused on the fight, now turned to watch as over a dozen men in armour barged into the fight club. In the pit, the manticore seemed to notice the new development, raising it''s head.


    ''''Carnasca city guard!'''' one of the men roared, ''''On your knees, now!''''